DEMI! (Battle Book)

Ch. 25 Mummy, The Prelude

Moments before the crew knocked down the wall, in the depths of the S Wing, bellows and screams can be heard in the distance. In the heart of the wing, columns and rows of containment cubes lined the chamber. In the center was what looked like a lab area. An elderly man with a cloud-like white beard appeared from a side chamber within the main chamber dragging a bloodied prisoner out and into a containment cube. In his other hand he carried a massive sword that he dragged along the ground. As he did, it made a screech similar to that of one scraping a chalkboard. He spoke to a Correctional Officer monitoring the cells.

"Eh, he wants the one touched by angels. The one who laughs"

Correctional Officer: Yeah? I'm gonna love this. HEY SMILEY! You're up!

He pressed a button and a cell began to descend. It stopped about 15 feet above ground and the bottom opened. Dropping the inmate. When it did, the other inmates began shouting wildly, in rebellion. The prisoner already looked tortured and half alive when the cell dropped him from the sky. He had dried blood caked on his face, with cuts, bruises, and holes throughout his body. But one thing was apparent, he was beaming.

"Another dance so soon m'lady?"

The old man began to reach out and help the inmate but he refused and managed to get to his feet with his hands still tied to his back. The roaring objections of the other inmates continued as they pleaded through their cells to take them. Some of them outright insulted the jailers and shouted about what they would do when they escaped.

Let's go, Preach..

CO: I'm gonna enjoy hearing you scream boi!!

Preach: CHE CHE! You first. And it's Captain GOLDLINK!

The bloodied pirate hummed a toon as the brolic old man escorted him into the lab, closing the entry behind them.

Mahl and Roe traversed down the dark hall. The surrounding water the structure was submerged under cooled the wing.

Roe: I can hear a commotion in the distance.

Mahl: Me too, but I seem muffled, another bulkhead? Nah, maybe another section.
Tell me about this Captain of yours..

Roe: If I wasn't already a mummy, I'd die for him.

Mahl: Well, when you deal with the things we do, you know there's much more to life than death. Even still. That's some dedication.

Roe: He released me from a torturous prison, similar to this one, but not of this world. I was once a great king & War General, as I approached the end of my reign, those who wanted the throne saw my growing age as a weakness. It was not. They tried to overthrow and kill my family, but were unsuccessful, in a last effort, they absorbed my very life essence and locked it away in purgatory. My body was mummified and preserved, secretly, until my soul was released back to it. It had to be fate that he and the rest found & released me. After being in concealment for decades, everyone I knew and everything I loved was gone. The crew gave me the family and life back I had lost. But you asked about the captain, not me: Toland Preach, the pirate who always smiles. Touched by the angels they say.

Mahl: angels? So he has a god rite?

Roe: Why yes, how do you know about those?

Mahl: I have one, I was born with it.

Roe: Born with it?! What do you mean born with it?! That would make you...aaaahhhhh. Should I bow or something? This thing should be cake then!

Mahl: You're putting too much stock in it. And you're a whole Mummy with magical clothes. I just move dirt.

"INTRUDER ALERT. INTRUDER ALERT"

Roe: Sirens?!

Mahl: They know we're here. Guess the cover is blown, we gotta move.

Roe: Straight ahead, an opening. Hmmm? Are those-

======================