Sherbet Mayhem: HAPPY NEW YEAR! ! ! Hello everybody! I'm back, getting
riled up for an all new story for you guys! I can't wait myself, and
hopefully you're as excited as I am! It's 23:16 pm and I'm opening the year
2004 with a merry new project! Lol.
I'm pretty sure you lot are expecting the usual long, ridiculously over worded disclaimer from me as usual - HA! No way! I shall break the mould and say . . . ENJOY! Bear in mind I don't know where this is going in your reviews . . . be nice *begs* PLEASE! And bear with it. I'm pretty sure it'll get a whole lot better. I hope so! o_0*
Oh yeah, I don't own Beyblade. That's the one *sobs* so off we go!
Kai: It was still pretty long.
Sherby: Shut up -_-* Oh, just to say, that things in little squiggles like this ~see I'm in little squiggles~ are thoughts or flashes - I'm not saying flash forwards or flash backs 'cause there are gonna be quite a lot and I'm attempting to confuse you. Things in //two slashes// like that are lyrics. Stupid lack of italics on ff.net . . .
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Chapter One: A New Regime
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~"Do it! You know it's right."
"No . . . I can't!"
"Just do it. You know it's the only way . . .please. If you do this, things'll work out like we planned. It'll all be over. No more darkness. No more fighting. Death is the answer here. Death will bring life."
"I know, but . . . I can't . . . it's not . . ."
"Come on!"
"No, I . . ."
"Do it. Just get it over with. "
"Please . . . please don't make me . . ."
"REI! KILL ME!"~
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"Is it safe now?"
A soft, trembling voice cut through the pitch obscurity that shrouded all around, shivering through the bitter atmosphere as faintly as the moon shone through the grey clouds collected above. A night so cold and crisp as this one should merit a clear, definite deep blue sky, but outside the air was misted with heavy fumes, toxic black in shade, thick yet hollow. And with it, the mist carried sounds, echoes of battles storming through the night, the despondency weighted with tormented, desperate cries for release and tempestuous roars - the sounds of the Rage.
"I don't know."
The other voice replied in a whisper, as if to quieten the companion, and the sound of a match striking rough scratched through their ears. A tiny flame was kindled, protected by a fearful hand, and eventually, two blue eyes glimmered in the reflection.
"It sounds so quiet out there. It might be over now."
The owner of the match held up the flame, moving his hand from around it and letting the tiny circles of light radiate a little more, and a young, freckled blond was revealed, with puckish features and a once merry face. He glanced at his companion nervously before moving.
The two had been squatting under a stack of crates for at least an hour now - hiding in one of the boxes that had been turned on its side and had no lid. This was one of the only safe places they knew - a small warehouse in the middle of the city, where little was suspected because supervision was so highly charged. The warehouse had a ground floor and a kind of balcony that acted as a first about thirty metres above ground, but it was generally safer to remain low in these dark days. A thin veneer of powdery dust layered the dark wooden floor; the whole place looked as though it had been coated in one giant spider's web, lilted in a random fashion and splayed over every object available. When the four small windows were blocked, as they usually were, the dust was less noticeable, but now, with the blockages ripped away, the fading light of the moon occasionally gathered enough strength to expose the knitted webs, and they sparkled in the rarity. A cough tickled at Max's throat, but it was impossible for him to give in to it. That might give the game away.
Max moved out from inside the box, his tremulous hands barely able to keep their grip upon the precious match. It was one of the only few left in his set. Glancing about in the thickness, the match lit up little but told Max that the warehouse was empty once more.
"Lindsay, you can come out now."
They had almost been attacked earlier. That explained the window blockages being torn apart so savagely. The revealing moonlight, dying as it was, desperate in its search, made Max uneasy. It showed too much. They could hide in the darkness.
Max turned, and, in the fading glow of his match, watched his companion emerge cautiously from the crate, looking about behind her thick spectacles, her green eyes occasionally glittering when the lacking light reached her eyes. Lindsay was a very new member to the group - shy, and rather hesitant at first, but a survivor none the less. That in itself was enough to impress Max. She pulled herself to her feet, and Max surveyed her quickly.
"You okay?"
The girl nodded, and Max could just make out her brown, extremely curly hair bobbing as she did so. She was taller than he was by a good three inches, with a pleasantly curvy build and a pretty smile. Of course, this was difficult to see now. Hardly anybody smiled in times as these, where the dawn of the morning was merely the start of the preparation to survive the death of the light.
Lindsay brushed herself off, getting particularly annoyed at one spot of dust that would not remove itself from her upper thigh, no matter how hard she brushed. Max sighed, wanting to smile in amusement but not finding the will to do so.
"We need to find the others."
Lindsay looked up from where she was rubbing her leg, surprise written across her face. "You're sure the Rage is ended?"
The Rage. As darkness was born upon the city, the buildings becoming obscure black silhouettes in the purple mist, out they would come, flowing through the city as water, washing up every human they could find and tearing them away with spiteful claws. Most had the sense to hide - safely, indoors, hoping desperately that they would not be found, that they could just cling on until dawn . . . just a couple more hours . . .
At the end of the day, when the glow of the sun was finally put out, when the safe brightness of day was chained away, when the darkness fell, they were released. Their shadows stalked the streets, flashing teeth and claws and squeezing the heart with fear. The beasts came to life. And nowhere was safe.
Max pondered for a moment, stopping and looking down at his hands.
~"How did all of this happen?"~
He couldn't answer himself - no one could answer that question. Everything had gone berserk. The electricity cut seemed to have sparked the whole thing off - power across the main countries and suppliers in the world had gone out about three months ago, dropping the entire population into pandemonium. People had simply begun to run - to where they did not know. Scientists and doctors, baffled by this inexplicable black out, had frantically tried to fix the problem before sundown.
And then darkness had fallen . . .
That first night . . . that first Rage . . .
Max shook his head, the tears suddenly collected in his blue eyes being shaken away by sheer will power. He glanced up into the green eyes of Lindsay.
"Come on, Max. If we're going, we should go while it's still quiet."
He nodded in agreement, his stomach suddenly panging for that rare necessity; food. Only scraps were available for humans now, usually hard fought for or hard searched for. Everything was so different - every move a fight, a grasp at survival.
Max turned, and was about to lead the way out of the warehouse when he was interrupted by an unexpected smash. He glanced up, his eyes round in anticipation and fear, as thousands of shards, both large and small, clattered to the floor as an icy waterfall, glittering in the moon's pale glow and throwing up a pile of dust in its wake. He turned back to Lindsay before even looking back up at the window; that broken barrier of jagged tendrils no longer keeping out what they were desperate to hide from.
"Lindsay, get back in the crate!"
He yelled it almost too late, and just as the two of them dove into their shelter there was another terrible smashing sound, the tingles of the glass splintering across the wooden floor chilling Max's spine as he closed his eyes in fear. Across from him, shivering, Lindsay attempted to quieten her shaking breaths, terrified of giving their haven away. All that stood between them and an almost certain death was a flimsy shield of crate.
Their feet could be heard, shifting along the floor, claws grating and scratching the cold floor disturbingly. Their breaths, cold and harsh and raspy, drove through the chilled air, and Max could imagine the frost rings gathering before their leathery nostrils. He knew what awaited them. It was simply a matter of time.
More and more footsteps. Max held his breath tentatively, listening with a weary sort of fear to his heart attempting to escape his chest, banging relentlessly upon his rib cage as the horrible sound of the footsteps grew ever closer. His throat was dry. He couldn't swallow. Soundless movements like blinking seemed off limits, just in case a single movement could be heard, sensed somehow by what lurked beyond the wall of wood protecting them. He glanced over at Lindsay, unable to see her in the dark, yet feeling oddly comforted knowing there was someone else with him. More bangs and crashes from outside told him that the Rage was not over yet. And they were caught right in the middle of it.
Lindsay looked towards the exit of their box. It was usually shrouded by a piece of black material, but now with a sinking heart she realised that it was gone. Now they were not only open to the threat stalking only metres away - but they were cornered. And the two eyes peering in at her merely re- emphasized what she had been thinking.
~"I'm going to die."~
The black eyes, somehow alight in the darkness of the room, narrowed, the pupils becoming single slits and the whole iris clouding into an indistinguishable pitch. Lindsay held back a scream, biting her tongue as hard as she could, drawing blood but knowing that if she screamed the game was up. She merely held her breath, her green eyes, only slightly visible in the enclosing darkness of the room, fixed upon those black ones watching she and Max hungrily.
She heard a slight gasp from Max's side of the crate, and knew that he had seen their watcher. He hadn't meant to gasp, but sometimes the human will is not strong enough to conquer the human instinct. She took a quick glance back out, noticing with a falling feeling that the eyes had lit some more. They moved closer, and Lindsay heard that sound that she had dreaded for so long - the breathing, so close, right in front of her, echoing within her mind, the air breezing about her face as the creature moved in for the kill. She shut her eyes. She could not find it within herself to watch.
The crate suddenly shook as the beast's head hit the ceiling. Max snapped open his own eyes in disbelief as the glowing eyes shrank from view, a furious cry emitting from its fanged jaws. He watched, shaking, as it completely withdrew from their haven, and it became safe once more. Human voices could be heard.
Max scrambled from his cross-legged position, adrenaline pumping furiously throughout his body, and poked his head out. He could merely see silhouettes, black, evanescent glimpses, huge shapes, moving and growling, and then smaller shapes, moving more quickly, flitting, inky stains against the inkier backdrop.
Max thought quickly. He knew that those who had come would be better advantaged in the light. Without thinking about how dangerous this was, he threw himself to his feet and ran the short distance that most who inhabited the warehouse knew by memory to the stairs. He grabbed the banister shakily, knowing that each step he took may be his last, and launched himself up the flight of about twenty-one metal, rickety steps. They'd all done this in the dark many times. It was essential to be able to move without seeing. Practise had made perfect.
He reached the balcony quickly, his sure footsteps making a quick job of the staircase. His feet clanked on the floor as he pounded along the landing, his left hand glued to the metal banister as he flew towards his destination. All below him were the cruel sounds of fighting. The occasional metal clinging, angry roars and cries, and what he hated most - human emotions. All of them familiar. Each of them sharp as daggers, forcing him to run faster and faster as more desperation channelled through his veins.
He finally got there. He rounded a corner and turned into a small room, invisible to those watching from below. It was tiny, and, set into the back of the room, was a flame. A huge torch, set in its holster in the wall, just small enough for Max to get his hands around, with a massive flame burning brightly at the top. He squinted for a moment, his eyes not accustomed to the light, the warmth a refreshing treat, and then he fastened his hands about the metal holder, making sure his grip was tight. He couldn't afford to drop this flame. He gazed at it; secure in his grasp, before turning and exiting the tiny, well-hidden room.
He turned onto the long balcony, which stretched the full length and width of the warehouse, hugging the walls, and he ran, knowing what to do. Briefly he wondered if Lindsay was all right, feeling a little guilty for leaving her. But he knew there were those who would protect her now. He could trust them. He had to.
He reached the first point, and gingerly lifted the flame into the air, its kindle surrounded by wavering circles, made up of thousands of delicate, intricate lines of yellow and red, sparkling, the only real light source in the blackness of the shelter. The moon did not count. The moon was so weak now, penetrated by dozens of thick clouds and smog that the light from the moon was no more than its own shadow. A shadow of a shadow. Max tilted the torch, and lit the first lamp. It hung from the wall in a metal chamber, and he could hear people below praising him and yelling in gratitude as now they could see their adversaries. With a determined smile, Max moved to the next lamp. All had small compartments of gas beneath them, and so could burn for hours if necessary. Hopefully that wasn't the case here. Max longed for the dawn more than ever, and as he ran, he kept glancing out at the jet sky, hoping to see just some sign of a more natural light. That was their biggest advantage. Their enemy feared the sun.
He finally reached the last lamp and lit it proudly, and, glancing back around the room, was pleased to find that the area was much more lit up now. He could see his allies down below, but his heart sank once again when he saw what they were up against.
Six. Six beasts, all huge, manufactured bit-beasts, inexplicable creatures, wild and savage, with a fierce blood lust glimmering in their eyes, their dark, macabre colours towering over the rags that his friends were tattered in. They were littered about the place, and now that Max could see where the cries were coming from, he was even more disturbed. Somehow, not knowing had been just a little more safe. Now he could see, and he found he didn't want to.
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Lindsay watched as the room lit up gradually. She could just about see the flitting form of Max as he darted along the top balcony, and she smiled. She wished she could think so quickly, but had decided it was safer inside the crate. She was no warrior. Not like the others. She had to stay.
She could see everything that was happening. Watching was almost as bad as taking part. Familiar faces flickered in and out of the beasts, determination written across their faces as they fought. She could see their weapons now, not the typical weapons of twentieth century war that she had been used to seeing on the television. They had been taken - all used in those first couple of days of darkness. No electricity meant that no more weapons could be mass-produced. There were no batteries. There were no plugs. People had been forced to turn to other measures.
A spear flew past Lindsay's face, and she scurried a little further back into the crate. She hated this. Being new to the group, she lacked the training the other members had. She couldn't fight like they could. She would only hinder them if she tried.
She watched as two people darted past the crate, and now she couldn't resist poking her head out to see what was going on. Was her side winning?
Before she could get her head out, the crate shook tremendously, and she screamed, not being able to hold it in this time, as the crate skidded across the floor, propelled by some massive external force. She splayed her hands, squeezing her eyes shut and pressing against the walls of the crate. The movement decreased, and she opened her green eyes again, only to widen them in terror as a massive bit beast crashed violently towards the crate, sending pieces of wood splintering as its tail slammed into another wooden box nearby. Her hands rose up and she covered her head, and somehow managed to dive a little further away before the beast landed upon her own shelter.
"Help!"
She heard herself crying out in terror, though she didn't understand how. Nothing made sense in that split second, when she fully expected to be crushed by the beast - but wasn't.
~"What? How?"~
She looked up, trembling beyond belief, at the two figures before her. Glimpses of their legs could be seen through their tattered clothing, the occasional scratches and tiny trickles of blood marring the pale skin. Two spears had been rammed vertically into the hide of the beast, its black fur coated with flecks of scarlet drippings. It had fallen into the spears, which were being held fast by their owners. Lindsay stumbled to her feet, afraid that her haven had been shattered and scattered, but reassured that someone knew she was there and had helped her. Part of her still didn't believe that she was alive. She watched her two rescuers as they stepped aside, letting go their spears and allowing the beast, a huge hairy black mess, to fall lifeless to the ground with a titanic thud. The dust rose in massive, thick clouds and for a moment, Lindsay covered her face, not allowing the stale scent of the web to enter her body. She removed her hand as the dust cleared, still aware of the vicious fighting all around her, and looked upon the faces of her rescuers.
The one on the right smiled. She tended to like him better. He moved towards her as the other, the stronger boy, turned away to return to the fighting. Beasts flew about them wildly, and Lindsay looked at the boy with the black hair.
"Aren't you fighting?"
He nodded. "Yeah. But I have to make sure you're out of the way first, Linz."
Lindsay smiled wonkily. She didn't know this lad well, but she got on with him when she saw him. He was tall, and looked striking at the moment because of the huge rip in his red, black and white yin-yang bandanna, allowing his obsidian blue bangs to fall about his bright amber eyes. He had a bit of a bloodied nose and his white shirt, ripped open from the centre and hanging loosely about his body, revealed a few gashes upon his toned upper chest. His long legs were clothed in blue trousers that had been ripped to shreds. Still, he didn't seem too bothered by it, and he took her by the shoulders, walking her, in the dim light, to the stairs, grabbing another spear from the hooks on the wall.
"Go up there. Stay up there. Don't come down until it's over."
Lindsay nodded, her heart still pounding obscurely. She started to make her way awkwardly up the stairs - she didn't know them as well as the others did, and they were rather rickety. Half way up, she turned, and found that the boy was watching her to make sure she got up there safely.
"Um . . . what's your name again? Rei?"
The lad nodded. "Yup."
"Thanks, Rei."
Rei laughed, and to Lindsay, it seemed a little hysterical. Possibly because he was still in the middle of battle; she didn't know. "Okay, Lindsay."
"Be careful."
"Will do."
Rei turned at the same time as she did, and as she made her way up the stairs, he lifted his spear, resting it upon his shoulders with skill and moving towards the other boy who had saved Lindsay. He was deeply involved in what he was doing - as a warrior should be. His face, covered at the moment in dirt mixed with a few flicks of crimson, was set in a growl as he swiped his body out of the way of the claws of another creature by ramming his spear into the ground and swinging around it. Rei watched his friend as he spun about full circle and rammed his boot into the creature's face as he returned, crying out fervently as he did so. It backed off, growling, a deep cut above its left eye. This beast was more threatening than the others - no fur, but scales, and not black but red. Deep scarlet, the occasional tint of blue tingeing its scales. Its eyes were bright blue, sparking vibrantly, reflecting the flames from above in their depth. It was a good ten feet high, maybe more; it was impossible to tell in the weak light. Its head stretched up on its long, thin neck, and its arms were long and clawing, like tree branches reaching out into the night - black silhouettes beyond the fields. Its legs were long too, stout, like pillars, and the whole creature itself, when it rose up to its full height, was terrifying. It could only be described as a dragon. Two huge wings, oddly thin and wiry, sprouted from its back and it stretched them to their full arch, creating a shadow almost as terrifying as the real beast.
Rei watched as his friend landed from the kick and snatched his spear from the floor. He raised it high with his well defined arms and, with another cry, hurled the spear forward, hitting the mark and slashing it straight into the beast's chest. It stumbled backwards for a second; roaring and writhing in pain, each time a foot connecting with the floor the whole warehouse seeming to shake. The boy drew out a small knife from within his tattered clothing. He was generally odd looking - black combat trousers, ripped at the knees, no shoes, and a black shirt which had also been ripped open viciously to expose both old scars and fresh wounds upon his toned chest. Striking, shrewd brown eyes lit up his otherwise dark yet pale face, the frame mostly shadowed by obscure bangs of cloudy grey hair hanging over his features. The occasional flash of a silver earring glittered in his left ear, and the remains of some sort of scarf hung limply around his neck, its ragged shreds whipping about the boy as he moved so easily about the warehouse.
The boy watched as the beast stumbled backwards, a slight grin on his face. He hated those dragon creatures. Stubborn things. It fell with one final roar, its body crashing into the dust and laying still, its life leaking out in some strange sort of satisfaction. The lad turned, a tiny path of blood carving its way through the centre of his eyes and down his nose, sloping off and tracing down his right cheek, mixing with some blood from another gash and forming little runlets of bright red against the dirty background. He grinned at Rei, who nodded back, and turned.
He was just in time to see another of the dragons, already in flight and swooping as a bat across the gloom of the warehouse, stretch its claws and drop down at a sickening pace, wrapping its sharp talons about another member of the group and lifting him into the air mercilessly, squeezing its claws and so wrenching the air out of the boy. He managed a slight yell but then fell to digging his own nails into the giant feet of the creature.
Rei yelled out quickly as the serpent passed over his head, knowing that it was essential to take down the creature before it harmed the boy. There was already too few of them by now. They couldn't allow their number to drop. Besides . . .
"Kai! Kai look! It's got Tyson!"
He called out at the top of his voice whilst taking aim with his spear. Allowing himself a quick look back, his friend, Kai, the boy with the grey hair and the dark eyes, had already found himself another spear and was yelling orders to other members of the team. In that moment, Rei was glad that someone as reliable and quick thinking as Kai Hiwatari was in charge of this operation. His deep, powerful voice demanded respect and quick attention as it resounded towards the other end of the warehouse.
"Arrows! Where are you? Get up here!"
He called his orders deftly, and immediately two or three arrows shot through the air towards the creature. They pierced its hide, but were not nearly enough to take the vile thing down. It merely carried on flying, still squeezing the unfortunate boy in its grasp. Tiny droplets of blood could be seen cascading from the dragon's grasp, and Kai, leaping onto the stairs, noticed this with a heavy heart.
~"Tyson . . ."~
He darted up the stairs with a speed and urgency he rarely used, barging past a young girl without a single apology when he pushed her into the banister.
"More arrows!" he yelled desperately, waving a hand, keeping his deep brown eyes on the creature and dragging his feet onwards. He was surprised to see a spear ram itself into the side of the animal, but he knew that it was still not enough. These things had to be hit in the right place. He was closer now - he could see the paling face of his companion as the creature still tightened its grip, forcing every inch of life out of him. It flew along steadily, about two metres below the first floor of the warehouse.
"Someone get below it!" he yelled as he pulled something off the wall briskly, "Follow it! Get ready!"
He shook his pale hair out of his dramatically contrasting eyes, and listened for a second to the sound of his own footsteps, light as they were, padding along the metal floor. Glancing down, he saw that Rei and a few others had gathered below. He could still see the archers, a fiery redhead and a female brunette, volleying the creature with all their worth. There was only one other beast alive in the warehouse now, and some others were already upon it. He noted with a smile that Max was one of these. Max was becoming a fine warrior.
He tightened his grip on the glinting sword that he had pulled from its sheath on the wall. Weapons were littered all about this warehouse; all hooked up to the walls, available with no inconvenience, just how he liked it. His russet glare still didn't move from the creature, and he could see his team following it below, like its alter ego, its constant companion, never faltering, never flinching, never relenting.
He ran. His feet made so little noise on the flooring that the creature never heard him coming, and he gained on it very quickly. He was trained to do things like this. It didn't frighten him. Not much did. His nose wrinkling in a scowl, Kai grabbed the banister with his left hand and propelled himself into the air, flying over the rail and right off the first floor level, dropping through the air like a silver bullet.
Kai watched as the dragon - and his friend - flew closer rapidly, and he tightened his grip further on the large silver sword he wielded. It was actually his favourite - a beautiful gold handle, engraved with the head of an eagle, and the blade itself, polished silver, sharp, splitting, and lethal. His hair blew out of his eyes as he dropped, and then, when the right moment came, he lashed out with the sword, his own body spinning to get the right force behind the blade strike.
It connected, and a gusset of blood vomited from the creature's foot. The leathery skin split cruelly, and the brute gave out a cry of agony, releasing its grasp on the almost unconscious young boy and letting him go. He fell through the air - as did Kai - spiralling towards the ground at a dizzying rate.
Kai didn't bother shutting his eyes. He trusted his team well enough to know that this would hurt - but not too much. He merely watched as the beast grew smaller and smaller - and then he felt the thud of collision with his trusty teammates. They hit the floor with the force of their Captain and his head walloped against the wood harder than he would have liked. He rolled over a few times and then lay still for a moment, getting his breath back. He heard the clink of his sword as it whammed into the floor, and pushed himself up on his arms.
"You okay, Kai?" came a voice, and he looked up to see Lee, another old friend of his, grinning at him as he prepared a spear to lob at the hovering, wailing monster. Blood rained down amongst them, and the majority were now covered in a mix of their own blood and that of the dragon. Kai nodded, allowing his bangs to once more fall into his eyes, and then forcing himself to his feet. Looking up he saw that the torrent of arrows had not given up yet, and were still piercing the creature from all over relentlessly.
"Tala, keep on it!" Kai yelled to the redheaded archer as he moved towards where Max and two others were taking down the other creature. "It's a sure win for us!"
He was right. The warehouse was decorated with the dead bodies of four beasts, and as Kai walked away, he heard the pleasant thud of another one literally biting the dust.
~"That makes five . . ."~
It was rare for the humans to win so easily, with so few casualties. Against six manufactured bit-beasts? Certainly, they had been the weaker of the bit-beasts, but Kai had been expecting more of his team to have been ripped apart. They'd suffered so little . . .
"Crap - Tyson!"
He turned again, back towards where the flying beast had finally succumbed to the volley of sharp, glittering arrows, and moved quickly to where his friend had fallen. Rei and two other girls had caught him successfully, and were silently examining three nasty looking gashes stretching across his ribs. The boy, Tyson, was only young - fourteen years of age - but was an experienced fighter and a good friend of Kai's. He had a bubbly, round face and was one of those admirable people who never gave up smiling.
Kai knelt down beside Rei. "Tyson, can you hear me?"
Tyson, his head cradled by one of the other girls of the group, nodded, his dark blue fringe flopping into his eyes weakly.
"Yeah . . ." he answered with a smile. "Just give me a minute to . . .to rest my head . . ."
Rei smiled, a little uneasy about those gashes but knowing there were more important things to do right now. He glanced over at his Captain before standing and moving away, across this blood soaked battle scene, over to where Max threw the final spear and brought the last plague to its knees.
"Good job, everyone, but we need to get this place sorted quickly! They can still come back before the dawn!"
He stopped right in the middle of the two archers. One of them, Tala, he knew very well. They had been friends back in the days of simple Beyblading. Now, in these times of manufactured bit-beasts, things were no longer just a game. In Beyblading, a bit-beast had purely been a tool, a sidekick to help win a battle. They had been called out only in essence - they couldn't simply emerge of their own will and they couldn't separate themselves from the bit - the chamber in which they were contained. Things were different now. The beasts didn't need to emerge. They controlled themselves.
Two or three months after the Blade-Breakers had won the World Championships in Moscow, things had started to lose control. Boris Balkov - a Russian masochist and scientific genius - had begun to develop his own 'cyber beasts', as he called them - beasts that no longer needed to be released by a human, nor had to remain a part of the beyblade. And at first he had remained in control - monitoring every move, watching each and every step of progress made - until he finally created a beast that could survive on its own, without the bit, without the master. So Boris continued creating more and more of these cyber beasts, until he literally had a whole throng of them, all caged up in a laboratory in the capital of Russia.
Then had come the black out.
No longer confined in their electrically guarded cell, the beasts had escaped from their lodging in Moscow, and moved into the wild. No sight had been seen of them until that first night.
No one liked to think about that first night.
The months had passed by slowly - too slowly for Rei's liking. Survival had become some sort of twisted competition - it was as though now it were the bit beasts playing with the humans. The tables had been turned - turned with a vicious intent, and a malicious outcome.
Mass execution.
Rei didn't even know what had happened to his friends, his family. They had just gone. He knew that the beasts had taken them - whether it was for food or for some sort of twisted pleasure, they had been taken. These monsters were not merely animals. They could think. They knew what they were doing. Their wildness was not amoral. It was immoral. The creatures were wicked and they knew it. They were not killing for survival, or for safety. They were killing because they could. And that was what made Rei hate these beings even more.
Of course, there were still good beasts, to speak in simple terms. The beasts of the bladers, for example, had remained true to their masters. And they could even still be drawn upon, to fight and to help. But it had been stated and agreed with that the original bit beasts should only be used in occasions where no other option was available - as a last ditch resort. Original bit beasts could still be destroyed, and such a massive source of power could not be thrown away so lightly.
Rei glanced at Tala and smiled. Tala, tall and wiry, with flaming red hair and piercing, unnerving ice eyes, was the most experienced archer on the team, and was a great ally. His companion was a young, pretty girl named Sara - a little ditzy but a good archer none the less. She had only been part of the team for a month or so, and Tala had taken her under his wing upon seeing that she had the potential to be a great archer. They had to train each other up to survive. They had to be able to rely on each other as much as Kai had relied on his team to catch him when he had leaped over the balcony rail.
Upon seeing Sara, Rei immediately looked for her curvy companion, Jenny. The two were inseparable, and Jenny was the odd sort of person who had been naturally good at thinking up strategies and new fighting plans. She was not outstanding in the fighting area, but could hold her own given a spear or a sword. She got on particularly well with Kai, and the two often spent hours together pouring over maps of the city, marking out safe spots and routes to get there if necessary.
"Where's Jen, Sara?"
Sara lowered her bow, placing it back on the strap on her back where it belonged, and then turned away, her dark brown hair glistening in the fire light. She was very tanned, almost olive-skinned, and just a little shorter than Rei (and a lot shorter than Tala). Rei looked at Tala questioningly, and Tala merely made a painful face. The penny dropped a little too harshly for Rei, and he sighed.
"Don't tell me they got her. Don't."
Sara still didn't turn around, and Rei closed his eyes, shaking his head, annoyed and upset. He'd had no idea. He hadn't been particularly close to the girl, but he always got so annoyed when they lost a member of the team. They needed all the support they could get.
"Where?"
"Just outside," answered Tala in his strong accent, his deep voice still steady, "When we were coming back to help. We heard the Rage coming in here, and so we all rushed in to aid. I guess Jen just got caught up in the fighting outside."
Rei exhaled sharply, wrinkling his nose to show his emotions, and ran a hand through his hair. He then turned briskly, moving back towards his Captain, who was helping Tyson to his feet. The lad seemed to know what was going on, and just looked a little pale now. His wounds needed bandaging, but that was about all. He was lucky to have escaped so easily.
"Kai," snapped Rei as he approached his leader, who was currently brushing the dust off his trousers, "Jenny's dead."
Kai stopped brushing and looked up. "You serious?"
Rei nodded, looking a little sadder now. "Just outside, apparently."
Kai's face paled, and he felt his stomach tingeing. He and Jenny had been close friends. He'd only known her for what? Two months? Maybe not even that. How was it fair that people who were so close could just be ripped apart in a matter of minutes? Now he'd lost contact with another over this black ocean; how many more would he have to let go? There was too much noise in his ears, and suddenly he felt like he was in an old photograph, back from the start. There was no future - only a repeat of the past. No tomorrow - only a re-run of yesterday.
He sighed, looking down at the ground for a moment, thinking about too many things.
"Let's make sure she's the last, Kai," said Rei quietly, making sure that no one else was within hearing distance, "Let's lose no more to this new regime."
Kai nodded, although he looked very sceptical, and Rei agreed. There was no chance of that. There were no happy endings here. They'd all just keep fighting till they died, keep fighting till they were singled out, until there was no one else to rely on. Looking at Kai, he could tell his Captain felt the same. Hopeless. This was a pointless fight.
"You won't give up, right Kai?"
"No."
"You promise?"
There was a short silence, interrupted by the nearby sounds of people clearing the place up by the firelight. Windows were quickly being boarded with the broken crate splinters that matted the floor. The bodies of the beasts could be used later, either for fuel or for food. They would simply be salted for preservation and kept in a clean place.
Kai looked up with half a smile. "Sure. As long as you don't either."
"Like I would."
Rei walked away with a grin and started to help with the clear up. Kai singled out Sara with his sharp eyes, and decided it was best to let her alone for a while. She was sitting on the bottom stair of the flight, turning an arrow over and over in her hands and saying something to herself.
"Kai?"
Kai blinked, snapped out of his reverie, and turned to see a young, curly haired girl smiling up at him nervously. He was the tallest member there, and so everyone looked up to him, but he didn't like people to feel nervous. She obviously was.
"Yeah?" he uttered, barely bothering to answer. The girl looked a little uncertain, her green eyes flickering behind her oval spectacles.
"Just to say thanks. For saving me earlier. You and Rei - you guys did a great job."
Kai watched her for a second, attempting to remember what he had done.
"Uh-huh. Is it Lindsay?"
"It . . . it is."
"You need to learn to fight, Lindsay."
Lindsay's face paled drastically. She looked very embarrassed. "Oh . . . I know. It's just that---"
"No excuses. Meet me outside at twelve noon. Bring a spear."
Lindsay frowned. She hated this. This stupid, hopeless situation that they were stuck in. They needed help. And she knew that she wasn't the only one thinking it. Only she couldn't think of a way out. Fervently hoping that someone else would think of something, Lindsay glanced out of the window, watching the blue-grey clouds that were covering the moon's radiance and sighing desperately. How she longed for sunlight.
How she longed for the dawn.
//So you think that I could ride this wave all the way through?
So you think that I could just stand here with nothing to hold on to?
I can feel it, it's breaking, it's coming down,
It's crashing down from up high,
Can't see it, it's too big, too fast . . . //
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Sherby: ;_; *sobs* Not liking at all. Not at all. Initial idea not coming out well. Hmm . . . well, it's up to you guys. It's your place to tell me whether I should carry this on. I shouldn't have opened with a filling in chapter like that. Oh well. I'm not gonna get all upset about it like I did War 5, cause that was just pointless. Just tell me how you feel (please don't compare it to War, I've already done that and it's already depressing me . . .) and tell me whether I should continue. I'm really feeling not good over this. I suppose the next chapter would be more exciting. I'm planning big battles etc - and I've already kind of got an ending planned . . . just don't know what's going in between. Lol. Well, not lol. More like hmm. I think if you let me get going on this, it'll get better. Be honest with me and I'll not get offended if you say this is crap - coz if you ask me it's---
Kai: Shut up, you always do this!
Sherby: Can't help it! I'm a bit depressed coz I already killed myself off, too! Lol.
Kai: Just tell her she's good.
Sherby: No, be honest.
Kai: She's delirious. It's 03:03 am. She isn't thinking straight. She wants praise.
Sherby: *tears* Shhhh! I want honesty! I wanna write better! I wanna make a story that's just as good as War if not better but that isn't a complete rip off!
Kai: I think you wanna sleep.
Sherby: Yes. *climbs into bed and sleeps wearily*
Kai: *whispers* Well, read and review, people. And be nice! She's trying, she really is! Poor Jen *points and laughs* Oh, if only we were all cool like me. Oh, just so you know, Jen says the lyrics were from "The Endings" by Blindside. She likes them a lot. Now do like she says and review - and BE HONEST! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
I'm pretty sure you lot are expecting the usual long, ridiculously over worded disclaimer from me as usual - HA! No way! I shall break the mould and say . . . ENJOY! Bear in mind I don't know where this is going in your reviews . . . be nice *begs* PLEASE! And bear with it. I'm pretty sure it'll get a whole lot better. I hope so! o_0*
Oh yeah, I don't own Beyblade. That's the one *sobs* so off we go!
Kai: It was still pretty long.
Sherby: Shut up -_-* Oh, just to say, that things in little squiggles like this ~see I'm in little squiggles~ are thoughts or flashes - I'm not saying flash forwards or flash backs 'cause there are gonna be quite a lot and I'm attempting to confuse you. Things in //two slashes// like that are lyrics. Stupid lack of italics on ff.net . . .
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Chapter One: A New Regime
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~"Do it! You know it's right."
"No . . . I can't!"
"Just do it. You know it's the only way . . .please. If you do this, things'll work out like we planned. It'll all be over. No more darkness. No more fighting. Death is the answer here. Death will bring life."
"I know, but . . . I can't . . . it's not . . ."
"Come on!"
"No, I . . ."
"Do it. Just get it over with. "
"Please . . . please don't make me . . ."
"REI! KILL ME!"~
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"Is it safe now?"
A soft, trembling voice cut through the pitch obscurity that shrouded all around, shivering through the bitter atmosphere as faintly as the moon shone through the grey clouds collected above. A night so cold and crisp as this one should merit a clear, definite deep blue sky, but outside the air was misted with heavy fumes, toxic black in shade, thick yet hollow. And with it, the mist carried sounds, echoes of battles storming through the night, the despondency weighted with tormented, desperate cries for release and tempestuous roars - the sounds of the Rage.
"I don't know."
The other voice replied in a whisper, as if to quieten the companion, and the sound of a match striking rough scratched through their ears. A tiny flame was kindled, protected by a fearful hand, and eventually, two blue eyes glimmered in the reflection.
"It sounds so quiet out there. It might be over now."
The owner of the match held up the flame, moving his hand from around it and letting the tiny circles of light radiate a little more, and a young, freckled blond was revealed, with puckish features and a once merry face. He glanced at his companion nervously before moving.
The two had been squatting under a stack of crates for at least an hour now - hiding in one of the boxes that had been turned on its side and had no lid. This was one of the only safe places they knew - a small warehouse in the middle of the city, where little was suspected because supervision was so highly charged. The warehouse had a ground floor and a kind of balcony that acted as a first about thirty metres above ground, but it was generally safer to remain low in these dark days. A thin veneer of powdery dust layered the dark wooden floor; the whole place looked as though it had been coated in one giant spider's web, lilted in a random fashion and splayed over every object available. When the four small windows were blocked, as they usually were, the dust was less noticeable, but now, with the blockages ripped away, the fading light of the moon occasionally gathered enough strength to expose the knitted webs, and they sparkled in the rarity. A cough tickled at Max's throat, but it was impossible for him to give in to it. That might give the game away.
Max moved out from inside the box, his tremulous hands barely able to keep their grip upon the precious match. It was one of the only few left in his set. Glancing about in the thickness, the match lit up little but told Max that the warehouse was empty once more.
"Lindsay, you can come out now."
They had almost been attacked earlier. That explained the window blockages being torn apart so savagely. The revealing moonlight, dying as it was, desperate in its search, made Max uneasy. It showed too much. They could hide in the darkness.
Max turned, and, in the fading glow of his match, watched his companion emerge cautiously from the crate, looking about behind her thick spectacles, her green eyes occasionally glittering when the lacking light reached her eyes. Lindsay was a very new member to the group - shy, and rather hesitant at first, but a survivor none the less. That in itself was enough to impress Max. She pulled herself to her feet, and Max surveyed her quickly.
"You okay?"
The girl nodded, and Max could just make out her brown, extremely curly hair bobbing as she did so. She was taller than he was by a good three inches, with a pleasantly curvy build and a pretty smile. Of course, this was difficult to see now. Hardly anybody smiled in times as these, where the dawn of the morning was merely the start of the preparation to survive the death of the light.
Lindsay brushed herself off, getting particularly annoyed at one spot of dust that would not remove itself from her upper thigh, no matter how hard she brushed. Max sighed, wanting to smile in amusement but not finding the will to do so.
"We need to find the others."
Lindsay looked up from where she was rubbing her leg, surprise written across her face. "You're sure the Rage is ended?"
The Rage. As darkness was born upon the city, the buildings becoming obscure black silhouettes in the purple mist, out they would come, flowing through the city as water, washing up every human they could find and tearing them away with spiteful claws. Most had the sense to hide - safely, indoors, hoping desperately that they would not be found, that they could just cling on until dawn . . . just a couple more hours . . .
At the end of the day, when the glow of the sun was finally put out, when the safe brightness of day was chained away, when the darkness fell, they were released. Their shadows stalked the streets, flashing teeth and claws and squeezing the heart with fear. The beasts came to life. And nowhere was safe.
Max pondered for a moment, stopping and looking down at his hands.
~"How did all of this happen?"~
He couldn't answer himself - no one could answer that question. Everything had gone berserk. The electricity cut seemed to have sparked the whole thing off - power across the main countries and suppliers in the world had gone out about three months ago, dropping the entire population into pandemonium. People had simply begun to run - to where they did not know. Scientists and doctors, baffled by this inexplicable black out, had frantically tried to fix the problem before sundown.
And then darkness had fallen . . .
That first night . . . that first Rage . . .
Max shook his head, the tears suddenly collected in his blue eyes being shaken away by sheer will power. He glanced up into the green eyes of Lindsay.
"Come on, Max. If we're going, we should go while it's still quiet."
He nodded in agreement, his stomach suddenly panging for that rare necessity; food. Only scraps were available for humans now, usually hard fought for or hard searched for. Everything was so different - every move a fight, a grasp at survival.
Max turned, and was about to lead the way out of the warehouse when he was interrupted by an unexpected smash. He glanced up, his eyes round in anticipation and fear, as thousands of shards, both large and small, clattered to the floor as an icy waterfall, glittering in the moon's pale glow and throwing up a pile of dust in its wake. He turned back to Lindsay before even looking back up at the window; that broken barrier of jagged tendrils no longer keeping out what they were desperate to hide from.
"Lindsay, get back in the crate!"
He yelled it almost too late, and just as the two of them dove into their shelter there was another terrible smashing sound, the tingles of the glass splintering across the wooden floor chilling Max's spine as he closed his eyes in fear. Across from him, shivering, Lindsay attempted to quieten her shaking breaths, terrified of giving their haven away. All that stood between them and an almost certain death was a flimsy shield of crate.
Their feet could be heard, shifting along the floor, claws grating and scratching the cold floor disturbingly. Their breaths, cold and harsh and raspy, drove through the chilled air, and Max could imagine the frost rings gathering before their leathery nostrils. He knew what awaited them. It was simply a matter of time.
More and more footsteps. Max held his breath tentatively, listening with a weary sort of fear to his heart attempting to escape his chest, banging relentlessly upon his rib cage as the horrible sound of the footsteps grew ever closer. His throat was dry. He couldn't swallow. Soundless movements like blinking seemed off limits, just in case a single movement could be heard, sensed somehow by what lurked beyond the wall of wood protecting them. He glanced over at Lindsay, unable to see her in the dark, yet feeling oddly comforted knowing there was someone else with him. More bangs and crashes from outside told him that the Rage was not over yet. And they were caught right in the middle of it.
Lindsay looked towards the exit of their box. It was usually shrouded by a piece of black material, but now with a sinking heart she realised that it was gone. Now they were not only open to the threat stalking only metres away - but they were cornered. And the two eyes peering in at her merely re- emphasized what she had been thinking.
~"I'm going to die."~
The black eyes, somehow alight in the darkness of the room, narrowed, the pupils becoming single slits and the whole iris clouding into an indistinguishable pitch. Lindsay held back a scream, biting her tongue as hard as she could, drawing blood but knowing that if she screamed the game was up. She merely held her breath, her green eyes, only slightly visible in the enclosing darkness of the room, fixed upon those black ones watching she and Max hungrily.
She heard a slight gasp from Max's side of the crate, and knew that he had seen their watcher. He hadn't meant to gasp, but sometimes the human will is not strong enough to conquer the human instinct. She took a quick glance back out, noticing with a falling feeling that the eyes had lit some more. They moved closer, and Lindsay heard that sound that she had dreaded for so long - the breathing, so close, right in front of her, echoing within her mind, the air breezing about her face as the creature moved in for the kill. She shut her eyes. She could not find it within herself to watch.
The crate suddenly shook as the beast's head hit the ceiling. Max snapped open his own eyes in disbelief as the glowing eyes shrank from view, a furious cry emitting from its fanged jaws. He watched, shaking, as it completely withdrew from their haven, and it became safe once more. Human voices could be heard.
Max scrambled from his cross-legged position, adrenaline pumping furiously throughout his body, and poked his head out. He could merely see silhouettes, black, evanescent glimpses, huge shapes, moving and growling, and then smaller shapes, moving more quickly, flitting, inky stains against the inkier backdrop.
Max thought quickly. He knew that those who had come would be better advantaged in the light. Without thinking about how dangerous this was, he threw himself to his feet and ran the short distance that most who inhabited the warehouse knew by memory to the stairs. He grabbed the banister shakily, knowing that each step he took may be his last, and launched himself up the flight of about twenty-one metal, rickety steps. They'd all done this in the dark many times. It was essential to be able to move without seeing. Practise had made perfect.
He reached the balcony quickly, his sure footsteps making a quick job of the staircase. His feet clanked on the floor as he pounded along the landing, his left hand glued to the metal banister as he flew towards his destination. All below him were the cruel sounds of fighting. The occasional metal clinging, angry roars and cries, and what he hated most - human emotions. All of them familiar. Each of them sharp as daggers, forcing him to run faster and faster as more desperation channelled through his veins.
He finally got there. He rounded a corner and turned into a small room, invisible to those watching from below. It was tiny, and, set into the back of the room, was a flame. A huge torch, set in its holster in the wall, just small enough for Max to get his hands around, with a massive flame burning brightly at the top. He squinted for a moment, his eyes not accustomed to the light, the warmth a refreshing treat, and then he fastened his hands about the metal holder, making sure his grip was tight. He couldn't afford to drop this flame. He gazed at it; secure in his grasp, before turning and exiting the tiny, well-hidden room.
He turned onto the long balcony, which stretched the full length and width of the warehouse, hugging the walls, and he ran, knowing what to do. Briefly he wondered if Lindsay was all right, feeling a little guilty for leaving her. But he knew there were those who would protect her now. He could trust them. He had to.
He reached the first point, and gingerly lifted the flame into the air, its kindle surrounded by wavering circles, made up of thousands of delicate, intricate lines of yellow and red, sparkling, the only real light source in the blackness of the shelter. The moon did not count. The moon was so weak now, penetrated by dozens of thick clouds and smog that the light from the moon was no more than its own shadow. A shadow of a shadow. Max tilted the torch, and lit the first lamp. It hung from the wall in a metal chamber, and he could hear people below praising him and yelling in gratitude as now they could see their adversaries. With a determined smile, Max moved to the next lamp. All had small compartments of gas beneath them, and so could burn for hours if necessary. Hopefully that wasn't the case here. Max longed for the dawn more than ever, and as he ran, he kept glancing out at the jet sky, hoping to see just some sign of a more natural light. That was their biggest advantage. Their enemy feared the sun.
He finally reached the last lamp and lit it proudly, and, glancing back around the room, was pleased to find that the area was much more lit up now. He could see his allies down below, but his heart sank once again when he saw what they were up against.
Six. Six beasts, all huge, manufactured bit-beasts, inexplicable creatures, wild and savage, with a fierce blood lust glimmering in their eyes, their dark, macabre colours towering over the rags that his friends were tattered in. They were littered about the place, and now that Max could see where the cries were coming from, he was even more disturbed. Somehow, not knowing had been just a little more safe. Now he could see, and he found he didn't want to.
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Lindsay watched as the room lit up gradually. She could just about see the flitting form of Max as he darted along the top balcony, and she smiled. She wished she could think so quickly, but had decided it was safer inside the crate. She was no warrior. Not like the others. She had to stay.
She could see everything that was happening. Watching was almost as bad as taking part. Familiar faces flickered in and out of the beasts, determination written across their faces as they fought. She could see their weapons now, not the typical weapons of twentieth century war that she had been used to seeing on the television. They had been taken - all used in those first couple of days of darkness. No electricity meant that no more weapons could be mass-produced. There were no batteries. There were no plugs. People had been forced to turn to other measures.
A spear flew past Lindsay's face, and she scurried a little further back into the crate. She hated this. Being new to the group, she lacked the training the other members had. She couldn't fight like they could. She would only hinder them if she tried.
She watched as two people darted past the crate, and now she couldn't resist poking her head out to see what was going on. Was her side winning?
Before she could get her head out, the crate shook tremendously, and she screamed, not being able to hold it in this time, as the crate skidded across the floor, propelled by some massive external force. She splayed her hands, squeezing her eyes shut and pressing against the walls of the crate. The movement decreased, and she opened her green eyes again, only to widen them in terror as a massive bit beast crashed violently towards the crate, sending pieces of wood splintering as its tail slammed into another wooden box nearby. Her hands rose up and she covered her head, and somehow managed to dive a little further away before the beast landed upon her own shelter.
"Help!"
She heard herself crying out in terror, though she didn't understand how. Nothing made sense in that split second, when she fully expected to be crushed by the beast - but wasn't.
~"What? How?"~
She looked up, trembling beyond belief, at the two figures before her. Glimpses of their legs could be seen through their tattered clothing, the occasional scratches and tiny trickles of blood marring the pale skin. Two spears had been rammed vertically into the hide of the beast, its black fur coated with flecks of scarlet drippings. It had fallen into the spears, which were being held fast by their owners. Lindsay stumbled to her feet, afraid that her haven had been shattered and scattered, but reassured that someone knew she was there and had helped her. Part of her still didn't believe that she was alive. She watched her two rescuers as they stepped aside, letting go their spears and allowing the beast, a huge hairy black mess, to fall lifeless to the ground with a titanic thud. The dust rose in massive, thick clouds and for a moment, Lindsay covered her face, not allowing the stale scent of the web to enter her body. She removed her hand as the dust cleared, still aware of the vicious fighting all around her, and looked upon the faces of her rescuers.
The one on the right smiled. She tended to like him better. He moved towards her as the other, the stronger boy, turned away to return to the fighting. Beasts flew about them wildly, and Lindsay looked at the boy with the black hair.
"Aren't you fighting?"
He nodded. "Yeah. But I have to make sure you're out of the way first, Linz."
Lindsay smiled wonkily. She didn't know this lad well, but she got on with him when she saw him. He was tall, and looked striking at the moment because of the huge rip in his red, black and white yin-yang bandanna, allowing his obsidian blue bangs to fall about his bright amber eyes. He had a bit of a bloodied nose and his white shirt, ripped open from the centre and hanging loosely about his body, revealed a few gashes upon his toned upper chest. His long legs were clothed in blue trousers that had been ripped to shreds. Still, he didn't seem too bothered by it, and he took her by the shoulders, walking her, in the dim light, to the stairs, grabbing another spear from the hooks on the wall.
"Go up there. Stay up there. Don't come down until it's over."
Lindsay nodded, her heart still pounding obscurely. She started to make her way awkwardly up the stairs - she didn't know them as well as the others did, and they were rather rickety. Half way up, she turned, and found that the boy was watching her to make sure she got up there safely.
"Um . . . what's your name again? Rei?"
The lad nodded. "Yup."
"Thanks, Rei."
Rei laughed, and to Lindsay, it seemed a little hysterical. Possibly because he was still in the middle of battle; she didn't know. "Okay, Lindsay."
"Be careful."
"Will do."
Rei turned at the same time as she did, and as she made her way up the stairs, he lifted his spear, resting it upon his shoulders with skill and moving towards the other boy who had saved Lindsay. He was deeply involved in what he was doing - as a warrior should be. His face, covered at the moment in dirt mixed with a few flicks of crimson, was set in a growl as he swiped his body out of the way of the claws of another creature by ramming his spear into the ground and swinging around it. Rei watched his friend as he spun about full circle and rammed his boot into the creature's face as he returned, crying out fervently as he did so. It backed off, growling, a deep cut above its left eye. This beast was more threatening than the others - no fur, but scales, and not black but red. Deep scarlet, the occasional tint of blue tingeing its scales. Its eyes were bright blue, sparking vibrantly, reflecting the flames from above in their depth. It was a good ten feet high, maybe more; it was impossible to tell in the weak light. Its head stretched up on its long, thin neck, and its arms were long and clawing, like tree branches reaching out into the night - black silhouettes beyond the fields. Its legs were long too, stout, like pillars, and the whole creature itself, when it rose up to its full height, was terrifying. It could only be described as a dragon. Two huge wings, oddly thin and wiry, sprouted from its back and it stretched them to their full arch, creating a shadow almost as terrifying as the real beast.
Rei watched as his friend landed from the kick and snatched his spear from the floor. He raised it high with his well defined arms and, with another cry, hurled the spear forward, hitting the mark and slashing it straight into the beast's chest. It stumbled backwards for a second; roaring and writhing in pain, each time a foot connecting with the floor the whole warehouse seeming to shake. The boy drew out a small knife from within his tattered clothing. He was generally odd looking - black combat trousers, ripped at the knees, no shoes, and a black shirt which had also been ripped open viciously to expose both old scars and fresh wounds upon his toned chest. Striking, shrewd brown eyes lit up his otherwise dark yet pale face, the frame mostly shadowed by obscure bangs of cloudy grey hair hanging over his features. The occasional flash of a silver earring glittered in his left ear, and the remains of some sort of scarf hung limply around his neck, its ragged shreds whipping about the boy as he moved so easily about the warehouse.
The boy watched as the beast stumbled backwards, a slight grin on his face. He hated those dragon creatures. Stubborn things. It fell with one final roar, its body crashing into the dust and laying still, its life leaking out in some strange sort of satisfaction. The lad turned, a tiny path of blood carving its way through the centre of his eyes and down his nose, sloping off and tracing down his right cheek, mixing with some blood from another gash and forming little runlets of bright red against the dirty background. He grinned at Rei, who nodded back, and turned.
He was just in time to see another of the dragons, already in flight and swooping as a bat across the gloom of the warehouse, stretch its claws and drop down at a sickening pace, wrapping its sharp talons about another member of the group and lifting him into the air mercilessly, squeezing its claws and so wrenching the air out of the boy. He managed a slight yell but then fell to digging his own nails into the giant feet of the creature.
Rei yelled out quickly as the serpent passed over his head, knowing that it was essential to take down the creature before it harmed the boy. There was already too few of them by now. They couldn't allow their number to drop. Besides . . .
"Kai! Kai look! It's got Tyson!"
He called out at the top of his voice whilst taking aim with his spear. Allowing himself a quick look back, his friend, Kai, the boy with the grey hair and the dark eyes, had already found himself another spear and was yelling orders to other members of the team. In that moment, Rei was glad that someone as reliable and quick thinking as Kai Hiwatari was in charge of this operation. His deep, powerful voice demanded respect and quick attention as it resounded towards the other end of the warehouse.
"Arrows! Where are you? Get up here!"
He called his orders deftly, and immediately two or three arrows shot through the air towards the creature. They pierced its hide, but were not nearly enough to take the vile thing down. It merely carried on flying, still squeezing the unfortunate boy in its grasp. Tiny droplets of blood could be seen cascading from the dragon's grasp, and Kai, leaping onto the stairs, noticed this with a heavy heart.
~"Tyson . . ."~
He darted up the stairs with a speed and urgency he rarely used, barging past a young girl without a single apology when he pushed her into the banister.
"More arrows!" he yelled desperately, waving a hand, keeping his deep brown eyes on the creature and dragging his feet onwards. He was surprised to see a spear ram itself into the side of the animal, but he knew that it was still not enough. These things had to be hit in the right place. He was closer now - he could see the paling face of his companion as the creature still tightened its grip, forcing every inch of life out of him. It flew along steadily, about two metres below the first floor of the warehouse.
"Someone get below it!" he yelled as he pulled something off the wall briskly, "Follow it! Get ready!"
He shook his pale hair out of his dramatically contrasting eyes, and listened for a second to the sound of his own footsteps, light as they were, padding along the metal floor. Glancing down, he saw that Rei and a few others had gathered below. He could still see the archers, a fiery redhead and a female brunette, volleying the creature with all their worth. There was only one other beast alive in the warehouse now, and some others were already upon it. He noted with a smile that Max was one of these. Max was becoming a fine warrior.
He tightened his grip on the glinting sword that he had pulled from its sheath on the wall. Weapons were littered all about this warehouse; all hooked up to the walls, available with no inconvenience, just how he liked it. His russet glare still didn't move from the creature, and he could see his team following it below, like its alter ego, its constant companion, never faltering, never flinching, never relenting.
He ran. His feet made so little noise on the flooring that the creature never heard him coming, and he gained on it very quickly. He was trained to do things like this. It didn't frighten him. Not much did. His nose wrinkling in a scowl, Kai grabbed the banister with his left hand and propelled himself into the air, flying over the rail and right off the first floor level, dropping through the air like a silver bullet.
Kai watched as the dragon - and his friend - flew closer rapidly, and he tightened his grip further on the large silver sword he wielded. It was actually his favourite - a beautiful gold handle, engraved with the head of an eagle, and the blade itself, polished silver, sharp, splitting, and lethal. His hair blew out of his eyes as he dropped, and then, when the right moment came, he lashed out with the sword, his own body spinning to get the right force behind the blade strike.
It connected, and a gusset of blood vomited from the creature's foot. The leathery skin split cruelly, and the brute gave out a cry of agony, releasing its grasp on the almost unconscious young boy and letting him go. He fell through the air - as did Kai - spiralling towards the ground at a dizzying rate.
Kai didn't bother shutting his eyes. He trusted his team well enough to know that this would hurt - but not too much. He merely watched as the beast grew smaller and smaller - and then he felt the thud of collision with his trusty teammates. They hit the floor with the force of their Captain and his head walloped against the wood harder than he would have liked. He rolled over a few times and then lay still for a moment, getting his breath back. He heard the clink of his sword as it whammed into the floor, and pushed himself up on his arms.
"You okay, Kai?" came a voice, and he looked up to see Lee, another old friend of his, grinning at him as he prepared a spear to lob at the hovering, wailing monster. Blood rained down amongst them, and the majority were now covered in a mix of their own blood and that of the dragon. Kai nodded, allowing his bangs to once more fall into his eyes, and then forcing himself to his feet. Looking up he saw that the torrent of arrows had not given up yet, and were still piercing the creature from all over relentlessly.
"Tala, keep on it!" Kai yelled to the redheaded archer as he moved towards where Max and two others were taking down the other creature. "It's a sure win for us!"
He was right. The warehouse was decorated with the dead bodies of four beasts, and as Kai walked away, he heard the pleasant thud of another one literally biting the dust.
~"That makes five . . ."~
It was rare for the humans to win so easily, with so few casualties. Against six manufactured bit-beasts? Certainly, they had been the weaker of the bit-beasts, but Kai had been expecting more of his team to have been ripped apart. They'd suffered so little . . .
"Crap - Tyson!"
He turned again, back towards where the flying beast had finally succumbed to the volley of sharp, glittering arrows, and moved quickly to where his friend had fallen. Rei and two other girls had caught him successfully, and were silently examining three nasty looking gashes stretching across his ribs. The boy, Tyson, was only young - fourteen years of age - but was an experienced fighter and a good friend of Kai's. He had a bubbly, round face and was one of those admirable people who never gave up smiling.
Kai knelt down beside Rei. "Tyson, can you hear me?"
Tyson, his head cradled by one of the other girls of the group, nodded, his dark blue fringe flopping into his eyes weakly.
"Yeah . . ." he answered with a smile. "Just give me a minute to . . .to rest my head . . ."
Rei smiled, a little uneasy about those gashes but knowing there were more important things to do right now. He glanced over at his Captain before standing and moving away, across this blood soaked battle scene, over to where Max threw the final spear and brought the last plague to its knees.
"Good job, everyone, but we need to get this place sorted quickly! They can still come back before the dawn!"
He stopped right in the middle of the two archers. One of them, Tala, he knew very well. They had been friends back in the days of simple Beyblading. Now, in these times of manufactured bit-beasts, things were no longer just a game. In Beyblading, a bit-beast had purely been a tool, a sidekick to help win a battle. They had been called out only in essence - they couldn't simply emerge of their own will and they couldn't separate themselves from the bit - the chamber in which they were contained. Things were different now. The beasts didn't need to emerge. They controlled themselves.
Two or three months after the Blade-Breakers had won the World Championships in Moscow, things had started to lose control. Boris Balkov - a Russian masochist and scientific genius - had begun to develop his own 'cyber beasts', as he called them - beasts that no longer needed to be released by a human, nor had to remain a part of the beyblade. And at first he had remained in control - monitoring every move, watching each and every step of progress made - until he finally created a beast that could survive on its own, without the bit, without the master. So Boris continued creating more and more of these cyber beasts, until he literally had a whole throng of them, all caged up in a laboratory in the capital of Russia.
Then had come the black out.
No longer confined in their electrically guarded cell, the beasts had escaped from their lodging in Moscow, and moved into the wild. No sight had been seen of them until that first night.
No one liked to think about that first night.
The months had passed by slowly - too slowly for Rei's liking. Survival had become some sort of twisted competition - it was as though now it were the bit beasts playing with the humans. The tables had been turned - turned with a vicious intent, and a malicious outcome.
Mass execution.
Rei didn't even know what had happened to his friends, his family. They had just gone. He knew that the beasts had taken them - whether it was for food or for some sort of twisted pleasure, they had been taken. These monsters were not merely animals. They could think. They knew what they were doing. Their wildness was not amoral. It was immoral. The creatures were wicked and they knew it. They were not killing for survival, or for safety. They were killing because they could. And that was what made Rei hate these beings even more.
Of course, there were still good beasts, to speak in simple terms. The beasts of the bladers, for example, had remained true to their masters. And they could even still be drawn upon, to fight and to help. But it had been stated and agreed with that the original bit beasts should only be used in occasions where no other option was available - as a last ditch resort. Original bit beasts could still be destroyed, and such a massive source of power could not be thrown away so lightly.
Rei glanced at Tala and smiled. Tala, tall and wiry, with flaming red hair and piercing, unnerving ice eyes, was the most experienced archer on the team, and was a great ally. His companion was a young, pretty girl named Sara - a little ditzy but a good archer none the less. She had only been part of the team for a month or so, and Tala had taken her under his wing upon seeing that she had the potential to be a great archer. They had to train each other up to survive. They had to be able to rely on each other as much as Kai had relied on his team to catch him when he had leaped over the balcony rail.
Upon seeing Sara, Rei immediately looked for her curvy companion, Jenny. The two were inseparable, and Jenny was the odd sort of person who had been naturally good at thinking up strategies and new fighting plans. She was not outstanding in the fighting area, but could hold her own given a spear or a sword. She got on particularly well with Kai, and the two often spent hours together pouring over maps of the city, marking out safe spots and routes to get there if necessary.
"Where's Jen, Sara?"
Sara lowered her bow, placing it back on the strap on her back where it belonged, and then turned away, her dark brown hair glistening in the fire light. She was very tanned, almost olive-skinned, and just a little shorter than Rei (and a lot shorter than Tala). Rei looked at Tala questioningly, and Tala merely made a painful face. The penny dropped a little too harshly for Rei, and he sighed.
"Don't tell me they got her. Don't."
Sara still didn't turn around, and Rei closed his eyes, shaking his head, annoyed and upset. He'd had no idea. He hadn't been particularly close to the girl, but he always got so annoyed when they lost a member of the team. They needed all the support they could get.
"Where?"
"Just outside," answered Tala in his strong accent, his deep voice still steady, "When we were coming back to help. We heard the Rage coming in here, and so we all rushed in to aid. I guess Jen just got caught up in the fighting outside."
Rei exhaled sharply, wrinkling his nose to show his emotions, and ran a hand through his hair. He then turned briskly, moving back towards his Captain, who was helping Tyson to his feet. The lad seemed to know what was going on, and just looked a little pale now. His wounds needed bandaging, but that was about all. He was lucky to have escaped so easily.
"Kai," snapped Rei as he approached his leader, who was currently brushing the dust off his trousers, "Jenny's dead."
Kai stopped brushing and looked up. "You serious?"
Rei nodded, looking a little sadder now. "Just outside, apparently."
Kai's face paled, and he felt his stomach tingeing. He and Jenny had been close friends. He'd only known her for what? Two months? Maybe not even that. How was it fair that people who were so close could just be ripped apart in a matter of minutes? Now he'd lost contact with another over this black ocean; how many more would he have to let go? There was too much noise in his ears, and suddenly he felt like he was in an old photograph, back from the start. There was no future - only a repeat of the past. No tomorrow - only a re-run of yesterday.
He sighed, looking down at the ground for a moment, thinking about too many things.
"Let's make sure she's the last, Kai," said Rei quietly, making sure that no one else was within hearing distance, "Let's lose no more to this new regime."
Kai nodded, although he looked very sceptical, and Rei agreed. There was no chance of that. There were no happy endings here. They'd all just keep fighting till they died, keep fighting till they were singled out, until there was no one else to rely on. Looking at Kai, he could tell his Captain felt the same. Hopeless. This was a pointless fight.
"You won't give up, right Kai?"
"No."
"You promise?"
There was a short silence, interrupted by the nearby sounds of people clearing the place up by the firelight. Windows were quickly being boarded with the broken crate splinters that matted the floor. The bodies of the beasts could be used later, either for fuel or for food. They would simply be salted for preservation and kept in a clean place.
Kai looked up with half a smile. "Sure. As long as you don't either."
"Like I would."
Rei walked away with a grin and started to help with the clear up. Kai singled out Sara with his sharp eyes, and decided it was best to let her alone for a while. She was sitting on the bottom stair of the flight, turning an arrow over and over in her hands and saying something to herself.
"Kai?"
Kai blinked, snapped out of his reverie, and turned to see a young, curly haired girl smiling up at him nervously. He was the tallest member there, and so everyone looked up to him, but he didn't like people to feel nervous. She obviously was.
"Yeah?" he uttered, barely bothering to answer. The girl looked a little uncertain, her green eyes flickering behind her oval spectacles.
"Just to say thanks. For saving me earlier. You and Rei - you guys did a great job."
Kai watched her for a second, attempting to remember what he had done.
"Uh-huh. Is it Lindsay?"
"It . . . it is."
"You need to learn to fight, Lindsay."
Lindsay's face paled drastically. She looked very embarrassed. "Oh . . . I know. It's just that---"
"No excuses. Meet me outside at twelve noon. Bring a spear."
Lindsay frowned. She hated this. This stupid, hopeless situation that they were stuck in. They needed help. And she knew that she wasn't the only one thinking it. Only she couldn't think of a way out. Fervently hoping that someone else would think of something, Lindsay glanced out of the window, watching the blue-grey clouds that were covering the moon's radiance and sighing desperately. How she longed for sunlight.
How she longed for the dawn.
//So you think that I could ride this wave all the way through?
So you think that I could just stand here with nothing to hold on to?
I can feel it, it's breaking, it's coming down,
It's crashing down from up high,
Can't see it, it's too big, too fast . . . //
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Sherby: ;_; *sobs* Not liking at all. Not at all. Initial idea not coming out well. Hmm . . . well, it's up to you guys. It's your place to tell me whether I should carry this on. I shouldn't have opened with a filling in chapter like that. Oh well. I'm not gonna get all upset about it like I did War 5, cause that was just pointless. Just tell me how you feel (please don't compare it to War, I've already done that and it's already depressing me . . .) and tell me whether I should continue. I'm really feeling not good over this. I suppose the next chapter would be more exciting. I'm planning big battles etc - and I've already kind of got an ending planned . . . just don't know what's going in between. Lol. Well, not lol. More like hmm. I think if you let me get going on this, it'll get better. Be honest with me and I'll not get offended if you say this is crap - coz if you ask me it's---
Kai: Shut up, you always do this!
Sherby: Can't help it! I'm a bit depressed coz I already killed myself off, too! Lol.
Kai: Just tell her she's good.
Sherby: No, be honest.
Kai: She's delirious. It's 03:03 am. She isn't thinking straight. She wants praise.
Sherby: *tears* Shhhh! I want honesty! I wanna write better! I wanna make a story that's just as good as War if not better but that isn't a complete rip off!
Kai: I think you wanna sleep.
Sherby: Yes. *climbs into bed and sleeps wearily*
Kai: *whispers* Well, read and review, people. And be nice! She's trying, she really is! Poor Jen *points and laughs* Oh, if only we were all cool like me. Oh, just so you know, Jen says the lyrics were from "The Endings" by Blindside. She likes them a lot. Now do like she says and review - and BE HONEST! ! ! ! ! ! ! !