Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Beyond the Future
Chapter 11: "Project A.D.'s and the Black Ops"
Australia – Project A.D.'s HQ
The official Headquarters for Project Advanced Duelists was stationed on a deserted island 800 kilometers off the coast of Australia. It was far from other houses, stores, buildings, and citizens. The reason for this was simple; less interaction with the outside world meant less chance of leakage within the organization. The few businesses that conducted transaction with the group were sworn under contract to keep the location of the island a secret. Breaking the contract would result in criminal charges for the entire company. Hayato Maeda, the leader of Project A.D.'s, as well as the CEO of Industrial Illusions, bought the island with this in mind.
The group of individuals fortunate enough to step inside the fortress was given a set of rules they had to swear to before entering. The rules were simple. No one was allowed to communicate with the outside world unless they were on a mission, in which case they were to hide their identity and assimilate an entirely new identity until the completion of their mission. Second, they were to only communicate with one another using specially designed cell phones that could be traced by the Technical Department through a built in GPS. This was to only be accessed during an emergency, in which case the officer failed to report in or defected from the group.
These rules, though harsh, were implemented for the sole purpose of bringing Doctor Murdock Willord, a severely dangerous wanted man within the world's most wanted list, to justice.
Presently, Hayato's personal helicopter was landing at the site's landing area in front of HQ. Hayato stepped out of the helicopter, still wearing his suit and tie. Behind him, Yusha and Erin emerged as well. Erin was now wearing a blue mini skirt accompanied by a red blouse. Yusha was still wearing casual jeans and a T-shirt. The monkey, Abe, was sitting on his shoulder chirping excitedly. The three silently walked away from the landing site toward the front entrance. Stationed at the front gate were two security guards wearing black uniforms, black hats, and sunglasses. The guards nodded to the three and opened the gate, bowing politely as they walked past them.
Another three yards away from the gate, the Headquarters building sat nicely among fancy flower beds and trimmed bushes. Standing at the front entrance to the building was Crow, Sherry, and Rom. The three nodded as they greeted their leader and fellow members.
"Welcome back, guys," Crow said with a wave.
Hayato nodded, not slowing down his pace. "We talked briefly over the phone, so I have a basic idea of what happened while I was gone. Sherry, I would like you to call for an emergency meeting immediately. I want every member and personnel in this building to attend."
"Understood, sir," the woman replied with a nod. "I'll get to it right away." With that, she quickly walked back into the building, headed for the planning room.
"Crow, I've given your request some thought. Given the current situation, I agree that it would be best to inform Team 5D's of what is going on. I would like you to contact them and have them listen in on this meeting. This concerns them, after all."
"Roger!" Crow said with a salute of his hand. "I'm on it!"
"Rom, please contact the Senior Members and our affiliates. I would like as many of them to attend as possible. In addition to that, I would like Ron Ripper and the council members to attend as well, if they are available."
Rom had a look of surprise on his face. "Are you sure that is a good idea, Leader?"
Hayato nodded, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the taller man. "I'm not thrilled about this, but our current situation is dire. We need the entire Australian government siding with us."
Rom hesitated for a moment, but quickly nodded in agreement. "I understand. I will get to it right away."
"Erin, I'll let you prepare the data you're going to share with us. I need to speak with the Black Ops before we begin the meeting, so I'm heading to my office right now."
Erin gave the man a nod to show she understood.
Hayato looked over at Yusha, who was grinning with anticipation. Saying nothing, Hayato turned around and began walking toward the direction of his office, located at the left side of the room at the end of the long hallway ahead.
"You could at least give me an assignment, Pops! You're hurting my self-esteem here!"
Hayato stopped and turned his head to offer the boy a confident smile. "All you need to do is show up. That's your strength."
"Dad…" Yusha watched the man as he walked down the hallway with a serious look on his face. Abe looked confused, using his hand to smack Yusha's cheek.
Erin watched Yusha's expression change, wondering what was going through his head.
When Yusha began spacing out, his battle instincts suddenly switched into gear as a fist swung toward his face. He quickly used his body weight to arch his back outward, giving him enough time to dodge the punch last minute.
The attacker looked pleased by his efforts, but Yusha could not make out who it was through the speed he was moving at. "Heh, you're as quick as ever, Fusionist! But what about this?" The attacker lashed out his elbow, aiming straight for the top of Yusha's head.
Yusha managed to catch a glimpse of the person attacking him. He was a slightly taller Caucasian male with short, brown-red spiky hair. His narrow eyes were a dark grey in color. He was wearing black, baggy clothing. The man grinned as his arm was caught in Yusha's grip. "Impressive! I think you've gotten even quicker since I last saw you!"
"What the heck, Sabertooth? I don't have the time to play around with you," Yusha grumbled as he released the man's arm.
Sabertooth raised an eyebrow, unsure of how to respond to Yusha's unusual behavior. "Huh? It's not like you to turn down a challenge? What the hell's goin' on?" Sabertooth asked in his thick Australian accent.
"We're assembling for an emergency meeting," Erin explained, her hand on her hip. "Be at the meeting room in two hours, Sabertooth."
"Huh? An emergency? What the hell happened while I was off in Italy?"
Just as Erin was about to explain the situation, a familiar female Australian accent cut her off from the other side of the room. It was a voice that irritated her to no end.
"As arrogant as always, Eirika."
The owner of the voice was a young, attractive girl leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. She had deep blue eyes that complimented her long, wavy brown hair nicely. She was wearing a fiery red dress with a ruby pearl necklace around her neck. She was giving Erin a mocking smile.
"And you're always instigating," Erin said in an annoyed voice as she turned to stare her down. "Now isn't the time, Precious." Leaving it at that, Erin stormed out of the room in fury, kicking a nearby vending machine and stubbing her toe in the process. She limped away in frustration toward the meeting room at the far end of the hall.
"Damn," Sabertooth grumbled. "She didn't even finish telling me what the hell's going on here."
Precious' smile faded as she eyed Erin's back with malice. "That woman pisses me off! Always barking orders like she's better than everyone!"
Sabertooth began to blush as he turned to her. He nodded furiously to show that he agreed. "You're totally right, Precious!"
Precious turned to him and shot him a dirty look. She smelled the air and shook her head, pushing him against the wall. "Get away from me. You smell like ass."
Sabertooth stared in shock as the girl stormed down the hallway, also kicking the vending machine in fury. Just like Erin, she stubbed her toe and ended up limping to the meeting room.
"Why is everyone beating up on the vending machine?" Yusha asked, confused.
Abe the monkey saw Sabertooth's shocked face and tried to imitate it. The chimp left Yusha's shoulder and hopped onto Sabertooth's back. When he felt the furry creature land on his neck, he let out a terrified scream and snapped out of his trance. "Wh-What the hell is this thing, Fusionist?! You brought some weird rat back with you again!"
This triggered Yusha's temper, resulting in him getting into Sabertooth's face. "Abe isn't a rat! He's a monkey! Can't you tell by looking?!"
Sabertooth responded by smashing his forehead against Yusha's, sending Abe flying onto the floor in the process. "I don't give a damn what it is! I hate animals! You've turned this place into a damn zoo, always bringing home stray animals on your missions! I have enough problems with Trickster's damn mutt shitting on my front porch!"
"You're starting to sound like Erin now! It's annoying! Animals need care and love!"
"What?! Wanna go, ya punk?!"
As the two pushed against each other back and forth, a sudden figure appeared in between the two, making them jump in fright.
"Shouldn't you two be getting ready for the meeting?" came an eerie voice with a Korean accent.
The owner of the voice was a small child with dark brown eyes and short black hair. He was wearing jean shorts and a black shirt.
The two older boys screamed in fright before they calmed themselves.
"Shadow, how long have you been there?!" Yusha asked through pants, patting his beating heart.
"The entire time," the boy responded with an evil grin. "You guys are as goofy as always."
"And you're as creepy as always," Sabertooth grumbled. "Little kids shouldn't act like stalkers."
Shadow giggled obnoxiously, waving his finger around mockingly. "My tailing is top notch, wouldn't you say?"
"That wasn't a compliment, you idiot."
Not far from the three, another person stood in the dark shadows of the turn-off hallway leading to the restrooms. It was a young 22 year old woman, a few years older than Yusha and Sabertooth. She had long, purple hair that was tied back into a ponytail. Her pink-colored eyes darted back and forth nervously as she appeared to be debating something in her head. She was wearing a long, blue dress.
At this moment, the young woman was indeed arguing with herself in her head. Her current dilemma was the fact that Sabertooth and Yusha were standing right outside the restroom area. In order to get to the meeting room, she would have to walk past Yusha, and the thought of doing that made her instantly self-conscious of what she was wearing. She was also worried Sabertooth would make fun of her dress again as he often did, teasing her about her 'old fashioned' look. But it couldn't he helped, she thought to herself. There was no way she could wear a miniskirt or anything that showed skin like that. The thought made her turn red in the face.
As the young Japanese woman was debating over this, she suddenly felt a tap on her butt. Startled, she yelped and quickly ran out of the hallway, bright red in the face. "What do you think you're doing?!"
"Hyuck, hyuck, hyuck," a shorter male laughed in his strange laugh. "My hand slipped. Sorry!" As if he were just caught red-handed, the boy lifted the offending hand and giggled.
"Liar!"
The boy had a mushroom-cut hairstyle that was forest green in color. His eyes were a lighter shade of green, covered by a pair of thick glasses. He was wearing a small dark green suit with no tie. The suit was lazily presented, un-tucked, unbuttoned, and wrinkly all over.
"That's sexual harassment, Inzektor!" the young woman screamed, feeling violated all over.
"Hyuck, hyuck, hyuck. Don't get so worked up. It was an accident, I swear!"
"Ah, it's Spring!" Yusha called out to the young woman, waving his hand with a friendly smile. "Hey, we're all gonna head over to the meeting room! Come and join us!"
Spring turned bright red when she realized her cover was blown. She took a few steps back against the wall, unsure of how to respond.
"Why are you always hiding in the corner?" Sabertooth asked, confused by her actions.
Spring began to sweat nervously as she waved her hands. "Ah, no reason…" She mustered up the courage to get herself to walk closer to the group, ignoring the pounding in her head that accompanied her disorder.
When she stepped next to Yusha, he gave her a friendly whack on the back, nearly knocking her onto the ground. "C'mon, cheer up! Let's go!"
"Y-Yeah…"
Inzektor joined the four, and they headed down the hall toward the meeting room.
BREAK
Japan – Neo Domino City – Domino Airport
Rua and Ruka arrived in Neo Domino City via airplane after a long eight hour flight. After the plane was safely landed, the twins gathered their luggage and walked out through the tunnel that lead into the airport. Rua patted his ears in annoyance, trying to pop them, as they were still clogged from the massive change in air pressure.
Rua's discomfort quickly subsided when he stepped out into the airport's boarding hall, where he immediately spotted three familiar faces smiling over at him and his sister through the many people gathered in the room. Yusei, Jack, and Aki waved to the younger adults, looking relieved that they arrived safely without consequence.
Smiles instantly came to the siblings' faces when they saw their friends. Though they had seen their faces through video phones, seeing them gathered together in person for the first time in ten years was truly a different feeling.
"Yusei! Jack!" Rua shouted as he ran over to greet the men first.
"Aki-san!" Ruka followed right behind her brother.
Ruka threw herself into both Aki and Yusei at the same time, hugging them tightly with both of her arms. Tears began welling in her eyes as she felt like she was truly home for the first time in years. "I didn't think I'd be so emotional," she said, wiping away her tears. "Talking over the phone just isn't the same as seeing you in person."
Aki looked down at the young woman and gave her a big smile in return. "You sure have grown into a beautiful lady, Ruka! The two of us should go shopping before the tournament."
Ruka nodded excitedly in return. "Yeah! I'd love to!"
Ruka then turned to Yusei and offered him a smile as well. In return, Yusei placed both of his hands on her shoulders. "It's because of you that we're able to see each other again. I'm grateful that you brought the idea up."
By reflex, Ruka averted Yusei's gaze. "Yeah, me too…" Yusei was confused by her sudden shift in expression, but he did not comment on the matter.
A couple of feet away, Rua and Jack were staring at one another in complete silence. Rua finally said something to break the ice. "I'm just not as excited to see you, considering how many times we've seen each other lately," he said jokingly with a laugh.
"You're one to talk, you persistent brat," Jack said with a frown. His grown quickly turned into a grin as he leaned forward and patted Rua's head.
Rua then walked over to where Ruka was speaking with Yusei and Aki. He gave the two a big smile and shook their hands in a mature manner. "I'm ecstatic to see you two again, though. It feels like a High School reunion or something."
Yusei chuckled at how mature Rua was acting. Aki, on the other hand, did not approve. She pulled Rua over and forced him into a hug. "Don't be so distant, Rua!" Rua began to blush as Aki buried him into her chest. Her familiar scent always relaxed him, even back when he was a kid. His face turned bright red when he felt her breasts rub against his cheek. "You've grown over the years too, Big Sis Aki!"
While Rua began conversing with Yusei and Aki, Ruka walked over to Jack and gave him a soft smile.
Jack returned the smile and patted her head. "Good work in calling us together like this."
"I didn't do much…" Ruka mumbled as Jack continued patting her head.
"We were all too wrapped up in our own lives to think about getting back together. It was you who made this possible."
Saying nothing more, Ruka just continued smiling.
"Hold on, we're one person short!" Rua suddenly shouted. "Where's Crow?"
Yusei shook his head. "We haven't heard anything. Ruka, did he ever answer your call?"
"His cellphone number changed," Ruka replied. "I had no way of contacting him. He should have told us his new contact info. Now he won't even know about the tournament."
"What the heck is he doing?" Rua grumbled, smacking his hand against his forehead. "This is our big reunion! He can't miss it!"
"Hmph, forget about him," Jack said in an annoyed voice. "If he couldn't be bothered to contact us, he's not worth the trouble."
"Don't say things like that, Jack," Yusei said, turning to give him a scolding look. "You know that's not true."
Jack scoffed and folded his arms stubbornly.
"About that, everyone…"
Yeager's high-pitched voice interrupted the group from behind.
"Yeager! It's been a long time!" Rua shouted, waving.
Ruka gave him a polite bow.
Yeager politely bowed in return, but his expression was serious. "I'm glad to see you all, but there's a more pressing matter at hand."
Yusei looked a bit concerned by Yeager's tone. "What happened?"
Yeager looked up with a troubled expression, clearing his throat before he began to speak again. "You guys have a pending call from Crow Hogan."
"What?!" Yusei, Jack, Rua, and Ruka shouted nearly at the same time. Behind them, Aki looked confused and worried, unsure as to why Crow was contacting them despite his warning to her.
Yeager nodded to confirm what he just said. "He called me on the main video phone over at the Public Security Maintenance Bureau. He's on hold right now, so you guys will need to hurry over right away. I'm sure you want to talk to him."
"Damn right we do!" Jack said angrily as he darted toward the airport's exit.
"Then let's get going right away," Yeager said to the others, quickly following behind Jack.
The others nodded and mimicked his actions. Aki did as well, wondering just what was going on.
Public Security Maintenance Bureau
The members of Team 5D's suffered from a painfully long moment of awkward, agonizing silence as they stared at the video phone in Yeager's office. Yeager began to sweat as he watched each of their varying expressions, swearing he could hear crickets in the background, despite them being indoors. Yusei had his eyes closed as he contemplated on how he should proceed. Aki twiddled her thumbs nervously at her side. Rua avoided eye contact, darting his eyes upward toward the various plants Yeager had on the backroom shelf. Ruka watched Aki's obvious discomfort and began to feel uncomfortable herself. And then there was Jack, who was staring into the video phone so hard that Yeager feared his glare would literally combust the device.
On the opposite end, Crow nervously rubbed his hand over the back of his neck, unsure of what he should say. He never imagined he would ever feel so awkward about seeing his friends like this. Unable to take the silence any longer, Crow finally mustered the courage to address the five as he took a deep breath. He forced a friendly grin and waved his arm. "Yo."
A vein popped out above Jack's temple as he reached his limit. "Don't 'Yo' me, bastard!" he shouted loud enough to startle the secretary in the opposite room. "You have some explaining to do! What the hell have you been doing for the past five years?!"
Yusei finally opened his eyes as he came to a decision on how to approach the situation. He walked in front of Jack and pulled his arm, forcing him to retreat to the back of the group. "Calm down, Jack." Jack looked displeased, but he kept his thoughts to himself. "We've been worried about you, Crow," Yusei said as he turned to face the video phone. "I'm sure you have a reason, but please explain."
Crow once again lost his words as he tried to think of how to begin explaining. He noticed Aki looking at him with a worried expression and offered her a pleading smile.
"Crow, why…?" Aki muttered, looking to the man for answers.
"Sorry, Aki," Crow sighed, shaking his head. "Things have changed."
Jack noticed this immediately and instantly turned on Aki. "Izayoi! Why's he acting like you've been talking to him?!"
Aki looked away from the man, increasing her uncomfortable fidgeting. "I…"
Yusei crossed his arms against his chest and released a heavy sigh. "I thought as much, considering how you were acting."
Rua looked from friend to friend as his thoughts began to jumble in his head. "I'm so confused! Someone explain what the heck is going on here!"
"Sorry, guys, but I'm going to need you to wait a bit longer," Crow interrupted, drawing their attention onto him once more.
"What?!" Jack's voice rose once again as he shook his fist in the air. "You keep us waiting for five years and now you want us to wait a bit longer?!"
"We're going to explain everything to you in an hour. My boss wants you guys to attend. You'll understand what I've been doing once you do."
"Don't act so arrogant about-" Jack stopped when Yusei lifted his arm in front of him, shaking his head.
The King simply scoffed stubbornly in response.
"Crow, I trust you." With those words said, Yusei offered his friend an approving smile.
Crow returned the smile, happy to see Yusei had not changed as much as he had feared. "Don't worry. I promise to make up for lost time when all of this is over. I'll call you guys at 2:00 sharp." Leaving it at that, Crow disappeared from the screen, leaving the room silent once again.
Jack folded his arms, turning his head away in irritation. "What a showoff."
Rua chuckled and began poking Jack's side with his elbow. "Just admit you were worried about him already, Jack."
"Who'd be worried about him?!"
A few feet away, Ruka walked over to where Aki was standing quietly by herself. "Aki-san, did you really…?"
"I…" Unable to answer the younger woman, Aki could only look away from her eyes.
"Let's drop this for now and wait for Crow to contact us," Yusei said calmly.
Just as the others were about to reply, a heavy set of footsteps were heard entering the room. Seto Kaiba, dressed in his white business suit, was standing in the doorway with his brother, Mokuba, who also wore a similar suit.
"So that was Crow Hogan, the third member of Team 5D's," Seto said flatly. "I'm looking forward to putting his skills to the test."
"Seto." Yusei addressed the man with a respectful nod. Seto returned the gesture.
"Seto?" Ruka gasped as she came to a sudden realization. "Isn't that…?"
Beside her, Rua's eyes widened in surprise. "What?! The Seto Kaiba?! No way!"
"Oh, there's more of them now," Mokuba said matter-of-factly.
Seto looked over at the green-haired boy without the least bit of interest. "And who are you two? I've never seen you before."
Beside her brother, Ruka laughed nervously as she rubbed her hand through her wavy hair. "Well, we weren't exactly front runners in Team 5D's in the W.R.G.P."
"The name's Rua Heartlily!" Rua responded proudly with a beat of his chest. "I'm sure the name rings a bell, right?"
"Not particularly," Seto said, leaving Rua with man tears.
"Wait, Big Brother," Mokuba cut in. "I remember this guy was at the top of the charts a few years ago. I actually thought he was pretty talented."
Rua's tears began to pour down his face as he ran over to Mokuba and grasped both of his hands in his. "Finally, someone who remembers me! Thank you!"
Mokuba gave the young man an uncomfortable stare. "U-Uh, sure…"
Seto closed his eyes and walked past his brother and Rua over to where Yusei was standing. "Well, don't worry about it too much," he said nonchalantly without looking in his direction. "If you're as strong as you say you are, prove it to me during the R.W.F."
"Right!" Rua shouted joyfully, letting go of Mokuba's hands.
Seto opened his eyes and looked down at Ruka as he passed by her. "You as well."
"R-Right…" Ruka said awkwardly. She then whispered, "I never said I thought I was that strong, though…"
Seto smirked at the girl before turning to face Yusei. "Now then, I thought I would discuss the basic outline of the tournament Mokuba and I have drafted so far."
Yusei nodded. "I'm guessing it will be similar to the W.R.G.P."
"Not exactly," Seto replied, his smirk widening. "This tournament will feature teams of five."
"Teams of five?" Rua looked over at the man in surprise. "That means one of us won't be able to participate."
Ruka nodded in agreement. "We have six people..."
"That's true," Yusei said, rubbing his hand on his chin. "Seto, did you know that?"
"No, I didn't know about the two children. Changing it to a six-member team format would make things difficult for me, so I'm afraid I can't alter the plan."
Seto's comment rubbed Rua the wrong way, and it showed plainly on his face. "Children?"
Ruka giggled at Rua's reaction. "Just let it go, Rua."
"Hmph, let's just drop Crow then," Jack said without hesitation. "It's his fault for not showing up until now."
"That's not fair!" Rua shouted in protest. "It's too hard to force one of us out."
Seto replied with one of his trademark smirks. "Settling this is a simple matter. All you need to do is have a Battle Royale. The first person to be eliminated is the one who doesn't participate."
"I agree," Yusei said with a nod. "That would be a fair way to go about it. Would that be okay with the rest of you?"
The other members slowly came to an agreement, though it was not easy for them to do. Yeager sighed as he watched them, knowing how difficult it was for them.
"Okay. Let's go, everyone," Yusei said as he headed toward the table at the other side of the office.
The others nodded and followed Yusei to the table. Seto and Mokuba sat at the head of the table and began going over various details they had planned out.
Yeager began to smile as he watched them together, thinking that it made him feel happy to see them like this. All they needed was Crow and the group would be complete.
BREAK
Moabit, Germany – Ingrid's Mansion
Ingrid sat at her computer desk as she read through a stack of notes she held in her hand. When she finished reviewing her notes, she looked over at her partner, Jack Wilstone, who sat at a side table at the front of her office by the room's entrance. "It's about time for the meeting. I hope you're ready, Jack."
Wilstone sighed as he furiously typed on his labtop. "I'm not very good with public speaking, Ingrid."
"Oh, come off it," she said, sounded annoyed by his words. "You're an important key to solving this entire crisis and you're worried about a little social anxiety? Shape up or ship out!"
"You've got a way with words as always," the younger man replied, his eyes still glued to his labtop's screen.
As they two continued their preparations, they were startled by the sudden sound of Ingrid's security alarm. The loud ringing caused the two of them to jump from their seats.
Ingrid's eyes widened as she quickly began to understand the situation. "That's the security alarm! It goes off when someone walks on the property!"
A similar noise started up soon after, this one coming from the opposite direction.
"That one's coming from the back of the mansion!" Wilstone shouted, rising from his chair.
Ingrid began to sweat as she imagined the worst possible scenario. "Did they catch on to us?!"
"Tch, what bullshit." Wilstone quietly pulled a cigarette from his pocket and used his teeth to grab it. With a flick of his lighter, the substance was instantly lit. "So they decided to come to us instead, eh?" Wilstone said coolly, blowing a puff of smoke in the air. He slowly looked up and began to grin. "So be it." Saying nothing more, Wilstone began walking toward the doorway.
"Wait! Shouldn't we stick together?"
"What are you talking about?" Wilstone asked sarcastically as he pulled the cigarette out of his mouth with his fingers. "That would be just what they want." The man began waving the cigarette in the air around him as he went on. "Think about it. It's a basic strategy. Intimidate the enemy by attacking in groups, forcing them to gather in one area. While they're clinging to one another, the holes in their defenses increase."
"So you're saying we should split up. I'll guard the front while you guard the back, is that it?"
"Bingo. We can't allow them to get their hands on your research or my computers. If they did that…"
"I know. They'd be many steps ahead of us, making it near impossible to strategize against them."
Wilstone nodded as he took a long drag from his cigarette, which he then blew back out through his mouth. "So we put our lives on the line to protect the data. It's as simple as that. That's what being a member of the Black Ops is all about."
"Jack, be careful out there," Ingrid called to his back. "Don't do anything stupid."
With another puff of his smoke, Jack activated the Duel Disk he had attached to his arm. "I know. I'll activate the booby traps. I can't guarantee anything, but that should buy us about ten minutes if we're lucky."
"Just five minutes is fine," Ingrid said grimly as she activated her own Duel Disk. "Those thugs might be biting off more than they can handle." Ingrid's frown slowly changed into a confident smile.
BREAK
In the front of the mansion, a group of masked thugs in all black clothing screamed in agony as they were shot by a stray bullet through their backs.
A third man looked up in shock. "What the hell was-" The man's words were cut off as he met the same fate, this time shot through the chest.
A fourth man turned to face a masked woman with a curvy figure and skin tight black clothing. "Madam, we're under attack!"
The masked woman chuckled, though the man addressing her could not see the sinister smirk on her face. "It seems the enemy is more intelligent than we suspected," the woman said. "We're right in the middle of a giant landmine of traps. No doubt they're aware of our presence."
"What should we do, Madam?!" the subordinate shouted.
"It's all right. I suspected this could be the case. That's why I brought you bugs with me."
Another masked subordinate behind the woman gasped at her comment. "What's that supposed to mean?"
The woman chuckled at his comment. "You do want the Chinese government to clear your name, don't you? If you manage to survive, we'll do just that."
Before the man could respond, the woman stopped in mid-run, nearly causing him to collide into her. Surprised by her actions, he was caught off guard. Using this moment, the woman jumped onto his shoulders, using his body as a stepping stone to propel herself onto a nearby tree branch. Laughing, the woman began running in forward again, safely above the hidden guns in the front yard.
The first subordinate cursed at the woman's actions. "You never meant to keep your promise! You used us?!"
The other fallen subordinate attempted to get back to his feet. "How da-" He was cut off as one of the nearby nail guns pierced his throat, sending him to his death. His body dropped motionlessly to the ground.
The masked woman laughed as she abandoned her men. "As if we'd keep our promise with a bunch of criminals! Your lives are only worth that of a lowly decoy! Perish under the great name of Urteil and the Chinese division! There's no better honor for dirty thugs like you!"
The woman was caught off guard when a shuriken suddenly shot out of her field of vision right toward her face. "What?! There's traps up here too?!" she shouted as she dodged the star-shaped blade in the nick of time.
"They're even smarter than I thought! But…!" She looked up and saw a dozen shuriken stars headed in her direction. Using all of her might, she hopped into the air. In mid jump, she clicked her boots together, activating a propeller underneath her soles. They were Urteil's newest invention; Flying Boots.
"Don't underestimate the technology of Urteil!"
Using the Flying Boots to guide her, the woman headed toward the roof of the mansion. Once she was positioned over the center of the roof, she clicked her heels once again, this time deactivating the propellers. The woman used the force of her falling body to kick through the roof, creating a direct entrance into the mansion.
Ingrid was seated on her couch in the living room, in the middle of shuffling her deck. The sudden crash caught her off guard, but she quickly regained her composure. Ingrid slowly raised her eyes to meet the masked woman. "Not even three minutes, huh? It seems we need to update our traps."
The masked woman chuckled as she walked closer to her target. "You must be Ingrid Goldstein. Is that right?"
Ingrid remained seated on her couch, ignoring the dust from her own roof that covered her shoulders.
"Yes, that would be me. And who might you be? You're a bit too smart for some petty criminal."
The woman removed her mask, revealing long, silky black hair and deep green eyes. Her lips curved into a devilish smirk as she took another step closer. "Xiaolin of the Chinese Department of Defense. I'd say it's nice to meet you, but the truth is that you're an eyesore."
"Is that so? You broke my roof and one of my most valuable vases and you call me an eyesore?
Laughable." Ingrid finally rose to her feet as she inserted her deck into her activated Duel Disk.
Xiaolin mimicked her gesture. Her Duel Disk was noticeably different than the standard Duel Disk Ingrid held. This one was black in color and had a white swastika painted on the side with a red line through it.
"Let's get this over with. I'm a very busy woman."
Ingrid noticed the symbol on the woman's Duel Disk immediately. "From Urteil, are you? I recognize that symbol."
Xiaolin met her question with a mocking smirk. "Urteil? Never heard of it."
Ingrid challenged her smile with a playful smirk of her own. "You're a terrible liar."
BREAK
Under where Ingrid was facing off against Xiaolin, Wilstone was now face-to-face with a teenaged boy with long, fiery red hair and dark orange eyes. He wore an unstable expression, as if the stimulation of the situation was too thrilling for him to handle.
Wilstone quietly lit up a fresh cigarette, inhaling and blowing a trail of smoke into the air. "You got here pretty quick. You're one tough asshole."
"Heh, those little traps of yours were nothing," the boy said, pointing to the massive hole he made in the stone wall. A trail of sunlight poured into the dark room, casting a shadow over part of his face.
"Is that so? The blood all over your shirt says otherwise."
The man scoffed as he looked down at his blood-stained shirt. "Don't get so cocky. Those knives only hit me because I let them. This would be boring if I killed you in one shot." A wicked grin came to his face as his eyes met Wilstone's once again. "Let's draw it out a bit."
Wilstone took one last drag of his cigarette before he tossed it to the ground and smothered it with his black dress shoe. "What's the password?"
"Huh? What the hell's that mean?"
"Only those who know the password are allowed in here. Though I did make an exception for one gorgeous angel recently."
The man raised an eyebrow as he took a couple of steps forward. "You aren't making any sense, pal."
"Are you sure you want to step there?"
"What?" Before the man had time to react, his foot landed on the offending area. As soon as his shoe made contact, he felt the floor tile underneath his foot sink. In an instant, a spiked chain shot straight through his foot, rising up and wrapping around his entire leg. The man began screaming in agony as he fell onto the floor.
"Whoops," Wilstone said emotionlessly. "I forgot to mention that there were traps inside the mansion as well. How careless of me."
The man managed a laugh through his pained gasps. "You're one twisted bastard! But it's useless! I'm a trained assassin! One measly chain-" Before he could finish speaking, his entire body was engulfed by an electrical shock emitted by the chain. The man's eyes went white as he fell flat against the floor.
Wilstone tapped his head nonchalantly with his finger as he taunted his enemy. "Wow, my memory's shot today. I keep forgetting to mention some very important stuff. So sorry. Are you hurt?"
Wilstone stopped speaking when he heard the man's laughter. "You have absolutely no idea who you're messing with," he said as he ripped the chain off with his bare hands, ignoring the cuts he just created on them. "There's a reason I'm known as the 'King of Endurance' out of the thousands of Urteil members! I've trained through every torture known to man! Such low-level traps can do nothing to me!"
"Oh? What is this 'Urteil' you speak of?" Wilstone asked as a smirk came to his face.
The red-head gasped, realizing he made a mistake. "Oh shit, I let that slip. I guess that's why they also call me 'Diarrhea Mouth'."
"What a coincidence," Wilstone said darkly. "I was looking for some evidence proving the existence of Urteil, and low and behold, God dropped me a little present in my humble home. No, this is definitely a gift from my Goddess."
The man scoffed off his ramblings. "Enough chitchat. I've got a job to do." With that, he activated his own black Duel Disk. "Oh, gotta stop these bleeding hands or I'll get blood all over my cards."
Wilstone watched the man with curious eyes as he applied some form of medication that appeared to stop the bleeding instantly.
"Now then," the enemy said as his eyes met Wilstone's. "You're going to die by the hands of Vester, also known as 'Flame God'!"
Wilstone grinned as he lifted his own Duel Disk. "You have too many nicknames."
BREAK
The meeting hall inside the Project AD's HQ was by far the largest room in the entire building. Though the building itself was enormous, this room was built specifically to hold every single member of the team, which totaled in the hundreds. Today, however, a much smaller group was gathered in the various tables scattered throughout the dome-shaped room. Each table held around five people each. Often times those members who formed a team would sit together. Because the meeting was called on last minute notice and because of the fact that many members were currently out on missions of their own, only a select group of members were able to attend this meeting.
The inaudible murmuring in the room began to fade as Hayato entered the room wearing his official Project A.D.'s uniform, blue with the team's symbol in the upper right corner of his chest. The group watched the man make his descent from the entrance down the pathway in the middle of all the tables that led to the stage at the very front of the room. As they watched the man, they couldn't help but admire the various artwork and decorations against the walls of the room.
As Hayato reached for the microphone, the room fell into complete silence as they anticipated their leader's words.
"Thank you all for gathering here," Hayato began, his voice echoing over the room through the speaker system. "As you've been told, this is an issue of the utmost urgency. I ask that you all pay close attention to what we're about to discuss. I'm going to take attendance to make sure everyone is here. First and foremost, I would like to personally introduce our guests today and extend my greatest gratitude to them for taking the time out of your busy schedules to be here. Reporting from the Australian government we have the Australian Representative, Ron Ripper, along with the members of the Council."
Ron Ripper, the Australian Representative with short, thin hair and glasses, sat beside the ten men of the Australian Council. He shot Hayato an irritated frown as he adjusted his glasses. "Hmph, dragging us all the way down here like this... You better explain everything."
"Ripper," one of the men beside him, the chubbier one, grunted.
Ron folded his arms against his chest stubbornly, looking away from the older man. "Fine."
Ignoring the man's comment, Hayato then turned over to a monitor behind him. "Reporting in from Japan, we have Team 5D's."
Sabertooth, who was casually leaning back in his chair, nearly lost his balance when he heard the namedrop. "The Team 5D's?!"
Beside him, Precious' eyes widened with shock. "What's going on here?!"
At the table in front of the two, Spring's nerves intensified. "Things are getting really serious, aren't they?"
Behind Hayato, the large monitor attached to the wall turned on, revealing the members of Team 5D's, minus Crow. The five members were viewing the meeting from Yeager's office in the Public Security Maintenance Bureau.
"Whoa, cool!" Rua said excitedly. "There's so many people here! Are we really gonna see a top secret meeting?!"
"Rua, cut it out," Ruka said as she pulled his ear.
"From left to right on your screen," Hayato continued, "we have Aki Izayoi, Jack Atlas, Yusei Fudo, Rua Heartlily, and Ruka Heartlily."
"What's the meaning of this?" Jack grumbled through the monitor. "We didn't sign up to be part of some presentation!"
"I understand your confusion," Hayato replied calmly. "For the benefit of our guests, I am going to explain everything about this project from the very beginning once I take attendance."
"Whoa, I feel like we're in some top secret government facility or something! It's pretty exciting!" Rua squealed, earning another tug on his ear from his sister.
"I'm going to read the names of each member of Project Advanced Duelists starting from the Average Group. When I say your name, please press the button in front of you to signal that you are present."
The Duelists present in the room all looked at the red button attached to the table in front of them as Hayato explained.
Hayato began calling off the names one by one, each Duelist responding accordingly. The average group consisted of Duelists who stronger agents recognized as holding the potential to get better. In addition to their objective of capturing Murdock, Hayato also used it as an opportunity to seek out fresh talent among both average and genius Duelists.
The names continued one by one.
"'Esper' Rouba."
"'Waver' Kajiki Tsunami."
"'Black Plague' Mike Jackson."
"'Melody' Kate Painter!"
"And our two newest members of the Average Group, Steven Kagal and Hikaru Kannagi. "
The Japanese young man with black hair and slanted eyes bowed respectfully as his name was called. "Yes."
The buffer-looking American man beside him shot Hayato a disapproving glance. "What the hell is up with this shit?! Why am I in the Average Group?! I'll have you know that I was the runner up in the Yearly Underground Duel Monsters Tournament! You gotta put me in the Top Aces or at least in the Second-Level Aces! "
His comment earned Steven a sharp whack to the back of the head. Steven quickly turned to face the source of the strike; a tall, pale middle-aged man with brown hair. He was dressed in dirty looking overalls. He held his choice of weapon, a long mop, out in his hand threateningly. "Don't get full of yourself, ya little twerp! You couldn't even defeat me in the Registration Test!"
Steven scoffed, lowering his eyes from the man. After all, the man spoke the truth.
"He's really strong," the green-haired Rouba said from behind Skeeter. "Who would have thought a janitor could Duel so good?"
"The Average Group isn't meant as a permanent label," Hayato explained while he observed the newcomer. "We bring in those we believe have the potential to grow. In a few years, you may find yourself in the Third-Level Aces."
"Whatever," Steven said wryly. "And what about all the other guys from the Underground Dueling? There was, like, 50 dudes with me."
"I beat 'em so bad they ran home to their mommies!" Skeeter cried proudly.
"What?!" Steven stared at the janitor in disbelief.
Hayato continued with his attendance. "Next, the Third-Level Aces. Luke Walker."
Luke, a very muscular man with a nearly shaven head, pushed the button in response. Luke noticed Erin looking in his direction, and he sent her a flushed smile. Erin, quickly remembering him from the Underground Dueling grounds, returned his smile with a wave, happy to see he took her invitation.
"The five members of Team Elemental, 'Spark' Aria Solovyov, 'Breeze' Veronika Solovyov, 'Flame' Ivan Smirnov, 'Frosty' Yulian Novikov, and 'Alchemist' Boris Lebedev."
Hayato waited in anticipation of the group's response, but he received nothing.
"It seems they didn't show up, Leader," Erin called over to the man. "It was, after all, very short notice. They may still be on a mission like many of the others."
"I see," Hayato said as he scratched his head. "I was hoping they'd show up despite that. Oh well."
Hayato crossed off their names and continued down the list. "Next, 'Dexter' Tenpei Hayano."
Hearing his name, a young man with neatly trimmed black hair and a thick pair of glasses politely pressed the button and answered the project's leader. "Yes, sir!"
"What?!" Ruka called out, obviously flabbergasted.
Beside her, Rua was just as shocked. "T-Tenpei?! What in the world are you doing here?!"
Tenpei chuckled as he looked up at his friends on the large monitor. "It's been a long time, Rua, Ruka. I never thought we'd meet in a place like this."
"You over there. Pipe down."
Tenpei quickly turned to face the local fortune teller, Takuma Saiou, who addressed him in a stern voice. Saiou had long, purple hair of varying shades. He wore a blue cape and a purple robe.
"I-I'm sorry, Saiou-san!" Tenpei quickly repositioned himself.
Beside the man, his sister, Mizuchi Saiou, nudged his arm lightly and began to giggle. "Don't be too hard on him, Takuma. He's pretty cute." Mizuchi had long, black hair that flowed down to her waist. She was wearing a white robe.
Hayato continued to call out of the names of a few more Third-Level Ace members who were not present before he moved on. "From the Secondary Aces, 'Rom' Raynor Clayfield.
Rom silently nodded and pushed the button in response.
Ron Ripper recognized the name and looked over to Rom's direction. "There's that unsightly brute from the meeting."
"'Spring' Haruka Yume."
Spring turned red in the face as all eyes in the room were glued to her. She stiffly reached forward to push the button.
"'Shadow' Yung-soo Myoh."
The room fell into silence as Hayato awaited the answer. As he was about to ask Erin a question, Hayato felt a light tap on his side. "I'm over here," Shadow said darkly, causing Hayato to jump in surprise.
The other Duelists laughed as Hayato began to blush. "Please go back to your seat," he grumbled, shooing the young boy away with his free hand.
Over in his seat, Sabertooth snorted at the scene. "Heh, that creepy guy's always doing shit like that."
Hayato cleared his throat and continued as if nothing ever happened. "'Inzektor' Weevil Saya."
Inzektor laughed sinisterly as he pushed his button.
As Hayato read the names, Yusei turned to his friends. "This seems to be some kind of Dueling facility."
"That's right," Seto said from behind the group. "Though it's far different from your average Duel Academia."
"You know about this?" Aki asked, surprised.
"Just keep listening," Mokuba said with a confident smile.
"And finally," Hayato continued, "we have the Top Aces. 'Precious' Jewel Sherlock."
Precious yawned as she leaned back in her chair. During the long list of names, the young woman had removed her shoes and positioned her socked feet up onto the table. When she heard her name called, she lazily used her toe to press the button.
"Hey, you!" Skeeter the janitor hollered, waving his mop around. "Get those stinky feet off the table and put your shoes back on! Show some respect!"
Precious shot the older man a death glare, but he did not falter. "Huh? Where I put my feet is my choice. If you've got a problem with it, come take them off yourself."
"Why you little…!"
Toward the front of the room, Erin looked appalled by the girl's actions. "What a dirty little brat."
Precious turned her gaze toward Erin, finally removing her feet from the table. "Did you say something?" When Erin didn't respond, Precious threw her purse into Sabertooth's lap as she walked toward Erin's seat. "Sabertooth, make yourself useful. That purse is expensive."
Sabertooth began to blush. "Y-Yes, ma'am! I'd do anything for you!"
Precious now stood inches away from Erin, her fists ready for a fight. Erin looked her up and down before scowling. "Get away from me. You're making me sick."
As the two stared each other down, Hayato interrupted them with a tap of his microphone. "Enough. Have a seat and show some respect, Precious."
Precious sneered at the man before she complied. The young woman returned to her seat and snatched her shoes off of the ground. After she put her shoes back on, she snatched her purse away from
Sabertooth and returned her feet to the table. "Skeeter, you shouldn't have a problem if my shoes are on, right?"
Skeeter's eyes began to twitch as his blood pressure rose. "I still have to clean that table, you little wench!"
As Skeeter continued his barrage of complaints, Hayato raised his voice so he could be heard, looking irritated at the situation. "'Sabertooth' Elijah Hummingbird."
Still in a daze from sitting next to Precious, Sabertooth slammed his fist down on the button, cracking the front of the device. This earned more complaints from Skeeter.
"'Eirika' Erin Kazakiri."
Erin quietly pressed her button, saying nothing.
"'Fusionist' Yusha Takanashi."
After a moment of delayed silence, the group turned to Yusha's empty seat. Abe the chimpanzee appeared from the chair, grinning playfully. The monkey chirped and began tapping the button multiple times.
"Where the hell did that Fusionist go?" Sabertooth asked, snapping out of his trance.
The silence was abruptly halted by the sound of the back door bursting open. Yusha walked into the room with a tray of Burger King food that consisted of three hamburgers, two fries, and a hotdog. "Man am I hungry!" Yusha felt eyes on him and soon realized the entire room was facing in his direction. The teen blinked in confusion. "What's the matter? I'm 20 minutes early, aren't I?"
"No, you're 20 minutes late," Hayato grumbled, losing his patience. "Take a seat, Fusionist."
Yusha laughed nervously as he rubbed his hand over his head. "My bad, my bad."
Sabertooth hooted loudly as Yusha quickly jumped into his seat. "I got here 20 minutes before you, Fusionist! Looks like I win this one!"
"This coming from Precious' slave," came Shadow's low-pitched voice from behind the teen's ears.
"Sh-Shut up!"
Hayato took a deep breath as he continued, trying to maintain his cool. "Now, for the Seniors Group. Most of them were too busy to attend, but we have three members present. First, Shou Marufuji."
In the table right beside Hayato's stand, a middle-aged man with greying teal-colored hair and grey eyes wrote in a notepad he held out in front of him. "I'll be taking notes for the missing members."
Hayato nodded to his friend respectfully. "Very good. Thanks as always, Shou."
Sabertooth watched Shou closely, recognizing the name. "I heard those guys were close friends back in the early days of the Duel Academia."
Hearing Sabertooth's comment, Erin turned around to respond. "Most of the Senior Members were chosen by the leader. They were his classmates back in Duel Academia, people he trusts the most."
"'Hell-Eyes' Shaun Daoshin."
A middle-aged man with long, black hair pushed the button in response. He was sitting at a table in the far corner of the room. The man was wearing a pair of dark red sunglasses.
"'Pirate' Keith Brewer."
Beside Hell-Eyes sat an older man wearing various shades of leather and a sleeveless denim jacket. He wore a forest green bandana that covered his brown hair. He also wore a pair of sunglasses that were dark blue in color. Pirate grinned and made his presence known with a push of the button.
"Now for your leaders. The assistant and accountant, Crow Hogan."
Crow, standing behind Hayato, waved confidently to the lower ranking members. "Yo, people!"
"Crow!" Rua called out.
Unlike the others, Jack looked far from pleased. "So this is where you've been hanging out all these years! You've got some nerve!"
Crow sighed, knowing it would be difficult to get Jack to let this one go.
"The Sub-Leader, Sherry LeBlanc and her body guard, Mizoguchi."
Sherry smiled to the members and waved politely. Mizoguchi bowed as well.
"Sherry?!" Yusei appeared shocked by the woman's presence.
"You were here too?!" Jack asked, looking just as surprised.
Sherry looked up at Team 5D's on the monitor and offered them a smile. "It's been a long time, Yusei. All of you look well."
Aki returned the woman's gaze, but did not answer her.
"And finally, I'll introduce myself," Hayato said, bowing politely to Team 5D's and the Australian government. "I am the leader of Project Advanced Duelists, Project A.D.'s for short. Hayato Maeda. There's a few of you missing, but I'm going to proceed right to the point. "
Ron Ripper eyed the Duelists with a disgusted expression. "What an insane bunch this is. It's like some kind of circus."
"I understand some of you are confused," Hayato continued, "so I'm going to explain what our project is and why I've called you here today. We are a special group of highly trained Duelists who study supernatural events related to Duel Monsters. We act undercover and are a very secretive organization."
Jack, not hearing any of it, cut the man off. "You could have at least told us where you were, Crow! You too, Sherry!"
"Actually, Crow wanted to tell you guys right away," Hayato said. "It was me who stopped him."
"What?!"
"But why?!" Rua asked with disturbed eyes. "That's cruel"
"It was necessary," Hayato said coldly, narrowing his eyes. "You see, while we do study other supernatural events, our primary focus is one man and one man alone. In order to ensure there are no traces of our activities, every single one of our agents is forbidden from outside contact, including friends and family."
Ruka lowered her eyes sadly. "But that's just…"
"Truthfully, I didn't expect it to take seven years. After all that time, we have finally found a hint to where the man we're searching for is. Because of that, and the fact that Team 5D's has already been dragged into our work, I have been left with no other choice but to allow them into our meeting."
"Who's this man you're after?" Yusei asked.
"It's a long and rather complicated story, but I'll try to explain it as quickly as I can. Seven years ago, one of the top researchers of Kaiba Corporation, Doctor Murdock Willard, created a technology called EXPAIN that allows Duel Disks to generate realistic Solid Vision damage. It enables the Duelists to feel a Monster's attacking impact and experience real pain to an extent without actually jeopardizing their lives. The sole purpose of this technology was to bring the Duel Monsters game to newer heights and to make the game even more exciting. Willard's motivation stemmed from the ancient Egyptian rituals known as Dark Games that were reported to have occurred in Domino City decades ago. However, it was soon discovered that this EXPAIN System has abnormal side effects on the body, the heart and the brain in specific. Not wanting to put the lives of children in danger, Seto Kaiba and I decided that it would be terminated immediately."
Surprised to hear this, the members of Team 5D's turned to look over at Seto. He closed his eyes as he began to recall the events that happened those seven years ago. "That man was unstable. Despite knowing the side effects, he continued to press on with production of the product without telling anyone. He's a failure of a researcher!"
Mokuba went on. "When Seto was given a warrant to search his lab, he burned it down and erased all of the evidence."
"He was pronounced dead on the spot," Hayato explained. "And for two years we believed that to be the case. Five years ago, however, Kaiba Corporation received strange reports from Germany regarding Duel Disks that looked similar to the EXPAIN Duel Disks. They were discovered inside an abandoned factory." Hayato pressed a button to reveal a holographic image in front of him. In the pictures were the black Duel Disks with the crossed out swastika. "These Duel Disks, however, contain this mark. Kotomo, please explain."
The Duelists all turned toward a small girl who rode up onto the stage in a wheelchair. The girl looked to be about ten years old and had long, flowing pink hair accompanied by deep brown eyes. She was wearing baby blue pajamas that had an image of a teddy bear on it. She wore pink glasses over her shiny eyes.
The young girl bowed politely as best she could in her confinement. "Hello. I am Kotomo Minami of the Tech Division."
"Oh, it's the shrimp!" Sabertooth called out playfully.
"Yo, Kodomo!" Yusha laughed jokingly.
Kotomo's face turned red as the insults rubbed her the wrong way. "Shut up! I'm not a kid!" Kotomo was in fact a healthy 17-year old teenager despite her appearance. The teen coughed before turning to a tall, skinny male standing beside her. "Hiramaru, load the visual charts."
As Hiramaru got to work, the hazel-eyed boy with short, black hair took the time to introduce himself.
"I'm Minami-senpai's assistant, Hiramaru Yamamoto. Nice to meet you all."
"Oh, it's the giant!" Sabertooth snorted, holding back his laughter.
Yusha joined in on the laugher, Abe doing the same. "Yo, Gigantamaru!"
Fresh tears came to the tall kid's eyes. "That's mean, Takanashi-san! I'm only 10! Senpai, they're being mean to me again!"
Kotomo quietly patted the kid's head. Due to his overwhelming size, he had to get on his hands and knees for her to do so. "Just ignore them and finish loading the charts."
Rua and Ruka stared at the two in disbelief.
"There's something completely wrong with this picture," Rua said. "The kouhai looks like an adult and the Senpai looks like she's 10."
"Excuse me for being born small!" Kotomo snapped, turning up to the twins with raging eyes. She quickly stopped herself and her cheeks reddened. "Anyway, please take a close look at the image of the German flag used during the Second World War. The mark of the Nazis called a swastika is actually a Hindu mark that originated in China. The Nazis took on the mark during the war, which later became the symbol of an underground organization known as Urteil."
Ruka gasped when she heard mention of the name.
"Urteil, huh?" Rua said, suddenly looking more serious than normal.
Yusei crossed his arms thoughtfully. "I've heard that name before."
Kotomo nodded. "That's not surprising. Urteil is a German underground organization that has inherited similar views to the Nazi Party that followed Adolf Hitler. However, they also believe they are far superior to the Nazis, hence the line through the swastika that represents their belief."
Hayato continued the conversation. "We believe that Doctor Murdock Willord is currently working with the leader of Urteil, Alf Kappler, in order to continue his research. Finding Willord is a top priority for us."
Sherry used this opportunity to jump into the conversation. "We believe that locating Kappler will lead us to Murdock's whereabouts, essentially killing two birds with one stone."
"I see now" Yusei said in response. "Even so, I think it was too much to forbid Crow and Sherry from telling us they were here."
Hayato looked into Yusei's eyes with an unwavering expression. "I apologize, but it was necessary. Regardless, I am telling you all now."
"Sorry, everyone," Crow pleaded. "I'll talk to you in private about this later."
"Damn right you will," Jack grumbled.
"Hold it, hold it."
The room turned their focus to where Ron Ripper spoke. The ten council members looked irritated by his sudden comment. "Hold on, Ripper. Don't interrupt," one man said, grabbing his shoulder.
"Just let me say one thing, Council!: Ron snapped, pushing the man's arm away. He then turned to look at Hayato. "This entire project is based entirely on rumor and a few coincidences. Murdock Willord is still alive? I find it hard to believe that he could have escaped such an inferno without police seeing him. As for Urteil, there is absolutely no evidence that supports their existence. Are you really willing to stake everything on baseless facts and word of mouth?"
Hayato nodded to the man respectfully, despite his inner urgings to smack him. "I understand your point. I've called for our Black Ops division to provide further information on Urteil to help persuade you. Kotomo, please connect them."
"Roger!" Kotomo pressed a button on the side of her wheelchair. Her holographic screen switched over to a blank, black screen. The room fell silent as they stared into the blank screen with looks of uncertainty. "It seems they aren't here yet," Kotomo said, pointing out the obvious.
"Strange," Hayato said, rubbing his chin. "Ingrid is always a very punctual person. Are you sure you gave them the correct time?"
"Of course." Kotomo adjusted her glasses as if to illustrate her intelligence.
Ron now wore a scheming smirk on his face. "See! The fact that they didn't even show their faces-"
Ron's voice trailed off when the room was suddenly filled with diabolical laughter. The Duelists looked around the room for the source, becoming confused when they couldn't find it. Ron, disturbed by the laughter, turned to Hayato for answers. "Huh? What is the meaning of this?"
Ron was answered when the black screen suddenly flickered to life. Vester's grinning face now stared at the group.
Outside the closed doors of the hall's entrance, a Mr. Fred clone listened to the meeting carefully. When he heard Vester's obnoxious laughter echoing throughout the room.
ooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOoooooooooooooooooooOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOO
Urteil finally makes a move?!
To be continued in Chapter 12: "The Assassins of Urteil"
Writing: GoldenUmi, Halo (Details involving Project A.D.'s)
Characters Appearing From Anime: Yusei Fudo, Jack Atlas, Aki Izayoi, Rua Heartlily, Ruka Heartlily, Crow Hogan, Sherry LeBlanc, Yeager, Seto Kaiba, Mokuba Kaiba, Hayato Maeda, Tenpei, Takuma Saiou, Mizuguchi Saiou, Shou Marufuji
Original Characters (OC): "Fusionist" Yusha Takanashi (Halo), "Eirika" Erin Kazakiri (Halo), "Rom" Raynor Clayfield (Halo), "Sabertooth" Elijah Hummingbird (GoldenUmi), "Precious" Jewel Sherlock (GoldenUmi), "Spring" Haruka Yume (GoldenUmi), "Shadow" Yung-soo Myoh (GoldenUmi), "Inzektor" Weevil Saya (GoldenUmi), Kotomo (Halo), Esper Rouba (GoldenUmi), Kajiki Tsunami (GoldenUmi), "Pirate" Keith Brewer (GoldenUmi), "Hell-Eyes" Shaun Daoshin (GoldenUmi), Steven Kagal (GoldenUmi), Hikaru (GoldenUmi), Luke (GoldenUmi), Mr. Fred (GoldenUmi), Vester (GoldenUmi), Xiaolin (GoldenUmi), Ingrid Goldstein (Yami no Yami), Jack Wilstone (GoldenUmi)