Seto brought the limo to an abrupt, sudden halt, sending all of his passengers pitching forward and startling them.
"Kaiba! What the heck's wrong with you?!" Joey blurted out in anger as he was knocked hard against the inside of the door. "You're a maniac!"
"Joey!" Tea scolded. "He's hurting. Don't you realize that?"
Kaiba wasn't even listening to any of them. He had heard Mokuba's sweet voice in his mind, and then had felt a sharp pain—more pronounced this time. "Mokuba," he whispered, tears in his eyes. "Mokuba, no!"
Joey was subdued. "Kaiba . . . hey, I'm sorry, man," he said softly. "But hey, we'll find Mokuba," he tried to say.
Seto shook his head. He didn't even know if Mokuba was alive anymore. The feeling that his brother might be dead was more insistent.
"Kaiba, you need a break," Joey said kindly. "Why don't you let me drive?"
Seto snapped back to reality. "No. No, I can drive," he asserted, starting the engine again. "Mokuba, please don't be dead!" he whispered, sending a heartfelt plea up to Heaven.
****
As it turned out, once they got to Bayville Falls, Byrnes' house was easy to find—but it wasn't going to be as easy to get in.
Joey groaned, observing all the guards, the electricity-charged fence, and the other numerous alarms. "How the heck are we gonna get inside?!"
Seto was wondering this himself, but then he spotted a large van pulling up to the gate and pausing for it to open. "Through there," he ordered. Without waiting to hear protests, he got out of the limo and crept over. His brother's life was at stake, and there was no way he was going to miss this chance at getting in where Mokuba was most likely being held prisoner.
Soon the others joined him and Seto silently opened the back door.
As they climbed in, the teens heard someone around front say, "Didn't you close that door?!"
Seto, who was the last one in, quickly pulled the door shut behind him.
"Yeah, I closed it," a second voice replied. "See? It's shut!"
After a bit of muttering from the first guy, the van started moving forward and onto the grounds.
"What's in these crates?" Tea wondered, curiously lifting the lid of one. She gasped at the sight of many crystal-like gems. "More diamonds!" she cried.
"Diamonds?!" Joey gasped. "Again?!"
After examining some more crates, the teens concluded that every one of them was full of diamonds—making one more puzzling twist. This seemed too coincidental to not be related to the other mystery. Had Maureen—who had been taken into custody by Gabrielle—been telling the whole truth about things earlier, or was she really working with Byrnes and Del Vinci?
Seto, of course, couldn't care less about the diamonds. All he wanted was to find Mokuba before it was too late . . . if it wasn't already.
The van stopped and Seto and Yugi looked out through the window in the door.
"Those men will be coming to get these crates," Yugi remarked.
"Be ready to clobber them," Seto directed, his eyes narrowed.
Sure enough, before long the two men came over and proceeded to open the doors. Instantly Seto, Yugi, Joey, and Tristan struck out at them, delivering knockout punches.
After pulling the men up into the van, the teens all climbed out and headed for the front door of the mansion. "When we get inside, we should all split up," Seto decided. The whole group would be noticed instantly, but individually or paired off they'd have a better chance of staying hidden.
There didn't seem to be anyone guarding the door, and the seven teens made it through easily. Yami Yugi appeared in his separate form, and everyone split into groups of two.
No one noticed the little form darting in after them.
****
"Man, the whole state's Mafia must be here!" Joey cried in frustration, staring at all the dark-suited men walking down the halls.
"Chill," Tristan said, rolling his eyes. "It's probably just Byrnes' and Del Vinci's goons."
"And that's not bad?!" Joey exclaimed.
"Just lay low and keep calm and we should be fine," Tristan replied, dragging Joey down another corridor. "And keep a lookout for any sign of Mokuba and that girl's parents."
"How about a lookout for them?!" Joey said suddenly, pointing to a couple of hitmen who had just taken notice of them.
"Hey!! Come back here, you two!!" one of them screamed angrily.
"Run for it!!" Tristan yelled, freaking out. He and Joey dashed down the hall.
****
Bakura led Mai down through the large dining room, glancing around furtively.
"If Byrnes has prisoners in here, I'm sure he wouldn't leave them in plain sight," Mai remarked sardonically.
"He wouldn't," Bakura agreed. "I'm trying to find the entrance to the basement!"
"So'm I," their little stalker agreed fervently, leaning forward and accidentally knocking an apple off the table.
The two teens whirled around. "Oh my! What was that?" Bakura gasped.
"Probably nothing," Mai shrugged when they couldn't see anything, but she was, admittedy, a bit nervous. She had the feeling that they were being followed, as did Bakura. "Let's try over here," Mai suggested now, opening the door leading into the drawing room. Bakura followed, realizing that they'd just barely avoided being spotted by two hitmen patrolling the hall.
****
Yugi had found a secret tunnel and was wandering down through it with his Yami.
"Yugi, be careful," Yami Yugi warned. "I sense approaching danger."
Suddenly several violent-looking men appeared in front of them. "I don't remember lettin' you two in here," one growled.
"And why not?" Yami Yugi said evenly. "Surely you can't have a remembrance of everyone your boss invites."
"Wait just a minute," a second one sneered. "I think I've seen your mugs before—on Del Vinci's wanted list!" He raised his gun.
"That's right," the first agreed. "Now I remember that too! Say your prayers!"
Yugi's eyes went wide as every gun was suddenly trained on him and his Yami. How would they ever get out of this?
****
Tea ran down the hall alongside Seto. She knew the boy was feeling frantic and she didn't blame him in the least. She felt quite worried herself. What if Mokuba was . . . dead? No, she couldn't think like that!
"Hold it right here, Kaiba!"
Seto stopped, motioning for Tea to do the same.
"You're at the top of our boss's wanted list," an assassin said, smirking. "You and your girlfriend! So I think I'll just let the both of you die together!"
"She is *not* my girlfriend," Seto growled, "but you're not going to get rid of either of us!"
"I'm not?" The man raised his gun. "Just watch me!"
"Kaiba, what are you going to do?" Tea cried.
"This." Seto kicked out and knocked a huge crystal statue into the assassin's path. "Run for it, Tea!" he ordered, following after her quickly.
Tea had been running for some time when she realized that Seto was no longer with her, and she stopped dead in her tracks. Where was he? Had he been shot? Looking back down the hall, Tea couldn't see anything, and she knew she hadn't heard a gun go off. "Kaiba? Where are you?" she called, but didn't receive an answer. She took off running again, knowing that she had to find him and the others.
Suddenly a sneering figure appeared in front of her. "Tea, my sweet," he said, his eyes lighting up evilly. "I meet you at last!"
Tea gasped, backing up. There was nowhere to run. What would she do?
****
Seto found himself in the den. He didn't know where Tea had gone, but he hoped she was safe. Looking around the room, he noticed a vault in the corner. Was Mokuba inside?
After locking himself in the room, Seto ran over and pulled on the vault's door. It was locked. "Mokuba, are you in there?" he called frantically, and didn't receive an answer.
Seto felt sick. How would he get in? "Please," he prayed, "if Mokuba is in there, help me get to him!"
He looked around the room for anything that looked like the combination numbers, but he didn't have any success and he knew he was wasting valuable time.
Try unlocking it.
Seto paused, blinking. There was no one around; who had said that?
Seto, try unlocking it.
There it was again, more forcefully this time. And Seto knew that it was his only hope.
He leaned up against the safe and slowly turned the tumbler. Click. Was that the first one? Seto thought it was. He concentrated hard. He had to get Mokuba out of there! Click. The second one.
Again he turned the knob slowly. This time he didn't hear a click. What if he couldn't get this opened? No, he couldn't doubt himself now. He tried again. The third click.
Mokuba, please hang in there! Seto said silently. The final click. Seto backed away and again took hold of the handle. This time the door swung open. Seto didn't know how long it had taken him to get the safe unlocked, but it seemed like an eternity. He stared into the darkness. "Mokuba! Mokuba, are you in here?"
At first he didn't see anything, but as Seto walked into the vault and looked around he caught sight of what he had prayed many a time to never have to see—his brother's small body laying on the floor, motionless. Seto's heart caught in his throat.
"No! No!" He rushed forward and dropped to his knees, gathering Mokuba's innocent little form in his arms. "Please, God, no!"
Mokuba lay silent and still, a bluish cast to his face. In his hand he tightly clutched his locket.
Seto brushed the bangs out of the little boy's closed eyes. "Mokuba," he said, his voice cracking, "I'm here, little brother! I . . . I came for you!"
Mokuba didn't move, his small body remaining limp and lifeless. Seto could see he wasn't breathing.
"No," the older boy cried. He laid Mokuba on the floor and bent over him. This couldn't be happening! Mokuba was so innocent . . . so good . . . so self-sacrificing. He couldn't be dead! He didn't deserve this! Frantically Seto performed artificial respiration, trying to revive his brother, but he didn't get a response.
Again Seto took the younger boy into his arms. He had hardly ever cried, but the tears fell freely now. He had failed his brother. He was too late. Mokuba was dead.
"Kaiba! What the heck's wrong with you?!" Joey blurted out in anger as he was knocked hard against the inside of the door. "You're a maniac!"
"Joey!" Tea scolded. "He's hurting. Don't you realize that?"
Kaiba wasn't even listening to any of them. He had heard Mokuba's sweet voice in his mind, and then had felt a sharp pain—more pronounced this time. "Mokuba," he whispered, tears in his eyes. "Mokuba, no!"
Joey was subdued. "Kaiba . . . hey, I'm sorry, man," he said softly. "But hey, we'll find Mokuba," he tried to say.
Seto shook his head. He didn't even know if Mokuba was alive anymore. The feeling that his brother might be dead was more insistent.
"Kaiba, you need a break," Joey said kindly. "Why don't you let me drive?"
Seto snapped back to reality. "No. No, I can drive," he asserted, starting the engine again. "Mokuba, please don't be dead!" he whispered, sending a heartfelt plea up to Heaven.
****
As it turned out, once they got to Bayville Falls, Byrnes' house was easy to find—but it wasn't going to be as easy to get in.
Joey groaned, observing all the guards, the electricity-charged fence, and the other numerous alarms. "How the heck are we gonna get inside?!"
Seto was wondering this himself, but then he spotted a large van pulling up to the gate and pausing for it to open. "Through there," he ordered. Without waiting to hear protests, he got out of the limo and crept over. His brother's life was at stake, and there was no way he was going to miss this chance at getting in where Mokuba was most likely being held prisoner.
Soon the others joined him and Seto silently opened the back door.
As they climbed in, the teens heard someone around front say, "Didn't you close that door?!"
Seto, who was the last one in, quickly pulled the door shut behind him.
"Yeah, I closed it," a second voice replied. "See? It's shut!"
After a bit of muttering from the first guy, the van started moving forward and onto the grounds.
"What's in these crates?" Tea wondered, curiously lifting the lid of one. She gasped at the sight of many crystal-like gems. "More diamonds!" she cried.
"Diamonds?!" Joey gasped. "Again?!"
After examining some more crates, the teens concluded that every one of them was full of diamonds—making one more puzzling twist. This seemed too coincidental to not be related to the other mystery. Had Maureen—who had been taken into custody by Gabrielle—been telling the whole truth about things earlier, or was she really working with Byrnes and Del Vinci?
Seto, of course, couldn't care less about the diamonds. All he wanted was to find Mokuba before it was too late . . . if it wasn't already.
The van stopped and Seto and Yugi looked out through the window in the door.
"Those men will be coming to get these crates," Yugi remarked.
"Be ready to clobber them," Seto directed, his eyes narrowed.
Sure enough, before long the two men came over and proceeded to open the doors. Instantly Seto, Yugi, Joey, and Tristan struck out at them, delivering knockout punches.
After pulling the men up into the van, the teens all climbed out and headed for the front door of the mansion. "When we get inside, we should all split up," Seto decided. The whole group would be noticed instantly, but individually or paired off they'd have a better chance of staying hidden.
There didn't seem to be anyone guarding the door, and the seven teens made it through easily. Yami Yugi appeared in his separate form, and everyone split into groups of two.
No one noticed the little form darting in after them.
****
"Man, the whole state's Mafia must be here!" Joey cried in frustration, staring at all the dark-suited men walking down the halls.
"Chill," Tristan said, rolling his eyes. "It's probably just Byrnes' and Del Vinci's goons."
"And that's not bad?!" Joey exclaimed.
"Just lay low and keep calm and we should be fine," Tristan replied, dragging Joey down another corridor. "And keep a lookout for any sign of Mokuba and that girl's parents."
"How about a lookout for them?!" Joey said suddenly, pointing to a couple of hitmen who had just taken notice of them.
"Hey!! Come back here, you two!!" one of them screamed angrily.
"Run for it!!" Tristan yelled, freaking out. He and Joey dashed down the hall.
****
Bakura led Mai down through the large dining room, glancing around furtively.
"If Byrnes has prisoners in here, I'm sure he wouldn't leave them in plain sight," Mai remarked sardonically.
"He wouldn't," Bakura agreed. "I'm trying to find the entrance to the basement!"
"So'm I," their little stalker agreed fervently, leaning forward and accidentally knocking an apple off the table.
The two teens whirled around. "Oh my! What was that?" Bakura gasped.
"Probably nothing," Mai shrugged when they couldn't see anything, but she was, admittedy, a bit nervous. She had the feeling that they were being followed, as did Bakura. "Let's try over here," Mai suggested now, opening the door leading into the drawing room. Bakura followed, realizing that they'd just barely avoided being spotted by two hitmen patrolling the hall.
****
Yugi had found a secret tunnel and was wandering down through it with his Yami.
"Yugi, be careful," Yami Yugi warned. "I sense approaching danger."
Suddenly several violent-looking men appeared in front of them. "I don't remember lettin' you two in here," one growled.
"And why not?" Yami Yugi said evenly. "Surely you can't have a remembrance of everyone your boss invites."
"Wait just a minute," a second one sneered. "I think I've seen your mugs before—on Del Vinci's wanted list!" He raised his gun.
"That's right," the first agreed. "Now I remember that too! Say your prayers!"
Yugi's eyes went wide as every gun was suddenly trained on him and his Yami. How would they ever get out of this?
****
Tea ran down the hall alongside Seto. She knew the boy was feeling frantic and she didn't blame him in the least. She felt quite worried herself. What if Mokuba was . . . dead? No, she couldn't think like that!
"Hold it right here, Kaiba!"
Seto stopped, motioning for Tea to do the same.
"You're at the top of our boss's wanted list," an assassin said, smirking. "You and your girlfriend! So I think I'll just let the both of you die together!"
"She is *not* my girlfriend," Seto growled, "but you're not going to get rid of either of us!"
"I'm not?" The man raised his gun. "Just watch me!"
"Kaiba, what are you going to do?" Tea cried.
"This." Seto kicked out and knocked a huge crystal statue into the assassin's path. "Run for it, Tea!" he ordered, following after her quickly.
Tea had been running for some time when she realized that Seto was no longer with her, and she stopped dead in her tracks. Where was he? Had he been shot? Looking back down the hall, Tea couldn't see anything, and she knew she hadn't heard a gun go off. "Kaiba? Where are you?" she called, but didn't receive an answer. She took off running again, knowing that she had to find him and the others.
Suddenly a sneering figure appeared in front of her. "Tea, my sweet," he said, his eyes lighting up evilly. "I meet you at last!"
Tea gasped, backing up. There was nowhere to run. What would she do?
****
Seto found himself in the den. He didn't know where Tea had gone, but he hoped she was safe. Looking around the room, he noticed a vault in the corner. Was Mokuba inside?
After locking himself in the room, Seto ran over and pulled on the vault's door. It was locked. "Mokuba, are you in there?" he called frantically, and didn't receive an answer.
Seto felt sick. How would he get in? "Please," he prayed, "if Mokuba is in there, help me get to him!"
He looked around the room for anything that looked like the combination numbers, but he didn't have any success and he knew he was wasting valuable time.
Try unlocking it.
Seto paused, blinking. There was no one around; who had said that?
Seto, try unlocking it.
There it was again, more forcefully this time. And Seto knew that it was his only hope.
He leaned up against the safe and slowly turned the tumbler. Click. Was that the first one? Seto thought it was. He concentrated hard. He had to get Mokuba out of there! Click. The second one.
Again he turned the knob slowly. This time he didn't hear a click. What if he couldn't get this opened? No, he couldn't doubt himself now. He tried again. The third click.
Mokuba, please hang in there! Seto said silently. The final click. Seto backed away and again took hold of the handle. This time the door swung open. Seto didn't know how long it had taken him to get the safe unlocked, but it seemed like an eternity. He stared into the darkness. "Mokuba! Mokuba, are you in here?"
At first he didn't see anything, but as Seto walked into the vault and looked around he caught sight of what he had prayed many a time to never have to see—his brother's small body laying on the floor, motionless. Seto's heart caught in his throat.
"No! No!" He rushed forward and dropped to his knees, gathering Mokuba's innocent little form in his arms. "Please, God, no!"
Mokuba lay silent and still, a bluish cast to his face. In his hand he tightly clutched his locket.
Seto brushed the bangs out of the little boy's closed eyes. "Mokuba," he said, his voice cracking, "I'm here, little brother! I . . . I came for you!"
Mokuba didn't move, his small body remaining limp and lifeless. Seto could see he wasn't breathing.
"No," the older boy cried. He laid Mokuba on the floor and bent over him. This couldn't be happening! Mokuba was so innocent . . . so good . . . so self-sacrificing. He couldn't be dead! He didn't deserve this! Frantically Seto performed artificial respiration, trying to revive his brother, but he didn't get a response.
Again Seto took the younger boy into his arms. He had hardly ever cried, but the tears fell freely now. He had failed his brother. He was too late. Mokuba was dead.