A/N: Wow, this chapter turned out nothing like I had expected it to. But I like it better. There are some sections in this chapter that include a lot of jargon, but I think I did an okay job of making it comprehensible. The medical theories expounded in this chapter have no basis in reality and are not sound. Please, don't try any of them at home. I'm glad to see the reviews for chapter nine were solid, I wasn't sure how it was. Thanks to everyone that reviewed. You guys are great.
Disclaimer: The only things I own in this chapter are the bizarre medical theories.
Chapter Ten: Invocation
It was difficult to recall anything that had happened before this point. In fact, it was difficult to recall if anything had happened before this point. Somehow she felt that the dreariness of this graveyard was all she'd ever known. For that matter, what was a graveyard? Far, far above she could see a faint light that gave the only visibility to the darkness around her. Sounds echoed from above from time to time, that sounded like voices underwater. Then again, what was water? Probably something she'd made up, she decided. After all, there was nothing like that here.
The ground beneath her was a dark shade of moonlit blue, dry and crumbly dirt that composed the floor of the only world she knew. Everything around her had that bluish quality about it, from the dry dirt to the pervasive fog to the tombstones that were spread across the ground. They varied in size and shape from small, rudimentary tablets to large statuesque memorials. The one she was leaning on, for the young woman was leaning, was a tall monolith topped with a fierce, almost draconic, gargoyle. It was impressive, but had an eerie quality about it.
The girl stepped away from the statue and turned to regard the inscription, which she had been leaning against. She found that she couldn't read it, or even recall what to read was. Still, the shapes seemed comforting. Something deep in her mind screamed that she recognized those letters. Yes, they were letters! She remembered the sounds that they made. "Ser-en-it-y Wheel-er." She sounded out slowly. That was her name, wasn't it? Yes! She was Serenity Wheeler. That was nice to know.
A shriek in the distance pulled her back to the present. The sound of the call had sent a chill down her spine. Somehow, she knew that the shriek had come from something bad and that that something was searching for her. She had to run away. Desperately, Serenity made a dash in the opposite direction of the shriek. Or tried to. She found that her legs wouldn't obey her command.
"Come on! Come on! Run, you stupid legs! Run, or it'll get us!" She screamed at the appendages beneath her. "Don't sabotage me at a time like this! Not after everything we've been through together!" Sure, it was ridiculous. They were part of her, she understood. More than that, they hadn't been through anything together. She was fairly sure that this was the first time she'd used them.
Another shriek sounded, this one closer than the other. Serenity grabbed her left leg with her arms and forced herself to move forward, forcibly moving her legs for each step. Gradually, her feet seemed to catch on and started moving independently. This resulted in a boost in speed that she felt boded well for her chance of escape. Now running away from the sound, she found she had some difficulty dodging the assorted stones with her clumsy limbs. Stumbling as she struck one, she plummeted to the ground.
A big red mark was on the shin that had struck the small tombstone. "Gee, this walking thing is tough." She thought aloud. Slowly, she found her way to her feet and practiced steering for a bit. Another report from the creature following her informed her that she didn't have time to waste on such things, so she broke off running again. It was about this time she discovered that her head was on some kind of pivot and that, if she tried, she could turn it to either side. This would come in handy, she decided.
Her practice in steering was paying off and she found that she had little trouble dodging the rocks that composed the graveyard. Feeling confident in her abilities, she glanced back over her shoulder to check on her pursuer. She saw it bearing down on her from not far behind. It seemed to be little more than a fluttering sheet of black fabric, but it was easy to see that there was some force driving it. Two skeletal hands reached from within the cloak and held a menacing looking scythe. Driving her legs as fast as she could, she fled from the creature, her body quivering in fear.
A few moments later the creature had nearly closed the distance between the two of them and was swinging his scythe at her fleeing form. She could see the black cloth with her peripheral vision by this point, and knew that there was no way she could escape from the creature. Without warning, a green streak shot from behind a tombstone before her and through the black cloth. Splitting clear in two, the black form's momentum propelled it passed her where it disintegrated a moment later. From behind her, a voice spoke.
"That will not stop the Reaper for long. We'd best be moving, Serenity." The deep, gruff voice declared.
Serenity turned to regard her saviour. He wore a blue cape covering green and brown armour. Atop his head was a green and silver helmet, adorned with blade-like horns. Beneath the helmet he wore his brown hair short, well kept. As he turned to face her, she saw his deep blue eyes sparkle from beneath. He held a sword firm in hand, obviously the tool he'd used to defeat that creature, and his eyes were hard and determined. Somehow, she associated a word with this creature.
"Seto?" She asked, blinking at the warrior.
The warrior said nothing, but grabbed her hand and darted away in another direction. Serenity had no choice but to follow. He led her downhill into a dale where the ever-present fog would shield them from airborne scrutiny. Further leading her to a niche in a cliff face that blocked sight from all but three sides, he let her go and turned his gaze to stare out into the mists.
"I'm not Seto." The warrior stated finally, after several minutes had passed in silence. "But I'm not… not Seto."
"I don't get it." Serenity admitted, glancing at the warrior from the rock she had taken a seat atop.
"You're asleep, Serenity. I don't know how long you've been asleep, but you are. This is only a dream and I'm the Kaiba you came up with. Half Kaiba, half Celtic Guardian actually. All of this…" He explained, motioning to the endless cemetery outside the niche, "…is the world you made up to protect yourself from an attack. Can you remember what might have led you to make this world?"
Serenity thought for a while, "No. Why is that important? If this is a dream, can't I just wake up?"
"Not so simple." Kaiba Guardian answered, "You made this world, and there's a special way to leave it. It might be something easy, like a door or it might be something more difficult, like… I don't know, killing the Reaper."
"Why would I make up a world in which I'm chased by a monster all day?" Serenity asked irately, frustrated by the blankness in her mind.
"Perhaps guilt. Perhaps fear. Perhaps it's just part of a memory that you incorporated into this world. All I know is that we won't find the way out of here sitting in this valley. It'll be hard to do this alone. Do you think you can do it?" He asked her.
"I'm not alone. I have you." Serenity replied, rising from her seat.
The guardian looked to the dull light emanating from the roof of Serenity's world. "Perhaps you do." He whispered, "Perhaps you do."
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The largest room of the Kaiba mansion was almost never used. Nestled under the mansion, the room was large and unadorned, made of nothing but black concrete on all sides. The room housed the most expensive piece of equipment in the mansion, the Kaiba Corp supercomputer. Incredibly powerful and networked to thousands of miscellaneous databanks worldwide, the computer was the second most powerful in Japan. The most powerful was the prototype 'Balthasar' computer in Tokyo, an experimental supercomputer built by the Japanese government.
Kaiba rarely let anyone else into the room, but this time he had no choice. He and Tai Kitsune had reconfigured the computer to analyse possible attempts to bring Serenity from her coma by using multiple medical databases that were configured into the computer. They had been running probability simulations for ten straight hours now and hadn't found a procedure with more than an eleven percent chance of success.
Tai was the kind of person Kaiba could easily take a liking to. Intelligent and passionate, the young doctor had a sense of humour that was to the younger CEO's liking and enough respect for Seto to make their interactions favourable. The condescension the two men felt for most of the rest of the populace was a main commonality between the two. Both were of superior talent and intellect and, moreover, they were well aware of it. However, circumstances made the situation less than comfortable for either.
"Have we considered the use of hypnosis?" Tai asked, leaning back in the leather swivel chair he'd been relegated to away from the keyboard of the massive CPU.
"I normally don't like it," Kaiba admitted, turning his chair to face Kitsune, "Has it been done before with any kind of result?"
"In purely psychological cases not unlike this one," Tai started, turning to the computer, "It's been implemented with limited success. Admittedly, I don't think it's ever brought anyone out but it's increased responsiveness before. Try simulating possible results if we include hypnotic suggestion with a pain-based shock therapy to stimulate neural activity."
Kaiba nodded and implemented the data into the computer. The screen quickly became a blur of calculations and possible results, calculating every possible outcome of the regimen and the probability of each. A few seconds later it spit out the result. "Eight percent chance of successful recovery, with a five percent chance of permanent neural damage, especially in the cerebral cortex." Kaiba read, disappointment clear in his voice.
A few more moments passed before Kaiba sprang to life again and suggested, "Would some kind of medication to force a reaction work? Something to bring her to a slightly higher level of consciousness? I hate to suggest it, but we could induce a seizure or something of the kind."
A shrug was the reply he received. "The idea is sound, but the brain isn't responding to tactile sensations, so it would be necessary to further poison her or something equally dangerous."
"That's not the kind of risk I'm willing to take just yet." Kaiba admitted.
Tai nodded solemnly, subconsciously playing with a pen in his hands. Finally, he had an idea, "It's obvious that we need an unconventional solution. We've been trying to come up with out-of-the-box treatments, but perhaps we're simply not looking far enough out of the box."
"What are you suggesting?" Kaiba asked.
Tai stood up and gazed at the leftmost of the three gigantic screens that ran along the tetrahedral walls of the room. "What if we use a tiny commutator to stimulate the synaptic nodes? We could hardwire the brain to stimulate basic neural functions. If we restore basic functions without requiring any neural activity we could bring her to a level of semi-consciousness that might snap her out of it."
Even as Tai was still speaking Kaiba began to input the data into the computer. It was a ridiculous theory, using an electronic device to trick the body into believing the brain was thinking. In turn, they would trick the brain into believing the body was responding forcing Serenity to a higher level of consciousness. Again flaring to life, the computer quickly calculated the possibility of success.
"Thirty-four percent chance of success." Kaiba read, "With any failure causing permanent cerebral damage and likely collapsing most of the nerve synapses. Our highest yet, but with a much greater risk."
The young doctor understood what that meant. The theory was sound but it was unlikely that they'd be able to implement it without causing permanent damage, even paralysis, to Serenity. They'd backburner the idea. Kaiba had already stated that any potentially dangerous solution wouldn't be implemented until they were sure that she wasn't going to improve without it.
Kaiba rose and made for the door. "Keep thinking." He ordered as the door slid open. "But don't touch anything. I have an idea I want to think about."
It was true, the suggestion Tai had given had gotten him thinking about another possible option. It was ridiculous, he knew, more so than suggesting to tap into Serenity's brain, but if there was even a remote chance it could work he had to try.
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The first phase of his plan had nearly been successful. In any case, he'd taken Serenity out of Kaiba's life and probably further wounded him out of sheer frustration at his impotence to help the girl. He knew Kaiba and he understood that the idea that there was nothing he could do would do more to hurt the man than anything else. Kaiba was a man of action, and inaction would eat at him like a virus. A virus that would eventually consume him.
The next step was to kill the butler. This would be difficult, as he never left the house. He was the only one of the servants to be given a room in the mansion itself, and he wasn't required to leave the grounds on any work, nor did he feel inclined to do so for recreation, unfortunately.
Perhaps it would be necessary to rearrange his plans. Mokuba would be an easier mark even with the beefed-up security around the Kaiba mansion. Kaiba, of course, had thought that the threat had passed. He would likely either pass this latest incident with Serenity off as a random attack or at least unrelated to his brother. He would sit in his perch and wait until Mokuba left. And when he did, he'd cut the little bastard from ear to ear and spill his blood on Kaiba's own doorstep.
Another thought began to build in the back of his mind. Perhaps he would kill Kaiba when it was all over. The man would be emotionally broken and in no situation to fight. Even if he was, the man knew he was a superior combatant. He'd proven that much already. Weakened by his injuries, true, but still superior. Yes, once he'd sent Kaiba through an emotional hell he'd send him to the real one.
One step at a time, he rebuked himself. If he became too aggressive he would find himself in a trap. He'd wait, first, for this to blow over. Wait until the situation was almost forgotten. Then he'd strike. He had nothing else to do with his time but sit and wait until Kaiba exposed himself. He had nothing else to do but wait for vengeance, nay, for justice.
No one wronged him with impunity.
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The dogged pursuit continued as Serenity and her guardian fled from the creature. It had returned, as predicted, and descended upon them shortly after they'd begun there search. Serenity had found her legs somewhat more than before and it seemed almost a standoff, but the creature still had an edge in that it didn't need to avoid the scattered tombstones and so it gained slowly on the pair. Seto seemed tireless, but Serenity felt her feet beginning to falter. The pursuit was in its third hour and she couldn't run anymore.
"Seto… I can't… keep going." She whined as she struggled to keep up with Kaiba.
Nodding his understanding, the Celtic Guardian swooped her into his arms in a single motion and kept running. Clutching herself tightly to his chest, Serenity watched the Reaper over his shoulder. They ran like that for several minutes, but Serenity realized that even the fit Kaiba wouldn't be able to maintain the pace with her added weight. She could see in his eyes that Seto knew that as well.
Turning sharply, her guardian leapt over a nearby precipice and took the fifteen-foot fall to the ground. He rose and ducked behind a large, simple tombstone not far away and pressed himself hard against the cold rock, holding Serenity tight to himself. He waited only a few moments before the Reaper flew overhead, casting it's head about curiously as he hunted for them. Stealthily, he slipped around to the other side of the stone and motioned for Serenity to be quiet.
It seemed like an hour passed before the sound of the Reaper leaving in another direction, cloak flapping, could be heard. Kaiba relaxed, releasing Serenity carefully. The small girl slumped to the ground and gathered herself up, putting her back to the nearby precipice and looking at Kaiba.
"What do we do now?" She asked, her voice hushed for fear of the Reaper.
"I don't know." The guardian admitted, "Have you remembered anything else?"
Serenity shook her head. She'd been racking her brain since their earlier conversation to remember anything, even where she knew Kaiba from or who Kaiba was. Another name, Joey, also stuck out in her mind but she couldn't even put a face to that name. Again she searched her mind but came up with a blank. "I'm sorry, nothing," she apologized.
Kaiba nodded grimly, "Don't feel bad, you're trying your hardest. We can stay here and rest for a while. At least, until the Reaper returns."
The fog seemed to thin for a moment and Serenity got a better sense of the area around them. The graveyard seemed to stretch infinitely in every direction, lit only by the soft glow from above. The dim light prevented her from making out much more than the dark forms of the grave markers, but it was obvious they would find nothing else. A fair distance away, she could make out the form of a jagged piece of land jutting out from the ground.
"What's that?" She asked, pointing to the spire of stone in the distance.
The guardian glanced over to follow where she was pointing, and then turned back a moment later. "That's the highest point, as far as I know, in this graveyard. I suppose it's a logical place for us to search," he answered, "But we'll wait until you're feeling up to it."
Serenity nodded her agreement and tried to catch her breath. She'd done more running that day than she thought that she was capable of. Her forehead and arms were slick with sweat, but it took only a few moments for the chill in the air to turn her sweat into goose bumps. There was never any sunrise here. It was cold, and dark. She wanted to go home, wherever that was.
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Kaiba found himself sitting in his office chair, rolled back a good way from where it usually sat against the desk. His eyes stared, impassive, almost unseeing, at the object lying on his desk. The Millennium Rod sat on the desk, gleaming despite the fact that the only lighting in the room was the halogen lights on the ceiling. What a ridiculous thought he was entertaining!
He'd spent way too much time around Yugi Moto and his deranged friends. The rod on his desk was a cleverly designed piece of metal. It was nothing more than that. It was an old weapon, one that was obviously dull, as it'd failed to piece his skin when Vex had stabbed him with it. The artefact had history, true, but it remained a piece of metal. It had no answer for him.
And still he couldn't drive the idea from his mind. Was he going insane? Had the stress of Serenity's attack finally driven him off the deep end? Sighing heavily, he stood and paced across the room. True, he had said that he would do whatever it took, but that didn't mean he'd entertain such folly for… for what? A faint flicker of hope, that was all. Misguided hope, nothing would come of it.
And still the idea would not leave his mind. He must truly be insane. Slowly, he glanced back at the rod. Purposefully, he strode to the rod and wrapped his fingers around the handle. So be it. He would be insane and happy.
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Serenity was still tired when she had told her Kaiba Guardian that she was ready to head out. By this point she was exhausted, as the two charged headlong up the spire that she had located earlier. The Reaper was in pursuit once more and the two found they could nowhere near match his flying pace in an uphill charge. A quick glance at her companion told her that he knew they were doomed.
"Keep running!" Kaiba urged her as though it weren't obvious. Serenity only nodded, too winded to reply.
Suddenly, Kaiba stopped and turned, leaping toward the Reaper. Sword swinging furiously, he landed blow after blow on the shadowy form of their antagonist. But the Reaper would not be taken so easily this time, and he drove the handle of the scythe against Kaiba to drive him back. Taking the blow in stride, Kaiba swung his blade in an arcing slash down at the Reaper who easily blocked the blow with the scythe. Driving the handle against Kaiba's chest again, the Reaper charged at the reeling warrior. The Reaper sailed straight at Kaiba, scythe swinging in fast. The guardian was ready, however, and he ducked beneath the swinging blow. Seizing the opportunity, he brought his sword in another vertical slash through the bottom half of the Reaper- and hit nothing but air. Spinning in a second, the Reaper brought his scythe around again and decapitated the off-balance warrior.
Serenity had reached the pinnacle of the rock formation and had been watching in a tense silence. She screamed as she saw the Reaper sever the head from her only companion, but her fear was nothing compared to what she felt when the Reaper turned back toward her. Her body froze with fear as the Reaper began to make its way up the peak. She needed help, and fast.
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Kaiba strode into the guest room in which Serenity lay. They had moved her there for greater comfort, and the medical equipment had been similarly relocated. Tai was in the room at the moment, checking vital signs and nerve responses. He turned from the instruments when Kaiba entered, looking quizzically at his employer. Joey was in the room as usual, watching over his sister. He rose to his feet when Kaiba entered, his eyes leaping to the Millennium Rod in Seto's hand.
Acting almost without registering his movements, Kaiba placed the end of the rod to Serenity's forehead. Joey leapt at the action and lunged toward Kaiba, but Tai shot his arm out to hold him back. The young doctor had only known Kaiba for a few days but he understood the CEO's feelings toward the girl. He wouldn't hurt her. The younger brunette didn't notice any of what transpired. His focus was the girl below him, his purpose: her welfare. Eyes burning with determination, he didn't seem the least bit surprised when the artefact began to emit a golden glow. Like a man possessed, he spoke without hearing his own words.
"Serenity Wheeler, wake up, I command you!" He declared, his eyes never once leaving Serenity's face. Ten seconds passed… twenty… thirty. Nothing happened. Kaiba seemed to break out of his trance and he furiously cast the rod into a corner of the room. "I think part of me expected that to work." He admitted, and made for the door of the room.
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The Reaper was mere feet away from her, biding it's time, circling her and swinging its blade menacingly. Above her, she heard more sounds like blurred voices, and turned her eyes skyward. Suddenly, a voice boomed clear from the sky above her. "Serenity Wheeler, wake up, I command you!" It called, and Serenity felt herself answer.
Her body drifted skyward, but the Reaper wasn't willing to let her go that easily. Taking to the air, the form of her hunter drew closer to her, swinging its blade at her to snare her legs. Serenity willed herself forward, up and up, away from the ground below. The dull light grew brighter and brighter. From behind her, the Reaper hissed as the light seared its flesh and drove it to the ground below. A moment later, all was light.
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Kaiba stood in the doorway, one hand resting on the solid frame. Not only had he failed to save her, but he'd made a fool of himself in front of the mutt and the doctor. Still, he didn't care about that. He cared that the emptiness inside him felt a bit deeper now, that each time another hope was dashed he lost that much more of his drive. He lifted his head up and decided to head back to the supercomputer.
From behind him, a voice gently called to him, "Seto?"
He stood stunned for a moment, and then turned. Serenity's eyes were open and she was staring straight at him. "Thank you… for calling me." She said softly.
Kaiba strode to her side and looked into her eyes, "From the depths of hell." He stated simply, and a genuine smile crept across his face.