Redux 47: Square World in a Round Universe

In spite of recent developments, the Millennium palace maintained a peaceful atmosphere. "Do we have to be here? I feel like we should be doing something else right now." But as quiet as the higher ups were being, Stonewell knew bad things were happening. Uno was not back yet. "This is important too. You don't have to go with me." Tory on the other hand insisted on visiting the infirmary. "You think I am going to let you go off by yourself? Those people already attacked someone before." With puppets and 'synchronized' spies running about, his impression of this city was even worse than when he first arrived. "They're innocent, Eric. Not everyone is dangerous." They were at the door, she was not going to change her mind now.

"Hey. Anyone here?" She thought there'd be a lot more activity inside. "..I guess that disciple guy got better." Zach's bed was empty. On the other hand, the pawn was still in a deep coma. The only one awake was.. "That guy." Bishop, the Triamid duelist. "Oh. Hi." He welcomed the guests with a tired smile. "Geez, you look terrible. Did they give you stuff to eat?" The kid was still trapped behind a forcefield, for his own safety as well. "They do. I am simply not hungry." His plate was right next to him on a small table. "Oh yeah. I heard what happened to you. You turned into a card too, right? Well, same here.. " This was one reason she wanted to go down here, because she could not stand knowing there were others like her, treated this way. "You were one too?.. Do you.. remember anything?" Bishop asked her with a shaking voice. "Hey, she doesn't have to talk about that." Stonewell raised his fist. "Uhm, calm down Eric. It's okay. I can.. say it. I don't remember what it was like to be.. well.. a card." For Tory that time moved fast like a dream of abstract colors. "But you seem to have kept your memories. Then.. I am glad for you. You did not stay inside long.. I.."

"If we are talking about this, can you say anything about what you remember? Like, locations or secret plans and such?" Stonewell asked offhandedly. "Don't you think that's a bit much?" Tory hissed. "Well, we're getting nowhere elsewise." He shrugged. "I'm sorry again. But I don't remember that either. I was always.. not human, when Martel took me places." Bishop shuddered as he involuntary recalled the experience. "Hmph. Let's stop here then." Even Stonewell could see this was doing nobody any pleasure. " These people leave no trace. If only.. huh?" Stonewell heard a beeping noise. "Is that the communicator? Is it one of the Limbos?" Tory recognized the sound. "Why would they call now?.." Stonewell took the device and held it to his ear. "Yes? What is it? You know where I am, right? This isn't... What?" His eyes widened. "Say that again!"

...

"Are you sure they're not there?.. She said she would be. I should never have let her go." When James heard what happened to Uno, the first thought immediately went out to his own daughter. "My apologies. They checked the area and they could not find her. Nor could they locate Amelia." Iria spoke with him before to find out where the second pendulum crystal was presently. James told her everything he knew. "If Adamant went with her, she has to be safe.. right? And didn't Marco say that Amelia was supposed to be guarded?" Eric was not happy with the news either, it was bad enough that they lost Uno. "I fear that this has the Circle's touch all over it. The agents who were posted there blacked out for a full minute and suddenly lost sight of their target." This was not the first time something like that had happened. "That wheelchair woman!" Eric and the others experienced a 'paralysis' like it back in the synchro guild's castle. "But Alice was immune to her! And she has the pendulum! She could just zap herself back here if she's in danger!"

"I wish I could tell you you are right. But she has not returned." Though the other Nisells dodged Iria's questions, it was clear that their control over the pendulum was weakened somehow. "Uno could not use his crystal to get away from the guilds. Alice may be facing the same dilemma." Wherever they were, escape would not be so simple. And she, Amelia and Uno could have gone anywhere.

...

"You are ... Emily?" Amelia was gone. "Yeah. It's me." Another mind took her voice and body, a mind that recognized Adamant. "I can't believe it worked. I am really here.." 'Emily' balled her own hand into a fist. She was in full control. "Good to see you again too, Cassius." She was seeing so many faces she hadn't seen in a long time. "It is nice to hear from you too. I couldn't be there for you before, but I did not want to miss this." With just this one body, this was the only way that Cassius could see her. Of course he did not want to greet her with the false face he wore yesterday. "I even prepared a new deck for you." He gave 'Emily' a set of wind-attribute cards. "Huh. You shouldn't have." She put those aside for now. "Ah." But as excited as Cassius got, Alice experienced the most emotions. At the start she could only sit there in stunned silence. "Aha..hahah... Emily!" Then every unpleasant memory and circumstance that brought her here washed away, along with her composure. "It's really you!" She leaped forward and wrapped her arms around her. "Ow! Calm down, Alice!" The embrace hurt, this body was weaker than what Emily was used too.

"Ah.. but.." Alice realized this too. This did not feel like she was hugging her sister. "This is wrong! What about Amelia? Where is she? In your body?" She pulled back. "It doesn't work like that exactly. My other body is asleep right now, in a bunker owned by the synchro guild. Akai and Jet and the others are there too, to make sure I don't get hurt. Amelia can't go there until we synchronize her too. She's in here, Alice. I wouldn't do this without her. I told the Circle from the beginning that I would only agree to this if Amelia agreed as well." She shared a quick look with Vesper. "In the end, she will see the justness of our cause. Just as you have." The woman gave her a strange smile. "And what about everything else? Did you tell her about what you have done to Uno, what you gave the fusion guild?" Adamant questioned the two synchro duelists. Unexpectedly.. "They did." Emily was the one who responded. "But you guys don't have the full picture. What the Circle is going to do will save everyone!" At that point the car they were in drove up a mountainroad. "They will understand soon, Emily. Just wait."

A few minutes later a tunnel came up, which the limousine headed into. It extended far and deep into the mountain. "Welcome to where the Circle began." Vesper announced, as they entered a large hollowed out space. "Ah.." It looked like a research center set up inside the mountain caves; with trailers, machines and power generators stacked everywhere. There were a lot of familiar and unfamiliar faces; like Gareth the synchro duelist and Jim the bodyguard. "But where is Uno?" Alice did not see him yet. "Just up ahead. Follow me. But first I am gonna have to ask you to disarm yourself.." Cassius looked at Adamant. "It's just a precaution." Emily added. The solid vision disk could do a lot of unwanted damage after all. "Very well." The XYZ-duelist did as he was told, for now. "Thank you." Jim approached him and took his dueldisk.

"...I remember you." It was then that Adamant noticed Joris Bakker, the fusion guild duelist who was actually the Circle's spy. "But he turned into a card.." Alice would never forget that horrifying image. "That was my other body, the one who didn't have a clue about me. But don't worry, the fusion guild let him go as part of our very brief alliance. Thanks to me, all of this could happen." He boasted. "Thanks to you? I see; you were the prisoner the fusion guild used for negotiation." Martel was the one who held the 'cardified' Bakker. He likely transformed him back just to get a chance to talk with a member of the Circle. "It was your protege's idea, Adamant. See, he learned how to adapt." Bakker sneered. "Most of us came here for this event, for this great step forwards." Cassius spoke with a triumphant fervor. "We are almost ready to begin." He gave Vesper a nod. The chairbound woman went her own way and secluded herself inside a round chamber at the center of the cave.

"First, I will show you where we kept Uno. This way." The duelists walked through a carved out pathway, through several doors secured by multiple keycards. They came across somewhat smaller room, with metal plates across the wall, and barrier generators embedded into the ground. "Uno!" And there he was, locked inside a provisional cell. "Why did you bring these people here?" Cardel the Minister was also present to keep an eye on this guest. "To show them that we aren't out to hurt anyone." The synchro duelist realized that their message was a bit muddled now. "What did you do to him?" Alice yelled. Uno was out cold, his skin bruised. "Cassius..did.." Even Emily was troubled by this image. "The Fusion and XYZ-guild went a little outside of their bounds during the duel. The rest is just exhaustion. As soon as we are through with the plan, Uno is free to go and do as he pleases." The minister explained. "The plan.. and the guilds you helped get the ultimate cards... Tell me, how can you counter that with Uno's pendulum?"

"It is quite simple, Adamant. The pendulums power, like synchronization, can cross time and space. Vesper has the crystal now, in her own chamber. She is using them to reach out to pendulum crystals in both 'present worlds'. And once she's found them all, we proceed to the next step." Cardel clasped his hands. "She will send a signal, that desynchronizes the crystals themselves. This will permanently disrupt their powers, and all other powers that do not come from this time. Special powers like Martel or the Nisells will be reduced to commoners, and cards like the four apocalyptic dragons will lose all connection to their spiritual past." The fusion guild would wind up with a treasure trove of useless cards, if their plan succeeded. But there were negative consequences as well. "Destroy.. the power? But.. you can't! So many people will be stuck in the wrong world if you do! Eric and Stonewell will implode! Maybe!" The pendulum was the only thing that could take everyone back to where they belonged. "The pendulum-desynch will automatically force everyone back to their home world. We analyzed this, Alice. Nobody will lose in this scenario." Cassius assured her. Adamant saw their benevolence differently. "And you.. will win everything." Adamant shook his head. "You don't get to.." Cassius turned to him to give him another lecture.

"Ngh!?" And that was the opportunity Emily took to push him to the floor. "Emily!?" She blindsided him, he was too dazed to stop her from stealing his dueldisk. "What do you think you are doing?" Cardel turned his dueldisk on and she countered with hers. "Someone make sure nobody heard that, and that Cassius stays put!" Emily yelled while she did not let the minister out of her sight. "Emily? You were.." Alice's face brightened with joy. "Playing along." Adamant smirked as he made sure the doors were locked. Then he pinned the struggling Cassius down. "Emily!? Why? I thought you understood! You've been lying to me all this time? Why? How?!" Cassius cried out. "Yeah.. Emily. How? I though Vesper could read everyone's minds?" Her sister had a better pokerface than her, but telepaths weren't usually fooled by that. "Vesper couldn't read my mind without the proper machines. The Fusion guild took most of her stuff, remember? Heck, these guys depended so much on Vespers 'reads' that they couldn't even tell I was bluffing when I said was okay with their plans."

"Hrmph. I told you not to let your other half's desires get in the way, Cassius. You saw what you wanted to see." Cardel stepped forward. "What was your plan after you locked yourself in? Where does it go from here? It will only be a matter of time before Vesper finds out what is going on. If she has not already." The minister taunted as he started drawing his cards. "That's why I had to wait until I was far away from her and close to Uno. But I didn't want too wait too long." Vesper probably had a mindreading machine in this base too. She could only hope that the esper lady was distracted right now. "Cassius only has a body in this timeline, so he can't get in the way. I just didn't count on you being here. Good thing you're busy with minister stuff in my world too." There was nobody who could immediately deal with her original body. "But you wont get to Uno, or to the outside world, until you deal with me." Cardel flashed a keycard. "The minister has become the warden." Adamant scoffed. "A duel with you? Sounds easy to me." Emily accepted the challenge and drew her five cards.

Cardel's LP: 8000 Emily's LP: 8000

"So you betray us, after everything we have done for you." Cardel took the first turn. "That takes a lot of audacity, young lady." He placed two trap cards and one monster face-down. "Well, I never saw myself as one of you, so it doesn't really count. I only pretended just so I could see Alice again. But okay, you did help me. You made me a stronger duelist!" She placed two cards on either side of her field. "Pendulum monsters?" Adamant gasped. They were Superheavy Samurai General Jade (scale 1) and Superheavy Samurai General Coral (scale 8); two cards that did not exist one week ago. "Pendulum summon! Superheavy Samurai Drum and SoulPiercer!" Between Jade and Coral, the Superheavy tuner Drum(1/300/300) and the Superheavy Arrow shooter(4/1200/0) were special summoned. "And I synchro summon Superheavy Samurai Musashi in defense mode!" The drum tuned itself with Soulpiercer, uniting into the red and gold samurai swordsman Musashi(5/300/2300). "You're not even using the deck I gave you." Cassius moaned. "Sorry, Cassius. I'll always prefer slow over fast." Right now she was using a digital back-up of her existing deck. Her cards were one thing she could not carry over into this new world, of course

"Because Soulpiercer was sent to the graveyard, I can take a Superheavy Samurai from my deck." She grabbed a Superheavy Samurai Battleball monster with the first effect. "Also, a synchro summoned Musashi puts a machine from the graveyard in my hand!" The synchro's effect brought back the Superheavy Soulpiercer. "I can equip Soulpiercer as a spell to Musashi. Now he gets to pierce through any monsters defense points!" Musashi discarded his sword for the soul bow and took aim. "My Superheavy will attack with his defense!" The arrow was released and shot throughCardel's facedown Flower Cardian Pine(1/100/100). "Rgh. When Flower Cardian Pine is destroyed, I may draw one new card." He took 2300 points of piercing damage, but he also drew a new card from his deck. "Flower Cardians? Well whatever. My pendulum Superheavy Samurai General Coral can let my Samurais attack again if they destroy one monster!" The red coral general commanded Musashi to fire another shot with the Soulpiercer. "I knew you could. So I activate my trap, Flower Trading, and summon another Flower Cardian from my deck." The destroyed pine-image card was replaced with a card that showed a tentacle plant(12/100/100).

Cardel's LP: 5700

Flower Trading, Normal Trap
When a monster you control is destroyed by battle or a card effect and sent to the graveyard; Special summon 1 "Flower Cardian" monster from your deck.

"Ah, watch out Emily! Flower Cardian Paulownia can negate one attack and draw one new card.!" Alice yelled. "Bah." Emily rescinded her attack order, thanks to the replay rule. "Do not under-estimate me, Emily Brandt. I've been playing this game long before you ever touched your first card." Cardel took his turn now. "You may think you know what you are doing, but you are very much mistaken..." Cardel revealed a card from his hand. "I activate Flower Cardian Cherry Blossom with Curtain. I draw one card, and if it is a Cardian.." Cardel drew Flower Cardian Peony with Butterfly from his deck. "I can summon the monster." The curtain cardian(3/2000/2000) brought itself to the field. "I can also special summon Flower Cardian Peony with Butterfly by tributing any Cardian." Cardel tributed Cardian Paulownia for a lower-leveled Cardian(6/1000/1000). Its panel displayed two Blazewing Butterflies flying over a red flower. "When Peony is summoned, it draws one card." Cardel drew another monster: Flower Cardian Zebragrass. "If it is a Cardian, Peony will rearrange the top three cards from your deck." Emily's next three cards were reshuffled, while the minister also special summoned a Cardian Zebragrass(1/100/100) with its own effect.

"And Peony with Butterfly is a tuner. It turns the levels of all my Cardians to 2! I wil use all as synchro materials to synchro summon Flower Cardian Moonflower!" The Peony (2/2000/2000) altered the levels and synchronized with Cherry Blossom(2/2000/2000) and Zebra Grass(2/100/100). A pale red-eyed geisha(6/2000/2000) in a black dress. "Moonflower draws one card by skipping my next drawphase. This time, if I draw a cardian. It may be summoned and strike directly." Cardel pulled the next card from his deck; a spell card called Super Koikoi. "What's the matter, finally run out of Cardians?" Emily chuckled. "Heh. Did you think I prepared just the one strategy? Now I can begin my second by activating Flower Stacking! This spell moves three Cardians to the top of my deck!" He took another Cardians Cherry Blossom with Curtain, Zebragrass with Moon and Willow. "Then I activate Super Koikoi. This spell excavates the top three cards from my deck. I lose 1000 lifepoints for each card that is not a Cardian, however.." Naturally there was no chance of that happening with his 'stacked' deck. "When I excavate a Cardian, regardless of how it should normally be summoned, it will be put on my field with its level reduced to 2." Super Koikoi special summoned the Cherry Blossom(2/100/100), Willow(2/100/100) and Zebragrass with Moon(2/2000/2000) Cardians all at once.

"Well that's annoying." Emily grumbled. "Please stop this, Emily. You can't win." Cassius pleaded. "Do not give up. This duel has only just begun!" Adamant shouted to counter the pleas. "Yeah, those Cardians dont even have effects!" Alice joined in. As it turned out,Super Koikoi negated the effects of the Cardians it summoned. "Heh. Moonflower can change her own level as well, while treating herself as a tuner!" The geisha(2/2000/2000) did a dance between the cards, combining with the three other panels. "I synchro summon, Flower Cardian Lightshower!" The Cardian rainman(8/3000/3000) once again entered life through the four-card-combo. "Attack Musashi." Lightshower spun his umbrella around until he gathered enough energy to release a blast of lightning. The thunderbolt fried the Superheavy Swordsman with his Soulpiercer. "Every turn you draw, Lightshower will inflict 1500 points of damage. It cannot be destroyed or targeted by card effects either. So just surrender, Emily Brandt. You can not fight the future. Those that do, will have no future."

(To be Continued in Redux 046: Double Edged Trust)

New Cards used by Emily Brandt
Superheavy Samurai General Jade
Superheavy Samurai General Coral

New Cards used by Cardel Gerber
Flower Cardian Willow
Flower Cardian Peony with Butterfly

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Flower Cardian Moonflower

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Flower Stacking
Super Koikoi

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Flower Trading