A/N: Thise chapter is VERY freaking dark at the end. Adult themes warranting the M-rating and such. You've been warned. If you like Aki, you probably won't like this chapter much.
Episode 2: A Dark Sign Part 2: Destined War
I stepped out of the elevator, taking steps around Divine but making sure he made no move to escape in it. He did the opposite, backing up for a face to face showdown in the hall. I smiled, "Well hello again, Divine. Fancy running into you here."
He very nearly growled, "Time and again you embarrass me, you ungrateful cur! I made you! You're nothing but my property! You have no right to opposed me!"
"So, what? You think your some kind of god now just because you play around with lives." I spat in his face, "You're not worth a single brick of the building we're standing in."
He wiped the saliva away, an grinned his serpent smile, "This is just the kind of attitude a lesser being like you would stoop to. No, classless behavior like this is just at your level, no need to stoop at all."
"You talk big for the king of a falling kingdom."
"Nothing's falling. I lost the Signer girl but even if they report me, Securities is still in my pocket, the woman you think you love is still my loyal pet, and-"
I lunged at his degrading of Aki and the fail-safe in my brain forced me my knees in agony, "Gah! Don't you call her... that! AHH!"
"Like I was saying, you're totally incapable of doing a thing to me. Since you're I my power you're helpless, and that freak Kaigen Kou dare not come after me, lest he risk the life of some cheap xerox copy pretending to be his son." He kicked me over with a slightest effort of one foot. I climbed back to my knees, but I couldn't stand. He placed a card on his disk and manifested an energy sword, "Chiefly though, I can just kill you right here and make another. I'm patient. I hold all the cards."
He brought the sword down for my head, but my arm shot up to block it with my duel disk, I chuckled, "Isn't that just a little too easy? Think about it, Divine. After the past few days, aren't you so sick of me a quick death isn't good enough?" I stood, pushing aside his blade and raising my disk again in challenge, "Wouldn't humiliating me be a hell of a lot more satisfying? I wonder if this fail-safe will keep me from killing you in a duel?"
Divine stepped back, sneering at me as he put his card back into his deck and shuffled it, "Let's find out."
"Duel!"
Koyou: 8000 vs Divine: 8000
"You can have the first turn, I don't mind." Divine bowed theatrically.
I took five from my deck for my starting hand and the drew to begin my turn, "I'll set a monster, then one face down, turn end."
Divine drew, "Now watch the dueling of a god! I summon Destructotron!" a sinister blue robot with four legs, a TV for a head, and a villainous image for a face appeared, "With his effect, I can pay 1000 life points to destroy one face down spell or trap on your field." My lone face down was shattered, "Next, I activate a handy Double Summon. I'm sure you're familiar with it. It gives me another normal summon. I use it to summon Ultimate Axon Kicker."
"Popular card with you Arcadians isn't it?" I quipped.
He ignored me, "Next I follow with Emergency Teleportation, special summoning Krebons from my deck." he laughed, "I tune my level 2 Krebons to my level 6 Ultimate Axon Kicker!"
Crud. A level 8 already.
"Surge, my black mist of vengeance! Synchro Summon! Come, Thought Ruler Archfiend!" A massive green, humanoid demon with skeletal accents appeared with 2700 attack points. "I attack your set monster with Thought Ruler Archfiend." My monster, Duel Gardna shattered and suddenly Divine had gained 1500 life points. "When Thought Ruler Archfiend destroys a monster by battle, I gain life equal to its attack points!"
I winced, "Whenever Duel Gardna is destroyed in battle, I send one gemini from my deck to the grave, I send Phoenix Gearfried."
Divine laughed, "Oh, good thinking, it's stronger and if you revive it you can turn things around. Too bad though. I equip Thought Ruler Archfiend with Ruler's Scepter. This equip card can only be equip to Thought Ruler Archfiend by discarding a spell from my hand. When my lifer points are higher than yours, Thought Ruler Archfiend gains attack equal to the difference."
"What? That ridiculous!"
"This is the power of a god! Destructotron attack you directly and one face down ends my turn!"
"Gack!" Thought Ruler Archfiend's attack rose to 4600.
Koyou: 6600, vs Divine: 8500
"I draw." No monster or spell destruction effects, but I could get Tuned Swordsman to the grave and bide time until I could revive it and deploy my dragon then take out that spell, "I set a monster, turn end" This was going to sting some more.
"Thought Ruler Archfiend attacks and I activate a trap card: Strike Slash. Thought Ruler Archfiend gains 700 and may pierce defense until the end of this turn. You can't hide behind your little monsters!"
"GAAAAH!"
"Destructotron attacks directly!"
"Gha!" Thought Ruler Archfiend's attack became 12300.
Koyou: 800 vs Divine: 10400
My knees buckled. Where the hell did he get a card that strong?
He laughed, "Yes! Kneel before me!"
I stood, "I don't lose to brute force." I drew... a miracle combination, "I summon Gemini Solider in attack mode, then three cards face down. Turn end." If he had a Heavy Storm, or even a Mystical Space Typhoon and some luck, I was dead. I had to believe in fate though, I just had to believe. I only had one shot.
Divine laughed, "Trying to protect your true trap with decoys? Well too bad I know your family's little trick!"
I tensed up.
"That's right. 90% of the time people set their most important face down first! Your alleged father used that common truth on me years ago! Now I use it on you! I pay 1000 life points and Destructotron destroys the middle facedown." my Kunai with Chain shattered. "Ha! That's a good one! You would have switched my Archfiend to defense, the weaker score. Nice try but this is over! You are nothing! I attack Gemini Soldier with Thought Ruler Archfiend!"
I grinned, "I activate Power Frame!"
"What?"
"Your attack is negated and Gemini Soldier's attack becomes equal to the attack of the monster that came after him." Gemini Soldier's attack became equal to the synchro's 11300. "I know that trick, Divine, that's why I never set my best trap first!"
"How could you... GAAHHHH!" Divine yelled in rage, "It doesn't matter! You can't stop me so easily. Just losing my Thought Ruler isn't the end of my power. I switch Destructotron to defense and end my turn."
Koyou: 800 vs Divine: 9400
I smiled, then drew, "This is over. You are nothing. I second summon Gemini Soldier to grant him his effect. Next I activate my other decoy set card. Assault Armor. This can only be equipped to a warrior monster that is the only monster I control. I tribute it to give Gemini Soldier two attacks. The first destroys Thought Ruler Archfiend." The demon was taken down in a single hit. "One per turn Gemini Soldier is not destroyed in battle, and whenever he battles I summon a level four or lower gemini from my deck. Come out Evocator Chevalier!"
"My Thought Ruler... bested by a pipsqueak!"
"Evocator takes out Destructotron."
"You ungrateful cur! I MADE YOU! I MADE YOU GOD DAMMIT!"
"Gemini Soldier's second attack is a direct one. Feast upon the power you craved!"
The duel was ended, all of Divine's 9400 life points were taken out in that single direct attack, which sent him flying towards the far wall with force enough to crack it and knock the man unconscious.
Koyou: 800 vs Divine: 0
I looked at his limp form with a grin. "My father made me."
Advancing down the hall I heard a commotion below, the sounds of a duel below. Looking across the way and one floor down, I saw Aki being confronted by a beautiful, dark-robed woman with a strange dark mark. My own mark throbbed, angry. That strange woman was trouble that much was very clear. So I turned back and went back to the elevator, riding it down one floor and rushing to Aki's side. I didn't even notice on my way by him that Divine was getting up, and certainly didn't see Carly approaching in the same robes as that woman, intent on avenging herself.
She was distracted, nearly crying, confused, "I don't even know your brother. I didn't..."
The other woman sneered, "He was nothing to you, but he was everything to me. I'll never forgive you for taking his life!" There was a sudden rumble as she manifested a card, "Feel my pain and sorrow. Cower before the power of an Earthbound Immortal!"
Earthbound Immortal? An immense reptilian eye peaked in the window and a giant hand reached in after Aki. "Get down!"
I tackled her to the ground and shielded her with my body. Missing the target, the creature raked it paw across the wall, rending it asunder. Above us their was the sound of explosions and something tearing through the outer wall. The whole building shook and sections of wall and ceiling started falling. Whatever that monster was, it was tearing the whole place apart. The women smiled looking up.
"That was fast." Suddenly, Divine fell from the floor above through the center open area. It was certain death.
Aki shoved me aside and cried out, running to the balcony rail, "Divine! NO!"
The dark-robed woman laughed, "It seems I will have to save our duel for another time. Farewell, Black Rose Witch."
"Divine! DIVINE!" Aki was sobbing uncontrollably.
It was then, in the chaos, that Yusei finally found us, "Aki, Koyou, we've got to get out of here! The whole place is coming down around us!"
I grabbed Aki, and all but dragged her to the stairs, knowing the elevator was too risking in a building collapse. Suddenly, something occurred to me and I turned to Yusei. "Make sure she gets out. I have something I need to do."
"This place will fall apart any minute!"
"I have to do it! Take care of her for me!" I ran back, arriving at that risky elevator, the one that was the only way I would make it to the roof on time.
The were there, I could feel them. I couldn't just let them die. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta were mindless clones that couldn't get out themselves, but they were still lives. They could even be called my brothers. Perhaps I could get them out, and maybe without the conditioning they could become regular people. Even if we would fight over who was the rightful Koyou, I couldn't let them die mindless slaves!
Sure enough, they were all wandering aimless on the duel field. I ran to the closest one, "Come one! We have to get you all out of here! The building is coming down!"
It turned to me, "Duel!"
"Listen to me! You could die!"
"Duel." he raised duel disk in challenge.
I grabbed its shoulders and shook him, "Snap out of it dammit!"
"Duel."
Looking over to the others, they started walking towards me, "Duel."
With a rumble the ground caved in, the field collapse where there was the least structural support, over that open area that went all the way to the bottom. I barely managed to grab the ledge and avoid falling. The clones nearest to me hadn't been so lucky, plummeting emotionlessly to his death. I quickly hoped my friends had not seen that. They would think it was me.
I looked to the previously advancing clones across the gap in the floor. They were still advancing, "No! Stop! You'll fall! Didn't they give you any sense of self-preservation?"
"Duel!" one fell, walking straight off the ledge.
"STOP! LISTEN TO ME!"
"Duel!" the next fell.
"I SAID STOOOOOP!"
"Duel." the last one stroll to his demise.
"DAMMIT! DAMN YOU, DIVINE! YOU MONSTER!"
My rage and despair gave me the strength to pull myself up, but it was obvious there was no making it down. The floor was so unsteady beneath my feet I might as well have been standing in a house of cards. Through the glass windows I could clearly see the twin monsters ripping the place down. A huge black lizard, and an equally big hummingbird, both with a strange glowing auras. I walked to the edge of the field and looking down. The surrounding area was a wreck, torn asunder by strange marks that matched the beasts. It was like the end of the world.
I felt the time had come. If I didn't get out I'd end up hitting the bottom floor the hard way. I searched around, but there was no chance. The way to the elevator was buckling as I watched. There was only one way down. I turned and stared the giant lizard in the eye, then charged it, jumping through the glass wall. Yes, I was out of my damn mind.
Thirty minutes later, my sister Mei was nursing my broken arm back at Blister's place, "You're lucky, it's your disk arm. If we get you a cast you can still duel."
I laughed, "Mei, I just jumped from the 25th floor of a collapsing building to the head of a giant evil salamander, was thrown off it, and barely landed on the roof of a nearby building three floors shorter. I'm lucky I'm even alive."
"Yeah, that too you big dummy!" she smacked me on the shoulder, hard. It was the one I'd dislocated too. It was mostly healed but it still hurt. "Watch it, that's the bad shoulder!"
"Serves you right for risking your life like that! What were you even doing up there?"
"Like I said. Trying to save some people." she didn't need to know anything about the whole clone business. If they dug four of me from the rubble, then I'd explain.
Yusei, from the corner of the room, laughed, "You're out of your mind."
That clear fact aside, "How's Aki doing? I haven't seen her since Blister picked me up."
"She's fine physically, but she's hurting inside. She lost someone very important to her today. Even if it was only Divine."
Mei frowned, "She's been through a lot."
Yusei nodded, then remembered something, which he pulled out of his pocket, "That reminds me. That Professor Seria woman gave me this to give to you. She said you'd know the password." He handed me one of those stick PDAs with the virtual solid screens/interface.
"What did she say was on it?"
"'Pertinent files', she said. She dumped the hard drives of the Arcadia Movement unto it. Are you going to give it to the police?"
"With Divine gone, he has no power over them, so I'll give it a look and decide. I'm sure Goodwin will be happy to act on it after making sure he isn't implicated."
Yusei seemed worried, "You've been through a lot lately too it seem."
I laughed, "You're no clean bill of health either, man. I mean, shadow duelists claiming to be the natural enemy of Signers? A plot to plunge the world into chaos? I mean geez, I thought Divine failing to steal the Crimson Dragon would be the end of all this nonsense."
"Thanks for that by the way."
"Actually I didn't do anything. It failed on its own." I pondered the sensitive information that would be on the PDA. "Anyway, can I get a few minutes alone? I have some thinking to do."
Yusei nodded, "Sure. Mei and I have errands to run for Blister anyway. Relax, after all this I'm sure you need a break." The two of them left, Mei hugging me before heading out, and slapping Yusei rear as they left, much to his annoyance, "Stop that already!"
I couldn't bring myself to laugh. When they were gone, I activated the PDA and entered the password when prompted. It was easy to guess. She had locked it with my code name from the project, "Omega." There was some video files on it with the rest of the project data, and some files listing other experiments on the members, trying to boost powers and basically sculpt an army of weapons. To my anger, but not shock, Aki was on the list. The list of 'treatments' was intensive for every single one, but Aki especially. It seemed she got a dose of brain scramble every week to keep her obedient.
Many of the video files were just security footage, which helped clarify some things. Initially, 'Omega was a normal clone alongside the other five. One day, he broke out and raided the card storage, then wandered off. There were images of him shirtless, and I could tell each clone had their greek letter tattooed on their upper back. I checked my back in a nearby mirror. It was there, and it didn't hurt, so it was an old tattoo... They had been telling the truth. There was no avoiding it.
It was then I came across a folder hidden away on the hard drive. I'd only found it through a tiny shortcut on the toolbar by chance. When I opened it, it was labeled 'Aki'. I got a really bad feeling about it, but looked at the videos anyway. My worst fears were quickly confirmed... it was porn. Sick, voyeuristic and worse. Videos of her in the shower and using the bathroom were the tamest. The worse ones made a fire boil inside me that wasn't desire. It was rage. It was anger beyond any conceivable notion of the emotion. Words can't describe it. My head felt like it would detonate and my body felt as if it would burn away. It was unforgivable. A thousand deaths inflicted with my own hands through methods bad enough to make Satan take note would not be enough. A million more would still not satiate me.
There was video after video after video, dating back about three years. It started with molestation when she was unconscious during treatments, then when she was awake. Even wen she'd say she didn't like it, he played the 'love card'. Saying he was the only one one loved her, and he needed her to show him her love. He stole her innocence! A few times it seemed like she didn't remember previous times, usually after she'd stopped asking him not too. He'd brainwashed her to keep the thrill of corrupting her! He'd played with her mind and body like it didn't even matter!
Throwing the accursed PDA aside, I bellowed in rage, walking over and punching a nearby locker until well after my knuckles started bleeding. The rage wouldn't die! If I'd known before... IF I'D KNOWN HE WAS DOING THAT! …. It wasn't enough... it would never be enough. The rage felt like it would never go away. I felt like killing, like skinning the bastard, no worse ANYONE WOULD DO! I just needed to KILL! KILL! KILL SOMEBODY!
I grabbed the sides of my head, my whole body was beyond the usual tingle. My whole body was throbbing with lust for destruction. I could only see Aki's face, twisted in a mix of sorrow and pleasure as Divine grinned like the bastard he was and violating her. Before I knew what was happening I'd tron half the room I was staying in apart. I was mumbling something I can't remember, probably, "KILL! KILL! KILL!"
I howled in rage. Trying to get the knowledge out of my brain by being mad enough about it. It took me a few minutes to start thinking straight again. Eventually, my love for Aki outwighed my rage. The fact that she would need me to recover, to protect her, to make her forget... that was probably the only thing that kept me from going on a worse rampage at that moment. I deleted the entire folder, if she was lucky enough to have recently gotten a memory wipe, she didn't need to know about it. It sickened me to think of it as a good thing, but the most recent videos had he simply accepting Divine again, so it was likely she'd been mind-wiped. Either way I would make her forget all about him, I would cleanse her of that man's taint no matter what.
I was going to shut the PDA off afterward, but then I saw another folder, labeled something quite vital. "Dark Signers". In it was some random research on them that Divine had done and a single video labeled "Dark Signer?" I watched it, and it wasn't porn, thank god. Even though part of me wished it was after I watched it.
Next Chapter: Siege and Sanctuary
Set in stone events: An army of Shadow Drones in service to the Dark Signers attacks, the pain of Aki's past boils over, and a deadly twist threatens the person closest to Koyou and threatens to rip his life apart. An Earthbound Immortal looms over an ally next time on "Reverse of Arcadia".
