"Isono." A single-word command was the closest he came to a greeting. Most people didn't even get that, simply a long stare which chilled their soul.
"Stock is up 1.7%, exactly as you predicted." Isono had served in his capacity for long enough to be accustomed to the more infinitesimal expressions of his boss. By the more refined standards, it was practically a joyous face that day. "R reports they remain on schedule for the upgrades deadline. Project: Academia is awaiting their final results before beginning mass production."
"Have them shipped directly to processing centres for the advanced classes. Everyone else can wait their turn." Sweeping his coat around, he settled into the vast chair behind the desk. The city skyline was magnificent to anyone else and he used it as an imposing backdrop for anyone meeting with him. "I want a 10% surplus added to the main delivery. We'll need an extra backlog to instantly replace breakages." Slender fingers leafed through a stack of reports already prepared on the expansive desk.
"Of course." There was no need to make a note as the order was already being typed up by those same hands. "There is one more item, sir. An intruder managed to get access to one of our backup server rooms." There was the slightest hint of a pause. "Security caught him after a redundant alarm tripped. We have him confined." Calling up the feed to a screen on the wall, he continued to deliver the morning's briefing as a faintly curious gaze turned to the image.
Unshaken eyes stared up at the camera with flinching as the game continued to play out. "to B6. Checkmate in thirty-four moves." Both hands paused in the stacks of documents as attention shifted.
"What did he say?" On the feed, the intruder was taking a few deep breaths and rotating his neck. "Roll that back, I want to hear,"
But a new loop had already begun. "E2 to E3. E7 to E6. E3 to E4. E6 to E5." Hearing it calmly recited like that made it easy to recreate every move once more in his mind. "Check at seventeen moves." No. It couldn't be possible. Even if everyone knew the outcome of that game, only three people had been in the room - one was dead, one had barely understood the rules, and one was himself.
"Don't let that man leave and don't contact the authorities." Commanders spent years trying to master the authoritative tone that had been hammered into him from childhood. Coma patients would stand at attention if he ordered it. "How many people know he's here?"
"Besides you and me," Isono hadn't come this far in life without being able to read reactions a couple of seconds ahead of most others. "Nobody else. I will make sure of it." A couple of transfers and a shredded report would suffice. Switch the footage with what had been recorded a few nights before and it would be like it had never happened.
"Have security escort my brother to a secure location - I don't care what he's doing, bring him." Another recital began and his mind was dragged back into the past. Algebraic notation should have been the norm when he played the game but he had been forced into learning the old descriptive format. Nobody argued with Gozaburo and survived long enough to tell the tale.
Isono shadowed his employer down to the holding cells, dismissing the guards with a curt nod and killing the cameras with a thumb drawn across his throat.
"You wanted my attention," At the icy words, the prisoner stopped the recital and opened his eyes. "I'd say you should be more careful what you wish for." Stretching his muscles, the stranger stopped on the other side of the barrier and met his glare without flinching.
"I was hoping to avoid this meeting," Both hands raised in the plastic restraints. "But I reacted poorly to some bad news."
"Spare me the backstory," He snapped. "Who are you and how did you get in here?"
"Call Joey Wheeler. He'll tell you." A calm demeanour which doubtless came from ignorance of how dangerous a path he was trying to walk. And a very stupid move.
"Wheeler couldn't play chess without needing to have pieces extracted from his nose once the game is finished." Opening the cell door elicited a flicker of fear. It was possible this man wasn't completely stupid. "It's a miracle that he can even put a Deck together. I'm still not convinced that he doesn't operate on some cosmic fluke."
"Is that why you're having a monkey taught how to Duel?" The second sign Yusei had that he had stepped across the line was the slightest flicker of anger in that cold stare. The first was the hands bodily lifting him against the wall. It was more unsettling that he had decided to start strangling and then personally indulged in it. Poking the dragon using a stick made of childhood trauma was a worse plan than waiting for jail and then breaking himself out.
"You have five seconds to tell me who you are," Most people would require a threat of some sort. Being choked should have enough of an effect. "And how you know that game." An inscrutable game face failed to react. "Only two people could have known every move and one of us is dead. How could you possibly know what happened?" A number of insufferable idiots knew a chess game had been involved yet only he should have known the moves.
"Same way that I know what you're keeping in your safe. Sapphire, right?" Was this how others felt when they saw him? Fear from the impossible depths of his knowledge and power? Heh, it wasn't bad. But he was Seto Kaiba. Fear wasn't something he felt, it was how he made others feel.
"So, you got in my systems. Hardly original. I'll have you purged by the end of the day." Besides that annoying twerp with the pigtails, a few keyboard addicts had managed to gain a glimpse into his systems. Most of those people didn't have his brother crushing on them and received lengthy prison sentences. Kaiba had a running clock on the statute of limitations and a dark hope that Mokuba got his hormones under control before Miss Hawkin's computer charges were invalidated.
"Except that you didn't purchase it directly." Either Kaiba was slamming him against the wall or blood was pounding around his head in the final precursor to unconsciousness. Enough adrenaline was flooding Yusei's system that he couldn't tell the difference. "It was a warehouse business you bought as it collapsed. You found a... jewellery shipment they planned on reselling. Got it appraised." Doubly-free items amounting to practically infinite profit. Enough to make even the unfeeling face crack a grin.
"Plenty of people know that I bought that container!" Most of it had been towards the cheaper end of the market and not even worth the effort of putting it up for sale. Instead of bothering with the legalities of getting a license and having extra taxes held against his businesses, Kaiba had come up with the seemingly benevolent act of gifting the various pieces to his employees. By happy coincidence, the total worth ended up being applicable for a tax break and saving a tidy chunk.
"When you... saw it." Lowering the lights was a traditional tactic to intimidate a victim. Except for that bright one which Yusei felt strangely drawn towards. "Thought... looked... like... her... eyes!" Brain activity can last for several minutes after death. One of the last coherent thoughts Yusei had (alongside the taste of strawberries and what roses smelled like) was a fading hope that Kaiba had a medical team waiting around the corner. Sadly, it looked more like that body bag was on the way.
"Isono." Releasing his prisoner before he was forced to see if R needed a fresh corpse, Kaiba was tempted to finish the job on pride alone. "I want you to get Joey Wheeler. Don't ask for his schedule, just get him here."
"I can put a security team together in the next hour." Having a security team grab one of Kaiba's few personal associates wouldn't raise too many eyebrows with the security team. It was more difficult to get the blonde from behind the protective security Pegasus provided. Even the best thief would struggle to get into the compound under the light of day. Abducting a person against their will would be nearly impossible.
Yusei squeezed his head between both elbows as he clasped his hands behind his neck. "He lured you out," Ninety years of advancement weren't enough to be unable to draw a parallel between this idiot and either of his brothers. "With pizza."
"Hey, sixty per cent off is a good deal and you know it." Leaning against the wall of his cell, Joey could barely hear Yusei on the other side. "Besides, he got you caught as well. How's that big brain of yours doing now?" Waking up to a mild concussion, spasming fit and hurling up a couple of vestigial organs was so tired an occurrence that the smell of bile barely registered as Yusei kneeled over the toilet in a corner of his cell. Hearing Joey's dulcet tones – however concerned – was a merely new twist on an old torture.
"I got into the building and all the way into one of their server rooms before getting caught. If I had my phone, I'd have hacked past this door and be back in the penthouse before they knew what was happening." A tad dramatic but he was feeling irate at the turn events had taken.
"Doubt they'd give it to you, the bastards even took my shoes." Well, shoe. The other had fallen off when three burly men had suddenly thrown him into a van. In his hurry to get discounted pizza, Joey had forgotten to properly lace either.
"Kaiba, I'll tell you everything you want if you get me out of here." Pounding on the transparent divide, he considered going for a second concussion. "Kaiba!"
On the other side of a monitor, his captor watched with barely repressed sadism. "Sir, should I go and begin the preliminary questions?" Isono had seen enough people in the cells to know how durable they were. Bigger and stronger people had failed to make even a dent.
"Not yet." Rubbing his knuckles, Kaiba watched the growing frustration with the sort of smile that usually preceded the death of a puppy. "Our guest was so insistent that we get Wheeler here to vouch for him. It would be rude to rob them of the chance to get their stories straight." His aide risked a surreptitious glance sideways. Isono had been working alongside Seto since his adoption had been finalised. Though subtle, his use of 'our' and willingness to enjoy a prank was a pleasant change from the cold machine Gozaburo had forced him to become.
"Of course." Isono straightened his tie minutely. Representing KaibaCorp demanded nothing but the best. "Shall I tell them you will be along 'shortly' or leave it as a pleasant surprise?"
"Keep an eye on them for now, I'll drop by once I've finished my work." Kaiba set aside his personal vendetta to deal with the company's daily business. It shouldn't take him more than a couple of hours. Reaching for the remote, he casually muted the feed as the screaming started.
A rhythmic thumping outpaced Kaiba's footsteps down the corridor. By the time he arrived, a dull smear had formed on the far side of the barrier where a spiky head had made repeated impacts in an effort to block out the droning from the next cell along. "Ready to tell me who you are?" Control came in two forms: fear and desire. Right now, his guest desired peace and feared being left along with Joey again. Kaiba had full control with merely the implication of walking away.
"Y'know Kaiba, I'm starting to think there was no pizza coupon!" From opposite sides of the conflict, Yusei and Kaiba exchanged a long look. 'While I currently loathe you and every aspect of your personality to a degree unmeasurable by any realm of science, I will at least credit you of not being Joey Wheeler.' it said. Not the starting point that Yusei had hoped for but it was a solid foundation.
"Telling you what you want to know could have dire effects on the entire planet. I'm not willing to take that risk." There was a game going on across the transparent divide. Yusei was feinting and hoping to bait Kaiba into a reaction that would leave him open to retaliation while the white coat was laying waste with overwhelming power. Joey was simply the shiny distraction in the next step, a recognisable midpoint being served up as an example of what was sitting across the board.
Why 'planet'? Most people would have said 'the entire world'. Unfeeling eyes scoured for any hint of deception and found none. At the very least, this intruder believed in the nonsense he was spouting. "All you have is a few bits of gossip Mokuba probably shared with his little girlfriend." An edge. Either that or an incredible bluff because there was the tiniest shift in the blue irises. "Maybe I should have her brought up to see what secrets she's been sharing."
"Do that and no amount of glass will keep you safe." He had almost forgotten the dweeb in cell 2. Regardless, the focus of his attention showed no signs of emotional leakage. It was impossible that he personally knew Mokuba, Seto kept far too tight tabs on his brother's activities for anyone to get close without his knowing. Fine, he could have the move. Kaiba still had plenty more weapons in his arsenal.
"I'm curious what Pegasus will say when I tell him you're here." Nothing visible this time yet he could sense the tiniest increase in tension. "Or, could it be that you didn't get his blessing first?" Mutou and the Dork Squad were only able to live it up because they had a collective sugar daddy. Cut off that teat and they'd be back in mediocrity faster than Wheeler could stuff his face.
"Go ahead." Finally, a reactionary move. "Pegasus has no idea I even exist. Yugi's the one who's letting me stay at the penthouse."
"Then maybe I'll give that stand-in a call, to find out who you are." Another lost round as the tension ebbed again. No, this couldn't be the path to victory. Kaiba didn't have the same protection on Yugi he did on Mokuba yet he kept tabs. Suspiciously empty tabs of late.
"He's out of town." Another feint and Kaiba lost another piece. Only two angles had shown any hint of promise: Pegasus and Mokuba's relationship with the frustrating prodigy. Ignoring the last as an emotional investment, that only left calling the world's dandiest genius as a real threat. Unless...
"Fine. Don't tell me." How to beat any opponent? Sweep the board clean and make them play your game by your rules. "The police will be here in an hour to pick you up. You can explain it to them. Wheeler," Turning to the other cell, he had already put the matter to rest. "Enjoy your last time on KaibaCorp property. Once we're done here, I'm implementing a global ban for the rest of your life. Don't let the doors hit you on the way out, they cost more than your Deck."
"Wait!" Kaiba felt that cold satisfaction which came from a flawlessly executed move.
"Make it good and make it fast." No hint of his feelings showed on his face. Each muscle was too well-trained for that.
"I want your word not to log any report you until we're finished talking." Relying upon the anonymity history provided was a double-edged sword. Sector Security had – or would have – full access to all pre-existing criminal records to purportedly help solve cold cases. (Yusei suspected it was to track anyone trying to reinvent themselves following Zero Reverse but Lazar always managed to dodge the question.) Having his name or fingerprints enter any database would be catastrophic to more than just his fight against Yliaster - the fallout could be limitless.
"Scared that I'll find out your little secrets?" Odd. There had been a sudden collapse of resolve like this once before. Up on a parapet.
"Scared that you'll get my friends and family killed." The further they played, the more Kaiba felt familiar patterns emerging. Only two other people had ever come this close. Yugi Mutou and him. "Swear on... Blue-Eyes." That tiny pause between words. Wheeler didn't know the name, everyone else only knew Sara Drake. Except the only other man who held memories of their past life.
"What's your name?" Eyes as dauntless as the skies met his stare without effort or instability.
"Yusei Fudo. I'm here to help." Remarkable. How often the do-gooders seemed to think they had the right to do as they pleased and expected everyone else to simply fall in line. Kaiba didn't do 'in line'. He did things his way and nobody else's.
"Fine. You have my word." As soon as this little parlour game was over, he'd feed this intruder to the hungry wolves in his legal department. Literal wolves would actually be more expensive since they couldn't earn back the vast sums of cash being sucked up by his lawyers and Kaiba hated waste. "Tell me how you knew about the chess game and what you were trying to do in that server room."
"I'm trying to log appearances of any card not yet registered in the KaibaCorp database. There's someone I need to find." Plausible enough. Cards were manufactured by Industrial Illusions and the data was uploaded to KaibaCorp servers once the design was finished but Pegasus had a bad habit of creating cards and not officially registering them. Since the chips in each card contained enough information for implementation on the fly, it was typically a non-issue unless that data was hijacked, but there were plenty of safeguards since that incident with Stromberg.
"And the chess game?" Only he should have been aware of the details. If his adoptive father had returned in some sick fashion, Seto wanted to be ready. "Where did you learn those moves?"
"Joey, tell him where I'm from." At last, Wheeler's importance was to be revealed. This man – Yusei – had planned far ahead of the conversation. Far enough to be smart by normal measures.
"29-04." He could feel the smug grin radiating from the cell. Wheeler had managed to make a game of his own suicide. Kaiba murdering him would be an admittance of weakness and he refused to let that happen, no matter the stupid ploy at hand. "He's from the future. Whatcha gonna do, Rich-Boy?
"Joey." Staring sideways through the wall, it was evident that the exasperation was universal. "It's 20-94." Looking out at him was the picture of madness, with no hint of guilt or deception at the impossibility. "New Domino City, 2094. That's how I know about the chess game, how I was able to bypass your security, how I know about what's in your safe. It's all history to me. And I can prove it."
"I'm too busy to indulge in your deluded fantasies." Clearly the lunatic had managed to drag the idiot in the cell over into his sick imagination. At least he had an excuse to have Wheeler committed now. "Isono will make sure you both get the help you need."
"Yugi gave me a word if I ever needed your help." He had also advised Yusei not to mention it unless he was already digging his own grave. Yusei had thought it was a bad joke but now, feeling Kaiba dissecting him with unfeeling eyes, he wondered if it had been meant literally. "A name. Do you want me to say it where Joey can hear or do you dare to see if I'm able to prove what I claim?"
Kaiba evaluated him for a long time. "Isono," He brushed past the guard. "Bring them upstairs." This Fudo character would get one chance to explain himself. And, if Kaiba didn't like what he had to say, he'd make sure Wheeler ended up on the adjacent hook.
While I have you hooked, get started on a nice review down below.