Hey Guys! Double Update as Promised!
Enjoy!
Chapter 32: Explosive Meeting
"I call forth my obnoxious Celtic guardian!" Yugi said slamming the card down.
"I summon my Archer Fairy!" I said drawing a card from the top.
"Go Vorse Raider!" Seto called out.
Our monsters battled their way through the crowd of monsters and we slipped through behind them. They then stayed behind us to allow us time to find the next doorway.
"Quickly, through here." We came to another scanner and Seto went to slide his ID card like before but it flashed red and repeated 'Denied' every time he swiped it.
"Oh no, someone must have reprogrammed the code." Seto growled at the panel while Yugi's attention was now behind us.
"We're trapped and our monsters are gone." I looked back to see my fairy being destroyed as well.
We heard a voice come through the intercom that was not the automated computer. It was Rebecca Hawkins. Thank God.
"Need some help guys?" Just as the monsters started their charge, the door opened and Seto pulled me inside. The door shut just as they slammed into it.
"Kaiba when this mess is finally over, let me know if you want me to upgrade your security system." Seto growled but we started running down the new corridor. I'm taking it he just wanted to forget the girl's comment. Doors continued open as we came upon them and soon her voice was heard once more.
"Bad news guys, I can't hack into the central computer. Kaiba Corps Mainframe is on a separate system."
"No problem, I've got it from here." Seto said as the last door opened and we were in what I would assume is the central control room of KCSF. I could see a massive machine that I could only dream of understanding the components and software.
"This should be able to enhance those photos." Seto said running up to the computer. He slid his access card and I held my breath hoping it would work.
"Initiating Retinal Check, Scanning subject, user recognized. Seto Kaiba, confirmed."
"Voice Recognition, set. Verbal Password is…" He paused and looked at me.
"Rika." He said winking at me.
"Password accepted, full access granted. Welcome Mr. Kaiba."
"My name is your password to your central computer?" I smiled teasingly.
"Well, Mokuba would be to obvious, not many know about you." He said before turning serious once more. He's right, now is not the time for flirting, especially in front of my brother.
"Shut down the new system and reboot with old system." He nearly yelled.
"Affirmative." Soon he was pulling out the disk that held the images and slipping it into an appropriate spot. As he typed away, I stood in amazement. This is his technology; he designed all of this. I just stared at the screens and buttons in the room.
"Begin analyzing images, reference every inscription and cross reference with every known archeological database." He commanded the system. He stood back, eyes watching every screen as the letters and words were being evaluated and compared to all known information available to Kaiba Corp, which was just about everything.
Soon we heard the voice of the professor come over the communicator.
"After it's ten thousand year slumber, the black serpent will swallow the sun and then paradise will rule once more." I heard Duke say something but he was too far away for us to hear him clearly.
"This paradise it speaks of must be Atlantis." The professor continued. But as one image froze on the screens, I saw Seto stiffen.
"Hold on, that insignia is familiar. Where have I seen that before?" He paused as I could see he was trying to recall where it was from.
"No it can't be…"
"What is it?" Yugi asked.
"It's the symbol of a secret financial organization that is known as Paradius. No one has ever seen them, but rumor has it they control a small piece of every company in the world." He said tightening his fists.
"OH NO IT IS THEM! THE PRESIDENT OF PARADIUS IS DAMIEN DARTZ!" He brought up a picture of the CEO himself and my eyes recognized him immediately. He was the stranger that ran into me in the street that day when all this started.
"Yugi you don't know what we;re up against."
"So that's him." Yugi said shocked.
"Seto…I've met him before." He looked down at me with furrowed brows.
"It was the day after all this madness started. He ran into me in the crosswalk, and then proceeded to hit on me. He even commented on the necklace that you had left in my locker the day before. He appeared our age though, but that is definitely him. I remember the two different eye colors."
"That snake…wait. What necklace? I never bought you a necklace." Seto asked confused.
"Rika, what did the necklace look like?" Yugi asked
"It was a small pale green stone in a simple setting; it almost looked like…a piece of the orichalcos stone. That bastard was trying to brainwash me just like he did the others."
"Where is the necklace now?" Yugi asked.
"Back in Domino in my jewelry box."
"It is odd though that he would target you as well before we really knew what was going on. You were completely in the dark at the time." Yugi said.
"That's way he did it, think about it Yugi. She is a top ranked duelist, something he seems to be lacking. Plus, she is associated with both of us, but was unsure as to what was happening…it made her the obvious choice. He could distract both of us if something happened to her." Seto said looking down at me.
"It doesn't matter why just that he did. Now, let's focus more on the matter at hand. So we know Dartz, through Paradius, is behind all of this including the KC take over…"
As if on cue, the computer system in front of us started short-circuiting, sparks visible both below the control panel and around the room. Small explosions slowly were destroying Seto's computer system. He pulled me close and tried to shield me from any debris that was thrown into the air.
Then we heard it…his ominous laugh. The room soon disappeared in a dark cloud of smoke and it seemed as though we were floating in midair.
"You're so close, yet so very far." His voice was like venom to me. I narrowed my eyes and searched the space around us for his figure.
"Gentlemen, my lady, thank you for coming to me. You've made my job so much easier." It was coming from directly in front of us. I looked up to see an older version of the man I met in the street that day. Instead of looking 18, he now looked in his thirties. He stood on the silhouette of what I could only assume was his great beast.
"Mr. Kaiba and the infamous Pharaoh…let's not forget the beautiful woman in the room. Miss Rika, it's a pleasure to see you again. Shame you aren't wearing my gift anymore." He said looking at me. Seto's stance stiffened at his last comments. So it was him who placed the necklace in my locker.
"What do you want?" Yugi shouted out.
"I assumed you would have figured that out by now. After all, you are the chosen duelists…and their lady. Well then prove it."
"I don't have to prove anything to you! Now give me back my company before I get angry!" Seto yelled with a deadly undertone in his voice.
"And return the souls that you took!"
"Oh else what Pharaoh? Because it looks to me that you are no position to be making demands!" Dartz said smugly.
"Alright then, I'll make you a deal. Duel us and if we win, you'll release your prisoners at once!" Yugi said activating his duel disk before Seto followed suit. I activated mine but then remembered I had no special card like their Dragons.
"We summon Timaeus and Critius!"
"Ah, the legendary dragons; it's been quite a while. Timaeus how is that eye of yours?" Dartz was baiting the dragon and soon it blasted him and his great beast away with a single attack.
"He's gone." Yugi said surprised.
"The ancient battle continues my friends! Soon your souls will be mine! Farwell for now!" His voice started to echo and fade.
"Wait, come back!" Yugi shouted after him but it was too late the encounter was over. The smoke cleared and I felt the solid ground beneath my feet once more.
Time for things to really start picking up! Lots of scenes with Seto coming up so it will be following the series pretty closely with just a few of my own creations added in where I can slip them in. I work the next few days so I'll try to update as soon as possible!
Remember to Review, Favorite, and Follow!
Until Next Time!
-B