Chapter Nine

Meryl whizzed above the wrecked city on a hoverbike she had taken from one of the thugs. It had been pretty simple; she only had to use one bullet on him.

You might be wondering several things, including

What importance does Meryl Shikibu have to this story?

How did she escape the KaibaCorp building unharmed?

What do you mean, "she only had to use one bullet?"

Well, there are a couple of things you need to know about Meryl Shikibu. But first I need to explain to you the power of atmosphere.

It is like a sixth sense, atmosphere is. Atmosphere is, simply put, the ability to sense the movements of living things within a given radius of the person. In this case, Meryl. Atmospherics, as we will call them, can stretch or shrink their radius to suit their needs, but no greater range has ever been achieved than a maximum of seven miles. Indeed, it would be a strain on the nerves to sense the actions of every organism around you, so for this reason atmospherics can focus in on one organism at a time.

This skill was essential to Meryl, for atmosphere was her visual crutch. There was something very wrong with Meryl's eyesight. Every year she found she could see less and less. Even the thickest glasses were not helping anymore. Meryl had to squint to see and could barely read the KaibaCorp accounts. She feared she would lose her job, and that her sight would leave altogether. And then atmosphere would be the only way to see… she would no longer be able to read, to write, to draw…

But she could still shoot a gun.

Meryl's mother was from America, and her ancestors were cowboys and ranchers in Texas. Naturally, a gun was an important asset in the old Wild West. The talent of sharpshooting had been passed down through Meryl's family. Meryl herself possessed several guns, many of them heirlooms. Her favorite was a Henry Deringer .32 RF Revolver that had been used by Raymond Calloway, the first to shoot down the infamous bandit Slippery San. Meryl polished it every night and always kept it loaded. It had come in handy today. It had been hard enough first being stuck in the burning building, then losing her glasses. She had stumbled out of KaibaCorp, coughing and squinting, when a thug had swooped down on his hoverbike and grabbed her. One bullet had taken care of him, and now Meryl had a hoverbike all to herself. She was good with mechanics and technology; it was second nature.

Scanning the scene below, she spied a house that seemed to have been specially targeted. It was barely identifiable as a building, just a smoking pile of rubble. She zoomed downward for a closer look. Meryl no longer had to look out for enemy fighter planes, the tide of the battle had turned and most had been shot down by the second fleet.

A jolt went through Meryl as she recognized someone down on the ground; there was Mr. Kaiba, getting into one of the second fleet jets! Where was he going?

Meryl flew down to investigate.

"Holy crap!" shouted Joey. "It's one of them flying bikes!"

"It's coming right this way!" exclaimed Tristan.

Samira looked at it shrewdly as it drew closer. "You don't have to worry," she said. "I don't think she will hurt us."

"She?" said Joey and Tristan together.

They all watched as the bike drew closer. Seto gaped as he realized who it was.

"That's my secretary!" he said.

"Really?" Téa said interestedly. "Is knowing how to fly one of those a job requirement?"

Seto ignored her and watched with a closed face as the bike came to a halt on the ground near them. He walked over to Meryl, speaking in a low voice. She nodded and replied. He said something grimly and then turned to the group. "So where is it we're going?"

"To Egypt," said Samira casually.

"Awesome!" chorused Joey and Tristan. "Man, I've always wanted to see a mummy!" added Tristan.

"Wait a minute," said Seto. "I bet this has something to do with that Pharaoh garbage-"

"It is not garbage," said Samira coldly, "And if you wish to stay in this ruined city, be my guest."

Seto blinked as he thought twice.

"Besides, there is a team of doctors on Marik's airship," she added. "I doubt the hospital here would be able to treat him."

That did it. "Fine," Seto growled.

Samira stepped forward and extended her hand to Meryl. "I'm Samira," she said. "You're welcome to come along."

Meryl smiled and introduced herself. "Thanks," she said gratefully.

Space was cramped on the plane, but they all managed to fit. Téa, Serenity, Joey and Tristan went into the passenger's cabin, and Seto, Samira, Ramla, and Meryl came into the cockpit.

"We have to get back to the flagship before Leachman decides to send reinforcements," said Marik, igniting the engines. He guided the plane down the street, which was now laddered with potholes, and it slowly became airborne. Meryl watched with interest.

Soon they were cruising high above the ocean. The wolf was curled up underneath the dashboard, dozing. Samira became the falcon to create more space, and perched on Seto's shoulder. Meryl looked on in curiosity. "Don't ask," Seto said confidentially. Meryl blushed furiously.

While Marik explained the controls to Meryl, the falcon and the wolf spoke together softly in the old language. Seto couldn't catch all of their conversation, but he heard three words—"Lion," "brother" and "Cairo."

Was there, perhaps, a third?