A/N: And thus comes Chapter 17. Kyle gathered the will to summon Blue-Eyes to his field, but will he be able to keep it there and maintain his Life Points in the face of his well-versed opposition?
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Kyle's LP – 150
Chubs' LP – 2150
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Upon the mere mention of its name, the huge dragon roared. The sound was rumbling and piercing at the same time; its cry extended across the spectrum of audible tone. It took to the air, its gargantuan wings beating the wind harshly.
"Oh, my God," Chubs breathed. "I thought they were handing me a fake..."
Kyle's eyes widened. "A fake? They gave you a Blue-Eyes?"
"Yeah! But I thought it was fake!" Chubs responded. "They didn't give me just a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, either; they gave me a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon card!"
"What?"
"I'd been considering sticking Cyber-Stein in my deck to use it – Blue-Eyes Ultimate is one of the only monsters even worth Cyber-Stein's cost – but I was sure it had to be a fake."
True... Cyber-Stein eats 5000 Life Points to bring out a fusion monster, but the advantage is you don't need the monsters necessary to fuse for it...
Chubs laughed bitterly. "I guess it makes little difference now, huh?"
Kyle's expression became contorted. "The Blue-Eyes they gave you is real. And no doubt Kaiba is looking for the Blue-Eyes cards. If he hears this one's been played, he's going to come looking for us." Kyle looked around at the magicians. "Which means if you're hiding this duel, it won't be hidden much longer."
"That is where you are incorrect," stated the horseman. "Upon visual inspection, Seto Kaiba will find no trace of us or this duel, even as it takes place. He can see only what his eyes show him."
"You can't make us intangible," Kyle said.
"Again, incorrect. We simply choose not to, and that is a flaw that we will adjust for. Therefore, if Seto Kaiba should approach this duel, the life of your male friend will most certainly be forfeit."
Both Kyle and Chubs growled at this threat. The horseman simply smiled his sadistic smile. "If we were to make you intangible, you, Kyle McCraine, would steal our power and cast it on your male friend, who could then easily slip the bond of the noose. We cannot allow that."
He is right. You and I cannot use the shield to twist a power to our own ends when that power is not being used. We came away from your last duel victorious because a magician was using his power to hold Samantha's brother in midair and then throw him to the ground; his power was active, and we took advantage of that to save the boy. The same cannot be done here.
But they're making the duel invisible, which means they're manipulating other people's sight. Surely that could be used to our advantage somehow. Most people depend on eyesight above any other sense.
Perhaps we could. But to attempt to use their powers would be a very dangerous maneuver. There are many of them present. Furthermore, they do not depend merely on sight, but also on their ability to detect magic.
Well, we can't just stand here and let them lynch him.
Continue the duel. I shall concern myself with the matter meantime.
Kyle turned back to Chubs and heaved a sigh; his exchange with Theoris had taken but an instant. "Then I guess we'd better get a move-on."
Chubs nodded somberly.
Kyle looked up at the immense monster. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack his Judge Man!"
The huge Blue-Eyes' mouth yawned open, and a great blast of white lightning spewed forth.
The streak of energy annihilated Chubs' Judge Man in an instant.
"I end my turn." I wish it hadn't come to this, Kyle groused. I shouldn't have to use someone else's monsters to do my dirty work.
You do what you must. It is hardly worse than what the magicians have done. You merely employ Duel Monsters... Duel Monsters you have come to know and respect. The magicians employ people, and against the will of those people.
Kyle sighed. Sorry, Theoris, but about now, I'm thinking it would have been a lot easier for me – and those people – if you had just let the Millennium Shield be destroyed.
...I do not blame you.
Chubs had drawn, meantime, and was making his play. "I place one magic/trap face-down and end my turn."
The Swords of Revealing Light vanished from his field. Kyle snorted. Yeah, right, like I need those now, anyway.
He drew his next card, then looked back up at the field. Need to do this quickly. "Blue-Eyes, attack his face-down monster!"
"Activate Waboku!" Chubs announced, and as Kyle's Waboku had done many turns earlier, a small task force of spellcasters appeared on the field and protected his monster from the blast of lightning.
"Darkfire Soldier #1 (1700/1150) is revealed," Chubs said.
His Darkfire Soldier was a burly individual with a large scimitar in hand. He was bent on one knee, his blond-haired head bowed.
Kyle felt a small measure of relief. He wouldn't have to destroy Chubs' defense – or worse, Chubs himself – just yet. "End turn."
Chubs drew his next card, spied it for a moment, then warily slid it into one of his m/t slots. "I place one magic/trap face-down and end my turn."
Probably something like Waboku or Enchanted Javelin. But I can't very well not attack and let him get a chance to get the upper hand. Kyle drew his next card, then ordered, "Blue-Eyes, attack Darkfire Soldier again!"
"Activate Dragon Capture Jar," Chubs calmly replied, and with that, the face-down he'd just played flipped up and revealed a massive pot bearing the face of a dragon. It emitted a purplish lightning bolt from the open top; the bolt struck Blue-Eyes and a purple aura was cast around the dragon. In response, Blue-Eyes landed and hunched over, its wings curling around it as if to protect itself.
Kyle cursed under his breath. Now Blue-Eyes is going to stay in defense mode unless I find a way to destroy that Jar... or until Chubs finds a way to destroy Blue-Eyes. "End turn."
Chubs drew, now safe – for the time being – from Blue-Eyes. "I play one monster face-down and end my turn."
Kyle slipped the next card from the top of his deck, and rolled his eyes. This won't help much in the way of attacking, but... "I also place one monster face-down and end my turn."
"Suddenly things are rather uneventful," Chubs noted, as he drew. His expression changed, though, once he saw what he'd drawn. Kyle couldn't place the expression, but it seemed like Chubs had drawn something of particular significance.
"All right," said Chubs. "First, I play Pot of Greed." As the familiar green jar appeared on the field, he drew his next two cards as per its effect. "And then I play Spiritual Energy Settle Machine."
On the field, Chubs' Machine card wavered into existence. From the picture came forth a machine with a quadruplet of what appeared to be satellite dishes; however, it quickly became apparent that they were not dishes of that sort, as they began to discharge yellow energy bursts at random. Three were mounted on pylons, while the fourth sat at the base. Massive battery arrays festooned the pylons. The three that were mounted emitted crackling yellow streams that all intersected at a point directly above the center of the one at the base. The base was tightly chained to the ground.
Kyle narrowed his eyes. That card's geared to anchor Spirit-subtype monsters to the field, otherwise they'd keep returning to his hand. He must have a Spirit monster waiting in the wings. And with two monsters on the field, he's got a sacrifice waiting to happen.
Chubs continued his move. "And now, I sacrifice my Darkfire Soldier #1 and my face-down Darkfire Soldier #2 (1700/1100) in order to place one monster face-down. That ends my turn."
Kyle frowned. Face-down? That's not liable to do much good. As far as I know, Samantha was right; there's no double-sacrifice monster that can defend against a Blue-Eyes attack. He'd've done better to play it face-up.
"Oh! I almost forgot." Chubs held up the one remaining card he had in his hand and stuck it in his duel disk's graveyard slot. "I have to discard a card whenever I end my turn to keep my Machine active. So bye-bye, Mr. Volcano."
Kyle drew his next card and made his move, starting with the card he'd drawn. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Dragon Capture Jar."
A small, virtual tornado swept across the field and wrapped about the Jar. Lightning bolts from within the typhoon blasted the intricately carved pot out of existence.
"Now I switch Blue-Eyes back to attack mode," Kyle declared. Blue-Eyes took to the sky once again and roared in anticipation of its next meal. "Blue-Eyes, attack his face-down monster!"
Blue-Eyes' mouth stretched open and let loose a blast of boiling white energy. The energy struck the face-down card, washed over it...
The card flipped face-up quite abruptly, and a reddish beam of energy shot out at Kyle. The beam struck him in the chest; he felt a slight impact, and he paled. My Life Points have taken damage!
He quickly brought his left arm up and looked at his LP counter.
It was scrolling down to 50.
"But... I thought..." He looked up at Chubs. "I thought there weren't any dual-sacrifice monsters that could defend against a Blue-Eyes!"
"You thought wrong, my friend," said Chubs. "My Yamata Dragon (2600/3100) is revealed."
The monster on the card that had flipped was now in full view. It was a massive creature, covered in pulsating green scales. It seemed not to have a single body, but rather several of them. All were connected at some point beyond Kyle's view. Each slender "body" – of which Kyle counted seven – had a head atop it, and each head had its eyes and mouth closed; it seemed as though there was a great pile of massive anacondas sleeping atop each other. The separate necks writhed, however, even in sleep. A massive tail swung idly to the left.
Chubs smirked. "Yamata Dragon's the second rarest card I own. It's a Spirit monster with the mother of effects where the desperate duelist is concerned. When it deals battle damage to an opponent's Life Points, its controller is allowed to draw cards until he's got five in hand. And because Blue-Eyes attacked it, the damage inflicted to your Life Points is considered battle damage. Therefore..."
Chubs revealed both of his palms to Kyle; Mr. Volcano had been the last card in his hand last turn. He drew five new cards from the top of his deck and adopted an expression of someone much more comfortable with options present.
Kyle ground his teeth. He was waiting for me to destroy Dragon Capture Jar so that I could attack with Blue-Eyes. He knew I'd want to attack with it. But there's nothing I can do now. "End turn."
"So impersonal all of a sudden," said Chubs. "Don't be ashamed. Yamata Dragon's so rare that most people don't know it even exists. You couldn't have known. I never told you; I wanted to have a trump in case both of us went to the finals." He drew. "I play Dian Keto the Cure Master."
A chubby healer appeared on the field. It held a glowing orb in its thick hands, and the orb emitted a soft white beam directed toward Chubs.
His LP counter scrolled up 1000 points, bringing him up to 3150.
Kyle cursed. And here I am, sitting on top of a measly 50 LP!
"I also place one more magic/trap face-down. That ends my turn," Chubs said, almost jovially. "Oh, and by the way, I discard my Launcher Spider to keep Settle Machine in play, so Yamata Dragon stays right where I need it."
Kyle groused as he drew his next card. He knows I can't do anything, not as long as his dragon's in defense mode. And I've got nothing to switch it; he's not liable to switch it, either. Moreover, there's nothing in my hand that'll do me any good! "I end my turn without playing anything."
"That's a shame," said Chubs. He drew.
Looked up at Kyle.
And smirked.
"I told you Yamata Dragon was my second rarest card. Now you can say hello to my rarest."
"Bring it on," Kyle said smoothly.
"I will, at that. This is an effect monster, and the effect is long-winded, so I hope you pay attention." Chubs held up the card for Kyle to see. "This card is called Lava Golem, and I don't get to play it to my side of the field. It has to go to yours."
Kyle blinked. "What?"
"You heard me. Come over here."
"That will not be necessary," the horseman interjected. He gestured towards the card Chubs was holding up.
The card was surrounded by a soft white aura, and before the duelists' amazed eyes, the card floated away from Chubs' hand and across the distance.
"Reach out your hand, Kyle McCraine," the horseman said.
Kyle obeyed, and the card deposited itself in his outstretched palm.
Chubs stared at the magician. "How did you do that?"
"Through the power I wield," the horseman responded. "My abilities... the abilities of my brethren... are considerable. You would do well to remember that."
Chubs blinked, but then glowered. "Fine, whatever." He turned back to Kyle. "Read it."
Kyle studied the card. The picture on the face showed a gargantuan semi-humanoid creature made entirely of magma, massive hands outstretched. Hanging from the base of its neck by a thick chain was a cage in which a person (presumably, a duelist) was trapped and desperately trying to pry the bars loose.
This doesn't bode well, he thought. He glanced at the level, then at the attack/defense factors. Same as a Blue-Eyes. And the effect script is in four-point font, good lord... 'This monster must be Special Summoned on your opponent's side of the field by offering 2 monsters on your opponent's side of the field as a Tribute.'
He glanced up at his field. In this case, Blue-Eyes and my face-down. He looked back at the card. 'This card inflicts 1000 points of Direct Damage to the Life Points of this card's controller during each of his/her Standby Phases. When you Special Summon this monster, you cannot Normal Summon or Set a monster during the same turn.'
He looked back up at Chubs, his expression suddenly one of disbelief. "What?!"
Chubs' smirk grew wider. "Afraid so, Kyle. That's the monster I want to play. Don't let it be said I never gave you anything."
I'm only at 50 Life Points! If this stays on my field, I'm a goner!
"Play it, Kyle. Special Summon Lava Golem in attack mode by sacrificing Blue-Eyes and your face-down."
Kyle looked from the card to Chubs, then back to the card. There's nothing I can do!
You are wrong, Kyle. Have you forgotten your traps?
His eyes flitted to his field.
And he saw his two face-down traps.
If I am not mistaken, there is one trap present that can save you. You can no longer avoid its use. This is what it was meant for; this is the time to use it.
Kyle closed his eyes and nodded.
"Fine," he said. "Fine. Blue-Eyes White Dragon and my face-down Mystical Elf (800/2000) are sacrificed to play Lava Golem (3000/2500) in attack mode."
On the field, the Lava Golem began to waver into existence. Chubs' smile grew wider, and Kyle could see it in the man's eyes... the look that said, I'm going to win... I'm going to live!
I can't let him win. This stops here.
Kyle pressed a magic/trap activation button.
"Activate Solemn Judgment!" he shouted.
An old, gray sorcerer shimmered into being directly behind the still-shuddering, still-incomplete image of Lava Golem. The sorcerer brought up one hand, palm up, as if to command a sudden, immediate halt.
And the Lava Golem image began to fade.
Chubs' eyes widened, and his mouth hung open. "You've got to be kidding me."
"No joke," said Kyle. "Solemn Judgment works in this instance since you're technically the one summoning the monster, not me. The downside of using it is that my remaining Life Points are cut in half and the monsters for Lava Golem's sacrifice don't come back. But at this point, I don't have much else to lose." He flashed his LP counter at Chubs.
"25!" Chubs exploded. "25 Life Points! That's not even skin-of-your-teeth! That's skin-of-your-hair!"
"And if I hadn't used it, you'd have won next turn," said Kyle. "I'm the first to admit it."
Chubs' glower rivaled that of a demon's. "Doesn't matter now. I switch Yamata Dragon to attack mode!"
The heads of Yamata Dragon all awakened at the same time. Fourteen blood-red eyes leveled their stares at Kyle, and seven vicious mouths split wide open to reveal fangs as long as Kyle's forearms.
"Yamata Dragon, attack what's left of his Life Points!"
Kyle shook his head sadly. "You're reacting in anger. That's why you won't win." He activated his remaining card. "Mirror Force!"
Chubs' eyes became saucers. "NO!"
Yamata Dragon's seven heads all fired reddish lightning at Kyle, but the strike was halted – and white streams of energy pierced the opposing monster.
Kyle looked on in satisfaction. He can't bring that back; Spirits can't be Special Summoned. And he wouldn't dare revive Golem.
That reminded him of the Golem, which he'd taken off his field and was now holding in hand. He turned to the horseman. "Give this back to him; it's his monster, so it goes in his graveyard."
The horseman, for once, obliged Kyle and sent the card back to Chubs. The younger duelist, when he saw the card hovering in front of his face, snatched it angrily from midair and shoved it in his graveyard slot. "Thanks a lot, Kyle. You've just royally pissed me off. Do you want me to die?!"
"I want you to live, Chubs, make no mistake," Kyle said. "There's no point in your death. We both know that. It's not our fault if other people seem to have trouble figuring that out."
"Whatever," Chubs snapped. "My turn's finished, there's nothing more I can do. Since I don't have Yamata Dragon anymore, I'll let Settle Machine go, too."
With that, his Spiritual Energy Settle Machine vanished into the non-reality from whence it had come.
Kyle drew his next card, looked at it, and sighed slightly. "I activate Monster Reborn to bring back Blue-Eyes White Dragon."
The Blue-Eyes that had been destroyed last turn emerged from the Monster Reborn hologram on the field and roared, almost indignantly. Kyle found it almost amusing that Blue-Eyes would be indignant, but he supposed it would make sense; he decided that a monster with the sort of power it contained would probably not take kindly to being destroyed, most especially by being sacrificed.
Kyle surveyed Chubs' field. One face-down m/t. Probably meant to stop an attack. But it's not like I have a choice. He wasn't expecting to have a bare field. Probably nothing worse than a Waboku. "Blue-Eyes, attack his Life Points!"
Sure enough, Chubs activated his card, a trap they were both familiar with by now. "Activate Waboku. You'll have to do better than that to get me down."
Kyle scoffed. "True, that. End turn."
Chubs took a deep breath, savoring the air he was still being allowed. Both duelists knew it could be much worse. "You destroyed my best monsters, so I guess I'll have to take it from the top. I place one magic/trap face-down and one monster face-down, and end my turn there."
Kyle drew. The longer this goes on, the higher the risk of us being discovered. It wouldn't surprise me if Kaiba's been looking for his old cards all day. "I play one monster face-down. Blue-Eyes, attack his face-down!"
Chubs' face-down monster, another Darkfire Soldier #1 (1700/1150), cringed under the attack and then vanished.
"Your move," said Kyle.
"And I'll make the most of it," Chubs answered as he drew. "I place another magic/trap face-down and one monster face-down. Back to you."
Kyle picked his cards carefully. Any move might be my last. "I place one monster face-down–"
"Activate Acid Trap Hole!" Chubs interrupted.
A crag in the earth containing a bubbling pool of acid appeared underneath the monster card Kyle had just played. Kyle rolled his eyes. It doesn't have a defense higher than 2000, so it'll be destroyed, but... "My Magician of Faith (300/400) still gets her effect because she was flipped."
Nevertheless, Kyle's Magician shrieked as she fell into the acid pool, which subsequently sealed over.
"Put the effect to good use," Chubs mumbled.
Kyle selected the magic card he wanted from his graveyard and slipped it between the other cards in his hand. He looked back up at his field and wasted no time. "Blue-Eyes, attack!"
Blue-Eyes' energy blast wreathed Chubs' defensive Mysterious Puppeteer (1000/1500) and then blew it away without interference.
"As a follow-up," said Kyle, "I activate Heavy Storm."
For the third time, the holoprojectors fired lightning bolts to strike the magic/trap card on Chubs' side.
Chubs pressed an activation button. "I don't want my other Ultimate Offering card to go to waste, so I'll use it to pay 500 Life Points and place one monster face-down. Now you can destroy it." His Life Points descended to 2650.
And destroy it, the lightning did; upon its activation, the card was annihilated.
"That ends my turn," said Kyle.
Chubs winced as he inspected his next card. He looked up at Kyle. "Just so you know... I've now run out of low-level monsters to summon to the field. That one, right there..." He indicated his face-down. "That's my last. We've played long enough. I just don't have anything left to give, there. And I'll sacrifice my Jigen Bakudan (200/1000) to place another monster face-down... and end my turn."
Kyle's shoulders sagged. Yeah... we've played long enough. By all rights, I should be running out of low-levels really soon. This duel needs to end. Theoris, be ready for anything... and I do mean anything. This thing is still too close; it could go either way now.
Play, Kyle.
Kyle drew his next card. "I place one magic/trap face-down, and then I flip my Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200) into attack mode."
Kyle's dark-robed Witch appeared and stared intently at Chubs and his face-down.
"Blue-Eyes, attack!"
Blue-Eyes' mouth let loose a blast of energy that enveloped the face-down.
"My Twin-Headed Fire Dragon (2200/1700) is destroyed," Chubs said softly. "And that leaves my field open."
"A Witch attack isn't a big thing for someone who's got the LP you do," said Kyle. "Don't be afraid of it. Not this turn. Witch of the Black Forest, attack his Life Points!"
With that order, his Witch of the Black Forest did something not even Blue-Eyes had been able to achieve – it scored a direct attack on Chubs.
The younger duelist staggered under the blow, and his Life Points fell to 1550.
"Your turn," said Kyle.
Chubs drew, hopelessness in his eyes.
But then he saw the card he'd drawn. And that hopeful spark returned.
"Kyle... it's been an honor to duel you," he said. His tone was sincere.
Either he's giving up or he expects me to lose this turn. If that's a burn card...
Chubs slid the card into a magic/trap slot, and for one terrifying moment, Kyle was sure he was going to see flames licking at him.
Chubs hit the activation button corresponding to that slot.
The card appeared on the field and flipped up.
It was a magic card.
"I activate Change of Heart!" Chubs announced.
The familiar half-angel half-demon shimmered onto the field.
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, come to me!"
The Change of Heart creature bolted across the field and leaped head-on into Blue-Eyes, phasing right into its belly. Blue-Eyes obediently soared to Chubs' side of the field and growled at its former controller. Kyle didn't need to give the card to Chubs; Blue-Eyes was his for only one turn, at the end of which it would return to Kyle's control.
Chubs stared across the expanse and at his opponent. "I wish we'd gotten to see what our power was without having to resort to toying with a Blue-Eyes. But I guess that's the price we both pay for your stubbornness."
Kyle said nothing.
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack Witch of the Black Forest!"
The infamous white lightning attack burst from Blue-Eyes' mouth.
It streaked towards Kyle's Witch.
And then...
A force of miniature spellcasters surrounded Witch.
A translucent screen of protection was set up between the two monsters.
"Activate Waboku."
Chubs paled as the attack splashed harmlessly against the screen. "No..."
He looked desperately at his hand of cards... and it yielded no options to him.
There was no choice.
He had to give Blue-Eyes back, and there was no way for him to stop an attack next turn.
Kyle, with his pitiful 25 Life Points, was going to win.
He let his eyes drift closed, and he bowed his head. Softly, he said, "Your move."
Blue-Eyes floated back to Kyle's field, a growl ever-present in the back of its massive throat.
And as for Kyle... there was a lump in the back of his. He's got nothing on his field. Nothing at all. Look at his face... he's accepted defeat. He's ready to die, even though he doesn't want to.
He may not have to.
Are the magicians still making this duel invisible?
I sense them. They are indeed using their power. But as I told you before, trying to use it to our advantage would be extremely dangerous. I know not our chance for success. I do not estimate it is a good chance.
Even a bad chance is better than no chance at all. We have to at least try.
I do not mean to say I am unwilling to try. You are right; it is a deed that must be done. Draw your next card, and announce your attack. We shall make our attempt the moment the order escapes your tongue.
Okay... Kyle drew, and the back of his mind registered that the drawn card was Suijin. If the back of his mind was in control, he would have snorted and thought, Now a Labyrinth Brother comes up, after all this time? He might have even considered sacrificing Blue-Eyes and his Witch in order to play it, just so that Chubs wouldn't have to face a lethal attack by a monster than Kyle didn't even consider to be his.
But it didn't matter, really. Suijin, Blue-Eyes, the end result was the same.
Chubs' Life Points would be reduced to zero in one strike.
"It really has been an honor to duel you, Kyle," Chubs said again. "And it's been an honor to have you as a friend. I'm just sorry you couldn't be as good a friend as I thought you'd be."
No... Chubs, don't say that...
Kyle, I know this pains you, but you must make the attack order. The chance to save him is slim, but it is present.
How much of a friend am I...?
He does not understand the power you hold, Kyle. He does not know the significance of the Millennium Shield. He focuses on your friendship because that is where his only measure of understanding lies.
I should have told him...
Yet you did not. If you consider this to be a mistake, turn your determination on making sure you shall correct it.
"Yes," Kyle whispered. "Yes... I'll make it right..."
He looked up.
Everyone was waiting for him to make his choice.
He only had one choice.
And one choice was no choice.
No choice at all.
His expression became stern, his voice determined.
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon," he ordered, "attack his Life Points directly."
Blue-Eyes' mouth opened, loosed its terrible wrath upon Chubs.
The number on Chubs' LP counter was plain for all to see.
0.
"Goodbye," Chubs whispered.
Kyle's Millennium Shield gleamed with golden fury. Beams lanced out from it, multiple streaks; all magicians present were struck.
No. No goodbyes. Not now. Not ever.
Kyle felt the power flow through him, and he pushed off.
He raced forth, his mind focused on only one thing: saving his friend.
Eyes of Horus appeared on the magicians' foreheads.
The magicians shouted in confusion; they could no longer see Chubs or Kyle. Nor could they see each other.
They could not see a single thing. Kyle had cast them all into darkness by their own power.
The one that had been holding the catch release for the massive trap door beneath Chubs' feet suddenly let go of the rope and clutched at his eyes, shouting madly.
Kyle suddenly registered the horseman yelling something as he charged toward the gallows.
"Release the trap door, you fool! Listen; there are his footsteps! He approaches! Release it!"
And to his horror, Kyle realized that even though he had blinded the magicians, their ability to hear was still very much unencumbered. He moved even faster, and his charge would have made any sprinter proud... but Chubs was still a good ten yards away.
The magician that had dropped the release rope got to the deck of the platform and fumbled for it.
Eight yards.
His fingers reached the rope's fringe.
Five yards.
The fingers curled around the rope.
Three yards.
Time slowed down, almost to a crawl.
Kyle's feet were in shoes of lead. He was wading through peanut butter. But if only he could move faster, just a little faster...
No...!
The magician pulled the rope.
Chubs disappeared.
And the chain drew taut.
Whkt-WHTSH!
"NOOO!"