Chapter Six

It didn't take long for Yugi to notice that Atem was unusually quiet. As Kalin led the group through the horrific ruins of Satellite and towards the bridge connecting it at last with New Domino City, Yugi sidled up to his dear friend. "Atem? Are you okay?"

Atem didn't even try to put on a facade. He just slowly shook his head. "All this destruction and devastation . . . with you right in the middle of it. . . ." His voice cracked. "If I didn't return in this world, your early death was not how I wanted us to be reunited!"

Yugi gave a sad smile and laid a hand on Atem's shoulder. "Me either, honestly," he said softly. "This future is horrible! I hope we can stop it from happening in our world, even if not here."

"At least, as Lector said, even if we can't stop it from coming, perhaps being forewarned will enable us to escape our counterparts' fates," Atem said. "But to think of this happening to any Yugi is horrific!"

"I know." Yugi blinked back tears. "And Mokuba too. And the Bakuras. . . ."

Atem looked away. "Part of me honestly wishes Kalin had never stepped through that portal and found us," he confessed. "If this is not our world, then I would have rather never known about it. But . . . if there's any chance you and the others survived, we needed to know so that we could do as we're doing and try to help."

"Yeah." Yugi bit his lip. "Kalin probably wishes he'd never stepped through that portal either." He looked to where he could see Kalin moving slowly and stealthily against the night. His pale blue hair stood out, both against the sky and his dark coat.

"Kalin doesn't seem to be able to be helped right now," Atem said. "He reminds me of how I was after I lost you to the Orichalcos."

Yugi nodded. "I know. But I still hope something we've said can really get through to him and help him."

"Hey," Joey suddenly spoke up, diverting their attention from their conversation. "What did me and Tristan and Téa even think about what happened?" he wondered. "I mean, if Yug was out here because Kaiba wanted to duel him, and then all this went down . . . did we blame Kaiba for it?" He shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm pretty sure I would have, in the past."

"I don't know," Kalin admitted. "It's possible Téa blamed him and that added to their marriage being strained. As for you, you're a professional Duelist in this time. When you're in town, the paparazzi are always after you. I haven't ever heard that you've gone to see Seto Kaiba. Make of that what you will."

"But it wasn't Seto's fault!" Mokuba cried.

Seto glowered ahead. "I sponsored the reactor project and refused to listen when legitimate concerns were raised, and I got Yugi out here the day the thing blew up. If it was anyone's fault, Mokuba, it was mine."

Kalin exhaled, sharply. "There was more to it. Another of the researchers, Roman Goodwin, went insane and deliberately caused the reactor to go up."

Seto snarled. "Was he the one who replaced Fudo?!"

". . . Yes," Kalin admitted. "It was some of your board of directors who arranged it. They secretly worked for a group called Iliaster."

"Were they acting with my blessing?" Seto demanded.

"They convinced you Dr. Fudo was wrong and should be replaced so the research could go on," Kalin said.

"Then it was still my fault," Seto stubbornly insisted. "I should have done my own research and not listened to them alone!"

The silence hung heavy over the group. Kalin couldn't argue Seto's points, not when he hated himself so much for his own sins, and many of the others in the group understood as well, whether or not they agreed. Seto would not be able to be convinced otherwise.

Joey frowned. ". . . I wanna be glad that I make it to the big leagues, but it sounds so hollow after all this," he said at last, hoping to diffuse the tension with a new topic.

Kalin hesitated. "You and your sister come to Satellite sometimes to help out, running charity drives or just visiting the people. You've even helped smuggle some of them to New Domino City. That won't be necessary anymore, with the bridge, but it filled a need in the past."

"Yeah?" Joey perked up a bit. "That is pretty cool."

"Lector and Nesbitt often brought you over," Kalin continued. "I never met any of you, but everyone in Satellite heard about your exploits."

"I am glad to know we were trying to do good," Lector said quietly.

They came to a stop in front of the bridge, and the group stopped and stared. It was huge, stretching off into the horizon and over to New Domino City far in the distance.

"Wow," Téa said softly.

"It's so far away," Yugi said, with sadness in his voice. "But now . . . closer than it's been for years. . . ." He touched the railing.

"Why are there two bridges?" Nesbitt grunted, eying the smaller and half-finished bridge to the side of the large highway bridge.

"The first was started as an amateur attempt and left unfinished for years because it was against the law to build it," Kalin said. "The second was built officially when Rex Goodwin okayed the project at last."

"Well, thank goodness he finally did," Téa exclaimed.

Kalin stepped onto the finished bridge, slowly and cautiously, almost as if he expected it to dissolve into the night. He had only used it a couple of times, and it never felt any less surreal. He increased his pace, and behind him he could hear the others swiftly following.

"You know, Satellite doesn't really look that big compared to where we're going," Crump frowned after a while. He had stopped walking and had turned back to look at the island. "I thought Domino split down the middle?"

"Not everything ended up in Satellite," Kalin said. "There were entire city blocks that completely sank into the ocean."

Téa gasped. "No!"

Yugi was sickened. He also turned back to look, but had to quickly look away.

Atem drew an arm around Yugi's shoulders. Biting back more tears, Yugi hugged Atem around the waist as they continued to walk over the bridge.

Mokuba was also crying again. He clutched at Seto's coat as they walked. So many buildings destroyed. . . . KaibaCorp. . . . So many lives lost, with only a slim chance that anyone might have survived through a hypothetical dimensional rift. . . . Seto never the same again, blaming himself and possibly being blamed by others. . . .

". . . I don't like to ask," Marik spoke, "but did my family survive? And the museum?"

"Yes," Kalin said.

The lights of New Domino City pierced through everyone's thoughts as they arrived on the other side of the bridge. Téa brought her hand to her forehead. "It's so bright. . . ."

"Quite a contrast, huh?" Crump remarked. "Looks like the rest of the city is doing alright."

Mokuba looked out at the sprawling metropolis. "This is as amazing as Satellite is awful," he said softly.

"There are good things about Satellite," Kalin said. "When I was drowning in hatred I couldn't see it, but the people are close-knit and look out for each other. There are people like Martha and Crow who take in all the orphans they can. The people are hard-working and don't bum around. It wasn't their fault they were given such a dump to live in, but they made the best of it that they could."

"That's good," Mokuba said. "Um . . . where's the new KaibaCorp building?"

Kalin nodded towards the heart of the city. "The tallest building, the one with the spotlights around it."

Mokuba stared at it and shook his head. "That doesn't look like KaibaCorp at all. . . ."

"Seto Kaiba wasn't the one in charge of constructing the new building," Kalin said. "He didn't care what it looked like."

"I sure didn't," Seto growled. "Look at that logo! It's barely recognizable as a K and a C!"

"It was a re-envisioning of the company," Kalin said. "Public opinion of KaibaCorp seriously dropped due to their sponsorship of the reactor project. The board of directors decided a new look and new approach was needed. KaibaCorp was responsible for establishing New Domino City, which greatly helped its reputation."

"You sure know a lot about it," Mokuba frowned.

"This is public knowledge," Kalin replied. "That, and I know some of what Iliaster was up to because of Roman Goodwin. He . . . was my boss when I was a Dark Signer. He always tried to keep abreast of Iliaster's activities."

Seto set his teeth and turned away. "Let's just find Hawkins."

Gansley eyed Kalin with a frown as they resumed walking. "What is this Iliaster? I've heard of them in some of my business circles, but they've always been shrouded in secret, just like the Paradius company was."

"I've heard of Paradius," Kalin said. "Iliaster is similar, influencing events all over the world to go as they wish to help further their goals." He might have said more, but something else suddenly occurred to Nesbitt and he interrupted.

"Wait a minute! Roman Goodwin was your boss?! But Dr. Fudo said Rex Goodwin was the survivor! If Roman caused the explosion, wasn't he there at the time?!"

"Yes," Kalin said quietly. "To become a Dark Signer, you have to die first."

"What?!" Téa shrieked.

Joey leaped away from Kalin in horror. "You're a zombie?!"

Seto scowled. "Does he sound like a zombie, Wheeler?"

Joey froze in mid-jump. ". . . Well, no, but . . ."

Kalin looked increasingly weary. "A Dark Signer is someone at the brink of death who either agrees to accept the darkness or who has it forced on them if the dark force finds them an appropriate candidate. Either way, they die and then are reborn fueled only by their anger and hatred, or whatever unfinished business makes them a worthy wielder of the power."

"He did say he'd died and was reborn, Joseph," Johnson commented, adjusting his glasses to hide how truly unsettled he was by the information.

Joey gulped. "I . . . must've blocked that out."

Lector looked at Kalin with sadness and kindness. "But if your actions were fueled solely by a dark force twisting your anger and hatred, how can you fully blame yourself? It sounds like you weren't in control at all."

Kalin clenched a fist. "I accepted the darkness because of my anger and hatred. And even if that was my life force as a Dark Signer, my soul was still there too. I did nothing to stop myself. I didn't want to stop myself. And for that, I deserve the worst punishment imaginable, when I find it." He looked up at Lector. "Don't you see?! Even before the darkness took me, I had already allowed myself to be twisted by my own feelings! There wasn't even much more the darkness had to do!"

Before Lector could respond, Joey was running over, eyes flashing. "Look, man." He grabbed a handful of Kalin's shirt. "I know better than most that people can be corrupted by their dark feelings and the darkness can twist it into something even worse. That happened to one of my best friends! And you know, she still hasn't forgiven herself either. But you can't give up on life or yourself! You have to keep going!" He let go of Kalin and clenched a fist. "I got corrupted by an evil force too, and I almost got Yugi killed because of it! When I finally got control of myself, I just wanted to die! But my sister and my friends helped me see that wasn't a solution and I just had to move on and try to be better! That's all you can do."

"But what if that isn't good enough?" Kalin countered. He turned away. "I appreciate all of you trying to help me, but everyone's pain and sorrow is different. No one can really understand mine. I'll keep doing what I can to help you with your problem, but then I have my own demons to deal with." He walked off down the sidewalk.

Joey snarled in frustration. "That guy! People like that are just . . . gah! They're beyond help! You guys were able to talk sense into me when I was struggling!"

Nesbitt grunted. "He's right about one thing," he said. "Everyone's pain is different. Although I understand his in large part, even I don't fully know what he's feeling." He frowned at Joey. "But if you figure he's beyond help, then he probably will be. My friends never gave up on me or on believing I could be helped. That's why I was able to pull out of my self-hatred enough to keep going. I still have to deal with it; it doesn't fully go away. But at least I know that when I backslide, they'll be there to catch me."

Joey looked away with a scowl. ". . . Yeah, that's the same with me," he admitted. "But seriously, Yug. . . ." He looked to Yugi. "I really don't think there's anything more we can do for this guy."

"Nothing except be here for him," Yugi said. "I hope he'll decide to go back to his friend, but as long as he feels he can't, we're all he's got."

Joey sighed. "I guess you're right, Pal."

Up ahead, Kalin stopped short in front of a car parked at the curb. "Carly Carmine?" He frowned, then knocked lightly on the driver's side window.

A girl slumped over the steering wheel was suddenly up like a shot. "Huh?! What?!" She turned to stare at Kalin. "Do I know you?"

Surprise flickered in Kalin's eyes, but then he averted his gaze. "No. Not really."

"Well, then, why . . ." Carly leaned forward, looking unsure whether to even roll down the window or open the door for a stranger. But then she caught sight of the rest of the group and gasped. "It can't be! Yugi Muto?! Seto Kaiba?!" She flung the door open. "What's going on here?!"

Kalin had skillfully jumped aside when the door went flying. Now he was deadpan again. "These aren't the Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba from this time," he said. "They're from the past. Maybe even from a parallel dimension."

"Are you serious?!" Carly's thick glasses slipped down her nose, revealing wide, excited eyes. "What are they doing here?! This is the scoop of the century!"

Yugi gave a nervous chuckle, while Seto just fixed Carly with an unconcerned stare. "If you're not concerned about being branded a lunatic for talking about things like alternate dimensions," he grunted.

Carly wilted. ". . . Oh. You're probably right."

"Why were you sleeping in your car?" Téa asked.

"I was just trying to watch somebody I thought might lead me to a big story," Carly defended.

"And you fell asleep," Mokuba finished.

Carly flushed. "Well, I . . . okay, so I did! But what are you guys all doing here?! Off the record," she quickly added.

"We're looking for Rebecca Hawkins," Téa said. "We need to talk with her about something."

Now Carly squealed. "Rebecca Hawkins?! The Rebecca Hawkins?! She's amazing! I would love to get an interview with her . . . but she's always too booked up or unavailable." She sighed.

Lector stepped forward. "Would you happen to know where she lives or works?" he asked.

"I could totally take you to where she works," Carly chirped. "Sometimes she pulls all-nighters. She might still be there!"

"Is it far from here?" Gansley queried. "We don't have a car." He eyed hers. "And we certainly wouldn't all fit in yours."

"Oh, that's no problem!" Carly said. "She has her own private lab right here on the coastline! Come on, I'll take you right to it!" She beckoned to them and skipped down the sidewalk.

Yugi's eyes flickered. "Right near where the explosion happened," he said softly.

Joey frowned. "She really is hung up on what happened. She probably is trying to figure out some way to bring you back, Yug."

"Well . . ." Yugi reddened. "She's probably just the person we need to see then."

"I wonder if it will be too much of a shock for her to see you, Yugi," Johnson remarked.

". . . Yeah!" Yugi pounced. "Maybe I should stay back when we get there."

"If it were me and I had the chance to see a loved one again, I would want to . . . even if he wasn't exactly the one I'd lost," Lector said quietly. "If I may say so, Yugi, I believe you would be doing Ms. Hawkins a grave disservice not to see her. I know it would be awkward, given your . . . relationship here, but I fully believe it would be the right thing to do."

Yugi drew a deep breath. "You're right. It's just . . ." He rubbed the back of his head. "What will I even say to her? She's still a kid in our time. . . ."

"Just treat her like a friend," Téa said softly. "She'd understand."

"Hey, I just thought of something," Crump exclaimed. "Why wasn't Rebecca there to cheer Yugi on in that duel with Kaiba?!"

Kalin didn't stop walking and didn't turn around as he answered. "She couldn't get out of an overseas assignment at the time," he said. "She was working under someone else back then."

Yugi looked down. "Oh. . . ."

"Poor Rebecca," Téa said. "She must have been devastated. . . ."

Joey peered at her. "You know, you're usually not this empathetic with Rebecca, Téa," he remarked.

Téa sighed and shook her head. "If she married Yugi, that childish crush must have become something deep," she said. "And in any case, I know how I'd feel to lose someone I cared about . . . especially to have not even been able to be there when it happened. . . ." She frowned. "And I experienced that too, just like Rebecca. Apparently I wasn't here when it happened either."

Carly turned around to look at them while she was walking. "This is still so exciting to get to meet all of you," she exclaimed. "I wish I could interview you . . . even though Mr. Kaiba is probably right about people thinking I'm crazy. Then again, most people think that anyway."

"Well . . . maybe we can do a short interview later, if there's time," Yugi said kindly. "Are we almost there?"

"Yep!" Carly skipped ahead to a long, white building. "It's over here!"

"How do you know her anyway?" Crump asked Kalin. "She doesn't seem exactly your type."

"And why doesn't she remember you?" Nesbitt frowned.

Kalin sighed. "She was also a Dark Signer, but an unwilling one. Her memories of that time were mercifully taken away, probably because she didn't join willingly. I accepted the darkness and therefore must pay the price for it by remembering everything."

Joey frowned. "As hard as it'd be, I'd rather remember everything I did," he said. "I'll bet it drives her nuts that she doesn't remember."

Kalin looked resigned. "If I forgot, I'd be living a lie," he agreed. "But Carly shouldn't have to remember when it wasn't her fault."

Carly had gone all the way up to the white building's door by now. "It's locked," she called. "We'll have to use the intercom." She pressed a red button next to the door.

"Who's there?" The voice was older, familiar, and very crabby.

"That's Rebecca, alright," Joey remarked. "She really must've pulled an all-nighter."

Yugi bit his lip. He would probably have to speak up to get Rebecca to let them in. She might not even believe it was really him, though. What would they do in that case?

"It's Carly Carmine the reporter," Carly announced. "I've brought some people who want to see you."

"I'm not seeing anyone right now, Ms. Carmine," Rebecca retorted. "They'll have to come back some other time."

"But . . . it's people from another time or dimension or something," Carly exclaimed. "They might not be here another time!"

A pause. "What are you going on about, Ms. Carmine?" Rebecca still sounded irritated, but cautiously hopeful as well. She definitely didn't sound like she thought Carly had gone insane.

Yugi took a deep breath and stepped forward. "She's telling the truth, Rebecca," he said. "Um . . . it's me . . . from when I was . . . younger. . . ."

Now Rebecca gasped. "Yugi!" The electronic doors all but flew open. "Come in!"

Not sure what to expect, the group slowly advanced into the empty but well-lit corridor. Carly gleefully trailed after them just before the doors shut again.