It was a hot day, but that's an understatement. It'd be much more accurate to say it was a hot day for northern Egypt, and for the area of desert where the excavation was happening. But delay wouldn't really solve anything, as they were already halfway done uncovering an ancient structure they hadn't been able to get funding to dig up until recently. Drumming up interest among potential sponsors had been no easy task. It seemed they felt archaeological finds just weren't the fashion any longer. Futuristic tech devices that lit up and blinked in everyone's face and did a million tasks at once were all the rage. Investments, and the like. Anything Wall-Street-style. Criminal or otherwise. Nobody wants to be one of those nuts who stand in potentially deadly heat for days on end, missing their foreign homes and foreign families, all for a brief glimpse of a far gone history. "Living in the past" was a compliment for those types.
But of course, Mad Hideki had to be able to get them on board in the end, maybe exaggerating one or two details along the way, but of course being careful not to stretch the truth past its breaking point. Honestly, it'd be hard to say he's lied at all. He really did believe there were "unique wonders we'd never get a chance to get at once they get their claws on this area" down stuck somewhere in the remains of this underground, what was essentially a glorified crawlspace. Intriguing? Yes. Amazing? Not really.
All in all, it was about the size of a school classroom, but the ceiling was quite high. There was some sort of store ladder that led down deep underground from the trap door on the structures ceiling, but the archaeologists wouldn't trust the cracked stone, instead electing to use a sort of pulley method to lower each other down.
After a month it so if having carefully scoped out the site, on this particular scorching mid-June afternoon it was finally time to take a look inside. A woman in forest green khakis finished up fastening on an around-the-waist harness and, after testing it for security, headed over to check in with Mad Hideki.
"Sumire!"
The woman grinned and gave a half-sarcastic, half-enthusiastic salute to the tall, almost intimidating-looking man, who stood with his back facing the sun, disguising him as a shadow of grim seriousness, but one who couldn't help but smirk as Sumire El-Amin's husband stumbled over, his grumbles a mixture of half-hearted apologies for his tardiness and whole-hearted complaining about the hear of the day.
"Well Karim," Mad Ray tapped his pen against the clipboard, "it'll probably be cooler down in there." He jerked his head in the direction of the main attraction of the dig site. Karim rolled his eyes.
"Remind me why you aren't coming down with us again?"
Sumire pouted. "I don't want you to miss it! Whatever we found it's bound to be pretty cool, and you definitely care about whatever it is more than we do, you nerd." She pushed her childhood friend good-naturedly in the shoulder. He pushed her hand off, as one might do to an annoying younger sister.
"Hey, at least try to appreciate the history, will you? If I think your just doing this for the kicks its going to ruin this for me. And Karim, think about it. If I went down, who'd be up here to pull you back up? Besides, no offense but you're a klutz and Sumire weighs about two pounds. I want to make sure you're all safe you know? Get you back to your kid all safe and sound? All that shit."
Karin shrugged. "Aw don't make me cry." He said somewhat venomously, then paused. "Wait! What?! Aren't you forgetting about everyone else who works here?" He waved his arms around in a violent, vague gesture, indicating the surrounding archaeological crew. Hideki Bakura laughed.
"Not anyone I trust enough for this mission..." He said under his breath. "I want you guys back O.K. There's little risk at all, I mean we've checked it over tenfold. But hey, you know what they say, if you want something done right you've got to do it yourself right?"
"Oh, that kid is going to be so happy if we find something interesting!" Sumire squeaked.
"Let's get going then. I'm sure Ryou'll want to know if we find a mummy or a ghost or something down there...You two are lucky Haruki doesn't have such bizarre interests. His occult obsession at such a young age kind of creeps me out, but I mean I guess it proves he's my son. I was weird to. You guys definetly got it easy. Got a normal kid, don't you? Mad Hideki laughed. "So let's get going!"