Chapter Two

Stranger in the Mirror

Light left my blinking vision struggling to adjust. Ringing in my ears gradually dispersed. The sky above carried the gray haze of smog, and the alley around me was dusty and pocked with debris. I struggled to a standing position and fell against the crumbling stone building to my right.

Where was I? The dread sinking my spirits said something terrible just happened. My head ached. I couldn't remember what that something was. Actually, I couldn't recall anything.

A commotion of yelling bounced down the alley. A guy sprinted past the opening. I pushed myself off the wall and stumbled forward, kicking a shard of shattered green stone aside.

I hugged the corner and peeked out at him. He stood tall and met my eyes; his were a bright hazel. He looked like he was in his teen years, maybe around my age. Er, if only I could remember what age that was.

"Hey! Stop, you!" Those were the voices I had heard earlier. A pair of men in uniform chased the guy. "Sector Security orders you to stand down!"

Two against one didn't strike me as fair. I slid between him and his pursuers. Instinct guided me into activating the disk on my arm. I slapped the top card onto one of the scythe-shaped card zones. A white dragon five times my size burst to life.

"Leave him alone!" I shouted. Luckily, I hadn't picked any words that would show the chattering of my teeth. The large dragon between me and the two men hadn't casted away the terror gripping me.

Their laughter worsened my nerves. The leftmost fellow nudged his friend. "Dumb Satellite trash seriously thinks a hologram can bail her out. I'll handle this."

He pushed up his sleeves and walked forward. The man's helmet dinked against dragon scales. He grabbed the top of his headgear and backed off a step. "What the-"

Oh, I remembered this part. I commanded, "White Lightning."

Sparks danced among the dragon's fangs. The monster's head lurched back, the hairs on the back of my neck lifted, and the dragon fired a blinding blast. I rubbed at my eyes until they could adjust.

Tiny granite pieces splattered around an empty chunk of pavement, where the men had posted up. They'd landed on their backs twenty feet from the impact. Steam drifted up from their clothes and from scorch marks on the ground.

"D-demon!" the leftmost Security screamed. The pair scrambled to their feet, tossed back fearful glances, and fled. I released the breath I'd been holding and placed a hand on my dragon. His brilliant, blue eyes had slit pupils like a lizard's. The white scales, though tough as metal, were warm to the touch. The upturning of the dragon's eye suggested a smile, so I returned the gesture. When I returned the card to the deck, the dragon disappeared.

"Ha, you're pretty tough!"

Oh, yeah. The guy. The one I took the leap for in the first place. Totally forgot about him. Focusing on his face had me realizing his lavender headband was tied under his bangs, so they fell in his face. Weird. He grinned as he gave me the head-to-toe. "Got a name?"

"Um, not really," I answered.

"Whaaat? How can you not have a name?"

"I don't remember. I don't remember anything, actually. Where am I?"

He slapped the knee of his jeans amidst his laughter. Catching my blank stare, he broke off. "You weren't joking?"

"…Would it really be that funny?"

"Don't remember anything, huh?" he muttered to himself. His fingers ran through his short, light blue hair as he thought. "Okay, I've got it! Follow me. This is the Satellite, by the way."

"Where are we going?"

"You ask too many questions! You'll see when we get there."

"Uh, okay then."

"Stick close. The Satellite's a dangerous place."

I clasped my hands together and followed as close as possible. My hip brushed his. He jumped in the air like a spooked cat. "Hey, hey! Personal space!"

"But you said-"

"I didn't mean it literally! Give yourself a couple feet, alright? You'll be fine. Say it back."

"You'll be fine."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Say, 'I'll be fine.'"

"I'll be fine."

He threw up his hands as though exasperated, but his grin said the opposite. "You're a funny gal, no-name. My name's Kalin, by the way. The one and only Kalin Kessler! Not that you'd know."

"To be fair, you are the one and only I know."

Kalin laughed, which inspired my smile. "I like you already! Let's get going. I was late before those Securities started chasing me, so the guys are gonna talk mad shit on me."

"Who?"

His hand flopped like a fish. "You'll find out soon."

The Satellite was a maze of grimy streets, sketchy alleys, and dreary people. Not a building in the area had been spared from wounds: a fallen roof here, a caved-in basement there, crumbling bricks everywhere. Whatever factories produced the dark smog polluting the sky must have been in working order, though.

Kalin ducked into a complicated series of narrow alleys. The route spit us out in front of a decrepit structure perched upon a craggy coast. Blood orange glowed on the calm sea meters below. The soft violet above suggested sunset. "This's the place! Like it?"

"It's beautiful."

"Ehhh, seeing it every day kinda ruined it for me." He started towards the building and halted after realizing I was mesmerized. Kalin's stare darted from me to the water and back again. "You can stay outside if you want. I'll only be a sec, and this isn't even the spot I'm taking you to get help."

"Huh? No. I'd rather go with you."

Withering cardboard boxes littered the first floor. On the way up the stairs, I reached for the banister, but its metal support had been ripped out of the wall. The long, wood railing teetered on the staircase. I noted the many holes in the wood, a sign of termites. I chewed my lip and walked up the side furthest from the fallen banister.

The second floor's roof had fallen in. The dilapidated wall offered a lovely view of the ocean. Besides the roof debris, the lone furniture in the room was a table in the middle. The open map upon it displayed an island marked into different sections, each labeled with a different letter.

Three guys surrounded the table. Their brown vests matched Kalin's. One was wearing a black shirt; he had blond hair and violet eyes. He spoke with a strange accent, and his voice was impossibly loud. "Kalin! Where have you been?"

"I got a little distracted on the way."

"Being chased, I bet," another said with a cheeky smile. An odd yellow mark shaped like an "M" was branded above his gray eyes. His navy headband held his spiky orange hair back – unlike Kalin's. "Who was it today? That gang we kicked out a couple days ago? Securities?"

"Hey, who's that?" asked the last one, whose spiked up black hair with gold highlights had me captivated for a few moments. His words cast all their attention on me. I instinctively looked at my own feet, which were bare and dirty.

Kalin stepped to the side and held out his hands as though presenting me. I grasped my elbow and refused to look up. He said, "I mayyy have had a couple Securities on my tail until, ta-daa! She showed up and made em her bitches all on her own. They were running from us in the end. It was the greatest thing I've ever seen!"

I glanced up to see him grinning. Greatest? Did he really mean that? The blond grunted. "If she wants to be on the team, she needs more than scare tactics. She's got to have dueling skills."

"On the team?" Kalin said. His focus darted to my duel disk and back to the group. "Uh, yeah! She used a rare dragon. Love to see a Satellite junkie beat that."

"Having a dragon doesn't transform one into a proper duelist," the blond retorted.

The orange-haired guy huffed. "Would it kill ya to be nice, Jack? Sorry about him. The name's Crow."

He stuck out his hand, and I stared at it. Kalin coughed into his fist and muttered to the side, "You're s'posed to shake it."

I nodded, grasped his hand, and shook once. Crow gave us an odd look. I said, "Nice to meet you."

"I'm Yusei," the one with black hair said. "And your name?"

Kalin explained, "See, she's lost her memory. She doesn't know her name or anything about herself. She didn't even know where she was when I found her."

Crow and Yusei's expressions hardened with sympathy. Crow put a hand on my shoulder. "That's rough. Don't worry, though. You've got support now. We'll help you through this!"

"True," Yusei said. "Out here, we have to stick together."

Their smiles were so reassuring that I couldn't help but return the favor. It was a really nice moment until Jack slammed a hand on the map and pointed the other at me. "Duel me."

"Eh?"

"If you're not some charity case, prove it." He activated his disk. "Duel me now."

"I'm telling you it's not necessary," Kalin assured.

"Can you be nice for once in your life?" Crow added.

Yusei sighed. "There's no stopping Jack from being Jack. Understand that accepting is entirely your choice."

My choice? But he was telling me to, and with that fire in his eyes… I flicked out my wrist. The duel disk activated. I said, "Sure. You can go fi-"

"DUEL START!"

Jack loosed the harsh shout while already drawing his sixth card. "I discard a monster to special summon Power Giant. Its level is lowered by the monster I sent, dropping it from 6 to 5. I summon Dread Dragon and tune it with Power Giant for a Synchro Summon!"

A trio of green rings reached towards the orange-painted sky. A pillar of light broke through the stray clouds. A claw ripped the rings apart. A purple dragon soaring on crimson wings glowered at me. Jack said, "Introducing Exploder Dragonwing. I set one card face-down and end my turn."

I glanced over my hand. I could see how the abilities had the potential to work together. I'd used them before; I was sure of it. "From my hand, I'm sending Tempest, Dragon Ruler of Storms and another WIND monster to the grave. Tempest lets me add any dragon in my deck to my hand. I'll summon White Stone of Legend and banish it to special summon the dragon I chose: Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!"

Red-Eyes ripped out of a perfectly smooth, ivory stone. His 2800 attack had the potential to overcome Exploder Dragonwing's 2400. I said, "I'll use Darkness Metal Dragon's ability to special summon a Dragon-type from my hand, like Genesis Dragon!"

Brown scales and wings reflected the purple of the oncoming night. The 2200 attack power would be useful in tacking on damage if I was able to remove his monster. I could add more if I wanted to expend all my resources, but I was wary of the card in his backline.

A whistle from the sidelines dragged me up from my strategizing. Kalin had his fingers tucked into his jean pocket and the other hand waving towards our monsters. "Check it. It wasn't just the one dragon. She uses them as a whole archetype, too. Best friends already."

"Hey, yeah!" Crow said. "They're totally matching!"

"That could mean they could share strategies to help each other improve," Yusei said.

Their banter seemed to make Jack… angrier? If the flaring of his nostrils was anything to go by, definitely angrier. I gulped. "Uh. Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon battles Exploder Dragonwing-"

"Trap activate!" he shouted. "Prideful Roar! I pay life points equal to the difference between our battling monsters' attack, and Exploder Dragonwing gains that amount plus 300!"

Dragonwing batted Red-Eyes out of the sky as though my monster was a bothersome fly. To be honest, I related. My life counter dropped from 4000 to 3700 while his fell to 3600. Kalin said, "Look at that! She took the lead."

"That's your takeaway?" Jack growled.

"I end my turn!" I said, hoping the cutoff would prevent any more fury directed my way.

Jack slammed a card on his disk. The card zone glowed, and a four-armed being of darkness materialized on his field. He thrust his arm forward and exclaimed, "Exploder Dragonwing attacks Genesis Dragon! Effect trigger! Dragonwing has the greater attack; thusly, Genesis Dragon is destroyed, and you take every point of its attack power as direct damage."

"Wha?" I squeaked. A surge of red and orange shone from within Genesis. His body expanded and blew to bits, which rained onto me. My life points dropped to 1500.

"Archfiend Interceptor now attacks directly!"

The dark monster charged. I held up my arms to defend myself, but the monster phased through. I kept my eyes shut. Had I just lost? That would be embarrassing, especially in front of the people I hoped I could get to know better.

I cracked open one eye to peek at my life points. 100 left.

"Set card and turn end," Jack said. "Here's a tip, charity case. Archfiend Interceptor's ability deals 500 damage if you declare an attack."

"How kind of you to warn her," Kalin said with a giggle.

"More like he wants her to know how trapped she is," Crow murmured.

The corners of my mouth twitched down as I picked up the top card of my deck. Jack said, "Hope it was a lucky draw, 'cos that's your only way out of the grave you dug."

"Tch," Kalin said, "you just gonna let him say that?"

Well, yes. He was the experienced one, and quite tall, and also very angry. I met Kalin's eyes and had to stop myself from grimacing. He was looking at me like he was expecting something. That was why he had brought me here, right? That and to help me. I couldn't let him down.

I flicked the card I had drawn over my shoulder, and it fluttered to the ground. Jack said, "Oh, good. Folding will at least save some face."

"Actually," I said while fanning out the two cards left in my hand, "I don't need it. First, I'm using an ability in my graveyard. By banishing two other dragons, like Darkness Metal and Genesis, I can special summon Tempest, Dragon Ruler of Storms!"

Typhoons ripped through the field. Boulders crafted a skeleton, lightning crackled along a spine, and tornadoes forged wing webbing and a spiraling tail. Tempest's roar was like a siren signaling a cataclysmic storm.

"To help him out, I'm using an Equip Spell known as Megamorph! Heard of it?" The spell emblazoned a brown rune upon Tempest. The dragon increased in size, and his 2400 attack doubled to 4800. The boost would benefit me if my life points were lower than my opponent's. If I took the lead, the spell would halve Tempest's attack.

At 100 LP, taking the lead before the duel's conclusion wasn't likely. I said, "Felgrand attacks Archfiend Interceptor!"

"Stupid duelist. You didn't account for everything on the field even when I warned you," Jack said. "Interceptor's ability wipes out your life points!"

"Quick-Play Spell activate!" I called. "Forbidden Chalice increases Interceptor's attack by 400 while cancelling the monster's abilities!"

A blast of screeching wind shredded Archfiend Interceptor. Jack's life fell from 3600 all the way to 600. His brow set over his eyes, casting a menacing shadow. He pressed a button on his duel disk. His trap, Destruction Ring, flipped up. It attached to Exploder Dragonwing, detonated, and dealt 1000 damage to both of us.

I said, "What- why did- you-"

He shuffled his deck and kept all his attention on Kalin. "Tomorrow. Where?"

Kalin dusted off his hands and smiled as though nothing was wrong in the world. "Glad you finally asked! Sector H. We leave at dawn. Ready up early and we leave from here together."

Jack's response was an affirmative grunt. He left without another word. I had a finger up and was trying to speak. Didn't work out.

Crow set his fists on his hips and said, "Pshaww! I bet he forced a tie because he knew he would lose."

"That's not like him," Yusei said. "I'm guessing he decided he'd seen enough."

Kalin waved his hand in the air. "Who caaares. Important thing is we all totally agree she belongs. Right?"

"I liked the part when you tossed the card," Crow said. "Shows you got the most important part of dueling down: style."

"…I absolutely disagree," Yusei said. "Strategy is most important, which I would say you showed good thought processes in."

"Ahh, you think too much!" Crow countered.

I bent down, scooped up the card, and shuffled it into my deck. "Th-thanks. I appreciate it, but, but why was he so angry with me?"

Kalin broke out into laughter. "He has this idea we're 'dueling gods' or some shit! Must've been he thought you cramped his style, then you went and kicked his ass!"

"Th-that's not what happened, okay?" I said. "Please don't say that to him!"

"Riiight." Kalin fanned himself. "You should be the one to do it. You two are teammates now."

The movement of his hand abruptly halted. He spoke with a sly smile that swiftly infected me. I shook my head to wipe it away and shouted, "I- I would never say that! Um. I'm on the team? For real?"

With a shrug, he said, "How much more obvious do I have to make it?"

"That means she can go on the mission tomorrow!" Crow said. "Uh, wait. Did you say we're leaving here at dawn?"

"That a problem?" Yusei asked.

"Of course it's not a problem for you. Dammit. I have to go set up some DVR. I'll see you guys in the morning!"

"Think I'll head out, too," Yusei said. "Have some deckbuilding to work on."

We waved our good-byes. Once we were alone, Kalin crossed his arms and stared at me. I blinked. "Um. What are you doing?"

"Waiting for you to ask."

"Ask what?"

He scoffed and threw up his hands. "You're kidding! We've been referencing like a bazillion things you have no way of understanding and you can't even think of one question?"

"Not particularly."

When he closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair, I noticed the sunset's red flare caught in his long eyelashes. "Before you dueled, I kinda wondered if you had a personality. You're not fooling me again. C'mon. You're curious about what team you're on, aren't you?"

No personality? Was I that bad? I said, "A little. I like you, Crow, and Yusei, and I think I like Jack. If you are all on the team, I would like to also be on it."

His brow lifted. "You don't care about what you're doing or why?"

"Not really."

Kalin appeared almost sad. "You should. I need you to make the decision for yourself, not because you want to hang out with us. I'm going to tell you who we are and what we do. Only after you think about it, accept being in the gang or not. We can spend time together even if you don't want to be a part of it, okay?"

I clasped my hands together and whispered, "Okay."

"Life in the Satellite's all about duel gangs. They do what they want no matter what happens to the people around them. Each one of them rules a zone. The larger the zone, the tougher the gang. They make life miserable for anyone in their zone who isn't in their gang.

"We decided to end that. We call ourselves Team Satisfaction, and we're uniting the Satellite one zone at a time. We root out the gangs, destroy their disks through dueling, and send 'em packing. Afterward, we patrol the area and help whoever's in need. It's more than playing a card game, alright? It's work."

I lifted my left arm. "How do you destroy a disk?"

The question excited him. He dug through a tall, wooden box behind him. A long wire connected what looked like handcuffs, but they were too large to lock a wrist. He twirled one end and tossed it towards me. It locked onto my duel disk. He said, "Duel's forced once two are connected, and the loser's goes kaboom."

My mouth went dry. This disk was all I had. If it exploded, too, how would my cards-

"Don't panic," he said. "I was only doing it as an example. I made the things, so I can get it off. Think more on it, though, because you'll have to risk your duel disk every time you duel if you join."

He lifted my wrist with a gentle touch, reached into his pocket, and produced a bobby pin. He turned my arm over and pushed the pin into a tiny compartment on the cuff. As he worked, the tip of his tongue poked out the side of his mouth. He glanced to me, did a double take, and said, "Stop staring!"

"S-sorry." I focused on my feet instead. A few seconds later, the cuff popped off. I smiled at my freed treasure.

"So what kind of duel disk is that? I've never seen one like it."

The entire card zone was compacted inside. The outside was a navy color, and the card zones were a lighter blue. While open, it resembled a scythe. The graveyard reached out from the center like a claw. Runes were carved around the outer circle. "I don't remember."

"Right, right. You not knowing this stuff is starting to get annoying."

"For you? Think how bad it is for me!"

"Pfft. Princess over here thinks the world revolves around her." Trying to act mad lasted less than a second; I laughed with him. The sun had almost set, and darkness crept from the horizon behind us. "So! Think over the decision tonight. I'll meet you in the morning, and you can tell me then. You need a place to stay, right? I bet you're dying to go home with me."

His knowing smile paired well with my utter confusion. "Uh, sure."

"No, you- It was a joke! You're not supposed to say 'yes' to everything!"

"Oh. Okay."

He pointed an accusatory finger at me. "Not 'okay,' either!"

I blinked. After a moment, I gave a weak thumbs-up. "Cool."

"Goddammit," he muttered under his breath while pinching the bridge of his nose. I giggled. When I did, he lightened to a small smile. "Where I was going with this was, I know someone who can help you. Follow me."

The maze that was the Satellite made less sense leaving. The long shadows the sunset cast had me walking closer to Kalin. The industrial area tapered for sparse vegetation. Trees dotted the landscape, and the grass was patchy and brown.

A cottage was tucked in the excuse for a forest. Despite the hard times for the greenery, a beautiful garden sprouted beside the house. It was the best kept spot I'd seen in the Satellite.

Kalin waltzed up to the door and knocked. Scuffling and yelling sounded from within. A woman wearing an old-fashioned burgundy dress slammed the door open. Black dreadlocks framed her face, and her wrinkles adjusted to her frown. "Kalin? Being here means you won't make it home before sunset!"

He rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh. The last thing I'd do is come here on my own terms. Martha, I'd like you to meet my friend. She needs a place to stay for the night."

She gave me the head-to-toe like he had. "Why hello there! I've never seen you around before. A friend, you say?"

Whatever her raised eyebrow meant flattened Kalin's expression. He repeated, "A friend. She can't remember anything, and we're just trying to help her."

"You have amnesia? Poor dear. Of course you're welcome to stay here a while."

I asked, "Huh? But you said we were going to your place, Kalin."

He waved his arms in front of his face as though he could put out the fires from Martha's laser glare. "That was just a joke, remember? It was a joke! Anyway, you, you should really go in! So I can run! I mean, so I can leave."

I tackled him in an embrace, and he stiffened. I whispered into him, "Thank you."

The instant I slipped inside the cottage, Martha closed the door behind me. Vague remnants of her ranting drifted through the threshold. I ignored it and explored the first floor. The left room opened to a dining room, and the right hall led to a staircase. A body-length mirror was attached to the hallway. Curiosity guided me into its reflection.

Long, white hair tumbled over my shoulders, and thick bangs fell over my eyes. My hair was long enough to reach my butt. Guess I wasn't much for cutting. The blue of my eyes was shocking because of how pale my skin was. I almost looked sick. I was wearing baggy, khaki pants and a black one-armed shirt, sleeve on the left.

Nothing stood out or enticed memories into popping up. I could only look in the mirror and wonder who that person was.

Martha opened the door. Her grumbles preceded her with plenty of curses laced in. After a few moments, she noticed me. "Ah, you're still down here. Good. You need rest. Upstairs, take the second room on the right. There are kids sleeping. Try to be quiet. Oh, and it's always nice to meet a new face."

Her smile was warm in a motherly way – vastly different from when she addressed Kalin. "Dear, whatever you may choose, I hope you stay safe. Assume everyone you meet in the Satellite is suspicious. The people here live to survive, not to thrive."

"Thank you for the warning." I lifted my open hand with locks of my long hair caught in it. "I have a lot to think about. Good night, Martha."

She wished me well and left me to my lonesome. I observed the beautiful house and glanced at that person in the mirror.

Her eyes tilted down.