Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Solitary

"Hello. My name is Author. Nine volunteers (or not) are my guests in a unique social experiment. They will face challenges that will test both their physical and mental limits. Eventually they will ALL quit. They will be kept separated and isolated in tiny pods. The last one left will walk away $50,000 richer. What they don't know yet is that they are not competing against each other, but themselves."

Nine pods are silent and dark. Each is white with a different color detailing and three mirrors on the walls. A slot is outlined on one wall for food, and other things to be placed. Two doors face each other on opposite ends. One leads to a tiny anti-pod with a bathroom and another mirror and the other leads out into the real world again. Up on the wall a screen blinks. An green octagon flashes gently. Under it are two buttons. A green button and a red button.

Lights flash on in each of the nine pods. In the first one a tall teen with shoulder length blond hair and violet eyes looks around. The second holds a very tall teen with brown hair and vibrant blue eyes. Three has an extremely short and very young looking boy with spiky tri-colored hair in black with violet tips and yellow bangs. Large, curious amethyst eyes look around the pod. Four holds a tall teen with white hair and dark brown eyes. In pod five another teen with blond hair and violet eyes, although his hair is so spiky he looks like a porcupine. Six is occupied by another teen with white hair, spiked up almost to look like bat wings, and dark red eyes, the color of dried blood. In Seven another, slightly taller, teen with tri-colored hair blinks slowly. His spikes are red and match his eyes. Pod eight's occupant is blond with light brown eyes and a large grin. Pod nine holds the only female in this experiment. She has shoulder length brown hair and blue eyes.

All pods - "Hello. My name is Author."

A chorus of "Hello Author" sounded from each pod.

"The pod you are in is designed to isolate you from each other and from the outside world. There are nine of you participating in this experiment. But whether you stay or leave is completely up to you. You are entirely alone.

"Except, that is, for me. In Solitary I am your only companion. Your confidant. You only friend.

"Let us begin."

"What is your name?"

Each pod's occupant looks straight up at the flashing octagon.

1- "Malik Ishtar"

2- "Seto Kaiba"

3- "Yugi Mutou"

4- "Ryou Bakura"

5- "Marik Ishtar"

6- "Bakura"

7-"Yami Mutou"

8- "Joey Wheeler"

9- "Tea Gardener"

"Incorrect."

"What?" Bakura glares at the screen.

"Then what is my name?" Yugi asks politely.

Different versions of the same question echo around each pod.

"As you can see you are in a pod with a number. That is now your name. Let us try this again."

"What is your name?"

1- (Malik) "My name is Number One." He grins and smiles. "A good place to start."

"You are confident in your victory then?"

"Absolutely."

"We'll see."

2- (Kaiba) "I am Number Two." He glares at the number on the wall as if it offended him and he wants it to die a very painful death."

"Is there something wrong Number Two?"

"No." His eyes are like ice, staring straight at the green octagon on the screen.

"Very well."

3- (Yugi) "My name is Number Three then?"

"Was that a question or a statement?"

"I am Number Three."

"Correct."

4- (Ryou) "I am Number Four," he smiles widely.

5- (Marik) "Number Five! YEAH!"

"You are pleased with your name Number Five?"

"ABSO-FREAKINGLUTELY!"

6- (Bakura) "My name is Number Six."

7- (Yami) "My name is Number Seven."

8- (Joey) "Lucky Number Eight baby!"

"You believe this number will bring you luck?"

"Yes I do!"

"You'll need more than luck to stay here."

"Good thing I have skill too then!"

"Your exuberance is admirable."

9- (Tea) "Number Nine." She smiles

All Pods - "What do you think of your new home?"

1- (Malik) "It's very yellow. And rather small. But there are a lot of mirrors, so that's okay.'

2- (Kaiba) "I've seen worse." His pod is lined in light blue.

3- (Yugi) "I like purple. And it's small enough that I actually feel big for once!"

4- (Ryou) "Green is a good color. A nice forest green. It feels a little cramped in here though."

5- (Marik) "Orange. I like orange, I think. But there isn't enough room for my stuff in here. And it's quiet, very quiet. Can I get some cymbals or something? Or maybe just a few pots and pans? Or a gun! Yeah! A gun would be good. Can I have a gun? AND CAKE! I WANT CAKE! And what do I do if I need to go to the bathroom? There isn't a toilet in here! And what if I'm tired. There's no bed. I can sleep on the floor if I have to, but I don't want to. I'm hungry too. Where's the food. WHERE IS MY CAKE? You can't expect me to live without cake! Cake is the most beautiful thing on earth! It's the tastiest, sugariest, loveliest..."

6- (Bakura) "It's pink. I hate pink."

7- (Yami) He looks around the white room and rubs his hand along the dark blue lines. "The color scheme is fine, and I'll be fine with the small space too." He smirks. Spending 5,000 years in the Millennium Puzzle got him used to enclosed spaces.

8- (Joey) "Red is good. It's a fighting color."

9- (Tea) "A nice light green is a great calming color. I can deal with that. Not much room for dancing though. But I guess I can stretch."

Audience- "It seems my guests are mostly settling into their new home. It's time to tell them the rules they will have to live by while they are here."

All Pods - "While you are here, I control everything. To do anything you must push the green button and ask my permission. You must remain in your pods at all times unless otherwise instructed. There will be no Shadow Powers during the duration of this experiment. Each pod is equipped with a door leading to an anti-pod and lavatory. In this anti-pod you will engage in deep thought and conversation. If you don't like my rules you may quit Solitary at any time by pushing the red button. In fact, the only way to leave Solitary is by pushing the red button. Do I make myself clear?"

2- (Kaiba) "I am not a quitter."

8- (Joey) "No touching the red button. EVER! Got it!"

5- (Marik) "OOH! A red button! Can I touch it! Is it tasty?"

3- (Yugi) "I'm staying right here."

7- (Yami) "There is no red button."

9 – (Tea) "Well it makes for an interesting decoration."

1- (Malik) - "Red button = bad. Got it!"

4- (Ryou) - "I won't touch it."

6 – (Bakura) - "Can't I just send the button to the Shadow Realm?"

Audience - "In Solitary, none of my guests can see or hear each other. They don't know who the other guests are and as such the only things they know about each other is whatever information I choose to give them. Let's see how a little knowledge of the competition will go over."

All pods - "It is time you learned a little bit about each other."

In each pod the occupants look up eagerly and wait.

All pods - "Number One grew up in a hot climate. They ran away from home at a young age."

1- (Malik) "Sure! Tell them THAT BIT!"

3- (Yugi) "I'm sure they had a good reason to do that."

5- (Marik) "HEY! So did I!"

9- (Tea) "Oh. I'm sorry."

6- (Bakura) "Weak."

All pods - "Number Two is a multimillionaire business CEO. They have an obsession with winning."

2- (Kaiba) *smirk*

4- (Ryou) "Having an obsession with something doesn't always mean that you get it."

8- (Joey) "He sounds like a jerk. Why is he even here if he doesn't need the money?"

All pods - "Number Three is four feet and eleven inches tall. They are an international gaming champion."

3- (Yugi) "I hope they don't count me out because I'm short."

6- (Bakura) "Game time is over."

5- (Marik) "I love games! Especially winning. Winning games is fun. Almost as fun as crushing people's souls in the Shadow Realm and leaving them there to rot forever!"

7- (Yami) "Someone shorter than me? Really?"

All pods - "Number Four is a table top role play game enthusiast who went to eight different high schools."

4- (Ryou) He sighs heavily and shakes his head. "It wasn't my fault."

1- (Malik) "Eight! Wow. I wonder what he did to get kicked out?"

9- (Tea) "That's unfortunate. It would be hard to make friends that way."

6- (Bakura) "None of these people are sounding like much competition."

All pods - "Number Five is certifiably insane and has an obsession with pointy objects."

5- (Marik) "HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! Now I want my knives. And my gun. AND CAKE!"

2- (Kaiba) "All of these people sound insane."

1- (Malik) "I'm glad I'm not in a pod with him!"

8- (Joey) "Dude. Why the heck is a guy like that even allowed here?"

All pods - "Number Six is an opportunist and an expert with knives."

6- (Bakura) "Why don't you just come out and tell them I'm a theif?"

4- (Ryou) "I think Number Six would scare me if I met him."

2- (Kaiba) "Yet another insane person.

All pods - "Number Seven is also an international gaming champion and can read Egyptian Hieroglyphics."

7- (Yami) "You're making me sound like a geek!"

6- (Bakura) "Big deal. So can I."

3- (Yugi) "I'd love to play against him."

5- (Marik) "Chocolate cake, lemon cake, frosting, angel cake, devil's food cake, carrot cake. Oh wait! Never mind on the carrot cake. But I'd need a knife to cut the cake. I want my knives. GIVE THEM TO ME! Oh! And there's orange cake, and confetti cake, and vanilla cake...

All pods - "Number Eight is a food enthusiast and self proclaimed "Lucky Left Arm"

8- (Joey) "I said that once! And now you've made me hungry."

1- (Malik) "He'll need more than luck to win here."

4- (Ryou) "That's actually kind of funny."

9- (Tea) "I think all the other people here are guys."

All pods - "Number Nine has dreams of becoming a professional dancer and values friendship above everything else."

9- (Tea) "That's right! My friends are the most important thing to me and our friendship is what is going to carry me through this competition!"

6- (Bakura) "They sound annoying."

3- (Yugi) "That's nice."

5- (Marik) "I wonder if they will give me cake!?"

All pods - "Now that you know something about the competition how do you feel about your chances of winning?"

1- (Malik) "I am going to win this thing. I don't care who the others are. I'm the only one in my pod and I'm the only one that can make me push the red button and that is not going to happen."

2- (Kaiba) "None of the others are real competition. I will squash them like bugs."

3- (Yugi) "I'm just here to do my best."

4- (Ryou) "The only competition is me."

5- (Marik) "Banana cake, almond cake, berry cake, sweet cake, wedding cake, birthday cake, dessert cake, cake for dinner, cake for lunch, cake for breakfast!"

6- (Bakura) "Ha ha ha! You must be joking. No one will be able to outlast me."

7- (Yami) "I think the others will underestimate me. And that is not a smart idea. I will crush them. I always do."

8- (Joey) "I'm gonna win. I'm gonna win. I'm gonna win. I'm gonna win."

9- (Tea) "The competition seems pretty intense. But I'll give it my best shot!"

Audience - "Some of my guests are already beginning to realize that their only competition here is not the other guests, but themselves."

Audience - All guests are now in their anti-pods, awaiting their first Test. The winner of this Test will earn freedom from the first treatment and be one step closer to winning it all.

The guests walk out into their pods and see a small circle in the center of the floor.

All pods – Welcome to your first Test. Stand in the circle in the center of the floor please... Thank you. The first test is a simple one, and deals with telling time.

2- (Kaiba) "Easy."

All pods - You each see in front of you a table with various items you can decide to do with what you will. There is a plate of tuna, a ball of yarn, a bowl of stones, a pillow, and a toy mouse.

6- (Bakura) "Why does all of this stuff look like cat toys?"

8- (Joey) "Okay then. I can do this."

All pods – When you think time is up, push the green button. The guest closest to 10 hours will receive freedom from the first Treatment. Those who do not win the Test will be participating in the Treatment. And one of you WILL be going home.

1- (Malik) "I'll just have to win this then."

7- (Yami) "Sounds easy enough. What's the catch?"

All pods – And you will be keeping track of your ten hours while being turned into a cat.

5- (Marik) "I like kitties! But I don't want to be one!"

2- (Kaiba) "You are NOT turning me into a CAT!"

All pods- Once you press the green button you will be turned back.

4- (Ryou) "So this is a physical and mental exercise then. Those of us who can control our feline urges best will be able to keep track of time better, and those of us who can't stand being a cat will want to get out of it first."

9- (Tea) "Oh I can do this!"

All pods- Your time starts now.

A bright light flashes briefly in each pod and the guests vanish, replaced by nine felines that look remarkably similar to their human counterparts.

8- (Joey) "HISS" A yellow tom with black paws and brown eyes arches his back and glares at the screen.

5- (Marik) A platinum blond cat with fur that refuses to lay down straight jumps on the table and starts attacking the toy mouse, disemboweling the stuffing quickly.

2- (Kaiba) The brown cat leaps on the table and starts making scratches on the surface, keeping track of minutes.

9- (Tea) She leaps gracefully onto the table and stretches before looking at the tuna briefly. The brown feline shakes her body once and sits on the pillow. She pulls the mouse over to her and starts to bat it with her paws.

3- (Yugi) A tiny black cat with a violet streak running down its head and back all the way to its tail stares at itself in the mirror. He mews softly before catching sight of the moving tail behind him. He hisses and his hair stands on end. He watches it move carefully for a moment before whirling and trying to grab it.

6- (Bakura) The white cat in pod 6 is very fluffy and white. He hisses at his reflection for a moment before leaping on the table and kneading at the pillow before he lays down and closes his eyes.

1- (Malik) Leaping gracefully onto the table, he starts to eat the tuna immediately.

7- (Yami) A cat almost identical to the one in pod 3, but larger and with a red streak, stares at the screen. His tail swings rhythmically behind him.

4- (Ryou) This white cat is smaller and almost as fluffy as the one in pod 6. He takes time to stretch each limb, getting used to the new movements and muscles. He leaps onto the table gracefully and delicately pics up the ball of yarn. He leaps back down onto the floor and starts to bat it around.

1 Hour into Test

6- (Bakura) He hasn't moved from the pillow.

2- (Kaiba) The table is scratched heavily in one corner, the pillow and toys have been swept onto the floor and the tuna has had precisely one bite taken from it.

5- (Marik) Stuffing is scattered in clumps all over the room. He chews on the cloth remains of the toy mouse, slowly tearing it apart. Pieces float in a small puddle of drool under his chin.

2 Hours into Test

8-(Joey) He paced the length of the pod, the tuna completely gone. Every so often he glared at the television screen and hissed.

9- (Tea) She continues to lounge on the pillow, her eyes following the mouse traveling between her paws.

1- (Malik) The tuna is gone and he starts to groom himself, paying particular attention to his tail.

3- (Yugi) He leaps and curls into a sharp turn, grabbing his tail between his teeth. He howls loudly, dropping it and hissing. Turning, he catches sight of it again and starts to chase it.

4 Hours into Test

7- (Yami) He continues to stare at the screen, his tail flicking slowly from side to side.

4- (Ryou) The yarn is set into a checkered pattern on the floor. He leaps gracefully from one square to another, moving precisely.

5- (Marik) The stuffing from the mouse is scattered in a fine, even fuzz over everything. He pounces on the yarn and starts scratching at it, removing and loosening bits from it until it resembles a pile of spaghetti and he is hopelessly tangled.

7 Hours into Test

2- (Kaiba) The table is covered in even lines of scratches. Half of the tuna is gone.

8- (Joey) He stares into the mirror, completely focused on something. He shakes his head and leaps back, turning to the television. He hisses and goes back to starting.

3- (Yugi) He lays in the center of the pod, breathing heavily. He looks up at the table and mews before forcing himself to his feet and leaping up onto it, landing slightly unsteadily. He walks over to the tuna and laps at it eagerly. He finishes quickly and moves to lay on the pillow, looking determinedly at the screen.

1- (Malik) He polishes off grooming himself and stretches before sitting on the pillow and dragging the yarn over to him. He starts to claw gently at it.

6- (Bakura) He stretches out, turns and curls up again to fall asleep.

5- (Marik) The yarn and stuffing lay scattered around the pod. He sits in the center of the pod, a smug expression on his face.

8 Hours and 13 Minutes into Test

8- (Joey) Hissing once more he leaps onto the table and pauses for a second before butting the green button with his head. A light flashes and a human is left kneeling on the table. He scrambles down quickly and steps to the center of the pod, glaring at the screen.

Number Eight, you have pressed the green button.

"Yup."

Do you think you are the closest to ten hours?

"Yup."

We'll see.

8 Hours and 47 Minutes into Test

1- (Malik) The yarn puddles at his feet. He shakes his fur and struts over to the green button before taping it firmly with a paw. The light flashes and he steps off the table before walking to the center of the pod with a grin on his face.

Number One, you have pressed the green button and ended the Test.

"I think I did pretty well too."

Do you think you are the closest to ten hours?

"I hope so."

We'll see.

Undetermined Time

6- (Bakura) Stretching he blinks and walks up to the button before pressing it firmly, making the light flash. He returns to the center of the pod and grins.

Number Six, you have pressed the green button.

"Yes I did. Thanks for noticing."

Did you enjoy your nap?

"Yes. It was quite refreshing." He stretches again and shakes out his limbs.

Do you think you were closest to 10 hours?

"I don't really care. I can take anything you throw at me. I just wanted a nap."

Very well then.

2- (Kaiba) The tuna is completely gone and the table is covered with scratches moving in both horizontal and vertical lines. He nods his head and moves to press the button resolutely. The light flashes and he shakes out his long limbs as he moves to the center of the pod.

Number Two, you have pressed the green button.

"Yes."

Did you enjoy this experiment?

"No."

Do you think you did well?

"I know I did well."

We'll see.

7- (Yami) He lunges suddenly and slams into the button with his head. The light flares and he stalks to the center of the pod with a smirk on his face.

Number Seven you have hit the green button and ended the Test.

"Yes I did."

Do you think you did well?

"Yes I do."

Did you enjoy this experiment?

He shrugs. "It was just another game."

We'll see how you did then.

3- (Yugi) His tail twitches and he stands to hit the button. He jumps off the table and over to the center of the pod to turn to the screen again.

Number Three, you have hit the green button and ended the Test.

"It felt like ten hours to me."

Do you think you did well then?

"Sure. I think I did ok."

We shall see.

4- (Ryou) The white cat leaps off of his checkered game and onto the table, shrugging he swats the button and walks to the center of the pod as a human.

Number Four, you have hit the green button. Do you think you were the closest to ten hours?

"I think I did okay."

We will see.

11 Hours and 43 Minutes into Test

9- (Tea) She puts down the mouse and touches the green button with her nose. She leaps gracefully off the table and into the center of the pod.

Number Nine, you have pressed the green button and ended the Test.

"Yes."

Do you feel you did well.

"I hope I did."

We'll see.

13 Hours and 47 Minutes into Test

5- (Marik) He is curled in the center of the pod, sleeping deeply. The light flashes and a human is curled in the middle of the carnage.

Number Five. The test is over for you.

He wakes with a start. "Hmm?"

You failed to press the green button and end the Test.

"Oh. Was I supposed to do something? I thought we were just having fun.

You will participate in the first Treatment.

"Okay. This will be fun! Can I have my knives now? Or some cake? I really want my cake!"

All Pods - The Test is over. The guest who came in last is Pod 5 who never pressed the green button

5- (Marik) "Yellow cake, sweet cake, orange cake, cupcakes, slicing cake! I want my knives!"

All Pods – The guest who came in third with a time of 9 Hours, 58 Minutes, and 59 Seconds, only 13 seconds behind second place is Pod 2.

2- (Kaiba) He glares at the screen. "I DEMAND a recount! I cannot have lost by less than a MINUTE!"

All Pods – Second place goes to pod 7 with a time of 9 Hours, 59 Minutes, and 48 Seconds. 5 seconds behind first place.

3- (Yami) "I knew I was close. Who was only 7 seconds away from exactly 10 hours though?

8- (Joey) Standing with crossed fingers he chants, "Please be me, please be me, please be me, please be me, please be me, please be me, please be me!"

All Pods – First place with a time of 10 Hours, 00 Minutes, and 07 Seconds is Pod 3.

3- (Yugi) ME?! I won?!

All Pods – Congratulations to Number Three. They will not have to participate in the first Treatment and move directly to the final Eight. Out of the rest of you, one WILL be going home after the first Treatment.

2- (Kaiba) "LESS THAN A MINUTE! I will will this thing. Numbers 7 and 3 are going DOWN!"

4- (Ryou) "I hope I do okay."

1- (Malik) "Oh well. I'll just have to stay longer then."

6- (Bakura) "You've got to be kidding me. There's no way I'm going home."

9- (Tea) "This will be fun!"

I hope you enjoyed this fic. Please let me know, I'm not sure if I should continue it or not, but if enough people like it I probably will.

I got the idea from this from all the 'torture the cast' fics going on, so this is mine, but with an interesting twist. None of them know who the others are. ;) He he he.

If you have ideas for Treatments or Tests let me know. I'll use them if I like them and I need ideas.

I got the idea for this from a TV show called Solitary. It's pretty funny and you can find it on HULU if you're interested. (I don't own it btw)

Anyway, let me know what you think and if you have any ideas. :) Thanks for reading.