Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade!

Author Notes: Oh man! So sorry about not getting this chapter done sooner. I had some really bad writer’s block, exams, and things. But now I’m finally on summer break! Two months of focusing solely on my writing!

Chapter #43:  Prelude To Tomorrow

The next day, the group was at the FBI headquarters. It was about nine am and most were still tired and half asleep. The CIA guys decided to call an impromptu meeting bright and early, giving the group very little time to prepare, which was undoubtedly their plan all along.

The group of eleven filed into the meeting hall in the building and took their seats around the meeting table. Tyson yawned, putting the back of his hand against his mouth.

“I hope they realize I am missing hours of sleep for this,” he grumbled.

“They realize that, but the question is, do they care? Those CIA think only of themselves, by what I can see,” Charly grumbled. Leaning foreword she put her forearms on the table before her and looked down at her clasped arms. She knew what this meeting was about, full well. Either they would be walking out of here with approval to keep working on this case, and with a ton of new regulations on their head, or they would be looking at some cops with handcuffs. The door opened and closed, Leonard Patterson walked into the office.

“Good morning everyone,” Leonard greeted calmly, “I see everyone made it today.”

“We didn’t have a choice,” Tala grumbled. The room instantly went silent as the door opened and the four CIA agents filed in.

“Good, everyone could come,” Robert began, putting down a rather thick folder on the table. Casting a unnervingly cold gaze around the room, which made some flinch, Tala barely restrained his urges to glare back, he knew when to strike, and now was definitely not the time.

“First things first, I’m sure all of you know why this meeting was called,” Johnny spoke, he leaned on the table, “We have reviewed all the data and we have reached a decision whether or not we want to keep you people on this case.” At that he stopped dead, knowing full well that the tension in the room was mounting, and right now it was thick enough to be cut with a knife.

“We decided to give the authorization to let you stay, but on one condition,” Robert added, “Regulations will be enforced to a stricter degree. Our superiors don’t want any one getting hurt, and this bending of rules will get someone hurt,” Robert announced. Charly shook her head softly and sighed at that, out of the corner of her eye she caught the look Kai was giving her and quickly looked away, after what happened in the car the evening before, she was still a little unsure where things were going. Were they officially ‘together’ or something else? But whatever else it was, with this new CIA rule, nothing could happen, she had to focus on the task ahead of her.

“Despite all the regulation infractions, we couldn’t just ignore the fact that your actions were still well aside from hazardous to the masses. And they were effective,” Enrique added.

“There is the matter of the regulations that need to be enforced,” Robert reached into the folder he brought with him and pulled out a stapled packet of papers, “In this I outlined the most major of deviations, I don’t want these things repeated!” he slid the packet along the table to Leonard who took it. The girls could already tell what those infractions were, beating up people for information, street racing, stolen car parts trading, and what not. Nothing major if one thought about it, but it was enough to blemish the records of this case.

“Now on a slightly more productive topic, our superiors agreed to hand over the information CIA has gathered on this mystery mafia boss,” Oliver voiced, Robert slid the rest of the rather thick folder foreword with the tiniest shadow of a grin on his features, he seemed to be enjoying this info dump happening, and enjoying it immensely.

“Well now that’s out of the way, we have no further reason to continued with this meeting,” Robert added. The atmosphere in the room dropped down twenty degrees and the tension along with it.

The group dispersed, the meeting was over, Hikaru however lingered. She spotted one of the CIA agents that was lagging behind the group, knowing this was an opportunity to get out some answers she approached him.

“I have a question,” she spoke in a calm tone. The man looked up.

“There was a time for questions,” he replied. Hikaru rolled her eyes.

“This is off the record, why are you four so damn adamant about protocol?” she wondered. The red-haired CIA agent narrowed his eyes and Hikaru wondered briefly what he was thinking, because she could almost hear the gears grinding. “I know that’s a dumb question. But you seen how effective our work is with a few minor infractions…” Hikaru was cut off when he began to glare.

“If this is some attempt to sway my opinion to your side, it’s not going to work. So save your breath, and don’t waste my time,” Johnny gathered up his papers and moved towards the door.

“It wasn’t any such attempt!” Hikaru called after him.

“Sure seemed like it to me,” with that said Johnny was out the door and come; leaving Hikaru wondered what the hell happened. Hikaru watched him go with an expression of surprise on her features.

“What a jerk…” she mumbled. “Figures he’d be a jackass, suit guys are mostly like that.”

Elsewhere Sarah walked in the office of her younger brother, Connor glared at the approach of the woman.

“What is it?” he asked.

“It’s Terry, he’s worrying me,” Sarah began, perching on the corner on Connor’s desk. “He seems a little distant latterly, more so than before. And he’s been having nightmares, or trouble sleeping, the bag under his eyes don’t lie,” Sarah explained.

“Is that my concern?” Connor wondered.

“Connor, he’s your right hand man, it should be of your concern,” Sarah barked at him.

“Sarah, I am busy right now, and I’m awaiting someone to arrive,” Connor glared at her and Sarah got up from her seat, frowning.

“So that someone is more important that me?” Sarah demanded.

“Yes, Sarah, you’re not much help to me, even with your own squad of goons behind you,” Connor replied. Sarah folded her arms and huffed in indignation.

“You can be such a jackass little brother,” she spoke.

“I try, now can you please leave?”

“Sure, and I’ll be taking my men with me,” with that said Sarah left the office and the door banged shut behind her. Connor sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb.

“Harpie,” he muttered.

Meanwhile at the deck, Terry was by the gangplank of the Oceanic. A black car parked below and a man got out. He was a tall dark-skinned man clad in expensive clothing; the man ascended the gangplank.

“Terry! Good ta'see you’re okay brother, how are you? I’m here to see Connor; he has some business for me,” the man spoke.

“He’s in his cabin,” Terry replied numbly, the man nodded.

“Gotcha, well… I’ll be seeing ya,” With that said the man walked off, pulling a cigarette out of his breast pocket and a lighter, lighting his cigarette, taking a deep satisfied puff.

Terry watched him go oddly, something about this man was familiar to him. He knew this man for a year or so now, he was Connor’s personal equivalent of a SWAT team, he was like the terminator once he had firearms in his hands. Whether they were handguns, or a pair of Uzi’s, his aim was that of a striking falcon. He could even make the inaccurate Uzi kill with every bullet. Nothing stood in his path, and remained alive for long, and if Connor called him, the situation was getting ugly. He was also an explosives master. If something had to go up, it’d go up in a mushroom cloud and leave the neighboring blocks barely standing in the process. The man was a pyromaniac; he played with his lidded lighter all the time. And he was not afraid of using his sheer brute force to finish anyone who stood in his way.

Terry walked toward the nose of the ship and leaned on the railing, putting his forearms on the railing before him, watching the horizon. His thoughts were a jumbled mess, knowing Lilly was his sister he could no longer follow Connor’s orders to the word, he couldn’t risk hurting her. But any act of insubordination and he’d be shark bait faster than he could come up with an excuse.

“Terry dear, you’re here? That means that guy Connor been wanting to see arrived,” Sarah wound her arms around his waist and leaned her head on his shoulder.

“Hey Sarah,” Terry grumbled, to her the man sounded almost melancholy and tired.

“What’s wrong hon?” She asked, purring into his ear.

“It’s nothing,” Terry replied. “I’m just… remembering things, and none of it is making any sense to me.”

“What did you remember?” Sarah wondered, letting go of him so he could turn around and face her.

“I remember that night I was shot, it’s all clear up here,” Terry spoke, tapping his temple with his index finger. “But one bit is remaining to remember, who shot me? The face… it’s always fuzzy, I can never see it clearly, but I know it’s someone familiar, but who?” he rambled.

“You’ll remember him Terry,” Sarah whispered, “It’ll all become clear soon. I just know it.”

“I hope you’re right,” some odd part made Terry reaches out for the woman, and envelop her in a hug. Sarah smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder, putting one hand on his chest.

“Sarah,” he whispered.

“Yes?”

“Why are you always so kind to me? You were kind to me from day one, even when Connor suspected me of something,” Terry rumbled, leaning down slightly. Normally he didn’t want such intimate contact with the woman. But right now, with his mind racing, he needed comfort, he craved comfort, and it was the only thing that Sarah gave him genuinely, he knew she cared for him. How deeply he didn’t know, but every single action she did, every word she said to him. Showed how genuinely she cared for him.

“That’s a dumb question to ask Terry. I care for you because you’re… you. You may put up this tough guy attitude most of the time, but you’re also quite gentle. I know you were mostly gentle before you lost your memory, now you pretend to be tough and mean so that Connor doesn’t see you at fault. I know you really don’t want to hurt anyone, you’re just doing what you’re told because you owe Connor your life.” Sarah replied.

“Am I that readable?” Terry wondered.

“Not to Connor, he’s blind, but I have something over him. It’s called women’s intuition. And that’s why I like you so much, you’re so much more gentle than the men I’m used to in my life.” Sarah replied.

“Maybe you’re right,” Terry rumbled. Sarah moved her head away from his shoulder and smiled. “But that still doesn’t explain why you care for me as much as you do.”

“That’s simple,” Sarah rose to tip toe, “I love you,” with that said she boldly kissed him. Terry froze in place for an instant but then softly returned her kiss, unknowing why. Closing his eyes he let his mind clear and drift off in the sensation of her soft lips and the feeling of her arms wrapped around his neck.

In his mind eye the memories began to flash again, bringing him to the last moment of his previous life, the fuzzy face of the man who shot him, followed by the feeling of the bullet hitting his skull. But as he was lying there on the floor, bleeding, dying, he caught one last glance of the man. In his mind’s eye the face cleared and Terry violently tore away from Sarah. He recognized the man. He was the same man that was now in Connor’s office. His memories came flooding back as if the dam holding them back burst. He remembered everything. And everything suddenly made sense, he was so distraught he left Sarah standing there, staring at his retreating back as he ran back to his cabin.

Author Notes: Finally! I finished Chappy 43! After close to a month of writers block on this story. I hope you guys liked that plot twist at the end. And That’s the first, and last Terry/Sarah moment you’ll see.