Third person's point of view.
FORT BRYDON - CAIRO
Atem's first stop upon returning was to get to the library. She needed to see if it was true that the books were switched. She remembered being told that the Statue of Anubis would hold the gold book, but it was obviously not. Scouring book after book to find what she wanted and coming up empty was making her mad. And when she's mad she tends to burn things around her, "What are you looking for?" a familiar voice called.
Flinching, Atem slowly turned to see who had come in and as she looked she watched as images of her past flashed in tandem with the man's steps. "I'm looking for the location of the Gold Book of Amun-Ra." she said turning back to her books and papyrus'. "You'd think being the one who had it made, I would know where the first Medjai would hide it." she said and he didn't respond which was making her nervous.
"Why do you want to bring that book into all this," he asked, "it's already dangerous having the Book of the Dead in human hands," he added. "Well, when I had them made one was meant to control the other and vice versa," she explained, "Why would you create them in the first place, why tamper with the will of the gods," he said standing nearly pressed into her side looking down at her hunched over the table,
"As the daughter of a god, I was going through a phase, testing my powers and the limits I could push to create something that has so much power, I wasn't completely alone in their creation either, Thoth, Anubis and I were very curious creatures, we paid for the trouble we caused when my Father found out what we had made. He said the knowledge was too dangerous and needed a lock to keep it out of unknowing hands." she explained.
"I'm Ardeth Bay," he said holding his hand out to her, taking his hand she shook it and something changed behind his eyes, something woke up and he stumbled for a moment, "Ardeth?" she called as she held him up from falling over, she was going to call to him again when they were interrupted. "Mistress," Terence Bey called as he came into the library.
***
Rick was furiously packing Evie's things as he questioned her, "I thought you said you didn't believe in that fairy tales and hokum stuff. Shoo!" he said tossing her clothing into her suitcase, almost dropping them on her cat whom Evie had snagged out the way, "Having an encounter with a 3,000-year-old walking, talking corpse does tend to convert one." she said then put the cat down to scoop out her clothing,
Rushing to put it back in her closet forgoing the hangers to rush out and do the same thing as Rick threw in more of her clothing into the same suitcase, "Forget it. We're out the door, down the hall, and we're gone." he said throwing her bras and other more delicates in flicking them off his fingers when they got stuck, "Oh, no, we are not." she countered grabbing everything and putting back in the draw it was pulled from,
"Oh, yes, we are." he said back, "Oh, no, we are not. We woke him up, and we are going to stop him." she quipped still relatively calm. "We? What we?" Rick snapped as he dropped in books this time, "We didn't read that book. I told you not to play around with that thing. Didn't I tell you not to play around with that thing?" he growled pointing a finger at her. "Yes, right then, me, me, me, me. I, I, I woke him up and I intend to stop him." she said while retrieving the books,
Only to have to take the new set thrown in, "Yeah? How? You heard the man. No mortal weapons can kill this guy." Rick added having quoted Ardeth while he went for the typewriter, "Then we are just going to have to find some immortal ones." Evie intercepted him though and dropped her typewriter back from where it was taken. Rick finally stopped and hand his hand resting on the rim of the suitcase, "There goes that we again." he mused annoyingly.
Evie then closed the suitcase not paying attention to Rick's fingers as they were hit hard, "Look, will you listen to me? We have to do something. Once this creature has been reborn, his curse is going to spread until the whole of the Earth is destroyed." Evie was so focused on her point she didn't even register his shout of pain. "Yeah? Is that my problem?" he said now following her around the room, "It is everybody's problem." she said back,
"We'll I think it's Atem's problem, she told us to leave and that she would handle it, Evelyn, I appreciate Atem and you saving my life and all, but when I signed on, I agreed to take you out there and to bring you back. I have done that? End of job. End of story. Contract terminated." Rick argued and Evie felt her heart ache, "That's all I am to you? A contract?" she said stubbornly, while standing as tall as her tiny frame allowed,
"You can either tag along with me or you can stay here and try and save the world. What's it gonna be?" he asked using wide arm gestures, "I'm staying." she said quickly, "Fine." he said as he started to leave, "Fine." she snapped back, but he had the last word, "Fine." before leaving the room.
***
Atem had Dr Bey fetch water while she helped Ardeth sit, she kept her hand on his shoulder to keep him upright, when the doctor returned he had a pitch of water and some cups, setting them down he poured out drinks and then handed one to Ardeth, "Drink it will help," he instructed and the young leader did, taking slow sips to help. "What happened?" Bey asked, "I do not know," Atem said genuinely,
"She wouldn't, I'd prayed to the gods to help me find her again and they kept their promise my life at the time had been payment, my soul had reincarnated in a line close to my own," Ardeth explained but his voice was a bit deeper and much more accented than before, which meant that the soul of her lover was speaking, "Ka-ari?" she said addressing the warrior, standing from the seat he'd been in he looked at Atem,
"Still as beautiful as I remember," he said and she felt her face warm up, as well as her head catch on fire, Ka-ari chuckled and soaked a cloth before setting it on her head to cool her down. Bey was smirking, "I don't have much time, I was only allowed to see you one last time, another promise for the opportunity to see you again, this body will remember all of my life but he won't retain my emotions and opinions," Ka-ari explained.
"It would be too stressful on him, I only wanted to see you to tell you that, I'm not mad about you leaving, I only wished I could have gone with you," he said, "I'm sorry, I just couldn't allow myself to be happy when the ones I served were dead because I wasn't strong enough to protect them," she said, Ka-ari nodded. "I understand, I can now rest peacefully," his eyes closed and for a moment, Atem could feel Ka-ari before his soul faded and was gone.
Atem held back her tears as Bey helped Ardeth sit, the young man sipped his water again only this time he spewed it out like it was disgusting. Turning to him she looked at the other poured glasses and saw that the water had turned to blood. "Fuck," she hissed then the fire falling from the sky had them rushing to the window. A flaming ball hurtling towards them had Atem, using her powers to suck in it's power and force,
Turning it to a soccer ball sized rock which crashed into the side of the wall. "He's here," she said turning to the two men, who both looked as worried as she did,
***
"He does seem to like you Evie." Johnathan said as they were on their way to find someone who could give them more information. "Yeah, what's that about?" Rick asked but Evie was ignoring them, "What's this guy want any how?" one of the Americans quipped angrily, "There's two people that can give us any answers." Evie said before the group rounded the corner and came face to face with Ardeth, Bey and Atem,
"You!" Evie snapped as she looked at Ardeth, "Evie," Atem said looking at the woman as the men all had guns aimed at the trio, "What is he doing here?" Evie snipped. "Do you really want to know, or would you prefer to just shoot us?" Atem said as she put herself between the two men at her back and the group in front of her, "After what I just saw, I'm willing to go on a little faith here." Rick said putting his guns away first,
The Americans and Johnathan following a few second after.
***
"We are part of an ancient secret society. For over 3,000 years, we have guarded the City of the Dead. We are sworn at manhood to do any and all in our part to stop the High Priest Imhotep from being reborn into this world." Bey explained in short, "But because of you, we have failed." Ardeth said sharply, "What about here?" the Blonde American asked pointing at Atem, "I am a whole different story that would take too long to explain," she started,
"But I'll say just this, I was the one who put Imhotep in the ground the first time round, I had been trying to keep you all from waking him but it just wasn't in the cards, most likely it's my curse for failing at my own task back then." she finished and they did not look convinced but there was no time to explain it further anyway, "So you think this justifies the killing of innocent people." Evie snapped.
"To stop this creature?" Bey asked sarcastically, "Let me think." then all three of them added a sharp, "Yes!" Rick raising his hand spoke, "Question. Why doesn't he like cats?" Atem smirked, "Cats are the guardians of the underworld. He will fear them until he is fully regenerated? Then he will fear nothing." she explained. "You know how he gets his self fully regenerated? By killing everyone who opened that chest." one American said,
"And sucking them dry!" the other bitched. "Jonathan, will you stop playing with that. When I saw him alive at Hamunaptra, he gave me a weird look. And then just now in Mr. Burns' quarters, he tried to kiss me." Evie explained, "It's because of his love for a woman that he was cursed." Atem said knowing that it's because Evie looks like Nefertiti that he wanted to use the woman who looks like his lover's stepdaughter to bring said lover back from the dead.
"And apparently, even after 3,000 years... He is still in love with her." Ardeth said his eyes casting over to Atem as he understands the whole love over many years thing. "Yes, that is very romantic, but what has it got to do with me?' Evie asked, "Nothing really just a bit of irony," Atem said while Bey added, "Perhaps he will once again try to raise her from the dead." Ardeth nodded, "Yes. And it appears he has already chosen his human sacrifice."
"Bad luck, old mum." Johnathan said softly, "On the contrary, it may just give us the time we need to kill the creature." Bey added, "We will need all the help we can get. His powers are growing." Ardeth said as he looked up at the ceiling windows the moon was eclipsing the sun, "'And he stretched forth his hand towards the heavens, and there was darkness throughout the land of Egypt.'" Johnathan quoted,