| KAIBA MANSION |
Thalia added the last peppermint over the candy house door. She looked up to see the intense, focused face of Mokuba, who was carefully trying to stick more construction icing between the two roof folds. " Here," she shoved a bag of colorful gumdrops toward him, " For the garden." " Why don't I get to do the sugar windows?" he grumbled, as he smeared the back of the gumdrop with construction frosting, then plopped it next to the side of the house. Thalia ignored him. Her ears perked up when she heard Seto's voice. " Mokuba, I'm going to the office...don't set the house up in an uproar. See you tonight," he finished shortly, and swung out the door, his indigo trenchcoat flaring out behind him. About thirty minutes later, they stepped back and admired their masterpiece. " We're going to win," said Thalia, a confident smirk on her face.
After they emerged into the room, Mokuba immediately left for the third floor. " Where're you going?" asked his partner. He turned around, a half-grin on his face. " My brother has these really cool prototypes..." Thalia's eyes gleamed, and swiftly followed after him. Mokuba reached out for the doorknob, twisting it to reveal a huge room of advanced electronic technology. " Look at these-" The boy started to point toward a group of VirtualPods that went to the virtual reality game world, but Thalia stopped him. " Utopia." she stated shortly, pointing to a separate cluster of complex pods. Her partner glanced back, and his eyes lighted up. " Those are new ones! Let's go try them out..."
| KAIBA CORPORATION |
Seto Kaiba typed busily on his computer at work, hurriedly finishing the last piece of data on his most recent breakthrough. Now you didn't even have to input your idea of a perfect world manually, he had just installed something that read the brainwaves coming through your head. Now all you had to do was think of your Utopian world... Briiiiing! The phone rang loudly. He picked it up, then snapped, " Hello?" " Boss?" The quavering voice of his secretary filled his ears. " I thought I told you not disturb me while I'm up here..." he said angrily. " But..." the girl suddenly lost control and blurted out, " There's some really suspicious-looking guys who look mean and wear black that are coming to your room and they've got guns and-" her blubbering got cut off when Kaiba slammed down the phone. He barely had time to think when the door was shoved open, and five thugs entered the room. " What do you want?" Kaiba sneered. " You, and those game systems," said one of men. " On your life," threatened Kaiba. The other smirked, then pulled out a gun. " Or on yours." As the multi-billionaire crumpled to the floor, all he felt was the resounding punch from the thug to his head, and the salty corrosive bile in his mouth he coughed out. Then he blacked out.
| KAIBA MANSION |
" Mokuba! Mokuba!" The girl held up the edge of her Chinese-style silk robe as she ran up the stairs. Mokuba stopped just before he climbed into the VirtualPod, then turned at the shout of his name. " You can go first," he said to Thalia, then turned. The girl shrugged, and popped on the Virtual Reality helmet. The boy curiously went down the staircase, and bumped right into Alumniera. The older girl immediately clutched him to her chest, crying into his hair. " Oh Mokuba...I thought..." He pushed himself away from his friend, embarrassed and confused at the same time. He spotted Yugi in the background, shooting him a look that asked, ' What's up with HER?' Yugi's face drew a blank as he reflected on what happened...
******Flashback******
" Something...has happened...to Kaiba..." her breath came in uneven and sharp, her body shaking hard." Alumniera? Alumniera!" Yami had transformed back to Yugi. She stood up. " We have to go see if he's there," she murmured, her hands trembling. With that, she dragged Yugi out the door and back to the ivory-colored limo. As they entered the building, Alumniera gave a deep nod to the receptionist. He immediately buzzed open the door. They rode up in the elevator, and quickly entered Kaiba's personal office (no one stopped them, because the secretary had gone home with hysterics). Everything was in its place, Yugi noted, except for that plug in the wall-" His project," Alumniera murmured. " Where is it?" Yugi turned to the thirteen-year old. She was silent, her eyes widening at a spot on the ground. A dark, reddish tint on the ground. Blood.
******End Flashback******'
Seto Kaiba woke up woozily to see the face of his former employee. One of the Big Five, to be more specific. " Thant," he sneered. " Kaiba," the other man gave a fake smile as his oily voice interrupted the silence in the room. " What the **** do you want?" His opposition's eyes gleamed. " Oh, I don't want anything. Just a little something called revenge." The fifteen-year old genius scoffed. " Your attempts so far have been feeble." " Not when I trap your mind in there." He pointed to the VirtualPod, smirking. Kaiba snorted. " Leave me in Utopia? What a wonderful idea, let's all go on vacation." Thant gave a short, maniacal laugh. " Not when everything is reversed-it'll be your living nightmare. And you won't know how to get out of it."
Thalia looked into the screen, which was flashing neon green. PLEASE INPUT IDEA OF UTOPIA IN YOUR MIND. PROCESSING... It was moments later when she arrived on an island. A deserted island, with a jungle, a stream, and rocks made of amythest and aquamarine and any other kind of mineral-all next to a shining turquoise sea on the oncoming of the sunset. Thalia sighed, her hard facade melting away slowly. All she had ever wanted-was to be alone. Alone, without the counselors and the language instructors. Alone, without the books and the homework. Just alone. She let the lapping waves brush her toes; let the cool breeze rush through her hair. Until the landscape began to change.
" You've tried that already. It won't work." Seto Kaiba put on a mask of ridicule. Thant looked smug. " There's only one more prototype connected to this one, and if by chance anyone gets into that certain special machine, you still won't be able to get out, because you don't even know how." Seto glared. They had shoved him in the VirtualPod moments before, and the metal cuffs binding him down to the chair shot around his wrists so quickly he didn't have time to react. If he could just get out of it, he could break Thant's nose in five seconds flat. " Well, Kaiba, say goodbye to the world..." The helmet clunked over his head.
Thalia added the last peppermint over the candy house door. She looked up to see the intense, focused face of Mokuba, who was carefully trying to stick more construction icing between the two roof folds. " Here," she shoved a bag of colorful gumdrops toward him, " For the garden." " Why don't I get to do the sugar windows?" he grumbled, as he smeared the back of the gumdrop with construction frosting, then plopped it next to the side of the house. Thalia ignored him. Her ears perked up when she heard Seto's voice. " Mokuba, I'm going to the office...don't set the house up in an uproar. See you tonight," he finished shortly, and swung out the door, his indigo trenchcoat flaring out behind him. About thirty minutes later, they stepped back and admired their masterpiece. " We're going to win," said Thalia, a confident smirk on her face.
After they emerged into the room, Mokuba immediately left for the third floor. " Where're you going?" asked his partner. He turned around, a half-grin on his face. " My brother has these really cool prototypes..." Thalia's eyes gleamed, and swiftly followed after him. Mokuba reached out for the doorknob, twisting it to reveal a huge room of advanced electronic technology. " Look at these-" The boy started to point toward a group of VirtualPods that went to the virtual reality game world, but Thalia stopped him. " Utopia." she stated shortly, pointing to a separate cluster of complex pods. Her partner glanced back, and his eyes lighted up. " Those are new ones! Let's go try them out..."
| KAIBA CORPORATION |
Seto Kaiba typed busily on his computer at work, hurriedly finishing the last piece of data on his most recent breakthrough. Now you didn't even have to input your idea of a perfect world manually, he had just installed something that read the brainwaves coming through your head. Now all you had to do was think of your Utopian world... Briiiiing! The phone rang loudly. He picked it up, then snapped, " Hello?" " Boss?" The quavering voice of his secretary filled his ears. " I thought I told you not disturb me while I'm up here..." he said angrily. " But..." the girl suddenly lost control and blurted out, " There's some really suspicious-looking guys who look mean and wear black that are coming to your room and they've got guns and-" her blubbering got cut off when Kaiba slammed down the phone. He barely had time to think when the door was shoved open, and five thugs entered the room. " What do you want?" Kaiba sneered. " You, and those game systems," said one of men. " On your life," threatened Kaiba. The other smirked, then pulled out a gun. " Or on yours." As the multi-billionaire crumpled to the floor, all he felt was the resounding punch from the thug to his head, and the salty corrosive bile in his mouth he coughed out. Then he blacked out.
| KAIBA MANSION |
" Mokuba! Mokuba!" The girl held up the edge of her Chinese-style silk robe as she ran up the stairs. Mokuba stopped just before he climbed into the VirtualPod, then turned at the shout of his name. " You can go first," he said to Thalia, then turned. The girl shrugged, and popped on the Virtual Reality helmet. The boy curiously went down the staircase, and bumped right into Alumniera. The older girl immediately clutched him to her chest, crying into his hair. " Oh Mokuba...I thought..." He pushed himself away from his friend, embarrassed and confused at the same time. He spotted Yugi in the background, shooting him a look that asked, ' What's up with HER?' Yugi's face drew a blank as he reflected on what happened...
******Flashback******
" Something...has happened...to Kaiba..." her breath came in uneven and sharp, her body shaking hard." Alumniera? Alumniera!" Yami had transformed back to Yugi. She stood up. " We have to go see if he's there," she murmured, her hands trembling. With that, she dragged Yugi out the door and back to the ivory-colored limo. As they entered the building, Alumniera gave a deep nod to the receptionist. He immediately buzzed open the door. They rode up in the elevator, and quickly entered Kaiba's personal office (no one stopped them, because the secretary had gone home with hysterics). Everything was in its place, Yugi noted, except for that plug in the wall-" His project," Alumniera murmured. " Where is it?" Yugi turned to the thirteen-year old. She was silent, her eyes widening at a spot on the ground. A dark, reddish tint on the ground. Blood.
******End Flashback******'
Seto Kaiba woke up woozily to see the face of his former employee. One of the Big Five, to be more specific. " Thant," he sneered. " Kaiba," the other man gave a fake smile as his oily voice interrupted the silence in the room. " What the **** do you want?" His opposition's eyes gleamed. " Oh, I don't want anything. Just a little something called revenge." The fifteen-year old genius scoffed. " Your attempts so far have been feeble." " Not when I trap your mind in there." He pointed to the VirtualPod, smirking. Kaiba snorted. " Leave me in Utopia? What a wonderful idea, let's all go on vacation." Thant gave a short, maniacal laugh. " Not when everything is reversed-it'll be your living nightmare. And you won't know how to get out of it."
Thalia looked into the screen, which was flashing neon green. PLEASE INPUT IDEA OF UTOPIA IN YOUR MIND. PROCESSING... It was moments later when she arrived on an island. A deserted island, with a jungle, a stream, and rocks made of amythest and aquamarine and any other kind of mineral-all next to a shining turquoise sea on the oncoming of the sunset. Thalia sighed, her hard facade melting away slowly. All she had ever wanted-was to be alone. Alone, without the counselors and the language instructors. Alone, without the books and the homework. Just alone. She let the lapping waves brush her toes; let the cool breeze rush through her hair. Until the landscape began to change.
" You've tried that already. It won't work." Seto Kaiba put on a mask of ridicule. Thant looked smug. " There's only one more prototype connected to this one, and if by chance anyone gets into that certain special machine, you still won't be able to get out, because you don't even know how." Seto glared. They had shoved him in the VirtualPod moments before, and the metal cuffs binding him down to the chair shot around his wrists so quickly he didn't have time to react. If he could just get out of it, he could break Thant's nose in five seconds flat. " Well, Kaiba, say goodbye to the world..." The helmet clunked over his head.