A/N: Okay, just for recap: Some of you may have wondered where all of my 5D's stories have gone. Well, they're over on my other account called Selene Nightshade. Chase Me in the Dark is up for adoption (Yes, I do feel horrible discontinuing it when it needed like one more chapter; Regality, too, because a lot of people apparently liked it). I didn't transfer Revolution over for a specific reason—it was very poorly written in my eyes, and while I have parts of the plot—especially the ending—planned out, I'm having a lot of trouble getting everything written out to my liking. I've considered people's feedback, so this new revised version will hopefully satisfy you all :). The general idea is sort of the same, but I've decided to do some major tweaks and change the beginning a bit. Please excuse the horrendous grammar if you see any; I'm like falling asleep in front of my computer, I'm mad at my best friend, and this stupid computer (*kicks the old piece of junk*) freezes up whenever I type.

Okay, so quick update again. School is out for me in a couple of days. I've been so stressed these past few months with all of the projects and exams and whatnot. My newest story, It's Complicated (Yes, Van/Ven is my OTP right now), will have an update soon, but I just went back and tweaked things in the chapters like a few days ago, so yeah. I really want to dish out some new stuff before I start high school in late July, because I know that I'll never have time to do it during the school year. Anyway, enough with my rambling. As much as I love 5D's, I've sorta lost interest in Kingcrabshipping. I'm really trying to get back into it because... 1. I'm one of the administrators on the Kingcrabshipping realm, 2. I can't really make this story for another pairing 3. All of my Kingcrabshipping stories were horribly written when I went back to check them. But, yeah, I digress.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's in any shape or form, nor do I profit in any way through this piece.

Chapter 1: Mission

In Jack's eyes, kings were meant to be the omnipotent, unsurpassed victors of the game called life. They were admired, yet feared by their underlings; fierce and reckless, but always in control. Kings won wars; they were welcomed home as heroes, graced with food and comfort and love. Kings had everything.

Yes, he was admired despite his selfish, icy exterior, and he was reckless in every sense of the word. But he had nothing—no cent to his name, no family, and no trust in others. All he had was the dilapidated, cockroach-infested amphitheater in the Satellite Underground—a safe haven for the few humans who hadn't been killed or kidnapped during the Siege of Domino a decade back. Poor living conditions were better than death; better than being imprisoned in the government's imperial headquarters for the sole purpose of servitude or—if it were truly necessary—functioning as a human shield or toy.

Staring deeply into the filthy, cracked mirror against the makeshift bedroom wall, Jack Atlas saw no king in his reflection; instead he found himself looking directly at a broad-shouldered, grime-covered, self-proclaimed leader—tight-jawed, hardened by war, and more bitter than the average 19-year-old. Even as he heard Saiga faintly calling him up for a meeting, Jack merely remained stationary for a few seconds before his gloved hand smothered the candlelight, leaving him alone with the shadows that shifted with the rats' scuttling.

"Jack." The leader's room was suddenly illuminated by the pale, electric blue of a touch-pad. He turned to see Crow's steely eyes firmly planted on the screen, his callused fingers moving diligently. "We invade the imperial headquarters at dawn."

Jack's nostrils flared, his brow twitching in agitation. "Why did no one run this by me?" he inquired coldly. "I'm the leader around here."

"I'm running it by you, aren't I?" Crow sneered, walking out before glancing back. "Well, Your Majesty," he started mockingly, "are you gonna stand there forever or am I gonna have to haul your ass up—?" A bullet was suddenly embedded in the wall a few inches from Crow's nose. "Well, aren't you mature?"

"Hmph." Jack tucked the gun back into his brown vest, approaching Crow testily. "Stop being childish."

"Gee, and you wonder why the kids don't come near you." Crow shook his head as the two stepped into the elevator. Appearing at the meeting room in only seconds, Jack and Crow parted ways to their respective seats around the circular table, both scoffing at the irritated glares they received.

"Late again," Saiga sighed, running a hand through his thinning hair. "Honestly."

"Blame that buffoon."

"Blame Princess over there."

"...Anyway, let's continue." Saiga cleared his throat as he pointed at the projection, which displayed the Daedalus Bridge and its intricate branches. Below the single golden arc hovered the Ark Cradle, the rotating white fortress of humanity's enemy. "Machine Emperors and Imperial Soldiers are lined at the bridged perimeter. Explosives and grenades are meaningless against those monsters." The image flickered to said mechanisms. "I hacked into the mainframe. I'll shut them down once you're all within an 100-meter radius, but I can only do it for about a minute—I'm not ever sure if it's foolproof—so time is of the essence. Aki and Divine will use their powers to get everyone else up onto the fortress. From there, we divide and conquer. Sound good?"

Martha stepped out of the shadows, pulling the hidden lever against the table leg. The wall behind her creaked dangerously before it slipped into the earth to reveal a neat row of parked D-Wheels. "Y'all better be alive when this mission is over. Good luck," she murmured, the corners of her eyes stinging as they sought out Jack. Stay behind. We need to talk.

Jack conveyed the silent message, resting his hip against the table calmly as he watched everyone race off with a quick salute and disappear into the shadows. "So, spit it out. What do you need me to do?"

"We're assigning you another mission." The three occupants jumped in shock as a hunched-over figure loomed in the doorway. Yanagi Tenzen had been bedridden since the Siege's aftermath, his sanity thin over the years as he hyped himself up on medication to ease the pain—the pain of losing his treasures and capability. It was probably the first time Jack had ever seen the old man without a lackadaisical grin or spaced out gaze. The former revolutionary hobbled over, a thoughtful expression on his face as he handed Jack what was probably the first-generation touch-pad, the dinosaur everything but lightweight in hand. "Do something for me at Ark Cradle. It's gonna be dangerous, though."

"Kick ass." The old man shook his head, causing Jack to take on a bewildered expression. "Well then, enlighten me. The revolution's been dedicated to defeating the government since it first began ten years ago!" Jack fumed with frantic hand gestures. "Mutou, Kaiba, Yuuki, my parents—all of the greatest leaders went down for the cause!"

Seeing that Martha was about to explode at Jack's blatant disrespect, Yanagi hastily patted her shoulder and lowered his voice. "Just open it up, Sonny Boy. But trust me, defeating the government's still part of the plan," Old Man Yanagi said gently, motioning towards the touch-pad. "You up to my challenge?"

"Be specific, then." The blonde activated the outdated device, wiping some of the excess dust on his pant leg. His squinted amethyst gaze widened, drinking in the image of the vaguely familiar face. "I..."

"Fudou Yuusei, the twin brother of your parents' murderer, Z-one. He's tough—really tough." Yanagi shuddered, hazy memories of metal, sapphire, and crimson coming to the surface. "I'm not asking you to kill him. Just...subdue him for a bit. I need to know something—"

"What's this something?" Martha asked sternly. "Is this something worth risking Jack's life?"

Saiga chuckled softly, playing with the straw between his lips. "We risked everyone's life already just by letting them out there, Martha. One more mission won't hurt," he reasoned. Shouldering his bag, he moseyed towards the door with a wave. "Good luck, Jack! Don't die!"

Five men glared at the surveillance sphere below, unamused by the sheer determination of the oncoming revolutionaries. "Shall I get my Meklords ready?"

"Do as you wish, Aporia," rumbled the white-clad figure solemnly. "I have other matters to attend to." The man jumped off of his throne, the whistling light of the walls forming into a flotation armor of red and white. "Come, Antinomy."

"Z-one." A teal-haired man with a rose-tinted visor bowed reverently, and the two disappeared in twin bursts of light.

"Aporia, Paradox. Both of you know what we must do." Yuusei's gravelly declaration caused his elders to smirk cruelly. "Take the ground. The sky...is mine." Suddenly, the sapphire-eyed alien began to shapeshift, features undergoing cosmic recoloration. He grew in size—teeth sharpening, eyes narrowing, and more draconic qualities overtaking his entire being. He vanished like a supernova with a roar, shooting into the sky and illuminating the gray clouds above. Paradox cackled as he and Aporia began to shapeshift, their lower bodies morphing into D-Wheels. They took their leave, prepared for the upcoming battle against human scum. We won't fail you, Z-one!

And they were confident that they would succeed.

"Something wrong?" Antinomy questioned in concern as Z-one came back to reality, having heard the entire conversation between his three cohorts.

Z-one merely gazed ahead, removing his helmet to reveal distant sapphire eyes and gold-streaked ebony hair. "Something's amiss," he whispered, shutting his eyes. "However, I don't know what, or if I'll have to get involved."

"Do you need me out there?" His partner cautiously placed a hand on his shoulder as if trying to offer some sort of reassurance. "I can still catch up with them on Delta Eagle."

"As a last resort," the leader said quietly, catching sight of the group of rebels travel on D-Wheel towards the imperial headquarters through his window. "Would you look at that? The pests have finally arrived." Leaning forward to get a better view, he saw a speckle of moving white in the distance. "And the leader's not too far behind."

D-Wheels swerved in every direction as an onslaught of stardust spheres impacted the thinner branches of the bridge. Machine Emperors shot a flurry of laser beams in the revolutionaries' direction, but Aki and Divine managed to create a forcefield just in time. The world around them was obscured as smoke and fire formed a ring around the transparent barrier. Despite his irritated vision, Jack could see a crowd of Imperial Soldiers racing towards them with machine guns poised for fire. "Now!" he cried into the earpiece.

The world went quiet as the Meklords' attacks ceased instantaneously, meaning that Saiga's attempt was indeed successful. Everyone was launched into the air, the psychics' artificial wind guiding them to Ark Cradle. Without warning, a pale, narrow dragon slammed into them from behind just as they boarded the floating fortress. It perched itself on the edge, watching blankly as Jack and the others composed themselves, drawing their weapons hurriedly. "You don't belong here. Leave or face the consequences," the dragon hissed demonically, leaning forward and baring its teeth.

"Attack!" Jack bellowed at his teammates. "Time's up! They're awake! Divide and conquer now!"

A multitude of Machine Emperors exploded in the sky as the two psychics double-teamed them with fireballs and gigantic thorn whips, showering the battleground with shrapnel. "Go!" Aki cried, motioning towards the advancing ground forces as Divine sustained the forcefield. "Hurry!"

Sherry and Mizoguchi raced towards the Imperial Soldiers, dodging the lasers and bullets dexterously. The blond woman cried in fury as she kicked the silver machine's head off cleanly, shoving the malfunctioning body towards a group behind it. The result was a gargantuan explosion, and using the smoke cover to her advantage, Sherry kicked off of the wall and spun midair gracefully, throwing taser knives towards the enemies. Mizoguchi wasn't lacking, either; he held two blades in each hand, weaving his way through the Imperial Soldiers with ease, smirking as the line he ran pass seconds ago fell in two.

"We're doing good," Crow chuckled as he stood back to back with Kiryu. He wiped the sweat and grime from his forehead as a new wave of Imperial Soldiers created a ring around them. "You ready?"

"Course!" Both took the electric cuffs from their belt compartments. Twirling them like lassos, Kiryu and Crow managed to cuff Wisel's ankles, each biting their lips from the exertion. The cuffed Wisel flew around in a circle as the boys spun around, smashing into its counterparts. Throwing themselves backwards, the two revolutionaries yanked the monster forward, jumped off of its arms into the air, and threw grenades at the remaining forces.

On the lower division of Ark Cradle, Jack gritted his teeth in pain as Aporia sent an electrical shock through his entire being with a leer. "Show me your strength, Jack Atlas!" He pressed the trigger again, smirking as the blonde shrieked from the shock to the heart, falling on one knee and convulsing pathetically.

Mechanical dragons snapped at Ushio, Bommer, and Himuro, the muscled trio replying with rapid gunfire via D-Wheel. "Give 'em hell!" Ushio bellowed, swerving onto a ramp to avoid the dragon spewing out poisoned darts. Himuro and Bommer, seeing that another dragon was rocketing towards the defenseless Jack, tried to distract the creature by hurtling a grenade at the wall closest to it.

The cyber dragon froze, glaring back at them with cold fury. It rose to its full height, mouth opening a couple of meters wide to launch two missiles, which locked onto Himuro and Bommer's D-Wheels. The two had long since started their escape, but the missile collided with Himuro's back wheel just as he turned the corner. "Jin!" Bommer cried, knowing that his friend hadn't survived the impact. Rotating 180 degrees, he raced back to the wreckage to see if a miracle had occurred—to see if his blue-haired friend had made it out with injuries instead.

But as he stopped by the annihilated D-Wheel, the second missile came in contact with the wall directly behind him. Bommer screeched in despair as he was caught up in the flames. His charring hand went for his pocket, pulling out a small photograph of his family in Nazca Village. "I'm...s-sorry..." He was trapped; his legs could no longer support him, burning, heavy metal was splayed out over his torso, and soon, everything would become ash.

"Bommer, Himuro!" Jack punched the ground in frustration, feeling powerless as his two allies met their demise. He sought out the only other human in the room. "Ushio, get outta here!"

The former officer shook in protest, whipping his head back as one of the dragon's metal darts gave him a gash across the face. "Jack! I can't just leave you!"

"Just do it!" the teen cried, throwing a grenade a few meters away from the door. The last thing he saw was the other's hesitant nod as he raced out of the door before it was blocked by the destroyed white metal.

Aporia, merged with the wall and surrounded by wires and weapons, glared down at the blond leader heartlessly. More wires and cables raced towards Jack with the intention of either choking him or electrocuting him. "You're nothing, little king," rumbled the crimson-eyed male. "You'll be reunited with your family soon."

Anger bubbled in the revolutionary's chest at the cruel remark. Jack dived out of the way, firing madly with his machine gun even though the bullets bounced off of Aporia's chest. Paradox, who had been upholding the shield of invisibility, snapped the fingers of his free hand, and a shower of shrapnel fell from the ceiling. "No more games," he said with an unamused frown. "Time to finish you off once and for all."

"I don't think so." Suddenly, the shrapnel shower transformed into sparkling stardust. The dragon from earlier loomed above Jack and the two government leaders. "Aporia, Paradox," it acknowledged, "Z-one has informed me of a change in plans. Take the upper levels. This one...is mine."

"You've escaped death for a few more seconds, boy," Paradox muttered, holding out his palm to form a monochrome portal. "But your new opponent is even more formidable." He and Aporia teleported, ready to confront the other revolutionaries on the levels above. The room shifted at the dragon's command, the corpses, wires, and other wreckage vanishing completely as if they were never there.

The revolutionary glared up defiantly at the Stardust Dragon, positioned to fire his machine gun if necessary. "Why did you stop the battle?" His whisper echoed around the futuristic room. "I could've died—"

A sudden, powerful gust of wind hurled Jack against the ceiling, knocking the breath out of him. Discarding the machine gun carelessly on his way down, the revolutionary grabbed onto the railing and hauled himself over, breathing heavily. He pulled a knife from his vest, eyes warily searching the stardust-coated room for some sort of movement. Where did that dragon go? he thought uneasily, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead.

"I'm right above you." The blonde's head jerked upward, crazed amethyst locking onto deep sapphire just meters above. "I've blocked this room. Not even my brother can hear us now." The boy shifted, his spikes lightly bouncing as he jumped onto Jack's platform—merely three yards away from where Jack was kneeling. "I won't kill you. At least, not yet. I want to know why you've come for me."

Jack sprinted towards him, but the alien didn't even flinch as a gloved hand wrapped around his throat tightly. "Fudou Yuusei!" Jack picked him up and slammed him against the wall with a furious snarl, the hand with the knife creeping dangerously close to Yuusei's cheek. "The Siege. What did you do during the Siege that was so important to Old Man Yanagi?"

"Yanagi Tenzen, the historian." Yuusei smiled faintly, unreadable, calculating eyes focusing on Jack. "Why, I saved his life, of course. I saved the ones known as Saiga and Martha, as well. And..." He trailed off to a pause, eyes focusing on space only he could see. "I," he began again, "saved you. There are secrets only I know, Jack Atlas; ones even hidden from Z-one."

"But why did you save us, you bastard?" Jack breathed heavily as the other's fingers gently rested on his forehead, feeling all of the grime on his body just dissipate entirely.

"I want peace, just as you do." Yuusei's hand crept into the slit of his robe, pulling out an amber necklace and placing it in Jack's vest pocket. "You're going to need that."

"Why are you helping me?"

"Already answered that." The passive government member's eyes darkened. "My block on this room will fade in a minute now. So, let's put on a grand battle for my brother!"

Jack's eyes widened as he was thrown over the railing from a powerful kick. Time seemed to decelerate as he gazed into Yuusei's eyes, not expecting such a change in demeanor. Regaining his senses, the blonde lurched forward, rolling onto the harsh, cool metal floor erratically. "What the—?" He moved his arm into view for inspection to find that he now brandished a glowing crimson marking in the shape of a wing. "What is this?"

"Signer." Yuusei teleported in front of Jack, pulling up his sleeve to reveal the marking of a dragon's head. "I am one, too. This means that we are not enemies."

"Be that as it may, we shall still fight!" Jack's fist tightened as a crimson light engulfed it, leaving a hefty sword in its wake. "I will defeat you, Fudou Yuusei!"

Yuusei's expression hardened as he sensed the block finally lifting. "You shall die here, Jack Atlas!" he sneered.

Both men raced towards each other in blurs of white and crimson.

"Yuusei's lifted the block," Z-one acknowledged.

"The question is…why did he need it in the first place?" Antinomy mused to himself, removing his visor so he could stare Z-one directly in the eyes. "You sense trouble, too? I don't mean to question him, but—"

"I'm worried." The leader sighed as Antinomy stroked his jet hair. "Go check on him. I shall attend to Apora and Paradox." He floated towards the opposite window, watching his two allies face defeat at the hands of humans. "They're honestly pathetic."

"Come, Delta Eagle!" Antinomy summoned his D-Wheel and teleported into the world of speed via slipstream. I'm coming, Yuusei! he thought. I won't fail you, Z-one!

Metal clashed with metal as Yuusei and Jack continued their dance to the death, each moving with lightning speed and dexterity. "You're not bad," Yuusei muttered as he dodged another slash. "But not good enough!"

"Yeah, right!" Jack ran for cover as cosmic flares scorched the ground from above. He dug his blade into the earth with a snarl, watching as flames followed the intricate gaps in the flooring.

Twirling the blades in hand, Yuusei sped towards him, unfazed by the fire around him. "You'll never win!" He crouched down, knocking Jack's legs out from beneath him. He drove his sword to the blonde's chest, but his hand recoiled as a grenade overhead passed him. "What?"

"Jack may piss me off, but I'm not gonna let you kill him!" Crow called out with a smirk, tossing another grenade in hand. "Lay off, government scum!"

Mentally thanking Crow for the distraction, Jack got to his feet and jabbed Yuusei in the stomach with the hilt of his sword. The alien hunched over with a gasp, and Jack tackled him to the ground with a shout. "How…dare you…" the alien rasped, using all of his strength to push the other off of him and teleport to the ceilings. "You…three…"

Three? Jack glanced towards Crow, who was now racing towards him on D-Wheel. His chest tightened in panic. "Crow, where's Kiryu?"

The man stopped by him, eyes wide in realization. "Oh, no! He went for it, the idiot!"

"What's it?" Jack demanded. "You guys never tell me anything—!"

"Jack, behind you!" Crow screamed. Jack turned his head quickly, dread pooling in his stomach as the blade was kicked out of his hand. He and Crow wouldn't be able to draw their weapons fast enough to counter Yuusei's surging blades, so the redhead grabbed hold of him by the back of his vest and sped off like a man who'd seen a ghost. "Kiryu!"

Jack shook off the grip, slumping to the ground in shock as he saw Kiryu engage Yuusei in battle. The alien slashed madly, Kiryu's ponytail cleanly falling to the ground. The silver-haired man leaped into the air, grenades frantically barraging Yuusei in all directions. "Take this, fucker!"

"Fool!" Yuusei smirked, creating a barrier of wind to block the grenades. The entire battleground was engulfed in smoke, but Kiryu's insane laughter echoed around the room.

Using the smoke to his advantage, Kiryu weaved his way undetected through the thick fog. He appeared behind a blinded Yuusei, yanking the blades out of his hands and leaning in to whisper into the shorter male's ear. "I've got you," he breathed, eyes narrowing as he forced the other to turn around. Their lips crashed against each other aggressively.

Yuusei bit his lip in response, stumbling back with wide eyes as his own twin blades were forced through his stomach, Kiryu's golden eyes glaring down at him with dark satisfaction as he licked his own punctured lip.

Blood pounded in his ears, dripped from his parted lips, yet he could still faintly hear the revolutionaries' cries of escape and Antinomy's D-Wheel in the distnace. His dying eyes blearily focused upwards as combat boots stopped by his face. "Hmph…"

"I've still gotta ask you something," he heard Jack whisper before everything went black.

Antinomy stepped on the brakes, watching as the psychics and revolutionaries fled in two glistening spheres, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Yuusei…" he murmured sorrowfully. He knew that Z-one was going to be disappointed in him. He could catch up to the escapees, but he would easily be overpowered.

"Antinomy, come," Z-one demanded through the earpiece.

Biting his lip, the teal-haired D-Wheeler closed his eyes, allowing the dying sun to bathe his face one last time before he revved up, his destination the top floor of Ark Cradle. He, Aporia, and Paradox were going to be severely punished for their failures. "Yes, Z-one."

Cosmic light painted the skies rainbow as violet lightning shook the earth. For the first time in ten years, a hero's eyes flickered open. His golden teal gaze sought out his still slumbering allies. The boy jumped out of his pod, the maroon coattail bouncing lightly as he walked towards the pod of his teal-haired lover. "Andersen...Mutou...Kaiba...Why was I the first to awaken?"

"Because you are the one closest to Fudou Yuusei."

"So, you woke up, too, Yuubel. Is this...the future?"

"Yes, but you haven't aged a day, Juudai." The demonesque spirit's three eyes focused on her master. "We are in Ark Cradle...but this room is different; undetected by all except Fudou Yuusei. He preserved us here..."

The boy chuckled, vague memories swimming in mind. He could still faintly remember Yuusei coming to visit here and then, informing them of the world's standing point as they slumbered on through the years. "I'm grateful. But, I cannot detect his protection anymore."

"Come, Juudai. We shall go to him." Yuubel glanced back to the pods of the slumbering war heroes. "Mana, Kisara, Ruby, take care of them while we're away."

The spirits of two beautiful women and an indigo carbuncle flickered briefly over their respective masters' heads. "Good luck!" Mana gave them an optimistic smile and wave. Kisara nodded kindly and the carbuncle mewed softly, floating towards them to touch cheeks with the brunet.

"I know you miss him. I do, too." Petting the carbuncle's head gently, Juudai laced his fingers with Yuubel's. "Let's go."

A/N: Finally, it's done...and beta-ed for the most part. Damn, that was long! Give me your feedback, though hopefully they'll contain no flames. Umm...okay, bye!

Some quick spoilers/answers to your possible questions (DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS):

1) The government members (excluding Yuusei) do not know about the men sleeping in the pods. Nope, because Yuusei cast a permanent block on the room. Why did he save them? Because he believes that the war was petty and wants equality with mankind.

2) Yes, there will be a Crimson Dragon! :o I don't know who my Signers will be, though. Yuusei, Aki, Jack, Crow...I'm not exactly sure about Rua and Ruka, because: 1) They won't make their appearance until like Chapter 4 2) I was planning on Ruka dying 3) I'm not a big fan of Rua, and giving him both marks (because Ruka dying is probably definite) unless I make him older or somethin' 4) I like Kiryu and Sherry a hell of a lot better, so I might just give them the marks :|.

3) Psychics and aliens DO exist in this AU. Period. And if you're wondering what Juudai is...well, he's an alien. Yuubel is his guardian spirit. Meh. But everyone else in the pods are humans with guardian spirits...Yes.

4) Will there be yaoi in this fic? Well, of course...just way later, probably. I hate fics where everyone justs falls in love instantly. That's bull. So, there's gonna be...Jack/Daniel (*scoff*Yuusei*scoff*amnesia*scoff*new name*SCOFF**HACK*), Antinomy/Z-one, and hints of Kiryu/Crow, Aki/Divine, and...uhhh..that's it.

KTHXBAI,

SNS/SN