Chapter VI

Two Sides

"When Shadow came in the other day, she was covered in oil. We didn't notice because she'd already washed most of it off," he told them. Jack crossed his arms.

"So, she's working on duel runners?"

"Fuck… I was hoping I could get them finished before you guys figured out…" Shadow grumbled. The boys looked up at the doorway, where Shadow was, predictably, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed and looking disappointed.

Crow jumped up excitedly. "Wait, you mean you actually are working on duel runners!?" Shadow sighed and pushed away from the doorframe, motioning for the boys to follow her.

She led them down to an abandoned garage, summoning a Key Mouse from the set of 'random' cards she carried to unlock the door. She slipped through, letting the boys in behind her. Then she flipped on the light.

"I can't build from scratch, but I found a couple of barely-broken frames in the junkyard last week and I've been fixing them up since. The part I had to have Nebula track down is one that I can't replicate, not by myself, that is. Don't worry, if and when they realize it's gone, they won't be able to find it again, because I had the built-in tracker disabled already," she rambled. "Speaking of trackers, I've installed a couple that can only be traced by the best of hackers or someone who knows the codes to get in."

"I'm assuming you're planning on sharing?" Kalin chuckled. Shadow raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I don't know. I might just lock you out of the system," she teased as she slipped under the black one. Yusei was busy examining the dark blue.

"This one looks like an old Security model," he commented. Shadow shrugged.

"Probably was. Like I said though, these guys were falling apart in the junkyard. I just got them painted this morning. All that's left to do is the wiring on that one and making sure this baby'll actually run. If she don't, I'll have to find another engine, which could take me days. I was lucky to find the two I did," she replied.

Yusei poked his head over the seat of the one he was looking at. "Do you mind if I…?" he trailed off. Shadow just smiled.

"Go right ahead," she told him. Yusei grinned and was on his back under the duel runner in only a moment. Crow sighed and gave Kalin and Jack a look.

"They are definitely somewhere else right now," he muttered. Kalin grinned.

"If we can get even these two duel runners working… Oh man, Sector Security is in for the ride of their lives," he laughed. Shadow pulled out from under the duel runner she was checking over to give him a look.

"You realize that if we're gonna test these two, they can't catch us out on them, right? If something goes wrong, like engine failure or whatnot, they'll be on us like hounds on a rabbit. And then we'll get locked up and the duel runners taken away," she said. Kalin rolled his eyes, then a moment later, he sighed.

"Damnit, you're right. And with only a few duel gangs left, they're getting bolder, coming further into Satellite," he muttered. Jack looked thoughtful.

"What if the three of us went after that group in Sector 8 after, say… causing a little havoc for Sector Security to want to look into in that direction?" he suggested. Crow gave him a look, then grinned.

"You mean, create a diversion?" he said. Then he chuckled and looked over at Shadow and Yusei. "Alright, fine. Just so long as we get rides soon too," he agreed. Kalin smiled… well, smirked was more like it.

"How long are you two going to need?" he asked.

Shadow hopped up onto the black duel runner, after having been fiddling around for a few minutes, and started it up. She grinned and revved the engine a couple of times before turning it off. "We just need however long it'll take me and Yusei to get the wiring on the other one fixed up. I'd say we'll be ready by tonight, but I also want to find a couple of helmets, and maybe catch a few Z's, so… tomorrow night. That'll give you guys long enough to decide on what kind of a diversion you're gonna drop on Team Mithril," she told them.

Kalin grinned. "Tomorrow night it is then," he decided.

Shadow had to hide a smirk as she glanced at Yusei, who would be joining her on the duel runners the next night.

"Yes, tomorrow night…"

"Gah, you stupid Rubies are so… so… frustrating!" Kuro practically screamed at Chinaku. Yuri shot glares at both of the.

"Shut up, both of you. It's bad enough we're not supposed to be here, but getting caught out during a new moon? Damnit, I hate days like these," she grumbled. Aikibo sighed.

"Guys, she said they'd show when they show. That doesn't mean it's likely to happen tonight," he said. "And if they do, just… try not to hurt them. I realize that may be hard for a couple of you," he broke off, looking pointedly at Chinaku and Kuro. "But we're still short too many to make our move yet."

"And I'd rather not have to replace the two of you," a voice added as a small figure stepped out of the shadows.

"Sora, are you sure about this?" Chinaku asked again. The girl rolled her eyes.

"Of course. Just don't hurt them. If I do have to replace one of you, I'd like to have them intact, seeing as how the blonde is most definitely a Ruby… or would be, if he were a Nepcryst," she said. "It's a shame the one I'm turning is so hard to read. But alas, if we don't need him, or not right now, anyway, then we'll just let him go."

"Sora, you're rambling again," Aikibo muttered, brushing dark hair out of his face. Sora smirked.

"And now I'm leaving. Have fun, you four."

"You three just keep Sector Security occupied. If it comes right down to it, ignore Team Mithril. We'll be back… before you, probably. But oh well," Shadow said. Kalin nodded as Yusei slipped a helmet over his crab-like hair.

"You two be careful too," he warned. Shadow grinned.

"I'll be fine. It's Yusei I'm worried about," she replied. Yusei rolled his eyes and mounted the runner.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Shadow," he teased. She just laughed and started her duel runner up, taking off with him on her heels.

"Come on, let's go distract Sector Security," Crow cheered. Jack and Kalin laughed at his antics, but ran after him anyway. They had set up small explosives in Sector 8, at the far end from where it connected with their territory, and once they were in range, Kalin pulled out the detonator.

"Oh please do us a favor and don't push that button. We don't exactly need Securities down here," a boy grumbled from a doorway off to one side. His dark blue hair shifted in the breeze, while dark teal eyes watched them closely. Crow glared.

"You're a part of Team Mithril, aren't you?" he challenged. The boy yawned.

"Oh for heaven's sake. The name's Aikibo," he replied nonchalantly. His manner was quickly grating on Jack's nerves.

"Where are the other three?" he asked. A squeal rang out as a redhead tumbled from a fire escape nearby.

"Damnit, Kuro!" the girl screamed. A black-haired boy just sat in the fire escape chuckling.

"I'm sorry, you're just way too amusing to listen to sometimes," he said. Crow and Kalin exchanged a look before the blue-haired teen pressed the button on the detonator.

All at once, Kuro, Aikibo, and the red-haired girl looked fearfully in the direction of the explosion. "Yuri!"

Kalin grinned maniacally. "Aw, what's the matter? Was your leader over there?" he taunted. The red-head turned and glared at him.

"No, asshole! I'm the leader. And I'm thoroughly pissed now, thanks!" she half-screamed. Kuro looked over his shoulder.

"Cool it, Chinaku. You remember what Sora told us? She wants these guys alive," he called out calmly. Then he stood and jumped over the fire escape, landing cleanly on his feet.

"Although if Yuri's dead…" Aikibo trailed off. The three of them pulled out duel disks, slipping them on at the same time, as Jack, Crow, and Kalin did the same.

"You'll pay with one of your own," Chinaku added. Kuro's right eye shifted to gold as he nodded.

"You three had best start praying that our friend is alive," he told them.

Kalin, Crow, and Jack smirked at the challenge.

"Looks like their distraction worked," Yusei commented as they rounded another bend on the old highway. Shadow nodded, lost in thought. He looked over and sighed.

"It's your turn, you know," he commented. Shadow just smirked.

"Oh right, it is now, isn't it?" she laughed as she drew a card. "Alright, I'll start by activating the Galaxy's Will trap that I put down last turn. Thanks to it, any Galactic monsters I summon from here out while it's on the field gain 500 attack points and cannot be attacked so long as they're not alone on the field. But before I summon anything, I'll drop this one on you; the Speed Spell – Supernova Blast! By giving up three of my speed counters, I can wipe out all of your monsters, so bye-bye Nitro Warrior and Speed Warrior."

Yusei sighed as his monsters were destroyed. "Either you've actually had some experience with turbo dueling, or you're just doing really good for your first time and I'm doing badly," he said, noting that Galactic Fairy – Star (Lv.4 1700/1100) was still on the field. Shadow chuckled.

"You're actually doing pretty good for a first-timer. But you're right, I've turbo dueled before… only once I think… But oh well, that's beside the point," she replied. "Because now I'm summoning Galactic Fairy – Tear (Lv.2 800/1200). Now then, Galactic Fairy – Star, attack his life points directly!"

"I guess you already figured this out, but I've still got Scrap-Iron Scarecrow on the field, so I'm using it," Yusei said. Shadow smiled.

"That'll only save you from one of them, Yusei," she reminded him as Tear came in around the trap to bring his life points down to 800.

"Sora?!"

Shadow's concentration wavered as a Sector Security officer rode up behind them. Yusei hadn't heard the name he had called out, but he did spot him.

The next thing he knew, pain flared in his left shoulder as Tear's attack landed, causing Yusei to swerve. Shadow turned back to him, worry written across her face, only to turn again to look back at the officer, who had been nearly knocked off the highway by a girl on what appeared to be a skateboard.

Shadow smiled to herself as the two of them disappeared, then looked back at Yusei. "Are you alright?" she called. Yusei's breathing was labored.

"Yeah. What the hell was that?" he asked. Shadow flinched.

"I freaked out and lost control of my power for a moment," she admitted. "Your turn Yusei, and your last," she added.

Yusei drew a card. "That's what you think," he said.

"That's what I know," Shadow corrected him. "Because if Tear attacks you directly even once, you take damage equal to her attack points during each of your Standby Phases. That's exactly 800, Yusei," she explained.

Yusei sighed, but even as his life points dropped, he swerved, then fell. Shadow gasped. "Yusei!? Oh no, oh no, oh no!"

The dark blue duel runner Yusei had been riding came to a sliding halt, Yusei only a few feet away, while Shadow screeched her own black runner to a stop, running over to her friend.

"Yusei! Yusei, say something!" she was yelling as she reached his side. She felt around for a pulse and took a deep, grateful breath that the crash hadn't hurt him too badly. She slipped Saturn onto her duel disk. "He'll pull through, right?" she asked as the Galactic Hero looked him over.

Saturn nodded. "Yes. Here, take his helmet off. You'll have to force him back the moment his crystal starts showing," he replied. Shadow nodded, pulling Yusei's helmet off and brushing his bangs to the side.

What appeared to be a dark line appeared, then started stretching as a golden gem seemed to grow out of his skull. Shadow smiled as it disappeared again.

"A Topaz… beautiful…"

Kairi: So, so sorry for this being late. (Maybe if someone would review I'd be less likely to forget about it... hint, hint.) Anyway, the next one is due... Oh, tomorrow... Okay, see everyone tomorrow then.