Note: Major Kleenex warning!!! **WAAAH!!!**
For Tea, this was just about the last straw. She wanted this case to be over and done with now—not to be trapped in this prison! She knew they wouldn't last very long in this place and she crossed her arms in irritation. "Of all people to be locked in a freezer with!" she muttered angrily.
Seto grunted in reply and looked around for any possible escape from the icy mausoleum. The only way out seemed to be through the locked main door. "If I can break the glass in the window, I can reach around and unlock the door from the outside," he decided, grabbing a nearby crate and throwing it at the pane. The window didn't budge.
Tea watched him try in vain to get the glass to break and then picked up a crate of her own to throw. When the window still remained completely intact, she sighed in frustration. "There has to be another way out!" she declared.
"The only other way is through the panel in the ceiling, and I doubt we could climb up there," Seto replied coldly, glancing up at the roof high above them.
"Maybe there's another ventilator shaft," Tea suggested.
"If there is, it's most likely turned on," Seto stated flatly. "It would be almost impossible to travel through it."
Tea plopped down on a crate in despair. "Well, then what are we going to do?" she demanded. "Just wait for someone to come rescue us?!"
"Hardly. We'd probably both be dead by then." Seto turned back to the door, idly wondering if it would be possible to remove it by the hinges.
"Kaiba, we've been locked in here for ages!" Tea exclaimed, shivering. She had hardly come dressed for this occasion; she hadn't exactly been expecting to get trapped in a freezer.
"Here."
Tea looked up, startled. Seto was holding his trenchcoat out for her to take. She hesitated, blinking in surprise.
"You're cold, aren't you?" Seto said impatiently.
Tea nodded slowly. "Well, yes . . ."
"Then just take it," Seto said irritably.
Slowly Tea accepted the coat and wrapped it around her. "Thank you," she whispered softly.
Seto didn't answer. He studied the window and then tried using a karate kick to get it to shatter.
"I could help," Tea offered, not liking just standing by and watching.
"I don't need any help," Seto replied, and Tea sighed in annoyance.
"You're still the same old independent Seto Kaiba," she said angrily. "Why won't you ever accept help from anyone?"
Seto grunted. "I can take care of things fine by myself," he insisted.
****
Joey, Tristan, and Mokuba, meanwhile, had met up with Yugi, Mai, and Bakura over by a building used for storing the cameras and other equipment.
"Where's my brother?" Mokuba demanded.
"I don't know," Yugi said honestly. "He went off with Tea to search for proof to convict these criminals." He looked concerned. "But this is no place for you, Mokuba. It's much too dangerous."
"I don't care!" Mokuba said fiercely. "I don't want my brother to get hurt."
"Hey, Kaiba's pretty tough," Joey said with a shrug.
"He could still get hurt!" Mokuba shot back.
Yugi and Mokuba wound up switching groups. Yugi's group was supposed to go investigate Carmichael's trailer while Bakura's group stayed at the storage building, but for some reason Yugi's group wound up not leaving the building either.
"Man, this place is weird," Joey remarked with a shiver. "I feel like all the cameras are starin' right at us!"
"Then stare back," Tristan quipped.
"Yug, I thought we were leavin' this place," Joey sighed.
"I did too, Joey," Yugi said grimly, "but I can't seem to remember where the door is."
"Ah, come on, Yug, that's crazy!" Joey said in disbelief. "It's right there!" He went to walk towards the left and nearly fell down through a deep hole in the floor. Tristan and Yugi both had to grab the other boy to steady him.
"I meant the door to go outside the building, Joey, not the door that takes you on a free trip to the afterlife," Yugi smiled.
Joey looked frustrated. "What's goin' on around here?!" he exclaimed. "I know the door was right around here!"
"Actually, Joey, I thought it was over there," Tristan replied, pointing in the opposite direction.
"I'm afraid not," Yugi sighed. "I have a feeling that someone is playing mind tricks on us."
"Really?" Tristan said in disbelief.
"Eh, no offense, Yug, but that sounds kinda far-out," Joey added.
Yugi shook his head. "Unfortunately, it *is* possible. And unless we can capture the one responsible, we may never find our way out of this building."
They continued walking for what seemed like ages, not finding any clues nor any way out.
"Man, I think we're goin' in circles!" Joey groaned. "That camera over there looks strangely familiar!"
"Hey, here's something," Tristan announced. "A staircase leading up somewhere. You think we should check it out?"
Yugi nodded. "We must search everywhere, both for clues and for the exit."
The three boys walked up the stairs and looked around cautiously.
"Be very careful," Yugi warned. "I can sense grave danger and evil up here."
"Man, Yug, you're givin' me the heebie-jeebies!" Joey declared with a shudder.
"You have good reason to beware," a nasty voice growled from out of nowhere.
The teens stopped, looking around wildly. "Carmichael! Where're you hidin'?!" Joey demanded.
The evil man stepped out from the shadows, a wicked smile on his face. "I was just waiting for you kids to come up here," he said nastily as he towered over them, a gleaming laser gun in his hand.
Joey gulped. "Oh man . . . now we're in for it!"
****
Seto, meanwhile, had finally managed to knock the glass out of the freezer window and get the door open. "Come on," he said, grabbing Tea's hand and running out.
"Gladly!" the girl exclaimed.
They found themselves in a long, dimly-lighted hallway that didn't exactly look inviting. Tea looked around nervously.
"This way," Seto directed, opening a door to a stairwell.
"I hope you know what you're doing!" Tea muttered.
When they arrived at the top, they were back near the door where they had entered. Tea paused, then took off the coat she was wearing and handed it back to Seto. "Thank you again," she said softly.
Seto put the coat on and didn't answer. Instead he stopped and stared out through the plate-glass door, apparently having seen something startling.
"What is it?" Tea asked impatiently.
"I'm certain I just saw Mokuba in that building over there," Seto replied. He dashed out the door and Tea followed uncertainly.
****
"Wow, this place is pretty big for a storage building," Mai remarked, poking through some old cameras.
"You said it!" Mokuba exclaimed, looking around worriedly. His eyes went wide. "Hey! Where's Bakura?!"
"Huh?" Mai looked up. The silver-haired boy had vanished. "Well, now that's weird," she declared. "Bakura? Hey, where are you?" she called, to no avail.
"He was standing right over here," Mokuba said, walking over near the wall and placing his hand on it. "Whoa!" he cried as a panel opened and sent him falling in.
"Mokuba!" Mai gasped, then went over and pushed on the wall. With a scream, she disappeared into the secret room as well.
****
Carmichael sneered as he looked at the teens, the deadly gun still in hand. "It looks like you've all walked into my little lair," he hissed.
Tristan shook his head. "Man, I've met some real creeps in my time, and you and Pegasus top the list!" he declared.
"Imagine that—being compared to Maximillian Pegasus," Carmichael smirked, backing up slightly. "I think I'm honored."
"You have committed many evil acts in your quest for power," Yugi said angrily, "and now it's time you were stopped!"
"But I'm not easily stopped," Carmichael scoffed, "as you pathetic meddlers will find out soon enough."
"Man, was Yugi right about you?" Joey demanded. "Did you use some kinda mind power on us so we wouldn't remember where the door is?!"
Carmichael only cackled evilly. "Perhaps so, but *this* is not 'mind power'—this is real!" In a split-second movement, he had whipped his laser gun into firing position and pulled the trigger.
"I won't let you hurt them!!" Yugi screamed, diving in front of the beam. With a cry of pain, the violet-eyed boy went down and lay lifeless.
"Yugi!!" Joey and Tristan cried in unison.
Even Carmichael was a bit startled at this turn of events and was momentarily caught off guard long enough for Bakura for come out of seemingly nowhere, knocking the weapon out of his hands and into Joey's. "That's quite enough of that!" the British boy said angrily, and instantly Carmichael was surrounded by the police.
"You're under arrest for traitorous acts against the government . . . and for the murder of this boy," the first officer said sternly, outrage in his eyes.
Carmichael looked around for a place to run and found nothing. His shoulders drooped in defeat.
Joey dropped the laser gun and sank to his knees next to Yugi's body, tears in his eyes. "Oh man . . . why couldn't they have come just five minutes sooner?" he said softly. "Just five minutes sooner . . ."
****
On the opposite end of the building, Tea and Seto heard the horrifying scream and shot as well.
Tea cried out, placing her hand over her heart as a stab of pain went through it. "Yugi!" she shrieked. She couldn't feel the boy's presence at all, just like when Pegasus had overwhelmed him in the Shadow Realm. She knew the worst had happened, but she couldn't accept it. "No . . . no . . . it's . . . it's not possible! He . . . he can't be . . ." She trailed off, turning to the boy standing next to her and burying her face in his dark trenchcoat, sobbing uncontrollably.
Seto held the girl comfortingly, outrage in his eyes. How could someone do such an evil thing?
Tea looked up, tears streaking her face. "They . . . they shot him! How . . . how could they?! Yugi would never hurt anyone! Never . . ."
"I know," Seto said gently, just as laser fire struck a pole right next to them. "Now they're shooting at us!" he exclaimed indignantly. He grabbed Tea's hand and ran into the shadows.
"Wait! What about the others?" Tea protested.
"We can't help them if we're dead," Seto shot back, diving under a camera just as laser fire struck where they'd been only seconds before. He wondered frantically if Mokuba was alright.
Suddenly all was silent. Tea looked around curiously from their hideout underneath a staircase in a twisted labyrinth. "What's happening?" she asked in a whisper.
Seto didn't answer. He looked around suspiciously. Whoever was shooting at them wouldn't give up that easily. "Tea, get down!" he screamed abruptly.
"Kaiba, what are you doing?!" Tea gasped as he pushed her to the floor. Laser fire exploded around them again, and all was chaos. When the shooting finally ceased, Tea lay still, her eyes wild and frightened. She heard footsteps walking further and further away and prayed that they wouldn't suddenly come near and find them.
"That should take care of them," a cold voice said, and then there were grunts of agreement. A door opened and the snipers walked out, shutting it hard behind them.
It was then that Tea realized that Seto's arm was draped across her shoulders limply. "Kaiba?" she whispered. "Kaiba, they're gone now."
The boy didn't answer.
"Oh, come on, Kaiba, don't always be so silent!" Tea scolded in frustration.
When Seto still didn't reply—or even move—a cold chill ran up Tea's spine. She grabbed the boy's arm and shoved it aside, then rose up and turned to face him. "Kaiba?" she said softly. The boy's long bangs had fallen across his face and his other arm was flung out in front of him. He was completely still and motionless, and Tea had the dreadful suspicion in her mind that this boy had also been struck down. Shaking her head in disbelief, Tea pushed Seto over onto his back and stared at him. There was no sign of any movement in his chest, nor did he have a pulse or heartbeat. He was gone. "No! Not you too, Kaiba!" she cried, horrified. "Not you too!!" This was too much. First Yugi, and now Kaiba. . . . In the last ten minutes, Tea had lost them both.
For Tea, this was just about the last straw. She wanted this case to be over and done with now—not to be trapped in this prison! She knew they wouldn't last very long in this place and she crossed her arms in irritation. "Of all people to be locked in a freezer with!" she muttered angrily.
Seto grunted in reply and looked around for any possible escape from the icy mausoleum. The only way out seemed to be through the locked main door. "If I can break the glass in the window, I can reach around and unlock the door from the outside," he decided, grabbing a nearby crate and throwing it at the pane. The window didn't budge.
Tea watched him try in vain to get the glass to break and then picked up a crate of her own to throw. When the window still remained completely intact, she sighed in frustration. "There has to be another way out!" she declared.
"The only other way is through the panel in the ceiling, and I doubt we could climb up there," Seto replied coldly, glancing up at the roof high above them.
"Maybe there's another ventilator shaft," Tea suggested.
"If there is, it's most likely turned on," Seto stated flatly. "It would be almost impossible to travel through it."
Tea plopped down on a crate in despair. "Well, then what are we going to do?" she demanded. "Just wait for someone to come rescue us?!"
"Hardly. We'd probably both be dead by then." Seto turned back to the door, idly wondering if it would be possible to remove it by the hinges.
"Kaiba, we've been locked in here for ages!" Tea exclaimed, shivering. She had hardly come dressed for this occasion; she hadn't exactly been expecting to get trapped in a freezer.
"Here."
Tea looked up, startled. Seto was holding his trenchcoat out for her to take. She hesitated, blinking in surprise.
"You're cold, aren't you?" Seto said impatiently.
Tea nodded slowly. "Well, yes . . ."
"Then just take it," Seto said irritably.
Slowly Tea accepted the coat and wrapped it around her. "Thank you," she whispered softly.
Seto didn't answer. He studied the window and then tried using a karate kick to get it to shatter.
"I could help," Tea offered, not liking just standing by and watching.
"I don't need any help," Seto replied, and Tea sighed in annoyance.
"You're still the same old independent Seto Kaiba," she said angrily. "Why won't you ever accept help from anyone?"
Seto grunted. "I can take care of things fine by myself," he insisted.
****
Joey, Tristan, and Mokuba, meanwhile, had met up with Yugi, Mai, and Bakura over by a building used for storing the cameras and other equipment.
"Where's my brother?" Mokuba demanded.
"I don't know," Yugi said honestly. "He went off with Tea to search for proof to convict these criminals." He looked concerned. "But this is no place for you, Mokuba. It's much too dangerous."
"I don't care!" Mokuba said fiercely. "I don't want my brother to get hurt."
"Hey, Kaiba's pretty tough," Joey said with a shrug.
"He could still get hurt!" Mokuba shot back.
Yugi and Mokuba wound up switching groups. Yugi's group was supposed to go investigate Carmichael's trailer while Bakura's group stayed at the storage building, but for some reason Yugi's group wound up not leaving the building either.
"Man, this place is weird," Joey remarked with a shiver. "I feel like all the cameras are starin' right at us!"
"Then stare back," Tristan quipped.
"Yug, I thought we were leavin' this place," Joey sighed.
"I did too, Joey," Yugi said grimly, "but I can't seem to remember where the door is."
"Ah, come on, Yug, that's crazy!" Joey said in disbelief. "It's right there!" He went to walk towards the left and nearly fell down through a deep hole in the floor. Tristan and Yugi both had to grab the other boy to steady him.
"I meant the door to go outside the building, Joey, not the door that takes you on a free trip to the afterlife," Yugi smiled.
Joey looked frustrated. "What's goin' on around here?!" he exclaimed. "I know the door was right around here!"
"Actually, Joey, I thought it was over there," Tristan replied, pointing in the opposite direction.
"I'm afraid not," Yugi sighed. "I have a feeling that someone is playing mind tricks on us."
"Really?" Tristan said in disbelief.
"Eh, no offense, Yug, but that sounds kinda far-out," Joey added.
Yugi shook his head. "Unfortunately, it *is* possible. And unless we can capture the one responsible, we may never find our way out of this building."
They continued walking for what seemed like ages, not finding any clues nor any way out.
"Man, I think we're goin' in circles!" Joey groaned. "That camera over there looks strangely familiar!"
"Hey, here's something," Tristan announced. "A staircase leading up somewhere. You think we should check it out?"
Yugi nodded. "We must search everywhere, both for clues and for the exit."
The three boys walked up the stairs and looked around cautiously.
"Be very careful," Yugi warned. "I can sense grave danger and evil up here."
"Man, Yug, you're givin' me the heebie-jeebies!" Joey declared with a shudder.
"You have good reason to beware," a nasty voice growled from out of nowhere.
The teens stopped, looking around wildly. "Carmichael! Where're you hidin'?!" Joey demanded.
The evil man stepped out from the shadows, a wicked smile on his face. "I was just waiting for you kids to come up here," he said nastily as he towered over them, a gleaming laser gun in his hand.
Joey gulped. "Oh man . . . now we're in for it!"
****
Seto, meanwhile, had finally managed to knock the glass out of the freezer window and get the door open. "Come on," he said, grabbing Tea's hand and running out.
"Gladly!" the girl exclaimed.
They found themselves in a long, dimly-lighted hallway that didn't exactly look inviting. Tea looked around nervously.
"This way," Seto directed, opening a door to a stairwell.
"I hope you know what you're doing!" Tea muttered.
When they arrived at the top, they were back near the door where they had entered. Tea paused, then took off the coat she was wearing and handed it back to Seto. "Thank you again," she said softly.
Seto put the coat on and didn't answer. Instead he stopped and stared out through the plate-glass door, apparently having seen something startling.
"What is it?" Tea asked impatiently.
"I'm certain I just saw Mokuba in that building over there," Seto replied. He dashed out the door and Tea followed uncertainly.
****
"Wow, this place is pretty big for a storage building," Mai remarked, poking through some old cameras.
"You said it!" Mokuba exclaimed, looking around worriedly. His eyes went wide. "Hey! Where's Bakura?!"
"Huh?" Mai looked up. The silver-haired boy had vanished. "Well, now that's weird," she declared. "Bakura? Hey, where are you?" she called, to no avail.
"He was standing right over here," Mokuba said, walking over near the wall and placing his hand on it. "Whoa!" he cried as a panel opened and sent him falling in.
"Mokuba!" Mai gasped, then went over and pushed on the wall. With a scream, she disappeared into the secret room as well.
****
Carmichael sneered as he looked at the teens, the deadly gun still in hand. "It looks like you've all walked into my little lair," he hissed.
Tristan shook his head. "Man, I've met some real creeps in my time, and you and Pegasus top the list!" he declared.
"Imagine that—being compared to Maximillian Pegasus," Carmichael smirked, backing up slightly. "I think I'm honored."
"You have committed many evil acts in your quest for power," Yugi said angrily, "and now it's time you were stopped!"
"But I'm not easily stopped," Carmichael scoffed, "as you pathetic meddlers will find out soon enough."
"Man, was Yugi right about you?" Joey demanded. "Did you use some kinda mind power on us so we wouldn't remember where the door is?!"
Carmichael only cackled evilly. "Perhaps so, but *this* is not 'mind power'—this is real!" In a split-second movement, he had whipped his laser gun into firing position and pulled the trigger.
"I won't let you hurt them!!" Yugi screamed, diving in front of the beam. With a cry of pain, the violet-eyed boy went down and lay lifeless.
"Yugi!!" Joey and Tristan cried in unison.
Even Carmichael was a bit startled at this turn of events and was momentarily caught off guard long enough for Bakura for come out of seemingly nowhere, knocking the weapon out of his hands and into Joey's. "That's quite enough of that!" the British boy said angrily, and instantly Carmichael was surrounded by the police.
"You're under arrest for traitorous acts against the government . . . and for the murder of this boy," the first officer said sternly, outrage in his eyes.
Carmichael looked around for a place to run and found nothing. His shoulders drooped in defeat.
Joey dropped the laser gun and sank to his knees next to Yugi's body, tears in his eyes. "Oh man . . . why couldn't they have come just five minutes sooner?" he said softly. "Just five minutes sooner . . ."
****
On the opposite end of the building, Tea and Seto heard the horrifying scream and shot as well.
Tea cried out, placing her hand over her heart as a stab of pain went through it. "Yugi!" she shrieked. She couldn't feel the boy's presence at all, just like when Pegasus had overwhelmed him in the Shadow Realm. She knew the worst had happened, but she couldn't accept it. "No . . . no . . . it's . . . it's not possible! He . . . he can't be . . ." She trailed off, turning to the boy standing next to her and burying her face in his dark trenchcoat, sobbing uncontrollably.
Seto held the girl comfortingly, outrage in his eyes. How could someone do such an evil thing?
Tea looked up, tears streaking her face. "They . . . they shot him! How . . . how could they?! Yugi would never hurt anyone! Never . . ."
"I know," Seto said gently, just as laser fire struck a pole right next to them. "Now they're shooting at us!" he exclaimed indignantly. He grabbed Tea's hand and ran into the shadows.
"Wait! What about the others?" Tea protested.
"We can't help them if we're dead," Seto shot back, diving under a camera just as laser fire struck where they'd been only seconds before. He wondered frantically if Mokuba was alright.
Suddenly all was silent. Tea looked around curiously from their hideout underneath a staircase in a twisted labyrinth. "What's happening?" she asked in a whisper.
Seto didn't answer. He looked around suspiciously. Whoever was shooting at them wouldn't give up that easily. "Tea, get down!" he screamed abruptly.
"Kaiba, what are you doing?!" Tea gasped as he pushed her to the floor. Laser fire exploded around them again, and all was chaos. When the shooting finally ceased, Tea lay still, her eyes wild and frightened. She heard footsteps walking further and further away and prayed that they wouldn't suddenly come near and find them.
"That should take care of them," a cold voice said, and then there were grunts of agreement. A door opened and the snipers walked out, shutting it hard behind them.
It was then that Tea realized that Seto's arm was draped across her shoulders limply. "Kaiba?" she whispered. "Kaiba, they're gone now."
The boy didn't answer.
"Oh, come on, Kaiba, don't always be so silent!" Tea scolded in frustration.
When Seto still didn't reply—or even move—a cold chill ran up Tea's spine. She grabbed the boy's arm and shoved it aside, then rose up and turned to face him. "Kaiba?" she said softly. The boy's long bangs had fallen across his face and his other arm was flung out in front of him. He was completely still and motionless, and Tea had the dreadful suspicion in her mind that this boy had also been struck down. Shaking her head in disbelief, Tea pushed Seto over onto his back and stared at him. There was no sign of any movement in his chest, nor did he have a pulse or heartbeat. He was gone. "No! Not you too, Kaiba!" she cried, horrified. "Not you too!!" This was too much. First Yugi, and now Kaiba. . . . In the last ten minutes, Tea had lost them both.