Can't Hide
Chapter 11: Going Through With It
"This is ridiculous."
No one answered.
"We're just sitting ducks."
Again, the comment was disregarded.
Chazz snarled. Was anyone even listening?
"Chazz is right, guys."
Every head turned to Jaden.
"Sure, listen to him," Chazz mumbled, exasperated.
"We need to do something," the Jaden continued.
"Do what?" Syrus questioned, attitude helplessly despondent.
"Well . . ." he scratched his head. "We can go to the Shadow Realm . . ."
Chazz snorted in response.
"As appealing as the idea is," Bastion considered, "that's not exactly the most . . . rational way to go about this."
"Not unless we can find a train station that sells a one-way ticket to the damn place," Chazz added, sniping.
"Well, we can't just rest on our laurels!" Jaden exclaimed.
Everyone stared at him in shock – partly for his outburst, but mostly for the fact he knew how to use the word 'laurel'.
"We can't just give up," he persisted. "There has to be something we can do."
"Like what?" Chazz argued, ignoring the fact that he'd just said something very similar to what Jaden had said just moments ago. "We don't even know where to start!"
"Guys . . ." Syrus cautioned, feeling the beginnings of another fight.
Throughout this entire conversation, Atticus remained uncharacteristically quiet as he unconsciously fiddled with a Duel Monsters card. Drawn into the dark corners of his own mind, he wasn't completely aware of what was actually going on. But he was fully aware of what he currently held in his hands.
Nightshroud's card.
His 'one-way ticket' to the Shadow Realm.
YGO-GX YGO-GX YGO-GX
Zane felt sick.
He felt very, very sick.
The room was spinning. The table and the cards began to dissipate. The chair he was sitting on was gone. And so was Vice.
He clutched his head in agony, the initial stages of a scream attempting to break free from his body. It felt like the room was folding in – collapsing. Zane stumbled around the place, trying to stand still long enough to stop the dizziness. The struggle proved useless as he ended up crumbling on his hands and knees.
A few seconds past by, and he was suddenly able to breathe again. Sweat trickled down his forehead and the nape of his neck. His whole body trembled from the abrupt shock of a stable ground.
The soft clicking of heels resonated in the air, making Zane look up. He then noticed that his 24-second bug had transported him into a duel arena. One that looked very much like the school's.
"Have a fun ride, Truesdale?" Dark-Wing taunted.
Green eyes blazing, he effortlessly pulled Zane up. The quick movement caused Zane to sway from side to side.
Zane shook his head vigorously. "W-where . . . where am I?"
"Let's just call it . . . your school arena's doppelganger."
Zane straightened, wooziness gone, as he stared at Dark-Wing cautiously. "What's going on? Why did you bring me here? Where's Alexis?"
The Shadow Rider held up his hand in mock defeat. "Relax, Truesdale. One question at a time, now."
He grinned maliciously. "If you walk up to the duel arena, I'm sure you'll find the answers to all your problems."
Eyeing Dark-Wing with much caginess, Zane slowly made his way to the dueling stadium. Something in the back of his mind was screaming that he wouldn't like what he found.
There, lying in a heap on the opposing side of the field was Alexis.
He hated it when his instincts were right.
Legs developing a life of their own, he hurried toward her unconscious form. "Alexis!" he cried, embracing her body in his arms and robustly shaking her shoulders.
Her face looked sickly pale, her lips were turning blue, and her body was as cold as ice. But she was breathing. Zane could tell by the rise and fall of her chest. The extremely slow and small rise and fall of her chest.
"What did you do to her?" he growled at Dark-Wing.
The Rider's lip twitched in amusement. "She'll live, if that's what you're asking," he said. "The girl's just trapped in shadows of her mind. She's dreaming – going through ghosts of the past and present and what's yet to come."
Her eyes were darting back and forth beneath her eyelids, indicating that she was indeed dreaming.
Or having a very bad nightmare.
"What do you want from us?" Zane insisted.
Dark-Wing smirked. "I believe you made a deal with us, Kaiser."
Zane blinked. "So . . . you'll let her go?" he questioned carefully.
A light glow emitted from a gold brooch shaped like an eye, pinned to the side of Dark-Wing's black velvet robes. With a snap of his fingers, the light expanded and engulfed the entire dueling stadium.
Zane immediately brought Alexis closer, tucking her head underneath his chin and hugging her body close to protect her from the sudden intensity.
Then it was gone, and the place returned to its dark and foreboding nature.
There was a cross between a choke and a gasp.
"Mmmrfgh . . ."
Zane pulled back and looked down.
Alexis' eyes fluttered open. Her complexion was slowly returning to normal and her lips were beginning to loose their blue tint.
"Alexis?" Zane hadn't realized he'd been holding his breathe.
"H-hey . . ." she croaked, her vision still slightly blurry.
All she could make out were his sea blue eyes, full of relief.
Zane sighed. "Alexis."
Saying her name helped him confirm that she really was there, alive, awake, and safe.
"As touching as this reunion is," Dark-Wing was short of revulsion, "we have a matter to attend to."
Zane stood up, half cradling Alexis in his arms.
"Miss Rhodes," Dark-Wing directed his attention to Alexis. "Mr. Truesdale has kindly offered to stay behind, and in return, you have the option of leaving."
Alexis' body went rigid. "What?" she looked at Zane, her fingers digging into his forearms, silently pleading that she'd misheard.
'He didn't . . .'
Zane's eyes met hers in guilt and determination.
'He did.'
That couldn't be right. The Shadow Riders had spent all this time looking for her, wasted all this energy on her and her alone, and now they were willing to giver her up just because a better offer came along? If they wanted Zane, why didn't they just go after him? Instead, they sought her.
Zane wasn't meant to be trapped with her. He was a notch in their perfect plan. They should have just thrown him out. They already had her. And they knew that. But now they were using it to their advantage.
"You're just going to let me leave?" Alexis was unconvinced.
Dark-Wing pulled a duel disk from underneath his robes and tossed in the couple's direction.
It landed right at Alexis' feet.
"Only if you win a duel against me," he declared.
It was the catch.
Zane fumed.
"You said you'd give her the option of leaving!" Zane indicted angrily. "You gave me your word!"
Several arms clad in black cloaks emerged from behind and grabbed Zane, holding him back and pulling him away from Alexis.
"And I'm sticking to it. However it was you who failed to specify how I would give her the option of leaving."
Technicalities. Loopholes.
Alexis looked back and found an angry Zane trying to wrench free from the four Shadow Riders holding him back. She glanced down at the duel disk.
So this was their plan. Not only do they get what they wanted – her, but the get something a little extra – they'd get Zane
'They know I won't win,' she thought to herself. 'If the best Jaden could do against this guy was a tie, what chance do I have?'
"Lexi," Zane's voice was earnest.
Alexis spared a fleeting look at Dark-Wing. He was waiting expectantly.
She picked up the duel disk. A set of new cards, obviously fresh from packaging, was already inserted securely into the slot.
She wouldn't even be playing with her own deck.
"Oh, god," she muttered. "We're screwed."
YGO-GX YGO-GX YGO-GX
"Jaden."
Each person looked at Atticus in slight amazement. In the several hours they'd been in his room – planning, suggesting, and arguing – he hadn't said a word.
"Yeah?" Jaden replied anxiously.
Atticus stared indomitably at the card in his hand, unwilling to meet anyone's eyes. "I want you to duel me," he told the Slifer.
Everyone stared.
"Um, I don't think this a really good time for a duel," Syrus said, answering for Jaden before he a chance to accept the challenge.
Atticus finally looked up.
His features were set, his mind made up. Ignoring Syrus' comment completely, he locked gazes with Jaden. "Duel me," he dared.
To say that all the occupants of the room were shocked by the tone of his voice and expression on his face would be an understatement. Gone was the carefree attitude, and its place was something dark and threatening.
Syrus all but whimpered when he caught the gleam from the older boy's dark eyes.
Bastion studied Atticus thoroughly before he noticed the deathly hold the brunette had on a card.
"Why?" Bastion's accent boomed.
Atticus toyed with Nightshroud's card for a moment before he tossed it to the calculating Ra Yellow student.
Bastion caught it in mid-air.
He looked intently at the mask depicted on the card. "Oh," he said, throat unexpectedly dry.
Jaden, Syrus, and Chazz gathered around to see what had left Bastion speechless. They gawked, realization dawning on them at what Atticus intended to do.
"A-Atticus!" Syrus stuttered. "You can't be serious."
"I am."
"B-b-but . . ." Syrus didn't know what to say.
"You're out of you're demented, surfer-complex mind," Chazz proclaimed.
"Probably," he agreed and snatched the card back from Bastion. "So how about it, Jade?"
Jaden looked resolutely at Alexis' brother.
He hesitated for a split-second. "You're on."
(A/N): I'm really sorry for any grammar or spelling errors. Hope you all enjoyed this installment!
