Note: Well, I'm still having a bit of some difficulty going over the hurdle that is Writer's Block when it comes to 'Blue Eyes White Mermaid', and it just drives me nuts! I'll find a way to get over it, so bear with me! On the bright side, with the help of my big brother, I actually got started on my newest fanfiction to help squeeze out some creative juices! This Yu-Gi-Oh AU story is based on the video game Bioshock, with some major differences to enhance the storyline. For instance, it takes place in modern times, specifically the early summer of 2008, and it will have an RPG feel. In any case, here's the first chapter of my new fanfiction!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, nor do I own the storyline of Bioshock. And I'm glad I don't!

Plasmashock

Prologue

2002, Mid-Pacific

Sunlight shone down into the seemingly empty ocean, illuminating it with beautiful beams under the surface of the water. It was a very calm and peaceful scene… or at least, it would have been calm and peaceful.

But something was out of place.

A large metallic sphere could be seen rising up from the dark depths—and it was heading toward the surface. Bubbles surrounded the sphere as it traveled, before finally, it broke the surface in front of its intended destination: a lighthouse in the shape of a beautiful red and gold pagoda.

Strangely enough, there was no other land surrounding it.

Chapter 1: The Fateful Flight

Seven years later…

"The Flight to Los Angeles, California in the United States of America will be departing soon." announced a voice on the intercom in the Tokyo Airport.

"Well, I guess it's time." A young man said to himself, gripping his backpack on one side and rising from his seat. He had a slim, graceful build, but well muscled arms and legs revealed that he is not as frail as he looks. His spiky hair was shaped somewhat like a star, mostly black and lined with crimson, and his golden bangs were shaped like lightning surrounding his handsome face. Some of those strands of hair from his bangs stood on end, in fact, and lined perfectly with the rest of his hair. He wore a sleeveless black leather shirt and blue jeans, black studded leather boots, and a blue jacket hung from his shoulders like some sort of cape. Around his neck was a studded black collar, and the wristbands were likewise studded as well, and two belts were around his waist, one holding his jeans in place, and the other hanging loosely around his hips, almost diagonally. Also around his neck was a large golden pendant hung on a thick chain, shaped like an upside-down pyramid. But the most striking feature were the young man's eyes, for the irises were a brilliant shade of crimson.

As he was about to step toward the terminal that led to the plane, he suddenly heard a voice calling out to him. "Atem! Yo, Atem wait up!"

The young man, Atem, quickly turned around to see another young man running toward him. This one was tall, with dirty blonde hair and brown eyes, and he wore a white T-shirt with a thick azure stripe circling around his stomach. He too had a pair of jeans, but on his feet was a pair of well-worn sneakers. "Jonouchi!" Atem said in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"I heard you were taking a plane and leaving Japan," the second young man, Jonouchi, explained, "I want to come with you!"

"Are you sure?" Atem asked, "It's going to be a very long trip, and if you come with me, we won't be coming back to Japan anytime soon."

"I don't care." Jonouchi said, "Traveling with you is much better that staying with my deadbeat drunk of a dad. And besides, I already booked the flight to Los Angeles so I can board the same plane you're taking."

Atem stared at his childhood friend in amazement, then let out a sigh as he shifted his backpack to adjust the weight. "Well then, if you're coming with me, you'd better hurry." He said as he entered the terminal, "The plane's just about ready to take off any minute."

"Okay, hold on!" Jonouchi shouted, running after his friend.

In the nighttime air, the plane heading toward the United States glided over the clouds. Atem and Jonouchi sat across from each other in second class, chatting with each other. "And to think," Atem said, "It's the night of my sixteenth birthday, and here we are, at the start of our trip around the world." At this moment, a flight attendant approached the two friends.

"Excuse me," she said, "Are you Atem by any chance?"

Atem lifted his head up in surprise and replied, "Why, yes of course." The flight attendant gave him a smile and gave him a neatly wrapped present.

"This is for you. Happy Birthday!"

"Uhh, thank you." Atem said as the attendant left. Once she was gone, he looked at the present and gasped. "Jonouchi! Look!" and then he read aloud the note that came with his present: "To Atem, We hope that this will make you happy on your sixteenth birthday. We will always love you no matter where you go. From Akira and Kuni Kakita. P.S. Would you kindly not open this present until you reach the center of the ocean? Make sure no one is watching."

"Akira and Kuni Kakita… That's your mom and dad, right? Wow! You're very lucky to have parents like them!" Atem grew sad at this and Jonouchi stared at him with confusion. "Huh? Why the long face all of the sudden?"

"Jonouchi, about that…" Atem said, "That's the reason why I'm leaving Japan."

"W-what?" Jonouchi said in shock.

"I have a confession to make to you." Atem took in a deep breath a nervously said, "I… I have amnesia. I was ten years old when I got it. I know that for sure, I remember waking up at the hospital on my tenth birthday, but I don't remember what happened before that. As a matter of fact, the only thing I was able to remember on that day was my name. Even today, I have no memory of the time before I was ten." Atem reached into his pocket and took out two photographs. One of them was of a ten year old Atem having fun at the rice paddy with a man and a woman. "Of course, back then, I didn't care. I had a home, and my parents love me… or at least, I thought they were my parents." A curious Jonouchi listened with great interest as his friend continued his story. "But all that changed two days ago. I had finished with a household chore when I came across the door to the attic. It was open, and that surprised me, because that door was never open for as long as I could remember. And it was always locked. For the first time in my life, curiosity got the better of me, and so I went up to explore. At first, I was excited about the treasures that I found. But as I went deeper in my exploration, I began to notice that something wrong. There were no toys from when I was younger that ten, no preschool art, not even photo albums that show any baby pictures. Then I made the most disturbing discovery of them all: I came across an old box, and inside there were documents. As I read over each one, I realized that they were birth certificates of every member of the family. Every member, that is, except me." Atem paused, shaking his head. "At this moment, I decided to confront my parents about the matter…"

"Mom? Dad?" Atem called out as he ran down the stairs into the kitchen where Kuni was cooking. Akira had just come back from working in the family rice paddy nearby their Japanese farm, and had stepped into the house after taking off his boots.

"Oh, hello Atem!" Kuni said cheerfully. "You're just in time for dinner!"

"I'm not in the mood for dinner at this moment!" Atem shouted, his voice showing a bit of anger, "Where are my baby pictures? Where are the preschool toys you said I had?"

"Well, they're up in the attic--" Akira started to explain.

"Don't lie to me! I was up in the attic!" Atem hollered, "None of it was there! And to top it off, I found this!" That was when he dropped the box on the table and revealed its contents to a shocked Akira and Kuni. "Birth certificates! Birth certificates of the whole family from every generation, and not one of them has my name and date of birth! Where's my birth certificate?! Why isn't it with the others?!" The couple stared at the young man in shock, then slowly turned to look at each other. Then they faced him again, this time with a look of sorrow on their faces. "Mom? Dad?" Atem said in a hushed tone.

"Atem," Akira finally said sadly, "There is something we've been meaning to tell you."

"…And that was when I learned the truth. My parents… they weren't really my parents at all." By then, Atem was ready to break down into tears.

"You mean, you were… adopted?!" Jonouchi gasped.

"Yes. And in all honesty, I was shocked by the discovery. Later that night, my foster parents told me that my real family is still alive. They never told me who or where they are, but they did tell that they are waiting for me, somewhere in this world. That's when it came to me. This revelation, and the amnesia I have… they're actually tied together! Perhaps my real family might be the key to restoring my lost memory!" Atem then revealed the other photo of himself and his foster parents, this one taken three days ago by a digital camera. "So yesterday, I made the decision to travel the world in search of my real family, and therefore, my past. It was a bittersweet moment for me and for my foster parents. Just before I left for the airport, they told me, 'Atem, we don't care where you come from. That will not stop us from loving you. Because you, are special. You are born to do great things.' And now here I am, ready to begin my quest."

"Wow, that's one incredible story!" Jonouchi said when Atem finished his story. Then he leaned forward, and said, "You know, I'm glad I decided to go after you and tag along in this journey. Even if we don't find your real family, I'm sure we'll have many exciting adventures together."

This made Atem smile and then turned to a businessman behind him. "Excuse me Sir, do you know where we are at this moment?"

"Well," the businessman said, "According to my portable GPS machine, we're at 180 Longitude and 36 Latitude."

Atem gasped, and then stood up with his present. "Atem, where are you going?" Jonouchi asked.

"We've reached the center of the Pacific Ocean, so it's time for me to open my present." Atem replied, "The note specifically told me to open it in a place where no one else can see."

"Oh yeah!" Jonouchi exclaimed, "I was wondering about those instructions. You think it's meant to be a surprise for all of us?"

"Maybe." Atem said, "In any case, I'm going to the bathroom to open my gift. I'll be right back, okay?" And with that, he left to the bathroom at the front of the plane. Like Atem, Jonouchi was curious about the contents of the package. But, being the loyal friend he is, he stayed put. Nearly a full minute has passed, however, and he was losing his patience. Suddenly, there were two gunshots at the cockpit.

"Oh my God! Did you hear that?!"

"Someone's been shot in the cockpit!"

"The security camera's been shut down!"

"We can't get in the cockpit! The doors are shut tight!"

"What's happening?!"

As the passengers began to panic, the plane suddenly began to tilt downward. And there was no sign of stopping.

"What's going on?!" Jonouchi screamed, and he soon grew worried about Atem. He tried to get out of his seat, but several flight attendants were blocking his path, trying in vain to calm down the other passengers. He was stuck, with nowhere else to go. And the plane continued to go downward. Before Jonouchi even realized it, he was surrounded by fire and water.

Note: In the next chapter, who survives the crash? Plus, a strange building is dicovered. What secrets does it hold? Until next time!