"Talking"
'Writing'
'Thinking'
"Person on other side of phone"
/Bitbeast talk/
/Bladers talking to bitbeasts/
"Russian"
"Italian"
Kimmy belongs to kimmyHiwatari.
Chapter 17 - Day 17
"I may be in need of your help." – Unknown
"Wait, wait! Just who are you?" – Tyson
He snuck around, peaking around the corners as he went. The boy was silent, creeping up on the guards easily without them even knowing. One of the boys saw him and his eyes went wide but he quickly looked away when motioned to do so.
The guards knew nothing, heard nothing and saw nothing. They were on the ground in moments, unmoving.
He crept up to the children, slipping out a pocket knife as he did so. At first, they looked scared of him but relaxed when he merely cut away the ropes that acted as their restraints.
Quickly motioning them silent, he pointed down the hall and they slowly nodded, quietly making their way to the door and slipping out without a word.
With a quick backward glance, he followed.
Tyson groaned and looked up, blinking with blurry eyes.
"Who're you?" He grumbled, struggling to sit up and slipping slightly on the plastic underneath him as he did so. The man didn't answer, he merely sat back on his heels and stared at him.
The blue haired boy groaned again and managed to finally push himself up enough to actually glare at the man. Only it didn't seem to bother him in the slightest.
"You Granger?" The man asked gruffly, his voice thick with a familiar accent. Tyson nodded before he could catch himself and he blinked.
"Why?"
The man grinned.
"I may be in need of your help." Tyson found himself blinking again and staring at him.
"Wait, wait! Just who are you?" The man laughed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Mikhail Stanaslov." He introduced, holding out his hand. Tyson took it and was pulled quickly to his feet. He paused.
"Hey, aren't you that doctor that saw Johnny?" Mikhail nodded, still grinning.
"That's me. Now, if you would come with me; we have many things to discuss."
Tyson stared at him for a long moment before finally shrugging. "Okay."
Kai sat, pouting with his arms crossed over his chest in an attempt to look threatening. Unfortunately for him he looked too adorable for anyone to ever think of him like that. Ian snickered from his spot on the couch and Kai glared at him, which did little to affect the small teen.
Ray sat on the opposite side of the room, with Spencer seated near him. They were not allowed to leave the room without them, or even leave their sight. After six 'bladers set off the traps the two had put up, it was decided that they were not allowed to wander around without supervision. Especially after Michael hurt his shoulder and wrist after slipping on some tacks that were scattered across the floor and had landed on his left side awkwardly.
Raul had not said anything to either of them since he had found out and they had taken their 'punishment' without complaint. The redhead had stormed off and Max, looking worried, had followed after.
The two kids made eye contact with each other until Kai's flicked to the door and back. Ray blinked three times and Kai tilted his head slightly to the side.
Together, they both blinked twice and adjusted their positions, but, before they could blink again or even think about moving, two voice simultaneously rang out.
"Don't even try it." The two went back to pouting quietly.
There was a knock at the door and Bryan sighed.
"Bryan? It's Julia. Can I come in?"
"Go ahead." He called, still staring down at his bed quietly. The door opened but Bryan didn't even bother looking up.
"How is he?" Julia asked softly, gazing down at the form of the curled up and shaking redhead. He sighed again and didn't say anything but the girl got her answer. She sighed as well and leaned over, gently brushing the child's hair away from his face.
After a long moment of silence, Bryan finally spoke.
"Why are you here Julia?" The girl straightened and looked him right in the eye.
"I'm looking for Tala." She said and he arched an eyebrow.
"What for?" At this, she hesitated to answer.
"Well, I had found this article but it was in Russian so I asked Tala to translate it for me, and he did. At least I thought he had."
"What?" Bryan asked, turning away from Johnny to look at her.
"I didn't think it sounded right so I went to Spencer and Ian. They said what it was really about and... and we figured out that Tala probably remembered that incident and didn't want us to know for some reason." She explained and Bryan sighed tiredly.
"Damn. Well, I don't know where he is, but you should try the gym."
"The gym?" Julia asked, looking confused.
"Yeah," Bryan nodded, "Whenever someone asks about something from his past, he goes to the gym to relieve the stress of his childhood memories." Julia was silent for a moment.
"All right, I'll check there." She paused on her way out and turned to Bryan. "Good luck with Johnny though. I have a feeling he's pretty involved with whatever's going on." With that, she left, closing the door quietly behind her.
Bryan stared down at the boy. "So do I ..."
Enrique jumped slightly in the chair he had dozed on, blinking blurrily. Soon, his cleared vision took in the pool; he had fallen asleep out in the sun again. Two figures stood before him and he froze before jumping to his feet.
"Cyros?! Kaz?!" He shouted and Kaz quickly shushed him, looking around anxiously. Cyros merely looked amused and relieved. He dove forward and wrapped his arms tightly around his older brother's waist.
"Enri!" He cried and the older boy's arms returned the hug with the same ferocity.
"I'm so glad you're all right!" Enrique exclaimed but then abruptly pushed the youth away from him. "You are all right, aren't you?" He asked, eyeing him critically. Cyros rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Your friend Kaz saved us and brought us to a safe house. I insisted on coming here." He explained, motioning to the older boy who had remained silent throughout their reunion. Enrique smiled tiredly.
"Thanks, Kaz." He said quietly and the boy looked at him with dark grey eyes.
"Whatever." He grumbled, plopping himself into Enrique's recently vacated seat. The older blonde frowned and Cyros gave him a tight smile.
"I think he's mad at you." He explained and Enrique sighed.
"I should have expected that." He murmured and Kaz's head shot up to glare coldly at him.
"Yeah, well you should have!" He said angrily. "I helped you get your little bro' back and some other li'l brats I don't even know! And where were you? Sleepin' out in the sun, lettin' one of your best friends get attacked by Balkov of all people! But that was all a part of that damn plan of yours, wasn't it?
You and McGregor do what you have to, but next time, at least tell me what I'm getting into!" Enrique narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, his back straightening out from the easy slouch it had been in.
"What? You didn't want to piss off Biovolt? After what they did, they deserve worse than just our attention on them!" Kaz stood up, violently knocking the chair away.
"Of course I do! But you're missing the point. You, or Johnny for that matter, didn't tell me what you two were planning to do! I only figured it out after Johnny got taken out! Which is your fault by the way." When the blond didn't answer, Kaz threw his hands up in the air and turned around.
"That drug could've killed our little Scottish friend but no, you two risked it anyway! Did you expect them to kidnap Cyros? I sure hope not 'cause then I'd have to take you out for that too!"
The elder Giancarlo stood there with an eyebrow raised. "Finished?" When Kaz nodded, he continued. "Johnny knew the risks but we never thought they'd go after Cyros, all right? I guess we didn't plan that far ahead.
Look, just don't tell you-know about this, though Red'll probably do it anyway... I'm sorry, we were going to involve you but Biovolt attacked sooner than expected, we had no time! We had to do it then or not at all!"
"You had to do what?" Both teens froze and slowly turned to look at Robert and Oliver.
"Oh, crud." Kaz muttered.
"Enrique, who is this?" Enrique opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by a gasp that escaped Oliver's mouth.
"Cyros?!" The young blond stepped forward almost unsurely and waved slightly.
"Hey guys." He said quietly and Oliver pulled him in for a hug. When they pulled apart, Enrique now had the undivided attention of both Robert and Oliver, he winced.
"Would you like to tell us who this is, and why Cyros is here now?" Robert asked, his voice dark.
"This is Kaz, he's an old friend of mine. He's the one who brought Cyros back." At this, Cyros nodded if only to add assurance to the frowned darkly, gazing at the two boys in front of him.
"Explain."
Raul sighed, leaning his head back against the bench and staring up at the sky. Someone sat beside him but he didn't turn his head or bother to look, he knew who it was.
"So..." Max started, idly swinging his legs back and forth. The redhead didn't answer and continued to gaze upwards. The American 'blader sighed but continued on despite it.
"I know you're upset at Kai and Ray for getting others hurt and stuff but they're just kids, you can't expect them to not do something stupid." Raul sat up and shook his head.
"I know that. It's just... with everything else going on, we shouldn't have to worry about those two. I mean we have; Biovolt planning something, Kai, Ray and Johnny turned into little kids, some doctor going missing twice, Johnny's dad gone and Enrique's brother missing. Do we really need to add to that?" Max laughed softly.
"I think you forgot the parts where Johnny seems to play a major role in this, Kai's sister, who we never knew about, appears and then leaves, Tala withholding information and Johnny getting sick." The two were silent.
"Hey! Max! Raul!" The two boys looked over and saw Hilary running towards them.
"Hey Hilary." Max greeted cheerfully. The girl nodded to them, panting slightly.
"Have you two seen Tyson? I've been looking everywhere but I haven't been able to find him and no one I've asked knows." Max and Raul looked worried, standing up.
"I don't." Raul said and Max nodded. Hilary sighed. "But," Max continued, "We can help you look." Hilary smiled and leaned over pulling them both into a tight hug before releasing them. She gave them quick pecks on the cheek before running off.
"Thank you!" The two boys stared blankly after her before shrugging.
"Guess we have to add a missing Tyson to that list." Raul muttered dryly and Max laughed.
"Guess so." He agreed and they started walking in different directions, determined to find the missing 'World Champion'.
Bryan's eyes snapped open at the sound of a loud groan. He sat up, rubbing his neck as he winced. He had fallen asleep in his chair while watching over Johnny again.
Speaking of, he glanced over and saw Johnny's eyes clenched shut, one hand gripping the pillow while the other was wrapped around his stomach.
As Bryan stood up and leaned over in order to attempt to comfort him, he saw something that made him freeze. There was a small glow emitting from underneath the shirt Johnny wore.
'What? Wait... didn't Kon say that he saw Johnny's chest glow?' Frowning heavily, he reached over, his hand finding a thin chain on Johnny's neck and he pulled it out until he could see it.
The Russian averted his eyes briefly, the light too bright for his unadjusted eyes. Then, he could see the pendent that was glowing.
His eyes widened briefly; it was Salamulyon. Johnny whimpered and he looked at the boy's face, only to see it was scrunched up tightly, a light sheen of sweat glistening in the pendant's light.
"...Aedus ..." The small boy mumbled.
"Johnny..." Bryan murmured, gently carding a hand through the boy's hair. The redhead's whimpers quieted and he curled himself closer to Bryan. The teen gathered him into his arms, rubbing his back gently.
Bryan lay on the bed next to him, holding the boy tightly as he whispered the most comforting words he could think of, into his ear. The light from Johnny's pendent grew and he whimpered again, holding onto Bryan's shirt tightly.
When the light finally faded away, it left two unconscious teenagers. An echoing bout of a disembodied voice fell through the room, though no one heard it.
/Kaz has been found by the humans./ She said softly, sighing.
/Really? By Enrique's team?/ Another female asked.
/He wasn't supposed to get himself caught! Wait until the others hear about this!/ A male exclaimed.
/Keep quiet, Zhora. Let the humans deal with this on their own./ The first female spoke.
/Don't tell me to be quiet, Ekaterina! I do not listen to you!/ The male, Zhora, replied.
/Will both of you be quiet?! We have more important things to do than bicker amongst ourselves!/ The second female nearly roared.
/Sorry, Allusya./ Zhora and Ekaterina simultaneously replied.
Tala frowned as he snapped the phone shut. No answer, again. 'Where is Javier?' He heard a small laugh echo through his head and he rolled his eyes.
/Wolborg, do you know where he is?/ He asked.
/Yes. He is busy at the moment, his teammates have found something of... interest./ She explained.
/Just let me know when he can contact me, all right Alla?/
/Of course, little one./ She murmured.
/I told you not to call me that./ There was a little frustration in Tala's 'voice'.
/I know./ She said, amusement clear in her tone.
The redhead shook his head and sat down on the bench, looking out at the road. There was a peaceful silence around him and he relaxed slightly.
"Hey Julia." He greeted dully, allowing his eyes to slide closed. The girl sat down beside him and didn't say anything for the longest time.
"Why did you lie to me?" She finally asked and he shrugged.
"I already know you asked Spencer and Ian to translate it for you." He replied.
"That doesn't answer my question." She said. Tala was silent.
"Look, Tala, I understand that there is more to that story than what that article said. I just want to know what that was, so I can try and help stop whatever Balkov is up to." Julia explained and Tala laughed but it was dark and cold.
"You want me to tell you? Do you not realise that if I did, both Johnny and Kai, as well as some other 'bladers you know, would have secrets about themselves revealed that they didn't want people to know without their permission? You can't just expect me to tell everything just because you asked." Julia snapped her mouth shut in shock, that was the most she had ever heard Tala speak at once before, and he sounded a little cold.
The Russian stood up and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Julia, this isn't just about me. I can't tell you until I know it's all right with the others, so stop asking." With that, he walked off, leaving the girl to sit alone on the bench.
I certainly hoped you liked this chapter, and yes, I realise there is a lot of stuff going on and I can only hope you followed it. Don't worry though, I won't drag on this whole 'mystery' thing much longer... I think. And hey, it's almost ten pages this time! I'll try and update soon. Thank you for reading and please review or something to let me know what you think.
--W.