Chaos Effect

Joey groaned, rubbing his head. "Well… dat was a trip!" He slowly sat up and looked about only to skitter back in shock. "What the?!?!" he cried out as he found himself in a grove of thick heavy pine trees. "How da heck did I end up here!?!?" he cried out as he looked around wildly. "Yug, ya… Yug?" He twisted about and saw that his best friend wasn't anywhere near him. "Yug?" he called out. "Yug? Ya here man?" He got to his feet and began to peer around the trees, hoping that maybe Yugi was just knocked out behind one of the evergreens.

But no… he wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Tea?" He called out. "Tristan?" But they weren't there either. "Come on guys, where are ya?" He scratched his arm. "Man, they didn't wake up early and abandon me, did they?" At once he shook his head at that. "Nah… no way they'd do something like dat! They'd never leave me behind!" He frowned as he looked about the forest, trying to get his bearings. "So where are they? And come ta think of it… where da heck am I?" He began to slowly turn in a circle. "Last thing I remember was us bein' in dat freaky room with that jerk Noah tellin' us that da Big Five wanted us… EEEEEEE!" Joey froze up. "Aw man, we must be back in da Virtual World! And dem Big 5 goons are gonna try and take our bodies!"

Joey began to wring his hands together nervously, looking at the trees like he expected them to suddenly part and reveal the Big 5 rushing at him, fingers curled like claws as they tried to grab a hold of him. In his mind he could feel them grabbing onto his jaw, forcing his mouth open and causing him to gag as one of those old creeps managed to get his mouth to open wide enough for his attacker to dive right down his throat. He coughed and gagged only to grip his head, screaming in pain before suddenly standing up… and ripped his clothes off to reveal a tasteful business suit before he sought out some hair gel to slick back his locks.

"GAAA!" Joey cried out, eyes going wide as he tried to catch his breath. "Man… I can't let dat happen! Ta me or ta my friends." He took a long inhale before slowly releasing it out of his nose. As he did so he imagined all his pain, all his trauma, all his fears being pushed out of his nostrils and released into the air.

In and out.

Five reps.

And when he was done he stood up straight and glared right at the sky.

"I know yar probably watchin' me, Noah. You and dem Big 5 jerks. Well, I hate ta break it to ya but I ain't gonna crack so easily! And I ain't waitin' on ya ta come and try and take my body! I'm gonna find ya and I'm gonna defeat ya myself! I'm gonna delete all ya goons myself and then I'm gonna find my friends and get out of these freaky place! And maybe, if I'm feelin' nice, I might even let the computer you mooks are hidin' in stay plugged in when I leave!"

But rather than lightning striking down from the heavens or the cackling laughter of his enemies filling the area… Joey's declaration was answered… by a red headed woman dressed in a crisp black uniform suddenly emerging from the trees.

"Letter for Joseph Wheeler!"she declared. "Letter for Joseph Wheeler!"

"Uh… I'm Joey Wheeler," he said, slowly raising his hand.

"Sign here please," the woman said and Joey took the clipboard she thrust at him and quickly scribbled his name.

"Alright then… what exactly did I sign for?" he asked only to gulp when the courier reached up and adjusted her cap, revealing a set of small demon horns poking out of her hairline. Movement near her ankles caused him to look down, only to yelp when he saw the thin tail that was wiggling back and forth, a spade-like shape at the end.

"Thank you," the demon woman said before handing him a small packet. "You've been served."

"Served?" Joey said in confusion, unspooling the red thread that held the envelope closed and pulling out the papers within.

NOTICE OF COURT APPEARANCE

DEFENDANT JOSEPH WHEEELR IS TO REPORT NO LATER THAN 15OO HOURS TO THE DATAMINE COURTHOUSE ON DATAMINE ISLAND WHERE-

"I'm bein' sued!?!" Joey exclaimed.

"That's right," the demon woman said with a smile before tipping her cap to him, flashing a fang filled grin. Yet her tone oddly made her sound not that sinister at all. "Thank you for using Courier of the Underworld Services. For all your Courier needs!" And with that she sped walk right back into the forest, disappearing within seconds.

"…well, that happened," Joey muttered, rubbing the back of his head before looking down at the letter again. While he didn't understand all of it (or rather MOST of it) he did get the gist that he was being sued for, of all things, his body. One of the Big 5, a jerk named Johnson, was trying to claim that Joey's body should belong to him and wanted to legally take over his life. "Good luck with me lettin' ya do that!" Joey snarled. "No way am I lettin' that happen! Ya want ta make this inta some sort of legal case? I'll take ya down on the Duelin' Field, The Courtroom, or whever else ya want!"

He paused.

"Uh…" He looked up. "Could I get a map or something?"

The wind picked up briefly and it almost sounded like an annoyed sigh before Joey watching some shrubs shift and reveal a partially hidden sign pointing to Datamine Island.

"Alight Johnson… time for me ta kick ya in yar Johnson!" Joey snickered. "Heheh, that's a good one… gonna have ta remember to use that in the duel." Having a sense of purpose and direction Joey headed along the path, ready to take on his opponent.

~MC~MC~MC~

Yugi frowned, rubbing his head. "Ow… that did not feel fun at all."

The Pharaoh appeared before him. 'I doubt that our entertainment was Noah's goal.'

"I know Pharaoh it was… never mind." Yugi took a moment to look around the room he found himself in. The walls were dark with small tube-lighting running around the edges of the wall, giving off a faint bluish glow. Otherwise there wasn't much to look at… just the walls and the floor. "Where do you think we are, Pharaoh? What part of the Virtual World did Noah put us in?"

'I don't believe he put us in the virtual world at all, Yugi,' the Pharaoh replied.

"What?!?!" Yugi exclaimed. "What do you mean?"

The Pharaoh disappeared and for a moment Yugi was confused… and then he gasped as he felt the power of the Millennium Puzzle flare through him, energizing him. It felt like he'd just downed an energy drink followed by the best sugar high ever. But more than that he could suddenly see the patterns. They were before him, ghostly shapes that moved on repeat. Noah doing all sorts of things with him. Placing him in a VR Pod appeared only to fade away as Yugi realized… no. No, Noah wouldn't do that. Not if he were smart.

'There are enough of us around that he doesn't need to resort to putting us in the Virtual World. Due to our skills we'd be a very hard opponent to beat…' The visions changed to Noah moving him to the room and leaving him there. "Noah couldn't risk us being in the Virtual World and upsetting his plans. So while he sent others there he used the time we were knocked out in order to hide us away!"

"Well, I have to admit I'm impressed!" Noah declared and Yugi looked behind him to find the green haired teen's image playing on the wall. "I originally planned to try and string you along, make you believe you were trapped in the Virtual World and you had to answer riddles and play some meaningless games to let you 'escape'. I considered even leading you to the top of this structure, telling you that your friends were beneath the waters… only to watch as you slowly drowned yourself trying to get to them! Mmmmhmmmhmmhmhmm!" He let out a muffled laugh. "But… you figured out so quickly that I can't bring myself to lie to you about what is going on. So I'll give you the respect you deserve and be truthful: you are correct."

Yugi narrowed his eyes. He knew Noah was most likely trying to confuse him, making him think he actually was in the virtual world, but the power of the puzzle was letting him see Noah's strategy easily enough.

"Let us go, Noah! Me and my friends."

"Oh come now, you know I can't do that! I have been working hard for quite some time to set this all up for you!" Other screens began to appear, showing off Yugi's friends. He saw Joey walking through a pine forest. He saw Tea and Tristan lying on a beach near a wrecked boat. He saw Pegasus and Serenity in a theater. "And others are rather trapped like you. Though I think I'll leave it up to you to figure out just who is where." Noah snickered at that.

"And what do you think will happen after you take over their bodies?" Yugi demanded. "I'll let everyone know what you've done!"

"And who is going to believe you?" Noah taunted. "You must have already begun to gain a reputation for having a screw loose, Yugi, assuming you are still muttering to yourself and the so-called Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. Believing that there is some phantom living in that cheap dime store bauble that you keep claiming is from Ancient Egypt… there is committing to a bit and there is losing it and you have lost it.

"Once the Big 5 and I fully take over the forms of your friends we'll unite in telling the world how to strain of being the King of Games caused you to lose your marbles. So very heartbreaking but we do hope that you can get the help you need. Who knows… maybe you'll end up in a room much like this one… only it will be padded!"

With that Noah burst into laughter before turning off all the screens, leaving Yugi once more in the dark room with only the blue light to give him any comfort.

But Yugi wasn't focusing on that or Noah's comments about what would come if he and the Big 5 succeeded. No… his focus was on what Noah had said… and accidently revealed.

'Joey. Tristan. Tea. Serenity. Pegasus.' Yugi went through the five he had seen. Once more the world filled with images and shapes, the figures of his friends appearing as did images of the Big 5 and Noah. Everything he knew about them all, every fact and details. 'And more importantly what THEY know about my friends,' Yugi thought.

'You see it too,' The Pharaoh stated.

'I do. He only mentioned you as the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. Not as the Pharaoh. And he kept mocking you concerning what might have happened after Duelist Kingdom… not Battle City. Noah and the Big 5 must not have been connected to the internet… they only know what occurred there.'

'Which is a big mistake,' Pharaoh thought back.

'Because he has no idea about Earth-2.'

'Exactly, Yugi! If they had knowledge of Battle City they would have realized how good of duelists Tea and Tristan have become. Same with Joey. Renard wasn't shown, nor were Kaiba or Edwin. They must be trapped like us while they were targeting the weakest among us. Pegasus is the odd factor,' the Pharaoh admitted.

'I think it has more to do with grudges than anything else,' Yugi argued. 'Pegasus, Kaiba, and Edwin cost the Big 5 their positions within KaibaCorp… I imagine that at least one of them wanted to get revenge of them and that's why Pegasus is in the Virtual World. Of the three of them they'd probably see him as the weakest because of our defeat of him.'

'That still leaves Mai, Duke, Rex, and Brom,' the Pharaoh pointed out. 'And your Grandfather and Koyo.'

'They might be in the Virtual World… or they might be trapped like us. But the Big 5 still have made a mistake. They think our friends are weak… but they are about to show them how strong they truly are!'

~MC~MC~MC~

Koyo groaned, rubbing his head. "Well… that wasn't fun," he muttered to himself before looking about. Rather than being in the strange room Noah had lured them all into Koyo found himself standing in a back alley… in fact it might have been the most stereotypical back alley one could have ever found. Brick walls, an empty dumpster, puddles on the ground and bits of rubbish. He kicked one of the small piles of trash and saw that it was just a wade of… stuff. Not even clearly defined. "Either someone is running this place on low res or they really don't care if I see the cracks in the system."

Walking out of the alley he wasn't surprised to find himself on a city street that seemed to be forever cast in twilight. The sun had clearly just set, the street lights were lit, and a wind was blowing; though, he was startled to realize, it wasn't actually that cold… or warm… or anything.

'No sense of touch,' he thought to himself. 'Or at least not true touch. I can tell my feet are on the ground but I can't actually sense the finer details.' He looked about the Virtual World (Because he knew that was where he was) and took a deep breath; nothing. No stench that many cities had of smog and exhaust. Just… nothing. 'How very odd,' he thought as he continued on.

The next thing he noticed was that while he could hear the sound of cars driving along, the occasional alarm going off, and the murmur of people… there wasn't anyone around. It was all just ambient noise that was playing, filling the air when there was nothing else to fill the world. And that was far creepier than actually finding something terrible and awful waiting for him. To see the signs of life… but to find nothing at all.

Just him and the emptiness.

'The Big 5 and Noah all put their minds in this virtual world, along with the rest of us. That has to be using up a lot of data. The question is though is if the Virtual World can handle that. Is it powerful enough to be able to have all of us in here at once?' He didn't know why the world was created and that bothered him because it would have told him so much. 'Was it supposed to allow for this many people? Or was it meant only for a few? And none at all? And even then there is the problem of putting a full human brain into here.'

It was like explaining the difference between having a video game on a disc and downloading it directly to a system. With the former one had to pull from another source, which could be taxing especially if there were any problems with the disc. Koyo's first thought was the situation with Yugi and the Pharaoh. Two minds sharing one body… that would cause a lot of problems for the Virtual World system, trying to draw the two of them in when they were intrinsically linked.

But downloading an entire mind, while making it right there in the Virtual World, had its own problems.

'A human mind is so complex that the mere idea of downloading it fully into a machine is still a pipe dream. Same with trying to make a copy of it. Just the fantasy of fiction writers.' He paused at a crosswalk and decided to obey the DON'T WALK sign even though there was no traffic. 'Could they have really done it? Or did they only take what they needed and call it a day? If it's the latter than the entire fortress might be just one massive super computer, working to try and handle all the data it is storing. Meaning that putting too many of us in here and letting us do whatever we want would tax the system.'

It reminded him of some of the videos he'd seen of people trying to spam items in open world games through cheat codes and rom hacks, causing the world to begin glitching as it struggled to keep up with the new assets being formed. It was entirely possible that if Koyo did too much he could cause the system to completely collapse… which would cause the Big 5 and Noah plenty of problems but also be a grave danger to himself.

'But what if they decided only to take certain pieces… to keep the download simple and just scan the surface? It would bring stability to the world… and instability to those that were fully brought into the digital world.' Considering how Noah had been giggling already over their capture he was really hoping that wasn't the case as it would do none of them any good if they were caught with a bunch of vindictive men who had only half of their brains.

Koyo shook his head. 'Well… only thing I can do now is try and find someone. My friends… or the Big 5. And then we can work on trying to get out of here.'

The crosswalk light changed and Koyo continued on, the only one in the city.

Or… so he thought.

~MC~MC~MC~

Everything felt off.

That was Seto's first thought as he slowly opened his eyes.

'I don't know what that cackling fool Noah did but he will pay for it,' Seto thought as he struggled to get up. Everything felt strange… his body not working like it should. Shifting in the wrong ways, stiff where it should be flexible, flexible where it should have been stiff. 'He clearly decided to use the Virtual World program I created to trap us, just like the Big 5 did before. Little brat doesn't have an original idea in his head, it seems. Well… he'll suffer all the same for this. I broke free of the Virtual World once and I will do so again!'

He struggled to stand up only to flop back down. Even though his eyes were open he couldn't see much at all, his vision utterly fuzzy, much to his frustration. And his body wasn't working properly. It was like when someone had a game controler with a busted button; they knew what they wanted but the commands weren't going through. Just another sign of Noah's incompetence, in Seto's opinion. When he'd last been in the virtual world everything had worked perfectly, meaning that any problems he had now were because of Noah's tinkering. The giggling fool had broken something, that was clear.

"Oh, what's the matter, Seto," the fool in question called out, causing Seto to lift his head up. "Having problems getting around?" He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. "Sorry, I haven't turned on your vocalize quite yet. You'll need to wait a moment before you're allowed to speak… better this way because I have some things to tell you, just between the two of us."

All Seto could do was glare at Noah, who appeared before him not as a face on a scream but as a looming giant. It might have been terrifying and impressive to someone with a weak mind but Seto knew it was merely a distortion created by the Virtual World. A way for Noah to feel taller than he actually was. A pathetic little power play, one that only a child would think was meaningful.

"You are already considering just why I am doing all this," Noah stated as he loomed over Seto. "Coming up with all the twisted little reasons why I want to see you suffer. I thought I would eliminate a few of them for you right now because, if I can be honest Seto, you have done several things that I shockingly find myself agreeing with.

"The Big 5 believe that I am loyal to them. Gangsley believes that he is using me and that he is the true power behind all this purely because he is so old. Older than my father… he thought that he could control him too. You would have thought after he failed with Gozaburo and then his stepson that he'd realize how little power he had but… then he tried again on me."

Seto wondered just who Noah was. He had a feeling…

"Crump has tried to portray himself as an uncle to me, claiming that he was like a brother to Gozaburo. As if he would ever muddle himself with a man like him and his… desires." Noah scowled at that. "I saw him for what he was right away… did you?"

Uncles. "Brother" to Gozaburo. It was all leading to only one conclusion.

'I thought that Pegasus was wrong… but…'

"Johnson is a touch better… he argued that legally I must be aligned with them because to do otherwise is to open myself up to the courts. He still thinks that after all they did to try and murder you and Edwin Chaos that they will be able to get away with their crimes. It is utterly amusing… he spends weeks going over his speech to the judge and the jury, practicing when he will pause to allow them to fight back tears after a truly… dramatic… moment. The man is horribly delusional, as I am sure you can tell."

'He's young… and I always wondered where Gozaburo got the toys that were in Mokuba's room…'

"Nezbitt has been helpful to me… he helped you with the creation of the Virtual World, after all, though you had no idea… well… no. I will save that surprise for later. But he and I perhaps could work together outside of this false world… except the man has no concept of friends. He knows only his machines. Only his ones and zeroes."

'The servants such as Hobson were always aloof with me because of my stepfather's instructions… but with Mokuba? He always said they were utterly kind.'

"As for Leichter I believe he is the only one to have any sense of loyalty to me because of my blood rather than my legal standing. He was Gozaburo's best friend… and he thinks that matters. As if I have forgotten how all five of them betrayed him the first moment they could. That when you presented your case to them they turned on him."

'Gozaburo treated me like a project… but Mokuba…'

Noah began to pace around Seto. "They claim that they didn't want to, of course. They say that you tricked them Seto. Blackmailed them. Made them offers they could never refuse. Perhaps all three are true. But it doesn't change the fact that they turned on your stepfather…" he leaned down, eyes dark even as he smiled, "…on MY father."

Seto narrowed his eyes once more.

"That's right, Seto. I am Noah Kaiba, son of Gozaburo Kaiba. Everything you hold… it should belong to me. You stole it from me while I was left forgotten… but now I have returned to claim back my birthright. Soon I will leave this virtual world behind and retake my father's company." He shook his head. "No… my company. There will be things I must change, of course, though I am pleased with many of the choices you've done in your stewardship. You have saved me quite some time."

Seto tried to snarl that he had made those changes for no one but himself but he found himself still unable to speak. Unable to stand and move.

While he knew he should have been shocked that Gozaburo had produced another child Seto found… he wasn't. Not at all. In fact it made complete sense. His stepfather had become obsessed with his legacy; that was how Seto had managed to trick him into adopting him and Mokuba, by showing that he could be worthy of the Kaiba name. So why not father a child… a failure, as Seto was clearly seeing from the way Noah acted. One cast aside because they simply couldn't cut it.

"My father never thought too far ahead. Weapons… such a foolish waste of time. Weapons only destroy and what good is that? If you destroy your clients then who will buy from you? Isn't it better to create something that will make them live longer, so they are forced to continue to depend on you? Medicines… with addictive properties. Entertainment that becomes so embedded in a culture that they can't survive without it. Food that creates cravings that can't be fought against. That is what my KaibaCorp will focus on. A world where every item in a home has the KaibaCorp Logo, so that the world itself might see every man, woman, and child as little more than our property, even if they don't realize it. Where you get up in the morning after lying on your KaibaCorp mattress that is designed to alter your sleep patterns so you can't even lie on another bed without being in pain. Go and eat your KaibaCorp breakfast that has been filled full of additives so that it is the only cereal you can eat unless you want crippling pain. Then you run down to your KaibaCorp car, get your KaibaCorp Coffee made from beans grown from KaibaCorp modified seeds, brewed in your KaibaCorp Coffee Machines. Turn on your radio to listen to stations that are funded by KaibaCorp talk about the latest scandal involving a celebrity sex tape filmed by an actress under contract with a KaibaCorp talent agency involving a man that plays for a KaibaCorp football team. All as you hurry to your job at a subsidiary of KaibaCorp.

"My father wanted to crush the world in his fist. You saw that was a mistake, Seto, and I can respect that. But you didn't go far enough. You lacked the vision. I want the world to be my pampered little pet, coming when I call, crawling into my lap, and doing whatever I desire because it knows that without me it would starve."

'He's insane,' Seto thought darkly to himself. 'Another Gozaburo who thinks that the world must be controlled.'

Even at his absolute worst, when he had been his most cruel… he had never believed that it was his right to rule the world. Why would he want to? Ruling the world was a messy and tiresome chore. It was hard enough running a company where everyone wanted something and believed their sad and pathetic little needs and wants were the most important things in the world; the entire world would just make his headache all the worst. People who wanted to rule, in Seto's opinion, didn't actually want to 'rule'. They just wanted to declare that something should happen and then walk away without ever considering how it might come into being. It was a child's view of power. Gozaburo had never grown up and it seemed that Noah hadn't either.

'Who knows how long he's been here,' Seto thought to himself. 'And what he's really like in the real world. There is no way he's still this young. Gozaburo died after I took control of KaibaCorp so if Noah truly is his son then he'd have been born before I was adopted… yet he looks to be only 12 years old. Barely older than Mokuba. So he must have made his avatar in the Virtual World look like how he was before my stepfather cast him off… he's probably some pathetic 30 year old with a beer gut and three days worth of stubble who managed to trick the Big 5 into letting him command.'

"Hmmm… a lap dog…" Noah chuckled at that for some foolish reason. "But let us get to the heart of the matter, Seto: namely my return. The Big 5 have selected amongst the people on your blimp the weakest of duelists so they might defeat them and claim their bodies. They are willing to start from the bottom and work their way back up… they see it as a game. A challenge to see if they can rise again. But I am in no mood to wait. I want to start right now. I will take KaibaCorp today and I will begin shaping it into the behemoth of industry it was always meant to be."

Seto tried to retort that all Noah would be doing was attempting to steal his body (and that he wouldn't be giving in easily at all) but once more found himself unable to work his jaw.

"Oh… I can tell exactly what you are thinking, Seto! You arrogantly believe that I will be taking over your body! Why am I not surprised?" Noah shook his head, squatting down. "But no… you are damaged goods, Seto. Everyone knows it and I have no desire to try and clean up your image. I want KaibaCorp but I want a fresh start… and luckily my father adopted another child…"

'Mokuba!' Seto mentally roared as he fought to rise up and attack the fool that was threatening his brother.

"Now now… none of that." Noah taunted, standing back up. "I would have thought you'd appreciate the genius of it. You will be found in a vegetative state, thus forcing Mokuba to take control of KaibaCorp. The Big 5 will of course lead things while I reach my age of maturity but once I do I will eliminate them… something you were foolish not to do… and then I will take over. Mokuba Kaiba will make KaibaCorp into a juggernaut while you are trapped here… forever."

He looked down at Seto.

"But you are saying, "I will stop you! I'll duel you and defeat you!" To which I ask… how can you duel… if you have no hands?"

Seto frowned at that, or tried to, only for Noah to snap his fingers. He suddenly regained control of his body and he rose up, glaring at the little brat.

"YIP!"

Seto blinked.

"Yip?"

He slowly looked down at his body.

Metallic paws.

A cute little tail.

Sandy orange body.

Noah just laughed as Seto looked at the mirrored surface of one of the walls and realized that he wasn't in his body at all. No… he was trapped in the form of a robotic puppy!

"Oh!" Noah suddenly declared. "You better hurry, looks like your brother just woke up!" Seto turned to see a smaller robotic puppy run past the now open doorway. He glanced at Noah one more time, hating how his growl sounded so cute and innocent, before chasing after his brother.

'Noah… you will pay for this. Don't ever doubt that!'

~MC~MC~MC~

"You got the message too?" Cassie asked Caesar as she stepped into the main lobby of the KaibaCorp building.

"This was supposed to be my day off," Caesar muttered in annoyance.

"Its all our's day off. Tournament taking 24 hours to reach the island and then it starts up again. And we aren't expected to be back at the office for another week." She grit her teeth. "I swear, if I miss D&D tonight…"

Martin poked his head out from a side door. "Hey, I got coffee and donuts in here because I figured we should go stereotypical. You might want to hurry though… Aria had been suggesting she lick them all in order to have 'dibs'."

"Stop telling them my strategies!" the young head of Play Testing whined from inside the room.

Cassie and Caesar frowned as they entered the small waiting room to find several other department heads all holding donuts in various states of consumption. Nate was standing off to the side, trying to explain to Drake that he was in charge of IT, not It, so no he was NOT the reason why kids in Derry kept dying. Martin was watching the donuts carefully, Aria pouting because she wanted to eat them all but had a 'tiny stomach that needed to wait between bites'.

"I still don't get why I am here," Sally complained. "I run the Daycare!"

"We all have to suffer, I guess," Cassie said as she pulled out a flask and poured some booze into her coffee.

"…its 9am," Caesar complained.

"I know. I've shown great restraint."

"wow."

"So who summoned us all here?" Aria asked, finally giving up on her donut licking attempts.

"I did."

All of the department heads screamed before whipping around to stare at the new arrival. Despite his size (both in terms of weight and height) making him larger than all those gathered he'd managed to sneak around all of them and make it to the front of the gathering place without anyone noticing. He was dressed in a suit, a soft cool blue shirt and matching tie underneath his professional attire. He stared at them all with the gaze of an animatronics that one could never be QUITE sure wasn't sentient.

"Thank you all for gathering here."

"Who is that?" Sally asked.

It was Cassie who spoke up. "Vencent Radmere. Head of Industrial Illusion's Accounting Department."

"And now head of KaibaCorp's as well, due to the merger," Vencent stated.

"He has such a glorious voice," Drake whispered, Nate nodding in agreement.

"I know," Vencent said with no smugness or arrogance. "And before you ask I will not quote lines from Scream."

Caesar sheepishly lowered his hand.

"I brought you all here because I was in my office checking over a few things when I received an alert that we have lost total contact with Seto Kaiba, Maxamillion Pegasus, and Edwin Chaos."

That caused the department heads to grow very quiet and still.

"Furthermore I have noted an attempt by a third party to siphon funds from KaibaCorp into their servers… due to the merger, however, I have final approval and was able to block the attempt. But it does lead me to believe that someone is attempting a hostile takeover of the companies."

"…again?" Aria whined. "This is… what? The third time this year?"

"Well, if you count what Edwin did it's the fourth but he succeeded," Martin pointed out.

Nate, however, had moved over to Caesar and begun to talk animatedly, the two pulling out their tablets and going through them.

"Something to share?" Sally asked.

It was Caesar who answered. "We have been receiving some odd readings of late but thought it was just issues with the software… but now we aren't for sure."

"What sort of readings?" Drake pressed.

"From Project Dorian," Caesar said nervously.

"…what the frilly fuck is Project Dorian?" Cassie demanded.

Nate sighed. "Project Dorian, named after Dorian Grey, was designed by KaibaCorp to create full digital replicas of the brainwave patterns of humans."

The department heads stared at him.

"…when the companies merged," Vencent said, slowly weighing each word, "all of us from Industrial Illusions were informed we needed to be 'scanned' for our company photos…"

"That was Nezbitt's idea-"

"YOU MADE DIGITAL COPIES OF US!?!" Cassie screamed.

"Again, Nezbitt-"

"I want it deleted," Cassie snarled. "There is only ONE Cassie! One! In all of reality… in all realities! Only one me!"

~Meanwhile, On Earth-151~

"Achoo!"

"Bless you," NONE said to Slash.

~MC~MC~MC~

"We can deal with that later," Vencent said, getting the meeting back under control. "We have wandered off topic. We have lost contact with all three of the Shareholders. Mokuba Kaiba was with Seto when he disappeared and we have been unable to reach Yakko, Gekko, Depre, and Richie. Per company bylaws… we are now in control of KaibaCorp until any of the shareholders OR their heirs can be found."

"…nope," Sally said, walking towards the door. "I am not being CEO of this shitshow!"

"You wouldn't be," Vencent declared, causing Sally to stop and listen. "Per the guidelines created for just this sort of situation the eldest department head is in charge."

"So… you?" Aria asked. "Martin?"

Vencent just shook his head.

"…who?" Aria asked weakly.

~MC~MC~MC~

The door, which had a piece of paper taped to it that said HEAD OF JANITORIAL SERVES, swung open to reveal Moose, who was sitting in a chair reading a fantasy magazine ('Barely Legal Elfs').

"…what?" he asked gruffly to the department heads.

~MC~MC~MC~

Chaosverse Omake

Guest Writer: The Patient One

The old woman was livid. She went to all this trouble to make Anastasia a princess, and she spat on her efforts for some childish desire of love. And on top of that, Cinderella had somehow escaped the trap she'd cast her into. Everything was falling apart. But she still had the advantage as long as she had the wand.

"Bippity boppity boo!" she hissed, casting a cloud of acid green atop the ceiling and directing bolts towards the guards who charged towards her. Armored soldiers became trios of chickens, swine, and rabbits. She took in the scared looks of everyone in the hall with grim satisfaction, especially her traitorous daughter.

"Now for you," she said, turning toward the disguised Anastasia.

"Turn her into a toad, Mother!" Drizella encouraged behind her.

"Stop!"

And then her bedraggled stepdaughter, the very bane of her existence, moved to stand in front of Anastasia.

"No more!" Cinderella urged. Lady Tremaine, of course, was unfazed.

"Even better," she declared.

"My, my, my," a deep voice echoed. "I wasn't expecting this."

Lady Tremaine turned to the new voice, and nearly fumbled the wand out of shock. Drizella screamed, and she was far from the only one. Out of nowhere, there was now a tall, scaly beast in the middle of the room with a glowing trident-shaped symbol on his chest.

Before anyone had time to do more than that, the monster raised his hand and shot a burst of golden energy into the stormcloud. The acid green color immediately turned golden, and bolts surged from it towards the transformed guards, as well as the second Cinderella. A second later, the guards were back to their human states, and Anastasia was her pink-clad self again.

The entire time, however, the creature only had eyes for the King.

"Your Majesty, would you kindly order your guards to stand down? I have business with Lady Tremaine that goes far beyond your kingdom; I assure you that after tonight, she will never set foot within these lands again."

The old man attempted to respond, but it seemed that this sudden newcomer had stunned him too much. Along with everyone else in the room, even Tremaine herself, who looked close to fleeing. He sighed.

"I suppose I should have expected this," he grumbled. The mark on his chest shone gold, and it spread to the rest of his body. His form shifted, and the light faded to reveal a young, dark-haired human in fine blue and gold clothing, the same mark now on the backs of his hands.

"I trust you'll find me a little less overwhelming now?" he drawled.

Lady Tremaine huffed, gripping the wand in both hands as she focused her full attention on him.

"And what are you?" she spat. The young man glared at her, and she again considered running.

"Right now? I'm an errand boy for a certain Enchantress who's very upset to hear that her sister's wand was stolen."

Light radiated from the man's hands, and he scowled at her.

"Now, I would normally say you should make this easy on yourself. But really, I'd rather you give me an excuse to show you what magic can really do. I've had some very creative teachers."

Lady Tremaine hid her fear as best she could. The wand was the power she had needed for the past year to undo the damage that Cinderella had caused. The thought that the wand wasn't the only one of its kind and that she could get into trouble with others for using it had never crossed her mind since its first owner was currently a statue.

But now she was against someone who she could tell at a glance was very powerful and very eager to take revenge for her slight, and trying to resist was too big of a risk. She had to give up the wand. But she didn't come this far simply to surrender. When she answered him, her voice was calm and even.

"My daughters and I were in a state of squalor and misery before I came across this wand. If you must have it back, I would request compensation," she stated.

The young man's glare sharpened, but the light on his body slowly faded. For a few moments, he only stared.

"How dare you?" the King said angrily, finally recovering the presence of mind to speak. "You attempt to take over my kingdom by fraud, and you dare to claim yourself as the victim?"

The King turned to the sorcerer before him.

"As for you, I need more explanation than what you gave."

"Of course, Your Majesty," he said. He spared a glance at Tremaine. "Try anything while my back is turned, and you'll wish I'd left you to him."

The woman scowled but made no other move, Drizella similarly still behind her as the young man approached the throne and knelt.

"I am known as Levi Chaos, royal vizier of Tirulia Kingdom. I've come across several sources of magic and people who abuse them on my travels. I came here because an Enchantress I grew acquainted with had a nasty sense that something had happened to her sister. As she was already occupied with something I had arranged for her, it fell to me to investigate in return. You may rest assured that the wand will be returned to its rightful owner, and I believe Cinderella can vouch for that owner's benevolence."

The King slowly turned to regard his bedraggled soon-to-be daughter-in-law, who started before nodding.

"I admit, I don't know much about her, but she appeared as my Fairy Godmother the night of the ball. I had almost given up all hope; I would never have made it to the castle without her."

That was enough to satisfy the King, who looked back at the young man.

"And you claim this jurisdiction supersedes my own?" the King pressed.

"The Fairy Godmother and her sisters have lived for centuries, Your Majesty. They have no disrespect for mortal kingdoms, but you will find that they put little stock in the ephemeral punishments you can provide."

The King considered that in silence for several seconds before a small, sinister smile came over his face.

"I leave them to you, then," he uttered, then turned to Lady Tremaine. "The two of you are banished from this land."

"And her?" Levi asked, pointing to the pink-clad girl beside Cinderella. The King turned to her as well, and she sighed and sagged before walking up to the King and holding out a seashell.

"Your Majesty, I don't deserve this," she said sadly. The King stared at her for a moment before smiling warmly and closing her hand on the shell.

"Everyone deserves true love," he said quietly.

Anastasia teared up and looked at Cinderella, who smiled softly and nodded.

"Very well," Levi said, straightening up and extending a hand. A gentle wave of energy crept towards Cinderella, tidying her hair and restoring her clothes the same wedding dress Anastasia had worn before. "We will meet again. But for now, I believe you have a wedding to complete."

Energy surged around the young man as he turned back to Lady Tremaine and Drizella, his form again metamorphosing into a dragon. Cinderella's evil stepmother lingered long enough to give the King, the Prince, Anastasia, and Cinderella herself a last hateful glare before all three disappeared.

…

The next thing Lady Tremaine knew, they were outside, the shining white castle far away, and a grumpy meow drew her attention to Lucifer coming up beside her. The dragon stood before her; he waved his hand, and a glowing scroll appeared in the air before fluttering over to her, along with a pen.

"Take the time you need to read it through. But there will be no further negotiation; you sign the contract, or you get nothing."

Lady Tremaine's lips pressed together as she began reading over the fine print. The wand was to be returned whole and undamaged, and provided she had not lied about her previous state, she and her daughters were each entitled to a single wish. Most of what followed dictated exceptions that could not be wished for. And they seemed painstakingly designed to eliminate any possibility of revenge against this dragon-man, whoever sent him, the owner of the wand, or anyone involved.

Worse was that it barred any further actions against Cinderella. There was no way she would be able to circumvent not using a wish for 'negatively affecting the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, moral, familial, temporal, or spatial well-being, stability, freedom, and/or existence of anyone against whom you hold a grudge.'

However, she slowly realized that the contract's parameters by no means prevented her from wishing for power for herself. Only for abusing it. And however frustrating that was, the alternative was for her to be arrested, at best. A comfortable life somewhere far from the kingdom was assured this way, and that would have to suffice.

With an elegant flourish, she signed the contract.

…

A few days and a few spells later, in a bright courtyard looking straight out of a fairytale, a woman dressed in green stood from her seat under a pavilion. She spared me a look before embracing the periwinkle sorceress beside me.

The embrace lasted a few seconds before she pulled back, sighing fondly.

"Really, dear, losing hold of your wand?" the Enchantress asked.

"Oh, hush, it was a wonderful occasion, Fauna!" the Fairy Godmother huffed.

"Always letting your emotions get the better of you, Merryweather. No more excuses; you need a proper revitalization," the green woman said, now turning fully to the dragon. "Thank you for your help, Levi."

"Are 'Leviathan' and 'Chaos' really too much for you?" I asked exasperatedly.

"The ramifications are off-putting," Merryweather admitted.

"I've made no secret of the fact that I'm a schemer, not a white knight," I said. "I still wish you'd taken my idea of sending Gaston to Notre Dame. He and Frollo deserve each other."

"That arrogant excuse for a priest deserves far worse," Fauna said with uncharacteristic disgust. "And rest assured, 'far worse' is exactly what Flora is giving him. As for Gaston, his punishment extends to his enablers. Separating them across France defeats the purpose."

"Speaking of punishment, now that we're here, what did you do Cinderella's stepfamily?" Merryweather asked, frowning.

I gave the two good fairies a small, wicked smile.

"I gave them exactly what they asked for."

Knowing who I was, Lady Tremaine wished for all the potential power, luxury, and influence that a royal vizier could have. My first thought was Jafar, so borrowing power from Merryweather's wand, I turned her into a genie, lamp and all, and imprisoned Lucifer alongside her. Even with the ability to make a pocket dimension out of the lamp's interior and conjure anything she could dream of, a gilded cage was still a cage.

And knowing the potential of magic, Drizella wished for a way to never run out of money. Taking inspiration from Aladdin again, I granted her the magical Hand of Midas, which could turn anything it touched into gold. She had tried it first on her dress, and her euphoria quickly turned to panic as she couldn't remain standing with the increased weight. As she fell, her hand slipped too far past the bronze handle; it wasn't even a full minute since her wish had been granted before she accidentally turned herself to gold.

The lamp went into one safe while the statue went into another, both sealed behind a curtain of invisibility and intangibility that only I could pull back. A trick that Merryweather had shown me for how she usually kept her wand put away.

"I don't feel I should approve of your methods," Merryweather sighed. "But those two were utterly beyond help, and I'm surprised that the third one could turn over a new leaf."

"Love is a powerful thing, for better or worse," I shrugged, smiling softly. "She had a wish as well, and all she asked for was a promise that she'd find love like Cinderella did. And it seems like there's a nice baker in the kingdom who can love her for who she is, so that was an easy wish to grant."

"And Cinderella only wished for her family to remember the previous timeline," Merryweather said, smiling softly. "They're content keeping the changes that have come to pass, but not on losing a year of happy memories. I daresay we're both welcome there at any time now."

Both fairies turned to me, and I smiled innocently.

"Hey, what's wrong with growing trustworthy by doing trustworthy things?"

"Nothing. But you seem to be developing a habit of ingratiating yourself with kings," Fauna said. "I would also add fairies, but I acknowledge that's my own doing."

"Well, it's a wonderful world we live in. I'd like to see as much as possible, which is hard with good guys not trusting me and bad guys messing things up."

"You could just not be a terrifying dragon," Merryweather said dryly.

"Oh, but where's the fun in that?" I laughed.