Slugterra Fanfic
Chpt 26: True Colours

Conner, one of the guards that were employed by Blakk, was on his daily round to check on the prisoner, the grumpy mechanic Redhook.
Ever since Blakk had discovered a way to increase a ghouls power, Blakk had 'employed' Redhook to help build the items.
He may be an old man but Redhook was a nasty piece of work, Conner couldn't believe he got stuck on check-up duty.

Unlocking the door and stepping inside he was greeted by the mechanics charming welcome.

I ain't done yet! And I ne'er will be if you lot of stupid guards keep coming in! 'specially with all that noise going on next door. You guys trying to remodel the place?"

Conner sighed, "Look, just gimme your finished pieces already. I'm not in the mood to be patient today!"
Redhook grumbled to himself but pulled out a draw and started piling up the finished accelerators.
" I didn't get much done with all the noise that just started up. Sounds like there's a beastie loose."

"There aren't any beasts loose in the building! If there was I think I would know."

Conner barely managed to finish his sentence as the door slid open and his old friend dashed in.
She was panting heavily as she quickly locked the door, then started moving furniture to barricade the door.
"Uhhh, Kaiya? What are you doing?" Conner asked, his hand moving for his blaster.
Kaiya backed away from the barricaded door, reaching for some tools.
"Skies…is loose. He's gone crazy and I can't get close enough to fix him." She said in a lone voice, the annoyance was easily distinguishable but Conner thought he heard an underlying tone of fear.
"What do you mean he's loose?" Conner hissed, startling when a distant roar cute through the walls.
Kaiya looked frustrated and nervous as she carefully cut away at the wall panel and started fiddling with the wires.

"I mean, he's gone haywire thanks to a spike embedded in his head. Its destroyed the AI chip I'd placed in there, making him oblivious to my commands and on a warpath to try and kill me."

"Serious?"

"Not about the last part. That I'm only 50 percent sure."

Redhook was just sitting still watching them talk, "Who is 'Skies' and what was that roar? I demand to know!" He yelled.
The two employees looked at him in surprise, like they had forgotten he was there.
Kaiya snapped first, "Black Skies is my mecha beast. I'm his rider, Kaiya Skye. I'm one of Blakks couriers but he's used me for….other jobs."

Redhook looked at her critically, "Yeah, I heard 'bout you. Apparently you're a wonder with mechas. Smelters always talking 'bout you. Won't shut up."
Kaiya grinned, "You know my uncle? How is he? I haven't heard or seen him in ages!"

Redhook opened his mouth to reply but was stopped by Kaiyas raised hand. Her eyes narrowed and she put a finger to her lips.
"What?" Conner asked.
"It's too quiet…"

Conner and Redhook stopped and listened too. She was right, it was to quiet. They couldn't hear the thuds and roars from Skies, just the tiny buzz from the room light.
Redhook and Conner shared a look as Kaiya edged backwards towards the table, her hand slowly trying to find a decent weapon.
Her hand closed on a thick, heavy wrench and she steeled herself.
Her ears had picked up the tiny clicks of claws against metal outside the door moments ago, and they had now stopped.
Skies knew she was here.
With a lightning fast roll, she dodged aside just as Skies rammed the door, his tusks puncturing through the door easily.
She quickly sidled up against the door as the wicked tusks withdrew as Skies prepared for a second charge.
Conner and Redhook took the hint and ducked behind the bench Redhook was working on.
They waited in silence as Kaiya figured out a quick course of action.
As she heard Skies back up for the second attempt, she knew she had to time the swing just right.

The seconds rolled by in slow motion as Skies charged at the door, smashing it out of its frame.
As soon as the doors bent inwards, Kaiya swung the wrench, with all her might, towards the spike in Skies head.
His raging red eyes met hers as the wrench hit the spine, snapping the top off and causing it to bend to one side. Tiny sharp shards flew from the blow, landing all on her, one landing in her eye, causing her eyes to snap shut.
The blow sent waves of shock through her hands and she dropped the wrench and bolted out the door, just past Skies, whose momentum kept him going.

She didn't have time to wipe out the shard of spike lodged in her eye but her eye started to blur as the shard got embedded deeper in her eye everytime she blinked.
"Today is not my day." She muttered as she sprinted down the corridor.

Weaving in and out of the corridors she ended up in Blakks office. She slumped down on the closed door, catching her breath as Nicole rushed over.
"Kaiya! What's happening? We're receiving reports that Skies has gotten loose and is out of control! Hey, what's wrong with your eye?"

Kaiya gulped in deep breaths of air as she told her story in small parts, up to the point where the shrapnel hit her in the eye.
Nicole looked worried but she acted calm as she received a call from Blakk. Updating him on what had just happened, she assured Kaiya that the worst was over.
"The worst isn't over until Skies is back under control." Kaiya growled at Nicole, even though she was growling at herself.
She was feeling terrible. She had made a rookie mistake and now all her friends, and Blakk, were paying the price. Now she was running from the one thing that had made her who she was, that had made her strong, powerful, a force to be reckoned with.
She had always thought nothing could go wrong with Skies and now something had.
Now she was useless.

Without Skies, without Blazer, without slinging skills and stuck with mechanic skills she couldn't use anywhere.

She could tell Nicole was worried about her as she just stood leaning over Blakks desk, tears leaking from her eyes as her thoughts ricocheted back and forth in her head.

She was useless.

Nicole came over and put an arm around her, "You okay, hon?" She asked gently.
Kaiya was tempted there and then to scream out all her troubles to her one best girl-friend but then Blakk, Twist, Maurice, Jet and a whole bunch of others walked through the door.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just this stupid thing stuck in my eye", She pushed Nicole away, saying a silent apology, and wiped away the tears, rubbing her not-sore eye.

Nicole pouted but said nothing.
"Kaiya!" Blakk stomped up to her, "What in Deep Caverns is going on with your mecha beast!? It's tearing up my building and destroying all my precious equipment!"

Kaiya was on the verge of tears but she put on her typical annoyed face, "Look. Blakk, Skies has gone haywire. I can't control him because of that blasted spike stuck in his head. Its done something to the AI chip. I'm powerless!"
Blakk seemed taken aback by that answer but he regained himself quickly, thinking about the problem, before sending off guards.
"Kaiya, as you said you're…'powerless' to stop your own creation, I suggest I try. That is of course, if you don't mind building yourself a new ride because I doubt Skies will be handed back to you in 'mint condition'" Blakk seemed perfectly calm but Kaiya knew other wise.
"Fine, but remember. You only need to remove the object stick in his head, a well aimed slug could probably do the trick." Kaiya glared at Blakk with her one good eye, "And if you have to take 'drastic action' I suggest, don't aim for the shoulders, back, head and tail. Oh, and steer clear of the tusks."

Blakk frowned but headed for the door.
Twist watched him go before checking on Kaiya, "You alright. You look pretty shaken up." He asked softly.
Kaiya felt like punching someone but today she didn't feel it, "Yeah, I'm fine, as long as I don't lose this eye."
"You'll be fine, I'm okay with you having one green eye. But I do hope you don't lose it. Your eyes are beautiful the way they are." He stroked her hand down his cheek and she flinched as he brushed over a scar, flicking his hand away.
"I don't think Blakk will be able to stop Skies." Nicole interjected.
Kaiya nodded, "It has a really small chance of success. I only realized that now. A better way would be to shut off power. That way the whole machine couldn't function."

"How?" Twist asked.
"If we could disconnect the head from he body, that would stop him for sure."
"Sooo, we need to decapitate a fully armoured dragon who is going on a rampage?" Nicole asked sarcastically.
Kaiya nodded, "Pretty much, yeah."

"What if we just take away the entire power source? You know, like cancel everything out?"

Kaiya blinked, flinching from the stab of pain shooting through her skull, "I guess.."
"We can use an EMP blast. It'll short circuit the whole thing, leaving it non-functional. Then we can fix this problem, without having anyone hurt."
Kaiya grinned with determination, "Let's do this!"

Twist and Nicole shared a worried look.
Kaiya raised an eyebrow before her eye played up again. She could barely see out of it and it hurt like hell, "What?"

Twist and Nicole looked nervously at the ground.
"It's just, I don't think you should go. You've been under to much stress and with that eye of yours…" Twist trailed off.
"Not to mention, you haven't exactly recovered from your…ordeal." Nicole put in.
Kaiya just stared at them, her mouth opening to protest, her pain fueling her anger.
"Wha-what?! You, you….you can't do this! I built him, I should take responsibility!"
She was crushed that her friends thought of her as dead weight, thinking that she wasn't strong enough.

Twist and Nicole both looked at her apologetically as she started to shake.
At the mention of her not having recovered fully, fatigue and dull aches started to sink into her legs and the pain in her eye increased. She barely had vision left.
"Fine, drop Skies off in my garage once your done," Her mouth moved on its own, she couldn't think straight.
She barely managed to register both expressions of surprise or shock before she fled out the door towards the medic bay.

Twist made to go after her but Nicole grabbed his arm, "Come on. We need to help Blakk."
"But you saw the state she's in! I've never seen her like that before! She needs someone to help her."
"She'll get both of us after we deal with Skies. Besides right now she has Jet." Nicole tried to smile but it quickly faded as she saw the dog sitting next to Twist.
Twist wrenched his arm away, "Yeah, sure."

"Besides, let her get that eye of hers fixed, or else her and Jet will have a matching pair."