PSL with bondofblueeyes

[crystalmaster]

Neo Domino City was awash with city lights that night, as always. The enormous ring symbolizing the bond between the split parts of the city gleamed in the water. The spotlights from the current KaibaCorp building in its new location were on, waving and beckoning to everyone that even in the future and after the horror that was Zero Reverse, KaibaCorp was still on top.

Radley was in the process of closing a deal with KaibaCorp over dyne production for Duel Runner motorcycles. The meetings were going well and he was feeling good about the prospects. He headed outside and got on his motorcycle to head for a store. He should stock up on a few things before heading back home.

Comments

[crystalmaster]

"... To be honest, I've never known why they call it that," Radley admits. "Maybe because it failed? The reactor was ... I know this is going to sound seriously loco, but it was running on the energy gathered from people dueling." He looks apologetic as he speaks. It's just so bizarre he still can hardly believe it. He would still not believe it if he hadn't heard it right from Yusei Fudo.

[bondofblueeyes]

"Whoa, really? Wait, wait, wait... It blew up because people dueled too much?!" While the idea of getting power from dueling does sound pretty cool, making something explode from it did sound a bit crazy...

[crystalmaster]

"What I was told is that it was deliberately sabotaged," Radley says. "But it's hard for me to believe it wouldn't have happened anyway. It was unstable before it was tampered with."

[bondofblueeyes]

"Why were they using it if it was unstable?"

[crystalmaster]

"Because people are stupid and greedy?" Radley smirks darkly. "Someone did try to stop them, but they overrode him."

[bondofblueeyes]

"Yeah, that doesn't sound surprising... Who tried to stop them?" He wonders if it's anyone he's ever heard about.

[crystalmaster]

"Dr. Fudo," Radley says. "I don't remember his first name offhand...." But here was another bombshell. "... He worked for KaibaCorp." He's not sure if he would have been there that far back in the past, if this is Mokuba.

Wow, they haven't introduced themselves, have they. Maybe he's been deliberately putting it off because of how awkward that could get....

[bondofblueeyes]

"Dr. Fudo...? I've never heard of that name before... You sure he worked for KaibaCorp? What did he do there?"

[crystalmaster]

"He was a scientist in a research division that was opened," Radley says. "I'm pretty sure it was KaibaCorp, unless the story was told wrong. Oh, I'm Radley, by the way." He holds out a hand.

[bondofblueeyes]

"Oh! Right, I'm Mokuba Kaiba." He gives Radley a handshake with a light smile. "You... couldn't point me in the direction of Kaiba Corp, could you?"

[crystalmaster]

So he was right. That ... definitely makes this awkward.

"Well ... unfortunately, I just came from there and I'm afraid it's not like you remember."

He points to the tall but very differently designed building with waving spotlights.

"This is about ... 30 years after your time."

The lack of visible surprise indicates he already suspected Mokuba's identity.

[bondofblueeyes]

He looks up at the very tall building.

Looks back at Radley.

Looks back at the very tall building.

"... What?! I'm in the future?!"

[crystalmaster]

"I'm afraid so."

He has to wonder what Mokuba thought it was if not the future. An alternate dimension, perhaps? Or a dream?

"What were you doing right before you ended up here?"

[bondofblueeyes]

"I... Honestly, I have no idea... I don't remember anything... I can remember waking up this morning and heading to Kaiba Corp with my brother... but everything gets fuzzy after that." He frowns as he wracks his brain trying to recall something, but still, nothing comes to mind. "I had to have gotten here somehow, so there has to be a way to get back too... How many years did you say it's been since:" And he'll insert the year it is for him.

[crystalmaster]

"That is ... really strange."

Scotch would have a whole host of sci-fi explanations for it, but would any of them have a basis in reality? Well, time-travel itself was pretty loco too. Maybe the sci-fi explanations really could be the answer.

"That was thirty years ago," he says again. "Maybe you fell into some kind of wormhole?"

[bondofblueeyes]

"I have no idea... So... I should still be alive, right? And my brother too? If we can find him, then he should be able to figure something out... Wait, am I going to have to avoid my future self to prevent the... the universe from collapsing or something?" He has no idea how any of this actually works, but he does very much want to get back home again...

[crystalmaster]

Radley smiles a bit. "Yeah, you both are. I was just meeting with both of you, actually. As for paradoxes ... I have no idea if those are real." He sighs. "But I guess until we know for sure, we probably shouldn't chance it...."

[bondofblueeyes]

"You did?" Mokuba brightens up at this knowledge. "How much taller am I? Am I taller than my brother?"

[crystalmaster]

Radley is amused that Mokuba is fixated on that. "Oh, quite tall," he says with a thoughtful nod. "Almost as tall as your brother."

Radley himself is slightly taller than even Seto.

[bondofblueeyes]

"Yes!" He'll do a little fist pump of delight at that. "And how is Kaiba Corp doing?"

[crystalmaster]

"Very well," Radley smiles. "It was largely thanks to them that the City got back on its feet again. And they've just made a very lucrative deal with me."

[bondofblueeyes]

"Oh? What kind of deal?" He can't help but be curious when it concerns Kaiba Corp.

[crystalmaster]

"I'm going to supply a mineral they need to build high-tech motorcycles," Radley smiles. "Some people actually duel on motorcycles here. I'm not that daring myself, but it pays big money to be involved in the industry."

[bondofblueeyes]

"Motorcycles? How does that work?" It sounds pretty cool but he wonders about the logistics of it too.

[crystalmaster]

"They have an Auto Pilot feature that can be turned on so you can devote your full attention to the duel," Radley says. "Or if you're really feeling daring, you can try to multitask. You actually have to duel without the Auto Pilot to qualify for an operating license. The motorcycles are called Duel Runners and they have a special compartment to place a Duel Disk and another to shuffle a deck."

[bondofblueeyes]

He tries to picture what that looks like in his head. "Isn't that... pretty dangerous?" It's like texting and driving at the same time...

[crystalmaster]

Radley smirks. "I sure think so. That's why I'm not daring enough to try it. We still duel the old-fashioned way back in my town."

[bondofblueeyes]

"Oh, so your motorcycle isn't a Duel Runner?" He leans to the side to get a better look at it. It's still a motorcycle, so he thinks it's still pretty cool.

[crystalmaster]

"It's a Harley," Radley says proudly. "It's not a Duel Runner, but it's a sweet ride."

[bondofblueeyes]

Hmm... "Well..." He looks back and forth between the guy and the motorcycle, a mix of wistfulness and wariness. If he hops on the back of a motorcycle with a person he just met, things had the potential to go bad... but... he's in the future with no idea how he got here and he's kind of own his own and this person hasn't done anything that makes Mokuba feel like he should be wary of him...

"What do you think I should do now...?"

[crystalmaster]

"I think we need to figure out how you got here and how to get you home," Radley says. "Can you think of anyone who might have ideas about that?" If not, Radley will try someone he knows.

[bondofblueeyes]

"The only person I can think of smart enough to work something like that out is my brother..." Mokuba admits.

[crystalmaster]

"... Well, we can try it, but do you think he'll believe it's not a trick?" Radley says. "Or that we can avoid you seeing the other you?"

[bondofblueeyes]

"Hmm..." He thinks about it for a moment. "If I tell him something only I would know, that should make him believe me, right? We'd just have to distract the other me and get him away somehow..."

[crystalmaster]

"Yes, I'd think that would work," Radley muses. "The other you might have some work to do on the deal we were setting up, so he might not be there."

[bondofblueeyes]

"If he is, do you think you might be able to lure him away so I can get in there and talk with my brother on my own...?"

[crystalmaster]

"Yes, we can try that," Radley says. "I can certainly come up with something distracting."

He heads towards the building. "Let's go in the back way."

[bondofblueeyes]

"Lead the way!" Mokuba follows along after him, excited about seeing what future Kaiba Corp is going to look like, how different it is, and seeing what he and his brother look like when they're older... Probably not a good idea to see himself face to face, but there's got to be a picture or something to look at. But even with that excitement, there's still a little undercurrent of fear about not being able to get back... But no, he's sure his brother will find a way to fix it. Seto always does.

[crystalmaster]

Radley leads him inside and into the back elevator. There's not a lot to see there, except the elevator itself seeming more high-tech. When they get off on the top floor, there are photographs of some of the current KaibaCorp tech on the walls. By now there are KaibaLands all over the world. One picture shows the U.K. branch from the sky.

Down the hall, Seto can be heard talking on the phone. He sounds much the same, maybe a little deeper.