Much Like Stardust

VI. Golden Chair; The Smaller, The Better

"Fear not," Kahmunrah responds, he doesn't seem to like the laughter and poking fun at him, "for I shall wait a thousand more if I must."

"Good, 'cause, uh, in a few hours, you'll be standing here in a frustrated position, frozen," Larry lifts his hands slightly, demonstrating being frozen, "and I'll walk out of here with my buddies, and that'll be that. So I got all night."

"Really?" Kahmunrah already has a plan in motion for this untimely event, "all night? Well," he points at where Vincent and Jed were, "They don't," Larry's gaze holds onto Jed, he is more important to save after all, "Open that cage," Kahmunrah walks toward Jed.

"What are you- What are you doing?" Larry tries to follow, but is stopped by Ivan.

"No touching. No touching!" Jed tries to move away. Vincent steps back as he watches, he bumps into Timmy, who holds a gun to his back, "Don't you manhandle me!"

"Oh. Look- look, he's having a tiny little tantrum," Kahmunrah picks jed up.

"Let him go!" Vincent tries to move, but Timmy pulls him back, the gun presses into his side.

Kahmunrah drops Jed into an hourglass and turns it upside down, "Oh, I don't think he has all night at all, Mr. Daley," Vincent glances over to Larry. Jed is in deep shit and they both know it, "From the looks of things, I'd say he has- ooh- a little over an hour."

Jed screams in the hourglass, "You are the guardian," Kahmunrah walks with Jed in his hands, "You know all about this tablet," he grabs the tablet. "You're obviously much more clever than the rest of us," he walks toward Larry, "You may or may not know the combination, but I am going to give you exactly one hour to figure it out," he thrusts the tablet into Larry's hands. "If you do not, I shall kill your friends. And please don't think about escaping, for I shall be watching you."

"Look, I don't even know how to begin to decipher this thing, all right. Really!" that much is clear. Ahkmenrah didn't give him, or Vincent, a lesson on Egyptian hieroglyphics, nor did he tell them the combination to the tablet.

"Oh, what a pity," Kahmunrah feigns sadness, "Your little cowboy friend seemed like such a charming little fellow," he looks toward Vincent, "and your jester of a friend seemed to be quiet the chattering know-it-all," he looks back at larry, "Ah, well. Tick tock, Mr. Daley. Your hour has begun."

"Larry," he looks at Vincent, he has a slight fear in his eyes, being held at gunpoint and all, "You got this."

"I need Vincent," Larry tries to bargain.

"Ah, ah, ah," Kahmunrah steps toward him, "I'm not falling for that."

He shoo's Larry away.

Vincent turns to Timmy, he clearly isn't happy with a gun poking into his side, "This is what I get for making you coffee?"

The man shrugs, "Gotta do what the boss says," he pulls the gun away.

"I guess rum runners are just sleazy smugglers," Vincent is pushed, he stumbles a bit before catching his balance.

"Watch that mouth of yours, kid," a monochromatic finger shoots into his face.

"Kid?" Vincent looks the black and white man up and down, "Who the hell you calling 'kid', Old man?"

Timmy seems to bite his tongue on that remark, "Sit down, kid. Or I'll make you."

Vincent disregards the order and walks toward where Jed was placed. Hesits down next to the hourglass as many men watch him to make sure he doesn't release Jed, "It's been a while. How are you?"

"Right as a sunny day," Jed looks at Vincent, "How'd you get here?"

"Uh," Vincent sighs, "College trip. Reunited with Larry, and then taken hostage by greasy old men," he recounts, "Did Octavius escape with you?"