Mokuba called Kaiba as soon as they were a block away from the mansion. It barely rang once before it was answered. Mokuba figured that he must have had the phone in his hand waiting for the call.

"Mokuba, where are you?" Kaiba asked on the other side. The others in the quiet car could only just hear his muffled voice.

"On the road. We've just left home. The house is surrounded and I'm assuming it's by Hobson's men. Roland is there, he'll secure the place. Fuguta and Kobayashi are with us." Mokuba spoke quickly, trying to get as much information to his brother as possible without wasting time.

"Kobayashi driving?"

"Yes," Mokuba replied. "We've taken the X5 and the three of us know the way."

"Good," Kaiba said.

"I made sure they think I'm still inside and left instructions that Roland and team one will come to you if you need, team two can remain behind," Mokuba informed his brother.

"Perfect. Comms?"

"I took the sat phone from your desk."

"Fine. Keep in touch with me. I want to know what's going on," Kaiba paused on the other end, Mokuba could hear him. "You did good kid," he said in a softer tone.

Mokuba smiled and even though his brother could not see it, he knew. "Chat soon Seto."

He hung up but kept a firm grip on the phone as he watched the suburb flash by in a blur. Rebecca linked her fingers in his just as Yugi and Tea did behind them, no one saying a word.

Kaiba tossed his phone on the bed and sat heavily at the edge leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. The locket around his neck swung back and forth hypnotically in the space between his arms and chest, catching the light, the gold edges glinting with every swing.

"Are they on their way to the safe house?" Lara asked.

"Yes. The house is surrounded. Mokuba got everyone out, Roland is taking care of it." Kaiba's voice was devoid of emotion.

"That could be a good thing. If his men are there, it means the island won't be as protected," Lara reasoned. "Still doesn't make it any easier knowing Mokuba is on the road."

"No, it doesn't," Kaiba said still looking down. Clearly his mind was working. Lara sat beside him making sure that there was no space between their bodies.

"I know you'd like to fly to that island now, I want to as well, but we have to wait to hear from both Mokuba and Roland. It's going to be a tough few hours, don't make yourself crazy."

Kaiba closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He began pacing the room again.

"What are you thinking?" Lara enquired.

"These men Hobson has working for him. During Gozaburo's reign most of them were just guns for hire."

"I was thinking the same thing. He must have had money illegally squirrelled away somewhere. I mean he had this island, weapons…" Lara trailed off.

"Exactly. Just how many men does he control?"

"And what does he know? He probably knows that I'm not dead and they will realise that none of us are there when they storm the place. That could take away our element of surprise."

"Possibly. Roland is good. He needs to take them out quickly."

Beneath the large house, in the brightly lit garage, a group of dark suit clad men with ear pieces stood together. Roland separated them into teams that would be stationed at various places within the house and around the grounds.

"Our first goal is to stop them from entering the house. It's likely that they will cut the power but the generators will kick in. It will not illuminate the entire manor. They do not know that Mokuba is not here and will definitely attempt to infiltrate for the sole purpose of kidnapping him.

"You are all familiar with the layout of the house, use it to your advantage. Their knowledge will be outdated. Hobson has no idea that Mister Kaiba had the building renovated. Each one of them must be neutralized before they can get word to the outside. Use lethal force only if necessary. Understood?"

There was a chorus of "Yes, sir." The bodies dispersed, each person moving swiftly to their station. Every man had a black bulletproof vest under his suit and they could all hear and speak to each other.

Roland knew the most vulnerable parts of the house and had extra guards stationed there. Everyone lay in waiting.

Domino was left far behind as the black X5 turned off a country road and onto a winding dirt road that stretched as far as the eye could see. This home was not one that they often travelled to and very few people, even within the security personnel, knew of its location.

The car bumped about as it travelled swiftly, raising a light cloud of dirt behind them as the tyres skimmed the surface. Soon the track became rougher and Kobayashi slowed down. Large stones and small rocks lay across their path, embedded in the disused ground, but were easily traversed as they made their way up a hill.

Through a clearing they could see a large modern, cabin style house. The car was parked around the back and the two bodyguards exited the vehicle. Rebecca put her hand on the door handle but was stopped.

"Please wait inside the car until we get back," Fuguta said authoritatively. She nodded and pulled her hand back to her lap. The doors were closed and the group inside the vehicle watched through the window as the guards unholstered their guns and stepped into the house together.

"Relax guys," Mokuba said feeling the tension within the car. "The car is bulletproof and no one's been here in a while. They have to make sure it's still safe."

Tea was unsure how Mokuba could remain so calm given everything that was happening. It felt like it was coming at them from every angle. She kept glancing around nervously but all she saw were the trees around the clearing.

After an eternity of waiting, Fuguta and Kobayashi returned to the vehicle, helping everyone out and escorting them inside. Kobayashi brought in the bags Mokuba had packed as well as a long, black, molded plastic carry case.

"What's in there?" Yugi asked.

"Everything we need to defend ourselves in case of attack, sir."

"Weapons?" Tea said uneasily.

"Yes ma'am, it's our duty to keep you all safe," Kobayashi replied.

"Guys, you know where to set up. Give me the duffel bag, take the other to the study," Mokuba said to Kobayashi, extending his hand to take the black bag from the man. He slung it over his shoulder and turned around to walk further into the house but saw Yugi standing at the large window and joined him. Rebecca and Tea followed after.

"It's so beautiful out here," Tea said to no one in particular.

Being high up, they could see green rolling hills extend into the distance illuminated by the peach gold sunset, a green thicket at the foot of the hill and even had a great view of the dirt road that they drove along even though the house was not in view of the road.

"It really is. It's too bad we don't get to come out here very often," Mokuba said taking in the vista.

"Mokuba, how are you staying so calm?" Tea asked disbelieving.

"Because my brother is working on it. I know we'll be fine," he replied easily.

"How can you always have so much faith in him?" Rebecca asked.

"He's never let me down. Really guys. We'll be fine. Now come on, I need to show you all around." Without another word, he turned and led them down a passage, switching on the lights as he went. Mokuba told his friends the truth, that was his reason for staying calm, but he did not tell them how worried he was for his brother's and Lara's safety.

He took them on a guided tour of the house, making sure they knew where to find anything they could need.

"There's food and water in the cupboards, help yourselves. I'm sorry it won't be very good and the coffee will be worse but this place is usually stocked with things that have a long shelf life. Bright side is you won't starve." He smiled apologetically. Mokuba then showed Yugi and Tea to their room, flicking the light on as they entered. They were rather surprised to see how large the window was.

"Um, Mokuba, aren't you afraid that they can see in?" Yugi asked as he looked out the glass.

"Nope. There is a switch on the light panel that turns the glass opaque. It also does it if you switch on the light for the room. Besides, that window is completely bulletproof. You're safe here guys."

"Okay," Tea said unsurely.

"If it bugs you just keep the light off in the room and the glass darkened. You can close the blinds if you want but it gets pretty dark out here."

"Thanks Mokuba," Yugi said gratefully.

"No problem. Shout if you need anything." Mokuba led Rebecca out the room and swung the door behind him but opened it again as a thought popped into his head. "Um guys, just don't go outside. The place is pretty well surveilled but we only have Fuguta and Kobayashi."

"We understand." Yugi nodded. Mokuba smiled and left them with their privacy making his way to the master bedroom.

He sat at the edge of the bed and pulled Rebecca to stand between his legs, holding her hands as he looked up into her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Mokuba asked.

"I'm fine Mokuba," she replied.

"I know this is a lot to deal with."

"We've dealt with craziness in the past," she reasoned.

"Yes, but things were different then."

Rebecca smiled down at him and kissed his lips, a sweet, loving kiss. "I'm fine, now are we going to get to work?" she asked feistily.

He smiled crookedly. "Man, I love you!"

With darkness having settled over Domino, the Kaiba mansion stood bright. Every light burning, casting a golden glow over the house and the gardens. Hidden throughout the manor were the guards with gas masks clipped to their belts and each of them had with them a set of night vision goggles just in case the back-up generator was targeted.

A voice crackled through Roland's ear-piece. "There's movement in the north east corner of the property.

"They're going after the power. It will take a few seconds for the back-up to kick in. Ready men." Roland held his gun firmly, waiting for the impending blackout. He counted the seconds in his head before the golden beacon that was the Kaiba mansion became engulfed in darkness.

"They're coming in from all sides," someone had whispered.

"How many?" Roland asked.

"We count twenty sir. No one has attempted to get onto the roof."

Without warning, there was an explosion of noise as the trespassers stormed the grounds.

When the lights turned back on it was clear that the first line of defense was effective and numerous black clad men in out-dated but high-end military gear were taken out. They were quickly bound by Kaiba's men but they knew they were far from safe.

The front doors were stormed and at the same time, windows at the back of the house shattered as the remains of the battalion of mercenaries forced their way in. The garrison that awaited them were determined to drop them where they stood.

Roland watched silently as the leader gestured his orders under the dim lights. They scattered like black ants moving away from the nest.

"Keep eyes on them. I want a count." Just as Roland said this he heard a heavy thud, followed by another.

"Two down in the patio."

"Six outside."

"Twelve left" Roland thought. Twelve armed mercs still in the house. That number was quickly decreasing as the guards kept a tally but the bangs, gunshots and various sounds of breakage grew.

"What's going on?!" The leader barked.

"It's all different!" a panicked voice crackled. "He-" the voice was abruptly cut off.

"Fuck!" the man yelled.

Roland still had eyes on the leader and he was determined to bring him down. He crept around the upstairs landing, waiting for the burly man to ascend.

A guard on the opposite side of the exposed staircase caught Roland's eye who gestured for him to move into a darkened corner.

Roland had paired himself with the youngest and most inexperienced of the recruits. His plan was to have him watch his back since he had no idea how he would react when the danger was real. Training was very different from the life and death situation they found themselves in now.

The merc held a gun much larger than any of the others. An assault rifle with a scope attached to the top. Roland knew he had to play it cleverly. He either had to take the first shot he got or get out of the line of fire. He did not relish the thought of killing but knew that his opponent would have no issue with it.

Unfortunately for Roland, inexperience would cost him now, as in the encroaching chaos, the leader made the top step and the young guard stepped forward providing the perfect target, he was slow but the merc was not and raised his rifle with his finger tightening on the trigger but the gunshot came from the side and the man flailed, falling to his left, unleashing a spray of gunfire on his way down.

There was a bullet hole in his temple. Roland took stock of the situation and found the young guard on the floor, blood flowing freely from his arm. He rushed to the young man's side and saw the hole on the back of the jacket sleeve.

"Looks like it's gone straight through. Stay out of sight, only take shots if you know you won't miss."

"Sir, there are three men heading towards you." But Roland did not need the heads up. The rush of boots were heard clearly as were the numerous bangs of their firearms as they took aim over the balcony at the guards below.

Roland pressed himself up against the wall, hazarding a look around the corner and hid himself once more. He pictured them clearly in his mind took a breath and stuck his arm out, firing twice before turning back once more. Two of the men dropped heavily.

The wood panelling close Roland's head exploded in splinters as the third fired at him. He now rounded the corner slowly, deliberately, but Roland knew he would. He dropped to his knees and fired up at the man's head, the bullet lodging in his skull and the force toppling him over the railing. He fell straight down on the console table breaking all the beautiful picture frames of the Kaiba family.

Then there was nothing.

Everyone was still for a moment. After the pandemonium, the silence was deafening.

"Report," Roland instructed.

Every member of the guard said their name, they had all survived.

"Get the power back."

"On it boss," someone had replied.

"Make sure the others are restrained and take them down to the garage," Roland instructed, attending to his young partner. He pulled out his belt and wrapped it tightly around the guard's arm, puncturing a hole in the leather to keep it from loosening, then fetched clean towels and put pressure on the wound.

The young guard's face was contorted in pain but Roland just increased the pressure. He ordered another guard to help him to his feet and keep the towel in place.

"See to it that he gets treatment," Roland said before he left them to deal with the aftermath.

Kaiba paced restlessly about the room. He opened the balcony doors and stepped outside hoping the chill air would help just a little but nothing would. Nothing but a call from his brother.

Lara stayed out of his way using the time to study satellite images of the island they were going to. Pegasus had been gracious enough to allow her use of his study where she printed numerous pictures of the place.

She jumped a little when Kaiba's phone loudly rang, startling her. She sprang out of her chair just as he snatched the phone off the bed.

"Mokuba," he answered, relief washing over him like a tidal wave.

"Hey Seto. We're here. Everyone's settled in," Mokuba said.

"Good."

"Have you heard from Roland?" Mokuba asked.

"Not yet. Mokuba listen, I don't want you to set up a connection to the house. Once I know what the situation is with Roland, I will get in contact with you. That sat phone is untraceable. When you need to connect, encrypt our network traffic and run it through a few nodes." Kaiba spoke quickly. He knew Mokuba would follow his instructions perfectly.

"Got it bro. I'll wait for your call."

When Kaiba hung up, he looked a lot more calm, more himself, but he was still impatient to hear from Roland.

Surprising both Lara and Kaiba, it was not a call that they had to wait too long to receive. Barely half an hour had passed when Roland called.

"Roland," Kaiba answered as he placed the phone to his ear. Lara stood close by so she could hear what was being said without having to risk putting the call on loudspeaker.

"Mr Kaiba, the house is secure, sir."

"What happened?" he asked.

"Earlier this evening, after Mr Muto and Ms Gardner arrived, we noticed some activity in the area. We had live satellite surveillance over the manor and surrounds. That's when we noticed armed men in military gear station themselves around the house and we immediately informed Mokuba of the situation," Roland informed Kaiba.

"I was on a call with him," Kaiba stated.

"Yes sir. Mokuba instructed us to ready one of the armoured vehicles and has taken the guests with him to the safe house. Fuguta and Kobayashi are with them but have not reported in."

"They've reported in to me," Kaiba said. Roland knew then that they were fine and it was one less thing for him to take care of that evening.

"Very good, sir. The events after they left were… violent." Roland paused trying to find the most accurate word without being emotive. "A team of twenty men attacked the house. They first cut the power to the manor but the barrier defense took out six of them. The rest stormed the house through the back windows and the front doors. No one attempted to use the roof. All of them were taken down, four of them fatally. They are restrained and being held in the garage. All of their equipment, including rifles were manufactured by Kaiba Corp."

"Any casualties on our side?" Kaiba asked plainly.

"Oki has a gsw to his upper arm. He's been hospitalized," Roland said.

"Make sure he has a private room, screen the doctor, you know the drill."

"Yes, Mr Kaiba. Sir you should know, one of the men we have restrained is the sniper."

A low growl escaped Kaiba at that bit of information. He wanted to be back in Domino now just to rip the man's head from his body.

"Get as much information out of them as possible. Do whatever you need to," Kaiba said silkily. Lara had been quietly listening the whole time, but at this point she pulled away and extended her hand, silently requesting the phone. Kaiba looked at her upturned palm, weighing the idea of letting her call her plan into motion.

He decided to hand his phone to her. He trusted her. She pulled the device out of his grasp and holding his gaze, put the phone to her ear.

"Roland. You have an hour to... reason with them, after that make sure every member of our team is in the guard house. The house is to be completely empty. Leave the bodies where they are."

"Lara, are you sure?" Roland asked.

"Yes. Just do it," she responded.

"Okay. We'll be in touch." Roland hung up and Lara handed Kaiba's phone back to him but pulled out her own, immediately making a call.

"Tischendorf," came the male voice.

"Vlad, we need a clean up. Sixteen men in the underground garage, four dead in the house."

"How long do we have?" he asked.

"I told Roland he has an hour with them, after that, you have as much time as you need."

"Consider it done." The line went dead.