Chapter 3: Confrontations, Nightmares, and Prophecies
The next day, around midday, a single person ship landed in the docking bay of MKND HQ. Rodney disembarked from it and appeared to be really tired and sleepy. He walked over to Melody (who is back to her normal form) and handed her a stack of papers. Rodney appeared to be injured, as indicated by his limp.
Melody (surprised at the condition that Rodney was in): What happened in the Dragon Kingdom? The mission was only a research one, you should not be injured at all.
Rodney: So..so.. somehow it was a set up. A fr...fraction of the D...d...dark Egg Le...legion spread rumors of there being really pow...pow...powerful dra...dra...dra...dra...dragon art...artifacts there. Me and Sector D managed to stop the surprise attack and repel them. For now at least.
Melody: Okay. I am going to look into this, and see what other potential fake rumors are out there so that I will not send any more agents into Eggman's traps. Right now you need to go and see Skadi at the hospital in Care-A-Lot, and hopefully get some sleep. You look like you need the rest.
Rodney: Okay. I was going to go and see Skadi any...anyways. Those Dark Egg Le...legion freaks really did a number on me.
Hours later, Rodney was walking out of the front doors of the hospital, in the evening, when he heard loud rock music. His ears twitched, trying to find the source of the sound and he looked up, believing it to be coming from the roof of the hospital.
Rodney (Thinking): What is with that music? And why is it coming from the roof of the hospital?
Rodney then went to investigate the roof, where he thought the music was coming from. He passed Folsom on the way, who was singing to himself.
Folsom: ….After the lights go out on you, after your worthless life is through, I will remember how you scream, I can't afford to care….
Rodney tried to pay no heed to him, moving faster to the source. When he reached where he was going, he found Kurama sitting down with a bunch of gear surrounding him. Kurama had his back to him, only pausing for a moment when he heard Rodney come onto the roof.
Kurama: So, how did your mission with dragon artifacts go?
Kurama: (in thought to Arteza) Hmm…He freaks out at hearing the word 'dragon'. Bad memories, PTSD, or…..
Arteza: All of the above? Or maybe….
Rodney: Fi...fine. Wha...what are you doing up here?
Kurama: Working.
Rodney: On...on...on what?
Kurama: My machine-gun, Slavic Dragon.
Rodney tenses up from hearing the name of the weapon.
Kurama and Arteza sensed the tension rising in Rodney.
Arteza: There it is. Fear. Fear of dragons….? Curious.
Kurama: Oh, get over it Rodney. I'm not going to kill you. I am going to help you.
Rodney: Wi...with what?
Kurama: You freaking out whenever somebody says the word, "dragon."
Rodney (slightly frightened): I...I...I do...don't know what you are ta...talking about.
Kurama just set his stuff down and slowly rose to his full 6ft height while turning around to face Rodney. Rodney backs away for a few steps while shaking slightly. He was clearly intimidated and frightened by Kurama. Kurama had a disappointed fatherly expression.
Kurama: Rodney. Do. Not. Lie. To. Me. My squad and I have, and will continue, to be honest with you and Melody. All I ask is for the same in return. And Rodney, it's just a gun. It can't hurt you.
Rodney sighs, knowing full well that it was pointless to try and hide it from Kurama any longer. Unknown to either of them, this was the very beginning of the relationship that they would soon share as father and son, and moreover, Arteza would be Rodney's other dad.
Rodney: You...you win, but the truth is better if I show you why I keep freaking out first.
And with that, he slowly took off his shirt as well as taking off his restraining vest that he always wore. As soon as the vest was off, Rodney turned around, so that Kurama could see his back. Kurama and Arteza were slightly surprised to see two bat-like wings coming out of Rodney's back, as Rodney then unfurled them to their full wing-span. Each wing was as long as one of Kurama's arms, and Kurama and Arteza saw that there were several faint scars on them. They were more intrigued by what appeared to be two brands in the flesh and fur between Rodney's wings. Though, both equally saddened them.
Rodney (on the verge of crying): See….it's not the gun itself. I'm not afraid of guns; it's just…
Kurama and Arteza began speaking in sync, unable to keep from doing so.
Kurama/Arteza: So you have wings. That's rad. I don't see why that should be the reason you freak out over the word, "dragon" for.
Rodney turns back around to face Kurama, who had sat back down on the roof. Rodney sat down beside him with his wings furled around himself in a hug, looking up into the night sky. Kurama turned the music back on. Changing the song, he sets it to a low level. Rodney could hear it clearly in the background.
Kurama/Arteza: I think you'll like this song. It helps me when I'm sad. Just listen and tell me what's wrong.
Author's note: the song here is Kurama/Arteza's theme: Not Broken by Girl On fire
Rodney: I freak out because I am scared of anyone finding out that I am a halfling. I am half dragon, half koala. All my life, I have been faced with jerks and bullies who wanted to hurt me, or use me because I had wings or such a high intelligence. I became a nomad just to get away from those kinds of people. Along the way I met a kind inventor who I became friends with. He was the one who made me my restraining vest so that I could disguise myself as a regular koala. After that, I heard about the MKND, traveled here and became an intern for the organization. It was about a year into my internship when I met Melody and the rest of the Chaos Hunters. They welcomed me in as their friend and family. They were the first ones who actually treated me like I was actually somebody, rather than a tool. Soon Melody decided to make me her successor. Ever since then, I have made more friends and acquaintances. I think that only the rest of the Chaos Hunters are my true friends though, as they have not tried to use me for their own personal gain. (finally breaking down crying) And…and…and…AND I LOST MY ONLY TWO SIBLINGS!
At that, Rodney starts crying, hiding his face with his wings, so that Kurama would not see him crying. Kurama, he and Arteza feeling sympathetic towards the young boy, gently folded Rodney's wings back into the position that he had them in when he had them under his vest, and pulled Rodney into a hug. He let Rodney get out his emotions for a while. He and Arteza realized, just from reading Rodney's emotions, that Rodney had been holding back that sadness for a long time.
Kurama: Rodney, there's no shame in letting someone see you cry. It's easy to keep the hurt inside, but it takes real strength to get it all out. And don't worry, you will see your siblings again. I promise that I will do everything I can to make that happen. And when I make a promise, I will move heaven and earth to make it true.
Kurama was about to say something else, but well, he and Arteza were also talking at the same time and started to feel like maybe Arteza could help. So, Arteza manifested, and when he did, that freaked Rodney out.
Rodney: Wh-who are you? Where'd you come from?
Arteza: Shhh, Rodney, it's ok, it's ok….
Kurama: Rodney, this is Arteza, my husband-
As Kurama just realized what he said, he'd inadvertently outed himself and Arteza, and well, he and Arteza weren't sure what to do beyond comfort Rodney, who well, didn't even know about Sheila, so all he piece together was that Kurama and Arteza were gay, but that still didn't explain how Arteza got there like he did. But Rodney was overwhelmed again and he didn't care, he just wanted Kurama and Arteza. So, he burst out crying again, his fear converted back to sadness. They two chimeras comforted him, hoping they wouldn't be seen, but well…..someone saw them.
?: What the….who the heck is that? Did that guy just split in two? This is too weird.
After Rodney had finished crying and getting his emotions back under control, he put on his vest and shirt. As he was getting his vest back on, something hit him in his back, in a particular spot that never really healed properly. Thankfully his vest was more than enough protection for it normally, but whoever hit him knew perfectly well where his weak spot was.
Rodney (In pain): OW!
This startled Kurama and Arteza, making them worry. Rodney fell to the ground on his face, in extreme pain, Kurama and Arteza about falling with him as quick as they tried to catch him. Kurama and Arteza removed Rodney's vest and saw blood pouring out of the wound, alarming them heavily.
Kurama and Arteza: #$%^&*&^ %$#$%^%$! Whoever did this, I'm gonna tear their head off!
Translation: Don't even ask; It's ancient Kitseili, but it's awful. The ancient form is a string of smaller words. it has a modern form, but don't ask about that either. The modern form is one word. I think it's obvious what they said. And of course, it was twice as loud since Arteza and Kurama sound exactly alike.
Kurama quickly grabbed one of his medpacks so that they could help Rodney. They only looked away for a moment, Arteza trying to see where the shot came from, and when they looked back, Rodney was gone. Kurama and Arteza looked around for the boy, panicking, and found Rodney flying after, and shooting at, a disguised figure in pure anger several rooftops over. Kurama tried to switch to his Fennec sniper rifle, and Arteza to their FR-F1, but their bracelets shorted out.
Kurama and Arteza: Ow! Frak it! This sucks!
They heard Rodney angrily shouting at the figure, as he was trying to catch whoever it was.
Rodney: YOU UNBELIEVEABLE THIEF AND JERK. HOW DARE YOU COME HERE AND ATTACK ME LIKE THAT! YOU COULD NOT BE CONTENT WITH JUST STEALING MY TECHNOLOGY AND HURTING ME BACK THEN! YOU JUST HAD TO COME AND TRY TO KILL ME AGAIN JUST FOR YOUR OWN AMUSEMENT! YOU OVERGROWN * #$^^%^ **&^&^*&^% %&&* #%%^^&&* *&^%$# #$%^& *&^%$#!
Generic text box in the bottom corner of the panel says: *You do not remotely need the translation for this. It is so bad to say that there is no good possible translation for it. Just imagine a string of really bad words to say to someone, and you get the idea of what Rodney is saying.
Lethal smiles came across Kurama and Arteza's's faces.
Kurama: Melody was right, these kids are certainly creative with their insults and bad words. Especially Rodney. And he's acting just like us. Never saw that coming. Way past rockin'.
Arteza: Hell yeah, this kid is a real fighter.
The figure then disappeared, leaving Rodney with no clue as to where his foe went. Rodney, growling angrily, realized that he could not spend much longer in the air, because of his injury, so he returned to Kurama and Arteza on the hospital rooftop. When he landed, he was completely exhausted, and he fell on his face yet again. This time, Kurama and Arteza took the extra precaution against Rodney flying off again by pinning Rodney down with their Gravity Well spell as they patched up Rodney's weak spot on his back.
Kurama and Arteza: Juuryoku ido no jutsu(Gravity Well Jutsu).
Kurama and Arteza wove the 3 seal jutsu establishing a well of positive gravity that kept Rodney from moving without harming him. While they worked, they noticed a small object fall from Rodney's back. They paid no heed to it, worried about Rodney's injury.
Kurama: (telepathically to Arteza) Man, I can't believe how much like us Rodney is, honey. He's a kind kid, but he's got this, like, corrosive aggression. The same kind of aggression that earned me the callsign 'Aggro'.
Arteza: (telepathically to Kurama): I think I see the root of his problem. He needs that aggression, the chance to cut loose and be lethal. Something Melody's been holding back from him.
Kurama and Arteza: (telepathically) And, ancestors help us, that's just what we're gonna do; we're going to give him that chance!
By the time they were done, they realized that it was late at night, and that Rodney was knocked out cold, so Kurama and Arteza packed up their gear, and made a makeshift pillow out of it.
Kurama: (telepathically to Arteza) Man, poor Rodney. Yo, if some a**hole hit me in my hip like that… I'd slice their head off.
Arteza: (telepathically to Kurama): Same here, sweetie. And Saami can feel all our pain, so she'd wanna gut them with her scythe.
Kurama: (telepathically to Arteza) We're beyond lucky we have Saami as our sister. I hope her and the baby are alright…
Arteza: (telepathically to Kurama) NO. She's alright, and so's the baby. She's a Marine, like us. And Exile's with her. He'll take good care of her. I mean, she's only got three more months.
Kurama nodded, and he nuzzled his husband. Kurama placed Rodney on his chest, as he laid down on his make-shift pillow with Arteza. As soon as that was done, Kurama and Arteza pulled out a blanket that Skadi had loaned him and covered the three of them with it. Before they drifted off to sleep, Kurama put his arms defensively around Rodney, in a caring, protective manner in case the figure tried to finish Rodney off in his sleep, and kissed Rodney on his forehead. Arteza put his arms around Kurama and Rodney, kissing Rodney on his head as well, then he kissed Kurama deeply, nuzzling his husband yet again.
Kurama: (telepathically with Arteza) If that freak comes back, I'll put him six feet under. (Aloud) Don't worry sweetheart. we will protect you. We swear it.
Arteza: That's right, Nobody's gonna get you with us around, sweetheart.
Kurama and Arteza(praying):Heaven above, help us, protect us, our team, our people, Diesel, Melody, Wolfgang, Susan, Fists, Hermione, Horus, Skadi, protect our babies, and Momma and Aiden, and Goji, and Peach and Chern….
Meanwhile, in a cave in the Southern Jungle area of Northamer…
Sheila laid in the bed of the truck, an old tarp over her as a blanket, tears in her eyes. Cold and miserable, having had trudge through snow without winter gear, Sheila was freezing her a**off.
Sheila: I wish I knew where Kurama and Arteza were, and I wish I could get in touch with Mom and Aiden and Goji and Peach and see Chern….i want my husbands and my babies….. I hate this f**king cold!
She had managed to restore partial functionality to her Armory Bracelets and had seen that she had accidentally packed one of Kurama's stuffed animals in them. It was a camouflage Tiger-fox. She hugged it tightly, praying to see her husbands and babies again and not die of hypothermia.
With Melody, well, things weren't any better. Melody was asleep in her bed, in her own cottage in Care-A-Lot, tossing and turning in her sleep.
(The panel shows what is going on in Melody's dream.)
In her dream, It was raining and she was clearly fighting for her life, alongside the rest of the Chaos Hunters against what appears to be multiple clones of Gootsman. One by one the clones managed to take down and kill each member of the Chaos Hunters until only Melody remained. The clones then merged into one large version of Gootsman, who was as tall as a titan from Attack on Titan. The figure slowly raised his sword in a way to attack Melody, but was stopped by a being that was of equal size, but made entirely of light, bearing a slight resemblance to Kurama. The main difference that she noticed was that the figure had nine tails like her Kurama, compared to the new Kurama's single tail. It spoke to her in a mysterious language that she never heard before, and then it went and attacked the titan. The two then get into a brutal fight, and the figure of light lost and was killed by titan Gootsman. The titan then brought his sword down on the helpless girl.
Back in the real world, Melody woke up screaming and sweaty. She got up out of her bed and went to her desk where her laptop in a lunchbox was. She logged into the MKND database and her personal files. She created a new document and typed up her nightmare that she just had. She then printed the document out and put it in a folder to file away with the other nightmare prophecies later. Incapable of getting the nightmare out of her head, she thought, in some great leap in stupid logic, to go for a swim to clear her head. Melody got up, took a quick shower and got changed into a one-piece swimsuit. She put on her socks, shoes, and gloves, and ran towards the lake where Kurama saw her transform. When she got to her location, Melody took off her socks, shoes, and gloves, and dove into the deeper part of the lake. Unbeknownst to her, a sixth member of Gamma Thirteen was watching her movements. He noticed that the girl did not come back up for air at all, and began to wonder how great the girl's ability to hold her breath was. He then saw Folsom, throwing off his socks, boots, shirt and body armor, dive in after Melody. In a minute, he was back on dry ground with the girl under one of his arms. The mystery figure then comes out of the trees' shadows, revealing it to be Kai Shin, an old ARDE-43M rifle in his hands and wearing Gamma 13-branded Dravian body armor and gear, helmet included. Even if he reviled the era that created such a weapon, he appreciated its effectiveness, being Dravian-Pacifican, and he felt most comfortable with firearms from his parent nations.
Kai Shin: Folsom, is that you?
Folsom sets Melody down face up and looks up to see Kai Shin.
Folsom: Good to see you man. So where did you end up when we got teleported here?
Before he could respond, Melody started coughing up lots of water from her lungs. When she was done, she was gasping for air.
Melody: I must be insane. Why in the world did I think it would be a good idea to go for a swim, when I can't because of my hydrophobia.
Folsom: You're also insane cause you jumped in a f**king lake in the f**king dead of winter!
Kai Shin: So wait a minute. You have hydrophobia too? I thought I was the only one.
Melody: Yes I have it. And the reason behind it was that I was actually eaten by Chaos, the god of destruction when I was around 2 or 3 years old. The god was a being literally made entirely out of water. The event traumatized me for life.
Kai Shin: I rather get eaten over being blown up.
Melody: I have no idea what you are talking about, but if it makes you feel any better about your fear, I would rather take yours rather than mine. At least then I know I would die in a way less scary way than if I was digested inside a god's body.
Kai Shin: Eh what? Ok….i don't know what to do with that…..
Folsom(rapping his knuckles on the wooden stock of Kai Shin's rifle to get his attention back to what happened): Anyways, why in the world are you out here Melody? I heard your scream earlier, and as I was coming to see if you were okay, I saw you run out here. Normally, I would not be concerned, but you did not come up for air, so I dived in after you. When I did, I saw you unconscious and sinking to the bottom.
Melody: I had a nightmare and could not get back to sleep. But back to the topic at hand.
Folsom: Topic at-
She turned to face Kai Shin and began to speak directly to him, changing the subject immediately so that she would not have to talk about the nightmare. She heard Folsom snort in annoyance, as he was pretty concerned about that. She did not trust them quite as much as she did Kurama but knew that they could be trusted.
Melody: By that symbol on your outfit, I assume that you are part of Gamma Thirteen?
Her face was reflected in his visor, and she had no idea what he was, not now, but she had a guess if this was her Kai Shin who loved her like Kurama did, he was a Dravian-Pacifican hedgehog-wolf, or in Earth terms, he was Russian-Chinese.
Kai Shin removed his helmet and shook his quills out. He tucked it under arm and ran his fingers through his hair. Yeah, this was her Kai Shin.
Kai Shin: Da. I am. Just how many members of my team are here? *Háishì zhǐyǒu wǒhétā？
*Translation - Or is it just me and him?
Melody had picked up a handful of words from a variety of different languages, and was perfectly fluent in Miyaran and Kitseili(her native languages), extremely fluent in French(~99% cause of Abby's mom and Antoine),Tigrahn(about 85% cause of Sheila), Drach(85% cause of Camille and Jian), less so in Negevan/Coptic/Egyptian(50% due to Farid, Yami, Annu, and Hathor, still learning that one) and surprisingly, Dravian(95%, as it is one of Kurama's native languages along with Kitsieli and Miyaran) and gladly in a case where she wasn't fluent, like with Kai Shin's Pacifcan/Chinese, she had the N.O.D. for , she'd say she spoke a little Chinese and knew more Russian.
Melody: From the looks of it, counting you two, currently five. Your friends Kurama, Jenny, and Farid are back at Care-A-Lot. My name is Melody, and I am the leader of the MKND organization by the way, what is your name? Menia zovut Melody, yi ya, kstati, lider organization mknd, kak vas zovut?
Kai shin:(in thought) Frak that noise. That blasted mudak Farid. Crap. I wish Khalilah was here. At least Kurama, Jenny, and Folsom are here. And how can she converse in Dravian with me so well and understand Pacifican? (aloud) My name is Kai Shin Reed. And I assume that they did not set up a base yet? And by the way, you speak Russian and Chinese?
Melody: More Russian. I understand Chinese, but I can't speak it very well. I'm struggling with that one I know more languages though, like Japanese/(Miyaran), French, some Coptic…..(with a tired yawn): Anyways, actually they already have started work on it. More supplies that they need will probably be here in the morning. Right now, I think it would be beneficial for all of us to go to bed. I know that I am going to have a very busy day tomorrow, and you guys need to help set up your base as well as finding the rest of your team. Just follow me, I will take you to the beginning of the base that your friends have set up.
Kai Shin: You know, if you have a problem with nightmares, my sister-in-law Sophie, along with Kurama, can help you with them. Sophie is the team counselor and Kurama is a nightmare specialist. Here, I'll give you Sophie's card. And by the way, Kurama speaks several languages as well, and Farid speaks Coptic. And i can teach you Chinese.
Kai Shin took a card out of a pouch on his armor and handed it to Melody. Neither Folsom nor Kai knew that her emotional armor around her heart had sealed tighter than ever before, but now had them, Jenny, Farid, and Kurama sealed inside her heart. Melody liked them enough to keep them there and not let them get hurt or taken away from her, cause now, she was so sure that It was her Kurama, her Kai Shin, her Folsom, and her Farid, and they had new family with Jenny..
Melody: Thank you. And I may take you up on that offer, and just as well, I might try speaking to Kurama and Farid. What does Kurama speak?
Folsom: He speaks Russian, Ukrainian,...anything Slavic. Dude's…well, i think he's Russian, at least part. His dad was. His mom's Japanese.
Melody: Ah. (in thought) You really mean Dravian and Miyaran, don't you, Folsom? If you are my Folsom….Kurama's Miyaran-Dravian, and I'm Miyaran-Northameran.
And with that, she put her clothing back on and led the two to where the Gamma 13 base was set up and under construction. The three were about to part ways for the night when a blaring alarm was heard and shouts of alarm rang out that MKND HQ was under attack.
Melody: Oh no.
And with that, she immediately ran, changed into her normal clothes and grabbed some weapons that she always kept on hand at her cottage. Among those weapons was a nifty machine-gun that she really liked. It was a gift to her from Horus, as it was one of the first guns he ever made that was mass produced for the MKND. They had given it the model name of VHKZ Mk. 777 because they could not come up with an acronym for it. Melody had named her special gun, "Plus Ultra." While she was doing that, Folsom, Jenny, Farid, and Kai Shin made their way to MKND HQ. Upon hearing the shouts, Rodney, Arteza, and Kurama woke up from their slumber, and Rodney saw where he was sleeping, and without his vest. He immediately jumped up and quickly put his vest and shirt back on embarrassed, while Kurama got his gear on and readied Slavic Dragon for action, Arteza about to get back in his head. He activated his Enhanced Vision System. Using the Saccadal interface, he tagged Rodney as friendly. A green outline appeared around Rodney and his name appeared above his head.
Author's note: Saccadal interface is a system that lets Kurama tag objects and access information with his glasses by using his eye movements. What he sees is battlefield information sorted by Jenny just for him. Every member of Gamma 13 has some eyewear that has this feature.
Kurama: Hey Rodney! Catch!
Rodney caught the thing that Kurama tossed him and saw that it was a pin that had the Gamma 13 symbol on it.
Kurama: Keep it. I got more at home. As long as you have that pin, you will always be a part of me and Tezzie's team.
Arteza: That's right. And sweetheart, I was never here, ok?
Rodney: Ok, Mr. Kurama, Mr. Arteza.
Rodney then thanked Kurama, Arteza disappearing, and then the both of them went to MKND HQ. Once there they saw both of their teams, along with many other kid agents fighting a large horde of robots. They also saw Melody arriving, chugging a can of "Extreme Lightning Bolt" energy drink, ready for action. Once she finished the can, she immediately tossed the empty can as hard as she could at the robots, destroying a few in the process. She then took out Plus Ultra and began mowing down waves upon waves of robots. Rodney and Kurama got into the action as well and started destroying many robots as well, Kurama glad he at least had his HP-59 pistol out.
Kurama: I''ve been itching for a real fight! Yo, Folsom, you ready to rock it, bro?
Folsom: Yeah, man! Wall of lead, baby!
Kurama: Let's go, man! Back-to-back!
Folsom: Yeah! Crank up the metal and let's tear these guys up!
Kurama turned on his music player, grinning evilly . Loud metal music nearly drowned out the sounds of the battle. Hearing the music, Jenny, Kai Shin, and Farid became even more violent, the feeling of the good old days coming back, before it went wrong. Folsom and Kurama stood back to back, firing their machineguns in perfect practiced unison as piles of plastic casings built up at their feet. The cadence of the measured burst of Kurama's HMG and staccato fire of Folsom's LMG fit so perfectly as they synced up.
Author's note: the song here is Nightmares by Bonesteel
About now, Rodney noticed that these robots were built using his old designs that he created before joining the MKND, and he got really, really angry. In his anger, he saw the same mysterious figure just sitting as smug as he could be on Melody's command chair, like he owned it and everything else there. Kurama, though, was focused on the task at hand and right now, that was reloading without getting shot.
Kurama: Folsom, gimme a fresh belt!
Folsom whistled, indicating to Kai Shin, Jenny, and Farid that Kurama needed to reload his gun. Folsom was plenty loud enough for them to hear, and actually, this was standard for that. Kurama removed the empty belt box from Slavic Dragon as he moved behind Folsom and the others. He took the fresh belt box from Folsom and slotted it into the holder on the side of Slavic Dragon. hitting the latch on the feed cover at the rear of the gun, he lifted it up and ran the belt up to it. Kurama put the first of the massive .50 Wyvern cartridges in the feedway and put the feed cover down. He hit the feed cover firmly with his fist and pulled the charging handle.
Kurama: Ready!
The others moved out of the way, giving Kurama space. At this point, Rodney, in his rage, plowed through the robots and quickly reached the figure. He punched the crud out of him and started to brawl with the figure, somehow falling out a window and continuing their fight into the forest. Suddenly, Kurama and Arteza sensed a new presence on the battlefield. Turning, he saw Rodney attack an unknown individual. He saw Rodney's aura turn blood-red, and he watched as Rodney fell out of the window, still fighting his new adversary. Kurama gave the signal to his team to continue firing, but also hold position until told otherwise. Hearing this, Skadi did something that really helped Kurama in the long run for the day - she made a stone staircase appear outside below him. He dove through the window, having no idea of that, using his Mk 4 Pulse Pack to help him hit the ground running. In mid-air, Kurama slung Slavic Dragon over his shoulder and unslung Sandopolis Leopard. He expected to touch down directly on the ground, sinking into the snow, but suddenly, he landed on the staircase, and nearly lost his balance since it was still moving upwards. It stopped right at the bottom of the window, and Kurama essentially had to tiptoe down it a few steps because of being off-balance. But once he regained his balance, he was fine and was able to get down on his own. As soon as he hit the snow, he started pounding away towards Rodney's last known position, full speed.
Kurama: Aw, crap. this is gonna suck!. my hip's gonna hurt and that's gonna piss me off. I neeeeeeed to see Skadi and get something for the pain! If I don't, it's gonna make me useless!
Arteza: Honey, focus, we need to help Rodney!
Kurama(in thought to Arteza): Right! Thanks, sweetie!
In the safety of the trees, blocking the view of anyone else seeing, Rodney started to go berserk, releasing blasts of ice from his nose, as well as using his fire breath. None of his attacks landed, but they did get in the vicinity of the figure. By this time Kurama had reached them, and he tagged the newcomer in red, marking him for everyone else as well. Kurama was moving around constantly trying to line up a shot that wouldn't risk hitting Rodney. A lethal smile creased his face as he watched Rodney fight.
Kurama: (in thought) Frakking crap! This dude's pissing me off big time and giving me a good workout! Man, he's getting Rodney blood red pissed off! Come on Rodney buddy, gimme a window, bro! My hip is killing me!
Arteza: Honey, be careful and don't slip! I don't wanna have us bust our collective a**es on the hard ground! S**t, if i could get out, we could bring this motherf**ker down faster!
Mysterious figure (Barrett): Even with all that special training from the queen and her team, you still can't beat me in a fight! Let's face it, you are just as weak as you were back in Downunda!
He then saw something on the ground and picked it up. It was the Gamma 13 pin that Kurama had just given Rodney. Rodney had accidentally dropped it while fighting. The snow was kicked away where it was, making it easy to see.
Barrett: Nice pin twerp. It's mine now.
Upon hearing those words, and seeing Barrett put the pin in his pocket, Rodney just completely lost it. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were pure red with no pupils or irises to be seen. He had given into his draconian anger and rage, wanting nothing more than to kill Barrett with his bare hands. He then started to battle Barrett, beginning to land a lot of blows to him, but Barrett knew that all he had to do was to wait Rodney out. Rodney in his dragon rage, became more exhausted quicker than when he was not in that mode. Soon, Barrett got his chance and got Rodney in a choke hold while covering his mouth. They did not know that Kurama had followed them out of concern for Rodney, as the boy still was wounded from earlier. Kurama aimed his rifle at Barrett, putting the crosshairs of his Alsatian Assault scope over Barrett's head. Suddenly, Barrett moved Rodney in front of him, blocking Kurama's shot.
Kurama: Crap! I can't take the shot! Rodney! (in thought) DAMN! My Hip!
Arteza: Oh s**t-
Before he could help Rodney out, a purple blur rushed past him, and he saw Barrett flying backwards, Rodney's pin flying out of his pocket. Rodney caught the pin and quickly pinned it on his vest, over his heart. As for what happened, Melody had caught up to Barrett.
Melody in anger: I warned you about what would happen if I ever caught you back here again, TRAITOR! Now suffer the consequences!
Barrett(grinning): No, I don't think I will.
And with that he activated the cloaking device that he had stolen from Rodney all those years ago, and disappeared. He managed to get several yards away from Melody, when it malfunctioned, making him reappear. Before he could attempt to try and reactivate it, Hermione had pinned him to the ground and was standing on his chest with her katana at his throat. The device bounced out of his hands, and to Kurama's feet. Kurama just picked it up, inspecting it. He noticed that it was branded with one of the same brands that Rodney had had on his back. He put it in his bag and switched back to Slavic Dragon.
Hermione: Just try anything, you dishonorable traitor. I dare you. I will personally make sure that you will face justice by a heavy retribution that will be very painful.
Kurama put the muzzle of Slavic Dragon on Barrett's neck, the sharp spikes pressing into him. He wasn't pushing it at all, just letting it be pulled down by its own pressure was cutting into Barrett's neck, drawing a little blood. If Kurama had actually let it go, it would have sliced Barrett's throat completely open.
Kurama: That's nothing compared to what I would do to you if you were a Gamma. I'd kill you straight up, no questions. Now, who the friggin' heck are you?
Arteza: Who the f**k is this kid? Why the f**k did he shoot Rodney? And where the f**k did he get that cloaking device?
Melody gritted her teeth, remembering the times that she used to spend with Barrett and what he did to betray her, her team/family, and her trust while storming over to the group. She was so angry that everyone around her could see and feel how angry she truly was. To Kurama, her aura became as blood red as his tail flame was becoming.
Melody (Seething with anger): Number 13. My ex-successor and ex-friend. His real name is Barrett.
Kurama(looking at Melody): Isn't thirteen a lucky number?
Melody(gritting her teeth): Not in this case. This is why I hate war, and the reason I haven't given Rodney any real responsibilities. I do not want Rodney to turn out like him. I had to banish Number 13 for his crimes against the MKND and to every single kid alive. I hoped that he would have learned a few things about humility, truth, peace, and honor in his banishment. Apparently, I was wrong. He is worse now than when he was banished.
Rodney(shocked): So, wait a minute! You know this scumbag?! I had the misfortune of meeting him in my time before I was in the MKND. He tricked me into building him thirteen attack robots! The same model that he used to attack MKND HQ just now! He then broke into my lab that I had back then and stole several blueprints and designs of mine along with my personal invisibility cloaking device prototype! If anything, I have more of a reason to be mad at him than you do!
Melody: Oh really?! He was the main reason behind the MKND War of 3390! He caused me and Wolfgang to turn on our own team, become evil, and we tried to take over the entire world! This jerkwad has done more damage to me and the rest of the MKND rather than to you!
She took a deep breath, stilling her seething way things were going, she was at risk of lashing out at Rodney now, so Kurama tried to defuse it. A lethal smile crossed Kurama's face, and he growled a little..
Kurama: So, yo, you want me to kill him, cause all I gotta do is put a little more pressure on the trigger. Or I could even just drop the gun….
Arteza: I hope to hell this works….
Kurama glanced at Rodney with a raised eyebrow and nodded. Rodney barely shook his head no. Kurama winked at Rodney, and Rodney nodded.
Rodney:(in thought) Kurama's not really gonna kill Barrett. Unless he does it to protect me. I get it. He just wants to scare him really bad.
Rodney smiled thinly, thinking of back up on the roof.
Rodney: (in thought) He really cares about me..And Arteza does too.
Kurama put his boot on Barrett's chest, holding him down. His tail flame is burning a bright blood red and crackling and sparking. His anger was rising, and he was showing his fangs.
Kurama: (growling)Yo, Hermione, I got it from here. You can stand down.
Hermione backed off and put her sword away. Barrett struggled, trying to push Kurama's boot off of him.
Kurama: (growling)You ain't getting' outta' this. Struggle all you want, I got your number.
Kurama leaned down and whispered in a harsh growl in Barrett's ear. He put Slavic Dragon over Barrett's chest, the sheer weight pressing down. Barrett couldn't move at all, but he wasn't in pain either.
Kurama: Give me a reason, you *szmatok linah.. I'll take your head off in an instant, I promise you that. What you did to Rodney, I'll pay you back a millionfold and send you to the underworld. and right now you're gonna wanna cooperate, cause you're the reason I jumped out of a window and hurt my hip. I am pissed the FRAK off! Now, spill your friggin' guts; What's with the robots and the cloaking device!?
*Translation: piece of crap - Ukrainian
Kurama looked at Melody again, continuing with his and Arteza's plan to scare Barrett. .
Kurama: Just one bullet and I'll wipe this sucker off the map! Just gimme the green light, Melody, and I'll light him up! Or, why don't I give him the whole seventy-five round belt. I still got a fresh belt of Fifty Wyvern I hadn't used.
Hearing that, Melody was somewhere between very very sure this was her Kurama and not at all. But she wanted to err on the side that it was, because if it was, this was a scare tactic, and he'd save her a lot of trouble.
Melody: You know what, forget this! Most of HQ has been destroyed, and now I have to oversee the repairs to it! Kurama, you can do whatever you want to Barrett! I do not care what happens to him! Maybe you and your team can work out what is freaking wrong with him! I have many sleepless nights ahead of me overseeing repairs done, and better defenses to oversee being set up! I won't be getting any sleep for at least a week now! THANKS BARRETT, I REALLY NEEDED THIS USELESS RAGE! IF YOU NEED ME I AM GOING TO BE IN THE EXTREME ZONE VENTING! SEE YOU ALL LATER!
She stormed off and passed Amadeus on the way. Amadeus tried to stop her to tell her about something important, but she cut him off, slightly blowing up at him.
Amadeus: Hey Numb...
Melody: NOT NOW! ME! EXTREME ZONE! EXTREMELY HIGH ANGER! VENTING! DO NOT BOTHER ME AT ALL!
And with that she continued on her way to the Extreme Zone, extremely pissed off. Back with Kurama and Arteza, they sensed Barrett's emotional armor had finally burned away, revealing the coward underneath.
Barrett: Alright already! Get this psycho off me! I'll talk!
Kurama: Here. Cuff him.
Kurama pulled a set of metal cable handcuffs from his belt. He threw them to Hermione, who cuffed Barrett's hand behind his back. Kurama then proceeded to pick Barrett up by the scruff of his neck. Struggling, Barrett tried to kick Kurama. Fortunately, by this time Folsom and the others arrived, so Kurama handed Barrett to Folsom.
Kurama: Here. Lock this jerkface up.
Folsom: Sure.
Folsom had to be just as careful, as Barrett tried to kick him in the balls, but Jenny stopped that.
Jenny: Dude, that was close. We gotta cuff his ankles too, before you end up getting your balls busted for real.
Folsom: I know, I'd like to keep those!
While all that was going on, Kurama walked over to Rodney and knelt down in front of him slowly.
Kurama(with a somewhat pained look on his face): Hey, are you ok, Rodney?
Rodney: Yeah, I'm ok. Are you ok, Kurama? You look like you're in pain.
Kurama: I'm ok, little buddy. Just hurt my hip, is all. Look, I'll be back in a sec; I gotta talk to Folsom about some stuff.
Rodney: ok.
Kurama(mouthing to Rodney): Me and Tezzie are always gonna be here for you. Next time you come see us, we'll tell you more, ok, kiddo?
Rodney(mouhing): Ok, Kurama.
Kurama tried to stand. He fell slightly, causing Rodney to look at him with concern. Kurama smiled at him and pushed himself up with Slavic Dragon, jamming the muzzle hard into the ground. Fortunately, the ground was hard enough for him to do so without it getting caked up in the muzzle brake of the gun. He got up and limped over to Folsom, Jenny, and Hermione. On the way, Amadeus passed Kurama, who started playing with his lighter again.
Amadeus: What was all that about? What did you say to him?
Kurama: Yeah, I called him a piece of crap and threatened to send him to the underworld for hurting Rodney. A little much?
Amadeus: Yeah. just a little.
Kurama: Whatever. He pissed me off cause he hurt Rodney. Seriously, nobody hurts my friends and gets away with it. The only reason I didn't put a bullet in his head is because of Rodney.
Amadeus: Are you ok? Cause you're limping.
Kurama: I'm ok, Amadeus; hurt my hip is all.
Arteza: Well, this sucks.