Dawn of the Heir - Part 1

Cody remained silent for a moment before he widened his eyes. "Wait a minute! Could it be...?" He trailed off while staring at the mysterious woman for a moment. "... Sonia?"

"Huh?" Everyone else turned to him.

"Sonia?" Yusei repeated.

"You mean that maid who used to work for your family?" Kai asked.

"No way!" Tanner scowled. "It's gotta be a trick!"

The woman shook her head. "It's not a trick. I assure you." She then took the red cloth off her head, giving everyone a good look at her. She had grey eyes and black hair in shoulder length.

Kai scoffed. "Yeah right! You don't even look like the maid Cody described!"

But then, the woman turned her head down and her right hand reached up to her eyes, to everyone's confusion. After what looked like she struggled with them or something, she held up what appeared to be contacts. And then, she looked up to face everyone again. And to their surprise, her eyes were brown now.

"Her eyes changed?!" Yanagi exclaimed.

"Color contacts?" Kai wondered.

Cody stared at the woman again. With her eyes now brown, her face was more like the maid that he remembered from his parents' last message. "It really is her. She may look different, but there's no mistaking that face." He smiled. "It really is you, Sonia."

The woman smiled back. "It's a relief to see you safe, young master."

"So she dyed her hair and has been using color contacts, huh." Tanner mused before crossing his arms. "Ain't that clever."

Sonia bowed to them. "My apologies for the misunderstanding. But it was necessary for me to disguise myself."

"Because of the Morningstar Foundation, right?" Yusei said.

"Yes. Master Cedric and Mistress Sandra warned me about them, and what they were planning. They even informed me that that they would hide away recorded messages for Master Cody to find."

Cody narrowed his eyes and nodded. "Then you know why we've been looking for you, right?"

"Of course, young master. But let's not talk about it here. Please, follow me." Sonia walked away, with all the others following her.

Unbeknownst to them, a man in a black suit was watching them from a distance. He reached for the earpiece in his left ear. "Cody Cooper sighted, ma'am."

"Excellent." Veronica replied from another place. "Let me know where he'll be staying." She held up a disc. "I have something important to deliver to him."

Meanwhile, somewhere else

"This is horrible!" Lazar muttered worriedly. After finding out what happened to Goodwin's driver, he headed out with a squadron of Securities in hopes to find him. The search brought them to a certain parking house, where they found Goodwin's limousine. But there were no traces of the missing Director. "What could have happened to Director Goodwin?"

"Sir." One of the Securities approached him. "We have searched the vehicle thoroughly, but we found nothing."

"Then move out and keep looking! We must save him!"

"Yes sir!"

Lazar was not pleased. "What happened to you, Director?"

While all of this went on, a black van was going through the city. It had one driver, and another person sitting right next to him. Both men were dressed in black suits. In the back, there was another man in a black suit, watching over a certain person who was tied up. There was a sack covering his head, but the outfit made it obvious that it was Goodwin.

"Welcome, everyone." Sonia said as she and the others entered her apartment. It was a relatively small one, with a living room connected to a kitchen, a small bathroom and one bedroom.

"So this is where you've been living for so long, huh." Cody said, looking around.

"Indeed. After that incident a long time ago, I had to keep a low profile. Making sure I'd never get caught as I protected the message your parents entrusted me too."

"Well, I'm glad you're okay."

Sonia smiled and nodded.

"So, where is that message anyway?" Kai wondered.

"I kept it in a place where no one could find it." Sonia walked over to a shelf, where there were a few photos. She picked up one in particular. It showed a younger Cody standing together with his parents and Sonia herself. The guys widened their eyes when she removed the picture frame, and then pulled out a memory card from it.

"My, ain't that a clever hiding spot." Yanagi commented.

Sonia then brought up a laptop and placed it on the table in the living room. After inserting the memory card into it, she turned it on. And with that, she clicked on a profile, making a video appear, showing Cody's parents.

"Cody, if you're watching this, that means you met up with Sonia." Cedric said.

"And you better listen carefully, because this is very important." Sandra added.

"As you remember, we found out that the Morningstar Foundation are designing war machines for Sector Security. Which seems unnecessary for them."

"We've been trying to figure out the reason behind that. Though it's been difficult."

"But it was around that time, an incident occurred."

Cody narrowed his eyes, focusing on what his parents were saying.

"It was an accident. At least most people believed that to be." Cedric explained. "The person who was caught in that accident was Rex Goodwin, the director of Sector Security."

"Goodwin?" Yusei repeated.

"Now that's something unexpected." Tanner added.

"Apparently, he was in his private limousine, heading to Kaiba Dome, when it was caught in an explosion." Sandra continued. "The incident took place in the middle of a highway bridge, where a bomb detonated and blew most of it to pieces. But, miraculously enough, no one was killed by that, not even Goodwin."

"They put on an investigation after finding the remains of the bomb. They've been trying to find a trace that would lead to the culprit, but no luck."

Cedric narrowed his eyes. "However, your mom and I have a theory about this, but we don't have a solid proof for that. When we found out about this, we were reminded of those times we were attacked, with the authorities unable to catch the culprit behind that. We were then thinking about what we found out about Morningstar Foundation, including their plans of the war machines for Sector Security. We first thought that the Sector Security asked them for making those. But then, we thought this... What if Mason Morningstar is actually making them for himself. What if... he plans to get rid of Director Goodwin and take over Sector Security?"

Everyone gasped at this.

"And if that's the case, then the situation is more serious than we could have imagined. And Mason has to be stopped."

"And there's also the matter of the secrets he's been trying to steal from us." Sandra said. "We might have figured out what he's after specifically. We have recently designed a new engine. One of sophisticated work with a refined power core that we believe could improve duel runners significantly."

"But given its capabilities, we can imagine what Mason might do to his war machines with that." Cedric added.

"So, to make sure it won't fall into wrong hands, we downloaded a copy of the plans into a USB-stick before deleting it in our computers. We entrusted it to Sonia so it would be safe."

"With all of that said, we leave the rest to you Cody. Whatever happens, do everything you can to stop Mason. Make sure he won't succeed with his plans."

"And most of all, be careful, Cody." Sandra said as a tear ran down from her left eye. "We love you, sweetheart. Good luck." At that, the video reached its end.

Everyone was silent. Shock was plastered on their faces. After what felt like a long while, Kai spoke up. "That's... That's just messed up!"

"Oh dear." Yanagi whimpered.

Cody clenched his hands, trembling in anger. "So taking over my family's company wasn't enough for him. That maniac wants to take control over Sector Security as well?"

"But why? Why would he do that?" Yusei wondered.

"Yeah, I mean, he seems powerful enough with his company and war machines." Tanner added. "What else does he want?"

"Other than those plans of the engine my parents designed, I have no idea." Cody admitted. "All I know is that he has to be stopped. And we can't forget that he still holds the others captured."

"Others?" Sonia repeated.

"Yeah, a friend named Jeremy, a little girl named Mimi, and my cousin Eric."

The former maid gasped. "What?! Young master Eric has been captured?"

"Along with the other two. And Mason's keeping them to get me."

"So what do we do now?" Yanagi wondered. "Right now, Morningstar has the advantage."

Cody looked thoughtful. "Well, for now, I'd like to have a look at my parents' blueprints on their new engine." He then turned to Sonia. "They said you have them, right?"

She nodded. "That's right. I got them..."

DING DONG!

"Huh? Who could that be?" Sonia wondered as she walked over to the door and opened it. "Good day. Can I help you with something?"

"Yes, there is something you can help me with." A feminine voice replied.

Cody flinched when he heard it. 'That voice...!'

"I have a delivery for Cody Cooper." The voice continued.

Sonia widened her eyes. "Cody Cooper?"

Cody suddenly rushed over to her and saw who she was talking to. A certain woman in a black suit. "Sonia, get away from her!"

"Huh?" Sonia turned around to face him, only to be slightly pushed aside by him before he grabbed the visitor by her collar and held her against the railing.

"This woman is Mason's secretary!" Cody stated fiercely.

The others gasped.

"You mean that hag that captured you earlier?" Kai asked.

Veronica scowled. "Hag? I assure you, I'm not that old."

Cody brought her closer to his face. "Where are my friends?" He growled.

Veronica smirked. "Of course, your precious friends. Though, since you simply left in such a hurry, I'm not sure if they're that precious to you."

Cody pushed her against the railings. "I don't want to hear your nonsense, I want answers! Now!"

"Very well, if it's answers you want, then I'll give them to you..." Veronica reached into her suit. "In the form of this." And pulled out a disc.

Cody gave the object a suspicious look. "What's this?"

"Just something that Mr. Morningstar asked me to deliver to you. It would be in your best interest to look into this. And while you're at it, let me go. The fate of your friends depends on it."

Cody was now starting to get really angry, but then felt a hand on his left shoulder. He turned around and came face to face with Yusei.

"Cody, I know that you're angry, but we don't have any choice. We have to do what she says, for now."

Cody was standing there in place for a moment before he let go of Veronica. He then took the disc she offered him.

"A wise decision." She said as she adjusted her collar. "I'll leave you to look at the disc. I have something urgent to do. Have a nice day." At that, she left a scowling Cody and his friends behind. After getting into an elevator, she reached to her earpiece. "Mr. Morningstar, it is done."

"Excellent." Mason's voice replied. "Then everything's going as planned."

Back to Cody and the others

"I don't see why we couldn't just teach that lady a lesson." Tanner said.

"Because we can't risk it. Not when the Morningstar Foundation is keeping the others hostage." Yusei reminded him.

"So what do you think this disc's all about?" Kai wondered.

"Only one way to find out." Cody replied as he inserted it into the laptop. And then, after a brief moments, it started to play a video. And what, or rather 'who', appeared on the video was none other than Mason Morningstar himself, sitting at his desk.

"Greetings, Cody Cooper." He greeted with a friendly smile, not that it eased everyone's worries. "I'm sure you already know who I am, but I think I'll introduce myself anyway. My name is Mason Morningstar, CEO of the Morningstar Foundation, where we specialize computer programs and such. My company was capable to cooperate with your family's company, New Domino Techno Corp. We made some amazing things together. I even figured out how to take it further." He then shook his head. "It's a shame that your parents didn't share my opinion. They couldn't see things the same way I did."

Everyone, especially Cody, scowled at his words.

"And what's more, they refused to share the plans of their secret project with me. Something that I believe could make a big change for everything. Shame on them. But..." He folded his finger. "I'm sure that they shared their secrets with you. So, here's what I want: You are going to deliver the plans of their project to me. And you will do it alone. There's a boat waiting for you at the docks..." The image changed to show two men in black suits standing in front of a white boat. "And the time of its departure is 6 p.m. sharp." The image changed back to Mason. "I strongly recommend that you'll be there in time. After all..." He trailed off with a smirk before the image changed once more. And to everyone's horror, the video showed them Jeremy, Eric and Mimi, unconscious. "It would be bad if your friends were caught in an 'accident'." The image changed back to Mason once more. "Remember Cody, the docks, 6 p.m. sharp. I'll be waiting." And with that, the video reached it end.

"That coward!" Tanner growled. "To pull off something like this. He's actually worse than Goodwin!"

"Tell me about it." Kai agreed.

"So what now?" Yanagi wondered.

Cody lowered his head. 'What can I do? If I hand over my parents' secret plans of their project, then Mason will use them for his insane schemes. But if I don't, then Jeremy and the others...' He gritted his teeth and clenched his hands. 'What should I do?!'

"Master Cody."

He looked up and turned to Sonia, who now had a serious look on her face.

"It's too early to despair. We still have a chance to save your friends without giving the secrets to the Morningstar Foundation."

"How?" He asked.

"First of all, allow me to show you what your parents worked on." Sonia walked over a drawer, which she opened. And then, she pulled out a small box, from which she took out a USB-stick. She then inserted it into the laptop, causing a new profile appear. It was labeled 'Top Secret'. She then clicked on it.

And that allowed everyone to see the blueprints of the engine in question. It looked pretty slim, but also bulky, at the same time. There was a round part of it that was blinking.

"So this is the engine my parents designed, huh." Cody said, eyeing on the details.

"And according to this, the rotation radius, is incredible." Kai added.

"What's that part that's blinking?" Tanner asked, pointing at the part in question.

"That would be the power core." Sonia replied. "Master Cedric and Mistress Sandra created it so it would give the engine some significant power. Especially after being charged with a certain kind of energy. The same kind of energy that powers up cars, lights, and even turbo duels. Something that a few people have recently starting to call... Ener-D, I believe.

"And Mason wants that kind of power to add to his war machines." Yusei stated.

"Something I don't get." Tanner said. "That engine is obviously designed for duel runners, which are commonly used for turbo duels. How exactly would something like this make his war machines better?"

"Good point." Kai agreed.

"If my parents believed that Mason can do it, then I don't see any reason to doubt them." Cody said. "But more importantly, how are we supposed to save our friends without letting him get his hands on it?"

"Your parents came up with some kind of plan in case of a situation like this." Sonia began to explain. "Now, there is something you need to know about these engine blueprints..."

A few hours later

At the docks, the sun started to set. And, in a certain area, there were two certain men in black suits. The same men with the white boat that were shown in the video Cody recieved from Mason's secretary.

One of them looked at his watch. "It's almost 6 p.m."

"Then I guess he's not coming." His partner replied. "We better report to the boss." He reached to the earpiece in his left ear. "Hm?" He then turned his gaze to his right.

"What is it?"

"Something's coming."

After a short moment, there was some kind of sound coming from a distance. The sound of an engine. Eventually, the source of that sound showed and skidded to halt right in front of the two men. It was Cindy's personal duel runner, Emerald Phoenix. And the one driving it was Cody, who had his duel disk strapped on his left arm. He took off his helmet and gave them a hard look.

"I believe you've been waiting for me."

The two black suits glanced at each other before nodding. They then stepped aside, gesturing to a boat ramp.

Cody simply placed his helmet on the duel runner before getting aboard on the boat.

One of the men reached his earpiece. "Sir, he just arrived. He'll be on his way now."

"Excellent." Mason replied.

As the boat started to leave the docks, Yusei, Tanner and Kai were hiding behind a small nearby building, watching it.

Flashback

"First of all, we need to make sure to track Master Cody down while they take him away. Fortunately, his parents prepared some equipment." Sonia brought cardboard box and placed it on the table. She reached into it and picked up a tiny disk with a red dot, along with a rectangular device with a screen. "If Master Cody carries this tracker, then we'll be able to follow his movements."

"Nice." Kai grinned.

"Cody's folks sure made lots of useful gadgets." Tanner commented.

Sonia smiled. "They always knew what to make to help people in the best possible way."

Flashback end

"Come on." Yusei urged as he and the others moved out. They rushed over to an area where there was a smaller boat. It was blue with one white stripe. "This must be it."

Flashback

"And you might need these." Sonia pulled out what appeared to be keys.

"What are those for?" Kai asked.

"These are keys for a boat I've been renting for a while. You see, I've been secretly visiting the Satellite sector, in case I would, by the off chance, run into Master Cody there."

"Too bad we didn't find each other earlier." Cody replied.

"And you should take this with you, Master Cody." Sonia pulled out a small, spherical camera.

"Is this a camera?" Cody asked.

"Indeed. If you make sure that it stays hidden, then you might be able to record anything Mason Morningstar says when you confront him. He might confess his wrongdoings to you."

"Good idea, thanks." He took it.

"You know, I'd be more than happy to help." Yanagi admitted. "But I think this might be a little too much for me, so I'll stay here."

"Don't sweat it, gramps." Tanner replied. "The four us is more than enough for this."

The others nodded in agreement.

Flashback end

Kai was getting ready to get the boat going. "Here goes!" The zombie duelist said as he turned it on.

"Hang in there, Cody." Yusei muttered.

Meanwhile, the black van consisting the black suits, plus Goodwin, was still on the move. Goodwin was sitting quietly for a little longer before deciding to break the silence. "Where are you taking me?"

The man watching over him sneered. "No reason to tell you that. Now just sit there and shut up!"

"Actually..." Goodwin began moving his left arm. "I'd rather stretch my legs, if you don't mind." And then, he used that left arm to tear the rope with such ease.

"What the...?!" The man jumped in shock. "Hey! Don't try anything..." But before he could make a move, Goodwin tossed the bag that covered his head on the black suited man's face and then landed a blow on his guts, before karate chopping him on the back of his head, knocking him out.

Goodwin then approached the back of the van.

Meanwhile, Sonia was in a different area, running through the city. She was carrying a small bag.

Flashback

"This should do." Sonia said as she put a bunch of memory cards inside her bag."

"So you're gonna take all those recorded messages to Sector Security?" Kai asked.

"Yes. Even if Master Cody won't manage to get something from Morningstar, these messages that Master Cedric and Mistress Sandra left should provide with enough evidence."

"Better safe than sorry." Tanner commented.

"You think you'll be fine on your own?" Cody asked, slightly worried.

Sonia smiled. "I assure you, young master, I'll be perfectly fine. You should be more concerned about your own wellbeing. You are aware of the risks, right?"

"I know. But I promise you that everything's going to be okay."

Flashback end

'I have full faith in you, Master Cody.' She thought.

CRASH!

"Huh?" She was surprised by that loud noise. She followed it and came to a street where she saw a black van. And what caught her attention was its backdoor. It had a hole in the middle. It looked like it was formed by something that struck from the inside.

Then, she saw two men in black suits jump out of the van. "What happened there?" One of them wondered.

"I don't know." The other replied as the two of them approached the backdoor, and were shocked to see the hole. "What?! What made this hole?"

"Don't tell me..." The first man trailed off as he opened the backdoor... "Gah!" Only to get hit by something big. It was... another man in a black suit. The collision knocked the guy down to the ground with the third one on the top of him, both of them unconscious.

"Huh? What is this?" The second man questioned in shock as he peeked inside the van... "Ugh!" Only to get hit by a left fist with a white glove. And thus, he was knocked out as well.

Sonia was rather stunned by this scene. She only stood there as the person who delivered that hit stepped out of the van. It was Director Goodwin. He simply adjusted his collar. Sonia shook her head before approaching him slowly. "Pardon me, sir."

"Hm?" Goodwin turned to her. "Oh, good evening, miss. I take it you witnessed what happened here? I'm sorry if you were startled by this."

"I'm perfectly fine, sir. But what about you? Are you okay?"

Goodwin smiled. "There's no need to worry about me. There's no harm here." He then glanced down at the downed men. "Well, except for these men here."

At that moment, a couple of patrol cars from Sector Security showed up and stopped in front of them. And then, another vehicle showed behind those cars. A certain limousine with the Sector Security logo. While a few Security officers got out of their patrol cars, Lazar jumped out of the limo. "Director Goodwin! Thank goodness you're okay!" He rushed over to him. "I was so worried about you, sir."

"No need to worry, Lazar. The situation's under control here." Goodwin gestured to the unconscious men. "I want those three taken care of."

Lazar turned to the officers. "You heard the director. Take them away." At his command, they took the black suited men to the patrol cars. Lazar then turned to Goodwin. "So they're the ones who abducted you. Then could it be...?"

Goodwin nodded. "Yes, I believe the one behind this is him."

"Mornigstar..."

"Hm?" Goodwin turned to Sonia.

"It was Mason Morningstar." She said.

"Huh?!" Lazar looked surprised.

"And what makes you say that?" Goodwin asked calmly.

Sonia held up her bag. "Because I'm carrying evidence of his involvement. Truth is, I was on my way to Sector Security so I could show it to you."

"Oh." Lazar seemed interested.

Goodwin was silent for a moment before nodding. "In that case, come with me, so we can discuss this in my office."

Sonia smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

Back to Yusei and the others

The trip had been going for a long while, and no one said anything so far. But recently, fog has been forming around them on the way.

"Geez, it was bad enough that their boat is faster than ours. And now we have to deal with this thick fog?" Kai complained.

"It's even thicker than that lousy soup they served in the Facility." Tanner cracked.

"At least our GPS is working fine." Yusei replied, staring at the device. "As long as we follow the signal, we'll be fine."

"I just hope Cody's okay." Kai said.

"Me too." Yusei narrowed his eyes while staring at the moving dot that was blinking on the screen.

As for Cody, he was sitting inside a small cabin, waiting patiently for him to arrive. He just attached the small camera Sonia gave him to his duel disk. 'This is it. It's time for me to settle things with Mason Morningstar.' He closed his eyes. 'Mom. Dad. Watch me.'

It was then the door opened, and one of the black suited men stepped in. "We're about to arrive. Now move along!"

Cody stood up and followed him out. When he was taken to the deck, he saw what was presumably the destination. At first, it wasn't really clear because of the fog. But when the boat reached land, he could see what the place looked like. It appeared to be a remote island, with a tall, white building in its center. Cody narrowed his eyes when he noticed the Morningstar Foundation's logo on it.

"Come on!" One of the black suited men pushed him.

Cody was taken to the Morningstar building. He, along with the black suited men, reached a big door that slid open, revealing a hall where there was nothing but the door of an elevator. The men escorted him to the elevator, and pressed one of the buttons, making the elevator take them higher up in the building. Cody stood right between them, mentally preparing himself for the confrontation.

Eventually, the elevator stopped, allowing the three of them enter the designated floor. It appeared be a huge office, given the desk standing at the opposite end of the room, where there was a huge window on the wall. The black chair standing behind it was facing away from it, making it hard to see the person sitting on it.

"Here he is, sir." One of the black suited men said.

"Excellent work." The person sitting on it replied. "You can leave now."

At that, the two men entered the elevator again, leaving Cody alone with the person sitting behind the desk. He narrowed his eyes and turned the camera on his duel disk on. "So, we finally meet, Mason Morningstar."

"Indeed." Mason replied and spin around on his chair, now facing him with a pleased look. "Welcome, Cody Cooper. I thank you for accepting my humble invitation."

Cody scowled.

"I'm actually glad that we could finally meet. We have so much to discuss."

"I couldn't agree more. How about we start with my parents, who you betrayed I might add."

Mason raised an eyebrow. "Betrayed, you say?"

"Don't play dumb!" Cody snapped. He was trembling by anger."You cooperated with them. My family's company. And your company. Both of them worked together. My parents worked together with you... to help people around the world. But then you..." He clenched his hands. "You sent your men after them. You had them take my parents from this world! You killed them! And for what?! Some kind of secret you wanted to steal from them and use it to improve the war machines you're selling to military! Why?! Why would you do that?!"

After his outburst, it was very quiet inside the office, with the only sound being Cody's panting. He glared at the CEO of Morningstar Foundation.

The man stared at him with a calm expression, unfazed by Cody's outburst. He then closed his eyes. "Why?" He then stood up and stepped away from his desk, facing the large window. "Well, I do have my reasons. You see, as far as I can remember, I've witnessed many things in this world..."

Flashback

A younger Mason Morningstar, a skinny tiny boy wearing ripped clothes, wandered on a street surrounded by old buildings and people that were either sick, or weak, or both.

"Most of those things were poverty, pollution, conflicts, wars. I've seen how all those things have been affecting our world."

"There were always criminals who'd be picking the weak and defenseless."

Mason was beaten up a bunch of crooks, as they snatched whatever food he had. Mostly mere pieces of bread.

"And some people wouldn't hesitate polluting certain places."

A beaten up Mason witnessed some people dumping garbage in the sea.

"The many leaders of the world claim to help to guide the world to a brighter future. But they just don't cut it!"

Mason was typing on a rather old computer, seemingly making up some programs.

"But as I grew up, I realized something. Those with power are meant to control society. But... in order to control everything, you must have absolute power and control. Meaning that humanity only needs one leader. And that's exactly what I've been working on. To gain all the power necessary, I've spent many years of my life, harnessing my knowledge of computer programs and data, so I could rise up to the very top."

"Eventually, I became successful enough to build my Morningstar Foundation, the symbol of my work for a better world."

Mason, now a grownup, stood proudly in front of his company, with many people either applauding or taking photos.

"But, despite the power I gained from my hard work, I need more in order to change the world."

Flashback end

"So you turned to New Domino Techno Corp?" Cody asked, still glaring at him.

"Indeed. Your parents were brilliant devlopers of technological products. Their resources were pretty necessary for the world I intend to create."

"That's not what my parents wanted!" Cody snapped. "They wanted make things better around the world. You just want to make war machines to sell to military! Not to mention you're making most of that stuff to Sector Security! Why is that?"

Mason smirked. "And what makes you think I'm making war machines for Sector Security?"

"Simple... my mom and dad told me. They made recorded messages that told me about your plans. They found out about your designs by looking into your computer.

Mason chuckled. "I had a feeling that they stuck their noses into my own business. Although, even they never realized what the plans for my weapons truly are."

"What do you mean?"

"You said I'm planning to sell war machines to military, right? Well, while I did mention to your parents that the military would pay for something like that, I never specifically said anything about selling the products to them."

Cody raised an eyebrow. "Then what's the point of making those weapons for the military, and Sector Security for that matter?"

"Well, Sector Security plays a big part of this." Mason turned around. "As you're probably aware of, their job is to take care of criminals who disrupt the order of society. They're even equipped with their own personal duel runners to even deal with turbo dueling scoundrels. In fact, my company had recently helped them with some programming on something that they named 'pursuit bot'. A device that that they can control from inside a truck, chasing down criminals and force them into turbo duels." He chuckled again. "A quite impressive invention, I must say."

Cody remianed silent.

"However, with what I have planned, I can take Sector Security to the next level."

Cody scowled. "So it's just as my parents suspected. You want to get rid of Goodwin and take over Sector Security."

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to create order in the world. Goodwin may do really well with his Sector Security, but he's a short-sighted fool wasting all of that power on nothing more than one city. Why stop there when you can expand it worldwide?"

Cody blinked. "What's that mean?"

Mason smirked. "Well, with my successful accomplishments with my company, I've been able to buy a few other companies to expand my empire. I am a powerful businessman after all. And once I've gained control over Sector Security, I'll eventually become powerful and influential enough to buy bigger places. Such as... military bases."

Cody gasped in horror. "So that's what those military weapon designs meant for the Sector Security are for. You want to turn the world's military bases into some kind of Sector Security branches!"

"Exactly. As I take them over, one by one, I will have soldiers equipped with the armor and weaponry I'm developing just for them!" Mason pointed to Cody. "Which is why I need the secret plans of the engine your parents designed. They made it specifially to improve duel runners. But... why only use runners, when you can add turbo duel systems to other vehicles?"

Cody widened his eyes.

"Imagine it. Tanks, helicopters, you name it. With those vehicles equipped with dueling systems and your parents' special engine, no one could stand up against or run away from my forces. Not even duelists." Mason spread his arms, an ambitious look forming on his face. "And with me as the one and only leader of the world, mankind will flourish as I eliminate everything that ruins our society!"

Cody lowered his head. "Eliminate everything that ruins our society? You expect me... to believe that? Don't make me laugh!" He looked up again in anger. "You simply just want to rule the world, and steal everyone's freedom! You... insane monster!"

Mason simply shrugged. "Freedom is a small price to pay in order to make order. Anyway, I think we discussed this matter long enough." He then approached him, prompting Cody to discreetly turn his camera off. "It's time to get down to business. I sure hope you have what I want."

Cody kept his glare on the man before him. But he still reached into his pocket and pulled out the USB-stick Sonia gave him. "The information you want is stored here. But first, let my friends go!"

Mason simply smirked and snapped his fingers. And when he did, a hand snatched Cody's USB-stick out of the blue, surprising him. The person who did that, was none other than Mason's secretary, Veronica. "Well, if you had paid much more attention to the message I sent you, you would have known that I never specifically said that I'd release your friends in exchange for the engine blueprints."

"What?!" Cody gave him a look of disbelief.

"Besides, for all I know, this little thing could be a trick." Mason turned to Veronica. "Take it to the computer lab and have them look at it."

"Yes sir." Veronica replied, bowing respectfully, before leaving the room.

Cody was getting even angrier. "You sneaky little..."

"Now now..." The MF CEO raised a hand. "No need to get hostile. I assure you, I can be a very fair man. Which is why I'm giving you a sporting chance." He walked over to his desk and opened a drawer, from his he pulled out a duel disk. "Since you seem prepared for this kind of thing, I'll make you a deal: If you can defeat me in a duel, then I will consider to let you and your friends go free." He then took his position right in front of his desk. "So what's it going to be, Cody?"

Cody glared at him for a moment before raising his duel disk. "If that's how you want to do it, then fine. You're on, Mason!"

The man smirked.

Meanwhile, Yusei and the others had reached the island. They rushed into the building.

"Looks like this is it." Kai said as they reached the elevator.

"Now to find the others." Tanner added.

"Yeah." Yusei nodded. "But there's a good chance for us to run into Mason's men, so keep your guard up."

The other two nodded.

Back to Cody

"Let's duel!" The two duelists drew their opening hands.

Cody: 4000

Mason: 4000

"I'll go first." Mason declared and drew his sixth card. "And I summon Familiar Knight in defense mode." A knight in grey armor with a red cape appeared, kneeling down in front of him. He carried a sword and shield. (ATK: 1200 DEF: 1400 LV: 3) "Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn." Mason concluded, inserting a card into his duel disk.

"My turn!" Cody drew. "First I summon Tune Warrior in attack mode!" A red robot-like warrior with antenna-like arms appeared. (ATK: 1600 DEF: 200 LV: 3) "Now attack his Familiar Knight!" The warrior charged forward and struck the knight with an antenna, shattering him into pixels.

"Not bad, but you just triggered Familiar Knight's ability. Now each of us can summon a level 4 monster from the hand."

"Okay, then I choose Goggle Golem!" The stone golem with goggles appeared. (ATK: 1500 DEF: 500 LV: 4)

"And I choose Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior!" From a flash of light, a man with spiky dark-blue hair appeared in front of Mason. He was wearing a white armor with golden linings that revealed his six packs and wielding a battle axe. (ATK: 1850 DEF: 1300 LV: 4)

"Guess I can't attack anymore this turn. On the other hand, I can tune my Tune Warrior with Goggle Golem in order to synchro summon Lightning Warrior!" The robotic warrior turned into three stars and surrounded the golem before turning into rings of green light. The golem's body turned transparent and revealed four stars that created a beam of light. "Time to accelerate!" The light died down and revealed the silver armored man with wild blonde hair. (ATK: 2400 DEF: 1200 LV: 7) "I'll end my turn with one facedown." Cody inserted a card into his duel disk.

"Not bad." Mason mused and drew. "But that won't do you much. I activate the field spell, Realm of Light!" A transparent environment surrounded the two of them. There was a bright light from the sky. And behind Mason, Cody saw some kind of ancient city with a pair of huge pillars that reached high. "And for my next move, I activate the trap card, Light Spiral!" Mason's facedown card flipped up.

"What does that do?" Cody asked.

"You'll find out. But first I summon Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn!" From a flash of light, a tan-skinned man with black hair appeared. He was wearing black pants with some gold and silver armor. He didn't have anything to cover his muscular upper body. All he had was a long purplish scarf around his neck. He was wielding golden blades in his hands. (ATK: 1700 DEF: 1000 LV: 4) "And next I'll activate his special ability. Once per turn, I can send the top 2 cards of my deck to the graveyard. Then, if any of those cards happens to be a Lightsworn monster, he gains 200 extra attack points that will last until the end of your upcoming turn."

Cody blinked as Mason drew two cards and discarded them. The moment he did, a white aura enveloped Raiden.

"Look at that. One of them turned out to be a Lightsworn monster." (ATK: 1700-1900) "And this activates the effect of my field spell." The city standing behind him glowed. "Every time a card is sent from my deck to the graveyard, Realm of Light gets a Shine Counter. And each one placed on my Realm of Light gives all Lightsworn monsters 100 attack points." (ATK: 1900-2000) (ATK: 1850-1950) "And speaking of Lightsworn monsters, the one that was sent to the graveyard, is one that is automatically summoned after being sent from my deck to there. And this one is known as Wulf, Lightsworn Beast." From a flash of light, the armored humanoid wolf appeared with its spear ready. (ATK: 2100-2200 DEF: 300 LV: 4)

"Great, so now I'm dealing with three powered up monsters." Cody muttered. "Huh?" He then noticed the top card of his deck glowing.

"Oh right, there's also the effect of my Light Spiral trap card. Each time a Lightsworn monster sends a card from my deck to the graveyard, the top card of your deck is removed from play."

Cody narrowed his eyes as he drew his glowing card and put it away. He then noticed Garoth glowing. "Now what?"

"Ah, I almost forgot about Garoth's ability." Mason mused, pretending to be forgetful. "Each time a card is sent from my deck to the graveyard by the effect of a Lightsworn monster, other than Garoth himself, he makes me send the top 2 cards of my deck to the graveyard. And for each Lightsworn monster sent to the graveyard by this effect, I draw 1 card." Mason drew two cards, looked at them briefly, and smirked before discarding them. "And one of them happens to be one." He drew a card while the city behind him glowed again. (ATK: 2000-2100) (ATK: 1950-2050) (ATK: 2200-2300)

"You just keep losing cards from your deck. Aren't you worried that you'll run out of them?" Cody questioned.

Mason chuckled. "I'm not too worried. You'll be finished before I'll run out. Besides, I learned to do whatever it takes to reach my goal..."

Flashback

"Even if it means cutting some loose ends."

Mason was standing before a group of black suited men that were wearing rifles. Mason showed them holographic images of Cody's parents. With a motion with his hand, his men moved out.

Flashback end

"But let's move on, shall we? Remember, each time one of my Lightsworn monsters sends one of my cards to the graveyard, Light Spiral removes the top card of your deck from play."

Cody clicked his tongue as he was forced to get rid of another card.

After that, Mason's graveyard slot glowed brightly. And then, the spirit of a new individual appeared. It was a young woman with brown hair, clad in a white dress with golden decorations. There was also a white owl sitting on her left gloved hand. "And there's more. The monster sent to the graveyard was Minerva, Lightsworn Maiden. And as soon as she's sent from my hand or deck to the graveyard, another top card is sent to the grave." Mason drew a card and discarded it. And the city glowed again. (ATK: 2100-2200) (ATK: 2050-2150) (ATK: 2300-2400) "This costs you another card from your deck."

"How annoying." Cody muttered as another one of his cards was removed from play.

"And it gets worse." Mason replied as a certain rapier with a glowing blade appeared. "This is Lightsworn Sabre. And when this equip spell is sent from my deck to the graveyard, I can equip it to one of my Lightsworn monsters. And I think I'll let Wulf use it, increasing his attack points by 700." The humanoid wolf grabbed it. (ATK: 2400-3100) "And we can't forget about Garoth's ability, can we?" Mason took his top 2 cards and looked at them briefly. "Hm, no Lightsworn monsters here." He mused as he discarded them. "Oh well, at least you lose another card from your deck."

Cody drew another card and put it away.

"And my field spell gets another counter." His monsters glowed white. (ATK: 2200-2300) (ATK: 2150-2250) (ATK: 3100-3200) now I attack your Lightning Warrior with Wulf!" The wolf charged forward.

"I activate the trap card, Kunai with Chain!" Cody's facedown card flipped up, causing the familiar strange blade with chain appear and wrapped itself around Wulf, making it stop. Lightning Warrior held the chain and made sure the Lightsworn monster didn't move. "Thanks to this, your attacking monster has been forced into defense mode. And by equipping this trap to my Lightning Warrior, he gains 500 more attack points." (ATK: 2400-2900)

Mason was silent for a moment before closing his eyes. "Impressive. However, I have something else up in my sleeve. Raiden, give Garoth a tune-up!" Raiden glowed brightly before being replaced by 4 stars.

"A synchro summon!" Cody gasped as the stars turned into rings of green light and surrounded Garoth.

"That's right, so with my Raiden and Garoth, I can synchro summon Light End Dragon!" Garoth's body turned transparent and revealed 4 stars that created a beam of light. Moments later, the light died down and revealed a new monster. It was a pure white serpentine dragon with a pair of clawed arms and two pairs of feathery wings. It was wearing a golden headdress and some golden armor with green jewels. (ATK: 2600 DEF: 2100 LV: 8)

Cody stared at the new monster with a concerned look.

"And that ends my turn." Mason concluded.

"Huh?" Now Cody looked confused. He then drew his next card. 'Strange. That dragon does seem powerful, but my Lightning Warrior has more attack points. And Mason didn't place any facedowns. Is it possible he's trying to bait me?' Cody looked over his hand for a moment. 'In that case...' He inserted a card into his duel disk. "I place one card facedown and attack your Wulf with Lightning Warrior! Go, Lightning Punisher!" The warrior's body crackled with electricity. And since he was holding the chain that kept Wulf in place, that electricity spread on it and zapped the humanoid wolf until it exploded. "And now, since Lightning Warrior destroyed a monster in battle, you take 300 points of damage for every card in your hand."

Mason's eyes widened as he glanced at the three cards he was holding.

"Go, Lightning Ray!" Lightning Warrior thrusted his left palm and fired a bolt of lightning at the CEO of MF.

Mason: 4000-3100

"Then I'll summon Featherizer in defense mode!" The fan-shaped spellcaster apppeared right next to Lightning Warrior. (ATK: 700 DEF: 1100 LV: 2) "That ends my turn."

"Then it's my turn." Mason drew. "And I summon Ehren, Lightsworn Monk in attack mode." A dark-skinned woman appeared. She was wearing a white and golden armor over a red battle dress and white boots. She was wielding a white staff which she spun around with precision before taking a battle stance. (ATK: 1600-2000 DEF: 1000 LV: 4) "Now attack his Featherizer!" The woman charged forward and struck the spellcaster with her staff. At that moment, he vanished in a flash of light.

"Huh?" Cody widened his eyes as light emanated from his deck before it was automatically shuffled.

"When Ehren attacks a monster in defense mode, that monster is forced back into its owner's deck." Mason explained. "That said, I'll move on and attack with Light End Dragon!"

Cody narrowed his eyes, seeing his opponent attacking with a monster weaker than his. "I thought as much. That dragon has a special ability, doesn't it?"

Mason smirked. "How right you are, and it works like this: By giving up 500 of its attack and defense points, it can drain 1500 points from the monster it's facing.

Cody widened his eyes as the dragon spread its wings, releasing light waves. (ATK: 2600-2100 DEF: 2100-1600) The light waves made Lightning Warrior feel weak and fall down to one knee. (ATK: 2900-1400 DEF: 1200-0000) And then, the dragon opened its maw and spat out a white energy beam that blew the warrior to pieces.

Cody: 4000-3300

"So much for your Lightning Warrior." Mason commented.

Cody narrowed his eyes again. "Maybe, but thanks to you, I can play my trap card!"

Mason widened his eyes as Cody's facedown card flipped up.

"I activate Parallel Selection! Since you destroyed my synchro monster, I can add one of my spell cards that have been removed from play and add it to my hand." Cody held up a spell card and added it to his hand.

"So you were able to use my one of my cards to your advantage. But I'm still going to win." Mason said calmly. "I activate Ehren's ability.. During my end phase, she sends the top 3 cards of my deck to the graveyard." Mason drew three cards and discarded them. "And this gives my field spell another Shine Counter while you lose another card." Ehren glowed with a white aura. (ATK: 2000-2100)

Cody reluctantly drew a card and put it away. "Okay, my turn!" He then drew his next card. "First i activate the spell card that I recovered. Gearbreed!" The named spell card appeared. "Next I summon Sublimation Knight!" The steampunk like knight appeared. (ATK: 1300 DEF: 200 LV: 3) "And when this monster is summoned to the field, I can equip him with a monster from my hand or deck, so long as that monster is a fire warrior type, or a Gemini monster. Like my Phoenix Gearfried, for example." The spirit of the fiery warrior in white and red armor appeared briefly before being absorbed into the knight's blade. "And what's more, that monster card acts as an equip spell that gives him 500 more attack points." (ATK: 1300-1800)

"Not enough to destroy Ehren." Mason pointed out.

"I'm not done." Cody continued. "Since I technically control an equip spell, I can activate Gearbreed's effect. By placing 1 fire warrior or 1 Gemini monster from my graveyard on the bottom of my deck, I can draw 1 card." Cody took Goggle Golem from his graveyard and placed it on the bottom of his deck before drawing his extra card. "And it looks like I drew another spell card. Lightning Blade!" The knight's sword with pipes was replaced by the broad blade that sizzled with electricity. "Thanks to this, my warrior gains 800 more attack points." (ATK: 1800-2600) "Now, Sublimation Knight! Attack his Lightsworn Monk with Lightning Blade Strike!" The knight charged forward and swung with his sword.

"Not so fast!" Mason said as a figure appeared right in front of Ehren. It was a red armored warrior with long white hair. He crossed his arms and took the hit from the knight's attack. After that, he vanished.

"What was that?" Cody asked, surprised.

"That was Necro Gardna." Mason replied. "He was one of the cards Ehren sent to the grave. And that allowed me to use his effect. By simply removing him from play, I can negate your attack."

Cody narrowed his eyes before inserting a card into his duel disk. "I'll end my turn with one facedown."

"Very well then." Mason drew his next card and looked at it. He smirked. "You know, Cody, we might not need to do this. As I told you earlier, I'm trying to create order in this world, and the resources from your family's company are necessary. And since you're their rightful heir, I can convince its current owner, who happens to be one of my loyal workers, to give the ownership to you. Think about it, with the two of us together, we can change the entire world for the better. What do you say?"

Cody clenched his free hand. "Last I checked, my parents were smart enough to reject your ideas. So if you think I'm any different, then you're fooling yourself!"

Mason scowled. "Short-sighted, just like them. If that's how you're going to play, then so be it. Now then, I release Ehren..." The woman vanished. "in order to advance summon Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon!" And from a flash of light, and immense noble white dragon appeared. It had a mane of golden hair, white angelic wings and a single glowing horn on its head, glowing with energy. It was also clad in silver and gold armor. (ATK: 2000-2500 DEF: 1600 LV: 6) "This noble creature gains 300 attack and defense points for every Lightsworn monster with a different name in my graveyard."

Cody started to get nervous. "How many are there?"

"Well, let's have a look, shall we?" Mason declared as the spirits of many monsters appeared. First of all, there those he used so far: Garloth, Raiden, Wulf, Minerva, and Ehren. And there were three more: Ryko, Lyla, and Celestia. "Well, looks like I have 8 of them, so that gives my dragon plenty of points." The dragon roared as its body glowed with light. (ATK: 2500-4900 DEF: 1600-4000)

Cody gasped.

"Then I activate the spell card, Block Attack. This lets me switch your monster to defense mode."

Cody looked confused as his knight kneeled down and turned blue. "Defense mode? Why would you...?" He then widened his eyes. "Don't tell me that your dragon..."

"Can cause piercing damage?" Mason filled in. "As a matter of fact, it can. Which means... it's over for you! Now Gragonith, attack with Nova Purge!" The dragon reared its head back and then spat a brilliant beam of light. Cody gritted his teeth as the beam was about to hit.

To Be Continued...

Sorry guys, but I'm gonna have to end the chapter here. And for two reasons. 1: I've been taking so long. 2: This chapter is over 9000 words long and writing the rest down might make this chapter a little too long.

I just hope this one was worth the wait as I work on the three next GX chapters. Until next time.