Neo Domino City, Director Goodwin's residential tower. A few hours before dawn, not very many people are alert, let alone accomplishing tasks at this time of day. In his study, Rex looks over sheets of data, comparing information gathered from thousands of sources, planning his next step.
Leaning over his desk, Rex clenches his fists, irritated with some gaps that he cannot seem to fill, no matter the sources he brings to bear. Knowing what he must do, yet not willing to go that far, he begins to prepare messages; to all of his sources, to any possible new informants, information pertaining to the discovery or capture of members of the cult of shadows...and to those who serve the Immortals.
"If these people...no, pawns..cannot give me what I need, then I will have to consult him...the very last man I would ever consult if there was a choice. Formerly aligned with me, so closely tied with the Ener-D project...I can't believe that he..."
Shuddering, Rex seems to struggle with himself, or with a distant memory. Calming himself, he moves half of his information to the side, clearing the room necessary to allow him to vent all the pent up frustration, with one slam of the fist. With some of his frustration gone, Rex finds himself able to send the messages, with a minor tweak...
Neo Domino City, a small barely sea-worthy ship comes ashore. Its captain struggling against the harsh waves, wind, and over all weather. Barely scrapping by the jagged rocks, without landing the boat in a whirlpool or a parking garage, he manages to come to a safe stop...as safe as the boat could be for illegally transporting people from Satellite into the City.
Roman climbs slowly out of the lower galley on the boat, grimacing at the necessary methods he must subject himself to, knowing it is the only way to enter the City. Waving the captain's extended hand as a gesture of aid, he climbs down onto the beach, looking up at the skyline. Ignoring the captains protestation, he drops a small packet containing the promised funds, and heads into a nearby alley.
"The moron can barely pilot the ship, if it can be called a seafaring vessel, I've seen buckets that keep water out better." Moving quickly, while sticking to the shadows to avoid unwanted attention, Roman heads to the City center. "If it weren't for all of my plans, tied into the actions of my predecessors, I could just walk straight into the Facility and get flown...oh well, the shadows grow stronger with each passing moment, the machinations of the light will not be enough to stop our forces this time. Do your worst, Crimson Dragon. The Master, the King of the Underworld will bring our civilization to it's knees, and then shatter it, only to rebuild in his image. It shall be glorious."
Suddenly stumbling, Roman clutches at his right forarm, sneering at his own inability to cope with the pain. Rolling up his sleeve, watching as his Signer mark pulses with a violet light, before fading to a deep purple. Waiting for a moment, he looks around, searching for the cause of the warning; two adolescents run by on the other side of the block, quickly followed by Security, one on foot and two on wheels.
Seeing them gain ground ahead of him, Roman enters a cab company on the corner.
"Perhaps I will escape notice better if I am not the only person in the city on foot..."
The atmosphere inside is very gloomy, with poor lighting as well as the few employees looking miserable. The first half of the room is filled with benches, presumably for any waiting customers, while the far half mostly contains a long counter that workers stand behind. Approaching a middle-aged male who appears to be too busy playing on his cellular device, Roman sullenly slams his hand down on the counter, aiming to startle the man.
"What the hell was that for?" Jumping practically half way out of his skin, he angrily snaps before realizing who approached the counter. Noticing the look of pure disgust on Roman's face, he blanches before continuing. "Did you come inside for a cab, or are you just looking to intimidate my employees?"
"Oh good, you are the Manager of this..." Taking a longer look around, Roman takes notice of all the dust, grime, and cobwebs covering the room. "Oh so fine establishment. I thought you were just working for a boss who didn't give two shits about making money. Now that that's clear, I have an opportunity for you." With a half grin on his face, Roman looks towards the back corner behind the counter, seeing an employee breakroom.
"What do you mean, an opportunity? You walk in off the street and you act like you own the place?" Looking almost intrigued, he leans closer to Roman over the counter.
"Well you see, your boss is a very powerful man in Neo Domino City, I won't deny that at all. However, I am an up and coming power in this world, with a few others. We will control this city, no matter the cost. As far as you go..." Pausing long enough to roll up his right sleeve, Roman begins to chuckle quietly. "You are no longer needed, at least not under your own free will.
Roman focuses his willpower, channeling the power of the shadows to summon his earthbound power, spawning another spider...aiming to enthrall and ensnare the weak willed members of his new power base. As his available power grows, his mark forms, and slowly begins to glow on his forarm. Beginning with the head, then the body, finally forming one leg at a time, the spider is formed. Slowly releasing the power that he stored, Roman creates one spider, followed by others, until finally he has enough, before releasing what power he did not need. Willing them forward, Roman watches gleefully as the spiders scuttle towards first the manager, then proceeding to the employees.
The manager watched at first as Roman rolled up his sleeve, wondering what he could be aiming to do. As the spider began to form, he gained a dark, sick feeling in his stomach...making him realize that this strange man was up to very dangerous things, focused on him. Turning to run, the manager towards the break room...before remembering that there was no way out in there. Moving back to face Roman, he begins to shake with fear, watching the spiders race towards him..with no idea of what is to come.
Neo Domino City, Daedelus Bridge, or what would have been the bridge had it been completed. Greiger stands alone, contemplating his past with all the information he has gathered, as well as considering his available options. Growing frustrated with all the misinformation he has been given over time, Greiger releases a scream of pure irritation.
Thoughts racing through his head, Greiger looks out over the ocean separating City and Satellite, trying to calm his inner turmoil. Staring at a distant whirlpool, watching the currents twist and rush like his mind, Greiger leans on the near railing.
"Misty Tredwell, a famous model...what could she be doing with such a hidden force? Even better, what do they want with me? True enough, I have been wronged many times by our current society, and their customs and traditions. Too many times have people promised to aid my village, with no end in sight when it comes to their greed..." Bracing himself further on the railing, Greiger leans more so, finally looking away from the water, lowering his head so his chin touches his chest. "Perhaps...? Maybe for once...It would be a nice change..instead of being the one used, and taken advantage of..My village will finally get the aid it needs, thanks to my intervention..."
Realizing that he can finally do some good, Greiger smiles...pushing off of the railing only for it to give way, falling and leaving him off balance, teetering on the edge. Panicking, Greiger flails, trying to regain his foothold on the bridge, as well as avoid the fall to the water below. Rapidly breathing due to adrenaline, Greiger leans further and further towards a long painful fall due to his large mass.
Not willing to give up, Greiger begins to flail even harder...
Satellite Sector, the Slums, Abandoned subway. Protected from the wind, rain, and even sector security, this is where some of the worse denizens lay.
Crow Hogan searches vigilantly for the preacher, watching for any signs of life...or for even a body. Any evidence can be used for the growth of the shadows, or used to impede their forces. Descending stairs into the main area before the tracks, Crow slows his pace, making sure to catch as many details as he can, enabling him to spot a conspicuous lack of dust in the shape of footprints. Such footprints lead in three directions, two of which involve the tracks themselves, the third...vanishes two feet from the end of the staircase.
Standing where the footprints vanish, Crow looks around, knowing that no natural means can end footsteps without leaving some sort of sign.
"CCapac Apu, I have asked you for strength in the past, which you have given me quite happily...now I ask that you give me the power to find this man, as well as the insight to track him, or his killers..."
In response to his words, Crow's forarm begins to glow, as his mark lights up. Feeling power surging throughout his veins, Crow smirks, knowing that the search just got easier. Looking around with a new vigor, he spots signs of strife, of violence, and more importantly dominance. In one corner, lies a single piece of seemingly scrap metal, upon closer inspection it appears to be the remains of a duel disk. A few feet from it is a corner of a Duel monsters' card, the rest ravaged by a fire.
Walking a few feet away to a pile of rubble, Crow begins to sift through in search of further evidence.
"There has to be something, something that has drawn me here, something that will give us the answers we want...if we cannot get those that we seek, than answers must be found anyway." Digging further, Crow is forced to move pieces, relying on strength to both drive him, and support him.
Finding a few more pieces of scrap metal, also presumably the remains of more duel disks, along with fragments of cards. Obviously some harsh duels have occured in the subway, how recently is not easy to tell...whenever they have happened they incurred real damage.
Finished with the pile of debris, Crow follows a hunch and continues towards the tracks, carefully stepping over fragments of ceiling tiles that fell. Spotting a piece of fabric in the dim lighting, Crow leans over to pick it up. Taking a closer look, the fabric is revealed to be a dark grey, almost black...with trimmings usually worn by servants of the Shadows.
"This is not good, but atleast I know he put up a fight, before failing us. The fire damage...that had to be a servant of the Crimson Dragon, using their powers rashly, without regard to consequence." Grimly, Crow heads back to the surface, preparing to summon his own power...only a signal of the Shadows could possibly get the message across to those who are watching.
Neo Domino City, the very same park Greiger was last seen in. The rain has not slowed at all, almost no end in sight for the storm. Due to the weather, the park is empty, aside from the local rodents.
Trudge rides up the street towards the park, unhappily following orders, wondering why an officer of his stature has to do such low level duties. Grimacing, Trudge shakes off the ugly feeling that he is being watched. Dismounting his duel runner, he walks to the main path, and glances around.
Empty paths, half empty garbage cans, leaves blowing in the wind..not much is going on, the storm driving everyone inside. With no witnesses around Trudge has no one to question, no one can give him the answers he needs to get so he can track down Greiger.
Walking over to a nearby bench, Trudge sighs, before collapsing and taking a seat.
"Goodwin wants me to find him..no matter the cost. What if...what if the cost of finding Greiger is something we cannot afford to pay? Our lives...our home..!?" Shaking his head, Trudge blinks rapidly, shocked at the train of thought. "Where the hell did that idea come from? These thoughts..." Shaking his head some more, Trudge tries to fight off a strange feeling in his gut.
On the back of the bench that supports Trudge, a spider climbs upwards, heading to his back. Scuttling at a fast rate, it seems hell bent on reaching him before he moves.
"What the hell is going on with me...I didn't have this feeling when I left HQ..these thoughts are not something that I have encountered before...never before have I thought about death, regardless of the situation I have been in...not even when that rat Yusei escaped me this last time, trapping me in the sewage tunnel connecting Satellite and City..." Holding his head in his hands, Trudge seems to fight with himself, before leaning against the back supports of the bench. "Ugh..This is just not like me. I have to refocus on my work...commit myself to this task more than ever-"
Just at that moment, the spider reached its target, the base of Trudge's neck, at the top of his spine. Biting in, the spider releases its complete existence into Trudge, taking over the officer's mind, propelled by the shadows.
Standing up, the man that used to be Tetsu Trudge smiled, chuckling to himself. Moving quickly, Trudge goes back to, and mounts his duel runner.
Neo Domino City, Daedelus Bridge.
Trudge arrives, quickly dismounting his duel runner. Ahead of him, is the remains of the once attached railing. Walking over to where the rail once was, Trudge looks out over the edge. Knowing nothing could have survived the fall, he goes back and gets on the duel runner. Powering it up, Trudge rides off, heading to the shoreline...below the bridge, to search for a body, or perhaps a sign of impact.
Author's Note: Finally! A new chapter! It's been a while, I know, unlike other writers on Fanfiction and its sister sites, I cannot claim that I have been busy!(just lazy) However, I have quickly learned in my short time on Fanfiction that my drive to write is directly tied to my reviewers...when I don't get reviews it gets harder to write new chapters. So yeah. As usual, I own none of this but my own plot devices and various OC's that are usually not named. So please, Read and Review!