The Mummy: The Tomb Robbers' Secret

The Captured

Even the most hardened adventurer enjoys the occasional night's sleep in a comfortable bed. For Rick O'Connell, the satisfaction lay in being able to hold his wife in his arms while he slept, something he had not been able to do for days. That plus the luxury of being in the relative safety of Cairo assured him that he could rest without worry.

At first, it had been a good night's sleep—until he woke up and found Evie's half of the bed empty. He thought she got up to use the lavatory but when she didn't return, he began to worry.

He pulled on his pants, then went to the door of the bathroom and tapped gently on the door. "Evie?" he asked but when he received no answer, he opened the door and found it empty. Oh no, he thought and tore out of the house heedless of his bare feet and ran to the garage.

There were footprints in the dust on the patio—delicate prints of Evie's feet. The prints led from the patio to the garage, which had been locked but now the padlock hung open and the door was open just enough to admit her tall, slim figure.

He swung the doors open with a crash. The sarcophagus sat on the two sawhorses, seemingly undisturbed, but now it was flanked by two torches. The scent of frankincense hung in the air but there was no sign of his wife.

Rick O'Connell screamed and the heart-rending sound of that scream brought Roma and Ardeth running out of the house to see what was wrong.

Rick stood, his fists clenched, in the open doorway of the garage, his breaths coming in heavy gasps. Seeing Rick's tears was unbearable, so Roma went to him and put her slim hand on his bicep.

"She's gone, Evie's gone, what happened to her, Roma?" Rick's voice was hoarse and he labored to speak, "Tell me, what do you think happened to her?"

"I think you know; I think we all know. Pentaweret. He has somehow trapped her in the spirit world. I don't know how; I don't know much about these things. I've studied a little Egyptian magic but there is so much I don't know."

"What has he done with my wife?" Rick's voice grew louder and seemed to echo through the courtyard, "Where is she?"

"She's with him, he's hypnotized her, put her into a trance. She believes she is Sitamun-Ta Sherit, his wife. I think he was watching us as we excavated her mummy, hoping that she would rise from the dead, but she didn't."

"He committed suicide—according to the Turin Papyrus. He was guilty of a terrible crime so even though he had his tomb he can't rest. Maybe Sitamun was an innocent party so she wasn't punished, she was able to pass into the Land of the Dead. He's spent an eternity alone and angry and then he saw Evie who is not only beautiful she's half Egyptian. He saw her and decided that he wanted to have her." The expression of sorrow on Rick's face cut at Roma's heart.

"Because of him, Evie thinks she is Sitamun-Ta Sherit because that is who he is telling her she is. As far as she knows, she is in ancient Egypt, wandering through the palace at his side. Who she really is has been forgotten."

"Except." Roma paused so Rick could take in her words, "Except in a little corner of her mind. Evie is there, sleeping. The longer he has her, the weaker her true self will become. But she may wake, if only briefly and try to find a way back to her true self and you. You see, she doesn't forget who she is because she can't forget. The danger is, the longer he has her, the harder it will be for the real Evie to emerge."

Rick let out a heavy sigh and shook his head, "Dealing with Imhotep was simple compared to this. How can we get her back?"

"The true Evie must awaken and try to make her escape." Ardeth took over for Roma, "My tribe has stories about this. We must try to call Evie back but she must find her way."