Slugterran Saviours

Chapter 33

Author's Note: welcome to yet another chapter all rushed on sunday and monday because school sucks!

date: december first, 2017
time: 8:21pm
mission: to extract.

Cyan's POV

My hands trembled as I walked beside Shang in Tad's headquarters. 

Everything about this mission, from everything that's happened to us these past few months, Ataro coming back,  from the message from Twist, who was apparently alive after he helped us escape the caverns, from the betrayal I felt from Tad to the Northern Protectors and the Windgate Siblings helping us out, everything only increased my anxiety for what will happen today.

But what made me the most anxious was Twist.

It's been almost two years ever since I saw him, two years ever since we were forced to watch our friends being slaughtered and tortured one by one, seeing them killed and torn apart by bloodthirsty, inhumane monsters, their savage selves mutilating the bodies. It was almost two years ever since Twist defended us as we made a run for the portal. Two years ever since our lips collided, and I was dragged out of the Deep Caverns. And he was alive after all this time, working for Ataro, helping destroy caverns, helping him spread fear and destruction across Slugterra, and I never even noticed.

Was he that.different, until I couldn't recognize him?

I remembered our laughs and pointless conversations under the glow of the Phosphoros all those years ago, the only time we could be just two kids being those few hours where we talked at the dead of the night. I remembered the thrill I felt when I first saw him being chased down by those bakers all those years ago, his friendly, kind smile comforting me as he offered me a piece of bread. How whenever I was traded, he'll always find me again. How he vowed to help me escape this life, how he swore on his life to make my life better.

And how much his betrayal hurt worse than fire.

Our voices hoarse as we shouted at each other the last night he visited me, his turquoise eyes filled to the brim with tears as he begged me and pleaded me to give him another chance, to forgive him for what he done. My tears obscuring my vision as I pushed and pushed him away from me, ashamed I ever knew him, heartbroken for what he did to Loki, to his arsenal, for joining a monster in his insane thirst for power. I remembered Leo comforting me as I cried and cried into his chest, everything spilling from my lips to his ears, the secret coming back to bite me when we met three years later in the Deep Caverns, when he helped us escape, when he fired that Hoverblade at me, bringing me through the portal seconds before it closed. Both of our eyes filled with tears. The possibility of seeing him again... I didn't know how to feel. There was anger, at him sacrificing himself to save us, at him joining Blakk and corrupting his slugs. There was sadness, because he was a big part of me and his betrayal ripped a hole in my heart that still aches to this day. But there was also happiness, because I knew that there was good somewhere deep in him, I knew I could change his mind, I knew I could make him join the right side.

I drew my focus back onto the mission, walking stiffly, holding myself up with false pride and authority, my footsteps in sync with the others, twisting and turning past hallways. My jaw clenched as my fists curled up in fury when I saw Tad laughing away, swaggering about with that proud, boastful smile I wanted to badly slap off his face, acting as if he didn't smile while killing off millions, as if he didn't help Ataro quench his growing thirst for power and strength. Just looking at him filled me with absolute rage, my blood boiling. I wanted so badly to beat him up, I wanted to punch the smirk off his face.

"I never expected it either." Leo told Tad, as we stopped walking, Tad entering his office. It was surprisingly impressive, footsteps tapping on wood, the whole place mostly crimson red with a touch of gold, yellow, ambient lighting showering the place in golden light. The whole place has a mahogany vibe to it, from the floor to the paintings that decorated the walls. A large window was the second thing my eyes were drawn to, the window overlooking the room. If only I could throw Tad out of the window, I thought to myself as I walked to the left corner of the room nearer to the door, standing nearby a humongous shelf of books that covered the entire ceiling. Shang stood nearby a couch and a coffee table, crimson red lined with gold. A large, grand chandelier hung over our heads, a large, crimson red folding screen standing up behind his desk, once again lined with gold. The whole place would have sent a comforting warmth through my bones, but one glimpse at Tad made me hate this place, this building, every single thing in this room all part of a massive cover-up, from the parts for its mecha beasts to the stupid uniforms we wore, from the advertisements to this very office. I hated every part with every fiber of my being.