Fate Map
By Alecto Perdita
Chapter 10 - Self-Actualization
Rating: PG-13
Posted: May 3, 2012
268's entire body ached. He was still seeing black spots in his vision. He could hear the sound of his heartbeat registering on the ECG. But the kind face of his progenitor smiled down at him, warming his being. 268 smiled in return.
God, they'd managed to pull it off.
He turned his head to side, brushing his cheek against the pillow. The joy he felt— freed from the collar— quickly changed to dread. 275 laid unresponsive on the other bed as 268 finally registered the other ECG machine's shrieking.
275 was still in asystolic arrest.
"Get these restraints off me," he was surprised with the volume he managed to speak. After his hands were freed, the first thing he did was touch his neck. The broken collar laid on the surgical tray next to several instruments.
"You should rest," Ryou said to him.
He shook his head slowly, savoring how there was no leather to chafe against his neck. "I'm fine." But the raspy words rattled his throat.
As 268 stumbled around the hospital bed to his partner's side, he collided into Yuugi and pushed him into the railings. He muttered a brief apology before falling on his progenitor's sister for support. Amane paused briefly in the midst of giving CPR to regain her balance.
"Don't stop," he said to Amane. "Have you given him the atrophine yet?"
She nodded. "And the calcium chloride to counter the extra potassium. I also gave him a dose of adrenaline a minute ago."
268 fumbled with the many vials on the counter top. He stopped and gripped the edge of the table as his vision blurred momentarily. The shortness of breath was not a good sign. At this rate, they might need to find some sodium polystyrene sulfonate or furosemide before they left the hospital. He managed to keep his hands still as he prepped 15 units of insulin with 50ml of 50% dextrose. It would help treat the potassium overdose, but the larger issue was jump-starting his partner's heart.
He rummaged through the inner pockets of his discarded trenchcoat for the autoinjector. The autoinjector contained an experimental drug developed by the scientists at Kaiba Corp and was distributed to all betaforms as part of their field assignment kits. As a hyper-stimulant that could cause just as much damage, it was supposed to be used as an instrument of last resort. But seeing as 275 was... well, clinically dead at the moment, there wasn't much more harm that he could do.
268 turned to Yuugi and held up the autoinjector for him to see. "Search his coat and things, there should be one of these somewhere."
He busied himself with administering the insulin in the meanwhile. 275's body was, of course, still warm to the touch. Yuugi returned with the second autoinjector when he was finished. He signaled to Amane for stop and move back for a bit. Yuugi jumped, along with Jounouchi and Anzu, when 268 plunged both of the injectors into 275's chest. He counted to ten underneath his breath before releasing the injectors and pulling back.
"Go, CPR," he rasped.
Another full minute passed as Amane continued to work, but the ECG gave only a flatline reading.
"It's been almost ten minutes," Ryou hesitated before he spoke out loud. "What do we do now?"
His progenitor was right. They were running out of time; 275 was running out of time.
"Bakura-kun, please."
It took him more than a second to realize that Yuugi was addressing him and not Ryou.
Amane was also beginning to tire— her movements grew more jerky each time she pushed down on 275's chest.
"Come on," 268 declared while leaning over his partner. A bead of sweat rolled down his cheeks and fell against 275's closed eyelid. Just as he was about to seal his lips around 275's, the ECG gave a short shrill beep.
275's heart skipped a brief beat.
And the ECG gave another beep, followed by the next, and another.
275's ruby eyes sprang open, startlingly clear and alert, and he sucked in a lung full of air.
-x-x-x-
Yuugi squeezed the hand attached to the arm swung over his shoulder and 275 smiled lightly in return. 268 looked like he would have collapsed already if he wasn't being supported between Ryou and Jounouchi. 275 at least had the hyper-stimulant running through him.
As they reached the door separating them from the next section of hallway, the lights overhead came on. A loud clunk echoed off the walls as the door automatically bolted itself.
"There." Amane pointed to a camera hanging off the ceiling. The red light above the lens indicated it was recording.
They were out of time. Someone had managed to get the security system back online.
Honda produced a handheld device from his bag. There was a keycard attached to the device by a wire. He swiped the card through the card reader next to the bolted door. The device just gave a loud beep; it sounded like an error sound from a computer.
"It's no good," Honda growled. "They must have cycled the passcodes with the reboot."
"Okay, I think we're past the time for subtlety. They know we're here and we need to get out asap."
"An EMP then?"
268 shook his head. "They're shielded."
"Allow me to do the honors," 275 straightened up and pulled away from Yuugi. "Chimera."
The lights flickered momentarily, and Yuugi felt the same tug in his navel whenever another IDS summoned nearby. A summoning always left an aftertaste in his mouth, even if he wasn't the one doing it.
The two-headed beast that materialized threw back its wings and gave a low growl; Yuugi stumbled back to avoid being slapped. The double doors came down with just two rams from the creature. In another 100 feet, they were met with another set of bolted security doors. Chimera wheeled back on its hind legs, about to charge again.
"Wait!" 268 reached over and grabbed his partner's arm. "There's an ambush waiting on the other side."
275 stared hard at the door for several moments before nodding.
"Then where's the next access point to the roof?" Anzu asked.
"The one past that door is the closest. But I don't think escape via the roof isn't viable anymore; we'll never get enough cover. Do you want to bet that they won't try to shoot us down at this point?"
Jounouchi let loose a string of curses under his breath.
Sugoroku's gaze moved back and forth between the two betaforms. "What are our options then?"
"The garage," 275 finally said. "We can break through if we take one of the trucks."
"That's three floors down!" the white-haired betaform protested.
"If we double back to the last hallway down the left, we can make it. We'll need to take out each camera on the way and quick." 275 turned and pointed down the corridor.
"There may be a better way," Ryou piqued. "Shadow Ghoul."
Yuugi jumped back as a pair of claws suddenly reached out of Ryou's shadow. The xeno's skin was green and wrinkled; its body littered with the same red orbs that lined its long face like rows of buggy eyes. The tendrils on the muzzle twitched, and it turned its head in Ryou's direction.
"Uh, Bakura, it takes a lot just to get the three of us through walls usually. But there's nine of us right now." Jounouchi bounced on the heel of his feet with poorly concealed nervous energy.
Ryou looked to 268, his expression shining with hope. "We share similar affinity types, you must also know a xeno capable of phasing."
268 did not call up a second Shadow Ghoul, but something called "Diabound." The humanoid torso that emerged from a wall was ghostly pale and translucent. What followed on the other end was not legs, but a long reptilian appendage that wasn't a tail because of the snake's head with fangs and all. Diabound wrapped around 268, steadying itself by grasping the beta's shoulders with its muscular arms.
"Let's get out of here."
Ryou grabbed his hand and the world melted into darkness. Yuugi's first instinct was to panic. The floor had fell away from his feet, and Ryou's grip was his only remaining anchor. But he couldn't see Ryou— just the inky black stretched out forever. When his feet met solid ground once more, Yuugi's knees buckled beneath him. He braced his forehead against the cold concrete floor, as he tried to will away the dark circle dancing in his vision. There was another loud thud when someone else landed next to him. He didn't pull his head back up until the third or fourth thud.
Yuugi looked up just in time to see 268, Diabound, and Honda fall through the ceiling. Their faint outline solidified again when they touched down. Honda looked like he was ready to lose his dinner though.
"I'm sticking with Bakura next time," the brown-haired man gasped between deep intakes of air. "At least I can't see what's going on."
268 didn't reply and was gone once again after being enveloped by his Diabound.
A hearty slap landed across Yuugi's shoulder blades, giving rise to a wave of stomach-wrenching nausea. Maybe he hadn't recovered as much as he thought.
"Don't worry," Jounouchi ruffled through his hair softly. The gesture was surprisingly soothing. "I hurled the first time Bakura took me through. You'll get used to it."
268 returned last with 275. Yuugi was immediately envious of his other self— the betaform landed with gracefully with barely a strand of hair out of place.
They took a few moments to recover. 275 offered Yuugi a hand, which Yuugi gladly took for any help was appreciated at this time. The hand that closed around his was warm and gentle. Anzu was the last to pick herself up from the floor, still shivering all the while.
There were almost no security cameras in the basement. But that fact made Yuugi even more uncomfortable for some reason. The fluorescent lights overhead hummed even over the sound of their pounding footsteps. Yuugi tried not to think about how pasty his skin looked under the lighting.
Jounouchi and Honda broke out into a run when they saw the door labeled "Garage." They were almost home free. The underground complex used to serve as the parking lot for the hospital when it was running. It was mostly empty now, except for the employees' cars and the lone black vehicle and the men decked out in riot gear unloading from the back. The letters "KC" were emblazoned across the front of each bulletproof vest.
When their two groups spotted each other, they all froze. A quick estimate informed Yuugi that they were outnumbered almost two to one.
"Shit," someone snapped after a second, breaking the stunned trance.
The KaibaCorp security force immediately brought up their guns and opened fire.
Yuugi squeaked; 275 grabbed him around the waist and hauled him against a cement pillar on the other side of the doors. Everyone else dove behind a set of cars parked on the other side of the doorway. A spray of bullets peppered the doorway, riddling the wood full of holes. Several shots clipped the edge of the pillar, knocking off dust and concrete chunks. Yuugi clamped his hands over his ears, but each shot still caused him to jump.
"What the hell is that?" Honda shouted over the sound of the automatic fire.
Then it was silent again.
"It must be the reinforcements," 268 looked over to 275.
"Come out with your hands in the air, and we won't harm you." One of the KC security officers declared.
Both of the betaforms charged out with a xeno materializing at their side. More shots were fired, but with no corresponding cries of pain, Yuugi could only assume no one was hit. He peered around the side of the pillar to see what was going on. Diabound lunged at the group of armed men, passing through another spray of bullets like a ghost. 275's xeno— a gold-plated dragon curled protectively around the betaform— spewed a breath of fire, and breaking their would-be assailants' formation.
Ryou, Jounouchi, and Amane sprang into action. Before Yuugi could blink, Amane and Jounouchi each knocked out one man. Ryou was drawing another two's attention while his Shadow Ghoul struck from behind and disarmed them.
"Yuugi, everyone else go!" 275 shouted.
When Honda came over and dragged Yuugi out from behind the pillar, he had no choice but to follow the other man's lead. Anzu and his grandfather was just steps behind them. They stepped over several unconscious bodies while heading toward the large truck that belonged to the security force.
"Get in the back," Honda directed before vanishing around the side of the truck.
Yuugi climbed into the back first, before helping Anzu to lift his grandfather up. When she was about to climb in herself, a hand suddenly came out of nowhere and caught her by the hair. She flailed wildly in an attempt to get free, but the guard was already pulling her back.
Yuugi grabbed the first thing he could find: a nightstick. The stick connected solidly with the side of the officer's helmeted head, forcing him to release her. She turned and delivered a swift kick to his groin before scrambling into the vehicle.
"Thanks," she muttered.
The truck shuddered as the engines came to life. They were soon joined in the back by everyone else, but 275 was nowhere in sight. Ryou banged twice on the wall between them and the driver's seat; Honda's face appearing in a newly opened panel seconds later.
"Go!"
The vehicle shot forward, sending Yuugi flying into the white-haired man.
"Wait, my other self!" He grabbed onto the nearby bench as he tried to regain his balance.
"Is the other Yuugi-kun still out there?" Ryou asked. "Is he hurt?"
"I see him, but he's surrounded."
"Go in, we'll handle the rest."
"Okay, but you better hope this thing is the bullet-proof kind."
When the truck swerved around this time, Yuugi was ready. The back doors were still swinging open and shut, giving them a partially obstructed view of the remaining four security officers as they swung past.
268 waved his arms and shouted, "Time to book it, partner!"
275 hesitated momentarily, still behind the protection of his armored dragon. When the dragon unfurled its long spiny tail and swung at one of the men shooting at it, 275 broke away and made a run for the moving truck. Yuugi joined 268, holding the other door open. His ears were still ringing when a bullet ricocheted off the side, just inches from his head.
275 couldn't seem to close the last two feet and Honda wasn't slowing down either. Yuugi cemented his resolve; he wasn't going to leave his other self behind. They were all going to get out of this together.
"What are you doing?" Ryou asked behind him.
Yuugi ignored the other man, grabbed onto the bar by the door and stretched his remaining arm out until he was dangling halfway out of the vehicle. The wind whipped through his hair. Below him was a view of the rushing pavement that would hurt like hell if he lost his grip now.
"Take my hand!"
275 took a deep breath and jumped forward. Their fingers met and closed. Yuugi's arms screamed in pain at the added weight, but he pulled back with all of his strength. 268 caught 275's other hand in mid-air. With the other beta's help, there was finally enough momentum to yank 275 into the safety of the vehicle.
As Yuugi tried to catch his breath while lying on the floor with the two betas at his side, the doors were finally shut.
"I can't believe we made it." Jounouchi gave a celebratory yelp.
"We're not out yet," warned Ryou. "We still have to get past the front gate."
"Which we are coming up on in about ten seconds!" Honda exclaimed. "Hold onto something back there!"
The entire trailer shook, knocking a first-aid kit off an overhead shelf. But Yuugi could feel the wheels sailing off the ground, to their hard won freedom at last. He turned his head to the side and caught 275's gaze. Adrenaline is coursing through Yuugi's veins, his heart hammering away in his ribcage. Their hands are still joined, clasped around each other's wrists with the tattoo of their racing pulses fluttering against finger pads. Yuugi and 275 simultaneously cracked the same hysterical grin full of manic relief.
They both had never felt so alive and free before that moment.
~End of Part 1~
Author's Notes:
So that's the end of Part 1 for Fate Map! The story of Yuugi's and the betaforms' escape and their joining of the resistance movement has concluded. But there's still Part 2 to look forward to! Part 2 will tackle the larger story of the fight for IDS rights and against Kaiba Corporation's oppressive regime in Japan. That also means Seto himself will be playing a bigger role in Part 2.
In the meanwhile, though, this fic will be taking a hiatus as I take the opportunity to churn out some Sherlock BBC fanfics. Sorry, so hard to resist the call of an active fandom sometimes!
Thanks to everyone that read/alerted/reviewed this fic so far. I hope to see you all again when Part 2 resumes (hopefully soon)!