Chapter 19

Leaning over a desk inside the warehouse, just in front of the steam punk computer of her old mans, Claudia had a set of duel monster cards spread out, she had moved his keyboard and mouse so she could make some room, running a hand through her short red bangs, she was wearing a pair of skinny blue jeans with rips at the knees, grey t-shirt, and a black leather jacket over it, with a hood on the back, three chains on her belt, with her signature duel deck on her waist, slamming her hands slightly on the desk she let out a groan.

"It's still incomplete… I was hoping to use this deck by the time I went back to the academy…." Closing her eye's she remembered the previous day.

Flashback

Claudia was sat on the patio with a hot black roasted coffee in her hands, she had given both Jaden and Alexis a lecture about their relationship, sure she was proud of them, but she had been slightly scared to see both teenagers in her bedroom the day before having sex on her favourite purple bed sheets… so she and Zane had gone out, and bought a completely new bed and sheets for the red head teenager.

Alexis had apologised so many times, and kept saying she had been feeling dizzy and slightly sick that morning, Claudia had told her it was due to a slight hangover from the alcohol that they drank at the party, she had even taken the blonde down to her local doctors for the morning after pill saying that even though Alexis would be a great mother, that she was too young for children at that moment in time.

Jaden had gone missing for a few hours with Syrus and Zane around town, but the moment he threw open the door to the B&B he ran straight out back to see Claudia sipping a coffee. "Bro! You've got to check this out!" she looked to him placing her coffee on the table and eyes widened slightly seeing that Jaden had found a store in Univille that sold duel monster packs, he handed her at least 5 of them. Then bowed his head "I'm really really sorry!"

Claudia smiled to the boy and nodded, "It's cool dude I'm over it now…. Now lets see what you've got here ok?" together they both opened the packs, spending ages talking about the new cards until Jaden pulled one specific card. He instantly took Claudia's hand and placed the card into it.

Claudia was confused until she felt an all too familiar electrical surge pulse through her vains, looking down at the card, it was an XYZ monster like she currently uses now with Utopia. But this card, it was different, especially the name on the card, "Cyber Nova Dragon?"

Jaden nodded and gave her a slight puppy dog eye's, she sighed and gave him a one armed hug, "You are now totally forgiven dude! Thanks" that placed a smile on the teenagers face. They gave each other a respected fist pump and sat back talking about how she was going to put it into her deck, the only problem was she was still missing cards for it.

End of flashback

Claudia's eye's snapped open when she felt a hand on her back, turning around slightly ready to punch the person who sneaked up on her, only to find her old mans face right there. "Claudia? Are you ok?"

Claudia sighed as she dropped back into the chair, rubbing her face, "Yeah just trying to figure out how I can get my hands on the last Cyber Dragon I need for this deck…" Artie walked forward slightly to see the cards spread out across the table. "My kiddo, you've managed to collect all them in such a little time. I don't need to cut your allowance back from buying cards do i?"

Claudia let out a small laugh shaking her head, "Most of them cards was spares from Zane, I pulled the cyber dragon from the booster pack Dorathy gave me, then Alexis gave me the second Cyber dragon, I did buy a few machine booster packs, so that's how I managed to get Cyber Twin and Cyber end dragon…. Then Jaden gave me this one."

Her fingers trailed against the black XYZ Card, "That must be recently made… because I've never heard of Cyber Nova before listen kiddo, there is no need for you to stress yourself out over a bunch of cards"

Claudia stood up pacing the floor slightly holding up both index fingers, "No that's where your wrong old man…. I do need to stress about this specific deck, it keeps calling to me…I can hear the voices of the deck each and every day… then there is this dream about the shadow man I'm duelling… and I have a feeling this deck is the one that's going to protect me against this force coming."

She stopped slightly in front of the filling cabinet, "Why when I get something good going… my life starts getting screwed up again Artie? All I ever wanted was to become caretaker of this place… then all that changed when Kaiba came here." She punched the cabinet with so much force that the side of it dinted in, and Artie winced. He walked up to the girl to pull her away from the defenceless thing.

"Listen here Kiddo, these nightmares will go away soon… me and H.G are working on this prophecy and any artefact that steal peoples souls, all you need to do is continue on at Duel Academy while NOT! Doing anything like Jaden and Alexis did…"

Artie had found out about the two teenagers the next day when he saw Claudia burning her bed in the backyard, he didn't even know where the girl got a zippo lighter from, but when she told him that she hates smoking he forgive her.

He walked back over to his desk where Claudia's new cards was spread out, he took out a key and unlocked the bottom draw, to pull out a folder, "Come here sweetheart, here I have something for you" she walked over, trying to ignore the pain in her hand, and looked over his shoulder, she was taken back to how many rare cards the older man had in duel monsters.

She could have sworn she saw Dark Magician girl, oh how she would love tyo get her hands on it to tease Syrus. That's when Artie stopped on a page, her eye's widened in shock, right there in the middle was Cyber dragon. The card suddenly moved slightly going 3D to her naked brown eyes, her hand reached over, and as her fingers trailed against it not only her but Artie could hear the voice, "Our master has found all 3 of us now… we will be complete soon…"

Claudia looked to the older Agent and he nodded carefully sliding the card out of the folder, he handed it gently to the teenager she leaned over the desk and put it in the row now having all 3 cyber dragons together.

Suddenly, the lights flickered and some lightning struck down in the warehouse, Claudia could feel and sense the presence of her duel monster cards, their spirits was currently here, in this warehouse. "Oh my god… its….beautiful.." Artie looked to the teenager, as he had been watching the lightning dance around the stacks, far off into the distance. "what do you sense?"

A smile landed on the teenagers face, "Home, I sense that they are home.." She looked back down to the deck, all the cards glowed with a happy shine to them, but.. there was one small spot that was missing, one card she needed to fully complete the desk, and only one person she knew of had that card.

"Power bond… its still missing, but I will find it…" Artie nodded when suddenly the teenager flung her arms around his neck, "thank you so much pooh bear, how can I ever repay you for all the kindness?"

He just smiled rubbing his hand over her slender back ever so gently, "by coming home, and being safe… I don't like it when my little girl is so far away, I've become so attached to you kiddo. I couldn't bare it if I lost you too."

She smiled, trying not to cry at their little moment, and just hugged him again, "Count on it Dino dude… I promise… I will come home each and every time, even through the summer… Dad" his eye's widened slightly, and then softened up stroking her hair, "keep in contact, and have fun ok kid? And if that Zane does anything to make you cry, let me know straight away ok? I'll come down there and hurt him…."

Claudia laughed, so Artie was trying to warm up to her boyfriend but he was still trying to come to grips that she was 19 and could handle herself with boys. "Alright, the first sign of trouble and you are the first person I call ok? Now I head back to school tomorrow so…. How about we spend the day updating the grid?" he nodded and helped her pack up the deck, then they both sat down on their computers going over the warehouse system grid and updating any security that needed it.

WH WH WH WH WH

The next day came, all the GX Students was stood around Claudia's car seeing the Island coming up into view, The red head hadn't told Zane that she had almost completed the deck, of even the fact that Jaden had given her Cyber Nova, it was going to be a surprise the next time they had duelled each other.

But at this current moment in time as the boat began to pull up into the docks of Duel Academy, Claudia immediately sensed something, it was strangely familiar to her, looking up at the dark clouds, trickles of rain began to drop from them. To her, it was a warning that danger would soon be coming their way.

Zane walked up to the side of her, "Ready for the next 5 weeks of hell before Christmas break?"

Claudia nodded "Oh more than ready, I just can't help but shake the feeling that something is going to happen while we are here, I'm worried that … I may lose you." Zane wrapped his arm around Claudia's shoulder pulling her close to him, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, "No matter what love, you will not lose me ok? We will face what ever is coming together, H.G and your old man are looking into the files of Warehouse 2 hoping they can find anything tha—"

He was suddenly cut off when she stood up straight looking over to where the Chancellors office was inside the school, "I … can feel it… there is something here… and it's in his office…" his eye's narrowed to where she was currently looking, she had explained a few weeks ago that since she was the future caretaker to the warehouse, she could sense when an Artefact was being born or that one was near, it was like when Pete got bad vibes, or Mykas keen attention to detail.

Suddenly the boat was hit by a rough wave, knocking Claudia slightly into the railing lucky Zane had hold of her otherwise she would have gone overboard. "so…. What you are saying is that there's an Artefact right here?"

"I don't know Zane, but if there is one here…. It's making me worried, because who ever has the artefact doesn't know about the downside of that piece…. Or if they fully understand what that Artefact does…" suddenly her senses shifted from the office, making her head dart to at least 3 corners of the island, "There is something else here…something that is being guarded…. Why didn't I sense this when I first came to the academy?"

The boat finally came to a halt, and the teenagers climbed into Claudia's Prius, she began to drive over to the Slifer dorms.

"Claud… if there is something else here…. How dangerous do you think it would be?" he spoke in a slight whisper, the three teenagers in the back was a sleep, Alexis head on Jaden's shoulder. "if what I'm getting feels right, then not only dangerous for this Academy but the whole world too…."

WH WH WH WH WH

It only took 20 minutes to get from the docks to the Slifer dorms, once getting there though they saw a boy with raven black hair, long black trench coat arguing with Professor Crowler. Getting out of the car Claudia walked up to the professor, "Is there something wrong grandma?"

He turned his head towards the girl, giving a slight huff, "I give up with you, and I'm here to let you know that an old student has returned to the academy, he will currently be joining you in the Slifer dorms"

They turned to see the raven haired boy, and Claudia's mouth dropped to the floor, "Chazz! Wait… what? Where has he been?" Chazz walked up to Claudia, "I've been off training in another school, when I came back though this idiot says that since I left the school without any notice that I have to start down at the bottom ranks of being a slifer slacker! Which he knows who my family is!"

Zane stood beside Claudia "Even if your family is rich Chazz, you have to follow the rules of the academy, if you are to stay here that is" Chazz groaned until Claudia slapped him on the back, "Welcome dude, to the best dorm in the school! Home of good chilli burgers and corn dogs! Slifer red!"

Each of them narrowed their eye brows looking to the girl, "What? I'm American remember." They all nodded as she held her bandaged hand out to Chazz, "truce?"

He nodded and shook her hand, instantly as soon as he touched it, he couldn't;'t help but have slight hearts in his eye's, "My Claudia…. Your hand… its so soft.." Instantly she pulled it back and then looked to Zane, "Alright, we've just got back from South Dakota so we are going to chill for a bit before classes start back up tomorrow is that cool with you Grandma?"

Crowler just growled and began walking off, "IT'S PROFESSOR CROWLER!"

WH WH WH WH WH

A week had gone by since the start of a new term year for the GX Students and at this moment in time, Zane was sat with Alexis, Jaden, Syrus and Chazz at the Slifer dorms, yesterday Claudia had received a call from her old man saying that they needed her for an urgent ping, Zane would have gone with her but Claudia insisted it was just another retrival so he stayed behind, but he couldn't help but be worried about the girl. Not once had she called to tell him that the mission was doing fine.

Or the fact that it would be over soon, all that he knew was that the mission was with Steve, sure a slight tinge of jealousy had struck but he knew the pair was best friends and wouldn't do anything behind his back.

"Zane? Do you know where Claud went?" Jaden asked, Zane turned away from the wide ocean to look at the group of teenagers, "she's working at this current moment in time, they were short staffed at the NSA so Claudia got called in. IT was her job before coming here, so she does part time work for them."

Giving a nod understanding, Zane was about to start walking away when suddenly he gripped his heart, 'our master.,… is hurt…'

Alexis jumped straight to the side of him, "Zane! … Zane are you ok?"

His eye's widened as sweat rolled down his forehead, panic struck his face, "IT's Claudia…. Somethings…wrong…"

He fell to his knees, worry was clearly stuck over his face. "CLAUDIA!"

Was all he shouted before everyone began trying to get him to calm down, Even Chazz.

WH WH WH WH WH

AND THAT'S IT FOR THIS CHAPTER FOLKS! I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT!

CLAUDIA'S INJURED ON AN ARTEFACT MISSION?

IS SHE GOING TO BE OK?

HOW CAN Zane know that she is injured?

Curedream90 and ArticDragonSlayer over and out!