Chapter 27: The Agony of Silence
The phone was ringing in Seto Kaiba's office.
Kaiba had been about to wrap up the night when the call went off. That is, it was two in the morning, and he was starting his next round of programming the new Duel Systems framework. At first he considered ignoring it completely. But few people had this number, and even fewer would dare call him at such a time of night.
He picked up.
"There had better be a very good reason you're calling me at this time of night."
"There's every reason, and you'd better listen closely and do what we say."
The words might have been considered threatening, if they weren't spoken with such a wobbling tone.
Kaiba sat back in his chair. "Téa Gardner. I can't imagine why you of all people would be using this number. Did Yugi or the mutt go chasing off after some new world-ending event again?"
"His name is Joey. And this is serious, so stop making jokes."
"What could possibly be more serious than my time that you're wasting right now?"
"Yugi is missing."
Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "What?"
"We need your help to find him."
There was a pause. "Why do you need my help? Aren't you dweebs usually one step behind him at all times?"
"Kaiba, please! He was taken from his home, and…" There came a sob. "We think he might be in serious danger."
"So call the police."
"We have! But they won't find him in time. You're the only one who can help us right now. Please…you helped us before. We need you again now."
Kaiba was silent. Téa sniffed once on the other end of the line, but otherwise didn't make another sound.
"Don't call me again. If you do, you can consider your future forfeit."
"Kaiba!"
*Click*
Kaiba sat there in the dark for some time. Then he pressed a button on his collar.
"Isono."
There was an immediate answer. "Sir?"
"Get me all records of shipments to and from Domino Pier for the last year."
"Right away, sir. But why–?"
"Do I pay you to question me?"
"No, sir."
"Then do it."
"Yes, sir."
Tristan wasn't known for control over his temper. He wasn't as much of a hothead as Joey, that was for sure—hell, he spent most of his time holding the crazy moron back—but when it came down to it he had to admit he was far less calm than Téa or Yugi.
Especially when his friends were in trouble.
It was nothing short of frustrating. He couldn't express how grateful he was for what this group had done to him. He and Joey had sized each other up the moment they first laid eyes on the other, and after a brief test of merit they'd become thicker than thieves. Neither of them had been able to find a place among the rest, and it had become him and Joey against everyone else. He built up a set of fighting skills and a tough attitude, for what he believed was a tough world. But Yugi had shown him—both of them—a way to give purpose and meaning to his actions, no matter how violent they were. He'd directed that purpose to using his skills to protect his friends. No matter the danger, no matter the enemy—he'd fight the entire world if he'd have to.
But sometimes, it wasn't enough. Sometimes the enemy wasn't one you could battle with bare fists and threatening words. During these times Tristan would never feel more helpless, because he could only stand by and watch. At least, that's what it felt like. At times like this, Tristan would find himself in a constant state of frustration, so that he would snap at the smallest things. The old urge to punch something indiscriminately would get harder to suppress, and by that point there was only one way to calm him, and clear his head.
So one warm summer evening, he got on his motorbike and went for a ride.
He rode all the way to the docks, as he had many times before, keeping close to the shoreline and curving alongside it. He always rode at night, when the roads were generally free and the only people he saw were the dock workers. Just the reflection of the moon, which would either shatter beautifully across the rippled surface of the sea or follow him, unbroken, across a pane as smooth as glass, was worth the late hours.
He couldn't see the moon tonight, though. The docks were completely empty as far as he could see, the night as silent as it was dark but for the purring of his motorcycle. The chilly air whipped at his face, but he ignored it. Above him, dark clouds obscured the sky so completely the only light visible came from the sparse lamps decorating the docks and his own headlights, which cut through the darkness like a spear. It should have been eerie, but Tristan was too distracted by his thoughts to notice.
It had been a week since Yugi had gone missing, and Tristan was ready to murder someone if it meant getting even the slightest hint of information.
After his and Joey's failure to find anything at the lab, they'd returned to the Game Shop in low spirits, only to find the police leaving the scene. A tearful Tea was sitting in the dark of the shop, looking equally despondent. When they'd questioned her, she revealed she'd called Seto Kaiba for help.
"What did he say?" Joey demanded.
In response, Tea only shook her head.
It had taken everything in Tristan not to storm off to KaibaCorp Headquarters, find the bastard, and shake him down right then and there. The only reason he hadn't was because he'd had to hold back Joey from doing just that.
That, and they needed to make sure Yugi's Grandpa was all right.
The elderly man had gone back upstairs to rest after the ordeal. He looked pale and withered, drained from worry about his grandson. Tristan's heart clenched at the sight.
That damn scientist…if I see him again, I'm gonna wring his neck.
Tristan gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the handlebars. He revved his bike and rode faster, the wind whistling by his ears until it blocked out all else.
One single, small, lone ship came into view, its darkened silhouette barely visible against the night sky. Even the lights at the docks had been turned off. Yet Tristan could still make out the name of the ship.
Suzume-maru.
That's kinda funny, Tristan thought to himself. If he didn't know better, he'd say some weird business was going on, because he could swear he saw movement in the shadows next to the ship.
He was so distracted he almost didn't notice the people about to cross his path.
He screeched to a stop and twisted his bike to the side just in time. He flipped up the visor on his helmet.
"Watch where you're going! Didn't you see me coming?" he demanded.
Then he stopped, and stared.
The people were dressed in all black, and carrying a crate between them. At his shouting, they didn't show any fear at having almost been run over. They stared at him blankly, with eerie eyes.
Definitely suspicious. But that wasn't what caught his attention.
The one person not carrying the crate was the only one looking at him with any sort of expression. A deep disdain was set in her features, which was at once very familiar.
It was her. Keichi's assistant.
"You!"
The assistant's eyes widened.
Tristan would have shouted something else, if something very heavy hadn't hit him hard over the back of his head. He immediately crumpled over his bike, groaning.
He felt someone pick him up as easily as if he were a kitten, pulling him off his bike and tossing him to the ground. His vision swam, and he struggled to sit up.
Someone pulled off his helmet. Through his blurry vision, he caught sight of two figures in the dark, one thin, one bulky.
"It's one of them," the thin one said.
"What should we do? Kill him?"
"A body would arouse suspicion."
"Then we take him with us."
"That would jeopardize the plan. This was our last run anyways. Even if he remembers us, he can't reach us."
"That seems risky."
"Soon enough our master will have what he needs. After that, it won't matter even if they can get to us."
"You…bastards…I'll get both of…you…" Tristan coughed when he felt a foot plant itself on his chest.
"Don't come after us. Or else we'll kill Yugi Muto."
He saw a fist come for his face, and he knew no more.
"Joey, you're gonna make me dizzy. Please sit down."
Tea and Joey were back in the Kame Game shop. The police had said they'd get back to the group with news about Yugi by this point, and they and Solomon Muto were all waiting around the phone with bated breath.
Solomon had decided to close the shop for the day, his nerves far too frazzled to deal with customers. Joey had agreed at the time, though now he was wondering if it might have been a mistake. With nothing to do and in the silence of the shop, each minute seemed to tick by at a hellishly sluggish pace
Joey was never known for being able to sit quietly. Noticing his unease, Solomon had offered him a Duel, which Joey appreciated. It was nice to have an outlet for all his buzzing energy. Time passed, and he could feel himself starting to settle a little.
Then Tea had said, "Where do you think Tristan is?"
It occurred to Joey then that it was nearing the evening, and Tristan had yet to show up, even though they'd all agreed to meet at the game shop as a group. Joey hadn't thought about the fact that Tristan wasn't there yet, too preoccupied with the incoming call. But now that Tea mentioned it, it was odd that he hadn't even called ahead…
"I'll try his phone," he said. He dialed Tristan's number.
"Hey! This is Tristan Taylor. I can't come to the phone right now, but leave a message after the tone, and I'll get back to ya!"
"Didn't even ring…" Joey muttered worriedly. He tried again.
"Hey! This is Tristan Taylor…"
He hung up, and tried a third time.
"Hey! This is…"
"Goddammit, Tristan, pick up!" Joey could feel his chest spike with fear.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Tea dialing her own phone. Even as he knew what the outcome was going to be, he still looked at her hopefully, only to feel that hope be squashed when she shook her head.
"Could be the boy turned it off," Solomon offered, though his voice was faint and unconvincing.
"He has done it before…" Tea said.
Joey got up and started pacing. This was too much; he could feel himself starting to grow paranoid. First Yugi, now Tristan…
"I can't just sit around and do nuthin', Tea!" Joey said, when Tea asked him to sit down. "Somethin's happened to him, I just know it. We gotta go out there and look for 'im!"
"We don't even know the first place to look! He could be anywhere! What if he's just–"
Tea was cut off when the phone to the shop suddenly rang.
Solomon was there in an instant. "Hello? This is Solomon Muto!"
He listened, while Joey and Tea stared at him intently.
It was a terrible several minutes while they waited and watched. Hope was an awful thing in that moment, but they clung to it nevertheless.
"Yes…Yes. I understand." Solomon hung up. Joey was at his side in an instant.
"Well? What did they say?" he demanded.
Solomon's face crumpled. "Nothing…they haven't found anything." He put his face in his hands.
"They said they'd keep trying…but…they weren't hopeful."
Tea helped guide him to a chair. She looked to be holding back her own tears.
Joey trembled where he stood. He really, really needed to break something.
He opened his phone instead.
"Hey! This is Tristan Taylor–"
"Tristan, you'd better be at some arcade or somethin' and forgot to turn your phone on, cuz otherwise I'm gonna find ya and smack you so hard you'll forget your own last name! Now answer your damn phone!"
He snapped his phone shut. "I'm gonna go look for him," he breathed. "Tea, you stay here with Gramps. I promise I'll keep my phone on me. If I'm not back in a couple hours, you call me, and I'll answer. I promise."
Before Tea could protest, he was gone.
Tea wished she were anyone else in that moment. It was getting to be too much. What if that was the last time she saw Joey?
She swallowed back her tears. She had to have faith. Faith in Joey, that he'd be all right, that he'd find Tristan. Faith in Tristan, that wherever he was, he could take care of himself.
And faith that they'd find Yugi again…
Yugi…wherever you are…please be all right…
On an island far away, in a sealed room with no windows, the Pharaoh heaved for breath.
He was locked in what felt like the tenth Duel for his life in a row this day. The Seal of Orichalcos shone sickeningly beneath his feet; the array stamped clearly on the forehead of his opponent, once again some faceless person he had never seen before. Who these people were, or where they came from, the Pharaoh couldn't tell. Likely they were brainwashed victims he had merely found, or perhaps they were generated by the Orichalcos itself…Either way, the Pharaoh had no time to feel pity for them, not when his soul was once again on the line.
He wiped the sweat from his chin and straightened. "I tribute Berfomet to summon Dark Magician Girl!" he shouted.
One monster disappeared from the field to be replaced by one of his most loyal monsters; with a wink, Dark Magician Girl appeared in a flourish.
"I'll add Magic Formula to boost her attack!"
With a poof, a book appeared before Dark Magician Girl, and she began to peruse it.
"Attack his face down monster!"
Dark Magician Girl readied her staff. She fired a beam of magical energy at the card on the field.
"Flip card: Poison Mummy," his opponent said tonelessly. A rotting bandaged corpse emerged on the field, giving a ghoulish rattle. "You are dealt 500 points of damage."
As Dark Magician Girl's attack connected, purple smoke exploded and filled the air; the Pharaoh breathed in before he could stop himself.
Paralyzing pain worked its way up his chest and through his body. The Pharaoh groaned and fell to one knee, curling in on himself. His Life Points counter ticked down from 1400 to 900.
The Seal of Orichalcos hadn't lost its power, not even now. With every battle, any damage dealt to the Pharaoh had become real, as if he were truly being burned or beaten, or in this case poisoned. The pain spread until it felt as if every nerve was lit on fire, down to his fingertips. He shuddered and cried out.
He still had to call out an attack. He raised one shaky arm. "V-Valkyrion, the Magna Warrior…attack!"
The last monster on his field raised its sword and jumped across the field. It brought its blade down on his opponent directly.
His opponent barely blinked, even as the damage counter ticked down to zero. The Seal of Orichalcos shrunk until it was beneath his opponent's feet. He didn't even scream as his soul was sucked away; he merely dropped to the ground, lifeless.
The Pharaoh fell forward. He just managed to catch himself on his hands before he hit the ground. He was panting hard, and his vision swam, going in and out of darkness. He was still shivering from that poisonous attack.
He barely heard the clapping that came from above him.
In another room, the Leviathan lowered its hands. "Well done, Pharaoh. No less than I expected. That's eleven Duels in a row; two more than yesterday. I'm impressed."
The Pharaoh struggled to his feet. Even though the Orichalcos's effects had faded, he still felt shaky and sick to his stomach.
Even so, he raised an arm. He pointed a challenging finger at the figure staring down at him.
"I'm still ready for one more," he declared.
The Leviathan smirked. "Your bluff is easy to call, Pharaoh. Even if you weren't swaying on your feet, you still needed the three legendary dragons to defeat me. Not to mention these."
It held up three cards in its hand; Obelisk, Slifer, and Ra.
"Give them back to me! They're not yours to abuse!"
"You think I'm a fool?" The Leviathan slid them back into its pocket. "The only reason you are still standing where I want you is because I have these here. That, of course, and your little partner."
The Pharaoh growled. "Leave Yugi out of this!"
"I will; if you submit to me."
"Never!"
"Indeed; it could never be that easy." The Leviathan's eyes glimmered in the shadows. "That is why I will have to break you, Pharaoh. No matter how many puppets I have to go through."
It motioned with its hand. "Bring in the next one."
RN: I'm sorry these chapters have been so short after so long, but this is how I wanna pace the story for now.