Men, Metal, and Monsters [PG-16/Started/Not Accepting]

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/254356-men-metal-and-monsters-pg-16startednot-accepting/

[center][font="Courier New"]June 26th, 1942
Above the Mediterranean Sea, Near Alexandria, Egypt[/font][/center]

On a Dakota transport plane, a group of soldiers, along with a small group of civilians, was headed for Alexandria, Egypt for a myriad variety of purposes. Some of them are there to set up shop to aid the soldiers stationed in the ancient port city. Some are soldiers themselves, ready to report to General Patton to help drive the Nazis out of Egypt. But one strange squad of soldiers, accompanied by a pair of equally odd civilians, had a slightly different purpose.
A young woman with red hair and heterochromatic eyes turned to the spiky-haired private sitting next to her. [color=#FF0000]"So, we're about to land soon."[/color] She told him in a Spanish accent. [color=#FF0000]"Are you alright, chico? You haven't said or done anything, except stare at that fancy pyramid thing."[/color]

[Hydra of Ages]

Shadi stared at the Millennium Puzzle from the corner of his eye.

[i]'So close, and yet so far,'[/i] he lamented to himself, trying to put the golden artifact out of his mind for the moment. He almost wished the plane's staff had distributed peanuts, like he knew civilian aircraft were prone to doing. He hadn't needed subsistence for thousands of years, but likewise he hadn't been active for thousands of years either. The moment the boulder that sealed his tomb had been cracked, the terms of his attachment to the earth changed. He had to consume energy, now, to keep the body he had become accustomed to. While he wasn't exactly hungry, absorbing the proteins in the nuts could have provided the distraction he needed to stop focusing on the stolen Millennium Puzzle.

The Puzzle was in his grasp. The fact that it wasn't literally in his hands was moot- he could have it at any time, if he wished. The difficulty was in the remaining items. It would require the utmost delicacy to remove them from their holders- or else, sufficient force. The thought that his beloved Key and Scales were being held by his supposed allies -artifacts tied to his very soul!- away from him grated him, but he recognized that other four that were in the most precarious position. If he were to recover the Millennium Items, he would need to start from there, and work his way backward- start at the most difficult, and work back to the easiest. That was the proper way to play he game.

The game. How stupid of them. The Millennium Items, and now potentionally the Egyptian Gods tapped, and for what purpose? Some measure of land? How utterly worthless.

[i]'Be still,'[/i] Shadi told himself, and the anger that had begun to build vanished. Shadi had long learned to master himself- a necessary skill to acquire when dealing with artifacts of power. He relaxed in his seat, his muscles relaxing as he attempted to blank himself in preparation of the next step of his plan. Always the next step.

He really wouldn't have minded some peanuts.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

A small white rabbit caught Crpl. Xiva Vulzah's attention. But this one was no ordinary rabbit: it was the infamous Inaba White Rabbit, the Duel Spirit that had accompanied Xiva all the time, ever since she begun service. It seemed to required feeding, so she fetched a carrot out of her pocket and placed it in front of the Inaba White Rabbit to eat.

She then turned her attention to her comrades, particularly the one with the strange pyramid-like artefact in his hands. All he seemed to do was merely stare at it without saying the slightest of words. And Xiva thought she was the quiet one. Nonetheless, she decided against breaking the silence, as she quite happened to like it.

[Eternal Duelist]

Cross looked around the plane. It wasn't his first time on one but the rather unusual collection of characters in it made him uneasy.

"Hey Ruby..." he muttered under his breath, "...are you sure tagging along with these guys will lead me to 'you-know-who'?"

The spirit of Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle faded into existence as he spoke and responded by giving a gentle nod before resting on his lap to take a nap.

"Hey! don't take a nap here! What if I have to pee!"

Cross quickly covered his mouth after saying this and realized that he raised his voice. He took a peek at the other seats to see if anyone noticed him before sighing. He stared at Ruby who seemed indifferent to his worries. He looked around once more just to make sure no one saw him and set Ruby on the empty seat next to him. He stood up and smiled at it before approaching a man with a turban on his head.

"Hel-lo Strange-er? Do yu-oo spea-k e-in-glish?"

[Immortal Chaos]

Kenji sat in his seat, legs crossed and wrists touching his knees. His eyes were closed as he tried his best to drown out the others and their antics. He found it especially hard at the phrase "What if I have to pee?", to which he had to try his hardest not to crack a smile. It was always difficult to meditate on a crowded plane, but seeing as he had missed his morning meditation to arrive on time for this flight, he figured now would be as best a time as any. He closed his eyes tighter as his hands gripped his knees, still trying to drown out everyone, but to no avail. Giving up on his meditation, he dropped his feet to the floor and opened his eyes, looking around at the others. His small sword sat in the chair next to him, which was impressive all its own, seeing as one shouldn't be allowed to carry a weapon into the terminal.

[Hydra of Ages]

Shadi didn't suffer fools.

Or at least he thought that he didn't. Years in the Pharaoh's Army had taught him that an idiot would always be an idiot, and it was best to not associate with them if possible. On occasion, a foreign dignitary would be a fool. These would be the dignitaries that Shadi would never need to speak to; after all, he was simply one High Priest out of many, and even his alter ego Hassan had a layer of mystique and prestige so thick around him that being ignored wouldn't be considered a sign of disrespect.

Shadi found that he was compromising a lot of his former beliefs lately.

he responded curtly. "Yes."

That was all that needed to be said, of course. Being a spirit, the boundaries of language no longer held him thrall; he could understand the words of any intelligent being, even if they weren't able to actually speak. That said, many humans were better off not being spoken to, if one could help it.

[Eternal Duelist]

Cross stared blankly at the strange man. Despite the fact that that was the answer he was hoping for, its length bothered him.

'Why did I pronounce it like an idiot?' 'Does he think I'm racist?' 'Why am I so intimidated by him?'

All of these thoughts raced across his mind as his body temperature slowly increased from the embarrassing situation that he put himself in. Despite his many travels in search of the Crystal Beasts, he always found it difficult to communicate with others; to share a bond with others. He always did prefer the company of [i]his family[/i] over the company of humans.

"Sorryaboutthat!" He blurted out. "I have a funny way with words don't I? Ahahaha" The anxiety in his voice was still noticeable. "I was wondering if you knew about this plane and where its taking us. I got in a little late so I don't have all the details." He scratched his temple with his index finger.

"That's why I came to ask you!" He said with a dumb smile.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

Xiva could only face-palm herself as she overheard Cross stutter. She personally preferred it if only soldiers were to partake in this mission. She could understand why Shadi was here in the plane with the other soldiers... but why this other civilian? He was under the age limit to fight in the military in the first place. Was he selected so he could have himself a tour of what the war was truly like? Was he sent here against his will? Since the silence already was broken, there was no harm in Xiva asking.

[color="#4B0082"]"You are aware that this's a military operation, are you not?"[/color] she asked, speaking in a Russian accent, [color="#4B0082"]"So why are you here?"[/color]

Strangely though, Xiva didn't even turn to the young man, who seemed to be to her left. Instead, her eyes [i]seemed[/i] to be transfixed onto the strange artefact that Solomon Muto was holding in his hands.

[Eternal Duelist]

Crossed turned to the woman, her voice startled him and made him even more anxious.

"Y-yeah I know this is a military operation!" His palms were a little sweaty and every word he spoke choked him, but he persisted.

"This is about this war right? We're going to Egypt in search of something. Something we don't want the Axis powers to get."
His anxiety suddenly became overpowered by thoughts on what this [i]something[/i] was.

"I'm here because...because" Cross took a peek at Ruby. He couldn't tell her his real reason, not yet.

"...because I want to help!"

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

[color="#4B0082"]"You're a civilian,"[/color] Xiva shook her head in disgust, [color="#4B0082"]"You have no military experience, and you're not of age to [i]join[/i] the military, yet you're selected to come with us and the best reason you can muster for accepting is because you want to help."[/color]

Xiva let out a brief sigh after saying all this. It wasn't what exactly she was saying that was dreading her, but the number of words she was saying at one time. She never said more than 75 words per day after all. Just goes to show she didn't like to converse much with [i]anyone[/i] around her. All of a sudden, asking Cross in the first place seemed to be a grave mistake.

[color="#4B0082"]"It's just something I don't understand,"[/color] Xiva added, before returning her attention to the artefact.

[Hydra of Ages]

Shadi spared Cross a moment's glance with his hawkish eyes. Though he was separated from his Key and Scales, the bearer of such instruments could tell a lie from a mile away. The child was hiding something -which wasn't altogether surprising, considering where he was going at the moment- but rather poorly. If he were a spy for the other side -What were they called again? Axis?- then he was evidently a rather poor one. Far more likely that he had an alterior movie altogether. But what would one gain from tagging along their expedition?

Perhaps... one who was seeking to acquire the power of the Egyptian Gods for themselves?

Shadi kept a mental note to watch the child further, especially when the power of the Gods were called into the equation.

[Eternal Duelist]

Cross looked down. He didn't feel like talking anymore. It seemed like the only thing he was good at was getting into trouble.

"Excuse me"

He made his way to the restroom. He didn't feel like peeing, but the situation was over whelming and he had to get out. He wanted to prove them wrong he wanted to show them that he was worth something. He wanted to show them that he could help and that reason alone was enough to continue moving forward. Yes. He mustered up enough strength to go back. To face the woman and tell her the real reason why. He grabbed a drink from the back of the plane and made his way back.

'This cup would make the perfect alibi for going back' he thought, when suddenly, he tripped.

The drink flew into the direction of a man who looked like he was meditating. Everything moved slowly as Cross slowly dropped on the floor.

'yep' he thought to himself, 'only trouble'

[Immortal Chaos]

Kenji's eyes snapped to the picture in his peripheral vision, and his reaction time was faster than even he had thought possible. He pushed himself off the chair catching the cup with one hand, and more or less catching what little of the liquid he could before the rest had splashed the cushion he had been sitting on. His body flew backwards and squatted down to catch the falling man on his shoulder, and he stood up afterwards, dusting the man's shoulder's off, trying to hide the smirk on his face as he spoke. "Probably will be the best save I do all day. First day with your new feet?" He chuckled a bit, just to show he was kidding as he extended his hand to the man who had fallen on him. "Kenji Yakamoto. And you are?"

[Eternal Duelist]

"[color="#008080"]Second day actually heh heh...My name is Harrison Cross[/color]"

'Such incredible speed!' Cross thought as he smiled. 'I closed my eyes and missed the whole thing'
He couldn't believe all of the things that could go on in such a short amount of time. He stood up at took a look around the seats around him. All the different people here each with their own lives and each unique in their own way. He appreciated the diversity in the plane and how they all same together because of one goal. The man and the woman seemed to have other things on their mind. And the others in the front seemed to be getting ready for landing.

"[color="#008080"]Thanks for keeping me from falling! I think the planes about to land, so I better go back to my seat[/color]"

Cross rushed over to his seat before waiting for a reply from Kenji for fear of making himself look any more like a fool.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

As the plane [i]finally[/i] began to land, Xiva merely laid back on the seat she was in. Her eyes were no longer on the strange artefact, but instead shifted up slightly, to its bearer. Solomon Muto had still looked down on the object, almost as if he were examining it. Then again, that look was on his eyes for the whole duration of the flight. Sitting forward again, Xiva placed her hand on Solomon's arm, and seemed to be smiling playfully. Perhaps she only did it to see if he would react.

[Kyng's Old Account]

As the plane was beginning it's descent, Solomon was awoken by Xia touching his hand. [color="#006400"]'Zzzz...whazzapenin'[/color]! Oh my word, I haven't had a good night's sleep for quite a while, ever since that stupid back inscident.' Whereas others thought Solomon was looking at the object, he was actually sneaking sleep in. [color="#006400"]'Oh, hello Xia! Nice weather, isn't it!'[/color] he said in his usual friendly tone. [color="#006400"]'Thanks for waking me up, I'd might have stayed on this plane on a trip home! Hohohohoho!'[/color] He then recognized Xia touching his hand. [color="#006400"]'Ohh, soft hand! Using a conditioner? Moisturiser perhaps?' [/color]Then he placed the artifact in a small rucksack he had with him, keeping it from harm. [color="#006400"]'Well, I'm hungry, anyone got some sandwiches?'[/color]

[Hydra of Ages]

Shadi stood still as the plane dipped and, with a final lurch, touched the ground again. He wanted to grip the side of the chair to steady himself, but instead focused on inward meditation. Such force he was being propelled with- there was no equivalent in his own home time, save perhaps riding atop the Gods themselves.

Even so, it was the duty of a Guardian to stand resolute even in the more dire situations. Therefore, Shadi wouldn't allow himself a weakness like gripping an object for stability- he'd stand on his own merits. Even if the G-forces pounded against the back of his head like the thump of a hammer.

Trying to avoid thinking about it, he noticed the bearer of most of the Puzzle had awoken. The boy was a fool undoubtedly, but Shadi still wasn't entirely sure why he had been entrusted with the Puzzle, one of the most mysterious of the Millennium Items. Shadi would keep an eye on it. While the puzzle wasn't his current target, he certainly wouldn't give up an opportunity to regain it if the opportunity to regain it didn't sour his ability to gain the others first.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

Xiva was about to answer Solomon's question concerning her hands when she was cut off by a thud. Looking over to her right, she saw that Shadi had been thrust against the floor of the plane, and had to recover as he slowly stood up.

[color="#4B0082"]"Typical Egyptians,"[/color] she muttered, [color="#4B0082"]"They never understand the importance of the seat belt,"[/color]

She turned her attention to her own hands and sighed deeply, wiping the smile of her own face. Xiva was expecting them to feel much coarser then they were on that occasion. But she decided to answer anyway, feeling more talkative than usual.

[color="#4B0082"]"Perhaps you're comparing [i]my[/i] skin to your own,"[/color] Xiva suggested, [color="#4B0082"]"Y'know, I never liked to hydrate my skin. Feels like a girly thing to do. Same with applying make-up. I mean, you can already tell I'm a woman just by looking at my face, and it appears as though I'm carrying cannonballs rather than human breasts. I don't [i]need[/i] to further identify myself as female."[/color]

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

The soldiers filed out of the temporary airbase that the Nazis had built, and the Allies had captured and re-purposed. Captain Suarez smiled at the group as a pair of Jeeps pulled up. [color=#FF2400]"Now, I think it's time for us to go our separate ways. I assume those Jeeps are here to take you to see your commander."[/color] She waved goodbye as she went to join her troops.
Once everyone had loaded into the Jeeps, they drove through the somewhat repaired base and towards Alexandria proper, recovering from a vicious but brief fight between the two armies. They eventually reached a former museum, and the soldiers stood at attention before an aide told them. "General Patton is waiting for you inside."