Hey everyone, I hope you all had a great holiday.
Sorry for the delay, there have been a lot of hassles - mine and others' - that delayed this chapter, but to the disappointment of certain vile trolls who still refuse to give up - you know who you are - I'm not dead and neither is Shadowchasers.
Anyway, on we go.
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Now, a global crisis was nothing new to the Shadowchasers. The one with Atropis was likely the worst, and the Kreegan Mass Exodus was another they had to deal with. Jalal has also discovered a few references to events before his time that might have fallen under their jurisdiction, including the Rain of Colorless Fire.
Jalal had been through and directed the actions of his men through far more potentially cataclysmic than any leader should be required to. While it did take a toll on his psyche from time to time, he learned from these disasters, and developed a theory as to Antithesis' strategy, one which to most seemed random and haphazard.
Which is why another of his talents - being able to remain cool under pressure - was doubly important.
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Chapter 54
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The Man in Black
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"Jabels, did you get a chance to send that thing to the Leomund's Vault?"
The voice came from the communicator on Jalal's D-Wheel, as the leader of the Shadowchasers was between Lansing and Detroit, on his way to rendezvous with his ally.
"I put it there three days ago," replied Jabels. "Is that where you're headed."
"Affirmative," replied Jalal. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
A Leomund's Vault was an upgraded version of the Leomund's chest, a common tool for wizards to store things they couldn't risk exposing to thieves. The chest version was, simply enough, a magical chest that was locked using magic and sent to the Astral Plane. Given the sheer size of the Astral, it was unlikely anyone would find or come across it, but its owner could recover it using a command word and a fist-sized replica of the chest crafted for just that purpose.
Leomund's Vault took this a little further. It was a larger container that was even more secure, and items could be placed in it or taken out of it by up to five designated people, without it leaving the Astral. (At present, those five people were Jalal, Jabels, Adrian, Maskent, and Maskent's apprentice Rautheene.)
But while any of those three could place objects there from anywhere by himself, taking something out required two of them, and could only be done at specific areas.
The things put in a Leomund's Vault tended to be dangerous. What worried Jalal most was, he still had no idea why Maskent had wanted it put there.
Seems like he'd find out.
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Meanwhile, Jabels had other issues to address.
Clownzilla crashed to the floor of the circus tent, a crumpled, bloody mess.
"Jables?" sighed Penelope, into her Disk communicator. "We're okay here, but you should probably send a hazmat team in with the usual group."
"Understood," replied Jabels' voice. "Take a break, but keep alert, we may need more hands very soon…"
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Now to roll the clock back slightly, to the time where Douglas confronted Voldemort, and rolling the globe 180 degrees, to Hong Kong Island. While after midnight, the late hour didn't lessen the city life; in fact, the term "lit up like a pinball machine" could describe a city that slept even less than New York.
Which made the high-speed chase Hank was now engaging in even more hazardous.
"Hold on there, Hank, slow down," said Dolores' voice over the radio of his D-Wheel. "You're engaging on a high-speed pursuit on foot?"
"No, I meant I'm on a D-Wheel, chasing a guy who is on foot," replied Hank.
As unlikely as that sounded, it was true. The man he was chasing was running at a speed impossible for humans and most Shadows, maneuvering around the rest of the traffic on the North Lantau Highway and making it hard for the Shadowchaser to keep up.
"Can you describe him?" she asked.
"Yeah, he's," replied Hank. Then he slammed on the breaks as the strange perp made a sudden stop, turning to face him. The Shadowchaser skidded and swerved, pulling to a stop as he vanished.
Son of a bitch… he thought. Then to his utter surprise, he caught sight of the guy again, standing on the overpass looking at him with a smirk.
He wants me to follow him, Hank surmised. He's getting a kick out of this.
Dolores radioed back. "Scratch the question, Hank, we have him on visual now."
Of course, that didn't explain much. He was a well-dressed man in a black business suit and sunglasses. Very little else was needed to describe him; he was very much an archetype for a shady-looking man in a suit.
Hank turned the D-Wheel around and raced after him, with Dolores still giving him instructions. "We'll get back to you, keep him in sight if you can."
Yeah, like it was ever that easy for Neo, he thought.
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"So, Jack was a lawyer. He was an opportunistic, unlikeable, arrogant, cynical, slimy lawyer who worshipped Machiavelli like he was God, working for the worst criminals who'd pay him, never caring about the consequences of his actions or who he hurt. So, it came as no surprise when he dies and his 'god' doesn't want him, and he ends up in Hell."
As Ferdinand started telling this joke, Emily - who was awake, but groggy, and sipping strong coffee - rolled her eyes, knowing another corny joke was in progress. Unfortunately, talking would take effort for a while, so she had to listen.
"Anyway, once this guy is there, it's everything he figured it would be, fire and brimstone with demons lashing the damned souls - like him - with whips and chains. Then he sees the old head of his first law firm, who was even worse, cuddling up to a gorgeous woman. She's practically a centerfold model, blonde, blue-eyed, with ta-tas till Tuesday.
"So, he says, 'George? Great scott, how'd you manage this?' And his old mentor answers -"
"I've got news for you, kid," interrupted Dunstan, "this ain't my punishment, it's hers'."
Ferd hadn't even noticed he was listening as he typed at his desk. "You've heard it, right?"
"You told it before," replied Dunstan, Emily nodding in agreement. "Except 'Jack' was a young priest and 'George' was his ultra-conservative fundamentalist mentor."
"Why do all your jokes have to do with Hell?" asked Emily with a clear frog in her throat.
"Uh, because you can't make jokes about Heaven without offending at least one demographic?" he answered.
She shook her head as she took larger sips.
"Okay, okay, here's one that goes halfway," he said. "A man dies and goes to Heaven, finds it great in every way. Beautiful place where everyone is happy and friendly, tasty food, music, and no ugliness at all. One day, he asks to take a peek at Hell.
"He's confused when he does, because he finds the place the same as Heaven, just as beautiful and pleasant, with the same food and music and all that, but everyone there is miserable.
"He asks why, and someone tells him, 'they can't stop obsessing about how much better Heaven must be'."
There was dead silence for a minute or two.
"I can't tell if that's funny, profound, or just plain scary," said Dunstan.
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The man - whom Hank was almost certain now, was Agent Smith - kept baiting the Shadowchaser, speeding ahead one minute only to slow down the next.
High on the roof of a medium-sized complex, eyes that could spot a rabbit in a snowstorm (literally) fixated on the well-dressed runner. A bowstring pulled back…
Smith turned his head quickly as Red Feather fired, having only faintly heard the rush of air. Hank slammed on the break again, and the arrow struck, the Agent seemingly imploding as it hit.
As he dismounted and scratched his head, Red Feather leapt from her perch, shimmying down a fire escape and landing on the street.
"Nice shot, Red," sighed Hank, "but I doubt he's gone."
"How could a human have moved so fast?" asked the elf.
"He only looks human," explained Hank. "Smith is anything but."
Seeing the confused look on her face, he elaborated. "Agent Smith, you know, The Matrix?"
"I'm not into film," she replied.
"Okay, abridged version," he replied. "The Matrix is a post-apocalyptic setting were an evil computer intelligence rules everything, using humans like batteries and altering their perceptions of the world so they think everything is normal."
Red was listening closely, and simply said "Go on."
"The Agents are the ones who go after anyone who finds out it's not normal, but Smith is the one who stands out."
"Better put a pause on this, Hank," said Jabels' voice, "he's on the move again, and I think i know where he's headed. Take the tram to the Frantisec Enterprises building. There should be a station entrance a block to the east."
"Any idea what he's up to?" asked Hank, speaking into his Disk mid-stride.
"Just an educated guess on my part," replied Jables. A slight "Ahem," was heard over the message. "Sorry, I mean Dolores' part, but Smith is likely after the information in the F.E. media morgue."
"A morgue?" asked Red, a little shocked.
"Not that type of morgue," added Hank. They rushed down the stairs, the tram pulling into the station as they spoke. "A media morgue is a place where a news organization stores all the information they gathered that was never fit to print."
The two Shadowchasers leapt over the turnstiles, Hank pitching two tokens into the tray as they rushed into the closing doors.
"As in, photos and videos of archived stories that couldn't be shown to the public for one reason or another. A media morgue has all the unsubstantiated unconfirmed stories about celebrities and politicians that the tabloids would love to have. Regardless, it's a wealth of information, and in this case, it's from F.E.'s entire hundred years plus it's been in business."
"The F.E.'s morgue is probably the largest collection of Shadowkind information in the city - possibly Asia - stored on computer," continued Jabels, "worth a king's ransom to anyone who could utilize it. A rather tempting target for a living virus like Smith. But while his skills would rival that of any Shadowjack, the F.E. morgue has a simple defense against hackers, it has no connection to the web at all. It is cut off from all outside communication.
"Meaning, you'd actually have to be in the room," replied Hank.
The tram started to move, and Red Feather held herself, visibly antsy. Her dislike of such vehicles was clear.
"Not as easy as it sounds," said Dolores' voice again. "You'd need to get past five guarded checkpoints. Even if a saboteur managed to get there, finding the right data is difficult, and getting away with it is harder, as there are no printers or burn drives.
"Smith, however, could loot the entire library in seconds like a living flash drive, should he somehow manage to enter."
"Understood," replied Hank, "we'll stop him before he gets there."
"Be warned, given the color of his suit and shape of his sunglasses, this Smith is clearly the stronger version."
"Stronger version?" asked Red.
"Uh…" explained Hank. "Well, in the first movie, the hero seems to kill Smith at the end, but in the sequel, it seems Smith is just 'unplugged', and as such, has the ability to actively pursue his own goal. To put this bluntly, he hates humans, and thinks the world would be better without them. We're up against a man plotting nothing less than genocide for its own sake."
Then the tram shook, and the lights flickered.
"Your contact's idea is novel idea," said a grim voice. "But one I'll have to save for later."
Then both the doors leading to the connecting cars opened, and the two Shadowchasers were confronting Smith and what seemed to be a twin of him.
Red drew a hunting knife from her belt, and hurled it, hitting one in the stomach. But he merely smirked, right before exploding into pixels much like a Duel Monster did. Then yet another Smith entered from behind where that one was.
"Just like a movie franchise," sighed Hank. He drew his weapon from his hip. "Nothing but rehashed remakes."
"He can make duplicates of himself?" asked Red.
"He assimilates himself," replied Hank, "infects humans and, well… He's like a self-replicating virus."
"Ashtara above," gasped Red Feather as that she realized what that meant. Hank could only assume the phrase was "Oh my God!" in elven.
"Be careful," said the first Smith, "they may be someone you know…"
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"So, asked Ferdinand, you think that stuff worked?"
Emily put her cup down, then covered it with her palm. There was a loud hiss as caustic venom covered it, melting the ceramic cup into a pile of sludge.
She smiled and nodded.
"I'll take your word for it," he replied.
"By the way, where's Oswald?" he asked.
Dunstan abruptly stopped typing and looked around. The longer Oswald was out of sight, the less he liked it.
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"Keep them occupied you two!" urged Dolores, "I've got an idea!"
This was hardly encouraging, as two of the Smith clones were restraining Hank while a third was punching him in the face, while two others were doing their best to drag Red Feather through one of the doors.
"LET GO!" she yelled.
"Quiet!" one of them demanded, clasping his hand over her mouth.
A very bad move. The scream from the Smith was heard by commuters waiting on the next platform; two of the Smiths were hurled onto said platform as the doors opened.
Not the one who screamed, he was clutching his hand and leaning against the wall as the tram took off again.
"Okay, punching and gouging I can handle," he groaned, "but biting?"
One of the two remaining Smiths lunged for Red Feather again, and then, to Hank's horror, exploded.
The heat and burning light was only too authentic, and when he opened his eyes again, it seemed both had been reduced to ash.
"You bastard," he cursed, turning to one of the remaining Smiths. He had been disarmed of his sword, but didn't care right now. There was a fire extinguisher on the wall next to him, and it would suffice.
"I suggest you curb yourself Mr. Richards, before you -"
Smith was cut off, but so was Hank, the blow causing the entire world around him to go black.
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Back at Headquarters, Karl was in the old evidence locker building, where confiscated material and equipment from decades-old cases were stored. A flashlight and SAL's long memory were guiding him towards one of the older acquisitions.
"Not to sound insistent," said Dolores' voice over his Duel Disk, "but we need it soon."
"I'm not sure if finding it is the hardest part," replied Hank. "I'll have to use it too."
"I thought you were the computer expert."
"I am, but I doubt even the head of the NRA could use a matchlock rifle, it's just kind of -"
He was cut off as SAL nearly squeed in excitement.
"Think we found it," he said.
The rumble pack on his Disk activated, pushing him towards the dust-proof footlocker that SAL had spotted.
"Calm down, SAL, calm down," he said. He fumbled with the key before unlocking the chest and lifting the lid wide.
The computer inside was a Macintosh. Not an iMac or iPad, but one of the original Macintosh computers. An antique to be sure, it was the model from 1984, the brainchild of Steve Jobs, and the first widely marketed personal computer to use integral graphical user interface and mouse.
To SAL, viewing it was practically seeing a long-lost grandfather, but this wasn't exactly the time for gushing.
"We're actually going to use it?" she asked.
"Fraid we have to," he replied. "I promise to be gentle."
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"You clearly have a strong constitution, Mr. Richards."
Hank held his head as he sat up, which was still ringing. His vision started to return, and he deduced he was on the center platform of another tram stop.
"Either I'm dead and the afterlife smells bad," he replied, "or you have the cheapest aftershave money can buy, Smith."
"Sarcasm," said the Agent with a shrug. "Seems that trait among humans is one of the few constants in the multiverse."
"So are glitchy AI programs, it seems," said Hank. He stood up, and was about to go for his sword before remembering he had dropped it. "You realize you fled from one malfunctioning system to work for another?"
"True, those clockwork beings are somewhat scatterbrained, but they have potential," said Smith. "Potential I can use towards my own means."
Hank was about to make a rush for him, but two more Smiths appeared, grabbing him by the arms.
"More of your assimilated drones, I take it?" he growled, struggling.
"Sadly, yes," replied Smith. "You see, Mr. Davis, the ability to be in two places at once is my biggest advantage, but it has drawbacks. It's a simple matter to use the local gutter trash as hosts…"
"Gutter trash?" snarled Hank.
"Vagrants, bums, drifters," replied Smith. "Take your pick. Such destitute creatures are easy prey."
Hank wanted to curse him for his utter lack of concern for human life, but then he realized it would be pointless.
"But such men are soft and weak," continued Smith. "Humans with strong wills such as yourself are ideal hosts, but they tend to fight back with incredible fervor. Thus, my dilemma. For such a target, I require a stronger avenue of attack.
"The nano-machine research, that is the solution."
"What, you're going to use the nanos to infect people?" asked Hank, almost laughing. "Send a whole army of yous over the internet?"
Then he wrenched free, punching the two Smiths, but the one talking - who seemed to be in charge - snapped his fingers as he turned around, pointing to the other platform.
"Red Feather?" he gasped.
She was there, looking confused and groggy, almost like she was drunk. Two more Smiths were holding her.
"The clones on the train were rigged with special bombs that caused a portal-hurl, Mr. Richards. Those clones, however, are armed with real explosives. And to answer your question, I'm going to start with the two of you, in the ideal way I discovered in this new reality."
Lifting his left arm, a silvery energy blade in the shape of a Duel Disk, much like the ones Yuri and Kei used.
Hank looked at his ally. He knew what a 'portal-hurl' was. Teleportation would almost always cause motion sickness, as it involved entering another dimension with different spatial laws and returning within the span of seconds, not a smooth journey. The problem was easily corrected by a hedge magic that gave the user a small enchantment to prevent it, like a quick hit of Dramamine. The gemstones the Shadowchasers used to arrest criminals intentionally left that enchantment out, making a criminal easier to restrain.
Still, Red Feather was tough, she'd likely recover soon, and maybe a duel would help her do so faster. Everyone knew that watching one could be invigorating…
He nodded, and his Duel Disk flipped into position.
"In all honesty, I always thought this kind of duel would be rather, uhm, insightful," said Hank. "Given the cards I'm using."
"Prepare to see Hell," threatened Smith.
"I'll save you a seat," replied Hank.
(Hank: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Smith: 8,000)
Hank made the first draw, then took two of his cards. "I'll Special Summon Gilasaurus in Defense Mode, then back him with Skelesaurus in Attack Mode."
The first part of that move was an old one, with the smallish Dinosaur appearing. (400 DEF) The second part, however, was more unsettling. Large bones erupted from out of the ground, piecing themselves together into a frame for something that, at first glance, may have once been a T-Rex. However, this giant skeleton had quite a few unnatural features, including sharp, bony horns on its kneecaps, shoulders, and snout, along with evil-looking eyes that glowed soft green. (1,800 ATK)
"So, let's see you've got."
"I've got plenty," replied Smith. He drew, then used a Spell Card that Hank wasn't familiar with. The whole arena went black, dark, evil-looking eyes appeared behind Smith.
"Is that supposed to be scary?" asked Hank.
"No, Future Vision is supposed to look at the cards in your deck one by one until it reveals a monster," replied Smith. As he adjusted his sunglasses, cards slowly appeared in front of his eyes, Hunting Instinct, Unexpected Dai, Block Dugout, and finally, Giant Rex.
"Done," he stated, as the light came back. "And because Giant Rex is the same Type of monster as Gilasaurus, you gain 1,000 Life Points."
But far more importantly, thought Hank, guessing the true purpose quickly, he just got a preview of my next draws.
"I'll summon Spy-C-Spy," continued Smith.
The female monster that appeared seemed very out of place. A woman in an expensive-looking red dress and long, blonde hair, she seemed more like the type who was on her way to a dinner party. (1,200 ATK)
"This card's effect lets me look at a monster in your Extra Deck," said Smith.
Spy-C-Spy casually lit a cigarette, and another card revealed itself to Smith, a Fusion Monster called Horned Saurus.
"Typical," he said. "Anyway, because that monster has at least 2,000 Attack Points, my monster gains one thousand. (2,200 ATK)
Spy-C-Spy grinned wickedly, then flicked the cigarette at Skelesaurus, erupting into a veritable bonfire and roasting the poor creature, which collapsed into a pile of burnt bones.
"Mmm, crude, but effective," said Smith. "I'll set this card face-down and then you go."
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As Hank drew a card, he looked up at Red. She seemed groggy and flushed, but more awake.
"Hunting Instinct, right?" asked Smith, a smarmy look on his face.
You and your clones are going to be in for a major surprise in a minute or two, thought, Hank, but until then...
"I'm summoning Black Brachios!" he yelled.
This monster was… unsubtle. Barging into onto the platform on all four legs was a Dinosaur with black, armored scales, a bony ridge on its head and sharp spurs on its shoulders and down its spine. (1,800 ATK)
Then it slammed its foot down hard, and Spy-C-Spy grunted, falling over on her behind. (1,300 DEF)
"Not very wise coming here in heels," he remarked. "Especially since my monster's effect moves her to Defense Mode."
Gilasaurus let out a loud screech as it moved to Attack Mode. (1,400 ATK) Then it leapt upon Spy-C-Spy, her loud scream cut off as it struck.
"You're next, Smith! Brachi Bull Rush!"
The larger Dinosaur thundered towards the Agent, causing the floor to tremble. Smith didn't flinch, but pointed as his Trap Card lifted.
"I use On the Edge," he said. "You draw one card, and I take a guess as to what it is. If I'm right, your monster is destroyed."
Hank stopped, and Brachios halted. "Go on," said Smith.
Hank drew a card, and Smith said, "I believe you drew Unexpected Dai."
"Unbelievable," grumbled Hank, turning the card - which was, of course, Unexpected Dai - around. His two Dinosaurs exploded into pixels.
"On the Edge has another effect," continued Smith, "by discarding one card," he quickly did so, "I can summon a monster from my deck with a Level up to that of your Brachion. I choose Spygal Misty."
The new monster was, much like Spy-C-Spy, an attractive female, but while her clothes were obviously just as pricey, they were the type a high-priced attorney or accountant would wear, a beige jacket and formal skirt with a purple blouse underneath. A burgundy leather briefcase completed the ensemble. She had shoulder-length, chestnut hair. (1,500 ATK)
"She has her own effect," he continued. Misty opened the briefcase as he continued to speak. "If I can guess what type of card the top one on your deck is, I get to draw once. I guess Spell."
Misty fished a card from the purse, and again with the sly smile, flipped it around, showing it to be Block Dugout. Smith drew with the same smirk.
"Never gonna get away with this you bastard," mumbled Hank. "I'll set two facedown cards and my turn is over.
He looked at Red Feather again, and saw she was wide awake now, and clearly very angry.
"Wondering why your friend isn't bothering to fight?" asked Smith. "Maybe she knows about this."
He tilted his disk slightly, revealing an odd bracelet fastened to the wrist. "This is what is called a 'dead man's switch'," he explained.
"You son of a bitch," stated Hank.
"It's rigged to my other two selves, and set to go off if I am shot, gassed, rendered unconscious, or my Life Points in this duel hit zero. In case you need reminding, the explosives rigged on my two duplicates is the more destructive type."
Hank looked at Red again, as Smith continued. "Keep that in mind."
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"Uh-oh," said Dolores, as Smith's warning was broadcast to them.
"I hope we have a backup plan," said Jabels.
"The current one still works, but we'll need to bolster it," answered Dolores. "Veronica, get Mr. Townsend on the line."
The secretary she had indicated looked rather shocked. "What?" she asked.
"I said -"
"I know what you said," replied Veronica, "but didn't Jalal say -"
"This qualifies as an emergency, do it!" ordered Dolores.
Veronica gulped and started to comply, dreading and pondering what punishment she'd face if Jalal disapproved of calling the Shadowchasers' contact at Parliament without his approval...
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Smith drew a card, and his eyes fell towards the facedown cards.
"You really think your plan is foolproof, do you?" asked Hank.
"Maybe, maybe not," replied Smith. "For all I know, you might be the type who is all but willing to sacrifice your college. However, I'm better at predicting strategies. Case in point, one of the cards you just set is obviously Hunting Instinct, which can summon a Dinosaur from your hand if I Special Summon. Of course, you might choose not to do so, as you also have Unexpected Dai, which can summon from your deck, which is potentially better."
"Brilliant," said Hank, the sarcasm clearly there.
"However, since there are obviously more monsters in your deck and you bothered to set it in the first place, there is a much better chance that you could summon from your hand, so I will use the effect of this card, Spyral Super Agent. Again, I guess Spell Card, and…"
He was cut off, as the tram started to speed into the station to the left of them. To Hank's complete shock, a man flipped from the top of the train, landing next to Misty. He was just as well-dressed, and had a green briefcase, along with a killer smile. (1,900 ATK) Misty gave him a dirty look.
As the train screeched to a halt, Smith made his next move, pointing to one of the set cards. "By Special Summoning him this way, your card is destroyed."
The Super Agent's looked at his watch, then pointed with it; Hank had, fortunately, seen this movie and dodged aside to avoid the laser beam, which nonetheless, hit one of the set cards - Hunting Instinct, coincidentally - and blew it to little pieces.
"Continuing," said Smith, "the monster I discarded last turn was Spyral Quik Fix, and by discarding another Spyral, like this one," he discarded the card, a monster called Spyral Master Plan, "I can summon it."
A globe of digital ones and zeroes expanded, causing another well-dressed, but younger man to materialize, one with a lab coat over the suit, and opaque glasses. He was sitting while typing data into an odd device while adjusting a knob on another one. (500 DEF)
"For someone who claims to hate humans, you sure use a lot of human-like monsters," noted Hank.
"They have uses," replied Smith. "Such as this monster's ability to take any card from my deck with the words 'Spyral Gear' in it."
Quik-Fix continued to type, and a green-bordered card appeared in holographic form in front of him; the same card appeared in Smith's hand. He used it right away.
"Stand aside for Spyral Gear Big Red."
The sound of an engine made it clear he was being literal. Again, Hank dodged aside to avoid the red sports car swerving down the platform. It skidded to a stop next to Smith, who barely flinched.
The door opened, and an older - yet still attractive - woman stepped out, wearing some grey jacket and slacks, tied-back honey-blonde hair, glasses, and stern expression giving her an air of authority. (2,800 DEF)
She produced a manila envelope, handing it to Smith, who snatched it without even making eye-contact. "Spyral Master Plan gains me a special card called a Spyral Mission," he continued. He ripped the envelope open, taking a Trap Card from it while ignoring Master Plan's dirty looks.
He set that card, then nodded to Misty. She nodded back, then took a mobile from her jacket, and started to input a number.
"Now what?" asked Hank. He got his answer quickly, as Gilasaurus and Super-Agent disappeared into columns of light.
"What happened?" he demanded. He looked at Spygal, who seemed to be taking a minute to adjust her lipstick.
"Spygal's other effect sends your monster back to your hands while sending Super-Agent to mine, meaning you're out of luck. Direct attack!"
Misty lobbed both the lipstick and compact she was using unhand at Hank, and both exploded upon hitting the floor, creating far more smoke than anything else.
"Now I can use the Spell Card, Sebek's Blessing," added Smith.
Hank looked up, and his eyes met Misty's; her face briefly turned evil and reptile like, hissing as she stared without blinking.
(H: 7,100) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 9,500)
Okay, that was… bizarre, he thought.
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Having passed the Lansing city limits, a new voice came up on Jalal's system
"So, this platonic is trying to tear open the veil?" asked Maskent's voice. "All he seems to be doing now is trying to incite chaos. Which I may add, if very unorthodox for his kind."
", it's starting to make perfect sense," replied Jalal. "Remember what happened when the Orichalcos first appeared in card form and Dartz's henchmen started using them? There were some side effects that were hard to ignore."
"The Duel Spirits manifesting in this world?" asked Maskent. "Yes, Kaiba's attempts to convince the press that his systems were malfunctioning didn't help his company's reputation."
"And if I remember, we were very busy during that time," added Jalal. "Shadow emigres appeared more frequently during the crisis, and no less than three new species were catalogued in a week. This was also the time we had to handle an outbreak of roach thralls in five areas, and unprovoked attacks by kythons were worse in that month than all previous incidents involving them."
"I'm guessing you don't believe it all was a coincidence."
"I'm starting to think that the veil may have been weakened during the Orichalcos crisis because more Mundanes started to, subconsciously, try to see beyond it. It's only a theory on my part, but when a human mind starts doubting that his perception of reality is true, it instinctively starts to adjust."
"And it's happening again?" asked Maskent.
"Dartz likely didn't intend to change everyone's perception of Shadows," replied Jalal, "and likely wouldn't care if he had. But given what Eden told Ms. Taft, I'm starting to wonder if that is exactly the goal Antisthenes desires.
"After all, the more bizarre something is, the more everyone watches, the more the trusted authorities try to explain it to prevent panic… And the more the public's trust in them erodes."
"And the more doubters spout their conspiracy theories to create more doubt…"
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Yes, Mr. Townsend," said Dolores. "Yes, I'll take full responsibility. Very well."
She hung up. "He said he can issue the order in ten minutes," she said, addressing Jabels.
"Not very reassuring," he answered.
"Karl, how is it coming?" she asked into the other line.
"Slow, considering it's a dial-up," he replied. "I hope you realize I have to pirate the phone company's service to do this. It's not exactly something they offer with a standard broadband package."
"I'll take full responsibility if they find out, just hurry!"
"Dolores, you've said that to four people in the past ten minutes," said Jabels. "What's going to happen if this doesn't work?"
"We're dealing with a man whose stated plans include global genocide," replied Dolores. "If this doesn't work, it won't matter."
Jabels couldn't argue with that.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Smith, if you think you can impress me with this over-analysis of yours, thought Hank, you're in for a shock.
He drew a card, which of course, was Block Dugout.
You bounced my Gilasaurus hoping I'd Special Summon it again, and now that there is a monster in your Graveyard, I'd have the drawback to worry about. But I'm not the type who acts on my first impulse either.
"I activate Unexpected Dai! With no monsters, I can summon Jaws' great, great granddaddy, the Megalosmasher X!"
Smith's reaction when the monster - a giant, gaunt cross between an alligator and shark with a huge mouth - appeared. Technically, an ichthyosaur was not a true dinosaur, but I2 had included it with them much like they had with cards resembling pterosaurs. (2,000 ATK)
"You'd have to add a few million 'greats' to that," replied Smith, "but then, I don't have the time either."
He smirked a little as he saw Hank Special Summon the Gilasaurus again. (1,400 ATK) "I use that monster's effect to bring back my Spy-C-Spy!" he announced.
He outstretched his hand, causing the spy to appear again, kneeling. (1,300 DEF)
Hank nodded, then his remaining Trap lifted. "I activate Hyper Devolution," he said. "I'll pay 1,000 Life Points, and because I have at least one Dinosaur on the field already, I can summon a monster from my Graveyard other than a Dinosaur."
Like before, the bones of the Skelesaurus rose from the ground and pieced together into a skeleton. (1,700 ATK)
"This guy may be a little dead on his feet, but I can put some life into his step with a Gemini Summon!"
The Zombie absorbed streaks of blue energy and muscles, tendons, and skin formed over the bones, transforming it to a living Dinosaur.
"Attack… HER!" he commanded.
Spygal Misty screamed and a wave of dark, rippling, necrotic energy hit her, reducing her to smoldering dust.
(H: 6,100) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 9,300)
"Big deal!" cursed Smith.
"Care about this?" asked Hank. The same dark energy geysered out from the ground, and Spygal Misty appeared again, on Hank's side. (1,600 DEF)
Smith was clearly angry, but Hank continued. "Think I'll use her effect. I guess… Spell Card,"
The Agent grumbled a little, and flipped the top card of his deck. It was Machine Duplication, so Hank drew one card. As he confirmed it, Gilasaurus pounced at Spy-C-Spy while Megalosmasher X roared, sending a sonic wave of destruction at Quik-Fix. Both monsters shattered.
"OW!" yelled Red Feather. "Ow…"
"Sorry, kid," said one of the two Smiths, who was doing his best to twist her arm, "seems your friend down there needs a little reminder here."
Hank noticed, of course, and was just as furious as Red was. This better be a damn good plan, Dolores.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"You sure about this, Nitro?" asked Uomo.
"Positive," replied the shorter Shadow. "Well, that's what the lady said."
From Fanciullo's car, his henchmen were scoping out the Copek building from about a block away. Nitro was a little uneasy, as he knew his sounded like a crackpot and saying things he barely believed himself.
"What the dame from the video game said, right?" asked Amare.
"Copa dosta, if word of this gets out to the other gangs," added Uccisore, "we're never gonna hear the end of it."
"Just give me a few minutes to make sure," sighed Nitro.
The device he was using wasn't exactly designed for use on ancient magical supercomputers, but it had worked on Delta at least.
"Just hurry," said Fanciullo.
Nitro turned to him nervously, a little startled. The inside of the limo wasn't all that big, but for some reason, the boss could make you forget he was even there if he hadn't spoken for a while.
"Sooner we get all this done the better," he added. "This whole deal is getting to me like a bad rash that just won't go away…"
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"I actually should thank you, Mr. Richards," said Smith. "By disposing of those monsters, I now have room for something greater."
As he drew a card, Spyral Master Plan produced another envelope, handing it to Smith, who grabbed it with as much courtesy as before - as in, none.
"Doesn't seem she likes you any better than M liked working with 007," noted Hank.
"But despite costly collateral damage, international humiliation, and a reputation that British paparazzies likely relished, none of them ever fired him, because he got results," answered Smith. "Case in point, I can now use Spyral Mission Assault."
As he used the Continuous Spell, his eyes moved to Hank's Duel Disk. The top card likely isn't Giant Rex now, he thought, he used Unexpected Dai, meaning the deck was shuffled. So…
"I'll summon Spyral Gear Drone," he said.
There was a loud WHOOSH. Hank looked up to see a large, black, ominous-looking robotic stealth-drone flying overhead. (100 ATK) A beam of light shone from its underside on Hank's deck.
"This device confirms the top three cards of your deck, and then lets me rearrange them in any order I desire. So, let's see…"
The cards appearing in front of him were Sauropod Brachion, Faustian Bargain, and Mystical Space Typhoon. He made one adjustment, switching the first card with the second.
He lifted Spyral Super Agent's card. "I will guess… Spell Card".
Hank flipped the top card of his deck, and it was, of course, Faustian Bargain. Like before, Super-Agent sprang onto the platform, smiling broadly. (1,900 ATK)
"And because you saw this card on your last turn, I may as well use it now. I activate Machine Duplication to summon two more Drones."
"I was waiting for that," said Hank, as he watched the additional Machines appear. "Because you summoned three monsters this turn, I can Special Summon the Trifortressops!"
There was a loud rumbling, accompanied by the grinding of gears and pistons. A hulking mechanical beast with a head built to resemble that of a triceratops trod in front of Hank, staunchly blocking Smith's monsters. (2,800 DEF)
"A Dinosaur spawned through technology," muttered Smith, shaking his head. "A living oxymoron. I use the second effect of Spyral Drone, and sacrifice it to increase Super Agent's Attack Score by 500. In fact, why limit myself? I'll sacrifice all three of them!"
One by one, each Drone crumbled into pixels, and with each, Super-Agent flexed harder. (3,400 ATK)
"But I'm not done," he added, his Trap lifting. "Because I Special Summoned a Spyral this turn, I can use Spyral Mission - Recapture to seize one of your monsters. So, I'll be reclaiming Spygal Misty."
A new shot from the card, snagging the female spy. She barely resisted, the same blank look turning to Hank as she was dragged over to Smith's side. She stood in Attack Mode. (1,500 ATK)
Then she and Super-Agent drew odd-looking pistols from their cloaks, and with dual blasts of ray guns, vaporizing Gilasaurus and Skelesaurus.
(H: 4,300) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 9,300)
"Not good," muttered Hank, clearly feeling the impact.
"I get to draw one card due to Spyral Mission Assault," continued Smith. "It's your move, Mr. Richards. Take it if you are able."
Hank made a draw, the card being Faustian Bargain.
Guy's got a point, he thought. He looked at his other cards, and while one was a monster, it wasn't a Normal Monster.
"Seeing as it's the Standby Phase, I now have to shave 500 points off Trifortressops' Defense Score." (2,300 DEF)
He set one card, and pointed; Megalosmasher "swam" towards Misty and with one loud, audible GULP, swallowed her, literally.
(H: 4,300) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 8,800)
"Next I'll move Trifortressops to Attack Mode."
Smith flinched a little as he saw the Machine stand up in a fighting stance. (1,600 ATK) "Why in the world would you do that? It can still defend better than it can attack."
"You claim to be so smart, you figure it out," replied Hank. "Your move."
Smith drew a card, watching the Trifortressops as he did so. Its Defense Score fell again, to 1,800, but that mattered little, as it was still higher than its offensive Score.
Then he smiled slightly. Spyral Master Plan formed a fighting stance, moving to Attack Mode. (1,200)
"Oh, I see," he replied. "You're trying to be intentionally confusing. Well, it won't work. I take it you couldn't find a way to use that Spell Card." He pointed to Master Plan, and she rolled her eyes while giving him another envelope. After adding the new Mission to the rest of his hand, he used another card, causing a twin of Super-Agent, with a navy-blue variant of his suit, to dash from behind and skid beside his twin. (1,900 ATK)
"Spyral Tough can destroy one of your monsters, if I again guess the top card on your deck, and I guess Monster." Hank flipped the card, which naturally, was Sauropod Brachion.
"Then you're finished. Spyral Tough, annihilate the Megalosmasher X!"
Spyral Tough nodded, and took a canister-like object from his suit, the purpose of which became obvious when he pulled a pin on it with his teeth and hurled it at the vicious fish. There was a powerful explosion…
But when the smoke cleared, not only was Megalosmasher still there, but a horrendous… thing was standing behind Hank and his monsters. It looked like someone had taken the bones of several different dinosaurs and pasted them together haphazardly; its head was that of a triceratops, with a pterodactyl's wings, an ankylosaurus tail, on the body of a T-rex with a stegosaurus' plated spine.
"In case you're wondering what that is," said Hank, as it dissolved into vapor. "By discarding Miscellaneousaurus, my Dinosaur monsters are impervious to your cards' effects.
"Seems there was an error in your judgment. I knew if you destroyed even one of my monsters with an effect, I'd have lost, but also knew that if both were in Attack Mode, you'd try to destroy the one with the higher Score."
Red Feather couldn't help but chuckle at this, until one of the two Smiths holding her hit her across the face.
"Cut it out, Smith!" yelled Hank.
Then two more ray guns from Spyral Super Spy and Spyral Tough zapped through Megalosmasher X and Trifortressops.
." I'd like to see you make me," replied the Agent.
Master Plan leapt at Hank, then kicked him hard in the gut.
(H: 1,400) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 8,800)
I was wrong, he thought, holding his stomach. There are perks to doing this with heels.
Then, to his shock, the lights around them went out. Followed by the lights in the surrounding blocks and the blocks surrounding those. Dimmer emergency lights came on, and Smith gasped. Not in fear, but more like someone who just had the wind knocked out of him.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"So, explain this again," asked Jabels.
"I told Townsend that we identified a lone wolf about to launch a viral attack from that area of Hong Kong," replied Dolores, not taking her eyes off the now-blurrier screen. "He relayed that information to the Foreign Secretary, who, in accordance with the Plumb Internet Alert Treaty of 2027, passed the information to his counterpart in China. Who fortunately, isn't all that upset at being woken up. Seems he confirmed the threat, as that area of Hong Kong has been browned out with internet service shut down in an effort to quarantine the attack."
She switched lines. "Karl, you almost set up?" She asked.
"Yeah, we're good," replied Karl's voice. "Hope whoever owns this account doesn't have to make a phone call soon."
"Pirating internet service now," sighed Jabels. "What are you going to tell Townsend once this is over?"
"I already told him, a lone wolf was about to launch a viral attack," answered Dolores. "Not like I was lying. I just didn't tell him that the lone wolf and the virus is one and the same."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"What's going on?" demanded Smith.
Red Feather noticed it quickly, the grip of the drones' holding her was weakening and both looked pale.
"Must be the lag, Smith," stated Hank, "it happens from time to time. Of course, for someone like you, that would make the ability to infect - or even maintain - your pawns even more of a strain."
Red Feather heard him, and elbowed the one on her right hard, knocking him backwards over the edge. The other tried to get a better grip, only to be fiercely kneed in the groin.
"Ironic, isn't it, Smith?" asked Hank. "The Matrix never simply purged you because it was afraid of being 'unbalanced'. Our system could care less. A parasite like you is nothing when the host wises up."
"A minor setback!" cursed the Agent. "Take your turn, assuming you can do something with those two cards."
"Two cards?" asked Hank. "True, I can't use Faustian Bargain and Sauropod Brachion as is, but I also have this." His face-down opened, revealing the card Hope for an Escape. "Ironically, this card only works when your Score is at least 1,000 points higher than mine, I'll lower it by 1,000 more, and then draw four times!"
(H: 400) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 8,800)
"You could draw four-hundred of them for all I care," growled Smith. "You're hanging by a thread now!"
"Think so?" asked Hank. "Remember my Miscellaneousaurus? He has another effect, which I can use because he's in my Graveyard. I can banish four Dinosaurs to summon another from my deck."
"You only have three Dinosaurs there!" shouted Smith.
"What do you think Miscellaneousaurus is?" asked Hank. "I'll use him, Megalosmasher, Gilasaurus, and Black Brachios, and then summon the Souleating Oviraptor!"
There was a dead quiet, even as the new Dinosaur strode out from the shadows. It's general shape and domed head suggested a pachycephalosaurs, but it was impossibly gaunt with an evil expression. (1,800 ATK)
"Oh, I'm so scared," replied Smith.
"Seeing as it eats souls, I doubt it would chase after you, Smith," commented Red Feather. "It would starve."
Smith was flabbergasted as he turned to Red, surprised she had made a joke. Hank was a little surprised too, but still went to his deck. "This one's effect lets me take another Dino from my deck, and guess what?" He turned it around, showing the yellow border. "Now I can use Faustian Bargain!"
As the Spell Card activated, a giant, ugly demon with one eye and a gaping mouth appeared behind Spyral Super Spy. Then a gruesome claw grabbed him, dragging him into the infinite void of darkness.
Wonder if I'll ever get used to that, thought Hank. "Then, via its effect, I summon Frostosaurus!"
A powerful gust of chilled air filled the terminal, and a huge, four-legged Dinosaur covered with frost and snow rose in front of him. (2,600 ATK)
"More to come," he added. "I'll use my Trade-In Spell Card, and bury my Sauropod Brachion, then draw twice more."
He drew twice, then used a new card, adding Hyper Hammerhead to his squad. (1,500 ATK) Souleating Oviraptor looked at it hungrily, saliva dripping from the side of its mouth.
Then its eyes glowed with hellish, burning light and Hyper Hammerhead bellowed, turning into a pile of dust and bones.
"You killed your own monster?" gasped Smith.
"Sure did!" replied Hank. "To trade it for another!"
The ground rumbled again, and Sauropod Brachion tore through. Its tail bending in front of Hank and Oviraptor. (3,000 DEF)
"I've still got more! I'll activate Double Evolution Pill, and banish Hyper Hammerhead and Trifortressops to summon this!"
The mightiest roar yet shook the entire block, coming with the crackle of static electricity and the smell of ozone. Super Conductor Tyranno formed, looming over all the others. (3,300 ATK)
"Your new movie is about to be bumped straight to discount home release, Smith! Attack!"
Thunderous power caused the platform to quiver as Master Plan was blown to tiny little pieces. Then freezing, frosty breath shot from Frostosaurus, coating Spyral Tough until he shattered into ice shards.
Finally, Souleating Oviraptor charged the villain, galloping across the platform and striking him in the gut with its bony cranium, knocking him backwards into some piled garbage bags.
(H: 400) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 4,200)
"Perfect!" announced Red Feather. "Filth has just met filth."
"Ugh," groaned Smith, as he struggled to get up.
"Finally, continued Hank, "I'll set three more cards and then activate the Continuous Spell Card, Block Dugout. This keeps you from attacking so long as the combined Levels of your monsters is less than mine, and mine total -"
"Twenty-six, I can add just fine," his foe interrupted.
"Then it's your move, Smith."
This human thinks he's so smart with these dumb beasts of his, thought Smith, but he - or should I say, whoever is backing him - made one mistake…
His eyes fell on Hank's Disk, then he looked up at the sky as he stood up. He drew.
"In case you weren't paying attention," he said, "Master Plan's death gave me two new cards. First I'll use this one."
As he played the card, a Field Spell gave the backdrop a dramatic improvement, turning the terminal into a beachside pool with sparkling water and cafe tables, many of them occupied. Hank even saw a group of bikini-clad girls playing volleyball behind Smith… But when he adjusted his eyes, he also saw the other Agents poking around and the dark surveillance cameras.
This is the type of resort where guests tend to get rubbed out, he thought.
"Of course, we can't forget the Charming Resort Staff," continued Smith.
"Charming" was the wrong word here; maybe "bubbly" or "perky" would have been better. In any case, the card he used produced a smiling waitress with blue eyes and long, chestnut hair in a ponytail. "Hel-lo!" she chimed with a friendly wave to Hank. (300 ATK)
"I'll set two cards facedown, then dispose of them and Spyral Mission Recapture using Emergency Provisions," he continued. The first two appeared flat, then the third appeared, consuming the set cards.
(H: 400) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 7,200)
"As if you didn't have enough already," commented Hank.
"The Life Point boost was an unintended bonus to sending those two cards to the Graveyard, as both have effects that activate there," explained Smith. One was the Equip Spell Spyral Gear - Fully Armed, and by sending that one to my Graveyard, I can summon someone else from the Graveyard."
Of course, it was Super-Agent again, looking a little less jovial and a little more serious now. (1,900 ATK)
"This is getting repetitive, Smith," remarked Hank.
"Why change what works?" replied the Agent. "In case you forgot, summoning him via such an effect has benefits."
Super-Agent pointed to Block Dugout, and it shattered.
"Meanwhile, I can raise any Spyral from the grave by banishing the Trap Card, Spyral Mission - Rescue."
As he added that one to his Banished Zone, Spyral Tough emerged, just as grim as his lookalike. (1,900 ATK)
"Double trouble," sighed Hank.
"Now I'll use Spyral Gear - Last Resort!" announced Smith.
Super-Agent lifted his arms, and with loud whirs and clicks, machinery descended from above, equipping an armored frame, followed by robotic arms and legs. The frame unfolded over his chest, and a visor formed over the upper half of his face. As the machinery retracted, his expression turned stern as he slammed the now-armored fist of his right hand into the palm of his left one.
"Shouldn't that have changed his Score?" asked Red Feather.
"Not this mecha," replied Smith, "but it does make him indestructible, both from battle and card effects. But I have more monsters to summon, which I'll do by banishing two Spyral Drones and Spyral Big Red."
As he pocketed the two cards, there was a low, guttural growl, and a new monster leapt from above, cracking the patio as it landed. It didn't seem to fit with the others at all, a huge, hulking, bearded Fiend with cybernetic arms and an eye, in a black leather outfit. (2,800 ATK)
"When summoning Spyral Sleeper, I choose one of my cards and two of yours, and then all three are atomized!"
Hank took one step backwards as powerful purple beams blasted from above, causing Super Conductor Tyranno and Sauropod Brachion to shatter.
"Your Super-Agent survived," noted Red Feather.
"It seems you didn't understand when I said, 'can't be destroyed'," remarked Smith.
", what I don't understand," added Hank, "is why you bothered using his effect to destroy Block Dugout when you intended to use that guy's effect. The combined Levels of your monsters are now nine more than mine."
"Because, uh…" said Smith. "I… I wanted to see you sweat more!"
"You're as lousy a liar as you are a duelist, Smith," replied Hank.
"Shut your mouth!" screamed the villain. "On second thought, why don't I shut it for you." Spyral Super Agent pointed his cybernetically enhanced fists forward. "I'll send my Spyral Mission - Assault Trap Card to the Graveyard so that he can use Final Resort to attack you directly!"
The two fists rocketed towards Hank, bursting violently as they struck like missiles…
"HANK!" shouted Red.
"Don't bother, Red," gloated Smith, "he's been 'handed' his walking papers."
"I don't know what's worse, Smith, you or your lame puns."
The comment came from Hank, who was still standing as the smoke cleared.
(H: 900) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 7,200)
"Oh, it's very possible," replied Hank, "while you were ranting a minute ago, I activated my Gift of the Mystical Elf in response to Spyral Sleeper's effect. It restored my Life Points by 2,400 before you even declared your attack."
"I have more attacks to declare," he answered. "My Spyral Sleeper has his sights on Souleating Oviraptor."
The behemoth's cybernetic eye glowed, and red crosshairs appeared on the dino. Hank opened another Trap. "I activate Amber Soul!"
As the bolt homed in on Souleating Oviraptor, it knelt in Defense Mode (500 DEF) as golden liquid erupted from the ground and started wrapping around it. "This Trap makes it impervious to destruction by battle and moves it to Defense Mode. However, it also has to stay in Defense Mode."
A giant, orange gemstone hardened around the Oviraptor, which the bolt of energy bounced off.
"You'll pay for that," he threatened.
"Well that's original," sighed Hank, rolling his eyes.
"I'LL SHOW YOU ORIGINAL!" screamed the Agent. "My Tough is about to attack now, with a little help from my Charming Resort Staff."
The waitress lifted the tray towards Tough, who took the glass from it; she giggled a little, then held the tray itself on its side, causing the shiny reflective surface to shine blinding light on Frostosaurus, it growled and slumped on its forelegs. (0 ATK) Tough pointed his briefcase forward, and a gun nozzle unfolded from the bottom part.
Hank's third facedown card opened. "I activate Power Wall!" he shouted. He tapped his deck, and giant-sized versions of the top four cards - Giant Rex, Babycerasaurus, Fossil Dig, and Call of the Haunted - appeared in a flash in front of him even as his monster shattered.
"So, I take no damage."
"Damn you, why won't you DIE?" yelled Smith.
Hank sighed again, and put his hand to the side of his face with the thumb and pinky extended, in a mock facsimile of a telephone receiver. "Hello, Federal Bureau for the Prevention of Tired Movie Clichés? I'd like to report a crime in progress."
"Can't you ever be serious?" growled Smith.
"I am serious Smith, you really bug me, you're like talking spam mail. You claim to have the power of a god, and maybe you do, but the problem is, you lack the creativity of one."
"Eh?" said Smith.
"You know what I mean," continued Hank. "Guys like you are amusing in two-hour soundbites, but now, you're the same as every lame misanthrope I've fought before. Maybe even worse, because I have no idea why you have such a mad-on for humanity. Tell me, have you ever considered what you'd do if your plan ever succeeded?"
Smith didn't respond right away, even though it was an obvious puzzler for him.
"The black suit says it all, Smith, you're the black part of a concept that's just too black and white to be believed. I wonder if you're even capable of truly living outside the Matrix. You'd be here, but it wouldn't be much of a life. Even the card creatures have more character than you do, at least they can be two-dimensional!"
Smith used one more card, and four nodes appeared, surrounding Super-Agent, then linking to each other in a ring of electricity. (1,400 ATK)
"I end my turn," hissed Smith, "and to keep Spyral Resort, I'll send Spygal Misty back to my deck."
He's losing it, thought Hank. Still, Ring of Magnetism makes his combo pretty sound.
"I'll pay 500 Life Points to keep Amber Soul," he said as he drew. The Spell Card Pot of Acquisitiveness appeared, and three cards - Megalosmasher, Gilasaurus, and Black Brachios - flying into it. It exploded into clay shards, and Hank made one draw.
"Talk about ironic," he said when he looked at it. Noting Smith's expression, he added, "I'll tell you in a minute. For now, I'll activate Silent Doom to bring Sabersaurus from my Graveyard.
With the introduction of the card, the fierce-looking triceratops appeared, sitting on its hind legs. (500 DEF)
"Then I use, Natural Tune! Which lets me use a Normal Monster - like this one - as a Tuner this turn. So, I'll Tune the Level 4 Sabersaurus with the Level 4 Souleating Oviraptor."
This time, as the two Dinosaurs flew upwards, something extra was added to the backdrop, a giant DNA stand spiraling up into the heavens. The roaring head of a T-Rex and a calmer Triceratops head appeared, and were absorbed into it as the Synchro Rings formed.
(*4 + *4 = *8)
"The ferocity of a carnivore combined with the stoic resolve of an herbivore, this miracle of science is unlike anything nature intended! Once this guy barrels over you, you're gonna wish you stayed in your own reality! I Synchro Summon… The Assault Battletitan!"
The tremor caused by this new Dinosaur's arrival was so fierce it shook the light fixtures above the two duelists. It was just as big as Super Conductor Tyranno, and had the same general shape, but armor plating like a ankylosaurus covered its torso and limbs. Its teeth were long and sharp, its claws even nastier. Most remarkable, the monster had an oddly-shaped saddle on its shoulders, and the Marauding Captain sat atop holding a very long lance. (2,000 ATK)
"What in the name of," started Smith.
"As much as you try to deny it, Smith, there's few limits to human ingenuity. The Battletitan is an idea posed by some paleontologists who believe that if Dinosaurs hadn't gone extinct, it would be possible to use genetic engineering to crossbreed species the way a horse and a donkey can breed a mule. In this case, the hypothetical result would combine the ferocity of the most dangerous carnivores and the defenses of the toughest armored herbivores, becoming an unstoppable beast of war."
"Looks like a failure to me," replied Smith. "Its bark is worse than its bite."
"But I also have this," replied Hank, turning a card around, "and to summon it, I'll banish Giant Rex and Souleating Oviraptor. Meet the true king of the primordial world, Ultimate Conductor Tyranno!"
This monster looked almost too big to be real, like some unholy offspring of Ultimate Tyranno and Super Conductor Tyranno. While it had the same shape and build as a giant T-Rex, there was some potent energy source inside it, causing a blue light to seep through cracks in its nonetheless armored hide. (3,500 ATK)
"I don't care how big it is," shouted Smith, "my Resort -"
"- won't be an issue in a minute, but first…. Because I banished Giant Rex there, I can summon him, with 200 points for each of my monsters that is still banished."
Despite its name, this monster was no T-Rex. It more resembled a Spinosaurus, which as most paleontologists could attest, was a greater predator than a T-Rex. (2,400 ATK)
"Now to show you the little trick Battletitan has. First, I'll use Ultimate Conductor Tyranno effect, and by destroying one of my monsters, he switches all of yours to Defense Mode."
Lightning stuck Giant Rex, blowing it to dino gibbets. It roared loudly, and Super-Agent, Sleeper, Tough, and Charming Resort Staff all knelt quivering in fright. (Super-Agent: 1,200 DEF, Tough: 1,200 DEF, Sleeper: 1,200 ATK)
"And because I destroyed a Dinosaur, well…" He pointed to Battletitan, which had grown to half-again its size, with an incredible 4,000 Attack Points."
"It still doesn't matter!" screamed Smith. "My -"
"Your Charming Resort Staff will reduce its Attack Score to zero if I attack Super-Agent, while Super Agent's armor protects him, and the Ring means I can only attack him, I know. Thing is, none of that matters. You see, when Ultimate Conductor Tyranno attacks a monster that's in Defense Mode, I can skip the damage step entirely and send the target to the Graveyard."
The huge Dinosaur spewed powerful lightning breath at Super Agent, reducing him to ashes as both Equips shattered. Smith felt the blow hard.
"AND you take 1,000 points of damage! But that's not all, Tyranno can attack all of your monsters and use that effect each time!"
The bolts of burning, flaming death rained on the three remaining monsters, the evil Agent staggering under the onslaught.
(H: 400) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 3,200)
"Now for you, Smith."
Marauding Captain pointed his lance, and urged his mount, causing Battletitan to charge and the whole complex to shake. Even louder, however, was the scream from the target...
(H: 400) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 0)
The notorious villain barely seemed to reflect his reputation. The blow had knocked him into the trash bags again, ruining his suit and breaking his sunglasses.
"You're through, Smith," said Hank.
"On the contrary, Mr. Richards," replied Smith, "I'm just starting. You cut off the internet access to the local grid, but in doing so, made a path to a far-more powerful source as clear as crystal."
Then he started to dissolve into a mass of glowing binary codes. "Goodbye, Mr. Richards," he added, and Hank's Duel Disk quivered a little before he vanished completely.
Sucker, thought Hank.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Karl, do it!" shouted Dolores.
"Coming up, boss-lady," replied Karl.
"So, this is how the FBI corralled the, uhm, creature we aren't supposed to talk about?" asked Jabels.
He meant Shub-Internet, and it was true enough, just on a larger scale. They had trapped it simply by luring it to a private line that led to a dead end. Smith had seen the most obvious and most appealing route, a line from Hank's disk to Shadowchaser's headquarters which led to a powerful mainframe he could use.
But he had no idea that the owners had given him that route on purpose, and that it would include a detour to a dead end.
Still in the evidence locker, Karl was monitoring his approach on SAL, while the program on the antiquated PC was running.
"...and, save…" he said.
The computer whirred, and chimed, and finally, a floppy was spit out of the disk drive.
"Congrats everyone, we just downloaded the bad guy."
"He's on that disk?" asked Jabels.
"Affirmative," replied Karl. "Hope Smith knows a LOT of old travel songs, cause he's going to have some time on his hands."
"We'll think about what to do with him later," replied Jabels. "We're still in a crisis here."
"Maybe not," added Dolores.
All but one of the global red alerts they had been monitoring had be downgraded to yellow or clear. She smiled warmly. Seems the Shadowchasers had managed to stem the crisis pretty well.
"Tylenol?" asked Jabels, offering her a pill bottle.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"So, he's in there?" asked SAL.
"Yep," said Karl. He tossed the diskette in a safe, and shut it. "Shouldn't be any problem unless -"
"Karl?" said a voice behind him. "We -"
Karl nearly grabbed him in a grapple lock before realizing it was Philip.
"Edgy, aren't we?" asked Philip.
"Isn't everyone right now?" asked Karl.
"Listen," he said, "can you get back on Antithesis' system?"
"The backdoor I installed should allow that so long as he hasn't reconfigured the hardware. Why?"
"Dram and I want to go through that complete process one more time. Dram and I are starting to think Eden's mentor may have put something special in the program that even Eden doesn't know about…"
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Future Vision (Normal Spell Card)
Image: A pedestal holding a crystal ball in the foreground in front of a large, ominous eye in the background.
Effect: Activate only while your opponent controls a face-up monster. Excavate from your opponent's Deck until you pick up a Monster Card. If it is the same Type as the monster on your opponent's side of the field, your opponent gains 1000 Life Points and all cards that were picked up return to their Deck in the same order.
First used in "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode 073.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Block Dugout (Continuous Spell Card)
Image: The castle wall from "Royal Decree" seen from the point of view of the peasants on the ground below.
Effect: If the combined Levels of all face-up monsters your opponent controls is less than the combined Levels of all face-up monsters you control, your opponent's monsters cannot declare an attack.
First used in "Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds" episode 076.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
On the Edge (Normal Trap Card)
Image: SPYRAL Super Agent standing on a girder of a building under construction, standing up to a threatening Eclipse Wyvern while protecting SPYGAL Misty, who is cowering behind him.
Effect: Activate when your opponent declares a direct attack. State the name of a card; your opponent draws 1 card and reveals it. If the drawn card is the stated card, destroy the attacking monster. You may then discard 1 card from your hand to Special Summon a monster of the same level or lower as the destroyed monster from your hand or deck.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Hyper Devolution (Normal Trap Card)
Image: Dyna-Tank roaring while it, Sabersaurus, and Gilasaurus charge Invader of Darkness. In the background is a ruined city under a sky with soot-filled clouds.
Effect: Activate by paying 1,000 Life Points while you control at least 1 face-up Dinosaur-Type monster. Select 1 non-Dinosaur-Type monster from your Graveyard that is the same Level as a Dinosaur-Type monster you control, and Special Summon it.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Amber Soul (Continuous Trap Card)
Image: Gilasaurus struggling in the sticky residue from the Amber Pitfall
Effect: Select 1 Dinosaur-Type monster you control; equip this card to the selected monster. A monster equipped with this card is moved to Defense Position and cannot be destroyed by battle. The equipped monster cannot be switched to Attack Position. If this card leaves the field, banish the equipped monster. During each of your Standby Phases, pay 500 Life Points or destroy this card.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Assault Battletitan (Effect Synchro Monster)
Dinosaur-Type Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Dinosaur-Type monsters
Dinosaur/Light/Lvl8/2,000/1,800
Effect: Can only be Special Summoned via Synchro Summon. Once per turn, when a Dinosaur-Type monster you control is destroyed by your card effect, double the base ATK of this card. If you do, destroy this card during the End Phase.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Jemorille: With Jalal's theory came a comparison. He believed Antisthenes was engaging in a sort of "radish cure".
You may have heard of this before, as it's rather common in children's stories and cartoons, anything with a moral at the end. The original story involves a young girl who hates to bathe. Her parents let her go without bathing, and eventually, she's so dirty that radishes grow in her hair. The girl is horrified, pleads for a shower, and never gives them lip again.
Naturally, this led to many variations. A parent might catch his son smoking, and punish him by making him smoke a whole carton. Or maybe the child eats too much junk food, so he's allowed to eat as much as he wants. In the ideal ending of these stories, the kid gets sick and never wants to even casually partake in the offending hobby or habit again.
Jalal believed therefore Antisthenes was using deception and lies - both well-known tools of Chaos - to change the sights of humans and give them what he believed was the best view of reality. Their minds would be bombarded with absurd and contradictory lies until ALL lies were rejected by their collective beliefs, and the Veil was shattered.
Unfortunately, Jalal knew this wasn't always as rosy as it seemed in those books. It was the same principle as chemotherapy, a process that was risky and unpredictable, and rarely pleasant. And he never put much stock in children's stories anyway.
Next chapter, "Space Oddity", and it's not what you think.