Yu-Gi-Oh!

Our Place in Time

By Lucky_Ladybug

Notes: The characters are not mine and the story is! This takes place in my post-series Pendulum Swings verse, which redeems the Big Five and Yami Bakura. The idea of the Big Five wanting to legally adopt each other as family was inspired by Crystal Rose of Pollux. Other major story inspiration comes from watching season 4 some more. Thanks to Azalea542 for various advice throughout!

Chapter One

The scene was cold, harsh. From the rows of beings lined up and facing each other, it was obviously a battle about to begin—but a battle unlike any other. Aside from one human, one side consisted entirely of horroresque creatures bearing toothy grins and what looked like prototype Duel Disks. The other side had two humans in the lead, followed by several more humans and a cacophony of Duel Monsters of all sizes and types.

"Come on!" a familiar, deep voice exclaimed. "We have to get out of here now!" A man who looked like Charles Gansley dressed in ancient clothes ran around the side of a rock, his eyes filled with panic and fear.

Four other men chased after him.

"I still don't know that this is the right decision," one who resembled Thomas Johnson frowned.

"Look at it logically," a Robert Nesbitt lookalike retorted. "They're outnumbered! We've seen what that evil stone can do. Our presence won't make a positive difference. Besides, there's something much more pressing we have to do."

"I guess you're right," said an Adrian Crump double. "But if it was up to him, he'd be fighting himself!"

A small form suddenly streaked past the men, desperately running for the battle. Instead he was scooped up by the Démas Lector counterpart. Undaunted, the child screamed, desperately struggling to get out of the man's arms. "No! Critias!" He stretched out a frantic hand.

"We have to go!" the pseudo Lector exclaimed. "You know Critias wouldn't want you in the middle of all that!"

The group ran through a secret passageway into a darkened cave. The boy was clutching at his caretaker with one hand while still reaching out with the other. Tears filled his eyes as the stone wall slammed shut with a bang.

"Critias," he whispered, as his heartbroken voice echoed off the cave's sides.

Lector sat straight up in bed, his heart pounding. "What was that?" he gasped. He had had plenty of nightmares, but this was something else, something different. It had felt more like a vision, a scene from a distant past. But why on Earth would he dream about ancient versions of the Big Five all being there at the battle?!

He muttered to himself as he got out of bed. If he wasn't having nightmarish remembrances of the suffering they had been through, he was sleepwalking as the Purple Avenger in search of other dimensional counterparts of his friends who were suffering. And if not that, he was dreaming about ancient versions of all of them and an unknown child. Would he ever really be allowed a decent sleep?

He shuffled into the hall, hoping to find any of the others awake. He was gratified to see Gansley sitting at a small table and looking resigned and weary to not be asleep. The older man looked up, not entirely surprised to see Lector either. "You can't sleep either, eh?" he greeted.

"Unfortunately." Lector sank down at the other chair.

"Worrying about how the mini-submarine tests at Penguin World will go today? The arrival of our first penguins? Or bad dreams again?"

"Let's say bizarre dreams." Lector briefly hesitated before beginning to relay the dream's contents. He wanted to share them, really; that was why he had come looking for one of the others. And yet it was so outlandish that he really felt embarrassed to even be talking about it, even though he knew the others would never put him down for it.

Indeed, Gansley just listened, looking thoughtful. At the conclusion, he leaned back, pondering on what Lector had relayed to him.

"I don't know what to make of it," Lector said tiredly. "Would my mind have really made something like this up?"

"The mind can do outlandish things," Gansley intoned. "On the other hand, what if it actually is a scene from the past?"

"We know we had ancestors in Egypt," Lector said. "But that didn't look like Egypt."

"It certainly didn't sound like Egypt," Gansley agreed.

"And all of you except me had light skin, like here," Lector said. "I would assume that in Egypt, all of our ancestors had tan skin."

"Perhaps," Gansley mused. "Or perhaps some of them came from other lands. Kaiba's ancestor was no doubt infuriated by the racial prejudice against that girl who had light skin. He may have tried to change public opinion by hiring some protectors of different races. Eh. It doesn't really matter now."

Lector sighed. "I'm just trying to figure out what was going on in my dream and where it was."

"Were there any names mentioned?" Gansley asked.

"Just Critias," Lector said. "That means nothing to me."

"Nor to me," Gansley mused.

For a moment they just sat in silence, pondering on the oddity. But there didn't seem to be any answers to be had. Lector really wanted to believe it was just a dream anyway, even though it seemed unlikely, so he tried to change the topic.

"I'm surprised Nesbitt isn't wide-awake, considering that his invention will be front and center tomorrow."

"He might very well be wide-awake and just hasn't come out of his room yet," Gansley said. "And Crump is no doubt excitedly anticipating our first batch of penguins."

Lector gave a fond smirk. "No doubt.

"And what about you?" he wondered. "What got you up?"

"I'm not even fully sure," Gansley said. "Suddenly I was just awake—no memory of dreaming, no strange sounds that disturbed me. . . ." He shook his head. "And I can't say I was terribly surprised to see you getting up."

"Yes, I suppose my sleep problems are almost legendary by now," Lector drawled with a tired sigh. "I wonder if that other me has such trouble as well."

"Well, whether he does or not, he and you both have some very devoted friends to help out wherever needed," Gansley commented.

Lector smiled a bit. ". . . That other Gansley . . . he told his Lector that he saw him as a son. . . ."

"Yes, he did," Gansley said.

"They're only fifteen years apart in age," Lector said. "It doesn't seem strange to you?"

"Heh. The other me and I probably look older than we actually are," Gansley pointed out. "And feel older."

"And you wouldn't consider it an insult if one of us told you that you're like a father to him?" Lector asked.

Gansley gave him a crooked smile. "More than one of you already did."

Lector's eyes flickered in his surprise. "We did?!"

Gansley nodded. "Crump has told me I'm 'Team Dad.' And after you ran yourself ragged blasting every enemy in sight with your ring during the Reshef mess, you deliriously reached up to me and called 'Father.' I thought at first that you were remembering when your father had been kind to you and that you were thinking of him. Later I started to wonder more seriously if I was wrong and you had actually meant me."

Lector averted his gaze. "I don't remember that, but I'm sure I did." He looked back to Gansley. "You honestly are like a father, Gansley. I've thought of you like that for a long time. I only feel that way all the more now that my actual father betrayed me. You are a far better father to me than he was."

"And yet ironically, had you been my son, I probably would have raised you to be ruthless and cold, like me," Gansley said. "Your father raised you to be a man of honor, yet he himself had none." He smiled more. "But I am honored to be considered like your father. You are like a son to me. So are Nesbitt and Johnson."

"What about Crump?" Lector wondered.

"Crump . . . I'm not sure how I think of Crump, being that he's only five years younger than me," Gansley said in a bit of amusement. "Of course, every one of you is a dear friend to me, and my family."

"And I am glad of that as well," Lector said.

"You know somethin' I've been thinkin'?"

They both jumped a mile. Crump had emerged from his room, yawning yet seeming quite awake. Nesbitt and Johnson were coming out of their rooms as well.

"What is it, Crump?" Gansley asked.

"Well, we know we're all family," Crump said. "I've kinda been wondering off and on if we might like to make that official. Like, legally adopting each other as family, you know?"

"Hmm. An interesting idea." Gansley looked thoughtful. "I hadn't thought of it, but it does sound appealing."

"Especially when we never know what's going to come at us next," Johnson said. "It might be nice to do it during a peaceful time."

"I would like that," Nesbitt spoke up.

"I certainly do," Lector said. "I'm all for it."

"As am I," Gansley said. "Let's do it."

"Great!" Crump chirped.

Nesbitt looked around at them. "So why are we all up anyway?"

"Nerves about tomorrow?" Gansley suggested. He looked to Crump. "Or excitement in your case, Crump?"

"I am pretty pumped," Crump said. "We're finally getting some of the penguins!"

"He's like a child on Christmas Eve," Johnson remarked.

"Of course," Gansley said in amusement.

Lector gave a tired smile. "I still don't know what to make of why I'm up. . . ."

"Not more sleepwalking!" Crump yelped.

"Thankfully, no," Lector said. "But it is something strange."

For the second time he relayed his bizarre dream. Crump, Nesbitt, and Johnson listened, bewildered.

"You sure have the doozies," Crump exclaimed at the end.

"Don't I know it," Lector sighed.

"That Critias thing . . . that sounds familiar to me, but I can't place it right now," Crump went on. He yawned. "Maybe after some more sleep. . . ."

"Then let's all try, shall we?" Gansley said. "We need to be in top form for the tests."

Everyone agreed, and started to shuffle off to their rooms. Lector caught up with Nesbitt. "Are you nervous about tomorrow?" he asked. "You haven't really said."

Nesbitt shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. "Mostly I'm confident that everything will be fine. I know I'm a good engineer and I'm always proud of my work. But there's always a part of me that worries about things going wrong. I could have made a miscalculation that would cause a grave error . . . even though I don't really think so."

"I don't think so either," Lector said, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"And the first penguins are showing up sooner than expected because they need to be relocated right away," Nesbitt continued. "I don't know if I'm ready for that either."

"I'm not sure myself," Lector said. "But the facility is ready to receive them, and Crump certainly is. He'll be dealing with them the most."

Nesbitt nodded. "Well . . . I guess we'd better try to get to bed, like Gansley said. We'll deal with whatever happens when it happens."

Lector gave an encouraging nod. "Of course we will."

xxxx

The rest of the night passed peacefully, and without any more bizarre dreams for any of them. When they arrived at Penguin World after a hasty breakfast, they found Yugi and everyone else waiting for them.

"Hi, guys!" Yugi beamed.

"You all came for the tests?" Nesbitt said in surprise.

"We wouldn't miss it!" Téa said with a thumbs-up. "We know the park isn't officially open yet, but we thought you might make exceptions for us."

"Of course," Gansley said. It was strange, how close they had all become over the past year. Yugi and the others fully accepted the Big Five as part of the extended group, and the Big Five were happy with that. They considered the kids their friends too.

"I'm here too!" Mokuba beamed. "Seto was too busy, but I wanted to make time to come!"

Lector smiled. "I'm glad you came, Mokuba."

Nesbitt himself made the first test as a passenger. The miniature submarine worked perfectly, diving under the pond, allowing for observation through the heavily reinforced windshield, and featuring a periscope for close-up view. He returned to the surface with pride shining in his eyes. "Everything is working perfectly," he announced.

"Awesome!" Joey grinned. "Do we get to test it too?"

"Of course," Nesbitt said. "It's built to hold up to twelve people at a time."

The rest of the Big Five, as well as Yugi and the others, were all impressed with the machine. Several tests were made, including taking it around the length of the pond, and all was just as it should be.

"I knew you'd make something amazing!" Crump exclaimed.

"You should be very proud," Lector smiled.

"And I'm sure he is," Johnson half-quipped.

Gansley smiled too. "I imagine this will be among the most popular attractions."

Nesbitt was definitely soaking up the praise. "I always strive for perfection," he said.

"And you've got it!" Téa said. "This is so cool!"

Mokuba was definitely impressed too. "Are you planning to make more of these?" he asked. "I know it's gonna be super popular and everybody's gonna want to ride it! With only twelve seats, the lines are gonna be ginormous!"

"For now it's just one to try out how well it works," Nesbitt said, "but I imagine there will be more later."

Crump nodded. "However many can safely fit in here without crowding the penguins," he said. "Maybe we'll end up having more than one pond so we can have more subs!"

Serenity looked thoughtful. "I wish we had some penguins to watch when we're under the water now," she mused.

"You will soon!" Crump said. "The rescue place had to hurry and relocate the first batch of penguins they were sending over. They're coming today!"

"Is that enough time?" Bakura asked in concern.

Lector nodded. "Thankfully, we're ready."

The penguins arrived while Yugi and the rest were still there. Most immediately leaped into the water and started swimming or jumping. A few wandered into the indoor enclosures and happily waddled amid the simulated snow and ice.

"Well, so far, so good," Johnson said in relief.

". . . They really are cute," Téa said. "I kind of understand more why Crump is so nuts about them."

"So what's the story behind this batch?" Tristan wondered. "I mean, why aren't they in Antarctica, why are they coming here, that kind of thing."

Crump was just standing and watching his beloved birds in proud awe. "Habitats got destroyed, mostly," he said. "Stupid global warming."

Nesbitt, who didn't really believe so much in global warming, or climate change, or whatever people wanted to call it, didn't comment. He and Crump had gotten into that argument many times in the past and he certainly didn't want to re-hash it here.

"And some of them got caught in oil spills or nets," Crump continued. "These guys were found in various locations, hurt and some of them needing nourishment they couldn't find."

The handler nodded. "Penguins in captivity is always a controversial topic, but most of the penguins in this batch need it because for one reason or another, they can't be returned to the wild due to their injuries. Then there's a few we just want to be able to study up close, and a few more we're hoping to use to expand the number of them out there. The Macaroni Penguin is threatened, and the Emperor Penguin is getting there."

"Macaroni?!" Joey stared.

"It's got nothing to do with pasta," Crump said.

The handler nodded. "See those penguins with the fancy yellow crests on the rocks?"

Téa couldn't refrain from a shiver. "Okay, those guys look like thin, black-and-white versions of Nightmare Penguin."

Crump gave her a sympathetic look. He definitely regretted how he had terrorized her. "Well, when they were named, those crests looked like fancy, flamboyant stuff they called 'macaroni,'" he explained. "That's what the song Yankee Doodle is talking about too."

"That song never did make any sense to me," Joey said. "Now it does!"

Crump looked around. "So, is that everybody?"

"One more," the handler said. "He's being lazy today." She rapped on the side of the van. "Okay, you. Come on out! Everybody else is already exploring!"

Nesbitt stared in shock as the last penguin finally emerged . . . and it was almost as tall as Yugi and Mokuba. "What the . . . ?!"

The huge penguin gave him a deadpan look, opened its beak and flapped its flightless wings, and screeched. Nesbitt jumped back.

The handler looked amused. "You've never seen an Emperor Penguin before? They grow up to four feet in height."

". . . I've never seen any penguins up close until today," Nesbitt admitted, suddenly feeling embarrassed. Here he was, helping to open and run a penguin sanctuary, and he had never met the birds before. Then again, most of the others were in the same position.

"This is George," the handler told him.

"Oh. The one who likes offices," Nesbitt grunted.

"We never did figure out how he kept escaping," she said with a laugh, "but we'd be minding our own business and he'd come walking in like he owned the place."

"Then he'll probably pull that stunt on us too," Nesbitt said.

"Probably," the handler said. "Just remember, Emperor Penguins start getting uncomfortable if temperatures go past about 68 degrees Fahrenheit."

"We're not going to have to keep the offices cold, are we?" Lector exclaimed, raising an eyebrow.

"It should be fine," the handler said. "George walks around, explores everything, and goes back to the enclosure when he gets too hot."

"I would love to know how he always gets out," Téa commented.

"So would we," the handler chuckled. "Let us know if you find out."

For some time everyone observed the various penguins and their various antics. Joey's jaw dropped when they started leaping out of the water and onto the simulated snow in the indoor enclosures. "How the heck do they jump that high?!" he exclaimed.

"Penguins are really talented," Crump chirped. "Wait'll you see what else they can do!"

"I don't see the infamous blue penguins you were talking about," Gansley grunted.

"Well, they're more into warmer weather and hang out in New Zealand and Australia," Crump admitted. "For the time being, we're focusing on the kinds of penguins who like it colder. But there's nothing to say we couldn't get the other kinds eventually too!"

Joey blinked at him. "There's penguins that like warm weather?"

"Yeah, a whole bunch of them!" Crump exclaimed. "What's really weird for a lot of people to think about is that there's actually more warm-weather penguin species than cold-weather penguin species!"

"Eh?" Joey stared. "That's weird."

While Crump started elaborating on his knowledge of warm-weather penguins, Yugi suddenly got distracted by a message coming in on his phone. He looked down at it in surprise.

"What is it?" Tristan asked.

"It's from Rebecca," Yugi told him. "She said she and her grandfather are coming up here to talk about a new discovery he's made about Atlantis. And Mako is with them!"