Radioactive
Chapter
Twenty-Two
~Fading~
“Unhand me at
once!” the doctor shouted as Duke walked through the streets. His hands were
tied behind his back. Duke nudged the doctor along and forced him to continue
to walk.
“No,” Duke
stated.
Duke stopped
and looked around. He could have sworn that he heard something. Seeing that his
attention was no longer on him, the doctor broke into a run…if one could call
it that. He didn’t get very far before Duke noticed and did something about it.
Duke stomped on the ground, shaking the foundation just enough to cause the
doctor to lose his balance. Without the use of his hands to help maintain his
upright position, he fell to the ground. Duke rolled his eyes.
“Stay there,”
Duke said, “I’ll be right with you.”
The doctor
protested, “I shouldn’t be treated this way! I made an entirely new species! I
could be treated with respect.”
“Quiet,” Duke
shushed the doctor, “I don’t want to hear it.”
The doctor
was quiet as Duke walked around. He knew he hears something, he just couldn’t pinpoint
where it had come from. Duke sighed. Whatever he heard wasn’t making a sound
now. He turned and walked back toward the doctor.
“Get away!” a
muffled scream came from underneath.
Duke turned
toward the manhole in the street. The cover, and part of the street, was thrown
off in a blinding light and deafening explosion. Riu pulled herself out of the
gaping hole in the middle of the street. She crawled backwards as she tried to
get to her feet. A mutant crawled out of the hole and slithered after her. Riu
threw a ball of lightning at the creature. The mutant jumped back and looked
around. It saw the doctor lying helpless on the ground. In its mind, he made an
easier target than the girl. It charged at the doctor.
“No! Get
back!” the doctor shouted, “Listen to me! I created you! Heed me!”
The creature
didn’t and continued to charge. Duke drew his sword and brought in down on the
creature as it passed him by. The blade passed clean through, stopping the
creature in its tracks. There was some silence as people caught their breath.
“I don’t
understand,” the doctor muttered as he looked at the creature, “Why didn’t it
listen to me?”
“Maybe it
didn’t like you,” Duke said, “I mean I don’t like you and I wasn’t one of your
test subjects. It probably had just a lot of pent up anger.” Duke looked over
at Riu, “Didn’t expect to find you here.”
“I’m going to
kill ‘im!” Riu shouted.
Duke raised
an eyebrow, “Who?”
“That blasted
Kaiba, that’s who!” she got to her feet.
Duke sighed,
“What did he do this time?”
Riu looked at
him, “Almost got me killed by a six foot minotaur! One second he’s there, the
next he’s gone and in his place is a charging bull! Nearly got me killed! If it
weren’t for the vents I wouldn’t have gotten out at all!”
“How do you
know it was Kaiba?” Duke asked.
“Because I
just do!” Riu shouted, “You weren’t there! It was all just to strange if you
ask me!”
Duke paused,
“But why would Kaiba want to kill you?” The doctor shifted uncomfortably. Duke
looked over his shoulder, “Do you have anything to contribute old man?”
“My arms
hurt, that’s all,” the doctor said.
Duke looked
at Riu, “Where’s that body jumper?”
“How should I
know!?” Riu rolled her eyes, “Kaiba said he jumped and ran and that—”
“So he wasn’t
in his usual body?” Duke asked.
“No, he
wasn’t,” Riu crossed her arms.
“And Kiri?”
Duke was slowly connecting the dots?”
Riu shrugged,
“Off after the jumper supposedly. Why?”
“So Kaiba was
alone with the body jumpers discarded body,” Duke sighed.
“What are you
getting at?” Riu scratched her head, “Are you saying that—”
Duke turned
and pulled the doctor to his feet, “Kaiba isn’t Kaiba right now. We still have
some time. If we hurry, we can just make it.”
“Make it to
what!?” Riu asked.
Duke walked
off, “Make it before Kaiba’s mind is gone for good.”
~§~
Kaiba walked down one of the many hallways in the underground
laboratory. He suddenly collapsed to his
knees and tried to support himself against the wall. He gripped his head in
pain. Kaiba smiled. A dark laugh
escaped his lips.
“Are you
still there Kaiba?” Kaiba laughed.
As if in response
he cried out. He threw his head into the wall, “Get out of my head!”
Kaiba only laughed some more, “No one’s ever really fought this
hard before. Most just give in to the growing emptiness.”
“Get out!” he
shouted in response.
“Make me,” Kaiba stated.
As suddenly
as the fit came, it disappeared. Kaiba
stood up and rubbed the side of his head. He smiled, “I guess that’s all you’ve
got. What a shame.”
Kaiba quickly stepped to one side. A hand shot by his face from
behind. He turned around as his attacker dashed forward. A child ran passed him
with a smile on its face. As he shot passed he tried to slide to a stop but
continued a few more feet due to the momentum. He shot a hand forward, it broke
into segments, lengthening the reach of his harm and grabbed onto Kaiba’s leg. The boy pulled his arm back
pulling Kaiba in the proses. Kaiba struck the ground back first. The boy
jumped into the air and extended both of his arms and tried to pin Kaiba down. Kaiba moved one of his arms and a blade extended from his wrist. He
tried to cut at the boys arms but they retracted and the boy sailed over him
and landed somewhere above his head. Kaiba
jumped to his feet and turned around to face the boy. He stopped suddenly when a
rain of daggers were hurled at him. Unable to react fast enough, Kaiba was struck in several places. He jumped
back and dropped to one knee.
“Ouch,” Fang
muttered, “That look like it hurt.”
“I made sure
to hit all of the major pressure points,” Jekyll smiled, “That should slow him
down a little.”
Fang placed a
hand on Ing’s head. His words were directed at Kaiba, “So Jumper, or whatever your name is, I’ll make you an
offer. Come on out and fight your own battles instead of hiding in a body that
isn’t yours then maybe, just maybe I won’t tear you to shreds.”
Jumper laughed,
“You’d really fight your own colleague?”
Jekyll drew
three more blades from his knuckles, “You have no idea how much the idea pleasures
me.”
He threw the
daggers and Jumper somehow managed to get to one side. Ing ran forward. He ran
up the wall and jumped over Jumper’s head. His arms reached down to Jumper’s
shoulders and gripped on tight. Ing landed behind the body jumper and threw the
man further down the hallway. Fang ran passed him in his wolf form and charged
at Jumper.
Unfortunately,
Jumper got to his feet and slashed at Fang with an extended blade. Fang avoided
the attack and got around it and bit the man in the shoulder. Jumper fell backwards
and screamed in pain as Fang’s jaws clamped onto him. With Fang’s massive paw
on his arm Jumper used the other to try to get the wolf off of him. Ing grabbed
ahold of his arm and pinned it to the floor. The boy struggled at first to keep
Jumper secured but he managed in the end.
Jumper
shouted as he tried to struggle against his captors. After a few moments, he
started laughing uncontrollably. The faint sound of a cell phone ringing could
be heard.
Fang released
his shoulder and growled, “What the heck are you laughing at?”
Jumper didn’t
answer right away. He laughed hysterically, “You can’t do anything! He’s long
gone! You can’t do anything about it! The worst you can do to me is lock me up!
You wouldn’t dare hurt me even if you know I’m not the real Kaiba!”
Jekyll walked
up slowly. He looked uninterested, “Is that so? Tell me, what would happen if
the one who’s body you are trying to take over isn’t so easy to take over? What
happens to you if they start to win? I will tell you this; Kaiba is a lot stronger
than you think.” Jekyll reached down into the inner coat pocket and pulled out
a ringing cell phone. He flipped it open to look at the caller ID. With a sigh,
he looked down at Jumper, “It’s for Kaiba.” He answered the phone.
“Hello?
Kaiba? Are you there?” a familiar voice came from the phone. There was a slight
sigh before the caller continued, “Look, I know you’re currently on a mission
and I know you’re probably annoyed at my calling you but I just couldn’t shake
his feeling that I have that something is wrong. I already called your brothers
and your mother and sister but they all seem fine. Well, Chaud is having girl
trouble but that’s turned into a regular occasion. Apparently, that Zara has a
mean right hook Amber has a school play this next week. I hope you can make it
back by then. We could go as a family. You’re mothers worried sick like she
always is when you say you’ll call and you don’t. I’ve tried to explain to her
that you’re busy and are trying to focus on work but I guess it’s a mother’s
job to worry. Oh and Lynx wanted me to tell you that he has something to show
you when you get back. I’m not going to pretend to understand what he said so
just get back so he has someone else to explain it to. Well, I’ve wasted too
much of your time. I just wanted to know if you were alright, Kaiba. I guess
you’re busy right now. Call back when you can. Oh, and Kaiba, come home soon.” The
caller hung up.
Jumper laughed,
“And what was that to prove?”
Jekyll
sighed, “I told you, it wasn’t for you. I was for Kaiba. Just reminding him
what he’s fighting for.”
The smile on
Jumper’s face suddenly disappeared. His laughter turned into screaming. His head
felt like it was about to split in two. He struggled against those who had him
pinned. Jumper pulled his arm away from Ing, throwing the android to one side.
A blade shot out of his wrist and he stabbed Fang in the side. Jumper got to
his feet and ran down the hallway. He barged into a room and closed the door
behind him.
Jumper gripped
his head as he struggled against Kaiba mentally. In was a sudden burst of energy
that Kaiba fought with, a renewed strength. He had never taken over someone
with so much fight in them. Normally, the host would give up. But not Kaiba. It
seemed the more he fought the stronger Kaiba became. He screamed and threw
himself around as he struggled to find a way to outsmart and overpower Kaiba.
Jumper swore and cussed as he fought to concentrate through the immense pain.
His eyes
opened wide as if he were experiencing some kind of shock. His hands pulled
away from his head and he placed them palm first onto the floor. He shook his
head franticly. He tried to move his hands but they wouldn’t budge. Jumper tried
to say something but his jaw was clamped shut. He started to panic. Little by
little he was losing control of his movements. His mouth opened when he didn’t instruct
it to and he spoke.
“I told you
to get out,” Kaiba said.
No.
“Now it’s too
late,” he said.
No.
“I’d appreciate
it if you would just disappear,” Kaiba shouted the last bit.
No!
Jumper was
thrown into the back of Kaiba’s mind. He lost any and all control he had of
Kaiba’s body. He felt cold and distant like the edges of his consciousness were
starting to fray around the edges. Jumper found himself in a position he never
though he would find himself. Panic started to settle in as he made feeble
attempts to regain control. But it was no use. He was getting weaker and it was
getting harder and harder to concentrate. He was fading into the recesses of
Kaiba’s mind. Soon he wouldn’t exist. He was in essence dying out side of his
own body. The thought scared him. Without a body, did he have a soul?
Kaiba gasped
for air. He collapsed onto his back and tried to catch his breath. It was done.
He was free. At least he thought he was. He heard a door open somewhere and
tried to look around to see who it was. Kaiba made an effort to sit up but he
was just too mentally and physically exhausted to move too much. Jekyll crouched
down near him.
“Welcome
back,” Jekyll stated.
Kaiba looked
up at him and scowled, “You didn’t have to enjoy nearly killing me so much back
there.”
Jekyll shrugged,
“How often too I get the chance to blame my actions on the fact that a body
jumper took over your body?”
“Not very
often,” Kaiba hated to admit.
Jekyll
smiled, “Exactly.” He flipped open the phone, dialed a number and handed it to
Kaiba, “Call your father. I’m sure he’s worried sick.”
Kaiba grabbed
the phone and held it up to his ear, “Father? Yes, I’m fine. Thanks for the
call. I know, I know, mom worries. I promise to call more… Yes, I’ll be home before
Amber’s play. I wouldn’t miss it.”
