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The seatbelt light turned off and Seto narrowed his eyes. He always hated flying commercial, but he absolutely refused once he had his Blue-Eyes White Dragon jet. Seto never liked relying on other people to keep him safe, especially when he was flying thousands of miles aboveground. In his experience, the only person he could depend on to keep him safe was himself.
Pegasus convinced him to give it another try. Seto had to agree, he had been working many late hours in preparation for the new Duel Monsters set to be released. On top of that the space elevator in Domino was almost ready to try in person and Seto was reviewing the schematics personally. He couldn’t let anything be out of place. He had put too much time and energy into it for it to be an embarrassment. Like everything else at KaibaCorp, it had to be implemented perfectly.
It was true, he had been too tired to fly the eight to ten hour flight to California in his jet, but his instincts were screaming at him at the moment, and Seto didn’t like having to rely on others to fix a problem.
A woman at the front of the plane stood up and stepped down the aisle to go to the restroom, wearing stiletto heels and a pencil skirt. Seto watched her feet wobble ever so slightly on the heels as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
Seto frowned. The plane should be getting in line to land. It ought to be starting its descent soon too, so why did the seatbelt light chime off?
He leaned out of his seat toward the aisle, watching the flight attendants still in their seats, talking nervously.
“Hmm,” Seto muttered to himself.
“I always get nervous during landings too!”
He turned to see a woman with gold bangles, tanned skin, and a wide smile. He had slept nervously through most of the flight and hadn’t noticed the other passengers. Seto stared at her with thinly veiled annoyance.
“Do you fly often?” She gave another wide smile. She reminded him of a real estate agent, or a salesperson used to filling in awkward silences with tedious small talk. He noticed that the plane began to pitch at a rough angle, making the plane rattle. Two of the three flight attendants got to their feet and headed toward the cockpit.
“Oh, here we go!” The woman cried giving a laugh. “Don’t get nervous, okay?”
Seto narrowed his eyes and unbuckled his seatbelt.
“Oh wait,” she said. “That’s probably not a good idea until we’ve landed!”
The plane tilted further, and Seto got to his feet, his white designer trenchcoat unfurling behind him down the aisle. Someone farther back gasped. He turned to face the back of the plane and used his perfected announcer voice. “Please stay in your seats, buckle in, and stay calm.” He turned toward the cockpit and started down the aisle.
“What’s he doing?” The woman asked in a panic.
“That’s Seto Kaiba!” Someone responded. “If he says stay in your seat, you do it!”
One person leaned out into the aisle, holding up their cellphone, obviously filming. Seto didn’t care, he was more focused on the plane lilting further to the side. He could hear luggage begin to rattle around in the overhead compartments.
He knocked hard on the door to the women’s restroom, eliciting a shriek from inside. The sink water turned off.
“It’s unsafe to be out of your seat,” Seto said as the woman opened the door a crack with wide eyes. “Sit down and buckle yourself in.”
She nodded, squeezed around him and hurried toward her seat. The plan was no longer level though and her stiletto heels were no match for the incline. She tripped over the lip of the bathroom door and tumbled forward, but Seto anticipated it. He reached forward and grabbed hold of her just before she hit her face on an armrest. Without a word, he helped her over to her seat.
“Thank you,” she whispered as she strapped her seatbelt on. Seto nodded.
Back in coach, one of the overhead compartments opened and luggage spilled out. Seto didn’t head that way though, he headed toward the cockpit.
The last flight attendant seated by the door looked at him warily. He had a green complexion. “Sir, you shouldn’t be out of your seat.”
Seto thumbed over his shoulder, “The seatbelt light is off. I’m also fairly certain the plane has a malfunction, whether mechanical or human.”
The man stared at him. Seto crossed his arms. He didn’t want to unload on this man, but if that’s what it took…
“I have licenses in Airline Transport and Multi-Engines, I also am an experienced fighter pilot.” He gave a small smirk, “I am likely more experienced in flying under dangerous conditions than anyone in that cockpit right now. I have no intention of crash landing, so if you would please let me enter, I can certainly be of help.”
The man gaped at him even as the sound of more luggage came from behind. The plane was lilting so badly that Seto had a hand on the wall to keep from falling.
He swallowed hard, “I could get in a lot of trouble, sir.”
Seto nodded. “Better than being dead.”
His eyes went wide at that, and finally got to his feet to open the door.
“If they give you any trouble,” he slid a card into the attendant’s hand, “let them know that Seto Kaiba demanded entry.”
***
Seto was met with absolute chaos.
One man was on the ground, dressed in a pilot uniform. One of the flight attendants straddled him, doing CPR as best as she could through tears. The other pilot, meant to be the backup, was sitting in his chair, his back to the tilted skyline, looking like he was having a panic attack. The second attendant was on the speaker shouting into the microphone.
“We need help! Please!”
“Where is your current position? We’re not getting a visual on you.”
“I don’t know!”
Seto realized in that instant that he was their only chance. The attendant in charge didn’t even know how to turn the seatbelt sign on. One pilot was either dead or almost dead and the other had clearly never been put into an actual distressing situation before and was falling apart. If he didn’t step in, they were all dead. He would never meet with Pegasus and he would never see Mokuba again. That thought stirred him into action.
He turned to the attendant behind him who was gaping at the scene before them.
“Make sure the passengers are secure and that the overhead compartments are closed properly.”
The attendant looked upa t him with terrified eyes. Seto put a hand on his shoulder.
“Do you want to see your family again?”
He nodded.
“So do they. Now go help them.”
“Yes, sir!” He said before running off down the aisle.
Seto turned to the attendant on the radio. “You – see if there is a doctor on board to help the Captains.”
She turned to him with wild, tear-filled eyes. “Who the hell are you?”
“Seto Kaiba,” he said as he settled into the pilot’s seat and put on the headset. “Now go or else they’ll both be dead when we land.”
“When we land? We’re crashing!”
“Not while I’m on board,” he snapped, pulling the microphone out of her hand and flipping on the seatbelt lights. The plane was drifting badly and had veered way off course. The engines were holding up, but some of the flaps on the wings had taken damage from the hard lilt. That meant the plane would be lilting all the way to the ground if they tried to land, which could spell disaster.
He grabbed the microphone for the intercom. “Attention passengers, this is Seto Kaiba. We are in for a dangerous landing. Please make sure you are fastened in your seat and lean forward in the crouch position. I fully intend to bring us all in safe, but I need each of you to remain calm and keep yourselves protected.”
He flipped the intercom off with practiced ease, having to fight to keep the plane at all horizontal or on track. He flipped the switch for air traffic control.
“This is Seto Kaiba, filling in for the pilots of LA2079. We have damage on the wing flaps, but I believe we can make a safe landing if you can give me a clear runway.”
The silence from ATC made him break out in a sweat. He had gotten the plane turned around and was heading for the airport, but if they didn’t alert the other planes then they could collide in mid-air.
“Please respond,” he added, feeling the painful panic slip into his voice. He made sure he spoke in English, not in Japanese. He made sure to pronounce everything accurately, so why the delay? Sweat dripped down the back of his neck and into the collar of his turtleneck.
“We’re grateful to have you, Kaiba. We see you coming in and we’re clearing a path.”
He gave out a sigh of relief. “Give me the coordinates, and make sure you have ambulances on site. This is going to be a rough landing.”
Seto maneuvered the plane as best he could in the direction they indicated. The sky was almost completely clear of other aircraft. He spotted the runway ahead. All it took now was landing.
He felt the breast pocket of his coat vibrate as the Stranger Things soundtrack filled the room.
“Goddammit, Pegasus, you really do have terrible timing.”
The runway was approaching fast, and Seto glanced back to the attendant, two pilots, and presumably the doctor they had fetched. They were crouched down and bracing themselves for impact.
“Hold on!” He cried as he pulled with all his might to land the plane as flat as he could. The wheels skidded, a wing scraped against the blacktop, shifting them slightly to the side. Seto screamed and pulled it straight again as the plane finally began to deaccelerate. Up ahead, he could see flashing red lights, but he didn’t allow himself to be distracted. The opposite wing scraped the ground, but this time Seto held it steady, until finally the plane came to a complete stop with a jerk.
He sat there, staring at the lights of the police cars and ambulances as they sped toward them. He heard crying behind him, and Seto allowed himself to let his arms drop to his sides. His hands and arms ached from holding onto the yoke so hard. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, trying to slow down his racing heart and the adrenaline that coursed through him. Then he heard clapping that rose into a cheer from the passengers.
The attendant who had yelled at him earlier came over in tears. “Thank you, Mr. Kaiba, you saved our lives.”
“Yes, I did. You’re lucky I was even here. I hate flying commercial.” He turned to the microphone to make an announcement. “Attention passengers, we’ve landed. The attendents will be deploying the emergency exits soon. Please be careful as you gather your things and your loved ones and exit the plane. Medical personnel should be on hand should you need their assistance. Kaiba out.”
Another cheer rose and Kaiba leaned back in his seat, allowing himself a small smile. As the attendants started disembarking, Seto pulled out his phone and texted Pegasus: “I’m running late.”
***
Seto stood on top of the inflatable slide, his briefcase in hand. There were people everywhere. Emergency responders, passengers, and news crews all crammed together. Seto wanted no involvement in any of it. All he wanted was a hot shower, a good meal, and maybe a nap. He slid down the slide, never letting go of his briefcase. Officers were there at the bottom to help him to his feet. He hated being touched by strangers, which only made him more anxious.
He broke out into a sweat as he laced through the crowd, trying to figure a way to escape. Where the hell could he find a taxi? Where the hell was the entrance? He felt the control that he had maintained so well on the plane start to wear thin. He preferred to organize crowds, not be crushed by them. A reporter and a cameraperson on one edge had spotted him and were making their way over.
Shit, Seto thought. He was in no mood to talk to the press, not yet. He needed time to compose himself, to get his hands to stop shaking, to talk to Mokuba and let him know he was okay. He wasn’t ready to be interviewed for the evening news.
“Kaiba-boy!”
He turned, spotting Pegasus’ red suit, a wave of relief washing over him. He rushed over to him, nearly tripping over a child in the process.
“Pegasus how did you—"
In one fluid motion, Pegasus wrapped his arms around him and kissed him sqwuare on the mouth. “We were so worried! When they said your plane was having problems, I feared the worst!” Pegasus kept squeezing him and Seto didn’t know what to say.
“I didn’t know you were so worried for me,” he muttered, touched more than he could convey in mere words. Other than Mokuba, he didn’t think anyone else cared if he lived or died. Clearly he was wrong though.
He suddenly feeling overwhelmed all over again.
Pegasus pulled back, and Seto could see his eye was red from crying. “I couldn’t lose someone else I care about, Seto. I just couldn’t.”
Seto closed his eyes, remembering his parents. He understood, probably better than Pegasus knew.
“I’m okay,” he insisted, before giving a small smile. “You should have known I would have everything under control.”
Pegasus gave a scoff even though he had a smile on his lips. “I know, I know, I ought to have more faith in you. But you push my limits with your stunts!”
Seto’s eyes went wide. “My stunts? You’re the one who insisted I fly commercial despite my protests. The short little nap I got on the plane didn’t do any good against the stress of that mess. I don’t care what you say, I’m always taking the jet.”
Pegasus intertwined their fingers together, “Come on, lets get out of here before you start a scene and it gets splashed across the evening news.”
Seto grunted in agreement and together they made their way through the airport to Pegasus’ limo. Only once he sat down on the leather seats did Seto finally start to relax.
“Are you okay with staying with me?” Pegasus asked, looking genuinely hospitable for once.
“Sure,” he muttered. “As long as you have a shower I can use and a place to sleep, I’m fine.”
“Excellent,” Pegasus grinned, reaching over to take his hand and link their fingers together again. Seto didn’t really mind.
Pegasus continued, “You know, the news is calling you Seto Kaiba, the superhero. Aren’t you flattered?”
Seto huffed, “It’s about time they caught up with reality.”
END