Pegasus leaned back and stared at his unexpected guest distrustfully.  He didn't have the Eye anymore so his ability to read Kaiba-boy's mind  was kaput, but that didn't mean he couldn't read the boy's expression.  Nor could he forget what he'd seen in Kaiba's head.

The mind in Kaiba-boy's young body was old; older than every mind he had ever touched. It was slippery and conniving and serpentine and alien.  It was hard to believe something like it even existed in this world. It  was more akin to nightmare fodder and the darkest fears of humanity,  less so the sunlit world of reality. Yet, despite all of that, or  perhaps because of that, Pegasus knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Seto Kaiba would have defeated him in a fair duel.

Now that thing  was standing in front of him, in his private home in the mountains of  Colorado. How the snake found him was... Well actually, considering  Kaiba-boy managed to hack into Pegasus' systems and change the course of  that ill-fated duel with Yugi by dissolving the Blue Eyes White Dragon,  tracking Pegasus' location shouldn't be too hard. Still, it wasn't  something Pegasus found particularly pleasant to think about.

After  that long-winded explanation, however curt and sharp tongued it might  have been, Pegasus was willing to give the snake the benefit of the  doubt. After everything Pegasus had seen with Shadi and the Millennium  Eye, it made sense. The flashes of glowing gold eyes, the pyramids in  the sky he'd always thought were the disjointed images of a dream, and  the sight of enormous stone blocks falling to crush him only for his  mind to wake up before they hit... Everything was unbelievable and yet so  incredibly real.

Leaning back on his deck chair, Pegasus sipped  his wine and regarded the Goa'uld before him. "You didn't have the  Millennium Rod with you when you came to my little island kingdom," he  said, lifting a perfectly plucked eyebrow inquisitively.

"Your gun carrying goons didn't give me much choice in the matter," Kaiba-boy said dryly.

"Understandable," Pegasus admitted, nodding elegantly. "No hard feelings, I hope."

Sharp blue eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't push your luck."

Pegasus  lifted his wine glass in a show of gratefulness. "I admit," he began,  "I wasn't expecting your reply to my email to be so," he hummed,  "personal."

"I find often the less informed someone is, the more  often they tend to act recklessly," Kaiba-boy said, turning to gaze out  at the view from the patio. "Recklessness can too easily be deadly."

"Coming from you, that's rich," Pegasus scoffed.

"Coming  from the person who kidnapped my little brother and stole more than one  soul just to see their long dead lover," blue eyes flashed gold,  "you're one to talk."

Ooh, nicely done. That was a particularly  needling attack. Pegasus set his wine glass down on the table by his  reclining chair and crossed his legs at the ankles.

"Well," he  said, adopting a calm, casual demeanor, "as much as I appreciate this  astonishing show of trust," mm, yes, that was a very impressive glare,  "I'm afraid I'm unsure of the purpose of your presence here. You could  have simply told me everything over email or a phone call."

"After how easily I hacked you before?" Kaiba scoffed. "Don't be more stupid than you already are."

"Hmm, point."

They  sat in silence that was surprisingly companionable. Pegasus wondered at  the oddness of the situation. Despite their animosity and obvious  reasons to despise one another, Kaiba-boy seemed to be calm.  Fascinating.

"Why are you here, Kaiba-boy?" he asked finally. "I was under the impression you would prefer it if I was six feet under."

"I do."

Ouch. Hurtful.

"But  I've dealt with enemies worse than you," the Goa'uld said, dipping his  chin so his glacial eyes continued to stare out over the mountains from  under brown fringe only a few shades darker than his skin. "I know what  you're capable of and, quite frankly, it's nothing I can't handle."

So hurtful. "You seemed to disagree when I stole your soul," Pegasus countered, reaching for his wine once more.

Ah.  Finally, a chink in that millennia thick armor. It was faint, but  Pegasus could just make out the slightest narrowing at the corner of a  blue eye and thinning of Kaiba's mouth.

"I wasn't at my best."

Probably true. Pegasus had been well aware of Kaiba-boy's six month coma. He'd been hoping the older Kaiba would stay  in a coma long enough for Mokuba to give him the access codes to the  KaibaCorp mainframe and complete his hostile takeover. If he'd just had a  few more days...

It probably wouldn't have ended the way he wanted  anyway. Yugi-boy's mind shuffle with that mysterious spirit had been  deviously clever. When Yugi's energy finally couldn't take the strain  and the spirit had faced the duel alone, Pegasus had been certain of  victory. He still couldn't figure out how Yugi-boy's friends had been  able to block the Millennium Eye's powers. It was a problem his mind  continued to dwell on even now.

Ah.

"You were alone when you  faced me," Pegasus murmured. "I was initially under the impression you  and Yugi-boy had teamed up to help you get to me. But that wasn't true  at all, was it?"

The silence was answer enough.

"How long  have you been alone, Kaiba-boy?" he asked, bringing his wine to his lips  thoughtfully. His eyes never leaving Kaiba's face. "It must have been a  while," he continued. "How many faces have you forgotten? How many  people have you watched from birth to death?"

"Is there a point to your mindless chatter?" Kaiba snapped without the usual heat but with all the typical sharpness.

Pegasus  grinned and sipped his wine. "Just making friendly conversation," he  said, choosing to ignore the glare tossed his direction. "You were the  one who came to me and brought a rather fanciful story with you." He  held up a hand to forestall the sharp retort he knew would come. "I  believe you. But that doesn't mean your story is any less fantastic."

Blue  eyes narrowed briefly before turning back out to the tree covered  mountains. Pegasus studied the Goa'uld with the young face closely as he  continued to sip his wine. He had never had much contact with either of  the Kaiba brothers before his ill-fated Duelist Kingdom venture. The  few times he'd met the elder Kaiba face to face, he'd been intrigued by  the serious, no-nonsense attitude. For someone whose entire living was  centered around the world of gaming, Pegasus expected a personality more  akin to his own or little Mokuba's.

Hmm, now there was a thought.  Did little Mokuba know the truth of his big brother's existence?  Unlikely. Pegasus wondered mildly what little Mokuba would think of his  big brother keeping secrets from him.

Oh? It was subtle, but  Pegasus noticed when blue eyes stopped scanning the horizon and locked  onto a single target at the same time the tension eased from Kaiba-boy's  shoulders. So the Goa'uld hadn't just been looking out there to avoid  meeting Pegasus one-eyed gaze. Most curious.

Glancing over the  stone railing of the patio, Pegasus followed Kaiba-boy's gaze. He wasn't  sure what he was expecting, but a bird of prey gliding over the tree  tops was, while interesting, a bit underwhelming. As they watched, the  hawk began to gain altitude, flapping its wings and continuing at speed  towards Pegasus' patio. Hmm, it might make a low pass over their heads.  That would be a treat.

Why was Kaiba-boy raising his arm- Ah.  Well, that was a bit more interesting. Pegasus watched as the gray  winged raptor backwinged abruptly and extended its talons to land on  Kaiba-boy's raised forearm. The bird fluffed the white feathers on its  headed as it settled its wings comfortably on its back and clacked its  beak.

"Friend of yours?" Pegasus asked wryly.

"Of a sort,"  Kaiba said, running two fingers gently down the side of the raptor's  neck earning him some nibbles from the sharp beak. "She's one of mine."

"One of yours?" Pegasus asked, studying the bird with interest.

There  were no visible tresses he usually saw on hawks trained by professional  falconers. Also, he only wore a long midnight blue trench coat over a  long-sleeved black turtleneck. Pegasus knew from reports that this  particular coat was bulletproof but he was certain those razor sharp  talons were still pricking Kaiba-boy's skin.

"You accessed the Shadow Realm during your duel with me and Yugi," Kaiba said.

The  abrupt change of subject wasn't unexpected but the new topic was.  Shifting in his seat, Pegasus crossed his legs and lowered his wine  glass to his lap.

"I did, yes," he said, studying Kaiba-boy's expression.

"Can you still touch the Shadows?" Kaiba asked, his gaze unerringly catching and holding Pegasus'.

Ah.  "You're referring to the disturbance from the other day," he said,  leaning back in his chair, aware of the attentive pair of blue eyes on  him. Interestingly enough, it seemed a pair of hawkish amber were also  studying him. If he didn't know better, he would swear the bird's gaze  was as intelligent as Kaiba-boy's.

One of his.

Oh. Bloody hell.

"You can still touch them then," Kaiba said, lowering his arm so the hawk could lift her wings to catch a light breeze.

"I  can," Pegasus replied, now keeping a sharp eye on the bird that may be  more than just a bird. "The Millennium Eye may have given me direct  access to the Shadow Realm, but its... removal," if he could call having  the golden Item being ripped from his face by that insane brat a mere  'removal', "hasn't taken away by Shadow powers. Granted, I can't read  minds or enact Shadow Games anymore but I can still see into the Shadow  Realm itself. It helps creating new cards for your favorite game."

"And noticing when something doesn't belong," Kaiba finished.

"Two  somethings actually," Pegasus commented, sipping his wine. He didn't  miss the subtle widening of Kaiba-boy's blue eyes. "You didn't notice?"

"I noticed the disturbance," he said, pulling the raptor close to his chest.

The  hawk let out a shrill trill followed by a chirp before hopping from  Kaiba-boy's arm to his shoulder and turning to face Pegasus, flapping  her wings to maintain balance. Her eyes flashed gold and a chill  traveled up his spine. He was right. That bird was like Kaiba-boy.

One of his. How many more were there?

"But  not the number of them," Pegasus commented, relaxing in his seat and  mulling over the news. "It would seem that while you have access to the  raw power of the Shadow Realm, you cannot detect the minor fluctuations  within it like I can." Ah. "That's why you came here in person," he  murmured in realization. "You were tracking those disturbances." He  pouted. "And here I thought you just wanted to visit with little ole  me."

Kaiba-boy sneered and the hawk shrieked, lifting her wings to appear larger than she was.

"You are trying my patience," the Goa'uld hissed.

"And  you're still in my home by my goodwill," Pegasus countered. "I have  free reign here. If you don't like it, feel free to leave at any time."

Kaiba  scoffed and looked back out over the mountains. "Do you know the cause  of the disturbances?" he asked instead of pursuing the argument.

"No,"  Pegasus admitted. "I can say it was... an odd feeling." He hummed,  choosing his words carefully. "It felt like seeing two ripples where the  surface should be smoothe and undisturbed."

Kaiba's chin dipped. "I see." For several moments he said nothing. Then, "Is there a military base nearby?"

Odd  question, that. "Quite a few. Most of them are near Colorado Springs to  the south," Pegasus replied, nodding to the view. "Why?"

At  first, Kaiba didn't reply. He just stared to the south in silence. Once  again, Pegasus dearly wished he still had the Eye to see into that  deviously brilliant mind. Even without seeing Kaiba-boy's true nature,  Pegasus had been intrigued by the KaibaCorp CEO's calculating blue gaze  and cunning nature. What he would give to have that mind under his  control.

"How many of them are underground?" Kaiba demanded without explanation.

Pegasus  blinked and frowned. "How would I know?" he said in indignation. "I  have no dealings with the military. You should know more about them than  me," he added slyly.

"Gozaburo is dead," Kaiba said in an icy tone. "All military contact died with him."

True.  Pegasus sighed loudly. "The only military base I know anything about is  Cheyenne Mountain Complex, southwest of Colorado Springs," he admitted  finally. "It's an old Cold War bunker built into the side of a mountain.  NORAD is also based there, I believe."

Without a word of gratitude -rude- Kaiba-boy turned on his heel and made his way towards Pegasus' home.

"Leaving  already?" Pegasus called, not expecting a reply. "I suppose I should  just keep my mouth shut about your... affliction then, shall I?"

The glare he got in reply was particularly vicious and made him chuckle. He waved off the icy fury.

"Yes,  yes. Who would I tell? It's not like anyone would believe me anyway.  Although," he drawled, making a show of thinking, "perhaps your little  brother should know?"

"Tell him and you won't survive the day, Pegasus."

It  took a significant amount of self-control to not shudder at the threat.  One look at those eyes which were not entirely human and Pegasus could  actually believe Kaiba was fully capable of carrying out the threat. He  held his tongue as he watched Kaiba step through the doors and into  Pegasus' home. His bodyguards would make sure the Goa'uld left the  property.

Goa'uld. Such a simple word for such a  complex being. Pegasus grinned. He looked forward to facing Kaiba-boy  again. This time, he would allow the Goa'uld the extra distance he  requested the first time they faced off. Snakes were fascinating, but  venomous snakes were best observed from a safe distance.

~~XxX~~

Seto  leaned into the next turn on the winding mountain road. He could feel  it singing in his nerves and reverberating in his senses. With every  curve of the road, he could feel himself coming closer to it. It loomed  and resonated with the naquadah in his veins. It was definitely here.

He  rounded another corner and passed a parking lot on the left. He must be  getting close and... Yes. There we go. He slowed down to make the 180  degree curve and rode into the parking lot, pulling into the first open  parking spot he found on the far side of the lot. He sat on his white  and blue motorcycle for several seconds, staring at the tunnel entrance  to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex.

The Chappa'ai was here. He was  so close to it. He hadn't been this close to the device for thousands of  years. He forgot how it made him feel. He felt like iron shavings  shivering from the pull of a nearby magnet, just waiting for an excuse to jump towards the pull.

When  other Goa'uld had been nearby, the pull of the Chappa'ai was nothing  but background noise. But now that he was alone, the pull was immediate  and insistent. Now that he was here, he couldn't find it within him to  leave. Not without seeing it.

Besides, the fact the disturbance he and Pegasus felt in the Shadows was here as well just gave him more reason to stay.

Feathers  rustling was the only warning he got before Neith landed on his  handlebars. Ignoring her, he dismounted his motorcycle and propped it on  the kickstand. Stepping back, he removed his helmet and opened the  storage compartment. He pulled out his Millennium Rod and the bag of his  personal belongings and stored his helmet in their place. Setting the  bag on the seat, he unzipped it and checked to be sure the contents  survived the trip. He had prioritized speed over comfort and although  his tech was designed to be durable it did have its limits.

The  protective leather case for his Deck was unharmed and he could feel the  Monsters within slumbering undisturbed like a dull buzz. His wallet and  passport were also undamaged as were the two pieces of Goa'uld  technology he'd chosen to bring with him.

He'd debated leaving  them with his bodyguard Isono Roland at his hotel but ultimately decided  against it. He didn't plan on fighting, but he hadn't planned on the  military showing up at Setesh's compound either. Seto didn't have  Jounouchi's luck with him today. Then again, he hadn't had it for 5,000  years and he'd survived. If he had to get out in a hurry, he was fully  capable of doing so. He would just prefer not to.

He tucked his  wallet and Japanese passport into his inner breast pocket of his coat  and the Goa'uld technology into his right black pants pocket. The  Millennium Rod he secured next to his Deck on his belt. Then he stuffed  the empty bag underneath the helmet, shut the compartment lid, and armed  the biometric electric lock. Satisfied, he turned and made his way to  the entry.

Seto could feel the Chappa'ai in the facility but he  wasn't sure where in the facility it was. An escort would work wonders.  Seto didn't look military nor did he look like a scientist. Besides,  since the Chappa'ai was likely controlled by the military, a military  officer would be best to act as his escort.

And it seemed Ra blessed him with an opportunity.

~~XxX~~

Captain  James Baker was finally heading home after the end of his shift. He had  a slight headache from staring at the computer readouts in the dim  lighting of the base but he loved his job. Every time he stopped to  think about it, actually think about in detail, he felt all giddy inside. Aliens. Real live aliens were real and he got to crunch the numbers for the data retrieved from the off-world missions.

Although  he'd never been on an off-world mission yet, he had hopes that he would  one day. This was better than the dreams he once had to go to Mars. Now  he had the chance to go to a whole 'nother solar system. It was mind bogglingly aweso-

A  shadow moved nearby and James looked up in time to see a gray and white  hawk land on the corner of the roof on one of the nearby buildings. He  smiled to himself. Traveling to other worlds was fantastic and a dream  come true, but he loved Earth with all his heart. He wouldn't live  anywhere else.

"Excuse me."

Startled out of his thoughts,  James looked up, blinking in the bright sunlight. The person who stood  in front of him was a young man, no older than twenty at most, with  brown hair and blue eyes that stood out starkly against a tan face. The  stranger spoke English but had an accent that sounded Japanese. He  wasn't dressed like the usual civilians and guests who visited Cheyenne  Mountain but he was polite. Perhaps he was meeting someone or picking  someone up.

"Yes sir," the young captain replied.

The  person's hand dropped to rest on his hip and the captain tensed but no  weapon was drawn. The hand simply rested there as if it was a habitual  move and not intended to be threatening. Nevertheless-

"The Chappa'ai," the stranger said in curt, clipped tones. "Where is it?"

Chappa'ai. Only Teal'c and the few Tok'ra James had contact with referred to the Stargate as 'Chappa'ai.'

"You  know where it is," the young man murmured in realization, his accent  thickening. Blue eyes flashed gold and James reached for his gun. "You  will take me to it and go about your business as usual. You will not  remember me or this little excursion. If anyone asks, you will simply  tell them you were following orders. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir," James said, relaxing and saluting his commander. "This way sir."