THE
THREE KEYS
Part
One: The Key of Spirit
Chapter
7: Unknowing Traitor
"Stop!" yelled GWB as he entered the exhibit hall. Drac turned
to face him. "The Key is gone, you fool. Someone reached it
before us." The other agents looked around. Indeed, the Key had
disappeared, and the only clue was a silky strand-like web that led to the right
of the exhibit. "Spyder," Drac said out loud. "He
took the Key!"
The agents started to run, but GWB held them back with a laugh. "Wait
a minute... you mean to tell me that your own people are conspiring against
you?!" Drac looked angrily at GWB. "So it seems. But
no matter! I shall tell Soddom of Spyder's treachery!" He
started to leave when a strange gray mist entered the room. Drac stopped
in his tracks.
The physical form of the samurai warrior stared intently at the ground, his hand
at his sheath ready to attack. A strange voice filled the air.
"I am the Fallen Warrior, an ancient demon hunter from feudal Japan.
I have come to pass judgment on the oni known as Corpsefire. Prepare
yourself, foul demon!" Drac began to shake and convulse. His
face began to light up and his voice turned into that of the sinister Corpsefire.
"You will never take me, He Without A Name. For ages you have
searched for me, but I will not give up this soul! It is too powerful for
anyone else to have!" A great red mist filled the air. When it
dissipated, Dracatron was gone. The Fallen Warrior turned to the agents,
still in shock over what happened. "I will not rest until the demon
is conquered. We will meet again, brave warriors." He departed
in a shroud of smoke.
GWB shook his head. "Am I dreaming? Did I see what I think I
saw?" The other agents were just as confused. Shadow was the
first to speak up. "Shouldn't we be after the Key?" GWB
nodded, and the agents ran in the direction of the webbing. When they
turned the corner, they met up with the surprised expressions of Spyder, Fury,
and Khalm standing in front of a window.
"What are they doing here?" rasped Spyder. He lunged at GWB, who
kicked the creature in the face, sending Spyder crashing through the window.
"Fury, come with us. We're your friends!" GWB shouted
desperately. Fury looked to his brother for advice. "It's okay.
Give me the Key, and return with your friends," Khalm said. Fury
handed over the Pharaoh Serpent as Khalm began to laugh maniacally. He
jumped out the window as GWB fired on him. The agents ran over to the
window, but nothing was there. No Spyder. No Khalm.
"Damn it," Ness said as he punched the wall. "We were so
close!" GWB looked at Fury, who was still in a trance.
"Fury!" he yelled, and the agent sprang to life. "Who?
What? Why? What happened?" GWB put his hands on his
forehead. "You just handed over the Second Key to the enemy!"
Fury looked oddly at GWB. "Oh? That! I gave the Key to my
brother. Soddom needs to awaken Bagan to save the world. We
shouldn't be stopping him!" GWB slapped him. "Do you know
you've been duped, ya big goof ball?" He headed for the nearby
staircase. "Where are we going?" UG90 asked. "We're
heading home," Deathwing replied. "Without the Key, we've
failed."
-------------------
The plane landed half an hour ahead of schedule. It was the next day, and
GWB couldn't wait to get to his old room. He had already told Drag and the
others what happened, and he was sure that no one would be in a good mood for
some time. As he exited the plane, he noted the familiar drop ship to his
right and had a sinking feeling in his gut.
The main entrance to the facility opened and Drag, Fudge, G64, and Awsome 1 were
the first to greet the returning agents. "How was your flight?"
G64 asked. "Shut it," GWB replied as he looked glaringly at
Fury. "What's with the ship parked on the south tip?"
"That would be my ship," Rampage said as he walked out the door behind
Drag and the others. GWB looked angry. "You son of a bitch.
It's been a while." Rampage walked up to GWB with his hand extended.
"It's been too long."
Suddenly, GWB punched the General in the face. "Not long
enough," he muttered as he stormed into the base. Rampage rubbed his
chin. "The kid's still got it. Guess he's still angry about our
last mission together." UG90 walked up to the General.
"Pardon me, sir, but what exactly happened between you two?"
Rampage stared down at the young agent. "I can't disclose any
details. Let's just say something went wrong, people blamed other people,
and friendships were ended." Awsome 1 interrupted Rampage.
"That's a nice story, but we've got more important things to deal with.
Fury's been 'hypnotized,' we only have one of the Keys, and we have no idea
where the third Key is." Ness looked around. "Well, can we
discuss this over dinner? I'm starving!"
