Chapter Two

Bakura stared at Téa with wide and disbelieving eyes. "Lector?! But how could that be possible?!"

"I don't know!" Téa stepped into the corridor. "I'm sure I wouldn't be making up something like that in my mind!"

"I doubt you would either," Yami Bakura grunted in agreement. "But if he's returned, I doubt it's for a good reason."

"Well, I'm going to try to find out," Téa said in determination. She took off running down the hall.

"Téa, wait!" Bakura exclaimed. He immediately gave chase.

"You're not going without me, you dolt!" Yami Bakura yelled.

Mr. Thorton was left standing in the doorway, staring after them. "What just happened here?"

The animatronic corpse bumped into him.

The excitable man's scream was heard all up and down the mall.

xxxx

Around the corner, hidden in the shadows, Lector frowned and listened and watched. He was still confused, and he wasn't sure he liked what was going on.

For the last several days he had been reclusive, gathering his strength after the long coma and still marveling that he was back in his body. As far as he knew, he was indeed the only one of the Big Five who had made it back. He, like the others, had certainly committed his share of twisted and bitter crimes against teenage kids, although he had mostly focused on Seto Kaiba, whom he believed had committed many moral crimes. Then he had failed and he had snapped, joining with the others in their crazed attempts to possess the other kids in order to escape the virtual world. He had become so full of hate, just like the rest of them.

And yet, unlike the rest of them, he had grown tired of the endless failures caused by their revenge schemes. And he cared about Mokuba. His outrage over thinking Seto had mistreated Mokuba had been one of the driving factors in his actions. When Nesbitt had tried to kill Mokuba in that burning building, he had intervened. Then he had done it again in the Shadow Realm. . . . And when he had been swallowed by the darkness, thoughts of Mokuba had mended his spirit.

But he still hated Seto, or so he believed. The one who had helped him—whom he had started to remember from the original KaibaCorp once he had woke up more—clearly wanted him onboard for some scheme or another. She kept telling him that they had similar goals.

Honestly, he was not impressed. He had had enough of following people with "similar goals" after his experiences with the other members of the Big Five, Seto Kaiba, and Noa Kaiba. But at the moment, he wanted to know what this woman was up to. She had told him to come to the mall where Téa Gardner was working and let her see him, but not to catch up to him. He thought it sounded ridiculous. For the moment he would play along, but he had no intention of being used by anybody ever again.

He did realize, however, that he had a problem, a rather serious problem. What was he going to do with his life now that he was back? He could hardly go back to KaibaCorp. Where was he going to get a job?

Seto Kaiba had said that he was too dim-witted to come up with any ideas or plans on his own, but he had been smart enough to rise in the ranks of the original KaibaCorp to become Gozaburo Kaiba's trusted assistant. And he was smart enough now to know that for the time being, he needed to stick with this person. Once he knew more, he would get out if he wanted.

He melted deeper into the shadows.

xxxx

Téa finally gave up after they had run all the way down the corridor and looked in every store. She leaned forward, her hands on her knees, as she tried to catch her breath by the fountain. "It's . . . no use," she gasped. "He's gone."

"If he was ever here to begin with," Yami Bakura grunted.

Bakura was flaming red. Yami Bakura had looked in every men's dressing room in every store they had passed. By now he was sure mall security would be catching up to them and throwing them out.

Téa straightened. "I'm going to call Kaiba," she determined. "Maybe he knows something about this. And if he doesn't, he should!" She dug in her pocket for her phone.

"He might not believe you," Yami Bakura pointed out.

"Well, I'm going to try anyway," Téa shot back.

Bakura bit his lip and nervously shifted. "Maybe we should go back to Mr. Thorton's store. . . ."

Yami Bakura shrugged and started walking. Bakura chased after him. Téa trailed behind, dialing Seto's office number on her phone.

He answered after only one ring, clearly in a foul mood. "Kaiba."

"Kaiba, I saw just Lector at the mall!" Téa exclaimed, not bothering to scold him for lack of proper telephone manners. She already wasn't sure he ever said Hello on the phone.

"What?!" It sounded like Seto stood up too quickly, possibly knocking the chair over. "What on Earth would he be doing there?!"

"I don't know, but he looked in Mr. Thorton's store at me and Bakura and Yami Bakura and then took off! We chased him all around this part of the mall, but we haven't seen him turn up again."

Seto growled. "Are you sure it wasn't just your imagination?"

"Why would I dream up Lector looking in at me?" Téa shot back. "That's hardly a pleasant illusion!"

Seto didn't acknowledge that. "Alright, I'm coming out there," he said instead. "Let me know if you see him again. All calls here will be re-routed to the limo." With that he hung up.

Téa scowled at the phone. "Would it kill him to have a proper telephone conversation once in a while?"

"At least he's coming," Bakura said. "I could hear him through the phone. . . ."

"Oh yeah, he's coming." Téa started to dial again. "Now I need to call Yugi and the others."

"Hey! Wait a minute, you."

Everyone jumped and turned. Two mall security guards were coming towards them, both looking grim.

Bakura suddenly felt like falling through the floor. "Oh dear. . . ."

Yami Bakura muttered something under his breath.

xxxx

By now Lector had made it out of the mall and into a white van in the parking lot. He frowned as he stood and looked down at the one who had healed his body. She was seated at a console, turning dials and knobs and seeming very involved in her work.

"There. I did what you wanted," Lector said. "But I still don't know what this is about or why you wanted it done."

She leaned back, pulling down her glasses as she studied him. "You always did what you were told through the years, didn't you, Lector? And without asking why?"

"Yes," Lector said warily. "But I don't see how any of this is going to benefit me. Why would I want that girl to see me?"

"We're working on building stress for Seto Kaiba," she replied. "The more he hears reports of your presence, the more unglued he will become."

Lector frowned. "It seems like childish pranks to me."

"Oh, it's anything but." She smirked. "You know I have made a study of the mind for years—specifically, what can make people snap and what leads to the severing of supposedly close relationships between people."

In spite of himself, Lector was starting to get a very bad feeling. "So why are you targeting Mr. Kaiba?"

"As you remember, I was one of many scientists at KaibaCorp, working under Gozaburo Kaiba and the Big Five." She folded her arms. "When Seto Kaiba assumed control, he made a thorough investigation of each and every employee and let go of the ones who sympathized with Gozaburo or were otherwise incompatible with his new vision for the company. I can't say I sympathized with Gozaburo Kaiba or his idea of KaibaCorp as a weapons company, but Seto Kaiba didn't like my experiments into the human factor and let me go."

"So this is about revenge?" Lector asked.

"Not really. I've never subscribed to such petty notions." Her eyes gleamed. "I've been watching Seto Kaiba ever since he took over the company, and I think he makes for a fascinating subject into my research on the mind. I've also taken interest in some of the people he associates with, such as that mysterious man who can change his appearance at will."

"So they're part of an experiment and you're planning to break them down?" Lector's eyes narrowed. "Then what?"

"Then we'll just see what happens next."

Lector was liking the sound of this less and less. "What about the boy?"

"Hmm?"

"Mokuba. What about Mokuba?"

"What about him?" The mad scientist looked even more fascinated. "Taking over Seto Kaiba's body certainly would have devastated Mokuba, yet you planned to do that."

Lector averted his gaze, glowering at the floor. "Nevermind that." He looked up again. "Regardless of Mokuba, I don't like this plan. I hardly want Seto Kaiba to find out that I'm back."

"Oh, he'll know anyway. Surely you realize that he would find out that you're not at the infirmary any longer."

Lector scowled. Of course, that was true. She had said he wouldn't find out immediately because of a mole she had on the staff. But naturally that trick wouldn't work indefinitely.

"And what if I don't want to be a part of this?" he had to ask. "Will you put me back in a coma or kill me?"

"Oh, of course not," was the flippant reply. "But I might decide to make a study of you. I can guarantee you wouldn't like that."

Lector's expression darkened. He could believe it too—so he would just have to decide what was his best option under the circumstances. Logic said he should go along with her plot. But another part of his mind was saying something much different—that if he really cared about Mokuba, he wouldn't. There were pros and cons for each. Determining which side to listen to wasn't going to be easy.

xxxx

Seto was tense, in his limousine and on his way to the mall, when his car phone rang. He snapped it up, eyes flashing. "Kaiba."

"Mr. Kaiba, there's still no trace of Lector's body," Roland reported.

"Not at KaibaCorp anyway," Seto said in frustration. "Téa Gardner just saw him at the mall. Supposedly."

"What?!" Roland gasped. But then, quickly getting himself under control, he stammered, "We're still running background checks on all the infirmary's employees, but we've already turned up something I thought you should know right away."

"Well, what is it?!" Seto snapped.

"There's a nurse's assistant who once worked for Alice Portman," Roland announced.

Now it was Seto's turn to yell. "What?!" His eyes flashed. "Is that nurse's assistant there now?!"

"No, he isn't," Roland said, "but I've already sent a team to his house."

"Good. Keep me informed on everything that happens." Seto slammed the receiver down and leaned back. Although he was looking at the window, he wasn't seeing the scenery. The shadows of unpleasant memories swirled in front of his eyes.

Alice Portman. . . .

When he had first assumed control of KaibaCorp, one of the first things he had done was to fire that madwoman. He had been disturbed by her experiments ever since the day he had first encountered her on his initial tour of Gozaburo's KaibaCorp. She had been in charge of testing peoples' reactions to using the various weapons the company created, and she had been particularly interested in both those who loved it too much and those who didn't love it at all. Seto had heard screams coming from her laboratory on more than one occasion, and very few things had given him greater pleasure than firing her. She was the last thing he needed in a company that he was rebuilding to have hope and to bring joy to people instead of death.

But why would she or someone possibly still in contact with her have taken Lector's body? What would she want with him? Was he going to be her next experiment? Did she want to see if she could revive someone from such a deep coma? Why hadn't the medical equipment been taken? Had she revived him on the spot? Seto did believe that Téa could have really seen the man. But if Lector was conscious and now working with Portman, what next? Why appear to Téa? Nothing made sense.

There wasn't any chance that Lector might hurt Téa, was there? No . . . surely the Big Five hadn't learned that Seto had come to think of Yugi and the others as friends. But . . . apparently Lector wouldn't go along with hurting Mokuba, but what if he would go along with hurting the others? He certainly had in the past. Maybe Portman wanted revenge on him and thought Lector would be the perfect willing lackey. Only . . . why would she have waited this long to do it?

Seto clenched his teeth. So many questions, most of them without answers. And to find answers, what would he have to do?

He took out his phone and tapped out Dr. Alice Portman in the search bar. Maybe at least he could learn her last known whereabouts.

The news articles that popped up in the search results were not pretty. The woman had been busy performing her mad sciencing all over the country, but especially down in California. She had taken up a practice of reviving the dead, apparently, and had brought back at least three people, keeping them in a house and a mountain compound and torturing them to the brink of insanity. One man, a blackmailer killed by one of his victims, she had tormented for two years. Another man, an Air Force captain killed for interfering with a madman's plans, had been fitted with some sort of mind-controlling chip to force him to do her bidding. As the chip had been planted in his brain, the best doctors had been able to do was disable it; it was still in there.

Seto was gripping the phone tight enough that his knuckles were white by the time he finished reading. Portman had been thrown into an asylum for the criminally insane, where she had remained until she had quietly escaped this year. No one knew where she was, but her various students had been continuing her work, performing experiments that dug deeply into people's minds and hearts and leaving them broken and barely sane, if that. Well, incredibly, a lot of their victims had been able to recover in the end, but not everyone had been that lucky.

Seto slumped back. A very bad feeling had been forming in the pit of his stomach, and now it was expanding. If Portman was indeed behind the abduction of Lector, it could be that she wanted to experiment on him. But Seto had a terrible foreboding that there was much more to it than that, that he himself could very easily play into her plans. She studied her victims for ages before choosing them, and she always picked people she felt were particularly interesting and different from the norm. Seto could imagine her choosing him. But . . . if that was possibly true, what would happen next? What would she do to experiment on him? Was Téa involved? Or more precisely, were all of those people involved? What if Portman had figured out that Seto had come to care about them? What would she do then?

Immediately Seto dialed Roland. "Where's Mokuba?" he demanded when the harried man answered.

"Why, he should be at your home, Sir," Roland stammered.

"He'd better be. Put extra guards around the property." Seto hung up and called the house.

"Hello, Kaiba residence," his maid Velma chirped after a couple of rings.

"Is Mokuba there?" Seto demanded.

Velma, who was used to Seto's telephone behavior, didn't bat an eye. "Why, sure," she said. "He's at the kitchen table right now, doing his homework."

"Make sure he stays safe," Seto ordered. "There could be trouble."

"Oh. . . ." Velma was concerned now. "What kind of trouble?"

"I'm not sure yet," Seto replied. After a pause, he added, "Someone's stolen Lector's body from the infirmary and he's been spotted in town. He may be up to his old tricks, working for someone who hired him to cause trouble."

Velma gasped. "But he wouldn't hurt Mokuba, would he?!"

"I don't know," Seto growled. "I don't think so, but I don't want to completely believe that either. Just keep him safe."

"Will do," Velma stammered.

"Velma?" Mokuba had finally heard. "What's going on?"

"Oh . . ." Velma hesitated, not knowing what Seto wanted her to say.

"I'll talk to him," Seto said. He had hoped to learn more of what was happening first, but it was already too late. Now it would be better for him to talk to Mokuba before anything else happened.

Velma was only too relieved to give Mokuba the phone. "Here," she said. "It's your brother."

"Seto?" Mokuba was definitely worried now. "What is it?"

Seto sighed. "It's a long story and I'm still not sure how it's going to turn out. But the bottom line is that Lector is missing from the infirmary and he's been spotted around town."

An excited gasp. "Seto . . . !"

"And he may be in league with someone very dangerous," Seto finished. "I'm sorry, kid. I know you were hoping maybe he could be trusted, and maybe he can, at least where you're concerned. But I'm not taking any chances."

"Well, who do you think he's working with?!" Mokuba exclaimed.

"You don't know her," Seto said. "And right now, let's keep it that way. I'll be home soon."

"But Seto . . ."

"I want to know the moment anything strange happens there," Seto cut in. "Do you understand?"

"Yeah. . . ." Mokuba sounded defeated.

"Good." Seto paused. "I know you want to be involved, Mokuba, but I need to get a better idea of what's going on first. I don't want anyone to try to use you against me again."

"Me either," Mokuba mumbled.

"Alright. Then I'll see you later, little brother." Seto hung up, just as the chauffeur pulled in at the mall. Further thoughts would have to wait.