Guess who's back in his original fic! It's not dead, yay! I know, it's been too long.
But enough of my talk, you guys came for the story, so I hope you guys enjoy, and that it was worth the wait!
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
Chapter 2: Pipeline
BAD area, 4 days later
The sun was just setting as a breeze blew through the air, ruffling the spiked orange hair of one Crow Hogan, as he stood beside his runner; the BlackBird, parked next to an old steel refinery, that had been abandoned since he was a child. Raising his hand to shield his face, he continued waiting, keeping his eye out. Waiting for something, any sign…
Hearing the rumble of an engine, he gave a small grin.
Out of nearby alley, came Yusei on his new runner, the bike skidding to a stop a few meters away. Looking at his old friend, Yusei pulled his helmet off, dismounting as he did so.
Crow took a moment to take in his friend's new attire, as his friend moved towards him at a slow pace.
"You wanted to meet?" He asked, a little stiffly if you asked Crow, but that might be just him.
"Yeah. Had a few things I wanted to talk to you about." He responded with his usual good-humoured tone.
Yusei remained silent, and Crow took it as a sign to continue.
"I understand you're leaving tonight?" Crow inquired, folding his arms.
"Yes. That pipeline only offers a short window of opportunity."
A few months back, Yusei had figured out that the lone garbage/recycling pipeline between Neo Domino and the Satellite sector was his best chance of getting into the city, and a shot at Jack. He clenched his fists, as just thinking his name sent another ripple of anger through him.
Ever since that revelation had hit him, he'd been monitoring the tunnel, trying to find out and efficiently predict when its next monthly maintenance shutdown was due to occur. That time was now, or more precisely midnight that very night.
Crow inclined his head, knowing that this was something his only remaining brother-in-arms had to do. "I see. I'll make sure to keep an eye out for your old running crew while you're gone."
Just as well he was. Earlier today, he'd gone to pay the group a visit, only to find Blitz and Nervan having gotten into trouble with a few bullies from the recycling plant. Never being a fan of such things, he intervened. The head punk had demanded that he push off, but then caught glimpse of the BlackBird. Crow was then challenged to a duel with his runner as the stakes. Not backing down, Crow proceeded to obliterate the idiot in two turns, sending him and his goons packing. With that and the incident with Rally and Sector security a few days earlier, Crow had made it a priority to stay in close touch with them.
After explaining this to Yusei, the young duellist inclined his head in thanks, though it was a little stiff. "I appreciate it. I know those kids are your priority."
Crow waved it off, as if it wasn't a big deal, before pulling a card out of his vest. "Oh, almost forgot, Rally wanted you to have this."
Yusei blinked behind his aviators, a rare sign of surprise nowadays, and accepted the card, before glancing at it, his expression guarded. "Turbo Booster?"
"Yeah, since you use a machine deck now, he thought you could make use of it."
"Fair enough." With that said, Yusei placed the card into his jacket.
"Anything else?" He asked, turning back to his runner.
Crow grimaced, narrowing his eyes. "Trudge is back from leave. Tank saw him a day back."
Yusei scowled, his eyes narrowing behind his sunglasses. Tetsu Trudge was a blast from the past, and an unpleasant one at that. He was a Sector Security officer that was a bigot and a bully towards the people of the satellite, being unfairly cruel to anyone who got sent to the rehabilitation centre. Admittedly, he wasn't as bad as Montana, but still bad. Yusei himself had accidentally been sent there once, before Jack's betrayal and had been left at the officers... tender mercies.
"Thanks for the tip. How are they handling Montana's loss?"
"From what we can tell, not well. I snatched some data on my last card raid. It looks like Montana is in denial over what happened. He's been shipped out for a while, probably to see someone about it. Since you practically destroyed a building with that duel of yours, they're upping their security patrols." Crow explained, his tone carrying a great deal of concern. "Chances are, you'll end up getting chased." He finished, shrugging, knowing that it wouldn't stop his friend.
"That's a risk I'll have to take. Besides," he chuckled hollowly ", if he does come after me, he'll get more than he bargained for. The building was merely a message."
"Saying what?"
"Don't get in my way."
Yusei moved back to his runner, swinging his leg back over before pausing, glancing back at a stunned Crow for a moment.
"You still have that backup generator at your place?"
Crow blinked in confusion, before snapping back to reality. "Yeah. Why do you ask?" He queried, puzzled as to why he'd bring that up.
"Let's just say I don't want to blind you with what I'm about to do." With that cryptic statement, Yusei replaced his helmet, the visor sliding down over his glasses. "Be sure to tell Martha too."
Crow took that in with a shrug, before staring at him intently.
"Yusei?"
"Yeah?"
"Make sure you put the fear of God into that traitorous ass."
Yusei gave a sinister smirk, one that sent a small shiver down Crow's spine.
"Count on it. I'll be sure to... take my time with it..." he growled out the last part sinisterly. He wanted Jack to suffer before anything else.
With that, Yusei's runner roared to life, and he tore off, kicking up dust behind him as he went. Soon he was gone.
Crow shook his head, turning back to the BlackBird. Hard to believe how much things had changed in the past few years. First Kallen, then Jack, and now Yusei. Pray for mercy, Atlas. For he'll show you none. Even if it doesn't look that way...
Yusei's hideout, 2 hours later...
Yusei was typing out on a keyboard at his computer hub, going over the plan one last time. He'd done several test runs to prepare himself for the pipeline, but while confident he could do it, Crow's warning about Sector Security kept playing through his head.
Still, it was too late to stop now. He wasn't about to let a chance like this slip away. If he did, he'd have to wait another month for the same conditions. And he was done waiting. For too long, Jack had lived the high life, off of his blood, sweat and tears, quite literally in more ways than one. It was beyond time someone brought him crashing back down to earth.
"You know the plan?" He asked, seemingly to no one. Then a presence stirred in the gloom near him.
"Yes. You made me go over it six times already." A baritone voice replied with a heavy accent.
Yusei merely nodded in acceptance, not taking his eyes of the monitor in front of him, which showed an image of the pipeline. If he were chased, taking Crow's advice into account, he theorised that the run would be difficult, but not impossible.
Shaking his head, he leaned back in his chair. "Make sure you have this place set to lockdown before you leave. Last thing we need is an idiot getting their hands on this kind of technology."
"Affirmative. Your mother built this bunker for that exact purpose. It would be illogical to leave anything to chance."
With that, Yusei powered down the computer, and stood up, swivelling to face his unseen ally.
"Good. Then let's make preparations. It's time to begin."
Sector Security HQ, 1 hour later.
The best mood to describe the atmosphere of the security headquarters was tense. Ever since, Montana had walked back from the destroyed ruin of the former MaxMore factory, things had gotten a lot more serious around here. Techs were glued to their monitors and a few officers were running around, performing various tasks for the higher ups.
One such officer was having a meeting with his boss.
"Are you sure this new pursuit deck is worth it, Chief? I mean-" Tetsu Trudge was cut off from his line of thought when his superior interrupted.
"Montana had a standard issue deck, much like yours, and lost to Fudo. And given the collateral damage, the director doesn't want us to take any chances. You'll take the deck. If we spot him, you'll engage. Due to your history with the target."
Trudge calmed, standing at attention. "Yes, Sir." Quite frankly, he didn't entirely believe that Yusei Fudo of all Satellites was capable of what happened to Montana. Last he saw of him, he was a snarky street rat, but wasn't usually an aggressor when it came such conflicts, normally only getting involved to either defend himself or his friends. To go from borderline pacifist to gun toting explosives expert was a rather severe change in behaviour.
However, orders were orders. He'd do what was expected of him.
The chief looked at him sternly. "I don't think I have to explain what will happen if we lose him again."
"No, sir. You can rest assured that the next time you see me, it'll be when I haul that Satellite to a holding cell."
"Good."
Neo Domino City, Public Security Bureau, Same time.
Most would describe the grey haired, immaculately dressed Rex Goodwin as a complicated man. One with many mysteries surrounding him. And they'd be right.
At this moment, the director of the PSB, and the de facto leader of Neo Domino was sitting in his office, his hands clasped together in thought over the report he'd just gone over.
When he'd had Lazar tempt Jack Atlas into leaving the satellite sector, it had come with a secondary objective, to draw the owner of the Stardust Dragon after him. While a little ruthless and Machiavellian, he had to be certain that the boy was a signer. One of the chosen of the Crimson Dragon.
But even he was left reeling over the boy's reappearance. Even if some dismissed it as nothing but the ramblings of an imbecile.
So, your most feared mistake has emerged in the hands of your son, Hikari. He mused, a blond-haired woman briefly surfacing in his mind. How ironic, if what he suspected was true. He would wield the deck created by the mother, and possibly chosen by a higher power to fix the mistakes of the father. *
This deck however, left him worried. He knew what that deck did to its duellists. It was one of the reasons Hikari had locked it away, telling no one of its location, not even her husband. How long had the boy been under its influence?
And what did this mean for the future?
"It seems destiny has brought in an unexpected variable." He mused, before retaking his usual stoic look, as a woman wearing a modest workplace suit with neatly trimmed dark blue hair entered his office. And judging from her uneasy look, something was wrong.
"Yes?" he asked in a purely professional tone.
"Sir." Mina Simmington began a little shakily, her face a little pale. "We've lost eyes on Mr. Atlas."
"What?!" Rex narrowed his eyes, but was inwardly unsurprised. When the report had first hit his desk a few days ago, he'd forwarded it to Jack to give him a way of preparing for his rival.
Unfortunately, it now seemed that Jack had gone lone wolf, against a duellist he would no longer recognise. The old Yusei would have been predictable. This one, if the reports were to be believed... not so much. Not to mention, he could also get violent if provoked. And Jack Atlas had certainly provoked him a few years back.
"Get Lazar on the line. We need to find him now!"
Satellite, TER Area, 11:45pm
The area here was relatively unused by the inhabitants of the Satellite, made up primarily of dumping grounds for anything unusable, which was a crying shame, as the rocky area also held some of the little natural plant life the place had left after Zero Reverse.
This part in particular was thankfully clear of said rubbish. A small cave entrance with an unsafe sign and safety barrier placed just a small distance from it.
The wind was the only noise for a minute. A few pieces of rubbish blew over the small pathway leading to it.
Then there was a change. A slow rumbling in the distance, echoing from the cave mouth. Getting louder and louder, closer and closer...
The barrier lifted up, as Yusei's runner charged out of the darkness, its rider atop it, kicking up dust as it went.
Without bothering a glance around him, he sped off, navigating his way past the incoming trash heaps, his destination clear. It was time.
SS HQ, Five minutes later...
"Sir, we have unauthorised movement in Sector 3!" A security tech called out, catching the chief's attention.
"Bring it on screen." He ordered calmly, keeping a level head.
The big screen at the front of the room came to life, showing live security footage. Of a certain outlaw Duellist racing by, on his way to the recycling plant.
"Sir, that's Fudo!"
"I know who it is!" Was the rebuking reply. "Is Officer Trudge ready?"
"Yes, sir. He was waiting for the call."
"Tell him to get moving. And send him Fudo's location." He called out, full of authority. "That Satellite won't escape this time."
"Time to Intercept?"
"Five minutes, sir.
11:55pm, not far from the recycling plant
Almost there...
Yusei rode against the wind, his jacket flapping behind him as he went. Just a few turns away from the plant, he was riding down the derelict neighbourhood. So far he hadn't run into any security patrols, which was good, but also concerning, considering Crow's warning.
Still, he wasn't about to look a gift horse in-
Slam!
The teen was jolted when another runner slammed into the left side of his without warning.
"Pull over, Fudo!"
Spoke too soon. Yusei growled inwardly, recognising the form of one Officer Tetsu Trudge looking at him with narrowed eyes.
"Trudge..."
"You can remember names, but not the time for curfew?" Trudge raised an eyebrow, sneering at him in distaste. "Pull over!"
"Sorry," Yusei gunned it, pulling his runner ahead, reaching down to rest a hand on his shotgun. "But I have a problem with authority!"
"Hard way it is, huh?" Trudge snorted, having not expected anything less. "You asked for it!"
With that said, Trudge reached forward, tapping a few buttons on his runner. "You see, now that I have your runner's duel chip in range, I can now force you to Turbo Duel!"
Yusei glanced back at him, grimacing. Great, this was just what he needed. He'd expected it, but still!
As he did so, his runners on board speaker came to life, his duel disk activating as it went.
"Duel mode engaged. Auto pilot standing by."
"Fine, Officer." He shouted back, snarling. "Let's do this!"
"This'll be the last duel you ever have, Satellite!" Was the equally biting retort.
"Duel!" (Trudge LP: 4000/H: 5/SC: 0, Yusei LP: 4000/H: 5/SC: 0)
"Cops before criminals! The first turn is mine!" Trudge drew his card, smirking at what he deemed to be his prey. "Don't think this'll be easy! Your little stunt made us send one of the best after you!"
"Then why'd they send you?" was the scathing retort, Yusei rolling his eyes under his helmet.
"As mouthy as ever!" Trudge growled, red faced, before getting down to business. "I'll start by summoning Gate Blocker in defence mode!"
A bizarre orange and blue wall-looking monster with a lone creepy eye materialised right in front of Yusei, thankfully not so that he couldn't see the road in front of him. Still, Yusei grimaced, knowing what it did. Of course, the card for those on easy mode… (DEF: 2000)
"I'm surprised." He remarked, glancing back at Trudge for a brief second. "You'd normally be a lot more aggressive."
"Oh, the pain will come. Just count on it!" Trudge chuckled smugly, before grasping another card. "I set one card facedown and end my turn."
(Trudge SC: 0 - 1, H: 4/Yusei SC: 0)
Yusei narrowed his eyes at the monster looming right in front of him. He wouldn't be getting any speed counters with that thing barring his path. Speed counters weren't just a function of turbo duel mechanics, such as speed spells, they also limited the Duel Runner's top speed. A runner could normally only go flat out during a Turbo duel if it maxxed out the number of Speed Counters. True, there were ways around this, such as pushing the runner to the limit, but right now, speed was critical if he wanted to make it to the city.
Time for some demolition tactics, and he knew just the machine for the job. Drawing, he gave the new card a passing glance. First things first…
"I summon Terminator – Spider Scout!"
(Terminator – Spider Scout. LV: 2. ATR: Earth. Machine/Effect. ATK: 900. DEF: 400
If this card is summoned while your opponent has a monster on the field, you can special summon another lv 4 or lower Terminator monster from your hand. If this card is card is destroyed by an effect controlled by the opponent, special summon 1 Terminator – Armoured Spider from your hand or deck.)
A small spider-like machine skittered onto the field, moving at an insanely fast speed. Its twin slitted optics locked on the monster in front of it. (ATK: 900. AN: Players of Terminator Resistance should recognise this!)
Trudge took one look at it and scoffed. "Really? Have you got nothing better than a wind-up toy?"
"As always, you fail to see the point of weaker monsters." Yusei mocked, his smirk turning sinister as he briefly glanced at the clock on his runner's screen. "When my scout comes out, and you have a monster on the field, it sends for backup."
Snatching another card from his hand, he slammed it down. "So, Terminator – Surveillance Unit will be sent out to investigate."
(Terminator – Surveillance Unit. LV: 4. ATR: Wind. Machine/Tuner/Effect. ATK: 1100. DEF: 1500
If this card is special summoned, add 1 terminator monster from your deck to your hand. If you control another terminator monster, you can activate one of the following effects once per turn:
Choose one card in your opponent's hand, the card must be shown to you
You can look at one of your opponent's facedown spell/trap cards.)
What looked like a small armoured surveillance drone with a mounted gun on its underbelly flew out, hovering over the field, just as the pair hung a left. (ATK: 1100)
"Am I supposed to be impressed? Because if this is your best, you'll be hauled off to the facility in no time." Trudge remarked, still not getting it. Not surprising
"Whoever said that I was done?" Yusei returned, as his red eyes shone under his visor. "When Surveillance unit is special summoned, I can take 1 terminator monster and add it to my hand." His deck spat a card out, from about three quarters of the way down, which he grabbed quickly.
"Now this might surprise you, because my unit isn't finished. Once per turn, if I have a terminator monster on the field with it, I can take a peek at a card in either your hand, or at one of your face downs. And I'd like to see what's immediately in my future, so the facedown it is!"
"Damn!" Trudge muttered under his breath. Still, it wasn't an entirely big loss. He held the lead with speed counters currently. He just hoped that Yusei couldn't counter his planned move.
The facedown card flipped up, revealing the trap card Broken Blocker. Yusei's eyebrow twitched. That hadn't been a card he expected Trudge to have. More to the point, he couldn't counter it with what he currently had. If it had been a card that negated an attack or destroyed an attacking monster, he'd be fine. Unfortunately, Trudge noticed this.
"Ha! After all that effort, you can't do anything, can you?" He laughed with glee. "Then again, I shouldn't be surprised. You Satellites can't do anything right."
Yusei scowled for a moment, but soon schooled his face again. While true he didn't have anything that could deal with that trap, he could at least get ahead.
"Time for a different approach then…" he muttered, looking up at his monsters, raising a hand at them. "I now tune my Surveillance Unit to my Spyder Scout!"
Trudge jerked in his seat. "What?! That thing's a tuner?!"
"That it is!" Yusei snickered, in a way that sent shivers up his opponent's spine. The Drone dissolved into 4 green rings, surrounding the smaller machine with ease, before erupting in a flash of red light.
"Rise up, Terminator – T-600!"
The machine that ended the duel with Montana appeared, hovering over the field, before taking in the form of Gate Blocker in front of it. Threat Analysis in process. Threat level minimal. Obstruction value high. Recommended course of action: Termination.
Inwardly, Yusei agreed, but that wasn't as simple as his machine had analysed. That didn't mean he wasn't going to take its advice.
"T-600! Smash that wall down!"
Heeding the order, the terminator opened fire with its rifle, riddling the Blocker with holes, before it exploded.
Trudge reached for his facedown, eager to trigger it, before Yusei's voice cut him off.
"T-600's ability activates. Since he destroyed a monster, you now take damage equal to half of Gate Blocker's defence points!"
"Son of a-!" was all Trudge got out, before he got socked in the face by a titanium fist. (Trudge LP: 4000 – 3000. SC: 1 - 0) His runner slowed, swerving side to side due to the impact, letting Yusei pull away as he finally came into view of the recycling plant.
Glancing down at his runner's clock, on the top left corner of his display screen, he checked the time. It wouldn't do for him to be behind schedule. 11:59. Just one more minute and the pipeline would shut down, allowing that hatch to be opened at the other end. Another, and his other plan would go into action. One that no one could have imagined coming.
Returning his gaze to the road, he saw the approaching Chain link fence topped with barbed wire, with a gate closed by a sturdy chain and a large padlock. Tch…
Reaching down to the right of his runner, he pulled his Winchester 87 shotgun out of its place and took aim, waiting for him to get in range. Almost,… nearly… NOW!
BOOMM!
The round shattered the top of the lock, it's remnants falling to the ground, as Yusei rammed through the gate, the force of the collision easily pushing the gates open with a clanking rattle. Swivelling the weapon in circular flourish to reload, Yusei returned it to where it had been resting earlier. He had no desire to kill Trudge. Maim, perhaps, but not kill.
"GET BACK HERE, STREET RAT!"
Glancing behind him, Yusei saw that Trudge had recovered from the earlier hit, and his runner was gaining on him fast, the officer's rage blinding him to the face that he'd felt the last hit. He was persistent, he'd give the officer that. Like a cockroach… he internally grumbled.
*Beep!* Midnight. The pipeline was now open for departure. Perfect.
Looking ahead again, he saw the entrance, or rather the platform overlooking it, the flow of trash/recyclables now stopped.
Without hesitating, he revved his runner's engine. Charging forward, he flew off the edge of the platform and into the pipe.
"Hansen!" Trudge shouted into his helmet's mike. "He's gone into the waste disposal system!"
"Right! Switching on the internal cameras."
Voicing his understanding with a grunt, Trudge continued his pursuit, dropping down into the pipeline after his quarry, skidding a little as he hit the floor. With the pipeline being a straight shot, there was no way Yusei could shake him off now.
"Where do you think you're going? The city's off limits to you satellites!" he growled, finally catching up after half a minute.
"Rules were made to be broken. Especially unfair ones that you brutes enforce." Yusei retorted darkly, his eyes glowing behind his visor.
"Well, this is one rule, you won't be breaking, as this duel is still on!" Trudge snapped, finally activating his trap. "I trigger Broken Blocker! Since you destroyed my Gate Blocker, I can special summon two more of them from my deck!"
The trap flipped faceup before shooting out two beams of light. Both of which materialised in front of Yusei as two more of the Wall-like creatures (2 x DEF: 2000). Scowling in distaste, while his monster stared at them impassively, Yusei snatched two cards from his hand.
"I'll end my turn with two cards facedown." (Yusei H:2)
"My turn then." Trudge drew his card, before smirking. (Trudge SC: 1) "Time for some retribution, Yusei! I summon Jutte fighter!"
Appearing on the field was a small cartoonish feudal Japanese looking man with a lantern on his back, a small jutte in his right hand, and glasses over his face. (ATK: 700)
Yusei's face hadn't changed, if anything, his scowl got worse. "Since when did you invest in Tuner monsters?"
"Since I got this new pursuit deck. Unlike you, Security learns from its mistakes!"
Yusei rolled his eyes, scoffing. So, he wouldn't have done it unless ordered, how stupid. Haven't they figured out that the duellist is the one that matters, not the deck? Idiots…
*Beep!* The clock turned 12:01. Yusei's lips twitched upward. Enjoy my little 'gift', Sector Security…
"Mock all you want- YAAAAHHHH!" Trudge cried out as a harsh piercing shriek rang out through his helmet's earpiece. Slowing down, he clutched the side of his head with his free hand, his mind throbbing from the unexpected resulting pain.
Sector Security, same time
A few seconds ago, everything was running smoothly, with the techs and officers manning the security room watching Trudge's progress. Tensions were high. If Trudge lost, there was a potential chance for his quarry to escape into Neo Domino. Which was unacceptablefor obvious reasons.
It all happened so quickly, that it took them a moment to catch up. Several monitors started sparking, before the power cut out completely, the continual thrum of the electronics dying away.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" was the astonished cry of one particular officer. And he wasn't alone, as several raised voices rang out, cursing and gaping.
A few seconds later, the backup generator kicked in, restoring the lights and a few computers to life. Instantly, the chief took charge.
"REPORT! What happened?!" he barked, finally bringing some order back into the room.
The intelligence officers went into a frenzy, their fingers flying over their keyboards. One of them quickly grew pale, before shouting to her boss.
"Sir… the entire Satellite power grid has gone down!" she half informed half yelled, her shock and fear evident on her face.
The chief froze, his face turning the colour of spoilt milk. No power? To the Entirety of the Satellite sector?! That was a disaster of unprecedented levels! Shaking his head to calm down, he quickly
"Get as many officers out there as you can on patrol! Last thing we need is for riots to break out." He ordered, a few personnel scampering off to follow them. With that done, he turned back to the officers still sitting at the security surveillance hub. The central monitor had not yet come back online.
"Can we reach Officer Trudge?"
"Negative. The power failure knocked out the pipeline's camera network, and shorted out our communications. It'll take time to bring it back online."
"Get someone on it immediately. We need our eyes and ears back. What about the pipeline's regular functions? Are they still operable?"
"Yes. Those functions are run from power from the city, so they should still be operational."
Sighing, the chief rubbed his forehead in anxiety. Great, just great. They had no way of informing the Public Security Bureau what was going on, nor could they effectively assist or reach their man in the field. It seemed that Trudge was on his own now.
Pipeline.
His ears ringing, Trudge shook his head back to reality, recovering from the sudden noise feedback. Wondering what in the name of sanity had happened, he tapped his helmet to open the comms line back to central.
"Hansen, what was that?" he queried urgently.
"-krrrrrrrsssssshhhhhhh…." However, all he got was static. He waited a few seconds. Still nothing.
"Hansen, Come in!" Nada.
"heh…" Yusei let out a small chuckle, before escalating into a full-blown laugh. One that chilled Trudges blood. Focusing on the task at hand, he narrowed his eyes at the duellist riding ahead of him. The boy's reaction implied the obvious.
"What have you done?!"
Yusei, his shoulders still shaking, calmed down, looking back at Trudge with an innocent expression.
"Me? I'm riding right in front of you. How could I have anything to do with your communication issues?" He responded, and if Trudge didn't know better, he'd say that he would have believed him based on his expression.
"Like I'll believe that! If you won't tell me, I'll just beat it out of you!" Trudge bit back, his temper spiking. "I tune my level two Jutte Fighter with one of my level four Gate Blockers!"
The lantern on the warrior's back lit up, before the man dispersed into two green rings. In response, one of the wall monsters in front of teen rider rose up and hovered into them, before the pair exploded into a beam of light.
"I synchro summon Goyo Guardian!"
The resulting warrior looked like a much older, more athletically adept version of the tuner monster that Trudge used, clad in blue robe with a jutte attached to a cable on his back. However, his face made him look like a kabuki stage actor, with heavy white and red makeup. (ATK: 2800)
Yusei didn't look remotely threatened. In fact, if anything, he looked… uncaring. Trudge's eye twitched. Was he looking down on him?! If so, he'll teach him a lesson he'll never forget!
"Quiet, are we?! Let's see if that'll hold up after this! Goyo, attack his T-600!" Trudge roared, pointing right at the skeletal machine in indignation.
Drawing back his arm, the new monster hurled his weapon forward, the cable keeping it attached to him. Turning to face the new threat, the T-600 opened fire with its rifle, only to get struck in the chest. (Yusei LP: 3600)
But then something strange happened. The jutte wrapped around the terminator, pinning its arms to its sides.
Error! Error! Master protocols being overwritten! At that, Yusei did widen is eyes ever so slightly, before scrunching his face in fury. How dare he-?!
"Surprised? When Goyo attacks, he doesn't destroy anything, he just forces the monster to do my bidding. It forces your T-600 to my side of the field in Defence mode!"
The machine was unceremoniously dragged over to sit next to Goyo Guardian, his form taking a blue tint as he switched battle positions. (DEF: 1800)
"Stealing? How hypocritical of you, officer!" Yusei snarled, reaching for his disk. "Still, I now trigger Terminator Re-assembly!"
(Terminator Re-assembly. Normal Trap.
Effect: Activate if a Terminator monster leaves your side of the field. Special summon 1 level 4 or lower Terminator monster from your graveyard. A monster summoned by this effect cannot be destroyed until the end phase, but has its effects negated. Once per turn, if a Terminator monster would be destroyed, banish this card from your graveyard to negate its destruction.)
"With this trap, my surveillance unit resurrects in defence mode!"
The armoured camera reappeared in a flash, but this time covered in the same blue tint that covered the T-600. (DEF: 1500)
Trudge frowned at the revived tuner. The street rat had to be planning another Synchro summon on his next turn. And given that he had no monsters left to attack, nor any destruction effect cards, said tuner was safe for now. Unbeknownst to him, that wouldn't have mattered, as Yusei's trap prevented such destruction effects.
Still, he gave a sinister smirk of glee. That doesn't mean that I'm done hitting his life points!
"Since I'm in the lead, I'll take advantage of that! I activate the speed spell Fast Lane! This increases my speed counters by 4!" (T SC: 1 – 5)
(Fast Lane. Normal Speed Spell.
Effect: Increase your speed counters by 4, but skip your next draw phase.)
With that increase, Trudge sped up, almost pulling right alongside his opponent, grinning in superiority the entire time.
"Just as it should be. The officer of the law has the advantage on the field and in speed. Whereas you only have a weak tuner on yours. But I hate to break it too you, Yusei, your life points still aren't safe from me!"
"I'm quaking in my boots." Yusei remarked sarcastically, internally groaning at the monologue.
With that said, Trudge snatched another speed spell. "We'll see how snarky you are in the facility! I activate Sonic Buster!"
The card appeared on the field, launching a beam of energy into Goyo Guardian's back. In response, a red aura surrounded him, before he let out a massive shout, the shockwave slamming into Yusei's runner, throwing him forward, his runner skidding. (Yusei LP: 3600 – 2200)
Gritting his teeth in exertion, Yusei acted quickly, bringing his runner back under control. Crashing here wasn't an option. Not only would it mean he'd failed, but the air down here rank from all the garbage! More so the first than the second.
"Ha! Like that? My spell gave you damage equal to half of my guardian's attack points, as I had 4 or more speed counters."
Trudge was so caught up in his grandstanding over the move, that he failed to notice Yusei's other trap go off, before fading away. The fact that it hadn't done anything yet helped admittedly.
"You done yet, or are you going to talk me to death?" Yusei growled, his patience wearing thin.
"Oh, no I'm not! Since you seemed to enjoy my Sonic Buster so much, I'll think I'll play another!"
Motherfucker! Yusei had next to no time to react before he got struck by the shockwaves again, once again throwing his runner off course as Trudge passed him, now leading the duel. (Yusei LP: 2200 – 800)
Spinning out momentarily, his runner wobbling from side to side for a few moments, Yusei roared as he worked to regain his balance, finally doing so after a few seconds. Righting himself, he let out a low hiss, as he raced to catch up.
"You'll pay for that, Trudge!"
"Will I now?" Trudge mocked, his cockiness getting ahead of him. "I'd like to see you try, street rat, but let's face it. You won't win, and your freedom is about to be taken away for good. I end my turn." (T H: 1. SC: 5 – 6)
"Finally!" Yusei thought he'd never finish! Drawing his card, He gave a positively vampiric smirk as his runner sped up, shocking Trudge out of his stupor as he pulled up beside him, their runners being separated by about a metre. (Yusei H: 3)
"Wha-? How are you?" he gaped, stunned, before glancing down at his screen. (Yusei SC: 5)
"You? How?" he balked, his mind not comprehending what was in front of him. His Gate Blockers should have prevented the Satellite from gaining any speed counters! How did-?
"You were soooo predictable." Trudge was shaken out of his musings by Yusei's drawling remark. "Locking down my normal way of getting speed counters is all well and good. But you also rely on them for your spells. And that cost you. While you were making an ass of yourself earlier, you didn't realise that I played Slipstream, which gave me the same number of counters you had when you played that first sonic buster."
A vein twitched on Trudge's forehead. "Your point? You still can't get anymore." He grit out.
"My point is that you just gave me what I need to win, fool. I'll start by activating the speed spell, Pit Stop!"
(Pit Stop. Normal Speed Spell.
Effect: If you have two or more speed counters, you can remove two speed counters to draw 2 cards.)
"By lowering my speed counters by 2, I get to draw two cards." Yusei did so, his face betraying nothing, as he glanced at them. (Yusei H: 4, SC: 3)
"… I win."
Trudge went rigid for a second. "You're bluffing!"
"I don't need to bluff. I always back up what I say. Which is something you know nothing about!" Yusei retorted, before placing a new card down. "I summon Terminator T-400!"
(Terminator - T-400. ATR: Earth. Type: Machine/Effect. ATK: 1600. DEF: 1400
Effect: When this card is summoned, add one card with 'Terminator' or 'Skynet' in its name to your hand.)
A bulky brown humanoid machine with red optics emerged out onto the field. The precursor to the captured T-600 stood impassively as the surroundings whipped past them.
"A level 8 Synchro monster?" Trudge asked, completely nonplussed, taking note of the new monster's level and that of the tuner he already had.
"Nope. I'm hardly that pedestrian." Yusei shook his head, explaining like a parent would to a child.
"When T-400 is summoned, I can add another Terminator to my hand." A card spat out from a quarter of the way down Yusei's deck. Yusei grabbed it, but didn't even bother looking at it.
"However, that's a moot point, as I now sacrifice T-400 to activate this trap from my hand: MBM Infection!"
(MBM (Machine Based Matter) Infection. Normal Trap.
Effect: You can activate this trap from your hand by tributing a Terminator monster. Target 1 monster your opponent's side of the field. Take control of it until the end phase. If this card is destroyed or discarded by a card effect, special summon 1 Terminator – Matter Infector from your hand, deck or graveyard.)
T-400 immediately shattered into particles, allowing the trap to materialise on the field.
"With this, I can take control of a monster on your field until the end phase. But that won't matter, as I'm ending this here!"
Yusei thrust his arm forward toward his captured T-600. Time to take you back….
"I take T-600 back from you." A swarm of grey nanites erupted from the card, surging towards the ensnared monster. Surrounding it for a few seconds, the nanites quickly entered the machine, which gave a few sparks before letting out an announcement only Yusei heard.
Programming error resolved. Master Protocols restored. Resuming normal functions. With that, it flexed its arms, snapping the cable pinning it like a toothpick. Hovering back to Yusei's side, the machine glared at the monster that dared remove it from its master's control, its red optics glowing eerily.
"Fine, take back your monster. It won't help you." Trudge scoffed, but was inwardly sweating. As Yusei now had a level 4 tuner and a lever 6 monster!
"Anxious, officer?" Yusei raised an eyebrow in mock surprise, his expression downright evil. "You should be! AS I now tune my level 4 Surveillance Unit with my level 6 T-600!"
Once again, the unit split into 4 rings, surrounding the machine.
"MAKE WAY FOR TERMINATOR – THE HARVESTER!"
(Terminator – The Harvester. Level 10. ATR: Earth. Type: Synchro/Machine/Effect. ATK: 2800. DEF: 3000.
1 "Terminator" tuner monster + 1 or more non-tuner monsters
Effect: When this card is successfully synchro summoned, special summon 2 Moto-Terminators from your hand, deck or graveyard. While this card is on the field, any monsters your opponent controls that are destroyed as a result of battle are removed from play. This card cannot be destroyed by your opponent's card effects.)
The light died down to reveal… nothing? Trudge blinked, looking either side in his uneasy confusion.
"Where's your monster? Don't tell me you got a dud, satellite." He smirked, regaining his cocky demeanour from earlier, much to Yusei's disgust.
"No. You just didn't look behind you, idiot." Yusei replied furiously, having it up to here with Trudge's attitude. No matter. He'd trounce this interloper soon enough. He'd already lost, after all. He just didn't know it yet.
A loud horn blared out as Trudge looked back, his face going pale as a massive dark grey truck like vehicle with a mechanised arm on the back (Think Salvation for this card and the next 2.) came barrelling down the pipeline behind the two duellists . Exactly how this thing fit in the pipe was beyond the officer's understanding. All he knew was that this thing was baring down on him, like a lion stalking a mouse. And he was the prey! (ATK: 2800)
"So?" he remarked, sounding a lot more confident than he actually felt. "Even if you attack my guardian, they'll just destroy each other."
"Weren't you listening? When I said I win, I meant it!" Yusei snapped, gesturing to his new monster. "Time for some backup! When the Harvester is successfully summoned, Two Moto-Terminators roll out from my deck to join the hunt."
(Moto-Terminator. Level 3. ATR: Earth. Machine/Effect. ATK: 800. DEF: 1600
Effect: Once per turn, choose one of your opponent's monsters: It loses 800 attack and defence points until the end phase. If this card is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, add one level 3 or lower Terminator monster from your deck to your hand.)
Two blackish grey machines were jettisoned from the Harvester's sides. With a pair of revving engines, the mechanised motorbikes came to life, righting themselves up and zooming past the Harvester on either side, coming to flank Yusei's runner like a motorised honour guard. (2 x ATK: 800)
Trudge snorted at the new additions to the field. "Am I supposed to be intimidated? You still can't beat me. Even if you destroy Guardian, my Gate Blocker is still defending my life points! I guess you were just blowing hot air after all!" He snickered.
"Funny." Yusei simmered. "But the last laugh will be mine! Once per turn, while I have a Moto-Terminator out, one of your monsters loses 800 attack points until this turns end phase!"
Trudge went still, sweat covering his hands. "But you have two of them!"
"You can count, how surprising!" Yusei mocked, before grinning. "But you're quite right. Moto-Terminators, cripple that Goyo Guardian!"
Orders received. The pair broke away from Yusei, pulling back behind their target, who stared at them in slight concern, slight disdain. Instantly, the cannons mounted on their sides let rip, showering the monster with bullets. Trying to defend himself with his weapon, a relatively futile gesture, several cuts and wounds appeared over it. (ATK: 2800 – 1200)
"Next, I activate the speed spell, Angel Baton, to draw two more cards and discard 1." Yusei promptly did so.
"Next, I activate the effect of the Terminator-Silverfish I just discarded!"
(Terminator – Silverfish. Lv 2. ATR: Earth. Type: Machine/Effect ATK: 500. DEF: 500.
Effect: If this card is discarded from your hand by a card effect: Destroy 1 card your opponent controls. If this facedown defence mode card is attacked, destroy this card and the attacking monster. Then add one spell/trap from your grave to your hand.)
"Since I discarded it due to a card effect, one card on your field is terminated! I destroy your last Gate Blocker!" he snarled in triumph.
A small red glowing sphere with black lines emerged from the ground, before rolling towards the wall monster with great speed. With a harsh bang it slammed into the monster, detonating on contact. Trudge could only look on in horror as his only other form of protection shattered into particles, evaporating in mid-air. Because with it came a cold chilling realisation.
I've… lost?! He gaped. It was easy to see what Yusei would do next. And he had nothing else to protect him, except his guardian, which he had no way of protecting. As it the shock settled in, Yusei let out a mad laugh, one that sounded… almost hollow, if you listened carefully. Glancing at the opposing rider, he glimpsed Yusei's face. The boy was laughing, but, and how Trudge knew this he couldn't tell, but the laugh wasn't reaching the boy's eyes.
"You're insane…" he whispered, terror filling his entire being at the idea. Security had been wrong about Fudo. Oh, so wrong… and he was about to pay the price.
Despite how quiet he was, Yusei still heard him. "Hardly." Yusei scoffed. "I've just had my eyes opened to reality. I'd say more, but I'd just be wasting my breath on you."
Letting Trudge mull that over, Yusei decided it was time to put the officer out of his misery. "Harvester, destroy Goyo Guardian!"
A loud honk was the only warning Trudge had. As behind him, the Harvester's arm went to work, extending out from it, and forward, striking down on the designated monster, who didn't even try to resist, having been too injured by the Moto-Terminators earlier. Grasping Goyo Guardian in its servo, the cold unfeeling machine squeezed, crushing the warrior as it cried out in agony. Until it could hold out no more and exploded. (Trudge LP: 3000 – 1400, SC: 6 – 3)
"ARRGH!" Trudge cried out over the smoke, his gaze obstructed from the stream of energy leaving his field and entering the back end of the Harvester. Yusei snorted in macabre amusement as Trudge fell behind, the destruction causing a loss of speed counters.
"And with that, you have nothing left! Moto-Terminators, attack! Turn him to Roadkill!" Yusei roared out, putting the final nail in Trudge's coffin, just as the end of the pipeline finally entered his field of vision.
Their engines purring at the order, the twin menaces popped into reverse, spinning around to face Trudge. Looking up, he gazed down the barrels of their mounted cannons.
Shit.
The machines let loose, riddling Trudge with ammunition, with him feeling each impact, making him cry out in pain.
"NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!"(Trudge LP: 1400 – 0. Yusei Wins!)
The moment Trudge's life points hit zero, his runner's safety features came to life, forcing him to a halt, with a red X on his screen, and steam being jettisoned from the side. Soon, Yusei had left him behind, his monsters fading away like a memory with the Turbo duel finished.
With the annoyance dealt with, Yusei accelerated, his runner's speed constraints no longer shackled. Taking a second to check the time, he grimaced when he saw that he only had about a minute left before the hatch at the end began to close and the pipeline re-opened, which would flood the entire thing with the City's trash.
Not wanting to be there when it happened, Yusei opened the throttle as far as he could, racing against the clock to get to the exit. I've come too far to fail now! I won't!
Filed with grim determination, he continued forth. But alas, he was still too slow, as the Turbo Duel had cost him valuable time.
*Beep!* The clock chimed. Yusei swore, just as the door at he end of the pipeline started opening, sending a few dredges of rubbish, both soft and hard, to spill out, hurtling down towards him. Dodging to the side, Yusei kept his eyes on the maintenance hatch, as it was beginning to close.
Swerving out of the way of a discarded Washing machine, he sent his runner up the left side of the massive pipe, his momentum carrying him as he went upside down and down the other side.
Come on,… Come on…!
He was mere metres away from it! But the door had closed too far for him to ride through upright! Not letting that stop him, Yusei Leaned his runner over to his left, trying to skid under it. Almost there… 5 metres. 4, 3, 2… 1…
With mere inches to spare, Yusei cleared the hatch, with it closing just a few seconds later, letting the pipeline fill up.
Which was not particularly helpful for one Tetsu Trudge…
"AAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!" he cried out in fear as the hordes of trash overtook him and his runner, pushing him back down the pipeline that he'd been duelling in moments before. And soon he was gone, carried away with the rubbish.
Neo Domino City. Rubbish/Recycling Centre Exterior.
Yusei heaved a sigh of relief so brief, that unless you were looking for it, you wouldn't have heard it. He zoomed through the exit, emerging into the night of Neo Domino, his thoughts turning to his primary reason for coming here.
"YUSEI!"
Yusei slammed on the brakes so fast, it was a shock his runner didn't flip over. His posture went stiff, his hands trembling as rage filled his entire being. That voice! Oh, how he dreamed of having its owner at his mercy for sooooo long!
Slowly, robotically, he turned his head to the source, atop a small elevated highway. There standing beside a large monowheel Duel runner (That sent Yusei even further into his anger. Jack hadn't even kept the frame he'd made!), was the tall spiked blonde that Yusei had once called friend. Only to be brutally stabbed in the back.
Lifting his hands to his helmet, Yusei pulled it off, exposing his hair and eyes to the air. For a second, he stared at the man staring down at him with absolute loathing.
Jack looked down at him with a superior expression on his face. "Long time no see, how've you been?"
How he'd-?! Yusei grit his teeth as the urge to take a shot at the man flared to life. He had the absolute fucking gall to ask him that?! After everything he'd done?! He gave a low snarling hiss.
"Hello, AATTTT-LLASSSS!"
END.
Author's notes:
I'm not dead, yay! And neither is my first fic! I can only apologise at how long this took to get out, but it's here now.
So, Yusei has come face to face with the traitor. What will his reaction be? The result next time, might not be what you expect, as Canon will be diverging!
I saw no point in doing the duel against the bullies in here, as let's face it, A. Yusei was off the grid, so the bullies wouldn't have found him or his runner with his old crew. And B, I'm sure that was just a filler duel anyway. So, I had Crow step up to the plate with them.
Can anyone figure out what to the Satellite's power? And whom Yusei's unknown ally is? I'll say this, they're connected. And that's all.
Next, some may wonder why I brought Yusei's mother into this. Well, my reasoning was so that Yusei would have a legacy from both parents. We hear a lot about his dad in the series, but we only catch a glimpse of Yusei's mother via a picture frame. I wanted to explore that a bit more, showing further ties to his family.
Additionally, Trudge has come along, as I said he would.
Special shout out to XXX Chaos Breaker XXX for coming up for the initial designs for the Harvester and the Moto-Terminators. I just had to tweak their effects a tad, so kudos for that, my friend.
So, what do you think? Please leave a review, but as I reiterate in every chapter of my stories, NO FLAMES! I have not demanded you read this, if you have nothing but insults, all I ask is that you keep them to yourself. If I don't like the way a story is going, I respect the direction a writer wants to go, I just won't read any further. All I ask is that you readers show me the same respect that I do others. Constructive criticism is welcome, as it will only make this better.
Before anyone asks, Cipher Phantom, Masked Nightmare, Forewarned is Forearmed and Lord of the Icy Maelstrom are next on my list of updates, before Pirate Force and Red Dragon Emperor.
Hope you guys enjoy, so until next time…
MH OUT!