The Seventh Element
Chapter 16
Three Hours
Joey popped open a bottle of champagne and poured himself a glass. All around him, the presidential office was celebrating. Except Kaiba, of course.
"I told you Mr. President, Tea was the girl for the job!" Joey cheered, setting a glass on Kaiba's desk. "She never fails." Kaiba shrugged ands sipped his drink.
"I have to admit, she surprised me. She actually saved us." Joey nodded.
"Yup. According to Maxie Rhod's broadcast, they should get to Earth anytime now, and activate the Millennium Items. We're saved." Kaiba nodded. Behind the partying officers, a lone scientist stood up from his computer.
"Excuse me…Mr. President?" He called. The crowd parted to reveal Kaiba.
"Yes?" Kaiba asked. The scientist gulped.
"I have something…important to report, sir."
- - - - - - - - - -
"You should be okay for now." Tea said, wrapping a makeshift bandage made of her dress around Yami's knee. Yami chuckled softly.
"You humans are strange creatures." He muttered. Tea looked up at him.
"Why do you say that?" She replied. Yami smile bitterly.
"Nearly everything your species creates…is used to destroy. You'll end up destroying yourselves someday." He explained. Tea pursed her lip and nodded.
"Yeah…it sucks, I know. It's called human nature. Destroying things seems to be what we do best." Behind her, Malik decided to tune out the conversation and turned to the sack containing the Millennium Items. He pulled out one, a gleaming gold pyramid-shaped pendant, and gasped.
"Incredible." In the back, Pegasus was peering at his nails.
"God damn it, my manicure is shit now." He grumbled. "500 bucks down the tube. Where's the justice in that?"
"Humans may not be the best species around." Tea said. "But we have a few good things going for us. Hovercraft…democracy…love." She smirked. "No doubt, we suck as a species compared to most. But we're not all bad."
- - - - - - - - - -
"What do you mean it's moving?" Kaiba snarled, jumping up. The scientist nodded.
"The meteor is moving at incredible speeds. Our fighters are at maximum burn, and falling behind. We've managed to calculate its course based on the trajectory of travel."
"Great." Kaiba growled. "So where's it going?" The scientist laughed nervously.
"This is the part you're really going to hate…"
- - - - - - - - - -
"You know how to use those things, right?" Tea asked. Malik jumped and nodded.
"Yes, of course. The 6 Millennium Items go around on the altars, Yami stands on the platform in between them…there's nothing to it." Tea nodded.
"You sure?"
"Yes, these secrets have been safeguarded by my bloodline for centuries. Why?" Malik asked, annoyed. Tea shrugged.
"Nothing, I just thought…saving the world would be a little more complicated." She said. A beep came from her pocket and she looked down to fish out her portable phone. "Who the hell would be calling me now?" She asked, flipping on the phone. "Yeah?"
"Ms. Gardner, this is President Kaiba. First of all, excellent work handling yourself at Duelist Kingdom. You showed some real courage out there…"
"Mr. President." Tea interrupted. "I don't think you called to make small talk. What's up?" On the other line, Kaiba took a breath.
"Okay, here's what's up. There's a gigantic fireball heading for Earth. Those…Millennium things, are all that can stop it." Tea nodded.
"Really? How much time until it hits?"
"According to what has been calculated, it pass the Moon's orbit and enter the atmosphere in 2 hours and 54 minutes." Kaiba replied. Tea nodded again.
"Okay then. Call ya back in 3 hours." She said, hanging up.
- - - - - - - - - -
Kaiba stared opened mouthed at his receiver.
"She hung up on me." He whispered in disbelief. "She hung up on the President!" He roared. Joey's eyes widened.
"You can do that?" He asked. Kaiba glared.
"Not if you want to keep your job!" He snapped. Joey flashed him a thumbs up.
"Noted."
- - - - - - - - - -
Tea landed outside the temple.
"We're here!" She shouted, lowering the ramp. She looked down at the onboard clock. "We've got 10 minutes, move it!" Malik grabbed the Millennium Items and raced into the temple, Pegasus and Tea following. Yami hopped up and followed as best he could with his injured knee.
"You're here!" Ishizu cried, waiting inside the temple's inner chamber. Malik raced to the platform in the middle and dumped out the Millennium Items.
"Okay, let's see here…" He muttered, grabbing a small, round Item. He looked around the room and pointed to a pillar with a small reciprocal in it. "Ishizu, go." He ordered, tossing the Item to his sister. Ishizu ran to the pillar and placed the Item in the hole. The Item glowed slightly as it was set in place.
"Okay, each take one." Malik said. The 4 each grabbed 1 of the remaining Items, leaving one left. Tea looked up her pillar and shook her head, racing to the next one. Pegasus took her place and held up an ahnk-shaped Item.
"Okay, so I just…" He pressed the Item into the setting, and nodded as it glowed.
"The Millennium Scales." Malik breathed, setting the scales into their place, once again glowing. Ishizu unraveled her necklace and place it in its setting. Tea took her item, a scepter, and placed it in the pillar it belonged it. That done, the four raced to the platform and picked up the pyramidal Item.
"There's only one alcove left." Malik said. Tea looked down at her watch.
"Good, we've only got 8 minutes." She said. Malik took the Item to the alcove, and gasped.
"What?" He said, stepping back. Tea raced to him.
"What, what's up?" She asked. Malik held up the pendant. "So?" Malik pointed to the alcove. It had a pyramid shape in the center, but had a ring going around the outside, with 5 spines coming out the bottom.
"It doesn't fit." Malik whispered.
"It doesn't belong there." They spun around to see Yami limp into the chamber. "Seventh Element…Seventh Item." Yami gently took the pendant from Malik and hung it over his neck by the attached thread. "There's an Item missing."
"NO!" Malik shouted. "There cannot be. The Tombkeepers have guarded this place for centuries, there were only ever 6 Millennium Items."
"Apparently not." Tea muttered. "I knew saving the world had to have a catch somewhere. By the way, 7 minutes." Malik held his head in his hands.
"This makes no sense…there's a seventh Item…a ring of some sort."
"Now there, you wouldn't mean this ring, would you?" The 5 looked up as Bakura sauntered into the chamber, his hands clasped behind his back. Around his neck hung the final Millennium Item.
"Give it to us, or I'll take it from you!" Yami snapped, taking a step forward. Bakura held up his hands and pointed a RB-96A at Yami.
"You're free to try!" Bakura said, grinning. "And Malik, what a surprise, seeing you here. Once again you lie to my face. That's rather disappointing, Malik. I don't like being disappointed."
"Bakura, listen to me." Malik growled. "Unless you hand that Item over, we'll all die in a little over 5 minutes." Bakura nodded and moved his gun to aim at Malik.
"Okay, that's your side of the events. Here's mine. I'm being paid a shitload of money –in fact, about 2 times what I'm worth now- to get those Items. And I'm not prepared to let a paying customer of mine be disappointed over your mumbo jumbo. So how about you give me the Items, and in return, I don't put 50 holes in each of your heads." He said.
"Didn't you listen?" Tea asked. "We'll all be dead soon without that ring!" Bakura grinned.
"Really? Well, that's a risk I'm willing to take."
"I'm not." Yami snarled, running. Bakura shifted his aim, and was shoved to the ground. His gun flew through the air and hit the Millennium Scales, shattering into a million pieces as it hit a barrier the Item was projecting.
"Get his Item!" Malik urged. Bakura snarled and kicked Yami overhead, the being landing in a heap of dust. Bakura stood up and reached into his coat.
"Sometimes, you just want to kill someone the old fashioned way." He muttered, pulling a sword from his coat. Tea helped Yami to his feet.
"You okay?" She asked. Yami glanced down at her watch.
"5 minutes." He said. Tea nodded.
"Yeah. And to think this guy is gonna end the world." She said, jerking her thumb at Bakura. Bakura growled and pointed his sword at her.
"You die first." He snarled. Tea shook her head.
"Sorry pal. But I've had enough men threaten me recently." She replied. She spun and ripped the scepter from the pillar. Bakura snarled and slashed overhead, his sword clanging off the golden Item in Tea's hands. Tea kicked and pushed Bakura onto his back.
"I'll handle him, you go to Malik. Figure out whatever it is you need to do." Tea order. Yami shook his head.
"I'm the Seventh Element here. It's my job to save humanity, not yours." He countered. Tea nodded.
"Yeah, but I was the one given a government contract to do it." She said. Yami nodded back, and the two glanced at Bakura before shaking hands and charging the rising businessman.
Now do you see why I changed the plot? We get that big final fight we never really got in the original movie. The next chapter is the final one, so don't miss it! In the meantime, I have made a final decision. My next movie adaptation is...
Ryou Bakura- Movie Maker
Rating: M
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Bakura, Mai, Joey, Kaiba, Yugi, Tea, Yami, Malik, Pegasus
Summary: Ryou Bakura is...not Hollywood's most successful director. In fact, he's pushing 30, and hasn't made a single film. But when his scriptwriter (Joey) writes an amazing script, Bakura decides it's time to make his life something. With a studioworker (Malik), a sexy wannabe (Tea), a pompous diva (Mai), and a coldfish antagonist (Kaiba), Bakura sets out to make his movie using Hollywood's hottest star, Yami Muto. Too bad Yami doesn't want to be in the movie!
But that doesn't stop Bakura!After all, where is it written that Yami has to know he's in the film? The way Bakura sees it, as long as he can film Yami, and have his actors say their lines to him on the street, it doesn't matter if Yami knows he's in the film! Bakura has a plan to con Yami into the role of a lifetime, and Yami won't even know it. Reality TV takes on a whole new meaning as Bakura and friends invade Yami's life with the intent of making the best movie ever! The catch: don't let Yami know he's in it! An adaptation of 'Bowfinger'.