This is the last chapter before the Crash Town arc! Yes, the popular arc is coming back, but with a whole new twist! Look forward to it! ;)
Disclaimer: I do not own any Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 66: The Imposter
Things were hectic for the rest of the week on both my side and my friends' side. After confronting Goodwin and laying down the evidence that Lazar had betrayed us by working for Iliaster as a double-agent, he sent his men to the clown's home with a warrant for his arrest. Sadly, Lazar had already fled with his wife and son. We contacted his circus family who were living in their old circus tent outskirts of the city if they had heard from him, but they had no idea where he could be. We didn't have any other clues of where the clown could be hiding, so he managed to slip between our fingers.
Yusei and Bruno took a couple of days rest after the last event to restore their inner batteries before attempting to recreate the engine program a second time. Just like last time, it took them two days to complete the design. They tried it out on the test engine and it worked! After celebrating the success, they brought the program to Bolger & Company who built four new engines, one extra for just in case, to use for the Grand Prix which they installed in the Satellite trio's Duel Runners. They used the rest of the week to practice on the private course of the company, but they had an argument with Jack who didn't want to use the team's new strategy and just rely on his old strategy with raw power.
XXXXXXXXXX
I noticed when I woke up how everyone in the mansion appeared to be on the edge. I was still a little tired, so I didn't pay much attention on it. However, I clearly woke up in the middle of breakfast when Hilda approached me.
"Ms. Estelle, Master Goodwin has asked for your presence at Sector Security after breakfast", the head maid informed me.
"What for?" I asked.
"There's been an arrest in the middle of the night… Mr. Atlas is in custody."
It was a very good thing I didn't have any food in my mouth, otherwise I would have choked on it. "What did you say?!"
"Mr. Atlas is a suspect of challenging Turbo Duelists in the middle of the night and injuring them."
My brain cells worked overtime as I remembered the two episodes of Jack being targeted for a crime he didn't commit. The one who actually caused all the chaos was the imposter Jack!
"I'll go as soon as I'm done with breakfast", I nodded.
XXXXXXXXXX
I changed into my Security uniform before driving to Headquarters to take care of the case and prove Jack's innocence. I parked my Runner in the garage and headed to the lobby where I met Yusei, Crow, and Bruno. Yusei and Bruno looked really worried while Crow had a glare in his eyes and crossed his arms.
"Yusei! Crow! Bruno!" I called, getting their attention.
"Estelle", Yusei responded softly as I ran to them.
"I just heard the news. Is Jack really in custody?" I asked.
"Yeah", Bruno nodded. "Mina and Trudge showed us multiple footages from the highway surveillance cameras of how Jack recklessly harmed several Turbo Duelists."
"I can't believe he could sink so low…", Crow muttered in the background. "Who does he think he is…?!"
"Crow", Yusei said in a slight strict voice before his concerned expression returned. "I don't want to believe Jack did all this, but…"
I placed a hand on his shoulder which made him look at my determined eyes. "Don't worry. I promise I'll do everything I can to help Jack and prove his innocence."
"You mean he's not the one who did this?" Bruno asked.
I looked around and saw we weren't alone, so it would be bad to reveal the truth and cause more confusion about this case. "I can't say anything now, but you have to believe in Jack. He's a man with pride, but he knows where the limits are."
"That's not what was shown on the footage…", Crow grumbled.
Yusei gently took my hand that was on his shoulder and removed it, but then held it with both his hands, pretty similar to the scene when he and Aki were alone in the garage in one of the last episodes of 5D's. "Estelle… Please help Jack."
I nodded with warm cheeks and placed my other hand on top of his. "I'll do my best. I'll keep you posted from time to time, so please have patience."
"We're counting on you", Bruno nodded.
I nodded in return as Yusei and I let go of each other's hands. I gave the group a quick goodbye before heading to the elevators. I got to the floor with the forensic technicians where Mina and Trudge were waiting, and to my surprise, Goodwin too.
"Estelle. I'm glad you showed up", my adoptive father said.
"I'll always come when one of my friends are in trouble", I replied. "What exactly is going on?"
"Mr. Atlas is a suspect of harming Turbo Duelists in the middle of the night", Mina explained. "Those crashes happened late evening and in the middle of the night for a couple of days now, so he was brought in today before dawn."
"Is there any evidence?" I asked.
"Multiple surveillance footage", Trudge replied.
The adults showed me the footage that had captured Jack's Turbo Duels. None of the cameras could zoom in to check Jack's face and verify his identity. I noticed immediately the difference between the two Phoenix Whirlwinds; Jack's Runner was entirely white while the one on the footage had a hint of light grey, and even his Turbo suit was grey and not white like the original. And when the footage Jack Synchro summoned Red Dragon Archfiend, the parts that were originally red on the dragon were purple. It was clear as heck that this Jack was a fake.
And according to the testimony from the victims, they said the Jack Atlas they Turbo Dueled spoke and acted arrogantly and claimed he was the real King of Games. It summed up Fake Jack was acting like Jack's old self before he had a change of heart and mind.
"What are the plans with Jack so far?" I asked after I had seen the footage.
"We're keeping him in custody for a couple of days while we investigate the case", Mina replied with a concerned voice.
"If the crashes don't occur for the next few days and Jack is not caught on surveillance camera with his Duel Runner, then we have to charge him with assault with a deadly weapon and more", Trudge added with a low tone in his voice.
"So… You believe it's not our Jack who's done this?" I asked, noticing the two adults were a bit skeptical.
Trudge and Mina grew silent after the question. They looked at each other while they appeared to have an inner fight with themselves. They both had known Jack for a long time now and they had witnessed the changes, so they wanted to believe in him, but because of their duty as Security officers they had to put their personal feelings aside.
"It's too soon to draw a conclusion", Mina spoke up. "We'll let the investigation reveal the truth."
With that said, she and Trudge left the room, but Goodwin and I stayed behind to check the footage one more time.
"What do you think, Estelle?" Goodwin asked after he had been quiet for a while.
"The Jack on the footage is not the real one", I said. "Jack's Runner is white while this one is grey and Red Dragon Archfiend's muscles and scales are purple instead of red."
"I see the differences too", Goodwin nodded. "I know Jack didn't commit the crime, but since we don't have a clear vision of the suspect's face, Sector Security had no choice but to arrest him."
I was getting worried. If I couldn't find proof that Jack didn't Turbo Duel rage, then he could get locked up for a long time. Long enough to miss WRGP and Yusei and Crow would have no choice but to attend the competition without him.
XXXXXXXXXX
Days passed since Jack's arrest and now the whole city knew about his supposed crime. The Turbo Duels and crashes had stopped after his arrest, so all evidence was pointing at him. I hadn't been able to make any progress with the case. I had no chance to argue with my colleagues and tell them he was innocent. They didn't even listen when I pointed out the different coloring on the footage or that someone dressed as Jack was the real culprit.
Long story short, the case was officially closed.
Mina got to be the bearer of the sad news for Jack when he got an update about the case, so he was locked up in his cell at Headquarters until he would get transported to the Facility in the morning.
I had a heavy heart as I headed to the elevator to drive home after a long day of work. I had checked up on Jack couple of hours ago and he was so furious. He demanded of me to try harder to prove he wasn't the one harming innocent Turbo Duelists. I told him I had tried everything I could with my authorities, but I couldn't do more.
I got into the elevator and was about to push the button to the parking garage when my smartphone rang. I picked it up and saw it was Mina. "Hello?"
"Estelle, we have a huge problem!" Mina said in panic. "Jack escaped from his cell and he took his confiscated Deck and Duel Runner!"
"What?!" I exclaimed in disbelief. "What happened?"
"Someone or something destroyed the lock of his cell and he ran away!"
"Calm down! I'm heading down to the garage as we speak, so I'll go after him!"
"Trudge's contacting Yusei to tell him what happened. He and Crow might go after him as well."
"Got it! I'll update you when I spot Jack!"
I pushed the button and shifted my weight between my feet as I anxiously waited for the elevator to make it down to the assigned floor. Once the door opened, I rushed straight to my Runner and jumped onto it. I put on my helmet and drove out of the parking garage.
The escape must have happened moments ago, so Jack shouldn't be far away. I used the bond between our Marks to locate him. It seemed he was driving toward the highway, so I drove in the same direction. Unfortunately, I had the bad luck of the evening as I got red lights by almost every traffic light. While I was waiting, I was contacted by Yusei.
"Estelle, we just heard what happened. Have you found Jack?"
"No, not yet", I responded. "But I can sense he's heading toward the highway."
"Crow and I suspected that. We're heading toward the fork by the Limelight Tunnel."
"Got it! I'll catch up with you there!"
It only took a few minutes to make it to the fork by the Limelight Tunnel. I arrived at the same time as Yusei and Crow drove out of it. Without a single word, we drove to the highway and were on the look-out for Jack. It took a while until we spotted an occupied Duel Lane.
"Jack is on that Duel Lane!" I informed the two men. "I can sense through our Marks he's nearby!"
"Are you sure?" Yusei asked.
"Yes. But… Something is wrong with Jack. As if…he's scared."
"Then we better hurry and find an entrance to the Duel Lane and get him!" Crow exclaimed.
I led the duo to an entrance of the Duel Lane, which we got authority to enter while the Turbo Duel was ongoing. We drove toward the direction where I sensed Jack's Mark. It took us several minutes to reach the ocean area where the Duel Lane was led across. Just as light appeared in the horizon, I felt a sudden zap in my soul. I slowed down while Yusei and Crow drove past me as I had to brake for a few seconds to get over the shock.
That zap… It appeared at the same time as my bond with Jack was gone. Something must have happened to him!
I quickly recovered and drove after the duo who was confronting the fake Jack Atlas. Fake Jack and his fake Signer Dragon were standing next to the broken glass barrier where the real Jack must have fallen off with his Runner. The faker signed for Red Dragon Archfiend to breathe fire on us. I closed my eyes and shielded myself with my right arm until the attack was over. Luckily, the fire didn't harm us, but the distraction had been more than enough for Fake Jack to leave the scene.
"He's gone!" Crow exclaimed. "Now he's really done it!"
I got off my Duel Runner and ran to the broken barrier. I looked down at the water and saw no signs of a Duel Runner or even a body. I feared for the worst and used my Duel Runner to contact Headquarters.
"Special Agent Estelle Goodwin to Headquarters! Requesting immediate backup to Duel Lane E-17! The suspect, Jack Atlas, seems to have attacked someone and they were pushed off the lane into the ocean!"
"Sector Security here! We're sending backup and an ambulance immediately!"
My heart was racing over hundred miles an hour. I prayed Jack was okay, just as he was in the anime, but… What if he really was gone?
XXXXXXXXXX – Normal POV
Days passed again and no one had seen or heard from Jack since that night. The group plus Sherry and Mizoguchi, who had grown a little close to the group through Aki, were at the garage to watch the latest news about Jack's disappearance. Estelle was at Sector Security, working overtime with the case and figure out who Jack's latest victim was, and Carly was busy with work still trying to prove her crush's innocence.
"Where did Jack go…?" Leo mumbled worriedly.
"Yusei, Crow, you met Jack on the Duel Lane, right? Did he say anything to you?" Aki asked.
"No, nothing at all", Yusei shook his head. "He just looked at us and then left."
"Mizoguchi and I are quite active late at night, but we haven't heard any rumors from the night owl Duelists", Sherry spoke up, which Mizoguchi nodded to.
"Not even Martha and our friends know where he could be…", Crow sighed.
"Do you think Jack would really hurt people for fun and then mysteriously vanish?" Bruno asked.
"He never did that in the past, but now… I don't know what happened that triggered him to do this", Yusei said softly. "Could it really be because of our new strategy?"
"I get it he likes to Duel with raw power, but it's not always the key! That's why we got Trust Guardian!" Crow growled.
"I'll pretend I never heard that", Sherry commented.
Soft footsteps echoed from the stairs, which caught everyone's attention. Estelle was walking up to them with a sad expression and her eyes were a little red due to crying and lack of sleep.
"Estelle!" Luna said in relief, but her smile dropped when she saw the brunette's condition.
"What's wrong? Did you find something?" Bruno asked.
"Yes…", Estelle nodded softly.
She walked to the television and inserted a disc in the DVD player. She grabbed the remote control to change the screen.
"This is footage from the surveillance cameras of the Duel Lane we found Jack", Estelle said.
The group gasped in shock when they saw not just one but two Phoenix Whirlwinds and two Jack Atlas.
"What is that?!" Crow exclaimed in disbelief. "Why are there two Jack Atlas?!"
"I told you somebody was acting like Jack and hurt other Duelists to frame him, but you didn't listen to me!" Leo growled irritably.
"Watch until the end…", Estelle said softly.
Everyone watched the Turbo Duel from the beginning to the end when the real Jack was defeated by Fake Jack's Red Dragon Archfiend. Yusei and Crow gaped in horror as their foster brother crashed through the glass barrier and disappeared into the dark ocean.
"N-No… It can't be…!" Crow's voice shook as he got dizzy by the shock and had to sit down on a chair.
Estelle walked to Yusei and pulled out a card from her pocket. "While my team looked around for Jack among the cliffs next to the lane, I found this card."
Yusei took the card out of her hand and looked at it, feeling his eyes widen in horror. "Trust Guardian…"
"No… No! Jack can't be gone!" Crow exclaimed as he bit his lower lip to stop himself from crying. "I… I said such horrible things to him! And now… I can't apologize to him!"
"After my colleagues watched the footage, the case got reopened as they're trying to put the pieces together", Estelle said as she walked back to the television to retrieve the disc. "Right now, the top priority is to find Fake Jack and bring him into custody, so every Security officer is hunting him. Goodwin will soon go out with a notice to the citizens to contact us if they have any clues of his whereabouts."
"So they now know that our Jack wasn't the one harming those Turbo Duelists in the first place?" Luna asked.
Estelle nodded with a tired but relieved smile. "Yes."
Crow slammed his hands on the chair with a loud bang as he stood up. "We have to go looking for him too! That imposter will regret hurting Jack!"
"Right", Yusei nodded as he put Trust Guardian's card in the pocket of his jacket.
"My bond with Jack's Mark got cut off when he disappeared into the ocean, but we found no Runner or a body by the cliffs, so… I have no idea where he could be", Estelle confessed as she looked down.
"Then… Is it possible Jack is still alive?" Leo asked anxiously.
"I… I hope so", Estelle nodded before looking up.
The group relaxed after hearing that news, but that didn't mean the danger was over.
"Mizoguchi and I will check the underground and ask for information", Sherry informed the group as she stood up from the couch.
"Isn't that too dangerous, Sherry?" Aki asked concernedly.
"Don't worry, Aki. We've done this before without getting a single scratch", Sherry smiled with a soft wink.
XXXXXXXXXX – Estelle's POV
My friends and I were busy for the entire day and the next day hunting for Fake Jack while trying to locate the real Signer. Sector Security had given a copy of the footage to different news crew, so the whole city was now confused about the outcome with two Jack Atlas. Jack's fans got thrilled to hear their idol wasn't the real suspect, so social media had blown up with people looking for Fake Jack while some sadly thought Jack was dead.
The sun was now going down in the horizon while I was driving through the highway with my Duel Runner, dressed in my Sector Security uniform since I was still on duty. I hadn't been able to find any clues nor sense Jack's presence. I suspected Iliaster had hidden him somewhere and put up some kind of jammer that made me unable to trace him through the Marks.
I was about to exit the highway when I heard a familiar engine noise behind me. I looked at the dashboard and checked the back camera. Fake Jack was approaching me with his grey Duel Runner!
"Vad i?! (What the?!)" I exclaimed in disbelief before anger took over. "So, you've finally decided to show up, Fake Jack!"
"Hahahahaha! Why do you call me 'Fake Jack', Estelle? Can't you see I'm the real Jack Atlas?" Fake Jack laughed.
"I don't sense your Mark, so don't play games with me! What did you do to Jack?"
"That's none of your concern. While I am the King of Games, I have three really good managers and they've asked me to bring you to them!"
Three managers… Was he talking about Primo, Lester, and Jakob?
"What for?"
"I don't know. Perhaps they thought a King needs a Queen and they've chosen you as my partner."
"I doubt that!"
"I hope so, 'cause I, the King of Games, do not need a consort! She'll be just in the way for me! However, since they've given me a mission, I'll carry it out!"
"If you really want to drag me to your managers, then you must defeat me in a Duel first!"
"I was expecting that! I'll show you and everyone else that the real King has returned!"
"Field Spell, Speed World 2, set on!"
While I activated the Field Spell, I secretly sent a distress signal to my friends to let them know I was under attack by the imposter.
XXXXXXXXXX – Jack's POV
I had no idea for how long I had been unconscious, but I woke up by the feeling of being unable to move my body. I found myself trapped in a mysterious dark world with roots wrapped around my arms and legs, sealing off any movement I made.
A screen appeared in front of me, which allowed me to see what was happening in New Domino City and what that faker were doing to cause more harm to my reputation. I gaped in dread as I saw how Fake Jack was Turbo Dueling Estelle.
"Hey!" I yelled. "You can Duel me all you want, but leave my friends out of it!"
"Why should I?" Fake Jack chuckled darkly. "It will just prove your current self isn't strong enough to protect the ones you hold dear!"
"What?!" I gasped angrily. "Let me out of here and I'll prove to you I am strong!"
"If you really are strong, you wouldn't have lost in our last Duel!" Fake Jack laughed.
I trembled by anger and tried ripping those damn roots off of my limbs. When I managed to get one of the roots off, another one quickly sprouted from the darkness and wrapped itself around my right arm. I couldn't help but snarl in frustration as the same thing happened again when I got a root off my leg.
Was this going to be my prison? Could I never leave this place to teach the faker a lesson and show everyone that I wasn't the one harming other people?
"Hey! Imposter!" Crow's voice yelled.
I snapped my head at the screen, seeing Yusei, Crow, and even Kazuma were approaching the faker and Estelle. Carly was driving behind them with her camera out the window to catch everything on tape.
"You! How dare you kill Jack?!" Crow spat angrily at the faker.
"What nonsense are you spouting? I'm the true Jack Atlas!" Fake Jack declared.
"Don't screw with me! You're not Jack!" Crow spat back. "Jack was a guy who was self-centered, but… Even so, he's an important friend that I fought alongside with! But I…didn't trust him when he was that kind a friend to me!"
"Crow…", I mumbled softly.
I recalled all the things he said to me when I had been brought in to Sector Security. He must have really thought I was the culprit and the anger clouded his mind. I couldn't blame him; I would have reacted in the same way at first if one of my friends committed a crime while they actually never did that.
"I have to ask him for forgiveness! That's why, I'll carry out revenge for Jack myself, so cancel your Turbo Duel with Estelle right now!" Crow demanded.
"Sorry, but I have my orders!" Fake Jack snorted.
He slowed down until he was driving in front of Crow and turned on the lights in the back of his Runner, blinding him so hard that he lost control of his Duel Runner and crashed on the side.
"Crow!" I yelled in shock.
"Leave my friends alone, Fake Jack!" Estelle shouted.
"Crushing the opponents that get in my way is the proof that I'm Jack Atlas!" Fake Jack laughed.
"You're wrong!" Yusei yelled. "The real Jack would know that true strength comes from the heart, thinking of your people and friends!"
"Such things are unnecessary for a King!" Fake Jack argued. "Everything you believe in rises above everything else!"
The faker released a smokescreen from his Runner in front of Yusei as my childhood friend was getting closer. I already knew what the faker was going to do and I didn't want to see that happening.
"YUSEI!" Estelle and Kazuma yelled simultaneously.
Yusei tried to get rid of the smoke, but the faker got in his way and used the same dirty trick he did on Crow. Yusei got blinded and wobbled aggressively with his Runner due to loss control. He barely managed to straighten his Runner.
I had enough watching this. My friends were getting hurt because of a damn faker who thought he could be me by acting like a psychopathic alter ego.
"How dare you…", I growled as the anger in my chest transformed into flames that enveloped my body. "How dare you hurt my friends?!"
The flames spread around me as they engulfed the universe and seemed to shatter it into pieces while burning the roots down into ashes.
XXXXXXXXXX
I found myself able to move and opened my eyes to see I had a pair of VR glasses in front of my eyes. I ripped it off and threw it into the darkness. My eyes had to adjust for a few seconds before I realized I was inside a damp cave that smelled like sea salt. I got up from a chair that caught me off guard. It was a high-tech chair that was inside a cave without being connected to a power source.
I looked around and found my Duel Runner in a corner. It looked unscratched and had no damage from the fall when I got pushed into the ocean. I quickly grabbed my helmet and got on the Runner. I turned on the engine and sighed in relief when I heard the familiar noise of a purring and functioning engine. Everything looked good, so I steered the Runner toward a pair of locked metal doors. I drove at full speed and managed to get out in the open. I noticed I wasn't so far away from the Duel Lane I had crashed through, but I didn't care.
I had to go and save my friends before the faker could hurt them.
XXXXXXXXXX – Estelle's POV
Fake Jack was about to Synchro summon his Red Dragon Archfiend when the real Jack jumped down on the lane from above with his Runner and crashed into the fake Phoenix Whirlwind. We were all relieved to see he was okay. Yusei threw him the Trust Guardian card while I canceled the Turbo Duel with Fake Jack so our Jack could take over.
It became a clear victory for Jack, especially when he used Trust Guardian as Synchro Material to keep his Signer Dragon alive until he managed to Synchro summon Majestic Red Dragon.
At the very end of the Turbo Duel, Fake Jack got hurt by the final attack as the energy from Majestic Red Dragon ripped his clothes and skin off to reveal the skeleton of a robot. The robot and fake Duel Runner exploded into a pile of junk and flames, making us unable to gather data to see who had been behind the crime of framing Jack. Even the fake cards of Jack's real Deck got burned up by the fire.
However, that didn't mean that all evidence was lost. Carly had caught the whole event on tape and Kaz had witnessed the Turbo Duel, so he could testify that Jack wasn't the one harming Duelists before.
This meant Jack was able to clear his name and no longer have a bad track record.
But… There was still one thing that bothered me. Fake Jack told me his three "managers" wanted to see me. Why would Lester, Primo, and Jakob want with me?
What were they after, besides their original plans? Did they have another scheme that involved me? Did they want to get rid of me because of my interference?
What else did they have up their sleeves that I wasn't aware of?
XXXXXXXXXX
I tried incorporating a tiny piece of Jack's Signer power, Blazing Soul, when he got out from his fake prison. That doesn't mean he has unlocked the power yet. It was more like an indication of his Signer ability.