6. Proof of Life

Ransom Video

14. Die a Hero or Live Long Enough to Become a Villain

It had been a peaceful but busy day for Akiza, filled with online classes and a few breaks to communicate with her friends. Now she leaned back and sighed, slowly moving her headband off of her head. It was late and definitely time for bed. Tomorrow would start it all over again. Learning to be a doctor was exhausting, but satisfying.

Her instant messenger program came to life with a message from an unfamiliar account.

Hello, Akiza.

She sat up straight with a frown. She didn't recognize the sender at all. That was a highly familiar and unappreciated greeting. It was tempting to dismiss it as a spammer, but something gave her pause before she blocked them. She started to type back.

Who are you?

The response was no more satisfying.

I just wanted to show you something.

A video popped up on the screen, showing Kalin and Radley wandering a darkened hall in some sort of old building. Every now and then, what looked like an orb flew past.

Akiza leaned forward in stunned shock. What were they doing there? And where was there? It looked familiar, like the Arcadia Movement's headquarters. But it couldn't be there; that building had been destroyed during the Dark Signer madness. Still, she had a very bad feeling as she started to type her reply.

What's going on? Are they okay?

Kalin suddenly stiffened, his eyes going blank before darkening in a highly unsetting manner. He turned on Radley with an expression of utter hatred.

Radley froze, staring at Kalin in shock and definite hurt. "Kalin . . . what's wrong? Did one of the ghosts get to you anyway?!"

Kalin seized Radley's wrists and slammed him back against the wall. "I told you I wouldn't tolerate anything more from you, Sayer!" he snarled. "You killed him! Right in front of me, you killed him!"

"Sayer?! Kalin, it's me!" Radley cried. He struggled to pull out of Kalin's iron grasp. "Don't you recognize me?!"

Akiza, still watching the video feed, had gone sheet-white. Sayer. . . . Was it possible? Was he tormenting her friends? Was he the one sending her this horrible video? That would make sense as to why it looked like one of the Arcadia Movement's buildings, but . . .

Sayer, is this you?! What are you doing to them?! Let them go!

She kept her hands on the keyboard after she finished typing. They were growing clammier by the minute as she waited for a reply. Instead, she was treated to the scene she was watching growing even worse.

"I've had it with your tricks!" Kalin threw Radley to the floor and straddled him, pressing him into the hard tiles unbearably.

Radley clenched his teeth in pain. "Kalin, this isn't a trick!" he protested. "It's really me!" He reached up, grabbing Kalin's wrist. "Please . . . you have to believe me!"

Tears pricked Akiza's eyes as she could only watch, helpless to interfere. Whatever spell Sayer had put Kalin under was not easily breaking. Kalin did not recognize Radley and wrenched his hand away before shoving him hard. Radley's head snapped back, hitting against the wall.

Akiza covered her mouth with a shaking hand. "Kalin, stop it!" she screamed, even though she had very little hope that he could hear her as she could hear them. "It's Radley, not Sayer! You'll never forgive yourself!"

Dazed and hurt, Radley could do little against Kalin's assault as long as he was pinned to the floor on his stomach. But he still tried to turn onto his side enough to give him the right leverage to push Kalin back without hurting him.

"What is this?!" he cried in despair. "Why can't Kalin recognize me?! What are you doing to him?!"

Sayer finally stepped out into the video, wearing the trenchcoat and fedora he'd had when Akiza had seen him last. His hands were in his pockets and he seemed entirely unconcerned by the cruel scene in front of him. "Kalin can't recognize you because he's under my power," he said. "If his were better developed, he could easily break free. As it is, he is completely susceptible to the illusion that you are laying hurt and I am responsible. And since he thinks you're me, I'm afraid his rage against you will know no bounds."

"That's barbaric!" Radley snarled. "Kalin, don't fall for this! You'll be the one hurting me! You've gotta snap out of it!"

"Shut up!" Kalin retorted. He stood, pulling Radley up with him and lifting him high into the air.

This time Radley laid his hands gently on Kalin's hands instead of trying to pull free. "Kalin, would Sayer know about things only the two of us knew?" he pleaded. "Things like . . . the night when we both almost fell out of bed for lack of space? Or when I comforted you after you woke up devastated about an incident from the past? I was playing a game about how many of the seven sins and virtues we had and you didn't think I was kind or charitible." He hated to bring it up, but it was definitely something only they knew. He hoped that would help.

Kalin looked pained by the reminder, but otherwise unmoved. "How do I know what you could find out by probing someone's mind?" he growled.

Radley sighed, heavily. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Okay, so that won't work. But Kalin . . . if there's any chance that I'm telling the truth and you're under his spell right now, isn't it worth making sure before you just viciously beat me up?"

Kalin hesitated for a long moment. But then, at last, he lowered Radley back to the floor. "I don't know how to make sure," he rasped. "I saw Radley fall to the floor. You were right behind him, sneering, holding that rotten taser in your hand! You electrocuted him!"

"It wasn't me," Radley said softly. "I'm here." He moved closer to Kalin. "Just think a minute. What does your heart tell you about who I am?"

"Get away from me!" Kalin snapped, shoving Radley into the wall again. But as he did, he froze again. Something was taking hold, pricking . . . pricking. . . . It really didn't feel like Sayer's presence with him. It felt warm and good and familiar. It felt like . . .

". . . Radley?" he whispered.

Radley managed a shaky smile. "Yeah," he said. "It's me."

It was like multi-faceted glass shattered and fell away from in front of Kalin's eyes. It was Radley he was pinning to the wall. Sayer was off to the side, observing, and the ghosts . . . they were circling the entire scene.

Kalin jerked his hand away from Radley with a cry of agony. "I hurt you!" he said in grief. "I might have killed you if you hadn't got through to me!" He sank to his knees, digging his fingers into the floor. "I'm not worthy to even be around you!"

"Hey." Radley slowly knelt down too. "Kalin, you were under Sayer's power. You can't be blamed for any of this. You thought Sayer killed me and that I was him, but you broke through it before I was badly hurt! That's something to celebrate."

Kalin shook his head. "He couldn't have got me if I was stronger. He's right; I'm untrained and I need help."

"Kalin!" Radley reached out, gripping his shoulders. "We don't need any help from that crumb. If you wanna figure out how to use your powers better, we'll find another way. But honestly, you didn't even use them now, did you? That had nothing to do with how you were able to break through what Sayer was doing to you!"

Kalin paused, really thinking about that. ". . . You're right," he said. "It was just in doing what you said to do. I listened . . . and I felt you there."

Radley smiled. "You're just fine the way you are. It's how we care about each other that's the real power. I don't care how cheesy that sounds. It was that caring that activated your powers . . . but it was also that caring that did good all on its own, no supernatural force needed. As long as we've got that, we're fine."

Now overcome, Kalin just hugged Radley close. Radley smiled, returning it.

Sayer's lip curled in disgusted frustration. "I'm really going to have to do something about that guy for real," he said. "If Kalin doesn't stay interested in using his powers, everything falls apart."

"Well, good!" Akiza snapped. "It should be Kalin's choice what to do about his powers, not yours!"

Finally Sayer looked up, focusing on Akiza's image and words from a holographic screen on his side of the communication. "You're still here, Akiza? You've witnessed quite a show, albeit not the one I wanted to put on."

"I saw something much better," Akiza said.

"Oh yes, Yusei got you all gung-ho about the power of friendship too, didn't he?" Sayer sneered. "It was because of him I lost my star pupil."

"And I'll always be grateful to him for that," Akiza said. "Yusei gave me my life back . . . just like Radley is doing for Kalin now.

"Why did you send me this footage, Sayer? Why did you want me to see what you're up to?"

"Well, Akiza, I'll tell you. I really had another motive altogether in taking these two. Yes, I'm interested in Kalin's powers . . . but I'm still much more interested in yours." Sayer leaned in closer to the screen. "So this is my ultimatum. Come here all alone and give yourself up in exchange for these two's freedom . . . or you'll have to witness everything else I do to them until they both break. It'll be on your conscience, and now that Yusei has taught you to have a conscience, you probably won't like that, will you?"

Akiza was ghostly pale again. To give herself up . . . to be Sayer's pawn again. . . . She would rather be dead. But . . . to watch him put innocent people through Hell like this over and over . . . people that she cared about . . . she couldn't do that either. She would have to pretend to play along and find a way to bring Sayer down, for all of their sakes. Otherwise, even if they got free, he might try this again later with someone else.

". . . Alright," she said at last. "Where are they?"

"Oh, it won't be that easy," Sayer said. "I'm going to feed you a clue at a time to try to prevent any silly rescue attempts by you and Yusei and whoever else. You'll have to be at each location by a precise time, and you'll have to show that you are clearly alone before I give you the next piece."

"Fine!" Akiza snapped. "Where's the first location?"

"Come to the legendary Emo monument in the old cemetery in exactly twenty minutes," Sayer said. "I'll call you then. And Akiza, I'll know if you try to contact anyone else about this. Don't do it if you value your friends' lives."

Akiza was already getting up from her computer. "I'll be there."

She had no idea how she was going to make this work. She only knew she had to.

"Hang in there, guys," she whispered. "I'm coming."