/Text/ Spirit to Host

/Text/ Host to Spirit

Chapter 33: Contingency

Téa gasped. "What is that?"

A series of loud popping noises sounded in the area, followed by brief red flashes of light around the park.

"Explanations later," said Harry quickly, looking around. "We need to get out of here."

"Mokuba," said Yugi, worriedly, "What's the best place we can get cover?"

"There should be a secret tunnel that leads back to the employee-only areas by the Virtual Arcade," Mokuba said. "It's just…we have to cross through an open area of the park to get there."

"What about a place with a landline to call for help?" said Tristan.

"Uh…"

They all jumped as a jet of red light flashed down the path, and they heard people running. Another jet of light was followed by a man screaming. Tristan held the hotel door open and they hurried back inside, standing just out of sight of anyone standing right by the door.

"We need a plan, fast," said Ron.

"First aid station!" Mokuba said suddenly, "Each first aid station has both a satellite and a regular landline connection to call for emergency services."

"Great, where's the nearest one?" asked Harry, pulling his wand from his jacket.

Mokuba bit his lip. "Across the park. It's near the monorail terminal."

"We'll have to go for it," said Joey, and he looked to Harry and his friends. "What are we up against?"

"Death Eaters," said Hermione, "You-Know-Who's followers. But…how did they find us?"

"We'll have to worry about that later," said Yugi. He drew his wand as well, as did Bakura. "We really only know two fighting spells."

"It doesn't matter," said Hermione, "You know how to disarm and produce a shield, and for now that'll be fine. Let us back you up until we can get help."

"Is there any way we can contact Tonks or Professor Lupin?" asked Ryou.

"I know the Order has used Patronuses before," said Harry, "But I don't know how to use one to send a message."

"Your Patronus is also sort of known," said Ron, "You don't want to lead the Death Eaters right to us."

"I have an idea," said Hermione, and she hurried over to the front desk of the hotel.

"What kind of light show is going on out there?" asked the employee, craning their neck to look outside. "Everything okay?"

"No," said Hermione, "Is there a phone that works?"

The employee shook her head. "Power is down. We can't get a signal."

Hermione sighed. "Okay…uh…while crews work on the blackout, just stay inside and away from the doors or windows. Do you have a piece of paper?"

"What were those light flashes then?" asked the employee, "I thought I heard a person scream."

"Power cable blew, someone might have been hurt," said Hermione. She grabbed an offered sticky note and a pen and scribbled a message onto it. "Thanks."

"What are you doing?" asked Ron as she hurried past all of them and back outside.

"Calling for help!" She hissed. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the little plush owl. "Avifors."

Joey's eyes widened as the shrunken stuffed animal transformed into a small breathing owl. "Woah…"

Hermione placed the note in its beak. "Find Tonks and Professor Lupin in Domino City. As fast as you can!"

"I have a question, "said Téa, as the owl flew off, "The hotel isn't far from the entrance to the park. Couldn't we make a run for it there?"

Harry shook his head. "We probably could, but somehow, the Death Eaters knew we were here, so I would assume they would have the clear exit to this place covered. The tunnels Mokuba mentioned will probably be our best bet."

Yugi nodded. "Are we ready?"

"Let's organize a plan first," said Joey, as another jet of red light whizzed past the front of the hotel. "Mokuba, you know this place better than anyone. Even in the dark, we need you to lead us to where we need to go."

Mokuba swallowed nervously, eyes wide.

"I'll go with you," said Harry, "Don't worry." He looked to Ron, "How about after a few seconds, you come next."

"Got it," said Ron, and he looked at Joey, "Everyone else who can't do magic should stay in the middle of the herd so there's less of a chance of getting hit."

"I'll go with them," said Yugi.

"Then Ryou and I will hold up the rear," said Hermione.

"Alright…let's move," said Joey.

They moved out from the relative safety of the hotel awning and bolted towards the monorail depot on the western side of the park.

"Wait – which is actually closer?" Harry asked quietly, "That tunnel you mentioned, or the first aid station?"

"First aid, I think," said Mokuba, eyes wide, "Well…maybe not? It's a slightly different direction than the tunnel and about the same distance."

"THERE THEY ARE!"

Téa screamed as a jet of light made it very close to her head.

"Run!" Ron pushed them forward as he twisted around and sent out a stunning spell back where the light had originated.

The park soon became a frenzy of runners. Spells zigzagged back and forth between the group herding themselves down the pathway and their pursuers behind them. Other Kaiba Land employees and their guests scrambled for cover into the nearby shops and attractions.

Hermione shot two stunning spells behind her as they rounded the side of a gift shop.

Mokuba carefully peeked around the other corner. "Is it safe?" he asked worriedly.

"Nowhere is safe, kid," said Joey, "There are crazy people with sticks shooting laser lights at us!"

Mokuba shrank back against the wall.

Téa punched his arm. "Way to go, Joey."

Harry peered around this time. "It got quiet…we need to move."

"See the monorail up there?" Mokuba pointed off to the left from their current position. "The first aid station is over there. And if we go back around to the front of this shop and continue down that path, we'll eventually hit the nearest tunnel system."

Ryou jumped as two lampposts near them turned back on. "Is that…the power slowly coming back?"

"The rest of this place is still dark," said Ron.

"That could be them trying to find us," said Harry. "Let's get to the tunnels. It's probably a safe bet the Death Eaters don't know about them, and it'll probably be better than getting trapped in any one building." He looked at Mokuba and held out his hand. "Ready?"

Mokuba took it and nodded, eyes wide.

"Should we knock out the lights as we go?" asked Yugi.

"If the Death Eaters did that, it'll alert them right to us in a heartbeat," said Hermione.

A loud, high-pitched cackle could be heard from somewhere around the corner. "Ooooh children, come on out and play!"

Harry's eyes narrowed and he gripped his wand tightly. Bellatrix…

"We know you're there, Yugi Muto! The Dark Lord is most interested in meeting with you!" said another Death Eater, "If you surrender yourself now, we won't have to play all these little games around here with the Muggles."

Yugi shook his head and pushed himself off of the wall. "We can't let anyone else get hurt."

"Don't be thick, you can't give yourself up either," said Ron, "It would be like Harry turning himself over to You-Know-Who."

Bellatrix Lestrange's voice carried over again, "We know you're here too, Potter! Talk some sense into him. You don't want to lose another friend, do you? There's no veil here, but I'm sure we could make do."

Hermione had to grab Harry by the back of his jacket before he whirled himself around the corner and started firing off spells. "Harry! She's riling you up on purpose."

Harry shook his head, "I know, but –"

"Come out, come out, Yugi Muto!" said a Death Eater Harry didn't recognize in a sing-song voice, "If you don't want to greet us, we'll have to settle for someone else. Should it be your friends? The shaggy blond one, maybe?"

Joey clenched his fists.

"Or, since it seems not a whole lot is happening here," said a third Death Eater, "We can go back to town and check on the old man." He added mockingly, "You think that dingy shop will have something of interest to the Dark Lord?"

The Millennium Puzzle flared and Yugi pushed Yami back into his mind. /Not this time, Pharaoh./

/Yugi…/

/I – I can't have you fight all of my battles for me./

/We both know it's really me they're after, not you./

/We're a package deal, Pharaoh. I'm not going to give them the Puzzle, so we're going to have to fight our way out of this./

Harry looked quickly to the others. "On three we run. Wands ready?"

Ron and Hermione nodded.

Harry raised his arm. "One…."

Mokuba shrank back into the middle of the group as everyone with wands shifted to the outside.

A loud pop sounded as a man in a mask appeared almost right in front of them, but before he could utter a spell or shout to the others, a quick flick from Harry's wand sent him flying.

"Run!"

Spells started flying in all directions as they bolted from behind the building. The darkness in the park was kept constantly illuminated by the flashes of red light coming from all of their wands.

"Protego!" Yugi managed to cast as a red beam nearly hit Tristan as they ran. Hermione paused, whirled around, and shot off two silent spells in retaliation before continuing onward.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted as another Death Eater apparated nearly almost in front of them, causing him to stop short and have Mokuba and Joey nearly trample right into him. The Death Eater immediately returned to his wispy disapparated form and returned to circling above them.

"There!" Mokuba pointed, "Between those buildings. There's a gate that leads to the tunnel!"

Harry nodded. "Got it!"

Ryou threw up another shield charm as two loud bangs sounded elsewhere.

"What was that?" said Ron, "That didn't sound like someone apparating around."

"Almost sounded like a gunshot," said Tristan.

Mokuba's eyes widened. "Any security in the park may be trying to fight back."

Téa gasped. "They'll just get hurt though!"

"But they might also get some of those guys off our backs," said Ron.

"It's weird though," Harry said, "Why does it seem like they're holding back? I don't think they've cast anything worse than spells any of us know."

"They're looking for me, remember?" said Yugi, nearly out of breath, "They probably can't risk hitting me with something if their job is to take me to Voldemort."

"Then Kaiba's security may have a fighting chance then," said Joey.

Harry shook his head. "We can worry about them after we get into the tunnel. If we come across anyone else, we can warn them to stay hidden, but for now we have to take advantage of them being a distraction for us."

"Speaking of," growled Yami Bakura, forcing Ryou back as they approached the gate, "Let's give them something else to chase." He held out the Ring in front of him with one hand, and a Duel Monsters card in the other. The Man-Eater Bug was instantly summoned, outlined by the dark purplish aura of the Shadow Realm. "Go. Cause some trouble."

"What is that going to do?" asked Ron, as the large insect wandered off.

Tristan shuddered, as memories of running from Pegasus's henchmen during Duelist Kingdom came to mind. "You're uh…better off not knowing."

Hermione aimed her wand at the gate, allowing it to swing open for them to run through, and then she did so again afterwards to seal it shut.

"Won't they just use magic to reopen it?" asked Téa.

"Probably, but it should slow them down for at least a moment," said Hermione.

"So…." Yugi looked into the tunnel. "Where does this lead?"

Mokuba shrugged. "I don't know."

"What d'you mean you don't know?" said Joey. "It's your park!"

"But it's not technically open yet," said Mokuba, "I've never been in this tunnel. But they all meet up, so eventually we'll get to someplace recognizable."

"Well…at least the hallway is lit," said Ron. The path dipped down before leveling out again.

"Yeah," said Yugi. "I wonder if these are emergency lights, or if the power is being restored across Domino."

"Well, these are emergency lights," said Mokuba, "But if we get to say, one of the employee break rooms or offices and the lights are still gone, we'll know the power is still shot."

Yugi checked his phone. "Still no signal."

Mokuba paused and glanced at his own device. "Same here, but we're sort of underground now, so that could be affecting it too."

The tunnel led into an open chamber with at least three other branching paths splitting off of it. Mokuba moved past Harry and looked around, noting the directory map and directing arrows displayed on one of the side walls.

Ron took a quick glance behind them, in case they were being followed. "So where are we?"

"This is more or less a hub," said Mokuba, "There are two. It makes it easy for the employees and special VIP guests to get around the park and avoid crowds. We need to go…." He glanced down two of the paths before pointing to one of them. "That way."

"What's down there?" asked Harry.

"Security office," said Mokuba, "With any luck Roland's in there, and not outside looking for us."

"What if he's outside?" asked Ryou.

"There should be old school radios in the office. We can use them to get anyone outside to retreat back where it's safe," said Mokuba.

"The Death Eaters can always follow them," said Tristan, "This place wasn't protected like the Game Shop. For all we know, those masked creeps are here in the tunnels with us."

/All the more reason to find Kaiba's security/ said Yami. /If the Death Eaters are following us in here, there would also be someone chasing them…./

/Yeah./ Yugi bit his lip. /I just hope that no one got too hurt./

"I've got a question…" said Téa suddenly as they wandered the halls. "Suppose we truly gave those Death Eaters the slip. If they're really here for Yugi…what's to stop them from going to Domino to draw us out?"

Mokuba gasped suddenly and clutched onto Yugi's arm. "Oh my god – Seto! What if they went after him too?"

Yugi stopped short and exchanged worried glances with Ryou. "Well, the wards are in place. So long as Grandpa is home, he would be safe. And I know he didn't have plans to go anywhere today. And your brother was at work. Kaiba Corp was one of the protected places, remember?"

"But…" Mokuba cried, "What if he was on his way here? We can't call or do anything to check up on either of them."

"Then we need to get to the office," said Harry. "Someone might know what's going on outside the park."

There was only one person in the security office at the end of the hallway, a guard none of them recognized, and he immediately waved the group inside. "There you are! The team has been looking all over for you!" He grabbed a walkie from the desk. "Targets at home."

"Where's Roland?" asked Mokuba.

"He took a group out to look for you," said the guard, gesturing to the monitors and placing the walkie back onto the desk. "I was supposed to stay here and alert them if you showed up on the feeds. He should be back soon."

Yugi took a quick look around the office. Aside from the three desks in the room and the camera feeds all over the walls, the room was bare. Another exit door was on the opposite wall, probably a path through a different tunnel.

Harry looked at the large-screen monitors displaying camera feeds from all over the park, and noted that one of them showed the back of the shop they had taken temporary refuge behind. "How long has everyone been out looking?"

"As soon as the lights went off," said the guard, and then he paused. "These came on only a few minutes ago."

Ron pointed at one of the feeds on the corner of the screen. "Hey, what's that?"

Hermione peered over. "The tunnels? We just came from there."

"No – there," Ron pointed to the next feed over. "That's the hub, isn't it?"

"Uh huh," said Mokuba, and he immediately paled. "Uh oh. They found us!"

The guard stood passively and continued to watch the monitor.

Tristan blinked. "Uh. Dude. Aren't you going to call for back up? Those creepy guys with the laser-light weapons are on their way."

"I already did."

Mokuba crossed his arms. "When? It certainly wasn't while we were in here."

The guard reached into his pocket. "I will do so again then."

Hermione froze. The walkie was on the desk, not in his pocket. He had barely started pulling an item from his suit – something with a long, thin handle, when she surged forward, drawing her own wand and pulled Mokuba behind her. "Don't. Move."

Joey and Tristan scrambled back as the guard drew his wand as a dark laugh sounded from the doorway. "Well, it looks like our game of hide-and-seek has ended. Guess we win."

Joey moved a step closer to Mokuba as Tristan did the same to Téa. There were wands aimed all over the room. He couldn't perform magic of any kind, and his fists wouldn't do any good here, but if the magic spells started flying, he was grabbing the kid and dropping out of the way.

"What did you do to the guard?" asked Harry, "Did you Imperius him?"

Bellatrix Lestrange stepped into the room, flanked by three other Death Eaters and giggled. "We've had a spy impersonate him for quite some time. The real one has been dead for a while now."

Téa gasped. "You killed him?"

One of the Death Eaters behind Bellatrix sneered. "One less Muggle in the world."

"Well now," said Bellatrix, casually looking about at the teenagers. "Let's see who we have here. Potter, the Blood-Traiter, and the Mudblood. Why, it's like a little reunion! But no Longbottom this time, what a pity."

She laughed suddenly. "And look here, even the new ones have wands out, like they could last in a fight against us. Been teaching your little exchange friends the ropes, have we now, Potter? Did you tell them about the last time you all went looking for trouble outside of school?"

Harry's jaw tensed.

"We're not helpless," said Yugi. "And you won't be getting anything from us today."

"Oh, I'm sure four months of magic has made you dueling experts," a Death Eater snorted. "You can watch as we have fun with your little Muggle friends."

"You won't be going anywhere near our friends and family," said Yugi defiantly, "Not if I have anything to say about it."

"Well, you can come with us, and we won't have to," said the guard. "The Dark Lord has been quite eager to see you."

"Then he should have come himself and instead of sending his lackeys," said Harry, "After all, you did such a great job collecting that prophecy last year."

"You got away by the skin of your teeth, Potter," said the guard, "But we're not here for you this night."

"No, we're not," said Bellatrix, "Though I'm sure the Dark Lord would be pleased to see him as well. Imagine the look on old Dumbledore's face when his prized pupil is lost because he dared let him out of his castle on holiday. And unlike last term, Potter, there are no adults to save you."

"I wouldn't say that," said an angry voice from the other doorway.

Harry still had his wand trained on Bellatrix, but spared a brief glance over. Remus and Tonks were in the opposite doorway, wands trained on the Death Eaters in the room.

Bellatrix cackled. "Oh my. The Werewolf, and another Blood-Traitor. That is the best you can do?"

"There are more of us now," said Harry, "You're the ones outnumbered."

"Oh I don't know about that," said Bellatrix, "But the time for – what the?"

She staggered to the side as one of the Death Eaters behind her screamed and started firing spells back down the hallway they had come through.

"What are you doing?" she snapped.

Harry and Ron exchanged confused looks but didn't budge their wands. The guard lowered his wand a hair from its aim at Hermione to look towards the doorway.

"There's a demon out here!" cried the scared Death Eater, sending another spell down the hallway, but not before the Man Eater Bug leapt forward and knocking over another of the Death Eaters. Two of the Death Eaters, distracted by the huge insect, started firing spells across the room.

Harry nodded at Ron and they raised their wands towards the other Death Eaters. "STUPEFY!"

Remus and Tonks rushed forward as Hermione disarmed the guard. "Go," Remus hissed, shoving Harry towards the door they had come through. "We'll cover you."

"But –"

"Go," Tonks said, putting up a shield around Joey and Mokuba as they hurried past. "There's a friend at the end of the hall. A real one, this time."

"But - we can help," Harry said, casting another stunner towards a Death Eater.

"Harry," Remus grabbed him by his arm and all but tossed him from the room as the Man-Eater Bug continued to play its part as a distraction. "The rest of the Order is coming. GO."

"Come on, mate," Ron urged him forward.

"Are they going to be alright?" asked Ryou.

"They'll be fine," said Harry, "Especially if that creepy bug thing is working on our side."

"Who's the friend?" Téa asked as they ran down the tunnel corridor and rounded a corner.

"It's not him, that's for sure!" Joey skidded to a stop as the security guard Death Eater apparated right in front of them, his wand recovered.

"Where do you think you're going?" he sneered, then quickly dodged the stunners Harry and Hermione shot his way before firing a volley of spells back at them. Harry ducked under one and got a shield up for the second, but Hermione was struck in the chest by the third one as she was casting a spell back against the Death Eater and fell back against Tristan.

"Hermione!" Ron angrily sent a loud "Impedimenta!" towards the Death Eater but he instantly blocked it.

BANG! BANG!

Téa screamed as the Death Eater howled and fell over, clutching his legs. Roland stepped over him from behind; keeping his firearm trained on the Death Eater's face as he reached for the dropped wand, snapped it in two and tossed it harmlessly down the hall.

"I take it you're the friend Tonks mentioned," said Harry. Joey gave the Death Eater a swift kick for good measure, but Harry stopped him before anyone of them could pass by. "How do we know you're really you?"

Ryou blinked. "He just ruined both of that guy's kneecaps!"

"It could be a ruse," said Harry, "We were already fooled once today." He aimed his wand at Roland, "Prove you're you and not Imperiused or someone else in disguise."

"Tell us something only the real Roland would know," said Yugi, "Some insignificant detail…like…uh…." He trailed off, frowning. They really didn't spend a whole lot of time around Kaiba's shadow. What could they possibly use as a test?

"Our numbers," Joey cut in, "What were our assigned duelist numbers during the Battle City finals?"

Tristan snorted. "That's the test? You can barely recall what you had for breakfast yesterday, but you can remember details like that from over a year ago?"

"It's not just that," said Joey, "As far as I know, nothing on the blimp was televised, so the only people who would know would be us. So what are our numbers – and for good measure – who dueled who?"

"If you insist," Roland deadpanned, "In order from one to eight: Mr. Kaiba, you, Yugi Muto, Mai Valentine, Marik Ishtar – the real one, Ryou Bakura, Odion Ishtar, and Ishizu Ishtar. Yugi and Bakura dueled first, followed by you and Odion Ishtar, Mai Valentine and Marik Ishtar, and then Mr. Kaiba and Ishizu Ishtar."

He huffed, annoyed. "Now, if we're done proving my identity…we need to leave. Are any of you hurt?"

Tristan pocketed Hermione's wand and scooped her up. "He got her with something."

"I think it was a stunner," said Ron, worriedly. "…I hope it was just a stunner."

Roland placed two fingers along her wrist. "Pulse is fine. We'll worry about what it was after we get out of here."

Mokuba latched onto his arm, shaking slightly. "Roland – please tell me you've heard from Seto. I haven't been able to get a hold of him."

"Mr. Kaiba is fine, and hunkered down at the office." After Mokuba's shoulders sagged, visibly relieved, he continued, "The communications satellite was the last to go down, and the company lost power before the park. The plan was to gather all of you and regroup at Kaiba Corp. We relayed as much before losing the phone signal."

"Is that where we're going?" asked Téa. "Even though the power is gone?"

"No," said Roland shortly, moving to the front of the group. "Now let's go. Parking garage is this way."

"But Seto is expecting us," said Mokuba.

"Those plans changed the moment security became compromised," Roland snarled. "I made those arrangements within earshot of Death Eaters, so we're no longer going there."

"Then where are we headed?" asked Ryou.

Roland led them to the end of the hallway, and punched a code into the locked door blocking their path. The keypad lit up green and the door swung open into a near-empty garage.

Harry was almost expecting to find the limousine that brought them there, but the only car in sight was a rather mundane-looking SUV.

"This one hasn't been magicked, so you're going to have to squish inside."

Ron pulled his wand. "I know the spell."

"Make it quick," Roland said, unlocking the doors. He turned back towards the door they had just passed through, weapon raised, as if he was expecting more masked assailants to barge their way through. When just about everyone had settled themselves inside, he slipped into the driver's seat and steered the car out of the parking deck and into traffic.

"I've got a question," Harry leaned forward in his seat. "The Death Eater masquerading as one of your guys said you were with a team. What happened to everyone else? And how did you know where to find us?"

"Your wizard friends arrived while I was out with the team searching for you," said Roland, "They used some sort of compass trick with their wands to point towards the tunnels. They meant to head off the Death Eaters while I cleared the escape route." He sighed as he eased the van onto a highway. "As for the rest of my crew...assuming that they too hadn't been replaced beforehand, they will follow protocol and search and assist any employees and guests still in the park."

"Won't it seem suspicious to them that you left?" asked Téa.

"No. My genuine employees know that if trouble like this arose, my primary responsibility is to see to Mr. Kaiba and Mokuba's safety. With Mokuba in the park, they wouldn't expect me to linger."

Ron turned to look out the rear window. "But that would mean they could be following us, though…right?"

"I imagine that we would have known by now if they were following us," said Yugi. "For one, there'd be magic probably trying to run us off the road or something."

Mokuba pulled out his phone and looked at the top of the screen. The cell signal was still out. "Is Seto gonna know where we're going?"

Roland paused. "He will not. I imagine he will make his own arrangements once this mess has cleared itself out."

Harry noted the road signs as they passed. "We're not going back to Domino, are we?"

"No."

Joey frowned. "I guess there's some greater plan at work or somethin'?"

"Or something."

Ron crossed his arms. "Gonna share what that is?"

Roland sighed. "The plan, in its current state? To deliver you someplace safe, check on the status of the company satellites and communications network, and reestablish safe contact with Domino."

"This is that thing, isn't it?" asked Téa, "That you brought up when we all gathered for that phone call?"

Yugi, sitting in the middle row of the car, twisted around to look at her in the expanded seating Ron created. "What are you talking about?"

Tristan readjusted his arm from keeping Hermione upright between him and Ron. "You don't know?"

Ryou shook his head. "Know what?"

"Kaiba funded some secret getaway plan," said Joey, "You know, in case the world ended."

Yugi blinked. "H-he did? For all of us?"

"For your friends, yes," said Roland, glancing at him briefly through the rearview mirror. "Mr. Kaiba did not place a great deal of trust in the wizards after the data breach."

"Whoever it was looked into everyone," said Téa worriedly, "Roland showed us reports. It was terrifying."

"But - how are we just hearing about this now?" asked Ryou.

"We didn't want to worry you," said Téa.

"It's safer from a security standpoint as well," said Roland, as the car moved off of the freeway and onto a rural street. "Your friends can't be used as leverage against you if they can't be found."

"Does Kaiba know about this?" asked Yugi.

"He knows about it in the sense that he authorized me to create it," said Roland, "But he, like you, is unaware of the details. He provided the means for an escape route, and didn't wish to know any more about it."

"Then how is he gonna find us?" asked Mokuba.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

"Maybe Remus or Tonks can bring him," said Harry.

Roland scowled at the notion as he turned onto a narrow lane lined with nothing but huge trees. The area was lit only by the car's headlamps, otherwise the drive was completely dark.

"Is this even a road?" asked Tristan.

Joey leaned over to whisper in Tristan's ear. "We sure that's the real Roland? Cuz this feels like that movie we saw last month where those kids all got attacked by zombies in a cabin in the woods."

Tristan rolled his eyes. "You were the one who used the test question, you dummy."

Joey blinked. "…Right."

"You mean a house like that?" Harry pointed towards the windshield. It was barely visible in the dark, but he could see a light from a window as they approached it.

Joey squinted at it from the dark. "Yeah…probably."

Téa glanced at the house. "It doesn't look very, well, big."

Yugi blinked as the car came to a stop. "Does it have to be?"

"Well, no," Téa admitted, "But, knowing that this was Kaiba's doing, it's weird that it's not, you know, grandiose and surrounded by dragon statues."

"How did Moneybags find this place, anyhow?" said Joey, "We're out in the middle o' nowhere!"

Roland got out, slid open the door to the backseat, and sighed at the group. "Like I said, Mr. Kaiba is unaware of its existence. This safe house was custom built by…someone else."

"Anyone we know?" said Tristan jokingly.

"Unfortunately," Roland grumbled.

"Wait, really?" said Joey, "Cuz I'm certain Tris' was just messing with you."

"I know. However, I wasn't."

"Who would have the money to custom build an entire house?" said Yugi.

"And be on good terms with Kaiba? Nobody," said Tristan. "Only person I can think of with money to burn would be Pegasus, but we know how well those two get along."

Roland glared at him before climbing into the back and checking on Hermione. "I never said it was someone on decent terms."

Mokuba's head jerked up from being glued to his phone. "You had Pegasus build this place?"

"Why?" Yugi asked, eyes wide.

"Despite whatever your feelings are towards him, his use of the Millennium Eye put a target on his back that was acted upon at Christmas. He's in as much danger as all of you."

"Kaiba can't be happy that Pegasus is in on his plan," said Tristan.

Roland pressed two fingers against the inside of Hermione's wrist. "Again, Mr. Kaiba is unaware of the details. He only knows that there is a protocol in place. And I expect all of you to keep it that way."

"Is there a catch?" Mokuba asked, guarded, "He wouldn't do all this out of the goodness of his heart."

Roland pulled Hermione from the vehicle and stepped aside for the rest of the group to get out. "He did, more or less. Contrary to his eccentric personality, his demands were rather…tame. My list of requirements was much more stringent."

Joey snorted and looked up at the house, half hidden behind the trees in the dark. "Like what?"

"Door locks, for one thing, because the man doesn't appreciate boundaries. And I hired the locksmith."

"So what did he want?"

"Artistic license. He chose to build, decorate, and furnish the entire place."

Tristan whispered to Joey. "Why do I feel like we're about to walk into one big Toon World?"

Joey nodded. "You and me both."

"How long are we going to be here?" asked Harry.

"You will still be returning to school tomorrow," said Roland as he led them up the short walk to the front door. "For the rest of us, as long as it's needed."

"What about Grandpa?" asked Yugi.

"Those two wizards – Lupin and Tonks – assured that your grandfather was fine before arriving at Kaiba Land. So long as he's willing, we'll arrange for him to make the journey after we get you settled."

Ron jiggled the handle of the front door. "It's locked."

With his arms full, Roland pointed a finger out towards the keypad next to the door. "3025."

It was clear as the door lock clicked and they wandered inside that the house was much larger than it looked from the outside. Joey was almost certain the walls were going to be covered with cartoonish paintings, but they were instead a neutral bronze color, coordinating nicely with the wood flooring and cream-colored carpets. A fancy spiral staircase went up to the second floor and past it he could see a large open sitting room with a fireplace going along the wall.

Roland set Hermione on the sitting room couch as footsteps were heard coming down the stairs. Harry turned to see a man dressed in a fancy red suit with long silver hair that was framed over his face, completely covering his left eye, enter and spread his arms wide.

"My dear Roland, if I knew you were coming and bringing guests, I would have rolled out the welcome mat!"

Mokuba shifted slightly closer to Roland as he glared back. "Domino was attacked. Communications have been down."

Pegasus's eye widened. "What?"

"You heard me," Roland snapped. "How long have you been here?"

"Since Christmas," said Pegasus, shrugging. "Clearly these people didn't keep current enough tabs on me to know that I wasn't at Duelist Kingdom over the holidays." He looked to the others as his eye lit up and a smile began to form. "Yugi-boy! It's been some time, hasn't it?"

"Uh…yeah," said Yugi, "Hi Pegasus."

"Oh, this is lovely. Not the circumstances, of course, but I can give all of you the grand tour! Ooo – I see some new faces, too! We will have to be introduced."

Mokuba pulled his phone from his pocket for the fiftieth time since leaving Kaiba Land and swiped his finger along the screen. "The signal is back!" He gasped, quickly dialed his brother's number and pressed the phone to his ear. "C'mon…" he said quietly, as the call rang out. "Pick up, pick up…."

There was no answer.

.

Voldemort climbed the steps in the old house and moved towards the door at the end of the hall. Nagini slithered along beside him as he slipped into the darkened room. The Dark Priest hovered near the back of a dusty sofa that faced away from the door, and towards the unlit fireplace.

With a lazy flick of his wand, the fire roared to life and Voldemort sat at the long table on the other side of the room.

"I trust you have finished."

The golden eye practically glittered against the glow of the fire in the study.

I have. Now we wait.