Final Ride : Stardust Angel
Godwin stared at the arm floating in the vat, the symbol of the Crimson Dragon's head just in reach. Soon it would be time for the dragon to arrive, and with it the hope to save the City from the terror that would soon arrive.
Godwin stopped as someone was in the area, and this time he was prepared for her. He heard a yelp as the magnetic waves he'd set up stunned the cyborg, aided by a taser he administered to her personally.
The two-pronged attack paralyzed her and gave him enough time to briskly walk over and wrap his good hand around her neck, tightening it and smirking as she bared her teeth and narrowed her eyes in pain from his own cybernetic arm's grip.
"You really thought I wouldn't set up traps of my own? After Nova's experiment? And after you went after Yeager?" Godwin asked, looking into her blazing eyes with no worry. Now she was immobile and nothing would change that.
"It's really easy to figure you out, Gally." Godwin said, raising her off of the ground by just her neck as he'd done the same to Mikage shortly before. It would be so easy to end her life with a squeeze, but Godwin wanted to savor the moment before his biggest moment of triumph – to be the better person by sparing the living weapon he now help.
"You're another simpleton like Jack – one trait makes you stand you and you think you're the king of the mountain, when in reality you're just a tool to be used by the real powers that be." Godwin said.
Then he heard laughter as a holographic projection of Desty Nova appeared in front of him, projected from Gally's loose-hanging arm.
"Gya-ha-ha!" Nova laughed, sneering at Godwin. "Does that make me one of those 'real powers'? Can't you kill me this time yourself, Director?" Nova taunted and Godwin grinned.
"That's easy." Godwin responded with a grin and decided to end the psychotic Professor's existence once and for all. "If purging you from the world requires me to make such a sacrifice, then I will not hesitate. So be it."
His fingers contracted harder around the woman's neck, veins present as her face turned pale. Nova's hologram began to fade away. Then she stopped, Gally's fingers falling motionless as her facial muscles suddenly relaxed. Godwin's facial muscles tightened as he extended his hand's grip to the utmost, squeezing as hard as he could to crush her for good.
And nothing happened.
"Don't you know the first thing a warrior learns on the battlefield?" Gally's voice asked and Godwin gasped as her knee suddenly met his stomach, sending him leaning over in pain while she jabbed him in his own cyborg arm with a quick two-fingered thrust. The attack struck an internal component, causing Godwin to let her go.
Gally stepped away from him, giving him a glare as she finished her statement. "Playing dead is essential to tricking your enemies!"
Godwin's eyes widened and he tried the taser again. Gally smiled and crossed her arms as the electricity hit her – yet it was now ineffective. Then he tried the previous trap and it was also to no avail as Gally started to casually crack her neck and knuckles.
"Please! Weapons like that!?" Nova's voice mocked as his hologram solidified once more. "Try again in at least one-hundred years! You're lucky Gally decided to even play along!"
Godwin frowned. "Well in that case, I'll just have to use this." Godwin said, as a duel disk broke out of the cyborg frame of his metal arm, shining with momentum energy.
Gally turned her head to the side and blinked.
"As Jack said, a duel is between two warriors' souls. This is my challenge." Godwin said, staring directly at her.
"Be that as it may, Gally-" Nova began. "-The time window you have to get back home is closing fast. I don't think you have time to duel him."
Gally smiled. "How about this? I'll have to turn that challenge down. You've already shown me enough of your soul." Godwin's eyebrows narrowed but he kept his composure as Gally kept speaking.
"I'll leave your world alone, starting now. And I'll take Nova's AI – and the Solid Vision prototype with me. You'll let me follow Yusei and Jack's duel, as that's the most likely way to send me home, if your Professor Akutsu was right about the amount of energy the next duel should produce." Gally said, echoing Nova's own research.
"I can agree to that, providing you leave immediately after." Godwin said as the duel disk retracted in his arm, him then extending his open cybernetic hand in a truce.
Gally accepted, clasping the hand.
Then Godwin was startled as his cyborg hand shattered apart once Gally tightened her own grip, the metallic fingers he's had around her neck moments ago now littering the floor as he looked dumbly as the crushed palm and exposed wiring that remained.
"Oh sorry. I forgot about my own strength." Gally said. "Besides, you had a limp handshake. I thought it would be stronger given how you grabbed me earlier" She said as she turned around.
"What she means is that your level of cybernetic technology is nothing compared to her own. She's just being discreet about it" Nova said with another hysterical laugh as his hologram vanished.
The pair left as Gally walked away, Godwin staring to the ground as he composed himself. No matter what happened regarding her, all would be well if his plan succeeded in the end.
/
The arena was quiet as both Riding Duelists pulled up to the starting line, a brief narration by the announcer given as the stadium almost entirely cheered for Jack.
"Ah, but before we begin, it seems that Director Godwin's adding a stipulation to this match!" The pompadoured announcer said. Gally's eyes widened as she saw footage of herself skating against Jack's monsters, and then riding on Junk Warrior's shoulder - now displayed to the entire audience.
"We're going to make things a bit more interesting, having our first-hand observer for the Riding Duel herself! Able to skate around the King's monsters, and fight them herself, I give to you the Battle Angel, Alita!" The man yelled as footage was shown of her skating around the various attacks of his Red Demon's Dragon.
Gally sighed and used the extra mass stored in her body to create her purple Motorball helmet. From the inset visor Gally wore, she could see Godwin's face smiling at her. He was now up in the viewer's box, his broken arm hidden behind his back as he looked down to observe the Duel about to begin.
"Gally, I think its best that you use this chance to return home. Things will only escalate in this world now that the battle of the Signers is nearing its climax." The Director said.
She narrowed her eyes. "Godwin. Be grateful I didn't dismantle your operation along with your arm."
"I am. And once again, I thank you for dealing with Bommer. But, I think we can understand you belong in your own world, as the Signers belong in theirs."
"Just don't get in my way." Gally said as she closed the comm channel, wheeling between Jack and Yusei's D-Wheels, both men looking to her in a mix of surprise.
"Gally!" Yusei said as she stopped and bumped his fist with her own.
"So you're here to see our duel then!" Jack said, glancing at her.
Gally nodded. "That's right. It's my way home, if Nova did all the math right." She admitted.
Jack nodded. "May it be a glorious enough parting gift then!" Jack said.
Then Yusei spoke up. "We'll settle things now! Jack! I'll show you the strength of my bonds!"
"Oh?" Jack asked. "Then you'll see the isolated, absolute power of the King!" He boasted. "And now that your friends are safe, will you rise to the challenge?"
Yusei smirked and began to turn the throttle to his machine as Jack did the same, their engines both whirring as the light of Momentum in each machine began to shine brighter.
/
"That's strange." Aki said, looking to the area as the cyborg woman stood in-between Yusei and Jack, this 'Alita' looking just as confident as the two competitors as she hunched over, ready to skate presumably behind both of their craft.
"Riding Duel, Acceleration!" Yusei and Jack declared as the duel began.
TURN 1: YUSEI: 4000 / JACK: 4000, SPC: 0 / 0
"The challenger will go first!" Jack declared, riding in front of Yusei as the two of them took off, the third party member skating off with her own impressive speed as she was close behind Yusei's D-Wheel despite her only using some kind of motorized skates.
"What's strange?" Divine asked as his face appeared on the holoscreen.
"That woman. She was at the Diamon Area and confronted me. Even with my Black Rose Dragon, she still was a challenge, though she's not a duelist herself." Aki said from her bathtub, looking down at her dark crimson bathing suit clinging to her body.
"Aki, I'm sure this is just a publicity stunt from Godwin. For now, please try to relax. You've done well enough for the Arcadia Movement right now. You need the rest." Divine said and his screen shut off. Aki looked to the duel as both duelists had finished their first turn now – Jack's Twin Breaker having shaved off fourteen-hundred of Yusei's life-points as Yusei's own Shield Wing staved off the swordsman's attacks with its effect.
"My turn!" Yusei yelled, drawing a second card as both players' Speed Counters increased.
TURN 3: YUSEI: 2600, JACK: 4000, SPC: 2 / 2
"I Summon Junk Synchron!" Yusei declared as his now famous orange tuner appeared beside him with a grunt (3/1300/500).
Aki looked to Yusei on the crimson wheel and wondered if the rider actually would have a chance at defeating Jack.
/
"Scrap Fist!" Yusei yelled as Junk Warrior's fist shattered apart Twin Breaker, Jack grunting as he took the damage (JACK: 4000 → 3300).
Then Jack took additional damage as Yusei's next trap – Synchro Blast – revealed itself, a white-hot beam of energy strafing by the engines of Jack's D-Wheel (JACK: 3300 → 2800).
Gally skated beside Yusei as the man's D-Wheel wasn't moving as much as Jack's. So far she hadn't had to do much, only staying aware that the monsters both men could summon might do different things. But with Jack going next, Gally had an idea of the creature he might conjurer to oppose Junk Warrior.
Jack explained some rules as his next card brought back the destroyed Twin Breaker – Increasing all of his stats. Gally recognized it as the Powerful Rebirth trap he'd used in their Riding Duel / Motorball hybrid match. Twin Breaker rose, and gained the boon from the card (4/1600/1000 → 5/1700/1100).
Then Jack summoned a new Tuner – Dark Repairer, a red-eyed, grinning and spidery looking fiend with different tools it held in claws at the end of its legs (3/1000/1300).
Jack espoused himself being a King three steps ahead of the commoners, before chanting the words of power that would call his most devastating creature.
"The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Bear witness to a power that will shake all of creation! Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Demon's Dragon!"
From the pillar of green, Jack's red and black dragon emerged, spreading its wings as it roared a challenge to Junk Warrior.
Then Jack explained Dark Repairer's effect when it went to the graveyard, letting him draw a new card – which he did. Then he declared battle as his dragon moved, pulling back a fist and then throwing it forwards as Junk Warrior blasted towards it with a challenge as the Absolute Power Force attack clashed with Junk Warrior's Scrap Fist for a moment.
Then the power struggle broke as the dragon's fist shattered Junk Warrior, Yusei grunting as he lost some more life-points (YUSEI: 2600 → 1900).
Gally skated around the stray flames from the Absolute Powerforce attack, not taking any chances if Nova, Akutsu, and Godwin all agreed that things would escalate in this duel.
Then Jack ended his turn with some set cards.
Turn 5: YUSEI: 1900, JACK: 2800, SPC: 6 / 6
Yusei began his turn, the trap card Lost Star Descent brought back Junk Warrior (5 → 4 /2300/1300 → 0). And then he summoned a new tuner of his own, Hyper Synchron (4/1600/1400), blue, gold and bulky, the robot monster groaning as it separated into four rings circling around Junk Warrior as Gally heard Yusei chant the beast's invocation.
"Clustering Wishes form a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Take flight, Stardust Dragon!" Yusei roared as the beast he'd worked so hard to re-attain appeared once again.
/
Jack couldn't help but grin as Stardust Dragon alighted onto the field with a roar, powering up from Hyper Synchron's effect (8/2500 → 3300/2000). The dragon was shrieking at Red Demon's as his own demonic dragon responded in kind.
"So you've finally appeared, Stardust!" Jack yelled in joy and anticipation to the rival dragon as his own mark burned with powerful energy.
Gally watched with awe as Yusei commanded Stardust to attack. Unlike most of the monsters she'd seen and encountered thus far, both Signer Dragons had an aura of their own, clashing as the two regarded one another. For a moment, it seemed that Yusei had the edge, but Jack was ready for him with his next move – Tuner Capture – a trap that let Jack steal Yusei's Hyper Synchron, summoning the Tuner to his own field.
Next was another trap of Jack's – Tuner's mind – breaking down Red Demon's Dragon back into Twin Breaker (4/1600/1000) and Dark Tinker (3/1000/1500).
Yusei tried to attack Twin Breaker with Stardust's attack, the lance of Shooting Sonic blasting out of his dragon's maw – but Tuner's Mind had another effect, as the attack was instead intercepted by Dark Repairer, allowing Jack to draw another card through its effect.
Still, Yusei wasn't done as Jack had to bear the damage from Synchro Blast yet again (JACK: 2800 → 2300).
Yusei prepared his field as Jack began his next turn. Twin Breaker was tuned by the stolen Hyper Synchron, Jack's Red Demon's Dragon bursting from the summon a second time, powering up by the ability of the tuner (8/3000 3800/2000).
Then Red Demon's slammed a blazing fist into Stardust Dragon, Yusei grunting as Stardust Dragon repelled the attack, Hyper Synchron's other effect preventing it immunity to battle destruction (YUSEI: 1900 1400).
Jack's wasn't done, however, as the trap card Demon Cannon revealed itself – a roaring dragon head, firing a blast of fire at Yusei (YUSEI: 1400 900).
Gally felt the heat rise - the clashing powers of the dragons was greater than the rest of the Solid Vision. And the tension between Yusei and Jack was so palpable she could sharped a knife with it.
The cyborg skated by, looking up to the dragons in particular. Crimson lighting flashed in the sky and she heard the crash of thunder with it. Then she heard a great wail as she beheld the same thing that Godwin had been seeking for years.
Long and serpentine, made of solid crimson energy, the dragon appeared from four blazing marks. Two claws, wings and a tail all transposing over the beast as its deep roar was one of ancient wisdom.
"So you've appeared, Crimson Dragon!" Jack yelled to the divine serpent. "Please bear witness to our duel!" He said.
Gally yelled as the long dragon dove towards the field, its gigantic body consuming all that was present on the field.
/
"Gally!" Yusei yelled, leaning over from the side of his D-Wheel to extend a gloved hand as the Crimson Dragon swooped down. Gally clasped his hand and a crimson barrier expanded from his glowing arm until it accommodated both Gally and himself. She took the opportunity to perch herself on top of the bike's overhead canopy once again, closing her eyes as all was enveloped in a flash of bright light.
Then Yusei gasped as the entire setting changed. Now he and Jack drove on a road of light, through space itself. Stars whizzed by them as both Yusei and Jack looked straight ahead to a temple above them, with an ancient South American design to it. As they got closer, Yusei and Jack could see groups of people praying, led by five people in robes, a shining red mark on each of their right arms.
"They have the same marks that we have!" Yusei said, observing the scene as they passed by it.
Gally looked up to see two orbs in the distance, red and trailing behind Yusei and Jack. Inside each bubble was Aki and Ruka, both looking surprised as they gazed down at the Riding Duel.
Then there was another image the five of them beheld. Satellite appeared, projected far below the road of white light as though they were looking down at a map of the place. Purple flames ignited, tearing through buildings and ground alike, until it resembled the image of a spider transposed over the landmass.
"What is it showing?" Gally asked.
"Could it be the future?" Jack asked and Yusei denied that.
"It can't be the future! I won't let that happen!"
"Yusei! Let's finish our duel!" Jack yelled, looking to Red Demon's and Stardust flying above them.
"Dueling brought us here, and that's how we'll get back home! Besides, I want to settle things with you, even if it means going through hell itself!" Jack said as he looked ahead and accelerated. "I set three cards face-down and end my turn!"
TURN 7: YUSEI: 900, JACK: 2800, SPC: 6 / 6
"My turn!" Yusei yelled as he drew the next card. Gally clutched the top of the Yusei-Go with both of her arms as she predicted things would get even more intense at this point.
"Speed Spell – Silver Contrails, giving a WIND – Attribute monster like Stardust Dragon one-thousand more attack points until the End Phase!" Yusei yelled as Stardust shimmered, powering up as blue flames burned around its form for a moment (8/3300 4300/2000).
"Now, Stardust Dragon! Attack Red Demon's Dragon! Shooting Sonic!" Yusei yelled, waving an arm and beckoning his dragon forwards.
The blast of white engulfed Jack's Dragon, striking Red Demon's, yet the dragon withstood the blast even as it impacted Jack. Jack Atlus yelled as he and his craft glowed with purple fire as the attack struck him (JACK: 2800 2300).
"What?! Real damage!?" Gally yelled as Yusei followed up. "Jack, are you ok!?" He asked to the rider ahead of him.
Jack retorted with tough words. "If you can worry about me, then worry about yourself!" He yelled back.
Yusei continued his turn. "The continuous trap, Synchro Blast!" Yusei yelled, waving his arm as a blast of power fired out from his trap again, striking Jack a second time (JACK: 2300 1900).
Then Gally saw Yusei set three trap cards as he ended his turn, Stardust Dragon's attack points returning to normal (4300 3300).
"It's my – turn!" Jack yelled, pulled from his deck of cards with vigor.
"Battle! Red Demon's Dragon, attack Stardust Dragon! Absolute Power Force!" Jack beckoned as he dragon attacked with another blazing fist. Now it was Yusei's turn to scream out in pain as the damage felt real (900 400). He wasn't the only one, as the impact of the burning fist into Stardust Dragon, and the force it created knocked Gally off of the Yusei-Go, sending her flying up into the air.
"Gally!" Ruka cried out as the cyborg was helpless against the lack of gravity, both Stardust and Red Demon's too far way to grasp onto. Gally felt herself rising into the sky, perhaps stranded in the strange dimension when she saw a faint aura of red, a bare arm wrapping around her waist as she was pulled into a shimmering red bubble.
Izayoi Aki held the cyborg in the bubble coming from her arm and looked lost herself as she Gally's face.
"She's ok. Yusei. Jack." Aki said aloud and Jack nodded before looking back to Yusei.
"This damage is proof of the Crimson Dragon's power! This is a true battle between Signers!" Jack yelled.
"Trap card, open! Cross-Line Counter!" Yusei yelled as his next trap sprung open, Stardust dragon suddenly gaining power and striking back as Red Demon's Dragon extended an arm to ward off as much damage as possible. Jack grunted as he took more damage himself (JACK: 1900 900).
Then Jack's face returned to normal and he smirked. "Now I play the Speed Spell – Overboost!" As Jack played the card, the twin engines on the back of his machine ignited with blue flames, sending him shooting far down the track of light, ahead of everything else like a blazing comet.
"Overboost instantly gives me five more Speed Counters!" Jack said, brandishing his next card. "Which lets me use the card of the King! I activate Speed Spell – The End of Storm!" He said, waving the card around in a few motions for emphasis as he played it, a sudden gust of winds blasting through the field.
"The End of Storm will destroy all monsters on the field and then we'll each take three-hundred points of damage per monster!" Jack explained.
"But Yusei doesn't have enough life-points to survive that move!" Aki said, gasping as she realized Jack's play. "Jack must want Yusei to use Stardust Dragon's effect!" She said to Gally.
"I Release Stardust Dragon to negate and destroy The End of Storm!" Yusei countered, holding up an arm as Stardust vanished into a haze of blue, the particles slamming into and consuming the dangerous winds.
The End of Storm abated and Jack spoke proudly. "That's right! You have no choice, Yusei! Then I'll use this! Sneak Mine! You'll take five-hundred points of damage at the next Standby Phase since I control a monster and you do not! I end my turn!" Jack declared, entirely confident in his own victory."
"Then – Stardust Dragon will return to the field!" Yusei said, playing his ace once again, the long bodied white and blue dragon returning with a growl, no longer affected by the power of Hyper Synchron (8/2500/2000).
"Trap activate!" Yusei yelled immediately as Stardust revived. "Meteor Stream!"
"But wouldn't Jack's Sneak Mine beat Yusei at this point?" Gally asked and Aki shook her head as she held onto the cyborg.
"No. Sneak Mine will only work once Yusei begins his next turn. And Meteor Stream is a trap card that can deal Jack one-thousand points of damage when a monster like Stardust Dragon that tributes itself is re-summoned to the field. But I don't think Jack's done yet." Aki explained.
Stardust Dragon arched its back and hurled itself forward, sending a swarm of small burning meteorites towards Jack.
"Hmph!" Jack yelled. "I knew you'd try to settle things with that card and I'm ready for you this time, Yusei!" Jack declared. "Behold my counter trap – Crimson Hell Flare!"
Gally recognized the secondary attack of Jack's dragon, surprised that it was its own card. The swarms of meteors crashed into a crimson barrier around the demonic dragon, Red Demon's basking in crimson flames as a blaze of fire built up in its own mouth.
"Crimson Hell Flare negates any damage I would take from your trap if I control 'Red Demon's Dragon', then it doubles it!" Jack said as it was Red Demon's turn to release a stream of crimson flames travelling towards Yusei.
"Yusei!" Gally heard Ruka shout as the fire blasted right at him.
"Counter trap – Shining Barrier – Silver Force!" Yusei interjected as a shimmering force field appeared around Stardust and himself, turning bright colors of red, yellow, blue, and green as the damage was completely canceled.
"Shining Silver Force is a trap card that negates any effect damage I would take from a trap card, and then it destroys all spell and trap cards you control!" Yusei explained as all of Jack's cards in his backrow shattered, Jack's expression becoming angry as his strategy was stopped.
"And then at the End Phase, Overboost will wear off, reducing your Speed Counters to one." Yusei explained and Jack grunted in both worry and frustration as his engine stopped accelerating – his speed dropping severely as Yusei caught up to – and passed him on the road of light (SPC: 11 1).
TURN 9: YUSEI: 400, JACK: 900, SPC: 8 / 1
"It's my - TURN!" Yusei yelled, drawing his card as Stardust Dragon roared beside him.
"Speed Spell – Final Attack!" Yusei cried out, instantly playing the card he'd drawn as Stardust Dragon crossing one arm in front of the other and lowered its head as it burned with white and blue power (8/2500 5000/2000).
"Speed Spell - Final Attack! It lets a duelist double a monster's attack points until the end of the turn!" Aki said, clutching Gally's arm in excitement within the red bubble.
"No one can ever break our bond, Stardust Dragon!" Yusei yelled, holding up an arm as Stardust complied with his wishes, charging a powerful blast in its maw as Yusei declared the attack.
"Shooting Sonic!"
The lance of white static was enormous, consuming Red Demon's Dragon as Jack's pride tried to shield his master the best he could – but even with the effect granting Red Demon's immunity to battle, it was not enough to stave off the pure power radiating from Stardust Dragon's attack. Jack screamed as the blast washed over him and he vanished from the field, as did Red Demon's Dragon.
Stardust Dragon turned and immediately looked to Gally, flying far above her and let out a roar.
Aki grabbed Gally's waist with both hands, spinning the Cyborg around and looking her in the eyes.
"Black Rose is telling me it's time for you to go home." The Psychic Duelist said. "Thank you for asking me what I fight for – I'm still figuring that out." She said to Gally with an uneasy smile. The Cyborg nodded, unsure what to say to her other than "Find something you can believe in. That's a good start.". The sea of stars ahead of them became a bright light as Yusei drove into it, vanishing as Jack had done earlier.
Gally felt Aki let go of her, Gally falling up as she left the protection of the crimson bubble emanating from Aki's arm.
Then she found she didn't need it anymore as wings of stardust had arrived, the slender dragon grabbing her around her waist and flying up to a higher peak, a blue shimmering space ahead of them.
Gally looked down to see Aki and Ruka looking back at her silently, vanishing as they also hit the barrier of white space and vanished. Then the cyborg glanced up to see Stardust did the same, arms, head and legs vanishing as its tail began to do the same.
Gally still felt like the dragon was holding her as the tail completely vanished. Now she was alone, flying towards the portal on wings of stardust. Then she saw a white flash and everything stopped.
/
Ruka felt herself return, her brother grabbing onto her with relief. Yusei and Jack had re-appeared on the track, Jack having wiped out.
Stardust and Red Demon's were still there, grey and statuesque as they stood and faced each other mid-snarl. Then the pair vanished as Himuro, Rua, and Yanagi looked on with confusion.
"What happened!?" Rua asked.
"Yusei won." Ruka said, having seen the last attack herself. The declaration startled Yanagi and her brother, but Himuro grinned as he looked to Yusei's life-points. "I knew he could do it! These eyes of mine saw a champion!" The former pro duelist said with a grin as Ruka looked to Yusei on the track, wondering what the man would do now that he'd won the title of King.
/
Aki Izayoi felt Black Rose's reassuring grunt as she was overtaken by the light, the flash sending her back into the bathtub as though she'd never left. Aki looked up to the screen and saw that Yusei and Jack had evidently returned, Jack's life-points reduced to zero.
She sat up and let the water flow down from her hair, looking to her hands that moment ago were saving a former enemy from her death.
"What am I fighting for?" Aki asked herself, repeating the cyborg woman's question to herself.
"And the winner of this Fortune Cup is-~!" The announcer began as Aki stood up and threw a towel around her head, beginning to dry herself off.
/
Nova smiled on the computer monitor as Gally opened her eyes, shaking her head to look around.
"Well how was your way back?" Nova asked and Gally rubbed her eyes, glad that the Imaginos Body was still intact.
"Very hectic at the end there." The cyborg said.
"Ah, I see! And I feel! What an experience! I only wonder how you got back." Nova said, holding up a finger.
"Dragon magic is the short answer. But a card game was involved." Gally said, looking around. It was a place she didn't recognize. "I guess Godwin got what he wanted in the end, even if I did wind up twisting his arm a bit."
"Ah, well did you miss our Earth?" Nova asked.
"I did a little, but there were enough similarities that I didn't get too homesick. Where are you?" Gally said, crossing her arms and Nova sighed.
"I'm in Zalem. As are you – after all, it's where I set your body to return to." The scientist said. "I want that brain chip." He said, holding up a finger.
"I'll think about it only because I like the new body. And only if I can see Lou again." Gally said, adamant to re-unite with her friend.
"Er – I suppose that can be arranged." Nova said awkwardly, obviously uncomfortable with the subject.
Gally glared at the computer. "Where are you in Zalem?" Gally asked and the man grinned.
"I was killed. Again. I suppose a back-up of me is around here somewhere, but for now see what there is to see since you're finally up here. The back-up of me should be on his way soon." Nova explained.
Gally huffed and wondered just what would happen next, using the Imaginos body's plasma jets to sketch the likeness of three dragons onto the metal wall.
"Zalem." Gally said, finally at the place Yugo had sacrificed so much to try and reach. It felt just as false as the previous city she'd been in. "Kind of a let-down." She said, stepping back from the crude image of the central dragon she'd burned into the wall, wondering what the spider signified, and just how that tournament wrapped up after the man from Satellite won. And most importantly how the people called Signers would act as the tournament drew to a close.
Gally dismissed the 'what-if's, focusing on what she would do next. For now there was a corrupt City of her own to deal with. And all the Rex Godwins and Desty Novas in the universe couldn't stop her now.