Greek Runaway

Πενήντα τεσσάρων(Fifty Four)

"You don't know that."

"I do very much know that, in the sense that I don't intend to apply," Nicky said.

"What?"

"I don't think that it's the place for me right now, Dad."

"Okay. All right, fine. You want to spread your wings a little... get out of the city, go to school somewhere else. I totally support that. All you had to do was tell me. Where do you want to go? What's the list?" Larry asked kind of excited that Nicky had other options.

"It's a shortlist."

"Great. I like it. Focus."

"I'mma hit you with a super shortlist, man, because it's...There's nothing on it," Nicky said.

"There's...I'm confused because there's not a list..."

"Dad? I want to take a year off. I would like to do exactly what you just said. I want to spread my wings."

"You want to spread your wings, that's great. But you can't spread your wings
and fly to nowhere."

"Plans change," Nicky said trying to reason with his dad.

"No, they don't. No, they don't. Plans don't change."

"We had a plan, it changed. It's disorienting at first."

"No. You can't change the plan...unless you check with the people who are financing the plan...which is, last time I checked, your mother and I. Okay?" Larry explained.

"Dad, we could sit here and just have this conversation about plans...but for now, let's call it a night. Let's not even clean up, right? Let's come back tomorrow. Let's reboot the whole energy, the whole tone of this puppy...and we'll kill it, man. Team Daley! Not tonight, tomorrow." Nicky said going for a high five.

"Hey, Team Daley?"

"Yeah?"

"Stop talking."

"Okay."

"You're gonna clean up. I'm gonna go to bed. And then we're gonna finish this conversation tomorrow." Larry said and went to bed.

The next morning when Larry woke up he walked to the museum to learn more about Ahkmenrah's tablet. He walked in and saw an older woman on the computer playing Candy Crush Saga.

"Yeah! Get some! Get some! That's it. Yeah." She yelled at the screen clicking the mouse at a rapid pace.

"Hi. I'm Larry Daley. I'm head of the Night Program." Larry said getting her attention.

"I know who you are. You're the security guard."

"Yeah, also head of the Night Program. I'm doing some research... and I was wondering if you could help me out."

"Nightguard doing research. Ooh-la-la!" She said sarcastically.

"Yeah. I'm just looking for anything that you might have on the tablet of Ahkmenrah."

"Center aisle."

"Great," Larry said as he started to walk away.

"Halfway down, stacks on your left." She groaned and then went back to her game. "Get it!" While in the midst of studying the tablet the lady went over to Larry. "So... what makes you so curious about the tablet?"

"Oh! Just... Just a hobby, you know? Kind of an interest of mine. I wish I could talk to these guys." Larry said showing her a picture of the search team.

"Well, you can't."

"Yeah."

"Because they're dead."

"Right. But, look at that one. Looks like a kid?" The lady looked at the picture and a look of longing was etched across her face. "You didn't know him, did you?"

"C.J Fredericks. He worked here." She said.

"He worked here?"

"Yeah, when he grew up."

"No."

"Yeah. He was a night guard. Same as you."

"Wait a minute. C.J. C.J Fredericks. Cecil Fredericks?" Larry asked connecting the dots.

"Sexiest night guard we ever had. Present company included. Boy, could that man move."

After learning that Cecil was the kid from the picture he left the museum and went to the nursing home Cecil was at. After getting a visitor's pass Larry walked around and found Cecil dancing. He smiled at that.

"Larry?" Cecil asked when he saw Larry.

"Hey, Cecil."

"My God, it's been years!"

"You look like you're doing pretty good."

"I've still got it, pal. What are you doing here?" Cecil asked.

"I need to talk to you about the tablet."

"What the heck is Short Stack doing here?" Larry looked over and saw Gus and Reginald.

"Hey, Gus. You're looking well. Reginald."

"Are you here to frame us again? Send us back to the slammer?" Gus asked.

"I didn't frame you. You were actually stealing. And I was the one that got you out of jail, so...Yeah." Larry said.

"We've got a nice life here. The past is the past. We've moved on." Cecil said.

"I don't think this guy's moved on," Larry said pointing at Gus.

"Listen to him, monkey face."

"We've put all that tablet stuff behind us, Larry. It's old news. Besides, we really never knew anything about that old tablet. We just worked there." Cecil said.

"Something's up with it."

"I told you, I can't help you."

"Maybe this kid can," Larry said showing Cecil a copy of the picture.

"Maybe we'd better talk alone," Cecil said. He then led Larry to a secluded area where they could talk alone. He took a seat at a table by the window. "Expedition like that is a pretty amazing thing...for a 12-year-old boy. I tried to move on... but there was something about that tablet."

"It's turning green, like some sort of corrosion. And something's happening to Teddy and Dexter... Jed and Octavius. They're all acting weird. It's like the green rust is affecting them." Larry explained to him. "Ahkmenrah almost passed out, and Katalina went very pale."

"'The end will come.'"

"What?"

"The locals, they warned us. They begged us to leave that tomb alone. I thought it meant the end of the world. But maybe it meant the end..."

"End of the magic?" Larry asked, finishing Cecil's thought.

"We should have listened. Should have listened. Instead, we shipped Katalina, Ahk and the tablet off to New York... and his folks to England."

"Wait. Wait. Ahkmenrah's parents are in England?"

"It was a joint expedition. Some of the artifacts stayed in Egypt. The rest was divided up between New York and the British Museum."

"Ahk said that his father knew the secrets of the tablet. I think I have to go talk to him."