Note: Oh, yeah! Another Plasmashock chapter fininshed! To the Rainwalker, thank you so much for your delightful review, and yes, my username really IS based on a certain mischevious race from the world of Krynn! When I made this username, I was a Dragonlance nut at the time... And thank you so much for pointing out the Hawkins spelling! I edited the previous chapter so the name of Rebecca's gandfather is spelled properly. I look forward to hearing more reviews from you and many other fans, especially with my other stories as well as this one! Anyway, Our heroes arrive at the Neptune Safehouse, and the story of Kyoki's conception is revealed. A few more characters are going to be added here! Who are they? Time to find out! Enjoy!

Chapter 13: The Neptune Safehouse

"Well, here we are." Hawkins said as he and Rebecca led the team toward a metal door in a forking tunnel. "To your right-hand side is a tunnel leading to the freezers of the Atlantis Fisheries. The Neptune Safehouse lies just beyond this door in front of you." He inserts a code number on a computer installed on the door, and soon, the door slid open. Beyond the door, Atem and Jonouchi marveled at the Safehouse within. It was like the Asclepius Safehouse, but it resembled a city found at the coast. The architecture reminded them of beach houses, all surrounded by a large glass dome that showed the undersea world.

"Wow!" Jonouchi said, "So this is the Neptune Safehouse!"

"Professor Hawkins," Atem asked, "where in this Safehouse is the New Fighting McDonagh's Tavern located?"

"Hm?" Hawkins said in confusion, before it quickly dawned on him. "Oh! So you boys are surface dwellers? Well then, it's a good thing we've met! Like most residents of Kyoki, I know my way around almost any place in the city, including all the Safehouses! Just follow my lead, but don't rush. There are plenty of sights to see down here." Atem and Jonouchi simply nodded, and willed their plasmids to hiding, thus assuming the appearance of normal humans once again. Then they, along with the rest of the team, entered the streets of the Safehouse, guided by Hawkins and his granddaughter. The two childhood friends couldn't help but look around in amazement. There was an open market, displaying all sorts of edible fish caught fresh from the sea. There was also whole street dedicated to various religions found all over the world, ranging from Christianity to Judaism, Hinduism to Buddhism, and many other known faiths.

"This is incredible." Atem mused, "All those faiths… gathered peacefully in one location!"

"You won't ever find a place like this in the rest of Kyoki," Honda explained, "It's a physical testament of what life in this city used to be… before Ryu Mutou went mad."

Jonouchi suddenly takes hold of his friend's shoulder. "Hey Atem!" he said excitedly, "Look over there! I think this is something you'll like!" Atem's eyes followed where the sandy blonde was pointing, and they widened at what he saw. In fact, he was like a child at a candy store. Among the temple/stores, there was one in particular that displayed all sorts of items, all of them concerning the Pharaonic faith, the religion of Ancient Egypt. Without saying a single word, the crimson-eyed youth ran toward the shop, with an obvious look of excitement on his face.

"H-hey!" Mai shouted in surprise, "Where are you going?!"

"Don't mind him, Mai." Jonouchi said with a grin, "Atem is devout worshipper of the Egyptian Gods—and proud of it, I must add. Believe it or not, his bedroom back on the surface had a shelf filled to the brim with Egyptian artifacts. Heck, he even had a statue of Osiris stored in his own personal Shinto shrine!"

Mai blinked once and asked, "You're kidding, right?"

"Nope." Jonouchi said, shaking his head. "As a matter of fact, that large pyramid pendant he's wearing happens to be one of his treasures."

The violet-eyed beauty gave a playful smile. "Interesting…"

Meanwhile, Atem was busy looking around the Egyptian temple shop. All around him, there were papyrus paintings, Pharaonic New Age books, statues of Egyptian gods and goddesses, jewelry decorated with their images, and even altars and incense dedicated to them. There was no doubt that the crimson-eyed youth was delighted by what he saw. It didn't take long, though, before a soft voice broke him out of his trance. "You must be new to this place." The voice said, revealing to be that of a woman's. Atem turned around to see a young woman in her twenties. She had tan skin, and deep blue eyes, and from under a beautiful, white flowing veil, Atem could see straight black hair. The veil was held in place with a gold band, which was decorated with an Eye of Horus symbol seen on her forehead. She was wearing a beautiful white strapless dress, with a gold belt on her slim waist and what looked like white dress shoes. A gold necklace hung snugly around her neck; it too was displaying an Eye of Horus symbol, much like the front of his pyramid pendant. "Welcome." The woman said with a small smile. "I am Ishizu Ishtar, the owner of this shop, and the High Priestess of Isis."

"High Priestess?" Atem gasped, "Of Isis? Oh, it's an honor to meet you! I'm Atem Kakita."

"Why, it's a pleasure to meet you too." Ishizu said, "By the looks of that pendant around your neck, you must be fond of the Age of Pharaohs."

"More than that." Atem said, "I have actually worshiped the gods of Egypt since as long as I can remember."

"I see." Ishizu replied, "Is there anything I can do for you?" Atem looked around until he suddenly laid eyes on a collection of small pendants. Each pendant had a different Egyptian God as a decoration, but they all had something in common: In the center, there was a rectangle with round half-circles on the top and bottom. Attached directly below that shape was a horizontal line, and the space inside the shape was a blank slate.

"What about these pendants?" Atem asked.

"Oh these?" Ishizu said, looking over at the pendants, then turning back at the crimson-eyed youth. "These cartouche pendants can be custom made for the customer. We take their names, translate them into hieroglyphs, and etch them in the pendants."

"Then I'll take the one with the Horus Falcon." Atem said.

"Good choice." Replied the High Priestess, taking out a pen and a piece of paper. "Just write down your name and I'll let Rishid do the rest." Atem did just that, and gave the paper back to her. "Rishid!" she called, "I am in need of your aid."

"As you wish Isis." Replied a deep male voice from the back. Before long, a hulking young man in a white robe, whom Atem assumed was Rishid, came out. He was bald with only a black ponytail on the back of his head, and he had a string of hieroglyphs carved on the left side of his face. He stared at the crimson-eyed youth with piercing blue-violet eyes, and a serious expression.

"Rishid, this is Atem, our new customer." Ishizu introduced. "He has requested for this cartouche pendant and I want you to etch his name on it."

"It will be my pleasure." Rishid said with a bow, then turned toward Atem. "This will only take a moment, so please be patient."

"You don't mind if I watch, do you?" Atem asked.

Rishid only gave a small smile. "Not at all." And with that, he and Ishizu went straight to work. All the while, Atem watched with fascination. Yet as Rishid started etching in the hieroglyphs, Atem noticed a sad look on Ishizu's face.

"Is something wrong Ishizu?" he asked.

The High Priestess looked up in surprise, then shook her head smiling. "Oh, it's nothing." She said. "Don't worry about it." Atem suspected otherwise of course, but he didn't want to put any pressure on her just to get an answer, so he kept his mouth shut. Finally, after a few minutes…

"It is finished." Rishid said, handing the pendant to Ishizu.

"Here you go." she said, giving the pendant to Atem, "That will be 400,000 yen." Atem, who was glad that they use the Japanese currency, took out his wallet. But once he finished counting his cash, his excitement turned into dismay; he only has 40,000 yen. With a sad sigh, he turned to the High Priestess.

"I'm sorry… but I'm afraid that all your hard work was for nothing." He said, holding out the pendant, "I don't have enough money."

Ishizu looked at the crimson-eyed youth with pity. Then, to his astonishment, she took both hands and held his own, all with a smile. "In that case, consider this cartouche pendant a gift from the temple."

"W-what?" Atem stuttered, "Really?"

"Of course." Ishizu replied kindly, "I normally wouldn't give any of my products away for free like this, but for you I'll make an exception. May the gods of Egypt watch over you, always."

Atem shed tears of joy as he clutched his new pendant. "Oh Ishizu, you don't how much this means to me! Thank you!" and with that, he puts on the pendant, tucking it into his shirt. As he left to rejoin his friends, Ishizu became sad once more.

Only one name came out of her mouth. "Marik…"

"So this is the New Fighting McDonagh's Tavern." Jonouchi said upon the team's arrival to what looked like a nice-looking fishing cabin. "Seems like a cozy place to spend the night."

"It is a cozy place Jonouchi Boy." Pegasus said smiling, "Even for someone like little ol' me!"

"Yeah, very cozy!" Blossom piped up cheerfully.

Honda turned to the side, and his face lit up with joy. "Hey guys, look! That's Aunt Julie over there!" Everyone looked to where Honda was pointing. And there, standing in front of a group of fish workers, was Julie Langford. Immediately Honda rushed forward, calling out, "Aunt Julie!"

Julie turned around and smiled. "Honda!" she said, giving her adoptive nephew a hug, "It's good to see that you made it in one piece!"

"Ah, Dr. Langford! So this young man is your nephew, eh?" Hawkins said, "What a delightful surprise!"

"Good to see you again Professor Hawkins." Julie said, shaking the professor's hand. Soon Rebecca stepped forward, surprising the pretty scientist to no end.

"Hi Dr. Langford!" Rebecca said.

"Rebecca?!" Julie gasped, "Y-you're human again? But… but how is that possible?!"

"Hee hee, these guys came over and saved me." Rebecca said, pointing to the team. "And they brought me back to Grandpa!"

"Hello Julie. Looks like we meet again." Atem said with a smile.

"What's up?" Jonouchi said with a thumbs-up.

"Atem! Jonouchi!" Julie exclaimed happily, "In all of my life, I never expected that you would turn out to be heroes! Maybe you have what it takes to find the legendary Ace in the Hole!"

"WE'VE GOT ONE!" a loud voice proclaimed, interrupting the reunion. Everyone turned just in time to see a fisherman gathering his crew to pull in a large tuna—which was swimming in full view, right outside the glass dome nearby! "PULL 'EM IN, DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY!" exclaimed the leading fisherman. He had tan skin and spiky black hair held in a blue and white headband. A short sleeveless sky-blue robe wrapped around his muscular body, and a pair of blue shorts could be seen underneath. Japanese-style sandals completed his getup, and from what the others could see, he had a scar on his cheek. The team watched as he tugged on the rope attached to the net. Other fishers grabbed on to help, pulling as hard as they could. It was truly an intense tug-of-war of fishermen vs. fish, and the tuna tried hard to escape the net. It even slammed against the glass window on occasion; so hard, in fact, that it was a miracle that the window did not shatter on impact. Eventually, though, the line grew smaller and smaller with each tug, dragging the captive tuna with it, until it disappeared from behind the window. Jonouchi had barely stepped forward for a closer look, when suddenly the giant tuna reappeared with a loud splash… from the large pool on the inside! The young fisherman and his crew pulled one last time, until in the end, man triumphed over beast. The tuna flopped helplessly on the floor and the fishers let out a cheer. "Well done, my friends!" the leading fisherman said to his crew. "Another fine catch for the Neptune fish market! Now let's head on over to the New Fighting McDonagh's; it's time to celebrate!" Again the crew cheered aloud, and soon they all went over to the Tavern.

"Whoa!" Jonouchi finally said, "Did you see that?! Man, it was so exciting! I'll never look at fishing the same way again."

"I don't know about you Jonouchi," Honda said, "but I think this is our cue to enter the Tavern too."

"Honda is right." Mai agreed, "And besides, I'm getting hungry after all I've been through today." No sooner than she finished her sentence than the stomachs of Jonouchi and Honda both decided to announce their need to the world. And very loudly I might add.

"Oh boy," Jonouchi said, clutching his empty stomach, "Now that you mention it…" He and Honda looked at each other.

"RACE YA!" they both said, and they were zooming right into the Tavern.

"Sheesh!" Julie said with a smile, "Now I've got two bottomless pits on the move!"

"Well, at least your nephew has a new friend, now." Atem reassured. "Let's go join them before they eat everything."

Inside the tavern, Hawkins led the team to the Tavern's famous sushi restaurant, Tsunami. It was crowded with guests and workers alike, all having a good time chatting, arm wrestling, and the like. The atmosphere was made even livelier with the festive mood brought by the fish workers. There was even a bar, with several sushi chefs preparing dishes in the open, and a TV showing the latest news in Kyoki. It was here where Atem and his friends took their seat. It didn't take long before their sushi chef arrived. "Hello, and welcome to Tsunami!" he greeted, "I'm Ryouta Kajiki, and I'll be your show-stopping sushi chef for the day. What kind of sushi would you like?"

Everyone just stared at Ryouta in amazement, and in recognition. Atem was the first to speak. "You… you're the fishermen that caught that tuna a few minutes ago!"

"You saw me and my crew in action?" Ryouta said, "Well, it's all in a day's work! You guys were very lucky to bear witness this great battle of man and fish!"

"Yeah, you were incredible!" Jonouchi said. "I've never seen anything like it before!"

"Neither have I." Atem said, earning a confused look from the young fisherman. "My friend and I are from the surface," Atem explained, "so this is the first time we've seen fishing of this dimension."

Ryouta let out a hearty laugh. "I see! Now that I think of it, I haven't seen you around here before. Although…" He leaned toward the crimson-eyed youth. "You somehow remind me of…"

"Someone you know?" Atem finished, "Yeah, a lot of people have told me that ever since I came here."

"Well, in any case," Ryouta said, "My crew have caught a whole lot of big fish in our time in Kyoki, but that tuna was the biggest catch yet. So to celebrate, all type of tuna sushi are on special tonight!"

"All right then," Hawkins said, "We'll have the tuna special."

"Yeah, and I'd like that fatty tuna!" Rebecca said.

Ryouta basically did a double take when he saw the girl. "Heh heh, surprised?" Hawkins asked, "She's not a Scavenger anymore,"—he points to Atem and his four companions—"and you have these people to thank!"

The young fisherman blinked once, then said, "Well I'll be…" it didn't take long for a smile to appear on his face. "Ha ha ha! That gives yet another reason to celebrate! I'll make the sushi extra special for you!" And with that, he went straight to work, as another worker served drinks. As Ryouta started cutting up the fish, Atem decided that this is a good time to get some explanations.

"Professor Hawkins, Can I ask you something?" he asked.

"Of course." Hawkins replied, "What do you want to ask about?"

"How did it all start?" Atem queried, "What inspired Ryu Mutou to create Kyoki? What was it like before all of this? What happened that made him go insane?"

Hawkins stared for a while, before he let out a sigh. "You really have come to the right man to ask these questions. I happen to know Ryu Mutou personally. His father, Sugoroku Mutou, and I have been longtime friends. Sugoroku was born to a Japanese American family, just before the beginning of World War II. We were only children when he and his family were sent to an internment camp after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I met him at that camp, and our families became fast friends in spite of the prejudice of others. It was that friendship that helped him endure the hardships until the end of that war, and even after that we all remained the best of friends. As time went by, we each found love, got married, and around 1958, we started having children of our own. As you might have guessed, Sugoroku's first child was Ryu Mutou. Life was good for Mutou, until the late 1960's. At this time, there were tons of hippies protesting against the Vietnam War, and African Americans and other minorities fighting against segregation and the prejudice that kept them from gaining equal rights. The American government had corrupt officials in those days. Many police officers were ordered to do things like spray water from a high powered hose, send snarling dogs after groups of activists, even mace an individual protestor. In some areas, hate crimes were just as common, and not just toward the black population. One small gang made a terrible assault on the Mutou family. The attack was so devastating that in the end most of Ryu Mutou's family was slaughtered. The only ones who survived were his father, his sister Ai, and of course, himself. He was only eight years old."

"That's terrible!" Jonouchi said.

"Although Mutou admired the country's capitalism and the ideals of freedom and equality, he nevertheless resented the American government for its tyrants, so when he was a teenager in the 70's, he convinced his father and sister to move with him to Japan. Sugoroku and Ai came with him, if only to keep an eye out for him. While the paperwork was being set up in preparation of their new residence, they decided to wait in China until it was finished. It was a short stay, but already Mutou was in for a rude surprise. China's Cultural Revolution was getting into full swing, and many men and women, young and old, were persecuted for embracing the freedom of democracy, and for the culture the Communists were attempting to wipe out. Many of them were made into martyrs. This made Mutou upset, because it reminded him of the world from which he thought he had escaped. Worse yet, the Communists tried to deny it on public television! His resentment toward the American government was great, but his resentment toward the Communist ideology far outweighed it. As soon as the paperwork was done, the Mutous left to Japan immediately. However, the past events had already made a big impact on his life. In every way they shaped his beliefs to what they have become. And with this belief came inspiration…"

Professor Hawkins knocked on the door to the new Mutou household. After hearing that Sugoroku had moved to Japan with his family, he just had to make a visit. The door opened, revealing a man with spiky tri-colored hair held back within a bandana, a black mustache and beard, and red-violet eyes. As always he was wearing a T-shirt and overalls, a fact that made Hawkins chuckle to himself. The man, Sugoroku, gave a delightful smile. "Arthur! It's good to see you again!"

"Good to see you too, Sugoroku!" Hawkins replied, giving his friend a hug.

"Come on in! Make yourself at home!" Sugoroku said, ushering in his friend. Hawkins entered without hesitation. Inside, he found that the rooms were delightfully quaint. In the kitchen area, he could see Ai, a pretty girl with short black hair and blue eyes, humming to herself as she was cooking a meal.

"Hello Ai!" greeted Hawkins, and she looked up from her cooking and smiled.

"Oh, hello Mr. Hawkins!" she said.

"Do you know where Ryu is?" Hawkins asked, "I just have to say hi to him too!"

"Oh, about that." Ai said thoughtfully, "My brother is upstairs in his bedroom. He's been very busy lately; he said something about a 'hidden sanctuary' or something like that."

A hidden sanctuary? Hawkins thought. For what? No doubt this made him curious. So he decided to go up and see the boy. He climbed the stairs, and made his approach to the door that led to Ryu's bedroom. He was surprised to find that there was silence from behind that door. He knocked once, then twice. At first, there was no answer. Then finally, he heard a voice. "Come in." Slowly, Hawkins opened the door. There was Ryu Mutou, sitting in front of a drawing board, sketching something. The professor was surprised to see the teenager in an expensive business suit, for he always remembered him as a boy of the middle class. The young Mutou looked over, and smirked at him. "Arthur Hawkins!" he said, "Funny how you decided to pay my family a visit today, you're just the man I wanted to see!"

"Really?" Hawkins asked.

"Yes, really." Mutou replied, "You are one of the few people I can trust with this secret. Come and take a look at this!" Hawkins hesitated at first, but soon stepped to the drawing that Mutou was working on. On a large piece of grid paper was a cluster of skyscraper-shaped towers, drawn with unbelievable detail, and neatly arranged. There were more drawings on display as well, depicting details of the interior of each building.

"Why Ryu!" Hawkins gasped, "This is an impressive work of art!"

"It's more than just artwork, Mr. Hawkins." Mutou said, "This is the blueprint of my future paradise!"

"Paradise…? W-wait! Are you serious?!"

Mutou stood up and gave that confident smirk. "Indeed I am."

"Then what inspired you to create something like this?" Hawkins asked.

Mutou's expression became serious. "Do you know the general definition of a 'parasite'?"

Hawkins though for a minute, before replying, "Well, a parasite is basically a creature that takes what it desires from a host without giving anything back."

"Exactly." Mutou said, "From what I have experienced, there are parasites walking among the human race. Sometimes, they will pose as one of the less fortunate. And like most of those sad souls, they'll ask for the doctor to heal them for free and the farmer to feed them out of charity. How greatly these parasites differ from the truly unfortunate, who only seek the means to rise out of their miserable circumstances… and how little these same parasites differ from the pervert, who prowls the streets looking for a victim he can ravish for his grotesque amusement." He crossed his arms, looking out the window. "But more often than not, many of those parasites are found in seats of government power, and just as much, they tend to prey on the less fortunate. I know this for sure, because I saw their acts of carnage with my own eyes, especially in China and parts of the United States. Even Japan has its share of government parasites in the past; World War II is the perfect example."

"I understand exactly what you mean Ryu," Hawkins said, "But what does it have to do with this city?"

Mutou turned back to the professor. "Everything, Mr. Hawkins. This is where my ideals will be realized."

"Your ideals?" Hawkins asked.

"I believe in gods and goddesses, and I acknowledge their presence like I always have." Mutou explained, "But now, I see them as nothing more than invisible men and women in the sky, the earth, and the sea. For I have found a power that is truly greater than myself: a combination of individual efforts, a Great Chain of Industry that unites even the gods. But it is only when an individual struggles in their own interest so they can overcome their own hardships that the Chain pulls society in the right direction. The Chain is too powerful and too mysterious for any government to guide. Any corrupt man who says otherwise either has his hand in your pocket or a pistol aimed at your forehead."

"But what about the people who can't overcome hardships by themselves, like the poor?" Asked Hawkins.

"Heh, heh, Mr. Hawkins, there is a famous saying that fits well with the Great Chain: 'Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day; Teach a man to fish, and you'll feed him for a lifetime.' The poor and the needy are victims of circumstance, so the best way to help them, from my view, is to give them the means to help themselves. Freedom is the key, for freedom is the foundation of the Great Chain, and of the society I plan to build. In order to take part in the Great Chain, the greatest minds must be free from bondage, both physically and mentally. As you would know, Mr. Hawkins, many of the greatest minds belong to the scientists, the biologists, the environmentalists, the artists, and the performers. It doesn't matter if they're rich or poor, for either way, the government has always tried to keep them under its thumb. This is where my city comes in. Here, they will be allowed to express their gift much more freely. Here, every individual will rise to greatness, all without a trace of selfishness in their hearts."

"Why, that's incredible Ryu!" Hawkins said.

"And you couldn't have come at a better time, my friend." Mutou replied, placing a hand on the professor's shoulder, "I need you to help me build my city. Help me gather the raw materials and the best architects in the world, for it would take a monumental effort to make it real!"

"It would be my pleasure!" Hawkins said, shaking the teen's hand. "Where is it going to be built?"

"I knew you'd ask that. It may sound impossible, but it's going to be built at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Right at the center, in fact."

"T-the Pacific Ocean?!" gasped a flabbergasted Hawkins.

"Yes." Mutou said calmly, "The truth of the matter is, it's impossible to build it anywhere else. I originally intended to build it somewhere in Japan, but then I realized that if I build it anywhere on the surface, it would be an easy target for parasites, like the ones found in the CIA and Japan's DIH. Our secrecy is our shield, and the city is much safer under the sea."

"You know, that makes much more sense once you said it." Hawkins said, "All right! Let's get started!" The two of them were about to leave the bedroom with the blueprints when Hawkins suddenly said, "Oh, by the way, what are you going to name this city?"

Mutou had a thoughtful look, before finally, he smiled. "It will be named Kyoki, which means 'rapture' in Japanese. It will be for the rapture it will bring to its citizens."

"And that was how Kyoki came to be built, here at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean back in 1977." Hawkins finished. "Of course, Mutou and I weren't the only ones who oversaw the construction of this city."

"That's right." Julie said, "I was there when Kyoki was under construction."

"And so was I, though I admit I was still a small child at the time." Pegasus said.

"A year later, Kyoki opened its doors to the world's greatest minds, and before long the city's population numbered several thousand by the start of the 1980's." Hawkins said.

"Whoa! That many?" Jonouchi gasped.

"That's what Aunt Julie told me." Honda said. "Even I found it hard to imagine with all that's going on today."

"I didn't find it that hard," Mai said, "My parents moved to Kyoki in 1983, about three years before I was born. Everything was what Ryu Mutou had envisioned… at least at first."

"So how did all this misery began?" Atem asked, "How did Kyoki become the nightmare it is now?"

"I'll tell you that one." Ryouta said suddenly. "And I'll also let you in on a little secret. Do you know how all those religious items came to Kyoki?"

"No." Atem admitted, "How did they get here?"

"They're smuggled into this place." Ryouta said.

Atem, Jonouchi, Honda and Mai all stared at the fisherman with shock. "Smuggled?!" Atem gasped.

"That's right," Replied Ryouta, "and I know this for sure. Because my crew and I aren't just fishers… we're also smugglers!"

Note: Whoa, now that's one heck of a secret coming from a fisherman! Hear the story of Kyoki's smugglers and more in the next chapter! Stupid writer's block is giving me a hard time with Blue Eyes White Mermaid... Until next time!