In the next instant, Marik realized that something else wasn't completely right—Bruce had a completely blank expression, one that he was quite familiar with.
"He's hypnotized!" the boy cried.
Rishid turned to look in shock. "Not only that, but he appears to not be weak in fighting!" Quickly he came to assist his younger brother, but the Frankenstein jumped him before he could do anything to help. Then he found himself flat on his back, struggling against the inhuman strength of the monstrosity.
"Rishid!!!!" Marik yelped. He wrestled with Bruce on the floor, trying to get the upper hand and worrying about his brother's safety.
At last Rishid managed to throw the Frankenstein across the room. A strange silence followed.
"He landed amongst the ice blocks," the man mused. "Why didn't they break?!"
Marik looked up with a start, studying the scene as a new though occurred to him.
It occurred to Rishid at the same time.
"We're being mind-controlled!!"
As soon as they screamed the words, the Frankenstein vanished, as did the slashes on Marik's arm. They were left with one Bruce in a Wolfman costume.
"That was . . . extremely odd," Rishid declared.
Marik shivered. He and Rishid had kept warm during the fight, but now the cold of the freezer was setting in again.
Narrowing his eyes, Marik took hold of Bruce's shoulders and shook him firmly. "Snap out of it!" he ordered.
Bruce only continued to regard him with a blank look.
"This could take some work," Marik groaned, knowing they didn't have much time.
"He obviously got in through another way," Rishid remarked. "We'll just have to figure out where and how and then get out before it's too late."
****
As Ishizu and Mokuba continued down the hall, the decor grew more and more eerie and foreboding.
Mokuba made a face of disgust as they passed by a very bloody glaive hanging on the wall. "That looks recent!" he gasped as blood dripped to the floor.
Ishizu quickly steered him away, uneasiness growing within her heart. She had the feeling that they were *not* the only ones in the house, and that whoever else was there was extremely evil. The glaive disturbed her immensely. She prayed that it had not harmed any of their loved ones.
"Hey, what's this?!" Mokuba exclaimed, bending down to retrieve a piece of paper.
Ishizu looked when Mokuba unfolded it. "It's a flight schedule," she replied. "The pilot was going from here in Domino to Seattle. And it's dated last night." This information intrigued her very much, and she was certain it was the plane Marik had been abducted on.
Mokuba studied it as well and then perked up. "Hey, and it gives the pilot's name and the airport too!" He pointed to where it was typed.
Pilot: Barry Russell
Takeoff Point: Domino Heights Airfield
"It gives the destination as the Summer Valley Private Airport in Seattle," Ishizu added, pleased with this knowledge. Carefully she refolded it and placed it in her dress. Perhaps they'd soon know the mystery behind the airplane incident!
As they continued down the endless corridor, horrible screams arose from the walls and surrounded them.
"Help!! Help us!!"
"That's Bakura!" Mokuba gasped.
"Come," Ishizu said grimly, again taking Mokuba's hand and leading him in what she hoped was the true direction of the cries of terror's origin. Whatever was happening, Bakura sounded absolutely petrified.
****
"Holy Mackerel!!" Tristan burst out, staring in disbelief at the scene before them.
Yami Bakura growled, watching the airplane debris ignite. The flames rose higher and higher, the pilot's ghost going right along with them. "It's not a real spirit," he hissed in annoyance.
"It's real enough," Tristan retorted. "What is it if it's not a ghost?!"
Now Yami Bakura grunted, not certain himself. With a sneer he drew his deck and raised the Swords of Revealing Light, freezing the strange sight in place. "Let's go find out," he declared, heading down the slope.
"Hey!" Tristan yelled, frustrated. "You didn't ask me!"
"Should I have?" Yami Bakura retorted calmly.
When they got down to where it was, Yami Bakura began to circle around the frozen fire and then carefully reached out to touch it.
"Isn't that going to be hot?!" Tristan gaped.
"No, you moron," Yami Bakura snapped, "because it's not real!" He paused and then added, "And neither is the pilot." He pushed his hand deeper into the strange substance. "It's a hologram!"
Tristan's eyes widened. "But only KaibaCorp has that kinda technology!" he exclaimed.
"Then perhaps we should investigate there," Yami Bakura said. "But first . . . someone here must have set the machine that will display the holograms." He looked around knowingly for just such a someone.
Tristan cracked his knuckles. "If they're still around, they're gonna be sorry when I corner them!" he vowed.
Though they searched for the better part of the following hour, neither of them found any real person lurking about. They did find the hologram projector, which Yami Bakura promptly wrapped in his jacket "so as not to destroy fingerprints."
"They must be operating it by remote control," Tristan decided.
Yami Bakura looked like he really couldn't care less. "Well, there is nothing more to see here. We shall return to town and locate the others." He left no room for argument.
****
In the meantime, Marik and Rishid were still searching for the way Bruce had entered the freezer. Marik, who was absolutely freezing, was now wearing Rishid's cloak—which the man had insisted his brother take.
"I think I may have found it," Marik announced now, pressing on the back wall. "Something's loose here!"
Rishid—pulling a mechanical Bruce—hastened over and helped the boy open what was, indeed, a secret exit. Quickly they left their potential tomb, Marik clutching the frozen Millennium Rod.
Outside the freezer was a large, refrigerated room filled with shelves and shelves of milk and cheese. It was warmer than what the poor, shivering trio had come from, but still extremely cold. Marik blinked at everything in confusion and then realized where they must be.
Rishid voiced Marik's thoughts. "This seems to be that country dairy store," he said slowly, finding the door that led into the main part.
Marik smashed the ice block against the wall as he followed Rishid out, freezing the Rod. "The one with the cemetery right outside?" he wondered, raising an eyebrow. Before Rishid could answer, the boy rushed on, thinking aloud.
"I doubt anyone could have put us in here unless they have the key or are an excellent lockpick." Marik looked around the darkened store and discovered that the front door was quite locked.
Rishid noted grimly that they might be mistakenly arrested for trespassing and breaking and entering if they were caught, and he hoped they could escape without it being apparent that they had been in there.
Bruce walked aimlessly ahead and bumped into the wall. With a start he came back to reality and gazed about. "What's happening?!" the man cried. "What am I doing in this terribly ridiculous getup?!" He stared down at the Wolfman costume in horror, as if he were suffering the worst fate known to man.
"We have no idea," Marik sighed.
Rishid had wandered over to another part of the store. "The door here is open," he announced. Thinking that it might be a trap, he looked out cautiously at the pitch black street and prevented Marik from getting out until he was sure it was safe.
"Stay close to me," the man directed. Marik was only too happy to comply, but not because he thought something would happen to himself—he was only worried about Rishid's safety. Even though it wasn't easy to take the strong Egyptian down, it could be done, and Marik didn't want whatever was stalking them to try doing so.
"But what's going on?!" Bruce yelled, much too loudly.
"Be quiet!" Marik hissed. Subconsciously he pulled Rishid's cloak closer around him, finding the weather outside horribly cold and not much better than the freezer.
Bruce glared at him. "I have a radio station to run!" he said in irritation. "I can't be marching around like I'm going to some masquerade party!"
"That should be the least of your concerns," Rishid retorted. He hoped that Marik wasn't so cold after everything that he would develop hypothermia. His brother had been through so terribly much already. Admittedly, Rishid was cold himself, but he'd never say so if asked, and he wanted Marik to have his cloak for now.
****
By the time Ishizu and Mokuba found Bakura and Yugi, the rope holding the two boys up was barely still attached to the wooden beam in the ceiling.
"The house is falling apart!" Bakura cried. The floor was quite far below them, and he knew that if they fell, they could both be seriously injured.
"Hang on!" Mokuba called to him, hurrying to find a mattress. Once he did, Ishizu helped him carry it back over and underneath the spot where the two hapless boys were.
They were just barely in time as the beam came free and sent them falling.
After Yugi and Bakura were safely on the mattress, Ishizu and Mokuba worked to help them undo the ropes.
"Where is your Yami?" Ishizu asked, narrowing her eyes.
"I don't know," Yugi replied, worry evident in his own eyes. "He can't be in the Puzzle or he would've come to help!"
"Meow," Oreo announced, still wearing the pyramid around her neck. Ishizu made a point to remove it and give it back to Yugi.
"It's obvious somethin's wrong," Mokuba said, narrowing his eyes angrily.
"Yes," Bakura agreed, "and why, if they want me, didn't they finish me off?" He said the last words very quietly, his brown eyes wide.
"I guess we come right back to the theory that there's two sets of bad guys," Yugi sighed.
Ishizu agreed with this and would have liked to tell them about the paper, but for now she knew the most important thing was to get away. She and Mokuba had been through the rest of the house by now, and no one else seemed to be anywhere being held prisoner.
"Wait a minute," Yugi said now, staring at their surroundings as they all walked into the next room, "I know this place!"
"You do?!" Mokuba said in confusion. "Well, what is it then?!"
"We were here last Halloween," Bakura burst out, remembering then as well. "It was that horrible mansion that reappeared and disappeared at will!"
"What??!" Mokuba was not pleased with this news. He ran to the window and looked out, wanting to get better acquainted with the surroundings outside. "It looks really weird out there!"
Yugi ran over, a sinking suspicion in his mind. "It's teleported," he moaned. "With us in it!"
****
To Marik's and Rishid's surprise, they were able to make it back to the KETY studios without further incidents. Along the way, they demanded to know what had happened to Bruce, but all he had been able to tell them was seeing the Frankenstein stabbing him and Bakura running to help after it ran away. After that, he honestly hadn't remembered any more until he walked into the wall at the dairy.
"That's quite a large chunk of the past few hours unaccounted for," Marik remarked. "Perhaps it's a post-hypnotic suggestion?"
Rishid agreed that it was likely.
"But what's going on back at my station?!" Bruce cried as they finally came in sight of it. "Everything's alright, isn't it?!"
"Frankly, we don't know," Marik replied, opening the front door. "But there have been quite a few hijinks going on since you were stabbed. Oh, and your sister's on her way in from Washington." He had just barely remembered this.
"Grace is coming here?" Bruce exclaimed.
Before anyone could respond, Serenity came running out from down the lobby, a terrified expression in her eyes. "Marik!!" she cried in both relief and amazement. The boy was startled as she ran into his arms, shuddering as she sobbed.
"Serenity, what on earth is the matter?!" Marik gasped, shocked at the normally shy girl's behavior. Gently he brushed the long pieces of hair away from her face.
Serenity's eyes widened and she shivered. "Marik, your hands feel like ice cubes!!" she exclaimed. "What happened to you??"
"Never mind," he said kindly. "What has you so upset?"
The girl shook her head, tears again rising in her hazel eyes. "I can't find Joey anywhere!" she sobbed. "Joey's missing, Marik!! My big brother is missing!!"
"He's hypnotized!" the boy cried.
Rishid turned to look in shock. "Not only that, but he appears to not be weak in fighting!" Quickly he came to assist his younger brother, but the Frankenstein jumped him before he could do anything to help. Then he found himself flat on his back, struggling against the inhuman strength of the monstrosity.
"Rishid!!!!" Marik yelped. He wrestled with Bruce on the floor, trying to get the upper hand and worrying about his brother's safety.
At last Rishid managed to throw the Frankenstein across the room. A strange silence followed.
"He landed amongst the ice blocks," the man mused. "Why didn't they break?!"
Marik looked up with a start, studying the scene as a new though occurred to him.
It occurred to Rishid at the same time.
"We're being mind-controlled!!"
As soon as they screamed the words, the Frankenstein vanished, as did the slashes on Marik's arm. They were left with one Bruce in a Wolfman costume.
"That was . . . extremely odd," Rishid declared.
Marik shivered. He and Rishid had kept warm during the fight, but now the cold of the freezer was setting in again.
Narrowing his eyes, Marik took hold of Bruce's shoulders and shook him firmly. "Snap out of it!" he ordered.
Bruce only continued to regard him with a blank look.
"This could take some work," Marik groaned, knowing they didn't have much time.
"He obviously got in through another way," Rishid remarked. "We'll just have to figure out where and how and then get out before it's too late."
****
As Ishizu and Mokuba continued down the hall, the decor grew more and more eerie and foreboding.
Mokuba made a face of disgust as they passed by a very bloody glaive hanging on the wall. "That looks recent!" he gasped as blood dripped to the floor.
Ishizu quickly steered him away, uneasiness growing within her heart. She had the feeling that they were *not* the only ones in the house, and that whoever else was there was extremely evil. The glaive disturbed her immensely. She prayed that it had not harmed any of their loved ones.
"Hey, what's this?!" Mokuba exclaimed, bending down to retrieve a piece of paper.
Ishizu looked when Mokuba unfolded it. "It's a flight schedule," she replied. "The pilot was going from here in Domino to Seattle. And it's dated last night." This information intrigued her very much, and she was certain it was the plane Marik had been abducted on.
Mokuba studied it as well and then perked up. "Hey, and it gives the pilot's name and the airport too!" He pointed to where it was typed.
Pilot: Barry Russell
Takeoff Point: Domino Heights Airfield
"It gives the destination as the Summer Valley Private Airport in Seattle," Ishizu added, pleased with this knowledge. Carefully she refolded it and placed it in her dress. Perhaps they'd soon know the mystery behind the airplane incident!
As they continued down the endless corridor, horrible screams arose from the walls and surrounded them.
"Help!! Help us!!"
"That's Bakura!" Mokuba gasped.
"Come," Ishizu said grimly, again taking Mokuba's hand and leading him in what she hoped was the true direction of the cries of terror's origin. Whatever was happening, Bakura sounded absolutely petrified.
****
"Holy Mackerel!!" Tristan burst out, staring in disbelief at the scene before them.
Yami Bakura growled, watching the airplane debris ignite. The flames rose higher and higher, the pilot's ghost going right along with them. "It's not a real spirit," he hissed in annoyance.
"It's real enough," Tristan retorted. "What is it if it's not a ghost?!"
Now Yami Bakura grunted, not certain himself. With a sneer he drew his deck and raised the Swords of Revealing Light, freezing the strange sight in place. "Let's go find out," he declared, heading down the slope.
"Hey!" Tristan yelled, frustrated. "You didn't ask me!"
"Should I have?" Yami Bakura retorted calmly.
When they got down to where it was, Yami Bakura began to circle around the frozen fire and then carefully reached out to touch it.
"Isn't that going to be hot?!" Tristan gaped.
"No, you moron," Yami Bakura snapped, "because it's not real!" He paused and then added, "And neither is the pilot." He pushed his hand deeper into the strange substance. "It's a hologram!"
Tristan's eyes widened. "But only KaibaCorp has that kinda technology!" he exclaimed.
"Then perhaps we should investigate there," Yami Bakura said. "But first . . . someone here must have set the machine that will display the holograms." He looked around knowingly for just such a someone.
Tristan cracked his knuckles. "If they're still around, they're gonna be sorry when I corner them!" he vowed.
Though they searched for the better part of the following hour, neither of them found any real person lurking about. They did find the hologram projector, which Yami Bakura promptly wrapped in his jacket "so as not to destroy fingerprints."
"They must be operating it by remote control," Tristan decided.
Yami Bakura looked like he really couldn't care less. "Well, there is nothing more to see here. We shall return to town and locate the others." He left no room for argument.
****
In the meantime, Marik and Rishid were still searching for the way Bruce had entered the freezer. Marik, who was absolutely freezing, was now wearing Rishid's cloak—which the man had insisted his brother take.
"I think I may have found it," Marik announced now, pressing on the back wall. "Something's loose here!"
Rishid—pulling a mechanical Bruce—hastened over and helped the boy open what was, indeed, a secret exit. Quickly they left their potential tomb, Marik clutching the frozen Millennium Rod.
Outside the freezer was a large, refrigerated room filled with shelves and shelves of milk and cheese. It was warmer than what the poor, shivering trio had come from, but still extremely cold. Marik blinked at everything in confusion and then realized where they must be.
Rishid voiced Marik's thoughts. "This seems to be that country dairy store," he said slowly, finding the door that led into the main part.
Marik smashed the ice block against the wall as he followed Rishid out, freezing the Rod. "The one with the cemetery right outside?" he wondered, raising an eyebrow. Before Rishid could answer, the boy rushed on, thinking aloud.
"I doubt anyone could have put us in here unless they have the key or are an excellent lockpick." Marik looked around the darkened store and discovered that the front door was quite locked.
Rishid noted grimly that they might be mistakenly arrested for trespassing and breaking and entering if they were caught, and he hoped they could escape without it being apparent that they had been in there.
Bruce walked aimlessly ahead and bumped into the wall. With a start he came back to reality and gazed about. "What's happening?!" the man cried. "What am I doing in this terribly ridiculous getup?!" He stared down at the Wolfman costume in horror, as if he were suffering the worst fate known to man.
"We have no idea," Marik sighed.
Rishid had wandered over to another part of the store. "The door here is open," he announced. Thinking that it might be a trap, he looked out cautiously at the pitch black street and prevented Marik from getting out until he was sure it was safe.
"Stay close to me," the man directed. Marik was only too happy to comply, but not because he thought something would happen to himself—he was only worried about Rishid's safety. Even though it wasn't easy to take the strong Egyptian down, it could be done, and Marik didn't want whatever was stalking them to try doing so.
"But what's going on?!" Bruce yelled, much too loudly.
"Be quiet!" Marik hissed. Subconsciously he pulled Rishid's cloak closer around him, finding the weather outside horribly cold and not much better than the freezer.
Bruce glared at him. "I have a radio station to run!" he said in irritation. "I can't be marching around like I'm going to some masquerade party!"
"That should be the least of your concerns," Rishid retorted. He hoped that Marik wasn't so cold after everything that he would develop hypothermia. His brother had been through so terribly much already. Admittedly, Rishid was cold himself, but he'd never say so if asked, and he wanted Marik to have his cloak for now.
****
By the time Ishizu and Mokuba found Bakura and Yugi, the rope holding the two boys up was barely still attached to the wooden beam in the ceiling.
"The house is falling apart!" Bakura cried. The floor was quite far below them, and he knew that if they fell, they could both be seriously injured.
"Hang on!" Mokuba called to him, hurrying to find a mattress. Once he did, Ishizu helped him carry it back over and underneath the spot where the two hapless boys were.
They were just barely in time as the beam came free and sent them falling.
After Yugi and Bakura were safely on the mattress, Ishizu and Mokuba worked to help them undo the ropes.
"Where is your Yami?" Ishizu asked, narrowing her eyes.
"I don't know," Yugi replied, worry evident in his own eyes. "He can't be in the Puzzle or he would've come to help!"
"Meow," Oreo announced, still wearing the pyramid around her neck. Ishizu made a point to remove it and give it back to Yugi.
"It's obvious somethin's wrong," Mokuba said, narrowing his eyes angrily.
"Yes," Bakura agreed, "and why, if they want me, didn't they finish me off?" He said the last words very quietly, his brown eyes wide.
"I guess we come right back to the theory that there's two sets of bad guys," Yugi sighed.
Ishizu agreed with this and would have liked to tell them about the paper, but for now she knew the most important thing was to get away. She and Mokuba had been through the rest of the house by now, and no one else seemed to be anywhere being held prisoner.
"Wait a minute," Yugi said now, staring at their surroundings as they all walked into the next room, "I know this place!"
"You do?!" Mokuba said in confusion. "Well, what is it then?!"
"We were here last Halloween," Bakura burst out, remembering then as well. "It was that horrible mansion that reappeared and disappeared at will!"
"What??!" Mokuba was not pleased with this news. He ran to the window and looked out, wanting to get better acquainted with the surroundings outside. "It looks really weird out there!"
Yugi ran over, a sinking suspicion in his mind. "It's teleported," he moaned. "With us in it!"
****
To Marik's and Rishid's surprise, they were able to make it back to the KETY studios without further incidents. Along the way, they demanded to know what had happened to Bruce, but all he had been able to tell them was seeing the Frankenstein stabbing him and Bakura running to help after it ran away. After that, he honestly hadn't remembered any more until he walked into the wall at the dairy.
"That's quite a large chunk of the past few hours unaccounted for," Marik remarked. "Perhaps it's a post-hypnotic suggestion?"
Rishid agreed that it was likely.
"But what's going on back at my station?!" Bruce cried as they finally came in sight of it. "Everything's alright, isn't it?!"
"Frankly, we don't know," Marik replied, opening the front door. "But there have been quite a few hijinks going on since you were stabbed. Oh, and your sister's on her way in from Washington." He had just barely remembered this.
"Grace is coming here?" Bruce exclaimed.
Before anyone could respond, Serenity came running out from down the lobby, a terrified expression in her eyes. "Marik!!" she cried in both relief and amazement. The boy was startled as she ran into his arms, shuddering as she sobbed.
"Serenity, what on earth is the matter?!" Marik gasped, shocked at the normally shy girl's behavior. Gently he brushed the long pieces of hair away from her face.
Serenity's eyes widened and she shivered. "Marik, your hands feel like ice cubes!!" she exclaimed. "What happened to you??"
"Never mind," he said kindly. "What has you so upset?"
The girl shook her head, tears again rising in her hazel eyes. "I can't find Joey anywhere!" she sobbed. "Joey's missing, Marik!! My big brother is missing!!"