A/N: This story is getting so big, It's now 15,000 words more than my actual book book. I don't know why this story has so much more inspiration, but for someone who used to claim fanfiction was not a valid form of creative writing, I'm 50,000 words in. Hope y'all like it.
From the glass panes of the control room, Sabrina's face was still visibly red.
"Take a look around and see if there's anything missing or off." Setsuna instructed from above.
"It looks so amazing," Ishizu said, drinking it all in. "It almost reminds me of home."
"I'll take that as a huge compliment," Sabrina called over her shoulder as she scoured the environment. After several minutes of looking in silence, she pointed to one of the carts toward the wall. "Did you see one of the character models glitches out when he sits on the cart?" she asked.
Setsuna craned her neck to see which one in particular Sabrina meant.
"This cannot be happening," Ishizu said to herself, albeit loudly enough for Sabrina to hear. "Setsuna, we have a huge problem." she said int other walkie. Setsuna saw Ishizu's shoulder's sag, her head hanging in defeat.
"Something wrong?" she asked through the walkie.
"Every hieroglyph. Every single one is backward," Ishizu replied. "Not mirrored, in the wrong order."
"All of them?" Setsuna asked? "Are you serious? Everything has to be re-entered manually. That's an hour and a half minimum to fix." She laced her fingers behind her head in frustration.
"But we can fix that any time," Akira said, "That isn't something that's breaking the environment."
"It isn't accurate, and some fanboy is going to post about it on his youtube channel. Not to mention it will interfere with the story element. Remembering the order of hieroglyphs is one of the puzzles in the game." She pushed the button on the walkie to talk. "Go ahead and shut the environment down and have everyone meet back in the control room."
"I don't mind staying to see it gets fixed." Ishizu said from the floor, "So long as somebody gives me a ride home."
Sabrina quietly sighed in relief that she didn't have to be there any longer. Stuffing her sketchbook into her messenger bag, she hustled to the door as quickly as she could while still beign professional.
"Miss Harrison," Seto called after her. Sabrina froze, not even daring to turn around and face the wrath of her superior for her little piece of artwork. "The art and color were well done."
Sabrina looked over her shoulder, the shock of the compliment visible on her face.
"Your vision and skill truly bring the environment to its full potential." He continued.
"Thank you sir," was the only reply she could muster before turning back and making her escape.
After her departure, the remaining team in the observation deck filtered into the control room for discussion.
"Was there anything we missed that wasn't previously mentioned?" Setsuna asked the team.
One of the sound developers from Leo's department raised his hand. "I noticed the sand crunches when the npc's walk but not the players."
"We can fix that," Setsuna said.
Another hand went up, and then another. While only a handful were game breaking, the team pointed out over thirty noticeable errors. Dzam took note of everything that was mentioned along with the proposed solutions. Setsuna grew increasingly more frustrated with each flaw; by the last one, she was furious, slamming down the walkie talkie and letting out a roar of anger through gritted teeth.
"There's no way I can fix all this by the end of the week," she huffed, sitting down for the first time in six hours.
Dzam uncapped a water bottle and offered it to her. "This isn't even a prototype test. It doesn't' have to be flawless. We don't even have all the sound hammered out."
I knew it wasn't going to be perfect, but I at least thought I would have had a solid demonstration. Not major things. Like forgetting the moon!" The threw her hand toward the environment ceiling, fuming at her own mistake. "I just thought we had it put together so much better than it is. With everything we have to fix, we will be stuck back writing code for the rest of the week, and we're fighting for use of the test floor since it was out of commission for a few weeks. The hardware team from gaming has it all next week."
"Then lets take the rest of this week and next and focus on hammering out all the issues. Work out all the kinks when we don't have access to the environment anyway." Honda said coolly. 'I'm sure our project lead and our CEO can pull some strings to get us a few weeks to ourselves to tweak what we want once we have the major things fixed."
"Also, next weekend we are finally having the liquid helium delivered for the coolant system." Seto added, "You wouldn't have to monitor the heat after that and could focus exclusively on the environment, not its impact on the hardware."
"Noriega, I think taking a step back and letting everyone breat is for the best." Dzam said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Your pride is keeping you from seeing how big of a success this first run was. You've demonstrated more than proof of concept. Enjoy that victory. Everyone else certainly is. Just finish up with the notes and go home."
Setsuna took a few deep breaths before assenting. "Fine. Let's head back up to the offices. But when we get the floor back, there will be no mercy until it's ready for a full interactive demonstration."
"Fair enough," Dzam agreed.
"Does this mean we're done with the floor entirely?" Akira asked.
"Yeah, go ahead and shut it all down," Setsuna gestured to all of the consoles. The individual technicians began powering down. "If any of you have any notes or concerns be sure they are emailed to me before you leave."
As Setsuna spoke, Ishizu's phone began to vibrate. Her brow furrowed in confusion when the caller ID appeared.
"News from home?" Mokuba asked.
"No. It's Sabrina. She never calls; if she needs something, she just texts. Ishizu answered and placed the phone to her ear.
"Ishizu! Don't come home! Someone broke into the house. They know you're here!" Her panicked voice could clearly be heard by the entire room.
"How?" Dzam asked in disbelief.
"Did she call the police?" Mokuba asked.
"What is happening?" Setsuna spat.
"Is she alright?" Seto demanded.
Ishizu was too flustered to ask any of the questions she was being bombarded with. "Are you hurt?" she finally managed.
There was a long pause.
"Yeah," Sabrina said, lowering her voice.
"Put her on speakerphone," Seto ordered quietly. Ishizu glared at him and shook her head. She listened intently as Sabrina spoke, turning her back and stepping away from the group.
Kaiba sulked silently as he listened to only one side of the conversation.
"Ok, but did you call the police? Good…No, I have it…I'm sorry….no…just…don't worry about it. Stay where you are and keep us posted. We will too…I promise. Ok. Bye." She turned back around to face the inquisitive faces of her coworkers.
"She's called the police and emergency services, but they haven't arrived yet. She's at a neighbor's house. One of the robbers hit her head with the butt of his pistol. Otherwise she's safe. They're gone now."
"How is she not dead?" Honda asked.
"Honda!" Akira punched him in the arm.
"It's a fair question. Whoever is after Ishizu had no qualms about killing before."
"That is a fair question, but right now I have a more pressing one. What do we do now? We're compromised."
"Why don't we discuss this on the way to the hospital," Seto asked, seizing his briefcase. "If she's had an injury, the closest hospital would be Ootori Medical Downtown. IF we leave now, we can get there in under an hour."
Setsuna gave Ishizu a reaffirming hug. "Send her all our live, and tell her we're glad she's safe."
"I will."
The car was ready for the Kaiba's and Ishizu before the doors opened on the elevator of the ground level. Seto drove.
"We have from here to downtown to figure out how Coliseum found out where you were staying, what they want with you and how we are going to present this to Sabrina." Mokuba said from the back seat.
Ishizu thought. "I can't imagine why. They might be after me because of my lineage. They might see me as a loose end and want to kill me."
"I don't think it's that." Seto replied .'If they wanted to kill you they wouldn't have ransacked your office in Egypt or your apartment when you weren't home. They're not after you, they're after something you have or something you know."
"I don't have anything, and the only information I have that Marik and Odion didn't know except my work with you and the museum. They might be after a translation I'm working on. There are a few sections of the tomb keepers labyrinth that were written in heiroglyps lost to us for generation. I learned about them through the museum and wanted to translate and record them for our legacy. I don't know how Coliseum would have known I had undertaken it."
"Who else knew?" asked Mokuba.
"My brothers. No one else knew."
"And who knew where you were staying in Domino?"
Ishizu shrugged. "You two, Yugi, Sabrina, Setsuna. I think Dzam knew too but that's about it. Well, and whoever processed my paperwork when I was hired officially."
"All people from work," Mokuba mused, "And all potentially people who would have known the house would have been empty later than usual."
"Obviously, we can rule out Yugi," Seto said, "And I'm assuming Sabrina would not have been complicit in an armed robbery on her own house. Dzam, I've known for years, but Setsuna? She's out of one of our facilities in South Korea."
"She doesn't strike me as they type but it would make sense if she knew my schedule. And where I lived."
"Until we can rule her out, let's not share any personal details with anyone on the team."
Ishizu sighed. This is their second failed attempt at getting my laptom. What if they try a third time?
"They will," Kaiba said confidently, "They've demonstrated they're willing to do bodily harm to anyone who gets in their way. I think it's safe to assume both you and Sabrina are in serious danger. The law will do what it can, but we need to take measures ourselves to keep them from getting the translation and you two from being hurt."
"What are you suggesting?" Ishizu asked.
"We have safe houses in Domino," Mokuba explained. "Our father and his father before him and run ins with the Yakuza and we have retained those houses when the occasion calls for it. We could set you up in one of these houses and give you a security detail for whenever you are not at work. Of course, you and Sabrina would not be allowed to disclose anything to anyone. At least until we are sure Coliseum is not coming back."
"And how are we going to explain all of this to Sabrina?" Just feign ignorance?"
"For now, we have to. We don't even know for sure all of this is Coliseum and what Coliseum's end game even is." Mokuba shrugged. "It makes sense that Coliseum was after your tombs and your office because they want information on Atem and the millennium items but what for?"
"They're trying to revive the shadow games as some sort of ultimate thrill experience." Seto said flatly.
Mokuba and Ishizu and looked at each other. All of the dots connected; it explained everything.
"Would anyone even believe that stuff?" Ishizu asked. "They general population isn't very accepting of the supernatural."
"You're not dealing with the general populace," Seto countered, "This is a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the 1%. Multimillionaires and upwards who are both willing to do anything for an adrenaline rush and willing to involve themselves in illegal activities. I'm not even in that bracket. And people with that kind of money and time can get into some weird stuff; worshipping giant owls, scientology, personal psychics, the kinds of things the tabloids chock up to being eccentric. IF those kind of people will buy into things with no sense or evidence, do you think they wouldn't believe something with verifiable evidence to back it up? What happened with Yugi and Pegasus and Marik and even Atem's legacy has historical records, eyewitness testimony, weather phenomena and even destroyed property in its wake. Anyone with the time and resources could find the truth with a little digging."
"Ishizu paled. "I always thought after the Pharaoh defeated Zor my family would only be responsible for preserving Egypt's secrets for the sake of cultural preservation. Even with his destiny fulfilled, the shadow games still pose a threat to our world."
"But you at least know how to stop him," Mokuba said confidently.
The silence from the front seat was hardly reassuring. "Don't you know how to stop this?" he asked Ishizu, "You're the Egyptian expert."
"Last time this happened, Atem used his own soul to seal the power to summon monsters away. If the millennium stone is recovered and the realm of monsters is reopened, someone new is going to have to seal it with the same magic Atem did."
"Nedless to say, preventing Coliseum from reopening the seal is the preferred outcome. Not dealing with trying to reclose it." Seto said.
Ishizu held up her hand for silence as she answered her phone. "Hello. Yes. Oh good. But we can still see her? Thank you. Thank you ma'am. Have a good evening." She hung up and placed the phone back in her pocket. ' The nurses want to keep her overnight but we can still go see her. She had to get stitches and her face is pretty banged up, but no internal damage. The police already have taken her statement and will do a more thorough interview once she's released." She looked from Mokuba to Seto to see the driver loosen his death grip on the steering wheel.
"Do you know what room?" Seto asked as he pulled into the parking lot of Ootori Medical Downtown.
"301." Ishizu replied.
Seto pulled the car into a parking space and turned off the ignition.
"Ishizu, why don't you go ahead and check on her first. You can tell her Seto and I are taking a call and will be right in."
"I'll let her know about the safe house and ask about what she wants to do about her cats and belongings." Ishizu said, nodding. She unbuckled and climbed out the passenger side door. "Room 301." She reminded them before pushing the door closed.
"What is it?" Seto asked, looking at his brother in the rear-view mirror.
"A bid of girl advice from one man to another?" Mokuba asked. He waited until Seto nodded his permission before he continued. "I know you want answers and you want Coliseum to burn, but right now is not the time to grill Sabrina for answers." Seto inhaled to object, but Mokuba cut him off. "I know, I know. Wanting justice for her is admirable, but not exactly endearing. Think of this as a businessman. IF you want her to open up and be willing to answer more questions, you have to demonstrate you are interested in her. Her feelings. Time is of the essence, but if you go in now demanding answers instead of expressing concern you will ruin any chance of her seeing you as a person rather than a cold-blooded businessman."
Seto furrowed his brow before looking in the mirror again. "I can do that," Seto promised.
"Like we said before, one step at a time." Mokuba leaned forward and patted his brother on the shoulder. "Good talk."
Seto scoffed. "Thanks."
Neither of the brothers were quite prepared to see the extent of Sabrina's injuries when they walked into her room. A bruise the size of a saucer covered her left brow and temple. Four stitches sealed where the gun had struck her and the swelling prevented her from opening her left eye. Blood had pooled under her eye, the color exacerbated by her fair skin and hair. She had gash marks on her right jaw covered with butterfly closures. Seto clenched his fists but show no outward emotion.
"Heeey, look! It's my boss!" Sabrina said to Ishizu, pointing with her arm that wasn't hooked up to the IV drip. She waved them in. "I'm on some good painkillers so if I say anything weird, it's not my fault." She looked at Ishizu. "You didn't all have to come own here check on me."
"We wanted to make sure you were ok," Seto said, taking a seat in the only available chair left.
Mokuba, realizing he had been shafted huffed in displeasure, instead making himself comfortable at the foot of the hospital bed.
"I'm fine," Sabrina insisted, "It looks so much worse than it is. All I have is a mild concussion and some bruising. They're letting me go tomorrow morning."
"Nevertheless, I think it would be best you stay home at least until Tuesday." Seto insisted. I'm sure once the adrenaline wears off you'll be exhausted and in pain."
"Do you want us to contact anyone?" Mokuba offered. "Your mom, or your sister or Justin?"
"Thanks, but Ishizu is already taking care of that for me." Sabrina said.
"Has she told you about the safe house?"
Sabrina nodded. "I get why we are hiding out for a bit, but how long will it be until I can go back to living in my own house?"
Ishizu and Mokuba looked to Seto for an answer.
"Until we can guarantee Ishizu's safety, and by proxy, yours." Seto said. "We don't know how long that will be. We never meant to entangle you in any kind of harm. But now that you're a part of it, we have to take measures to keep you safe as well."
"I know. I just wish I knew why all of this was happening."
"I do too." IShizu said softly.
A nurse interrupted the conversations to do her rounds, offering to turn on the TV. For the next hour or so, the four of them watched and commented on the oddities of Japanese game shows. Technically only three of them actually participated in the dialogue, Seto spent the entire time making arrangements via text and email on his phone. By the time the show was over, the safe house was prepared, the media was barred from publishing the story and two sets of escorts were on their way to the hospital: one to escort Ishizu back to the safe house and the other to stay with Sabrina.
"I don't want to rush you out," the nurse said specifically addressing Seto as the leader, "but it is getting late and she does need to rest."
"We understand," Ishizu stood. "We don't want to wear her out." She bent over to give Sabrina a hug. "I'll be here tomorrow morning when you get released."
"Thanks, Ishizu. Be careful, ok?" Sabrina admonished.
"I will. You get some rest."
Mokuba patted her legs as he slid off the foot of the bed. "Don't worry about rushing back to work. Come back when you're ready."
"Thank you." Sabrina said, "But I won't be out for too long. There's too much to be done."
Seto wasn't ready to leave, but with his two companions waiting at the door and the nurse leering at him, he decided not to flex his ego. He gently placed his hand on Sabrina's.
"We're just glad you're ok," he said. "We were all worried about you."
Sabrina's eyes instantly filled with tears. "He held a gun in my face," she said, her voice breaking into sobs. "I honestly thought I was going to die tonight. I was so scared. I don't know why he didn't shoot me."
"Seto squeezed her hand. "I don't know why either, but what's important is you made it out alive. And that man will never get the chance to lay a finger on you again. Do you understand me?"
Sabrina nodded, wiping tears away with her free hand.
"You will have a KaibaCorp security detail everywhere you go. These people, whoever they are will not get away with hurting anyone else." The look in his eyes wasn't one of confidence, but of fact. This wasn't something he thought was possible, but something he assumed to already be the case.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to freak out like that," she sniffed, "It's just so much has happened today. Seeing our project, my art, come to life for the first time. That kind of triumph followed by that kind of terror. Plus the sheer embarrassment of my one satirical piece being displayed and scrutinized by the entire team." She shook her head in disbelief, "I drove home thinking after that, my day couldn't get any worse."
"Well, ehre's to tomorrow being better. Get some rest." Seto stood, letting their hands linger together just a moment longer before saying goodbye. Ishizu and Mokuba said a final goodbye as the nurse turned off the TV and dimmed the lights for her to sleep.
The KaibaCorp guards had just arrived and were waiting at the nurses' station for orders. Ishizu was sent off with the first team, the second team was shown Sabrina's room and had their instructions, leaving the Kaiba brothers to drive themselves home.
"I'll drive." Mokuba volunteered. The words were scarcely out of his mouth before Seto threw the keys to him. The drive home was quiet as Seto used the time to catch up on all the work he had abandoned when he left early.
Rather than leave the car out front for the staff to park, Mokuba pulled the car into the vast garage on their property before killing the engine.
"There is another possibility we haven't considered." Mokuba said as Seto stowed his laptop.
"Possibility for what?" Seto asked as he remained fixed on his phone, using his free hand to pull his door open. When his brother didn't follow suit, he looked up. "What is it?"
"Sabrina might be Coliseum's man on the inside," Mokuba said, the confliction all over his face.
Seto pulled his door shut. "How?"
"Coliseum didn't become a factor until our trip to Egypt. Sabrina was on that trip. Hours after we visit Pegasus, his mansion gets broken into. Sabrina was on that trip too. Now, Ishizu's house is raided. Again, Sabrina is directly connected."
"They worked her over, Mokuba." Seto rebutted.
"Where they tortured and killed Ishizu's brothers. Why didn't the thieves just kill Sabrina and wait for Ishizu to come home and get the laptop then?"
"I don't know. If she's in on it, why didn't she just take the laptop when Ishizu was asleep or wasn't paying attention?" Seto shrugged.
"To maintain her cover?"
"If she's their inside man, that would mean she knows about their plans. About the shadow games. Are you saying you think she knows who she is…was?
Mokuba opened his mouth to answer but could see Seto was already unhappy with this conversation.
"I'm saying we don't really know her well enough, and maybe for safety reasons, we should have Ishizu hold off on anything she shares with her roommate from here on out."
Seto exhaled hard through his nostrils. "It's plausible. I don't want it to be, but it you're right. Let's discreetly inform Ishizu to not share anything with Sabrina for just added security." Seto's expression softened from anger to disappointment. "It's a bit scary to think if she is involved that she's that good of an actress. Let her own men beat her up, hold my hand and cry for our benefit."
"She is very intelligent," Mokuba said. "I'm not saying I think this is the case, but I am saying it's a possibility."
"Then we'll be careful," Seto said, "Just like everything else in this whole situation."
"Ok." Mokuba said, satisfied he had gotten what he wanted without offending his brother. He climbed out of the car with Seto close behind, a pensive look of displeasure on his face as they walked back to the main house.
He didn't want to Mokuba to be right, but kept wondering if he was.