Chapter 3: Bitterness
Scotch fell to his knees as he struggled against the brainwashing device.
"He's back to normal?!" gasped Crow.
Radley was horrified. "Scotch!" He tried to get over to him, but the device shocked him the moment he moved towards Scotch.
Yusei was running over to Scotch, trying to reach for him, but a force field shocked him and he fell back. "I can't get to him!" he cried. "This Dr. Portman is making sure this duel continues!"
Scotch was sobbing now. They were trapped in this duel; the device wouldn't release them until someone won. "I didn't want any of this! There's a device on my neck that's ..." He screamed as it tried to take control of him again.
Kalin turned to Yusei and Antinomy. Rage was starting to fill his mind. "Guys! What are you doing standing around for? Scotch is in pain! Can't you do something?!"
"Then ... then I have to end it," Scotch said. He shakily drew and then played a card that destroyed his monsters. "Attack me, Radley! Quick, before it gets hold of me again!"
"No!" Radley screamed. "I won't cause you to die!"
"And I can't let you die!" Scotch said. "You're already suffering! This is all my fault!"
"Not you, Scotch," Radley said softly. "This evil scientist... Wait!"
"I play Supremacy Berry," Scotch said. "And since my lifepoints are higher than yours, I take a lot of damage." He shut his eyes tightly. His points dropped to zero. The device unhooked from Radley's Duel Gun and wrapped cruelly around Scotch. The electricity charged into his body as he screamed in pain. He collapsed to the ground, cards scattering everywhere.
"NO!" Radley ran over and fell down next to him, crying.
"I'm calling the hospital now!" yelled Crow. He dialed the emergency number.
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Outside the garage, on the driveway, Kalin and Sect were clashing with one another. The younger man glared with bitter anger at Kalin and he could seem to take his eyes off the criminal mark that ran down the right side of Kalin's face.
"Well, that's over," Sect said coldly. "Now pay attention to me!"
"Sect... do you not care if others like Radley get hurt?! What are you going to gain if you defeat me?" demanded Kalin as the aura grew larger.
"Maybe it won't be permanent," Yusei said. He remembered how Kalin had teetered back and forth in personality towards the end of their second duel.
The sight of the aura shook Radley back to his senses. "Kalin ... Scotch..." He struggled to stand. "I'm okay... I'm really okay..."
"Why would I care?" Sect retorted. "They're nothing to me, like I was nothing to you!"
"Fine, and you are going to regret saying that!" growled Kalin. He executed various combos using Infernity Launcher and managed to Syncro Summon Infernity Doom Dragon.
Sect sneered. "Perfect." He brought out his Fire Synchro.
Kalin frowned at Sect's monster. "What are you planning to do with that monster of yours?"
"Get rid of yours," Sect said easily. "Then you can get shocked too."
Kalin glared at Sect and looked at his last remaining face down card.
"Well? What are you going to do?" Sect taunted.
Radley looked over at Kalin. "Kalin ... please ... you can't lose... I can't lose you..." He didn't want Sect to lose either, though, if he really was being mind-controlled. Maybe his true self was as nice as Scotch. But ... was there any way Kalin could make it a draw?
"I play the trap, Infernity Barrier!" laughed Kalin, as the dark aura enveloped his entire body.
"Kalin!" Radley ran over as close as he could get without getting hit by the barrier. "Kalin, please, don't lose yourself! It's Portman who's really responsible for everything, not this kid! He's probably a victim just like Scotch!"
"What am I supposed to do then, huh, Radley?" snapped Kalin as he looked at his friend from inside his barrier.
"Can you end it in a draw?" Radley asked. "If you can't ... of course you have to win..."
Kalin peered over at Sect. "I can try..."
"Good luck," Radley said softly.
Kalin called out to Sect. "Sect! If you can hear me, hear me now! Let's end this Duel in a draw! I'm sorry for everything I did in the past! Please, Sect, you have to forgive me."
"It's too late for forgiveness!" But Sect wavered. He hadn't expected that, and it was reaching him. "... Kalin? Do you really mean that?"
"Yes, I do...I don't want you to fall into the same darkness I did..." Kalin said as tears leaked down his face.
Sect bit his lip. "But ... I don't know if we can make a draw out of this..."
"Then we will have to attack at the same time," said Kalin.
"Okay..." Sect said.
Radley prayed it would work. Kalin couldn't die... But this kid seemed nice. He shouldn't have to die either. What kind of twisted person would set up something like this?!
Yusei looked over too. "Kalin ..."
Kalin fell to the ground in pain, both from the shock device and the stress of using his powers.
"Yusei..." he muttered.
"Kalin!" Radley screamed. He hadn't considered that maybe they would both die in a draw.
Sect fell back in pain too.
Radley and Yusei ran to Kalin, while Crow went to Sect.
"Hey, Sect, you alright?" asked Crow. "The medics are here now."
Kalin felt dazed and confused, as if he wasn't sure if he was awake or not.
"Are we gonna be okay?" Sect mumbled.
Radley knelt down and lifted Kalin into his arms. "Kalin, please ...! You've gotta be alright!"
Yusei checked Kalin's pulse rate.
"Rad...ley, I'm sorry..." muttered Kalin.
"Kalin!" Radley let them take him, but he was shaking, growing hysterical again. "I told you to try to make it a draw! This is my fault! I should have just let you do it the way you planned! ..." But he trailed off. He couldn't have just stood by and said nothing, could he? Kalin had slipped into darkness, and the kid didn't deserve to die... It had been an impossible situation all around.
"No! No, you didn't!" Radley exclaimed. "I'm the one who caused all of this! Scotch is dead, now you're dying ...! It's all because of me!"
"You didn't know Sect. This was all cause of my past..."
"You were only part of it, Kalin!" Yusei said. "This Portman wanted to hurt Radley and Carly too!"
Radley gripped Kaln's hand. "Kalin, please ... please hold on! You still have a chance to live. I don't know how to go on without you."
"And I don't want to lose you again!" Yusei said.
"Yusei, you should have been the Enforcers' leader. Now...take over for me, along with Radley and Bruno," Kalin said in a monotone voice.
"Kalin, I can't replace you!" Yusei gripped his shoulder. "Radley needs you, now more than ever! He was trying to save your life! If you die on us now, I don't think he can take it!" He frantically thought. "You and Sect must have each only got half the blast Scotch did. That shouldn't be enough to kill you! Fight, Kalin! You can't just give up!"
"What's the point in fighting? Portman got what she wanted..." mumbled Kalin.
"She will if you give up!" Yusei said. "It looks like she wanted to break all of you! She's got Radley. And it looks like she's getting you. Why are you just going to let her win?"
"Kalin, if you die, I'm afraid I'll die of a broken heart," Radley said. His life was spiraling out of control. He knew he needed to be there for the Bunch; they were all hysterical about Scotch, and now Kalin too... But Radley couldn't seem to get control of himself this time.
Kalin's mind was running like a movie player. From his Enforcer days, to the time he got arrested. And then when he became a Dark Signer.
Kalin looks like he's hallucinating," said Crow. "We have to snap him out of it!"
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Carly looked over in concern when she heard the cries of sorrow from her allies. Angela was annoyed that Carly was distracted too.
"Hey, what about our duel?" she snapped.
Carly turned back to Angela. "Wha? Oh, oh yeah! I draw! Since I drew Fortune Fairy Swee, I get to Special Summon her and then banish a card you control!"
Angela growled, but then took her turn and brought together the material needed for her Fire Synchro.
Carly gasped. "A Fire Synchro Monster?!"
"A forcefield?!" exclaimed Jack. "Now that's just low!"
"That's right," Angela sneered. "And it will easily take care of your pathetic Ice Synchro."
"Eek! Jack! Someone help me!" cried Carly.
Jack went over to her in determination, but he wondered if he would even be able to enter the duel. Maybe there would be a force field around them too.
Meanwhile, Radley turned Scotch onto his back, still crying, but he struggled to control himself to try administering CPR.
Biff ran over to help.
Yusei did too. He was outraged. He took up the device, hoping there would be something on it that could trace back to Portman.
Antinomy frowned. "I wonder if he's being mind-controlled too. Maybe even the reporter is."
"The paramedics are on their way," said Crow. "Hang on there, Scotch."
Crow was getting frustrated. "Whoever this Portman, is, she's really smart and loony at the same time. Not to mention she seems to know how to counter our monsters!"
Radley was in hysterics. "I can't get his heart started again!"
Biff hurried to take over. "Scotch, come on! You can't do this to us! Don't you know it'll break Radley?!"
Radley shuddered. "Maybe he didn't. Maybe he thought what he did was unforgivable..." He blinked back tears. Scotch had wanted to spare Radley from being electrocuted, but surely ... surly he knew it would crush Radley to see Scotch killed...
"And there's nothing on here I can use to trace her!" Yusei cried.
"She can't be traced?! Are you serious?!" ranted Jack.
"She was determined we wouldn't be able to find her!" Yusei cried.
"So what are supposed to do, Mr. Genius?" scowled Jack.
"I don't know." Yusei gritted his teeth. "Unless one of these people can tell us, Portman's set it up so she can find us whenever she wants us, but we can't find her until she comes out."
The paramedics finally arrived.
"The only person I want to speak to up close and personal is Angela. She's a real troublemaker," said Jack.
Crow went up to the paramedics to tell them about the situation.
"I still don't know if she would get into something like this of her own free will, though," Yusei said.
The paramedics were stunned. They went to where Biff was still working on Scotch.
"Can't you hack into the system, Antinomy? You're supposed to be our mechanic," said Jack.
"I can hack in," Antinomy agreed. "There should be a way to remote control it, and through that we might be able to trace her."
"Unless it redirects to a fake signal," Yusei said.
"And that sounds like the kind of trick she'd use," Antinomy said.
Jack ran to check on Carly's duel.
Carly was still hanging on. "Jack!"
The paramedics rushed to place Scotch, Sect, and Kalin on stretchers.
"Do you have any spell cards in your hand?" Jack asked.
"Uh, I have one," said Carly. "But what good will it do?"
"Which one do you have?" Jack hoped it was something good.
"Miracle Stone," answered Carly.
"That's a good card. You should be able to use it. And we need to find a way for you to use your Ice Dragon," Jack said.
"Ok! Angela, I play the Spell Card 'Miracle Stone'! With it, all my Spellcasters gain 500 Attack for every Fortune Fairy I control!"
"Big deal," Angela said. "That doesn't help with your dragon."
"I addition, when I attack, I can draw a card!" said Carly.
"So? Attack already," Angela said, looking bored.
Radley broke down, sobbing as he fell to his knees and slumped against the stretcher. "Oh Kalin ... please ... come back to me..."
Virgil, meanwhile, was hugging Biff and had been trying to comfort him.
"Go, my Fortune Fairies! Attack!"
Angela boredly flipped up Wobaku. "All damage is 0 this turn," she said.
"Aw man!" sighed Carly. "I guess I end my turn."
Angela smirked and started her turn. "Now I attack," she said, sending her Fire Synchro monster at one of Carly's Fortune Fairies.
"Eek!" cried Carly.
Jack snarled in frustration. "What good are these Ice Synchros if they can't be used?!"
Carly was panicking, as she was down to her last 1000 life points.
Jack looked over her cards, trying to think what she could do. "This card!" he pointed. "It should be able to release the seal on your Ice Synchro! It gets rid of monster effects for one turn. That's all you need to destroy her monster."
"Oh thank you!" Carly played the card and negated Angela's monster. She then used Brionac's effect to send Angela's Fire Synchro back to her Extra Deck.
Angela snarled. "So you made one good move. But only because Jackie Boy was holding your hand!"
"And I'm thankful for his help! And you're also wide open for an attack!" grinned Carly.
Angela scowled. There was nothing she could do to stop it. "Go on then."
The expression on Carly's face turned bitter when she realized what was going to happen.
"Forgive me, Angela. Brionac, please don't be so rough on her."
The dragon roared and took her life points down to zero. But before the device could wrap all around her as it had Scotch, Antinomy threw a wrench that knocked it off-course. Angela was still shocked, but not as harshly. She fell to her knees.
Carly ran up to Angela.
"Are you alright, Angela? You're not hurt, are you?"
Angela just knelt there. "What ... what have I been doing?!"
"We were dueling each other, and you were acting really angry," replied Carly.
"Why would I waste time dueling you?" Angela frowned. "What happened to me?!"
"I don't know. That's why we need to do some investigating!" said Carly.
"Count me in," Angela growled. As she stood up, the mind-control device fell off of her neck. "What the ... ?!"
"It's one of Portman's shockers!" scoffed Jack.
"But how come when I defeated Angela she didn't get shocked?" asked Carly.
"That's the mind-control device, not the shocker," Antinomy said. "Angela was shocked, but because I was able to knock the other end of it away before it could wrap around her body, she wasn't shocked as seriously."
"She was mind-controlled? That's just cruel!" said Carly.
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"Hey!" Scotch suddenly appeared before Kalin in spirit form. "Come on, snap out of it! I'm out of the picture now, but you're not!"
Kalin's mind wandered into the Spirit Plane. When he saw Scotch's spirit, he gasped. "Scotch?! You-you're dead! I failed you, and Radley, and everyone else!"
"No, you didn't!" Scotch said. "I'm the one who failed! I got mind-controlled into this mess and then I didn't see any way out except to give myself up to save Radley. But I didn't really save him; it broke him to see me die! How do you think he'll feel if you die too?! Look at him!" His voice cracked as he looked down at Radley, sobbing hopelessly against the stretcher.
Kalin looked at his friends breaking down and was horrified.
"Radley! Yusei! You're right, Scotch, I must fight with them!" "I promise I will avenge you and all the victims of Dr. Portman. In the name of the Death Gods."
Scotch smiled. "That's it, Kalin. Go back to them ... like I wish I could. I don't feel worthy, but I know Radley doesn't blame me."
"Thank you, Scotch. I promise that your death won't be for nothing," nodded ethereal form left the Spirit Plane.
Scotch gave him a thumbs-up.
Radley was still crying, feeling so hopelessly lost. He had no idea what he could ever do now. Yusei was still gripping Kalin's hand, trying to think of something they hadn't tried yet to get through to Kalin. However, by some miracle, Kalin suddenly woke up from his trance and looked at his two friends.
"Radley? Yusei? Why are you crying?"
Radley jumped. "Kalin?!" He stumbled to his feet. "You're alright?!"
Yusei stared in equal joy and surprise. What had happened? "Kalin, you ... you were so out of it..."
"You acted like you were going to give up and die!" Radley exclaimed.
"I was. My mind was wandering, showing me my saw Scotch's spirit. He told me that you shouldn't blame yourself for his death."
"Scotch ..." Radley said softly. "Of course, he would still try to help us." He smiled and hugged Kalin close.
Kalin smiled and returned the hug.
"How is Sect doing?"
"He's going to be okay," Yusei said.
"I've got a heartbeat!" one of the paramedics working on Scotch called.
Radley looked up with a shocked jerk. Was it possible?
"Scotch!" Biff ran over and hugged him, sobbing for joy. He was back! He had to pull through now.
"Huh?! Scotch is alive?! But I just spoke with his ghost..." Kalin was confused.
Radley hugged Kalin again. "I was dead and revived too," he smiled.
"Thank goodness..." smiled back Kalin.
Radley hurried over to see Scotch too.
Yusei smiled. "So, we're all going to be okay." His eyes darkened. "But we have to make sure Portman is caught so she can't hurt anyone like this ever again."
"Yeah, but where is Portman?" asked Kalin.
"We're going to find out," Yusei promised.
Scotch stirred and woke up. "Hey ... Radley ... Biff ... I'm so sorry... I never meant to ... I never wanted to ..."
"We know," Radley soothed. "Oh Scotch..." He hugged him close.
Biff hugged them both, overcome with joy.
"Scotch! You're ok!" exclaimed Kalin as he looked up at the happy reunion.
Scotch looked over. "Kalin! You made it back!" He beamed.
Kalin smiled at him. "Thanks to your encouragement, Scotch."
Scotch grinned. "I'm glad!"
"Are Scotch and Sect alright? And why does Portman want to control others?" asked Jack in a tone of disgust.
"They all were," Antinomy said. "It looks like she just wants to hurt people."
"What should we do now?" wondered Kalin.
"Everyone should probably go to Kaiba's medical center to be checked out," Radley said. "Especially Scotch!"
Antinomy nodded. "And after we do that, it's time to start looking for Portman."