"Martin Collsworth?!" Yami Yugi cried in astonishment.
"How the heck did you find out about us?!" Joey demanded.
Mako stood silently, gazing at the newcomer with hope. Could he actually know where my father is? he wondered. Is it at all possible that . . . that . . .
He was interrupted as Martin spoke again.
"A . . . mutual friend—did she say her name was Viper?—found where I'd been hiding and told me some tale about a young girl named Kamara who needed my help. She also said that you all need my help as well." The man raised an eyebrow in apparent confusion.
Yami Yugi narrowed his eyes. "Well, it's true—we came here seeking your assistance on a . . . family matter. I believe you once knew our friend Marik Ishtar?"
Martin looked thoughtful. "Marik Ishtar. . . . Marik Ishtar. . . ." He stared at the floor, as if it could help him remember. "Oh! I recall a boy from Egypt named that. . . . Blonde hair . . . lavender eyes . . . wears a lot of jewelry. . . . He had a very . . . unique voice. . . ."
"Sounds like him," Joey said. "Eh, where'd you know him from?"
"His sister used to do work for me concerning my museum," Martin replied. "She identified many ancient artifacts I had and more importantly, she made me aware that the supernatural is real. Marik often came with her." He paused, trying to remember something else. "Oh yes, and they were always accompanied by a tough-looking guy who had hieroglyphics tattooed into the left side of his face. I remember thinking, Now, I don't want to make him angry." Martin chuckled at that.
"Yes, that would be their brother Rishid," Mako spoke up.
"Ah. . . . That's right," Martin nodded. "Ishizu introduced me to both him and Marik." He looked at Mako curiously. "And who are you, young man?"
"Tsunami," Mako replied. "Mako Tsunami." He held his hand out and Martin shook it.
"I'm glad to meet you, Mr. Tsunami," the man declared. "Now, is there something I can do for you?"
Mako hesitated for a moment now and then plunged in. "Well, sir, I do hope so. You see, I have been searching for my father for years and recently I met someone who said I needed to find the Ishtars and a man named Martin Collsworth and that they and you would be able to help me find him."
Martin blinked. "Well, I'll help if I can, Mr. Tsunami," he said.
****
Seto was having a much harder time defeating these thugs than he'd had defeating the ones sent by Vivalene. As he grimly realized, these bullies were much stronger and meant business.
Ishizu watched from her vantage point, her eyes narrowed. He needs help, she surmised, wondering why it was taking so long for the security guards to come.
Gingerly she touched the cut on her neck. The leader of the assassins had been trying to slit her throat, but she had managed to dodge in time and was only grazed on the right side of her neck. She had been very blessed, she knew. It had almost been as if someone had helped to push her out of the way in time.
Now she came back to the present, tipping the couch over and crashing it into five more intruders.
Mokuba grinned, leaping down on another's head. "You're gonna pay for what you did to me and my brother!" he yelled.
"Get away, you little gnat!" the villain hissed.
Instantly Mokuba recognized the voice as belonging to the man who had thrown him into the water. "Hey!!" he cried. "You'd better tell us what was in those crates down at the docks!"
"Wouldn't you like to know," the man sneered, making a move to throw Mokuba out through the window.
Instantly Seto was there, punching him viciously. The bully gasped, swaying dizzily. Mokuba kicked him and jumped down, glaring furiously.
"Well?" the boy demanded. "Are you gonna tell us or not?!"
At that moment there came a dark, ominous light illuminating from the balcony. "This is not the right time to go after them," an eerie voice snarled. "Come with me now!"
All the hitmen came to attention, heading for the balcony as if in a trance.
Seto watched them in disbelief. "What the . . . where do you think you're going?! Come back!!" he ordered, grabbing at one in vain as he entered a vortex and vanished.
Mokuba gawked at the disappearing men, his eyes wide. "Where'd they all go?!" he burst out.
Ishizu closed her eyes. "Through a secret portal, back to their master," she replied at last.
Seto growled in annoyance.
****
Mai crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. "What's taking so long?!" she cried in irritation. Yami Yugi had been gone for ages and no one knew what was happening. But they had some guesses.
"Maybe he hit a snag and got into trouble," Rex said, also looking irritated.
"Do you always have to be so positive?" Mai retorted sarcastically.
"Hey, you're sure a basket of smiles yourself," Rex grunted.
"SILENCE!!" Yami Bakura screamed. He had been listening to them argue for hours and he was growing more sick of it by the minute.
Both Rex and Mai glared at him but then shut up and engaged in an intense staring contest with each other. Téa was reminded of the expression If looks could kill.
"Those two really go at it," Yugi exclaimed. "You'd think they haven't ever gotten over Duelist Kingdom!"
"I don't think they have," Téa sighed.
"Oh dear," Bakura said with a blink.
Oreo chose this moment to meow loudly, begging for meat and some of Yami Bakura's chocolate milk.
"Cat! You already ate nearly that entire ham at dinner!" the thief growled.
"Meooow!" Oreo howled.
Yami Bakura narrowed his eyes at the racket and carried the cat to the small fridge in the corner. "Don't take it all," he hissed.
Oreo grabbed for a piece of beef that had been sent up by room service and bit down happily.
Yami Bakura grumbled something and turned away, taking a long swig from his bottle of chocolate milk.
"He really loves Oreo, you know," Bakura smiled.
Yami Bakura gave him a smoldering look.
****
Rishid gazed at his brother in concern as they remained on the grassy field. "Are you certain you are alright?" he asked.
Marik smiled. "I'm fine, Rishid," he insisted, absentmindedly removing his choker and rubbing at the red marks on his throat.
Rishid looked shamed. "Brother, I . . ."
Marik shook his head. "Really, I am," he reassured the man who was nine years his senior, realizing what he was going to say. "This was not your fault." Quickly he replaced his jewelry and tried to stand, wobbling as he did so.
Rishid rushed to catch him. "Brother, you are too weak to walk without assistance," he said softly.
"Nonsense," Marik replied, taking a step more and feeling dizzy. He placed a hand to his forehead and winced. Nearly being strangled really takes it out of you, he thought to himself.
"Marik, you almost died," Rishid said now, noticing his brother's actions. Even though Marik didn't blame him, Rishid still felt understandably terrible about what had transpired. "Please . . . allow me to help you!"
Marik paused. Rishid was obviously trying to make up for earlier, even though Marik deemed it completely unnecessary.
"Brother . . . if anything more happens to you now, I . . . I don't see how I will bear it," Rishid said quietly.
At last Marik relented. "Alright," he agreed, admitting to himself that he did feel weak.
Gently Rishid draped Marik's arm over his shoulder, allowing the boy to lean against him, and turned to head back for the hotel. Marik started to doze briefly as they went on, feeling completely safe and secure with his older brother. "Rishid . . ." he murmured sleepily, smiling as he looked up at his dear, closest friend.
Rishid smiled back. How he loved this boy so. . . . Years ago he had vowed to always protect him. But he hadn't been able to this night.
Sensing his thoughts, Marik looked into his eyes firmly. "Rishid, you broke the control just in time," he said in a soft tone. "You saved my life . . . and your own as well. That witch would have forced you to be her personal bodyguard if she had been able to get entire control over you, as she desired to. But she never could have done that."
Again Rishid looked into Marik's fervent eyes. I wish I could believe that, brother, he uttered silently. But what if I *had* killed you?
"Rishid," Marik spoke again, "a man of your strength and integrity never would have let that happen. Even while Vivalene was struggling to have control over you, you were fighting to regain that control. Don't you see? Since you would never kill anyone, your will was stronger than Vivalene's and so I remain alive!"
Rishid blinked. Was that possible? he wondered. "But Marik . . . you were so lifeless by the time I was able to release your neck from my grip. . . . You were not breathing! If it had been only a minute or two later . . ." He trailed off, unable to finish.
"But it wasn't," Marik whispered. "Rishid, you must believe me, brother. You saved my life. Vivalene is the one who tried to kill me. But you intervened."
Now the man pulled his precious sibling close to him. "I want to believe it, Marik," he said aloud. "I don't want to ever think that I failed you in any way . . . especially in something so extremely serious as the matter of your life."
"You never have, my brother," Marik smiled gently.
Rishid stared off into the distance. Perhaps Marik is right, he said silently. I pray he is.
****
Martin waited to explain his story until they were back with the others. When Yami Yugi walked in the door with him, Joey, Tristan, Mako, and Alyson, everyone else looked up expectantly and all seemed confused at the stranger's presence.
"Who, might I ask, is this?" Yami Bakura asked, staring intently.
"This is Martin Collsworth," Yami Yugi replied.
Oreo looked up briefly from her beef and decided that she wasn't interested in the conversation. With another meow she attacked the meat once more.
"Martin Collsworth?" Téa exclaimed in disbelief. "But . . . how?"
Yami Yugi quickly relayed the tale of how Martin had come to be there and then turned to him, crossing his arms. "Now, would you care to tell us more about this Kamara?" he asked.
Martin nodded. "Very well. Viper said that it was alright to share the story with all of you." He told a story very similar to the one that the Ishtars had heard and then paused. "Kamara's plight is very grave," he said then. "These . . . pirates she's been running from are ones that I myself have been trying to catch for many ages. They are the reason I had to go into hiding for several months."
"What is it they want?" Mai asked, wondering how this all connected with their current mystery.
"They seem to be trying to release a horrible power," Martin replied after a short pause. "I don't entirely understand all of it, but I believe very strongly in the paranormal—and what these plunderers are after is certainly that."
"What can we do?" Yugi cried, knowing that they had to help.
"Well . . ." Martin paused. "I'm not entirely certain. I've been working very hard to collect enough evidence to put them away in prison for life. You do realize, of course, that the government isn't likely to believe some supernatural tale. I have to be able to find proof that will be accepted in the courts." He narrowed his eyes. "And I have actually found quite a bit."
Mako stood by, wondering if his father could have become involved unwittingly in all of this.
"Anyway," Martin hurried on now, "you might all benefit in coming with me to where I've been hiding and seeing what I've collected."
"We would be most happy to," Ishizu spoke up, suddenly appearing in the doorway along with the Kaiba brothers. "Just as soon as I find my precious brothers and make certain they are safe."
Martin turned in surprise. "Ms. Ishtar!" he exclaimed, obviously surprised to suddenly see Ishizu again.
Ishizu gave him a brief nod and smile. "Hello, Mr. Collsworth," she said in greeting.
"Sister?" Marik's voice called from the end of the hallway.
Everyone turned to see him and Rishid coming towards them. Marik was feeling much less dizzy now and was walking without Rishid's assistance, and with the choker covering the telltale marks on his neck, it wasn't immediately clear to any of them that he had been through a trying experience.
Except to Ishizu. "Brother, what has happened?!" she asked, touching his cheek and looking into his eyes.
Marik smiled weakly. "We will tell you later, Ishizu," he replied softly, reaching up for her hand. He looked over at Martin and blinked in surprise, recognition dawning.
"Well, good," Martin said, "we're all here. Shall we be off?"
"Wait!" Yugi said suddenly. "Duke isn't well enough to come with us. Someone should stay with him."
"Yeah? Well, it won't be Serenity!" Joey declared.
"I'll stay with him," Tristan spoke up. And then I can have a good, long talk with him about how Serenity is *my* girl! he said to himself.
With that settled, everyone else hurried out after Martin, warning Tristan to be extremely careful.
****
When they got outside, Martin started in shock. "What on earth!!"
"Huh?" Yugi turned to look at him. "What is it?!"
"That almost looks like one of the pirates going into the Prudential Building!" Martin replied, pointing ahead. "I had an old office in there!"
"Sounds like something that needs investigatin'," Joey decided. "Let's go!"
Quickly the group all hurried over to the Prudential Building and through the doors. "Where did he go?" Mai wondered. "I don't see anyone!"
Abruptly gunshots rang out from a high balcony above the shopping plaza that was on the ground floor.
"I don't believe this!" Téa shrieked. "Someone's shooting at us!!"
"Everyone run for cover!" Yami Yugi yelled.
"Hey, look out!!" Rex burst out suddenly, shoving Mai to the floor. A moment later he sprawled across her shoulder blades.
"What are you doing?!" Mai cried, reaching up to push him away. "Rex, you jerk! Let me up before I . . ." She trailed off, staring at her blood-covered hand. "Huh?"
Rex groaned but otherwise gave no indication that he'd actually heard the girl.
Mai went pale. "Rex!! Rex!!!" She looked up at the others, panicked. "Rex was shot!!" she exclaimed in realization.
"How the heck did you find out about us?!" Joey demanded.
Mako stood silently, gazing at the newcomer with hope. Could he actually know where my father is? he wondered. Is it at all possible that . . . that . . .
He was interrupted as Martin spoke again.
"A . . . mutual friend—did she say her name was Viper?—found where I'd been hiding and told me some tale about a young girl named Kamara who needed my help. She also said that you all need my help as well." The man raised an eyebrow in apparent confusion.
Yami Yugi narrowed his eyes. "Well, it's true—we came here seeking your assistance on a . . . family matter. I believe you once knew our friend Marik Ishtar?"
Martin looked thoughtful. "Marik Ishtar. . . . Marik Ishtar. . . ." He stared at the floor, as if it could help him remember. "Oh! I recall a boy from Egypt named that. . . . Blonde hair . . . lavender eyes . . . wears a lot of jewelry. . . . He had a very . . . unique voice. . . ."
"Sounds like him," Joey said. "Eh, where'd you know him from?"
"His sister used to do work for me concerning my museum," Martin replied. "She identified many ancient artifacts I had and more importantly, she made me aware that the supernatural is real. Marik often came with her." He paused, trying to remember something else. "Oh yes, and they were always accompanied by a tough-looking guy who had hieroglyphics tattooed into the left side of his face. I remember thinking, Now, I don't want to make him angry." Martin chuckled at that.
"Yes, that would be their brother Rishid," Mako spoke up.
"Ah. . . . That's right," Martin nodded. "Ishizu introduced me to both him and Marik." He looked at Mako curiously. "And who are you, young man?"
"Tsunami," Mako replied. "Mako Tsunami." He held his hand out and Martin shook it.
"I'm glad to meet you, Mr. Tsunami," the man declared. "Now, is there something I can do for you?"
Mako hesitated for a moment now and then plunged in. "Well, sir, I do hope so. You see, I have been searching for my father for years and recently I met someone who said I needed to find the Ishtars and a man named Martin Collsworth and that they and you would be able to help me find him."
Martin blinked. "Well, I'll help if I can, Mr. Tsunami," he said.
****
Seto was having a much harder time defeating these thugs than he'd had defeating the ones sent by Vivalene. As he grimly realized, these bullies were much stronger and meant business.
Ishizu watched from her vantage point, her eyes narrowed. He needs help, she surmised, wondering why it was taking so long for the security guards to come.
Gingerly she touched the cut on her neck. The leader of the assassins had been trying to slit her throat, but she had managed to dodge in time and was only grazed on the right side of her neck. She had been very blessed, she knew. It had almost been as if someone had helped to push her out of the way in time.
Now she came back to the present, tipping the couch over and crashing it into five more intruders.
Mokuba grinned, leaping down on another's head. "You're gonna pay for what you did to me and my brother!" he yelled.
"Get away, you little gnat!" the villain hissed.
Instantly Mokuba recognized the voice as belonging to the man who had thrown him into the water. "Hey!!" he cried. "You'd better tell us what was in those crates down at the docks!"
"Wouldn't you like to know," the man sneered, making a move to throw Mokuba out through the window.
Instantly Seto was there, punching him viciously. The bully gasped, swaying dizzily. Mokuba kicked him and jumped down, glaring furiously.
"Well?" the boy demanded. "Are you gonna tell us or not?!"
At that moment there came a dark, ominous light illuminating from the balcony. "This is not the right time to go after them," an eerie voice snarled. "Come with me now!"
All the hitmen came to attention, heading for the balcony as if in a trance.
Seto watched them in disbelief. "What the . . . where do you think you're going?! Come back!!" he ordered, grabbing at one in vain as he entered a vortex and vanished.
Mokuba gawked at the disappearing men, his eyes wide. "Where'd they all go?!" he burst out.
Ishizu closed her eyes. "Through a secret portal, back to their master," she replied at last.
Seto growled in annoyance.
****
Mai crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. "What's taking so long?!" she cried in irritation. Yami Yugi had been gone for ages and no one knew what was happening. But they had some guesses.
"Maybe he hit a snag and got into trouble," Rex said, also looking irritated.
"Do you always have to be so positive?" Mai retorted sarcastically.
"Hey, you're sure a basket of smiles yourself," Rex grunted.
"SILENCE!!" Yami Bakura screamed. He had been listening to them argue for hours and he was growing more sick of it by the minute.
Both Rex and Mai glared at him but then shut up and engaged in an intense staring contest with each other. Téa was reminded of the expression If looks could kill.
"Those two really go at it," Yugi exclaimed. "You'd think they haven't ever gotten over Duelist Kingdom!"
"I don't think they have," Téa sighed.
"Oh dear," Bakura said with a blink.
Oreo chose this moment to meow loudly, begging for meat and some of Yami Bakura's chocolate milk.
"Cat! You already ate nearly that entire ham at dinner!" the thief growled.
"Meooow!" Oreo howled.
Yami Bakura narrowed his eyes at the racket and carried the cat to the small fridge in the corner. "Don't take it all," he hissed.
Oreo grabbed for a piece of beef that had been sent up by room service and bit down happily.
Yami Bakura grumbled something and turned away, taking a long swig from his bottle of chocolate milk.
"He really loves Oreo, you know," Bakura smiled.
Yami Bakura gave him a smoldering look.
****
Rishid gazed at his brother in concern as they remained on the grassy field. "Are you certain you are alright?" he asked.
Marik smiled. "I'm fine, Rishid," he insisted, absentmindedly removing his choker and rubbing at the red marks on his throat.
Rishid looked shamed. "Brother, I . . ."
Marik shook his head. "Really, I am," he reassured the man who was nine years his senior, realizing what he was going to say. "This was not your fault." Quickly he replaced his jewelry and tried to stand, wobbling as he did so.
Rishid rushed to catch him. "Brother, you are too weak to walk without assistance," he said softly.
"Nonsense," Marik replied, taking a step more and feeling dizzy. He placed a hand to his forehead and winced. Nearly being strangled really takes it out of you, he thought to himself.
"Marik, you almost died," Rishid said now, noticing his brother's actions. Even though Marik didn't blame him, Rishid still felt understandably terrible about what had transpired. "Please . . . allow me to help you!"
Marik paused. Rishid was obviously trying to make up for earlier, even though Marik deemed it completely unnecessary.
"Brother . . . if anything more happens to you now, I . . . I don't see how I will bear it," Rishid said quietly.
At last Marik relented. "Alright," he agreed, admitting to himself that he did feel weak.
Gently Rishid draped Marik's arm over his shoulder, allowing the boy to lean against him, and turned to head back for the hotel. Marik started to doze briefly as they went on, feeling completely safe and secure with his older brother. "Rishid . . ." he murmured sleepily, smiling as he looked up at his dear, closest friend.
Rishid smiled back. How he loved this boy so. . . . Years ago he had vowed to always protect him. But he hadn't been able to this night.
Sensing his thoughts, Marik looked into his eyes firmly. "Rishid, you broke the control just in time," he said in a soft tone. "You saved my life . . . and your own as well. That witch would have forced you to be her personal bodyguard if she had been able to get entire control over you, as she desired to. But she never could have done that."
Again Rishid looked into Marik's fervent eyes. I wish I could believe that, brother, he uttered silently. But what if I *had* killed you?
"Rishid," Marik spoke again, "a man of your strength and integrity never would have let that happen. Even while Vivalene was struggling to have control over you, you were fighting to regain that control. Don't you see? Since you would never kill anyone, your will was stronger than Vivalene's and so I remain alive!"
Rishid blinked. Was that possible? he wondered. "But Marik . . . you were so lifeless by the time I was able to release your neck from my grip. . . . You were not breathing! If it had been only a minute or two later . . ." He trailed off, unable to finish.
"But it wasn't," Marik whispered. "Rishid, you must believe me, brother. You saved my life. Vivalene is the one who tried to kill me. But you intervened."
Now the man pulled his precious sibling close to him. "I want to believe it, Marik," he said aloud. "I don't want to ever think that I failed you in any way . . . especially in something so extremely serious as the matter of your life."
"You never have, my brother," Marik smiled gently.
Rishid stared off into the distance. Perhaps Marik is right, he said silently. I pray he is.
****
Martin waited to explain his story until they were back with the others. When Yami Yugi walked in the door with him, Joey, Tristan, Mako, and Alyson, everyone else looked up expectantly and all seemed confused at the stranger's presence.
"Who, might I ask, is this?" Yami Bakura asked, staring intently.
"This is Martin Collsworth," Yami Yugi replied.
Oreo looked up briefly from her beef and decided that she wasn't interested in the conversation. With another meow she attacked the meat once more.
"Martin Collsworth?" Téa exclaimed in disbelief. "But . . . how?"
Yami Yugi quickly relayed the tale of how Martin had come to be there and then turned to him, crossing his arms. "Now, would you care to tell us more about this Kamara?" he asked.
Martin nodded. "Very well. Viper said that it was alright to share the story with all of you." He told a story very similar to the one that the Ishtars had heard and then paused. "Kamara's plight is very grave," he said then. "These . . . pirates she's been running from are ones that I myself have been trying to catch for many ages. They are the reason I had to go into hiding for several months."
"What is it they want?" Mai asked, wondering how this all connected with their current mystery.
"They seem to be trying to release a horrible power," Martin replied after a short pause. "I don't entirely understand all of it, but I believe very strongly in the paranormal—and what these plunderers are after is certainly that."
"What can we do?" Yugi cried, knowing that they had to help.
"Well . . ." Martin paused. "I'm not entirely certain. I've been working very hard to collect enough evidence to put them away in prison for life. You do realize, of course, that the government isn't likely to believe some supernatural tale. I have to be able to find proof that will be accepted in the courts." He narrowed his eyes. "And I have actually found quite a bit."
Mako stood by, wondering if his father could have become involved unwittingly in all of this.
"Anyway," Martin hurried on now, "you might all benefit in coming with me to where I've been hiding and seeing what I've collected."
"We would be most happy to," Ishizu spoke up, suddenly appearing in the doorway along with the Kaiba brothers. "Just as soon as I find my precious brothers and make certain they are safe."
Martin turned in surprise. "Ms. Ishtar!" he exclaimed, obviously surprised to suddenly see Ishizu again.
Ishizu gave him a brief nod and smile. "Hello, Mr. Collsworth," she said in greeting.
"Sister?" Marik's voice called from the end of the hallway.
Everyone turned to see him and Rishid coming towards them. Marik was feeling much less dizzy now and was walking without Rishid's assistance, and with the choker covering the telltale marks on his neck, it wasn't immediately clear to any of them that he had been through a trying experience.
Except to Ishizu. "Brother, what has happened?!" she asked, touching his cheek and looking into his eyes.
Marik smiled weakly. "We will tell you later, Ishizu," he replied softly, reaching up for her hand. He looked over at Martin and blinked in surprise, recognition dawning.
"Well, good," Martin said, "we're all here. Shall we be off?"
"Wait!" Yugi said suddenly. "Duke isn't well enough to come with us. Someone should stay with him."
"Yeah? Well, it won't be Serenity!" Joey declared.
"I'll stay with him," Tristan spoke up. And then I can have a good, long talk with him about how Serenity is *my* girl! he said to himself.
With that settled, everyone else hurried out after Martin, warning Tristan to be extremely careful.
****
When they got outside, Martin started in shock. "What on earth!!"
"Huh?" Yugi turned to look at him. "What is it?!"
"That almost looks like one of the pirates going into the Prudential Building!" Martin replied, pointing ahead. "I had an old office in there!"
"Sounds like something that needs investigatin'," Joey decided. "Let's go!"
Quickly the group all hurried over to the Prudential Building and through the doors. "Where did he go?" Mai wondered. "I don't see anyone!"
Abruptly gunshots rang out from a high balcony above the shopping plaza that was on the ground floor.
"I don't believe this!" Téa shrieked. "Someone's shooting at us!!"
"Everyone run for cover!" Yami Yugi yelled.
"Hey, look out!!" Rex burst out suddenly, shoving Mai to the floor. A moment later he sprawled across her shoulder blades.
"What are you doing?!" Mai cried, reaching up to push him away. "Rex, you jerk! Let me up before I . . ." She trailed off, staring at her blood-covered hand. "Huh?"
Rex groaned but otherwise gave no indication that he'd actually heard the girl.
Mai went pale. "Rex!! Rex!!!" She looked up at the others, panicked. "Rex was shot!!" she exclaimed in realization.