Collecting the Sacrifices

DIMENSION: ANIME (The One That Pays to Save the Day)

Joey's House

Trying to enjoy his time. Mai was safe. Everyone was safe. It was good for now. Story of his life. ///Joey: Okay, Joey. You are finally going to get some time to relax with Mai.///

Mai went straight to her room instead and closed the door.

///Joey: And it's gone./// "You're off to bed?"

"Do you have any idea what time it is, Joey Wheeler?" She cracked her door open. "Thanks for the help, although it's really all your guys' fault I am in this mess." Still, her eyes looked a fraction softer. "I had a feeling it was more like a dream that I was gonna be ended by a card. Thanks for standing by me while we got it sorted out. I need to get some rest."

Right. "Right, you're going to be a mom, you'll need plenty of rest."

"Don't remind me," she muttered. "This all feels like one big dream or nightmare. Still can't decide which. Night, Joey." She closed the door.

"Night, Mai." Okay, not a big talk, but some progress. There wasn't a real rush. She was there to stay for awhile. Maybe even? Maybe she could eventually . . . ///Joey: Nah, Joey. Don't think about possibilities right now. Keep her and Mana safe, that's the only thing you should be thinking./// Crack jokes. Make her relax. Be her Joey, that's all he needed to do right now.

He headed toward his room when he felt his cellphone ring. Duke's number? "Hey, what is it? You got some new news to tell me?"

"You know, goddesses can get numbers, but they can't make people pick up a phone to a number they don't recognize," Duke said. "Hey. Joey. So? I have to be careful how to say this, and I only get a call to Yugi. I really need you to call Yugi and tell him to pick up when my number calls him."

"Sorry, Man, you know how many spam calls are always on phones," Joey said. "You got news about the goddesses?" He looked toward Mai's room. "You get one call to Yugi, but can others overhear that call?" He really wanted to know if they found something to save Téa.

"Yugi can tell you later, just let him know?"

"Okay, okay." Joey already knew he would be on extra alert tonight. ///Joey: Sleep with the gun close. Keep the door open. Be ready./// He hung up and called Yugi. "Hey? Duke Devlin is trying to call you."

"Duke Devlin? Grandpa, don't let her do that." He was clearly busy, probably helping with the baby. "Sorry. Yeah, I'll answer if he calls again."

"Having fun with the new member?" Joey asked. "Everyone doing okay?"

"Well? Silhouette's okay. Atem's . . . learning. Busy time. I'll call you after Duke Devlin. I really hope it's some good news. Did it sound like good news?"

"I heard he only gets one call to you," Joey said. "It doesn't sound like it might be the best news. Let me know soon, okay?"

"Okay, Joey, I'll talk to you afterward."

---

Game Shop

Yugi picked up the phone when it rang again with an unknown number.

"Yugi." Yep, that sounded like Duke Devlin's voice. "I need to talk about something with you."

"Then I want to hear what you have," Yugi answered. "I'm going to put you on speaker so Atem can hear to, is that okay?" He got the okay and flipped to speaker.

"Okay. So, I've got a goddess who wants to eat me if I share too much. I honestly just got permission to call you, this wasn't even required, but I already feel like I heel. I'm going to do my best without giving away everything and ending Duke Devlin. You know?"

Yeah, Sekhmet. "I understand that fear, it's a real fear. Yeah."

"Okay. Things are coming together, you don't have to search for the 99 people. None of them are going to be redeeming, trust me, these guys are all around the worst. Besides, you won't have much choice, you'll want to save-sorry! Um, went too far!"

"Duke!" He sounded injured.

"So, do you know where Seto Kaiba is right now?" Duke asked. "He might be kind of a cool person to talk to. You know, current events of life and whatnot. Maybe it's a little bigger than you . . . hey, so, gods and stuff, pretty rad!" Poor Duke definitely got threatened again.

"Seto Kaiba is most likely trying to win Serenity Wheeler," Atem answered.

"What?" Duke sounded surprised. "I thought he'd be all over an alert."

"He doesn't let things get in his way of a win," Atem told him.

"It's kind of a big thing, currently, with a deal?" Duke pointed out.

"He doesn't let things get in his way of what he defines as a win," Atem said in a better way. "When he sees something he wants, he doesn't stop in his pursuit."

" . . . huh. That looks like it might ruin the plan." Duke sounded like there was a bit of joy in his voice. "Guys, I'm going to say this as plainly as I can. There is no other deal, and things are heading your way, but I didn't tell them what was heading their way!"

"Don't hurt Duke Devlin, he didn't reveal what was coming!" Atem tried to save him.

Sekhmet's voice. "You have more than enough. You have had more than enough. This will end one way or another sooner than you think. One of you will crack first. Seto Kaiba's strange . . . action messed things up, but everything will still fall into place."

The phone was hung up.

---

Masika did not have to go far before Sekhmet met with her. She bowed. "I will put the millennium items together, I want to save myself and Téa. I want us to see and raise our children. How do I get started?"

Sekhmet didn't look pleased. "Satiah. If there was a human that I would refuse to ever eat, it would probably be you. I am sorry that no one else was as brave as you."

Satiah? "No one has called me that in thousands of years. I would have gone with it, but when I first met Mokuba-"

"You were drawn to give him your real name, and he gave that name to others for addressal. Actions beget actions, which beget other actions." Sekhmet came closer. "You want to live? You will have to do more than build the millennium puzzle. Stay strong, I know you are strong. Masika is strong. You will feel pain and power, but you have to stay on the side of the pain. Close to Zorc's suface. To live as you want, do this! Try your best, mortal! Make it to the ending!"

Masika disappeared while Sekhmet roared into the sky.

---

Game Shop

"Worried about Masika?" Yugi asked Téa. "I'm sorry about what she . . . I'm sort of sorry? I'm glad that it will let you live."

"She's following what she thinks she needs to do." Téa still didn't sound good.

Yugi reached over to pat her on the shoulder, but she wasn't there by the time his hand reached. Just, poof. "Téa?" That wasn't a good sign.

"Téa!" Atem definitely agreed, especially since she'd been holding Silhouette.

"Atem." Yugi gestured on the couch where the millennium puzzle, now whole again, resided as well as the millennium necklace and the millennium ring.

"They are borrowing from the other dimension again." A full millennium puzzle?

---

Téa found herself on a random street somewhere. Nowhere near the Game Shop. "What happened?"

"Just try. Just try to stay on the side of pain and not power," Sekhmet said as she approached her. "You can't forever stay in the pain, and you don't have to go in deep. Just make sure you don't fall into the power side of Zorc."

Téa watched as Taweret showed up behind her. Everything about it was giving her the chills. "I'm not ready to die, I'm really not, please!"

They all left, leaving only the echo of Téa's scream.