Before the Collision: The Cycle Repeats Itself

[Markus Hederick]

Markus deactivated his DNA Stimulus enhancement to return back to human size. He had a stern look on his face, shaking his head at what transpired.

"Nah...I didn't... That was pretty bad..." Markus aired out after hearing Alex rant about what happened. "I didn't make it worse, but I surely didn't make it better. Even with both of us walking away with our lives, nothing changed. He's just going to continue coming after me until he feels like I've been punished. What's worse, people DID lie to him about what happened, so there's no telling what he might do if he could change so drastically. Perhaps I should have done 'something'..."

"Welp...other than all of what he just said, yes, we did good. Everyone's alive..." Gargulion commented on the current situation. "Yes, that includes the actual terrorist that we were tracking down before we were rudely interrupted."

[Tracy White]

"Maybe," Tracy sorta agreed with Markus' reasoning, definitely to the shock of Skystar who looked at her like she was crazy. "But...how you fought wasn't a bad thing. At the end of the day, you did your best to stay calm and not want to harm Alex or Dante; you both did. Now that we're all aware of what he wants, we can work towards stopping him TOGETHER. We can stop him before things get really bad, okay?"

"...Speaking of which... Skystar said, getting an idea from what Tracy said. "Whenever you get the opportunity, get in contact with the Silver Knights. Tell them exactly what happened."

"..."

"I know it sounds like I'm trying to get Alex in trouble, but all I'm doing is trying to keep everyone here out of trouble. The best way to do that is to have them handle it, if they will. I'm thinking of what it would've been like if it was Noland or Tank that got attacked instead of Markus. This can get ugly very quickly if they don't take an immediate step in keeping him in check. We will intervene when necessary, but fighting with him is not something we should be doing; by definition, that's THEIR job."

"...Okay..." Tracy accepted. "So...Markus, what are you going to do?"

[Markus Hederick]

"I dunno. Tough decision," Markus thought. "This is something he feels strongly about. It's gonna be hard for anyone in the Silver Knights to stop him without resorting to using SOMETHING, whatever that may be. I'd hate to cause division in that organization, but at the same time, I can't allow him to hunt me like I'm a fresh piece of meat and potentially put others at risk at the same time. As we saw, he was willing to fire those abilities despite you and Skystar being around me. That says to me that he doesn't give a damn about any of you getting caught in the crossfire as long as I get what he believes I deserve. I WON'T IGNORE THAT."

"...Damn..." Gargulion said in disappointment, knowing that Alex and Dante were effectively added to their list of enemies. "There you have it, folks."

"I'm going to go take a walk just to cool my head a little. Maybe Makoto hasn't realized I'm here and jetted off to who knows where," Markus stated, walking away from the scene along with Gargulion. "I'll call you when I leave. See ya."

[Tracy White]

"..." Tracy couldn't say anything else when Markus walked away. He was right about what he said. She heard Markus' voice before she arrived and could tell that he was motivated to kill the Silver Knight once he realized what was about to be cast on him. They all saw what Alex's powers did against Kyuki. Even Tracy wouldn't remain a pacifist if she realized what Alex was trying to do.

"I don't blame them. Those powers are dangerous, even to us," Skystar admitted, acknowledging that Alex's power does warrant some concern out of beings as strong as the Legendary Soldiers. "Well, that's that. We should be getting back. Even though this was an emergency, it's not good to run off like that."

Tracy turned around and saw that Sydney was still standing there. One might expect Sydney to follow Alex and rant to him, since most men believe women to do those things. This was quite the contrary.

"Ms. White?" Tracy called. "Can I talk to you...? This is important to me..."

[Sydney White]

Sydney was not heading after Alex. With everything that went down she figured it might be better to leave Alex alone for a while so he can cool his head. On top of that, she thought she should be the last person talking to him considering she started this trouble all along by revealing the information to him about Andrea and what Markus did. She did not feel like it was fair to keep him in the dark about everything knowing how much he loved Andrea and how much she loved her; her family being responsible for both Silver Knights and Eden rising to where they are. Everyone lied to Alex for purpose of keeping everything in check until Hurranians are defeated- if he found out during the fight against them that would have been a real catastrophe. Perhaps Lydia or one of the Mighty 5 could do something for him. Mighty 5 was already falling apart so that was not the best course of action so... maybe Lydia. She should inform Xia and Petra about Alex with his aggressive behavior and overwhelming power so they could stop him if he starts up something dangerous.

The Resistor couple ended their conversation and Tracy turned her attention to Sydney. Sydney did not know much about any Resistor despite them being on every screen and every news- she just does not care expect for what documents tell her in case she needs to 'deal' with any of them in a hostile manner. Similar to Silver Knights. "What do you need?" Sydney responded to Tracy.

[Tracy White]

"A favor, really," Tracy started off. "Actually...maybe two of them. I just got reminded about one of them while we were coming here. A couple of days ago, we found out there was a Neathian Bakugan here who is trying to find a way back home. His name is Merlix. I was wondering if anyone from Eden could find him and monitor him, at least until someone figures out a way to send him back home."

"And...the other thing..." Skystar wondered, since it seemed odd to ask that question out here as opposed to just waiting until they got back to Eden. There was definitely something else...

"And...the other 'thing'..." Tracy hesitated. Granted, the only reason why she opened up with the first favor was due to the rarity of seeing Sydney in the first place. Her being made aware of it personally rather than it being lost in the flooding of information the other Angels have to process was the best option. "...Is Alex the only one we have to worry about, or are there others?"

[Sydney White]

"That is an interesting find. Yes, I will send a message to Shabelle Carter or Lydia Andersen to take care of it once I am back in the HQ." Sydney confirmed. A new Bakugan from a different place? That was nothing new considering all these Bakugans popping out of nowhere, but it was worth looking into. It could be good, it could be bad, but that is why somebody should be monitoring it in the first place. There is a decent chance Lydia would be very interested in taking this job since she is thirsty for knowledge whatever it is about. Maste could protect it if necessary since she has become quite formidable since the evolution- Seven Angels wanted her on board, but that would only consume her time for more important things.

"There are a few. Only one out of them who is formidable to be a threat to you is Klaus Wolfang, older brother. He is a member of T.E.C. who are rumored to be dealing with plentiful of illegal activities- though we are not allowed to formally say such things. He is a son of Thomas Wolfang- famous engineer whose creations had great impact on us and Knights. Very influential family. Klaus has a habit of putting his nose where it does not belong, especially with Eden so we approach him with caution." Sydney explained. Klaus Wolfang is also one of the Subterra World Championships where he melted through competition like through butter. His Bakugan's brutal fighting style puts all enemies in a position where they have to plan all their movements or get ran over with waves of massive physical damage. While he is not rude or being an asshole or showing any sort of illegal involvement in anything he is still disliked for his 'appearing in perfect time on perfect location' along with insisting it should his responsibility to deal with situations because he 'came there first'. 

"Imagine a Bakugan- Gorem's body and endurance, Hydranoid's personality and strength." Vergilius described Klaus's Bakugan in very short and more-or-less accurate way.

"Anything else you need, miss?" Sydney inquired.

[Tracy White]

"Interesting..." Skystar remarked on Klaus' power. "We'll keep that in mind. This is such a 'wonderful' situation we're in, but...we'll manage. Hopefully, we can end this violence before people outside of the conflict decide to make it their business."

"Yeah..." Tracy sadly agreed, thinking it was going to be an uphill battle to keep Markus from going ballistic the longer this goes on. "That's the least of our worries. Noland and Tank are the real problems. Markus was already challenging, but them.... I can't trust those two to stay still about this. They're going to be pissed... Ah well. We'll figure something out."

Now to address Sydney's question...

"I think that just about covers all we need to know. Thanks," Tracy answered. "Sorry this took you off of your busy schedule. I know this must be a really bad introduction, but fights don't always happen when I appear. I promise."

[Sydney White]

"I will have somebody monitor the two." Sydney said calmly. She was probably going to be the one to monitor them as she was the only one who understood the depth of their situation. Lydia was not a choice with her wide amount of work that is already putting her in a difficult position. Vergilius could fight Dante head-on and emerge victorious, but if Alex decided to use Achron Order there was no hope for victory unless Sydney aimed to kill him directly. It was a lot of pressure and responsibility- perhaps Victoria could use tracking to spy on the two and their actions so Sydney can get some breathing room.

"It is my duty- do not worry about it." Sydney responded.

"I will take you are one of Angel applicants." She added.

"Are you two related?" Vergilius inquired curiously. Probably because of the last name.

"No, as far as I know." Sydney responded.


"I'll never understand how this 'first name', 'second name' human crap works." Vergilius said in a bit of annoyance at the response. He was not the brightest when it came to absorbing human culture as he had spent too much time in Vestroia and all of that is still all over his head.

[Tracy White]

"Well...I suppose you could say that," Tracy replied, nervously laughing about the idea considering she wasn't really aware if she was one or not. The reason why is because... "I applied to intern with the Angels. That process was more competitive than anything I've ever been in honestly... I'm surprised I ever got in."

"She's...exploring her options," Skystar added. "We DID consider applying earlier, but we weren't ready for a commitment just yet. With all there is to see and do, we thought it was appropriate to branch out a bit, try different options to narrow Tracy's interests down to what she ultimately wants to do."

"And that's why I'm here," Tracy clarified. "I thought interning would be the best way to see what the Angels do up close and personal. I also wanted to see more of Eden, since I didn't get to see enough when...you know."

[Sydney White]

Sydney nodded at Tracy's response. It was good not to rush into things- it was a smart move on their end to continue exploring instead of sticking with first options they were offered. That was a good sign, in Sydney's book- if Tracy would just accept the first thing because it was 'fancy', well-paid and popular it could make it look like she is just going for an easy option that she might end up disliking in the end. She might find something better later on and be disappointed by the position if she takes it too early. A very responsible choice on her end. 

"I understand- reasonable." Sydney replied to what Tracy said. "In that case you have nothing to worry about- just do your best and I am sure you will be on the right path. If not we will be there to lend a hand if necessary. I am looking forward to working with you." Sydney said with a proud and honest tone. She was sure Tracy was going to make good decisions while in here and take the right direction- she would not be where she is if she had habits of taking bad path in life. With Sydney finished explaining herself she offered Tracy a handshake as a sign of eagerness and anticipation to work alongside her.

[Tracy White]

"Right," Tracy agreed, giving Sydney a warm smile. She gleefully shook hands with the Angel leader, knowing that good was to come out of this relationship. "I'll give it my all. I won't let you down."

As for Skystar...

"Testing, testing..." While Skystar was flying through the skies in her comet transport, she had gotten in contact with the other Resistors via telepathic communication. This would mark the first time she has actually had to use it. This was much easier than simply calling them, since they couldn't just hang up on her. They agreed to only use this ability for emergencies only, and since it is one, they must listen.

"Okay. Good evening, everyone," Skystar greeted. "Alex and Dante have figured out what happened with Markus and Eden that one time, and he's out for revenge. Please exercise caution around him. He has attacked Markus and Gargulion, and has even attacked Tracy and I by extension since we were in the vicinity. His method of vengeance is to make sure Markus gets punished properly for what he did to those people, so if you see Alex or Dante wanting to start a fight, you know why. That's all."

[Tank Stryker]

"That son of a bitch!" Tank yelled, slamming a nearby table in a bar where everyone could see him acting out.

"Take it easy, bro," Steve said, who was sitting right beside him. "Now, tell Uncle Steve what happened, or did you get drunk already?"

"Markus was attacked by a Silver Knight," Gladion said to keep it simple for Steve who probably shouldn't be knowing these things anyway.

"Oh...sorry for asking. You just, uh, do what you gotta do then."

"I'm not surprised, really. It was only a matter of 'when' it would happen."

"And Markus didn't finish the guy off either!" Tank complained. "It was Tracy... That woman is making him even softer than he was! He makes Maurice look tough!"

"I'm not buying it. There was no way in hell that Gargulion let him go just like that. Skystar must have shown up to stop him before he did something. We're talking about someone who wanted to kill us one time when he got mad."

"I know, right!? This is ridiculous!" Tank went on his BrawlX and called Markus immediately. "Hello? Markus? Yeah. You're a bitch."

[Kendrick Hardy]

"I'm too disappointed to offer an opinion on that," Drago sighed.

"What? What happened?" Kendrick asked, being the only human around him in the house at the time. They were bumming around in the family room, minding their own business until the news broke.

"An Andersen has a Resistor as an enemy...again... I thought we were done with that."

"But why? You all fought together!"

"It's complicated, but very simple at the same time. Moral of the story is, don't make the same mistake that Noland and Markus made."

"Wait, don't do what?" Krakix popped up in the family room after hearing that. Siege followed, wanting to know what was going on too.

"Uh...nothing," Drago answered.

"Hey, Noland!" Kendrick called, thinking that he should know what happened.

[Noland Hardy]

"Yeah, yeah. I heard it already. I'm in the link too," Noland answered as he was coming down the stairs to join them.

"But why would he attack Tracy and Skystar as well?"

"I don't know..." Krakix turned to Siege. "Siege, what do you think?"

"I think it's because-" Siege was about to explain.

"Tracy was the one who told Markus the names?" Krakix finished.

"...Why do I even bother talking anymore?" Siege asked himself.

"Judging by the way Skystar was talking, Markus seems to be the one with the target on his back," Noland concluded. "Either way, they were attacked along with Markus. Before Skystar mentioned anything else, I wasn't interested, since Markus and Gargulion are perfectly capable of handling their business on their own, but the way Alex is going about it...I have a HUGE problem with that."

"How so?" Krakix asked.

"It's his method of revenge. He's setting himself up to be destroyed from a psychological standpoint. He'll never be whole, even if he does succeed. His seeking for Markus' suffering is only something for him to put his mind towards so he's not solely focused on what the real issue is. Not to mention, I may as well be a target along with him. I killed a lot more people than Markus has and haven't been punished for the whole thing as other people think I should get, but since one of Markus' victims happened to be close to Alex, him and Dante wants to go on the attack. What an epic sham."

"It seems all it took was for someone close to him to get affected before his true feelings surfaced," Drago deduced. "Still...some might say it's a stretch to come to that conclusion based on what's going on with Markus, but...you make a compelling argument. It makes a lot of sense, actually."

"Yeah, I know that wanting to kill the whole department was reaching, but the fact remains that you should always be checking yourself before you do something. That's just how it is. You'll be held accountable for someone else setting you up for failure. You can't always hide behind that fact to escape punishment, so that's why I sympathize with Markus' situation. With that said...I really don't know what to do. Alex is a cool dude, one that I might even look up to, but..."

"But...?"

"It's a shame, but Alex is an enemy," Noland confirmed. "I'd still fight alongside him if it comes to that, because he's a good teammate and I know I can trust him to hold up his end no matter what. But, when it comes to considering him an ally outside of 'end of the world' situations, it's impossible with the way he is now. It doesn't mean I'm going to attack him or that I hate him. It's just...I'm disappointed."