My apologies for the late upload, the next one will be on schedule. Once again, I do not own Yugioh or any of its characters across any one of the various series.
I woke up on the couch in my room, my wounds healed and in a new set of clothes. Liquid spoke to me as I was getting up, "You're finally awake? Awesome! We're in the same boat: Duel Runner training! I hear that if we get to be really good, we may be awarded Duel runners of our own! See you there!" He rushed off to who-knows-where, I wasn't really paying attention.
I turned to Okita, "May I ask what happened?"
"Seria brought you in here unconscious and got us to help her put you on the couch. Your duel disk was wrecked and she said that you'd be getting a new one later today, along with a new deck." Okita shrugged.
"Did she say anything else?" I asked.
Okita shook his head, "No. Sorry, friend, but I am not aware of what could possibly be in your new deck."
"That isn't quite what I was... nevermind. Could you remind me of where I'm supposed to go for Duel Runner training?" I sighed. If Sayer was restricting information about my duel the previous day then my saying anything would only get me in trouble, and now I knew that I had no way to defend myself against psychic powers in a duel.
"The highway to the east of here. The Arcadia Movement has asked Sector Security to cordon off that section of the Highway for our purposes. I doubt that you will take to the runner as quickly as you breezed through the duel training, it is something that will actually have to learn, whereas I am not surprised regarding your dueling skills in your training. Don't give me that look, I've heard a few rumors about what you did in the training room. Is it true that -"
"Shut up, Okita. Yesterday has left me terrified, alright? Now let me go do what I've got to do. I'll see you later, alright?" the intensity of my voice was enough to turn Okita's ramblings into a sullen, somber face. He sat back down, defeated.
"Can I at least get some more details about what happened later? The whole school -" he was trying to ask me a question, but I'd already left the room. I wasn't interested in hearing the latest gossip about me, the one member without even the slightest amount of psychic powers.
I didn't eat breakfast that morning, I wasn't hungry and didn't want to risk seeing Seria in this mood.
When I got to the highway I saw a familiar uniform standing just outside the gate. Without a doubt, the stranger in front of me with bangs going over his eyes was a member of the Arcadia Movement. When he saw me he smiled slightly and extended his hand.
"You must be Wilhelm. My name is Kawasaki and I'll be your instructor. Have you ever ridden a duel runner before?" he asked as I shook his hand.
I smiled slightly, "Not that I can remember, I'm afraid."
"Oh yeah," he chuckled. "Sayer told me about that tidbit. He said that he rescued you from a dump without any memories. Nice guy, that. Anyway, we've probably got a few minutes before we can get you on a runner.
He motioned for me to take a seat before he continued, "You won't have to worry about all that much today, just getting your bearings on the runner. Nothing difficult. We'll cover actually dueling on a runner some other day. Got that, bro?"
"Sure… bro…" I answered. Yet again people were making me feel uncomfortable. In the last few days, I mentally noted. I have learned a great many things about myself, none of which relate to my missing past, most of which relate to my general dislike of happy, overly-talkative people. I sat on a nearby bench, tuning out Kawasaki's rambling about duel runners. I didn't even know why, but it was like I'd heard it all before.
Eventually Liquid walked out the gate, pulling off his helmet. I could see the frenzied look in his eye. Then he looked over and saw me, "Wilhelm! You won't believe how much fun that is! Just be sure to avoid the obstacles though, they slow you down. It's almost like you need psychic premonitions to get through safely, but I don't think that you need to worry about that." The smile that adorned his face was meant to encourage me, but it only left me terrified. But I don't have psychic powers.
"Good to know, thanks." I smiled weakly back at him. My first time on a runner and they're already throwing obstacles at me. I could already tell, this was going to be absolutely great in the most sarcastic sense imaginable.
"You're up, Wilhelm. Get in and get on a runner." Kawasaki pointed to a bulky motorcycle just past the gate. I walked up to it and put on the helmet that Kurosaki passed to me, making sure that it was on securely.
I got on the runner, and suddenly felt a feeling that was all too familiar, and yet I couldn't recall ever having felt it before. I couldn't even hear the countdown that Kawasaki was giving me, I just relaxed and took a position that felt right on the runner. The moment that he said go I slammed the accelerator.
The first turn was easy, and I guided the runner through it and over the jump, not slowing down. The rest of the course was similar, I just let the accelerator handle my speed as I rounded corners and leaped minor jumps. I didn't even notice the massive jump that would have killed me had I failed it, nor did I even see the tower that generated a static field. I just sat on the runner and let my tunnel-vision instincts take the reigns. When I finally sped to a stop Kawasaki and Liquid were both gaping.
"Something happen?" I asked.
"How did you do that? You told me that you'd never ridden before." Kawasaki eventually said shakily. Liquid had to forcibly close his maw.
"I got on, got comfortable, and rode the course. Did I do something wrong?" I asked.
"No," Kurosaki shook his head. "You did nothing wrong, which is why I'm impressed. You did nothing wrong on that course and came close to beating the record of the course with that bike."
I smirked slightly, "What can I do to get better and break the record?"
"Ride it again and again until it's nothing but muscle memory. I don't think I have anything to teach you about the riding aspects of a duel runner, so tomorrow we're skipping directly to the dueling aspects. Go home." Kawasaki said, seeming slightly exasperated.
"But I just got here!" I was mad. I didn't want to lack something to do. I was afraid that Sayer would grab me to be Akiza's target practice again.
"I got a call from Seria while you were riding that you needed to get back to HQ for medical testing. Outside of my authority. Later, man." Kawasaki sighed. "Besides, I need time to rework my teaching plans around you. I wouldn't be surprised if you get cleared for special agent work in just another day or two."
Liquid's eyes shot wide, "A special agent? Now that I think about it, you'd be such a natural out there in the field, far away from support. You'd only answer to Sayer and he'd keep local governments off of your back! Especially if you can learn to control what you did yesterday -"
I tuned Liquid out pretty quickly, passing the helmet to Kawasaki as I started back for headquarters. Despite Liquid's rants to me about how the position and I would be perfect together, I couldn't help but think that it wasn't as good as Liquid thought it was. I was almost out of the plaza when a man with obscenely large black and yellow spikes of hair looked at me. The criminal mark on his face surprised me slightly, then I recognized him, but not until after he'd recognized me.
"Wilhelm?" he asked with a shocked look on his face. "Is it really you?"
"I'm sorry, sir, but I need to get back to headquarters," I replied hurriedly, not wanting a repeat of what happened the last time I'd seen him.
"Wil! Don't you remember me? Your friend, Yusei?" he had grabbed my shoulders and was shaking me, as though he was trying to shake some sense into me. I was relieved from having to react when Sayer rushed in.
"Mr. Fudo, this doesn't concern you. Please leave my acolyte alone," he said in a calm, almost threatening tone.
"Doesn't concern me my arse, Sayer! He's my friend and we want him back!" Yusei let go of me and yelled at my boss. Then I heard it in my head again, his voice but different words, and Jack's voice. Then I heard two other voices, Kalin and Crow. I don't even know how I assigned those names to the voices in my head, I just did.
Then I felt Liquid pick me up off the ground as I blacked out again.
"Sir," Seria said. "It is obvious that the brainwashing wasn't enough to wipe away his memories. His connection to his old friends must have been strong."
"Nonsense," Sayer replied. "You're just saying that because you didn't think that the brainwashing was going to work in the first place. You sabotaged it against us, didn't you?"
Seria was flustered and red with rage, "Sir, you are jumping to conclusions too quickly for my liking. I would never and have never betrayed the movement."
"You only signed on because you wanted to study psychic brain patterns. You got lucky when I gave you Mr. Jernigan from Satellite; you got a subject with a connection to the spirit world but no psychic powers. You're just worried about damaging the test subject." Sayer was withholding his rage as best he could.
"Yes, I am, because the brainwashing techniques that you tell me to use are still experimental and have been shown to damage our subjects permanently. What happened to the last subject we threw under for a second dose of brainwashing anyway?" Seria was on the verge of screaming at Sayer.
"He was weak and had to be retired. Only the strong are permitted to remain." Sayer said in a low, threatening monotone. "It sounds to me like you actually admire this particular subject. Is your youth still trying to get out after all of your advanced schooling and genius status?"
"Shut up, Sayer. I'm leaving. I've been offered a position within Sector Security as an analyst." Seria said.
"Leave now and I'll reveal what you've done to the whole neuroscience community. You'll never get a job again, and as you still have such a long life ahead of you, it would be a real shame." Sayer said, smiling. "Besides, you know how much I can make you hurt, and we both know that you don't have any defenses against that."
Seria was shaking with fear, "I'm not sure that I care anymore. I can't put a patient through a treatment that I know has had extremely detrimental effects in the past."
"I'll make a deal with you. Just this last treatment, you don't even have to perform it yourself, just be on standby while I do to make sure that it is done safely. Jernigan is going to go through the treatment regardless of whether or not you're here, wouldn't you rather it be done in a safer environment?" Sayer said.
"And in exchange, I get to leave with no repercussions?" Seria implored hopefully.
"You have my word. Now come, Mr. Jernigan is already on the table." Sayer left his office, Seria in tow.
Seria was at the computer outside of the room while Sayer was administering the treatment to the specialized helmet on Wilhelm's head. An anomaly popped up on Seria's screen.
"Sayer," Seria said through the intercom. "Mr. Jernigan is resisting treatment. I don't even know how, and I still don't detect any psychic powers, but he is."
"Increase power. I can't let him out." Sayer looked Seria dead in the eyes.
"I can't, Sayer. It would be too dangerous." Seria responded calmly as she began typing the series of commands to halt the procedure.
Sayer held up a card to the window, showing it to Seria: Mind Control, "Shut up and do it you self-centered harpy." Seria immediately stopped typing and began deleting her series of commands, a glazed look in her eyes.
"As you wish, Sayer." Seria raised the power and other dosages for the procedure. It wasn't until the procedure was over that Seria woke up from her daze. She had just guided a dazed Jernigan to his new, isolated room when she stepped outside of the room and her mind returned to itself. For a moment Seria stared at her hands with tears in her eyes, then she ran to the elevator and out the front door.