Reset Reality

To quote from Total Recall: Get ready for a surprise!

Chapter 6

Old Friends

Darek turned and walked away, breaking his gaze with Yami. Yami followed suit and turned, pushing his way through the crowd. He bumped elbows with a large man, who spun around.

"Did you push me ya runt?" He snarled, shoving Yami in the back. Yami turned.

"I'm not in the mood." He growled. The man snarled grabbed Yami by the collar with a single hand, hauling him up to eye level. The man winked, prompting Yami to furrow his brow in confusion. The man reached up to the hand holding Yami and pulled back his sleeve. Tattooed on the lower arm in black were the letters 'DRF'. Yami smirked.

"My contact?" He whispered. The man shook his head.

"No, a messenger. Your contact is in your cubicle. Pretend to go to the bathroom, and double back. We want him off the scent." He whispered. Yami nodded, and the man tossed him to the ground. "Next time watch ya back!" The man snapped. He flashed Yami a discreet thumbs up and vanished back into the crowd. Yami turned and entered the elevator, taking it down to the floor with his office. He walked down the hall and pushed open the bathroom door, then spun and dashed into his office.

With no computers on and no one there, it should have been quiet. But as Yami began to walk to his cubicle, several sounds came from it. Hissing machinery. Labored breathing, with the occasional cough. And a low whir. Yami rounded the corner and stared into his cubicle.

Sitting calmly, waiting for him, was a man in a wheelchair. He had a crop of matted, dirty-blonde hair that looked like it had gotten a few bad haircuts, the strands all of different lengths. His right hand was gripping a control stick for the wheelchair. His other hand held an oxygen mask attached to a pump on the back of the chair. That explained the hissing. His left leg went to the foot, but was obviously broken. His right leg ended at the thigh. The man was overall very dirty, and looked like he had been through Hell to survive like this, even though in such a condition he would probably not recover.

"Fa….far…." The man wheezed. He coughed and raised the oxygen mask to his mouth, taking a breath. "Far…far….faaaaa…..roh…." The man gasped.

"Pharaoh?" Yami asked. The man nodded, and Yami let out a breath. His contact. "You're my contact with the DRF?" He reasoned. The man nodded.

"Ye, yes. Been a while, huh?" He asked, grinning, showing off a few missing teeth. Yami frowned.

"Been a while?" He muttered.

"Oh yeah…5 years…" The man paused to cough again and take another breath of air from his mask. "I suppose….I've changed a bit." The man pushed forward on his controls and wheeled to a foot in front of Yami. "But hey…what's a few years and a couple trips through Hell between friends? Eh Yug?" The man smiled again, and Yami gasped, taking a step back. Yug…the man reached up to brush a stand of matted-blonde hair from his cinnamon-brown eyes.

"T…Téa said you were dead." Yami stammered. The man shook his head.

"Close…but not quite. C'mon Yug, like I would get killed by someone like Darek?" He joked.

"Joey…my God, what happened to you?" Yami whispered. Joey Wheeler shrugged.

"Blast…got caught…I barely escaped. I lived though. But sometimes, it isn't fun." Joey coughed out the last word, reaching for another breath.

"What is the DRF planning?" Yami asked. Joey smiled.

"Dunno. I was sent to direct you to the base." He said.

"You mean…the DRF base?" Yami asked. Joey nodded.

"Yeah…the boss…he wants to brief you himself." He explained. Yami nodded back. So, the DRF commander wanted to see him in person. Yup, Project Shadow Beam was a big deal alright, to both sides.

"Where is he?" Yami asked.

"Ca…can't tell ya…" Joey said. "G…go east two blocks, turn right. Keep going that direction. You'll." Joey paused for a cough. "You'll know it when you see it. Trust me." He assured him. Yami nodded.

"Joey…" He said sadly.

"Not now Yug. Or Yami, whatever." Joey took a breath. "Now's not the time to dwell on the past. We have to act now, or else there is no future for anyone. Go. His men are probably getting suspicious." Yami remembered Kaiba telling him he would be watching, and nodded. Yami turned to leave. "I'll see ya." Joey offered. Yami nodded and stepped out into the hall. As he left, a figure stepped from the shadows in the cubicle next to Yami's.

"Good work." Joey looked up the man's 7-foot frame to his dark brown eyes.

"Yeah…he'll meet the DRF commander in person." Joey said. The man chuckled, his long black hair shaking. (1)

"Yeah…won't he be surprised?" He laughed.

- - - - - - - - - -

Yami made a right like Joey said. The streets were abandoned. Up in the air, among the skyscrapers was Darek's realm. This place…the dirty streets, the broken-down buildings, the steam emerging from the sewer grates, the fallen and falling rubble covering the pavement.

Darek ruled above. But the DRF commanded the streets. Yami stopped and looked over his shoulder. Nothing. No Kaa in the sky, no one on the streets. No homeless people like before, no noise, no sound…nothing. Yami narrowed his eyes and looked forward, beginning to walk again. There it was again. A footstep, carefully timed to line up with his own to avoid being heard. But not timed enough .Yami took a step and spuin around. Victory.

Hiding behind a piece of rubble to his right was a Shadow Ghoul that had been surprised and vanished as Yami spotted him. On the roofs, two wolf-like Kaa had been prowling before they had pulled back. Behind and to the left, hidden in a large shadow was a Dark Chimera. No doubt Kaiba's trackers. Yami darted his eyes to the sides, pretending to look around, then walked forward again, a little quicker this time. Hopefully, his faster pace wouldn't be noticed.

"Screeeee!" A large bird Kaa screeched, swooping down the streets. Or not. Yami dove as the bird raked through the air. Yami stood up and tore off at a run. The Shadow Ghoul leapt from the darkness, and Yami grabbed a piece of a fallen streetlight, swinging it around. It smacked the Ghoul in the head and knocked it to the ground, the Kaa fading into a purple haze as it melted away. The two wolf Kaa leapt down to the streets, and one leapt for Yami. Yami rolled to the side and slammed his weapon into the creature's nose, knocking it to the ground. The Dark Chimera spread its wings, and Yami opted for running. The Kaa fired a burst of flame, and Yami cried out as the heat nearly caught him. He skidded to a stop and spun, using his momentum to swing his weapon into the side of the wolf Kaa leaping for him. The creature flew back and rolled, collapsing into a heap of purple haze. The Dark Chimera fired, and Yami caught the second wolf Kaa with his weapon before falling out of the way and holding the creature into the jet of fire.

Yami stood and ran again. The bird Kaa above screeched and swooped down, flying right towards him. Yami kept running as the Kaa stretched it talons. Yami dove suddenly, and the bird flew into the Dark Chimera. The two went down as the talons tore into the Dark Chimera. Yami spun and through his weapon like a spear. It speared through the bird Kaa's heart, and the two vanished in a flash of purple mist. Yami panted and looked around. Wait a minute…Joey said he would know the DRF base when he saw it.

To his right was the Domino Museum. Yami narrowed his eyes and walked up the museum steps. He listened and heard nothing following. The doors to the museum were closed tightly, a thick chain binding the handles. Yami tugged at the chain in frustration. This had to be the place Joey meant. So why were the doors chained? Yami shook his head and rested it against the wooden doors. He stood up after a moment and began to circle to the side of the building. Near the back, a single door had been left ajar. Yami slid in and looked around outside before closing it behind him.

Inside, the museum was dark and dank. Yami walked down the halls, remembering the path he had taken with Téa. Just a month ago, and yet, 5 years ago at the same time. The door to the basement was locked. Yami tried the handle, but it didn't budge. He backed up and charged. The door fell down, and Yami gasped as he fell on top of it, and it slid down the stairs. It hit the floor and pitched forward, dumping Yami on the ground. He groaned, then opened his eyes as five pistols clicked.

"Intruder." Someone muttered. Yami looked up. Five men were pointing handguns square at his head. "Identify yourself." One of them snapped.

"Ya…Yugi Muto." Yami said. The man grunted.

"Wrong answer. You're an engineer on the Project. Die."

"Stand down Jackson. He's safe." A voice said. Yugi frowned. He knew that voice. The man Jackson turned.

"But Commander, he's an engineer!"

"True, but he's also a turncoat for us. That means he lives, for now. Disengage." Jackson nodded, and the 5 men dispersed. Now Yami could see that the basement was alive with activity. Soldiers in black loading weapons and sharing food. Surveillance cameras around the city. Men and women exchanging information. But what had Yami's attention now was the man standing before him, the one Jackson had called Commander.

"Dax!"

1: I know what you're thinking, and who you think it is. Is it? We'll have to find out, won't we?