"Stubbornness and stupidity are twins. Yield to the dead. Why goad him where he lies? What use to kill the dead a second time?"
-Sophocles, Antigone.
KaibaCorp facilities were universally glossy, high-tech, and devastatingly clean, and the ground control for the Duel Dimension System was no exception. The staff was small, for a project so momentous. Easier to keep it under wraps during testing. Only a handful of employees in suits and lab coats milled around, reading data and running simulations on blue holographic screens.
Mokuba had other things to do. By all rights, he had a packed schedule, and nothing here needed his attention. Yet here he was, nervously hovering around, staring at dashboards of buttons and a dozen screens, trying not to get in the staff's way. Awkwardly trying to think of something to say. Seto was spending so much time up there lately, testing and tinkering, shut up in his lab for days. How else was Mokuba supposed to talk to him? His vital signs beeped away on a live feed, steady and sure. This seemed comforting. Mokuba ran his fingers through his hair and adjusted his tie for the seventh time. Now or never. Deep breath.
He put on a smile, and opened a videocall. "Big bro! The new duel disk sales numbers are in. It's a big hit." Good news to get through. A distraction, for both of them.
"Thank you for the update Mokuba, but I really need to concentrate right now." A gentle dismissal.
Another deep breath. Time to raise the more difficult subject. The real reason he was here. "Are you sure you want to go through with this? We haven't even tested the prototype. It's too dangerous!"
Nothing.
"...Seto?" Dead silence. Like he hadn't even heard him. Yet the numbers were going up. Something was happening. "Seto!"
"It's time. Mokuba, you're in charge." A goodbye, in other words.
"Seto, promise you'll come back." A plea.
There was a moment. Not a long one, but long enough for Seto to hear the question. Long enough to answer it. Long enough for Mokuba to notice the silence. Enough to feel a bolt of panic seize his gut. Enough to make a rapid, split-second choice.
"Duel Dimension System, activate." And with a glorious sound of shrieking metal, each piece moving perfectly, Seto Kaiba began his journey. The begining of his final victory, the culmination of his genius. He had surpassed this dimension, transcended what was previously thought possible, and soon would surpass the king of games himself, all he had to do was-
So caught up in his victory, in flashing lights and his proximity to glory, that he almost didn't hear the small, tinny and cracking but resolute voice.
"...No."
One second he was on his way to another world, watching the readings accelerate rapidly, and the next second every screen went dark, replaced by bold red text reading SYSTEM OVERRIDE.
"What?" He scrambled, trying to access the system, to no avail. The machine screeched to a sudden halt, and reversed back into the station. A power-down jingle played softy, the lights going black, and the roof popped open for his exit. He practically vaulted out and shouted into the coms unit sewn into his jacket. "Mokuba, what did you do?"
Mokuba didn't hear him. He still had a white-knuckled grip on the emergency switch, brain running at 100 miles an hour. Behind him, the employees exchanged looks, and said nothing.
In the air and on the ground, quiet as the void of space.