The Time Wizard was an exceptionally fast ship, its slender build specifically designed for speed and agile movements. Jounouchi was proud of his ship, as it was his own, unique design. When he started to work for this… lesser known branch of KaibaCorp., the emphasis had been on speed and stealth; bounty hunting wasn't a business for the weak of heart, and a quick mind and a fast vessel could save your life. Amazingly, Kaiba had approved of Jounouchi's design and the Time Wizard was officially his - the first thing he had stipulated in his contract. Jounouchi didn't care for luxury or a fat paycheck. Few people could actually claim ownership of their very own ship, and the Time Wizard was absolutely one of a kind. However, despite its fast track and agility, the Time Wizard wasn't classified as a Light Air Vessel, which meant that it would still take more time to reach a long-distance planet like Yllsen Volta V. Jounouchi reclined into his seat. No need to worry, all fuel packs and proton cells had been charged to maximum capacity. The weight of the ship was a little different now, with four people on board instead of the usual three. He looked over his shoulder to the person on the gurney. The stranger was tagged exactly the same as Bakura Ryou… Kaiba's new 'advisor', or whatever you wanted to call it. Kaiba's business or his advisors weren't his problem. The problem was the impossibility of two people sharing the same tag, and this guy had been seen in the company of Malik Ishtar, the one with the five million genz bounty. Jounouchi thought back to his disastrous interrogation, which had ended in Bakura's total meltdown, quite literally; Otogi's taser had set off a reaction and the other had collapsed, after ranting and raving in an unknown language. But before that happened, he had said something that everyone had understood. You're all going to die, motherfuckers. Was Bakura a madman? A prophet of doom? Jounouchi had trouble discarding the words. Oh, he'd been called the worst in all kinds of languages and cursed and sworn at throughout the galaxies, but it was the way the words had been spoken: with utmost confidence, with a darkness that would give everyone the creeps. Ominous like a rolling thunderstorm, and he just couldn't let it go, and it made him wonder why. Jounouchi Katsuya was a gambler, but maybe it was time to listen to his intuition for a change. One thing he knew for sure: Kaiba wasn't going to be happy. Jounouchi shrugged. He'd deal with that when they got to Yllsen Volta V. For now, he could just sit back and relax. Honda had plotted the course and the automatic pilot took care of the rest. This was a blissful moment, a perfect opportunity to catch up on some sleep while the ship was doing all the hard work. He closed his eyes…
"Uhm, Jounouchi..?"
He groaned. "What is it, Otogi?"
"I think we might have a problem, of some sorts."
"What kind of problem?" Jounouchi reluctantly opened his eyes.
"As you know, I'm keeping track of the October…"
"That's your job," Honda said grumpily.
"Let me finish!" Otogi all but snarled. "The tags for the ship popped up on the grid again. You'll never guess its course!"
Honda and Jounouchi exchanged looks. "Well? What's its course?"
"Altana," Otogi said, almost triumphant.
Jounouchi's jaw went slack. "What the…? They are on their way to KaibaCorp. HQ?" It was a possibility that Malik Ishtar didn't know there was a prize on his head, but Jounouchi doubted it. But to go straight into the lion's den, that took some major balls.
"What should we do?" Honda asked, his hands hovering over the control panel. "Turn around?"
Jounouchi grunted. "We'll never make it in time. We're too far from Altana already to return without refueling."
"We should warn security," Honda suggested. "The guy who's with Ishtar is a weapons freak, right? We don't want him going around shooting at people."
"Excellent idea. Contact the main tower," Jounouchi said. "Tell them when the tags for the October show up and they ask for permission to dock, to direct the ship to dock 33, bay 2. That's the only dock that can be sealed off hermetically." He turned to Otogi. "What do you think?"
Otogi pointed at Bakura in the back. "They probably changed course to Altana to search for this man. Ishtar will find out soon enough that he's on his way to Yllsen Volta V. I say, let them come to us, instead of us chasing them."
Jounouchi agreed. "We'll have plenty of time to set up a trap, and we'll get both Ishtar and his 'friend'. As a bonus, we bring Kaiba a present: this mysterious guy. How are we stocked on armor and guns?"
Honda showed an enthusiastic grin. "I brought the EMETS," he said. The Electro Magnetic Emergency Suppressing System was only used in the case of the toughest and most dangerous criminals. "We have everything we need to welcome our guests, no matter how many guns they bring."
"Gentlemen, let's get prepared," Jounouchi said. Every thought of sleep was gone. "We're going to kick some serious ass."
"Son of a bitch, son of a bitch, son of a bitch…" Malik tried to ignore Marik's cursing as best as he could, but Marik sat right next to him and didn't bother keeping his voice down. He shivered, even though it wasn't cold in the cockpit. "What's our time of arrival?"
"Two hours and seventeen minutes," Malik said, as calmly as possible. "Five minutes less than the last time you asked."
"Don't get smart with me," Marik growled and Malik flinched, preparing himself for a blow or a punch, but nothing happened. "That son of a bitch."
"I know." Malik heaved a sigh. "Bakura knew when to strike, at the exact right moment."
"Don't admire him," Marik said curtly. "Thieves have the habit of ending up dead."
"Did you restart his synthfuser yet?"
Marik frowned in obvious frustration. "I tried to, but it refused to reconnect."
"That means he's not wearing it, which I can't imagine… someone must've taken it away from him."
"Serves him right."
"But what if they've taken-"
"I'm not worried about that. We'll find it again. He took it. He has to pay."
"Bakura and you are the same," Malik pointed out. "If you kill him, there'll be one less of you. What will the Pharaoh say about that?"
Marik remained silent, folding his fingers together. If Malik didn't know any better, he'd say that the other looked… tired. "The Pharaoh will say something about justice and humanity and some more crap, but he'll be glad when Bakura's gone. It just means one pawn less in the game to him. Everything's a game to him."
"Even this?" Malik asked.
"Especially this. But I can handle him. With or without Bakura." He fell quiet and Malik didn't dare to break the silence. He had tried asking about Marik's intentions before, and what 'this' all was. He didn't understand it, because Marik never elaborated. Malik had the feeling that Bakura and the Pharaoh had more answers, and probably were more willing to share them. Was it all worth it? He couldn't quit, he couldn't go home. All he had, ironically enough, was Marik, the one who had forced him to leave everything behind, the one whose hatred and anger raged in the both of them. If 'this' was a game, and Bakura, Marik and himself were pawns, then he would show what kind of pawn he could be. A veritable dark horse, who had been kept in darkness for far too long, who would come out on top.
"Contact the tower." Marik brusquely punched his shoulder. "Ask for docking permission."
Malik recovered quickly from his daydream and opened up the communication line to Altana, entering the access code.
"Altana Tower, this is October, requesting permission to dock," he said.
"October, this is Altana Tower, one moment please," a pleasant female voice rang out.
"You should've requested it sooner," Marik grumbled. "Now they're going to put us in a queue."
"Just be patient for once!" Malik was taken aback by his own vehemence. Marik and patience were the same as fire and water. From the corner of his eye, he could see the other cross his arms in front of his chest, frowning as usual. Malik was already glad to not receive another punch, and he waited for the Tower to come back to him. On screen, a map of the docks of the planet's spaceport showed up. "Busy indeed," he said, when he saw at least 75% of the docking slots occupied. Marik snorted.
"Thank you for waiting, October," the female voice spoke up again. "Please proceed to dock 33, bay 2." The trajectory to the dock showed up on screen, flashing in a red, dotted pattern.
"Dock 33, bay 2," Malik repeated. "Thank you ve…"
"That's all the way in the back," Marik interrupted him. "Why are we directed there?"
Malik shrugged. He'd been to so many planets now, and almost everyone had a different docking procedure. What did it matter if they had to move to 'the back'? "It's probably because of the size of the ship," he said. "They want us at the cargo area."
"Ask," Marik bit at him.
"Altana Tower, this is October," Malik said. "Why dock 33?"
A moment of silence. "October, this is Altana Tower," the same female voice again. "Dock 30 and up are for bulk freight travelers. You'll have more room to move around."
Malik looked at Marik, not-understanding. "What's the problem?"
He tapped on the screen. "Dock 33 isn't connected to the other docks. It's totally isolated. I told you to pay attention to every spaceport!"
"So?" Malik had no idea what the other was talking about. It was so hard to understand how Marik's mind worked; as quick as he was to anger, he was just as quick as to show paranoia and suspicion. "What does it matter?"
"I don't like it." Marik stared at the screen, drumming with his fingers on the control panel. "October, this is Altana Tower. Please proceed with the docking procedure."
Malik didn't move a muscle. Marik did the actual piloting and very rarely, he allowed Malik to handle the ship. "What's it going to be?"
"We have no guarantee that Bakura Ryou is at Planet Kaiba right now." Marik sounded irritated, but he wasn't angry. "We can't trace Bakura at the moment. What we do know, is the Pharaoh's location."
"Vertregg 12," Malik reminded him.
"One for the other," Marik suddenly said and he grinned diabolically. "Abort the request. We're changing our course!"
"You want to go to Vertregg 12?" Malik asked incredulously. "But we just arrived here!"
Marik's grin turned even wider. "Forget about the thief and his Other right now. It's time you get introduced to the man who started all of this. Our exalted Pharaoh!"
"Are you feeling all right, Ryou-kun?" Yuugi asked worriedly. "You're looking incredibly pale!"
"Do you want to sit down?" Atemu asked, but his voice held no concern at all.
"No, no, I'm fine." Ryou hoped that his wheezing breath and sudden dizziness wasn't too noticeable, but judging from Yuugi's bothered expression, that was in vain. Ryou knew he was a bad liar, he couldn't keep his face as neutral as Atemu. The Pharaoh stood close to Yuugi, his stance powerful and straight, an unmoving wall, despite his small statue. To think of him as a Pharaoh… it was impossible! He had to return to the museum and get to the bottom of this. Research the name, research the list of Pharaohs, identify which dynasty Atemu belonged to, and… if he was truly a Pharaoh, could it be that he possessed a God Card? No, he couldn't ask about it, not in front of Yuugi. His throat ran dry.
"Sit down, Ryou-kun, please," Yuugi begged him, he even tugged at Ryou's sleeve. "You're swaying on your feet."
Ryou sat down, his mind racing a mile a minute. He had to inform Kaiba that he had found the Pharaoh from the Ceremonial Tablet. What would happen if they met each other? The thought was exciting and frightening at the same moment. He could barely keep himself from shaking. To think that he was witnessing all of this..! Watching history unfold, so up close and personal!
"… he did eat breakfast," he heard Yuugi say, "so it's not like he's running on empty."
Atemu's voice followed suit. "Perhaps he has been working too hard. Doing research, keeping a fulltime job… and he was a student, did you not say?"
"Earth Studies. I guess it's really hard work indeed…"
"I'm fine," Ryou said out loud. "I was just a little overwhelmed that… Atemu-san is a real Pharaoh, Yuugi-kun. It's impossible, and unheard of."
Yuugi turned his head away, shoulders hunched as if embarrassed. "'Pharaoh' is something like an honorary title, right?"
"It is, it is." Atemu petted Yuugi's hair, but his glare was meant for Ryou, as if daring him to say otherwise. Ryou shrunk in his seat. Yuugi's education was poor compared to his own, as Vertregg 12 didn't have a system of universities of colleges like his home planet; Vertregg 12 didn't have any universities at all. He couldn't blame Yuugi for not knowing, and so he didn't say anything.
"I was just thinking," Atemu continued, "if Ryou would like to go back to Altana for his studies and research, and Yuugi, I had promised you a space trip, why do we not go together? Altana is not far from here, and we can kill two birds with one stone."
Ryou shivered from how Atemu pronounced the word 'kill', and he got sick from the adoring look that flared up in Yuugi's eyes, gazing at the Pharaoh as if he was a god.
"That sounds amazing! What do you think, Ryou-kun?"
It was a generous offer indeed, but Ryou didn't have a problem with commercial space flights, as his expenses were generously covered by Kaiba's funds. However, he had the feeling he needed to protect Yuugi, an increasing… hunch that he couldn't leave him alone with Atemu. Ryou forced himself to look at the Pharaoh, or whoever he was, and met his gaze head-on. He swallowed at the burning intensity of those red eyes and he wanted to back out, right now. But then he saw Atemu's hand on Yuugi's elbow, and he steeled himself.
"Yes, that sounds amazing," he said, and he even mustered up some enthusiasm. Maybe he could convince Yuugi to stay at Altana for a while, long enough to finish his research on the Pharaoh, and talk to him in private. Suddenly, another thought hit him. "Yuugi-kun, what about your Game Shop?"
"Jii-chan is attending the shop for today," Yuugi said. "Eh… that is… I'll be back before dinner time, right?"
"This is a LAV," Ryou said before Atemu could comment. "It'll take us less than two hours to get there."
"Great! I'll call jii-chan that I'll be out for the rest of the day." Yuugi whipped out his PMA and gave the device the command to call the Game Shop.
Ryou got up from his chair, taking his PMA with him. "I'm going to give HeadQuarters a call," he said, trying to sound relaxed. He left the cockpit as Yuugi enthusiastically started to talk to his grandfather about the upcoming space trip. He climbed down the ladder, leaving the Datura, inhaling the fresh air. That was much better! Typing in the code to call HQ, he wondered briefly what to think of Atemu's offer. It was obvious that the Pharaoh wanted to keep Yuugi close, but for what reason? Taking him, Ryou, back to Altana was an easy solution to get him out of the way, and Ryou had no idea what Atemu was going to do once he was alone with Yuugi. He doubted the Pharaoh would return to Vertregg 12. Their uncanny resemblance… a man named Bakura plays an important part in my life. His name is the same, and he looks exactly like your friend here. A man named Bakura, a man with the same name, and the same appearance, just like Yuugi and Atemu. What was going on? He was startled out of his thoughts when the PMA connected to HQ and a kind, female voice spoke: "KaibaCorp. Human Resources Department, Shizuka Kawaii speaking."
"Oh, Miss Kawaii, I'm sorry, I tried to reach Rebecca Hopkins," Ryou said, blushing to the roots of his hair. Stupid! Calling HRM instead of Kaiba's secretary, what an idiot! "This is Ryou Bakura. I'm sorry!"
"Oh, no problem," she answered. "Is there something I can do for you?"
"Yes, do you know if Kaiba is at HQ?"
"No, I'm sorry. He left for Yllsen Volta V, to inspect a research facility. Rebecca went with him, so I doubt he'll be back before the end of the week."
"Thank you, miss Kawaii. Once again, my apologies."
She had a very kind laugh as she thanked him, and he disconnected. Kaiba wasn't even at Altana, so he was missing out on an opportunity to meet Atemu. Ryou looked over his shoulder, at the Datura. It was a beautiful ship, nice and slim, with a purplish-blue hue. On this side, he could see the gold lettering of the ship's name, with a strange marking underneath it. Without a second thought, Ryou used his PMA to take a picture.
"Ryou-kun! Are you coming?" Yuugi called out to him.
"Just a second!" he hollered back, taking another picture before putting his PMA away. He couldn't think of any excuse to stall for time. His hands trembled as he grabbed the rung of the ladder. The open door of the Datura looked like an open mouth, jaws wide, eager to swallow him whole. As he climbed, Ryou wondered if there was a way back.
Chapter 13 | Chapter 15 |