Chapter 2! Thank you for all your lovely reviews! Can we get to 25 this time?
ibliniyxxx
"KERI! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Dan yelled at the top of his voice. He spotted Mr Flately at the end of the corridor and went after him.
"Mr Flately! You haven't seen Keri, have you?"
"Oh, no, Daniel. She's not here any more. She left because she was ill."
"WHAT!"
"Ah, having girl troubles are we, Daniel? Well, I can tell you all about..." Mr Flately turned around to find no one standing there. Dan had left, running toward the front gate. "Hmmm. How strange." He walked away. "Maybe Tom told him about the ancient art of woo."
Meanwhile, Dan was about to leave the school in the same fashion Keri had, when he spotted something very bad at the end of the street. He backed away, and ran back to base, calling Zoe on his comms unit on the way.
Keri woke up in a strange place. It was completely dark, and her hands were chained tightly to the wall. The pain of the cuffs had woken her up. Everytime she moved her hands, a shooting pain would go down her arm.
After about 10 minutes of struggling, a door was opened and blinding light came in. She screwed up her eyes against it and huddled away from the approaching figure, wishing more that ever that Dan was there with her.
"Hello," said the figure, and Keri assessed him, like her training told her to: white male, 30 years of age, extremely athletic. Raven black hair, high cheekbones. He would have been handsome, if it weren't for his cruel, empty eyes, darker than the black of night. Keri instantly feared him, and what he might do to her.
"What do you want with me?" her voice came out croaky, and harsh.
He laughed. "I don't want you, my dear. The Mastermind does. Do not worry."
"Why shouldn't I? Hes only the most evil guy on the planet."
He smiled at her. "The Mastermind was right. You are funny, considering you'll be nothing more than a memory in a few hours."
"Fine. Then leave me alone, so I can have some peace."
"No, my dear. We need to get you wired up."
Keri was too weak to fight back. She blacked out again as two people dragged her away.
Dan paced up and down in base, frustrated. Rosa put out a hand to stop him from tripping over Tom as he rushed back into base, his face pink.
"Well?" asked Dan impatiently. "Have you got news?"
Tom nodded. "They're putting us in the investigation. Dan, Frank, Zoe, you go find her, Rosa, Stella wants you back at the main base; Aneisha and I will be your eyes and ears."
Frank handed them some gadgets. Dan recognised one instantly: Keri's eyelashes. He watched as Zoe put them on. Zoe, noticing Dan was staring at her, asked him, "What's wrong?"
"Oh nothing. Keri wore those once, that's all. You look nice in them."
Zoe lay a hand on his arm. "We'll get her back, Dan. She's my sister and your possible girlfriend."
"And my style file/best friend alongside you guys," Aneisha said, poking her head out from underneath the table. Her head was covered in wires. Dan smiled reluctantly. You couldn't help smiling at a sight like that. Once Aneisha had retreated back under the table, he winked at Tom, who blushed and drew a line across his throat, before getting back in the lift with Frank, Rosa and Zoe.
"What was Tom blushing all about?" she asked. There was so much she needed to catch up on. Frank, Rosa and Dan looked at each other and sighed. At least they'd have something to talk about on the journey.
Back in base, Aneisha lay under the table, thinking. She'd seen the everything that had gone on. Tom blushing? Could it be at the prospect of them being alone together? Was it possible Tom returned her feelings? She felt herself go shaky at the thought. She had always managed to conceal her feelings about Tom, but being alone... all alone with him...
"Neish? Finished those cables yet? Do you want me to come down there with you?"
Yes please, she thought. "Nah, Tom. I'm OK. In fact, I'm coming out right now." She crawled out from underneath the table and pulled up a chair next to Tom. Now she just had to go these next few hours without letting him know she liked him. It was so obvious he didn't like her back.
Keri awoke again, strapped to a strange machine, with no way of getting out. She began struggling. Her strength was back, and by hell, she was gonna use it.
"It's useless to struggle, you know. Why not relax, and you will find you will enjoy the ride."
"Never," she snapped at him. She struggled even harder. He sighed.
"If I tell you my name, will you stop struggling?" he asked.
"Maybe."
"My name is James Mitchell."
Keri stopped and stared. He smiled. "Perfect," he said. "Start the machine!"
Keri began to struggle again. Over the whirs of machinery, and the cackles of the Mastermind, she screamed, "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME? I LOVED YOU LIKE A FATHER!"
To her satisfaction, a flicker of uncertainty passed over James' face. But the next second, it was smoothly impassive again. Keri screamed as the Mastermind entered her body. It felt like a million volts being plugged into her skin over and over again. As she slowly faded, she desperately searched for a memory, anything that would keep her alive. Dan's face appeared in her minds eye as her consciousness was locked away.
The Mastermind had won.
James watched as his master stepped out of the machine. He knelt down at her feet.
"My master," he murmured.
The Mastermind inspected Keri's perfectly manicured nails. "Mistress, actually. It seems I have reverted back to my... pubescent state, much to my displeasure."
James looked up in surprise at his-her? voice. It was Keri's, true, but much colder. He finally had the daughter he wanted. He smiled, and she-he? smiled back. The Mastermind took James' arm, and pulled him up and they both walked out together.
"You still raised me, you know," she said. "And I'm going to need a new name. The Mastermind sounds so awfully... male, and Keri is way to girlish."
James sighed. This was going to take some getting used to.
DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUN! LOTS OF TWISTS! To answer any questions: No, Keri isn't dead. Yes, this James guy did raise her. No, the team don't know about it. Yes, Keri is Keri, but... shes the Mastermind. Do you kinda get what Im saying? Like there was some of Keri still left in her, and they MERGED? OHYEAH I JUST PUT THE TITLE IN THERE #AWESOMESTUFFHAPPENINGRIGHTNOW!