I said I would only write the next chapter once I had thirty-six reviews, and I did! Yay! You guys are great! And thanks Favmovie, your comment made me so happy! :):):)
"Hello, Amy." Ian lowered his mask, smiling.
"Ian!" Amy exclaimed. "How did you find us?"
"Not that a reunion wouldn't be fabulous, but can we focus on getting away?" Zai cut in sarcastically. He really didn't want to talk to Ian, based on their past encounters. He pointed to the bridge where the Vespers were shooting at them from. "People are shooting at us, you know!"
Ian nodded, and sped up. Zai, Amy, and Elias crouched on the floor of the boat. Zai peeked up. The bridge was fading into the distance now, silhouetted against the rising sun. They were out of range of the Vespers now.
"I think we're safe." He said. Everyone rose from their crouched positions.
"Whew, that was close." Amy breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, Elias tensed.
"I don't think we're done yet. Listen!" he hissed. Everyone strained their ears. In the distance, they could hear the sound of several speedboat engines, approaching fast. Amy groaned.
"Everyone, take cover! It think-CRRACK!" Ian was cut off by a burst of shots that whizzed by his head and into the water. Zai looked behind them. Three sleek, black speedboats with the usual big, red 'V' painted on their sides were in formation behind them, and each one had four or five agents in them. Zai squinted at the one in the lead. The woman who he had fought on the bridge and before in the hotel was standing in the front, with a machine gun in her arms.
"EVERYBODY, DOWN!' yelled Zai at the top of his lungs. Everyone hit the floor as bullets shot over the top of the boat. After a few seconds, they stopped.
"She's reloading." said Elias. "Quick! Start the boat!"
Ian gunned the motor to life, and started swerving across the water as more bullets sprayed around them. Just then, one round hit the back of the boat, and thick, black smoke started coming out of the engine.
"Out of the way! I'm driving!" Elias shoved Ian away from the driver's seat. Ian took cover beside Zai.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish Nellie was here to drive." Zai muttered.
Zai instantly regretted saying that: Elias' steering on the water was just as bad as Nellie's was on land.
"WOOOOO-HOOOOOO!" Elias yelled in delight as he pushed the boat to it's limits. And, Zai noticed, he was still wearing sunglasses.
Zai looked over at his companions. Ian's face was the color of pickles, and Amy looked like she had just swallowed a clump of manure.
Good thing I haven't eaten anything in the last twelve hours, he thought.
'BLAM! BLAM!' Suddenly, two bullets hit the engine of Ian's boat.
'BBBBRRRROOOOAAAGHHAH!" The engine started hacking and coughing. More smoke started billowing out of it. Zai noticed that they were losing speed.
"WE'RE LOSING POWER!" He screamed to Elias and Ian. Elias turned his head.
"I THINK I CAN SHAKE THEM!" He yelled back. Ian thought quickly.
"AMY, TAKE THE WHEEL!" He yelled in her ear. She still looked panic-stricken.
"AMY! DID YOU HEAR HIM?" Zai yelled again. Amy gave a barely perceptible nod.
"Right, the wheel. Got it!" she replied, some strength returning to her eyes.
"Elias!" Ian shouted. "Do you have your pistol?"
"You bet!" Elias grinned, whipping out his shiny Beretta. Amy grabbed the wheel. Zai had heard stories about how Amy and Dan had navigated throughout the canals in Venice, so he wasn't so worried, in a matter of perspective.
"ELIAS!" Zai screamed. "TAKE OUT THE LEAD SPEEDBOAT!"
"MY PLEASURE!" Elias yelled. He took careful aim, then fired three shots. One hit the driver on the hand. Elias saw him scream and let go of the wheel, causing the boat to jerk sharply to the right. The other boat tried to get out of the way, but there wasn't enough room to maneuver a turn. The Vesper from the hotel bailed out of the boat. The first boat bashed into the second. The third boat was on a collision course with the other two.
'CRRrrrRRGHHAHTHGGGHH!" Metal wrenched as the three boats smashed together, and a small fire erupted.
"Elias! You did it!' Zai cheered. Then,
'BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!'
The fire reached the fuel tank, causing the whole boat to explode.
"AWESOME" Elias shouted at the top of his voice. Zai looked up. Large, burning pieces of the boat were being thrown into the air. Then, the engine on Ian's boat cut completely.
"EVERYBODY OFF THE BOAT!" Amy screamed. Then...
'BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!'
The second boat blew up, throwing more debris into the air. Zai didn't for the third explosion. He took a deep breath and dove off the side of the boat into the cold water. He kicked deeper and deeper, trying to get out of range of the burning debris.
'Brrgghghgrrlrmmmmmm!" the third boat exploded, the sound muffled by the water. Large chunks of metal and fiberglass rained through the water next to Zai. His air supply was running out. He kicked up to the surface, gasping in big lungfuls of air.
"Amy! Elias! Ian! Are you guys okay?" he called. Slowly, Ian, Elias, and Amy bobbed to the surface. This is what Zai heard:
Amy: "OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD!"
Elias: "THAT WAS AWESOME!"
Ian: "AAAAH! MY CUSTOM-MADE, TEN THOUSAND POUND ARMANI SHIRT! AND MY HAND-CRAFTED LEATHER ITALIAN SHOES! LIFE ISN'T FAAAAIIIIRRRRR!"
Zai rolled his eyes. They'd live.
"Come on, lets get out of the water!" he called to them. This seemed to be a pretty empty place, so there was almost zero traffic, on land or water. He spotted a dock a about twenty feet away. He started swimming toward it, and the others followed.
"Ugh. I'm soaked." Zai shook his head, tossing his wet hair off his forehead. Ian was pulling himself out of the water, grumbling about his wet clothes. Amy was standing a little ways from the edge, shivering. Elias was trying to adjust his glasses, which had a crack in one of the lenses.
"W-w-what do we do now?" Amy asked, shivering.
"We call for help." Elias replied. He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked kind of like a cell phone. It was all black, with a red light on the side and a small yellow button under it.
"Something I liberated from the Ekats." he said. He pushed the yellow button. The small light blinked on, and the whole thing vibrated.
"What does it do?" asked Amy.
"You'll see." he replied.
Zai stood on the edge of the water. He absolutely loved water. He imagined it cascading on top of a blazing inferno, extinguishing it, bringing coolness to the scorching heat of the flames . He slipped his hands into his pockets. Wait...
Zai reached into his pockets again. It wasn't there! He looked around. It was nowhere to be seen! Now, Zai started panicking. He dropped to his hands and knees and started looking around the ground.
"What are you doing?" Amy asked. Zai ignored her.
No! I HAVE to find it. I have to! He looked at the water. Then, something shiny and green caught his eye. He he squinted. There it was! Floating, about fifteen feet out into the water. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a whirring sound. He looked up. A sleek black helicopter was hovering above them. It had a big, fancy 'K' on the side. The pilot was gesturing wildly. Zai looked at the water again. He could see it, drifting farther and farther. Without a second thought, he leaped into the water to retrieve it.
"Where are you going?" screamed Amy. Zai didn't stop, he kept swimming. He reached out and grabbed the shiny green object. He squeezed it tightly in his hand, feeling the smooth green stone. He turned and started swimming toward shore. The helicopter had landed, and everyone was climbing inside. He reached the shore and ran toward the helicopter. He jumped in, and shut the door. The pilot flipped a few switches, and the rotor blades started turning. The helicopter lifted into the air.
"What the heck was that all about?" Elias asked. Zai turned away.
"I just needed to grab something out of the water." he said quietly.
"What?" Elias replied.
"Can we...not talk about this?" Zai asked. He looked at Ian. "Where are we going?" he asked.
"We're going to my house in London." Ian answered. "First, we're flying to an airstrip just outside the city where we will take my private jet."
"What about Dan and Nellie?" asked Amy.
"I've called Alana and told her. Nellie and Dan should be waiting for us in London." Ian reassured her.
"And how did you find us?" Zai inquired. He felt more uncomfortable, knowing that the leader of the Lucian branch could track him down like this.
"Well, I'd be a rather bad branch leader if I couldn't even keep track of my own agents, now, wouldn't I?" Ian said, nodding to Elias.
"One more question." Elias spoke up. "Will we be safe from the Vespers?"
"It's very unlikely that the Vespers will attack before we get to my jet." Ian said. "But once we're in my plane, we'll be safe. It's almost indestructible."
Zai, Elias, and Amy sat back, satisfied with Ian's answers. Zai reached into his pocked. The shiny green stone was still there. He became lost in thought, as he did often. Just then, he felt a familiar splitting feeling in his head. Wincing with pain, he popped open the pill bottle that was fastened to his waist and gulped down a white pill.
About ten minutes later...
"Passengers, prepare for landing." Ian's pilot spoke up, and the helicopter started descending. Zai looked out the window. They were above a small airstrip, surrounded by hills. A streamline black jet was sitting on the ground. The helicopter touched down. The pilot switched off the engine and and Ian opened the door.
"Ladies first." he said, bowing slightly to Amy, who glared at him. Ian shrugged and stepped out, followed by Amy, Zai, then Elias. The helicopter pilot waved once, and took off.
Ian, Zai, Elias, and Amy walked up to the jet. A set of steps led up to it. Ian walked up and opened the door, then climbed in. As Zai entered the plane, he noticed it was nothing like a normal jet. There were no seats lined up in neat rows. It had about ten plush-looking seats, each with it's own flat-screen TV in front of it.
"I wish Nellie was here. She would've loved this!" Amy exclaimed. Elias smirked.
"Get used to it. This is how we Lucians do things!"
Zai took a seat next to a window, across from Amy. Elias sat in front of him, and Ian was in front of Amy. Ian tapped a button on his arm rest.
"Sean, we're ready for departure."
"Roger." came the answer. A few seconds later, the engines started up, and the plane started rolling down the runway. Zai flicked his TV on. The time read six-thirty A.M. Zai sat back. He was exhausted. About twenty minutes later, he was asleep.
8 hours later...
Zai opened his eyes and stretched. The lights in the plane were dimmed. Still a few more hours until they reached London. He shook his head, clearing his mind. He'd dreamed of his home back in Kauai, and his family. He flicked on his TV and watched a movie to take his mind off his dream.
"Can't sleep?" a voice asked. Zai looked across the aisle. Amy was sitting up, a book on her lap.
"No, I'm fine." Zai replied. "How about you?"
"I'm fine." she replied. She looked at Zai. "How come you never seem sad or happy or angry of scared?" she asked him. "You always seem just kind of quiet and distant."
"I am not!" he retorted. Before Amy could say anything, Zai turned away.
"Could we continue this some other time?" he asked quietly. Amy didn't respond. Zai closed his eyes and tried in vain to fall asleep.
"Zai? Zai! Are you awake?" a voice called. Zai opened his eyes. The lights in the plane were bright again, and it was dark outside.
"Yeah, I'm awake." he replied. Elias was polishing his pistol, Amy was reading, and Ian was talking on his phone. Zai looked out the window. They were over London, it's thousands of bright lights lighting up the ground.
"How long until we land?" he asked.
"About ten minutes." Ian replied, hanging up his phone.
"Welcome to the Kabra Estate!" Ian gestured grandly toward his mansion. He, Zai, Elias, and Amy had just gotten out of the plane and walked along a long, winding path to the house, bathed in moonlight.
"Are Dan and Nellie in there?" Amy asked.
"They should be. Let's go in." Ian replied. They walked up to the house. They stepped up to the huge front doors, which instantly swung open. A man wearing a tuxedo was holding it open for them.
"Welcome home, sir." he said. Ian nodded and handed him his jacket. The butler turned and walked away.
"Where are Nellie and Dan?" Amy asked again. She sounded impatient.
"Let me call Natalie." Ian replied. He took his cell phone out again and speed-dialed his sister.
"Hello, Natalie? We're home...yes...no, you can't fly to Milan tomorrow, we might need the jet...yes, we can think about getting another one for you...no, I don't think I can buy it tonight...are Nellie and Dan here?...okay, where are they?...yes, Natalie, I'm sure neither of them have rabies...yes, even their demented nanny...okay. Bye." Ian looked up at them.
"They're in the red guest room." he said. "Follow me." Ian led them up a step of sweeping, winding steps to a long, extra wide hallway. He walked down the hallway and stopped at the third door on the left. He knocked.
"Come in!" Nellie's voice called. Amy threw open the door and rushed in, throwing her arms around Nellie, who was sitting in a chair in front of a mirror.
"Nellie! I'm so glad to see you! How's Dan doing?" she asked.
"I'm fine." a voice said. Amy pulled away from Nellie. In the corner of the room was an enormous red and orange bed, with about two hundred pillows. Dan was lying in the middle of it, which made him look even smaller. Amy ran over to him.
"Oh, Dan. I thought you were dead." she said, sniffling. Dan sat up.
"It wasn't that bad." he said. "At least I got the chance to tell Elizabeth that she was a 'foul lump of deformity, pigeon-livered and lacking gall.'. I also told her that she looked like a gnome with rabies. That was awesome!" Dan grinned. "Except that she gagged me after that." he said, his grin fading. Zai rolled his eyes. Amy's brother Dan was the only one in the world who could say being captured by the Vespers 'wasn't so bad.'
Just then, Natalie walked into the room.
"Hello, people." she said snootily. Zai held his breath. A few years ago in Japan, Natalie had saved him from Elias, back when they weren't on the same side. Natalie peered at Zai.
"Do I know you?" she asked. Ian nudged her in the ribs.
"Yeah. Remember? A few years ago? Japan? I was there." he said. Recognition dawned in Natalie's eyes.
"Ah, yes, I remember." she said waving her hand dismissively, as if she were trying to hide something. Zai squinted at her face. Was that...embarrassment?
"Well, you must all be tired." Ian broke the silence. "Zai, you can take the room next to his one. Amy, you can take the room directly across the hall, and Nellie, you can sleep in the room across from Zai's." Everyone nodded.
"Well, then Natalie and I will retire for the night. Good night." Ian said, and he and Natalie walked away.
"We need to come up with a plan now." Nellie said once Ian and Natalie had gone.
"What do you think, Dan?" Amy asked. "You were the one she captured."
"Well," Dan began, " I think Elizabeth want's something with the serum. She kept mentioning you, Zai." he said, looking at Zai.
"I don't think Elizabeth's doing this alone." began Elias.
"Can we trust him?" Dan butted in, looking at Elias. "He's a Lucian."
"Of course we can trust him." Zai said.
"No, we can't trust any Lucians except Ian and Natalie." Dan said.
"Dan, stop it!" Amy told her brother. "We wouldn't bring someone here that we couldn't trust."
"But Elias used to follow orders from Isabel!" Dan said. "Elizabeth said so!"
"Ian and Natalie followed orders from their mother, too!" Zai said, his voice edged with annoyance.
"But they changed! They were in the gauntlet with us!" Dan argued. Elias started looking very angry.
"Dan, calm down! You can't be suspicious of everyone who used to work for Isabel!" Zai exclaimed.
"You wouldn't understand!" Dan shouted. "Isabel killed my parents!"
"Dan, that's not the point right now!" Zai shouted back.
"Shut up!" Dan yelled. "You don't know what it's like to have to deal with someone like Isabel! And, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO HAVE YOUR PARENTS TAKEN FROM YOU!" Dan screamed.
"Dan! Stop!" Amy yelled. But it was too late. Dan was already bringing his hand back, about to hit Zai in the face.
Hope you liked that one. It was very long, but I felt like I couldn't put it in two separate chapters. Thanks!