Disclaimer: I own nothing, Sommers owns all (damn, isn't it unfair?)
Author's note: Well, I changed my mind. I decided that "Scorpion King" thing would be inserted as a chapter in this sequel, because it really doesn't make sense to waste a lot of time writing it as separated fiction. Now, it's promised (and long-waited?ÉI fear not!) sequel to "Under American investigation", which, unlike the first part, features all the "sweet company", namely O'Connell, Evy, Jonathan, Imhotep and of course my dear alter ego Julian Randy. You may need to read a first part, here it is
http://www.fanfiction.net/index.fic?action=story-read&storyid=340783 but if you don't want, no problems. Long story short: Julian Randy,
secretary of American Embassy in Cairo, decided to investigate mysterious
murders of three American citizens, namely Mr. Burns, Mr. Henderson and
Mr. Daniels, and as the result found himself locked in collapsing necropolis
of Hamunaptra, accompanied by Evelin, Rick, Jonathan and Imhotep. Here
the story starts. Have fun!
By Seti the Last/ High Priest of Seth.
ÉThey hastened forward, but the door slipped down with muffled thud
in front of them, sealing the exit, they turned back only to see that the
gate behind them became a solid wall, too-and realized that they are ensnared,
locked in the rending necropolis. Upon the realization O'Connell dropped
his torch and the room sunk in complete darkness.
Not for a long time, however. Randy switched on his flashlight and the
white electric beam swept down the wall in short ragged jerks. It fell
on the faces of captured men: pale and awestruck of Jonathan, desperate
of O'Connell, who held terrified Evelyn in his arms, and absolutely blank
and unreadable of Imhotep. Randy coughed, moved the light uneasily and
said
"Well, I guess we have enough time now. Could somebody please explain
what actually had happened, if its not too much trouble?"
***
"You!" spluttered Rick, looking homicidal. "It's your fault we got stuck
in this goddamn hole!"
"And how is it?" asked Randy surly.
"Because of your idiotic gun-waving back in the room with sacred pool!"
blurted O'Connell. "If not for you we'd be now free outside"
"If not for me this guy would turn you into nice beefsteak, or at least
it looked like that. And, by the way, who in the world is he?"
He turned his flashlight at Imhotep, but High Priest only squinted and
continued his pondering or whatever he had been engaged in.
Only now O'Connell realized WHO was locked in the cell
with them. He stared at High Priest for a moment, then plunged his hand
in his belt holster, only to find that it's empty.
"Damn, I even cannot shoot him properly!" complained Rick.
"That's pity, he would make a considerable meal. Damn, I'm starving!"
exclaimed Randy with sulky expression on his physiognomy.
"So am I!" supported him Jonathan.
"Shut up you both!" commanded Evelyn, who seemed to shake off her shock
and freed herself from O'Connell's embrace, to the last's great disappointment.
"It must be some exit here"
"I wouldn't be so sure", muttered Randy, examining solid walls with
no sign of door. The room was empty, except of the huge statue looming
near the back wall. Rick and Jonathan were now busy knocking the walls
in futile hope to hear a hollow sound, Evy engaged herself in examination
of statue, and Imhotep looked meditative. The rest of the company tried
to ignore him deliberately.
"Hey guys", said Randy deplorably. "I still need explanation".
"Well laddie", smirked O'Connell, turning to face him. "We also need
to know something. Who the Hell are you?"
"Julian Randy, Secretary of American Embassy in Cairo, nice to meet
you", answered Julian pompously. Noticing the glance of disbelief, he continued."
Sorry, left my diplomatic passport back in my lodgings. Sharia el Salibah
Street, embassy quarters, my bureau, third drawer from the top. Go and
check it".
Rick glared at him, obviously ready to start a fight, Evy whirled around
to stop the rant and Jonathan snickered, when Imhotep ceased his reverie
and announced something.
Rest of the company gaped at him. Rick was the first who came in his
senses, not to much Randy's benefit.
"Since when do you speak Egyptian?" asked he with obvious apprehension.
"UmmÉdo I?" mumbled Julian.
"Oh yes you do, and with amazing pronunciation!" declared Evelyn.
"Since now, as it seems"
"Hey, I have some idea. Aren't you his servant or apprentice or whatever?"
asked Rick with even more apprehension.
"Do I look like one?" answered Randy indignantly.
"Oh yes you do. You prevented me from killing him, that's it, and now
because of your interference we are sitting here, you moron!"
O'Connell advanced to him menacingly, but stopped dead on his tracks
when found himself facing a large gun barrel.
"Oh, could you please stop this!" cried Evelyn exasperatedly. "We must
find an exit!"
"Speaking about exit", interfered Jonathan. "What did the shaved guy
say? Mind I don't believe his words, whatever they are, just I'm a little
bit curious."
"He said that the exit is under the statue" chorused Julian and Evelyn.
"Oh yes I see", muttered Jonathan, moving his attention to the sculpture.
Julian turned the light to illuminate it, and now it became clear that
it's statue of some god, with huge crown on its head, holding a crook and
a scepter, and properly covered with dust and cobwebs, which looked like
artwork of thousand of spiders' generations. When Jonathan approached it
cautiously, he hooted excitedly and grabbed the scepter.
"Look at this", hollered he. "It's pure gold!"
"I'd prefer if it was pure sausage", stated Randy darkly, forgetting
his treasure-seeker's ambitions at the moment.
"Don't touch it! It's the statue of Osiris, you don't want to fool around
it!" yelled Evy, but to no avail, because Jonathan snatched it already
and was now cooing over it like very sensitive young mother over her newborn.
Imhotep was contemplating the scene with something very close to amusement.
Rick and Evelyn were now bustling around the statue, trying to find any
sign of trapdoor, but Randy didn't look too much optimistic.
"Well, it seems that your naked friend was just kidding", grinned he
and leaned casually against the shoulder of stone Osiris. Something cracked,
floor shifted under his feet and with prolonged howl he fell through opened
trapdoor in darkness beneath.
***
His fall ended by excruciating pain in his left ankle. Randy hissed
and rolled onto his back. During his fall he dropped flashlight and it
smashed, leaving our hero in complete darkness. He moaned in pain and fingered
his quickly swelling ankle. The feeling was too far unpleasant-it looked
like he had broken it. Nice situation, indeed. Alone, half-blinded with
pain and with his leg broken, what could be worse? However, it became clear
soon that the worse was coming. Funny buzzing buggy sound came from the
gloom behind his back. He cried in despair, and, to his surprise, heard
the response cries overhead.
"Hey, are you allright?"
Despite of echo banging from the walls, it sounded like O'Connell.
"No, I'm bloody not allright!" hollered Randy, unaware of the fact that
he literally repeats Jonathan's words. "I have my leg broken, and I think
I'm surrounded by billion of goddamn bugs here!"
"Well", bemused note jingled in O'Connell's voice. "Did they start chewing
on you already?"
"What?" gurgled Julian. "If it's your goddamn joke, it's not funny,
you son of a bitch!"
"If I were you I wouldn't call me names, laddie", answered Rick coolly.
"Because I'm dangling on goddamn rope, trying to rescue your hide".
Randy's eyes adjusted to the darkness, which turned out to be not so
complete. Dim diffused light, kind of ghostly green radiance, was emitted
by the walls and ceiling. With start Randy realized hat the source of light
was the strange pattern of painting on the walls, which looked like multitude
of squinting eyes. Young man didn't like it very much, partly because it
allowed him to see little army of fat black scarab bugs, who closed him
into a circle and were clicking with their mandibles aggressively. However,
for some reason they didn't attack. Then Randy raised his eyes to see O'Connell's
feet, swinging something like ten feet above. The end of thin rope was
lying onto the sandy floor of the passage where young secretary landed
after his infamous fall.
"Damn, O'Connell, are they carnivorous? Are they going to eat me?"
"Damn straight they are, buddy!" sounded optimistic O'Connell's voice
from above.
"WellÉthen what the Hell are they waiting for?"
"Are you eager to be eaten?"
"No, just curious. Because it looks like I have some repellent on me,
they keeps the distance"
"Oh, may be you smell too bad, it spoils their appetite", suggested
O'Connell, and Randy glowered at his swinging feet. "Now give me you hand,
I'm going to pull you out of here".
"To what end?" yelled Randy back. "This passage at least leads somewhere!
Not that I can move, but it's better than just sitting up there and deciding
who first is going to be a supper".
"Are you crazy? I'm not going to play skipping game with these scarab
bastards!"
"But you can try", suggested Randy benevolently. "If they don't like
me for early breakfast, there is no reason they'd like you, either".
He heard cursing and stirring from above, then O'Connell's feet hit
ground with loud thud. Rick looked at crowd of bugs apprehensively, but
no one stirred. He made several cautious steps toward black buzzing blanket,
when Randy cried instantly
"Don't"
"Why?" asked O'Connell, surprised.
"Dunno. Just have one of those feelingsÉYou better don't cross the line".
"Ok, buddy. Don't get your idea, anyway. Why sitting here is better
than on the second story, if I cannot cross damned line?"
"Because it seems I can. Look".
Stiffing a moan and grinding his teeth in pain, Randy crawled towards
the border of 'bug's life' on his elbows. Black line stirred, curved and
backed.
"Really impressive trick", muttered Rick, slightly surprised. "Well,
are you going to crawl all the way like this?"
"No", answered Julian with nasty smile. "You guys are gonna carry me".
"No way, at least not before three or four days of diet for you!"
"Well, what you guys are arguing about?" sounded from behind.
O'Connell jumped and Randy bent, looking over his shoulder on Jonathan
and Evelyn, who slid down the rope soundlessly, Jonathan still clutching
his (or, rather Osiris') scepter. When he looked, last but not least of
the company, Imhotep, landed graciously onto the floor. Two others backed
from him hastily. As if don't noticing their maneuvers, Imhotep approached
to Randy and stared at his leg. Then he crouched beside him and touched
his swelled ankle.
"Don't let him do it!" screeched Evelyn, but too late. Little blue lightning
emitted from High Priest's palm and sunk into Randy's flesh. He expected
tearing agony, but instead came only soft tinkling sensation. And then
the pain disappeared. Swelling was gone, ominous purple color gave place
to a normal one. Evelyn, Jonathan and Rick were goggling in disbelief.
"Ok, buddy", uttered O'Connell at last. "And after that you dare to
proclaim that you are not his bosom friend?"
"Now i really need an explanation. Let's go, and tell me your goddamn
story", muttered Randy gloomily, scrambling on his feet and turning to
the gaping mouth of passage.
Evy dropped her jaw and swiveled to him, looking perplexed. Randy puffed
recklessly and asked, peering in Imhotep's eyes "So where it is?" Only
it sounded like "Nah-ta ledphe?"