Chapter 8: Escape from the Satellite!

The engine of the Duel Runner roars up and down the tunnel like an ancient beast awakening from a long slumber. Light from the single headlight cuts through the endless dark as the wheels rumble over fallen debris and cracked bricks that once formed the subway tunnel that must have transported millions in its day. The yellow beam falls upon a large pillar of cement, broken and worn over the years, but still I can see that it widens into a fork in the path.

For a moment, I panic as I grip the handlebars, feeling the rubber grips dig into my palms as the divider rushes up on me, but then I remember Rally's voice in my head: Left. When you get to the fifth fork, take a left, and it'll bring you right back to us!

Easing my tight hold, I guide the machine to the left, admittedly cutting it a little closer than I would have liked to, but nonetheless making my way into the leftward tunnel without a problem. The air skirls around me as I increase my speed, brushing through my hair with soft, quick fingers… like the ones in that memory…

I tune out for a moment, letting the noise of my engine slice through the still underground air ahead of me as I allow the memory back into my mind.

Someone playing with my hair… who could that be?

Whenever I think about it, and I tend to think about it much more than I likely should, I like to imagine that it clues me into more than it does, but really all it can tell me is that there was someone in my past close enough to me that I allowed them to play with my hair. That could be any number of people, from a relative, to a barber, or… someone who was 'more than a friend,' perhaps? I doubt that someone would be simply a 'friend,' as even now I wouldn't let Rally or the others mess with my hair as such.

But that train of thought always just leads into more questions—how did I know this person? What exactly was their relationship to me? Were they a barber, and if they are where were they so that I could get this fantastic haircut once again? It's a never-ending cycle of questions that doesn't let up, continuing with a new thought the moment I think I might have some sort of answer.

Up ahead, I can see a faint glow lighting up some bricks around the next bend. I rev my engine loudly to signal my arrival, leaning forward as if it would actually help me increase my speed. Finally, I burst into the area that had served as my home for the past several weeks, riding up a small ramp onto the platform, and letting the Duel Runner idle beside the tent, the noise from the engine rumbling off the cement walls.

Rally comes rushing out, a bright grin on his face. His tattered old coat trails behind, and he's practically bouncing on the balls of his little feet with excitement.

"How'd I do, Rally? Did I get trashed?" I ask, finally turning off the Duel Runner. I can practically hear my heartbeat throbbing in my ears as the thunder of the engine dies off.

"Two minutes and thirty-eight seconds, Ben! You made it with twenty-two seconds to spare!" Rally exclaims, tossing his arms around my waist and latching onto me as I'm still seated on my vehicle. "Tonight's the night—are you ready?"

Again, the memories I've regained come to mind: the fingers brushing through my hair; the gray slab with the angry face, and the laughter of a friend; and the group of people all saying my name. The desire to find out their origins have brought me this far, but looking down at my little friend here makes me wonder, if only for a moment, if I should just stay here and eke out a living in the Satellite.

No… no, that would be a waste. All the help I've gotten from Rally, Yusei and the others, saving Blitz from those thugs, defeating that Sector Security officer in that Turbo Duel… I can't stop here. Plus, Yusei is waiting for me in the City—and something tells me that I don't like to keep people waiting.

I look down at my Duel Disk, eyes honing in on the deck slot. I feel a sense of calm washing over me, as if I were being cheered on by invisible allies who were trying to help me along the right path. I raise my head to look at Rally, and I give him a bright grin.

My arm wraps around Rally's shoulders and I pull him in for a side hug. "I've waited a month for this. I'm ready… it's my turn to shake things up in the City."

[Cue in opening theme: "Imagination" by Caleb Hyles feat. Gareth West (English cover of the first opening for Haikyuu!)]

As the sweat rolls down my face, sweltering heat comes in waves

We open on a shot of Ben's face, staring up at the sky as the shadow of a cloud passes over his face. As the cloud drifts past and the sun beams down on his face again, he begins to smile.

I hear our voices echo, as we're standing side by side!

The camera begins to zoom outward, revealing that standing in a circle around Ben is each of the Omni-Heroes; in no particular order, Escuridão, Great Tornado, Absolute Zero, Nova Master, Gaia, and The Shining.

An open window lets in light, I turn my eyes up to the sky,

Now the camera shoots down to the ground, looking up at the assembled group of heroes and their leader as the urban sprawl of Skyscraper shoots up above them

Questionings if to someone will come our way, Mr. Future

Ben's face focuses in on the camera as we see the shadow of someone's legs stepping in front of us. We can see Ben grin as his heroes fall in line beside him.

(Oh come on, come on) If there is still a chance…

A sudden swift upward shift from the camera, and we're viewing Ben and his heroes from above, and in the shadows of Skyscraper, dark figures begin to form, faceless phantoms that stand to oppose our hero.

(Oh come on, come on) Go and get… it!

Taking the first step, Ben leads the charge as his heroes run forward at the shadow figures. Great Tornado streaks through the sky, a bright green wind trailing behind him as The Shining appears alongside him, bright light emanating from his body. Absolute Zero and Nova run right beside Ben, leaving trails of ice and fire in their tracks, respectively, while Gaia stomps alongside, and Escuridão dodges from shadow to shadow, as dark as darkness itself. Just as they reach the figures and begin to fight, a bright light suddenly consumes the screen.

You can't move me, you can't break me!

The light dissipates and shows the heroes at battle. First, we see The Shining lashing out for a punch, his fist enclosed in a blinding bright aura as it smashes into the stomach of Crab Turtle. Next we see Great Tornado blasting away a slew of Spellcaster monsters, namely Endymion and Breaker, among others.

You will always look right through me!

Nova Master appears on screen next, its full body aflame as it lunges toward Frost and Flame Dragon, Absolute Zero combatting the Flame half as Nova Master prepares to strike the Frost half.

I will falter, I will stumble, but I'll keep on suffering!

Gaia raises a massive boulder above its head, hurling it at Doom Dozer as the insect is restrained by shadow tendrils courtesy of Escuridão.

Never give up, never give in—I can't let it end in failure!

We spin to view Ben now, his fist clenched in anticipation as we begin to rotate, revealing that all the battles are going on simultaneously. Finally tired of seeing his heroes fight at his command, he charges into the fray as well—focusing specifically on one shadow figure.

Oh, my imagination's fighting to believe—

Ben throws a punch of his own as he reaches the character, the air around his fist blurring as he strikes mere shadow—though as the figure disappears, we get a sudden glimpse of gray hair…

Believing in something!

The shadows, Skyscraper, and the heroes all disappear at once, leaving Ben standing in the subway tunnel with Rally and the rest of the Satellite crew, looking at him hopefully.

Oh-oh! Believing in something!

Ben mounts his Duel Runner, pulling his helmet on and giving them a grin.

Oh-oh!

And on the last note, he speeds off down the tunnel, the shot fading to grayscale on his friends waving him off. The title, "Stardust Accelerator: A Hero in Time" appears in bright gold lettering, standing out against the gray as the form of the Crimson Dragon wraps around it.

Two more times I run through the tunnel, shaving off a few extra seconds each time until I came down to a pretty comfortable time of two minutes and twenty seconds. Well, I say "comfortable" time, but considering I'll be tearing my way through a long, winding tunnel that may very well start dropping trash on me at any moment, I'm not so sure that any time more than thirty seconds will be particularly comfortable. And, of course, I could always run into some unwanted company, much like Yusei did… but he made it through somehow, which means so can I! Right?

Naturally, there's the chance that since one Satellite resident got through using the Pipeline, they've increased security this time around, and again there's the fact that I've already had a bit of a run-in with a Security officer, and so it's probably not uncommon knowledge that there's at least one other Duel Runner in the Satellite… it's issues like this that cause me to overthink things. I know I should calm down, yet, I can't simply toss out these possibilities. After all, what if I'm not even able to get into the facility that regulates the Pipeline?

I sigh heavily, staring down at the lumpy roast beef sandwich that came as Yusei's ration for the day; I still can't believe the City is still sending over food for him, even though it's been a month since he left. Maybe they haven't realized he's there yet? Perhaps that should give me a bit of hope that I can get through without being discovered…

The air of the tunnel is still around me, a bubble of light forming in the deep dark as I allow my Duel Runner's headlight to cast its glow upon the wall I sit against. My stomach had been going wild all day, worry tossing about inside me like a stormy sea, leaving me without much of an appetite until about four, when I decided to leave for another ride to eat my sandwich in total darkness.

Problem is, the total darkness and absolute silence of the subway tunnel scared the hell out of me, so I turned on my headlights and started eating. I removed my Duel Disk from the vehicle for whatever reason, setting it beside me, my deck slot facing me as I bite into the sandwich, choking down the funky-smelling meat.

After a moment, the light from my Duel Runner cuts out. Ice creeps up my spine, as it always does in absolute darkness; even though I know nothing out there is out to get me, I can't help but think that something around the next bend is trying to get a nice Roast Ben sandwich.

But then, just like it had in the dim building where I fought those thugs to save Blitz, an odd golden glow springs to life from my deck slot. This time, rather than leaving it where it was to use as a makeshift lantern, I lay my hand on it and take the top card of my deck—and I'm sure that if I could see my eyes, they would go wide upon viewing what I drew.

"Shapeshift…" I breathe softly, looking down at the card which shines like a star in the darkness. "You… I remember you…"

The card in question is called Elemental Hero Shapeshift, the artwork portraying a thin, gaunt man in a mostly yellow jumpsuit accented with blue on his arms and legs. I hold the card in my hands like a precious jewel, the memory slowly coming back to me…

I designed the card myself… when I was a kid, I think. It was supposed to be fan-art to be submitted to a comic book publisher I really liked, but the mailing addresses got mixed up, and… Elemental Hero Shapeshift was born.

I press the card to my chest, squeezing my eyes shut as I review the memory over and over again. This time, no pain accompanied it, no jolt to my head that made me regret recalling it; the memory just appeared, making me wonder if it had ever really left in the first place.

Playful, nasally laughter meets my ears, seemingly out of nowhere. My eyes pop open and the card drops to my lap, the light now shining upon the ceiling and casting a massive shadow of my head, elongated by the curving walls of the tunnel. However, as I turn my head like an owl trying to find the source of the laugh, I don't feel threatened. It's somewhat of a comforting feeling… kind of like every time I imagine my Fusions responding to me… yeah, imagining things, of course…

Again I hear the laughter, bouncing around me from everywhere yet nowhere, as if someone in my head had told a joke and was now laughing at it because he thought himself just so hilarious. I look down at Shapeshift, picking up the card. "Shapeshift… you've been looking out for me, haven't you? Stay with me, old pal… we've got a long way to go, I think."

Gingerly, I slip the card back into my deck slot and clamber back aboard the Duel Runner. And leaving the half-eaten sandwich behind in the abyss, I make my way back to the platform—where I'm met by Rally, who, waving a stopwatch warns me that I was gone for over a half hour, and that if I were in fact to take that long in the Pipeline I would be buried in a tidal wave of garbage.

Remembering Shapeshift's laughter, I just give Rally a grin. "I'll manage. It would hardly be the most surprising thing I've done since I came here, huh?"

And after staring at me for a moment, Rally beams at me as well, though there's an underlying sadness that goes with it. I know he isn't ready to see me go, yet he also knows I have to, and he's pushing on and supporting me as best he can. I don't think I can ever express my gratitude for that; after finding me and taking me in like he did… anything I might try to do to repay him would just seem like small potatoes in comparison.

Night comes swiftly upon us. Dinner is eaten in silence, a nervousness filling the air not unlike the feeling that settled on the subway when Yusei left.

Tank's mind seems to be on things other than his stomach, though he doesn't share what it is while he stares blankly at his un-canned meat. Nervin stabs at a vegetable idly with a rusty fork, jabbing the bit of what we think is broccoli as if it were one of the thugs that attacked Blitz.

Speaking of Blitz, he sits with his back to the fire, cleaning his glasses obsessively; I say, "obsessively," because he has been cleaning them for at least a half hour, and the small lenses weren't even dirty to begin with.

But none of them is more dejected than Rally. My little friend sits beside me by the fire, cross-legged and staring into the flames.

Nobody seems to breathe during our last meal together. When someone does actually take a bite of their food, the crunch of teeth sounds like a cave-in crashing down on the floor of the tunnel.

Finally, Rally speaks, though he doesn't raise his eyes from the fire. "You'll… you'll be alright, won't you, Ben? Without us, I mean."

I reach over and place my hand atop his curly head. "Yeah. I'll be alright… how about you guys?" I add after a moment, sensing Rally's real question. "You guys will do just fine without me. After all, it's not the last time we're going to see each other."

"What do you mean, Ben?" Blitz asks, turning his head slightly. His eyes are red and puffy, and his glasses look dirtier than when he took them off.

"Well, when I get to the City, get my memories back and become the greatest duelist of them all, I'll bring you guys to live with me in my awesome penthouse," I grin at them, trying to lighten the mood with a joke.

"What if you don't make it though?" Tank interjects, his trembling hands squeezing the metal can of his dinner so hard that the meat inside starts oozing out. "Yusei practiced for years to get through the Pipeline, and you've only been at this for less than a month…"

"Less than a month, and I'm making the circuit in less than two and a half minutes," I point out. I want to feel confident, just so that they're not worried, but my stomach is full of butterflies, and I'm sure that if I weren't clenching them tight around my Duel Disk, my hands would be shaking worse than Tank's. "And besides, I beat a Sector Security officer in my first Turbo Duel, that's got to be worth something right?"

And so, for a few more hours we converse, trying to keep our spirits up. Though the worry still remains that I won't make it in time, I feel much better knowing that I have their support.

Of course, I don't tell them that I can't wait to get out of this place. My desire to leave the Satellite extends far beyond my hopes to restore my memory; I don't like saying this, but… aside from the friends I've made, this place, for lack of more polite terms, isn't very nice. I'll be glad to be far away from this trash-covered hellhole, and to eat something that isn't canned or oddly smelling.

From inside the tent, an alarm starts beeping at a frenzied pace, echoing throughout the tunnel at an almost deafening volume as the sound bounces off the walls and assaults our position by the fire. My legs almost feel like jelly as I stand, and the others rise to their feet with me. As I begin the walk to my Duel Runner, I feel the same sort of trepidation that a prisoner on his way to the gallows might be feeling; the thought once again raises in my mind—what happens if I don't make it? What will they do to me if I get caught?

Shapeshift's laugh comes to mind again, putting me at ease as I climb onto the seat of my Duel Runner and power it up. The engine roars to life, joining with the shrieking alarm in a duet of high, piercing beeps and low, rumbling roars, like an aged lion attacking a screaming machine. Beneath me, the rocking of my vehicle feels almost calming combined with the laughter of my hero in the back of my head.

While the rest say their goodbyes and head into the tent, Rally sticks behind for a moment, staring up at me with his sparkling eyes that now shine with tears. "Ben…"

"Keep your cool, little dude," I say with a smile, ruffling up his hair again. "Don't cry on me. We've got lots of stuff to do in the City together, right? We'll eat all that food we talked about in between chapters, and see those moving picture thingies that you mentioned…"

He sniffles and hugs my arm hard. "Promise?"

"Promise," I agree, giving him another side hug. "I'll see you soon. Wish me luck."

"Good luck," he says in a small voice, only barely audible above the ruckus of my old machine.

I lower one of Yusei's old helmets onto my head, the visor freshly cleaned by Blitz. As it turns out, that's what he had been rubbing away at the whole time we were having our quiet dinner. Tank furnished me with a bit of a snack in case I got hungry—a rarity in the Satellite, French fries, which I promptly tucked away into the pocket of an old jacket which Nervin had found for me.

With these gifts equipped, the well-wishes of my friends in my heart, and the support of my Deck beside me, I rev up the engine once and depart from the subway for what may very well be the last time.

The digital map provided by my Duel Runner guides me without much issue to the Pipeline facility, a sprawling complex of smokestacks and square cement buildings that looms into the night sky, a towering black shadow against the starry canvas overhead. The road before me is lit both by headlight and moonlight, casting a glow of gold on silver as I speed ahead on the trash-strewn pathways.

As I approach the sewage plant, crossing over a rickety wooden bridge reinforced with metal railings and bracings, I hear the klaxon wail of warning sirens, with a robotic voice shouting, "Warning! Warning! You are entering an unauthorized zone! Turn back immediately!"

"I don't think so," I say under my breath, leaning forward and revving the engine, gunning directly toward the gates ahead. As the alarms blared around me, I saw a gate of metal bars beginning to rise from the ground in front of me, but by the time I passed over it, it was little more than a speed bump.

Weaving my way through the labyrinth of catwalks, pipes and tanks, I can't help but think of how smoothly this has all been going. Rally had helped me program a timer and map of the facility itself into the system of my Duel Runner, and I can see that I'm making good time.

I soon find my way into the building itself through an open loading bay of some sort. Going deeper in, my headlight is soon supplemented by the dim glow of red alarm lights that flash in warning as I plunge into the depths of the sewage plant… and soon, I find my turn-off into the Pipeline itself.

Decreasing my speed so that I can make the turn, I enter a narrow hatch that my vehicle just barely manages to clear. Said hatch then leads into another room, much larger, with several round tunnels lining one wall. "Almost there!"

"Don't be so sure about that, Satellite!" roars a voice from behind me, cold and arrogant. The sound of another engine comes screaming into my ears, catching me unawares; I should have realized that I couldn't get so lucky.

Glancing to the clock in the corner of my Duel Runner screen, I see that it's just about time; midnight is almost here. Rather than looking behind me like I did on my first run-in with Sector Security, I accelerate further, rocketing down the center tunnel as I try to make my escape before they can trigger a Turbo Duel.

To no avail, of course. Within seconds of hearing that first voice, I hear the voice come through my speakers once more—"Autopilot engaged. Activating Speed World…"

And then I see the officer coming to accost me. Riding astride the same sort of Duel Runner that the previous one I dueled rode, this one is built like a bull on a motorcycle. His thick muscular body is covered by a tight Security uniform, most of his head covered by his helmet, leaving only his cruel black eyes, enormous eyebrows and arrogant smirk visible.

"One of you punks has already gotten through—I'm not about to let a second of your kind into the City!" he bellows as the area becomes blanketed in purple. "When you see your little friend in the Facility, be sure to tell him Trudge says hello!"

Ben: 4000 LP / Trudge: 4000 LP

"I've heard about you from Officer Hertz, I'm not going to let you slip through my fingers, you wannabe hero!" Trudge growls, his voice thundering like a charging bull as he takes the first move.

Ben: 1 SC / Trudge: 1 SC

Drawing a card, he starts off with the familiar slab of Gate Blocker, in defense mode naturally. This time, however, I notice that the purple-tinted rock monster arises in front of me, to further hinder my speed. The single staring eye locks on me, and my eyes lock on the one eye, and we stare into each others' souls for a moment before I realize that it is just a hologram, and it doesn't have a soul to stare into. (Gate Blocker: Level 4, EARTH, Rock-type; 100 ATK/2000 DEF)

After playing Gate Blocker, the officer sets a face-down card and ends his turn there. The tunnel we're in widens and begins to wind for a bit, leaving me grateful for the autopilot. If I had to rely on my own wits with Gate Blocker in the way, I doubt I'd be able to steer through this, even with the map.

Ben: 1 SC / Trudge: 2 SC

As my turn starts, I hear the playful laughter of Shapeshift coming from nowhere, yet everywhere just like in the subway. And lo and behold, the card I draw from the top of my deck is him. Adding him to my hand, he joins the ranks of Bubbleman, Stratos and Ice Edge, a decently powerful group of four monsters that, if I weren't bound by the rules of stupid Speed Spells, I could quite easily place two Fusions on the field and wipe out Gate Blocker without a moment's hesitation.

Except I am bound by the rules of those stupid Speed Spells, and while I don't have any of those in hand, I do have two traps—A Hero Emerges, and a new one that I haven't seen yet: Element Counter. Looking at the latter trap, a plan starts forming in my mind…

"I'll kick things off by summoning Elemental Hero Ice Edge, in attack mode!" I declare, bringing my hero to life on the field.

He looks to be a younger version of Absolute Zero, perhaps a pre-timeskip version of him, whatever that means, or the child of Absolute Zero. A blue jumpsuit covers most of his body, over which is placed a spiky set of ice armor. Sharp and gleaming with a chilly light, spikes of frost jut out in every direction from his helmet and chestplate, a trail of snow following behind him as he runs alongside me. (Elemental Hero Ice Edge: Level 3, WATER, Warrior-type; 800 ATK/900 DEF)

"800 ATK?! Do you really expect to even leave a dent on Gate Blocker with that pitiful amount of strength?" Trudge taunts, quickly pulling ahead of me.

"No, I intend to bypass your monster entirely!" I reply. "By discarding one card from my hand, I can activate Ice Edge's effect, enabling him to attack you directly!"

After hesitantly parting ways with Bubbleman, who despite the nice draw two effect I cannot find much of a use for at the moment, I order Ice Edge onward. "Hit him with Icicle Crash, Ice Edge!"

Disappearing in a gust of snowy wind, an icy trail snakes its way around Gate Blocker and, I'm assuming, appears near Trudge, striking him with perhaps a blade made of ice. I hear the officer let out a groan of pain, and soon Ice Edge appears back beside me. "In addition, when he inflicts damage via a direct attack, I can destroy one of your backrow cards! Say goodbye to your facedown!"

Ben: 4000 LP / Trudge: 3200 LP

"Grr… not bad, but you'll have to do better than that, Satellite!" Trudge snarls. For a brief moment I can see his Duel Runner swerving from the effect of Ice Edge's attack, but soon he disappears behind Gate Blocker once more.

"From there, I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn!" I say, placing Element Counter and A Hero Emerges onto my field.

Trudge draws his next card, as his Speed Counters increase. My Speed Counter, however, stays pitifully lonely at one filled dot on the interface.

Ben: 1 SC / Trudge: 3 SC

"I'm not going to screw up this time… I'll start off by activating my Speed Spell – Speed Demon! Whenever I have three or more Speed Counters, I can deal 1000 points of damage directly to your Life Points!" Trudge says proudly; the card appears on the screen of my Duel Runner for a moment, just in time for me to see it before my Runner is tossed hard in one direction, wobbling a little before finally stabilizing.

Ben: 3000 LP / Trudge: 3200 LP

"Next, I'll be summoning Assault Dog in attack mode! Time to show you what real damage is like!"

A large black Doberman leaps onto the field, equipped with green assault armor that covers most of its torso and guards the joints in its lower legs, as well as two twin guns fed by metal belts that climb into a silver container on the dog's back. It bounds along next to Trudge, making powerful leaps as it lands and jumps again. The dog also wears a pair of rather nice shades. (Assault Dog: Level 4, EARTH, Beast-type; 1200 ATK/800 DEF)

"Go, Assault Dog! Attack his Elemental Hero Ice Edge!" Trudge orders.

The dog turns to face us, using what is likely a targeting system linked to the shades to hone in on my hero; he begins to fire, but at the last moment I throw my hand out, activating my trap. "Not so fast—I play A Hero Emerges! I'll select a card from my hand at random, and if it's a monster, I get to Special Summon it! And with my luck, I've gotten… Elemental Hero Stratos!"

Barely waiting for me to place him onto the field, Stratos zooms out in front of me, the metal wings outstretched so wide that they almost touch the walls on either side of the tunnel. The blue steel of the visor shines in the dim lighting, the turbines in his wings spinning so fast that they're only visible for an instant. Rather than hovering in midair like in a ground duel, he soars beside me, doing various tricks as he flies at my side. (Elemental Hero Stratos: Level 4, WIND, Warrior-type; 1800 ATK/300 DEF)

"And when Stratos is summoned, I can search my deck for another Hero monster, or I can destroy magic or traps up to the number of other Heroes I control! I'll be going for the former—and adding Elemental Hero Heat!"

Trudge growls again. "I heard about your tricks with Heat, scum! I'm not about to let your ATK get high enough to crush Gate Blocker. Keep going, Assault Dog! Take out Ice Edge!"

I'm thankful that at that moment, Ice Edge disappears in front of Gate Blocker so that I don't have to see him ripped apart by the massive Doberman. Nonetheless, I feel my Duel Runner rock, though not as badly as when affected by the Speed Spell.

Ben: 2600 LP / Trudge: 3200 LP

Well, there goes the element of surprise… I think to myself, trying to see my way out of this. If I summon him next turn, Heat will only be at 2000, which would only match Gate Blocker's DEF and not leave a scratch on it. If I could fuse, that would be one thing, but with only one Speed Counter, that seems to be off the table for the time being.

"I'll be ending my turn there. Enjoy your last ride, Satellite, because you'll be in the Facility for a long time when I take you down!"

Ignoring his taunts, I draw my next card and watch helplessly as his Speed Counters increase. I've drawn another trap card, which I find a bit odd; my ground duel deck doesn't contain too many traps, and I've never drawn three in such rapid succession. I have noticed that the Speed Spells are automatically placed in my deck, perhaps the traps are also inserted automatically to make up for the lack of magic cards?

Nonetheless, I push on, knowing that there are more pressing matters before me—namely, a very large slab of rock that is staring at me creepily with one eye. Glancing at the trap card added to my hand, I immediately put together two and two—it would be just what I needed, if it were a magic card.

Heat Crystals, the card is called, bearing the artwork of several red gems surrounded in bright orange flames, long tongues of fire clashing all around them as they sparkle. The effect? Remove from play two Elemental Heroes that I control, or are in the Graveyard, and I can Special Summon a FIRE Fusion Hero from my Fusion Deck. A very nice way to bring out Nova Master, though I'd appreciate it a lot more if I could activate it right away rather than waiting a turn as we get closer and closer to the end of the Pipeline.

"I'll summon Elemental Hero Heat, in attack mode! And since you already know all about him, I don't have to explain his ATK boost!" I state.

Swooping into the duel with a burst of heat energy, Elemental Hero Heat shines bright like a being of pure light, wreathed in flames as he soars alongside Stratos and I. Sparks and embers trail behind him, popping and crackling like logs in a campfire as he cuts through the air. (Elemental Hero Heat: Level 4, FIRE, Pyro-type; 1600 ATK/1200 DEF) (Elemental Hero Heat: 2000 ATK)

"And from there, I'll be using him to attack your Assault Dog! Firecracker Smash!"

Heat somersaults over Gate Blocker, landing on the other side and disappearing from my line of sight, though I imagine that he manages to destroy the dog in a burst of flames before he returns to my side of the field, appearing like a phoenix from the ashes.

Ben: 2600 LP / Trudge: 2400 LP

"Looks like I've taken the lead again, officer!"

"That's what you'd think, isn't it? But thanks to Assault Dog's effect, whenever he's destroyed, I can summon up to two more of him from my Deck! Take the field, boys!" Trudge booms as two more of those beasts appear on the field.

"Like that'll make much difference—go, Stratos! Take out one of them!" And complying, Stratos shifts to a standing position, his turbines spinning out of control as two cyclones form and swirl forward, most likely sweeping up one of the Assault Dogs and turning it into little more than pixels thanks to the powerful winds.

Ben: 2600 LP / Trudge: 1800 LP

"Then I'll set one more card and call it a turn! Your move, chief!"

Ben: 1 SC / Trudge: 5 SC

"I draw!" comes Trudge's gruff voice from behind Gate Blocker. "And I'll activate Speed Spell – Speed Demon's effect! By removing three Speed Counters, I can add it back to my hand!"

Ben: 1 SC / Trudge: 2 SC

"I'll summon the Tuner monster, Torapart!" Trudge declares.

An ugly little creature is the best way to summarize this monster. With two halves that look like mirror images of one another, the top body extends upwards from an oblong gray shape. Wrapped in a navy-blue high collared cloak, with matching glasses and a black hat with a red flower poking out, it grins out at me with crooked teeth between white and purple lips set on a splotchy pale face. Seeing it gives me very much the urge to stick it between Stratos's turbines and let it be chopped up. (Torapart: Level 2, DARK, Warrior-type/Tuner; 600 ATK/600 DEF)

"A Tuner monster…" I say, a bit surprised; this is the first time I can recall seeing one. Am I about to witness a Synchro Summon?

"Now, by tuning my Torapart with Assault Dog, I can summon Goyo Guardian to my field in attack mode!"

Barely having time to give me another creepy grin, Torapart transforms into two green rings, which surround Assault Dog. As they begin to scan over its body, it becomes a yellow outline of itself, before turning into four stars, two on either side of each ring. Soon, a beam of bright light shoots between the rings, blinding for a brief moment. And the monster left standing where the other two once were is quite a sight.

Tall and a bit skinny, face and body painted white with Kabuki makeup. Dressed in flowing black robes that look a bit too big for it in the shoulders, this monster wields a baton-like object attached to a rope, which he swings in a menacing circle all while glaring at me with a playful grin on his red lips. (Goyo Guardian: Level 6, EARTH, Warrior-type/Synchro; 2800 ATK/2000 DEF)

"This is the beginning of the end for you, Satellite! Go, Goyo Guardian, attack his Elemental Hero Heat!" Trudge orders.

Swinging the weapon high over his head like a cowboy with a lasso, the monster hurls it baton-first at Heat. Rather than running him through and shattering him, however, the rope tangles around Heat and he is soon pulled back to Trudge's side of the field, albeit in Defense Mode.

"What?" I say, surprised and a bit confused. "Why didn't he go to my Graveyard?"

Ben: 1800 LP / Trudge: 1800 LP

"That's Goyo Guardian's effect, punk! When he destroys a monster by battle, I can take control of it, but it's moved to defense mode," Trudge explains. "And I'll be taking a lot more than just your monsters when we're done here!"

"Yeah, yeah, you keep saying that. Can't you come up with any better dialogue?" I snark, growing a bit impatient from the taunting. "I've got somewhere to be!"

"Don't worry, this will all be over soon! Wouldn't want you to miss your court date after all," he laughs harshly. "I'm going to end my turn there. Make your last pathetic moves!"

Baring my teeth at the idea of 'pathetic moves,' I draw another card—this one, an unfamiliar one called Elemental Hero Lady Heat. She appears to be the counterpart to Heat—naming aside, obviously; similarly patterned armor, with flames dancing between her hands as if she were juggling them. Long hair in gradients of red to orange like fire itself sticks out from all angles, trailing behind her like a cloak. And noticing her burn effect, I place her on the field; she can defeat Heat, after all, and open me up for Heat Crystals. (Elemental Hero Lady Heat: Level 4, FIRE, Pyro-type; 1300 ATK/1000 DEF)

"Bringing Heat's girlfriend onto the scene won't do much, you know!" Trudge says mockingly. Just like with the last officer, I can almost hear the smirk.

"She's not his girlfriend, she's his sister!" I retort, and as I do so Lady Heat looks incredibly offended, the flames around her intensifying in temperature, as if reacting to anger. "And she'll do just what I need—knock some sense into her brother! Go get him!"

Juggling the fireballs between her hands once more, she winds back like a pitcher and hurls one past Gate Blocker and, I'm assuming, directly at Heat. I soon see him reappear in my Graveyard slot, and I know that the job is done. However… there's still the problem that not even Nova Master can beat over that Goyo Guardian, and while some burn damage from both Lady Heat and Element Counter will do some good, it only looks like it's delaying things for the time being…

Looking at the map, I feel my anxiety spike. We're near the end of the Pipeline—and there's only a minute to go before the hatch closes and the trash starts flowing once more. I have to figure something out… and so I end my turn there, setting Lady Heat's burn damage upon Trudge. Another fireball shoots past Gate Blocker, and I can imagine Trudge's Duel Runner thrashing about as it impacts for 400 damage.

"W-whoa! What was that?!" Trudge questions, shaken up a bit from the sudden damage.

"Lady Heat's effect—for each Elemental Hero I control, during each of my End Phases you take 200 points of damage!"

Ben: 1800 LP / Trudge: 1400 LP

I begin to think about my face-down Element Counter, and immediately I begin to imagine how wonderful it would be if Goyo Guardian didn't have that stupid effect. He'd take out my two monsters, and then I'd blast him!

Wait—examining the effect on my screen, I can't help the grin that comes across my face. In my head, I hear Shapeshift giggling as well, a noise that soothes my anxiousness and fills me with the confidence that I've got others pulling for me.

"You can do this, Ben…" I say to myself, quietly.

WE can do this, you mean? comes a voice that sounds as if it would go well with that playful laugh.

We're with you. Always, a feminine voice agrees, soft yet passionate and warm like a fire in a hearth that one might find in a romantic mountain cabin.

BRRRRRRRR, goes the sound of two turbines working at once, though I swear something is said underneath it all, albeit unintelligible.

Or at least I think that I hear all that—but I can't actually think that my monsters are talking to me, right?

God, I actually think my monsters are talking to me…

Nonetheless, I press on, feeling emboldened by the encouragement of what is either the monsters themselves or my own fragile mental state projecting memories onto holograms. I try not to linger on the possibilities there. Revving my Duel Runner, I give Trudge the go ahead to begin his turn, which he does proudly.

"And this is it—where you made your big mistake! With Speed Spell – Speed Demon and Goyo Guardian, I have enough damage to take you out of the game!"

Ben: 1 SC / Trudge: 3 SC

Once again that fierce jolt bumps my Duel Runner around, luckily allowing me to loll slightly toward the left, where the hatch will be coming up. Gate Blocker keeps floating in front of me, an emotionless canvas upon which someone has inexplicably drawn a wide, staring eye.

Ben: 800 LP / Trudge: 1400 LP

"Go on, Goyo Guardian! Attack his Lady Heat and bring this fugitive to justice!" Trudge commands proudly.

"And THAT is your big mistake, Trudge! I activate Element Counter!" I roar triumphantly, feeling pride surge through me as we make one last turn into a long hallway. Thirty seconds to go… "When you declare an attack, I can negate it and inflict damage to you equal to the number of Elemental Heroes in my Graveyard times 500! Know what that means?"

At his silence, I answer with, "I win!"

Ben: 800 LP / Trudge: 0 LP

"Damn it! How can I get beaten by trash like them so many times?!" Trudge roars, pounding on the handlebars of his Duel Runner as the holograms fade and steam starts issuing from his machine.

I soon pass him by. Ten seconds. Nine. Eight…

The hatch is in sight, but it's starting to close…

Seven, six… I begin the turn, but find myself unable to move the handlebars! I'm going to pass right by it!

Focus, Ben!

Five. Four. My mind becomes clear. Freeing my Duel Disk from the ancient mechanism of the Duel Runner, I leap from the seat and roll, clutching the metal object to my chest as I just squeeze under the hatch. The floor is cold on my back, and I'm breathing heavily, heart thudding like someone were playing drums with my inner organs.

Sitting up, I let out a loud whoop of victory, and realize that I'm outside—and not in the Satellite! I've come out in some sort of plant much like the one in the Satellite, though in the distance I can see tall skyscrapers against the night sky, their silhouettes proudly lit by all sorts of lights filling the city. I can hear softly the sounds of city life; vehicles, music, sirens signalling organized crime at hand… but most importantly, the smell of freedom, with a distinct lack of rot unlike the Satellite.

I rise to my feet and begin walking up the cement path, my legs aching somewhat as I take what may or may not be my first steps in New Domino City. The moon shines bright above me, a spotlight that illuminates my face and is… almost blinding with its luminosity.

"Freeze! We have you surrounded!"

Then I realize—that isn't a spotlight. And those far off sirens signalling organized crime at hand—not so far off. Surrounding me are several Security officers garbed in their gray uniforms, faces obscured by helmets. There's far more of them than I could ever even hope to take at once—I can barely hope to take on one—and without my Duel Runner I'd never be able to get away from this many…

A pang of guilt runs through me; my Duel Runner is probably totaled now, smashed up by the onrush of junk coming in from the City. And I can't help but wonder what became of Trudge—he made it sound like he had chased Yusei before. Did he get out alright this time too, or did the second time do him in?

As I try to think more on it, strong hands grab me by the arms and tear the Duel Disk from my grasp. I struggle to get free, just to keep hold of the one object that I have that contains some sort of memory for me, but to no avail. The Security officers drag me over to an armored car, open up a set of heavy metal doors, and toss me in. I hear the lock thunk after the doors are shut, and I'm left in complete darkness.

AND THAT IS A WRAP FOR THIS CHAPTER! So, I know I skipped over the bit with Lenny, but I'm gonna be completely honest, I tried writing it several different ways, and each of them just bored the life out of me. So now we made it to the City—what lies ahead?

Thank you all so much for the kind words, I'll admit that part of the reason I was a bit hesitant to jump back into writing this story was that I was worried you guys wouldn't enjoy it. But I'm glad you all seem to be liking where this is going, I promise this is where we start getting into the good stuff :) I do hope this chapter was alright, and not too fast-paced or anything like that. I've got the passion for writing back again, and I just want to get into the stuff I've been planning since I started writing this story, so I do apologize if this chapter is a bit… hyper, or whatnot.

So, we get to see Ben making his escape from the Satellite, a duel with Trudge, and the unfortunate trashing of his Duel Runner. And of course, the start of his trip to the Facility, and everything beyond. I decided to add in a few extra traps to his Turbo Deck to make up for the lack of Speed Spells, and so I've been using a few extra cards from the manga, hope you all don't mind too much.

And also, why on Earth is Ben hearing all these card spirits? What sorts of things will this lead into? Who is this mysterious person that plays with Ben's hair in his memories? And what exactly is Elemental Hero Shapeshift?

(Also, if anyone can guess who/what he's based off of from my probably crappy description of him, I'll DM you and answer any one question about the story, within reason. This offer only extends to the first person who says it though, so… en garde I suppose?)

Anyway, taken up enough of your time with this wordy author's note. I will say that while I got this out decently quick compared to my planned every other week schedule, I wouldn't count on a chapter every week. Although with a certain outbreak going around, depending on if my work gets closed down or not… well, who's to say?

As always, take care, brrrrush yo hair, I'll see ya when I see ya, PEACE!

~Chase