Chapter Five

"This is perfect," growled Mortimer Leachman. "All three of the God Cards are in Domino City, in the hands of a weak little boy."

Abruptly, he barked to his assistant: "Ronald! How is the construction coming?"

"V-very well, sir. The fleet will be ready for attack in about a week, sir."

Leachman's face ripened to the color of a tomato. "A week?" he hissed in a dangerously quiet voice. "What did I just hear?"

Ronald wanted to sink into the floor. "Er—you heard… three days, sir. The fleet will be ready on three days."

Leachman smiled. Unfortunately, this did not make his face look any more attractive. It looked a bit like a rotting Jack-o-lantern, left out too long after Halloween. "Much better. That is what I like to hear." He spun the large leather chair around to face his assistant. "Now go, Ronald! Time is of the essence, you know." Ronald scurried out of the room.

Turning back to look at his computer screen, Leachman brought up the menu. He clicked on Operation Flame Triad, and selected Urban Assault Fleet. This displayed a list of the serial numbers and statuses of each and every one of the three hundred Aerial Assault Vehicles, or AAVs, that were being built specifically for this mission. He selected the flagship's number, 001. This ship had been nicknamed the King Ghidora, after the flying three-headed beast from the Godzilla movies. This flagship had three engines; three control rooms, retractable wings, twelve booster engines, and thirty state-of-the-art cannons, each with its own programmable target search computer. It was Leachman's personal pride, for he had designed it himself. The King Ghidora's three sections could split off into three separate ships, each with its own pilot. It was the cutting-edge technology that scientists were right now dreaming about.

The progress report read:

King Ghidora is the most complex vehicle ever constructed by this company. Work on this vehicle began on the 18th of March, and it is estimated that the King Ghidora will be completed on May 30th.

Today was May 23rd. Leachman hoped to launch the operation as soon as possible. The projected date of completion was, as always, "behind his schedule." So his experts would have to tweak the King Ghidora so it could be ready in three days. What of it? Leachman was not worried about the upcoming assault on Domino City; he was exhilarated.

His old business partner, Gozaburo Kaiba, had vanished several years ago. Apparently his adopted son, Seto Kaiba had taken over the company of KaibaCorp and transformed it from a top producer of tanks, guns and other state-of-the-art weapons into an international, multibillion gaming corporation. Leachman had always been envious of KaibaCorp's higher status in the world of weapons technology, but now the company no longer dealt in that field. And Leachman was finally ready to strike, to incorporate all of his utilities to gain control of KaibaCorp, and take all three God Cards.

Ronald's voice filled the room as the intercom crackled to life. "Mr. Leachman, sir?"

"What is it, Ronald?"

"Sir, the spy you had sent has… returned."

He said the last word with uncomfortable emphasis. Leachman frowned and shifted in his chair. "What do you mean by that?"

"I think you had better come down here, sir."

Leachman did not like the sound of that. "Very well, Ronald." He removed himself from his chair. A sliding metal door in the wall rolled back to reveal a small glass room. It was Leachman's personal elevator, and was powered by pneumatics. He sat down on one of the velvet cushioned seats in the tube and pressed the control button that would shut the door and blast him down to the antechamber, where Ronald was waiting with the spy. Or what was left of the spy.

In three or four seconds, the elevator bell dinged, and the doors opened to reveal a gruesome scene.

The spy that Leachman had sent to Domino City was lying on a stretcher on the floor. He had suffered several head and arm wounds, but worst of all was the state of his eyes. They were completely hollow; lifeless sockets that could no longer see. Paramedics and nurses swarmed around the limp man, checking heart rate, breathing, taking temperatures and assessing blood loss.

Leachman swore vehemently as he stepped out of the pneumatic. "What in the name of Lucifer has happened here?"

Ronald was hovering nervously by the exit door. "He was attacked very viciously, sir," he said unnecessarily.

"I can see that, you fool! By what, may I ask?"

"This man suffers from multiple gouge wounds to his head, neck, eyes and hands," said a paramedic. "Whatever attacked him had the nastiest, sharpest claws."

"The scratches are too large to be from any sort of cat," added another paramedic. "There are also no bite marks to be found, so that rules out a dog. These wounds seem to be made by very large claws of some sort."

"Perhaps… talons?" suggested a nurse.

"Hmmm," said the paramedic, nodding slowly.

"Addison, take a look at this!" one of the nurses exclaimed, holding up a bloodstained feather.

"Holy Moses," said Addison, examining the feather. "So this guy was attacked by a bird."

"Whatever he was attacked by, he needs immediate medical attention," interrupted the head nurse. "Take him to the operating room, now! He will need blood transfusions to compensate for the blood loss!"

Leachman sighed irritably as the man was hurried away on the stretcher. "You are telling me a bird nearly killed that man?"

"Yes, sir," said the head nurse. "Specifically, a very large one. A raptor, I'd say."

"So obviously, my spy was unsuccessful."

"Yes, sir."

"We have examined his gun, sir," said Leachman's head engineer, stepping into the room.

"What have you found?"

"One of the darts was fired, sir."

Leachman swore again. "It missed?"

"Most likely, seeing as he did not return with his quarry."

"That was my best man! Turner does not miss! Neither does he get attacked by giant flying menaces!"

"It seems he did, sir."

"That's what bothers me. How could one measly birdie stop my most elite spy?" Leachman began to pace the room.

Ronald muttered something. "What was that?" Leachman said, suddenly spinning around.

"Attack birds," said Ronald, quivering under Leachman's glare. "Perhaps…"

Comprehension dawned on Leachman's face. Unfortunately, it was replaced by anger in about three seconds. "Attack birds? That foolish adolescent has attack birds? Why didn't we find out sooner, before I sent Turner on this blasted operation?"

"There was absolutely no indication that… the quarry was harboring… er, attack birds as a precaution," Ronald shot back bravely.

"Hmph," snorted Leachman. He began to pace again.

"Perhaps we should interview Turner after he comes out of surgery," suggested the head engineer.

Leachman stopped. He turned slowly. "And then… we shall get an exact account." He slowly smiled, a rather poisonous expression. And nodded. "That is what we shall do. And in the meantime, get to work!" he shouted abruptly.

The head engineer jumped. Ronald jumped higher. They both exited rather hastily.

Back at his desk, Leachman folded his fingers. A minor setback. No matter. Soon KaibaCorp would be his, and he would personally exterminate each and every one of those damned attack birds.