Reset Reality
Heh...lots of foreshadowing here...
Chapter 4
At Fault
Yami sat in that cold, damp basement for a near hour. Yugi…trapped as a Kaa. Joey…dead. Tristan was dead. Kaiba…a traitor. Drake, probably dead. He finally stood and walked to the top of the steps to find a small letter. It was from Téa, directing him to work. His contact would find him there. And that was how Yami had ended up walking the streets, lost in thought.
How could this have happened? Yugi defeated Darek, didn't he? But then, as Téa had pointed out, he had forgotten everything for the longest time. Perhaps he was wrong? Maybe Darek had won, and Yami had just created fake memories to deal with…no. It couldn't be just a figment of Yami's imagination. This world, whatever it was, could not possibly be real.
Yami entered the doors of the building he was listed as working at, nodding at the receptionist. He entered the elevator as it opened, two more people climbing in with him. Yami waited as one of them pushed the button for the 25th floor. Yami's floor. The elevator rose, the back wall of glass looking over the city as it rose. One of the two people, a young blonde woman, turned and looked out over the city.
"Damn them." She growled. Yami and the other person turned to follow her gaze. In the distance was the smoking heap of rubble that was left from the bombing that morning. "It's their fault. If those DRF bastards would stop the rebellion, Darek would not have to worry about rebels, and would loosen up his security. They're just making the situation worse."
"Perhaps. But it is human nature to fight an enemy." Yami said. In reality, he was boiling. The DRF was at fault for Darek's actions? The DRF fought to free these ungrateful cretins! The woman snorted.
"It is futile to fight a war you cannot win. Hope only matters when it is true hope. False hope is worth nothing." The elevator opened on the 25th floor, and the three got out. Yami looked for the room Téa's note had said, and found the numbered door. Yami held his bracelet to the scanner by the door, and it beeped, the lock opening. Yami entered a surprisingly normal-looking office room, complete with cubicles. Someone, a brunette teen, looked up at Yami as he walked by.
"'Bout time you showed up." He grumbled. "Where have you been?"
"The Clinic. Irregular sleep patterns." Yami replied, quoting that screen in his room. The teen grunted and turned back to his computer. Yami found his and sat down. Computers. Yugi had tried to explain them to him, but Yami would barely master Microsoft Word and the Calculator programs. He didn't see why so many liked them: for every problem they solved, it seemed to him they created 2 more. Yami looked over this computer. There was no keyboard, no mouse. But there was a pair of electrodes, with a small diagram taped to the side of the screen, showing the electrodes attaching to the back of the hands.
Yami attached the electrodes, and the screen flashed an array of colors. Yami looked up in surprise. What was that? He shook his head. Why couldn't Téa have warned him about this? As he thought that, the screen beeped. Yami stared as a profile filtered on screen, followed by a picture of Téa. Yami frowned, then an idea came to him. Joey Wheeler. Téa's profile vanished, and Joey's came on screen, the word DECEASED over his picture in red letters. Yami smiled. It was controlled by thought. He narrowed his eyes. Darek Higurashi. He thought. The screen brought up Darek's profile and picture, but every entry was listed as CLASSIFIED. Yami cursed under his breath.
He spent the next few moments running through a mental list of names. Tristan Taylor, Drake Clawfang, Carol Bluerain, Anthony Valentino, Daxter Falk, Maximillion Pegasus, Kazuki Takahashi, Seto Kaiba. Yami found out the few pieces that Téa could not. Drake was listed as living, but his current status was not known. He had vanished about a year ago. It was listed that he was assumed DECEASED. Kazuki was listed as dead for 2 years. Pegasus was listed as alive, but has CONVERTED as his status. He was another human living under Darek's rule. Solomon Muto. DECEASED. Yami thought, then had a final name to enter. He narrowed his eyes and sent the thought. Yami Atemu.
The screen filtered on screen with Yami's profile. It was his picture alright. But again, the red letters DECEASED over his picture. Yami shook his head. Impossible, again. He had to see it for himself. Yami tried something new. A date. And a location. Several video files came up the listings. Yami browsed before finding the one that would only be the one he wanted. It was listed as TRIUMPH. Leave it to Darek. Yami opened the file and slipped on a pair of headphones. He hit PLAY, and the video started.
Yami watched the entire duel between Yugi and Darek. Every move was exactly as he remembered. Darek summoned Reshef, and Yugi was forced to defend. Then, Yugi's final move. He activated United We Stand…Yugi pointed and called out for the Dark Magician to attack. The Dark Magician raised his staff, and the screen buzzed to static. Yami growled.
"Why so surprised?" Drake chuckled. Yami stood up and spun around, the headphones and electrodes falling to the desk. Drake smirked. "Really, can't you figure it out Pharaoh? It's controlled by thought. You did that on purpose. I suppose you aren't ready to accept that what you thought happened didn't." Yami shook his head.
"No. I saw it." He said, turning. He bumped into Joey. Joey shook his head.
"Sorry Yug, but ya lost man." Joey said, shrugging.
"I didn't lose, Yugi did." Yami protested.
"So?" Kaiba snapped, appearing on Yami's left. "Yugi lost, but then, who lost to Darek beforehand? You. If only you had done a little better, this never would have happened. Face it, this is all your fault."
"NO!" Yami shouted.
"Just accept it." Kazuki sneered on his right. "I told you Yami, you and Darek are two of a kind. Evil to the core. You lost on purpose. You let Darek do this. Because you don't have the guts to admit your inner evil exists."
"No." Yami insisted, holding his head.
"I came to power because of you." Darek laughed, pushing Joey and Kaiba aside. "I cannot thank you enough. I figured you would have gotten tired of betraying the greater good."
"I've never betrayed the greater good!" Yami shouted, raising his head. He gasped as he found himself atop the castle at Duelist Kingdom.
"Well Yugi?" Kaiba asked. Yami stared. The Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, rotting from the Mammoth Graveyard he had fused into it. "You have a choice. Kill me, or step down and surrender!"
"I'll never surrender. Not to you, not to Darek, not to anyone!" Yami cried.
"Then attack and destroy me!" Kaiba demanded. Yami shook his head.
"No! This isn't real!"
"Is one life really worth giving up all you've fought for?" Kaiba snapped. "Will you give up the world to save a single person?"
"I…I can't…" Yami protested. Kaiba sneered.
"Really? Then perhaps I'll make your decision easier!" Kaiba spread his arms and began to fall backwards. Yami ran forward.
"No, Kaiba!" He shouted. Kaiba fell, and Yami grabbed his arm, pulling him forward again until the two fell to the castle floor. Yami groaned as a dark chuckle came to his mind.
"So is that it?" Yami gasped as Darek reached down to wrap a hand around his neck before picking him up and holding him over the crashing waves below. "So, you would doom Mankind for one life?" Darek laughed.
"N…no…I have made a bow to protect Mankind, and I will keep it." Darek frowned.
"Really? What if it was my life that you had to give up?" Darek asked. As he spoke, his body rippled, and it was Drake holding Yami by the throat. "Or what if it was mine?" Drake asked, changing into Kaiba. Yami clenched his eyes shut as Kaiba shifted to Joey. "Tell me Yug, would ya let me die ta save the world?" Joey asked.
"Or…what about my life?" Yami's eyes popped open as Téa's voice reached his ears. "Well Yami? Would you let me die, if is meant Mankind's safety?" Yami bit his lip.Téa...he couldn't. How was he supposed to condem her to death?
"I…I…" Téa sneered.
"Do you think I would let you die if it meant I could save the world?" She asked. "Allow me to give my answer." Téa drew her arm back and flung Yami over the edge of the castle. Yami let out a scream as he fell to the ocean below…
And landed on hard, fuzzy carpet. Yami gasped and lifted his head. The office. He scrambled to his feet. His electrodes and headphones lay on his desk, exactly where they had been when he had arrived. His computer screen was a sea of silver static. His chair lay overturned in the aisle.
And everyone in the office was staring at him. Yami reached up and wiped the sweat off his brow. Téa had been willing to kill him to save the world? One life…was it worth it? Yami spun as the doors to the office burst open. A man walked inside, followed by 4 Hitotsu-Me Giants. The 5 stopped before Yami, and Yami stared at the men leading the Giants.
"Pegasus…" He whispered. Pegasus nodded.
"Yami." He said. "We detected irregular programming on your computer. Explain." Yami winced.
"I…was browsing some files."
"We received word you attempted to access Darek's profile. You were also late for work."
"I had to go to the Clinic." Yami told him.
"We have no record of you being at the Clinic today." Pegasus replied. "You were also spotted in the vicinity of the bombing this morning, and a report says you were following known DRF terrorist Téa Gardner. In light of your actions today, you will be taken for interrogation." Yami opened his mouth to protest, when something large and heavy slammed into the back of his skull. Yami collapsed to the ground, and everything went black.
