Waiting To Be Found

"So what'll we do once we make it to the mainland?" Hassleberry asked, looking to Jaden who found himself a job piloting the boat they found themselves riding to shore.

There was a thick air of urgency around the group. Everyone was silent and focused, even Syrus had managed to look stoic as they all were deep in thought about the present situation.

"We find Chazz, that's what." Jaden stated, keeping his eyes forward as he kept true to their current course, doing his best to get them back on land as fast as he possibly could.

"Well, yeah but like... how?" Hassleberry reiterated, specifying exactly what he meant. Though Jaden's intentions had just been clearly laid out before them all, there wasn't exactly a plan there to back them up, which was the problem. "It's not like we know where to look? Sure, those no good brothers of his got him kidnapped, but the problem is we don't have any clues to track him down. Know what I mean?"

"Yes, that is true." Crowler agreed, nodding at the youngest student present. "Although, with what little information we've gleaned on the situation at hand, the fact remains that we don't know where the poor boy is... they could have taken him to any number of places..."

"Well if we did know where he was, this wouldn't be a problem. He was kidnapped, remember? The last thing we're supposed to know is where he is, that's the whole point." Alexis countered, her arms crossed, she leaned back on the side of the boat she was sitting on, her long blonde hair blowing wildly in the evening breeze as Jaden sped them through the ocean as fast as he could while still traveling at a semi-safe speed.

"You say that his brothers hired people to abduct Chazz…" Bastion analyzed, tapping his chin lightly with his pointer finger as he thought about their present predicament. "Jaden, did Ojama Yellow mention anything about what they looked like? Any general description? If we can find the people who took him, it's entirely possible we may be able to learn some more information concerning Chazz's current location."

"No, he didn't say. I don't think? If he did, I wasn't really listening... But I can ask him." Jaden replied. Thinking about it for a moment, Winged Kuriboh appeared beside him with the little yellow imp, eager to help as well. "Hey, Ojama? The people who took Chazz. What did they look like? How many were there?"

"I'm not sure. It was really dark..." Yellow answered, his face adorning a sad frown as his eyes drooped lower, upset by the thought of his missing master. "But I remember, there were three of them. One of them was this really mean lady!"

"A lady?" Jaden inquired, raising an eyebrow in intrigue at the spirit's answer.

"Yeah, she was the worst! I think she was the leader too, the other two did everything she said." Yellow explained, doing his best to remember everything that happened well enough to give an accurate description of the kidnapper's group dynamic for the teen in all hopes that he and the others could rescue his beloved boss.

"So there were three of them, and their leader was a woman?" Jaden asked, trying to be sure he had the facts straight, earning a nod from the spirit before he turned back to his friends sitting behind him, his gaze fixating on Bastion. "Any ideas?"

"Let me see…" Bastion mumbled, calling on his vast array of knowledge for any ideas to help them discover who the vile kidnappers who had stolen their dear friend could be. Although, he highly doubted that would be information he would come by in his vast cranial lexicon. Criminal masterminds and other such things weren't exactly apart of his area of expertise.

"I believe I may know who these people are." Crowler stated. Crossing his arms across his chest, his eyes slowly closed, lowering his head in thought.

In all honesty, Crowler sincerely hoped that he was right. If he was, they would know who to look for to maybe get help finding Chazz. And in truth, Crowler feared that if they didn't find him soon, Chazz may just be beyond saving…

"You do?" Syrus questioned, turning a curious eye to their dear professor.

"Who could it be?" Atticus inquired, standing up from his seat adjacent to Alexis. Staring intently at the resident adult, he also hoped for an answer that could lead them somewhere that would bring any sort of positive progress in the search for Chazz.

"Well actually, we thought this group may have been responsible for your disappearance, Atticus." Crowler explained, looking back up at the eldest present student. "Back when you and the other students vanished from the abandoned dorm, Chancellor Sheppard had the teachers conduct a secret investigation, as under Kagemaru's authority, an official investigation was prohibited. Of course, now we know why. However, in the process, we were researching countless underground criminal organizations. You see, at the time, Sheppard and many of the other teachers believed that you had been kidnapped as a means of damaging or perhaps even blackmailing the academy."

The children listened intently to Crowler's tale. Their professor's stormy purple eyes were stern and focused, which almost seemed strange to the students.

"I researched this organization personally. They call themselves Tantalus." Crowler continued. "A small mercenary band They take on a multitude of various criminal acts, whatever it is that they are hired to do. Their most often committed crime, however, is kidnapping." Crowler's facial expression changed as a stark frown appeared on his face. Scanning the group of his precious students, he took in the fact that for once even Jaden was listening to him.

"Professionals, then." Hassleberry observed, crossing his arms as a heavy sigh escaped from his lips, leaning back in his seat he considered the possibility that Crowler was right, which was looking to be extremely likely at the moment. "Whaddya make of it, sarge?"

"I think we oughta track down these Tantalus people get to the bottom of this. If they can lead us to Chazz, we have to try." Jaden answered back, smiling to himself as the Domino City skyline appeared on the horizon. Of course, he doubted this was where they would find Chazz locked away, but it was the closest port he could think of that he actually knew how to reach. "And I think I may have an idea that might just be crazy enough to work."

"What do you mean, Jaden...?" Syrus asked, turning his confusion to his best friend, hoping he had actually thought through whatever plan he had thought up in that oddly strange brain of his.

"Right. I mean, a group like that can't exactly be easy to find, Jaden." Alexis added, already questioning Jaden's thought process. "We can't waste time looking for these people on a hunch. We don't know the first thing about what's happening to Chazz right now, not while he's back in his brothers' hands. He might be hurt..."

"He'd better not be!" Atticus asserted, clenching his fist as his eyes narrowed in anger at even the thought of the possibility that they could be too late to save their friend. "If his brothers hurt him, I swear...!"

"Don't you worry, Atticus. Chazz'll be fine." Jaden reassured, bringing them safely into port. Docking the boat before turning back to his friends, a fire of determination burned in Jaden's normally soft brown eyes. "And I promise, Lex, we won't be wasting time. Because we're going to get them to come to us."

"And how, pray tell, are we going to do that?" Bastion questioned, raising an eyebrow at their leader, also questioning his plans. But of course, they were all about to get the answer they were searching for.

"Crowler said they take jobs they're hired to do, right?" Jaden began, a little grin crawling across his face for the millionth time. "So, we'll hire them. Of course, obviously we'll just be setting them up. So once they come to meet us, we can find out if they took Chazz and where his brothers have him locked up."

"You really think that'll work?" Syrus asked, skeptical of pretty much everything all the time anyway, but certainly when a friend's safety was on the line. Besides, the plan did seem kinda shaky, especially if they weren't the ones responsible for kidnapping Chazz. They didn't have much room for wasting time, so if they were going to do this then they had to do it quickly and perfectly.

"Jaden." Crowler said, getting up from his seat with a more than serious look on his face. "These people are dangerous criminals. I simply cannot allow you to put yourself and the others at such a risk like that!"

"But Crowler, this could be the only way to find Chazz in time!" Atticus protested, completely on board with the plan if it meant saving their friend. "We can't let his brothers keep him, they've done enough damage as it is already!"

"Atticus…" Alexis sighed, worried as much about her brother as she was about Chazz. From her observation, there was something about this whole situation was affecting Atticus more than any of the rest of them, and to be honest the connotations of that kinda scared her.

"But as your teacher, I cannot allow you to do this!" Crowler countered. Sighing softly, he found he couldn't offer any alternatives. "But, seeing as we have little time, and no alternative courses of action, when we meet with these people, allow me to handle the negotiations."

Nodding back at the professor, Jaden offered him a reassuring smile. Making sure they were properly stopped at the dock, Jaden exited the boat, taking in a breath of fresh air as the others followed, happily returning to solid ground.

"Alright then!" Jaden said, turning to the others with a determined smile. "Let's get to work."


"Tell me, Dr. Drewer. What progress has been made?" Slade asked, leaning back in his office chair as he spoke to the man over the phone, waiting to hear news about the situation with Chazz. And how close they were to breaking him.

"Your brother is quite the fighter, Mr. Princeton." Drewer began, a small chuckle coming through under his breath as he spoke to his cruel boss. "He's being more difficult than we anticipated. But we can confirm that he does in fact have the abilities you claim he does. Though he did make a foolish attempt to deceive us." Chuckling darkly to himself, he continued. "Of course, I punished him thusly."

"Good." Slade nodded. "I want his power on our side. Whatever it takes, I want that boy under our control, do you hear me!?"

"Well well, I'm glad to see you haven't lost your edge." Drewer observed, an audible smirk appearing on his face, recounting the Princeton brothers' younger days. The cruelty that took place nearly every day.

He himself had witnessed some of the abuses dealt to the youngest brother. Though he'd never exactly taken the time to introduce himself to the boy before. It didn't surprise him that Chazz hadn't recognized him at all. Not that he minded in the slightest. But the elders were ruthless, horrible creatures and Drewer had the nerve to actually hold a respect for them.

"Don't you worry, we've prepared him for further study. But, I do have to mention, I've reviewed his medical records in preparation for our proceedings. It appears that in response to all those years of oppression and abuse at the hands of the both of you, both his mental and physical health has degraded. His mental health in particular, has become quite poor. This information coming from an anonymous outside source, I might add. And from my observation, it seems that this had been speculated for quite some time."

"What's your point?" Slade demanded, his tone low and dark as his eyes narrowed with impatience.

"My point, sir, is that we've discovered medical substances in his system. And thus, this directly affects what is safe for us to use on him and what isn't." Drewer explained, a slight bit of irritation entering the man. "And what you want us to do to him could potentially make things... difficult, given the required tools. It's possible that the effects could be more severe than you realize."

"I don't care." Slade stated, his voice devoid of emotion. "Do whatever it takes to harness that power of his. Even if it kills him. Do it if you have to, I don't care! We have contingency plans of our own in the event something goes awry."

"Very well, Mr. Princeton." Drewer nodded, taking a moment to think about what he had learned about the youngest Princeton so far. "But from what little I do understand, it may not be possible to control the boy's powers."

"Even if you can't. We can still control him." Slade retorted, growing weary of the conversation at hand. All he cared about was their goal being reached, by any means necessary. Besides, they had a plan to cover their tracks on the extremely off chance that Chazz was killed, so he didn't care at all what the doctor did with the boy. "Now get back to work!"

"Yes, sir." Drewer nodded, hanging up the phone before returning to his work.

Walking away from the receiver, he returned to the young captive now strapped down to the table in the middle of the main room they had been keeping him locked in. Chazz was laid out on the table, this time with iron shackles locked in place around his wrists and ankles. Looking down at the hardly conscious boy, Chazz looked so small and frail. His naturally deathly pale skin didn't help with that either. If he were any regular man, Drewer would have been sickened by what Chazz's brothers had done to him, and by what he was currently doing to the poor lad. But Drewer was no ordinary man. He actually admired the elder Princeton's, and he enjoyed inflicting pain upon others. Especially the weak and the small.

And this boy was no different in his cold, cruel eyes.

"Well, my boy." Drewer said, placing a warm hand on the boy's cold face. Taking Chazz's head in his hands, Drewer turned him from side to side, examining his barely open eyes.

After they had taken the scans of his brain, Drewer had tried to get Chazz to submit willingly again, strapping him back into the electrocution device. He was determined to break the boy one way or another. But Chazz would not give up the fight.


"Tell me everything you know about your ability to communicate with duel monsters!" Drewer demanded, his narrowed eyes meeting Chazz's own as the boy struggled against his bonds, pulling and yanking at the leather bands around his wrists. His struggles only serving to make the leather dig into his skin, mutilating the soft skin, ultimately staining his right wrist with bits of rosy red blood as the latest tug caused the leather to break through the rubbed raw skin.

"N-Never!" Chazz shouted through a sharp, pained inhale as the skin on his wrist was broken through. The sensation of tearing skin was a feeling he was all too used to, but it never ceased to make him scream all the same. "I'll never tell you anything!"

Angered by the boy's defiance, Dr. Drewer flipped the switch, shooting an onslaught of strong volts through Chazz's body, tearing painful screams from his throat. Chazz's screams filled the entire space, reverberating off of the walls and echoing until they sounded even louder. Writhing and contorting his body in any way he could as he screamed and cried out for it to stop, Chazz felt his body losing strength. All of the years of abuse had weakened his body, he knew he couldn't take much more of this.

"If you don't cooperate, then I promise you, the pain will only continue to grow!" Drewer explained, keeping the switch held down, only electrocuting the boy more as he listened to his screams. The voltage still remained at a safe level, but the pain was no less real. "So if you want to keep living, you'll do as I say! Now, you can submit willingly, or we can do this by force!"

"N-No!" Chazz screamed through the pain, his heart felt like it would burst out of his chest, beating so hard and fast the way it was. His breathing was thick and it hitched in his throat, delivering unto him an array of deep and painful coughs. He did all he could to fight the pain, but Chazz could feel his body giving out, unable to handle this onslaught. It hurt so much, but he couldn't give in to his brothers. If he did, he knew he would probably never be able to break free again.

"Sir, he can't take much more of this!" One of Drewer's aids called, hurrying over to stop her boss from killing the boy. Even the supposedly safe voltage level was too much at such a length of exposure.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Drewer flipped the switch again, stopping the voltage from assailing his prisoner. Chazz slumped limply in his seat, coughing wildly as he tried to recover from his extended electrocution. His entire body burned and tingled, it hurt so badly he could hardly keep his eyes open. He heard the voice of the doctor swirling around him, but he couldn't make out what he was saying.

Chazz's breath was shallow and uneven, weakened greatly by the assault upon his personage, but he felt the gravity around him change and he knew he was being lifted. After a few moments, Chazz felt the cold of metal on his exposed skin as he was laid down on the table not far from the chair he was sitting in moments before. He could hear the clicking of metal bonds being locked in place around his wrists and ankles. There really was no escaping now.


"It looks like we'll be doing this by force. Since you won't behave for me."

"Help me... please..." Chazz thought, unable to pull the words from his throat. He was still weak from the extended electrocution, and his voice just didn't seem to work. Laying there helpless, his mind wandered to his friends. Normally he would never admit it, but he missed them... he needed them, even. He knew he couldn't survive much longer being treated this way if this was how he was going to be punished for fighting back. Being beaten was one thing, but electrocuted was a different story. Chazz knew he needed their help this time, he needed them to rescue him. Heck, he would even accept Jaden's help at this point. "I-I can't do this... please... help me..."

"Now, hold still and don't resist." Drewer instructed, taking a small bottle of rubbing alcohol from one of the aids and cleansing the inner side of his left elbow. Having taken the liberty of having Chazz's left arm locked in place with his inner arm facing upwards for just such an occasion. The medical doctor who was present with them in the room came over with an IV and gently stuck it into the boy's vein, wrapping a bandage over it to keep the IV in place.

"What are you... d-doing to me…?" Chazz thought, unable to do anything but wait for whatever they were doing with him to be over. But every fiber of his being screamed at him to fight back in that moment. But there was nothing he could do even if he wanted to. Not without help, which he had none of.

"Easy, my boy." Drewer soothed, the fakest sincerity there ever could be in his voice, despite the ever present frown plastered to his face watching Chazz tried to wiggle and struggle as best he could with as little strength as he had left in him.

Chazz let out small moans and grunts as he tried his best to struggle, but the strength simply wasn't there. Placing his hands down on Chazz's chest, Drewer held him down while the doctor hooked oxygen tubes over his ears and placed them into his nose.

"Now, we're going to run a few simple tests on you. And if you do not behave." Drewer pulled out a small device from his pocket. Switching it on, Chazz could see the voltage belonging to a taser through his slowly closing eyes as the beeping of a heart monitor sounded in his ears, realizing he had been hooked up to even more machinery against his will. "Know that I will not hesitate to use this. Do not make me take things any further."

"Atticus…" Chazz pleaded, feeling the cold darkness of the situation begin to swallow him again as the fear and hopelessness began to sink in. His heart began to pound and race again as his breathing seemed to all but disappear through it's haste. He worried he was going to have a panic attack at this rate, fearing even the thought of what the doctor had planned for him. The world around Chazz was spinning so fast, he felt so dizzy and disoriented and he wasn't even moving. The area around the IV began to sting and even burn, earning a couple grimaces from Chazz, his eyes screwing shut for a few moments. Breathing heavily as well as quickly and unevenly, Chazz felt more unwell than he'd felt in a long time. "Everyone... please... h-help me…"

"His body isn't taking too well to the drugs, Doctor." The actual medical doctor informed, observing Chazz in his current uncomfortable and squirmy state of being.

"Of course not." Drewer replied, also taking note of the boy's condition. "His body is already weak, and his system has already been contaminated. The different substances are interfering with one another, which appears to be causing young Chazz some... mild discomfort. But if his brothers wish to control him, then this must be done. One cannot properly brainwash a child without first rendering their mind and body useless to their own volition." the doctor smiled darkly as he stared at the poor boy in his demented clutches. "I've been charged with breaking the boy. And that is precisely what I aim to do."


"You really think this plan a'yours is gonna work, sarge?" Hassleberry asked, turning his attention to their pretty much fearless leader.

It had been hours since they arrived in Domino City, and there really wasn't much for them to do. Once they arrived and found a place to get themselves set up, Crowler had gone to arrange the fake job for the Tantalus group. The plan was to set up a fake job request and have them meet Crowler back at the docks. And once the group arrived to receive their orders, that would be the time for Jaden and the others to intercept and interrogate them for any information they may have about what they did with Chazz and where they could find him now. But naturally, some of them did have doubts about the whole thing.

"Doesn't matter if I think so or not." Jaden shrugged, turning to his friend with a serious look in his eyes. "It has to. This could be our only chance to find out where Chazz was taken before we run out of time."

"But Jaden... what if something goes wrong? Something actually bad might happen..." Syrus proposed, a small tone of fear coming through his adorably high pitched voice. His big gray eyes were worried and apprehensive. Looking up at his best friend, he hoped for a good answer.

"Don't you worry, Sy." Jaden said, placing a hand on the small boy's shoulder, a small smile appeared on his face. "I'll protect you, no matter what happens. You know I'd never let anything happen to you. Any of you."

"I know, Jay." Syrus nodded, a small sigh of relief coming through the end of his sentence as he remembered all the times Jaden had been there to rescue and protect him. But really, he hoped that this time he wouldn't need to be protected. After all, this wasn't about him this time, it was about Chazz.

"No problem, buddy." Jaden said, smiling gently down at his best friend. Syrus meant so much to him, he was like a little brother. Never in a million years would he ever let anything happen to the precious little blue boy, no matter what.

"Are you alright, Atticus...?" Alexis asked, coming over and taking a seat next to her big brother on the ground, a concerned look consuming her face. "You've been acting strange ever since we found out about Chazz. Is something wrong...?"

"Of course something's wrong." Atticus answered, keeping his eyes forward, his fist clenched. In all truth, he was angry. Angry about what happened to Chazz, angry that he wasn't able to protect him like he had promised, and mostly, angry about everything he had learned about what Chazz's brothers had done to him over the years. "Chazz is in trouble. And there's nothing we can do about it yet! It's just... I don't know..." He sighed, lowering his head into his hand for a moment, shaking his head at his sister as he finished. "I just hate it so much..."

"I know..." Alexis sighed, placing a comforting hand on her brother's shoulder. She knew her brother cared deeply for his friends, Atticus cared for everyone he'd ever known in his life, and it hurt him so much having such a close friend of his be hurt like this. And knowing what they did about his past, she understood how badly Atticus wanted to protect him, and how much he hated Chazz's brothers. That was a sentiment they all shared. "But we're going to get Chazz back, Atty. It's gonna be alright."

Atticus looked up at her, surprised she called him by that name. She's seldom called him by that nickname since they were little kids. The sincerity in her voice warmed his heart, but it hurt at the same time. A small sigh escaped from his lips as he thought about their situation. Sure they had a plan now, but what if it didn't work? What if these people weren't the ones who took Chazz?

What would they do then?

"I'll believe that when Chazz is safe and sound back at Duel Academy. With us." Atticus muttered under his breath. As his anger began to surface, his eyes narrowed and his tone deepened, looking back away from his dear sister. Flashes of his encounter with Chazz appeared before his yes. The tears, the fear, the scars... just thinking about the pain his brothers had caused the poor boy made his blood boil more than anything ever had. He hated them for what they'd done. "And when his brothers pay for what they've done."

"Atticus…" Alexis gasped quietly. She'd never seen him so angry before... not since he was possessed by the darkness and became Nightshroud. It scared her to see him like that.

"Everyone, look sharp!" Bastion called to the group, pointing down the pier as they all turned their attention to him. "It appears that we have visitors."

"That was fast." Jaden observed, poking his head around one of the warehouses they had placed themselves between to keep out of sight until Crowler gave them the signal to move in. Seeing the three dark figures making their way towards the professor in the moonlight that had just begun lighting the pier.

"They're professionals, Jaden." Bastion stated, keeping an eye on the three figures moving towards the waiting professor. "Of course they move quickly."

It had only been a few hours since they contacted the group, they surely were living up to their reputation among the crime world.

"You sure they won't get suspicious when they see Dr. Crowler…? I mean, what if they find out what's going on? They won't try to hurt him, will they?" Syrus asked worriedly, clutching Jaden's arm as a slight bit of fear began to take hold of the small boy.

"That's why we're here, private." Hassleberry asserted, taking a moment to brandish his impressive muscles and a cheerful smile. "If things turn out like we planned, then we just hang around and make sure they don't try to split. And if not? Well then, we're Crowler's backup. The doc's gonna be fine."

"They wouldn't dare hurt Crowler." Jaden asserted, completely prepared to do whatever it took to protect his friends and their teacher. One close friend had already been thrown into harm's way, and he wasn't about to let that happen again.

"Quiet now, children!" Crowler commanded only loud enough for the students to hear, keeping his eyes forward to avoid provoking any more suspicion than his presence would cause. "They've arrived."

The three figures approached the professor, indeed the two men walked slightly behind the woman in the group. Her eyes were glassy and cold as she looked upon the good doctor, recognizing his coat as the Duel Academy style of dress. The scrawny man could be heard whispering quietly to the muscular giant beside him, who in turn nodded slightly, though he kept his eyes front. Crowler kept his face serious and stoic, his stance remaining strong and stalwart as he stood, staring directly into the eyes of the woman he was positive had kidnapped one of his precious students. And that was a crime he would and could never forgive.

"Welcome, miss." Crowler said, offering a polite greeting despite the hatred burning in his heart. "And you as well, gentlemen. A pleasure to make your acquaintence."

"Well, well." The woman said, sizing up the professor as she placed a hand on her hip, shifting her weight to lean on her right leg. "What's a man like you doing all the way out here with the likes of us?" Her eyes kept their cold indifference trained on the professor, aware of where he was from, and most certainly why he was there. "I assume you've set us up."

"You assume correctly, my dear." Crowler informed, a stark frown appearing through his only growing anger. "Now."

He glanced to the side where his students were waiting, discreetly nodding before turning his gaze back to the kidnappers as the students emerged from their hiding place, swiftly assuming their pre-established positions around them and the professor, forming a barrier to keep them from escaping while Crowler's furious expression and tone only grew more so.

"Where is Chazz Princeton?"