Rub Me the Right Way
Written By: HellQuat
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or any GW characters. I am but a simple GW addict with a passion for writing fictional stories. Please don't sue me. I cannot afford to be broke. Thank you.
Pairing: 3x4 eventually
Chapter Rating: G
Chapter One
The Dig
November 21, 1972
The hot Arabian sun was set high in the sky, glaring relentlessly down on the sand and dunes. The heat was sweltering but that could not deter the diggers. Some fifty young men and women worked tirelessly with shovels and brushes, excavating sand and rubble from the Earth. Vigorous grunts and painful groans emitted from the exhausted workers. They had been digging in this unrelenting heat for months now. Half of them had already given up on the site or had to stop because of ill health. Just the other day a man hade to be escorted from the site. He had been diagnosed with Heatstroke and the rate of attrition continued to rise.
A tall middle-aged man with a mustache and a pair of glasses presided over the workers and the gigantic hole they were digging. He inspected their progress thoroughly. He walked amongst them in his white suite, his glasses reflecting the harsh midday sun. A young worker froze feeling the cool shadow of the tall man behind him. He stopped sifting sand and rubble to meet his gaze. He winced slightly as the man crouched down to his level. The young man watched cautiously as he took hold of the other end of the sifter.
"Found anything worth while yet?" The man asked while helping the boy sift sand.
The youth shook his cloth covered noggin and pointed to a box of broken pottery and bones. He then looked back at the tall man saying, "All good finds, signs of civilization, but no treasure yet Sir."
The tall man stood once again frowning and lifting his head toward the sun. He sighed in disappointment before turning once again toward the youth. "Those are good finds Ali. Take them with you at the end of the dig and sell them. Perhaps they will be worth enough money to support your family for a while."
He smiled. "You are serious, Sir?"
"Yes my dear boy. You need them more than I do, besides there is only one thing in this dessert that I am interested in. I have no use for them so you may have them."
"I thank you Sir", Ali said nodding once and smiling gratefully.
"M-hm", was all the man said in return before heading deeper into the site. He walked up behind another worker. This man was closer to his age and had a long, dark, wiry beard. He too wore a cloth hood on his head to protect him from the heat of the sun.
"How's your luck been? Found anything yet?" Asked the tall man with the mustache.
The bearded worker shook his head as Ali had. "I apologize Dr. Santiago. Our crew has turned up nothing as well."
"I see. Have you made any progress in unearthing this tunnel?" Asked Dr. Santiago.
"Yes Sir. We have uncovered three feet since yesterday," replied the worker.
The doctor nodded as a sign that he was pleased with the crew's progress. He was just about to continue his rounds when he heard someone shouting from inside the tunnel.
"Dr. Santiago!"
The doctor turned back to see another middle-aged man appear from within the tunnel. He was running frantically and panting audibly. "Is the doctor out here?" he asked the other diggers. They all looked toward the doctor identifying to the excited man where he was. The digger stood for a second, spotted the doctor, and then continued running toward him.
"Doctor! We've found something. It's a small chamber. I think you'd better come and see. This could be it. This could be the chamber where the all the treasures are!"
Dr. Santiago stared for a brief moment taking in the information and suddenly his heart skipped a beat as a result of his shock and excitement. When he had gotten over being momentarily stunned, he jolted forward to fallow the other man into the tunnel toward the supposed treasure chamber. He soon felt silly for getting his hopes up, as he had been let down before. For instance, a week ago one of the diggers came to him claiming to have found skeletons with gold jewelry but in fact it was nothing but bronze. The week before that, a digger claimed that he had found a chamber beneath where they were walking but it was only a continuation of the passage they were already digging. Still, the man got his hopes up because there was something about the way the digger was so excited when he delivered the news that sounded genuine and promising.
The two men walked briskly down the tunnel to the very end where five or so other men stood waiting anxiously for permission to continue digging. All the workers turned their attention to the doctor in reflection of his excitement. They waited, gritting their teeth and holding their breath as the doctor peeked cautiously into the hole between two stone bricks. He squinted holding his flashlight next to his eyes and using it to search the chamber for something that sparkled or shimmered gold. Just a small gleam. Anything.
At first all he saw was the back wall of the room, then the paintings that decorated it. The room almost seemed to be empty but then he caught a glimpse of something angular. It was a dark object to the side of the chamber and he could not turn his gaze that far because the bricks surrounding the hole in the wall were blocking his view.
"Hand me a pick", He ordered softly.
A worker handed him a pickaxe and then stood back a ways to give the doctor some swinging space. Blow after blow the bricks began to drop from the wall widening the small hole. The doctor plucked out bricks until there was a wide enough gap for him and the others to fit through. Once satisfied with his handy work he tossed to pickaxe aside and moved his fingers around to get the blood flowing to his knuckles again. He then stepped through the hole and into the chamber.
The other men waited outside in the tunnel unsure of whether or not they should follow. But they could not completely control their curiosity and had to have a peek inside the musty chamber. They watched the doctor move toward the back of the room with his flashlight searching for the angular object he had seen moments earlier. As he moved the flashlight, he saw the object come into contact with the beam once again. His eyes widened hopefully and he felt a sharp twinge, like his heart was trying to jump out of his chest through his ribcage. The object was clearly identified as a table. A very old table. Ancient in fact. It had a crude ornate look to it and on top was a small box. Also very ornate.
The box had no lock on it nor was it a mystery to open. It was almost as though someone wanted it to be found. It was a wonder that looters hadn't found it ages ago. The whole chamber was in perfect condition considering it was over a thousand years old. Not to mention, Doctor Santiago wasn't the only scientist looking for this very site. He would be an extremely lucky man if what he quested for was indeed in this dusty old room. There may even be other treasures in this room but he had no use for them. There was only one thing that would end his search.
The diggers watched observantly with dropped jaws as the doctor gently opened the small wooden box and lifted an object out. He looked it over with intense scrutiny. He turned slowly and chuckle softly yet triumphantly.
"We've done it!" He shouted to the other men as he held his finding up for them to see. Indeed he had found it. At last. After years of searching the vast wastelands of Arabia he had found it. The legendary magic lamp which belonged to a great Arabian prince. By this time the crowd gathered at the entrance to the chamber had doubled. At least two thirds of the entire crew was crammed into the narrow tunnel hoping to gain the smallest glimpse of the legendary treasure of Arab folklore. The doctor smiled to them and said, "My loyal workers, I could not have done this without your help and so to thank you all I am allowing you to search the rest of this chamber for more treasure. What you find is yours. This lamp is all I need. Do what you will with the rest of the artifacts. Trade them, sell them, use these finds to make yourselves happy. As for me, I must bid you all adieux. I wish all of you good luck and successful lives". And with that said, Dr. Santiago squeezed between them as he headed back toward the entrance of the tunnel. Workers cheered and reached out to touch him or give him congratulatory hand shakes and pats on the back as he passed by them. They were both happy for him and relieved that they no longer had to dig in the sweltering heat. It was a good thing the doctor had paid so handsomely ahead of time or they probably wouldn't have kept digging this long.
As the day came to a close, the worker gathered there findings together to take back home. The lovely treasures along with their generous pay would sustain their simple lives for a considerable amount of time. As for the doctor, he proceeded to the nearest airport to catch the earliest flight back to Spain. The trip took a full two days with all the stops along the way during which time the doctor didn't sleep a wink. He was far too exited to even close he eyes. By the end of the trip he was beat but he still could not close his eyes. Too afraid that the next time he opened his eyes it would turn out to be just a wonderful dream. Not to mention there might be a thief on the plane with him and he couldn't risk losing his precious treasure after years of searching and digging in hot Arabian desserts. No, he decided he would not sleep until his treasure was safe back at his home in Spain. The long flight coupled with the bumpy cab ride home seemed a blur and before he knew it he was standing in front of his office desk, his small carry-on bag placed before him. He stared sleepily at it wondering for the first time how exactly he had gotten home. It was as if he had made the whole trip while in a trance.
He couldn't remember boarding the plane, paying the cabby, or even being greeted by his housekeeper when he walked threw his front door. He almost felt like the lamp had cast a spell on him. It was all he could think about. He involuntarily released the straps holding his suitcase closed. He then lifted it open. In the center of all his clothing and toiletries from the trip was the ancient lamp which he had wrapped in a piece of newspaper to keep it from getting damaged. He unwrapped it carefully it and lifted it out of the suitcase.
His jade eyes surveyed it with curiosity and wonder. He began to recall the tale of the genie who granted wishes to his master. He was aching to try rubbing the lamp just to see what would happen. He soon felt ridiculous and foolish for even contemplating rubbing the thing. What was he, Six? Still he felt compelled to do so. Just one quick stroke, who would know? He glanced over his shoulder to make sure his housekeeper wasn't present. Content that she was not, he held the lamp by the handle with his left hand and set his right hand on the side of it.
He felt silly. It was only a myth, after all. The genie didn't really exist. For some reason though, he just had to or he was afraid he'd never get to sleep. He swallowed and then proceeded to rub the lamp quickly then he stopped. He had done it. He had rubbed it, now he could go to sleep. He was about to set the lamp down on the table when he felt it jolt. He was so startled, he almost dropped it. The lamp continued to shake and tremor violently as he tried to keep his grip on the handle.
"What the Devil!"
Finally a cloud of purplish smoke poured from the spout and formed a mysterious figure, sparks and lightning surging within it. The shape of a slender, young being began to take shape. Slowly, the clothes developed, then hair and facial features, limbs, hands and feet, and with one finally burst of lightning, the mysterious entity appeared in wholeness. A slight, youthful creature with soft, platinum gold hair and eyes like large, sapphire pools. The entity wore exquisite dressings; a black and gold turban and matching vest and pantaloons. On his feet he wore a pair of black, curled toed slippers, the kind people wore in the time of sultans and overly adorned palaces.
The entity smiled at the bedazzled doctor while levitating in the air, his legs crossed and his hands rested upon his thighs. Doctor Santiago was stupefied. He couldn't believe his own eyes. The boyish creature just kept smiling fondly.
"You're a… No this is impossible. I'm dreaming, I must be."
"Shall I pinch you, Master?"