Currents- Chapter Eight

2017-08-28T09:33:38Z

Yugi had almost forgotten how it felt to be in a mecha. He had missed the rush of lurching forward, his body jerking around like a ragdoll in the cockpit while the mech’s legs pounded against the ground.

The mechanisms squeaked and groaned, an orchestra of grinding gears singing along with the movements of the mech. Yugi hummed along to each creak of the foot pedals under his boots. The connected wires led down in a winding path, causing the feet of the mech to jolt in response to each of his steps.

The walking motions were smooth and continuous, yet so very different from his natural gait. He never stopped to consider how… terrifyingly exciting it could be.

Here, in the belly of this monster, everything was so different, so much more expansive. He felt every movement through his body, every time the clunky steps made contact with the ground. He laughed with every lunge forward, every jerky movement of the machine, the heavy press of the metal foot plates sending jolts through his legs. It was exhilarating, it was refreshing.

It made him feel alive.

“Sir, are you sure you don’t want me to drive?” Atem spoke up behind him, leaning over the side of Yugi’s chair. “You appear to be a little… reckless.”

“You couldn’t get me out of this seat even if you tried Atem!” Yugi yelled, laughing loudly. “Can’t you feel that? The crunch of the dirt? The feel of the pedals under your feet?”

“I’m not in the driver’s seat, I don’t have pedals here sir-”

“Just imagine it! God, why did I ever give this up?”

“How’s the rusty old mech feeling for you, Yugi?” Anzu’s voice crackled over the radio. Yugi pressed the microphone button to reply, letting a laugh escape his throat.

“It’s amazing! I totally forgot that exhilarating rush you get from a jump!”

“It is nice,” Anzu agreed. “Glad you’re having fun.”

“I’m having a blast! I wonder if I can still manage a three point roll…?”

“Yugi Mutou, you better not even try that.”

“Settle down, Captain killjoy, I won’t. I’m just wondering is all.” Yugi chuckled.

“So back to the mission, right. Where is this outpost base supposed to be?”

“Southwest of our current position. Should take another hour or so to reach.”

“Cutting it close with those co-ordinates, don’t you think?” Anzu scoffed, and Yugi could clearly picture the deadpan expression on her face. His lips twitched up in a smirk.

“It just means we get to have our little confrontation with whatever’s there that much quicker.”

“I get the feeling you’re having way too much fun with this, Yugi.”

“You have to find the joy in the small things, Anzu. Besides, I’ve been cooped up so long I’m itching to do something.”

“Yeah, well there was a reason for that.” Anzu’s tone was quiet, and Yugi’s smirk dropped.

“Blame Gozaburo.” He whispered, pressing the microphone off.

A lump had formed in his stomach, making him feel sour. He tried to focus back on the feeling of the mecha moving around him, but Anzu’s words haunted him, nudging incessantly even when he pushed them to the back of his mind.

Maybe he was starting to enjoy these things more than he should be. It could be a risk, these little slips always seemed easier to dismiss in the beginning, weren’t they? Maybe Anzu was right, and he should take a step back, even let Atem drive while Yugi rode shotgun.

He shrugged the thought off, nestling the growing complaint in the back of his mind to deal with later. Right now, he wasn’t having any violent urges, he felt fine. He could pilot a mech just fine.

They travelled on in silence for some time, the clunky sounds of the mechs pushing them forward, eating up the leagues of distance.

An hour stretched by, and finally the land yielded the outpost base to them, sitting on a rise surrounded by twigs of trees with crumpled leaves. Around the outcrop was a mass of rock formations, giant boulders and ridges stretching upwards, hiding everything around the outpost from sight.

“This the place?” Anzu asked, just to be sure.

Yugi hit the mic button, eyes flicking to the part of his screen showing a map layout of the land. “Yeah this matches the co-ordinates perfectly. Let’s park close by but not quite out the front. If someone’s waiting inside with a rocket launcher, let’s not give them a wide target to hit.”

“Roger.”

They walked the mechs forward slowly, stopped just before the rise in the ridge. They disembarked, jumping down to meet between the two machines.

“Let’s check the perimeter. Atem you go left; Anzu, take the right. Check for any signs of people living here.”

He received two nods of acknowledgment, and they both moved away, walking up and slinking around the edges of the building.

Yugi headed straight up to the door, keeping low, his hand briefly patting over his boot, where a dagger was hidden. He wouldn’t need his pistol for this, anything waiting he was sure he could deal with using just his knife. He tried his luck with opening the entrance, pressing down on the handle, and found it to be unlocked. Strange. No one has unlocked doors in the middle of a war, especially so close to the border, Yugi narrowed his eyes, staring holes into the metal surface. This isn’t the ordinary kind of outpost.

Atem appeared by his side, crouched low. He nodded to Yugi, saying, “No sign of movement or life on that side sir.”

Yugi nodded in acknowledgement. Now they just needed to wait for Anzu.

She didn’t take long, approaching them quickly but quietly, coming back around from her search. “This side is empty too,” she said, “I peered into all the windows and what I could see around the dust made the room out to be bare. I think it’s abandoned.”

“Seems that way, but it could be an act. Someone could be hiding inside. Our mechs weren’t exactly the quietest things around. Let’s go carefully, follow my lead.”

Yugi unsheathed his dagger from his boot, crouching in front of the door. He wiggled the handle lightly, the chunk of metal giving way easily. He nudged it open, just enough for them all to pass through.

Inside it was quiet, and the air was stagnant. It smelt awful, like some chemical mixture had been left exposed, or food was lying around, and rotten weeks past its expiration date.

But it was also empty.

“Check everywhere and everything. Maybe there’s some evidence to show what went on here.” Yugi said, sheathing his blade to begin looking around.

One of the benches he passed held syringes scattered across the surface. He nudged one, rolling the barrel with a finger. The inside was empty, whatever had once been in there now gone. There was at least ten on the benchtop alone, and a few on the ground below, mostly shattered, but still recognisable.

So it’s a science lab then? A study branch out in the field? Yugi wondered, stepping away from the table to look elsewhere.

Anzu was exploring the other side of the building’s room, opening the cupboards beneath the benches, rummaging around in them. Yugi walked up to her, peering down at the open space.

“Any luck?”

“Nothing of value, and nothing to suggest any details.” Anzu gave a huff, swinging the door shut again. “There’s nothing here, Yugi. It’s a bit of a dead end, really.”

“Just enough to give us a hook, but nothing worth biting for,” Yugi groaned, slapping his forehead. “Did Pegasus send us on a wild goose case?”

“Well he didn’t know any better. Can’t really blame the guy, with how much he sticks his neck out for us.” Anzu sighed, standing up.

Yugi went to nod his agreement, but something behind Anzu caught his attention, revealed as she moved.

“Wait, hold up,” he walked past Anzu, staring at a spot on the wall. He touched a finger to it, the pad coming back clean. The area was a different colour to the smooth concrete of the wall though. It looked like a stain, old and muddy in colour.

“Does that look like…?” He tilted his head to where Anzu was peering at the wall next to him.

“Blood? Yeah.” Anzu nodded, a grim look on her face. “Do you think something happened here?”

“Well if there’s blood on the wall… and the bench,” he followed the trail to a splash on the surface. “Then there must have been a struggle of some kind.”

“What are you thinking, Yugi?” Anzu tilted her head, leaning on the bench behind her.

“Nothing yet, but…” He turned to her, expression grim. “I want to examine the outpost a bit more, see if I can run some tests on things through the mecha’s computer. I need more ground for this theory.”

“Sure,” Anzu shrugged. “What do we do in the meantime?”

“Mmm, maybe…” Yugi paused, seeing Atem move out of the corner of his eye.

Atem walked up to them, pressing a hand to the bench, next to the dried blood stain.

“This place… feels familiar.” He said, face scrunching up in thought.

Yugi and Anzu exchanged curious glances. “How so?” Yugi asked.

“I feel like I’ve seen this before. Or… Maybe something similar to it.”

“How does it make you feel?” Yugi pressed, coming up to Atem’s side, picking up a syringe. “Does this give you any kind of reaction in your mind?”

Atem stared at the object, furrowing his brows. “I’m… not sure, sir. It is… unclear. There…” He shook his head, blinking rapidly. “Nothing is coming to the surface. I feel like there is something behind a barrier, that I cannot reach. Perhaps I am not supposed to…?”

“You let me worry about that.” Yugi said, putting down the needle. He gave Anzu a look, and she nodded in response, a silent message passing through them.

Dartz.

This just had to be the work of that creep. He wasn’t sure how yet, but the setup of what this place could have been, and the unsettling atmosphere that still shrouded the building just screamed that the general was involved somehow.

“We might as well stay here for the night. We can hide the mechas on a ridge outside, and see if anyone comes back to this place. Judging by the state of the room, I’d say it’s a long shot, but you never know.” Yugi shrugged, leaning back on a bench.

Anzu nodded in agreement. “You go ahead with Atem and park your mecha, and I’ll wait here.”

“Right.” Yugi pushed off with his foot, strutting up to the front door. He glanced back, not feeling Atem at his side like he usually did.

The android was in the same position, his hand still against the wall. He was staring at it with unrivalled intensity, like the answers to his questions where written in the caked blood.

“Atem.” Yugi said, jolting the android’s attention onto him.

“Yes sir?”

“We’re moving the mechas now, then making camp here for the night.”

“Yes sir.” He moved away from the wall, sliding into position by Yugi’s side.

Yugi led him outside, heading to the bulky figures of his and Anzu’s mechs. They climbed in and Yugi quickly booted up the system again, the mech shifting upwards to its full height once more.

He took it in a circle around the outpost, searching for somewhere to offer even a small amount of protection. If Dartz worked on a cloaking mechanism instead of trying to play God, we wouldn’t have this problem, Yugi scowled, eyes glaring out at the rocky expanse around them.

Luckily there was a small amount of shrubbery nearby; not much in the way of concealment, but enough that crouched down the mech would at least not stand out so easily.

With the mecha parked, Yugi jumped down, heading to the back storage section. He popped the lid, reaching in to haul out a duffle bag, throwing it behind him to free up his hands for another. There were three in the trunk, each weighing a considerable amount. Yugi tested the handles of one quickly, frowning at the other two.

“Think you can carry two bags?” He asked.

“Yes sir.” Atem answered, not even trying them first. Yugi raised an eyebrow, and Atem picked the two bags up, nestling them both under his arms.

“All right then.” Yugi grunted, shouldering his own bag before setting off.

They trekked back to the base, dropping the bags inside. Anzu walked over, stretching out a yawn. “Guess I’ll go park mine now. Did Jou put the food in yours or mine?”

“Mine, I think.” Yugi zipped open one of the bags, rummaging around inside to find the package. “There’s a ration pack here. I guess he put them in mine.”

“All right, I’ll be back in a moment. Where did you park yours?”

“Down the hill south from here, in the bush.”

Anzu snapped her fingers, tossing him a wink before walking out.

Yugi focused back on the open bag in front of him. The food stacked neatly in their little packaging reminded him of the advice Yusei had given him. He quickly scanned several of the labels, finding one that required no boiling or preparation work. This’ll do.

“Here,” Yugi placed one of the packets in Atem’s hands. “Eat this.”

“Eat, sir?”

“Consume it, put it in your mouth and chew, however you want to say it, just do it.” Yugi folded his arms, staring Atem down, which wasn’t much, given their similar height.

Atem sniffed the container questioningly, giving Yugi another wary glance.

“That’s an order, Atem.” Yugi said gently.

“Yes sir.” Atem nodded. He no longer hesitated, hands nimbly working to break open the packaging. Inside were dry biscuits, crumbly, but still edible. Atem brought one to his lips, teeth clamping down on a portion, the biscuit giving way easily.

Yugi watched him chew, waiting until he had swallowed before speaking. “Here, you’re spilling more than you’re eating.” He gently took the packet from Atem’s hands, pulling out a biscuit and snapping it in half. He handed one of the halves to Atem, who took it, the whole section disappearing behind his lips.

Would have never thought I’d be hand feeding someone when they gave me this job, Yugi mused, a small smile twitching his lips upwards. I can only imagine Gozaburo’s reaction to seeing his precious weapon of war like this, or Dartz realising he let his mistake seep through the cracks, so vulnerable.

And it was the right word to describe Atem, he felt. Vulnerable. Underneath all of the overbearing systems forced into his mind, Atem was fragile, unsure. There was an inner turmoil there that he himself wasn’t even aware of, and it affected him more than he realised.

I wonder how long he would have lasted, if he hadn’t been sent to me? Yugi pursed his lips, staring at the biscuit in his hand. Would anyone else have picked up on the details? The signs that Atem was more than just an android? Would they have done something to counter it? The last thought sent a shiver down his spine. What would have happened if they hadn’t of picked up on the faults in Atem’s system?

“Am I… doing this right, sir?”

“You’re doing fine.” Yugi said, focusing back on Atem. He softened his voice, barely stopping to wonder why as he continued to break up the biscuits for Atem. It was almost nice, doing something so mundane and simple, without having a negative consequence attached to it. He allowed himself the moment of simplicity, the worries that constantly plagued him far away for this brief second.

Atem kept shooting him unsure looks, like a child afraid they were on the verge of messing up. Yugi gave him encouraging smiles back, handing him each piece gently.

Anzu chose that moment to re-enter the building, arms loaded with their supplies.

“Anzu, you’re back,” Yugi said, shifting himself away from Atem. “Need any help with those?”

Anzu gave him a confused look, dropping the bags on a counter nearby. “You know I don’t. What did I miss?”

“Nothing, why would you think you missed anything?” Yugi busied himself with his own supplies, taking out some of the packets of meals from the bags. Atem continued to slowly eat the biscuits, his expression thoughtful as he chewed each bite. Anzu’s gaze flickered between then, and Yugi didn’t miss the suspicion in her gaze. Of course she would know when Yugi was trying to avoid something, why wouldn’t she? Yugi inwardly groaned, keeping his eyes on the items in his hands, peering at Anzu from the corner of his eyes.

“I might check in with Ryou back at base,” Anzu said, and Yugi gave her a quick glance. “Maybe he might be able to find some record of something about this place.”

“We’re flying blind here; anything’s worth it,” Yugi shrugged, heading for the door. “I’m going to do a perimeter check. Radio me if anything happens here.”

“Aye aye.” Anzu waved, busying herself with setting up their radio.

“Come on Atem, let’s go.” Yugi motioned with his head to the exit, and Atem followed silently.

“Will you be well enough to drive, sir?” Atem asked. Yugi shot him a raised eyebrow, scoffing.

“I’m fine, I’ve got Anzu already heckling me all the time, I don’t need you as well, you know.”

“Apologies, sir.”

Yugi smiled, softening his expression. “No it’s all right, sorry to snap at you like that. I get a little pent up sometimes, don’t take it personally.”

“It is almost impossible for me to think so, sir. I am here to be at your disposal, after all.”

Yugi smiled softly, turning away. I wish you didn’t think that. No one deserves to be used for all their life. He led Atem back to the mecha, climbing in and booting the system up.

He began by circling the building, searching in amongst the trees from his vantage point above. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so he branched out, moving further away, into the rocks.

Giant boulders jutted upwards, scattered around to form untraversable areas, even the mecha too large and bulky to slip through the breaks in the rock. He toyed with the idea of getting out to explore, but brushed it off for another time. He just needed to check there wasn’t any immediate danger to them. He could poke around in rock formations later.

Turning back to the front glass of the mecha, he paused, something catching his attention.

“Do you see that? Over there?” Yugi hummed, squinting his eyes. “Looks like… a gap in the rock. Could be a ravine leading somewhere. We had better check it out.”

He pressed the handles forward, and the mecha lurched in response, shifting its massive body around to point in the direction Yugi wanted. Steam hissed from the suspension, and it shuffled forward clunkily, each step bobbing their entire bodies up and down.

The rocks parted to reveal a dusty path, sloping downwards into what looked to be a small valley. Walls rose as the ground descended, stretching upwards, above even the height of the mech.

“This looks like it naturally forms into a canyon.” Yugi observed, eyes tracing the path ahead of them, the rock curving protectively over the ground. “It might have been a stream at one point.”

He pressed on, the mecha clunking heavily over the rock underneath. Some of it was loose, but not enough to mess with their progression. If anything, it was a little sandy in parts, the slack sifting from sand grains, not earth.

“Hold on, are those scuff marks on the wall?” Yugi stopped the mech, leaning closer, his hair pressing up against the window of the cockpit. “I’m exiting the mech, stay here I’ll just be a moment.” Yugi popped the hatch, the mechanic holding the glass in hissing in response, yielding and allowing the glass to slide upwards.

“Sir I don’t think that is wise, I should accompany you outside of the mech, for safety.”

“Says who? I’ll be fine, you can wait here.” Yugi scoffed, unclipping the seatbelt.

“Captain Mazaki expressed clear orders to stay by your side. She informed me she had equal command of this mission with yourself, sir.”

Of course Anzu would, Yugi rolled his eyes, relenting with a sigh. “All right, come on then.”

They both jumped down, working their way forward by foot. The dirt crunched loosely under their feet, heavy boots crushing over the parting grains.

Yugi approached the wall slowly, arm extended to brush his fingers along the rocky surface.

These are marks from a mecha, Yugi frowned, glancing back to his own. He sized up the scuff marks, the gouges in the rock looked like the basic shape of a mech’s arm, combat upgrades and buffed up metal plates aside. Every mech was different on the outside, build up to be a custom machine for the pilot, but no amount of upgrades and changes could hide the design core underneath. It was almost impossible to change that structure without impacting the function of the machine.

There’s no way these marks are from anything else but a mecha. I’d state my job on it. He’s seen similar ones before, even used them to help track down enemy patrols. Armesian mechas weren’t much different at the cores than the Empire’s, which left Yugi with little evidence as to which country made the scar. If it was caused by a fight of some kind, it was safe to assume both sides had been present fighting. But if there was a fight here, why don’t I know about it? He wondered. It could have been Gozaburo brushing off reports again, especially if they had won the fight. Gozaburo would only get involved if someone wasn’t doing their job properly.

So if it wasn’t negligence, then what was it? A double patrol encounter that ended badly for either side? And so close to an outpost, presumably owned by some kind of research team if the contents were anything to go by. An even higher chance of General Dartz being involved somehow, which in itself brought forth a sea if questions and theories.

Something had happened here, and it wasn’t good. If Dartz was tangled into this mess, then Yugi could only assume he had plotted something, and used someone as fodder for something.

All this guessing and speculation work was giving him a headache, a pain blooming behind his eyes. He scrunched them up, massaging a finger to his temple. He needed answers, something more to work off.

“Can you identify metal particles, Atem?” Yugi asked, eyes opening to trace back along the gouges.

He waited a moment before realising Atem wasn’t answering him. He glanced behind himself, his whole body following at what he saw. The android was clutching his chest, brows furrowed in confusion.

“Atem? What’s the matter?” Yugi edged closer.

Atem shook his head, eyes squeezing shut in obvious pain. “Something… Flashes in my mind… I… This place is… familiar.”

“Like the outpost?”

“Yes… and no. It’s… different. I… There’s a girl… She’s…” Atem’s eyes snapped open, and he let out a surprised cry.

“Atem! What’s wrong?” Yugi stepped forward, frowning.

Suddenly Atem’s frame wobbled, his knees buckled. Seconds later, before Yugi could react, Atem collapsed to the ground.

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Currents- Chapter Eight