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5

As I was walking to the Shane Gang hideout, I felt an unnerving presence behind me. Even though Eli had Doc heal me, I still retained some of my inhuman qualities from the Dark Water. Mostly just the physical strength, surprising agileness, feline flexibility, and abnormal speed. The only problem being that now, since the Dark Water was gone from my system, those powers were only slightly inhuman. My ability of being able to sense things that were hidden was weakened considerably during the curing, thus meaning that I could only slightly pick up the feeling of being followed. I turned swiftly, catching my follower off guard, whom of which I now knew was human. Judging by the Ghouled slug that was perched onto his shoulder, he was working for Doctor Blakk.  

"Who the hell are you. More importantly, why have you been following me since I left my house in Quiet Lawn Cavern?"snarled baring, my still inhumanly sharp, fangs. "Well?" 

"I'm Twist," he introduced, "I followed you because Doctor Blakk would like to speak with you." 

Thought so, I mumbled in my mind. "Like hell I'm going with you to go see him." 

Twist leveled his blaster with my face, his Ghouled Thuglett slug snarling as it looked into my grey eyes. "Too bad. Either you be a good little monster and come with me willingly, or else." 

"Oooh, so original," I said sarcastically, while rolling my eyes, and clapping my hands. "Enlighten me, Twist, what would happen if I just simply said no and ran faster than you can blink?"  

He smirked and lowered his blaster to his side, "Then your boyfriend, Eli Shane, will pay the price. The choice is yours, monster." 

I glared. Taking a fighting stance, I looked him dead in the eye. "First of all, he's not my boyfriend. Second, if you even think of hurting Eli or the others in any way, shape, or form I will personally kill you where you stand, Twist." he didn't seem fazed by my threat. 

"But what if Eli sees? What would he think of you then? Would he think you're a monster like your own parents did, or will he still stay by your side? Hm?"  

He had me pegged, and there was nothing more I could do. Either way I could loose Eli. "If I go with you, promise me that you'll both keep the Shane Gang out of it, got it?" 

He shrugged, "Fair enough." He gripped my right forearm tightly, "Let's get going." He began leading me towards Blakk's citadel. 

"So, what's the high and mighty guy want me for, anyways?" I asked to clear the silence. "I mean, seriously, what's so special about me?" 

"He's interested in the Dark Water that you're infected with. He wants to analyze you, possibly use you as a weapon for his total control over Slugterra." 

I was shocked to hear that. Me as a weapon for Doctor Blakk? Did he even consider me a human? Apparently not, I mused silently. Much to my pleasure, the rest of the walk went on in total silence.

~

"Ah, welcome, Astrus Quinn," Doctor Thaddius Blakk greeted from behind his large desk, as I was forced into one of the chairs in front of him. Twist stood behind me, keeping watch. 

"Uh-huh, yea, whatever. Listen, Thaddius, I don't want to be a part of your little vanity project, so forget it." 

He chuckled darkly, trying to intimidate me. "Why, Astrus, I just want to talk." 

"Oh, really? Then why the hell's your lap-dog apprentice practically breathing down my neck?" 

"Twist", Blakk emphasized his name, like I didn't already know it, "is simply here to keep you from lashing out." 

I leaned forward in the leather office chair, my elbows resting on my knees, and my steel grey gaze never faltering from his. A cocky smirk formed onto my lips, "That's not going to be a problem, Thaddius," his eye twitched in anger, "Eli Shane healed me." 

"What do you mean 'healed' you?" he growled. 

"Oh, you didn't know? Silly me, I must've forgotten to tell you." Sarcasm dripped from my tone. 

"Don't test me, woman," he was on the verge of yelling, "explain what he did." 

I shrugged as though it was plain as day. "He fired his healer slug, Doc, at me while I was in full monster form and healed me. Not much more to know." 

"Hmm...Interesting." 

"Now you know," I sighed to show my boredom, "can I leave now?" 

"One more thing," a smirk crossed his face, "how well do you do in hand-to-hand combat?" 

I laughed, "You're kidding right? You brought me halfway across Slugterra just to see if I can defend myself without my slugs? Seriously?" his eyes remained trained on mine. "You really want to know?"  

"Indeed." 

"Alright," I stood up and looked at Twist, a smirk on my face yet again. I cracked my knuckles and thumbed towards the blonde, "I'll take him on. When I win, I leave, deal?" 

Blakk nodded, "Very well." 

"Twist, Eli told me what you did to him. You know, about betraying his trust, punching him a few times, and giving him some bruises in your first fight. Hate to say it, but I'm a tad bit overprotective of him." I saw fear flash in his eyes as he got ready to fight. "Remember what I told you earlier? If you ever hurt Eli or the other's I'd kill you on the spot, remember that? Well, good news is, I'm not going to kill you. Bad news is, I'm not holding back at all. Get ready, this is going to hurt."  

Before Twist could react I lunged towards him, landing a solid blow to his left shoulder, knocking it out of socket. He tried to hit me with a jab to the right, but I flipped backwards and perched like a monkey on one of the bookcases. I analyzed him like a panther studies her prey before striking. His left arm hung limply at his side, his breathing was labored, and pain was evident on his face. I snapped my eyes wider and jumped onto him. Both of us rolled on the floor, tossing hits, until Twist managed to kick me off of him. I landed crouched like a cat, the same smirk on my face never wavering.  

"Okay! You win, sheesh." He stood to his feet, a bruise already starting in his left eye, his left arm still hanging there by his side, blood slowly oozed from the cut on his lip. I strode towards the large doors, and heard slow clapping from behind me. I rolled my eyes and kept walking, where I met up with Eli in the next cavern over. I smiled and ran over to him to give him a surprise hug from behind.

"Eli! You'll never guess what happened on my way to your place today!" 

He looked at me with a shocked expression, "Astrus...why are Blakk's men chasing after you?" I smiled, grabbed his hand, and ran off into the deepest part of the cavern to lose the trailing guards. 

"I'll tell you when they're gone," I looked behind us and giggled, "but for now, just keep running!" I looked at his cerulean blue eyes. "Oh, and we still have a problem with my powers."