"Have you ever seen Kaiba this upset?" Otogi asked. He wiggled on a rickety office chair as he sat at a large table, staring at the screen of his laptop. Honda was unable to answer as he had screws in his mouth. He was surrounded by the large, silver-metallic boxes containing the EMETS and he was busy assembling the system. Jounouchi, on the other side of the large room, shrugged.
"What's the big deal? He's tossed us out of his office before."
"Yeah, but this was different. He was really upset."
"Kaiba and upset," Honda snorted as he removed the screws from his mouth. "That's just impossible."
Otogi didn't let it go. "This was different," he repeated. "Kaiba can be mad, angry, arrogant, annoyed, but now he looked… frightened when he realized he could read Ancient Egyptian."
"Yeah, how come you knew what it was? Those hiero-glypho-whatever they are called?" Otogi smirked at Honda.
"Because I actually went to school."
"Yeah, yeah." Jounouchi measured the distance between him and Honda and put the support bracket on the floor, using a photon drill to fasten it. He grew up on a backwater planet with lousy education and even lousier future opportunities. His parents, divorced when Jounouchi was very young, couldn't afford school and so he had to work all kinds of jobs, if only to get a decent meal at the end of the day. His alcoholic father wasn't the most supportive person around and Jounouchi had ended up in a gang, in the underbelly of his home planet. An academic career wasn't an option; he learned everything he knew on the streets. Otogi probably never realized how privileged he'd been, with his private school. "You actually went to school. Big deal."
It wasn't Otogi's intention to rub salt in an open wound, though. "I took a couple of generic classes on Earth knowledge," he said, typing on his laptop. "Correct the angle to 20 degrees, Honda."
"Right." Setting up the EMETS was quite some work, but it would definitely pay off. The Electro Magnetic Emergency Tactical Suppressing system was the key surprise element in their trap, providing a 100% success rate. Once launched, its designated target would never be able to escape.
"Anyway, Ancient Egypt was already history when Earth still existed. A lot of information is preserved about its culture and art, though. It appeals to a lot of people, I guess."
"What about that pompous prick?" Jounouchi asked as he attached a generator to the support bracket.
"Who?"
"You know, what Kaiba read out loud. Son of Ra, Exalted Pharaoh?"
"The Pharaoh was the leader of Ancient Egypt. People saw him as an incarnation of the gods, hence 'son of the gods', 'son of Ra'. Ra was the Sun God, the most important deity they worshiped, if I'm not mistaken."
"We should ask Ryou Bakura," Honda commented. "He's the Earth Studies student, right?"
"Yeah, you're right." Jounouchi hooked up the cables. "Looking good!"
"This part is finished," Honda said. "I'll perform a test run. How are things going, Otogi?"
"I've got the camera feeds up and running. Not good quality, but well, we're not on Altana anymore. It's good enough to see where everyone's going. We'll force them to take this path through the facility, so they have no choice but to end up in here."
"Good. Remember, that guy with the weapons on display is all mine."
"He's all yours, Honda." Jounouchi looked at all the other materials they still had to set up. "Malik Ishtar is for Kaiba, so he can collect his five million genz."
"Ishtar…" Otogi pursed his lips. "I never gave it a thought, but it's an Arabic name. He could be of Egyptian descent."
"So he's related to a Pharaoh?" Jounouchi asked.
"Nah, I don't think so. Never mind, just a random thought… what's next?"
"Weapons check and unpack the rest of the EMETS." Jounouchi stared at his watch. "I'm giving you two hours, Honda, to finish setting this up. I'll help you as much as I can. After that, you're going to rest. With this many weapons involved, I want you to be totally refreshed and fit."
"Aye aye, sir. Two hours is more than enough to set up and test the EMETS. You can check the weapons."
"All right, if you're sure. Otogi?"
"I'm not finished by a long shot," Otogi said. "I have to reroute the entire electricity network."
"Has everyone been informed?"
"The research and administrative personnel, management and some of the medical staff have been evacuated. We, Kaiba, Isono, two nurses and the guards are still here."
"How many guards?"
"Fifteen."
"Fifteen? For a research facility? What is it they research here anyway?"
"I'm not sure," Otogi answered. "The facility is outdated and due to the restricted resources, I doubt they do any trailblazing scientific work here, hence so few guards."
"Crap." Jounouchi heaved a sigh. "Well, I better go instruct them."
Soon after Atemu had left for the spaceport office, Ryou finished sending his email to Kaiba. He didn't know why he had felt the need to do so. Kaiba Seto was the CEO of a gigantic company, spanning the entire galaxy - would he be really reading all of his emails? He couldn't help it, it just felt 'safe'; as long as Kaiba, his boss, knew where he was, it was a good feeling. Yuugi turned around in his chair.
"Have you ever been in a cockpit of a spaceship before, Ryou-kun?" he asked.
"Not in a cockpit, no," he answered truthfully. "I've been on several commercial spaceflights, but you can't visit the cockpit, for safety precautions."
"I've never been on a spaceship until a few days ago, when Atemu-kun showed me his," Yuugi said. "I never thought I was going to see more than just Vertregg 12!"
"It was… surprising that Atemu-san offered you the trip."
"Yeah, I know, he's not exactly like that, is he? I mean, to surprise someone. However, he did promise me a space trip in return for me taking him home and reading his name."
"Why wouldn't he know his own name?"
"I'm not sure," Yuugi said sheepishly. "I never asked. He looked so lost and confused when I first met him."
Ryou made a noncommittal sound. He had to give Atemu credit for his acting abilities; there was nothing 'lost and confused' about him. He felt sorry for whoever had made the mistake to put a 'lock' on the Datura, preventing its launch. It opened up a window to talk to Yuugi without having Atemu around, so he couldn't interfere. "It was kind of him to offer it in the first place," Ryou said. "Yuugi-kun… don't you think…" He hesitated for a moment. He didn't like confrontations, and he didn't want to ruin his friendship with Yuugi.
"Do I think what..?"
"… that Atemu-san is a little bit too close to you? I mean, you do have a girlfriend, don't you?"
"Yes, Anzu-chan is my fiancée," Yuugi immediately answered. He widened his eyes. "Oh! No, no, Ryou-kun! Do you think… he's in love with me? No, that's just silly!"
"No, I don't think he's 'in love' with you, Yuugi-kun, but he does something to you… it almost makes it look like he is… I'm so sorry, I don't know how to explain…" Ryou was fumbling for words. "…he's always standing next to you, with his hand on your shoulder, or on your elbow… you see?"
Yuugi lowered his head a little. "I'm sorry, Ryou-kun, I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable."
"Please, don't apologize, it's okay…"
Yuugi plucked at the fabric of his seat, not making eye-contact. "You must think I'm incredibly weak," he said, voice soft, disapproving of himself. "Yes, I am. I'm weak. I… I have to keep the Game Shop open and take care of my grandfather. I worry daily how we're going to survive the next week, the next month. I support Anzu-chan's dream to become a dancer, but dancing doesn't put food on the table or pays the electricity bills on this planet. I know that… a certain game is very illegal here, and I'm teetering on the edge of selling it, just to be able to pay the bills. I don't want to, because if I get caught and thrown in jail, who's going to take care of jii-chan, Anzu-chan, the Game Shop? I have to be strong for everyone, but I just can't always be that strong. I just can't."
"Yuugi-kun…" Ryou tried to interrupt him, but Yuugi shook his head frantically.
"No, I know what you're thinking right now. When I met Atemu-kun… he's so strong, so confident, you wouldn't believe it. He knows exactly what to say or to do at the right time, at the right moment. He makes me feel safe and protected, and somehow it feels good, you know? That someone else takes care of everything... I know it's cowardly and childish, but sometimes… I like to be not the one who has to shoulder everything."
"Yuugi-kun, listen to me," Ryou said. "How long… or rather, how short have we known each other?"
He looked a little confused. "Two days?"
"Two days," Ryou repeated. "And yet, I trust you with my life, Yuugi-kun. You're not weak, not at all. You've welcomed me with the kindness in your heart. Granted, you were a little apprehensive at first, but I would've been too, if I were in your position. It didn't take you long to extend your kindness to me, offering me food, a shower and a place to sleep. That's strength, Yuugi-kun. I don't see that strength in Atemu-san. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure he's wise and somehow appealing to you, but his strength comes from something… sinister, forgive me. I can't put it in any other words. He's using you, Yuugi-kun. I can't stand to see how he 'watches' over you. That's not protectiveness, it's possessiveness."
Yuugi wasn't offended by Ryou's words, but he was quite vehement in his denial. "It's not like that at all, Ryou-kun. He really is…" He was interrupted by the tone of his PMA, for which Ryou was grateful. He felt bad having a discussion with Yuugi like this, as it was very clear that he had put Atemu on some kind of pedestal. Ryou could understand that Yuugi was looking for support outside his family and his fiancée, having to bear all these responsibilities alone and not wanting to be a burden on those around him. His silent struggle had exactly been the thing for Atemu to prey upon and it angered Ryou that his friend was taken advantage of, even though he couldn't exactly determine what kind of advantage. Yuugi finished the call on his PMA, looking flustered.
"Anzu-chan's outside, she has brought your bag," he said.
Ryou stood up from the fold-up chair. "I'll get it."
"No, you just stay here." Yuugi all but stormed out of the cockpit. Ryou asked himself if he had upset him, or was it because his fiancée had arrived? Would it be wise to leave the Datura as well? He decided to wait for just a little longer. He didn't want to upset Yuugi even further.
"Welcome, gentlemen," Jounouchi said. "Thank you for coming here on such short notice." The men grumbled something unintelligible in return. Jounouchi took great pride in not showing his exterior despair. These men weren't ready for retirement yet, but they weren't that much far from it. He guessed the youngest one was in his mid-forties, the rest was over fifty. How was he ever supposed to work with them? This 'army' wouldn't stand a chance against a multiple weapons-wielding maniac, and who knew what Malik Ishtar was packing? "As you might've understood, we have a situation on our hands. First, an introduction: my name is Katsuya Jounouchi, you can call me Jounouchi. My team, consisting of me, Hiroto Honda and Ryuuji Otogi are a special team from KaibaCorp., tasked with tracking down interstellar criminals and bringing them to justice. That's all you need to know."
He dropped a significant silence and stared as sternly as possible at the men, allowing them a moment to process the situation. He wanted them to be aware of the gravity of the situation and if that made them feel uncomfortable, so be it. Jounouchi turned around and faced the wall where Rebecca had hung up a paper map of the research facility. A paper map! It was hilarious that in this age of digital technology, a paper map still existed. He didn't know where she had dug it up, but he sure had to tip his hat to her ingenuity. Using a holoprojector or a vidscreen would drain Otogi's resources, and his teammate needed all the electricity he could get. Jounouchi had a laser pointer with him and he turned it on.
"The situation," he elaborated, "is as follows: we expect a visit from two people in search of the man currently in the sickbay. We know for sure that they are dangerous and at least one of them carries weapons on display, among which a unique kind of weapon that makes him even more dangerous and extremely unpredictable."
"What kind of weapon?" A man, standing in the back, asked.
"Our weapons master, Honda, has identified it as a combination of a laser gun with the traditional bullet gun, but he doesn't know the exact firepower. He also doesn't know how the person in question was able to manufacture it, but to be able to combine these kinds of guns shows how unpredictable he is. We expect him to carry more weapons, on display or not. So far, his partner hasn't carried any weapon at all."
"What's up with the guy in the sickbay?" Another guard asked. "Why's he so important?"
"Important enough for those two to risk everything," Jounouchi said, sounding more dramatic than he intended. The guard muttered something under his breath, understanding that he wouldn't get any more information. Jounouchi used his laser pointer to mark the main hall on the paper map. "We're going to intercept them," he said. "Here's where we've set up the EMETS." The guards looked at each other, curious and anxious. Despite being 'just' security guards, they all had heard of the EMETS during their training. Jounouchi continued. "We're striving for a non-violent confrontation, with as little use of firepower as possible. Our goal is obviously to capture the both of them, once again, without violence. We don't want anyone to get hurt." An injured or even worse, dead, bounty would void the contract and Kaiba would be pissing mad if he missed out on five million genz "We have sealed off the other hallways and itineraries as to force them to take this path, leading them straight to the main hall. There we'll spring our trap."
"So what are we supposed to do? We don't have the kind of firepower to stop these guys."
"We want as little confrontation as possible," Jounouchi stressed. "There's no need to run around in blind panic and turn this into a freeform shootout. Honda will be here soon to hand out weapons and give you some basic training. Understood?"
The guards nodded in unison. Jounouchi divided them up in five teams of three, distributing headpieces for intern and extern communication. "The facility is running on ever lower resources than usual," he said. "The dock, the sickbay and some of the living quarters still have their usual utilities. We don't want to scream at them that there's a trap waiting. You'll be doing your rounds just like you always do. You have the right to defend yourself, but don't start shooting first. In face, if I find out that one of you has started shooting without any provocation, I'll hunt you down and kill you myself."
Right on cue, Honda entered the room, carrying a crate of generic laser weapons. He was the center of attention as the guards flocked together around him, grabbing a weapon out of the crate.
"How's it going?" he asked.
"They at least understand the gist of the oncoming problem," Jounouchi said, keeping his voice low. "No offense, but they're guards, not fully-trained security personnel. If things get really serious, they're nothing more but cannon fodder."
"I see." Honda grimaced. "It's a good thing the weapons aren't charged then; otherwise they would've blown each other's heads off. I'll teach them the basic instructions."
"All right. As soon as you're done, find yourself a bunk and rest up. How's Otogi doing?"
"I think he's almost done with the test runs and setting up everything. What about you? You're running on empty, if you don't watch out. You have to keep a sharp overview."
"Yeah, you're right." Jounouchi had the feeling that Kaiba would be eager to take over command, but even so, Honda was right: he had to be focused. "I'll check up on Otogi," he said, "then I'll get some sleep too."
"Anzu-chan!" Yuugi greeted his fiancée as soon as he left the Datura. Anzu didn't look too happy, and it had nothing to do with bringing Ryou's bag over. She returned his hug and the kiss on the cheek, albeit stiffly. "Thank you so much! What about your dance class?"
"Madame Korishnova had to cancel for today," Anzu said. "I thought I could help you out today with household chores, but I was quite surprised to find your grandfather at the shop, telling me that you were going on a space trip."
"I'm sorry, Anzu-chan." He grabbed her hand, holding it between his hands. "I should've asked your permission."
"Yuugi, you don't ever need to ask my permission, you're mature enough to make your own decisions." She looked at him a little sad, and he flinched. "I would never deny you your space trip. I know how much you'd love to go to outer space. It's just that…"
"Please don't say it, Anzu-chan," Yuugi said. "If it's about Atemu-kun…"
"It's about him, and you know it. I don't trust him, Yuugi. I'm sorry to say it."
"Anzu-chan…" Yuugi shivered. Ryou's words echoed in the back of his mind. That's not protectiveness, it's possessiveness. How could he tell his fiancée that he wasn't strong enough to bear everything on his own? That he didn't want to burden her? She would be so disappointed, and he didn't want to lose her. Her life was difficult as well, he couldn't add more to her own worries and troubles. Why did no one understand that Atemu was good to him? Shyly, he wrapped his arms around her to seek out closer contact. Anzu responded to the embrace and mimicked the gesture, pulling him closer to her.
"Yuugi, please promise me one thing," she whispered.
"Anything," Yuugi said, his voice slightly muffled.
"After your space trip, come back to the Game Shop. I'll make something special to eat for us, something really yummy… but don't bring Atemu home with you. In fact, I don't want to ever see him again. Promise me?"
"I…" Yuugi was torn. He couldn't stand the thought of never seeing Atemu again, the thought of him disappearing from his life was too much too bear. It tugged at the back of his mind, that both Anzu and Ryou didn't hold him in high regards, and spoke ill of him… Yuugi had the feeling he could trust Atemu with his life, but he valued Anzu's opinion. She was his fiancée, the woman he wanted to marry, he didn't want to lose her. "I pro…" his answer was cut short when he heard a cough behind him. They broke up their embrace, embarrassed.
"Atemu-san," Anzu greeted him icily.
"Anzu," he returned the greeting with even more ice in his voice, if possible. Yuugi didn't dare to look at either of them, obviously conflicted. "Thank you for bringing Bakura's bag," Atemu said, stoically. His hand went to Yuugi's elbow, the lightest of touches. "We can leave now and return home for the end of the evening."
"I can't stop you," Anzu said, meeting his gaze. She didn't blink at the blazing red color of his eyes. "You will bring him back, safe and sound."
"I guarantee you his safety," Atemu said and strangely enough, Anzu believed him. As long as Yuugi was with Atemu, nothing would happen to him, she was sure of it… but she didn't like the way he behaved around the other. Even though there was nothing romantic or sexual about Atemu's hand on Yuugi's elbow, she hated to see him touching her fiancé. Anzu wanted to say something, when the announcing system blared over the entire dock: "Incoming cargo ship. Incoming cargo ship. Please clear dock 11-77. Please clear dock 11-77."
"You better leave now, Yuugi ," Anzu said, irritably, "so you can be back before nightfall."
"Yes, dear," Yuugi said. He made a mental note to buy her a souvenir, something nice; perfume, perhaps? If it wasn't too expensive... she was hurt by his actions, he could feel it, and he had to make it up to her. He picked up Ryou's bag and was about to get back to the Datura, when he noticed Atemu looking up at the sky.
"Atemu-kun?" He looked in the same direction, along with Anzu. She whistled.
"Now that's a big cargo ship."
Yuugi had never seen such a huge spaceship before. "I don't think it even fits the dock," he said, impressed. The huge engines powered down as the ship prepared itself for landing. The cargo docks were not far away from where they were standing, and more people were crowding together to watch along.
"I can't make out the name," Anzu said. "It must be a supply ship for the entire planet!"
The large side wings could at least carry two Game Shops easily, and it had such big bulk that Yuugi thought an entire army could be hiding in it.
Atemu didn't move. "Its name is the October," he said.
"October? That's strange, to name a cargo ship after a calendar month." Yuugi squirmed a little. Atemu's fingers were digging into his upper arm. For the first time, his touch was painful and uncomfortable.
"What's it carrying?" Anzu asked, still in awe of the magnitude and volume of the ship.
Atemu pursed his lips. "It carries despair, hatred and anger," he said. "And death."
Chapter 15 | Chapter 17 |