Seeing Immortals

Story
At the hospital, Crow and Axel put a shroud over Fonda Fontaine’s body. The hospital is clamoring with activity, several nurses and doctors running around. Several nurses push a stretcher, where Téa is on a ventilator, them rushing her for surgery. Yami makes his way to the Psych Ward, where Professor Frank is working with Aster. Skurd is on a bed stand next to him.

Frank: Now, Aster. I’m going to recite a series of words to you, and I want you to repeat them back to me. Apple. Cherry. Gondola. Porcupine. Silver.

Aster: (Slightly elated) Popcorn. Seasoned Termites. Teeth. Nitrogen hydroxide. Hypnotick.

Skurd: Oh, dear. You really are a mess, aren’t you?

Yami knocks on the door, coming in. Professor Frank stands up, going to talk with Yami.

Yami: How is he?

Frank: Cohesive. He recognizes what I am saying, and understands what I want him to do. However, his Broca’s area had received some neurological damage, and he has developed a case of Aphasia, specifically Broca’s Aphasia.

Yami: Uh, Professor? Pretend that I grew up in the East and have no clue what you just said.

Frank: (Sighs) Where to begin? The Broca’s area is the section of the brain that produces speech and allows for comprehension. Whatever happened to him out there caused damage to this area of the brain. Aphasia is the condition of a communication disorder, Broca’s Aphasia resulting in damage to Broca’s area.

Skurd: The exposure to the Nemetrix without a medium is too much for sapient creatures to bare. It caused this damage to his head, and is very lucky to not be suffering anything worse. That one guy from Kaiba Corp permanently became a hybrid.

Yami: Yeah, I’ve met him. Is there anything you can do for him?

Frank: With some luck, we’ll be able to rehabilitate him, but it will be a difficult procedure.

Skurd: If it’s a neurological problem, maybe Luna would be able to help and reconfigure his brain.

Yami: I’ll go inform Ishizu then. She can relay the message for me.

Skurd: The city was almost burnt to the ground and you still aren’t allowed to see her by her parents?! You need to grow a spine and confront them!

Yami: Says the creature without a spine.

Frank: The term is “invertebrate.”

Yami: Huh. Good to know.

Yami heads down the hall in the Psych Ward, passing Jack Atlas’ room. Jack is still horror struck from Toemech’s face, muttering “the horror.” Yami makes it to the end of the hall, standing outside the open door to Luna’s room. He hears excited chattering between Luna, Leo and their parents. Ishizu stands to the side, her leaving the room to join Yami.

Ishizu: Worried about them?

Yami: Yeah. They specifically targeted Luna, and the robot seemed to notice Leo’s presence as a good sign. Are you familiar with the name Yliaster? Apparently they go back thousands of years.

Ishizu: If it is, I’m not familiar with it. I’m only an expert on Egyptian history. I do, however, have a friend that is an expert in many ancient civilizations. Arthur Hawkins. I can reach out to him if you’d like.

Yami: Yeah. I want to meet him. Also, can you ask Luna to try and fix Aster’s mind? He needs some, assistance in getting his brain back in order.

Ishizu: Is there no reason you can’t ask her yourself?

Yami: I’m sure they’ve issued a restraining order by this point.

Yami walks past Ishizu, when the door opens.

Luna & Leo: Yami!

Luna and Leo run out and hug Yami, him returning it once he recovers from it.

Yami: Hey there, kids! Been too long, Leo! Loved that new suit of yours.

Leo: Heh-heh! Thanks! I added some power tools to it!

Luna: You did always love construction gear. You’re not leaving, are you? You were talking about meeting someone?

Yami gets ready to answer, as Mr. and Mrs. Muto come out, infuriated.

Mr. Muto: You again?! I thought I made it perfectly clear,

Yami: The kids came to me, not the other way around. I just needed a word with Ms. Ishizu here.

Mrs. Muto: Well, now that you’ve finished that, you can go. Otherwise, I’m sure there are plenty of cops in the building that I can have arrest you.

Leo: What?! You can’t arrest Yami? He’s a hero! He stopped that robot from destroying everything!

Luna: He saved me!

Mr. Muto: That robot was probably after his tainted blood!

Leo: Then he’s not the only one it was after!

Leo’s eyes glow turquoise, as his tool belt activates, the armor partially forming around his torso. Mr. and Mrs. Muto let out a scream of shock, moving backwards.

Mrs. Muto: Leo, what is?

Luna: We’re mutants. Both of us. You planned on taking us out of town, to get away from those you think are beneath you.

Mrs. Muto: What,

Luna: I can read your mind. And I refuse to leave. This is my home!

Mr. Muto: Your home is with us!

Luna: Then where have you been?! Why did you leave us here alone?!

Luna runs off crying, Leo taking off after her. Ishizu pursues them as well, the three stopping outside Aster’s room.

Ishizu: Luna,

Luna: You and Yami need to go see that guy. Stopping whoever was responsible for that attack is more important than caring for us. We’ve grown a lot. We can handle ourselves. Besides, I’m not leaving until I help Aster.

Ishizu nods her head, as Yami walks past. She joins him in his walk, not looking back. End Scene

A plane lands in San Francisco, Yami clenched up. Ishizu strokes his arm, relaxing him.

Ishizu: The flight is over. Relax.

Yami: That, was so much more terrifying when I can’t control my flight path.

Ishizu: Come on.

The two leave the airport, hailing a taxi. They arrive at a museum, going into a section focusing on Norse artifacts.

Yami: Norse?

Ishizu: The legends that inspired Asgard. The gods Odin, Thor and Loki were the prominent figures in this mythology.

Voice: These mythologies were very similar to other deities of the ancient world.

Yami and Ishizu turn, seeing Arthur Hawkins, an older man in a white colored suit, and his granddaughter Rebecca, a girl with blond hair in pigtails, wearing a blue dress, approach.

Arthur: Greek, Roman. They all have similar gods. But all ancient cultures have gods. The Nazca culture, in Peru, created the Nazca Lines, which could only be seen by the gods. The Norse…

Yami: Nazca lines?

Rebecca: The Nazca Lines are geological drawings in the desert of Peru, taking the shape of animals. Over seventy different animals have been discovered, and more are being discovered with shifting wind and weather. The snake line had recently been found.

Yami: Why would someone carve animals in the ground if no one could see them?

Rebecca: Grandpa, why are we talking with this idiot?

Arthur: Rebecca! I sincerely apologize, Yami. My granddaughter has always had difficulty with showing respect to her elders.

Yami: It’s cool. I’m smart in my specific area of expertise, but I don’t have much experience elsewhere.

Rebecca: Yami? The Yami?! You mean the half-breed that’s leading a revolution?!

Arthur: Rebecca!

Rebecca: What?

Ishizu: The term half-breed is an insult.

Rebecca: Oh, don’t worry. I meant it that way.

Yami: Okay, moving on. Professor Hawkins, what can you tell us about Yliaster?

Rebecca: Yliaster? It’s a cult. Spanning across several millennia and cultures. There earliest noted appearance were in the Andes, following the gods of the Nazca.

Yami: (Looking at Ishizu) I thought Arthur was the expert we were here for.

Arthur: My granddaughter is quite gifted, in her second year of college. She knows as much about the research that I study as I do, as well as being gifted in computer science.

Rebecca: And more. Now, after the Nazca, there are rumors of them being spread all over the world, despite no way of them being able to be linked together over the oceans. It is rumored that they had a part in the release of the shadow being that killed Pharaoh Atem.

Yami: Atem?

Ishizu: She refers to the Pharaoh that battled Zorc when he rose to power. The one you resemble.

Rebecca: Eh, not really.

Yami: This kid doesn’t like me.

Rebecca: They are said to create change when needed. When history needed help, they gave it a push. They supposedly helped Caesar rise to power, assisted in the defeat of Napoleon, killed Hitler at the end of WWII. And helped,

Voice: Create a requisite for the initial super soldier program, which combined human with alien DNA.

A chill goes down Yami’s spine, as he turns, his face looking white as a ghost. Gozaburo Kaiba walks towards them, his eyes black with orange irises and black lines going down his face.

Gozaburo: Well, their funds assisted in making the program. Upon realizing what we were doing, however, they backed out, assuming that would’ve stopped us. It didn’t, instead making the process, imperfect.

Yami: It can’t be.

Rebecca: Huh? Who’s that?

Ishizu: Gozaburo Kaiba. Former head of Kaiba Corp, and the one responsible for the hybrid crisis, in creating them and creating discrimination against them and their descendants. He’s,

Yami: Dead. Zorc consumed you! I saw it with my own eyes.

Gozaburo walks over to an exhibit of an urn featuring Thor, examining it. He keeps Yami and the others to his side, Yami activating the Dueltrix.

Gozaburo: Come now, Yami. Is that really necessary? You’re not acting like your cool, analytical self. You’re acting like you’ve seen a ghost.

Yami: How about you tell me how you survived?

Gozaburo walks on, examining a tablet.

Gozaburo: Upon being consumed by the darkness, I sunk into death. It is said, that when those favored by the gods die, they are given the opportunity to become a god themselves, and rise again. Hercules, upon death, rises into Olympus.

Rebecca: Get your facts straight. It was Heracles, not Hercules!

Gozaburo: That one shows no fear. Pity. Anyway, I was approached by a god, who promised to revive me when the time was right, to fulfill my desire for revenge.

Yami draws two cards as Gozaburo spins around, his arm outlined with a shadow phantom arm. The phantom arm stretches out and enlarges, going straight for the group. Ishizu moves in front and forms a mana shield, the fist going clean through it, grabbing Ishizu. Ishizu lets out a stifled scream, as her body turns into a black phantasm, being sucked into the hand. Gozaburo now glows with an aura matching his arm, it radiating brightly.

Rebecca: (Screams) Monster!

Yami: Clear the museum!

Yami slaps down the Dueltrix, transforming into Terrafoo. Terrafoo forms several mana sai, throwing them at Gozaburo. The aura takes the form of a blob like creature, the arm being part of it. The aura deflects the sai, as Terrafoo charges in. Gozaburo swings his fist while Terrafoo is still a bit aways, the phantom fist making it out to uppercut Terrafoo. Terrafoo does a gainer flip, the fist striking his shell, pushing him skyward.

Terrafoo: Cowabunga, dude!

Terrafoo forms a mana sword, impaling it into the ceiling to prevent him from hitting it. He swings backwards, then releases on the forward swing, going to kick Gozaburo. The phantom aura takes the blow, as Gozaburo grabs Terrafoo.

Gozaburo: I could absorb your essence right now, but that wouldn’t satisfy me in the slightest.

Gozaburo tosses Terrafoo aside, as Gozaburo walks towards the exit, where Arthur and Rebecca are leading the museum goers. Gozaburo throws a punch, the phantom fist shooting out. Arthur sees it coming.

Arthur: Look out!

Arthur shoves Rebecca away, her hitting the ground. The phantom fist goes through him as well as several others, them being turned into phantasms, sucked into the fist.

Rebecca: Grandpa!

Terrafoo forms a mana sword, going to cut through it. The sword phases through it, not hurting Gozaburo at all. He then throws the sword at Gozaburo, who’s phantom aura is solidifying, resembling a blob with a blue circle eye like Upgrade, several blue markings appearing on his shoulders and stomach. The sword gets stuck in the body, Gozaburo not even flinching at it.

Gozaburo: Of course, the god that I formed a bond with is known as an Earthbound Immortal. An evil spirit of the Nazca culture. From the Nazca lines, it is the Giant, Ccapac Apu.

Rebecca: Ccapac Apu? A Nazca god? No, impossible!

Terrafoo forms a mana staff, knocking Ccapac Apu’s fist away, it now hitting the solidified body. Terrafoo skids back, landing in front of Rebecca.

Terrafoo: One thing that I’ve learned in my life, kid, is that somethings can’t be explained in your textbooks. You’ve got to live it and face it head on. If he says he’s a god, you still have to fight it with all you’ve got.

Terrafoo reverts, as Yami draws two cards. Ccapac Apu swings another fist, it coming at them.

Rebecca: What are you doing?! Fight it or something!

Yami: No time to switch cards. I fuse Desert Storm with Green Skull! To create!

Yami slaps down the Dueltrix, transforming. He takes on Green Skull’s body shape, his entire body made out of sand, including his eyes. He has slits in his neck for his gills, and the Dueltrix symbol on his chest.

Desert Skull: Desert Skull!

The fist strikes Desert Skull, his entire sand body broken and scattered along the floor. Rebecca covers her eyes, as Ccapac Apu begins to walk forward towards her.

Gozaburo: You’ve grown weak, Yami. The professional underground fighter that I knew could pick the alien form that would defeat his foes with the swipe of a card.

Rebecca starts backing away from Gozaburo, her slipping on a patch of sand. The sand piles form slits for holes, as it blows an ultrasonic whistle, heard by neither of them. The sand recollects together, reforming Desert Skull.

Desert Skull: Okay. This doesn’t seem to be the best of forms, I’ll grant that. Let’s find out this form’s potential.

Desert Skull whistles, stretching a sand fist at Ccapac Apu, the sand being pulled from the rest of his body to do so. Ccapac swats the sand fist away, the sand scattering around. Desert Skull whistles and regains his sand, as his right arm shrinks while his left hand morphs into a mallet. Desert Skull charges forward, as Ccapac Apu swings another fist. Desert Skull right leg stretches as the left leg shrinks, him going over the fist and landing on the arm, the legs returning to regular size.

Gozaburo: So you can fight. Good. Give me a challenge! I want you desolated before I kill you!

Desert Skull swings the mallet hand at Ccapac Apu’s head, it hardening and slamming the giant’s head into the ground, shattering the tile flooring. Desert Skull hops off, whistling to restore his arms to normal.

Desert Skull: Rebecca! Get up! We’re leaving!

Rebecca gets up, as Desert Skull leads her out the doorway. Desert Skull faces the doorway and whistles, the sand from his arms and upper body coming off him, rising and expanding to fill the doorway, cutting them off from Ccapac Apu. Desert Skull is only left with a stick body torso, head and thin legs, as he runs after Rebecca. Ccapac Apu punches through the sand wall, it not budging.

Gozaburo: Impressive.

Ccapac Apu’s body fades away, leaving Gozaburo standing there in the Norse exhibit.

Gozaburo: So it is now a game of cat and mouse. Good. I was brought back to kill you. No reason to rush into it.

Characters

 * Yami
 * Ishizu Ishtar
 * Professor Frank
 * Aster Phoenix
 * Skurd
 * Luna
 * Leo
 * Mr. Muto
 * Mrs. Muto
 * Arthur Hawkins
 * Rebecca Hawkins
 * Téa (cameo)

Villains

 * Gozaburo Kaiba (revived)
 * Ccapac Apu

Aliens

 * Terrafoo
 * Desert Skull (first appearance)

Trivia

 * This episode features several historical facts, such as the Nazca culture and the newly revealed Snake Nazca line (relevant to the story), Heracles rising to become a god, the ancient cultures all sharing similar gods.
 * The talk of Aster's Broca's Aphasia comes from my Psychology classes.
 * Yami learns about the brain's Broca's Area and the term "Invertebrate" for the first time.
 * Mr. & Mrs. Muto learn their kids are mutants.
 * Yami flies on a plane for the first time.
 * This episode starts the Earthbound Immortal arc, where the Immortals merge with souls previously killed in the series to come back and seek revenge.
 * Gozaburo is the first to appear due to him being the first character in the series to be killed.