Chapter 6

''Very peculiar,'' master Boddai mused to himself, stroking his chin, apparently deep in thought. He had just finished listening to students recite the events that had befallen them in the city beneath Mount Ida. He had indeed been interested by the strange creatures his students had encountered there, but he had been even more intrigued to learn of the intellectual awakening undergone by the Battacor. According to Maya, Zylus had even quoted Shakespeare.

''By the way,'' Ky said, turning to Maya. ''What did Zylus say to make you that angry? I've never seen you lose control like that before.''

''He asked for something he's not getting,'' Maya replied in a tight voice. ''I have no more to say on the matter.''

Ky promptly let the matter go.

''If they are as intelligent as I am led to believe,'' master Boddai said, ''then we must exercise extreme caution, lest we'll run the risk of being...'' He stopped as a wave of nausea washed over him, making his vision spin. Gasping, the old master fell down on one knee, pearls of sweat beading on his forehead.

''Master B, what is it?'' Maya asked in a worried tone.

Gradually the feeling passed, and the old man stood up straight. ''I have sensed a kairu deposit somewhere in China,'' master Boddai said. ''A vast one.''

''We'll go get it, master,'' said Boomer.

''Be careful,'' the old man implored. ''If I have sensed the energy then surely Lokar and his e-teens have learned of it as well.'' With a respectful bow to their master, the three members of Team Stax hurried off.

xxxxx

''Most intriguing,'' Lokar mused to himself as he studied a chart displaying the IQ rating of Zylus, Rynoh and Bash. He had had them take an IQ test earlier, and they had all three of them passed with fine colors. Zylus had been rated highest, at three-hundred and two, while Rynoh and Bash had tied in second place, with an IQ score of three-hundred. ''Most intriguing indeed.''

''I must admit I was somewhat disappointed in the composers of this test,'' Zylus said, for he and his fellows had corrected an error in the test, an error that Lokar, to his ultimate horror, had not noticed. ''I feel they should at least have done their homework before putting pen to paper.''

Lokar put the chart away and heaved a sigh, blowing away his jealousy, and forcing himself to think of his gain in having so intelligent lackeys at his disposal. He could make them help him work on a machine he was building, a device that would ensure him dominance over the entire earth. He could even...

Suddenly an image of rows upon rows of glowing statues, fashioned into the likenesses of ancient Chinese warriors, flashed through his mind, followed by a sensation he was all too familiar with. Lokar opened his eyes and smiled. Before assigning the Battacor to working on his machine, he would have to have them pick up this kairu deposit. But there was so much of it he doubted the three of them would be enough.

''What is it, master,'' Zylus asked.

Lokar did not answer, but lifted one arm, his hand glowing a rosy purple hue. An alarm went off, and Team Radikor and Team Imperiaz rushed into the room, taking up a position on either side of Team Battacor. ''You summoned us, master Lokar,'' Zane asked, fist to breast, dipping a respectful bow.

''I have sensed a vast amount of kairu-energy somewhere in China,'' Lokar said. ''Too vast to be collected by one team. I have thus decided you will all be going on this kairu hunt. And...'' His amber-eyed gaze settled on Zylus, Rynoh and Bash. ''I have also decided the Battacor will be in charge.'' Lokar smiled wickedly. ''Fail me in this, and my retribution will be swift. Now begone!''

The e-teens bowed and walked out of the room.

xxxxx

The day was bright and the sky was clear, as the X-caper sped through the air, unerringly making its way toward its destination. ''We're getting close,'' Maya said where she stood at the navigation map. ''Just a couple more miles to go.'' She reached for a small dot on the screen with both hands, then pulled them apart diagonally, enlarging the dot into the map of a small settlement. ''Looks like the relic is in an abandoned village.''

''Great,'' Boomer muttered under his breath. ''Another abandoned settlement.'' He spoke louder then so his friends could hear him. ''I wonder what kind of monsters we'll run into this time.'' His voice was thick with sarcasm, but Ky and Maya nevertheless paused to wonder.

''As long as it's not Zylus and his guys, I'm good,'' Ky said.

''Same here,'' Maya agreed.

A short while later they spotted the village, several groupings of small houses, all clustered tightly together beside a river. It was not as old as the three friends would have guessed an abandoned village to be, but neither was it brand new. There were tractors and other farming machinery present, but as Maya had said before, the village was completely deserted.

There were mountains close by to the north, and the three saw that several large boulders lay scattered throughout the village itself, most in the street, but one had smashed right through the roof of a house. That was the most likely reason for why the place was abandoned.

Boomer lighted the craft in the village square, and the three kairu-hunters walked out into the sunlight. Unlike in the underground city, they found the source of the kairu-signal almost right away, their x-readers all pointing toward a broad and squat building not too far from the village-square. The building was in bad disrepair, but at least its overall look was familiar, and the three were having a hard time imagining any monsters hiding within its walls.

''It's a museum,'' Maya said, as she looked intently at a sign above the front door that was emblazoned with Chinese characters, some of which had mostly faded, but enough of it remained for the young woman to be able to make some sense of them. ''And a museum dedicated to history no less.''

Maya opened the door and entered the lobby, which was complete with a reception table and a cash register, both of which were vintage and in mint condition. Cobwebs were here and there, and a thick layer of dust covered the place. ''That way,'' Maya said, pointing at a door which led into the main part of the museum.

Ky opened the door a crack and peeked inside, and his jaw went slack at the sight that greeted him. There stood row after row of stone statues, each fashioned into the likeness of a Chinese warrior, armed and armored, and covered in dust and cobwebs. And they they all glowed a soft bluish-white light.

''All the statues are infused with kairu energy,'' Boomer remarked as he walked into the room, taking up his x-reader and pointing it at the statues.

''Well, isn't that grand,'' came a nasal remark from behind, and the trio whirled about to see Team Battacor enter the lobby, Zylus at their head. ''But you'll not be the ones collecting the kairu, I fear.'' To the surprise of the three members of Team Stax, the Radikor walked into the room behind the Battacor, Zane looking thoroughly pissed off, and they were followed by Team Imperiaz. ''That task will fall to myself and my associates here.''

''Guys,'' Maya said to her friends. ''I think we might be in trouble.''

''You sure are, dove,'' Zylus remarked, then he turned to Team Radikor. ''Take them,'' he ordered, pointing at Team Stax. Zane, his face contorted and bright red with rage, did not immediately follow the command, but then Zylus moved up to him, looking the Radikor leader straight in the eye. ''Lokar said I and my two friends were in command. '' Zane withered slightly under that gray-eyed stare. ''So I repeat: take them!'' Zane reluctantly moved to comply, putting his hands together before him and dipping the customary bow for a kairu challenge. Ky reciprocated the bow, to the absolute disbelief of his two friends.

''Do you really think it a good idea to go through with this, Ky?'' Boomer asked.

''We're not backing down from this challenge,'' Ky declared, his tone leaving no room for debate. Boomer and Maya looked at each other, then just gave a shrug and dropped into the honorable bow. The clouds above the building began to swirl, and forked lightning streaked the sky, casting long shadows, the wind picking up.

''BRUTICON!'' Zane roared suddenly, and the power of his signature monster surged through him. ''ANTIMATTER BEAM!'' he cupped his hands in close to his side, then thrust them out and a red beam of energy shot out from them. Team Stax leaped out of the way, and the attack whipped by, dangerously close to the statues, blasting a large hole through the wall.

''Watch the statues, you imbecile!'' Zylus roared.

''Yeah yeah,'' Zane growled in reply.

''METANOID!'' Ky exclaimed, energy surging through him, then he put his hands up to his temples. ''HYPNO BLAST!'' he shouted, and a thin beam of light bluish energy shot out from his forehead. Zane tried to evade but was caught by the attack. The e-teen leader fell groaning to the floor.

Boomer and Maya promptly stacked up, as did Zair and Techris.

Maya eyed the statues, then her gaze drifted over to the hole in the wall. ''I'll make us some room to work,'' she said to her friends, then she somersaulted backwards, out though the hole. ''WIND BLAST!'' she shouted in mid air, reaching out and grabbing at the air, then pulling hard as she came out of the somersault. A great gust of wind blew into the backs of the surprised Radikor, blasting them out through the hole to land unceremoniously on the ground in front of the building.

Zair stood up. ''CYONIS!'' she roared, and was enveloped in yellow energy, then she began to grow, until she became ten feet tall. When the yellow energy dissipated, she had transformed completely into her signature monster. ''SMOKE SCREEN!'' she exclaimed, and a cloud of smoke burst from her outstretched hands, enveloping the scene.

Boomer walked through the dark blue haze. ''Ky!'' he coughed. ''Maya! Where are you?''

Suddenly he saw a huge ape-like face staring back at him through the smoke. ''Your friends ain't here, Boomer,'' Techris, now in the guise of Silverbax, bellowed in his deep, resonating voice. ''I'll take the message. THUNDER CLAP!'' The beast clapped its huge hands together, and a line of green energy shot up into the air, then down diagonally, smiting Boomer heavily in the chest and sending him flying backwards.

So powerful was the attack that the smoke around where it had hit cleared away, creating a clear space in the middle of the cloud.

Maya, standing in that clear spot, found herself facing Zair, the cyclopean face staring down at her, the strangely shaped mouth twisting weirdly in a caricature of a smile. ''LIGHTNING STRIKE ATTACK!'' she roared, and a crackling bolt of red lightning shot out from her extended fingers.

''SNIPER SIGHT!'' Maya exclaimed, and a green beam of energy shot out from her hand, colliding with the lightning bolt in mid air, and struggling against it. Zair roared and pushed on, but Maya was the stronger, and the e-teen's attack was pushed back at her, and then it struck, and Zair found herself thrown back into the smoke. Maya could see the silhouette of the cyclopean monster, then there came a flash of yellow light, and the huge shape was replaced by a smaller one.

Ky faced off against Zane, about a dozen feet separating the two warriors. ''So you take orders from Zylus now, is that it?'' Ky asked, and he smiled as Zane narrowed his dark eyes. ''I mean, I can understand why you follow Lokar, but why would you go so low as to follow that idiot.''

''Shut up!'' Zane roared, his dagger-throwing gaze locked on Ky, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. ''BRUTICON!'' he exclaimed suddenly, and in a burst of yellow light he transformed into his signature monster.

''METANOID!'' Ky roared, and he too turned into his mechanical monster.

''DEGENERATION!'' Zane bellowed, and a roaring beam of red energy shot out from his hands.

''PLASMA SWORD!'' Ky said, and a red sword appeared in his hand, and he held the weapon up defensively before him. The red beam hit the sword and forked on the edge, the prongs going to either side of the young Stax. Zane roared and fought on, putting every ounce of his skill and considerable rage behind the red beam.

''PLASMA EYES!'' Ky roared, and his mechanical eyes began to glow with red energy, and then twin beams shot out from them, merging before his face and shooting on towards the e-teen. Zane stopped his attack and rolled to the side, coming out of the roll with a green razor-edged disc in his hand.

''ANTIMATTER SAW!'' he bellowed and threw, the saw blade spinning through the air, heading unerringly for the young Stax.

Ky brought his sword up in front of him, deflecting the attack to the side, then he lifted the sword up above his head and threw. Spinning tip over pommel the weapon soared through the air, and Zane was forced to drop flat on his belly to avoid being skewered. The sword struck the wall of the museum and stuck there, before dissipating into vapors.

Zane put his feet under him and leaped into the air, holding his hands out in front of him. ''ACID BEAM!'' he roared, and a line of red liquid burst from his palms, drawing a semicircle on the ground in front of Ky. Then the acid detonated, hurling the young Stax backward to land in a heap on the ground, where he reverted back to his human form.

Zane laughed mockingly.

Ky scrambled to his feet and leaped away as Boomer, now in the guise of Froztok, was hurled out of the smoke, landing where the young Stax had been lying just an instant before. Techris lumbered out of the smoke, watching with satisfaction as Boomer reverted back to his human form, a massive bruise adorning his face.

Maya came running to where her friends were, falling into a defensive crouch before them, legs wide apart and balanced, her hands waving in circles and crossing defensively in front of her. ''Don't worry, guys,'' she said, though her voice lacked conviction. ''I got this covered. HARRIER!'' In a flash of green light she transformed into her half avian, half humanoid monster.

Zane was about to throw an attack, when a beam of gray energy shot past him, striking Maya and sending her twirling weirdly through the air to crash heavily into the side of a nearby building. She slumped down to a sitting position at the base of the wall, where she changed back to her human form. Another gray beam whipped past, this one striking Ky and Boomer, hurling them back to join their female companion in unconsciousness at the base of the wall.

The battle was over.

Zane whirled about to face Zylus, who stood in front of the hole in the wall, one hand extended, a smug smile on his face. ''Who do you think you are, interfering with my battle like that!'' the Radikor leader roared, throwing up his hands in complete outrage. ''Who do you think you are!'' the e-teen leader roared again.

Zylus laughed mockingly, and that pushed Zane over the ledge, and he launched for the Battacor leader, thinking to choke the life from the pompous creature. But Bash was there in an instant, meeting him with a thunderous left hook that sent Zane sprawling to the ground, his bleeding nose flattened up against his cheek. Rynoh moved in then, kicking the Radikor e-teen hard in the ribs.

''Damn you,'' Zane growled, trying to stand up, but Rynoh kicked him again, this time in the belly.

''I am your intellectual superior,'' Zylus remarked. ''I will do as I please. Now either you get down with the program...'' his voice drifted off as he fired a beam of gray energy at Zane, making him squirm pathetically in the dirt. ''Or I will destroy you, most unpleasantly.'' He relented, then motioned for Rynoh and Bash to get Zane back on his feet. They grabbed the e-teen leader by the elbows, and unceremoniously hoisted him to his feet. ''Now we've got to collect that kairu,'' Zylus went on, motioning for the others to follow.

The e-teens collected the kairu, then flew off to their master's lair.

xxxxx

The three members of Team Stax woke up some time later, all of them feeling thoroughly wretched. Ky had a black eye, swollen to the point where he could not keep it open, and Boomer had a massive bruise on his face, and when he spat on the ground, blood came out, accompanied by a molar knocked loose by Techris' punch. Maya very possibly had a fractured rib, for the pain in her side was very acute, and a line of blood hung low from the corner of her mouth.

They managed to get back to the X-caper, and a short while later the craft sped off toward the monastery.

xxxxx

Lokar was very pleased when his e-teens returned to the lair, all nine of them with x-readers chock full of kairu. ''Excellent,'' the dark master exclaimed, clapping his hands together. ''You have performed most admirably, Battacor.'' Zane very nearly vomited at that remark, and he fixed Zylus and his two cohorts with a hateful glower. ''I have an announcement to make,'' Lokar declared. ''I will be infusing every one of you with gray kairu.''

A dead silence came over the room, and it held for several long moments.

''You're gonna,'' Diara began, then swallowed hard, a look of shock and horror painted indelibly on her doll-like features. ''You're gonna make me a nerd? Like those nerds there?'' She pointed a shaky finger at the Battacor. Lokar nodded, and the princess threw her arm up dramatically before her forehead, then promptly fell unconscious to the floor.

Lokar eyed the Battacor. ''Leave us,'' he said to his other two e-teen teams, who gave a respectful bow before leaving, Koz and Teeny dragging the unconscious princess out of the room. ''I have a task for you,'' the dark master said to the Battacor when everyone else had vacated the room. ''A task that ought to be well suited to men of your particular talents.''

Lokar lifted a hand which began to emanate a reddish-purple glow, and a piece of the wall slid aside, revealing a hidden door. He led the Battacor into the adjoining room, which turned out to be a lab, with many tables, laden with lab equipment and various metallic parts and hoses. Scattered across one table was a myriad of papers, with pictures of parts and calculations scribbled all over them. ''I want the three of you to work on this machine,'' Lokar announced, then he walked out of the lab, the door closing behind him, and leaving the Battacor in the lab.

xxxxx

''This sucks,'' Zair muttered under her breath, as Team Radikor made its way along a hallway in the lair. She could see Zane up ahead, stomping heavily along the corridor, and she could well imagine gouts of steam hissing out his ears and nostrils. Neither she nor Techris were excited at the prospect of being subjected to the gray kairu, and Zane was more against it than the two of them put together.

''We have to change Lokar's mind,'' Zane growled in a nasal voice, a testament to his flattened nose.

''How?'' Techris asked.

''I have an idea,'' Zane said ruefully. ''But you're not gonna like it.''

''Then count us in,'' said Diara, as she walked around a corner, clearly recovered from her little incident, her siblings following her. Zane cocked an eyebrow, and the princess crossed her arms under her breasts and sniffed, looking to the side and pouting. ''If he thinks he can turn be into a nerd, then he has another thing coming.''

''Alright,'' Zane said. ''This is what we'll do.''

To be continued...