darkSpyro

Varedis saw the lab rearing up in front of him, "Well, we're back, where's the welcome party?"

"Hopefully there isn't one" Kihei said as he looked around "Xander, where do think your brother is?"

"They kept us locked up separately, but chances are after we busted out, he got moved to maximum security." Xander said, as he looked at the building's exterior, trying to gauge the easiest way to get in.

"We may jussst have to use our powerssss to fight, if we need to." Bimcal replied.

"Maximum security has to be in the center of the compound" Kihei said "But how should we go in?"

"I am sssslim, sssso sssslithering through ventsss isss easssy." Bimcal hissed thoughtfully.

Lia smiled and pulled a small crystal container out of her bag. She opened it to reveal a fine golden powder. She sprinkled some on a leaf and it slowly grew longer and rounder before transforming into a golden snake. Lia hissed a few words and the snake left in the direction of the others.

"I know you'll have a hard time believing this, but this buff ol' doberman is pretty good at fitting through vents, too." Xander boasted, taking another puff from the cigarette. "Speaking of which, it looks like the outdoor security cameras have a blind spot right by that vent."

"Then lets go through there" Kihei said

Ki was awe-struck "That was incredible!" He said

The snake slithered up to the other group. It stared at them.

Lia smiled. "Wait until it gets back."

Bimcal looked at the golden snake, "Why hello."

The snake slithered closer to Bimcal. It hissed softly.

Bimcal was curious about this serpent.

The golden snake spoke in the language of snakes. "Hello."

(Only Bimcal can understand?)

*Pretty much yeah. Snaaaaakes*

(... with wings. )

"You speak Serpentine?" Bimcal hissed in said language.

Kihei was puzzled by the foreign conversation that was going on next to him

"What do you mean by that Lia?" Ki asked

"He's talking to the snake, isn't he?" Xander asked the others, in a somewhat resigned voice.

Varedis groaned, and began reaching around in his bag, pulling out a ring, putting it on, he was able to understand their conversation as clearly as if they were speaking english, but as if they were speaking english through an old radio, he could still hear them though.

"I guess so" Kihei said, not really knowing what was going on

"They haven't said anything so far, so either my ring is broken, or they aren't talking, but their always hissing," groaned Varedis.

"I'm a snake of course I do!" the snake said. "I will help you free the person in this building."

"Thanks," Bimcal replied in Serpentine, but then blinked, he too had spoken that language, and he hadn't even known it, "must be instinct or something."

He then turned to the others, "Our new friend can help ussss out."

Nearby in the research facility, things looked bleak for the third brother, \his frame trapped in a metallic room, his hands bound behind his back with sophisticated power-binding technology.

"Oh, Alexander, I am so... disappointed in you..."

The figure before him was an older woman, probably in her late fifties, with unnaturally grey hair and golden eyes. Rather than the labcoats the researchers normally wore, she wore a trenchcoat, the left pocket emblazoned with a badge. She was circling him, an air of both madness and authority hidden just under her normal visage.

"Listen, I have no idea where the other Shifters went-" Lex said, staring daggers at the woman, before being cut off by her.

"Anthroterrorist. They were all Anthroterrorists... now, 'Shifter' is a word used by... traitors who sympathize with your cause... you're not a traitor? Are you."

"I, uh..." Lex started to reply, anxiety building in his voice. "I, uh... I try... not to be."

The snake seemed to smile. "It is. And you sound normal and not with drawn out s. Either way, I came to help out."

(Bimcal's 'ssss's only happen in regular speech, I feel like I should mention.)

Bimcal hissed to the snake, "Do you have a name?"

*Pretty much what the snake just said. When a snake is speaking any human language s becomes sssss*

"Yes, Li." the golden viper replied. "Li is my name. I was sent by Lia."

(Okay.)

"Lia, don't know her," Bimcal hissed to Li, and then said regularly, "Well nice to meet you Li."

"So this snake is on our side?" Xander asked, his face looking a bit uneasy, but still friendly. "Well, I'll gladly take all the help I can get..."

"Nice to meet you" Kihei said "Now lets find Xander's brother" He said before running to the vent, being careful to avoid the cameras

(I don't know if we are at that part yet.)

The officer walked towards Lex, giving a sly smile. "You seem nervous."

"No, I'm not-" Lex began to retort, quickly being interrupted.

"In my experience, there are only two kinds of people who are nervous... Either they're cowardly... or they've something to hide..." she said, continuing to circle the doberman.

"You know... I also get nervous around pretty ladies." he quipped, trying his best to avoid making eye contact.

The officer cracked a smile, before chuckling, then bursting into laughter. "Flattery will not help your situation, Alexander... you see, we're in a life and death war with the anthroterrorists... and we will win it, at any cost."

Varedis went and opened the vent up for the others to go through.

Kihei crawled into the vent and started going through the ductwork

Xander rushed towards the vent, his body starting to fade away into a smokey haze as he entered it. "Told ya I was good at this, didn't I?"


As the officer started to walk away, Lex smirked as he caught sight of a tail from the back. "That's... that's kinda funny, because... aren't you an anthroterrorist, too?"

The officer turned around slowly, as she walked back towards him, a crazed look in her eyes. "Yes... I am. Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. And it's clear now that you're not a coward... which leaves just one possibility."

"-pretty sure I mentioned anoth-"

"Now you will tell me your... secret... or I'll find another one of your kind, move onto the next one, and the next one, and the next one, until I get my answer"

After some crawling and getting stuck a couple times, Kihei found the room the officer was in "Guys, he's being interrogated" He said as he watched the conversation unfold

Bimcal had darted into the vents after the others had gone in, "What sssshall we do?" He asked after hearing Kihei.

"I've got nothing to say to you." Lex said, scowling right at her.

"Of course... this is... disappointing. Well, I'll leave you to think on what's happening to the others..." she said, heading towards the exit of the room, as a few scientists walk in. "If you don't enjoy my company, perhaps you'll be fine with them. However, you might find these gentlemen less... accommodating."

Lex gave out a heavy sigh as the door sealed tightly behind the officer. "At least that b**** isn't here anymore."

"There's only two scientists, we can take Lex if Xander uses his smoke to knock them out" Kihei said

"I can, but will you guys be okay in the smoke?" Xander asked, his voice permeating from the smoky form that had been keeping its distance from them. "I know it isn't that good for, well, other people."

"Can't you control where it goes?" Kihei asked

"Well, sorta... I can control what makes up 'my body', but I don't want to leave any of that in their lungs... I can make smoke bombs, though." Xander said, his voice softly reaching their ears, without echoing down the vent.

"I also have sleeping darts, but once one falls, the others will be on the alert so I can only really use it on one,"

"Hmm... the main problem is that getting him through the vents will be impossible as long as he has those ridiculous handcuff things..." Xander said, growling a bit. "Can any of you smash it open?"

Varedis quickly pushed Xander away from the opening and withdrew as one of the scientists looked up, then when it turned away again he began to look over, the scientist swung its head round and glared at the vent but Varedis withdrew just in time, "One of them suspects something," he whispered, "And no, I don't think I can, Bimcal might be able to melt it with his poison, hmm?" he said, turning to look at Bimcal.

The other scientist turned to face the suspicious one, a questioning look in his eyes. "Hey, Kremenski, what's up? The subject is over here."

"It's... nothing, I thought I... heard something." the first replied, not entirely convinced he hadn't.

Realizing that he hadn't been imagining the faint sounds from the vents above, Lex saw both the opportunity to both create a distraction and to pay homage to one of his favorite TV shows. "Maybe you're just hearing your face being kicked off!" he shouted, swinging his left leg directly up to the scientist. His foot was a mere inch away from the stunned scientist's nose, and he couldn't help but enact a quote from the show. "That is my foot in your face! Smell the embarrassment!"

Varedis jammed his fist in his mouth to stop himself from bursting out laughing.

Bimcal flicked his tongue, smiling, "Sssshall we?" He asked quietly.

"Lets" Kihei said as he slowly removed the grate and blew an icy wind at the scientists, freezing them, then Kihei went down to Lex "Hello sir, we're here to rescue you" He said