As the four of us walked through the boy's camp site we realized they would be coming back. Or at least they thought they would be. Pete and Valdawalked ahead of H.G. and I and went into where the boy's research was. As I looked over Helena was slipping out of her trench coat. When she took it off my eyes grew wide. "What?"
"Damn. Uh...I mean…what are you wearing?" H.G. grinned and I could feel my cheeks start to burn.
"I looked it up. This is what all fashionable British archeologists are wearing these days." I couldn't help but snort.
"No. That's what American film makers think fashionable British archeologists wear these days." Helena shrugged her shoulders.
"Still, ever so comfy." She walked away and I couldn't help but glance up and down quickly. I had never seen H.G. in anything but pantsuits. I mean, she looked great in those but you could never see just how curvy she was. I shook the thought out of my head and followed her into the tent with where Pete and Valda were.
"Are we any closer to getting in?" Pete also looked H.G. over quickly and I glared at him. I smacked him on the arm.
"What?" He rubbed his arm and gave me that goofy look of his.
"It's rude to stare." Helena chuckled and went over to see if she could help.
"Oh come on, you do it all the time." Pete kept his voice down. "I see you staring at her all the time." He nudged me with his elbow.
"Pete!" I slapped him again and walked off. He's such an immature man. He's the big brother I never had.
"It was a joke Mikes! Come on." As I walked over to H.G. the door to warehouse 2 opened.
"Shall we?" I followed H.G. as she walked inside. We found ourselves in a room with pillars and it was lit with flames. As soon as the door shut behind us the ceiling started to move downward.
"Wow…what the hell?" We all looked up and panic rose in all of us. Helena and Pete tried to pry the door open but to no avail. I realized that it was three clues instead of one. Three different tests that we would have to make it through to shut down the warehouse.
"Maybe we can use one of these to brace the ceiling." I ran over to one and tried to pick it up.
"Myka! Wait! This is like a game I'd play as a kid at the Pancake Palace. We have to jump each one of these in a certain order until there's only one left." I was stunned. Only Pete would think of this and it deal with food.
"What if he's wrong?" I could empathize with Helena's skepticism.
"Trust me, he knows his pancakes." She believed me and we all started to work as a team. With each piece they got heavier. The ceiling started to speed up and finally we were down to the last piece. When the ceiling hit the top of the piece it stopped; there was barely enough room to sit up straight.
"Bravo Pete." We were all out of breath. My breath hitched in my throat when I looked over and saw H.G. covered in a thin layer of sweat. I know this wasn't the time or the place to think about how hot she looked but I couldn't help it. A moment later, another door opened. We were all skeptical about going through it but we knew we had to.
The next room was a long rectangular one with holes of different sizes going across it. "It looks like we're going to make it after all." Valda just had to jinx it. Just then, blades came up from the floor and went up and down at different times. And Pete just made it worse by saying it couldn't get any worse. Fire came up out of the larger holes.
"Okay, there has to be some way to shut this off." Pete went over to the wall and looked at the hieroglyphics and tried to read them. Of course, he couldn't. When he tried to use a martial art to jump across the holes he about got cut and almost fell into the flames. When he ran back, Valda had to put out the fire on his back.
"Maybe we should try to rise above the situation." I watched as Helena stepped up on the ledge and pulled out her grappler. I couldn't help but laugh.
"The Grappler. Never leave home without it." She fixed it to a hole that was in the wall and took off her belt. We were going to slide across. I followed her lead and took mine off also. When I turned around, on the other side, Pete was coming our way. We helped him get down and Valda was halfway across. The rope had caught fire and was about to snap.
"Hold on! I can make it!" Pete tried to go back but Helena and I stopped him.
"No! The hieroglyphs translate to "one must die." If you come back we both die. This is how it must be. I won't give you the chance to save me." He let go of the rope and fell into the fire pit. We were all shocked and watched as the flames grew.
"Can we even do this without him?" I could barely speak. I had never fully liked him but…he gave his life to save ours.
"Let me tell Artie." I handed H.G. my Farnsworth but when she tried to use it, it wouldn't connect. "Damn it! It won't work!"
"I guess we're too far underground." The door beside us opened and we knew we had to go through it. The tests of the mind and of the body have been passed so this was the test of the soul.
"I say we go this way next." H.G. jumped off the ledge and walked through the door. Before entering, we each grabbed a torch. The last room was large and empty. It had a big Medusa head on the farthest wall. As we walked in, Helena stopped and looked behind her. "Christina?"
"Kelly?" Pete did the same. I saw H.G. standing in front of me but I heard her voice behind me.