Chapter Six

Blackout

Waves washing over rocks serenaded the dawn. Jack, Yusei, Kalin, and I huddled over a device on the hideout's table. The locator blinked red. The passing seconds kept my aching heart in time's tight grip.

The color shifted to yellow, and the device vibrated. Kalin snatched it up. "Bingo! Follow me!"

We sprinted southbound. I covered my nose and mouth with my elbow. The rival gang's location was deep within the factory district, where the thickest smog poisoned the air. The sign outside the gang hideout said once upon a time it was a for-rent office building within the factory cluster.

"This way," Yusei whispered. He led us up a fire escape. Rust on the topmost section created a wide gap separating us from the roof. Yusei, Jack, and Kalin made the leap with ease. Kalin lingered, watching my attempt.

I crouched, broke into a running start, and jumped up to the roof. I staggered forward a few steps, pulse pounding in my achy feet. A hand on my elbow steadied me. Kalin smiled at me and hustled towards the other two, who knelt behind an air duct.

A loud yawn broke the silence. A tall guy with goggles took heavy steps around Crow, whose wrists were locked behind his back. The guy said, "Didn't realize you Team Satisfaction bastards were dumb enough to stare at our place in broad daylight. Tell us where your gang's hideout is or else."

"Eat shit!" Crow countered.

"He needs help," I murmured.

"Not yet," Yusei said. "We could get valuable information from this."

The gang member said, "Last chance, birdbrain. Where's the Team Satisfaction hideout?"

Crow responded with his cheeky grin. The gang member reared back and kicked Crow's gut. A blur beside me left my head spinning. Kalin vaulted over the metal air duct, hit the ground running, and threw his momentum into his fist. His knuckles met the gang member's cheek with an audible crack.

Crow coughed and sputtered, "The hell, guys? Y'really needed those two minutes of watching me?"

"Sorry. Bad call on my part," Yusei said.

"Goddamn ziptie," Kalin grumbled from behind Crow. "Anybody got a knife?"

No one spoke up. I checked my extra pockets to no luck. Crow said, "What? I'm stuck in these? I can't even duel!"

"Maybe we'll find scissors inside," I suggested. He groaned anyway.

"Enough chitchat," Jack demanded. "Where are they?"

"Couple on each floor," Crow said, his tone defeated.

Yusei and Jack looked to each other and, in silent agreement, took the roof entrance into the building. Crow hopped up and planted his butt on the unconscious gang members' back. I noticed drops of blood from the guy's busted lip on his chin. A couple of Kalin's knuckles had the same red stains.

Crow got comfortable, saying, "Don't have too much fun without me."

"We'll come help as soon as we find something," I said.

"At least someone cares!"

"He's just being a drama queen," Kalin said. "They took the top floor, so we'll go a couple flights down. Quiet from here on, alright?"

We took the stairs at a pace slow enough to allow silence. Kalin cracked open the door to the second floor, peered in, and thrust it open. I chased after his sprint. He said, "You take the close one!"

Kalin ran into a dark hallway to the left. Footsteps fled ahead of him. I was left with the guy standing beneath a flickering light panel. Tossing my cuffs nailed his disk, and I clicked the other end to my own. The satisfaction of landing a throw never diminished. I said, "Care to duel?"

"Bitch. You'll lose that disk for bein' smug."

"DUEL START!"

He adjusted his goggles, the trademark of his gang, and drew his cards. "I set a face-down monster and spell/trap. Your move."

I said, "I summon Vanguard of the Dragon and use its ability. By discarding a Dragon-type, Vanguard gains 300 attack! I'm battling your face-down monster!"

My black lizard charged, skipped a couple of steps, and catapulted his javelin forth. The monster flipped up. A tiny, pale blue alien crawled up the spear unharmed. Its red wings carried it towards Vanguard. The monster bit down on Vanguard's skull. Vanguard walked to my opponent's field. "Brain Jacker's flip effect turns it into an Equip Spell for one of your monsters. Thanks for the present."

Through grit teeth, I said, "Set one and turn end."

"Ah, boy. This'll be over before you know it. I tribute Vanguard of the Dragon to summon Castle Gate!" The rectangular monster rolled forward on wheels for feet. Stiff, robotic movements had its arm holding the handles of the large doors making up its chest. Castle Gate had zero attack and 2400 defense.

"Um," I said, "you summoned it in attack position. I don't allow takesies backsies, either."

"What are you, a kindergartner?" he said. "I play the trap Inverse Universe! All monsters on the field have their attack and defense values permanently swapped! Castle Gate attacks directly!"

"Waboku!" I shouted. "This trap prevents the Battle Damage!"

He clicked his tongue. "I'm playing Monster Reborn to bring back your Vanguard of the Dragon to my side of the field. Castle Gate's effect lets me tribute Vanguard and deal damage to you equal to its attack!"

Vanguard whined upon its second, stolen tributing. The towering monster creaked open the gates. Hundreds of cannons were lined up behind the doors. Black cannonballs pelted my field. One struck me in the abdomen. I doubled over and clutched my midsection. My life points fell to 2300.

"I place a face-down and end my turn," he said.

I struggled to regain the wind knocked out of me. "I d-draw. Totem Dragon's effect. At Standby Phase, if I control no monsters, she special summons herself. She's in the graveyard from Vanguard's discard. Main Phase. I'm playing Foolish Burial to send a monster from my deck to the graveyard. Totem Dragon can be two tributes for a Dragon-type. I sacrifice Totem Dragon to summon Light and Darkness Dragon!"

A white angelic wing and a black demonic wing carried Light and Darkness Dragon into the air. Plaster chips rolled away by the force of the flight. My opponent said, "Not so fast! I activate Bottomless Trap Hole!"

My monster blasted the trap with a beam cut perfectly in half to be black and white. Light and Darkness Dragon's 2800 attack dropped to 2300. A bead of sweat formed on my forehead. "Um. My dragon is forced to negate and destroy spells, traps, and monster effects. In return, she loses 500 attack."

He laughed. "Can't destroy my monster now, can ya?"

I grimaced. "Your turn."

"I summon Obsidian Dragon and use the Shield Attack Equip Spell! The original attack and defense of Obsidian Dragon are swapped!" I wound my hair around my finger. The monster had 2200 attack now. "First thing's first. Castle Gate attacks Light and Darkness Dragon!"

The cannons blasted through my dragon. One banged my shoulder. I nearly lost my footing from the force. My life points fell to 2200. "Light and Darkness Dragon's effect activates! All cards on my field are destroyed, and I special summon a Dragon-type from my grave. I choose Prime Material Dragon!"

Wisps of gold foretold the dragon's arrival. Her 2400 attack matched the greatest on his field and prevented his other monster from attacking. He said, "Whatever. Match is still over. I use Castle Gate's effect to tribute Obsidian Dragon and deal the 2200 damage of its original attack straight to you!"

The cannons loaded. I gulped. Hundreds rushed towards me. They passed through a shining wall, transformed into spritzes of golden sparkles, and landed upon me. My life points increased to 4400. "Prime Material Dragon's ability changes all life points lost through effect damage into life points gained."

"Dammit!" he growled. "I end my turn!"

An explosion sounded from down the hall. Kalin already finished. I had to hurry. "I summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4 and banish him to special summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon! Metal Dragon can special summon any Dragon-type from my grave or hand. I'm bringing Vanguard of the Dragon back!"

Metal Dragon's shriek rattled the building's weak foundation. I said, "Battle Phase! Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon attacks Castle Gate! Prime Material Dragon and Vanguard of the Dragon attack directly!"

Darkness Metal beat out Castle Gate by 400. A blast of golden breath and a flying spear joined in his black fire. My opponent flew back ten feet. The spear left a rip in his jacket, and his clothes steamed from the heat of the flames. I pulled back the freed cuff. I could hardly tell apart the smoke from the duel disk and the smoke from the dragons' attacks.

My partner's hand fell on my shoulder. I met his eyes, which his smile upturned. "Nice one!"

"Th-thanks. I mean, for a while I was in trouble-"

"Results are what matters," he said. "Now we need to check out the first floor, 'kay?"

"Mkay."

We left my unconscious opponent behind and reentered the stairwell. Kalin opened the door to the first floor and winced at the whine the hinges gave. I slipped through the cracked door. He shut it, blessedly quiet this time, and led the way.

A hive of cubicles filled the base floor. Our hallway was empty and littered with worn chairs. I stepped on a smoother portion of floor and glanced down at a fallen sticky note, which had a drawn heart. The sight distracted me as I pondered the life that once thrived here.

Shafts of light slanted from the broken windows across the sea of cubicles. Our area was the darkest. Kalin scanned his surroundings and started into the maze.

A feral scream set my heart thumping. A man charged Kalin from behind and slammed his balled hands over the back of Kalin's skull. Kalin collapsed onto his hands and knees. The wild-eyed gang member pushed his goggles up his forehead and approached my fallen leader.

Blood roared in my ears. Black encroached from the edges of my vision. The world went dark.

"Rain?"

My breaths hissed through clenched teeth. Something touched the taut muscles of my forearms. The softness of the grasp said it wasn't an enemy. I blinked several times before my awareness returned. Metal tinked against the floor.

"Are you there?"

Kalin's voice rung clear this time. He sat on his knees and kept a hold on my arms. I gasped, dropped, and wrapped my arms around him. "You're okay!"

He stayed stiff. "D'you- Rain, you don't remember what happened?

I let go of him and glanced around. Two gang members were passed out on the floor. One had cracks in the gang's trademark goggles. A switchblade had fallen by my feet. "I don't know. Everything sort of went black. There were two of them?"

Conflict brewed in Kalin's expression. Part of him seemed alarmed, almost scared like after I'd used Rage with Eyes of Blue on our first day as partners. I said, "Are you… okay?"

He focused on a point in the distance and, after a moment, took my hand between his. "Thank you."

"W-what for?"

"You don't know it, but you just saved my life," he said. That he came so close to being gone forever set my limbs to trembling. He tightened his hold on me. "I need to ask something of you."

"Okay."

Cold pressed into my fingers – the handle of the switchblade. "Take this and free Crow. Afterward, I need you to go home and rest."

"To what? But you're the one who- shouldn't you come with?"

"I'm fine now. Lil' headache, that's all. A blackout is dangerous. You may not even know how much of a toll what you did took on you. Please, Rain. If nothing else, could you do it for me?"

My thumb ran over the knife handle. A dry spot of blood stained the place below the blade. I didn't want to leave the rest to just them, but if it was what he wanted… "Alright, partner."

I hurried back up to the roof. Crow's boredom fled the instant I showed up. The ziptie snapped apart from the knife's blade. He rubbed at his wrists. "Rain! You're the best!"

"Thanks."

"Somethin' wrong? You sound like your chocolate bar just got stolen!"

"I have to head home early."

Crow raised his eyebrows. "Geez. Not hurt, are ya?"

He pointed to a splat of blood on my kneecap, which I hadn't remembered being there. No pain pulsed from the area. "No, I'm fine. I think. Gotta go make sure."

"'Kay, feel better! I'll pick up the slack for ya!"

My shoulders slumped as I left via the fire escape. The polluted sky blocked out the sun. My route out of the industrial district was blanketed in shadow. I neglected going to Martha's for the stage the man with the black eyes had shown me. It was a further trek north, so at least the sunshine could reach me.

The stage was as I left it, duel runner and all. I figured I'd dig through the boxes backstage. Changes of clothes, non-perishable foods, and random accessories made up the contents.

A small, glass vial sparkled in my palm. The neon orange paint had to be nail polish. I dropped it in my pocket and started towards Crow's house. I could at least accomplish something today.

I found my way to Crow's easily thanks to Jack's description of landmarks, though I did have to turn down several aggressive traders. A couple were quite interested in my duel disk. They could offer a golden ticket to the City and I still wouldn't give it away.

The sight of the Daedalus Bridge hastened my pace. A trio of duel runners roared from that direction. They sped past me, bothering my hair into my face. I tugged a lock away from my mouth and kept on.

Annie sobbed on the ground in front of Crow's apartment. Louie was nowhere to be found. I knelt beside her and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Th-they took him!" she shrieked. "They took Louie!"

"They who?"

Sharp hiccups interrupted her. "A g-g-gang. Wanted C-Crow. He's n-n-not here. Louie's in the B. A. D., and Crow isn't…"

Annie wept. I placed the bottle of nail polish in front of her, walked to the bridge, and reached for my pocket. The runner showed up within seconds. A single pulse of pain in my head was the only cost as opposed to the migraine from the first time I'd called it.

I tugged the helmet on and raced after the three riders. Their engines were loud enough to be heard for miles, and their exhaust left a black trail. They parked near a trashcan bonfire and tossed aside their helmets.

The tattoos on their necks gave them away as a gang we'd already defeated. One shoved Louie off his runner. I now understood Kalin's point about quashing the loser's resources. To think any gang could come back with a vengeance like this made my skin crawl.

I turn-braked in front of the kidnappers, stood, and removed my helmet. A quick count said this was a one versus six. The lead rider laughed. "S'just the girl that came. Oi, you – Kessler's shadow, ain'tcha? How 'bout you bring the important folks here so's we can negotiate?"

…Shadow? I offered a low hum, saying, "Okay. I negotiate with this."

I flashed the Exploder Dragon card. The monster materialized in the middle of their group. Its dark scales tinged red as ticks counted down. Forceful fire burst from within, throwing the kidnappers off their feet. Burns pocked their clothes. None of them twitched bar one.

The second of the riders stumbled to his feet. He managed to be furthest from the initial blast. He exclaimed, "The shadow! The rumors are true. Y-you're a demon!"

There was no incentive to argue. He tossed a fearful glance around, grabbed a lead pipe from a garbage pile, and charged me. I sprinted toward him. A slide at his feet left him tumbling over me. The pipe rolled away. I swiped it up and aimed to bash the back of his skull.

"Rain? What are you doing?"

I met Louie's brown eyes. He squirmed against his bonds and watched my every move. I dropped the pipe. What had I been about to do?

A fist slammed into my jaw. I tasted blood, and my vision fuzzed. I pressed my hand onto my deck and prayed. The gang member knelt on me, burying his knee in my gut. I struggled for breath.

A shadow enveloped us. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon snapped up the man's jacket. The dragon tossed him away like a piece of trash. The Blue-Eyes observed me with the tilt of concern in its eyes.

"Th-thank you," I muttered. My dragon loosed a gentle growl. I observed the landscape and spotted no movement. I hobbled to Louie's side.

"That was totally awesome!" he exclaimed. "You're such a good fighter, and your monsters are amazing! You were all like bam and bam, and they dropped like flies! And, and…"

I untied his bonds while he searched for the colorful words. I brought him over to the runner and gave him the helmet. He acted like I'd just awarded him a trophy.

The goofy sight of the adult sized helmet on his small head finally restored my mirth. I revved the engine and zoomed off, hoping that I'd never have to return to the aptly named B.A.D. district. The ride back to Crow's was smooth sailing.

Louie got off and handed me my helmet, which I promptly put on. Annie ran out and tackled Louie in a hug, tears still streaming down her face. "Don't ever worry me like that again! You only got captured because you stood up for me!"

"It's okay, Annie! Rain saved me! She beat up those guys no problem!"

Annie dashed over and wrapped her arms around my midsection. I flinched thanks to the bruise blooming there. She was blissfully ignorant. "Oh, thank you so much! And, and for the nail polish! I can put it on you if, if-"

She broke into sobs. I prayed they were the good kind. "We can save it for a brighter day."

"What is going on here?"

Crow's voice snapped Annie out of her crying fit. Louie said, "Crow! Another gang kidnapped me, and Rain saved the day!"

"Slow down, kiddo! You're not hurt anywhere, are you? Check yourself for breaks 'n' bruises?"

Louie smacked away Crow's hand and puffed his chest. "No way! A guy pushed me, and that was it!"

Crow heaved a sigh. "Rain, I can't thank you enough- uh? You're on a duel runner! Where'd that come from?"

"I believe it's mine. Maybe. I think." I removed my helmet, asking, "Want to try?"

"Heh, well, if you're offering…" He balanced the headgear on his fingertips. His gray eyes widened upon meeting mine. "Oh, damn! That looks painful! Need some ice?"

The touch of my fingers upon my swelling jaw incited pain. I licked my lips and tasted blood. The swing must've dislocated it. "Honestly, I should head back and rest like Kalin told me to."

"Kalin! Right! He asked me to ask you if you could meet at the hideout now, buuut there's no way that's a good idea."

"I'll go right away."

"Seriously?" Crow laughed. "Geez. Dunno what I should've expected from you two. Thanks again for helping out Louie."

"Come back soon!" Annie called. "I have to paint your nails!"

"And we'll duel!" Louie added.

Crow passed the helmet back to me, saying, "Guess I'll have to try a ride some other time."

I shrugged, placed the helmet on the seat, and used the remote to send the runner back. Annie shrieked about a ghost rider, so I had to explain the remote capability. Crow urged me to let Yusei take a look at the runner sometime. I agreed before taking my leave.

The daylight was on its deathbed as I reached the hideout. The calm sea mirrored the twilight. The sight captivated me for a solid minute. The top room's dilapidation offered a view of the sherbet sky. Kalin leaned on the crumbled wall and watched the sunset. I said, "Hi, partner."

As he turned, the smile gracing his face shifted to concern. He closed the space between us, reached for my face, and stopped. "What happened?"

"Oh. A gang we'd already beaten kidnapped Louie. I went and helped him out. I wasn't careful enough, so one of them took a swing at me. I got Louie out, though."

"You did what? All of them? Yourself? Wait, did you-"

I twiddled my thumbs. "Yeah, I used my powers so my dragons could lend a hand. I wouldn't have saved Louie otherwise. Please understand."

The sunset's red shone on his tossed locks of hair when he ran his fingers through it. "Look, it- it was an emergency. I get that. Make sure to remember to keep those powers to yourself, okay? Every time you use 'em, you're making it more difficult for yourself."

"I am?"

His stare landed on me; his eyes were like molten gold in the twilight. The slow lifting of his head said he was coming to some sort of understanding. "Nah. It's nothing you need to worry about."

I smiled and winced. Guess my jaw wouldn't allow for that. I rubbed at the bruise. Kalin demanded, "Who did it?"

"Huh?"

"The gang that kidnapped him. Which bastards did this?"

"I, uh, I dunno! Didn't get a good look at them!"

His eyebrow hopped up. "Why're you lying?"

"Eh? How'd you know?"

"Besides you making it more obvious than a wolf in a herd of sheep?"

Sweat rolled down my neck. I lifted Kalin's hand. The knuckles were swelling from the scrap this morning. "I'll be honest. I don't want to say because I don't want this to happen to you again."

"To me? They made it personal! They deserve-"

"How's it personal to you?"

"Because you-" He averted his stare. His nostrils flared. "They pulled that shit to call out my team. A team you happen to be a member of. Christ, Rain, they hurt you. Do I need a better reason?"

The fiery glare landed on me again, and his volume increased. Panic crushed me. I burst into tears and sputtered, "I-I-I'm sorry I messed up! P-please, don't be mad! I won't do it again, okay? I swear!"

His anger dropped for his shock. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh. Dammit. I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you, and I shouldn't've yelled. I got heated is all. It's not your fault. You can stop crying now."

I swiped the back of my hand across my face, but it didn't accomplish much. Kalin took my face in his hands and wiped his thumbs beneath my eyes. The tenderness of his touch astonished me. My tears stopped.

He backed off, and his grin was the accomplished kind. "I totally fixed it."

I laughed a little, my face heating. "Sure did."

"So. Do me a favor and don't take on whole armies on your own, 'kay? I can only take so many big scares in my life."

"Scares?" I questioned. "Since when are you afraid of anything?"

"I am for you."

"That doesn't make any sense," I said. "I'm not worth that. I'm not worth anything! All I keep doing is messing up, dragging you down, worrying you-"

There was almost laughter in his words: "Rain. How could you possibly believe that?"

My heart pricked at the way he spoke, like the mere idea was preposterous, ridiculous. "I'm not sure. It's like I have this voice in my head constantly telling me I can't do anything right. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry." He snapped his fingers. "And whatever that voice says, it's a complete liar."

"Th-thanks," I mumbled. I curled my hair around my index finger and said, "I don't exactly love myself, I guess."

"I do."

The edge of the sun's disk sank beneath the crashing waves. Streaks of red melded to purple, which shifted to the darkness approaching from New Domino City in the east.

The dark was far away from where we stood. The remaining light caught in his eyes, which held my own with steady determination. I, however, could not breathe. My voice was more like a mouse's squeak: "Um, what?"

Kalin's smile faltered, and he stared at the concrete. He muttered under his breath, "Oh, shit, did I say that out loud? Shit. I have to go. I- I have to."

My partner broke into a brisk walk away. The air was colder without his energy. I wrapped my arms around myself and stared at the now-dark waves.

Um.

What just happened?