"Talking"

"Talking"
'Writing'
'Thinking'
"Person on other side of phone"

/Bitbeast talk/
/Bladers talking to bitbeasts/
"Russian"
"Italian"

Adela Giancarlo -- My character

Alexander Giancarlo -- My character

Boris Balkov

Bryan (Bry) Kuznetsov

Cyros Giancarlo -- My character

Donald (Don) McGregor

Enrique (Enri) Giancarlo

Ian (Shorty) Papov

Jonathan (Johnny) McGregor

Julia Fernandez

Judy Tate

Kai (Blue) Hiwatari

Mikhail Stanaslov --My character

Raul Fernandez

Ray Kon

Robert Jurgen

Spencer (Spence) Novikov --this last name is one I made up

Stanley Dickinson

Tala (Red) Valkov

Voltaire Hiwatari

Note: I just want to say thanks for all the reviews and that I hope you are enjoying this fic. If there are mistakes or some other problem, just let me know.

Warning: If you can't read about people throwing up and/or insinuated death, you probably shouldn't read this.

Chapter 11- Day 11

"Chief! You're here!" – Max

"Yes! Now you can turn Kai and Ray back to normal!" – Tyson

"… Has someone let them near the sugar again?" – Kenny

Boris Balkov was scowling. He clenched his hands into fists as he watched his men carry the bags deep into the forest. 'Damn… how did it end up like this?' He glared at his phone, almost wishing it to shudder.

Which it did. It vibrated and shuddered against his palm and he took in a deep breath, letting it out just before he answered.

"Hello?"

"Is it done?"

"Yes, they have been removed. There is no evidence of anything."

"Good. And my other request?"

"He's alive and in a public area."

"Next time, Balkov, don't screw up."

There was a beep as the call was ended and Boris' pent up frustration and anger threatened to spill out. "Yes, sir." He muttered to himself, looking to his men.

"Are you almost done?" He yelled and one of them paused. "Almost sir. Only a couple left!" He called back and Boris nodded. "Get on with it then!" The man nodded, snagging the shovel from where he had stuck it in the ground.

A large yawn escaped him and he gave a long stretch. One fisted hand went up to rub at his eye and he heard a quiet chuckle from beside him. The blue haired boy turned his head to stare at the taller Russian who had just entered the room.

"Did you have a good sleep, Kai?" The small boy nodded, yawning again as he jumped off the bed and gave Tala a hug. "Uh huh, did you?" The redhead nodded in return and the smirked. "You ready for some breakfast?"

Kai happily followed after Tala as they left the room, eager to have a full breakfast in his tummy.

Humming softly, she stirred the pot. A pair of arms wrapped around her, and a pair of lips met her neck. "Good morning, love. It smells good in here." She smiled and laughed, turning to kiss the man on the lips. "Good morning to you too, Alexander. Are the children up yet?"

The man shook his head. "Not yet, Adela. I'll wake up the twins." He said and she smiled sweetly at him. "I'll go wake up youngster." Alexander watched her wander off before he reached over and turned the element the pot was on to simmer. Shaking his head, he headed off to wake the twins.

"Cyros? Cyros, honey, it's time for breakfast!" She banged lightly on the door and waited for an answer. When none came, she opened the door.

"Cyros, did you hear me? You better not still be asleep. Breakfast is going to…" Adela trailed off in shock. Then she screamed.

"Cyros?!"

Judy sighed, running a hand over her weary face. "Why did we post pone that meeting, Stanley?" The man sighed. "I recently acquired some information that puts the McGregor's involvement in question. Among other things, of course." The blonde woman frowned and leaned forward.

"What information?" Dickinson rubbed the bridge of his nose, handing her a manila folder. Judy took it and began flipping through the pages it contained. Her eyes widened.

"No way…"

Bryan opened his eyes and gazed at the ceiling with a blank stare. A muffled cough to his right caused him to turn his head and stare at the redhead beside him who was trying to stifle his coughing.

Inwardly, Kuznetsov cringed, the redhead's cold had gotten worse instead of better and he couldn't stop coughing. Sighing, the Russian sat up and lifted the boy into his lap. Johnny curled tightly against him, absorbing his warmth.

The Scottish child forced heavy eyelids open to lock gazes with the teen. Tired lavender orbs stared at him and Bryan sighed again, standing up and holding Johnny in his arms. "Come on…" He murmured, striding through the door. The redhead didn't bother to reply, instead turning his head away from him to cough.

"Chief! You're here!" Max grinned, jumping up and hugging the smaller boy tightly. Kenny yelped and almost dropped his laptop but Emily quickly grabbed it. He sent her a thankful look as she placed it on the table. Emily smiled at him.

"Yes!" Tyson shouted, thrusting a fist into the air. "Now you can turn Kai and Ray back to normal!" He explained. Kenny turned to stare at Robert, who was sipping tea and watching them while playing chess with Oliver.

"… Has someone let them near the sugar again?" Oliver laughed softly, moving one of the pieces. Emily merely looked amused. "It is quite possible." Robert replied and Enrique, who was lounging in a chair reading a magazine, snorted. "Always so eloquent, Rob." He mocked and his team captain frowned at him. "It's Robert." He said finally, turning back to his game, as if to dismiss the blonde. Enrique pouted and Oliver rolled his eyes.

Max let go of the glasses wearing boy. "So, how come you took so long to get here?" He asked, eyes wide in excitement. Kenny sighed. 'I hurry here only to have to deal with sugar high Tyson and Max…' He adjusted his glasses. "Sorry. I was at a family reunion. They didn't like me just leaving."

Emily nodded. "Come on, Kenny, we can work on it in the lab." She said, handing him his laptop now that it was safer from Max. Kenny blushed but nodded. "Okay, let's go." The two quickly exited the room, leaving the others to just stare after them.

"Is it just me, or is there something going on between them?" Enrique asked loudly. Robert sighed. "Stay out of their business Enrique." The blonde opened his mouth.

"But-" He started but then stopped after the look his captain sent him. The Italian pouted once again and turned back to his magazine. Oliver sighed. "Oh, Enri…"

"Really? Oh, well I haven't seen them together yet so maybe that's why." Ming Ming stated, tapping her pointer finger against her chin in a 'thoughtful' pose. Mariah shrugged, twirling a lock of her pink hair around her finger.

"It's possible. But you have to see them! They are so cute! Especially Ray Ray!" Mariah gushed, smiling at the memory. "You know, it's the first time I've seen some good emotions out of those Russians." Ming Ming looked confused.

"What?" Mariah snapped out of her reverie. "Mmm, Tala is acting like a big brother to Kai and Bryan's taken a liking to Johnny." The blue haired girl raised an eyebrow. "I definitely need to see that. But I bet it'd be cute." She giggled and Mariah joined her.

"Mmhm." They broke off into another fit of giggles. Julia, who was sitting at a nearby empty table looking over some papers, rolled her eyes and sighed.

"What's up with you, Julia?" She looked up when she caught sight of Tala standing there with Kai clinging to his pant leg, wide eyes darting around nervously. Julia raised an eyebrow. "Nothing. You two ready for breakfast?" Kai finally looked at her and nodded slowly.

"Great, then let's go." Fernandez stood up, grabbed the papers and followed the two Russians out of the room.

Ming Ming watched them go and slowly a sly grin found it's way to her face. Mariah looked at her inquisitively. "What?" She asked and the other girl turned to her. "Let's follow them, see what happens." The neko-jin opened her mouth to protest but then looked thoughtful. "Alright, we'll go for an hour."

"Why a hour?" Mariah shrugged, looking at her nails. "Ray and I are going shopping to pick out some toys." Ming Ming blinked and looked at her. "Do you mind if I come with you?" Mariah smiled, a fang poking out of the side of her mouth. "Not at all."

"Great. Let's go see what Tala and Julia are up to." Together, they slipped out the door and around the corner.

Raul groaned, feeling a finger poke him sharply in the side repeatedly. "Come on, Rawul! It's time to wakey wakey!" 'Ray…' He identified the voice to that of the six-year-old neko-jin. He pushed himself up on his elbows and sat up.

Ray grinned, looking very pleased with himself. Raul huffed and climbed out of bed, heading towards the bathroom. As he shut and locked the door, he yawned and turned to turn on the shower.

Ray giggled and sat on the bed, swinging his legs carelessly. He didn't notice the door to the room opening slowly.

Johnny sleepily blinked his eyes open. He was being carried, he instantly realized. "Johnny? You awake?" The redhead nodded. "I'm awake, Bry…" He muttered. "Good, 'cause you haven't eaten in awhile. We are having breakfast." Bryan said, gently holding the small boy.

He didn't reply, he was exhausted. Bryan looked at him worriedly before he entered the kitchen to see Tala, Kai and Julia at one of the tables. Tala looked up and grinned wolfishly. "Bryan! Come and sit with us!" Bryan walked over and plopped into the empty seat. Kai briefly looked up from his food to wave and give him a grin, showing the mashed up food he had in his mouth.

All three teens made a face of disgust. "Kai, don't open your mouth when you have food in it." The blue haired boy quickly closed his mouth, sending an apologetic look at Tala, before continuing to chew. Julia smiled at Bryan in greeting. "Hungry?" She asked, standing up with her plate held in one hand. "Yeah." Bryan said, moving to stand up but Julia quickly shook her head. "Don't. I'll get some for you and Johnny." She stated firmly, heading over to the counter.

Tala chuckled lightly. Soon, Julia came back with a plate. "I figured you two could share a plate." She explained and Bryan nodded. "Thanks." He added as his friend sent him a glare. She smiled. "Not a problem."

The silver haired boy turned to the young one he held in his lap. "Johnny? Come on buddy, it's time to eat." The Scott groaned, eyes slowly opening. Julia and Tala exchanged concerned looks, or in Tala's case semi-concerned. Bryan grabbed a fork and scooped some egg onto it, he held it up to Johnny's face. The boy slowly looked at it before opening his mouth enough for Bryan to slide the utensil in.

The other two teenagers were grinning at the sight; they knew they probably wouldn't see it again after this. The girl just wished she had brought her camera.

Raul stepped out of the bathroom wearing a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt that was half buttoned up. He was rubbing his hair with a towel as his green eyes scanned the room. "Ray? Ray, where'd you go?" When he received no answer he sighed, snagged his phone from the nearby dresser and quickly hit speed dial number one.

"Hey Julia, yeah I just got out of the shower. Mm, Ray woke me up and now he's not in the room. I was hoping you knew where he is. Okay, well keep an eye out, I guess. I'll see you later, bye." Snapping his phone shut he dropped the towel on the still unmade bed and turned to head out the door when he heard a soft click from behind him.

Slowly turning, the redhead's eyes widened. "You…"

Johnny chewed and swallowed; Bryan went to scoop up some more when Johnny turned sharply in his grasp. Unfortunately, his grip had been loose and Johnny fell to the floor on his hands and knees, the limbs smacking soundly on the hard floor. Julia gasped and stood up, as did the three Russians.

"Johnny!" Kai yelled, running over to the other kid. Just as he reached him, however, the redhead coughed up what was in his stomach and continued on to dry heave. Bryan knelt beside him and rubbed his back while Tala pulled out his phone.

Julia looked unsure of what to do, before she ran to the fridge and pulled out the water, pouring some into a glass. When Johnny finally stopped dry heaving, the girl held the glass to his lips and tipped it lightly. The boy had a couple sips before he pulled away.

Bryan let him lean back against him and the redhead sighed, his eyes closing. "Bry… I don't feel good…." He mumbled before he slumped into Bryan's arms. Tala knelt beside his friend, as did Julia. Kai gripped Tala's hand tightly, looking at the other child with wide eyes.

"Is he gonna be alwight?" He asked, clearly frightened. "Yeah, he'll be alright." Tala was quick to assure and Kai relaxed, burying his face into his shirt. Bryan carefully lifted the limp redhead into his arms, cradling him close. He hated to admit it, but he was worried, maybe even… scared.

"Tal… Tala, Bryan… look." The two boys followed the direction Julia was pointing in and stared at the mess on the floor. Bryan swallowed thickly and held onto Johnny tighter. Tala closed his eyes briefly before standing up, Kai resting on one hip.

"I'll… I'm going to call a doctor. Julia, call Mr. Dickinson, and Bryan… take care of him…" The two nodded silently, gazes locked to the floor.

Bryan found it hard to breathe. His eyes wouldn't look away from the mess. He ran a hand over Johnny's face, brushing a stray bang away from his closed eyes and tucking it behind an ear. He leaned closer, almost desperate to hear him breathe. He heard, rather than saw, Julia stand up and pull out her cell.

Julia turned away from the scene, refusing to turn and stare once again. She waited, listening to the phone ring. She swallowed thickly and the image of the mess on the floor popped into her mind, the whole thing looked gross but it was the red flecks in it that had her attention.

Tired. He was tired. And sore. Why? Why was he tired and sore? Add to that, where was he? He definitely was not lying in his own bed and it felt like he had been wearing the same clothes for a long time. That was confusing. What was going on? Thinking back, he remembered going to work, he had many patients, two in particular were in critical care that had kept him hours after his shift had ended. Then he had gotten the child who had a cold and had managed to hurt himself because of it.

Now, why did that child seem to trigger something? Three men entering his office, asking if he was the doctor they were looking for and then…. And then drugging him enough to keep him out of it until they brought him to an unknown location. He met someone, didn't he? Right, he had met a man claiming to be Boris Balkov. Oh, he definitely remembered that name. Who couldn't after reading the man's record?

After that, he had been sent to a room. Like a little kid who had gotten in trouble with a parent, he might add. There was no way out and all he could see through the window was trees and other plant life. He had gone to sleep then.

What had happened when he had woken up? Why couldn't he remember? He knew he had woken up before now, but he couldn't remember what had happened. Suddenly, blurred images entered his mind. An older man entering the room, introducing himself, Mikhail himself had frozen at the name. Why couldn't he think of the name? If it had worried him, then he should know it, right?

The image of a small boy with large, terrified eyes popped up. He remembered that, the boy had looked to be around eight or nine years old. He had messy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Why did he memorize that boy? What was special about him? Something about his last name…

Oh why couldn't he retain the important information? And why hasn't he opened his eyes yet? Did he want to play dead or something?

Forcing his eyes to snap open, he immediately took in his surroundings. There were trees above him, a cool, gentle breeze brushing past him, lying on slightly damp grass and the sun in the sky.

So it was morning, but that didn't really help him, did it? He got up and swayed a little, his hand landing on a nearby tree trunk to maintain balance. What had he been doing before he had ended up here? Something caught his eyes, his sleeve had slid up and he got a perfect view of his wrist. A ring went all the way round it. Rope burns his mind told him.

The man looked around him. A park, he realized, he was in a park. Something fell into his eye and he winced, raising a hand to wipe away the offending substance. When he pulled his arm away, he stared in shock at the red now staining his white sleeve.

Blood, was that blood? Was that his blood? Maybe it was ketchup or some sort of dye. Who was he kidding? He had seen enough blood to know that this was blood, most probably his blood. Dazedly, he reached up and touched his head, feeling around. A flare of pain and he knew he had found the origin.

A head injury. Amnesia, maybe? It was possible, he couldn't remember a lot. That was frustrating. Blurrily, he glanced around again. Maybe he should find someone? Get some help. Find out just what was going on.

He made to move forward, only to trip over a root and bump into the tree. He should be feeling pain, shouldn't he? Why wasn't he feeling pain? He purposely smacked his hand against the bark. Nothing. He stared in fascination at his hand. Nothing, not even a slight sensation. A thought came to him, was he going into shock? If so, he needed to find help and soon. Very soon.

Or maybe they'll find me first. He paused. What? Who? Who'll find me first? Did I get away? Did I escape Balkov? If so, who were they? He frowned, a voice filling his ears alone. "Please… please help… they won't let me go, I know it. The… the other kids didn't even make it a day after the experiments. I just want to go home. Please help me go back to my family."

Whose voice was that? Was it the boy's? It was a young, child like, male voice. What about the other kids mentioned? Are they dead? Experiments? Why does that scare him as much as it does?

Suddenly, his vision blurred until everything became one undistinguishable blob. He felt sick. Why? Why now? He fell to his hands and knees, but he didn't notice. He struggled to breathe, his finger digging into the dirt. Small rocks and tiny slivers of wood dug into his hands but he didn't even feel it.

What was going on? What had happened to him? He thought he heard someone talking but then his hearing faded until he only heard the voices.

"We can get rid of him now. He is of no further use to us."

"The project has failed. Get rid of the bodies."

His head bowed as he threw up whatever he had last eaten. Whenever that had been. The sickness didn't go away.

"Is there a way to make sure he doesn't remember? For some reason, the boss wants him alive."

"Don't tell me that family's interfering again?"

There were hands on him, shaking him. Who did they belong to? Why were they shaking him? Why wouldn't they leave him alone?

"Did you get them? Well, wait until a moment no one else's around! I want them here, now!"

"I don't care what you do, just make sure that kid can't tell anyone about us! He knows too much, even at his current age, because of that father of his. Kill him if you have to."

Cold. He felt cold. At least he could feel again. There was something moist clinging to him. Water, maybe? Or, it could be sweat. He could have gotten a cold from lying, for who knows how long, on damp grass.

"No, sir. We have not been able to get in touch with him. It's possible the BBA has already gotten in touch with him."

"No. He wouldn't have given them any information. Them calling just alerted him to what was happening. I think he plans on staying out of this for the most part."

"The investigator he hired was probably to put some questions of his to rest."

Who had these voices? Were they memories? If so, why could he only remember certain ones? Who were these people?

"Once they catch on, and believe me, they will, things will only get harder."
"Destroy all the evidence."

Pain. His head hurt. Vaguely, he thought of the head wound. But he was still focusing on the voices he was hearing. What was going on? His face smashed into something soft and wet. The ground. His arms must have collapsed on him.

There was a voice yelling something, which he couldn't hear or understand. Strange, the other voices were all strong and clear, why wasn't this one? He blinked slowly and his vision cleared enough to see a blur by his head. In the background he could see blurs shaped a trees.

Was a person kneeling beside him? Why? Was he hurt? Why couldn't he move? The numbness was coming back again. The pain in his head fading to nothingness. His vision turned black. What? Why was everything black? Had something covered his eyes? Or did he just close his eyes?

Everything was fading. Was he dieing? Or was he just falling asleep? There was a loud voice; it was shrill, filled with panic and concern. The blur person, maybe? He didn't have time to think on it, as everything was gone in a matter of seconds.

His phone was ringing. Enrique sighed and shifted, lowering the magazine. He pulled out his cell and answered.

"Hey, you've got Enrique." Immediately, he sat up. "Pa? Pa, what's wrong?" This drew many looks from the others in the room.

"What's happened? Pa, please, why is Ma crying?" Enrique eyes darkened and his magazine slipped though limp fingers. He didn't care that it fell to the floor, no doubt rather creased.

"I'll… I'll be there as soon as I can. No Pa, I won't make it in a few hours, I gotta get a ticket, go through security and get on the plane. It's going to be a little longer.

I'm sorry, Pa, but I can't get there any faster. Do you want me to bring Oliver and Robert? Johnny can't come… there were some problems… Yes, I'll leave now. Talk to you soon, Pa. Take care of Ma and the others."

Enrique hung up the phone and let his head fall into his hands. Oliver sat beside him, looking concerned. "Enri? What's happened?" The blonde slowly stood up.

"Robert, Oliver, I need to talk to you two alone." The two nodded and followed him out of the room, ignoring the eyes watching. Once outside, Oliver rounded on him. "What's going on?" He demanded and Enrique looked at him with sad eyes.

"Ma, she… she went to wake up Cyros. He wouldn't answer the door, so she entered." At this, Enrique swallowed and looked away. "Cyros was gone. The room was a mess and the window was wide open. There… there was blood all over." When the Italian looked at them again, they saw the tears in his eyes.

Oliver had tears in his own and he reached out, pulling the blonde into a tight hug. "Oh Enri… I'm so sorry. Do you want us to go with you?" Enrique sniffled as he clung to his friend, he felt Robert's hand touch his back, then reach up to ruffle his hair affectionately. "Yeah…"

"Then we'll come along." Robert said and Enrique smiled. "Thanks guys…"

"This just in, a man was found in the local park today. He was getting sick and the paramedics estimate he was out there for over twelve hours. The shocking news, however, is that the man has been identified as one Mikhail Stanaslov, the doctor who has been missing for the past twenty-four hours.

At the moment, he is being admitted to the hospital, and though his condition remains unknown, it has been revealed that he has a serious head injury and was found puking at the park. How he had got there and why now, are still to be answered. Stay tuned for the repeated report on the kidnapping of the doctor…"

Tyson turned off the TV and looked to the others. They all appeared just as shocked as he was. "Should… should we call Mr. Dickinson?" Matilda asked nervously, almost afraid to speak up.

"Maybe he already knows…" Max said, fiddling with the zipper on his pants.

"Yeah…" Michael muttered. None of them were sure what to do.

"Are you sure? Alright, looks like I'm going to have to protect him myself. Goodbye." With a click, he hung up the phone and ran hand across his face.

"Joanna… Why did it have to end the way it did?" He asked the empty room. His voice echoed slightly and he stood up. He walked over to the cabinet, opening it and taking out a small glass and a bottle. Pouring himself a drink, he turned to stare out the window.

Taking a sip, he watched as a limo drove up to the side of his mansion. He sighed, downing the rest of his scotch before placing the glass and bottle back into the cabinet. "Looks like my guests have arrived…"

He grabbed his jacket and left his study, the door softly closing behind him. Only the sun glinted through the glass into the room, lighting it dimly. A small piece of paper lay on the desk carrying elegant handwriting.

There was no turning back now…

Things really are getting serious, aren't they? A lot of problems are happening at once… Trust me when I say things are only getting started. Let me know what you think. Sorry for the long wait. I know, I'm adding more characters, but the Giancarlo's are only minor characters.

Later,

W.S. Phoenix