Chapter 9: Three Times a Hero

(Intro)

Swayy was in Mid City, eyeing a Dragon transport carrying a supply of Dragon eggs. She contacted Rancydd on her com-link. "The shipment of Dragon eggs is right on time, Rancydd." She said. "Perfect. Follow it to the rendezvous and wait for my signal." Rancydd said.

Meanwhile, Kitt was feeding Wyldfyr at a nearby feed station. She used her payment card to activate the feeding processor. "Here you go, Wyldfyr. Go on and fill up." She said. Wyldfyr started eating. "Yeah, feels good to cool off, doesn't it?" Kitt asked. Just then, Wyldfyr started growling. They walked over to the side. "What is it?" Kitt asked. Just then, they spotted the Dragon Eye crew waiting on one of the lower tracks. Kitt contacted Artha through her com-link. "Artha, I'm at the big chow down feed station in Mid City. Looks like Moordryd's tipoff paid off. The Dragon Eyes are waiting for that Dragon egg shipment." She said. "Good work, Kitt. Then it's time to get to work." Artha said through the com-link. Kitt nodded as she ended the call and brought out her Furox. "Release the Fire Dragon!" She whispered, careful not to give herself away. She placed the Furox in her gauntlet and transformed into the Fire Booster.

As the transport was reaching the turn, the Dragon Eyes prepared to ambush it. "Now!" Rancydd exclaimed. The Dragon Eyes leapt off their track and landed in front of the transport, causing it to stop. As the drivers put their hands up, Rancydd fired a Green Trapping Gear at the left driver, causing the right driver to flee in terror. The Dragon Eyes laughed mockingly at the man's cowardice. "They're about to make their move. Is everyone ready?" Kitt asked through the com-link. "We're good to go, Kitt." Derek said. "Let's do this." Artha said. Just then, smoke started coming out of the transport. "Uh, is the transport supposed to be smoking?" Swayy asked. "The eggs are probably boiling in there! Get them out now!" Rancydd ordered. Just then, the smoke started covering the whole crew. "Actually, the only ones getting boiled…is you." Derek's voice said from the smoke. "What?! Who said that?!" Rancydd asked. Suddenly, one of the Dragon Eyes was shot in the air screaming by a magma geyser. "What?! What was that?!" Swayy asked. "Here's egg in your face, Swayy." Kitt's voice said. Just then, Swayy was blasted off her Dragon by a jet of fire. "That's it! I'm taking those eggs fried or scrambled!" Rancydd exclaimed. Suddenly, as he opened the transport, to his shock, there weren't eggs inside it. Just Artha, Beau and Kurt. "How about once over?" Artha asked. Beau magged Rancydd and his Dragon, and sent them flying backwards.

As Artha and Beau leapt out of the transport, Beau let out a triumphant roar. "Nice work, team." Artha said as he exchanged high-fives and fist-bumps with Kitt, Derek and Kurt. "Nice work with the smoke cloud, Smokey." Kitt said. "Yeah, your training's really paying off." Derek said. "Thanks, guys." Kurt said bashfully. As the Dragon Eyes slowly began to recover, sirens began wailing as lights began flashing. "Dragon City Security! Let's go!" Rancydd exclaimed. The Dragon Eyes fled the scene before Dragon City Security surrounded the scene. Just then, the man in charge approached the Boosters. "So, at last, I meet the famous Dragon Booster team." He said. "The name's Captain Faier, the new head of Dragon City Security. I guess I should say thanks." "Just doing what we can to help." Artha said. Derek kept staring at Captain Faier, having a strange feeling of déjà vu. "Why would anyone want Dragon eggs so badly?" Captain Faier asked. "We have our suspicions, but it's a long story." Kitt said. "One that I'd like to hear. Come to Dragon City Security Headquarters tomorrow at noon. I wanna hear everything." Captain Faier said. "Noon. Yes, sir." Artha said.

Just then, he and Beau sensed something close by. "Beau, you sense that?" He asked. "Yes. There must be a Wraith Dragon nearby." Beau said. There was a Wraith Dragon. It was spying on them from another track. It set its eyes on Kitt. Word watched the scene from his citadel. "Interesting. Very, very interesting." He said as he ran a scan on Kitt. After the scan was complete, he contacted the Dragon Eyes. "Rancydd, come to my citadel at once. I believe I have found a way to bring us the Dragon Booster." He ordered.

Artha and Beau turned their attention to the track the Wraith Dragon was on. "There!" Beau called. "I see him." Artha said. The Wraith Dragon prepared to run. "Oh no, you don't." Artha said, not letting it get away. He mag-jumped off Beau and caught the Wraith Dragon with Green Trapping Gear. The Wraith Dragon struggled in the trap. "Sorry, buddy. We'll have you cured once we get back to base." Artha said.

Later, after the team returned to Penn Stables, Artha looked at the Wraith Dragon as it was restrained. "Just hold still. This won't hurt a bit." He said. He placed his hand on the Wraith Dragon's head, closed his eyes and concentrated as he glowed gold. The Wraith Dragon glowed gold as it was cured. The glowed down as the Wraith Dragon was cured back into a light blue Bull-Class Dragon. "Here, go rest yourself up with our other patient." Artha said as he brought the Dragon into a stable where the other recently cured Dragon was resting itself. As soon as he placed the Dragon inside, Beau walked up to him. "Beau, what's up?" He asked. "Mortis wants to talk to us. Sounded important. The others are already waiting for us in the temple." Beau said.

Artha and Beau made their way to the temple where everyone sat before Mortis as she explained the situation. "I have asked you to come because I have discovered a great opportunity. Phistus reported that there is unrest in the Down City crews. He wants to meet secretly with one of you Boosters in hopes to steer the others away from crime. And ultimately, war." She explained. "When's the meeting?" Gwen asked. "I've set up a meeting in Claw Alley, Squire's End. You must meet him there tomorrow at noon." Mortis said. "Noon? But we're meeting Captain Faier tomorrow at noon." Kitt said. "No, no, Artha. You and Kitt have a race tomorrow at noon. It's a majority race. If you don't show up, Artha, you won't have enough points to enter the next level." Parmon said. "Difficult choices are often chanced upon when you're a Booster. But only you must decide which is right." Mortis said as she walked away.

The team stood up. "Okay, I know what to do. Kitt and I are going to partake in the race tomorrow." Artha said. "Good choice, Artha. But what about Phistus and Captain Faier?" Kitt asked. "I'll go meet Captain Faier." Derek said almost immediately. "Whoa. That almost sounded eager of you, D." Charlie said. "Well, I do have a history with him. The day of my accident." Derek said. Connor, Artha and his octuplet siblings remembered that day.

[Flashback 10 years ago]

After the accident, Derek's leg was messed up pretty bad, he couldn't even move. Just then, one of the local Dragon City Security patrolmen picked him up and placed him on a stretcher. Derek looked up at the face of the man as his patrol captain walked up to him. "You did a good thing today, Faier." The captain said.

[Flashback End]

"I've remembered his name ever since." Derek said. "Alright then, Derek. You go to Dragon City Security Headquarters and meet with Captain Faier." Artha said. "And that just leaves the meeting with Phistus." Connor said. Everyone turned their attention to Kurt. "Why me? I'm still the new Booster." He said nervously. "It'll be alright, Kurt. You just have to hear out what Phistus has to say. And if everything works out, we'll have a lot more help with stopping Word for good." Artha said. The others nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, in Word's citadel, the Dragon Eyes met with their master. "I ran a diagnostic scan, and it appears that the Fire Booster shares the same identity as street racer, Kitt Raada Wonn. I want you to take Kitt and hold her in your Dragon Eye compound. When the other Boosters arrive to save her, you will lock down and wait for me and my Wraith Dragons to arrive. We shall take him and his Dragon, and the world will be mine." Word explained.

Meanwhile, back at Penn Stables, the team was getting ready for their assignments. "Alright, everybody, you know the drills. Kitt, you and I will be in the race tomorrow. Derek, you go to meet Captain Faier at the Precinct. And Kurt, you go to meet Phistus at Claw Alley." Artha said. "Right. And if anything happens, we call you, Artha." Derek said. "And the rest of us will be monitoring everything from the temple." Connor said. "Okay then. I'm gonna head home. See you at the street track tomorrow." Kitt said before leaving. "I'm uneasy for some reason, Artha. I sense that Word's martialing another plan as we speak." Beau said. "I know. I sense it too. We'll have to be ready for whatever this plan is." Artha said.

Later, as soon as Kitt and Wyldfyr left the stables, Rancydd was waiting for them. He attacked Wyldfyr with an Energy-Drain Whip and threw a Green Trapping Gear at Kitt, capturing her. She struggled against the restraints as the Dragon Eyes surrounded her. "Nice to meet you…Fire Booster." Swayy said. Kitt gasped before Swayy kicked her face, causing everything to go black.

The next morning, Artha, Derek and Kurt prepared Beau, Volcanya and Libris for their missions. "Alright, guys, it's almost noon. We need to get a move on." Artha said. "I'll call as soon as I get to Dragon City Security." Derek said. "And I'll call from Claw Alley." Kurt said. "Good luck to you, kids." Connor said. "We'll be waiting in the temple if anything happens." Parmon said. Artha nodded.

Meanwhile, Kitt woke up and found herself trapped in a cage inside the Dragon Eye compound. She winced as she felt her nose in pain. She gently touched it and felt that it was broken and bleeding. "Oh, don't look so sad, Wonn. I'm sure your friend, the Dragon Booster, will come and save you." Swayy said as she leaned against the cage. "You can bet on it!" Kitt exclaimed. "Bet on it? I'm counting on it." Swayy said, sinisterly. Kitt glared at her as she walked away. "Oh, and if you were thinking about transforming, it won't do you any good without…this." Swayy said, holding up Kitt's gauntlet. Kitt just grunted as she sat down and watched Swayy walk up to Rancydd. "The trap is set." Swayy said. "Very Drac, Swayy. Get the word out onto the street that we have her. Prepare to trap the Dragon Booster." Rancydd said.

Meanwhile, Artha and Beau were at the street track, ready to race. "Where's Kitt and Wyldfyr?" Artha asked, noticing that Kitt and Wyldfyr weren't at the track. "Something must've happened to them." Beau said. Just then, the track started glowing as the countdown started. "Well, there's noting we can do about it right now." Artha said. As the track glowed green, the race started.

Meanwhile, Derek, in his Magma Booster form, met with Captain Faier at Dragon City Security HQ in the Precinct. "So, Magma Booster, tell me about this Dragon-Human war." Captain Faier said. "Well, we believe that Word Paynn wants to use the Dragon Booster's powers to enslave Dragons, turn them against humanity and take over the world, sir." Derek explained. "I see. Can you prove this accusation to Word Paynn?" Captain Faier asked. Derek brought out the Black Control Gear that was used on Glyttia and placed it on Captain Faier's desk. "This Black Draconium Gear was used to turn a Pink Dragon into a Wraith Dragon during that Dragon Stampede weeks ago. Word tried to sell this off as a Green Gear to Artha Tannis Penn." He explained. Captain Faier put all this information to thought.

Meanwhile, Kurt dropped down in front of Claw Alley. "If I'm seen with you, it could cost me everything, Kurt." Phistus' voice said. Kurt jumped a bit as Phistus appeared from the shadows of the alley. "Sorry if I startled you. I had to be sure I wasn't followed." Phistus said. "It's okay. Still getting used to it. So, what's the situation?" Kurt asked. "Things are bad. Everywhere I turn, I see weakness in the Down City crews. Even with me, Pyrrah, Khatah and our crews keeping a firm grip on the council, they can be easily swayed to start a new war." Phistus explained. Kurt starts to think for a moment until he thought of something. "You think there's a way to pull the other crews away from Word's influence?" He asked. "It might be possible. But we'll need your help to do it, Kurt." Phistus said. "I'll see what I can do." Kurt said, giving Phistus a fist-bump.

Meanwhile, Artha and Beau continued racing, passing 2 of the other racers. "We're making great time, Beau." Artha said. "Yeah. Once we finish the race, we can concentrate on finding Kitt." Beau said. "I just hope she's alright." Artha said with worry.

Meanwhile, as Derek continued his meeting with Captain Faier, one of the officers whispered something in the captain's ear. "Magma Booster, an informant has notified us that Kitt Raada Wonn has been captured. Her captors have transmitted a coded location where she's being held. What do you want Dragon City Security to do?" Captain Faier asked. "Captain Faier, I want your forces to be ready in case things go south. I'll contact the other Boosters and check it out first." Derek said. "Very well. We'll send the coded location to your helmet." Captain Faier said. "No need, sir. I have a feeling that I already know where Kitt's being kept." Derek said as he exited the captain's office. "Now there goes a very brave young man. And yet, I feel like I know him for some reason." Captain Faier said.

Meanwhile, Kurt continued his meeting with Phistus. "Hold on." Phistus said, getting a call on his helmet. "My sources inform me that Kitt has been taken by the Dragon Eye crew." "Oh no! No doubt that this is some kind of trap for Artha." Kurt said. "You'll have to tell Artha to be careful. Those Dragon Eyes are deceptive." Phistus said. "Right." Kurt said.

Meanwhile, Artha and Beau had just won their race. "Not a bad win today, Beau." Artha said. "Indeed. I really felt the wind in my scales." Beau said. "Now we can focus on finding Kitt." Artha said. "Any sign of the Dragon Booster?" Rancydd's voice asked. Artha and Beau turned and saw Rancydd and Swayy talking nearby. "Not yet." Swayy said. "Keep Kitt on ice. The word is out. And I'm sure that the other Boosters are on the way. I'll be back at the compound in 10 minutes." Rancydd said as they walked away. "Did you hear that, Beau?" Artha asked. "Yes. This must've been Word's plan all along. The Dragon Eyes captured Kitt so they can trap us." Beau said. Artha activated his com-link and called the others. "Guys, Kitt's been kidnapped." He said. "We know. The word's out all over the city." Connor said. "Including Dragon City Security." Derek added. "And the Down City Council." Kurt added. "What do we do, Artha?" Parmon asked. "Okay. Everyone meet me and Beau at the Dragon Eye compound. If the Dragon Eyes are looking to trap me, I think I have a plan to trap them." Artha said.

Later, the team met up outside the compound walls. "Okay, Artha, what's your idea for getting Kitt out of there?" Moordryd asked. "The Dragon Eyes are going to be looking to trap the Dragon Booster. So, what I'm going to do is…turn Derek and Kurt into Dragon Boosters." Artha said. "Huh?" Everyone asked in confusion. "It's a little trick I've been practicing for a while. I managed to successfully use my power to turn a practice dummy into an exact duplicate of the Dragon Booster." Artha explained.

[Flashback]

Artha was practicing on the dummy. He focused his power, fired a golden beam from his hand and transformed the dummy into an exact Dragon Booster copy.

[Flashback End]

"So, my plan is this. Once I turn Derek and Kurt into Dragon Boosters, you 2 go in over the east and west wall. That way, we can throw the Dragon Eyes off and freak them out while we rescue Kitt." Artha explained. "Sounds like a plan to me." Derek said. "Worth a shot." Kurt said. "And when we scare off the crew, the rest of you free Kitt." Artha said. "We got it, Artha." Connor said. "Alright. Then it's time to make the change." Artha said. He fired a couple golden beams from his hands. And just then, Derek and Kurt changed into exact copies of the Dragon Booster. Everyone was in awe at what they just saw. "Wow!" Derek said in amazement as he looked at his new armor. "This is amazing, Artha!" Kurt said. "And it's my turn. RELEASE THE DRAGON!" Artha called. He placed his medallion in his gauntlet and transformed into the Dragon Booster as Beau turned back into gold. "Alright, everyone, it's show time." He said.

Later, Kurt and Libris went over to the east wall while Derek and Volcanya made it to the west wall. "Okay, Libris, mag me up the wall." Kurt said. Libris magged him and sent him over the wall. As the compound alarm went off, Rancydd and Swayy rushed to their security screen. "The Dragon Booster! We have him! Get the crew." Rancydd said, cackling.

"This is Kurt. I'm inside the compound. Derek, you're up." Kurt whispered into the com-link. He slunk across the wall as 2 Dragon Eyes started walking towards his location. Derek was magged up by Volcanya and landed inside the compound. "This is Derek. I'm in." He whispered into his com-link. Rancydd and Swayy picked up Derek's position on their screen. "The west wall?!" Rancydd exclaimed in shock. "He must've tricked us." Swayy said. "Quickly! Redirect the crew to the west wall!" Rancydd exclaimed as he ordered. As the 2 Dragon Eyes were about to find Kurt, Swayy called them on their com-links. "The west wall! Pronto!" She exclaimed. The 2 Dragon Eyes hurried to the west wall.

Artha and Beau made their way up to the south wall and spotted Kitt's cage in the middle of the compound. "Guys, I got eyes on Kitt. She's locked in a cage in the middle of the compound." Artha whispered into his com-link. "Copy that. You guys keep the Dragon Eyes busy, we'll go to her rescue." Moordryd said. "Alright, Beau, let's give these Dragon Eyes our little surprise." Artha said. "Thought you'd never ask." Beau said.

As the Dragon Eyes closed in on Derek, Artha and Beau dropped in to surprise them. "Hey, you looking for me?" Artha asked, getting their attention. "But you're over there." One of the Dragon Eyes said as their knees started shaking. "And now I'm over here." Artha said. The Dragon Eyes started to freak out and run away, only to run into Derek. And as they turned around, Kurt walked up. "HE'S EVERYWHERE!" They cried as they ran off in fear. The 3 Boosters and Beau laughed at their cowardice. "What a bunch of superstitious wimps." Artha said.

Meanwhile, Moordryd and Cain quietly led Connor and Artha's siblings to the center of the compound, where they found Kitt in her cage. "Kitt!" Moordryd called quietly. "Guys?" Kitt whispered in relief as they walked up to the cage. "You okay?" Charlie asked. "Aside from Swayy breaking my nose, I think I'm okay." Kitt said, holding her nose. "Alright. This cage is one of Mr. Paynn's earliest creations. I can unlock it." Cain said. As he knelt down in front of the keypad and typed in the code, the keypad just buzzed in error. "Invalid code?! That slime, Rancydd! He must've changed the code!" He exclaimed quietly in shock and anger. "So, now what do we do?" Gwen asked. "Wait. I remember we have a Green Deactivation Gear in the shed on the right. Over there." Moordryd said, pointing towards it. "Good idea. We can use that gear to deactivate the locks." Parmon said. "I'll get it!" Holly called as she ran to get the gear.

Meanwhile, Rancydd and Swayy picked up everyone's movements on the screen. "We have Dragon Booster activity…everywhere!" Rancydd exclaimed in shock. "It's almost like he managed to make himself appear in 3 places at once!" Swayy exclaimed. Just then, they received a call from Word. "Have you captured Dragon Booster yet?!" Word exclaimed impatiently. "Uh, we're on it…personally, sir." Rancydd said nervously as he zipped off. Swayy chuckled nervously as she followed. Word sighed in disappointment.

Meanwhile, Holly returned with the gear and Kitt's gauntlet. "Here we are. Green Deactivation Gear." She said. "Great." Kitt said. "Oh, and I thought you might want this back." Holly said, tossing Kitt back her gauntlet. "Alright, stand back." Moordryd said as he powered up the gear and deactivated the locks, opening the cage. "Thanks, guys." Kitt said. "Let's get out of here!" Connor called. As everyone headed towards the exit, Rancydd and Swayy show up. "Cover your eyes!" Lance exclaimed as he brought out his Flashstick, blinding the 2 Dragon Eyes with its flash. "Ow! You little freaks are gonna get it!" Rancydd exclaimed as he and Swayy blindly followed the team. But as their sight came back, they saw all 3 Dragon Boosters standing in front of them. "Going somewhere?" Artha asked with his arms crossed against his chest as he glared at them. Rancydd and Swayy began to freak out. "He's everywhere!" Swayy cried. They screamed as they retreated back to the control room. Rancydd started typing something on the control pad. "What are you doing?!" Swayy asked out of fear. "I'm sealing the compound! Nothing gets in or out!" Rancydd exclaimed. "But we'll be trapped inside WITH THE DRAGON BOOSTERS!" Swayy exclaimed.

Just then, an Energy Barrier formed up around the compound, sealing everyone inside. "The compound's Energy Barriers! We're trapped!" Moordryd exclaimed. The barrier started firing energy blasts all around the team. "We gotta get out of here before we get fried!" Kitt exclaimed. "How?! There's no way out!" Erika exclaimed. "Artha, I believe we might have a way out." Beau said. "Right. Everyone, gather around Beau." Artha commanded as everyone quickly gathered around Beau. "Alright. Beau and I are gonna transfer all the gear energy to create a protective Mag Shield. We can use it to break through the roof." Artha explained. "You sure that's gonna work? These barriers were designed to be as tough as nails." Cain said. "I'm sure. Everyone just needs to concentrate. Add your energy to Beau's Draconium power. Relax and help release the Dragon." Artha said. Everyone closed their eyes and concentrated, repeating the same phrase. "Release the Dragon!" Just then, Beau started glowing gold and created the Mag Shield. "It's working, Artha! It's working!" He cheered. "Then let's open this can! Mag Jump!" Artha exclaimed. Beau mag jumped himself and the team up towards the barrier and burst right through it. "We did it!" Lance cheered. "Nice work, son." Connor said. "Alright, Beau, glide us home." Artha said. "With pleasure." Beau said. He brought out his wings and flew away while magging the rest of the team. Volcanya and Libris, having managed to find Wyldfyr during the commotion, followed them.

Meanwhile, Rancydd and Swayy lost power to the screens. "The screens are down! We can't see what's happening!" Rancydd exclaimed. "The Dragon Boosters are toying with us! We're not safe in here!" Swayy cried. Just then, they received another call from Word. "Where is the Dragon Booster?!" Word demanded. "The Dragon Booster can split himself into 3 copies! He was everywhere!" Swayy explained in a panic. "INCOMPETENCE!" Word exclaimed as he hung up on them. Just then, a throat cleared behind them. They turned around and saw Captain Faier and Dragon City Security. "Hey, what's Dragon City Security doing down here? Dragon City Security's not supposed to be down in Squire's End!" Rancydd exclaimed. "Simple." A voice said. Rancydd and Swayy gasped as Phistus, Pyrrah and Khatah, along with their crews, appeared beside Dragon Security. "A friend requested that we bring them here." Phistus said. "You 2 are being placed under arrest and are going to come with us for questioning." Captain Faier said, bringing out his handcuffs. Rancydd and Swayy chuckled nervously.

Meanwhile, as the team returned to Penn Stables and decided to rest up after everything, Artha noticed Kitt sitting alone on the roof. Beau magged him up to the roof and he sat down beside her. "How are you doing, Kitt?" He asked. "I'm okay. My nose is still a little sore, but the doctor said it should be back to normal in a few days." Kitt said, gently petting her nose. It was bandaged up. "Anyway, I heard from Phistus and Captain Faier that they have Rancydd and Swayy in custody for questioning." Artha said. "Just as well. Next time I see Swayy, it's payback." Kitt said. "Listen, I'm sorry that you got captured. I guess this Dragon Booster stuff is tougher than I imagined." Artha said, feeling sad now. "It's okay, Artha. I knew what I signed on for when I became a Booster too. And as long as we have each other's backs, we can prevent Word from starting his war." Kitt said. Artha smiled at that. As they took each other's hands, Kitt rested her head on Artha's shoulder as they watched the sunset.

Wow. Things really got crazy. After the Boosters foiled another attempt by the Dragon Eyes, Word sends them to capture Kitt. While meeting with Phistus, Captain Faier of Dragon Security and racing, everyone got word of Kitt's capture. But luckily, Artha and Beau pulled out a few brand-new tricks, rescue Kitt and get everyone out of the Dragon Eye compound. But what plans will Word have next? Will this new alliance between the Down City Council and Dragon Security last with the Boosters? Will Artha and Kitt be able to pursue their feelings for each other? Leave a review if you'd like, my friends.