Disclaimer: I do not own YGO 5ds.
"Nervin ran," Tank sat down heavily on the sofa, tossing Nervin's letter in Blitz's general direction. "I knew that four-eyes was going to be a problem. Never liked him to begin with."
Used to Nervin's numerous late-night work calls, Yusei's crew didn't discover the letter Nervin carefully hid under the keyboard until the next morning.
"Our situation does look unpromising," Blitz admitted after quickly glancing through the letter, "at least he didn't sell us out."
"You mean not yet," Tank said darkly.
"Guys," Yusei took the letter from Blitz's hand, reading every word carefully. "I trust Nervin, so if he said he had something important to do, I believe him. He doesn't want to compromise us in case something goes wrong. I'm going to find him and see what happened."
After what happened with Jack, Yusei reluctantly admitted that there was a possibility that Nervin had left them to pursue better opportunities. He didn't think Nervin would do that, but then again, he didn't think Jack would betray them so utterly either. If that was the case, he'd leave his friend be. But until he could be sure his friend didn't need his help, he was obligated to at least try.
Tank grumbled something under his breath, Blitz shook his head skeptically.
"Yusei!" A voice far too deep to match its pre-pubescent owner echoed loudly in the subway tunnel. "Look what I found."
Rally ran up, holding almost-new rims to a duel runner. "The new shipment just came in, there's a big pile of duel runner parts in the scrapyard. You should go check it out! Maybe you can find something useful for your new runner."
"I need to find Nervin now, Rally," Yusei smiled gravely, "Why don't you let Crow know, I'm sure he would love some duel runner parts too."
"No, you don't understand!" Rally protested, "There is a big pile of duel runner parts." The feminine kid that 4Kids insisted was male spread his arms out to emphasize the size of his discovery, "more than enough for the both of you."
"Go check it out," Blitz urged, "Tank and I can go find Nervin."
"Yeah," Tank agreed, "your runner's way more important. It's the hope for all of us to get out of Satellite, remember?" He didn't comment on Nervin and Yusei didn't notice.
Yusei hesitated, looking at the half-built runner parked beside the wooden plank he used as a bed. It's risky to leave the runner incomplete for too long, Sector Security may come confiscate it at any time. And Tank was right, that duel runner was a chance to get out of the Satellite, for all of them, including Nervin, wherever he is.
"Thanks you guys," Yusei decided finally with a heavy heart, "please let me know when you guys find him, and if he needs anything at all. I should be back by noon."
Another ex-Enforcer was feeling much more relaxed.
"Well, well, well," An uncomfortably shrill voice rang out from the front yard, "look what we have here!"
"Oh!" That voice was a little higher than I remembered, but I did recognize it with some certainty. It's really the hyena quality in his voice that sets it apart. After adequate amounts of food and sleep, it wasn't difficult to identify the recluse whom I thought was a pervert who approached young women on the streets.
I looked out the window. Our visitor was covered from head to toe, this time with an extra black cloak over his face and jacket. I could barely see his features, but I'd remember that hyena laugh anywhere. As if the cloaked intruders sensed my gaze, golden eyes looked up at me aggressively. I can imagine the light blue hair, black jacket and red Dark Signer mark on his face hidden under the cloak.
"Why hello stranger," I waved energetically with a forced grin, "wait right there, I'll be right down."
I ran down the stairs, jumping the last three steps, and crossed the yard in a few long steps to greet our hooded visitor.
I did like Kalin, he was my third favorite Enforcer.
More importantly, I had a vague idea of my colleagues' opinion of the ex-leader of the Enforcers, and I didn't want all the management of this little venture running off in fear. Or risk Kalin's response to such a situation.
Unfortunately, Cyril was a little faster than me. Having fumbled and almost killed himself with a stick welder, he was relegated clean-up duty, which he was performing close to the front door at the time.
"The loony bin's closed," Cyril approached Kalin carelessly just as I reached the bottom of the stairs, "take your crazy somewhere else. We're trying to do business here." He cast a disapproving glance back at me, as though displeased with my acquaintances.
Kalin reached out a pale boney hand and clutched Cyril by the throat, holding the white-haired teen up and letting him struggle helplessly for a second before casting him aside like a broken duel disk.
I gulped.
Cyril remained curled up on the ground where he was thrown, trembling uncontrollably. Growing up in the Satellite after Zero Reverse, he had been through far worse physical pain. The problem is, he had gotten close enough to Kalin that the hooded cloak no longer hid the older man's face, and recognized him instantly. To duel gangs in the Satellite, Enforcers were the stuff of nightmares. Not exactly what the Enforcers do to them, as much as what the other satellites do after witnessing their defeat. Most duel gangs consists of adults and do rely on their territory to survive. If that is lost, their duel disks destroyed, and their record prevents them from finding a job anywhere in the Satellite, well, let's just say it's not pretty.
"Back," I motioned to everybody crowding over from the commotion, "get back to work, I'll handle this." Somehow.
I managed to smile apologetically to Kalin before walking back to the entrance to the building, where Chaos hang at the back of the crowd that was now entering back into the factory.
"Evacuate. Now." I whispered urgently in his ear, having no time to offer explanations. I liked Kalin, but I wasn't naïve enough to pretend he wasn't an unstable maniac at this point in the story. An unstable mania capable of summoning physical monsters and murdering everybody in our little factory on a whim. And at this point in the story, Kalin was partial to whims.
Thankfully, Chaos obeyed without question. I closed the door behind him as he went in. Now I just have to get rid of the nut job, or at least appease him long enough for the evacuation protocols to complete. Note to self, run regular drills from now on.
"Hi," I grinned again, looking more natural this time. I truly believed Kalin was one of the good guys, that doesn't make him any less dangerous when crazy, "Remember me?"
"You?" Kalin paused, he voice momentarily restored to its normal tone, then turned shrill again, "So you're the little rat that's been causing up a stir in the Satellite."
I wonder how and why the Earthbound Immortals would mess with your vocal cords.
Kalin pushed back his hood a little, revealing most of his face. Now that we met again, I can't believe I didn't recognize him the first time. Shoulder-length hair that I initially thought was grey had in fact been a light blue. Through the hooded cloak, I could make out the red markings of the Dark Signers along his right cheek, covering the yellow branding left by the Facilities. Only darkness occupied the whites of his eyes, though his iris remained pure golden.
"It's nice to see you again," I said almost sincerely, Kalin was one of my favorite Enforcers, even if he was a little stupid, and now a lot crazy.
"You know who I am?" Kalin asked accusingly, his eyes narrowing dangerously. It made him look like a large cat on the prowl, maybe a leopard?
"The famous Kalin Kessler, how could I not?" I laughed, a little more genially this time, extending a hand, "it's a pleasure. I'm Yuki by the way." Under different circumstances, I would have loved to meet him.
"Another satellite to marvel at Crazy Kalin, are you?" Kalin demanded defensively. He slapped my proffered hand away.
"Not at all," Absolutely.
I got a little closer, placing a hand lightly on his elbow and slowly guiding him towards the corner of the door closest to the exit, where we'd both be hidden by the incomplete metal wall Vincent erected around their perimeters. It would cause havoc if anybody in the Satellite or Neo Domino saw Kalin here, I don't think I can handle more havoc right now. I kicked Cyril as I passed where he laid on the ground, hoping he'd get the hint and get out of here. He didn't even stir.
Kalin studied me suspiciously, but followed nonetheless, confident in his own abilities.
"What brings you here?" I asked, changing the subject. The canon was very vague on the specific duties of Dark Signers prior to the start of the plot, but I had to assume Roman Goodwin didn't sleep the past 17 years away.
"Ah," Kalin resumed that high-pitched voice, "I come seeking those who have invoke the ire of the gods, and inform you of their imminent descent to get their revenge."
Would the gods be appeased with an offering of duel monster cards? I stopped myself from asking, but decided to put that joke aside for later.
"I'm not sure what that means," I said instead, being mostly honest. I can assume he was referring to either the earthbound immortals or the King of the Netherworld, and my attempt to leave the Satellite would obviously interfere with their 'soul searching'.
"I am of the Dark Signers," Kalin said boastfully, "and your actions have angered the Dark King. Prepare, for soon, you will be wiped off the earth like a smudge of dirt."
Dark King means that Netherworld thing? Did Roman Goodwin send him?
Whatever the case, I have to stop him from reporting back, I can't afford Roman Goodwin's attention right now.
"Your plan is to tell on me?" I mocked with exaggerated surprise, "hardly becoming of the leader of the Enforcers is it?" It was clear I can't appeal to the goodness of his heart while he's in his current state, but I can still get to him somehow.
Kalin smiled down at me disdainfully, completely unaffected even by the Enforcer comment. "I can't be bothered with trash like you. But the Fates have spoken, your presence in the Satellite will be erased, Yuki. Make the best of your last few days on earth."
"So you are going to turn around and report back to your master?" I asked sarcastically, trying to provoke a reaction. Shouldn't be too hard. This is the kid who thought he could run a city with 4 teenagers, I should be able to talk circles around him.
"It's a fate you can't escape, Yuki," He said, completely unmoved by my insults.
"I know you don't want to do this, Kalin," I tried a slightly different approach and took hold of his arm.
"You know nothing about me," he hissed.
Ah, so that's where he's vulnerable.
"I might know more than you think. Tell you what, I'm going to tell you what I know about you. If I say anything wrong, anything at all, you can turn around and report back to your boss, but if I get everything right, we pretend this meeting never happened." Without waiting for a reply, I continued. Kalin growled but didn't struggle against my grasp. "You wanted to leave the Satellite," I began, "You might have even planned it, but nothing would work, would it? Not even in your wildest imagination."
"How could it?" Kalin spat out despite himself, "even if we somehow make it to Domino City, the odds of us managing to stay there is hundred to one."
"So you resorted to the second best thing, you thought you'd fix the Satellite." I continued, smiling at his outburst. Reaction is good, reaction is very good. "You honestly thought you'd make the Satellite as good as Neo Domino." I didn't bother hiding the derision from my voice, Kalin's face darkened at my words, he shook his arm against my grasp. I let go. He's not going to leave now.
"You thought duel gangs were the problem," I continue, my confidence growing, "so you tackled that. You thought if there were no interferences with the market, prosperity would naturally follow." A very rudimentary idea of the free market, especially considering all the other factors at play in the Satellite, I could hear Kalin's teeth grinding at my condescending tone, "but it didn't, and it never will. Because the Domino City made sure of that. You were supposed to be the Hope for the Satellite, but even you were beginning to lose hope. That's when you attacked Sector Security too."
"What's your point?" Kalin asked impatiently, "or did you just want to mock everything I worked for before your untimely death?"
"My point is," I tried a more genuine smile, "your plan never would have worked, but mine actually has a chance. So I'm asking you to give it the chance it deserves. Do not reveal our little operation, let it fester and see how it changes the city you grew up in."
"You know nothing about me," Kalin repeated his earlier assertion, "I wanted control of the Satellite, it's that simple. That's why I defeated the gangs, that's why I challenged Sector Security. But if you're so sure of yourself, let's duel," Kalin said vehemently, "if you manage to win, I will keep your plans a secret."
He said it so quickly I suspected that he didn't give it a second thought, because it's a ridiculous proposal.
"If I understand things correctly, if you win, I die. If I win, you die. Either way, it'll be impossible for this place remain a secret, which is what I'm trying to accomplish." I made a show of rolling my eyes.
Kalin was obviously flustered at my rebuttal, I do have to give him credit for thinking fast. "I'll duel with a proxy," he suggested as though it was his plan all along, "that should do." I followed Kalin's fingers to Cyril, who had gotten up, but refused to leave no matter how many glares I sent his way.
… I paused, cautiously weighing my options, not that there are many. Since I'm not actually risking my life, there's very little to lose. That risk is well worth a chance to evade attention of Dark Signers. Even without a decent deck, I still had enough knowledge of Kalin's Infernity deck to give me a significant advantage.
"I accept your challenge," I said after some thought, "Just let me pick out a deck first."
"You don't keep your deck with you?" Kalin asked in surprise. Even Cyril hmmphed disapprovingly.
"I was just editing my deck when you stopped by," I muttered. "Wait here."
Finally getting a chance to go back inside, I felt a wave of relieve washing over me when I found the house completely empty, even our equipment and finished goods were gone. Growing up in the Satellite teaches you to move quickly should the need arise.
Duel monster cards were still spread out on the bed as I had left them, my eyes ran over the limited practical selections with a frown. In my reality (no, this is still not my reality), Infernity remains one of the more powerful archetypes even during the XYZ era. Not many archetypes can reliably defeat an Infernity deck, and I didn't even have any complete archetypes from which I could choose. A chaos deck then, I finally decided. Plus anti-meta, which means stopping the opponent from rapidly summoning many monsters to swarm the field, the staple trait of Infernity decks.
I walked downstairs almost confidently. Nervin had lent me his few Synchro monsters after he lost one too many duels to kids working in the factory, so I at least have a chance now against the notorious Enforcer leader.
Seeing me walking downstairs, Kalin got up and easily dragged Cyril over by the back of his shirt.
"Let's duel" he said impatiently, "I can't wait to completely crush you."
"How about we keep the duel inside," I suggested instead, taking hold of Kalin's arm again and guiding him into the building, immediately closing the door behind me. Thanks to the fence, Kalin had been hidden from outside view, but if we start summoning giant holographic monsters, his identity is almost certain to be discovered by curious spectators. That would, naturally, be counter-productive to my goal of staying more or less anonymous until the Dark Signer Arc so I don't get killed in the crossfire.
"You really think dueling in here would give you some advantage to defeat me?" Kalin sneered.
"No," I corrected patiently, "I really think dueling you in public would screw me over in more ways than I can imagine." That shut him up.
"Oh, hey guys," Rally greeted Blitz and Tank as they came back into the Subway tunnel, "I just got back from Crow's, he said he'd keep an eye out for Nervin too. Did you find him?"
"Nah," Tank replied, "We just came back from an extra shift in the factory. If Nervin wants to come back, he can find us."
"What?" Rally exclaimed, "but you said you would!"
"Nervin made his own decision to leave," Blitz explained. While he liked Yusei and was naturally drawn to the goodness and energy in the wild-haired teenager, he didn't want Rally to end up like that. Yusei was far from naïve, but he was too trusting. It's a very expensive trait to own in the Satellite. Without Yusei's natural talents, Rally might not be able to afford it.
"Nervin made his own decision to leave," He repeated, "And we respect that decision. It would come with risks and rewards, but that's all his now, it doesn't have anything to do with us anymore."
"So you're saying we don't care about his problems anymore? I can't believe you guys! You promised Yusei you'd look for him." Rally protested, "didn't you guys ask around at all?"
"A street walker did say he saw Nervin going to the Sabaru district last night," Tank admitted, "but that's just gossip, flimsy at best. You know he also said that Nervin won a bunch of duels?"
"Well, it's still a clue, and I'm going to find him, maybe Yusei's right and he needs our help." Rally ran up the stairs.
Tank and Blitz looked at each other, then reluctantly followed their young friend out into daylight.
A/N: If you think I stole the offering cards to gods joke from the Abridged series, you're right and I did.
A/N 2: I've always liked Kalin.
I don't think he went power-crazy and therefore attacked the Sector thinking he could actually win (that would have to be a truly incredible level of stupid, more on why later), I think he was just desperate when he finally realized nothing he could done would significantly improve anybody's life in the Satellite. The attack on Sector Security was essentially on a suicide mission, though it's just possible he even convinced himself that it might work.
A/N 3: Since enough people asked, this will in no way be a 'let's do a main character' story. I have far bigger plans. Kalin is showing up a lot because the Dark Signers would inevitably be aware of and interested in any drastic change in the Satellite this close to the rise of their god(?).