Disclaimer: If you really think I own this then you obviously are a sufferer of recent head trauma.

Author Notes: School has started for me so expect my updating schedule to get really screwed up. And I have a message for Kerra Quigley, yes I understand that you enjoy my story and want me to update. But three things, 1) Reviews are appreciated much more when they are signed, if you don't have a user account you should get one even if you don't plan on writing. 2) DO NOT I repeat NOT write reviews that tell me to update alone, I get that you like my story but I'd like to know why and any criticisms you may have are especially appreciated. Which brings me to 3) NEVER send someone a review that is essentially telling them to speed up, it's rude and only makes said person want to hunt you down and bash your head in with a blunt object; believe it or not I do have a life outside of writing fanfiction however pathetic it is. Sometimes there will be breaks between updates. Please understand this isn't against you in particular, there are plenty of others out there who are even worse; it's just that this behavior is very annoying. If you want to know what I mean, then imagine having a random person running up to you every other day or so and yelling that "You're great!" And then running off without explanation. Yes it's nice the first two times but after that you'll start to get pissed off.

Rating: T

Warnings: Violence, language

Chapter 9
Bicho de Sete Cabeças

TIME: 7 Hours Later, 8:00 UTC +2

LOCATION: Maputo, Mozambique

"Chiro."

"Mmn…" the teenage boy mumbled.

"Chiro, it is time to wake up."

Chiro slowly sat up and rubbed the drowsiness out of his eyes, yawning. "Antauri?"

"Good morning, Chiro."

"What time is it?"

"My internal clock says it's been approximately seven hours."

Otto rolled over on the sleeping bag, moaning. "Seven? It feels like two."

"C'mon Otto," Chiro began to roll up the sleeping bag. "We gotta get up."

Otto lifted himself up. "Okay." He stretched. "So, how should we start this?"

"I spent most of the night thinking about it, and I have settled on this plan," Antauri looked over at the emerald monkey. "Otto, you and I will sneak into the building and perform reconnaissance. If the teammate in there is Gibson, we will confront him when he is alone. If it is Nova or Sprx, however, that is where you will come in Chiro." He shifted his gaze over to the 14-year-old at this point. "You will stand outside in case our teammate exits the building. If it is Gibson before Otto or I have been able to confront him, you will quickly isolate him. However, if it is either Sprx or Nova, you will contact us first and follow from a distance."

Chiro tilted his head. "Why?"

"Because if Sprx and Nova have formed friendships with anyone, they are likely to react violently when they are first told that they will have to abandon them," explained Antauri.

Chiro soon recognized both the sad tone of Antauri's voice and the expression on both his and Otto's faces. "Oh… all right." He tried to smile despite his friend's depression.

Antauri smiled sadly as he and Otto made their way off. "Thank you, Chiro."

Sprx meanwhile was already awake, and in the process of sneaking out to escape his chores. Stupid, but he just hated being cooped up in this place. Now all he had to do was climb out the back windo-

"GAH!" he exclaimed as he was violently yanked back by the collar of his shirt.

He hit the floor and opened his eyes. Standing above him was a very pissed Saada. Either that or she was constipated, hard to tell from this angle. But Sprx was going to go with pissed.

After several seconds of silence, Saada decided to break it. "Well?"

"'Well' what?" Sprx asked as he righted himself.

"Aren't you going to say something?"

"There's nothing to say. I tried to sneak out and you tried to stop me."

She crossed her arms. "You know what I mean."

"Any reason you've decided to impersonate your dad this morning?" sighed Sprx.

"Sprx, you know we're worrying about you and you still keep on doing this crap! Why? Why can't you just stay and do your chores like you're supposed to?"

Sprx diverted his gaze. "I know okay, and I will."

Saada sighed. "Thank y-"

"First thing tomorrow!" Sprx exclaimed, and with that he leapt out the window.

Saada's jaw dropped with shock, at which point she ran to the window and stuck her head out to see Sprx sprinting away. His mad laughter could be heard from a long way's off.

"Sprx you bastard get back here!" She quickly shuffled out the window to take pursuit.

Isingoma only watched from the end of the hall and sighed. "Children."

Chiro squirmed as he hid in the shadow of the building. I really hope its Gibson.

Not that he favored Gibson over Sprx or Nova, it's just that he knew Antauri was right about them taking longer. He wanted to leave this city as fast as he could.

The place… disturbed him. The city gave off a feeling that it was dying at its core, not entirely unlike the feeling he got when the team stumbled upon a place ravaged by the Skeleton King.

Suddenly a boy whipped around a corner and sprinted past the hidden Chiro. Chiro noticed something off about the boy. Despite his dark skin color, he had red hair. He also seemed strangely familiar, Was that…?

Chiro had his question answered when a girl came around the corner, running after the boy. "Sprx, get back here or I'll kill you!"

Well that answers that question.

Now what was he supposed to do?! How was he supposed to tell Otto and Antauri? Did Antauri forget that they didn't have their communicators?

Then Chiro heard something above him. He looked up to one of the windows of the building. It was Otto, waving happily down at him.

Chiro sighed in relief. I never thought I'd say this, but thank Shuggazoom for Otto's lack of subtlety. He waved at Otto to open the window.

"Hey Chiro!" Otto whispered so loudly that the act became redundant. "What is it?"

"It's Sprx, he just ran by!"

Otto tilted his head in confusion. "Really?"

"A girl was chasing after him, yelling his name."

"That's definitely Sprx," Otto giggled. "I'll go get Antauri."

Chiro waited a few minutes before both of the monkeys exited the window and descended to the ground. Fortunately, the side street was relatively unused at this time of day. Besides Sprx and the girl chasing after him, no one else but them had even set a foot on it this morning.

"Are you certain, Chiro?" inquired Antauri.

Chiro nodded. "It was Sprx, Antauri! The girl chasing after him even yelled his name."

"…Just like him…" Antauri muttered. But he then frowned and sighed. "This will complicate things. We have to find a way to separate Sprx from the girl, and I doubt we will have the same luck that we had with you, Otto."

Otto squirmed at the memory.

"Well there's no use sitting here," Chiro changed the subject. "We have to find them first before we even try to get the two of them apart."

"You are correct Chiro. We should get going."

Finally, I lost her! Sprx smiled as he bent over to catch his breath.

It had taken him several minutes of weaving in and out of alleys to finally shake off Saada, but he had gotten her off of his tail. For the time being

Just in time too, it's gonna start in a few minutes. He made his way down the alley into the sunlight…and smacked straight into Saada.

"What?!" He exclaimed as he panicked. "But how?! When?!"

Saada smirked. "You've learned your way around well the last three months, but you still don't know all the shortcuts."

"Yeah well so what?!" snapped Sprx. "It doesn't matter! You can't exactly drag me back there, ya' know."

"I know."

"You do?" Sprx said. "Then why'd you follow me?"

Saada smiled slightly and shrugged. "I just… wanted to know where you went every day."

"But you always find me and drag me back to the orphanage every evening."

"Yeah, but that's only the evening, I didn't know what you did during the day." She sniffed. "But really…the airport? This is where you go everyday?"

"Yeah well, I like it, okay?" Sprx walked over to the wire fence of the airport.

"You're not going to climb that are you?"

Sprx scoffed. "I'm not an idiot, I'm just getting a closer look."

Saada leaned against the fence. "So is this what you really do all day?"

"Normally I only watch for a little bit, but today's special."

"Why today?" Suddenly Saada heard a loud roaring sound.

Sprx pointed towards the source of the sound. "That's why."

"That plane is gigantic!" Saada gasped.

Sprx smiled. "It's called an Airbus A380, the biggest airliner in the world. This is probably the only time this airport is going to see one anytime soon, they're usually only used in Europe and East Asia."

"Who are you and what have you done with Sprx?"

"I like planes!"

She looked at him quizzically for a few moments, during which Sprx returned his attention to the plane. "Is that what you wanna be? A pilot?"

"Well, I'd like to be a fighter pilot more than anything," Sprx admitted. "But that's basically suicide in this country, so I'll settle for a regular pilot."

"A fighter pilot?!" She asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I feel that's what I'm meant for, but like I said, I'll settle for a regular pilot as long as I get to fly."

Saada shook her head. "You are a very weird boy."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I barely know anything about you. My father brings you home one night naked, and ever since then you run off every day and I have to drag you back every night."

Sprx sighed. "Look I know it's just… I don't feel like I belong there, I should be somewhere else."

"Of course you don't feel like you belong there, it's an orphanage!"

"I know that but…" The boy leaned against the fence. "It just feels all wrong."

Saada put a comforting hand on Sprx's shoulder, which he shrugged off. She sighed at this. "Why can't you just let me help you."

"Because it's wrong okay, it's all fucked up! I mean you…you're…" He slowly trailed off. "A – and at the same time you're… not."

"I'm not what?"

"I don't know okay! Just leave me the hell alone." And with that, Sprx stormed off.

Bicho de Sete Cabeças- Portuguese, lit. "The seven headed monster"; idiom meaning 'a complication'