A/N-
In case anyone was confused last chapter with who is talking to whom here is a guide for future reference.
/../ Yuugi to Yami
//..// Yami to Yuugi
{..} Ryou to Bakura
{{..}}Bakura to Ryou
^..^ Marik to Yami Marik
^^..^^ Yami Marik to Marik
***
Captain Janeway sighed deeply as she heard Ryou and Bakura's comments. This was not going to be an easy task. Moving forward, she eyed Ryou before placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know it isn't easy to digest this information right now, but just trust me when I say that we won't harm you."
Janeway stood back and waited for Ryou and Bakura to think about what they had just learned. "I will be waiting outside of this room and if you wish to see the rest of Voyager, just approach the doors and they will open automatically."
With that Janeway exited and hoped that the pair would accept her offer.
--
Seven stood and stared at the youth across from her. He had just threatened her to tell him about Voyager and who she was or face suffering injuries. Reaching up to swipe the hair in her face she gave an icy glare before speaking.
"You ask who I am and where I come from. I doubt you would even comprehend what I am about to say. I am Seven of Nine. My full designation is Seven of Nine Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero-One. I was once part of the Borg Collective until Captain Janeway and the crew of Voyager severed the link I had as a Borg drone. I was assimilated as a child as were my parents. My human designation is Annika Hansen."
Seven paused; hating herself for being so easily controlled. She continued on though. "As for where I am from. The answer is the Starship Voyager, a Federation vessel. We were stranded in the Delta Quadrant until were found ourselves over Earth in this time period. We are from the 24th century. We are currently seeking information to try and get back to where we were before this anomaly occurred."
Finished, Seven tried moving her arms to place them behind her back and assume her natural pose, but she found it difficult to do so. Frustrated, she folded her arms around her waist in a gesture of defiance.
***
"What should we do?"
Bakura shrugged indifferently. "We might as well go with her. It beats sitting here doing nothing."
"I don't know..."
Bakura frowned. "Fine then. You stay here and act like a coward."
Bakura made his way to the door the captain had exited. He stared at it for a second. {{So, all I have to do is walk towards it, huh?}}
He carefully took a couple steps and almost jumped out of his skin when the door opened. He heard Ryou giggle, but it immediately stopped when he turned and glared at him. He stalked out of the room and stood next to Janeway as the door closed. He smirked at the captain.
"I give him ten seconds. Ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two... one."
"Bakura wait for me!" Ryou came running from the doorway and right past Bakura. "Bakura?"
"Right here, idiot."
Ryou turned around to the voice and put a hand behind his head. "Heh, heh...so...are we going?" Bakura sighed.
--
"Jounouchi, did you see Annika over there?" Yuugi thought he saw her come from the alleyway.
Jounouchi turned to where his friend pointed. "I don't know. I wasn't really payin' attention over there."
"I'm gonna look over there for a second, I'll be right back." Yuugi ran over to the alleyway.
//Wait, Yuugi!//
He stopped. /What?/
//I think Marik's here.//
/What?! Where?/ Yuugi looked around, trying to find Marik. /What if he got a hold of Annika?/
//I don't know, but we need to go find her.//
Jounouchi watched as his friend ran out of sight. 'Yeah, like he expects me to sit here and wait for him.' He gathered up his cards and put them in his pocket and then picked up Yuugi's cards and put them in another pocket. He made sure none were left on the ground and headed after Yuugi.
--
^^I told you she was an alien.^^
^Shut up.^ the blond said silently. He turned as he heard footsteps going up the fire escape to where he was. "So, Yuugi and the Pharaoh have decided to pay me a visit. This should be interesting."
--
Soon, a small figure appeared from the last set of steps to the roof. He spotted Annika, with her back facing him, and a cloaked figure. "Annika!"
Yuugi's Millennium Puzzle started to glow and Yami appeared to the right of his aibou. He was not a happy Yami.
"Marik! What are you doing here?"
--
Marik laughed.
"So, you seem to know this girl. Good, now I can use her against you," he said as his Millennium Rod started glowing and Annika started walking towards the end of the building.
"But I'll make a deal with you, Yuugi. The deal is your life for her safe return. Of course, I want you to take off your puzzle before you fall." Marik started laughing again.
//Aibou...//
/I can't let him hurt her. She didn't do anything./
Marik was distracted by his own laughing, and didn't realize Jounouchi climbing up the stairs.
"Yo, psycho!" he called.
^^I think he's talking to you.^^
Marik stopped laughing and was quite surprised when he felt the other boy's fist connect with his stomach.
The slight distraction released his control on Annika.
"Annika!" Yuugi ran up to her. "Let's go!"
***
Captain Janeway hid a smile as Bakura walked through the door from the transporter room. Or was it Ryou? The two boys looked so alike. Her answer came a moment later as Ryou rushed out of the room and actually passed them, shouting Bakura's name. After the two finished their brief conversation, Janeway stood in front of them.
"Are you hungry? We could go to the Mess Hall first if you like something to eat. If not, we could start with the Bridge or Engineering. It is your choice. I do warn you though, what you see here on Voyager may shock you. There are humans in my crew but there are also other species. We all work together though."
Janeway moved to the nearest turbolift and waited until Ryou and Bakura joined her inside of it. "So where to?"
--
Seven tried her best to fight the movement of her legs and failed. She had heard Yuugi yell out to her and desperately fought the presence controlling her movements. Suddenly the power over her broke and she looked to see Jounouchi standing over the youth that had forced her to spill information about Voyager.
Inside she fumed, wanting to get revenge on this Marik. Was that his name? Is that what she had heard Yuugi shout?
Moving back from the edge of the building, she watched as Yuugi ran up to her and she glanced down at him. His face was creased with worry. Seven took his warning and turned to go down the ladder again. As she climbed down the ladder, she stopped just before reaching the ground. She was going to wait to make sure Yuugi and Jounouchi made it safely as well.
'Annika ... although I have stated repeatedly that I prefer Seven ... Annika sounds a lot better. Maybe I should rethink this.' Seven mused quietly.
***
{Other species?}
{{As in aliens.}} Bakura said in a bored voice.
Ryou blinked once. {Oh.}
Bakura just shook his head. The two look-alikes followed Janeway until she got to another set of doors, listening to her talk about where they wanted to go. Once again the doors opened without her doing anything.
Ryou looked into it and realized that it looked very similar to an elevator. {Except more round and it's got weird lights.}
{{Well, are we going in or not?}}
{We really don't have much of a choice.} They both walked in. When the captain asked where they wanted to go, Bakura just shrugged.
"The bridge, I suppose," Ryou said.
Soon, they were on their way to their destination. Seconds later the doors opened, signaling the end of their ride. The Captain exited first and Bakura and Ryou followed after. Ryou looked around knowing that he felt his mouth drop.
Even the ever-indifferent tomb robber felt his eyes widen.
--
Yuugi watched with relief as Annika made her way back down.
/Yami, I think we should get out of here, too. Before Marik tries anything else with us./
//I agree.// "Jounouchi!" Yami called over to him. The blond had thrown the rod to the opposite side of the building and was now trying to put dents in Marik's head. "Put him down, we need to leave before he does something again."
Jounouchi said some choice words to the Egyptian and made his way back to Yuugi and Yami; quite pleased with his handiwork.
They turned to leave, but the sound of deep laughter made them turn back. Marik was standing. Not straight, as Jounouchi's fist had left him feeling an enormous amount of pain.
"You think you've seen the last of me? I'll get you Pharaoh; You and all your friends! No one will be able to escape my wrath." This was followed by more maniacal laughter.
***
Captain Janeway allowed the two to glance around before announcing their presence. "Ryou and Bakura, welcome to the Bridge. This is basically the command center of Voyager. If you will look to your left, you will see our Security Officer, Commander Tuvok. Over to the right you will see our Operations Officer, Ensign Kim."
Janeway walked down the steps and stood by her chair and then pointed out the empty seat in front of her. "This section in front of me is the Conn also known as the Helm. This is where our pilot controls the ship. The pilot is Lieutenant Paris. He was the one you saw after you came here."
Janeway turned to face Ryou and Bakura once again. "The person who brought you aboard was our First Officer, Commander Chakotay. There are other members of the crew, but you won't really need to know about them until later. Now if you would like, we could go to another section of the ship, or you could stay here and ask me your questions."
--
Tuvok and Harry took a few seconds to look up from their work to see whom the Captain was referring to.
Tuvok merely acknowledged their presence with a stoic face.
Harry, on the other hand, moved from his console to welcome the guests properly. "I'm Ensign Harry Kim and if you need any questions answered about the Operations area, I will be pleased to assist you."
--
Annika (I'm referring to Seven) stood as she heard the maniacal laughter float down and reach her ears. It was something that she wouldn't want to hear again. She glanced upwards as Yuugi, Jounouchi and another person started to climb down the ladder. She moved quickly and was soon on solid ground. When her friends joined her, she immediately bombarded them with questions.
"Who was that youth Yuugi, and what happened up there? Also, who is this?" Annika pointed a finger at the person who looked identical to Yuugi.
***
Bakura and Ryou looked at one another. {Well, at least they seem friendly.} He saw Bakura wandering around what the Captain pointed out to be the Helm.
{Bakura, don't touch anything.}
{{Shut up. You don't tell me what to do.}}
Ryou ignored the comment. He knew that Bakura wouldn't be stupid enough to touch things that weren't his. {Actually, he used to be a tomb robber...} Ryou quickly joined Bakura on the Helm.
"Before we move on, can you tell us why we're here exactly? We appreciate your hospitality, but we have no idea why we're here."
{{We?}} Ryou ignored the comment as he waited for a reply.
--
Yami and Yuugi looked at each other. "This is Yami," Yuugi introduced. /We might as well tell her the truth. She's probably going to wonder why Marik was able to control her./
Yami nodded. //I'll tell her then.//
"I guess I should start at the beginning then. The person you met up there is Marik Ishtal. The item he used is what controlled you to do as he willed. That's called the Millennium Rod. It gives him the power to control anyone. Yuugi also possesses a Millennium Item."
Yami touched the puzzle. "This is the Millennium Puzzle. Its powers are still unknown to us, but for the most part it is where I have lived for the past 5000 years."
"My friend Ryou also has an Item; his is the Millennium Ring. And he also has a spirit, which inhabits it, Bakura, who was a tomb robber. Not exactly the nicest person, but Ryou tried to protect him. Marik is the same way, too. In his Rod is a spirit of the past, more dangerous than Marik himself."
"There are seven Millennium Items in all. I seem to be the only one who doesn't remember his past. I know I used to be Pharaoh in Ancient Egypt, and I am here to save the future from an evil power that I saved the world from before when I was Pharaoh in Egypt."
Jounouchi landed a punch in his hand. "And that guy, Marik, wants to kill Yuugi so *he* can become Pharaoh."
***
Janeway sat down in her chair and glanced to both Bakura and Ryou. "I had a feeling you were going to ask that question soon. The reason why we brought you here is because when Commander Chakotay used his phaser on your friend, you saw the weapon and well ... you overheard something that you were not supposed to hear."
She stopped talking for a moment before rising from her seat. "As I said earlier, we do not believe in fighting unless there is a just cause. It was a quick moment's decision on Chakotay's behalf to bring you both here. I will talk to him later about it, but you shouldn't worry about it. Before we leave, you will be dropped back off at your prior location."
The captain had noticed Bakura's interest in the Helm and chuckled quietly. 'I wonder how good of a pilot he would make?' she mused to herself. Now she stood directly behind Bakura and Ryou. "I don't suppose that you wouldn't like to try piloting, that is after you have been instructed on the basic technique. I could call Tom to give you a lesson on the holodeck if you wish to try Bakura. If you wanted you could learn as well Ryou, or you could see some of the other areas of the ship."
--
Annika stared at Yuugi, Yami and Jounouchi for a long time before moving back to lean against the alley wall. This was a little more than she had even expected. 'I bet if I told the Captain this she wouldn't even believe me.'
Giving a small sigh, she turned to the mouth of the alley. She had had time to reflect on the encounter with Marik and she wasn't sure whether he would use the information she had unwillingly given him against her or Voyager. Turning back she frowned.
"I am afraid that I haven't exactly been honest with you, Jounouchi and Yuugi, and I hope you can forgive me for this. When I was up on the roof, Marik asked me for information about who I am and where I really come from. I told him and I am sure that he took my words seriously and that may put my friends in danger. I hope that you can forgive me and not ask too many questions. I will just tell you right now that I am not from this time."
***
{Bakura? Fly the ship? Apparently, she doesn't know him that well.}
{{Such faith you have in me.}} Bakura scowled. {{I can fly.}}
Ryou laughed. {Bakura, you have a hard time riding a bike.}
Bakura glared at his lighter side. {{Well, she asked me, and the last time I checked, I don't need your permission.}} Bakura walked over to the Captain. "Sure, let's see if I can pilot this thing."
"Why do I have a feeling I'm going to regret this?" Ryou mumbled to himself. "I guess I will, too. Not much else." {And if anything goes wrong I want to be there to say 'I told you so.'}
{{Funny.}}
The captain motioned to them to follow her to where ever this 'holodeck' was.
--
"Not from this time?" Yami repeated.
Jounouchi sighed. "Why do we always get stuck with the odd ones?"
"Jounouchi!" Yuugi chided. "Leave her alone." He turned back to Annika. "I'm sorry to get you caught up in this." "You're right though. Whatever you may have said to Marik, he will take it seriously. He can tell if you're lying. We'll do what ever we can to help protect you and you're friends. It's the least we can do."
Yuugi nodded. Jounouchi slid to the ground, wondering if the madness would ever stop.
***
Captain Janeway nodded briefly before taking the duo back into the turbolift. She called out clearly to the computer. "Deck Six."
As the lift moved down she tapped her combadge. "Lieutenant Paris, please meet me in Holodeck 2 as we are giving our guests a chance to learn how to fly this ship."
She looked to Ryou and noticed his expression. Before she could say anything, the turbolift came to a stop and she exited, waiting for her guests to join her. As they moved to her side, she strolled down the corridor and called out greetings to various crewmembers.
As they neared the Holodeck entrance, Tom Paris strolled up from the other direction and hastily glanced at Ryou and Bakura before recognizing them. 'I wonder what the Captain is up to?' he quickly thought before entering the desired program he wanted to run. The doors to the holodeck opened and Tom and the Captain looked expectantly at each other before the Captain departed back to the Bridge.
Tom smiled at both Ryou and Bakura before gesturing for them to enter. Inside the set of doors was a perfect replica of the Bridge that they had just come from. Tom sat down near the Helm. "Who wants to go first?"
--
Annika smiled down at Yuugi before frowning slightly at Jounouchi's remark. "Yuugi, no offense. But I do not think you would be able to protect those I call friends. I wish it were only that simple. Jounouchi is partially right with his comment as I am odd. Or at least most of the others think I am."
Pausing only for a few seconds she held out her left hand and gave a command allowing her assimilation tubules to show before recalling them back. She gave her company a sad type of smile before turning away. "Although I look like it, I am not completely human and this is why most of the crew I work with are afraid that I will return to my old roots. If you really would like to protect me while I am here Yuugi, I would be grateful."
***
Bakura and Ryou looked at each other. {{Ryou, you go first.}}
{Why?}
Bakura hit the top of Ryou's head. {{So, that way I get to hear everything twice, of course. I'll show you that I can fly.}}
Ryou sighed. "I guess I have been volunteered to go first." Ryou sat where Tom had directed him and carefully listened to the instructions he was given. He quickly memorized all the functions on the panel in front of him and felt that he was ready. {Okay, I think I can do this.}
{{Crash and burn, Ryou.}}
{Quiet you.}
He told Tom that he was ready. He heard Tom tell the computer to start the simulation and Ryou felt his hands shake a bit. Ryou saw a bunch of stars form on the screen in front of him.
{Well, this is it.} He started off with some of the procedures Tom had walked him through and soon he was able to control the 'ship' on his own. He didn't dare try to go any faster than a slight cruise, not wanting to crash into anything.
{{Ryou, look out! Don't crash into that star!}}
Ryou jumped at the warning the voice gave him, pushing the wrong button that almost *did* send him flying into a star. He turned and glared at Bakura. {I *will* get you back for that.} Ryou managed to ignore the rest of Bakura's comments.
When his trial had come to an end, it was Bakura's turn.
--
Marik stood from where he had fallen.
^Where is my Rod?^
He saw a bright shine from across the building. He tore off his cloak and ran to pick up his item. He looked around from the top of the building and spotted Yuugi and the Pharaoh.
^Alright, Yuugi. I'll just follow you for now. But you should watch your back. The sharp end of my Rod may find a nice home there.^ His lips curled as he gave a wicked grin.
--
Jounouchi looked at what Annika had just shown them. 'Not human is right,' he thought. He put his hands in his pockets and realized something. "Hey, Yuugi, here's your deck." He put out the deck in front of him for Yuugi to take.
"Thanks, Jounouchi." He slid the deck back into its hold on his belt. "So, what do we do now?"
"We should get away from where Marik is for now. Maybe Annika can tell us how we can help her. I know Marik won't be down for long and when he finds us, it won't be a good thing for you and your friends."
--
Bakura sat where Ryou had just vacated. He listened to the same instructions Ryou was told and figured it would be a piece of cake. Once again Tom started the simulation and Bakura took control.
{{Watch this, Ryou.}} He pressed a couple of buttons that he thought were the correct ones and surprisingly they were.
{{Hmm...}} He pressed a couple more that he knew were definitely the wrong ones, sending them straight to a star.
{Bakura!}
He turned the ship away from the star and grinned. {{Scared?}}
{Of-of course not!} Ryou grabbed onto the armrests of his chair and hung on for the bumpy ride his darker half promised. {Please let this end, please let this end...} he repeated as he closed his eyes.
One after another, Bakura barely missed hitting stars. It may have shown what good reflexes he had, but it also showed his maniacal side. Bakura turned around to look at Ryou.
{{Hey, Ryou, look!}} Stupidly, Ryou opened his eyes and saw a star that was getting dangerously close.
{Bakura! Watch out! You won't be able to dodge it!}
{{Of course, I will. I've dodged all the others-}} Bakura ended midway as he turned back to that screen and saw the star.
{{He's right, I won't be able to dodge it. Oh well.}} Bakura increased the speed and crashed head-on with the star.
***
Tom sighed in relief when the ship's computer ended the simulation automatically after Bakura crashed into the star. He looked at the teen with wide eyes. 'Geez, this kid is crazy.' He looked to the grid lines in the room before restarting the simulation. He took the seat at the helm and gave a quick demonstration.
"See the point is not to go near the objects unless you are trying to orbit around them. Should we try again or do you wish to see another section of the ship. Perhaps we can go to Engineering and you can meet B'Elanna. It is up to you, but please decide quickly as I need to report for my shift on the bridge."
--
Seven felt a single tear form at the corner of her eyes before she wiped it away. "I am touched by your offer. I will tell you some things, but I can't tell you all. I can tell you though that while Annika Hansen is my true human name, I prefer to be called Seven. I acquired this nickname as it was an extremely shortened version of my old name. This other designation was given to me by another species that you wouldn't like to meet."
As she moved to stand in the crowd, she scanned the area, searching for any crewmember she knew as Janeway had promised to send someone down. She saw no one and she also didn't see this Marik. If she were to meet up with him again and could get the upper hand, she would make sure that he paid. Seven turned back to Yuugi. "Coming?"
***
Ryou quickly grabbed Bakura and said, "Yes, let's go meet B'Elanna. I think Bakura's had too much fun in here."
{{You're just jealous.}}
{Oh, yeah, I've always wished to crash into a star.}
They followed Tom to the elevator-like transporter.
--
"Aibou, I'm gonna go back into the puzzle."
"Okay." Just as he had appeared, Yami disappeared back into the puzzle.
Yuugi and Jounouchi heard Seven beckon to them. They started following the blond, going wherever she was walking. /Hey, Yami?/
//Yes?//
/Do you know where we're going?/
Yami silently laughed. //If you don't know, I don't, aibou. I can't read minds like Pegasus.//
Yuugi laughed. /But it looked like she was looking for someone./
"Yuugi!"
The small boy turned around to see Mokuba. "Mokuba what're you doing here?" Yuugi noticed a taller figure behind the boy. "Kaiba?"
The brunette merely nodded.
"Actually we were looking for you, Yuugi."
"For me?" Yuugi asked confused.
Kaiba stood next to his brother. "If you're not too busy, I'd like to duel you. Just as practice for the tournament."
"Sorry, Kaiba, but right now, I'm doing something."
Mokuba looked back at Yuugi. "Whacha doing?"
When Yuugi looked at Seven and Mokuba, it was the first time Kaiba noticed the presence of the girl. He noticed the small metallic structure on her face. Kaiba nodded towards Seven and asked, "Who's she?"
"That's Se-"
Yuugi covered Jounouchi's mouth before he could get out anything else. "That's Annika, she's just visiting Japan. Jounouchi and I are showing her around."
"Can we come?"
"Mokuba..." Kaiba warned.
"Please, Seto?"
Kaiba sighed. "Only if it's okay with them, I suppose," he conceded with a bored voice.
"Can we Yuugi? Please?"
Yuugi looked at Seven.
***
Seven looked down at Mokuba with a bit of curiosity before looking at Kaiba, as Yuugi had called him. She sensed the bond between the two and suddenly covered a yawn. It was getting late and she was growing tired but she could always stay longer and put of regenerating for a few hours. It wasn't likely that the Captain would mind her staying down on the planet, just as long as she didn't attract too much more attention.
After looking at Yuugi and Jounouchi for any complaints and finding none she knelt down to Mokuba's level. "You can come. Only if you promise to be careful. We don't want your brother to worry."
Seven then turned to face Kaiba. "I noticed the look you gave me when you noticed me, is there anything wrong with my appearance that doesn't suit you," she paused for a moment and raised her hand to the implant above her eye. "Or maybe you are curious about this. Which ever it may be, I can assure you, it isn't for you to know about."
--
B'Elanna looked up from one of the many consoles as Tom strolled in with two adolescents. The youths shared many identical features and as Tom neared her she groaned. "Tom, er, Lieutenant Paris, I hope you know that this area is not a playground. Can I ask what you are doing?"
Tom smiled before indicating Ryou and Bakura. "This is Ryou and Bakura. They expressed an interest in coming here so I thought that maybe you could give them a brief tour as I have to get to the Bridge for my duty shift, which is in ten minutes."
His blue eyes studied her intently before he started to walk away, leaving Ryou and Bakura staring around the room. B'Elanna just stood there, her facial expression twitching as she watched him leave. She then turned on Ryou and Bakura before sighing and shaking her head. She would have to talk with Tom later.
"So, what would you like to know about first? I won't go into too much detail, but you are welcome to look around. Just don't touch anything. If you need me, just give me a shout. My name is B'Elanna Torres."
***
Ryou saw Bakura moving away from him and start towards some panel with a lot of buttons. Then the spirit started to reach for one of the buttons.
{Don't touch it, Bakura! You heard what she said!}
In mid-push, Bakura drew his hand back and frowned.
{{You are such a goody-goody.}} Bakura returned to Ryou's side, sulking.
They looked around the room they were in and couldn't believe what technology they possessed. It was mind-blowing. "If you don't mind, it would be interesting to learn what the equipment is. It's really advanced then what we have. Is it alien technology, or was it developed by humans?"
"You're awfully nosy."
"So are you, otherwise you wouldn't have wanted to press that button over there." Ryou pointed to the button in question
--
Kaiba was taken aback with her attitude. Even if she wasn't from Japan, surely she would've heard of the name Seto Kaiba.
"I'll admit that I'm curious about whatever that is above your eye. It's not everyday you see someone with something like that."
That's all Kaiba would say. He was not one who was going to apologize for something she wasn't willing to discuss. In fact, we wouldn't apologize even then; it's not how he worked.
Yuugi and Jounouchi kept quiet.
/If An-If Seven doesn't want to tell Kaiba anything, we shouldn't tell Kaiba what we know about her./
//I agree, aibou.//
The four of them continued to follow Seven to wherever she was going. "Hey, Yuugi," Mokuba pulled on his jacket sleeve.
"Where's Annika from?"
***
B'Elanna had noticed Bakura reaching for the button, but he had stopped. 'Oh well, all that would've done was cause a warp-core explosion ... well with a few other buttons pressed as well,' she thought as she studied Ryou and then quickly typed in an algorithm. After Ryou had asked the question she turned to him with a slight frown.
"I'm not at liability to say too much about our technology as we go by a directive that prevents us for showing, giving or informing other cultures about it. All I can tell you that this is a collaboration from many species that come from a time after you."
As she said this, a console to her left beeped and she looked fallen. "If you would excuse me ... I have to check something. If you would like to help, please stay back for a few moments." B'Elanna swept the hair out of her face, briefly allowing the lighting to show her Klingon heritage.
--
Seven glanced to Yuugi and Jounouchi before answering Mokuba. "I'm from America. I am here visiting with some friends and I haven't been here for very long." After she had scanned the crowd she had proceeded to walk at a slow pace so the others could keep up ... mainly Yuugi and Mokuba. Her stomach protested its hunger suddenly and she realized that she hadn't found a single place to sit down and eat something. Usually it was rations aboard Voyager, but since she was down here, she might as well try some of the local cuisine.
"Yuugi, do you know where we could sit down for a meal? I have realized that I haven't eaten anything since I got off the plane."
Waiting for an answer she unclipped her combadge from the outside of her shirt and placed it in her pocket as to not draw any more attention to herself.
***
Completely unaware of the damage Bakura could have done, he and Ryou stayed back as asked, and watched as B'Elanna worked.
{{Ryou, did you see that?}}
The ridges on her forehead had gone unnoticed until she pushed some of her hair out of the way.
{Yeah, but the Captain did say something about seeing aliens, right? I guess, that B'Elanna is a different species.}
Ryou refrained from staring, that would be rude. But he could not help wondering exactly what she was. What were her species called and the like?
Ryou waited until it was obvious she was done with whatever she her task was. "Um...if you do not mind my asking, we would like to know, well... about yourself...like where you are from..."
--
Yuugi nodded. "Yeah, there are a bunch of places to go. It all depends on what you want to eat. There are Japanese, Mexican, American, and Italian places...and deli restaurants, too," Yuugi listed.
"I say pizza!" Mokuba voted as he jumped up.
Jounouchi nodded wildly to Mokuba's statement.
Kaiba just shook his head at Jounouchi's antics. 'He has the same amount of maturity as Mokuba does.'
Yuugi laughed. "Pizza always seems to be popular, and I know of a good place to go, too."
--
High above them, the shadow of Marik roamed, never losing sight of his 'prey.'
^So, they're gonna go out to eat, huh? This might take longer than I had planned. But if it'll give me a shot at killing the Pharaoh, I'll wait for as long as I need to.^
He sat on the edge of the building, idly twirling his Millennium Rod like a baton.
^Soon, Pharaoh, your end will come. Your days are numbered.^
***
In case anyone was confused last chapter with who is talking to whom here is a guide for future reference.
/../ Yuugi to Yami
//..// Yami to Yuugi
{..} Ryou to Bakura
{{..}}Bakura to Ryou
^..^ Marik to Yami Marik
^^..^^ Yami Marik to Marik
***
Captain Janeway sighed deeply as she heard Ryou and Bakura's comments. This was not going to be an easy task. Moving forward, she eyed Ryou before placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know it isn't easy to digest this information right now, but just trust me when I say that we won't harm you."
Janeway stood back and waited for Ryou and Bakura to think about what they had just learned. "I will be waiting outside of this room and if you wish to see the rest of Voyager, just approach the doors and they will open automatically."
With that Janeway exited and hoped that the pair would accept her offer.
--
Seven stood and stared at the youth across from her. He had just threatened her to tell him about Voyager and who she was or face suffering injuries. Reaching up to swipe the hair in her face she gave an icy glare before speaking.
"You ask who I am and where I come from. I doubt you would even comprehend what I am about to say. I am Seven of Nine. My full designation is Seven of Nine Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero-One. I was once part of the Borg Collective until Captain Janeway and the crew of Voyager severed the link I had as a Borg drone. I was assimilated as a child as were my parents. My human designation is Annika Hansen."
Seven paused; hating herself for being so easily controlled. She continued on though. "As for where I am from. The answer is the Starship Voyager, a Federation vessel. We were stranded in the Delta Quadrant until were found ourselves over Earth in this time period. We are from the 24th century. We are currently seeking information to try and get back to where we were before this anomaly occurred."
Finished, Seven tried moving her arms to place them behind her back and assume her natural pose, but she found it difficult to do so. Frustrated, she folded her arms around her waist in a gesture of defiance.
***
"What should we do?"
Bakura shrugged indifferently. "We might as well go with her. It beats sitting here doing nothing."
"I don't know..."
Bakura frowned. "Fine then. You stay here and act like a coward."
Bakura made his way to the door the captain had exited. He stared at it for a second. {{So, all I have to do is walk towards it, huh?}}
He carefully took a couple steps and almost jumped out of his skin when the door opened. He heard Ryou giggle, but it immediately stopped when he turned and glared at him. He stalked out of the room and stood next to Janeway as the door closed. He smirked at the captain.
"I give him ten seconds. Ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two... one."
"Bakura wait for me!" Ryou came running from the doorway and right past Bakura. "Bakura?"
"Right here, idiot."
Ryou turned around to the voice and put a hand behind his head. "Heh, heh...so...are we going?" Bakura sighed.
--
"Jounouchi, did you see Annika over there?" Yuugi thought he saw her come from the alleyway.
Jounouchi turned to where his friend pointed. "I don't know. I wasn't really payin' attention over there."
"I'm gonna look over there for a second, I'll be right back." Yuugi ran over to the alleyway.
//Wait, Yuugi!//
He stopped. /What?/
//I think Marik's here.//
/What?! Where?/ Yuugi looked around, trying to find Marik. /What if he got a hold of Annika?/
//I don't know, but we need to go find her.//
Jounouchi watched as his friend ran out of sight. 'Yeah, like he expects me to sit here and wait for him.' He gathered up his cards and put them in his pocket and then picked up Yuugi's cards and put them in another pocket. He made sure none were left on the ground and headed after Yuugi.
--
^^I told you she was an alien.^^
^Shut up.^ the blond said silently. He turned as he heard footsteps going up the fire escape to where he was. "So, Yuugi and the Pharaoh have decided to pay me a visit. This should be interesting."
--
Soon, a small figure appeared from the last set of steps to the roof. He spotted Annika, with her back facing him, and a cloaked figure. "Annika!"
Yuugi's Millennium Puzzle started to glow and Yami appeared to the right of his aibou. He was not a happy Yami.
"Marik! What are you doing here?"
--
Marik laughed.
"So, you seem to know this girl. Good, now I can use her against you," he said as his Millennium Rod started glowing and Annika started walking towards the end of the building.
"But I'll make a deal with you, Yuugi. The deal is your life for her safe return. Of course, I want you to take off your puzzle before you fall." Marik started laughing again.
//Aibou...//
/I can't let him hurt her. She didn't do anything./
Marik was distracted by his own laughing, and didn't realize Jounouchi climbing up the stairs.
"Yo, psycho!" he called.
^^I think he's talking to you.^^
Marik stopped laughing and was quite surprised when he felt the other boy's fist connect with his stomach.
The slight distraction released his control on Annika.
"Annika!" Yuugi ran up to her. "Let's go!"
***
Captain Janeway hid a smile as Bakura walked through the door from the transporter room. Or was it Ryou? The two boys looked so alike. Her answer came a moment later as Ryou rushed out of the room and actually passed them, shouting Bakura's name. After the two finished their brief conversation, Janeway stood in front of them.
"Are you hungry? We could go to the Mess Hall first if you like something to eat. If not, we could start with the Bridge or Engineering. It is your choice. I do warn you though, what you see here on Voyager may shock you. There are humans in my crew but there are also other species. We all work together though."
Janeway moved to the nearest turbolift and waited until Ryou and Bakura joined her inside of it. "So where to?"
--
Seven tried her best to fight the movement of her legs and failed. She had heard Yuugi yell out to her and desperately fought the presence controlling her movements. Suddenly the power over her broke and she looked to see Jounouchi standing over the youth that had forced her to spill information about Voyager.
Inside she fumed, wanting to get revenge on this Marik. Was that his name? Is that what she had heard Yuugi shout?
Moving back from the edge of the building, she watched as Yuugi ran up to her and she glanced down at him. His face was creased with worry. Seven took his warning and turned to go down the ladder again. As she climbed down the ladder, she stopped just before reaching the ground. She was going to wait to make sure Yuugi and Jounouchi made it safely as well.
'Annika ... although I have stated repeatedly that I prefer Seven ... Annika sounds a lot better. Maybe I should rethink this.' Seven mused quietly.
***
{Other species?}
{{As in aliens.}} Bakura said in a bored voice.
Ryou blinked once. {Oh.}
Bakura just shook his head. The two look-alikes followed Janeway until she got to another set of doors, listening to her talk about where they wanted to go. Once again the doors opened without her doing anything.
Ryou looked into it and realized that it looked very similar to an elevator. {Except more round and it's got weird lights.}
{{Well, are we going in or not?}}
{We really don't have much of a choice.} They both walked in. When the captain asked where they wanted to go, Bakura just shrugged.
"The bridge, I suppose," Ryou said.
Soon, they were on their way to their destination. Seconds later the doors opened, signaling the end of their ride. The Captain exited first and Bakura and Ryou followed after. Ryou looked around knowing that he felt his mouth drop.
Even the ever-indifferent tomb robber felt his eyes widen.
--
Yuugi watched with relief as Annika made her way back down.
/Yami, I think we should get out of here, too. Before Marik tries anything else with us./
//I agree.// "Jounouchi!" Yami called over to him. The blond had thrown the rod to the opposite side of the building and was now trying to put dents in Marik's head. "Put him down, we need to leave before he does something again."
Jounouchi said some choice words to the Egyptian and made his way back to Yuugi and Yami; quite pleased with his handiwork.
They turned to leave, but the sound of deep laughter made them turn back. Marik was standing. Not straight, as Jounouchi's fist had left him feeling an enormous amount of pain.
"You think you've seen the last of me? I'll get you Pharaoh; You and all your friends! No one will be able to escape my wrath." This was followed by more maniacal laughter.
***
Captain Janeway allowed the two to glance around before announcing their presence. "Ryou and Bakura, welcome to the Bridge. This is basically the command center of Voyager. If you will look to your left, you will see our Security Officer, Commander Tuvok. Over to the right you will see our Operations Officer, Ensign Kim."
Janeway walked down the steps and stood by her chair and then pointed out the empty seat in front of her. "This section in front of me is the Conn also known as the Helm. This is where our pilot controls the ship. The pilot is Lieutenant Paris. He was the one you saw after you came here."
Janeway turned to face Ryou and Bakura once again. "The person who brought you aboard was our First Officer, Commander Chakotay. There are other members of the crew, but you won't really need to know about them until later. Now if you would like, we could go to another section of the ship, or you could stay here and ask me your questions."
--
Tuvok and Harry took a few seconds to look up from their work to see whom the Captain was referring to.
Tuvok merely acknowledged their presence with a stoic face.
Harry, on the other hand, moved from his console to welcome the guests properly. "I'm Ensign Harry Kim and if you need any questions answered about the Operations area, I will be pleased to assist you."
--
Annika (I'm referring to Seven) stood as she heard the maniacal laughter float down and reach her ears. It was something that she wouldn't want to hear again. She glanced upwards as Yuugi, Jounouchi and another person started to climb down the ladder. She moved quickly and was soon on solid ground. When her friends joined her, she immediately bombarded them with questions.
"Who was that youth Yuugi, and what happened up there? Also, who is this?" Annika pointed a finger at the person who looked identical to Yuugi.
***
Bakura and Ryou looked at one another. {Well, at least they seem friendly.} He saw Bakura wandering around what the Captain pointed out to be the Helm.
{Bakura, don't touch anything.}
{{Shut up. You don't tell me what to do.}}
Ryou ignored the comment. He knew that Bakura wouldn't be stupid enough to touch things that weren't his. {Actually, he used to be a tomb robber...} Ryou quickly joined Bakura on the Helm.
"Before we move on, can you tell us why we're here exactly? We appreciate your hospitality, but we have no idea why we're here."
{{We?}} Ryou ignored the comment as he waited for a reply.
--
Yami and Yuugi looked at each other. "This is Yami," Yuugi introduced. /We might as well tell her the truth. She's probably going to wonder why Marik was able to control her./
Yami nodded. //I'll tell her then.//
"I guess I should start at the beginning then. The person you met up there is Marik Ishtal. The item he used is what controlled you to do as he willed. That's called the Millennium Rod. It gives him the power to control anyone. Yuugi also possesses a Millennium Item."
Yami touched the puzzle. "This is the Millennium Puzzle. Its powers are still unknown to us, but for the most part it is where I have lived for the past 5000 years."
"My friend Ryou also has an Item; his is the Millennium Ring. And he also has a spirit, which inhabits it, Bakura, who was a tomb robber. Not exactly the nicest person, but Ryou tried to protect him. Marik is the same way, too. In his Rod is a spirit of the past, more dangerous than Marik himself."
"There are seven Millennium Items in all. I seem to be the only one who doesn't remember his past. I know I used to be Pharaoh in Ancient Egypt, and I am here to save the future from an evil power that I saved the world from before when I was Pharaoh in Egypt."
Jounouchi landed a punch in his hand. "And that guy, Marik, wants to kill Yuugi so *he* can become Pharaoh."
***
Janeway sat down in her chair and glanced to both Bakura and Ryou. "I had a feeling you were going to ask that question soon. The reason why we brought you here is because when Commander Chakotay used his phaser on your friend, you saw the weapon and well ... you overheard something that you were not supposed to hear."
She stopped talking for a moment before rising from her seat. "As I said earlier, we do not believe in fighting unless there is a just cause. It was a quick moment's decision on Chakotay's behalf to bring you both here. I will talk to him later about it, but you shouldn't worry about it. Before we leave, you will be dropped back off at your prior location."
The captain had noticed Bakura's interest in the Helm and chuckled quietly. 'I wonder how good of a pilot he would make?' she mused to herself. Now she stood directly behind Bakura and Ryou. "I don't suppose that you wouldn't like to try piloting, that is after you have been instructed on the basic technique. I could call Tom to give you a lesson on the holodeck if you wish to try Bakura. If you wanted you could learn as well Ryou, or you could see some of the other areas of the ship."
--
Annika stared at Yuugi, Yami and Jounouchi for a long time before moving back to lean against the alley wall. This was a little more than she had even expected. 'I bet if I told the Captain this she wouldn't even believe me.'
Giving a small sigh, she turned to the mouth of the alley. She had had time to reflect on the encounter with Marik and she wasn't sure whether he would use the information she had unwillingly given him against her or Voyager. Turning back she frowned.
"I am afraid that I haven't exactly been honest with you, Jounouchi and Yuugi, and I hope you can forgive me for this. When I was up on the roof, Marik asked me for information about who I am and where I really come from. I told him and I am sure that he took my words seriously and that may put my friends in danger. I hope that you can forgive me and not ask too many questions. I will just tell you right now that I am not from this time."
***
{Bakura? Fly the ship? Apparently, she doesn't know him that well.}
{{Such faith you have in me.}} Bakura scowled. {{I can fly.}}
Ryou laughed. {Bakura, you have a hard time riding a bike.}
Bakura glared at his lighter side. {{Well, she asked me, and the last time I checked, I don't need your permission.}} Bakura walked over to the Captain. "Sure, let's see if I can pilot this thing."
"Why do I have a feeling I'm going to regret this?" Ryou mumbled to himself. "I guess I will, too. Not much else." {And if anything goes wrong I want to be there to say 'I told you so.'}
{{Funny.}}
The captain motioned to them to follow her to where ever this 'holodeck' was.
--
"Not from this time?" Yami repeated.
Jounouchi sighed. "Why do we always get stuck with the odd ones?"
"Jounouchi!" Yuugi chided. "Leave her alone." He turned back to Annika. "I'm sorry to get you caught up in this." "You're right though. Whatever you may have said to Marik, he will take it seriously. He can tell if you're lying. We'll do what ever we can to help protect you and you're friends. It's the least we can do."
Yuugi nodded. Jounouchi slid to the ground, wondering if the madness would ever stop.
***
Captain Janeway nodded briefly before taking the duo back into the turbolift. She called out clearly to the computer. "Deck Six."
As the lift moved down she tapped her combadge. "Lieutenant Paris, please meet me in Holodeck 2 as we are giving our guests a chance to learn how to fly this ship."
She looked to Ryou and noticed his expression. Before she could say anything, the turbolift came to a stop and she exited, waiting for her guests to join her. As they moved to her side, she strolled down the corridor and called out greetings to various crewmembers.
As they neared the Holodeck entrance, Tom Paris strolled up from the other direction and hastily glanced at Ryou and Bakura before recognizing them. 'I wonder what the Captain is up to?' he quickly thought before entering the desired program he wanted to run. The doors to the holodeck opened and Tom and the Captain looked expectantly at each other before the Captain departed back to the Bridge.
Tom smiled at both Ryou and Bakura before gesturing for them to enter. Inside the set of doors was a perfect replica of the Bridge that they had just come from. Tom sat down near the Helm. "Who wants to go first?"
--
Annika smiled down at Yuugi before frowning slightly at Jounouchi's remark. "Yuugi, no offense. But I do not think you would be able to protect those I call friends. I wish it were only that simple. Jounouchi is partially right with his comment as I am odd. Or at least most of the others think I am."
Pausing only for a few seconds she held out her left hand and gave a command allowing her assimilation tubules to show before recalling them back. She gave her company a sad type of smile before turning away. "Although I look like it, I am not completely human and this is why most of the crew I work with are afraid that I will return to my old roots. If you really would like to protect me while I am here Yuugi, I would be grateful."
***
Bakura and Ryou looked at each other. {{Ryou, you go first.}}
{Why?}
Bakura hit the top of Ryou's head. {{So, that way I get to hear everything twice, of course. I'll show you that I can fly.}}
Ryou sighed. "I guess I have been volunteered to go first." Ryou sat where Tom had directed him and carefully listened to the instructions he was given. He quickly memorized all the functions on the panel in front of him and felt that he was ready. {Okay, I think I can do this.}
{{Crash and burn, Ryou.}}
{Quiet you.}
He told Tom that he was ready. He heard Tom tell the computer to start the simulation and Ryou felt his hands shake a bit. Ryou saw a bunch of stars form on the screen in front of him.
{Well, this is it.} He started off with some of the procedures Tom had walked him through and soon he was able to control the 'ship' on his own. He didn't dare try to go any faster than a slight cruise, not wanting to crash into anything.
{{Ryou, look out! Don't crash into that star!}}
Ryou jumped at the warning the voice gave him, pushing the wrong button that almost *did* send him flying into a star. He turned and glared at Bakura. {I *will* get you back for that.} Ryou managed to ignore the rest of Bakura's comments.
When his trial had come to an end, it was Bakura's turn.
--
Marik stood from where he had fallen.
^Where is my Rod?^
He saw a bright shine from across the building. He tore off his cloak and ran to pick up his item. He looked around from the top of the building and spotted Yuugi and the Pharaoh.
^Alright, Yuugi. I'll just follow you for now. But you should watch your back. The sharp end of my Rod may find a nice home there.^ His lips curled as he gave a wicked grin.
--
Jounouchi looked at what Annika had just shown them. 'Not human is right,' he thought. He put his hands in his pockets and realized something. "Hey, Yuugi, here's your deck." He put out the deck in front of him for Yuugi to take.
"Thanks, Jounouchi." He slid the deck back into its hold on his belt. "So, what do we do now?"
"We should get away from where Marik is for now. Maybe Annika can tell us how we can help her. I know Marik won't be down for long and when he finds us, it won't be a good thing for you and your friends."
--
Bakura sat where Ryou had just vacated. He listened to the same instructions Ryou was told and figured it would be a piece of cake. Once again Tom started the simulation and Bakura took control.
{{Watch this, Ryou.}} He pressed a couple of buttons that he thought were the correct ones and surprisingly they were.
{{Hmm...}} He pressed a couple more that he knew were definitely the wrong ones, sending them straight to a star.
{Bakura!}
He turned the ship away from the star and grinned. {{Scared?}}
{Of-of course not!} Ryou grabbed onto the armrests of his chair and hung on for the bumpy ride his darker half promised. {Please let this end, please let this end...} he repeated as he closed his eyes.
One after another, Bakura barely missed hitting stars. It may have shown what good reflexes he had, but it also showed his maniacal side. Bakura turned around to look at Ryou.
{{Hey, Ryou, look!}} Stupidly, Ryou opened his eyes and saw a star that was getting dangerously close.
{Bakura! Watch out! You won't be able to dodge it!}
{{Of course, I will. I've dodged all the others-}} Bakura ended midway as he turned back to that screen and saw the star.
{{He's right, I won't be able to dodge it. Oh well.}} Bakura increased the speed and crashed head-on with the star.
***
Tom sighed in relief when the ship's computer ended the simulation automatically after Bakura crashed into the star. He looked at the teen with wide eyes. 'Geez, this kid is crazy.' He looked to the grid lines in the room before restarting the simulation. He took the seat at the helm and gave a quick demonstration.
"See the point is not to go near the objects unless you are trying to orbit around them. Should we try again or do you wish to see another section of the ship. Perhaps we can go to Engineering and you can meet B'Elanna. It is up to you, but please decide quickly as I need to report for my shift on the bridge."
--
Seven felt a single tear form at the corner of her eyes before she wiped it away. "I am touched by your offer. I will tell you some things, but I can't tell you all. I can tell you though that while Annika Hansen is my true human name, I prefer to be called Seven. I acquired this nickname as it was an extremely shortened version of my old name. This other designation was given to me by another species that you wouldn't like to meet."
As she moved to stand in the crowd, she scanned the area, searching for any crewmember she knew as Janeway had promised to send someone down. She saw no one and she also didn't see this Marik. If she were to meet up with him again and could get the upper hand, she would make sure that he paid. Seven turned back to Yuugi. "Coming?"
***
Ryou quickly grabbed Bakura and said, "Yes, let's go meet B'Elanna. I think Bakura's had too much fun in here."
{{You're just jealous.}}
{Oh, yeah, I've always wished to crash into a star.}
They followed Tom to the elevator-like transporter.
--
"Aibou, I'm gonna go back into the puzzle."
"Okay." Just as he had appeared, Yami disappeared back into the puzzle.
Yuugi and Jounouchi heard Seven beckon to them. They started following the blond, going wherever she was walking. /Hey, Yami?/
//Yes?//
/Do you know where we're going?/
Yami silently laughed. //If you don't know, I don't, aibou. I can't read minds like Pegasus.//
Yuugi laughed. /But it looked like she was looking for someone./
"Yuugi!"
The small boy turned around to see Mokuba. "Mokuba what're you doing here?" Yuugi noticed a taller figure behind the boy. "Kaiba?"
The brunette merely nodded.
"Actually we were looking for you, Yuugi."
"For me?" Yuugi asked confused.
Kaiba stood next to his brother. "If you're not too busy, I'd like to duel you. Just as practice for the tournament."
"Sorry, Kaiba, but right now, I'm doing something."
Mokuba looked back at Yuugi. "Whacha doing?"
When Yuugi looked at Seven and Mokuba, it was the first time Kaiba noticed the presence of the girl. He noticed the small metallic structure on her face. Kaiba nodded towards Seven and asked, "Who's she?"
"That's Se-"
Yuugi covered Jounouchi's mouth before he could get out anything else. "That's Annika, she's just visiting Japan. Jounouchi and I are showing her around."
"Can we come?"
"Mokuba..." Kaiba warned.
"Please, Seto?"
Kaiba sighed. "Only if it's okay with them, I suppose," he conceded with a bored voice.
"Can we Yuugi? Please?"
Yuugi looked at Seven.
***
Seven looked down at Mokuba with a bit of curiosity before looking at Kaiba, as Yuugi had called him. She sensed the bond between the two and suddenly covered a yawn. It was getting late and she was growing tired but she could always stay longer and put of regenerating for a few hours. It wasn't likely that the Captain would mind her staying down on the planet, just as long as she didn't attract too much more attention.
After looking at Yuugi and Jounouchi for any complaints and finding none she knelt down to Mokuba's level. "You can come. Only if you promise to be careful. We don't want your brother to worry."
Seven then turned to face Kaiba. "I noticed the look you gave me when you noticed me, is there anything wrong with my appearance that doesn't suit you," she paused for a moment and raised her hand to the implant above her eye. "Or maybe you are curious about this. Which ever it may be, I can assure you, it isn't for you to know about."
--
B'Elanna looked up from one of the many consoles as Tom strolled in with two adolescents. The youths shared many identical features and as Tom neared her she groaned. "Tom, er, Lieutenant Paris, I hope you know that this area is not a playground. Can I ask what you are doing?"
Tom smiled before indicating Ryou and Bakura. "This is Ryou and Bakura. They expressed an interest in coming here so I thought that maybe you could give them a brief tour as I have to get to the Bridge for my duty shift, which is in ten minutes."
His blue eyes studied her intently before he started to walk away, leaving Ryou and Bakura staring around the room. B'Elanna just stood there, her facial expression twitching as she watched him leave. She then turned on Ryou and Bakura before sighing and shaking her head. She would have to talk with Tom later.
"So, what would you like to know about first? I won't go into too much detail, but you are welcome to look around. Just don't touch anything. If you need me, just give me a shout. My name is B'Elanna Torres."
***
Ryou saw Bakura moving away from him and start towards some panel with a lot of buttons. Then the spirit started to reach for one of the buttons.
{Don't touch it, Bakura! You heard what she said!}
In mid-push, Bakura drew his hand back and frowned.
{{You are such a goody-goody.}} Bakura returned to Ryou's side, sulking.
They looked around the room they were in and couldn't believe what technology they possessed. It was mind-blowing. "If you don't mind, it would be interesting to learn what the equipment is. It's really advanced then what we have. Is it alien technology, or was it developed by humans?"
"You're awfully nosy."
"So are you, otherwise you wouldn't have wanted to press that button over there." Ryou pointed to the button in question
--
Kaiba was taken aback with her attitude. Even if she wasn't from Japan, surely she would've heard of the name Seto Kaiba.
"I'll admit that I'm curious about whatever that is above your eye. It's not everyday you see someone with something like that."
That's all Kaiba would say. He was not one who was going to apologize for something she wasn't willing to discuss. In fact, we wouldn't apologize even then; it's not how he worked.
Yuugi and Jounouchi kept quiet.
/If An-If Seven doesn't want to tell Kaiba anything, we shouldn't tell Kaiba what we know about her./
//I agree, aibou.//
The four of them continued to follow Seven to wherever she was going. "Hey, Yuugi," Mokuba pulled on his jacket sleeve.
"Where's Annika from?"
***
B'Elanna had noticed Bakura reaching for the button, but he had stopped. 'Oh well, all that would've done was cause a warp-core explosion ... well with a few other buttons pressed as well,' she thought as she studied Ryou and then quickly typed in an algorithm. After Ryou had asked the question she turned to him with a slight frown.
"I'm not at liability to say too much about our technology as we go by a directive that prevents us for showing, giving or informing other cultures about it. All I can tell you that this is a collaboration from many species that come from a time after you."
As she said this, a console to her left beeped and she looked fallen. "If you would excuse me ... I have to check something. If you would like to help, please stay back for a few moments." B'Elanna swept the hair out of her face, briefly allowing the lighting to show her Klingon heritage.
--
Seven glanced to Yuugi and Jounouchi before answering Mokuba. "I'm from America. I am here visiting with some friends and I haven't been here for very long." After she had scanned the crowd she had proceeded to walk at a slow pace so the others could keep up ... mainly Yuugi and Mokuba. Her stomach protested its hunger suddenly and she realized that she hadn't found a single place to sit down and eat something. Usually it was rations aboard Voyager, but since she was down here, she might as well try some of the local cuisine.
"Yuugi, do you know where we could sit down for a meal? I have realized that I haven't eaten anything since I got off the plane."
Waiting for an answer she unclipped her combadge from the outside of her shirt and placed it in her pocket as to not draw any more attention to herself.
***
Completely unaware of the damage Bakura could have done, he and Ryou stayed back as asked, and watched as B'Elanna worked.
{{Ryou, did you see that?}}
The ridges on her forehead had gone unnoticed until she pushed some of her hair out of the way.
{Yeah, but the Captain did say something about seeing aliens, right? I guess, that B'Elanna is a different species.}
Ryou refrained from staring, that would be rude. But he could not help wondering exactly what she was. What were her species called and the like?
Ryou waited until it was obvious she was done with whatever she her task was. "Um...if you do not mind my asking, we would like to know, well... about yourself...like where you are from..."
--
Yuugi nodded. "Yeah, there are a bunch of places to go. It all depends on what you want to eat. There are Japanese, Mexican, American, and Italian places...and deli restaurants, too," Yuugi listed.
"I say pizza!" Mokuba voted as he jumped up.
Jounouchi nodded wildly to Mokuba's statement.
Kaiba just shook his head at Jounouchi's antics. 'He has the same amount of maturity as Mokuba does.'
Yuugi laughed. "Pizza always seems to be popular, and I know of a good place to go, too."
--
High above them, the shadow of Marik roamed, never losing sight of his 'prey.'
^So, they're gonna go out to eat, huh? This might take longer than I had planned. But if it'll give me a shot at killing the Pharaoh, I'll wait for as long as I need to.^
He sat on the edge of the building, idly twirling his Millennium Rod like a baton.
^Soon, Pharaoh, your end will come. Your days are numbered.^
***