Chapter One

Seto walked through the double doors leading to the laboratories of the Kaiba Corp. main building, on the seventeenth floor. The tail of his long, black coat flapped behind him as he walked. Men and women, all his employees, were running around in white coats, safety goggles, and rubber gloves, holding dangerous chemicals or piles of research papers. None paid Seto any head, but he didn't mind this. He was looking for a specific lab and specific person.

Three hallways and two computer labs later, he arrived at the genetics lab, where more scientists were hard at work testing serums on animals and different methods of growing plants. He stopped in front of a glass structure that held inside a small greenhouse. Seeds that had been genetically enhanced were now being planted and subjected to a wide array of different methods of growth. A man with a clipboard stood in front of it, taking notes as the watering machine sprayed a light layer of water over the dirt.

"Karachi," Seto said as he approached the man.

The man turned at the call of his name. He had sandy brown hair and dark circles under his eyes, no doubt form overwork, and the slight stubble on his face hinted at a lack of sleep.

"Ah, Mr. Kaiba," he said in a slow, deep voice. "I'm glad you could make it."

"You said you've made progress," Seto said, eyeing the greenhouse. "I'm afraid I have yet to see a difference."

"Yes, well," Karachi said, "the pods have not been responding to any kind of treatment so far. But we have confirmed that, if we succeed, we might be able to grow tarnished or poisoned seeds, making them healthy again and thus increasing food stock and the population of plants around the globe."

"That is your progress?" Seto asked incredulously. "I'm glad to hear that you know what the results should be, but without the right path to those results we are as good as nowhere. I need to see action, otherwise I am terminating this experiment."

"But, Mr. Kaiba…"

"Karachi, this company works on game design and technology, not plants and animals. Unless I see some real progress soon, you will be terminated, and the lab shut down."

Seto turned round and began making his way to the exit, leaving a very disheartened Karachi behind.

Back at his office a few floors up, Seto began work at his computer. About an hour later, a man from his security staff walked in, holding a small brown package.

"Sir," he said. "This package just came for you."

"On the desk, please," said Seto without looking up. The man placed it on the desk and left. Seto pulled the box toward him and looked at the return address. It had a weird insignia on it. It looked like the letter C set in the crook of the letter L, both in a square shape.

Underneath were the words Metropolis, Kansas. Seto knew whom this was from: a good friend of his who also was head off a large company. He slid the blade of a letter opener across the masking tape, cutting the box open and releasing the flaps. He pulled the cardboard flaps apart and almost gasped.

Inside was a large emerald crystal, glowing with a strange green light. Seto could tell this was no ordinary crystal. He could feel a sense of immense power radiating from its depths. The felling increased as he touched it and lifted it out of the cloth interior. Then he noticed a paper in the lining of the box. He pulled it out and read the slanted and looped handwriting. It said:

Having trouble with your experiments?

Try using this. Best effective when heated at

1000degrees Kelvin.

L.L.

Seto turned the small piece of paper over, but saw it was blank. What did he mean, heat it at 1000 degrees Kelvin? How could it help with anything? Seto decided to trust his old friend, and replaced the crystal inside the box. Then, his computer blipped, announcing he had a new email. Seto opened it and read the message, noticing it was from his friend.

The message explained the mysterious origin of the green rock, and how to use it with certain experiments, such as plant reproduction. Seto raised his eyebrows in surprise. It looked as though Karachi had lucked out on this. This was probably the breakthrough he was looking for. Without finishing his message, Seto stood and took the box down to the laboratories, hoping his friend was right about this.

It was unfortunate, however, that Seto never finished reading the email:

Be careful, Seto. This meteor is unstable. If anything happens, please notify me and keep it locked safely away from anyone else. Best wishes.

L.L.