Chapter 4: Getting closer…
"This is not working!", Hasselberry groaned frustrated. He and Misawa were trying to get a clue to where Jaden and Alexis had fled. They watched the last scenes of the video tape, where their friends fought the guards and jumped out of the window at least a dozen times, but unfortunately there was no hidden clue.
"I can't get into the system of Pegasus personal computer, either."
"Then what now?", Bastion asked.
Hasselberry thought about it for a moment, leaning forward until his ellbows touched his knees. Silence fell between them for the time, they used to figure some way out of this mess. That was until Hasselberry suddenly sprang up and shouted:
"I got it!"
"What?"
"If we knew Jaden's real name, we could figure out, where he would go to hide and then check up on it."
"Already thought it over!", Misawa sighed. "There is no way, except for asking himself. To do so, we have to find him and to find him, we have to do so… It's never ending. We will just have to wait."
"But Kaiba Corporation has files about all of us- with our real names."
"Yeah, but…"
"…but I need help to get them."
"Get them?", Bastion frowned. What was Hasselberry thinking?! Did he believe, they could just go to the information desk, ask for the files friendly and the lady would just give it to them?!
"She sure would be the employee of the month!", Bastion thought smirking.
"How are we supposed to get them?", the Ra Yellow asked suspiscious.
"We hack into Kaiba's computer, silly!"
"We do what?!", Bastion yelled. "Are you nuts?! That is never going to work. Kaiba has the most advanced tecnology on this planet- except for Industrial Illusions…"
"Which we tricked!"
"If he finds out, he'll get us killed immediately."
"If he finds out…"
"Wait a sec. I don't think you get this right. Let me explain…"
"I perfectly understand the situation and I'm willing to risk it for my friends."
"But…", Bastion began again, only this time, Hasselberry didn't allowed him to even start his lecturing.
"BUT… I'll need your help."
Bastion was silent for a moment, then he sighed. It was obvious, that Hasselberry wouldn't back off.
"Oh, how you'll need it."
(Scene change)
"I don't get this!"; Alexis sighed. "Why would someone reveal our plan to Pegasus, when he or she is too an employee of Kaiba. I mean, where is the adventage…"
"Maybe the traitor was Pegasus spy from the beginning…", Jaden suggested.
"But Kaiba Corp. checks on every member of the Duel Academy."
Jaden just shrugged. "However, we have to find him or her- and soon. We can not go home before we discovered his or her identity. It would be too dangerous."
"And what do you plan on doing?", Alexis asked, leaning back against his chest. The were seated on the couch in the living room of his apartment and just relaxing a little, while debriefing on their situation. Jaden took a sip of his tea, before answering:
"We'll need help. Bastion and Hasselberry aren't here- or anywhere near here- and we don't have any supplies left. I need to get my equipment belt full again or I will be of no use in a fight and you need all your hightech things- you know those hair slides and nail polish and…Okay, okay, I was just kidding!" Alexis was giving him a hard time to breath, tickling him to no end. Jaden almost splashed his hot, almost burning tea on them both.
"Okay, okay, calm down!", he begged.
"Fine!", she snapped. "And how do you plan on finding that help- and your weapons."
"We go visit an old friend of mine…"
(Scene change)
Half an hour later, the two lovers were standing in a desolated alley. It was already dawn and night would put everything into darkness in no time at all. Alexis was shivering, but not from the cold. The houses on both sides of the street seemed not only desolated, but although very run-down. Some of them were already starting to collapse. The young woman decided, that whoever might live or work in this place wasn't right in his mind and for Jaden to have such a friend… Well, however, she swore herself to never come back here again, if she survived this evening. Jaden calmly entered a store with the name "Huffington's design studio". Obviously a parody to what it was: Everywhere in the store you could see some sort of weapons, medievel to modern style, even some bullets with liquid poison in them. A bell rang as they entered and they were immediately greated by a fat man with a really big nose, who made to little balls out of his black hair.
"He looks just like that cute little animal… what was it's name again…", Alexis thought, but was interrupted, when the big man took her hand to kiss it.
"Someone wants grilled cheese?", he asked afterwards, which made Jaden laugh and shake his head, while Alexis only stared incredulously. "Then what can I do for you, Jaden?!"
"Well, I need some… no many daggers, knifes, little bombs and some information, Chumley."
"Wait here a minute. I'll be right back."
Then he disappeared into the back and for some time nothing was heard or seen of him, until he came back with a great bag in his hands.
"There you'll find everythin you requested, my friend- well, at least, everything that's made of steel… So, what information do you need exactly?"
"Alexis and I need to discover who betrayed the Duel Academy and to do so… we need to find someone else first…"
"If I can help you."
"I'm sure you can. We need to know, where… Yugi Muto is." The other two persons in the room gasped at that. Even Alexis didn't know, Jaden would have that "help" in mind. Was he going crazy? Kaiba and Yugi were arch-enemies, why should Yugi help them?! They most certainly wouldn't be able to pay for it, too.
"You what?", Huffington squeaked. "Jaden… Yugi is not the right person to joke with. He doesn't like fools and never traids with them."
"That's good, because Lex and I are no fools!", Jaden grinned. Chumley gave him a knowing look, but Jaden's grin only grew wider.
"However, I cannot help you."
"Oh for heaven's sake, Chum!", Jaden groaned. "You're the best weapon designer ever and you want to tell me of all people, that Yugi doesn't get his equipent from you?!"
"He does, but that doesn't mean, I know where he lives, Jaden!", Chumley mumbled back angrily. "Besides, even if I knew, I wouldn't be so stupid to tell you. Muto or one of his comrades would kill me instantly."
"But-", Jaden tried again.
"But nothing, Jaden. And besides, I wouldn't get to near to Muto, if I were you. Pegasus hired him to kill the both of you."
"But, why are we still alive then?" Chumley shrugged, he didn't know the answer, but suddenly thought of something:
"Yugi likes to play. Maybe everything that happens in this case to him is just a chess game. He sits at one side of the table…"
"And our traitor on the other…", finished Alexis, speaking for the first time. "That would mean, that Yugi is waiting for us to do something. Maybe he wants to know something."
"What could that be?", Jaden asked.
"Maybe he wants to see, if we're up to the challenge."
"To find the traitor?"
"Guess so."
"But why?"
Silence fell. None of them had any idea on how the games king mind worked.
Then…
"Maybe I can help!", someone said. All three youngsters turned around shocked, that they didn't hear the man enter…
A/N: Who is that man and what's his connection with Yugi?