Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monster GX Fan Fiction ❯ The Darkness of Destiny ❯ Digging Up The Past ( Chapter 14 )

The Darkness of Destiny

 

Chapter 14

 

Digging Up The Past

 

The doors of Mokuba Kaiba's office burst open, and the young businessman looked up as Alexis walked up to his desk.

 

“Hey, who are you, you can't barge in here!” Mokuba protested, jumping to his feet. Alexis narrowed her eyes and leaned over the desk.

 

“You're Mokuba Kaiba, CEO of the Leagues, right?” Alexis demanded.

 

“That's `Mr. Kaiba' to you. Why?” Mokuba scowled. Alexis opened her mouth to answer.

 

“We have some information for you, so if I were you I'd settle down,” Zane said muttered, strolling through the doors behind Alexis. Mokuba turned his gaze his wayas he sat down.

 

“Is this about the tournament, Mr. Truesdale? I'll gladly field any questions you have, as long as you make a proper appointment,” Mokuba said. Zane snorted.

 

“Aster Phoenix, we think he's been kidnapped,” Alexis explained. Mokuba's head whipped back to face her.

 

“What?” he gasped. Alexis nodded.

 

“His manager Sartorius Hikari called me less than an hour ago to tell me he picked me he had left in his limo to pick me up at the Kaiba Dome, and he never showed up. Sartorius confirmed he had left on-time. When I called his cell phone just ten minutes ago, someone else answered,” she continued. Mokuba frowned.

 

“This is bad. We have to wait twenty-four hours before we can file a police report though. But I'll see what I can do here,” he replied. He went to his computer and began typing. Alexis waited for a moment as the younger Kaiba worked.

 

“Pick you up?” Alexis turned as Zane stared at her. “Sartorius said Aster was going to pick you up, or so you said. Why?” Alexis blushed slightly, although she wasn't sure why.

 

“Well…he's been helping me with my dueling career, giving it a jumpstart,” she said.

 

“And his help extends to giving you joyrides in his limo?” Zane continued. Alexis scowled. Why did Zane care, it wasn't as if what she did with her life was any of his business.

 

“He considers me his responsibility while I'm living with him, if you must know,” she growled. The second the words left her mouth, she clamped her hand over her lips and gulped. Zane's eyes visibly widened.

 

“Living with him…” he muttered.

 

“Well, in a few days, Sartorius' first payment clears the banks and I'll be moving out shortly after,” she replied. “Do you…mind or anything?”

 

“I don't know,” Zane said coldly. “Should I mind that the girl who was once my best friend is now living with my greatest rival?” Alexis flinched, but any reply was interrupted by Mokuba's muttered curse.

 

“Dammit,” he said, sitting back in his chair. “Aster's not showing up on our satellites.”

 

“Should he be?” Alexis asked.

 

“Every Kaiba Corp Duel Disk is equipped with a unique radio signal for our satellites to pick up, along with a corresponding ID code and duelist profile. If Aster's not showing up, then he either dropped off the face of the earth, or his Duel Disk has been tampered with,” Mokuba explained.

 

“So what can we do?” Alexis said. Mokuba thought for a moment, the opened the drawer of his desk and pulled out some sort of electronic device. It was a black box about the size of someone's wallet, with two cores sticking out of it. Mokuba picked up one of the cords and plugged it into the USB port of his computer. He pulled out a cell phone from his pocket and plugged the other cord into the headphone jack of the phone.

 

“Dial Aster's cell phone,” he said, handing the phone to Alexis. Alexis nodded and took the device, dialing and handing it back to Mokuba. He tilted his head to hold the phone between his ear and shoulder while he typed.

 

“What is that?” Alexis asked, tapping the black box.

 

“It'll track the signal and pinpoint Aster's location. As soon as they answer for even a second, they'll light up on my map like a Christmas tree,” Mokuba replied.

 

“Is that legal?” Alexis gasped. Mokuba gave her a pointed look.

 

“No, which is why I don't own one,” he said slowly. Alexis nodded as he kept typing, eyeing the phone out of the corner of his eye. After a moment or two, the black device began to hum.

 

“Who is this?” Mokuba asked. Alexis waited. “Look, where's Aster you scumbag?” Mokuba cried. The person on the other end must have said something strange, because Mokuba's face scrunched up, and his eyes went wide a moment later. “Schroeder, is that you?” he gasped. The black device quieted down, and Mokuba withdrew the cell phone, a look of pure confusion on his face.

 

“What is it?” Alexis asked.

 

“I'm not sure,” Mokuba replied, tapping his chin. “I could swear I knew that voice though…I was recording the conversation, and I should be able to get a rough idea of where Aster's phone answered from. It'll take a while though. You should go home. I'll contact you with further information when I have it.”

 

“Alright. I'm currently living at Aster's house, with his manager,” Alexis supplied.

 

“Right, I can get the address and phone number from his duelist profile then,” Mokuba nodded. “Thanks for this.” Alexis nodded back and left the office. Zane stared at Mokuba for a minute before following. Mokuba looked at the files and software on his computer and sighed.

 

The Underground Leagues had existed almost as long as the Professional Leagues. But no one knew where they had come from. The dueling arenas located around the city slums, the top-notch secrecy, the security. There was no way something as organized as the Underground Leagues sprang up overnight. Someone had to be behind it all, someone with the money, power and motivation to undermine Kaiba Corp's grip on the dueling world.

 

“And I've got a pretty good idea who that could be,” Mokuba muttered, beginning to type on his computer. Seto was not going to like this…

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

“Right this way, sir,” Shroud said, pushing open the iron door before them. Mr. Thunder surveyed the room beyond with a scowl. A large steel briefcase was in his left hand.

 

“Yeesh, this place is a dump,” he muttered, beginning to walk around. The entire room was covered with dust and barely lit by a few overhead lights that were still working.

 

“It's been abandoned for some time. Superstition about Zane an' all,” Shroud explained. Thunder nodded and went to the edge of the cage. He raised a hand and ran a finger gently over the delicate edgings where the iron of the cage had been blown apart.

 

“So, this is what you were looking for?” Shroud asked. Thunder nodded. “Good, then where's my money?” Shroud demanded.

 

“Here,” Thunder muttered, tossing him a roll of bills. Shroud caught it and counted the money.

 

“Pleasure doing business with you,” he replied, tipping his hat. He left and closed the door behind him. Thunder looked around.

 

“Alright. Time to get to work,” he said, putting down his briefcase on a nearby table.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Aster's world returned in a blur. He blinked away the flashes of light and groaned. His head was pounding a vicious headache. He lifted his head to message his temples.

 

“Aspirin, Herr Phoenix?”

 

Aster gasped and lifted his head. He was sitting at a large table in the middle of an amazingly well furnished room, even better than his own at home. A soft gold-orange carpet covered the floor, and a large painting of a horse-mounted female warrior hung against the far wall. The room was bathed in a soft glow from twin overhead lights. Food covered the table, including rolls, a fondue pot, stuffing, and even a whole chicken.

 

“You again!” Aster roared. Zigfried ignored his outburst and sipped a glass of wine on the other end of the table with a small smile. Aster tried to stand, and gasped as cool metal hit his neck. He craned his head to see a short length of chain connecting the back of the chair to a loose iron collar around his throat. He looked down. His hairs were free, but his legs were shackled to the chair.

 

“Now now Herr Phoenix, don't be so angry. You're my guest,” Zigfried chuckled, wagging his finger. “Something to eat? I'd imagine you're hungry, you've been sleeping for several hours now.”

 

“Can it freak! Let me go!” Aster demanded. Zigfried raised a hand. A man in a suit appeared from behind Aster and placed a pair of red painkiller tablets on the table in front of him, before filling a glass with ruby wine from the table and placing it beside them.

 

“Zey vill take care of ze headache,” Zigfried explained. Aster looked down at the pills. Knowing so little about the man, he had no intention of taking anything he was offered. “Oh, alvight, your choice. But please, if I had vanted to kill you, vemember you vere unconscious for some time. If I vanted you killed, I wouldn't do it under ze pretense of a meal,” Zigfried scoffed. Aster scowled. He had a good point there. Still, better to not take any chances.

 

“Why did you kidnap me?” Aster demanded.

 

“It's quite simple, Herr Phoenix. You are going to help me destroy Kaiba Corp,” Zigfried replied.

 

“I'll never do anything for you!” Aster snarled.

 

“I beg to differ, Herr Phoenix. Indeed, if I have let you go, zen my plan vould still verk. Tell me Herr Phoenix, what do you know of the ze Underground Leagues?” Zigfried asked.

 

“Too much for my liking, why?” he muttered.

 

“Vell is just so happens zat somevon in ze tournament is von of our best duelists. Can you imagine ze scandal when Kaiba Corp's champion falls to the Schroeder champion?” Zigfried chucked. Aster gasped.

 

“Zane works for you!?” he cried.

 

“Vell, not zat he knows, but Herr Truesdale will be enlightened very soon. Vonce my spies are finished with Kaiba Corp, not only will their entire Duel Disk mainframe crash deeper zan za Titanic, but both you and Herr Truesdale will be under my employ. Kaiba Corporation will crumble like a cheap oil painting in a rainfall.”

 

“Nice metaphors, you're a poet,” Aster growled. “But I'd rather die than do anything for you.”

 

“I'm quite sure you vould, Herr Phoenix. But my spies have been vatching you for some time now,” Zigfried smirked. “I know you vould be perfectly villing to forfeit your own life, being such a hero or so you think. But vould you be villing to risk the life of another to foil my plans?”

 

“What's that supposed to mean?” Aster asked.

 

“All in good time, Herr Phoenix,” Zigfried said, standing up. “Now, I have business to attend to. Feel free to have somezing to eat. I'll be back for you in time.” Zigfried walked behind Aster, and he heard a door open and shut, leaving the duelist alone in the room.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

“You know he'll never willingly agree to help us,” Alicia scowled, following Zigfried down the stairs. The luxurious room he had left was the top room of a rather large warehouse at the Domino waterfront. A handful of such warehouses acted as Zigfried's staging grounds for business in Domino. Normally he stayed in Germany and let Alicia runs the Leagues. But when she had called him and mentioned taking down Kaiba Corp, he had flown into town as soon as possible.

 

“Yes, vich is vhy my back-up plan has already been placed in effect,” Zigfried replied, stepping down to the floor of the warehouse. It was largely bare, save for some odd crates and steel beams here and there. Storage was saved for the other warehouses. “Every man has his price, Alicia.”

 

“Nothing you can pay will change his mind. Aster Phoenix is nothing if not stubborn,” Alicia replied. Zigfried smirked.

 

“Not all prices are paid in bills and coins, my dear,” he chuckled. He held up a small, silver cell phone and flipped it open. “Behold, Herr Phoenix's cell phone,” he explained. Alicia raised a thin eyebrow. Zigfried dialed star-six-nine and waited while the phone rang. He held out the phone to Alicia as it picked up.

 

“Mokuba Kaiba speaking,” the voice said. Alicia's eyes widened as Zigfried's grin widened and he hung up.

 

“Now tell me, my dear, how do you zink it is zat Herr Kaiba got ze number for zis phone?” Zigfried asked. Alicia gasped, and a knowing smirk crept across her face. “Now, come my dear. Ve're going to have a little party to celebrate the destruction of Kaiba Corp, and ze guests of honor could arrive at any moment.”

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

“Do you honestly mean to tell me that sniveling little worm Zigfried is screwing with my company again?” Kaiba growled.

 

“That's right. If that voice that answered Aster's phone is who I think it is, then the Schroeders are definitely up to something,” Mokuba explained. Kaiba stood and turned, looking out the window.

 

“Whatever Zigfried's planning must have something to do with the tournament I began. Otherwise, why wouldn't he have acted sooner?” he muttered. “It doesn't matter. I've shown up that freak twice already, and I'll do it again if he tries anything.”

 

“It's not that simple Seto, we have no idea what he's planning or where he is. He's being a lot more discreet than last time,” Mokuba reminded. “And, there is something else.” Mokuba tossed a file on Kaiba's desk. Kaiba turned and flipped it open. “I did a little research. Just after the KC Grand Prix, the Schroeders made a deal with Pegasus to market Duel Monsters in Europe.”

 

“I know, then I threatened to cancel all our contracts if he did, so Pegasus backed out, and Schroeder Corp folded like a house of cards less than a year later,” Kaiba agreed. “I know that Mokuba.”

 

“Did you ever realize it was two years later that the Underground Leagues formed, just months after we began the Professional Leagues?” Mokuba asked. Kaiba froze and looked up. “I did a little check on Schroeder's employees before they went under. Check it out,” Mokuba said, waving his hand at the file. Kaiba flipped it open and read the papers inside.

 

“Thomas Shroud?” he muttered. “I've heard that name before.”

 

“Yeah, he's suspected of being a top-ranked promoter in the Underground Leagues,” Mokuba explained. “And there's more. A couple years ago, and just recently, he's been Zane Truesdale's agent.”

 

“So it seems the Schroeders are involved in the leagues,” Kaiba admitted. “I had my suspicions, but this confirms. Good work Mokuba.”

 

“Yeah, but like I said, recently he's been Zane's agent,” Mokuba repeated. Kaiba looked up. “Think about it, Seto. Aster's been kidnapped as some sort of ploy to destroy our company again. If anyone has reason to try it, it's the Schroeders. But, the plan involves Aster. And if anyone out there has reason to want Aster's taken out, who would it be?” Kaiba thought for a moment.

 

“You said Zane came in to report the kidnapping with Alexis Rhodes, right?” he asked. Mokuba nodded. “Then I suggest you find her and talk to her right away. I think Zane has a little explaining to do.”