Disclaimer: characters by Aoki Takao, Beyblade Project, etc.
Warning: Fighting, explosions, hurt, terror.
Reviews: Thank you to Rapunzelle, Party in the Afterlife, Elemental Gypsy, and Tenshi of Freedom!
Author's Note: Sorry about the delay, again. I'm not close enough to the inspiration of the story to write it all out at once, and having to start over again every half page makes a lot of work keeping it from becoming choppy and incoherent.
I didn't end up with as much character involvement as I expected, but then, Tala does like to work alone (gah trying to remember my own story descriptions XD). This story was supposed to be four chapters…
------OUT OF MY CONTROL------
by destinykitty
------Part 5------
The Rescue
The ride to our destination was uneventful; as it was past eleven, there were few other people awake and about, and those who were out were much too intent on their own destructive pursuits to notice a small convoy of vehicles leaving our base.
Hilary remained behind to coordinate our movements from afar. Each of us wore a tracker and a headset so we could communicate and so she could follow our movements if we lost the headset or were captured or anything else interesting happened.
Because of our various objectives we took separate routes to our enemy's base. The Chief was afraid of motorcycles and had computer equipment to drag along so I was stuck driving one of the small cars instead of my motorbike. Spencer took an alternate path in a van that doubled as a mobile medical unit, so everything necessary was readily available in case of emergency. Julia and Brooklyn had tagged along with him in case he needed extra hands or a driver during the get-away.
Rei, Mystel and Ian were following us at a distance while Bryan and Max, with Miguel riding, took another route. They were to start their part of the mission last, after Kenny had located our targets and Rei's team was well on their way to finding Raul.
It was a relief to ditch the ridiculous little car and start our adventure. On foot we had to be careful of who saw us; sneaking through the cold night air toward our enemy's base was exciting in itself, even if my path had to be easy enough for my companion to keep up. I was disappointed at how easy it was to reach the roof of Boris's complex and find an access port that allowed us to infiltrate the interior. Once inside, we located an abandoned-looking corner and Kenny set about hacking into their system.
I wandered around the dusty room, evaluating our exits, finding good defense points, and listening to the clack of computer keys as the small brunette hacked into Boris's system. It took approximately ninety seconds for me to get bored.
Hilary's voice crackled in my earpiece, relaying information she had received from the diminutive Chief. "Ok Rei, Kenny's uploading an infrastructure map. Stand by for your entrance location."
At least I can listen to what's going on, I thought bitterly. My head fell back so I could stare at the ceiling, bitterly realizing that Rei was right to think that my broad shoulders would not fit through the narrow ventilation shafts in this building.
I still could have made it on foot. I can defend myself.
This idea passed idly through my mind at first, but as the minutes dragged on, the thought of getting out there and actually doing something began to feel more and more necessary. I couldn't decide whether it was better to be able to hear my compatriots as they ventured into their missions, relaying little tid-bits like Ian's exclamation over some convenient drop-hole in the pipe he was crawling down, or whether it would have been better to hear nothing. At least that way I would not be constantly teased by the fact that not far away my friends were nearing danger and excitement while I was stuck in a dirty old storage closet where the most interesting thing that had happened yet was when a rat climbed out of a cardboard box.
Minutes crawled by as my frustration mounted. Agitatedly I wandered farther and farther from my post, until eventually I found a main hallway. Catching the echo of approaching voices I ducked out of sight, listening intently. Their first distinct words arrested my attention instantly: "—Heard the kid's awake."
"The boss got him?" a second voice huffed in reply.
"Yeah."
I heard a chuckle, then, "He'll soon be wishing he never woke up."
"Or he never ran away."
"Yeah, the boss was pissed."
They lapsed into a thoughtful silence which only lasted a few seconds because their brains were so tiny. One commented idly, "Guess we won't see him around anymore."
"Yeah, whatever. I'll just be glad to see the wildcat go. Glad those damn Russians had to deal with him."
"Serves 'em right," his companion agreed.
As the heavy footsteps faded away, anger and – as much as I didn't want to admit it – fear overwhelmed me. Kai was at the sole mercy of Voltare's brutes and Boris was going to kill Raul for running away, just as the kid had been afraid he would.
Heart pounding, I raced back to the storage room where I had left Kenny. "Where are they?"
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My boots thudded relentlessly against the floors of the hallway, regardless of the noise I was making. Frantic voices rang in my ear, telling me how stupid I was to go in alone, how I was singlehandedly jeopardizing the mission and probably ruining all hope of success, endangering the lives of all our operatives and targets. I ignored the buzz of the intercom, angrily yanking the ear bud out of my ear. They don't understand, I thought fiercely. I can't sit back and wait any longer. The ear bud bounced erratically against my heaving chest.
I was not being completely reckless. I had called Spencer to pick up Kenny, interrupting a report from Mystel that he and Rei had hit a dead end and lost track of Ian. Their predicament had almost managed to distract Hilary from the fact that I was ditching my post, but only for a moment.
Her disapproval didn't matter. All that was important was to find Raul, then Kai, as quickly as possible.
As soon as my intentions had been broadcasted in a screech over the intercom by Hilary, Bryan also decided it was time to mobilize in his team. As least there would be someone else in the building that I knew I could count on.
I swung 'round a corner indicated in the hurried directions I had demanded from Kenny and ran into my first adversary. Luckily with both speed and surprise on my side I quickly left him sprawled on the floor in my wake. I was getting close. Now was not the time to stop. I pushed myself harder.
Almost at the center of the complex I stumbled upon a group of guards. I fought frantically and managed in my frenzied panic to fell several of them. A few blows struck me. I kept moving, dragging the fight in the direction of a large door at the end of the hall.
I heard a muffled cry and a sharp crack and hurled myself at the door, shouting Raul's name. The door gave, swinging inward and I rushed inside.
The first thing I saw was Raul sprawled on the floor, motionless. My heart stopped – I was sure he was dead. A menacing cackle from the corner yanked my attention from the small prone form just in time for me to throw myself out of the way. A bullet ripped through the air where moments before my head had been.
The harsh voice behind that shot sneered, "You're the only one here to stand up to me? Pathetic."
"What have you done to him?" I shouted, leaping at the man from my defensive position. He had killed Raul. I was going to tear him apart.
He was a big man and strong but I was blind-mad, hell-bent on inflicting damage. I grappled with him, keeping the revolver in his hand pointed away from me and from Raul. I didn't want him to hurt the boy any more, even if he was already dead.
A faintly familiar buzzing against my skin alerted me that my friends were trying to get my attention, but I ignored it. I didn't care what they wanted. I was going to kill Boris even if I died in the attempt.
Then a weak, faltering query cut short all my resolutions and morbidities.
"T...ala…?"
With a sudden frightful burst of energy I threw Boris away from me; he stumbled backwards as I flung myself to Raul's side, pulling him into my arms. From his bruised, bloodied face, half-open emerald green eyes gazed uncertainly up at me, as though he almost did not recognize me or believe that I was really there. They closed as he coughed weakly.
I stifled a sob, burying my face in his shoulder, cradling his petite body against my chest.
The boy stiffened and I looked up to see if I had hurt him, but his eyes were fixed behind me. My gaze followed his to find Boris a few feet away, gun pointed in our direction.
I clutched Raul closer to me, shielding him from Boris's view, placing myself between them. I was at a loss for what I could do to save us now; our situation was hopeless.
The mob boss sneered at us, at me. "So this is how you choose to go? Very well then."
I watched his finger tighten on the trigger of the gun as though in slow motion. Then the room exploded.
I lept to my feet as sections of the devastated ceiling rained down around us; one quick glance showed that the back of the room had been destroyed. Boris groaned. Without stopping to look at him, thinking only of the safety of the small boy in my arms, I fled.
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The shocked guards put up very little resistance as I carried Raul away from the exploding core of the building. Several more bombs had detonated after the first and most people were running for their lives. The escape of one intruder and one prisoner no longer mattered.
It occurred to me that the familiar buzz I had felt earlier was Ian's signal; during missions it was his way of warning us that he was about to blow something up. I silently thanked the little monkey for his effective timing.
My feet carried us without conscious direction, and it occurred to me that we might be lost. Then moments later a huge open space opened before me: the garage.
"Tala!"
My head snapped to the source of the anxious call; recognizing wild blond hair, I ducked into the small space Miguel was occupying as a defensive position.
"What are you doing here?" I asked urgently as my eyes quickly scanned our chaotic surroundings – everywhere mobsters were mounting and fighting over vehicles, fleeing the complex as it continued to explode and burn.
"Bryan moved in early and we followed but after the explosions I lost sight of Max and told him to get out of here. Tala, Kai's gone, they took him already!"
"Damn," I hissed. My searching eyes caught sight of what I was half-consciously looking for: a motorcycle. Turning to Miguel I hurriedly explained, "I'm getting us out of here. Hold him."
Miguel accepted charge of Raul's barely conscious form unquestioningly and I bolted for my target. The bike's intended rider never saw me coming before I slammed headlong into him, sending us both sprawling across the floor. It only took a few seconds for me to wrestle him into submission, and I grabbed the keys. Jumping on the bike I yelled for Miguel.
The blond dashed towards me as I revved the bike to life. I briefly helped him settle Raul between us as he climbed on the back half of the long seat, then gunned the motor and sent us racing for an open garage door. Shoving my earpiece back in its place, I shouted for Spencer.
My friend answered immediately, reassuring me that he was just around the corner. I sped the motorbike towards the overlarge doorway.
As soon as we were clear of the wildly chaotic garage I shot a bee-line toward Spencer, relief flooding my mind as I caught sight of the medic van. Breaking abruptly I called to my friend as he appeared from inside.
"Spencer! Help me, he's hurt!"
I didn't know how badly wounded Raul was; all I knew was that Spencer's eyes widened noticeably when he caught sight of the boy. That was a bad sign. "You can save him, right?" I begged as Spencer called for a stretcher. Brooklyn and Julia rushed to fetch the mobile bed.
"I will do my best, Tala," he replied gently.
I wanted reassurance; I wanted certainly. I placed my hand on Raul's arm; he was limp, unresponsive, lying against Miguel. Avoiding the blonde's sympathetic gaze I saw Julia trying to hide tears.
"I'll do everything I can," Spencer reassured again as he settled Raul on the stretcher, the pink-haired boy dwarfed by my friend's giant frame. One of his large hands caught my shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly, bracingly. "Now you go and finish the mission."
I stared at the ground for a moment, letting my fear and concern heat into anger, conviction, clarity of purpose. After a few moments, my eyes burning, I turned to Miguel.
"Ready to save Kai?" I asked fiercely.
Distressed, hopeful, Miguel nodded.
"Let's do this."
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Boris's dialogue is so lame XDD Next chapter is when they save Kai!
VVVVV
