The leader was staring straight at Nick, which Nick could see blown-up through his binoculars. He also saw it when the leader started waving his hands, gesturing aggressively at the obelisk.
Shortly after, the group of hooded men ran across the sandy expanse to the obelisk, aiming to surround Nick. One pulled out a gun, aiming it carefully at Nick’s head. Nick would be able to get a closer look at the men, about five or so in number. Each wore what appeared to be an almost ceremonial outfit - a black sleeveless top with the hood raised, embroidery woven into the smooth fabric. The front was open, revealing bare chests as the fabric went down to the knees. Folded black cloth that made the shape of pants. And around the waist, some type of buckle appeared to glow subtly with a dark aura.
The gun was cocked.
“No sudden moves!”
Now it was up to Nick to comply, or risk refusing their orders.
Cosy cried out cheerfully, hugging her father tightly as the camera flashed. Little did she know that one day she would forget her happiness, and that this happened at all.
"I absolutely forbid you from getting any bigger!" Her father said, and Cosy giggled as he booped her nose.
"Daaaad, you know I can't stop." She giggled again, smiling wide at her father.
She stood by Auri as her father and mother discussed something about the pyramid she couldn't quite understand. She had her Hello Kitty flashlight in her hands and was ready to go. Her excitement was getting the best of her, and she started pulling on Auri's hand.
"Come on, sis! Allons-y! Pleeeease!"
She had been so patient since they got here. Now it was time. Now, she wanted to see what her father loved so much. She wanted to see the mummies and uncover secrets just like her father and mother. They'd be so proud of her when she found something they could add to their notes.
Ah, she could taste it already. The world moved too slow, and she was ready to go. Ready to explore.
If Theo decided to brush off a bit of the wall as his father suggested, he would uncover a portion of a new line under what Thierry had already marked and discovered. The third line. What could be considered as a response to the second.
A linguist would recognize the hieroglyphs right away to form a direct translation as: 'z sacrifis is grat'. However, it would take a truly great archeologist's mind to determine what the phrase meant in plain English.
"But I want to explore more-" Would be all that Cosy could say as Thierry ushered the kids away as he delved deeper into the pyramid. She stood there, Hello Kitty flashlight lolled to the side in her hands as she watched her father disappear past the orange cones. The dumb orange cones. Had she done something wrong? Was she not grown-up enough?
Her lip trembled, the irrationally sensitive feelings of a 10-year-old hurt as she was forbidden from following her father further in.
"Maman?" Cosy said, trying to keep her voice level as she moved to hug her mother. "I- I'm going back. I'm done."
And she hurriedly rushed towards the front entrance, her little shoes tapping against the ancient stone, following the lights lined against the claustrophobic wall. As she neared, more orange cones popped up in her vision. Along with a rope barring the entrance. The Descending Passage, unlit and inviting. The promise of discovering secrets.
Her teary eyes tightened, and her mouth pressed in a firm line.
If her father wanted to explore on his own so bad, then she would to. So, instead of going out the entrance like she promised she would, she turned, stepped over the cones and rope, flicked on her flashlight, and tiptoed deeper into the Descending Passage.
After about 10 minutes or so of walking downward, feeling the air grow cooler with the passage of time, the dusty floor finally evened out. In the depths of the Pyramid of Giza, she had entered the Subterranean Chamber. It was cold and dusty, with broken ruble at the edges of the rectangular room. Her flashlight swept the inscribed walls and jars, finally settling on a glint. Something shiny.
Cosy's heart skipped a beat. Had she found something?
The moment her fingers brushed against the chipped gold, the pyramid shook with a groan, the floor vibrating violently.
In the Ascending Chamber, where Thierry had left Theo, Auria, and Sabrina, the inscriptions began to glow and rearrange themselves, creating a new passage in hieroglyphs that repeated themselves over and over and over. The meaning of the images was lost on those who didn't know, but for those who understood the hieroglyphs, it would send a chill down their spine.
The message was cold, and cruel.
In the burial chamber, the floor continued to shake and vibrate as the vortex grew in size, increasing in speed so it looked similar to a glowing tornado growing out of the top of the open tomb.
It would be quite shocking to watch, but it wouldn't affect Thierry unless he somehow got too close.
Back in the Subterranean Chamber, Cosy screamed as the ground shook, and, in desperation, she reached out and clutched the statue.
Almost instantly, there was a 'hush' as the air changed, like falling for a split second, before Thierry, Sabrina, Theo, Auri, and Cosy found themselves all together in the dark, transported to a new area of the pyramid. It was pitch black, save for the Hello Kitty flashlight pointed at the ground.
Aurélie’s sundress fluttered as she quickly made her way back to her camera, lifting her prized possession into her hands. On the display, the eldest found her family, smiling, the pyramid of Giza in the background. Thierry held Cosette up, supported by Sabrina. Theo with a massive grin on his features next to his father, their mother’s long hair framing her face just right. Even Aurélie smiled as brightly as the natural sunlight that provided the perfect exposure for this picture. She couldn’t wait to have it printed. Maybe she could even let it be put on a canvas? She couldn’t remember the last time they had a true family photo.
”What can I say? I love vegetables.” Her brother said to his father behind her, as the family chattered away, Cosy giggling something about growing. Despite the work her parents had to do, something in Aurélie said this trip would make them all closer. Just not in the way she had wanted it.
As they walked back to their tents, Aurélie’s attention was torn from goimg through her photos by her father’s arm suddenly around her. Blinking slightly in surprise, she realised he was just thanking her for the ointment. Her heart did a weird thump in her chest as his familiar scent hit her nose. The acknowledgement felt nice, making the smile on her face shy as her eyes turned to the sand at their feet. ”In line at the pharmacy.” She answered to his rhetoric question. While she didn’t get any of her nature from Sabrina, she was glad her nurture brought her positive traits, such as the silent caring for another. Sabrina was the type of mother who, if she had the time, would ensure to get you what you needed before you even knew you needed it. Tissues when you start to sniffle. Tea with honey when you have an itch in your throat.
Later, Theo bounced around the tent like he was Cosy’s age again, gathering his notes and supplies and shoving them into his backpack. The little sister herself was pulling on Aurélie’s hand, excited to go. Aurélie had changed out of her sundress and opted for something more… convenient. Jean shorts topped with an airy rosy brown tank top. Comfortable walking shoes. She tied a sweater around her waist in case there would be a cold draft. Her mother had told her it could vary, within the pyramid. ”Alright, alright!” The older sister chuckled at her younger one, sliding her arms through the straps of her small backpack. She draped her camera around her neck. Dusty bricks weren’t her thing, and she wouldn’t enjoy overanalysing each crease, but at the very least she could take marvellous action shots of her parents and her siblings.
”Je jure, papa! Best behaviour.” Theo grinned, his eyes focused on the small brush in his hand. After twirling it between his fingers, he sat down on his behind and crossed his legs under him in a tailor’s sit. He came prepared, too. His free hand switched on his headlight. Carefully, he began to brush where his father pointed at. With a snort, he nodded at his father but kept his eyes on his work. Wouldn’t want to accidentally brush too hard and turn Bead into Dead or something. ”It’s glamorous to me.” It was honestly like a dream come true. No more hearing it through his parents' tales, no more documentaries or daydreaming that it was his hand making the discovery. Nothing could break his day, that’s for sure. He always imagined that one day it would be his time, on the stage of yet another Louvre gala displaying yet another magnificent work of art recovered and restored, or an artefact that was lost be found. One day, it would be him. It will be. And it would be the greatest day of his life.
He was excited to work on the Rosetta Stone notes, too. Even though the youth had already spent countless hours researching and watching YouTube and documentaries about the subject, he’d never be as good as a linguist as his mother. And so after his father left him to his careful and slow brushing, she was the one he called once he was done. He didn’t fully understand what was displayed in the light of his headlamp. ”Maman? Pouvez-vous venir ici s'il vous plaît?”
There was a certain youthful curiosity on Aurélie’s face as her fingers ran over some etchings in the wall. Cosy’s flashlight made her manicured nails shimmer as their mother explained what the etchings meant. Too complicated for Cosy’s understanding, and Auri’s lack of previous interest made her not fully grasp it either, but when her eyes shifted from the wall to her mother, she could see pure wisdom in her eyes. She was in awe of her mother’s knowledge, and passion for these dusty bricks. She smiled widely at her mother as her hand dropped back to her side. ”You and papa really know a lot, huh?”
The comment was more to herself than her mother. Maybe she just didn’t pay enough attention to them, like that. Theo’s voice filled the room, calling out for their mother, and Aurélie gave Sabrina a confirming nod that she’d look after Cosy. Her attention was split between her little sister, and watching her mother gracefully bend down by Theo and look at more etchings on the wall. She raised her camera.
Once his mother had come over Theo proudly showed off what he had revealed to the world while thumbing through his notes, confusion etched on his face. He thought he was smart, but dealing with actual hieroglyphs instead of the one in his textbooks, Theo realised for the first time that not everything is as it seemed. His father had gone deeper into the pyramid, to a place where Theo wasn’t allowed. One day, though. ”I think this part says ‘s grat’, but I don’t know what this here says and, I have no clue what it means.” With a sheepish smile, he looked up to his mother for help.
The shutter sound of Aurélie’s camera sounded warped like the bricks had an odd sense of acoustic to them, or lack thereof. As the display lit up her amused face, the side of her mouth curled up as she looked at the picture of her mother and Theo. God, Theo would love this one. He looks so professional, so concentrated on what Sabrina was telling him. As she raised her camera once more, Cosy appeared in the lens and hugged Sabrina, then ran off.
Her nose scrunched together as she saw Cosette book it out of there. Obviously, she couldn’t let her run off by herself, and she wanted to give Theo and their mother their moment. Or whatever it was they were looking at. While approaching her mother, she flashed her a knowing smile concerning the rambunctious little one. ”Ne t'inquiète pas maman, I’ll go after her. You stay.” She squeezed her mother’s hand for a brief moment before turning, her pace brisk as she followed after the smallest de Villiers.
The sunlight warmed her face as she came upon the steps, but her little sister was nowhere in sight. There was no way Cosette would’ve been so fast that Aurélie wouldn’t see her on the steps anymore. With confusion pulling her brows together, the eldest turned on her heels and walked back in. ”Cosy? Où es-tu?” An anxious feeling started bubbling in the pit of the responsible sister. Had she taken a side hallway? Was she hiding? She turned left, walked past some Egyptian men bowed over a sheet of paper and pressed on. ”Cosy! S'il vous plaît!” To those that were able to hear her voice, the young woman sounded more frantic by the moment, her breathing laboured as her mind started playing tricks on her. She was responsible for Cosette, and she was gone. Hastily she made her way back to the main hallway and went down a different path, only to come to a full stop by a dark corridor with orange cones and a rope. They might’ve as well put up a big LED arrow with ‘go here, curious little child’.
Remembering Cosy’s upset voice at not being allowed to follow her father past the other rope, Aurélie lifted her leg and stepped over it. ”Cosette?” Within two steps, the hallway became too dark to see, and Auri fumbled to get her phone from her pocket. Turning on the flashlight, she illuminated the dark hall. Cosy had a flashlight, so it was still possible she had gone down this route. She knew she was descending, and there was something undoubtedly eerie about the steps. There was almost no sound, yet there seemed to be a persistent hum. Goosebumps were all over her bare arms, but Aurélie was too concerned with finding her sister to put on her sweater.
The sound of her shoe hitting the stone was different as she noticed she had made her way to the bottom, a flashlight ahead shining on the walls. With a breath of relief, Aurélie choked out her sister's name, only to be interrupted by a loud rumble. With her eyes wide open, she hastily bridged a couple of steps toward her sister in order to keep her safe.
”Woah, what the?” The brush clattered from Theo’s hand as his head snapped toward his mother. Suddenly, a glow came from his freshly brought hieroglyphs, begging for his attention back as he scampered off the floor and back to his feet. The wall, it changed and the young man’s eyes opened wide. Out of fear, or a sense of protectiveness, or both, Theo reached out and grabbed his mother’s hand. Did they need to run? He didn’t understand the newly formed sentence, but he barely had the time to see before everything turned silent and dark.
He still held his mother’s hand as it felt like his entire body went down the steepest rollercoaster of his life. The glowing was gone, and instead, it felt like the air itself had changed. A flashlight flickered slightly on the floor, but it wasn’t his headmounted one, but Cosy’s. When had she come back?
Aurélie fell to her knees, her hand grasping Cosy’s arm after it had felt like the weirdest sense of weightlessness entered her body for a moment. Like she was falling off the stairs she had surely already gone down. She turned her sister toward her, trying to stay calm. ”Cosy! Why did you go down there? I was looking for you.” She could barely see her sister’s face, and her hand slid down her arm to find her hand. Instead, she found a small object there instead. She raised Cosy’s hand up in hers, using the flashlight from her phone to illuminate what was in her hand. Some sort of statue. ”What is this?”
Sabrina stood amongst her children as they explored the designated areas that Thierry had deemed safe. She smiled as Theo called for her assistance in translating some hieroglyphs. "You're doing well, Theo," the mother praised her son's gentle brush technique with the ancient stone. She carefully ran her right pointer finger along the etchings, as if she were reading a book.
"This says, 'The sacrifice is great.' A tad ominous but-," Sabrina started to explain as she caught her husband's retreating figure moving past the boundaries he set in place in the corner of her vision. Her gaze swept over to the disappointed expression on Cosette's face. She started to stand up to stride over to comfort the youngest de Viller child but Cosy cut her off, saying that she was done.
"Alright, petit. Please, mind the ropes and cones on the way back though, okay? It is important," Sabrina warned, hugging Cosette back as she glanced at Auri for assistance. She smiled appreciatively when the eldest offered without her saying anything when Cosy took off.
She turned back to Theo, laying a proud, tender touch on his left shoulder. "As I was saying before. It is a tad ominous. However, many pyramids were etched with such warnings to keep bandits from thieving the burial chamber," she explained as if she were a professor at a college. It was hard to believe that any of the kids were old enough to join them on field digs, but Theo especially. Sabrina blamed Theo's thirst for archaeology on Thierry's theory rants of artifacts as she translated Latin and Mesopotamian for him while she was pregnant with Theo. Of course, Sabrina loved the ancient world just as much as her husband, but it had taken a backseat since Aurelie was brought into the picture.
Sabrina blinked her eyes as the ancient dust began to sprinkle excessively from the ceiling while the room began to shift. Both mother and son hopped to their feet as the hieroglyphs glowed and changed before their eyes. The images shifted to something even more terrifying than the normal warning the Ancients gave thieves.
"'Appease me'?" Sabrina translated without blinking as she felt Theo's hand grip hers tight. Suddenly, a forgotten feeling filled her body. They were sliding down a chamber shaft. Before they knew it, the glow of a familiar Hello Kitty flashlight shone on the ground. Her head snapped to Auri and Cosy with her youngest holding an artifact.
Sabrina squeezed Theo's hand for a moment to collect herself, breathing deep through her nose before she let go of her son's hand. She walked over to her daughters and knelt down in front of her youngest. "Auri's right, Cosette. Why did you run when you knew she was looking for you? Why did you lie to me? You said that you were returning to camp. Vos enfants, vous auriez pu être blessés." Her voice was calm and collected, but also held the tone of being upset. Her youngest just lied to her to follow her father, it was only natural that she would be frustrated with the situation they were in now.
"Petite fille, nous pourrions avoir de gros ennuis," Sabrina informed as she stood up and dusted off her knees. "Well, I suppose we better try to find a way out. Or, at the very least, hope your father can reverse this or find us," she added as she laid a gentle hand on Cosette's head. "We'll find a way out, don't worry. I've been through worse situations with your father."
"No sudden moves?" He sighed, "Right, right." Nick mumbled to himself as he slid down the obelisk. It might of been against his better judgement, but he approached the guy currently barking orders. Hands raised to be seen, of course, "So uh," He started with a smirk as he lowered his hands slightly, "You're not the one in charge here, are you?"
"That's none of your business." The man spat, keeping his gun trained on Nick.
Briefly, the one holding the gun and a few of the other men that had quickly made their approach spoke in Arabic to one another. Exchanged looks between themselves before glancing warily at Nick.
The man holding the gun took another step forward, keeping an eye out for any sudden moves. "Tell us exactly what you're doing here."
"No, I don't think you are." Nick winked as he spoke callously.
Was he really that intimating?! He couldn't be, given his smaller stature. But the guys that had approached seemed extra cautious. Including the one with the gun. Everything that was spoken was all in Arabic, so Nick had no clue what was being said. The short glances between them as they eyed him up, told him enough though. There was a slow pace to his steps as he put one foot in front of the other. Inching closer to the man carrying the gun before finally stopping just out of arms reach.
Nick answered the man with a smirk as he aired his train of thought, "Aw, but mom!"
The man growled, before he gestured to the others standing around him.
"If you don't wanna talk, we'll just beat it outta ya."
Three out of the four men surrounding Nick raised their fists, and one launched forward, aiming to suckerpunch the young man in the stomach.
"Don't threaten me with a good time!"
A suckerpunch? Don't you legally have to be a sucker for those to work properly?! Allegedly, of course. Nick didn't move out of the way, but he did kick his knee up to block. Physical contact had been made. And since both sides preferred skipping to third base, mayhem ensued.
But not just because of Nick's brash demeanor. His thirst for anarchy certainly didn't help, but the Cairo Museum agents had followed him as well. For once, Nick's lack of real skill, was proving to be useful to him. He couldn't possibly take all these guys out by himself, but the guy who'd barked orders hadn't said the magic word- please. So of course, Nick wasn't about to cooperate...
Most of the yelling was in Arabic, but still demanding in nature. One stolen shotgun later, Nick found himself trying out his shiny new toy, "How do these work again?" Came a metaphorical question, "I just pull this here?" When the Cairo agents realized Nick was only shooting at the cult members for target practice, they stopped shooting at him. Oh, how nice of them. Maybe they could be friends, not. Nick had no interest in being controlled by Cairo. Or anybody else for that matter, "Neat."
As the mysterious hooded men sported pistols, one had to assume the shotgun was from the Cairo agents who thought now was a good tolime to break cover and interfere.
"Get to cover, and don't let that brat get away!" The leader barked orders from the back, taking cover behind some rubble.
Brat?! Honestly, the man wasn't far from the truth. But Nick still glared in his direction, taking it a little personally. Fired several more rounds, "I'd rather be a brat than somebody's bitch." He mumbled more to himself than to anybody else.
The other members responded by pulling out their own pistols and firing on the Cairo agents. When they found that Nick had lifted a shotgun, they quickly vaporized and reappeared in thin air, dodging the spray of bullets.
Well, except for one.
But on the next round of shots, the guys... started vanishing? But not the Cairo agents. The disappearing act left Nick standing there, a bit stunned. But he gathered himself quickly as the other guys seemed to find this... perfectly normal. Tomfoolery? Yes. But only in Egypt? Nick wasn't so sure due to his lack of experience. One of the magicians reappeared and instinctively he shot, but success wasn't his.
He was staring wide-eyed at Nick, his body flickering weakly before he took a bullet in the leg, and fell back.
Nick bent over the wounded cult member. He hadn't shot the guy, one of the agents had been faster. His tone was not mocking of the injuries, but curious about the glowing belt buckle, "Why is it purple?" He reached his hand out to take the buckle, but several shots in his direction spooked him out of his almost trance-like state. He wasn't sure if it had been an agent or a zealot, but he rolled out of the way regardless.
Some sand had splashed his face and he was low on ammo, "Shit." Nick rubbed at his eye as he got back to his feet.
Found it rather generous of himself to let the agents do the rest of the shooting. And made his way to what seemed to be some sort of abandoned construction site turned storage locker. Opened boxes of food and weapons, "Jesus! It's like Christmas in here!" Nick was all too happy to reload his own ammo, while looking over some of the more interesting artillery these guys had clearly stolen from the agents, "No wonder they're pissed."
After a moment or so, Nick was digging through a box of French snacks in a box labeled Giza. He looked around at the littered boxes, realizing most of them had been destined to go to one place, "What the hell is going on over at Giza?" He crossed his feet as he sat unwrapping his tasty snack.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Said a gruff voice as the hard metal of a pistol's barrel was pressed against the back of Nick's head. It seemed the leader had finally caught up.
Oh this could be fun. So like, what's a father supposed to do?
Some people currently roaming around Egypt didn't exactly have responsibilities. They didn't care about silly things like self preservation. Here's looking at you, Sunshine. Thierry though? Not so lucky. He pulled himself upright after coming to, but stayed silently hidden as Sabrina spoke to Cosette. He was frustrated. Angered to a point of tears when he saw the statue in Cosette's tiny hand, but hesitated as his wife called out. It wasn't fair. Everything was crashing around him. All his hopes and dreams. As selfish as some of them might have been. How could he protect his children and continue his desire to work for The Louvre, if this was to be the outcome? It just wasn't fair.
And then Sabrina made a comment about being in worse situations with him. Worse situations? This was the worst case scenario, as far as Thierry was concerned. His children were involved. Whereas before? It was just him that would've paid the ultimate price. He felt disgusted with himself and his lack of paternal preservation. After a moment of soaking in the noises that echoed, he stood up. Tried to make it seem as if he was just coming to, instead of a father who was bluntly ignoring his endangered family. Sabrina would probably chew him out for this later, if she noticed... if they survived.
The sensation of ooze started at his hairline. Slowly made it's way to his eyebrow, "Dad, you're bleeding!" One of his kids called out, but he ignored it. The blood and the child. Must of hit his head off the statue as he'd been sucked into the portal. He was completely enraged by the situation at hand. Consumed with his desire to solve the puzzle and get the hell out of here.
The more Cosette's flashlight waved around the room, the realization of what type of room this was washed over Thierry. The concept didn't make much sense, given this was an Egyptian tomb, not Mayan. Sacrifice. A blood offering? Here in Khufu's tomb? Thierry was dumbfounded as he manhandled the flashlight out of his youngest daughter's hands, without a word. His raucous behavior was entirely out of place, but it was all he could to keep his temper flattened. Sabrina would probably chew him out for this later too, but only if they survived.
His daughter's flashlight rested on Mr. Andrew, but only momentarily. The next? The floor. Thierry decided Mr. Andrew's face doubled as a punching bag. Mr. Andrew's words had echoed in the forefront of Thierry's mind, You brought your kids? Are you insane? That was the tipping point. And Thierry would be damned if he didn't make himself clear, that bringing his kids here wasn't his idea.
Mr. Andrew laid there moaning, while clutching at his nose in pain, "What the hell!"
Thierry shook his dominant hand out. He wasn't exactly soft spoken as he verbally spat at Mr. Andrew, "Why the hell didn't you tell me this tomb had a sacrificial room?"
"Why the hell did you bring your kids?!" Mr. Andrew moaned back. He was still clutching his face, but finally sat upright.
By now, there must of been an audience as the two agents argued openly. A wife who knew somewhat what was going on. An only son who idealized him too heavily. And two daughters. The first one being old enough to grasp what was going on. The other? Collateral damage.
"Do you really think I want them here?!" Thierry's anger was peaking again as he inhaled, "Answer me, cautiously."
"Boys!" Came a woman's voice from the other side of the room, but it wasn't Sabrina's, "Play nice. We can get out of here this way." And despite the light being pointed in that direction, nobody seemed to be standing there. Had the voice been disembodied?
Thierry looked sternly at Mr. Andrew.
The Egyptian shook his head as a purple flame engulfed all of the wooden torches in the room, "Boris's wife."
He felt the hairs stand on the back of his neck. Did Mr. Andrew mean what Thierry thought he meant? Surely, Mr. Andrew had been joking about Boris yesterday. The Cairo agent had been drinking, after all. But now? Thierry had a feeling of regret form high in his throat. What exactly had he gotten his family into? He gently sat the Hello Kitty flashlight down, as if to symbolically give it back to Cosette. She'd seemed tearful when he'd taken the light, but fearful when he approached her again.
Thierry's gaze locked onto Theo's and rested there momentarily. He didn't deserve the boy's admiration. Certainly not at this moment. And then Aurélie caught his attention. No wonder his oldest fought with him. Thierry felt his daughter had ever right to. He sighed as he looked to his wife, "Sabrina..." Fear played with Thierry's facial features, but his voice faltered. He looked away, unsure of the future.
"Has the glamour faded yet?" Thierry questioned himself, more than Theo.
Mr. Andrew spoke sternly, while headed in the direction the disembodied voice had come from, "We should go."
This rekindled angered feelings within Thierry. No way in hell did he want to trust any of the Cairo agents. Mr. Andrew had known about the pyramid having a human blood sacrificial room, but failed or refused to inform him. What choice did Thierry have? He didn't want to be the only agent escorting his family around the unfamiliar setting. He turned to face Sabrina once more. His voice cracked as he glanced over her and his children, "I don't know what else to do."
There's no point in this mortal life, of being an agent, if there's nothing to go back to. Nothing to hope for. But what happens if everything that you had to go back to, gets pulled into the melodrama of being an agent? Thierry realized he was facing a paradoxical mission and was utterly terrified. The Louvre was using Thierry. A guinea pig of sorts. To see what happens when an agent comes under certain pressures. Frederik didn't have a family. Mr. Cress must of hand picked him, hoping for nothing but the best.
Thierry whimpered quietly, as he watched his family follow Mr. Andrew through the tight corridor. Then made up the rear once certain Cosette had done as she'd been told this time. Why? Why wasn't he a stronger person? A stronger father?
As a gunfight broke out, Nick would notice one interesting thing. All five of the mysterious nodded men, save for one, would vanish in a haze every so often during the battle, the reappearing in a different location, effectively moving to avoid bullets. However, the one who was wounded had a fizzling scar across his buckle, perhaps impacting performance.
As the leader cornered Nick at their loot point, he gave his number two a nod.
“We’re taking him with us. Tie him and put him in the back.”
The second-in-command nodded, and while the leader held his gun against Nick’s head, the number two grabbed Nick’s wrists, aiming to tie a ziptie tight around them.
Cosy stared up at her sister, then down at the statue, then stammered hard, her cheeks flushing red. Like a two-year-old caught with the candy jar, she tried to shove the statue behind her back.
“N-nothing. It's nothing, sis.”
“Auri's right, Cosette. Why did you run when you knew she was looking for you? Why did you lie to me?”
Cosy whipped around in the darkness to face her mother, her flashlight fumbling in her little hands. She swallowed hard; her mother had used her full name. She really was upset with her.
Cosy lowered her head, unable to meet anyone's gaze. “I'm…. I'm sorry, maman. I just… wanted dad to be proud of me-”
Her voice was a soft whisper, clearly unheard by her father as he ripped the flashlight out of her hands. The shock was evident on Cosy's face as she stared at her father, looking for a reason as to why, before the tears started to fall. A whimpering moan escaped Cosy's lips as she cried, feeling a terrible pain in her stomach, in her heart.
Her crying pitched in fervor when she watched, or rather, heard, her father commit violence against the pyramid man - a solid deck to the face. Shaking, she dropped the statue and clutched onto her mother, crying obnoxiously loud now.
The statue that she wanted to impress her mother and father with was left to collect dust on the ground as she was given the cue through bleary eyes to move forward. But Cosy wouldn't. She couldn't, rooted firmly on the ground, falling to her knees, and crying in the sacrificial chamber.
To anyone who followed Mr. Andrew through the tight corridor, they would find it lead into darkness, then somehow, they would end up right back in the sacrificial chamber from another corridor. There were in fact, many corridors. Each marked with a different symbol: death, rebirth, afterlife. The Death route Mr. Andrew took was the one that looped into another matching death corridor. So that left rebirth or afterlife to explore.
Theo’s head-mounted light swooped over the walls surrounding them as he stood protectively over his mother and sisters. Appease me his mother had said, translating the words that had appeared before them. It didn’t sit right with Theo. Appease me. Appease who? The tall seventeen-year-old blinked in confusion before taking the light off his head and holding it in his hand instead. His free hand came up to ruffle through his curls as he focused on what was happening before him again. Cosette had done something? His eyes strayed to the statue she tried to hide behind her back, a spark of recognition somewhere in the back of his mind. Where had he seen it before?
An ominous feeling settled into Aurélie’s chest as her mother’s voice was suddenly right beside her, talking to Cosette. She and Cosette had been very far away from her mother, and Theo, and, yet now they were here in the same room? Or well, a different room. This was not the same four walls where Auri had finally caught up to her little sister. The fear of something happening to Cosette still made her heart thump in her throat, making her slightly shaky.
As Sabrina spoke to Cosette, Aurélie rose up from the ground once more, brushing off little pieces of sand and gravel that had settled into the skin of her bare knees. A cold breeze grazed the skin of her shoulders, but somewhere while following her sister, she must’ve lost the sweater tied around her waist. With the light of her phone, she illuminated her sister and mom before her so they could see eye to eye, but the restless figure beside her made Aurélie glance up at Theo. He was deep in thought, and it was the shadow behind Theo that made Aurélie’s heart jump a little before her father came into view.
He was here, too? Just what the hell had happened? She angled the light of her phone his way, the sight of him making her eyes widen ever so slightly. Red fluid above his eyebrow reflected the light with a glint. ”Dad, you’re bleeding.” Yet her father didn’t seem to hear her or chose to ignore her. As she studied him more closely, she realised she had never seen this particular look on his face before. Seemingly out of nowhere, the man stalked forward and grabbed Cosy’s flashlight without pardon, and while she was still processing that particular rough move, a loud groan was heard not far from them. Both Theo and Aurélie’s lights illuminated the scene beside them. Somehow, the Egyptian man was here too, but he was on the ground, clutching his nose while their father shook out his hand.
As Aurélie audibly gasped at the display of violence, Theo’s eyes narrowed. If he had to back up his father in a fight, he would, despite not knowing what the hell it was about. Yet it seemed the man on the ground was not willing to fight back, choosing the higher ground. Their words were harsh, though, and Theo moved forward only to be stopped in his tracks by Thierry’s statement. "Do you really think I want them here?!" The son swallowed and straightened his back like he’d been lashed, and his sister’s keen eyes would notice a common sight in her brother’s eyes; hurt, quickly shifting to denial.
It just pissed Aurélie off. Did it matter why they were all here? They were in a predicament and here her father was, not seeing if his family was all right, but punching a random man in front of his kids instead. Saying things without regard. Real stellar fatherhood. Cosette’s cries pierced the room as she clung to their mother, and the two oldest siblings just stared at the scene in front of them. As Thierry finally faced them, he’d see a son who was battling some serious cognitive dissonance, and a daughter with angry, judgeful eyes. It was as if he finally acknowledged that they were actually here, even though it was now very, painfully clear he hadn’t wanted them to be, and the eldest hoped that statement hadn’t reached Cosette through her cries.
Bristling, she went down on one knee and took off her small backpack, setting it down in front of her and rummaging through it while illuminating her items with her light. Her camera hung in the space between her and her bag. At the very least, she could be useful by using her training, though her first aid course mostly covered burns, bruises and cuts, not fists to noses. Not a lot of that happens in a coffee shop. Before she could do or offer anything, though, the man she wanted to help said they should go, and walked down a corridor to their left. Blinking, with tissues and her small first aid kit in hand, Aurélie stood again.
Theo moved to join, but as Cosette cried firmly and unmoving on the floor, and his other sister wavered in between, he realised he couldn’t leave them just yet. Instead, he watched Mr. Andrew and his father go down the hallway, his curls bouncing a little every time he looked between those left behind in the chamber and the now-empty hallway. His eye fell on a symbol above the door, and he tried to wrack his brain on what it could mean. When it suddenly clicked, a barely audible gasp fluttered from his lips. Death? With his light, he shone above the other doors, quickly recognising the worth of rebirth. It was an often-used symbol in the Egyptian pyramids and texts. ”Maman, look.” He said, thinking his mother may be able to make more sense out of it.
Before he could fully process everything, shuffling to his left made him turn and shine his light toward a passageway, only to shine on the Egyptian and his father. They- what? Blinking, Theo realised it was a loop.
The ominous feeling inside Aurélie only grew when she witnessed those who went through the hallway come back out another one. Surely, there was a way out of here. With a sigh, she quickly walked up to the pair, standing in front of the man clutching his nose. The source of the words that followed Aurélie since last night. She wanted to question him about it, badly. They become Gods. ”Here. Let me see.” Not taking a no for an answer, she curled her hand around the man’s wrist and removed his hold from his nose. She put some tissues against it and shone her light from above. ”Not broken. Hold the tissues, tilt forward and pinch, it should stop the bleeding.”
Every so briefly, her eyes slid from the man to her father and narrowed a little. Still, as her eyes drifted to the drying-up blood on his forehead, she realised she needed to check him out, too. Though, maybe she should let her mom do it, she was skilled as well. Aurélie took one last look at the Egyptian and then firmly nodded her head, signalling that he was okay.
Theo surveyed the scene. One man clutching his face, one little sister crying, one occupied mother because of it, one hovering big sister and one unsteady father. Who apparently didn’t want them here? Theo had thought his father was excited about sharing this experience with him, but that didn’t seem fully true now. He had done such a careful job at brushing the writing and enjoyed the explanations and compliments his mother had given him about his work while his father had already strayed away on his own. Maybe Theo had ignored some signs like Aurélie sometimes said he did. Though, maybe it was just a matter of proving himself worthy.
And maybe it was this drive that led him to pivot, shining his light in front of him as he walked toward a corridor with ‘rebirth’ above it, disappearing into the dark, narrow hallway at a steady pace. He could find the exit, and they’d be thankful for him.
Sabrina held Cosette close, softly petting her dark curls on top of her head, letting the young girl get all the emotion she needed out. She felt heartbreak as her youngest daughter mentioned that she wanted Thierry to be proud of her. The mother of three closed her eyes for a moment, and then they snapped back open the moment she heard a fist contact with flesh. Her eyes instantly narrowed at her husband and the Egyptian man on the ground, clutching his face. Her golden gaze lit up with calm fury as she slowly stood up while her husband ranted about how he didn't want to bring the children in the first place. Thierry and Mr. Andrews were saved from her wrath as Theo called for her attention.
Sabrina held Cosette close with her right arm as they followed the group. She had no words at the moment. There was no way that she could brush away Thierry's behavior he displayed in front of the children. Sabrina smiled softly at her youngest as they arrived in the sacrificial chamber again. She watched as Aurelie finished helping Mr. Andrews. "Cosy, honey, please, go be with Auri for a moment, okay? I am going to check up on Papa," Sabrina instructed before she placed a kiss on the girl's forehead.
Sabrina gave her eldest daughter a tired shrug and thanked her for the gauze, sterilized wipe, and bandage before she walked over to her husband. "Sit, Thierry," she spoke with a bite to her tone and pointed at the large boulder that served as a nice bench.
"Yesterday, you told me that you didn't want the children around the pyramid," Sabrina commented as she ripped open the sterile wipe and wasn't too gentle patting it on the cut. "I believe you were the one that invited the kids to come along this morning at breakfast, or did I just dream that because it seems like I'm getting memory whiplash lately when it involves your promises." She placed two gauze pads on Thierry's wound after she was thorough with the cleaning of the wound. The cut would have to be properly checked once they were out of the tomb.
"I also asked you several times before coming to Egypt in the first place if you were sure that you wanted to bring the children along. I clearly remember offering to have them stay at my brother's place while we finished this dig. But, no, you insisted that everything would be alright," Sabrina added, keeping her voice down so only Thierry could hear her. She ripped open the bandage covering and laid it over the gauze. Her expression was neutral as she peered down at Thierry. "You need to go apologize to the kids. They don't deserve your frustration because of your backpedaling," she muttered before glancing around.
"Where the hell is Theo?" The mother of three asked as she placed her hands on her hips. She sighed softly and pinched the bridge of her nose. Sabrina's limit for keeping her emotions in control was coming to an end.
The flicker of the purple torches. The luminous bright hues fading in and out as if it blanketed the void. Thierry was starting to feel nauseous from all the movement. A sickly sweet sent filled the air as they burned on. Probably due to a lack of ventilation in the room. The stench of magick rising in the wake of death. He frowned heavily as he realized they'd been looped right back to the sacrificial chamber.
They'd taken door number 1, death. Made sense, but Sabrina started in on him before he could pull his notes out. Before he could solve the puzzle. Being brought back to reality before mentally transforming into an archeologist, or rather, an agent. His frustration didn't peak with her though, as he'd already let Mr. Andrew feel his mounted wrath. Poor guy.
He had watched his eldest tend to the man's wounds, before being looped back. Before the madness sunk in. Had listened quietly as Mr. Andrew had said, "thank you," to her. A certain level of politeness in the midst of an otherwise obnoxious mess.
So he sat there, listening to her concerns. Her bickering. All the years Thierry had spent trying to protect Sabrina from the harsher side of being an agent was currently backfiring. It was his fault and he knew it. But that didn't stop him from sighing all the same, as he placed his hand to the bridge of his nose.
"Sabrina," Thierry hesitated as he folded his arms. Where was he going with this? He looked to Cosy, then back to his wife, "You're absolutely right."
Thierry loved the idea of bringing the kids with him on a dig had he only been an archeological linguist. But being an agent was so taxing. So mentally exhausting. He hated it. Hated the rift it was creating. He sighed and knelt down to Cosy's level. His left knee burned with the bent movement, but he steadied himself for her sake.
"Ma petite fille," He started with hesitation, "Je suis désolé. I shouldn't have grabbed at your light like that. Do you still have the coins I gave you?"
A game of archeologist was in order.
"I need you to keep those safe for me." He nodded seriously, "But in order do to that, you can't pick any other artifact up. Those coins are very important to me, but I desperately need your help, little one!"
He felt weak. Not just in the knee. His stomach, heart, and throat. Dammit all, why hadn't he had this idea earlier? To use the coins as a bait and switch? He was terrible when it came to playing pretend. Or at least on this sort of level. He hated relying on Sabrina as much as he did, for this sort of thing.
Relief from the bent position felt good. He stood and readjusted his positioning to cater to the pain. Thierry looked to Aurélie, "Sweetheart, thank you for going after Cosy. I would be lost without you. And," He looked over to Mr. Andrew, who stayed perfectly silent, "Thank you for helping him."
The sudden change in heart Thierry was showing, concerned Ramses. It washed over him, silencing his other emotions. He'd been down here with some agents before, so the riddle was considered to be half solved. But Ramses hadn't seen full effects of the sacrificial chamber on an agent who was unaware of Egyptian magicks and rituals. And it was alarming, to say the least.
Ramses noted that the chamber seemed to pick Thierry this time. Guilt. A common emotion of those who'd been scarified to the gods. But guilty of what exactly? From what he'd seen in the files, Thierry was a good well respected man. But, then again, Ramses was never one to skim the cover looking to judge someone.
Ramses did a double take over Thierry as Sabrina questioned where Theo was. Shit. The father of three looked to him, like a deer in headlights. As if pleading, or rather, begging to be the sacrifice instead. To be the one to bleed, "Stay here. I'll poke about a bit."
Thierry simply nodded and watched in horror as the Egyptian agent headed through the door labeled Rebirth. Almost as if he knew where he was going.
Theo entered Rebirth first, followed by Ramses. There they would find and follow angular cuts in the stone corridor, before it would lead upwards a flight of the narrowest stairs known to man. Crawling up these was the correct way to describe their ascent.
Once past the narrow staircase, the stone would level out, and there would be an illumination in the distance. moving towards the purple light would lead to a square shaped room with a large, enclosed tomb in the middle.
Theo and Ramses would see another open pathway straight ahead, past the tomb. This path was adorned with slightly illuminated staircases swirling upward in a circular fashion.
Another pathway was to their left. This pathway was marked by a broad square frame and another room beyond it. From what they could see, there were glimmers of gold among the misshapen stone in the other room.
As Theo and Ramses would step into the room, a low, earthy rumble would shake the dust down from the ceiling. With an eerie, loud crack, the central tomb would open, spilling purple and red light across the room. Mist would rise from it, revealing an ethereal black orb.
And then the black orb spoke.
It seemed to appraise the two in the room.
”A son with eyes that are blind. I can show you exactly all you could be, and all that holds you back…”
The orb shifted to look upon Ramses. “A man who refuses to trust, who hides away secrets that could save those around you. Why not let go, and become what you were meant to be…?”
A deep, guttural, mocking laugh. “Let me free you from your corporeal forms!”
In the next instance, lightning shot out from the tomb, searing the ceiling, before lightning bolts rained down on the two archeologists. They were aimed at the body, Theo's chest, Ramses abdomen and legs. They didn't strike once, no. They struck, and then calculated where the two would move, and then strike again! To be hit by a bolt would bring a person near to death, with the shock too much to overload the system.
There was a slight tremor in the air as Theo, and then Ramses, departed. Slunked off. Crept down the path of Rebirth. Perhaps to become anew…
Meanwhile, tears were wiped and apologies given and received in the sacrificial chamber. Cosy held on tightly to her mother, before she nodded her head and moved to grip the cloth of Auri, rubbing her eyes again and again. The only thing that soothed her completely, was when her father knelt in front of her. Reflexively, she hid a bit behind Auri. But, when she found her father speaking softly and apologizing, she dropped her guard and came to pat his knee.
Her eyes widened at her father's words, then she nodded vigorously. “Oui, papa, Je les ai.”
She held up the small pouch, procuring it from a small pocket, giving the coins a proud shake. Pleased with the given responsibility, she smiled that sweet smile of hers.
“Oui, papa, I'll take care of them. I won't let anything distract me, not even the… shiny stuff!” The word ‘artifact’ was hard to pronounce, after all.
The magicks in the room were slowly making themselves known on their targets, and Cosy suddenly stumbled against her father, feeling woozy. She clutched her head, face contorting in an expression of discomfort.
Auri would be feeling the same, a loss of balance, the feverish chills accompanied with a flu, and a headache that would change from mild throbbing to aching pain.
“I don't feel good, papa…”
It was then a small, sickly sweet voice whispered in Sabrina's ear. It was coaxing, honeyed and thinly veiling a cruelty.
“Take your children down the Afterlife, and free them from their suffering.”
Aurélie stood with her arms crossed over her midriff, fingers curled over her biceps, trying to keep in the warmth that still lingered in her body. Sure, it had been freakishly hot outside, and she had a sweater in case there was a draft inside the pyramid, but shorts and a tank top really did nothing to attain any warmth, especially now that her soft and honestly quite expensive cashmere sweater lingered somewhere on the steps to where she found her little sister. She was chilly, and upset and wanted to go home.
The eldest responded to the Egyptian's thanks with a smile that lasted a fraction of a millisecond. Then, she handed her supplies over to her mother. Frankly, if Aurélie had to be the one to help Thierry she'd probably prod his wound out of vindictiveness. Or so she'd like to believe. As her mother chastised her father in hushed words Aurélie could only make the tone out of, the sister watched over the youngest one while her eyes swooped over the room. It was odd. No- eerie. The goosebumps on her skin weren't entirely caused by the cold alone.
As her father approached, the teen noticed her body became more rigid and she swallowed. She wasn't scared of him, never had been. But sometimes words could hurt as much as a punch to the nose could. Yet, she could see remorse in his eyes as he knelt before the youngest. For her father's sake, Auri hoped Cosy would grow tall fast because her eyes immediately darted to his knee while a muscle in her jaw ticked. She didn't like him to be in pain. She didn't like anyone to be in pain.
While the smallest of the family accepted the blatant distraction Auri's eyes searched for her mother's. There was something cracking beneath the surface of the woman who raised Auri, but she carried it so elegantly. Like broken pottery fixed with lacquer and gold powder. She was a walking Kintsugi piece. Beautiful, whole, but still more fragile than before. Aurélie's artful appraisal was interrupted by the soft voice of her father, so different from before. A nickname she had rejected in her early teens but lately been craving to hear in the same tone of affection as before. His gratitude was unexpected, and a slight twitch in her brows showed her confusion, then her awe, before her face inevitably hardened and gave him a curt nod in return instead. The 'no big deal' Auri was hiding her inner Aurélie.
Much time to deliberate what had happened wasn't granted, as her mother's voice suddenly questioned Theo's whereabouts and Aurélie's head jerked around, her hair loose hair sliding over her shoulders as she searched for her brother the last place he had seen him. Shit, how long had he been gone? Did he leave on his own, or did something happen?
Her heartbeat found a new home in her throat as she looked at her parents. The teen's eyes misted over and she was unsure why. Theo wasn't her twin, nor her full sibling for that fact, but their closeness in age made them as close as they could be, and sometimes it seemed that she could just- sense things about him. Before she could beg either of her parents to please find Theo, the world seemed to spin and her hand shot up to her forehead.
Afraid to fall, or worse, faint, the teen dropped to her knees and squeezed her eyes shut. Her veins filled with lava as her head suddenly started pounding. "Maman.." she whimpered.
Those dusty bricks... Okay maybe, just maybe his big sister had a point. These bricks sure were dusty. With a slight frown, keeping his light in hand, Theo followed the hall. A turn to the right, a turn to the left. His light illuminated a set of stairs going upward. Up was good, right? Up meant exit, or leading to, hopefully. There had never been a point in Theo's life where he regretted going to the gym so much as he stared at the narrow stairs. Even Auri would have a problem with these.
But the gym was an escape for him, both the one at the estate and the one in the city he frequented after class. There was something so freeing about putting in his earbuds and disappearing from the world, while his body gained strength, agility and stamina. It hadn't been particularly useful for anything as of yet, except for getting girls and carrying around his mother's or Auri's shopping. Heck, maybe there were more downsides than he realised. But still, the middle child attempted the stairs. After one step, he found that walking straight up them was going to leave him with battered, bruised and scuffed shoulders.
He had to turn sideways instead, walking up the stairs like a crab one step at a time. The upside would be that if he could fit through, so could the rest. He'd see if this was the exit, then get his family. As he managed to get top and forward toward purple light, Theo found not an exit, but a splitting of the path. Before him, more stairs, going up, and as mentioned before, up was good. But the aspirant archaeologist was more interested in the enclosed tomb before him. Just where in the fresh hell had they ended up?
He circled it once, then twice, but found himself completely out of his depth when it came to studying the thing. A scuffle behind him shook him from his thoughts and the tall teen swivelled on the heels of his feet to find the Egyptian man, introduced to him as Ramses, appear at the top of the steps he'd just come from. After a short appraisal, he saw the man had been helped by someone with his bloody nose. With a clenched jaw, Theo nodded at the man. "I'm sorry my dad punched you. I'm trying to find the way out but-" The teen's thoughts already were distracted halfway through his sentence as a flickering in the room to his side caught his attention.
"What's that?" He asked, more to himself than the man that was either fleeing from Thierry or sent to collect his son. Theo's eyes momentarily flickered down to the ground as he made for the pathway, stepping through the square frame. Always check for booby traps. Dad's archaeology lessons 101. He didn't want to trigger a mechanism that would impale him on some rusty and unsanitary stakes. That would be a bother.
It seemed Theo did forget the other 101 lessons though, such as don't fucking wander about while following your youthful curiosity. Oops? The relief of dodging a possible boobytrap was immediately wiped off his smug face when the room started rumbling like a herd of bison were running overhead. He coughed at the dust falling down, discolouring the fabric of his blue shirt to grey. A crack from the tomb caught- no demanded his attention and once more Theo whirled. The son's eyes squinted at the eerie light as mist seeped into the room like a failed science fair project on Halloween.
The orb, or however someone would call it, drained all the blood from the boy's face as his heart tried to escape through his chest and outback down those stairs. The words, loud and booming, terrified him.
It didn't stop there. Blind? Theo wasn't blind, right? Or well, Aurélie had accused him of being blind to certain things because that was just the easier thing to do. And what held him back? Or was it who? A short breath left his lips as the orb, strangely enough, addressed Ramses and accused him of hiding secrets, making Theo's eyes narrow. Much time for accusations or questioning wasn't gifted upon them, and Theo ducked as a bolt skittered across the ceiling. It was like Thor himself was playing games while Theo narrowly avoided a boilt that threatened to sear his big toe. "MERDE! Run!" Theo yelled, though he wasn't entirely sure where to run to.
The second of hesitation was enough for the bolt seemingly aimed straight at his chest to catch him off guard. Only the last-minute jerk of his body assured the bold didn't hit him straight in the heart but in the shoulder instead. His vision turned white. He yelled out, loud and pained, before the force of the bolt slammed him against the wall and gravity slammed him to the floor. His hand went up immediately, accompanied by a pained groan. Glancing down, Theo pulled at the collar of his shirt and saw a dark impact on the soft spot between his heart and shoulder, discoloured and shooting out in random patterns. "Ugh, fuck, Jesus, fuck."
Another crack in the room alerted Theo to move, and he pushed his body to roll away from the spot where the bolt hit seconds later. He was running on pure adrenaline now. The son was barely able to gather himself off the ground and his running was more like stumbling. He went for the closest: the steps upward he had spotted earlier. He went up them but found halfway that adrenaline alone wasn't enough to get him somewhere. After a stumble, he collapsed on the stairs with ragged breathing, fighting hard to not lose consciousness.
Had finally caught up to the boy, but Ramses' level of anxiety for the situation failed to falter. With Theo's comment about his father though, a slight smile escaped him, "It's alright. I deserved it as part of my karma, I'm sure."
Theo's attention had clearly been somewhere else, but Ramses tried railing him back in, "We should go back to your family. It's wise to not split up down here. Even for those of us with experience."
Ramses let out a sigh. Theo seemed way too interested in the room with the glowing light, but he didn't call out again to try and stop the boy. Just followed cautiously behind him. Saw a line of Canopic Jars along the wall, but one of them was missing and one of them was smashed as if struck by something rather than regular decay. They were a little out of place, but then again, they were protection jars.
As Ramses hesitated to examine one of the jars, a boom of a voice rang out about never being free... "Yeah well, not with this line of work, no." He mumbled in response.
A blind son? Literal or figuratively? Ramses glanced over to Theo. Both. The boy had been incredibly naive about wandering off by himself. Ramses couldn't help but wonder why his father had done so little to inform his son.
And then the voice seemed to directly mention him. Hide? Someone clearly doesn't know what living paycheck to paycheck was. Even if he'd morally wanted to tell Thierry everything, he was bound by his employer. And even with what Ramses knew about this tomb, would it really be helpful? He knew a grand total of an unfinished map and some unverified lore.
The condescending tone of the disembodied voice annoyed Ramses more than frightened him. But he was an agent for the Cairo Museum after all. Was used to strange and mystical things happening around Egypt's historical sites, and the many artifacts they contained. But a sigh escaped him regardless as the sentient tomb hurled it's bolts at them.
Managed to do a ducking roll out of the way, but unfortunately in the opposite direction Theo had run, "Shit." The older man mumbled angrily. This kid was causing him unnecessary amounts of paperwork. So you see, we angered the tomb's inhabitant... Words strung along in his mind's eye of exactly how he'd word what had happened on paper.
Once the bolts seemed to stop, Ramses hurried himself over to the little man. Pulled him out of reach for the sentient attacker by pulling him on couched foot up the stairs. It was an insanely tight squeeze for one person, but dragging someone was laborious...
This would not be the first time Ramses would pull a child to safety, considering his line of work, but it also wouldn't be his last...
"Come on, you're alright. Take some breaths." But it seemed like it was no good. Ramses swore under his breath, "Damn."
Even as a trained agent like Ramses was, was starting to feel the effects of the magics in the room. He slumped against the wall with a slight haze to his vision. And while he hated doing it, did the only reasonable option that was available to him, "Do me a favor and stay here."
It was a long shot, but hopefully Theo being unconscious, would work in his favor. Ramses exited the small stair duct. Started heading towards what looked like a room with shiny pay dirt for grave robbers, but a bolt startled him. He started to head down the stairs, back towards the sacrificial room, but a single bolt caught up with him seconds later. He'd been too slow, too unprepared.
A darkened purple haze swirled around him. But he wasn't dead? The angry voice had clearly wanted him dead, but no such luck. What had started off as a blackened purple haze turned gray, then bright blue and gold. Laughter rang in his ears, but then stunned shouting. Ramses laid there, breathing hard. He was staring up at the bright day's sky that was filled with fluffy white clouds. Some agents approached him, bickering in his native tongue like a bunch of mother hens worried about their precious child.
"What happened?" A man asked as he lowered his facial scarf.
"Where am I?" Ramses questioned seriously while propping himself up with a facial rub. But the minute he saw the ancient site, it was as if he answered his own question as he hollered out, "Fuck! Aamira was right!"
The conversation that followed was intense, but not entirely unusual for field agents.
The man Ramses grabbed listened to the barked orders, "Get the de Villiers family out of Gaza. They're trapped in the sacrificial room and their son is in a stairwell."
"The sacrificial room?!" The man's eyes went wide...
"So everything links back to Karnak then?"
"I'm not so sure, so don't cross any T's just yet." Ramses mumbled in response as he headed towards the temple, "Just make sure that whoever goes into the sacrificial area has a talisman. I think that's how I got transported here."
“Auri…?” Cosy patted her way down to Auri, kneeling beside her. She stared with sick, pained eyes, seeing Auri’s own sickness reflected back.
“Auri, I don't like this room. Let's leave. I wanna go.”
A pause. “You know where the exit is, right? I… I wanna go back to the tents.”
Cosy gave her big sister the biggest pleading eyes, leaning on her a bit. She depended on her sister heavily. But she wouldn't come to realize until much later how much she really did, in fact, depend on her sister.
From where Ramses was, outside of the temple, clouds would gather. Clouds. On such a bright and sunny day such as these. As he made his way forward, the clouds would darken, and dark bolts of light would strike upward from the top of the Pyramid to the clouds, stirring the darkness swelling of the Pyramid of Giza.
Something terrible was brewing.
Within the Pyramid, in the dusty tomb room, the black orb was beside itself with rage, flinging bolts at the walls and the floor. It hadn't managed to kill anyone, one was only wounded, while the other somehow managed to teleport out of the Pyramid upon getting hit.
Theo, as he leaned against the wall of the stairwell, would feel a curious sensation overcome him. The magics of the Pyramid seemed to deaden the sensation of pain in his shoulder, giving him an almost euphoric sensation.
Theo would also notice one other thing. In his peripheral vision, at the top of the narrow stairs, there was a glowing purple light. The light seemed to grow, calling softly to Theo, beckoning him to come up the steps.
If he were to do so, he would be faced with a circular room, a massive purple gem growing up from the ground. And, within the gem, was a key.
The gravel of the ancient floor pressed into the soft skin of Aurélie's bare knees as she cowered in the sacrificial chamber. Her palm received the same sensations as she braced herself, leaning forward. She moved in a soothing manner, unable to stay still as if the movement would somehow ease the pain and uncomfortable feeling in her body. What the hell was going on? The daughter's other hand was firmly pressed to her temple, as the pounding continued, taking over most, if not all, of her senses. This was worse than the effects of a night out, for sure. She needed to get out of here, yet entirely lacked the strength to stand up and do so.
And where would she even go?
Theo, where had her brother gone? And Cosy, where was she? Her eyes shot up, darting around to find the girl that was the eldest main focus. Cosy came toward her, but from the sight of her, it seemed she was hit by the same affliction. The room, this damn pyramid, those fucking dusty bricks, this was something the room was doing to them. Auri filled her lungs with a deep inhale of stale air, the need to protect her sister larger than the caring for herself. As she whimpered and begged, Aurélie let out a choked sob, shaking her head. With a push of her hand off the floor, she wrapped her arm around his sister and tried to let her voice convey confidence, something completely contrasting to what she was actually feeling. "It's okay, Cosy. We'll leave. It's going to be okay, I'm with you, just hold onto me."
Her gaze shifted and searched, landing on her mother, as if betraying who she trusted the most at that time. "Maman, what is going on?" Auri questioned, her eyes then searching around the room for her father. Were their parents hit by the same afflictions, or was it just the two daughters?
Pyramid of Giza, Stairwell
...stay here Theo almost scoffed. As if he could frolic off down the halls of Giza in his current condition. But Theo understood, nodding at the man, followed by a groan the movement made. His vision was darkened and blurry at the edges as he saw the man's shape disappear out of sight. Man, the lecture he'd get from his dad about wandering off would be one for the books. If Thierry ever had a chance to, because Theo didn't really seem like he was getting out of this anytime soon. The edge of the stairs dug painfully in his ribs and the spot on his shoulder was burning like he'd been branded with an iron.
One more, he pulled down the collar of his shirt, seeing the impact of the bolt and the random patterns through his veins the impact seemed to have made. Like the roots of a tree branching out, seeking water. What the hell was that? The middle child squinted his eyes shut, trying to regulate his breathing. But it wasn't that taught technique that seemed to lessen his pain, like being stuck with a shot of morphine. Warmth seemed to spread through his veins as his vision cleared out. The pain radiating from the front of his shoulder lessened with each breath until eventually, it became a dull ache.
So, he was either dying or something fishy was going on. Maybe both.
One does not bite the hand that feeds, so Theo carefully straightened himself, sitting on the steps of the narrow stairs leading upwards. Now, going down seemed to be asking to be killed, and Theo really wasn't that stupid.
Usually.
He blinked, allowing the haze to leave perceived images and his breathing to settle. With a hand still protectively over the spot of impact, the teen glanced upward. There was a purple haze emanating from the space above him, almost invitingly so. He cocked his head over so slightly as if trying to rationalise what he knew for a fact: glowing unearthly things in this pyramid was dangerous. Deadly. Still, he got to his feet, accompanied by small groans. One big inhale later, he carefully climbed the stairs until he came out on top of them.
The room was a circle, with no rough edges signalling corners, and the shape felt unnatural. Well, to a pyramid-shaped... pyramid, in any case. No deadly bolts, this time, or yet, but Theo remained at the opening of the room for a moment. Listening, observing, taking in. In the dead centre of the room, the young man spotted something shiny. A gem, of some sort. A squint of his youthful eyes confirmed to him and within resided a key. Not one like those he has on his bundle, but more like the one they have for the basement of the estate. Old, elongated, forged. A key, nonetheless. But keys fit on locks, so where did this one fit?
Surely, it would be entirely stupid to touch the gem, right? He'd seen enough movies in his lifetime to know that touching the rare gem or artifecat caused death, and traps to go off. Still, Theo approached, sinking down on one knee and taking in the oddly attention-demanding centrepiece.
Sabrina was quickly reminded of the sickly sweet scent of dark matter-energy. Otherwise known as MAGIC- Matter of Antagonistic Gravity In Conduits. She had deciphered the acronym for ancient Greek scrolls she had found in the field before Aurelie had come into the picture. She believed the scroll had been written by Plato, although his source, like most of his work, had not been accredited. She heard the disembodied voice and remembered that the girls would get sick if they breathed in MAGIC for too long. MAGIC was hard on young bodies, and it hadn’t been studied enough to learn various outcomes. Not many knew of its existence except those on the Council, Thierry, and the agents chosen for assignments such as these.
Realization hit the mother of three like a train. That’s why the higher-ups encouraged Thierry to take her and the children along. Sabrina, like Thierry, knew of the existence of MAGIC and had been exposed to it multiple times, and chances were, the children had some sort of immunity to pass down from them.
What almost made Sabrina think this was all a dream was Thierry admitting she was right. Her honey eyes blinked in a shocked manner. She watched as Thierry made amendments with Cosette. Then Sabrina heard the whispered voice encouraging her to take the children to the Afterlife. She looked up at the symbols above the hallways as she heard Auri ask what was happening.
She sighed softly, the children were a part of this game now whether she and Thierry liked it or not. The kids deserved the truth.
“That scent you are smelling is a form of dark energy, known as MAGIC. Your father and I have been studying cultures that used said energy for the last two decades before you came into the picture. The scent means that we are close to a source of MAGIC that could be an artifact, a tomb, or whatever the ancient culture decided to use as a containment vessel,” Sabrina explained to her eldest and her youngest, although she knew most of this would go over Cosette’s head.
“We need to leave before you two girls succumb to the side effects, however, I’m not so inclined to listen to the voice that attempted to coerce me in my ear,” Sabrina admitted as her gaze flicked to the symbols.
“The Egyptians revered the Afterlife, even going as far as to create tombs such as these to protect themselves through the cycle of Rebirth. If the person going through the Afterlife was judged well on their deeds and how they lived their life, they were rewarded with a better position in the next life,” Sabrina spoke loud, mostly to herself, but to also explain her thoughts on what was in front of her.
Sabrina pinched the bridge of her nose in thought as she was placing the puzzle pieces in her mind together. Chances were the voice was right in suggesting the Afterlife, however, one had to be prepared to leave their former life behind. They had to sacrifice what would be considered a high pierce.
Sabrina sat her pack on the ground and fished through until she found her chisel for tapping away the dirt. She sliced her hand open before grabbing the artifact that Cosette had swiped earlier. Sabrina used her blood to draw the symbol for Isis, followed by ‘life’ and ‘birth’. Isis pieced Osiris back together which ultimately created the Afterlife. A woman ‘sacrificing’ her life source to obtain guidance for her husband and children.
She held the bloodied statue in her hands and took a deep breath as she began to walk towards the Afterlife chamber. She paused just before the stairs and looked at Auri and Cosette. “Stay behind me, whatever figure may be in this chamber, don’t look them in the eyes. Keep your gaze locked on the floor or your feet. Your father will keep you safe,” Sabrina explained as she edged up the stairs to find a throne room. She sighed softly in relief when the room was empty. Bioluminescent designs decorated the walls and floors as if one had kept the lights on all this time. Gold trims and hieroglyphs indicated that this was no mere pharaoh. They were dealing with Amun-Re, the chief god of the Theban Triad. There was still a presence though, as if something was watching.
Carefully, Sabrina acted as though she were greeting royalty. Keeping her head bowed, bowing before the throne before placing the artifact statue on the throne. She slowly backed up and began to speak in Arabic, the closest modern language to Ancient Egyptian.
“Almuaqar amwn rae, min fadlik 'arshadani waeayilati 'iilaa biri al'amani. nahn la naqsid al'adhaa, nurid faqat aleawdat alamint 'iilaa alwatan. laqad dae aibni, min fadlik qum biqiadatih 'iilaa biri al'aman aydan. 'arju 'an taqbaluu dam hayaati muqabil eawdat eayilati salimatin.”
"Revered Amun-Re, please guide my family and me to safety. We mean no harm, we just wish for safe passage home. My son is lost, please lead him to safety as well. Please accept my lifeblood in exchange for my family's safe return."
Monitor 6: Unknown movement that caused slow shadows opposite of an obelisk within the chamber.
Monitor 4: Clear.
Monitor 2: Sabrina de Villiers cut her hand then headed into Amun-Ra's chamber. Anybody watching this monitor's feed wouldn't be wrong for vocally questioning, "What the actual fuck is she doing?" Meanwhile, Thierry de Villiers didn't seem to object, or react fully. MAGIC must have had a bit of a grip on the father, or some level of guilt had disarmed him... Or... he's just an idiot with an inability for self preservation. Though, the man did seem to wait for the two girls to follow the mother, before following himself. It was hard to tell what exactly his facial expressions contorted into, considering how grainy the video's feed was.
Monitor 6: Shadow revealed itself as attached to a slow, but steadily walking, Boris. It was painfully close to the stairwell that Theodore de Villiers had been left. Was the kid still unconscious? Hopefully, Theo wouldn't stay in the stairwell... should he be conscious enough to move.
Monitor 5: Boris's friends were leaving their enclosed sarcophagi in the dusty tombs room, slowly but surely.
Monitor 3: ... failed to load "Damn."
Monitor 4: Agents that had sent in to get the de Villiers to safety, despite being given conflicting orders to wait, seemed to hesitate outside the main gate within the tomb's mid level. Were they reloading their MAGIC defusing weapons? Or aborting the rogue escort mission?
Monitor 6: ... failed to load "...Shit."
Monitor 1: ... ... ...
His thick accent cracked with a groan as he attempted to troubleshoot, "Fuck, again? Why now?" The room in real time would have had sickly hues of neon. A much brighter purple now, as MAGIC grew stronger. But the screen Ramses had been viewing, was distorted white noise for safer viewing.
Everything had gone from comically bad to absolutely shittastic in less than an hour in just Giza alone. Ramses didn't even want to think about the other sites he was currently manhandling... And all because his higher ups, safely over at the air-conditioned museum no less, wanted to see what MAGIC did to unsuspecting second generation civilians... Children of agents who'd previously been exposed to MAGIC. Without using any Cairo agents' families, naturally. But did The Louvre know this had been Cairo's objective? Surely Mr. de Villiers knew... or at least finally figured it out.
It was nothing personal on Ramses Saamir Andrew's part. He was just another pawn being used in the game of antiquities, while barely being paid in the process. He'd always known he was a pawn and deeply hated it. "Fuck!" Arabic melted any English speaking skills the Cairo agent had, as he pounded keys quickly on his laptop, "Stop making my life so damn hard, Amun!" Even the sky had changed to a ominous grey with puffy clouds and heavy lightning, despite the weatherman saying otherwise.
Then he sunk into himself with a sighed exhale, "I should have joined the Egyptian Armed Forces instead. When they kill shit, it stays dead, right?" And as much as he hated doing it, Ramses initiated Code Cry with a few clicks on his trackpad. All of the Cairo Museum workers on site, would be aware of the ongoing undead situation now. But so would anybody on site who knew what Code Cry was- agent or not.
But damn, despite being well aware of the siren's cryptid wail, the Egyptian agent still flinched with a shiver...
The sounds of slipping could be heard, causing Ramses to tilt his head swiftly. His lofty perch within Karnak's airy structure, wasn't immune to the bullshit currently taking place over at Giza. MAGIC had swirled most able-bodied mummies awake, but Ramses was a bit dumbfounded as he watched a dirty blonde topple from a spot slightly higher than he currently sat...
"Shit, the alarm must of spooked him." Ramses maneuvered himself down to help the kid the best he could. Was this guy really a TWG? Jeez, kids these days... was he part of the problem that hijacked his connection?
From One Museum to Another
"Did the Egyptians revere the Afterlife, or were they terrified of MAGIC?" Thierry wasn't trying to argue with Sabrina as she spoke, but still mumbled his second thought out loud despite best efforts, "This purple glowing sh-" But he did manage to keep from swearing in front of Cosette.
The Louvre hadn't just sent him out to the desert to decode some old scribbles on a wall. But up until this point, he'd been trying to convince himself that his exposure to MAGIC had absolutely nothing to do with it. No wonder Mr. Andrew had thought he was a nutjob for bringing the kids along. Mr. Andrew would have known first hand that MAGIC was contained on this site. Thierry frowned slightly as he thought about having a word with Mr. Cress once back in France...
"Is it really fair to tell the kids I can protect them though?" Thierry mumbled softly, but his tone was stern, "Aurélie you need to understand that I have only a vague idea what the fuck is going on. Maybe a page or two more than your mother and that's it. Please," he damn near begged with his eldest daughter, "Try and keep your wits about you and help your mother and I keep Cosette safe."
Thierry's eye twitched at the sight he was looking at, "Sabrina..." But then decided to just keep his mouth shut and follow her lead. She at least knew Arabic. But once Sabrina's humbled tone to Amun quieted, soft sounds of footsteps could be heard to Thierry's right, "Shit." He mumbled as he knew exactly what or who was walking towards them, "Boris."
The mummy - Boris - was indeed traveling towards Sabrina, Thierry, Auri, and Cosy at an encroaching speed, a strange purple light in its eyes, a moan escaping its lips.
Before a large phantom hand appeared, holding a pharaoh's cane, and pulled the mummy aside as the group approached the Throne Room. There was a gentle tutting, as if chiding a child, the sound shaking the walls with its power.
“'Ayuha alkhadimu, daehum yataqadamuu. Nahnu...nantaziruhum. (Servant, let them come forward. We are… expecting them.)”
The statue floated up and to the side, before it landed in a pair of glowing, ethereal hands.
Sitting on the gold and gilded throne was none other than the king of the gods, the pharaoh of pharaohs - Amun-Ra. He wore a traditional pharaoh’s headdress, his form ethereal in nature - not entirely solid. In the seat of his headdress was an orb. But instead of its depictions of it being a red color, it was a deep and swirling purple.
Standing on either side of the god-king were two figures, ethereal and glowing. The one on the right wore white robes and had an unnatural blue tone to his skin - Osiris. The one on the left had elegant, flowing wings, and her eyes were focused entirely on Sabrina. Yes, none other than the godess of magic, patron to magicians, and wife of Orisis was present - Iris. In her hands was the statue.
“Yastaghriq al'amr wqtan twylaan li'iitharat antibahina, 'ayuha albashar alsaghari. 'Aynama wajadat hadha altaewidhat liasil 'iilayna, fa'ana maftun lilghaya… (It takes quite a bit to stir our attention, young mortals. Wherever you found that talisman to reach us, I am most intrigued…)” Amun-Ra said, his voice reverberating through their ribcages, shaking their very skull. His eyes were on the statue in Iris’ hands.
Iris turned to Sabrina, a soft smile on her face. “Laqad samiet surakhak 'ayuha albashari. watadhiatuk bidumik maqbulatun. Sa'adman alsamah lak walieayilatik bialkhuruj alamin... Biastithna' al'ashkhas almaweudina. (I have heard your cries, mortal. And your blood sacrifice is accepted. I will ensure you and your family are allowed safe passage out… except for the ones promised.)”
Iris turned to her husband. “'Uwzuris, 'azhir lahum ma 'uety lina… (Osiris, show them what we have been given…)”
Osiris nodded, and with a wave of his hand, the entire throne room dimmed as the white silhouetted bodies of spirits freshly sacrificed filled the hall.
“Tadhiat tastahiqu alnufus limal' mamlakati. Wayatlubun alqalil fi almuqabili… (A worthy sacrifice, souls to fill my kingdom. They ask for so little in return…)” Osiris spoke, his own voice muted compared to the god-pharaoh but still holding its own power.
At once, the spirits disappeared, and the light returned to the room. Amun-Ra waved his hand, and the ground shook. In front of Sabrina, two tombs rose up from the ground, covered in hieroglyphs. If she were to read it, one would say ‘Cosette’, while the other would read ‘Aurélie.’
“Dae almukhtarin fi quburihim, wa'uwdiehum eindina. ll'abdi. (Place the chosen ones in their tombs, and entrust them with us. Forever.)”
The gods and goddess spoke in unision, their voices causing dust to fall from the ceiling. The air was thick with MAGIC, making it hard to refuse their demands. Like Sabrina, Theirry and the kids weren’t in full command of themselves.
Boris and his friends - more mummies - approached Cosy and Auri, gripping their wrists with an iron grip, dragging them slowly towards the tombs.
Thierry would notice the two keyholes on the circular puzzle door behind the ethereal figures. He would also notice the orb in Amun-Ra’s headdress pulsing with power. A source of power?
As Theo knelt in front of the gem, there would be a reverberation in the room. Ominously, there was the sound of grinding stone, and a flash of light. In an instant, the key was gone from the gem, and in Theo’s hand. And in front of him, the front wall slid down, revealing an enormous boulder. Free from its enclosure, it began to slowly roll forward on the slightly tilted forward -rolling towards Theo, and picking up the pace. If Theo didn’t move, he’d be rolled flat.
