Chapter Five

It wasn't long before Johnson came out of his room and wandered over to the scene. "What has Nesbitt so irritated?" he wondered.

"Beats me," Crump said. "I found him fooling around with a hat some businessman left when he stayed here during a convention. He said he didn't know what he was doing with it, and when I pointed out that he'd left wet footprints in the carpet, he said he hadn't been outside!"

Johnson folded his arms. "Hmm. . . . An obvious case of deception and deceit."

"That's just it, though. When he looked at me, I could see he was serious! He really didn't remember!" Crump shook his head. "What's going on around here?! First Gansley was hurt and now this! It's like someone's really trying to drive us apart, just when we're finally trying to get our lives on track!"

"That is a strange coincidence, isn't it," Johnson mused. "Alright, what would he have been doing outside and with that hat?"

"I can't imagine," Crump said. "Maybe we should go check on Gansley and Lector and see how they're doing."

"I'm feeling better," Gansley suddenly announced as he appeared in the doorway of his room. He was fully dressed and leaning on his cane. "Nesbitt seemed fine earlier. He came in my room while texting Lector. They weren't getting along, as usual."

"Why was he texting Lector?" Crump blinked. "Isn't he here?"

"Apparently he'd gone for a walk and was taking too long to return. I wonder if he's back yet." Gansley looked to the stairs.

At that moment the front door opened and Lector walked in, stomping the snow off his boots. He perked up to see Gansley. "Hello," he greeted everyone. "Gansley, are you feeling better?"

"Yes," Gansley said, "but now Nesbitt is out of sorts."

Quickly Crump explained again what had happened. Lector stared in disbelief. "Where is this hat?" he asked.

"In here." Crump led the other three into the guest room and over to the shelf. As he took the hat down, Lector went stiff.

"It can't be!"

"You know the hat?" Crump held it out to him in surprise.

Lector took it and turned it over. "It's the hat somebody was wearing when they put a bomb in my mailbox earlier!"

Dead silence. Then, "WHAAAT?!" from Crump.

"Lector, are you sure?!" Gansley demanded.

"It must be a mistake," Johnson objected.

"I want it to be a mistake," Lector said. He stared at the object, sickened and confused and reeling. "But it looks just like it. I remember thinking it was unusual because it had a purple band. As you will notice, this hat has a purple band. And it's wet; it's been outside."

"So what happened with this bomb?" Johnson frowned.

Lector quickly explained the morning's events.

"Well, that's messed-up," Crump frowned at the conclusion.

"I know Nesbitt would never do something like that to me in his right mind," Lector said. "I just don't know what's going on around here anymore."

"There's one other thing you should know," Crump said as they trooped back into the hallway. "Nesbitt really acted like he meant it when he said he didn't know what he was doing with the hat and that he hadn't been outside. And from his eyes, he really didn't seem to be lying. I . . ." He sighed. "I believe him. I mean, I believe that he believes it."

"So what does that leave?" Gansley grunted. "Is someone trying to implicate him in this?"

"It sure seems like it, doesn't it," Crump said. "But it doesn't explain why he really wouldn't remember anything. I saw his shoes were wet. He was definitely outside!"

"Let's find him and talk to him," Lector said. "Maybe if I tell him what I know about this hat, it'll trigger something in him and he'll remember."

"It's worth a try," Crump shrugged.

"No, it isn't."

Everyone jerked. Nesbitt had come out in front of them, his eyes dark and angry. He snatched the hat away from Lector, waving it at him. "You honestly believe I put a bomb in your mailbox?!"

"Not while knowing what you were doing!" Lector exclaimed. "Nesbitt, something is seriously wrong here and we need to find out what it is!"

"I'll tell you what it is." Nesbitt shoved the hat at Lector. "All of you are thinking the worst of me. I don't want to do Crump's pet project, so I must be trying to sabotage everyone else. Is that it?"

"No, Nesbitt!" Gansley cried. "Didn't you even hear Crump saying he believed you were telling the truth as you knew it or Lector saying he knew you wouldn't knowingly do this?!"

"I'll tell you something," Nesbitt said, going on as though he hadn't heard, "I don't need any of you in my life. We're all back now; we can go our own ways. Everyone was right when they said I wasn't a team player. I'm not. I never wanted to be." He looked to Lector. "And I don't know why I gave up my life to protect you. I know you don't like me, and the feeling is mutual!" He shoved Lector, pushing past him to storm down the stairs.

Lector stumbled, nearly falling as he crashed into Johnson. "Nesbitt?!" he yelled.

The front door slammed.

Lector straightened, completely shaken by what had just taken place. "I shouldn't have pointed out about the hat," he said regretfully. "I know I'd be furious and hurt if any of you thought I put a bomb in one of your mailboxes."

Gansley scowled. "I can't picture even Nesbitt getting this worked up over what we were talking about. Not when we were saying he wouldn't do that in his right mind."

Lector frowned. He had to admit that would have made a difference for him had the situation been reversed. And it did baffle him that Nesbitt hadn't been willing to listen under the circumstances. On the other hand, it wouldn't be pleasant hearing that your friends wondered if you were losing your mind, either.

"I can't believe any of what just happened," Crump said. "But hey, Lector, don't feel like you set Nesbitt off all by yourself. He was already ticked off from talking to me."

"I suppose," Lector said noncommittally.

Slowly they walked downstairs, Gansley and Johnson trailing after them.

"Lector, he didn't mean it," Johnson said. "I know he couldn't have. He does care about you. We all know it."

Lector didn't answer. Even knowing that it was true, the words Nesbitt had furiously flung at him hurt deeply. They didn't agree on many things, and sometimes Lector was frustrated with Nesbitt, but he had always cared. During the many harmless spats between members of the Big Five, none had ever accused another of not caring or said they didn't care.

"Not just that, but he was trying to figure out a way that he could feel good about working on the penguin preserve," Crump said. "Look at this." He held up the oversized sketchpad with Nesbitt's illustrations of a mini-submarine in the penguin pond.

Lector stared at it. "Then something's just very wrong with him right now." He set the hat down on the table. "We have to find him. Come on!"

Everyone followed him to the door and out into the swirling snow.

xxxx

Solomon's group was still driving to Kaiba Manor when they saw four of the Big Five run out of Crump's house and down the walkway.

"Well, I wonder what's gotten into them," Solomon remarked.

"We'd better find out," Yugi said in concern. "It could be important!"

Solomon agreed and pulled up to the curb.

"Hey, guys," Yugi called out the window. "What's going on?"

They all looked highly tense. "You haven't seen Nesbitt around, have you?" Lector asked.

"Why, no," Solomon blinked. "We just got here."

"So now he's disappeared into thin air?" Tristan frowned.

The group looked down at the snowy ground. "There are footprints," Crump said in some relief. "They must be his. Come on, we'd better follow them!"

"What's the deal?" Tristan asked.

"Not that it's any of your business, but he's been acting strange. Then he just ran out!" Crump followed the prints along the sidewalk and then stopped short. "And everything stops here!"

"The footprints are gone?!" Gansley came up to him and stared.

"Okay, this is just getting creepy," Joey shuddered. "How could they just be gone?!"

"We'd better find out," Johnson frowned.

"We were just on our way to Kaiba's to further discuss everything that's happening," Atem said. "How do you mean that Nesbitt was acting strangely?"

"He overreacted to something we were asking him and then started treating all of us very harshly," Gansley said. "Especially Lector."

"Nesbitt always overreacts," Tristan objected. "What were you asking him?"

Lector looked over. "I suppose if you're going to Mr. Kaiba's, you know about the bomb threat this morning. Well, Nesbitt was found with a hat that looked like the one that person wore."

"And he didn't remember even holding it or putting it away!" Crump exclaimed. "Or being outside! But he was; his shoes were all wet!"

"Alister didn't remember either," Atem mused.

Tristan started. "You think there's some significance in that?"

"I don't know. But I do think we need to find Nesbitt right away," Atem said.

Yugi nodded. "I'll call Kaiba and let him know what's happened now. Maybe he'll want to help look." He took out his phone.

Lector didn't look pleased at Seto having to know of this latest development, but he didn't protest.

xxxx

Nesbitt suddenly found himself cold, dizzy, and bewildered. He took a step and discovered he had stepped onto a completely different street, in a dark alley. He stumbled, crashing into the brick back wall of a building.

"What . . . just happened?" he gasped. He stared at his hands, shaking. "And why do I have the feeling that I did something I regret?!"

Pain shot through his head and he crashed to his knees, bringing a hand to his forehead. "What did I do?! Why don't I remember?!"

"Why?" A masculine voice that he vaguely recognized laughed from in front of him. "Because that's not how it's going to work!"

He looked up, squinting through the darkness that was encroaching on him from either side. "I . . . don't understand," he rasped. "What are you doing to me?"

"It's what you're going to do to the others," the voice cackled. "You're the weakest link, the most reluctant to let go of your hate and the easiest to manipulate." The silhouette stretched out a hand and clenched the fist. "Say Goodbye, Robert Nesbitt! Goodbye forever!"

Nesbitt fell back. It felt like his entire being was being crushed in an invisible, vise-like grip. "No . . . NO!"

The dizziness swept over him. He crashed into the snow, leaving his assailant standing over him, laughing, laughing, until he vanished in a swirl of snow and smoke.

xxxx

When Duke arrived at Mr. Thorton's holiday decor and toy store in the Domino Mall, Téa and Serenity were struggling to arrange some reindeer figurines while their minds were clearly elsewhere.

"Téa, we have to be able to help everyone!" Serenity exclaimed. "It sounds like all kinds of things are going wrong today!"

"I know," Téa fretted. "Yugi said someone would be coming to get us, and Mr. Thorton said we could leave when they come . . ."

"And I'm here," Duke announced.

Serenity beamed in relief. "Duke!"

"It's great to see you," Téa smiled. "Has anything else gone wrong?!"

"I don't know," Duke said. "I hope not. Let's go."

"Right." Téa looked to Maureen, who was working the check-out stand.

"Go ahead and go," Maureen said in irritation. "Mr. Thorton already said you could."

"We'll make it up," Serenity promised. "This is an emergency."

Duke flashed Maureen a smile, to which she didn't react. Duke frowned as he headed up the mall corridor with the girls. "You have to work with her?"

"Yeah, and this is one of her better days," Téa sighed.

Duke grimaced. "It's good you didn't have to take off work on one of her worse ones."

"No kidding," Téa shuddered.

Soon they were outside and heading down the snowy streets in Duke's car. Now that they were away from anyone who might overhear, they felt free to discuss the case.

"I still can't believe some creep is using people we care about in some plot against the Big Five!" Téa cried.

"That's really a worry," Serenity frowned. "Everyone's just really lucky no one's been seriously hurt yet."

"I'm sure that kind of luck won't last," Duke said. "Especially knowing the kind of situations we get into."

Téa slumped against the seat, knowing he was right yet dreading it with all her heart. "Who might get hurt next?" she moaned.

"Maybe that guy?" Duke pulled up next to an alley. "Somebody's lying in the snow there."

Serenity gasped. "Oh!"

Téa leaped out of the car and ran over. "Hey, are you okay?!" But then she yelped and fell back. "It's Nesbitt!"

Duke stiffened. "What's he doing here?!"

"Lying unconscious," Téa flatly retorted.

Serenity bit her lip. "We can't just leave him here. . . . We have to help him. . . ."

Duke gripped the steering wheel. "After everything he did to us? No, nevermind." He looked away. "We can't fall to his level. Yeah, we'll have to help the creep."

"They're trying to be good now," Serenity said slowly. "Maybe he is too. . . ."

"I still don't trust him," Duke said. He got out of the car. "I'll try to get him up. . . ."

Nesbitt stirred when Duke approached him and started to check for head or spine injuries. "What's . . . going on?" he mumbled. "Who's here?"

"No one you'd care about," Duke grunted. "What happened?"

". . . I don't know." Finally regaining consciousness enough to process the situation, Nesbitt pulled away from Duke and started to kneel up in the snow. "Where are the others? I seem to remember they were hurt. . . ."

"You're the only one here," Duke retorted. "And as far as we can tell, the only one hurt."

"What?!" Nesbitt looked around. Now it was starting to dawn on him that he had been found by two of the kids he had hurt in the past, along with one of the others. He glared into the snow, feeling very awkward.

"Why don't you try calling the others?" Téa suggested.

"Yes, I really should." Nesbitt took out his phone. To his surprise, it was flashing with the signal for new texts. When he clicked, messages from all of the others popped up.

Nesbitt, are you alright?

Come on, let us know where you are, Buddy!

I know you can't be alright or you wouldn't have said what you did.

Nesbitt, where are you?! I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it the way you took it.

Nesbitt slumped back. "What did I say? I don't remember saying anything that should have been a problem. . . ." Shaken, he glanced over the messages again and finally chose to answer Gansley's.

I'm alright . . . I think. But I don't remember what happened.

Johnson says I said something. What was it?

There was silence for a few minutes before a reply came in.

You said quite a lot. But nevermind that now;

we want to know where you are. You vanished

into thin air.

Defeated, Nesbitt looked up at the kids. "Where is this?"

"It's over near the mall," Duke said. "We're going to Kaiba's place to talk about what's been happening. It's starting to look like you're mixed up in it more than we even thought."

Serenity finally stepped forward. "We could take you to the others, if you want. . . ."

Nesbitt looked over with a jerk. One of the kids he had hurt. . . . And she was offering to help him? How could she be that foolish?

. . . For that matter, how could any of them have been foolish enough to come over and try to help him when he was laying in the snow?

Téa folded her arms. "We can't just leave you here, especially the way you are."

Resigned, Duke added, "Who knows what else you might forget."

". . . You have no way of knowing that I would help any of you if this situation was reversed," Nesbitt said at last.

"That's not the point," Duke said. "Yeah, you hurt us and I, for one, am still pretty mad about that. But I'm not going to hurt you in turn."

"Please, just come back with us," Serenity said. "You can't stay here in the cold. You don't even have a coat!"

Nesbitt stared at her. ". . . Alright," he finally consented.

He typed his reply to Gansley.

I'm coming back now. You can stop looking for me.

Are all of you alright?

Another silence, but less of one.

Yes.

Sighing, Nesbitt walked with the kids back to the car and awkwardly climbed into the back. The teens crowded into the front seat and Duke pealed the engine.

"What's the last thing you remember?" he asked.

"Realizing I was out in the snow . . . and some madman was cackling something . . . something I can't recall." Again Nesbitt held a hand to his forehead. It was hurting more the more he tried to remember. Why couldn't he think?

"That . . . doesn't sound good," Téa gulped.

"That's the understatement of the year," Duke grunted.

"You don't know how you got in the snow?" Serenity asked in concern.

"No, I don't," Nesbitt growled.

"Or why you thought the others were hurt?" Duke persisted.

Nesbitt fell silent. He wasn't sure at all, but he had the horrible, sickened feeling that he was responsible for it. Whatever he had said, it must have been terrible.

"What have I done?" he whispered. He leaned forward, digging both hands into his hair. "What did I do?"

Téa looked back at him, concerned and unsettled. "Maybe we should leave him alone for now," she said slowly.

Duke was perfectly agreeable to that.

None of them noticed as the dizziness overwhelmed Nesbitt and his eyes went blank.

xxxx

The Big Four had still been in the process of looking for Nesbitt when the texts had finally come in from him. As Gansley typed the final reply, he looked to the others. "This proves that he doesn't remember what happened or what he said. Something is obviously very wrong."

"Well, we can't find out anything more until he shows up here," Crump said.

Yugi walked over to them. "You finally heard from him?"

"Yes, and he is clearly very confused," Gansley said. "He doesn't remember the scene he created at all."

By this time the Bakuras had joined the group, and Yami Bakura growled. "What are you going to do when he comes back?"

"Try to get him to remember, of course," Johnson said. "He couldn't have forgotten for any good reason."

"So he wouldn't just block it out of guilt or something," Tristan said, half-sarcastic.

"Highly unlikely," Gansley said. "But he wouldn't have said what he did in the first place had he been in his right mind."

"You're so sure of that?" Joey frowned.

"People who have been together as long as we have learn to understand each other, Joseph," Johnson said. "I would think that would be something you would understand, with all of your preaching about friendship."

"Yeah, sure," Joey said. "But it's still hard to get used to from you guys, you know?"

"Hmm," said Gansley, and smirked.

Yugi, meanwhile, had noticed how quiet Lector had been. Finding that unusual, he went over to him. "Lector, are you okay?"

Lector started, looking to the boy in disbelief. This wasn't the first time Yugi had showed concern for him, but it felt just as strange this time as before. "Of course I am," he said uncomfortably.

"It's okay to admit you're not," Yugi said. "We're not enemies anymore."

Lector looked away. He was still hurt by Nesbitt's words, he had to quietly admit. And yet part of him really knew that Nesbitt couldn't have meant it. He could have been overly stressed and blurted something unkind and extreme. But the fact that he had no memory of it now really made Lector wonder what the explanation could be. Was Nesbitt sick? That wouldn't explain the supernatural undertones, though.

"I'm . . . worried about my friend," he said then.

Yugi gave a kind nod. "Of course."

Seto, who had started looking for Nesbitt after Yugi's call to him, came over to the group. "If Nesbitt really was the one who planted that bomb, he has a lot to answer for," he snarled. "It was thrown at Mokuba! With Nesbitt's track record, it's not hard to believe that he would do that in his right mind. Maybe he was never going to leave it in your mailbox, Lector. Maybe he was just tricking Mokuba to get him to come over."

Lector flinched but said, "That wouldn't explain the way he treated all of us, Mr. Kaiba. Or how he disappeared into thin air without leaving footprints. Or why he doesn't remember any of what he said."

"You know, he could be lying about not remembering," Seto said. "He was sure eager to get out of Noa's world as soon as he could, whether you four were able to go with him or not." He narrowed his eyes. "Maybe he really doesn't care about any of you."

"You can say that after what he did for Lector?" Johnson returned.

"He didn't know he was going to die," Seto shot back.

"No, but he wouldn't have had to push me away from that magical blast," Lector snapped. "He could've just got out of the way himself, and he probably would have if he only cared about himself."

They stood glaring at each other for a long moment. Finally Seto said, "So now you know what it's like. You know Nesbitt cares, but someone is telling you he doesn't. It doesn't feel very good, does it?"

Lector looked away. "Neither of us can help our feelings, Mr. Kaiba."

"Come on, don't tell me you still think Kaiba doesn't care about Mokuba," Tristan frowned.

"I hope he does," Lector said. "Although even when people care, they sometimes use or manipulate their loved ones in their darkest moments. It comes of taking people for granted."

"And did you ever do that, Lector?" Seto asked.

Lector didn't answer. It had been done to him on more than one occasion. But had he done it himself? He had betrayed Gozaburo. Nevermind that he had regretted it as soon as he realized just how hard the man would take losing KaibaCorp; regret didn't take away that it had happened.

"We're getting off the subject," Yami Bakura growled. "This isn't the time for your personal squabbles to resume."

"Great Scott!" Bakura yelped. "It certainly isn't! Look!"

Everyone jumped a mile and looked to where he was pointing.

Duke's car was coming right towards them, swerving wildly from side to side. As it drew closer, an equally wild Nesbitt was clearly visible fighting with Duke over the steering wheel!