Hello! Yeah... I have no excuse this time. :D Sorry! Next week should go back to normal. So please enjoy, and I don't think there is very much that needs to be described so go on ahead and enjoy! Also, thank you to the readers who review every week. Here you go!
Chapter Six:
Seto stared at the boy through the glass, studying him in an attempt to decide what his motives were. The boy was sitting at the table, carefully studying the room. To the casual observer, he might seem merely intrigued by the new location, however Seto could see him carefully analyzing everything in the room. Strategizing…
He was abruptly brought back to where he was when Mana spoke. "Do you think it's him?" she asked.
"Only the ba is reborn, Mana. His ka would be in the afterlife now," was Mahad's quiet response.
Seto mentally snorted. He doubted that, seeing as how the spell was designed to use one's ka as part of the seal. Seto had spent most of the weeks before they had left Khemet researching the spell and its effects. Therefore, as much as Mana and, deep down, he himself might wish for this to be their long lost friend, it was nigh on impossible.
Shimon spoke up, "Still, I cannot believe it a mere coincidence that the Millennium Puzzle is in his possession. The chances are almost astronomical for such an occurrence."
Seto mentally thanked himself for ordering Mahad to cast the silencing spell over the listening devices in the room as well as an illusion spell over them so it would not seem as though they were talking. If the humans were to overhear the conversation currently going on, they would certainly try to pry. Seto, for one, wanted the events of the past to remain there; why think about what you couldn't change? The spell also allowed them all to talk in their native language. Isis had come up with the stupid rule that they all would speak only English while in the compound. After they had received the first letter asking for their cooperation, all of the Guardians had made an effort to learn the language.
Seto had only done so because it would give him the advantage, much the same reason why he had bothered to learn Japanese. While most of them had made enough progress according to Isis to speak during their initial visit, only Karim and Shada had been busy enough with judging claims by their citizens to not learn much beyond the basics.
Learning the language certainly had its advantages, though. Seto knew, for instance, that the boy in the other room didn't entirely trust them. Not that it mattered, but he couldn't help but wonder at the fact. This boy was so similar to the Pharaoh in almost every other way except for this. The friend he had once known had trusted to the point where he had gotten into trouble with every turn. This boy seemed more wary of trusting strangers, indicating that he had possibly recently run into some form of trouble…
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Seto returned to staring through the window. He wouldn't let sentimentality get in his way. If this person had found out about the Millennium Items and the Pharaoh, he could be attempting to manipulate them.
Seto was pulled out of his dark thoughts when suddenly the door was opened and one of the guards outside the door poked his head in.
"Colonel O'Neill requests you in the conference room, now." He said, pointing at Seto before pulling back out of the room. Smirking, Seto moved towards the door. Finally. Time for some answers…
Yami glanced towards the door, noting Colonel O'Neill and Seto Kaiba's entrance before going back to watching the glass in front of him. Although it looked almost mirror-like, Yami was certain that it was likely a two-way mirror of some sort, like those on TV. When the colonel and his companion had either seated themselves or made it evident that they were not going to, he spoke.
"So, are you going to explain why you pretended to be a Japanese billionaire in order to get me to come here?"
Colonel O'Neill sighed even as the other man spoke. "I am Seto Kaiba. Or at least, he's an identity I created."
"However, we would like to know a little more about you before telling you everything. Can you tell us about yourself? You know… your family, where you go to school… what kind of tournament you won recently. Anything." Colonial O'Neill pressed.
Yami blinked, frowning. This wasn't how he'd thought the meeting would go. Deciding to answer these questions at least, he spoke up, eyes moving from Seto Kaiba and Colonel O'Neill to judge their reactions.
"Well, as you already know my name is Yami Mouto. I was born in Egypt and was adopted by Solomon Mouto when I was five. I go to Domino High with my adopted brother, Yugi. As for the tournament, it was a duel monsters tournament."
Yami watched for the reactions of the men in front of him. Colonel O'Neill looked first thoughtful, then surprised. Seto Kaiba, on the other hand, watched Yami with the best poker face he had ever seen. Until he figured out Seto's tells, Yami doubted he could accurately determine what he was thinking. This conclusion unnerved him, and he shifted uneasily before he hastily stilled himself, taking a deep breath to bring up his own poker face. Two could play at that game.
Colonel O'Neill nodded sagely. "All right. So… What happened at Duelist Kingdom? That another 'duel monsters' competition? Sounded like a big deal."
Yami felt himself beginning to stiffen again and hastily forced himself to relax. "Yeah. It was a pretty big deal. That competition is what introduced me to competing against other players from around the world. Before that, I'd only played Duel Monsters with my friends and Grandpa."
Although Colonel O'Neill seemed fooled by his act, Seto was watching him with an eagle eye that said he had an idea that the game wasn't as innocent as Yami was making it seem. Before he could possibly say anything, though, another man entered the room and nodded to the other two members. Seating himself in front of Yami, he leaned forward as he began to speak.
"Mr. Mouto, my name is General Hammond and I am in charge of this facility. We just received permission to vet you into the program, seeing as how your presence is apparently a term of the treaty we are trying to forge with Seto and his comrades. So, I'm here to explain everything to you as the commander of this base. Although much of it will seem surreal, I can assure you that the threat is very real."
Yami slowly nodded. The man had a look on his face that showed how serious he was, even though Yami couldn't see what could be this bad.
"Can I ask why you need to forge an alliance with a CEO and his friends?"
Seto Kaiba snorted. "Friends?" he asked, almost seeming bemused that his companions had been described in such a manner.
General Hammond nodded. "It's a fair question. By the end of my explanation, you should understand. You see, we run a program called the Star Gate Program…."
Yami listened as the General went on to describe the interplanetary travel, the Goa'uld system lords who were trying to destroy Earth, and the Goa'uld present in the base who would help in the fight against them. By the end of his explanation, Yami couldn't decide if he was telling the truth of one of the best poker players he had ever seen. Looking between the men in front of him, he let his disbelief show.
"You're trying to tell me that there is an alien race dead set on destroying the Earth, and no one knows about it?"
Colonel O'Neill nodded. "Yep."
General Hammond cut in, "Could you imagine the panic that would be unleashed if everyone knew of the threat, and how ill-prepared we are to fight against it? There would be riots in the streets and mass hysteria. Better that we deal with things before the general populace finds out. After we've won, they can all judge us for our actions, and if we don't then none of us will be left to court martial anyway."
Yami nodded, thinking over what he had been told. Everything made sense, except for one thing. "So why exactly do you need me?" he asked, looking from one man to the next. "I mean, I play games and go to school. I didn't even know about any of this until now, so what help could I possibly be?"
"There's the question I was waiting for." Colonel O'Neill commented. "We'll tell you what we can, but then he'll have to take over." He commented, gesturing towards Seto Kaiba.
"So we're in the process of forging a treaty with Seto and the rest of his comrades because they are Goa'uld who don't seem to be bothered by the other system lords. From what I understand, the main reason is that they have these things called Millennium Items which are extremely powerful, and can do things like allow their owners to see into the future, stuff like that. Well, they saw that you had a Millennium Item as well and apparently decided to change the original terms of the agreement to include your presence."
General Hammond leaned forward, a look of genuine concern flashing across his face. "Look, son. This job is extremely dangerous, and by staying here you could easily get killed yourself. It is not a game, however much fun traveling from planet to planet may seem. Before deciding, think about your own safety."
Yami didn't respond immediately, instead, glancing down at the Millennium Puzzle. He knew that the puzzle was special, could do things that normal objects shouldn't be able to do, but a weapon of mass destruction like the General was talking about? He looked up, crimson eyes meeting ice blue ones.
"Why exactly did you decide to make my presence a part of the bargain? Why not just demand the Millennium Puzzle?" he asked, knowing that this answer would decide his.
Seto scoffed. "If you weren't here with the puzzle, we'd have to kill you to prevent word of its existence from spreading. Considering our new 'allies' don't seem too keen on the idea it would be easier for you to remain here where we can keep an eye on you."
Yami stared at Seto, looking for any signs as to his feelings on the matter. Finally, going on gut instinct more than what he could read from that man's body language, he sat back.
"Very well, I will remain here."
Colonel O'Neill leaned back and General Hammond let out a small breath that he had been holding, and Yami almost felt bad to have to continue.
"However, there are some conditions of my own." Seto smirked, obviously relishing the discomfort of the two military personnel. "I do not want to be treated like a hostage or a prisoner. If I stay here, I want to be able to leave when I choose, as well as visit my family every once in a while. You can send someone with me to ensure I don't try to run off, but they have to be non-intrusive. I also want to travel with SG-1 through the Star Gate. I want to be able to see for myself these other worlds. Those are my conditions for me staying here, and while I understand that you are concerned for my safety I can't just sit around here doing nothing." Yami smiled, feeling a surge of excitement.
When he finished, there was silence before the woman from earlier, Major Carter, burst into the room. "Excuse the intrusion, Sir, but we can't just let a fifteen year old kid through the Star Gate! We would be deliberately placing him in danger!"
Colonel O'Neill also voiced his opinion. "Absolutely not! We can't just babysit you while we're on an important mission."
Yami turned, eyes meeting Seto's as the man stared at him, silently weighing what had been said. Yami refused to look away, meeting Seto's eyes until the man finally looked towards the others with a bored expression on.
"You might as well let him. If you don't he either won't stay or he'll suggest something more outrageous to make you agree to this demand."
Yami's eyebrows shot up. Actually… that was exactly his intention. Although he didn't think he could bring himself to leave and put millions of people in danger, at the same time he didn't want to merely sit here and twiddle his thumbs.
General Hammond finally sighed, interrupting the arguments that Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill were still making. "Very well, Yami. However, you'll be required to stay with Doctor Jackson during missions. You are both civilians, therefore are non-combat groups. We intend to see you safely returned to your family as soon as possible so I expect you to obey all orders given to you when you go through the Star Gate."
Yami nodded, spirits lifting as he realized he was actually going to be able to see another world. If only he could tell Yugi about this! He vocalized his acceptance, hastening to reassure General Hammond of his compliance.
"So long as the orders pertain to my safety, I will do my best to follow them."
Although he didn't say anything, Yami saw Seto roll his eyes. Apparently he had caught Yami's twist of words, although he didn't mention the loophole to the others. Hammond nodded, standing.
"I'm glad we could come sort this out" he began, before Yami interrupted him. Turning towards Seto, Yami began to speak, meeting Seto's eyes.
"That's not all I have. Before I agree to stay, I want your promise that you will assist the SG program against the system lords. Even if you decide that my presence is no longer necessary to the treaty and I leave, I also want your promise to abide by the current terms and make no attempt to change them."
Seto Kaiba returned his look, staring at him so seriously that Yami was tempted to look away. He continued to meet Seto's eyes, though, as he grew more and more determined to ensure the survival of the treaty after he left. Finally, Seto Kaiba spoke.
"Very well. The terms are set, and we will help until our assistance is no longer necessary." Yami frowned, catching the possible loophole.
"When your assistance is no longer needed as decided by General Hammond." Yami clarified. After a small hesitation, Seto Kaiba glared at him before nodding.
"As decided by 'General Hammond' then." Satisfied, Yami turned towards Colonel O'Neill.
"May I please speak more to Doctor Jackson? If I am to be his 'ward' of sorts, I would like to know more about him."
Colonel O'Neill nodded, a small smile crossing his face. "All right. Follow me; Daniel's in the other room."
Together, they left along with Seto Kaiba. However, where he turned right they turned left and soon were entering a small room where Teal'c and Doctor Jackson were sitting at a table, obviously discussing the negotiations in the other room. Major Carter slipped in behind them, heading towards Teal'c even as Doctor Jackson stood to greet them.
"It is great to see you again, Yami. You do go by Yami, correct?"
Yami smiled, nodding. "Yes, Doctor Jackson."
Doctor Jackson held out a hand and Yami grasped it, the two shaking hands. "Daniel, please. Doctor Jackson makes me feel old."
Yami's grin widened, and he felt himself warm up to Doctor… no Daniel a little bit more. Perhaps being stuck with someone wouldn't be so bad.
"Could you maybe show me around? I would like to be able to get around the base on my own. Also, do you know where I'll be staying?"
Daniel nodded. "I can definitely show you around." He commented even as Major Carter led Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c out the door, apparently deep in conversation. "Your chambers will be next to Teal'c's, and there will be a guard on the doors when you are present. For your protection in case there's a security breach."
Yami nodded. "I understand. Thank you very much, Daniel." Inwardly, he relaxed. Whatever might happen, he had at least one friend here. Besides… he wasn't certain as to Seto Kaiba's intentions with regard to him. Until he knew more about the man, he was going to accept any protection offered to him. Yami had to admit to himself that he also wanted to know more about his puzzle.
Daniel started for the door, motioning for Yami to follow him. "All right then, let's give you the grand tour!"
