Rick O'Connell's military career had taken a nosedive in recent months, what with his entire garrison marching into the Egyptian desert-against orders-, finding Hamunaptra, ending up the sole survivor of a massacre there-besides Beni, the traitor-, and then being thrown into prison.

They'd even taken Tip from him, though the Houndoom had not made the task easy for anyone.

With his execution looming, Rick was of the opinion things could not get any worse.

"Hello, brother."

Never mind.

Smile a bright slash against sun-darkened skin, Alexandra beamed at her bedraggled sibling, errant brown curls falling in laughing green eyes.

"Fancy meeting you here."

"How'd you find me?" Rick demanded tiredly, knuckles turning white on the prison bars.

"Oh, you know, I asked around." She replied airily, messy ponytail bouncing down her back with each move. "And once we got close enough, Scarlet was able to figure out the rest."

Said Lucario nodded her head regally in acceptance of this fact, so caked in sand and grime that it was almost impossible to see the patterns on her fur, let alone the color.

"You know, when ma said you'd see me through prison bars one day, she probably figured you'd be on the outside."

"Are you here to make fun, or are you gonna help me?" He snapped, already done with his younger sister's teasing.

"Just a couple more minutes to bask in the proof that mom was wrong." Alexandra countered, looking very much like the Persian that caught the Rattata.

"Alex-!"

"Excuse me…"

Both siblings turned their attention to the newcomers, finding the warden had led a second pair of siblings over to this particular viewing chamber, his Hippowdon lumbering behind.

The young woman smiled a bit uneasily, her Kirlia glancing between the many humans as her lanky brother's Ambipom chittered nervously.

"Who are you?" Rick started, curiosity tempering his anger. "And who's the broad?"

"Broad?" The young woman replied, British accent dripping with confusion, just as Alexandra reached through the bars to flick her brother's ear.

"Sorry about him." She apologized cheerfully, ignoring the hiss and grumble of swearwords that were aimed at her back. "He normally keeps that kind of stuff to himself, but prison has changed him."

Even Scarlet snickered at the darkening threats that followed, ears twitching in time with the Kirlia's sensitive horns.

"What brings you to this happy slice of prison?"

"Well I'm, I'm just a local sort of missionary chap, spreading the good word and all that." The man explained, smile shaky. "This is my sister, Evy."

The two women shared a nod in greeting, their Pokemon humming, as Rick rolled his shoulders back.

"Oh, well, I guess she's not a total loss."

"I beg your pardon-!"

Alexandra flicked his ear again, harder, as the warden shouted and then stalked off, his Hippowdon huffing before waddling after.

"Um, we have found your, uh, hello? Excuse me?" Evy began, pulling the jailed American's attention back from the scene occurring elsewhere in the yard. "We have found your, your puzzle box, and we've come to ask you about it."

"…No."

Staying silent at this new turn, Alexandra eyed her brother quietly as Evy seemed to deflate.

"No?"

"No. You came to ask me about Hamunaptra."

"How do you know the box pertains to Hamunaptra?" She pressed, eager despite her sibling's quick, agitated sweep of the area.

"Cause that's where it was when I found it. I was there."

Rick ignored the startled sound his sister swallowed at the admission, skin prickling as a pulse of Aura swept over him from a concerned Scarlet.

"How do we know that's not a load of pig's swallow?" The other man challenged, leaning in close as his Ambipom yanked back on his collar, twin tails flailing.

"Do I know you?"

His mask of aggression faltered, and just as he began rambling-

Rick's fist shot out, catching him right in the nose, and he fell back with a choked cry as the guards struck their volatile prisoner.

Rolling her eyes, Alexandra bent at the waist to inspect the poor man's recently-battered face with the air of someone used to such violence.

"You alright?"

Blinking reflexive tears from his eyes, he looked up and paused, gaze traveling from the brunette's dusty boots, up her clothed legs-pants, a woman wearing pants!-over the cotton button-up shirt, to the almost sweet-looking face containing big green eyes and framed by uncontained curls.

"Oh, I'm fine." He insisted, scrambling up as his Ambipom swayed violently on his shoulders. "Takes a bit more than that to keep me down, you know."

"Uh-huh." Alexandra muttered, unconvinced. "If you say so."

A commotion erupted at the cell, and she whipped around, wide-eyed, to see the guards dragging her brother away from a shell-shocked Evy.

"Rick!"

"Where are they taking him?" Evy wondered, not taking her eyes off the door he had been dragged through.

"To be hanged." The warden answered bluntly. "Apparently, he had a very good time."

Sitting in between Warden Hassan and Alexandra was not exactly where Evelyn wanted to be, but considering the way he was still cradling a bloody nose, it was necessary.

Isis wisely also acted as a barrier between Scarlet and his Hippowdon, Sabra, red eyes darting between them as her horns tickle.

"I will give you one hundred pounds to save this man's life." Evelyn offered, heart starting to race as Rick was pulled onto the platform below.

"Madam, I would pay one hundred pounds just to see him hang."

Alexandra went still, eyes flashing in the bright Egyptian sunlight, jaw clenched tight against further violence as Scarlet bared sharp fangs.

"Two, two hundred pounds." Evelyn rushed, panic starting to set in as the noose was prepped.

"Proceed!"

"Three hundred pounds!"

A howling started up below them as the rope was knotted around Rick's neck, metal rattling as Tip rammed his horns against the bars, sparks flying despite the muzzle holding his maw shut.

Alexandra took deep breaths, knuckles white on the seat of her chair, as the Houndoom's furious, terrified barks drowned out the next few exchanges.

But then the warden motioned for his men to pause, jarring her back into reality.

"And what else?" He wondered, laying a hand on Evelyn's thigh. "I am a very lonely man…"

With a gasp, she slapped the offending hand away while Isis whirled around, horns buzzing with outrage as Alexandra shot to her feet, teeth bared.

"Hands. Off."

Prisoners' laughter rose up from the cages below, delighted at his rejection, and Warden Hassan lost his temper.

The lever was pulled, and-

"RICK!"

"No!"

Tip's howl echoed off the sandstone walls as his human struggled for breath, gravity not enough to snap his neck, and Alexandra jerked to the railing as the reality set in.

"Ah ha! His neck did not break!" The warden shouted, sounding almost gleeful. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Now we must watch him strangle to death."

Not stopping for even a moment to think through her actions, the brunette swung herself over the wooden railings and hit the sand with a roll, Scarlet not two steps behind as she raced towards the hangman's noose.

A pair of guards trying to block her path failed spectacularly, and were left clutching their bruised groins in the sand as she slid beneath Rick's flailing legs.

She was just tall enough to slot her shoulders behind his knees and lift, taking his weight with a grunt as the rope went the slightest bit slack around Rick's neck.

"Damn, you've gained some weight…"

Flames melted the sand into glass, causing guards and prisoners alike to flinch back from the heat as Tip raced to their aid, bruised and battered and clearly incensed beyond the point of pain.

"A little help, Tippy." Alexandra grunted, locking her knees to keep from buckling as Scarlet kicked a Hippopotas head-over-heels in the opposite direction.

Skidding around her, the Houndoom braced the woman's legs, tail lashing side to side while Scarlet defended the perimeter with well-placed Aura Spheres.

"Damn, damn, damn…" The brunette ground out, muscles aching with the strain, and Rick jerked as his airway started to press closed again-

"Cut him down!"

And suddenly, the rope was severed and all of his considerable weight landed right on Alexandra's shoulders to leave both siblings sprawled in the sand, Tip wriggling out from under her as Scarlet jogged over with a questioning yip.

Staring up at the little window of sky overhead, green eyes shining, she huffed out a watery laugh as Rick sat up, catching his breath.

"Bet you're happy to see me now."

All he had the energy for was a roll of the eyes, dropping back against one of the wooden posts with a groan.

Sisters.