Ashe

 “Where are we going today, sir?” Atem asked him. They walked down the corridors, tracing the all too familiar path down to the hanger bay, and Yusei’s lab.

“To see Doctor Fudo.” Yugi answered, turning around a corner.

“Do I require more checks, sir?”

“No, we’re here for something else. I’m not sure about the process myself, but Yusei is the best at what he does. Anything mechanics he can fix up.”

“And there is a problem to fix in my mainframe, sir?”

“Not a problem, sorry, wrong way to phrase that.” Yugi hummed, tapping his leg for a moment. He paused once they reached the hanger, stopping just outside the door to Yusei’s lab. “He’s giving you... an upgrade, you could say.”

“Understood, sir.”

Yugi nodded, activating the switch for the door. It slid open, and they entered through the hallway to the next room.

Yusei was behind his desk area, or the closest thing that could be considered one, where his laptop was currently resting. He was busy typing away on it, while Bruno was propped up on the bench beside him, scribbling something down on a clipboard. The android looked up as Yugi approached.

“General Mutou, how may we assist you today?” He said, and Yusei gave a tiny nod of acknowledgement.

“Yusei, I want to put an emotion chip in Atem.” Yugi said, getting straight to the point.

“Why?” Yusei paused, frowning up at Yugi.

“I thought it might be useful, and help with our problem.”

“…I suppose it could.”

“Can it be done?”

“It shouldn’t be too hard. But it might mess with his original program, and results will vary. Are you all right with that?”

“I’m willing to take the risk. Will it require surgery?”

“Possibly.”

“How soon can you have it done?”

“Could take a while. A few hours maybe.”

“I’ll leave him with you overnight then,” Yugi turned to address Atem. “You’re staying with Yusei tonight. He’s going to give you an emotion chip in your… mainframe.”

“Will that not contradict my original programming, sir?”

“It might, but it needs to be done. Trust me, I’ve been on the field, and I know a thing or two. Having human emotions will help you make better decisions in battle.”

“All I have been told by my creators lead me to believe otherwise, sir.”

“Well they make pretty shiny things, and I blow them up. Who’re you going to believe, Atem?”

“My programming determines all information coming from my commanding officer to be of the highest priority.”

“Then believe me, emotions will help.”

“Yes sir.”

Yugi turned, seeing Bruno smiling at him. “What?”

“Oh nothing, nothing.”

“Spill it.” Yugi stepped towards him, and Bruno threw up his hands, laughing.

“It’s just kind of cute is all! You go out of your way to explain things to him, even if he doesn’t understand it!”

“I’m a renowned and feared General of an Empire; I’m not cute, nor is anything I do.” Yugi grumbled, crossing his arms.

“I’m sorry, sir, but you really can’t chose what’s cute and what’s not.”

“Maybe, maybe, but no one will believe you of what happened here anyway.” Yugi replied smugly. Bruno stared at him, mouth agape, while they heard a silent snicker from behind Yusei’s laptop.

 “I’ll take my leave now.” Yugi said, leaving the lab room.

Back out in the hanger, Yugi saw Anzu working her way quickly towards him.

“This can’t be good.” Yugi said once she was close enough.

“Lovely greeting as always Yugi,” Anzu rolled her eyes. “Although I’m afraid I do actually have some bad news for you.”

“Never a good start to a conversation,” Yugi sighed. “All right, give it to me straight, Doctor.”

Anzu swatted his shoulder before frowning. “Ryou got word there was a chopper heading this way and he made contact with them. It’s Gozaburo.”

“Fuck.” Yugi hissed, a hand immediately gravitating to his head at the headache that threatened to bloom. “What the fuck is he doing all the way out here? HQ is miles away!”

“Language,” Anzu chided him. “I know you don’t like him, but he is the head of the military. Be careful not to swear in his presence.”

“I know, Anzu, you don’t need to remind me. Besides, I’ve spent years doing this, and he never picked up on it. I’ll be fine.”

“I’m estimating he’ll be here in about an hour. You’d better prepare.” She patted his shoulder in passing, walking off.

“Yeah yeah.” Yugi muttered, taking of in the opposite direction.

He headed towards his office, knowing it was where Gozaburo would storm into first.

After a quick word with Ryou updating him with the new details, he retreated to his sanctuary, glad for a moment of peace.

He knew it was only the calm before the storm, however.

He found himself getting anxious as the minutes ticked by, itchy to do something. He began to pace the room, arms clasped behind his back to keep them from fidgeting.

Just why was the commander visiting them, and on such short notice? Yugi had nothing new to report, nothing given to them. They had barely done more than scouting missions over the past few months. They certainly hadn’t seen any action, no troops from the other side.

Unless he’s here for Atem, Yugi groaned. Of course he is. Couldn’t he wait, though? Is it really so desperate for him to see Atem right now? But of course, Gozaburo waits for no one. Yugi shook his head, sighing.

A loud knock signalled the approaching doom, and Yugi jolted. He took a deep breath.

“Come I-”

The doors burst open, and Yugi felt his shoulders sag. He rose from the chair, giving a salute. “Commander Gozaburo, sir, it’s an honour to have you he-”

“Spare me the pleasantries Mutou I’m on a tight schedule.” Gozaburo grunted. “You smoke don’t ya Mutou?” He popped a cigar between his teeth, hand already moving to his lighter as he spoke.

“Not anymore, sir.” Yugi said politely, keeping his distance from the man as the flame flickered, trying hard not to look at it.

“Well you do now.” He tossed a cigar at Yugi, who cause it effortlessly in one hand.

“I appreciate the offer, sir, but-”

“No buts Mutou, that’s an order.”

“Yes sir.” Yugi looked down at the cigar, his lip twisting downward. He eyed the lighter Gozaburo extended to him, swallowing back his nerves and grasping it. The smooth surface made him shiver, and he quickly flipped the ignition, lighting the tip of the cigar as quickly as possible before returning the lighter.

“So I’m going to get straight to it because I hate this place and want to leave,” Gozaburo said, not sugar coating anything, as usual. “You said in your reports the weapon was performing perfectly? Is it ready for battle?”

“I believe the moment he- it was handed over to me it was ready for battle, sir. It shows promise in every field.” Yugi exhaled, watching the cigar smoke billow out.

“What about in a mecha suit?”

“Haven’t had the chance yet, sir. It was scheduled for tomorrow.”

“Any preference for anything? Anything that would show otherwise?”

“The weapon works with everything, as I stated in my report, sir.”

“You know I don’t read those things. If I asked for ten page documents I’d go to a college, Mutou.”

“My apologises, sir, but it is a requirement as a General of the-”

“I’m not here to listen to excuses Mutou!” Gozaburo barked, crushing the cigar against Yugi’s desk. “Sources tell me the facility responsible for creating the blasted thing was destroyed after you left. Is this true?”

“Yes sir.”

“Care to tell me why the government’s money ended up completely wasted on that place?”

“I believe it was a gas leak of some kind. The technician who took me through the facility was rather absent minded, and I chalked it up to a mistake on their end. As I was loading the weapon into my vehicle to leave, I heard an explosion, and turned to see a great portion of the facility destroyed. I didn’t have time to search for survivours, as it set off a chain reaction of explosions, and I used the moment to assure no damage would come to the government’s priceless weapon of war.”

Gozaburo shook his head, grunting. “Figures. Those scientist types can’t work their way out of a building enough to see the sun, let alone actually double check their equipment. Was this sent in the report?”

“Yes sir.”

“Then whoever gave me the rundown of that is fired.”

Yugi just nodded with fake sympathy. Without any way of tracing evidence of what happened that day back to him, no one would ever know Yugi had given the order for the place to be trashed. He didn’t care about the millions of dollars the government lost on the place, only that future experiments would be halted without the technology they had built up there. He could only hope the records of the place were burnt as well, and all evidence of Atem’s experiment weren’t available to be repeated.

“That’s all for now, Mutou,” Gozaburo said. “An announcement will come down the line when I need you at headquarters next.”

That caught Yugi off guard, though he tried his best to hide it behind a neutral expression. “Me, sir? What for, if I may ask?”

“For a briefing. As much as I’d prefer not to waste money flying you and the weapon around, that teal bastard wants to see his final product up close, before it’s send off to the front lines, I assume.”

Teal bastard? Yugi frowned, knowing instantly who he was talking about. “Does General Ironheart really want to see the weapon that bad? If I may sir, I have a war to fight here.”

“I know Mutou, and I’d have to agree with you on this one, reluctantly. But the General provides a great deal of support for this war, so we can’t ignore his request. I’ll have a notification sent your way when the dates are set up. Dartz can coo over his abomination while we deal with the threat at hand.”

“As you wish, sir.” Yugi bowed.

“Until then, keep everyone ready around here. Your band of misfits better be in top shape when I need to ship them out.”

“Yes sir.”

“Good.” Gozaburo grunted, shouldering his way out of the door. Yugi stared sullenly at the mark he had left behind on the desk, the wood charred in a perfect circle.

He picked up the cigar and disposed of it, hesitating with the one in his hand. Most of it was still left, although he wouldn’t feel bad about wasting it. But then again, if I have to go to the capital for an undisclosed amount of time, and deal with not just Gozaburo but Dartz as well… Yugi sighed, bringing the stick to his mouth, inhaling deeply. One was fine, he wouldn’t fall back into his old habits anyway. That was a time he wasn’t eager to repeat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gozaburo barged into his office the next day, shouldering his way inside, already sporting a cigar hanging out of his mouth.

How he’s lived this long chugging those I’ll never know, Yugi grimaced, putting on a neutral expression. He rose from his chair, giving the man a half bow.

“Commander Gozaburo, sir.”

“I realised I haven’t seen the android myself, and I’d fancy seeing it rip into something. You said it’s right to go?”

“Aye sir. But-”

“No buts Mutou you know I hate that word. It means something isn’t done the way I need it to be.”

“My apologies sir. What would you like to see about hi- it?”

Gozaburo turned to him for a moment, giving him a strange look. Yugi felt his heart skip a beat in worry.

“I want you to fight it.”

Yugi’s heart stopped, skipping more than would be healthy. His hands turned cold, and a sudden wave of terror pasted through him. “You… want me to spar with the android, sir?”

“That’s what I said wasn’t it?”

“…Yes sir.”

“So where is the weapon then? I haven’t seen it once, where are you keeping it, in the hanger?”

Yugi mentally cringed at the thought. And treat him worse than a dog? Gozaburo found new lows to reach every time Yugi saw him. “Atem is with my mechanic, currently.”

“Atem? Is that what Dartz called the android?” Gozaburo gave a grunt, clearly some joke Yugi was missing. “That man truly is sadistic.”

Says you, Yugi rolled his eyes. “Shall we go to the hanger bay, sir?”

“I don’t want to trudge around in the filth, just bring the machine down to the sparring room and have it ready. I’ll meet you there, don’t keep me waiting.”

“Yes sir.”

Gozaburo pushed out of the room, leaving the door open behind him. Yugi growled in frustration. Now I have less time to check on Atem… and prepare for this sparring match, he shuddered, body flushing cold.

He headed down the twisting corridors, walking down a level to where the hanger bay sat off to the side of the compound.

He slipped into Yusei’s lab, where Atem was sitting on a bench, while Yusei was busy typing away on a laptop. He turned to face the door when he heard Yugi enter, and Atem slipped off the bench.

“Yusei we have a problem I need Atem now.”

“What’s wrong?” Yusei was facing him immediately, brows knitted together. “Gozaburo?”

“Exactly,” Yugi nodded, turning to where Atem was now standing. “Is the chip in?”

“Yes, everything went fine.”

“Has he shown any emotions yet?”

“Ask him yourself.” Yusei shrugged, turning back to his laptop.

“Right,” Yugi flushed, mumbling. “Atem, how do you feel?”

“Yes sir.”

“Uh… No I asked, how are you feeling right now, not ‘do you feel’.”

“Oh,” Atem blinked, nodding. “There are things I can identify as human emotions in my system right now. I believe what I am currently feeling is… content.”

“Are they difficult to sort through?”

“I believe they will be easy to manage in time. My system is working to keep my abilities at the same level as before. I should be back to normal functionality in twenty-four hours.”

His brain is trying to relearn emotions, Yugi nodded, letting out a sigh. “Well that’s good, except we… have a bit of a problem. I have to take you to meet the Commander of the Domino Empire now.”

“It sounds important.” Atem commented.

“It is, but what I need you to do is act like you don’t have that emotion chip in, can you do that?”

“If I may sir, what was the point in installing it to then interfere with my original programming if you only wanted me to ignore it in the first place?” Atem tilted his head, brows furrowing.

“It’s just for this one time, with this one man. Gozaburo paid for a weapon without human limitations, and if he learns I okayed an emotional chip to be put in you, we’re both done for.”

“I understand, sir. I shall return to my original programming for now.”

“Good. Only speak when he asks you a question, and don’t use ‘but’ at all, he hates it.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Let’s go.” Yugi spared Yusei a look, noticing the way he looked back at him strangely. Yugi brushed it off for another time.

“Should we continue on to the sparring field as per the Commander's orders?" Atem asked once outside.

"Aye, but one thing, before we start," Yugi put a hand to his pistol, gripping it tightly. "I... should warn you, Atem. I am a very different person on the battlefield. If for any reason I seem to get carried away, I want you to stop me."

"Stop you, sir? How?"

"It might get rough, and if it does, it would be best for you to not try and fight me at that stage. Yield if I tell you to. Please."

"... I do not understand what it is that spikes your heart rate so, but I will do as you command, sir."

"Good. If you don't, you might die."

"I am always prepared to die, sir. It is in my programming."

This would be too soon for you. “I know, but still, I’d rather keep you alive, if that’s all right with you. I don’t fancy spending the rest of my life dealing with Commander Gozaburo and General Ironheart whine about millions of dollars wasted because the commander thought it would be fun to see me in action again.”

“Fun, sir?”

“He gets a kick out of torturing me.”

“That does not sound good. Should we not question this matter? Torturing someone of your status is a matter of importance.”

“Your concern is touching, but you know so little of what actually happens once you rise above the level of a grunt. Things get complicated, although one thing still remains. You’re still a pawn, just with shiny badges to distract you.”

“…Sir?”

“Nevermind I’m rambling,” Yugi grunted, waving a hand dismissingly. “Let’s be off. You have your orders.”

“Yes sir.”

Gozaburo was waiting rather impatiently for them on the lower level of the sparring room.

“This is the android? The weapon?” Gozaburo grunted, grabbing one of Atem’s arms harshly. Yugi saw Atem’s eye twitch, but he stayed limp, letting Gozaburo poke and prod at him. He forced Atem’s head upwards, jutting his chin around.

“It doesn’t look like much. A bit scrawny. And what’s with the hair? Dartz sure does have weird taste.”

Yugi frowned, imagining the general overseeing Atem’s transition. He had to repress a shiver; Dartz was a creepy man, even on the best of days. But if the man had power over you, something to keep you in his grasp…

Yugi gave Atem a sympathetic look, even if Atem wouldn’t understand what it was for.

“I don’t like its look, but as long as it kills as well as Dartz promised, that’s all that matters,” Gozaburo released Atem, strutting away. “I’m going to the upper deck now, I except a good show Mutou!” He called over his shoulder.

“Sir… what is this feeling?” Atem frowned, clutching his chest.

“What does it feel like?”

“Like… I don’t want to ever see that man again, or let him touch me.”

"It's probably anger, I'd say. It's the base emotion we show around the Commander."

"Is he not the most important in the chain of command, and therefore worthy of our respect?"

"Normally I'd say yes, but you have to remember, just because someone is in a high position of authority, does not mean you have to follow them blindly. You don't have to like the person, just do what needs to be done."

"I understand, sir."

"By extension, you don't have to like me, just follow my orders."

"I understand, sir.”

“Good.” Yugi allowed himself a sigh of relief, only to immediately take it back as he spotted Ryou standing next to Gozaburo on the upper level. He was leaning forward, watching Yugi carefully.

Great, just what I need. I’ll never here the end of this, whatever happens here. Yugi turned back to the field, where Atem had already moved to pick up the two swords he had used against Jou and Honda yesterday.

Yugi walked over to the racks, scooping up a few extra magazines for his pistol, stuffing them in his pocket. Something told him he wouldn’t need them, but he didn’t want to get cocky.

“Ready Atem?”

“Yes sir.” Atem replied, strapping several small daggers to his belt. He noticed Yugi draw his gun, and he tilted his head. “If you don’t mind me asking, sir, do you plan to fight with the pistol alone?”

“The DM is all I’ve ever used. And I doubt you want to see me in a mecha. It’d be hell, so let’s avoid that. I’ll stick with the pistol, and you’ll thank me for it.”

“If you say so, sir.”

“I do. Let’s get into position.”

They both walked to opposite sides of the area, turning to face each other.

“Fight well, Atem!” Yugi called, nodding, and Atem returned the gesture.

“What are you waiting for! Show me that legendary Mutou fire!” Gozaburo barked from the upper level.

“Aye sir!” Yugi pointed his gun and shot, not missing a second.

Atem jerked to the side instantly, the grip on his swords tightening. He sent a knife sailing back Yugi’s way, but Yugi just as easily dodged it. They were merely testing each other, getting ground to stand on.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Yugi hissed, surprising himself at how angry he sounded. His blood pumped and everything seemed to slow down as his heart rate picked up.

Atem charged, low to the ground as he ate up the distance between them. Yugi shot once, aiming at Atem’s feet to throw him off.

Atem side stepped, changing his direction to run around Yugi instead. He was almost close enough to swing one of those deadly swords Yugi’s way, a fact Yugi was all too aware of.

He shot again, this time in front of Atem, forcing the android to reel back, effectively sending him to the ground as his feet couldn’t grip fast enough. True to his programming, however, Atem recovered as he went down, thrusting one of his swords into the metal ground, using it to keep himself from planting face first into the floor. As he did, he spun his body around, his other arm coming up and around his chest. The sword in that hand disconnected from his hand, Atem loosening the grip right as the tip of the blade lined up with Yugi’s body.

Yugi ducked immediately, the woosh of the blade shooting above him sending chills down his spine. That would have been painful to take in the chest, no doubt agonising in the last minutes of life while Atem’s expressionless face stared down at him dying.

Clever, Yugi felt his lips twitch. His blood was on fire, his hand almost numb with how tight he gripped the gun. His other hand was just as constricting, nails biting into the skin of his palm, lacking the rough metal to keep them at bay. He really felt off balance without that second gun, but it would be better lamented later.

Besides, if he had his other pistol, Atem would most likely be dead now.

Yugi stayed on his knees, letting lose another shot. Atem battered it away with his remaining sword, and Yugi jerked to a stop. It was just like how Honda had done it, with Atem’s swords the earlier day…

He learns fast… Yugi bit his lip, hesitating. He set his eyes on Atem, who was closing the distance between them, sword held close to him, posed to strike forward.

Yugi sensed an opportunity, now that Atem only had one sword left. He sprung forward, coming to meet Atem. He saw a moment of confusion pass through Atem’s eyes, the android unable to predict Yugi’s movements, no doubt. It was just what he needed.

He veered to the left, towards the side that lacked a sword. Atem realised his mistake a moment too late, swinging his body around to try and cover the weakness, but Yugi was already too close.

Yugi pivoted around Atem, and the android swung his sword in response, following through to Yugi’s position.

Yugi ducked, grabbing Atem’s wrist in the same motion. He twisted the limb hard, forcing Atem to drop the sword at the odd angle his fingers turned.

Yugi continued to pull Atem’s arm, turning to the side to smash him into the wall behind. Atem’s body smacked against the metal, but Yugi gave him no time to recover. He used the arm he still held to flip Atem around, tossing him onto the ground harshly. He heard Atem’s head crack, making contact with the flooring sickeningly.

He tugged Atem closer to him, pressing his pistol to Atem’s brow.

“Yield.” Yugi growled, digging the barrel of the gun further into Atem’s forehead. Atem’s red eyes glared upside down at him, blazing. Yugi could see the fight still in them, the desire to destroy as he was told to.

“Yield.” Yugi repeated, pressing his hand harder into Atem’s wrist.

Suddenly Yugi felt Atem’s muscles relax under him, and he went limp, closing his eyes. “I yield.” He said.

Yugi felt his body snap forward, and the fire left his hands. He blinked, reeling back.

“What…?”

Atem’s eyes were on him once again, watching him with a careful glint. Yugi frowned; what was that look for?

He glanced down, finally noticing the pistol he had pointed to Atem’s temple.

“Shit.” Yugi swore, angrily shoving his pistol back in its holder. He scrambled to his feet, offering a hand, but Atem ignored it, rising to his feet on his own.

“Are you okay?” Yugi whispered.

“Fine sir. You appear to be normal also.”

On the outside, Yugi groaned inwardly. He tried to smooth out his hair, but his hand was twitching so badly he ended up tugging the roots into knots more than straightening them.

Gozaburo came strutting up to them, clapping a hand over Yugi’s back, lurching him forward.

“Bravo! Nice work Mutou! And with only one pistol as well. What happen to the other one? I thought you dual wielded?”

“In the past, yes, but I’ve misplaced my second pistol. I lost it many years ago, sir.”

“Ah whatever, we can always get you another one later.”

“I don’t need it anymore, sir. It’s fine.”

“Whatever,” Gozaburo took a drag of his cigar, grunting loudly. “I’m more concerned with it,” he pointed the stick at Atem, “why did it give up so easily?”

“Perhaps it had something to do with its programming. I am considered to be its superior officer.”

“Ah, right. The voice recognition and all. Fine, understandable I suppose. But it better perform better on the field.”

“I’m sure it’ll be as bloodthirsty a killer as you want it to be sir, swords and all.”

“Swords are redundant on the battlefield Mutou. I want it to use guns, and mechas. Did you give it a test in the mecha?”

“Not yet, sir.” I already told you that, Yugi silently fumed, once again having his reports ignored.

“Then I expect this to happen back at HQ. Take use of the track we have there when you come,” he flipped his wrist over, grunting down at his watch. “Speaking of HQ, I have to ship off. I expect you there as soon as possible Mutou do I make myself clear?”

“Perfectly sir. The android and I will be there.”

Yugi waited until Gozaburo had left the building before letting out a sigh. “Idiot.” He muttered.

“HQ, sir?”

“Headquarters. The main base of military operation. It’s near a city in the north west, past the mountains.”

“And we are due to head there?”

“Yes. I have a meeting to attend to there. We will also conduct your mecha tests there, on the training field. It’s a pretty nice one, and they have every kind of mecha available. It’ll be a good experience.”

“If you say so, sir.”

Yugi paused, humming. “You know… When we’re alone, you don’t… have to always call me ‘sir’ you know. You can use Mutou if you’d like.”

“I couldn’t possibly, sir,” Atem stuttered. “You are my commanding officer.”

“And therefore you have to do as I command, don’t you?”

“…Yes, sir.”

“So call me Mutou when we’re alone. That’s an order.”

“…Understood, sir.”

“We’re alone now Atem.”

“…Understood… Mutou… Sir.”

Yugi sighed. “It’ll pass.”