Chapter Five- The First Rescue
Yugi looked around the darkening streets. "Which way did they go?" He looked at Mokuba.
"I'm not sure. We should go to the school, and start from there. They snatched her from there." Mokuba pulled the coat Marty had given him around himself tighter. "It's this way." He led the other two towards Marty's school.
"Yugi. What do you think the chances of us saving this girl are?" Seto looked at his arch rival.
"I don't know. I don't know what kind of people we're dealing with. Why?" Yugi had just been wondering that himself.
"Mokuba can't expect us to be able to pull this off."
"He does, or he wouldn't have called us, Kaiba." Yugi sighed. Seto's little brother thought the world of them, and it was plain to see that Mokuba expected them to help this girl, whoever she was, and get her out.
"There it is! Boy…it sure looked a lot less scary in the daytime." Mokuba hesitated before crossing to the sidewalk in front of the school. He waited for Yugi and his older brother to follow.
"Kaiba. One of us should tell him there might not be a chance." Yugi's violet eyes were full of uncertainty.
"No. Mokuba won't understand that concept, not after what we've been through. If he thinks we can do this, Yugi, we must do our best to help the girl." Seto crossed the street to Mokuba, leaving Yugi to ponder this.
"I think I found something." Mokuba held up a card to Seto. "Do you think this will help?"
"It's smudged, but I think I can make out some of it. I need more light." Seto moved into the street lamp's glowing path, to read.
Mokuba followed. "Well, what does it say?"
"Hold on, Mokuba." Seto narrowed his eyes at the smudged lettering, willing it to make sense.
Soon, Yugi had joined them. "What's that, Mokuba?"
"It's a card I found. I think it fell out of the kidnapper's jacket. They were suits. Big guys." Mokuba shuddered at the memory. "They were bigger than Pegasus' people!"
"Whoa." Yugi's eyes widened. "How are we supposed to beat them?!"
"We've got a slight advantage. We're invisible." Mokuba grinned.
Seto sighed then. "It's no use. I can't figure it out. It's all smudged, Mokuba."
"That card is our only clue, Seto! We have to figure it out!"
Seeing the look of disappointment on his brother's face, Seto reluctantly turned to Yugi. "Do you think you can try? I hate seeing him like that."
"I can try." Yugi took the card. Yami. I need your help.
What is it? The spirit within his millennium puzzle seemed instantly alert.
We're trying to help a girl who's been kidnapped. She's a friend of Mokuba's. Our only clue is this card, but it's been smudged. Yugi waited patiently for the spirit to answer back.
Hang on, Yugi. In a flash of light, Yami stood beside his hikari. "Let me see the card."
Seto looked at Yugi, then the transparent spirit. "Can he do it, Yugi? I mean, you couldn't."
"I have faith in Yami." Yugi smiled at his yami, with the adoration of a younger brother.
Yami didn't seem to notice the group now. All his focus was bent on deciphering the smudged letters on the card. "It says Cunningham."
"Cunningham? Is there an address?" Mokuba suddenly became alert from his place on the curb.
"Only a street name. Mckennil." Yami handed the card back to Yugi. "Would you mind if I followed you?"
"Not at all,Yami. We might need you again later."
Seto looked at them, and shook his head. If he'd had his way, his brother and him would do this alone. "Let's get moving. I haven't got all night."
Mokuba was at his older brother's side again. "How are we going to find Mckennil street?"
"I don't know, Mokuba. I just don't know." Seto was starting to lose hope with this whole thing.
"Why not try the way the car drove off with her?" Yami suggested.
"Great idea, Yami!" Yugi looked down at Mokuba. "Which way did they take her?"
Mokuba thought for a minute or two. "That way!" He pointed East. "Come on, you guys!" He ran down the sidewalk urgently.
"I get the feeling he's run into these people before. They must be dangerous." Yami commented to Yugi.
"I know. Mokuba! Wait for us!" Yugi ran to catch up with the little boy, Seto not too far behind him.
"Mokuba, I don't think it's safe for you to be wandering around in this world alone. We don't know it." Yugi spoke quietly.
"I did earlier. It's not too much different from ours, Yugi." He looked up at the street signs. "None of these are our target. Maybe it's down a little farther."
"Maybe we should find a map or something." Seto said, when he finally caught up to them.
"Where are we going to get a map, Kaiba? We're invisible, remember?" Yami pointed out.
"It was only a suggestion." Seto snapped at the spirit.
"Oh! right." Mokuba said to his older brother. "I can't believe I forgot!" He slid his pack off, and rummaged through it.
"What are you looking for? This isn't the time for toys!" Yugi exclaimed.
Mokuba looked offended. "I'm looking for the map I packed for us, Yugi. Martina and I were going to leave town before she got captured." He smiled then, and produced the large map. "Here it is."
Seto took the map, and smiled. "Mokuba, I'm really proud of you." He opened it, and tried to figure where they were, and how far they had to go.
"Get up, Little Girl." A rough hand shook Martina from her sleep.
"Huhm?" She wiped her eyes sleepily. "What's going on?"
"The boss wants ta see you." He jerked her to her feet, and led her up the basement stairs.
"Ow!" She cried out, as she was thrust into metal folding chair.
"Stay there." The muscular man growled, before leaving the room.
Martina looked around the room she was in. It was as plain as General's interrogation room had been, except there was a stove, and a mini fridge. She looked at the floor, when she heard the footsteps of General coming towards her.
"Are you ready to talk?" General's cruel voice snapped her to attention now.
"I've told you. I'm not going to tell you where it is! It's ours!"
General hauled off and slapped her again, this time, sending his captive sprawling to the floor. "My patience is wearing thin, little girl. Where's the Jewel?!"
"I won't tell you!" She shot back, wiping the blood from her bottom lip. "EVER!"
"You will tell me, or you will regret it!" He yanked Martina up, and shook her. "I've killed before, you know. You know who it was I killed, don't you?" His lower lip curled into a cruel smile. "Killing you won't mean too much to me."
Martina's eyes widened in fear. For a minute, she almost wanted to give in. Instead, she spit in his eye, forcing him to drop her. In that instant, she ran. I'll never tell him, Mama. If I have to die,I'll never tell him! She thought frantically, as she dodged his guards. She made her way to the main doors.
"You fools! The little brat is getting away!" General crashed through the kitchen door towards the entrance hall. He raced into the main hall. "Martina! If you go out those doors,I will kill your sister, here and now!"
The girl turned and looked at General. She couldn't tell if he was bluffing or not. I'm sorry,Cloris. She thought as she slammed out the doors, trying to ignore the footsteps that were behind her. She ran as fast as she could,stumbling over her own feet.
"There! Seto,it's right there!" Mokuba pointed across the street at the large estate.
"Looks like there's a ruckus going on too. Come on!" Yami and Yugi crossed the street, the Kaiba brothers close behind.
The group stopped,and watched the action. Martina had appearently managed to get out alone.
"I don't believe it! She did it!" Mokuba beamed proudly, as Martina bolted towards the group.
"Mokuba! You did come for me!" The girl was crying in joy,and fear at the same time, as she embraced her friend.
"Yes, and I brought reinforcements." He gestured to Seto,Yugi, and Yami.
"You used the fountain,didn't you?!"
Before Mokuba could answer, two of General's thugs came towards the little girl. "Come on,Little Girl….we promise not to hurt you…."
"Never!" She pushed past Yami and Yugi, and out of the gates.
Yugi and Seto looked at each other,then the gates.
"Let's do it!" Seto grabbed one gate, and Yugi grabbed the the other. As hard as they could,they shoved the iron gates towards the suited men.
"What the hell?! There's no wind!" One of the men was hit smack in the face, throwing him back on to the lawn. His partner soon joined him, cursing.
"Damn! She got away!"
"Don't worry, Les. We'll find her again. She's all alone out there. No one to run to." The man named Les stood up, and nodded.
"Let's go." He led his partner back to the house.
When they were all safely in a distant alley, Marty slumped the floor in tears. For the first time,Mokuba noticed she was badly hurt. "What did they do to you?"
"They tried to beat me into telling where the Jewel was."
"Let me see that cut." Yami spoke up gently. He came to her side,and studied it. "It looks pretty bad. Does your lip hurt much?"
She merely nodded, tears streaming.
"Did you happen to pack any first aid, Mokuba?" Yugi looked at the boy.
"Maybe…" He dove into their survival pack again. "Children's Aspirin…Martina was getting sick before."
Yugi nodded. "That should take care of the pain."
Seto was watching for the suits again. "We cannot stay here. It is not safe for her here."
"You're right, Big Brother." Mokuba looked at Martina. "Can you walk a little farther? Maybe we can get back to that warehouse.."
"Yes. I think so…" With a little help from Seto and Yami, she stood up again. "We shouldn't go there though. I think we need to go to the police."
"Good idea." Mokuba grinned.
"We don't have evidence…they could put her in a home…" Seto pointed out,as the group edged out of the alley cautiously,with Seto covering their backs.
"A home?! No!" Martina looked at Seto in dismay.
"It might be the safest place for you,Martina." The spirit of Yugi's Puzzle spoke up.
She only nodded silently. I hate to admit it, but he's right,she thought. "Mokuba..you won't leave me, will you?"
Mokuba shook his head. "Not a chance!" He was wondering in his mind how long he was expected to stay. "Come on. Let's just see what will happen.."
Martina walked between Yugi and Seto because they insisted it was safer. "So..how did you get the fountain to work, Mokuba?" Now that the immediate threat of death had passed, she was curious.
"I had to use one of your dad's silver dollars. I tossed it into the fountain and wished for Yugi and Seto to come. "
Martina nodded. "That's what I did." It seemed so long ago since that morning, but it really wasn't.
Mokuba beamed at his friend. "Don't worry. There's five of us now. It's going to be okay."
Marty merely nodded, as they reached the mid-town square. "I can't go any farther."
"You have to keep going." Kaiba spoke up now. He looked around. "Do you want me to carry you?"
"That'll look weird, since we're invisible." Yugi looked up at Kaiba.
"Maybe Martina can wish us visible.." They all looked at her.
"I don't have the fountain…" Marty sighed in exhaustion. "I can try though."
"Go on." Yugi smiled at her kindly. "Worst that could happen is that it won't work, right?"
"Right!" Marty grinned at them. "Alright, here it goes." She closed her eyes,and wished hard as she could.
"Whoa…hey,I feel different."
Marty opened her eyes a couple of minutes later. Her friends were no longer in cartoon form. No, indeed,they were in human,solid form. She let out a squeal. "It worked!"
"What's happened?" Kaiba looked at her. "What did you wish for?"
"I wished for you to be real." She smiled brightly.
"It really worked. Maybe it's not just the fountain, Marty!" Mokuba smiled.
She stared at them, grinning. "Maybe…"
Yugi was looking at his reflection in amazement. "Wow…this is so weird."
"Come on you guys. Marty, hop on." Kaiba crouched while the girl got on his back. He stood up. "Now that we're real, the chances of rescuing her older sister are pretty good, but we need sleep first." He pulled out his wallet. "Do you think my money was changed too?"
"Maybe.." Marty yawned.
"It's worth a shot. Come on." Yugi walked ahead of them. "Is that a bank, Marty?" He pointed to a small building. When she didn't answer, the boy looked over at her, and discovered that Kaiba was now carrying a sleeping passenger in his arms. "Don't wake her, Kaiba. We'll be alright."
"Of course." Kaiba was starting to feel uneasy in a world that didn't know who he was, or his status in the least.
"Your money changed,Seto!" Mokuba had been looking through his wallet.
"Good. Let's skip the bank. Marty needs a bed." Seto had spied a motel. "We can live in one of these rooms for a while, while she recuperates. "
"Good thinking, Kaiba." Yugi walked into the building after Mokuba.
Once they got their rooms (they'd decided on two) ,they settled Marty into a bed in Seto's room. There was so much more they had to do. Martina would need as much rest as they could spare to give her.