Chapter 3 - - Invitation

Yusei glanced at the ancient alarm clock that sat on a shelf behind him. In large red digital numbers, it read six eighteen. Sighing, he grabbed a wrench and tightened a bolt on the front axle of his runner.

He'd made true to his word. He'd planned to leave the house by the afternoon, and he did just that. For all of ten seconds. When he saw the swarm of Sector Security bikes patrolling every street, he high-tailed it back to the garage. He didn't give a damn if they were in search of him or not; he didn't plan on being caught, even if he did have a destiny to fulfill.

So he was stuck in Mara's garage, reattaching pieces that had fallen off his runner and adjusting anything that needed it.

He reached over to his computer and tapped a key, which turned the volume on his rock music up louder. Smiling to himself, he continued his tinkering with the wheels.

A few minutes later, the door to the house opened, and Mara walked in, her eyes widening as soon as she took in the sight of him. He was in a fairly relaxed position on the floor, in his jeans, boots, and black shirt. She, on the other hand, was in baggy athletic pants and a bra only, her long hair swept back in a messy ponytail.

His brows rose. Bright green with black lace. She had good taste.

Mara's entire face turned tomato red. "Y-yusei?" she exclaimed, mortified. "Why are you still here? I mean, I'm not saying I don't want you here, I do - - I mean... I thought you were leaving this afternoon..."

He smiled, clicking the music off. "Sector Security is everywhere. Couldn't take the chance. But if they were looking for me, they would've broken down your door by now."

She laughed, unsettled. "Yeah...about that... my brother spent time in the Facility. He wired a signal jammer to the house. Your mark is untraceable within ten feet of the property. You dropped off Security's scanners when you stepped on the front lawn. They probably have no idea where you are."

"Impressive," he remarked. "What did he do?"

She sighed. "Dueled a Satellite. And then he kept sneaking contraband into his cell - - cards, magazines, a picture of me - - so they really locked him up tight. I don't even know where he is now."

"Really?"

"Yeah." She pressed her hand against her heart. "Wherever he is, Alex is always thinking about me. I wish I could talk to him."

Alex? Yusei thought in surprise. A common name, doubtlessly, but could it be the same Alex he shared a cell with? He'd have to find out.

"So...when do you plan on going?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest to obscure her greatly exposed breasts.

"Uh..." His eyes caught on a pale line running down the left side of her neck, and it distracted him from his answer. "What's that from?"

She flinched. "Wha - - ? Oh, this..." Her hand swept over it quickly. "Car accident, last year. Got scraped up pretty bad, but nothing serious."

"Okay..." He glanced down at his tools. "I'll get out of your hair as soon as Security lays off."

"I really don't mind, Yusei. Like I said, you're not the worst person to sleep under my roof. Besides, it's kinda nice to have some one else around. You want anything? Food, drink?"

"Nah. I'm good. Thanks." He stood, brushed the grease from his hands on his pants.

They walked inside together, and she turned to him suddenly. "Hey... this may sound strange, but I have a party to go to, and I really don't wanna go alone, and you plan on sticking around at least a little longer... Would you come with me? I mean, if you think it's stupid, then don't, but - -"

"Sounds fun. But, uh, how do I...?" He indicated his face, specifically the golden yellow tracking markers.

She smiled craftily. "My bro has a foolproof program to deactivate it. It's only good for six hours, but he's never been caught."

He nodded. "Great. I'm in."

"Awesome." She grinned. "I'll be sure to get you a costume."

Before he could ask what she meant by a costume, there was a loud pounding on the front door.

"Sector Security," a booming, deep, horrifyingly familiar voice announced. "Open up, Miss Aoyama."

"Shit!" Mara hissed. "Yusei, one of those huge tiles in the garage is fake. Press the button under the opening mechanism, and it'll pop up. Get your runner in there, hunker down, and stay quiet. I'll handle these guys."

"You have thirty seconds, Mara!"

"Go," she urged. "Hurry!"

He did as he was told, sprinting back into the garage and lifting the pad off the wall. A red button was underneath it, and he immediately pressed it, which released one of the tiles. It slowly rose, revealing a very large space beneath the garage. The opening was more than large enough to fit his runner through and roll it down the gentle incline into the hole. Then, he grabbed his jacket and gloves, dove down, and pulled the trap door closed above him.

Mara's conversation with the officer at the door was fairly clear.

"What do you want, Trudge? I thought you were off the Force," she said coldly.

Yusei groaned, his heart beating fast. Trudge. Dammit.

"Not quite. Looking for a fugitive who has business to take care of," Trudge replied, a snarl in his tone. "Nice getup."

"Shut it," Mara growled.

He chuckled. "Now, now. Be nice. You wouldn't want me to keep poor Alex from contact forever, would you?"

"Bastard!" she cried. "Now what the hell do you want? Say something, or piss off."

Tough girl, Yusei thought with admiration.

"We were monitoring his whereabouts, and we lost the signal near here. His name is Yusei Fudo. You seen him?"

"It would help if I could put a face to the name, you know," she pointed out acidly.

Trudge mumbled under his breath, and a soft rustling of paper was heard. "Here's a picture. Recognize him?"

Silence.

"No," she said at last. "Never seen him. Cute, though. Maybe some girl's taken him prisoner."

Yusei could picture Trudge rolling his eyes. "Whatever. Thanks for the help. You can go back to whoever you were fucking now."

She slammed the door hard. A half-minute later, the false tile lifted, and light seeped into the dark, dank hole.

"You all right?" Mara asked, extending a pale hand to help him up.

He took it, and used the concrete walls as a means of climbing up with her assistance. "Yeah. What is this?"

"Alex used to hide his runner down here after he was suspended from using it," she said, straining to pull him out. When she finally did, she stared in shock at his arm. "The better question would probably be what this is." Her fingers brushed the reddish design on his right arm.

"This? It's...it's a long story."

"I have time."

"This is the mark of the Crimson Dragon. I, along with four others, have its mark. We're called Signers. Basically, we're fighting to save the world from the forces of evil - - the Dark Signers. That's what Trudge was talking about when he said I had business to take care of. Luna, Akiza, Jack, Crow and I need to save the planet from destruction...and I'm here, with you." He smirked. "Somehow, I like it better this way. It takes my mind off things." His eyes traveled to her cleavage.

"Okay, eyes off, pal. Signer or not, you don't have the privilege of ogling me in my house." Her tone was serious, but eyes playful. "Come on. Let's see what I can do about that tracking dye."

He sat on the couch and sat back while she retrieved her laptop computer from her bedroom. When she returned, she sat beside him, opened her computer and inserted a disk, then rapidly typed in a long series of letters and numbers. A second later, his cheek started burning slightly. He winced.

"Prisoner number G2MA2-88," she read. "Yusei Fudo. Imprisoned for illegal entry into New Domino City, turbo-dueling without a permit, and trespassing onto closed property, aka the Kaiba Dome. Yep, that's you." She typed in another long code, and a sharp sting formed on his face in the shape of the markers.

"There," she said. "You could go out right now and Security wouldn't even know."

He rubbed his sore face and grimaced. "Does it always hurt like that?"

"Sadly, yes," she sighed. "I'm sorry about that." She smirked mischievously and kissed her fingertip, then pressed it to the mark. "All better?" she teased.

"Maybe," he replied as she got up, watching her as she went. She had failed to put a shirt on - - not that he minded. She had a very nice body.

"I could take you to look for a costume tomorrow," she continued. "If you're duel runner's operational, we can take it out for a spin, but a cab works just fine for me."

"Right," he said, wondering what costumes she could possibly have in mind. "I think I should have it running by the end of the night."

"That's great. Now, I'm gonna shower, and I'll be at work until one-thirty. Whatever you might need for dinner's in the fridge." She winked. "See you later."

He sighed contentedly and leaned back into the couch cushions, closing his eyes. Luna, Leo, Tanner, Crow... they were probably all worried sick about him. But the promise that he, a Satellite, a nobody, was going to save the world with this Crimson Dragon shit... it made him feel trapped. Like he couldn't get away from this destiny. That he had no choice.

Another sigh left him, this one resigned and sad. Eventually he would overstay his welcome in Mara's eyes, he would be back on the street again, and then Security would find him in no time and drag him back to Goodwin.

This is pathetic, he thought. Enough with the self-pity. Pull yourself together. You have balls, don't you? Be a man and face all this.

As a gentle song reached his ears, in the tone of a soft voice, he shook his head sharply. Oh, hell. I'll only be here for a little while. And Mara seems nice enough.

He pushed the whole of the Signer business to the back of his mind and strained his ears to clearly listen to the song. At first he thought it might be a radio Mara had upstairs, but the vocals were too pure, too unmuffled by a speaker system.

His interest aroused, he got up to investigate.