Notes: As always, people, it's friendship ^_^
Yami Bakura growled angrily. "Now see here, foolish mortal! You've done enough to this boy already! I am the only one who can control his fate!"
The man only sneered. "He's on his own now. He betrayed me when he took over the ship without my permission and blocked me out; I'm not controlling him anymore!"
"You're lying," Yami Bakura snapped. "You don't know Bakura like I know him. He is the most ridiculously innocent boy I have ever before encountered. It's just not in his nature to do wrong to anyone!"
Bakura, high above them both, laughed nastily. "Perhaps you don't know me as well as you thought you did, Yami." He raised the Millennium Rod over his head. "But now you shall both become my mind slaves."
"Don't be absurd!" Yami Bakura hissed.
At the same time, the man standing by raised his gun again, preparing to shoot. Angrily Yami Bakura kicked the rifle out of the man's hands and whipped out a card. "Chain energy!" he yelled, but before he could call upon the card's powers Bakura had hypnotized the man with the Rod.
"Now," the boy cried, "get him!"
Yami Bakura's eyes narrowed angrily as the man turned to face him. "You insolent cur!" he screamed at Bakura.
"I told you I'd changed," Bakura replied. "What happens to you is of no concern to me."
Yami Bakura snarled as he grabbed Bakura's mind slave and slammed him into the wall. The man grunted in pain and reached out to grab the thief by the neck. Quickly Yami Bakura restrained his opponent's wrists and twisted them painfully while he again pulled out his Chain Energy card and held it up. He didn't have time to deal with this nonsense now; he had to get up to Bakura.
After the man was tightly bound by the chains and knocked unconscious, Yami Bakura turned his attention to climbing up to the catwalk. Once again Bakura had vanished, but he couldn't have gone far. Yami Bakura was certain that he was still in the room.
"Hello, Yami."
The thief whirled around on the narrow strip. Bakura was standing at the other end, and he looked very dangerous and deadly.
****
Mokuba finally reached the end of the ventilation shaft and he looked through the grate. To his utter shock, he found that he was directly over the hijacker steering the ship. "What do I do now?" the boy worried. Could he drop in and surprise the man without endangering any of the hostages?
Suddenly there was a soft noise just outside the door. Mokuba was startled, but the hijacker didn't give any indication that he'd heard. Instead he turned some more controls and watched as the cameras refused to show what was happening in the dining room.
"What's the matter with the thing?" the man muttered, cursing angrily. Mokuba winced at the harsh language and prayed that those being held hostage were alright.
****
After getting lost down several different corridors, Marik finally found the radio room and cautiously went in. He knew he had to be extremely careful; someone might be monitoring the comings and goings in the room and see what he was trying to attempt.
To his surprise and relief, however, no security cameras were in sight. Shakily the boy sat down and picked up the microphone. "Hello? Hello?" he called into it. "Mayday! We've been hijacked!"
Before long he was able to relay his message to an operator and then to the Coast Guard. Suddenly the connection was abruptly cut off and the boy's blood ran cold. Was someone here?
Quickly he turned off the light and picked up a blunt object. No one else was present in the room this time, but Marik knew that someone might be coming if they'd somehow heard and intercepted his distress call.
Slowly he eased the door open and stared down the dark, empty hall. He could hear footsteps rapidly approaching from the other end and knew that he didn't want to get trapped in this small room with no way of escape. Quickly he fled down the hall in the opposite direction and waited in the shadows until he saw a deadly-looking man with a gun approach. When the man walked past Marik's corner, the boy struck out and hit him squarely over the head, sending him to the floor.
Now Marik stood over the man's body, his heart pounding, and cautiously took the gun from his hand. He certainly wouldn't use it, but it might help him with getting into the control booth.
****
Tea and Yugi struggled with the back door, which for some reason wasn't opening.
"It feels like it's glued shut!" Yugi cried, pushing harder.
"What could be wrong?!" Tea exclaimed.
"Maybe someone put a barrier on the other side," Yugi suggested, putting his full weight into forcing the door open.
In the meantime, Seto, Yami Yugi, and Shadi were, indeed, fighting with the hijackers.
"Mind crush!" Yami Yugi cried, sending two of them into unconsciousness while the jazz music continued to blare out.
Shadi was engaged in a fierce arm-wrestling contest with another of them as the criminal tried to use his free hand to point a rifle at his heart. Swiftly the Egyptian man grabbed the weapon with his free hand and jerked it toward him, causing the criminal to lose his balance.
Seto delivered a harsh punch to a third hijacker and then elbowed another in the ribs. He glanced toward the back of the room and saw with irritation that Tea and Yugi were still struggling with the door. Why was it taking so long?!
He couldn't ponder long on things, however, because suddenly a fifth was trying to shoot him down. With an angry growl the boy grabbed a chair and threw it at his would-be assailant, pinning him to the floor.
Ishizu was not idle herself. She was busy contending with one of the other hijackers in a fierce battle across one of the tables.
"So, you can't stand a clutter, eh?" the man said with a leering grin. "Then why don't the two of us go somewhere else and leave them to duke this thing out?" He tried to reach out and grab for her arm.
Ishizu gave him a tight smile. "I don't think so," she said smoothly, suddenly overturning the table and leaving it in the man's path. Blocking out his curses from her mind, the Egyptian woman went to assist Tea and Yugi in opening the door.
****
As Marik approached the control room, he noticed with annoyance that there was a guard at the door. Thinking quickly, he removed one of his earrings and sent it skittering across the floor. Startled, the guard looked up and walked away from his post slightly to have a better look. Instantly Marik snuck up behind him and swiftly conked him over the head. The man slumped to the floor and Marik recovered his earring before preparing to open the door.
Noiselessly the boy leaned against the wood, straining to hear any odd sounds, but all he heard was a steady stream of curse words from who was probably another hijacker. Narrowing his eyes, Marik opened the door and went in.
The man seated at the console didn't look up at first but was obviously aware of the boy's presence, for he demanded to know what was happening in the dining room.
"Oh, everything's under control, sir," Marik said smoothly.
The man abruptly whirled around. "Who are you?!" he cried angrily.
Without answering, Marik punched the man in the face, sending him sprawling. "I am someone who is very displeased with your actions," the boy hissed.
Suddenly the grate on an overhead ventilation shaft popped open and Mokuba flew out, landing on top of the console and glaring down at the hijacker.
Marik stared at the younger boy in shock. "What in Heaven's name are you doing here, Mokuba?!" he cried.
"I could ask you the same question," Mokuba said with a grin. "But now let's get this guy!!"
****
As Joey and Tristan walked down the hall with Jamie leading the way, several of the hijackers abruptly appeared in front of them sinisterly.
"Goin' somewhere, kids?" the one in the lead sneered.
"Uh oh," Tristan muttered. "I don't like the looks of this." He reached out to pull Jamie back, but the younger boy was too quick for him.
Defiantly Jamie marched right up to the leader and reached into his bag. "Where's my uncle?" he cried.
"Tough little guy, aren't you?" the man remarked, reaching for him.
"Hey!" Joey yelled, stepping in between them. "Pick on someone your own size!"
"I've gotta find my uncle!" Jamie insisted, suddenly throwing a handful of flour into the man's face. "Now where is he?!"
The man gasped and coughed as he tried to extract the powdery substance from his eyes and nose. Two of his cronies stepped forward and Joey and Tristan each grabbed one harshly.
"Punks," one of them growled, and the teens were shoved backward.
"Leave them alone!" Jamie yelled, pulling out a slingshot and loading it with Playdoh. Expertly he flung the clay at the two men, catching one of them right between the eyes and the other right in his mouth. With cries of pain (and disgust from the one who had accidentally gotten a taste of Playdoh), the men stumbled and turned away. Jamie then took the opportunity to sic chattering dentist teeth on them and turned to his new friends.
Tristan stared at him and then at the criminals, all of whom were crying out as the teeth bit them. "Man . . ." was all he could say.
"Come on!" Jamie said. "Now we run!"
"But what about them?!" Joey cried as they took off. The hijackers, furious now, were starting to follow after the three young people, their guns once again held high.
Jamie grinned. "Aw, don't worry about them. I've already got it covered." With that he took out a dangerous bottle of Elmer's Glue and poured it across the floor. Before the hijackers could stop themselves, they were all stuck fast.
"All they have to do is take their shoes off and they'll be after us again!" Tristan said.
"Hey, we'll be far away by then!" Jamie replied. "Come on! Let's get into the elevator!" He stopped short in front of the machine's doors and pressed the button. Before long the elevator had arrived and everyone scrambled in.
Tristan and Joey leaned against the walls, trying to catch their breath.
"Man, kid," Joey said, shaking his head, "you're dangerous!"
Jamie smirked. "Only to the bad guys." His expression turned worried again. "But now we have to find my uncle!"
Abruptly the elevator halted, jerking everyone forward, but the doors didn't open.
"I don't like the looks of this," Tristan said grimly. "I think someone's stopped the elevator."
Joey gulped. "Oh boy . . . that can't be good. . . ."
****
Yami Bakura stood on the catwalk with the once friendly and shy Bakura, his eyes narrowed angrily as he took a step forward. "You dolt. Look at what you've become!" the tomb raider scolded. "You're pathetic!"
"I am?" Bakura's eyes flashed. "Actually, Yami, you are the pathetic one, and soon I will defeat you!"
Yami Bakura growled. "What happened to you, Bakura? You are no longer the innocent boy I once knew." He wouldn't admit it, but he much preferred the innocent Bakura to this one.
The Rod Bakura was holding began to glow and he smirked at the old thief as he raised it. "I am tired of that role. Now I have discovered many great and terrible powers ready for the taking—and you will find out just how powerful I am as you become my next mind slave! Fitting, isn't it?"
Yami Bakura's Ring began to illuminate as well. "Fool," he hissed. "I possess a Millennium Item as well. I can block your attempts to take control of my mind."
"Perhaps so," Bakura agreed, "but not if I've . . . weakened you first."
Yami Bakura clenched his fists. "Bakura . . . I do not wish to harm you," he said quietly.
"How strange," Bakura replied flippantly. "I have no qualms about harming you." He held the Rod out in front of him and prepared his attack.
There was nothing else Yami Bakura could do. He couldn't allow the boy to go through with his assault—then he would never be able to get Bakura back to normal. A burst of energy shot out from the Ring as a defense, but the tomb robber could never have predicted what would happen next.
The Millennium Items' powers collided in midair and hovered for a moment as if trying to decide where to go. Then Bakura screamed pitifully as both forces struck him squarely in the chest. Unable to control himself, the boy pitched backward off the catwalk and to the floor far below with a sickening thud.
Yami Bakura stood numb and in shock for what seemed like an eternity afterwards, just staring blankly at the spot where the boy had been standing only a moment before. He had strived so hard to protect Bakura . . . but he had failed. Bakura had fallen captive to the dark side and now . . . now . . .
Quickly the thief made his way down from the narrow beam and knelt next to the boy's still body. Bakura breath was coming in ragged gasps and he was bleeding from a gash on his head.
Gently Yami Bakura took the boy into his arms, feeling tears welling up in his eyes. How could all this have happened to the fool? Might everything have been different if he had only not kicked Bakura out of the pool hall?
The boy stirred then, his eyes fluttering open. Yami Bakura was startled to see the soft, innocent look in them once more. "Yami?"
The thief could only stare at him speechlessly.
"Please don't cry, Yami," Bakura said softly. "You saved me! You saved me from the darkness." He smiled in his sweet way. "Thank you, Yami," he whispered as his eyes closed again.
This was too much for the old thief to handle. "No, Bakura," he cried pitifully, pulling the boy's limp body close. "No!"
Yami Bakura growled angrily. "Now see here, foolish mortal! You've done enough to this boy already! I am the only one who can control his fate!"
The man only sneered. "He's on his own now. He betrayed me when he took over the ship without my permission and blocked me out; I'm not controlling him anymore!"
"You're lying," Yami Bakura snapped. "You don't know Bakura like I know him. He is the most ridiculously innocent boy I have ever before encountered. It's just not in his nature to do wrong to anyone!"
Bakura, high above them both, laughed nastily. "Perhaps you don't know me as well as you thought you did, Yami." He raised the Millennium Rod over his head. "But now you shall both become my mind slaves."
"Don't be absurd!" Yami Bakura hissed.
At the same time, the man standing by raised his gun again, preparing to shoot. Angrily Yami Bakura kicked the rifle out of the man's hands and whipped out a card. "Chain energy!" he yelled, but before he could call upon the card's powers Bakura had hypnotized the man with the Rod.
"Now," the boy cried, "get him!"
Yami Bakura's eyes narrowed angrily as the man turned to face him. "You insolent cur!" he screamed at Bakura.
"I told you I'd changed," Bakura replied. "What happens to you is of no concern to me."
Yami Bakura snarled as he grabbed Bakura's mind slave and slammed him into the wall. The man grunted in pain and reached out to grab the thief by the neck. Quickly Yami Bakura restrained his opponent's wrists and twisted them painfully while he again pulled out his Chain Energy card and held it up. He didn't have time to deal with this nonsense now; he had to get up to Bakura.
After the man was tightly bound by the chains and knocked unconscious, Yami Bakura turned his attention to climbing up to the catwalk. Once again Bakura had vanished, but he couldn't have gone far. Yami Bakura was certain that he was still in the room.
"Hello, Yami."
The thief whirled around on the narrow strip. Bakura was standing at the other end, and he looked very dangerous and deadly.
****
Mokuba finally reached the end of the ventilation shaft and he looked through the grate. To his utter shock, he found that he was directly over the hijacker steering the ship. "What do I do now?" the boy worried. Could he drop in and surprise the man without endangering any of the hostages?
Suddenly there was a soft noise just outside the door. Mokuba was startled, but the hijacker didn't give any indication that he'd heard. Instead he turned some more controls and watched as the cameras refused to show what was happening in the dining room.
"What's the matter with the thing?" the man muttered, cursing angrily. Mokuba winced at the harsh language and prayed that those being held hostage were alright.
****
After getting lost down several different corridors, Marik finally found the radio room and cautiously went in. He knew he had to be extremely careful; someone might be monitoring the comings and goings in the room and see what he was trying to attempt.
To his surprise and relief, however, no security cameras were in sight. Shakily the boy sat down and picked up the microphone. "Hello? Hello?" he called into it. "Mayday! We've been hijacked!"
Before long he was able to relay his message to an operator and then to the Coast Guard. Suddenly the connection was abruptly cut off and the boy's blood ran cold. Was someone here?
Quickly he turned off the light and picked up a blunt object. No one else was present in the room this time, but Marik knew that someone might be coming if they'd somehow heard and intercepted his distress call.
Slowly he eased the door open and stared down the dark, empty hall. He could hear footsteps rapidly approaching from the other end and knew that he didn't want to get trapped in this small room with no way of escape. Quickly he fled down the hall in the opposite direction and waited in the shadows until he saw a deadly-looking man with a gun approach. When the man walked past Marik's corner, the boy struck out and hit him squarely over the head, sending him to the floor.
Now Marik stood over the man's body, his heart pounding, and cautiously took the gun from his hand. He certainly wouldn't use it, but it might help him with getting into the control booth.
****
Tea and Yugi struggled with the back door, which for some reason wasn't opening.
"It feels like it's glued shut!" Yugi cried, pushing harder.
"What could be wrong?!" Tea exclaimed.
"Maybe someone put a barrier on the other side," Yugi suggested, putting his full weight into forcing the door open.
In the meantime, Seto, Yami Yugi, and Shadi were, indeed, fighting with the hijackers.
"Mind crush!" Yami Yugi cried, sending two of them into unconsciousness while the jazz music continued to blare out.
Shadi was engaged in a fierce arm-wrestling contest with another of them as the criminal tried to use his free hand to point a rifle at his heart. Swiftly the Egyptian man grabbed the weapon with his free hand and jerked it toward him, causing the criminal to lose his balance.
Seto delivered a harsh punch to a third hijacker and then elbowed another in the ribs. He glanced toward the back of the room and saw with irritation that Tea and Yugi were still struggling with the door. Why was it taking so long?!
He couldn't ponder long on things, however, because suddenly a fifth was trying to shoot him down. With an angry growl the boy grabbed a chair and threw it at his would-be assailant, pinning him to the floor.
Ishizu was not idle herself. She was busy contending with one of the other hijackers in a fierce battle across one of the tables.
"So, you can't stand a clutter, eh?" the man said with a leering grin. "Then why don't the two of us go somewhere else and leave them to duke this thing out?" He tried to reach out and grab for her arm.
Ishizu gave him a tight smile. "I don't think so," she said smoothly, suddenly overturning the table and leaving it in the man's path. Blocking out his curses from her mind, the Egyptian woman went to assist Tea and Yugi in opening the door.
****
As Marik approached the control room, he noticed with annoyance that there was a guard at the door. Thinking quickly, he removed one of his earrings and sent it skittering across the floor. Startled, the guard looked up and walked away from his post slightly to have a better look. Instantly Marik snuck up behind him and swiftly conked him over the head. The man slumped to the floor and Marik recovered his earring before preparing to open the door.
Noiselessly the boy leaned against the wood, straining to hear any odd sounds, but all he heard was a steady stream of curse words from who was probably another hijacker. Narrowing his eyes, Marik opened the door and went in.
The man seated at the console didn't look up at first but was obviously aware of the boy's presence, for he demanded to know what was happening in the dining room.
"Oh, everything's under control, sir," Marik said smoothly.
The man abruptly whirled around. "Who are you?!" he cried angrily.
Without answering, Marik punched the man in the face, sending him sprawling. "I am someone who is very displeased with your actions," the boy hissed.
Suddenly the grate on an overhead ventilation shaft popped open and Mokuba flew out, landing on top of the console and glaring down at the hijacker.
Marik stared at the younger boy in shock. "What in Heaven's name are you doing here, Mokuba?!" he cried.
"I could ask you the same question," Mokuba said with a grin. "But now let's get this guy!!"
****
As Joey and Tristan walked down the hall with Jamie leading the way, several of the hijackers abruptly appeared in front of them sinisterly.
"Goin' somewhere, kids?" the one in the lead sneered.
"Uh oh," Tristan muttered. "I don't like the looks of this." He reached out to pull Jamie back, but the younger boy was too quick for him.
Defiantly Jamie marched right up to the leader and reached into his bag. "Where's my uncle?" he cried.
"Tough little guy, aren't you?" the man remarked, reaching for him.
"Hey!" Joey yelled, stepping in between them. "Pick on someone your own size!"
"I've gotta find my uncle!" Jamie insisted, suddenly throwing a handful of flour into the man's face. "Now where is he?!"
The man gasped and coughed as he tried to extract the powdery substance from his eyes and nose. Two of his cronies stepped forward and Joey and Tristan each grabbed one harshly.
"Punks," one of them growled, and the teens were shoved backward.
"Leave them alone!" Jamie yelled, pulling out a slingshot and loading it with Playdoh. Expertly he flung the clay at the two men, catching one of them right between the eyes and the other right in his mouth. With cries of pain (and disgust from the one who had accidentally gotten a taste of Playdoh), the men stumbled and turned away. Jamie then took the opportunity to sic chattering dentist teeth on them and turned to his new friends.
Tristan stared at him and then at the criminals, all of whom were crying out as the teeth bit them. "Man . . ." was all he could say.
"Come on!" Jamie said. "Now we run!"
"But what about them?!" Joey cried as they took off. The hijackers, furious now, were starting to follow after the three young people, their guns once again held high.
Jamie grinned. "Aw, don't worry about them. I've already got it covered." With that he took out a dangerous bottle of Elmer's Glue and poured it across the floor. Before the hijackers could stop themselves, they were all stuck fast.
"All they have to do is take their shoes off and they'll be after us again!" Tristan said.
"Hey, we'll be far away by then!" Jamie replied. "Come on! Let's get into the elevator!" He stopped short in front of the machine's doors and pressed the button. Before long the elevator had arrived and everyone scrambled in.
Tristan and Joey leaned against the walls, trying to catch their breath.
"Man, kid," Joey said, shaking his head, "you're dangerous!"
Jamie smirked. "Only to the bad guys." His expression turned worried again. "But now we have to find my uncle!"
Abruptly the elevator halted, jerking everyone forward, but the doors didn't open.
"I don't like the looks of this," Tristan said grimly. "I think someone's stopped the elevator."
Joey gulped. "Oh boy . . . that can't be good. . . ."
****
Yami Bakura stood on the catwalk with the once friendly and shy Bakura, his eyes narrowed angrily as he took a step forward. "You dolt. Look at what you've become!" the tomb raider scolded. "You're pathetic!"
"I am?" Bakura's eyes flashed. "Actually, Yami, you are the pathetic one, and soon I will defeat you!"
Yami Bakura growled. "What happened to you, Bakura? You are no longer the innocent boy I once knew." He wouldn't admit it, but he much preferred the innocent Bakura to this one.
The Rod Bakura was holding began to glow and he smirked at the old thief as he raised it. "I am tired of that role. Now I have discovered many great and terrible powers ready for the taking—and you will find out just how powerful I am as you become my next mind slave! Fitting, isn't it?"
Yami Bakura's Ring began to illuminate as well. "Fool," he hissed. "I possess a Millennium Item as well. I can block your attempts to take control of my mind."
"Perhaps so," Bakura agreed, "but not if I've . . . weakened you first."
Yami Bakura clenched his fists. "Bakura . . . I do not wish to harm you," he said quietly.
"How strange," Bakura replied flippantly. "I have no qualms about harming you." He held the Rod out in front of him and prepared his attack.
There was nothing else Yami Bakura could do. He couldn't allow the boy to go through with his assault—then he would never be able to get Bakura back to normal. A burst of energy shot out from the Ring as a defense, but the tomb robber could never have predicted what would happen next.
The Millennium Items' powers collided in midair and hovered for a moment as if trying to decide where to go. Then Bakura screamed pitifully as both forces struck him squarely in the chest. Unable to control himself, the boy pitched backward off the catwalk and to the floor far below with a sickening thud.
Yami Bakura stood numb and in shock for what seemed like an eternity afterwards, just staring blankly at the spot where the boy had been standing only a moment before. He had strived so hard to protect Bakura . . . but he had failed. Bakura had fallen captive to the dark side and now . . . now . . .
Quickly the thief made his way down from the narrow beam and knelt next to the boy's still body. Bakura breath was coming in ragged gasps and he was bleeding from a gash on his head.
Gently Yami Bakura took the boy into his arms, feeling tears welling up in his eyes. How could all this have happened to the fool? Might everything have been different if he had only not kicked Bakura out of the pool hall?
The boy stirred then, his eyes fluttering open. Yami Bakura was startled to see the soft, innocent look in them once more. "Yami?"
The thief could only stare at him speechlessly.
"Please don't cry, Yami," Bakura said softly. "You saved me! You saved me from the darkness." He smiled in his sweet way. "Thank you, Yami," he whispered as his eyes closed again.
This was too much for the old thief to handle. "No, Bakura," he cried pitifully, pulling the boy's limp body close. "No!"