Chapter Nine-Marik's Proposition
The next morning, Martina could barely eat. She felt like her stomach was already full. "I…I don't think I can do it,Mo." She looked over at Mokuba, very worried.
"You're gonna have to, Marty. Don't worry so much. Malik and Marik are both going to help you. I'll be here at the house too, once I get out of school." He looked up as the phone rang. "I'll get it!" He called out needlessly. Kaiba wasn't even home. He ran to pick up the phone in the kitchen. "Hello?" He listened to the person on the other end. "Okay, Malik. I'll tell her." He hung up, and looked over at Martina. "He and Marik want you to meet them at the pier in twenty minutes."
"The pier?!" Martina closed her eyes. Too familiar….too familiar…She thought to herself.
"Yeah, the pier. And don't look at me like that. I didn't plan that."
"Yeah, I know…but Mokuba…nevermind." She got up, and went to get dressed. She knew it was pointless, arguing about her suspicions. They were starting to get annoyed with her comparisons to their world to the series she watched in her old world.
"He's not going to use his rod on you, if that's what you're worried about." Mokuba called after her.
"I know that. It's just…you wouldn't understand." A few months ago, she'd finally been able to see the series "Joey's Betrayal" and it had really made her wary of Marik ever since. That's where the brunt of her fear came from. No use trying to explain that to Marik's best friend though. "I'm leaving Mokuba. Are Malik and I coming back here, or what?"
"I think so. If things change, tell him to call Seto's office. I'm going there for a while after school. Seto and I are working on a new project."
"Right. I will." Martina walked into Mokuba's room, and looked at him. "Love you, Big Brother."
"Love you too…good luck, Mar." Mokuba smiled. As he watched Martina go, he called out. "Hey wait! I forgot to give you somethin'. Seto and I got it for you yesterday."
Martina tuned, looking at Mokuba questioningly. "Yeah? What is it?"
"Come here." Mokuba was holding out a box.
Martina opened it carefully, then gasped when she saw what was inside. It was a chain, with a locket, in the shape of the duel monsters cards, just like the two that Seto and Mokuba had. "Wow! Thanks, Mokuba!"
"You're a Kaiba. It's about time you proved it to the world. Now go out there, and kick General's no-good butt!" Mokuba hugged his adopted little sister lovingly. "Go now. You're going to be late."
When she pulled away from Mokuba, there were tears of happiness streaming down her face. "Oh Mokuba! Not even my sister ever treated me as good as you and Seto have. I owe you my life."
"You owe us nothing but your loyalty and friendship." Mokuba responded, as he locked up the mansion. "Do you want a car?"
"No. I'm going by foot, unless I run into Tristan." Martina nodded her good bye to Mokuba, and walked down the street.
"Okay,here's the plan. You're going to summon General. Keep your calm when you're talking to him. Tell him that you had the jewel, but it was stolen. Malik is going to show up, acting just like me, so don't freak out. He's going to "kidnap" you." Marik looked down at Marty, who was playing in the water by the pier. "Are you paying attention? This is extremely important,Martina."
"Oh! Sorry. Yeah. Then what?"
"Well, we decided we needed this to be as real as can be. So, I volunteered my old yacht." He grinned, obviously pleased with himself.
"Wow! Cool!" Martina forgot to be nervous.
"The actual duel is going to take place here on the pier. Do you think General has a chance?"
"Nope! He's an old stuffy-head." Martina giggled.
"Perfect! Easy prey. When he loses, I'll pull out my Rod."
"What are you going to do if he does win?"
"Destroy him. He's not going to hurt you anymore if I can help it." Marik pulled her to her feet. "Let's see if Malik's ready." He pulled out his wrist communicator. "Would you believe me if I told you Mokuba invented these? There's only six of them in existence!"
"Seven." Malik spoke up from behind them, handing Marty a communicator of her own. "He made this one last weekend."
"Good then!" Marik looked at his hikari. Are you ready?"
"Yeah. My sister is on stand by in case we need her."
"Great thinking, Malik. I'm impressed." Marik grinned.
"Thanks." Malik replied. "Are you ready,Martina?"
"I think so." The girl looked terrified.
"Hey, relax. It's all going to be over soon. Just remember. It's only to help you." Malik nodded for Marik to disappear for a while. "I'll be on the boat, with Ishizu. You know, it would make it look really good if you fought me."
"I plan to." She said, with a smirk. "I told myself if Marik was real,and he tried to take me,I'd give him a fight."
"Well, now you get to play out that fantasy." Malik laughed.
"Alright. Let's get this show on the road." Malik walked on to the yacht, and down below, leaving Martina alone to wish General into her peaceful world. "I wish General was here!"
Unlike the other times before, the wish was immediately granted. Before her very eyes, stood the man who'd killed her parents, and her sister. "Hello there, Martina. We've been looking everywhere for you."
"I'll bet you have!" Martina responded hotly.
"Why don't you hand over that pretty locket you're wearing? Then I can just kill you."
"I don't have the jewel anymore. It was stolen just this morning." Martina replied in an eerily calm voice.
"You're lying!" The man took a step forward, but was knocked back by a metal object to the stomach. Malik now stood between his target and himself. "Who the hell are you?!"
"I'm Marik Ishtar, and you were about to kill my next mind slave!" Malik glared at him.
"Mind slave? Bah! That's ridiculous! There's no such thing!" General snarled.
"Oh yes there is!" Malik turned to Martina, a faint smile. "She is going to be one of my most powerfully held slaves too." He proceeded to grab Martina, beginning to drag her up to the yacht.
"No! Stop! I won't let you have me! Get away!" Martina pretended to struggle with Malik, thinking he was acting too much like Marik.
"Oh stop your whining, child! " Malik shoved her towards the boat. "Sister! A little help here!"
"Coming, Dear Brother." Ishizu appeared on the deck. She looked like she was in a sort of trance, as she grabbed Martina gently, and pulled her aboard.
Malik laughed somewhat maniacally, looking at General. "You want your gem? Just wait here, while I get her to hand it over." He got back on to the boat. "Don't move."
A few seconds later, Malik appeared below deck, grinning. "Well?"
"Too realistic." Martina said, pouting at him.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to be." Malik hugged her. "Where is Marik?"
"Here I am. You did well. Now it's my turn. I got a glimpse of him, before I sneaked down here. He looks like a piece of shit." Marik patted Martina. "You're done. I'm proud of you." He held out his hand to take the locket. He put it in his pocket when she handed it over. "It's all up to me now. I will not fail you." He headed on top.
"Marik?" Martina called to him.
"Yes?"
"Thank you. For everything you're doing." She smiled a watery smile.
"You're welcome, Sweetie. Anytime." He turned and left to deal with General.
Marik stared at General, his eyes narrowed, as the broad shouldered man turned the silver locket over in his hands. "It's in there, you fool, now hand it over."
"I will not! This jewel is more important than you realize, you freak!" General stared at the shorter boy. "Besides, it doesn't belong to you."
"I stole it fair and square, and I believe that finders are keepers. At least, that is how it was in my time, and I am much older than I look!"
"Yeah, right. You expect me to believe that? You're no older than Martina's sister Cloris was." General retorted.
"Yes, and I have many people at my beck and call." As if to prove his point, Marik turned his head to the left. "Oh Rishid, would you kindly remove my locket from this worthless mortal's hand?"
Rishid, who had been hiding in the shadows,obediently walked over, and wrestled the locket from General. "Here you are, Master Marik." He stood beside his friend, looking stonily at the man who had hurt young Miss Martina so badly.
"Thank you, Rishid. Go see if my sister and Martina are comfortable." Marik deliberately smirked evilly, but his order to Rishid was secretly kind. He turned back to his prey as his loyal servant, and friend retreated to the yacht. "You, sir, have just earned yourself top place on my shit list." He was glad Martina couldn't hear him cursing. He was willing to bet the cartoon version of him never cursed. "Now. I have a little proposition for you."
"I'm listening…" General's confident smirk had evaporated, and was replaced with a look of intense hatred.
"I will give you the locket, and Martina." The Egyptian spirit timed his words, for effect. "But only if you defeat me in a duel."
"A duel? What kind of duel?" General looked at the boy, bewildered.
"A game called Duel Monsters. You have heard of it, have you not?" Marik held in his urge to laugh at the look of exasperation that appeared on his opponent's face.
"Of course I haven't! This is an unfair advantage you have over me, Sir." General choked out.
"I see. Nonetheless. You will duel, if you want your girl, and the locket." Marik stated calmly.
"Very well, as long as you explain the basic rules, I will duel you." General agreed reluctantly.
"I knew you'd see it my way." Marik smirked, pleased with himself.