Hello, all! Here is the next chapter, coming to you much earlier than I first anticipated.

Not too much else to say. This chapter won't have a Duel, but it will provide some more development into characters, and long-term plots. There will be several transitions here, too. This chapter doesn't have any custom characters from other Fanfiction users, either.

Here are the Japanese-to-English names used in this chapter:
Aki Izayoi = Akiza Izinski
Yusei Fudo = Yusei Fudo
Rex Godwin = Rex Goodwin
Ruka = Luna
Professor Frank = The Professor
Kodo Kinomiya = Commander Koda
Divine = Sayer

DISCLAIMER: The author does not own the 'Yugioh!' TCG, or anime (both owned by Konami), the 'Android: Netrunner' LCG (owned by Fantasy Flight Games), or any characters/concepts used in them. The author does own their OC's, factions, and devices used in this story.

Onward to the Chapter.

I peel off my wet coat as I quickly dart through an unassuming door. My guidance implant highlights the door with a white aura, the sign for an entrance to the Collective base. The door is several blocks away from the Daimon Area Arena, and not close to Kate Mcaffery's shop. This doesn't really affect my appreciation for the entrance, though. The Superiors did say they had access to places across the city through their base, and this is just one of them.

Once I make sure no one followed me over here, I quietly shut the door again. A curved path winds down into the ground. I take a moment to breathe in some fresh air, my muscles a bit hurt from running between spots of cover. The rain hadn't stopped during my journey here, and I don't want to know the time it took me to arrive. Most likely, it took too long, which means time I could have spent searching for Chaos Theory and Quetzal is lost forever.

I sling my wet coat over one arm as I stride down the path. My undershirt clings to my skin, and I dare not try to remove it unless I absolutely need to. This path is not very long, or it could be how fast I am walking this time around. Either way, I quickly reach the meeting room where the Collective last spoke face-to-face. Edward Kim isn't guarding the place this time, and the doors are open wide. I hear quiet voices from inside, but I can't pick up the topic of their discussion.

I step inside the meeting room to see the Superiors seated in separate chairs, facing each other away from the main table we all sat at before. Wu notices me first, since she is the one directly facing me. Despite this, all three leaders rise from their chairs as one, and turn to face me.

"Welcome back, Netrunner," Williams greets me as the other Superiors nod as one. "We see you have had a rough journey to get here."

"Just some rainwater, is all," I reply as I search for a spot to place my wet jacket, and fail to find one in the room. "Now, what about my going to Satellite?"

"We have prepared the tracker for you, as well as your transmitter," Bordeau quickly states. "They are both in the storage room nearby. We will head over there now."

I follow the trio as they exit the meeting room, but I can't keep pace with their synchronized movements. I have to keep stopping myself so I don't crash into them, which annoys me slightly. I try to keep that annoyance bottled beneath the thrill of seeing a new piece of Collective technology. If they can build cybernetic body parts that can adapt to people's brain patterns, who knows what else they can think up?

I get an answer when we enter the storage room… or, storage vault. Cabinets and racks of metal parts and items rest in tightly-packed stacks inside the large, dark room. Green numbers and letters give designations that I don't know how to clarify, but the Superiors seem to recognize instantly. They move down several stacked rows, and stop at a file drawer marked, "S-2". Williams pulls this drawer open to reveal several small devices shaped like earphones, or small watches with screens.

"Here are the items," Wu says as Bordeau grabs one headphone, and one watch, for me to take. "Keep them safe; they cost a significant amount of resources to build."

I give a quick, "Sure thing," as I strap the watch around my left wrist. The headphone slips snugly into my ear, after I take off my special glasses. The two devices activate at the same time; the headphone gives a small beep as the watch's screen glows with digital numbers.

My guidance implant gives me a confirmation message: [Devices successfully integrated into host system.] The phrasing it gives makes a part of my subconscious retch in disgust; it sounds so mechanical too much like a machine. I am not a machine.

"We have triangulated the last signal from the two transmitters," Wu continues as I look to her in the darkened space. "They are in Satellite, near an orphanage officially owned by a widow named 'Martha'. They have not moved from this location for several hours, which has led us to believe they are in this woman's custody."

Wu's eyes narrow at those final words, and the other Superiors echo her expression. The lack of lights in this 'vault' makes their faces look strange and inhuman. Are they really this angry about their technology being stolen? Did they think the same way about me when I was brainwashed by the Arcadia Movement?

Oh, great, I lost focus again! I have got to stop doing that.

"To get to Satellite," Williams explains as the Superior's expression become calm again, "the best option is to find a boat at the Neo Domino docks. Suppliers ferry goods between the City, and the island, on a regular basis. These goods can also include people, for a price. Sailors earn honest money this way, despite the illicit reputation."

"Unfortunately for us," Bordeau admits, "the captains and sailors there are strict on legal matters. Chaos Theory and Quetzal reported they had to bribe someone for their passage, and even that was after some tough negotiations. They did not reveal the details of what they had to do, but they did say their contact was going to stay in Satellite for several days afterward."

"We would not advise you to look for illegal means," Wu determinedly finishes, "such as when you travelled through the trash pipeline to reach here from Satellite. However, if no legal method comes about from your own investigations, we will need to know as soon as possible."

"Hang on," I state with a frown of my own, "I just got out of being arrested. You think I want to go back in there again? They'll lock me up for six months, minimum!"

"We know how the law here works, Netrunner." William's words sound cold to my ears, or maybe it's the shadows on his face as he says them. "Should you be incarcerated in the Facility, the Collective will find a way to release you as soon as possible."

I don't trust my mouth to give a negative response to this unspoken promise, so I clam my lips shut. The Superiors certainly note thus, but don't comment on it as Wu asks me, "Do you have any further questions before you begin your assignment?"

One question does come to mind, and I ask it: "Could I get some time to rest before I go to Satellite? I know I slept a bit while under arrest, but the whole thing stressed me out."

"We would advise against that," Bordeau answers after the Superiors all blink at the same time in response to my question. "Every moment spent is another you could be searching for our fellow agents."

"Maybe so," I counter with the hope of not making the Superiors angry with my suggestion, "but will I be of any real help to them if I am tired, or sick? If they are in danger, I can't save them if I can barely stand up."

"We understand your reasoning," Williams responds in the same tone Bordeau gave, "but we had expected you would have greater endurance than what you are presenting here. Time is not a resource we can waste."

"Do you want to waste agent's lives, then?" I snap. I instantly regret it when the Superiors all give me the same angry frown. Again, the little light here gives their faces a darker edge than I've seen before. The fact I have just insulted them makes their reaction all the worse to me. I should really just keep my mouth shut when it comes to things like this!

"Very well, Agent." I wince at the venom Wu gives when she says my official title. "We will give you your rest. Follow us, please."

The Superiors walk out of the vault together, and I keep a few cautious steps behind them. We don't travel too far down the underground pathways before we stop at another metal door. Williams quickly types in a code on an adjacent keypad, and the door silently opens for us to enter.

I feel my head pound as I stare at what is in this room; a large pod that looks nearly identical to the pod I woke up in at the Arcadia Movement building. It has the same curved shape, the same type of lid, and the same strands of wires that stretch from its top end to monitoring devices on one of the room's walls. Its white-and-green surface glints slightly in the artificial lighting, the lid too dark for me to see the inner contents. A series of poles mount it vertically in the room's center, a stark difference to the horizontal position the Movement's pods used.

Despite my instant connection of this thing to the Arcadia Movement, I still have to ask, "What is this thing?"

"We have christened it a 'think-tank'," Wu answers with a flourish of her hand. "It is based off the designs of the Arcadia Movement's mind-control pods, but with the purpose of a sensory deprivation tank. We have each tested it separately, and our compiled data shows it allows the user to enter a higher mental state for a limited time. We believe this can be useful in allowing future agents of the Collective to cope with the hardships we face today."

"Okay…" I pause as the human part of my brain tries to figure out how this pod works, and how it is different than what Divine used to manipulate my thoughts. "So, I just slip inside?"

"First, you must remove your clothes and personal belongings." Bordeau says this like it's a completely normal thing, and then adds, "Total exposure to the tank's effects offers the greatest resolution."

"I'm not exposing myself like that!" I shout back, surprised that they would even suggest it. "You three might be watching from a camera, or something!"

"You will be completely isolated," Williams insists, his monotone voice a stark contrast to my worried state. "Your clothes will be cleaned while you are resting, and your belongings will be stored until you awaken. You wanted to regain your strength, and this is the best method we can offer you. We do not want our Agents to take the silver medal in their duties."

Wu crosses her arms over chest as her fellow Superior finishes her statement, an action which Williams and Bordeau copy a second later. Three pairs of eyes stare me down, their combined force intimidating to stand against. I turn my eyes to the pod, hanging there like a frozen droplet. It doesn't look intimidating, but its what inside that really concerns me. Do I risk this option, the one that the Superiors believe is the best option? Or, do I refuse the offer and find my own, independent, way?

It doesn't take very long for me to make my choice, and announce it: "I'll use the pod."

"We will wake you up if there are any severe notifications you need to know," Wu informs me. They all turn around together as she tells me to, "Enjoy your rest."

They walk out of the room without another word. The door automatically shuts behind them, which leaves me alone with this "think-tank". I walk up to the closed lid, and then quickly step back when the lid opens up with a quiet hiss. The inside is more open than I suspected, with a dark blue color. Braces rest on the bottom of the inside, probably for my feet.

I look to the door one last time, and then squint my eyes at every corner in the room. I don't want any hidden cameras in here, no matter how much anonymity the Superiors say they will give me. Once I am sure I am completely alone in here, I slowly undress. I place my personal belongings, and clothes, by the door, but not close enough to open it up.

I carefully step back into the pod, and the lid automatically closes shut after a few seconds. All outside light is gone as soon as the lid locks into place. The inside air is surprisingly warm to my naked body, which is a tiny, tiny comfort. My feet are clamped down by the braces as a dull hum comes from unseen speakers.

I try to relax the rest of my body against the strange noises, and feelings. I start to breathe a bit faster as the hum grows louder, and deeper. Vibrations travel up and down my body, with no sort of clothing to block them out.

My head pounds again as the vibrations go through my skull. It feels odd – really odd – but not painful. I try to dismiss the odd sensations, but it gets harder with every second. I tense my body up in order to concentrate, but that doesn't help at all. The hum now digs into my ears, the vibrations enough to break my body apart.

Suddenly, my body gives up. My limbs release all their tension, and my thoughts scatter apart as the pounding vibrations knock me unconscious.

I cough myself awake. My throat feels parched, my eyes itchy. I raise my hands from in front of my face to scratch my eyes. I cough even harder when dust falls from my hands, and into my mouth. I blink my eyes open to gray surroundings underneath a black sky. No, not entirely black; purple-colored smoke rises from a distant wall of fire that stretches to the thundering clouds. The smoke provides a thin layer beneath the sky, broken by bolts of red lightning every so often.

I stand up slowly, since I don't want to feel any more bad sensations. A thin layer of dust falls from my clothes as I rise, and blows away in a light breeze. The breeze pierces through my clothes with a cold touch, and I shiver as I look at the blasted landscape around me. Actually, the shivering feels more like a mixture of fear and cold. The fear comes from the fact there is no one else around, and this place looks like a disaster took place.

The distant purple fire increases my fear, because it reminds me of when I Dueled Elizabeth Palus. She had conjured purple fire to bind the two of us to the "Earthbound Gods" she claimed to serve. The fire on the horizon stretches to the clouds, a barrier against anything from the outside that doesn't want to face the stormy sky.

A sharp crackle comes from my right. A battered television flickers to life amidst the debris, the screen partially blocked by some of the waste around it. I kneel down and move as much of it aside as I can, until I can fully see the screen. The static changes shape, and direction, every few seconds, without transitioning into some sort of image. There aren't any knobs on the machine for me to change the channel with, and the antennae it uses are warped and bent like they melted under intense heat.

I curl my lips at this machine's stubbornness, and give the device a hard thump on the side. Amazingly, that thump makes it work correctly. It shows a colored image, with a slightly grainy texture, of a ruined city plaza. I don't see any speakers on the television, but it still plays sounds of whistling wind and an ominous humming. It looks eerily similar to Satellite, and that's curious enough for me to examine the image closer. I then lean back when a giant black hand with blue lines bursts from the ground.

The hand stretches to the white Sun far above, and shadows its light from view. At that moment, a distorted voice, similar to Apex's voices when it 'spoke' in the Network, comes from the television.

"Glory to the Earthbound Gods," it proclaims, "liberated from their shackles to exact their revenge."

The screen flickers with static again, and the image's colors change to a faded gray-and-black. Another voice comes from the screen, this one more human and desperate.

"The Gods have returned," it states as the on-screen hand closes its fingers around the Sun, "bringing corruption and darkness with them."

The color returns as the image changes to an overhead view of five cloaked figures standing in a circle. They surround a whirling hole of rainbow-colored energy, each of them with their right arm over the hole. Each of their arms shines with a different purple tattoo, or is it a mark? I can't see them clearly, and they are less important than the horrible creatures inside the hole. The size of their eyes covers the entire hole as they look out at these people.

The distorted voice speaks again: "The champions of Vengeance and Redemption wield the God's fury against the cursed dragons."

The eye looking at these 'champions' blinks, and the image loses its color again. The human voice speaks out as the hole begins to spin more violently: "The Dark Signers are the harbingers of devastation. Their victory means the end of all we cherish."

The image changes again, and the color returns. Now, the five marked people stand on the top of a small hill. The clear sky above them gives enough light to reveal their marks, but not enough for me to clearly define them. Another nearby hilltop shows five other people, each with their own glowing red marks. Their color instantly reminds me of the "Signers" and the Crimson Dragon.

The two voices speak just after each other, and the image gains, or loses, its color with each speaker: "The battle against Light and Darkness begins anew," and, "The battle from 5000 years ago has returned."

The pattern repeats again as the image shows the ten people leaping at each other in battle: "The Gods shall prevail against the Crimson Dragon," and, "The Dragons shall prevail against the false Gods."

The image changes to a wide shot of the five "Dark Signers" and projections of their "Gods" as the distorted voice loudly shouts, "Dark Signers! Destroy those unworthy of the God's power!"

In response, the image changes to the "Signers": Yusei Fudo, Aki Izayoi, Ruka, and Jack Atlas. The Crimson Dragon floats behind them as the human voice pleads out, "Signers! Bless those worthy of the Dragon Star's light!"

The television crackles again as the image turns into static, and then shuts off. Its purpose is apparently complete, but I don't feel any better from what I saw.

I stand back up, and my knees ache slightly from pressing into the hard ground for so long. Each of these Signers strikes a chord inside me, for differing reasons. I mull over each of them in the silence.

Aki is the most prominent to me, for many reasons. Samuel Tagami, the person that I was cloned from, used to be her lover, or at least her friend, at Duel Academia. Her anger killed him, and she has let the feelings of incidents like that fuel her psychic powers. My Duels against her have been dangerous and emotional, and my victories don't exactly feel like victories. If I have to face her again before the 'Dark Signers' are defeated… I don't know how that will turn out.

Yusei is the next-strongest connected to me. We were friends in Satellite, and he accepted me into his group when I had amnesia. He helped me become a proper Riding Duelist, and was a rational side to my emotional outbursts during the Fortune Cup. Unfortunately, Yusei and I haven't met since the Fortune Cup, which was a long time ago. If Yusei is one of the destined 'Signers', then he will have to deal with a lot of threats. He may not have time for me… and I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Ruka is third. Her strength lies in her 'Spirit Caller' powers, according to those Duel Monsters Spirits I met in the Spirit World. Her connection to her cards is probably stronger than mine, or Aki's, but that could also be her weakness. If the Spirit World she says she has to protect is destroyed, she may never recover from the loss. She has her brother, Rua, to turn to, as well as the other 'Signers'. She probably doesn't need my help, but that doesn't mean I don't want to help her if I can. She is just so innocent, so why does she need to be a part of this danger?

Jack is the last, but certainly not the least. I have never seen Jack Atlas in a Duel, but his title tells me he has a lot of skill. Actually, it should now be his former title, since he lost to Yusei. Either way, Jack is a 'Signer' like Yusei, and he may be able to regain his worth when he faces the 'Dark Signers'. I don't know how much Jack knows about me. Jack Atlas may not care about me at all. Considering all the wild and crazy things that have happened since the Fortune Cup, I am probably not the worst thing to have come out of it.

My right arm throbs with an all-too-familiar sensation. I look at it and see the red eye on my skin. Red veins slither out from it along the limb, pulsing to an unseen beat. They look like the 'limbs' of Apex, or Hivemind, and their touch gives an odd sense of warmth. 'Odd' in the way that I don't think these veins are supposed to be friendly.

"What do you want from me?" I ask this out loud with no real target in mind. No answer comes from around me, or from the spreading mark on my arm. I watch its progress with slow breaths. I don't necessarily want to get rid of it, but it doesn't feel completely right. Is there something I'm missing from all this, some important fact I should know?

"Why are you showing me this?" I ask the vines, and the eye. "I'm not a true Signer. I don't deserve to see these things."

The eye blinks, and then narrows. Did I say the wrong thing? I don't know for sure until I know what all this means!

"What am I supposed to do here?" I shout to the sky, the wall of fire, anything that may have an ear to hear my questions. "How can I help the Signers win the war? Please, tell me."

Nothing answers me. Everything is silent, all sound snuffed out. The lightning bolts, the crackling flames, the wind blowing along my body; none of them have any sound. This place feels dead without those noises, and that makes me mad.

"Tell me!" I scream out, my voice the sole sound in this silent, devastated, ruined city.

Hands press against the back of my head before I can move. Cold fingers dig into my skull. At the same time, a black mist quickly sweeps over everything in sight.

My actual eyes open as light streams into the pod. The warm air turns a bit colder as the room's air seeps in. The cold sensation jars me awake, and gives me enough clarity to step out of the pod. I look to the door, and let out a small breath when I see it is still locked. I then look beside the door, and see my clothes and belongings placed by the wall. The clothes are folded, and I smell a few whiffs of a minty-fresh aroma.

My guidance implant pops in with a notification, its activation a bit surprising: [Aroma clarified as laundry detergent. Conclusion derived: Your clothes have been washed, as the Superiors said they would do during your 'rest'.]

I dress quickly, and slip my belongings into their appropriate places. After I pat myself down to make sure I am not forgetting anything, I move to the door. It opens for me, and I turn to head back to the meeting room. I only walk for a few minutes before I reach the familiar open door. Again, Edward Kim is nowhere in sight, and the Superiors are seated inside discussing something in hushed tones. Bordeau holds a tablet in one hand that has their combined attention.

"Good morning, Netrunner," Williams greets me as the trio stand up and turn to face me. "It has been 14 hours, and 32 minutes, since you entered the think-tank. We have some new information that concerns your assignment."

Bordeau hands me the tablet he just had; it has a news article on the screen. The title reads, "STRANGE MIST IN SATELLITE CAUSES HUNDREDS TO VANISH". A corresponding picture shows images of the island-city taken from orbit, and a black blob-like substance covering most of the place. Another picture, below the first, shows a wall filled with what looks like hundreds of photographs placed in a mismatched order.

"A black mist has spread over a large portion of Satellite, and then receded again," Bordeau explains while I look at the article's images. "A forced evacuation took place from affected areas, and the people are now returning to find empty streets and dwellings. By this, we mean completely empty: anyone who was caught in the mist when it spread has not been located since."

"We have tracked the spread over time, and charted its growth, and recession," Williams adds. "The mist originated in the so-called "B.A.D." area, where the original "Momentum" Reactor still exists after "Zero Reverse". Fortunately," he adds as I glance up from the article, "the mist has not spread to the area where our agent's transmitters are located. Your assignment can continue as planned, but your search area has been reduced from this unnatural occurrence."

"You may leave when ready," Wu finishes as she extends a hand towards me. "May you run the Net freely."

I hand the tablet to Wu, and fail to say anything in return. I don't have the courage to look them in the eye, after what I said to them. Apparently, my time in the "think tank" did nothing to clear up my mental stress. Was using it a waste of time, after all? I don't know, and I'm not sure I want to know!

I just nod to the Superiors before I turn to make a quick exit. I don't think it matters which exit I take to Neo Domino's surface, I just need to get to the docks. Once there, I can find someone to talk to, and maybe even negotiate passage to Satellite. There shouldn't be any distractions against this mission, right?

Well… there is one thing. My subconscious says I need to speak with Kate Mcaffery again before I leave the City. I left her on a sour note – sour to me, at least – and I feel I should clear it up.

My guidance implant instantly states its denial: [Do not let exterior problems cloud your judgement. Your focus is your primary assignment, not resolving minor issues.]

No, this isn't a 'minor issue'. It's something I need to solve. I don't think it will take too long, and I will feel better to fix my standing with Kate. It's the human thing to do.

I come out to the City through the same entrance I used to enter the Collective Base. It takes me a few minutes of quick walking to reach the front entrance of Kate's shop. Nothing distracts me, which I interpret as a good sign. The outside air is clear, and a bit humid. The clouds from the rainstorm still block out most of the Sun's light, despite it being more than half a day since then. Hopefully, the weather won't get any worse while I'm in Satellite.

I slow my pace down as I approach the shop. Kate is at the door, a ring of keys in hand as she tries to open the door with one of them. Her hair is matted all over the place, and she wears a light-green pair of suspenders over a black undershirt, and gray pants. She still has the same goggles on, but they hang loosely around her neck this time.

"Good morning, Kate," I greet her with what I think sounds like a casual tone, but comes out of my mouth as insistent. "Can I talk for a moment?"

The mechanic slowly turns to face me. Her half-lidded eyes blink once, and then twice, before she leans against the door with one hand. Her other hand removes the key she had placed in the lock, still clutched between two fingers.

"I thought you left for Satellite already," she states before she quickly swallows something in her throat. "What do you want here?"

I swallow a lump in my own throat as I quickly think of the correct way to say what I want to. A theory I considered when I saw those Collective-sigil gears in Kate's shop is about to be proven, or completely falsified. Kate will probably be surprised, and maybe even angry, at this, but it might also help resolve the underlying anger I sense is between us.

I stumble once before I say my request correctly; "I would like one of the Collective-sigil gears you have stored in your shop. I know you've been distributing them to people recently."

Kate's eyes widen. Her eyebrows rise. Then, she slumps hard against the door. Looks like my theory was right: Kate actually made those gears to distribute to the people of the Daimon Area.

As I think this over, Kate unlocks the shop door with one of her keys. She only says two words: "Come inside."

Kate quickly unlocks the shop door, and I step in behind her. I take off my glasses, and she doesn't waste any time to ask me, "How did you suspect I was making these things to sell?"

"I ran into a street peddler a few days ago who was selling one of them," I answer. "They didn't tell me where they got it from, but my guidance implant was able to scan it. It says it is shaped like the Collective's sigil. I found you had them when I last passed through your shop; they are in a cardboard box in the back end of your garage, by the secret door to the Collective base."

"Smart thinking." I don't see Kate's face when she says that, so I don't know if she is angry, or happy, at my thought process. She continues with, "Best to keep those smarts under wraps when in Satellite." She looks at me from the corner of her eye as she then adds, "No one likes a know-it-all."

"I don't know everything, Kate," I respond with a raised finger. "For example, I don't know why you made those gears in the first place. Could you answer that, please?"

"Desperation?" She asks this like she doesn't know the answer, and continues to ask herself similar terms. "Vengeance? Preservation? I honestly don't remember anymore, and a lot has happened since then to keep me occupied."

I stay silent, and lower my raised hand to my side. Kate gives me a withered glance, which I do my best to not respond to. I am not backing down until I get an answer, and Kate quickly figures that out. She doesn't turn back to fully face me as she moves to the shelf behind her front desk.

"Have you ever regretted something?" she asks as she shifts a few items around for a reason I don't know. "I mean," she continues, "regretted up to the point you would do anything to change what was in the past?"

"There have been incidents in the past I would like to change," I honestly reply. "But, I try to not focus on the bad things that have already happened."

"Of course you wouldn't," Kate spits as she almost crushes a small figurine in her hand. "You're just another cog in the Collective's machine. Or," she admits as her grip on the item lessens, "that's what I thought you would become when the agents took you from the Daimon Area that day."

"Yusei told me about that," I state as what my friend said comes back to me. "You knew what the Collective was, more so than other people in the area."

"Well, sure. Andromeda had already been swallowed up by their promises, and I knew her well from the projects we collaborated on. To see someone else I had met be taken by that group was upsetting, especially when that someone was a Duelist who could intimidate the Black Rose Witch."

"Her name," I instantly snap in anger at this false clarification of my original self's lover, "is Aki Izayoi."

Kate gives me a withering look, but just says, "Right." before she continues with, "Someone like her made people wet their pants with fear. You stood up to her, which was not what people expected. The Collective stepped in to save you from her wrath, and then saved you again when Professor Frank tried to hypnotize you in the Fortune Cup."

Did she have to talk about that specific incident? I don't want to remember that man's calm, creepy words, or his wild and crazed true self. I resist the urge to frown as Kate rolls right along into a monologue.

"That Duel against her had more on the line than you knew. The Black Rose Witch was a figurehead of terror, an urban legend that proved terrifyingly real for her victims. You were a victim, and then some, because she actually killed you in front of thousands of people. No one else died in the Cup, not even Kodo Kinomiya.

"When you died in the Stadium, a small piece of me died as well. I had to fill the hole that piece filled somehow, so I turned to the Collective for help. I wanted to learn why people I knew kept going to them, and they are treating me like a rowdy dog in obedience school."

Kate turns to look at me with tears in her eyes as she finishes her rant: "Those gears were my choice to make, and my choice to give to others. You may think they're based on you, and you may be right. I don't know anymore, and that scares me."

Wow. I feel sick from that. Once again, my actions have affected someone else in a negative way. The first time was with the Collective agents that tried to rescue me from Godwin's experiments, at the cost of their lives. The next time was with Yusei and his friends against Satellite's Duel Gangs. The next time was with Aki, by making her psyche even worse than before in the Fortune Cup. This is the newest time, and I am sure it won't be the last.

Kate doesn't look any better for saying all this to me. My objective has failed, even after all my hopes to make her feel happier with the Collective. I console myself with the fact I took the effort to try in the first place.

"Thanks for the explanation," I quietly say. "I'm sorry I made you act like this."

I turn to leave, but stop when Kate shouts, "Wait!" I turn around, and Kate darts into the shop's garage. I hear a lot of rustles from inside, and Kate quickly comes out with an object inside a clenched fist. She forces open one of my hands with presses the object into one of my hands. I see the object once she draws her hand away: one of the Collective-sigil gears, with a noose of string tied through a small hole in the top.

"Take it," she quickly says. "No charge, just take it. Wear it. Keep it with you." I don't know what to do in response.

My guidance implant pops in with some advice: [Agent Mcaffery probably trusts you to keep this item, and the information behind it, a secret. Revealing this information would prove haphazard to your social standing, and possibly your physical health. If you wish to improve your 'friendship' with her, it is recommended you keep this item with you.]

Funny, I didn't think my implant uses quotations for human concepts like friendship. But, it's advice fits with my goal to make Kate happier with me, and the Collective as a whole.

"Thanks, 'Mac'," I say as my hands automatically tie the noose around my neck. "For everything."

She smiles warmly as I turn to leave, which makes a smile of my own sprout on my face. I finger the gear-necklace as I keep it on the outside of my undershirt. Next stop, Satellite.

The Neo Domino docks are, of course, by the ocean. My guidance implant provides me a route to the area, like it did for the Neo Domino General Hospital. It takes longer than I first thought to reach them, which I chalk up to growing caution of the civilians here. The Masque did say that I would get hurt if cornered by an angry crowd, and I don't know who among the countless people in the City want to see me hurt. So, I have to constantly watch on all sides for suspicious movements, which takes a lot of my energy.

As I approach the docks, the humidity in the air increases slightly. It's enough that each breath I take feels a bit heavier in my mouth. The surface I walk on changes from hard concrete to bolted planks of wood that creak under my steps. A few gulls flap near the ocean surface, others perched on top of several different boats tied to different areas. The crafts bob and nudge each other in the waves, just as the many people push and shove past each other on their various tasks.

Men and women load or unload items off ships, keep watch over the crowd on shore, walk along the narrow paths of their vessels, or shout orders to each other over the general din. It looks pretty intimidating, when I look at it all together. I guess I should talk with the less intimidating sailors first. They will probably be easier to talk to, and won't be so suspicious of me. With this in mind, I move into the crowd and look for someone to negotiate passage to Satellite with.

The first person I think would be a good choice is a robust man with a bald head, and bushy gray mustache. His face is tanned, and his hands rough-skinned, as he lifts a few crates onto his vessel. He looks nice enough, which makes me feel a bit better as I go up to him.

"Morning," I say a bit loudly to get his attention. When he looks at me, I speak a bit more quietly, "I've heard that sailors here offer passage between here and Satellite, alongside transporting cargo. Are you one of these sailors?"

"You want to go to Satellite?" The man's voice is as deep as I expected from his robust body as he regards my appearance. "After so many people just vanished?"

"A friend of mine went there a while ago, to extend their mechanic business to the workers there. I want to make sure they didn't vanish along with everyone else." The man places a finger to his chin, thinks for a second, and then shakes his head.

"I can't agree with this," he says. "That mist isn't the only bad thing in Satellite, and I don't want any more bad things on my mind. Good luck with your friend."

He turns back to his work without another word. I pause for a moment, and then turn away. That didn't work out. Maybe another person will be easier – like that thin man in a suit by a speedboat.

This turns out to not be the case very quickly after I explain my reasons to go to Satellite.

"I am not going there," he demands, "no matter what! People just don't vanish into thin air like that, no way!"

"I can pay you as compensation for the trip," I try to bargain with him. "I have connections in the City—"

"Screw your money," he shouts back, "I want to live!" I move away from him as a few nearby people turn to face us. I charge through them before anyone accuses me of doing something illegal. I stop at a larger boat with several loaded crates that smell strongly of fish. A few people help each other wrap the crates beneath a set of chains, and onto the deck.

I approach the nearest crew member, a sunburned woman with her left eye screwed tightly shut. Her right eye is a dull gray, which she glares angrily at me with before I even start talking. When I tell her what I want, her anger turns to explosive rage.

"Satellite?!" she screeches. "You can't trust anyone who goes there! I ought to sick the PSMB on you for even mentioning the damn place! Get out of my sight!"

Two muscled, shirtless men come at me from on the ship, drawn by the woman's words. I race away as my guidance implant pops in with an explanation I don't really need to know right now: ['PSMB' stands for 'Public Safety Maintenance Bureau', the official name for what you know as 'Sector Security'.]

I glance behind me every few seconds as I move back through the noisy throng. The muscled men don't follow me, and I stop near an open bar near the ships. Sailors drink beer, play cards, and smoke cigarettes as they sit separate from the crowd. Many of them have Criminal Marks on their faces, of varying sizes and shapes. Alcohol stings my nostrils as I look the place over, and I quickly lose any interest in finding a suitable sailor from here. At least, until I have no better options.

After a minute to gather my nerves after three straight rejections, I go back into the mass to find another ship. I come to one end of the docks faster than I first thought: the last few ships rest by a large metal and stone wall. The wall, in turn, rests as some kind of barrier against the ocean. A few people stand by a railing on top of the wall, their eyes focused on some place other than the docks.

A slight tingle comes from my right arm, or that could be an itch from the salt-filled air. I turn to the right to look at a small, steam-powered boat that has several crates piled by it on the docks. The crates are locked up tight, and no one is here to load them onto the ship. The only person on the ship is a hunched man with a rectangle-shaped Criminal Mark along his cheek, squinted eyes, rippling muscles, and a cigarette in his mouth. He quickly spots me looking at him, which I take as a cue to approach and talk.

"Oh?" he asks in what sounds like boredom. "You want to go to Satellite? Why come here, then?"

I give him an honest answer for his troubles: "Being arrested and forcefully sent there isn't a better option for me."

"You're right, you're right," he replies as he blows some smoke out of his nostrils. "But, what would you give me in return for me taking you there?"

I ask, "Is this your load?" as I point to the many crates by his boat. He nods, and I then say, "This looks like a large haul. I could help you get it all on, and off, for you, no questions asked."

"No questions asked?" I shake my head as my answer to his repeated question. He blows some smoke in my face before he says, "How about you load the crates on, and I'll think about it."

I wave my hand in front of my face to dispel the smoke as I turn towards the first of the crates. I carefully pick it up from the sides, the contents not as heavy as I imagined. I take careful steps from the docks onto the boat, and almost fall over from the craft's bobbing motions. Once I put it down on deck, the man presses a foot against it to move it closer to the center. I walk back to the crates as he grabs a long chain coiled on one side of the bow.

I don't keep track of the individual minutes, but it doesn't take long for me to load up the crates. The man doesn't comment on my skill, but gives me a gesture to come on board. I smile as I hop on the ship, and help him tie the chains around the crates to several hooks attached into the deck itself. I also help him untie, and coil, a thick rope that tied the ship to the docks itself. He then moves to an enclosed cabin-space behind the crates, and I quickly hear the roar of an engine coming to life. Smoke puffs out of a funnel by the cabin, and I place a hand on the crate pile to steady myself as the ship backs away from the docks.

I feel a bit queasy as the boat's bow bumps against the hard stone of Satellite's docks. This feeling could be coming from the boat's movements across the ocean, or from the billowing dark gray clouds that hang over Satellite. As I feared, the weather here looks worse than in Neo Domino. That's not going to make my mission here any easier.

Luckily, the journey here didn't have any problems. After we got clear of the Neo Domino docks, the muscled man, who my guidance implant classifies as the ship's "captain", poured on the speed. He hasn't said a word to me since I first came to him, but I didn't want to strike a conversation with him, anyway.

I help him coil the thick rope over a round metal structure on the docks. The rope's loop wraps around it on the first throw, and it keeps the ship in place as the captain turns the engine off. The sudden silence sends a chill down my spine; there is only one other ship here in comparison to the multitude of people in Neo Domno. A few people walk along the docks by themselves, with hands in their pockets and shady looks on their faces.

I turn to unload the captain's haul, and he watches me without lifting a single finger to help me. I don't mind, and I don't ask him for assistance. My body aches all over by the time I finish, and sweat runs down my skin as I wipe the back of my hand over my face. I try to not knock off my shades as I do this.

"Good job," the captain comments as he looks over the crates piled on shore. "I needed this haul delivered by tomorrow, anyway." He blows another puff of smoke in my face before he tells me, "You're free to go. Don't expect me to ferry you back for free."

"I'll go back once I know my friend is alright," I reply. "Don't worry about waiting for me."

"Didn't plan on it," he grunts. I click my tongue in annoyance, and step off his ship as a larger metal ship comes into the docks. I move onto the shore as my legs try to adjust back to solid ground again. The metal ship lowers a hatch from its bow, which allows several people to walk off it onto shore.

Something tells me I should look closer at these people, even though all of them look like common sailors. I don't know why that is, so I ignore it in place of activating my transmitter-watch. A quick tap of the screen is all I need to do: the digital screen shows two flashing dots with a red arrow pointing away from the docks. The arrow points to my right, so that's where I start to walk.

I quickly realize that the transmitter-watch does not show the time I have to spend in relation to where I need to go. My legs are still hurt from the heavy lifting, which slows me down as I wander down empty streets and dark alleyways. The buildings around me are ruined shells of their former selves, or reduced to piles of rubble. The only people I see move quickly by, or dart into the shadows when they spot me. No one tries to attack me, or ask where I am going.

The ache in my body slowly fades away as I walk on, and on, and on. I look up every few seconds from the watch's screen to make sure I don't bump into a wall, or something worse. I probably look silly like this, but I see no better way to find Chaos Theory and Quetzal's last transmitted location.

I slip between two wrecked cars that lead into an empty alleyway, skirt around an overgrown fence that fails to keep a patch of grass contained inside itself… and suddenly wind up in front of a large house. It has a brown tiled roof with a chimney, and a faded coat of white paint. Several windows are placed along the multiple floors, and the surrounding area is clear of any wreckage or debris. Several trees stand by the house's back end, which gives an open sense compared to the wrecked Satellite streets.

I double-check the transmitter's screen, just to be sure. The arrow points to the house itself. This could be "Martha's orphanage". Does that mean they are inside the house, or somewhere nearby? Do I try to talk to the people inside, or search the surroundings first?

Once again, my guidance implant gives some advice: [It is more logical that someone inside the orphanage has the devices, instead of them being buried or discarded near the residence.]

I guess it's time to talk to "Martha".

I move to a wooden front door, with a small mat in front of it. I rap on the surface with my knuckles, and wait. The seconds tick by, and it doesn't take too long before someone opens the door. I have to look down to see a young girl with sandy-blond hair and bright blue eyes. She wears a blue T-shirt, stained jeans, and torn shoes, and looks at me with a scared expression.

"Uh… hi." I feel silly for speaking this way to a child, but I try to keep my embarrassment out of my voice. "Is this Martha's orphanage?"

She nods silently. She looks kind of cute, in how she's dressed; her clean appearance makes me a bit calmer talking to her. I guess 'Martha' takes good care of the orphans here.

"I would like to speak to Martha," I explain. "Could you go see if she is available?"

She slams the door in my face, and I hear footsteps fade deeper into the house. I suppose this answer means 'yes'? Well, I don't need to go anywhere right now, so I can wait a bit longer. I also take the time to take off my shades, pluck out the earpiece, and put the shades back on.

Heavier footsteps approach the door a few minutes later. The door opens again, this time by a middle-aged woman with curled brown hair, dark skin, and gray eyes. She wears a brown-and-white robe with an apron around the wait, and a raised black collar that covers her neck. A diamond-shaped necklace with a blue gemstone hangs around her neck.

"I'm Martha," she says in a calm, yet focused, tone. "You wanted to speak to me?"

"Yes," I say as I hand Martha the earpiece, "I am looking for two pieces of machinery that look like this." I then point to the transmitter-watch as I add, "This device has tracked the signals of these pieces to inside this house. Do you mind if I take a look inside to find these devices?"

Martha looks over both machines with very slow, very careful glances. I grow more irritated as she doesn't simply answer my question, and let me go on my way. Time is of the essence here, right? Chaos Theory and Quetzal's lives depend on my finding them, right?

"What do these things do?" Martha asks. "They don't look very important."

"They work just fine," I insist as I hand the tracker to her. "Take a look for your—"

My sentence devolves into a pained cry as, out of nowhere, my right arm burns with pain. I shut my eyes as my body falls to the ground, but that doesn't stop me from seeing two other people surrounded by darkness. I can't see anything beyond their silhouettes, but they appear tall and thin. They stand back to back against the shadows, but they quickly lose ground against the formless enemy.

Then, they both scream as the shadows envelop them. Their voices warp against each other, and then blend together into one unified sound. A pair of purple eyes shine in the darkness as the voice continues to ring in my ears. The shadows then consume all my senses.

Alright, that's all for now. There's been a lot of explanation here, and I am sorry if it was overwhelming at all. I wrote a bunch of this chapter at once, but I figure it is polished enough to post here.

I plan to include a Duel in the next chapter, or the one after that. Because of this, the chapter will take more time to complete (Duels are complicated to write correctly, right?). In the meantime, any reviews/comments/constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.

Draconos is taking off.