The Mummy: Curse of the Feline's Temple

by PandaJenn

The O'Connels team up with a young archeologist named Jennie Daweson and her curious and loyal pet Lemur Lu. Together, they must keep Imhotep from possessing the Sacred Medallion of Bastet.

Warning: This fic has been rated PG-13 for language, violence, death, and some alcohol drinking.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Mummy, nor do I own its characters and other related contents. It belongs to Universal Studios. I do, however, own Jennie Faye Daweson, her father, Mr. Daweson, Lu, and the idea for the Medallion of Bastet.

It is a fact that all cats were sacred to the Ancient Egyptian people, and it is also a fact that they were thought to guard and protect humanity from any kind of evil that may prey upon it.

There's a myth that speaks of a medallion, located deep inside the temple of Bastet, the Cat Goddess. The medallion would serve as assurance that humanity and its world would be safe from harm. However, anyone who would dare tamper with the medallion's powers would be cursed, and the Cat Goddess would send her children forth, dead and living, to devour the intruder, who would be condemned to the underworld for all eternity...

The Mummy:
Curse of the Feline's Temple

Written By
Jennifer Morton

"Dad, do I have to?" a little girl pouted to her father as she stood in front of a tall mirror.
She adjusted her large thick-framed glasses and glared into the image. Her hair was tied up in little pigtails, with pink butterfly barettes, the same shade of pink to match the source of her dismay. "Can't I just wear pants? Dresses are for...for girls!"

"Well, correct me if I'm wrong," her father chuckled, "but aren't you a girl?"

"Just 'cause I'm a girl, doesn't mean I have to look like one!"

"Next I suppose you'll be telling me that you want to cut your hair."

The eight year old rolled her green eyes and sighed. "Whatever," she mumbled.

Suddenly, the grandfather clock in the living room chimed loudly. 8:00. Jennie ran to the kitchen and grabbed an apple from a basket on the counter, then ran towards the front door, reaching for her book bag in the process.

"Gotta go, I love you!" she waved, then ran out the door before he could respond.

The little brunette girl trudged down the sidewalk, tripping over her little black dress shoes along the way.

"Stupid shoes!" she began to mutter. "Stupid dress!"

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a loud cry. Not too far away, a group of older boys, most likely about two or three years older than her, were crowded around a much smaller, dark-haired boy. She caught up to the noise and watched angrily as they played keep-away with his glasses, round thick-framed glasses, just like hers, with orange-tinted lenses. As always, the girl completely ignored her instincts and decided to take matters into her own hands.

"Hey, leave him alone!" she hollered at them.

The boys stopped in their tracks and turned their attention towards Jennie. "You talking to us, little girl?"

One of them towered over her, smiling viciously. Jennie put up her fists. "How 'bout it? Yah want some of this?" She was so busy trying to psyche them out with small air punches, she failed to notice the pair of hands reaching down to snatch her book bag. "Hey!" She watched helplessly as the boy fished through her bag and pulled out her lunch, then threw the bag on the ground seeing as there was nothing else of interest. Jennie struggled to get the apple away from him, but fell victim to the keep-away game.

Meanwhile, their previous victim took this opportunity to run away, only without his glasses that proved a little harder than he had hoped, as he didn't seem to see the mail box that was right in front of him.

Jennie wasn't one to resolve matters with such drastic measures, but there were just some times it couldn't be avoided, and this was most definitely one of those times; she just had to wait for the right opportunity...

"Here it goes," she gulped. Just as one of the bullies had stopped to take a bite out of his new prize, Jennie took the opportunity to take a bite out of him. "YEEOOOUCH, why you little..." She managed to get her apple back and tossed it in her bag. She then ran towards the dark-haired boy and grabbed him by the arm.

"Wait, my glasses!" he cried.

"No time!!" she panted, dragging him down the street as fast as she could in hopes to lose their pursuers.

She decided to take a quick detour into a construction site. "Come on, we'll be safe in here," she said, crawling into a large metal pipe, followed by her reluctant companion. They quietly listened for the bullies to pass by them; of course, it wasn't easy with all the noise that was going on.

"Argh! I can't hear anything with all these trucks and bulldozers," she growled. Just then, the ground began to shift wildly beneath them.

"Wha-what's going on?" the boy shuddered.

"I dunno...It feels like..." Jennie paused and carefully peeked outside, only to see that the ground was rapidly getting farther and farther out of view. A crane had apparently gotten hold of the pipe and was lifting it to the top floor of a five-story building (or at least what was going to be a building).

"Uh-oh," she gasped... "Uh, kid...I hope you're not afraid of heights."

The boy's eyes grew wide with panic. "What do we do!!"

Jennie peeked down and looked around. Her face lit up when she saw something large and white flowing below them; it was perfect!

She grabbed his arm once more. "Hey, bet yah can't count to three."

"Of course I can...one...two...three..."

"JUMP!" Jennie yelled, and took a dive out of the moving pipe, bringing them both safely to the ground. The white flowing thing was a safety net, just as she'd figured.

"That was awesome!" she said; however, it took the boy a little longer to regain his bearings. His body was very much in shock and after a few minutes he finally gathered the courage to get up and confront her.

"What's the matter with you!? I could have been killed!"

"You'd already be dead if I hadn't saved you from those guys back there."

"I don't want your help; I can take care of myself!" He turned to walk away, suddenly hitting his head on a girder.

"Heh, not from where I was standing," Jennie laughed. She then took off her glasses and tapped him on the shoulder. "Here." She smiled warmly as she helped him put them on. The boy squinted into the tinted lenses, as the fuzzy images surrounding him suddenly became much clearer. "Th- thank you," he stuttered.

"Sure. I have another pair at home - So, what's your name kid?"

The boy stared blankly for a moment, almost unsure how to respond... "C- Colin." he squeaked. Jennie smiled once more, and took his hand, which seemed to startle him a bit.

"I'm Jennie," she replied.

Fifteen years later...

"Ow...curse these shoes!" a voice echoed through the dimly lit halls of what looked to be a temple of some sort. As the voice got closer, so did the light. It shifted around from wall to wall, making everything around it become brighter and more visible. The voice appeared to belong to a much older Jennie, fifteen years older to be exact.

Her long brown hair was pulled up in a messy bun, which was holding her pencil at the time. As she reached for it, she pulled a red notebook from her backpack. After flipping through her previous notes, she came across what she was looking for. "Ah, here we go." She sat down and began comparing her notes, to the hieroglyphics that were painted on the wall beside her.

"It's everything I imagined it would be." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath of damp air. Coming to Egypt had been something Jennie had always dreamed of. Being born into a family of archeologists, it was all she could think about for as long as she could remember, although her father would have never allowed it. But that's another story. She shrugged away the thought and continued with her notes.

Just then, she could hear a faint noise in the distance. It sounded like something had toppled over, a vase or a small statue perhaps? She jolted to her feet and glared into the dark hallway.

"Hello?" her voice echoed. "Who's there?" A moment passed and there was no answer, at least not from any human. A small apelike creature leapt towards her in a fluttering panic. Jennie just laughed and extended her arms, allowing the animal to jump into them. "Lu, are you okay?" she giggled.

The lemur buried his face into Jennie's sleeve, shivering wildly. "Well, whatever happened I'm sure you had it coming, you mischievous little monkey." She cradled her pet, gently scratching his ears.

These two had found each other during a backpacking trip in Madagascar. All it took was an open backpack and a hungry baby lemur, and there you have it! Most lemurs are very timid, and like most wild animals, aren't quite as social with humans--but like any animal in general, Lu had his own little personality and this lemur was anything but anti-social. Of course, this would often lead to a few mishaps. They had been to Egypt for only two days and already they had been banned from three different restaurants, two hotels, and five gift shops. Of course, it wasn't like there weren't other things to do there. Jennie was mainly there for the sights, and maybe, if she got lucky, a little adventure.

Lu let out a yawn as Jennie finished up her notes, "I suppose it is getting a bit late." She set the lemur down and began to pack up, when suddenly she noticed something lying on the ground. Lu sniffed at it and took it in his mouth. It was a medallion, a gold medallion with the eye of Ra carved on one side, and a cat's head carved on the opposite side. Jennie took it from Lu and observed it closely.

"Wow!" She adjusted her glasses. "From the looks of this thing, it's got to be at least, maybe, 3,000 years old." She took out her notebook and studied the medallion even closer. "It must be related somehow, to the cat Goddess Bastet, I mean considering the cat's head is carved here and the eye of Ra is a symbol of protection, hmmm..." She went on, jotting down notes and theories. Lu climbed onto her shoulder, where he sat and looked on.

Jennie was, unfortunately, too busy to notice the large, dark shadow creeping over her. "The medallion..." it rumbled. The young woman looked up and slowly turned her head. She could feel its cold breath on her neck. Then without warning, the voice roared and grabbed her by the shoulders, violently forcing their faces to meet.

"GIVE IT TO ME!" it screamed. Jennie about fainted at what she saw. Its hands were deathly cold; its face looked as if it were half eaten away, like a rotting corpse, with purple skin and glowing yellow eyes.

The creature had let go of her, at least with his hands. Jennie suddenly found herself suspended in midair.
"What are you!?" she demanded. "That is none of your concern; now hand over the medallion." He lifted his hand, forcing the girl even higher into the air. Not only was she suddenly airborne, but now she could feel two invisible hands cupped around her neck, choking her. It was as if this thing was some kind of sorcerer. Jennie began to feel her body slowly shutting down; her eyelids fell and everything around her turned into total darkness.

The creature was suddenly shoved aside and a familiar young voice rang out triumphantly, "Hey there, maggot breath! Did yah miss me?" Fourteen-year-old Alex O' Connell swooped into view. The creature had lost his hold on the floating girl, causing her unconscious body to plummet to the ground. Alex, who was too busy trying to distract the enemy, noticed this. "Uncle Jonathon!" he hollered to a red-haired man, who came running from behind a large pillar. Jonathon Carnahan wasted no time in retrieving the young woman.

Within moments, Alex's parents Rick and Evy O'Connell had joined in. "Jonathon, take her back to the Zephyr, we'll handle tall, dark, and purple!" Rick ordered. Jonathon nodded and rushed both himself and Jennie to safety.

Imhotep roared in frustration. "NOOO!!" He took a breath and clenched his teeth. "You win this time...but I'll be back and next time, you won't be so lucky!" he growled, keeping his focus mainly on the girl, and with that he made his whirlwind exit.

"I've heard that before," Alex chuckled.

A familiar eight year old girl skipped down the sidewalk. Her new friend, Colin, was walking closely by her side. His eyes shifted back and forth in a paranoid manner.

"We're almost there," said Jennie. They rounded a corner, passing a large hedge. Colin winced at the thought of some older kid jumping out of the hedge and giving him a power wedgie. With that in mind, he decided to walk a little faster. Soon enough they reached Jennie's driveway. When she opened the gate, she noticed her father's car was nowhere in sight, which meant he must have been working late at the museum.

Colin timidly followed her to the front steps and watched as she unlocked the door. "You don't have a dog, do you?"

"We used to, until she got rabies and killed a bunch of our neighbors. That's why we had to move," she joked.

Colin jumped away from the door and cringed.

"Relax, it was a joke."

"Well, it wasn't a very funny joke!"

Jennie just sighed and pulled him inside. "You really need to relax."

Jennie showed Colin to the living room, where he was invited to make himself comfortable on the sofa. She left him for a moment to grab her other pair of glasses and find some snacks in the fridge.

When she returned, she noticed that Colin was looking at a small framed picture sitting on the end table beside him. Jennie peeked over his shoulder at the photo of a small girl and her parents. "That's my mom and dad." She sat beside him, eyes never leaving the photo. She set a plate of cookies down on the coffee table as her eyes began to water. "My... mom died about a year ago. She and my dad use to be archaeologists. They were in Egypt digging up a tomb." She trailed off into silent tears. "There was an accident and..." She tried to finish her story, but was cut off by choking sobs.

Colin's eyes widened and he suddenly found himself holding Jennie's hand in an attempt to comfort her.
"I understand...It's alright. Please don't cry anymore?" he whispered. "I know it's not much consolation but..." he began as Jennie's sobs began to lighten. "My mother left when I was little. Dad said it was because she loved someone else. I never understood why and I probably never will."

"You're right," Jennie sniffed. "It's no consolation. But thanks."

"And um...thank you for sticking your neck out for me today." He blushed.

"No problem." Jennie wiped her eyes and smiled. "Although, from now on, let's walk to school together. I can be like, your bodyguard!" Jennie laughed. "And I promise I won't lead us into any more construction sites."

"Deal!" The two shook on it. Colin then looked at the clock. "Well, I best be getting home now." He walked towards the door and looked back at Jennie, waving. "Goodbye, see you tomorrow?"

"You bet!"

And with that, Colin stepped outside, closing the door behind him.

The image faded from Jennie's mind as she slowly opened her eyes. A small, furry face found its way into her blurred vision. She reached to adjust her glasses.

For that brief moment Jennie forgot all about Egypt and thought she was at home, in her own bed, and the fuzzy image in front of her was only Lu, asking for his breakfast. Of course, as soon as things were brought back into focus, she was startled to find that she wasn't back home in her own bed, and the animal greeting her was most definitely not Lu, but a mongoose.

"Hey, you're awake!" a voice happily greeted her. Jennie looked around and saw a strawberry-blonde boy sitting down beside her. "I see you've met Tut," he smiled. The mongoose jumped onto the boy's shoulders and settled down. "I'm Alex. What's your name?"

"Jennie...er, Jennie Daweson," she replied rather groggily. As she attempted to sit up, she began to notice her surroundings. There was something odd about this house - wait - this wasn't a house at all, she realized, after feeling the room jolt. She should have realized it when she saw the steel walls and the emergency parachutes on the wall across from them.

"Where am I, exactly?" she questioned. Before Alex could answer, Rick came into the room. "Hey, sport, looks like we're hitting a little turbulence; your mother says we'll have to land in Bubastis for a while until-" He cut himself off when he noticed Jennie. "Oh, hey, my apologies. Rick O'Connell." He reached out his hand, gesturing for a friendly handshake. "Can I get you anything?"

"Er, yeah, an aspirin would be nice." Jennie rubbed the back of her head.

"Try this; it'll wash the pain right out of you!" Jonathon approached Jennie, offering a bottle of whiskey.

"Er, no thanks, I'm trying to get rid of a headache... not start a new one."

"Suit yourself," Jonathon shrugged, taking a drink.

"Wait a second, did I hear you say we were going to Bubastis?" asked Jennie.

"That's the plan," Rick replied.

Jennie had read about that city; it was the main worshiping place for the Cat Goddess Bastet. She began to feel a slight feeling of déjà vu- "The medallion!" she panicked. "I had a gold medallion."

Jonathon immediately looked away from the situation. "I didn't see any medallion."

"Uncle Jonathon." Alex cocked an eyebrow at his uncle. The man's denying expression became a pathetic pout as he reached into his white jacket and pulled out the medallion.

"Fine," he grumbled, handing it to Jennie. Even with her new prize safe at hand, she couldn't help but feel that there was something else missing. Just as the thought began to cross her mind, a slight rattling came from the cargo area. Rick rolled his eyes and walked towards the door.

"Oh, yeah." He opened it to reveal a certain lemur, who was stuffing his face with half their food supply. "I think this bottomless pit belongs to you too?" Lu swallowed the remainder of food in his mouth and took a flying leap into his master's lap. Jennie looked down at Lu sternly. "Yup, he's mine alright," she said, straightening out the red bandanna around his neck.

Imhotep roared in frustration, taking it out on everything that lay in his path, including his own spectacled servant Colin Weasler. The young lackey made it a point to keep his mouth shut, since he didn't want to fly into the wall a second time

"I must have that Medallion!" the mummy went on, picking up a nearby lamp and throwing it straight for Colin's head; luckily, the dark-haired man dodged it just in time. It was here he decided to step in and say some words of encouragement. "M-master," he stuttered. Imhotep whirled around and glared at him, baring his fangs like a rabid dog. "N- never mind. Heh," Colin gulped, and turned the other way.

Imhotep paced the room for a moment. "The Medallion of Bastet is the only thing standing between me and world conquest."

"And of course, those wretched O'Connells," Colin chimed in.

"Ah, yes, the O'Connells." Imhotep's voice eased up a bit as he scratched his chin in deep thought. "And that other woman..."

"Other woman?"

Imhotep walked over to the fireplace and waved his hand, creating small flames, which grew a little bigger with each wave. He then picked up a vial and threw it into the fire, making it rise. The flames formed into a ring; inside that ring an image began to appear. A young lady appeared to be sound asleep on a small couch. Her cinnamon bangs fell over her eyes as she stirred. Snuggled close beside her was her content pet lemur.

"Her," Imhotep pointed out, snarling.

Colin's eyes grew wide when he saw this image, for there was something very familiar about this girl, and it sent a shiver down his spine. Keeping both eyes on the image, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny ring.

A young, fifteen year old Colin stood by a fountain. He stared at his reflection in the water, as he straightened his light blue shirt collar. He then reached into his pocket and took out a small box. He looked at the box and sighed.

"Colin?" A voice startled him.

"Jennie!" he cried excitedly.

"So, what's this big surprise you have for me?"

Colin quickly hid the box behind his back and grinned slyly, as Jennie tried to sneak a peek.

"Ah ah, no peeking," he ordered, "you have to close your eyes."

Jennie rolled her eyes and did as she was told. After hesitating for a moment, Colin finally placed the box into view. "Okay, now!" Colin opened the box to reveal a tiny ring. Jennie's green eyes glistened as she took it from him. "Happy birthday," he added.

"Colin, it's beautiful."

"I got one for me too, see?" He held out his hand to show a similar ring on his finger. "They're friendship rings."

Jennie suddenly fell forward and hugged Colin. "I'll treasure it forever," she whispered in his ear.

Colin looked at his reflection in a broken mirror, and then once more at the ring in his hand.

He shook the memory from his mind and stuffed the ring back in his pocket. "Why am I still carrying this stupid thing around?" he muttered to himself, his tone laced with denial.

"WEASLER!" Imhotep called. "I want you to find this girl, and bring her to me."

"Yes, Master." Colin reluctantly bowed and took off for the door.

Imhotep smiled wickedly at the image of the sleeping girl.

By morning, the Zephyr had landed in the city of Bubastis. Evy O'Connell was the first to step out. She looked around for any signs of unwanted company before she allowed the others follow.

Everything seemed pretty peaceful. It was still fairly early in the morning. "First thing we should do is head over to the market place and restock our supplies."

"I'll take care of that; it's the least I can do," Jennie offered.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Alright then." Evy handed her a piece of paper. "Here's the list; meet us back here when you've finished."

Jennie nodded and studied the list further. Lu leaped onto her shoulder as she turned to walk off.

"So, what exactly do you think were dealing with here?" Rick asked his wife.

"She obviously has something Imhotep wants, and I have no doubt he'll be after her untill he gets it."

"It's gotta be that medallion!" Alex suggested. "But why? I mean, it's just a crappy old necklace."

"Perhaps not." Evy's expression became riddled with worry as the possibilities came to mind.

Meanwhile, in the nearby market place, Colin wandered the crowded streets, the image of Jennie still fresh in his mind. As far as he knew she was with the O'Connells and according to his spy's information, they shouldn't have been too far off. "After what she did," Colin sneered, "I hope the Master tears her God damn head off!"

Jennie looked at the list once more, reading it out loud to herself. "Fruits, vegetables, beans, fish, liver? Who eats liver?" Jennie cringed.

She passed by a cart that was selling a delicious looking variety of fruits and vegetables. Jennie spotted a basket of apples and reached to grab one, not noticing the second hand reaching towards the same apple. "Hey!" Jennie yelped as she was tugged to one side. She looked and noticed another person was hanging onto the apple as well. "Back off, buster!" she snorted, seeing as the person was being a bit unreasonable.

"I saw it first!" he protested.

This game of tug a war went on for at least half a minute before it was interrupted by a certain lemur who surprised the two by snatching the piece of fruit out of their grasp. This sent them both falling backwards onto their behinds. Lu snickered at them and then, without delay, devoured the apple in three bites.

Meanwhile, both Jennie and the other guy crawled on the ground, searching for their fallen glasses. Jennie was the first to find hers. She stood up and cleaned them a bit, before putting them back in place. She looked down at the man who was still looking for his. Blowing a strand of loose hair away from her eyes, she bent down and picked them up.

"Here," she offered.

The man grabbed them and put them on. "Thank you!" he responded rather harshly. The moment he looked up at her, Jennie stopped in her tracks. It couldn't have been him...

"Colin?" she squinted through her tinted lenses. "It's me, Jennie, Jennie Daweson!"

"Jennie?" It suddenly hit Colin like a ton of bricks and for that moment he had forgotten how to speak; everything had been erased from his mind, including Imhotep's orders.

"Wow, I can't believe it - It's you...what are you doing here?"

Colin quickly woke up from his trance, "Well. Yah know...just stuff," he laughed nervously.

"Yeah? What kind of stuff?"

Colin shook his head, "Nothing...just...Hey, I know, let's find some shade!" he suggested, slowly starting to get back on track. He had a job to do, he kept reminding himself.

Colin led Jennie to a shaded area, away from all the hustle and bustle.

As Jennie sat down, he noticed a familiar red ring on her finger, surprised that she still bothered to wear it, after all this time. But it still didn't excuse what she did. Colin cleared his throat, trying to think of something to say. He wanted so much to tell her that he hated her for leaving him, but for some reason the words weren't coming out. It was like something was restraining him.

"Hello, earth to Colin!" Jennie waved a hand in front of his face. "Are you alright?"

Just then the man bolted up, nearly knocking Jennie away. Finally, he allowed himself to unleash the anger he had kept locked away inside all this time.

"No I'm not 'alright'! I never was 'alright'!" he lashed out.

"Woah, calm down, tiger! What's the problem? Did I say something wrong?"

"My problem is you! Do you honestly think after disappearing like that without even saying goodbye you could waltz back here six years later and just say 'hi' and I would forgive you?"

"But I...don't understand!"

"Of course you don't understand! You're too pig-headed to even begin to understand how I feel."

"Excuse me?" Jennie laughed. "I'm being pig-headed?"

"Arrrrrgh!" Colin clenched his fists, took a deep breath and sat back down, looking sadly down at his feet. "You were my only friend in the world and then you deserted me, just like everyone else."

"Now, hold on a sec." Jennie slowly set a comforting hand on Colin's shoulder and sat down beside him. "I didn't have a choice, okay?"

"What are you talking about; of course you did!"

"No, I didn't...Colin, I wanted so badly to say goodbye to you, but I-" Jennie paused and sighed. "Look, why don't I just tell you what happened."

Jennie, now eighteen years old, was sitting at her desk, her thoughts focused on her studies. Just because she was rebellious didn't mean she didn't care about her grades. She had dreams, after all. And she knew that in order to reach those dreams, she'd have to work hard for it.

As she turned the page of her history book, there was a knock at her door. "Come in, Dad!" she responded.

Mr. Daweson poked his head inside of his daughter's room. "Am I interrupting anything?"

"Nope, just studying."

Pleased with Jennie's reply, he smiled and walked inside, leaving the door open behind him. "That's my girl." He sat down on her bed and cleared his throat. "So, I just got a telegram from Serenity U."

Jennie stopped reading, and turned to face her father. "But, isn't that an all-girls college in New York?"

"Yes ma'am, and guess who was just accepted?"

"I never applied for that college." Jennie gave her father a suspicious glare.

"No, but I did."

"But I told you I wanted to go to school in Liverpool, and study to become an archeaologist!"

"Sweetie, we've been through this."

"You know, if mom had never had that accident, you probably would be a little more open-minded to my decisions!"

"Your mother died, chasing a foolish dream just like this!" Mr. Daweson raised his voice, thickening his strong, British accent.

"Well, gee, if it was so foolish, why did you go along with it, huh?"

"Because it was important to her," he mumbled, while trying to avoid eye contact with his daughter. The reply was just loud enough for Jennie to hear and she took advantage of that. "And this is important to me! Why can't you understand that!?"

"Understand this. You are going to New York and that's final!" He stood up and walked towards the door. "You leave in three days. That should give you plenty of time to pack, and you won't leave this house until then!" And with that he walked out, slamming the door loudly behind him.

Jennie threw herself on her bed, where she cried for several minutes.

Three days passed and Jennie's things were all packed. Her father had already paid for the very expensive boat ride to New York, and her room and board at the collage, which left Jennie in a very awkward place, considering she didn't want to waste her father's money by running away, which she had every intention of doing.

That morning, her father helped her carry her luggage to the car. Meanwhile, an eighteen year old Colin strolled down the street, hands casually in his pockets. He could see his best friend stepping into the car. He had wondered where she had been all this time. In the past couple days he had stopped by the house to see if Jennie was available for tea. Her father, however, would coldly respond with "I'm sorry, but Jennie is busy right now and she wishes to be left alone", followed by the door being slammed in his face.

Colin smiled and waved to her. Jennie glanced quickly at him, and then looked away. She couldn't look at him. It hurt her so much. Instead she choked back her tears and got into the car, quickly closing the door. Colin frowned and ran towards them. Just before he could set foot in their driveway, Mr. Daweson started the engine and pulled out, leaving a cloud of exhaust to fog the young man's vision and lungs. Colin waited for it to clear, then took a rag out of his pocket to clean his glasses. When he put them back on, he could clearly see that the car was gone...Jennie was gone. His heart was suddenly torn in two. Why did she leave? Why didn't she say anything these past three days? With so many questions filling his mind all at once, he collapsed to his knees and cried as if he had been wounded by a bullet, and at that moment, his mind went totally blank. All thoughts and memories disappeared, and the only thing he felt was pure spite! The only friend he ever had in the world had left him. And he'd be damned if he let anyone else do the same.

Jennie looked out the window, letting a single tear fall from her eye. She wanted so much to say goodbye.

"So, I ended up going to that stupid college for about two years, then, without my father knowing, I dropped out and headed back to England, where I went to Liverpool and got my degree in archaeology."

Colin didn't seem too sold on Jennie's apology, and despite his intentions to just get up, toss a handful of dirt in her face, and walk away, he instead saw this as the perfect opportunity for revenge. She would be very easy to manipulate, especially since he undoubtedly had her trust. He could always pretend to forgive her, play her along for a while...yeah. His plotting expression became a triumphant grin.

"I know, let's find a good restaurant and get some lunch. My treat." Jennie winked.

Colin nodded in agreement. Jennie looked down at Lu, who was perched on a rock nearby. She grabbed her stuff and gestured for him to follow.

Meanwhile, the O'Connells waited patiently by the Zephyr for Jennie, who had been gone for at least an hour and a half now. "Where is she? It shouldn't take this long to get a few supplies." Evy shook her head, rather annoyed.

"You don't suppose..." Rick began, referring to the possibilty that she could have been captured by a certain mummy.

"Somehow I doubt it, but just to be safe, we should go look for her."

"Go on, I'll just stay right here." Jonathon leaned up against the Zephyr and grinned sheepishly.

"As usual?" Rick cocked an eyebrow.

The O'Connell family agreed to split up, in hopes to cover more ground. Bubastis was a good-sized city, after all, and there was certainly a lot of ground to cover.

Evy and Rick started their search in the marketplace, while Alex and Tut searched around buildings and alleys.

In a restaurant nearby, Colin and Jennie waited for their meals. The two reminisced about the old days. Colin didn't want to admit it, but he was enjoying Jennie's company, just as he did when they were younger. But there was still that darkness that crept deep in his heart. The darkness that would never allow him to care for another human being, for as long as he lived. Just to be a smart-ass, he decided to bring up something that he knew would make Jennie terribly uneasy. "I seem to recall how ticklish you used to be."

"Oh no, don't even go there!" Jennie blushed, embarrassed. She remembered it very well and it wasn't something she liked discussing. When they were younger, whenever Jennie was keeping something from him, whether it was a surprise or emotional denial, he always knew how to get it out of her.

Colin then got a devilish gleam in his eye. Jennie looked at him oddly. "Colin, what are you thinking?"

Colin slipped out of his chair and placed two hands on Jennie's exposed stomach. "Colin, NO!" she squealed before laughing uncontrollably. He poked and played his fingers up and down Jennie's tender skin. "Colin, hahaahahahaaaa! Come on, hahah, stooop!"

Outside of the restaurant, Alex could hear Jennie's cries and immediately reacted. He ran towards the entrance and gasped when he saw Colin attacking his victim.

"Get your hands off of her, Weasler!" Alex hollered, pointing the Manacle at him. The people in the restaurant paused and stared at the boy standing in the doorway.

"Alex!" Jennie jumped up, startled. "But...how do you..."

"Jennie, move out of the way!" Alex demanded, cutting her off mid-sentence. "Wadji Se Na han beck!" His Manacle responded to his command, glowing wildly. The light shot towards a barrel, then lifted it in the air. The Manacle's power threw the heavy object towards Colin, causing him to fly with it across the room. The barrel broke on impact, covering him with beer.

Alex ran towards Jennie and pulled on her shirtsleeve. "Come on, we have to go, now!" He dragged her towards the door.

Jennie broke away from the boy, and pulled him forward. "Alex, what's going on? How do you know Colin?"

"Let's just say we've met on occasion." He grabbed ahold of Jennie once more and ran as fast as he could.

Inside the restaurant, Colin sat against the wall in a puddle of beer. He moaned and rubbed the back of his head. He slipped a few times on his first attempts to get up. Once he managed to regain his balance, he took off after Alex and Jennie.

Once he got outside he looked around. No sign of them anywhere. Picking a random direction, he stormed off, muttering curses to himself.

"Mom, Dad!" Alex called to his parents, who jumped at their son's frantic tone. "We gotta go, now!"

"Alex, what's going on?" Evy stopped him. She knelt down and put her hands on his shoulders.

"You'll never believe who followed us here," Alex replied sarcastically. Evy's eyes narrowed.

"Alex, don't worry, Colin is just an old friend of mine," Jennie explained afterwards.

"Colin?" Rick questioned, raising an eyebrow. "As in Colin Weasler?"

Jennie nodded. "Yeah, is that a problem?"

"Big problem!" Alex waved his arms up in the air wildly. "Colin Weasler is a liar and a thief. You know that mummy you ran into back at the temple? Weasler works for that creep, and they're after that necklace you have!"

Jennie stared at the O'Connells for a moment, searching for a response. Absolutely no way this could be true, she thought. Her confused expression became a cold and stern glare. "I won't believe it."

"Well, believe it!" Rick protested. "Now let's move it!"

Instead of following Rick's orders, Jennie shook her head, and, without another word, she took off to find Colin. Rick smacked himself in the forehead. "Great!" he groaned.

"Jennie, wait!" Alex called after her. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into!"

Jennie ran up and down every street corner, in search of the one person she knew could set this straight, the one person she knew she could trust. "COLIN!" she called. Lu sniffed the dirt and gravel for Colin's scent. The little lemur's ears twitched, and he jumped up and down, howling and cooing as lemurs do, grabbing his master's attention. "Lu, what is it?" She knelt down, as Lu took off into a heavy crowd of people. "Lu!" she called, running insanely after him. Jennie wasn't quite sure what to make of his behavior.

Lu turned a corner and spotted Colin. Before he could take another step, he felt himself being scooped off the ground. "Lu, what's gotten into..." Jennie, paused mid-sentence as she noticed Colin. "...you," she finished, setting Lu back down.

Colin looked behind him and saw Jennie, running towards him at a rapid speed. He smirked a little, thinking how easy this whole thing was turning out to be. (aside from his little set back at the restaurant.) His Master Imhotep would be pleased with his progress, and perhaps even reward him.

As Jennie got closer, he wiped the smirk from his face and replaced it with a worried frown.

"Jennie? I've been looking all over for you!" He embraced her. "We must leave, now!"

Before Jennie could respond, Colin grabbed her and pulled her farther away. As far as Jennie knew, she was being rescued, but she was still bothered by what the O'Connells had told her. Even though she refused to believe it was true, there was still something about it that continued to linger in her mind.

They stopped when they reached a more open, deserted area. There were few buildings that stood, one of them being a temple. Jennie, Lu, and Colin stared in awe at two identical catlike statues, one on each side of the entrance. "The Temple of Bastet," Jennie whispered, her jaw still wide open. It was even more beautiful then she'd imagined. She slowly began to walk up the steps.

Colin rolled his eyes and followed her. "She certainly hasn't changed," he chuckled to himself. Jennie was always the curious type. The three of them entered the temple, where they were greeted by yet another statue, similar to the ones outside.

Lu leaped onto Colin's shoulder, startled by the huge stone eyes staring down at him. Colin was caught a little off-guard by this and pushed the animal away, coldly.

As they continued farther into the temple, they came across a corridor. Jennie pushed aside the thick curtain of spider webs that hung over the door frame. Considering it was daytime, there was no need for a lantern. The hallway was dim, but it was just light enough to view the text on the walls.

Colin stood outside with Lu, still trying to get over the huge spider web, which stood in his way.

Back in the corridor, Jennie got out her notebook and began copying down the hieroglyphics.

Suddenly, something caught her eye. A picture of an object, a medallion not unlike the one she had found earlier, was shown in the middle of the wall. Could it be she had found the sacred Medallion of Bastet? But that's only a myth, she thought - although, after her recent run-in with Imhotep, she began to figure anything was possible at this point.

Colin finally gathered the courage to pass the spider-infested entrance.
Jennie put her notebook away and led him farther down the hall. "Took yah long enough," she teased. They didn't notice the dark shadow spying on them as they left to go into the next room.

This room was a bit smaller, and was completely empty. There were paintings on the walls and ceilings, just like the other room. A large pillar stood in the middle, also beautifully painted. "It says here, this is the offering room." Jennie read some of the hieroglyphics on the pillar.

"You don't say," Colin replied, sounding a little less then interested. However, his tune changed when he saw Jennie pull somthing out of her shirt. Perhaps this boring and tormenting charade would soon pay off.

"If you don't mind my asking..." He approached her from behind, getting a sure and closer look at large piece of jewelry in her hand. "...Where did you get that medallion?"

Jennie shrugged and continued to study the hieroglyphics on the pillar. "I found it on the floor in a temple." She paused. Even though she trusted Colin, she wasn't about to blurt out her theory, not until she had some kind of proof. "To be honest, I'm not quite sure what it is," she lied. Just then, another memory came to mind and she nearly turned pale as she recalled the creature that had attacked her shortly after she'd made her discovery. It must have been somthing of great importance to it, but why? She stuffed the medallion back in her shirt and shook her head. "Let's see what other surprises we can find in this place."

Just as Jennie headed towards the door, the floor beneath her began to give way. Fortunately, the drop wasn't that far down, but the landing was a bit rough. Colin looked down at her from the the large hole, which, to Jennie, was now a ceiling. "Surprise," he snickered.

Jennie pushed up her glasses, which were nearly hanging off her nose, and shook the dust and small debris out of her hair and from her clothes. After realizing how much darker it was, she regretted not having a lamp or even a match handy. "Colin!" she coughed, inhaling dust into her lungs. "Yah got a lighter?"

Colin fished through his back pocket, and pulled out a silver lighter. "What are the magic words?" he teased, waving it above her head.

"Colin, give me the damn lighter, or I'll come back up there and shove it up your..."

"Er, that'll do," he laughed nervously, then threw the lighter down to Jennie. "Spoken like a true American," he mutterd under his breath.

"Thank you," Jennie smirked as she flicked it open. She probed the darkness of her surroundings with the light, moving it up and down. She couldn't really make out much, but from what she could tell she was inside a tunnel of some sort. As she attempted to stand up, she noticed a dampness around her. Her pants and boots were soaked. She brought the light down to where she had been sitting. She had fallen in a puddle, a very deep puddle, meaning there must have been an underground body of water somewhere about. Another thing soon got her attention: a foul stench, like sewage. After that, it was a no brainer. "It's a sewer." She waved a hand in front of her nose, then plunged it.

"Lovely," Colin groaned. The very thought made him feel ill.

"Well, what are you waiting for; come down." Colin was startled to find that a rope had been thrown to him.

"You're kidding, right?" It should have been no surprise to him that Jennie would have done this.

"It wouldn't hurt to look around a little; besides, I have a feeling we may find something down here."

"In a sewer?" Colin gulped, grabbing hold of the rope, seeing as he didn't have a choice. He just hoped that whatever it took to get that medallion to his master would be worth it.

After much effort and complaining, he managed his way down the hole and onto the ground. He whined as his left foot advanced into the puddle of water that Jennie had been sitting in. He wiped the mud from his boots and ran to catch up with Jennie, with Lu scampering closely behind him.

The three continued down the damp hallway. The sounds of rats squeaking and skittering from place to place made Colin jump. Lu leapt onto Colin's sholders once more, in reaction. The man was too distracted with other emotions to bother pushing him off.

Of course, the noises didn't scare Jennie one bit. She was never very fond of rats, but she wasn't one to make a scene if one should cross her path. She casually waved the lighter from place to place, in search of an opening of some kind. She couldn't help but feel that there was something down here, maybe something that could prove her theory about the medallion.

"Bingo!" she announced as she noticed a crevice in the wall. It wasn't a very large crevice, yet it wasn't so thin that they couldn't still fit through it.

When they passed through, they found themselves in a room. It was small, about the size of a walk-in closet. On the floor, Jennie noticed a pile. She brought the lighter closer to it. "It's a crypt," she gathered from the looks of it. On the floor was a pile of small mummies. They were too small to be people, or even children. Colin took the lighter from Jennie and moved closer towards them. This time they were able to get a good look at the shape of these mummies. They were definitely not human. Each mummy had a set of pointed ears, some of them even broken off or deteriorated. One of the mummies, as Jennie pointed out, had a long tail curled over its legs. "Cats," she concluded.

Lu jumped off Colin's sholder and ran towards the wall, where he pointed and chirped ecstatically. He then leapt upward as high as he could, grabbing somthing from the wall in his mouth. He brought it to Jennie, and held it up in the air for her to see.

Jennie took it from him. The moment she touched it she knew what it was. She patted Lu on the head, then brought the lighter to the object. The tiny flame soon became a burst of light. "Now that's more like it!" she smiled, setting the torch back in place. Now they could clearly see that the room was indeed filled with mummified cats.

"Looks like whoever enbalmed these guys got a little lazy," she joked. Many of the cats were either skeletons or just very badly decomposed. Some had bandages peeling from their bodies, while others just lay on the ground with their bandages ripped off completely. "This was obviously the work of grave robbers."

"Why would people want to rob from cats?" Colin scratched the back of his head, confused.

"They're a good source of fuel for locomotives." Jennie cringed, a little disturbed by the idea and stepped backwards a few inches, tripping over a large vine, which had been sticking out of the damp soil beneath their feet. As if by instinct, Colin ran to catch her before she hit the ground. Before he realized what he had just done, Colin looked at the girl embraced in his arms. She looked up at him, clearly surprised. "Thanks," she blushed slightly. Colin Weasler was just as surprised with himself as she was.

He caught himself staring into her deep forest-green eyes and quickly squeezed his shut, shoving her away. At the moment, it felt as if his heart and his brain were having a tug-of-war with his emotions. He decided it would be easier not to respond. Instead, he turned his back on her and slipped back through the crevice in the wall.

Lu and Jennie exchanged confused looks, then left the crypt to catch up with Colin. When they did, Jennie ran ahead of him, cutting him off at the pass. "Colin, wait!"

She took his hands in her own and looked him straight in the eye. Her usual cocky smirk was now a serious and worried stare. "There's somthing going on with you." A lump formed in Jennie's throat as she continued. "I mean, whatever happened to the boy who used to come over for tea every Saturday afternoon, who, when we went to the prom, asked me to dance when no one else would, who took care of me when I had the chicken pox?"

"People change!" he replied harshly, then kept walking, all the while trying to focus on being angry at her, which was proving more and more difficult by the minute. The only way he could think to prevent unwanted feelings was to not look directly at her. No eye contact was to be made, whatsoever. That would be sure to solve his problem. Too bad Jennie's persistence was making it nearly impossible.

"Colin, something's going on, and we're not leaving here until you tell me what it is!"

By now the man had given up any attempt to ignore her. Biting his lower lip, he concentrated on the perfect lie--although he was starting to reconsider this whole act and thinking about just dragging her sorry butt to his master so he could get his medallion and be done with it.

But then, what would happen to Jennie when Imhotep finally got his hands on her? No, not this again! his mind screamed. He buried his face in his hands and crouched down for a moment. Why do I care about her so much?

"Colin." Jennie knelt down beside him, reaching to hold his hand once more. Colin jerked it away almost immediately. "Don't touch me!" he growled.

Jennie frowned and stood up. "Fine! You can stay down here for all I care!" she lashed out. "Come on, Lu," she muttered to her pet, then walked away as Colin looked on. Emotionally, he wasn't in the best position to get up and go after her, like he probably should have, but something deep inside of him told him she would be back.

Jennie finally made her way to the hole in the ceiling, where they had fallen. She grabbed the rope from her backpack once more, tossing it upward. As the lassoed end disappeared over the top, Jennie felt it catch onto something on the other side. Pleased with herself, she climbed onto the rope and began carefully making her way to the top.

The moment Jennie poked her head out, she was suddenly, violently, pulled upward by a large, purple hand. "You again!" she gritted her teeth.

The purple hand, of course, belonged to none other then Imhotep. The mummy hung onto her shirt collar, glaring at her with sickly yellow eyes. His look was threatening. "Give me what I seek, and I will spare your life."

"Never!" Jennie kicked him in the stomach, causing him to release her. The mummy roared in pain as Jennie slid across the floor. She then slipped the medallion off her neck and tossed it to Lu, who luckily caught it in his mouth, before Imhotep could notice. The mummy watched helplessly, holding his stomach as Lu took off for the temple's exit.

The moment Jennie tried to stand up, "Ouch!" she cringed. Her ankle wouldn't budge, not to mention it was feeling incredibly sore. "Oh, this is just terrific!" she moaned.

Colin had just emerged from the hole, when Imhotep noticed his presence. "You!" he pointed to his servant.

"Ma- Master...how good to see you," he stuttered, nervously ducking his head in a bit as he climbed out.

"Master?" Jennie's jaw dropped in confusion.

"Silence, Worm!" Imhotep scolded his lackey, then turned his attention back to Jennie. "As for you, WHERE IS THE MEDALLION OF BASTET!?"

Meanwhile, Lu was already back in the marketplace, with the medallion now safely around his neck.

As he turned a corner, he spotted Alex O'Connell and his pet mongoose, Tut, who looked as if they were desperately looking for something, or someone. Lu tilted his head, making a slight chirping noise, and ran towards Alex.

"Lu!" Alex was startled by the animal's loud howling. He could sense by the way Lu was behaving that something had happened to Jennie. The lemur pointed to the medallion around his neck, illustrating his situation as best he could. Without question, Alex allowed the lemur to join Tut on his shoulder. The mongoose scurried into Alex's shirt to make room for the other animal. Then the three of them left, to meet with the rest of the O'Connell family.

Alex found his parents by the Zephyr, with his Uncle Jonathon. Evy noticed the urgency in her son's voice when he called to them.

"Alex, where have you been; we've been worried sick!" Evy hugged her son close. Sometimes she forgot that Alex wasn't eleven years old anymore, as mothers tend to do.

"What happened, Alex?" Rick asked. His tone was subtler then his wife's. Rick wasn't as overprotective as Evy, and he treated Alex with the dignity and respect that all teenagers ask for, but never neglected to put him in his place when he got too cocky.

"It's Jennie...She's in trouble!" the boy panted.

"Well, there's a big surprise," Rick replied sarcastically. "Where is she?"

Lu suddenly pointed in the direction from which he and Alex had come, jumping up and down on Alex's shoulders like a hyper monkey.

"I think Lu knows," said Alex. Lu leapt off his shoulder and ran, in hopes that the others would follow.

Imhotep dragged Jennie and Colin to a hidden room inside the temple. It was very cold and dim. A crack in the ceiling allowed a small ray of sunlight to shine through. The walls were plain and brown, like that of a cave, not at all as beautiful as the hallways and other rooms. There were some hieroglyphs, but they were barely visible.

Jennie tugged at the chains that were binding her to one of the walls. Why there were chains there, she didn't know. Perhaps this room had served as a torture chamber at one point in history? Probably around the time, Napoleon invaded Egypt.

The room was filled with all kinds of strange tourture devices that had been long forgotten, including a guillotine. Yes, definitely the work of 18th-century France.

Imhotep approached the girl, his patience clearly wearing thin. "I will give you one last chance. Where is the Medallion!"

"You can threaten me all you want, but if you think for one minute that I will ever hand that kind of power over to you, you're wrong!"

"Have it your way." Imhotep raised his massive hand in the air, so as to beat the information out of her. Colin jumped to his feet the instant this happened. He didn't want to see her get hurt; on the other hand, if Imhotep knew anything about these mixed feelings, Colin was as good as dead.

Wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead, he thought hard. Part of him was still upset with his old friend, but at the same time, since they had reunited, he had slowly begun to remember what it was about her that had made him fall in love in the first place. As he gazed at the girl, hanging there, helpless and vulnerable, he remembered something about her that could very well be the answer he was looking for. It was her ultimate weakness.

"Master?" Colin blocked Imhotep's fist before it was brought down on his victim. "Now, now, I believe I can handle this." He shooed away Imhotep, who was looking at him, rather miffed. Colin grinned nervously in response, then turned towards Jennie with a sinister smirk. "I know exactly how to get the information out of her."

Jennie watched Colin, wondering what he was going to do. Her eyes widened when he pulled a long black feather from behind his back. He twirled it around closely in front of her in a taunting manner. "Colin, put the feather down!" Jennie demanded, her voice shaking. Colin shook his head, as if to say he knew he would regret it. But if he was going to lose the one person he cared about, he would rather it be this way than at the hands of a murderous mummy.

He took a deep breath, and put on his game face. "Now then," he sneered, slowly probing the feather down Jennie's ribs and across her bare stomach. He brought the soft tip down just over her navel and gently made little circles around it. Jennie was trying so hard to contain her laughter, but was never very good at it. The moment it hit the center of her navel she burst into hyper laughter. Colin had to admit that even though this was painful for him, he did always enjoy the sound of Jennie's laugh.

"C- come on...hahahaahahahahahah, p-please!"

"Where is the medallion?" he hissed. He continued to torture the extremely sensitive area around Jennie's belly. He remembered it being the most effective when they were kids. Apparently, that had never changed. The only problem was, Jennie should have cracked by now. He kept trying, though, brushing the feather up and down Jennie's ribs and stomach. "I'm going to ask you one more time; where is the medallion?"

"I-I- don't know...hahahhaa, please, stop!"

Jennie had to be telling the truth, otherwise he was certain that she would have blurted out the medallion's whereabouts by now. He found himself in a very awkward position. There was no point in him continuing, and so he stopped. He looked at Imhotep hesitantly and shrugged. He could tell what Imhotep was thinking by the deadly look in his yellow eyes. Once more, he had failed his master and was about to pay for it with broken bones. He watched in horror as Imhotep towered over him. The next thing the lackey knew, he was being lifted in the air and thrown across the room. His landing was almost comical as he skidded across the floor and stopped, hitting a nearby table. A vase fell from the table and landed on his head, trapping him inside.

The O'Connells arrived inside the temple.

"Well, where to now?" Rick asked, looking around. Lu sniffed the air, trying to find Jennie's scent. She was no longer in the offering room, where he had last left her, but he could still sense her presence there. Just then, Lu chirped happily and ran ahead.

"So, are we still following him?" Jonathon asked his sister. Evy just ignored him and followed Lu around the corner, along with the rest of her family. Jonathon stood there for a moment, daydreaming, until he realized he had been left. "Hey, wait for me!" he called after them.

Lu led the group farther into the temple. As they passed a door, they suddenly heard low cries. It sounded like someone was struggling. They backed up and peered into the room. Sure enough, there was Jennie, chained to the wall, and Colin, running around, trying to remove the vase, still stuck on his head. Alex and Tut snickered at the man's situation.

Unfortunately for them, Imhotep had excellent hearing and turned his head around immediately to face them. "I knew you would come...it was only a matter of time."

Colin slammed into a wall, breaking his clay prison. When he looked up, the first thing he saw was Jennie's pet lemur, Lu, wearing the Medallion around his neck. "Master, look!" he pointed.

Imhotep's annoyed frown morphed into a devious smile. "Bring it to me," he ordered his servant. Colin nodded and did as he was told.

"Lu! Look out!" Jennie warned her pet. Unfortunately, he was too distracted by the candy bar that Colin had pulled out of his pocket. Lu was never one to turn down free food, especially when it was being used as bait. As the tempted animal got closer, Colin got ready to pounce.

Before Lu could snatch the tasty treat from Colin, he was snatched up by his long tail. "Like taking candy from a baby!" Colin gloated, while quickly stealing the medallion from Lu's neck.

Imhotep ripped the Medallion away from Colin the moment it was brought to him. "Yes!" he laughed triumphantly. "At last, the Medallion of Bastet is mine!"

"This doesn't make any sense to me," Evy told Rick. "Why does Imhotep want the Medallion of Bastet? Doesn't he know that Bastet is the goddess of cats?"

"That's right, and Imhotep is scared to death of cats!"

"Exactly."

"Maybe he's found a way to control them or something? The way I see it, if you can control somthing, then what reason would you have to fear it?" said Jonathon.

Evy, Rick, Alex and even Tut joined together, dropping their jaws in surprise. Jonathon actually made some sense. "As much as I hate to admit it, Jonathon actually makes a good point," Rick agreed.

"Well, thank you, it's nice to know that somone finally recognizes my genius."

"Heh, I wouldn't go that far!"

"Everyone's a critic," Jonathon sighed, slumping his shoulders.

Imhotep held the Medallion proudly over his head. After taking a moment to savor his victory, he slowly placed the Medallion around his neck and held onto it with both hands. He chanted a spell under his breath. The O'Connells could barely make it out, but they knew it was bad.

When Imhotep finished, the entire temple began to quake and the Medallion in his hand looked as if it was melting into a black liquid. The entire medallion was soon swallowed by the tarlike substance, then suddenly burst into flame. The flame remained for a minute, then disappeared into thin air as quickly as it had come, revealing that the Medallion hadn't actually melted away or disappeared, but changed. The smooth golden surface was now rough and black, and although the original symbols remained on the medallion, their outlines looked strangely as if they had been painted with real human blood.

The room continued to quake, as Rick ran to shield Evy and Alex from the falling debris. Jonathon followed his example, by shielding Rick. Not that he could shield much, since Rick had a much larger build than he did, but that didn't stop him.

Meanwhile, Colin was ready to sneak away as he usually managed to do. He was almost out the door when, suddenly, he stopped and looked at Jennie, who was still bound to the wall. He was suddenly overwelmed with guilt. She'd never forgive him again for betraying her, he thought. The least he could do was give her a second chance...a chance to say goodbye.

Quickly dodging the falling debris, he made his way to the young woman. Jennie was so exhausted from laughing and struggling to break free that she was nearly ready to pass out right then and there. Colin reached her just as her head drooped to the ground. He tried quickly to unlock her bonds, before Imhotep could catch them. After much struggling, he successfully got her loose and lifted her half-conscious body over his shoulder, then rushed towards the exit as fast as he could.

He reached the entrance of the temple, where the statue of the Cat Goddess stood. When he looked up at it he noticed to his dismay that the statue's stone eyes were glowing a bright red. A small, dark figure emerged from behind the statue's base. Familiar, pointed ears revealed themselves, slowly followed by glowing eyes like the statue's, then a full body, with a long tail lifted high in the air. It looked at Colin fiercely, as a lion would when hunting an antelope. More of these creatures showed themselves, one by one, until they were a mass.

Stepping forward, Colin could clearly see what they were and it was painfully disturbing. They were cats, but these were no ordinary cats. They looked very much like the ones they had seen in the crypt. The mummy cats were alive--and they looked very hungry.

The man gasped, and backed away slowly. Once he reached the temple entrance, he turned his back and ran screaming for his life, still holding Jennie.

The quaking had finally ceased and the O'Connells found themselves once more face-to-face with the mummy. Imhotep smiled wickedly and held out his hand. "That was only the beginning!"

"I figured as much!" said Rick.

Not at all liking Imhotep's words, the family looked around the room. Looking behind them, they panicked when they noticed that the entrance to the room had been completely sealed off by large pieces of fallen ceiling. Alex looked up and pointed to their only escape option--a hole in the roof. The ceiling, however, was high above their heads, and there was nothing tall enough to climb. The three pillars in the room, which might have provided an escape route, had collapsed during the quake.

Suddenly, Tut leaped from Alex's shirt and trotted towards Lu, who was looking around the room for Jennie. The mongoose caught the other animal's attention so that it looked as if they were communicating.

"As nuts as this sounds, I think Tut and Lu are coming up with a plan," said Alex, his face riddled with confusion and the worry that he might very well be losing his mind. Of course, with all that they had been through, every now and then he thought it was a miracle that he hadn't already.
Lu nodded at Tut, and the two parted ways.

Sometimes it was easy to forget that Lu was one of few animals in the world who had been blessed with opposable thumbs, and, with his ape-like qualities, was capable of swinging and climbing even to the highest of places. He ran up to Rick, swiftly grabbing the whip from his belt. "Hey, what the--"

Holding the whip in his mouth, Lu leapt onto the top arch of the guillotine, which was closest to the wall. Then, cleverly using the arch as a stepping stool, he grabbed hold of the wall and began to climb, soon making his way to the nearest hole in the ceiling.

The O'Connells watched with anticipation as the lemur successfully swung himself over the hole and onto the roof. He poked his head down into the hole, and let down Rick's whip, as a rope, holding onto the fat end with both paws.

"Heh. Well, what do yah know," Rick smiled, amazed at Lu's cleverness.

"Uh, Dad..." Alex tapped Rick on the shoulder. The blonde man turned his attention in the direction his son was pointing. "Looks like Imhotep's invited some new friends."

"Cats!" Evy gasped. A group of undead felines advanced towards them, glaring evilly with glowing eyes. "According to legend, they are supposed to protect mankind!"

"Well, maybe they didn't get that memo!" said Rick, as he kicked away one of the lungeing cats with his foot. More only followed it, hissing and growling. Jonathon screamed as one of them clawed itself onto his back. "I think someone woke up on the wrong side of the litter box this morning!"

Alex joined his mother in battling a pack of cat skeletons, with the help of Tut, who grabbed their tails with his sharp teeth, distracting them. This gave Evy and her son time to escape. They managed to reach the end of the whip, which Lu was still holding down for them. Evy told her son to go first. Although he would have rather asked his mother to save herself, the desperate look in her eyes made it difficult for him to argue. Instead, he thanked her and did as he was told.

Once Alex reached the top, assuring his mother that he'd made it there alright, he gave her the signal that it was safe for her to follow. Evy looked back at Rick, who was thankfully holding his own. She waited a while for him to catch up, then finally climbed up as he nodded at her to go for it. Rick made his escape not long after Evy, along with Tut, who jumped onto his shoulder just before he got ready to climb. Last but not least, was Jonathon, who was still too busy ripping out the claws and teeth that were imbedded into his clothes to even begin to attempt climbing the rope.

Lu handed the whip to Alex as he climbed down to rescue the boy's uncle. The little primate bit and clawed back at the mummies, setting Jonathon free of their wrath. The man jumped up the first chance he got and climbed onto the whip without a moment to spare, as Rick, Evy, and Alex joined together in pulling him up. The four sat there and waited for Lu, who within moments made it safely back to the top. Holding out both arms, the lemur stood like a trapeze artist, as if to say, "Ta da!".

"Show-off!" Jonathon laughed, scruffing the fur on Lu's head. "I owe yah one!"

"What do you think happened to Jennie?" Alex asked his parents, sadly. They both shrugged and exchanged worried glances. Shortly before their frightening, feline encounter, they had noticed that Jennie was no longer in the room, which meant she was very likely still alive somewhere. At that moment they also realized that Weasler, as they often called him, had disappeared as well. Of course, that came as no surprise.

Alex looked down at Lu, who's proud, toothy grin drooped into a saddened, gloomy frown. Two large brown eyes looked up at the boy, breaking his heart in two. Alex patted Lu on the head and gave him an assuring wink. "Don't worry, buddy, we'll find her."

Colin carried Jennie through the city streets, looking desperately for a place to hide. The number one thing on his mind at the time was getting himself and Jennie as far away from Imhotep and his new feline minions as possible. Colin knew exactly how Imhotep was planning to use the Medallion and he wasn't about to stick around to see the consequences.

He turned a corner into an alley, where he was finally able to lay Jennie's tired body down. He took a deep breath as he sat down beside her. This was one of those times where he wished he hadn't skipped gym class so much in high school. He obviously wasn't as strong as he would have liked to be and so he had to rely on what little strength he could muster in cases such as these.

He looked down at the girl, wondering whether or not he should try waking her. He certainly didn't think he could continue carrying her much longer, especially if they were being pursued. They wouldn't get far. He reached out his hand to lightly touch her shoulder, but before it got there, Jennie's eyes slowly began to open. The minute she was able to make out Colin's face, her eyes narrowed.

"Jennie? A- are you alright?" he asked timidly, noticing the anger filling her expression. Just then, as if it were to be expected, Jennie raised her hand and slapped him accross the face in response. The impact of Jennie's slap was so intense that it sent Colin tumbling backwards about three feet.

"Yes, I suppose I deserved that." He cleared his throat, trying his best to keep calm as Jennie got up and walked over to him. She then pressed her body against his back, using her own weight to pin him down. One hand was holding back his hands, while the other had him in a chokehold.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kick your ass right now!" she threatened.

"Jennie, please! You don't want to do this... I-I'm sorry!"

Jennie loosened her grip on Colin, then, with an aggravated sigh, let go of him completely. At this point, she wasn't sure what to feel. The O'Connells were right; they had tried to warn her and she had ignored them. "I'm such an idiot," she mumbled, loud enough for Colin to hear.

The man sat up and looked away, ashamed. He'd known this would happen, and even if he tried to explain to her why he had done what he did, it wouldn't make any difference.

He stood up, putting his hands in his pockets. In his left pocket, he felt a small, round object. As soon as his fingers made contact with it, he felt his heart jump. He pulled out the friendship ring he had bought for himself, all those years ago.

Jennie felt a light tap on her shoulder as she was leaving the alley. When she turned around, there was Colin. He held out his hand, revealing the ring to her. He then took Jennie's hand in his and dropped the brass object into her palm. She looked at both him, and the ring. Her tense expression had slightly softened.

"I don't deserve your friendship," he said, avoiding any kind of eye contact with her whatsoever.

Jennie looked at the ring on her finger, and then back at the other she held in her hand. "Colin... this is... you still..." she fumbled for the words to respond. Even when he was so angry at her for leaving, after all the heartbreak she had put him through, he'd never let go of that one thing, the symbol of their friendship, and knowing this made her realize just how much it must have really meant to him. "You were trying to save me, weren't you?" she asked, referring to what had happened back at the temple.

Colin blushed and nodded. "He would have killed you."

"I understand."

Colin felt relief enter his mind and thanked the Gods that Jennie had found the heart to forgive him.

"So, how did you get mixed up with Mr. Mummy, anyway?"

"It's a long story," Colin chuckled.

Just then, something landed on Jennie's back and bagan clawing furiously at her. "Gahhhhhh!" she reacted, screaming as loud as she could.

Meanwhile, Lu's ears perked up at the sound of his master's cries. He immediately took off, following the screams. He found his way to the alley entrance, with Rick, Alex, Evy, and Jonathon close behind him. His fur stood up on end, as he watched Jennie being attacked by the decaying creature.

Colin stayed huddled in the far corner of the alley, shivering behind some baskets and broken pottery. He was suddenly overwhelmed with relief when he saw Rick O'Connell, cracking his whip on the little beast. Relief, and O'Connell; there's two words I never dreamt I'd be using in the same sentence, he thought.

More cats found their way there, joining in on the battle--only now, some of these cats weren't mummies, but ordinary alley cats. Just like the mummies, their eyes were glowing as well, which meant that they too, were being controlled by the Medallion.

"We need to get that Medallion away from Imhotep somehow!" said Evy, as she dodged around five hissing cats.

"Well, duh!" Jennie replied, doing the same.

Every time they had pried a cat off their bodies, three more would take its place. It was an ongoing battle, which eventually became very tiresome.

Tut got into a clawing fight with one of the alley cats, while Lu tried biting another's ear.

More and more cats, dead and living, pourd into the alley, completely surrounding their prey. A few found Colin, driving him out of his hiding place. He crawled over to where Jennie was standing, hiding between her legs like a frightened puppy. The O'Connells were too busy fighting off the enemy to notice him. As they fought, they looked around for an escape.

Jennie was still stumbling a little, on account of her sore ankle. At one point she even fell--luckily, Colin was there to catch her once more. It was here that Alex finally noticed his presence. "Jennie!" he cried.

Rick and Evy saw what Colin was doing and immediately confronted him. "Weasler!" Rick growled. "Don't even think about it!"

"No, wait!" Jennie held out her hands, in a halting gesture. "It's not what it looks like! You have to trust me on this." She stared back at them with hopeful eyes, and then at Colin, as if to say, "I gave it my best shot."

Responding to Jennie's pleas, Evy ran after her husband, and restrained him by the arm. Rick looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. "Evy?"

"I know it sounds crazy, but maybe we should--" Evy was cut off by her brother, who was pointing out towards the alley entrance.

"Uh, guys--I'd hate to interrupt, but we have more important issues to worry about."

"Like what?" asked Alex

"Like me," a voice suddenly rumbled. Imhotep stepped into view, as his army of cats cleared him a path. The first thing Imhotep saw was his servant, cradling Jennie. "You!" Imhotep hissed. "You have betrayed me for the last time!" He held out his hand towards Colin and Jennie, forming a beam of energy. As Imhotep fired it, Rick ran ahead and shoved them both to the ground.

Rick didn't have time to question his actions, although afterwards he knew he would. It was a question he would often ask himself throughout the rest of his life: "Why? Why did I bother to save Colin Weasler? The man who is responsible for the mess we are in, the man who has continuously threatened me and my family?" But today, at this moment, it was the furthest thing from his mind.

Colin looked at Rick, confused and almost thankful, as the blonde man got back to his feet. "Don't ask me why," Rick said, offering to help them off the ground.

Colin was actually a little afraid to say anything to him at all, even a simple thank-you, so Jennie thanked Rick for the both of them.

"Okay, we're gonna try this again," Rick continued. He noticed a small, open window not far from where he was standing, which gave him an idea. "Evy, I'm going to create a distraction," he whispered to his wife. "I want you, Alex, and Jonathon to climb through that window and don't come out until I give you the signal."

"Right," she agreed, then pulled both Alex and Jonathon away from the fight and led them to their newest escape route, while Rick stood by, looking around for something to slow the mummy down. He discovered the pile of broken pottery, in which Colin had been hiding earlier.
One had come crashing down behind him, as he backed into it.

"You have nowhere else to run, O'Connell," Imhotep gloated. Rick stood there for a while, putting on his best "It's all over" act. Then, when Imhotep lunged at him, he moved quickly out of the way, letting the mummy fall headfirst into the pile of pottery behind him. Hundreds of pots (among other garbage) toppled over Imhotep, burying him. Rick took the cue to leap through the window and meet up with the rest of his family.

Colin followed him, allowing Jennie support on his shoulder. This slowed them both down a bit, but they managed to get away before a few more cat skeletons would've caught them.

The window led to what turned out to be a kitchen. Lu poked his head out of Alex's shirt, curiously sniffing around the room. Luckily, there was barely anyone there, since it was around noon and most of the staff had gone out to lunch. The lemur licked the saliva from his lips and, as if self-control had no meaning, zoomed out of sight. Alex ran after him, holding out his manacle. "Wadji Se Na han beck!" Lu was suddenly lifted into the air. His legs were still going in a running motion, as if he didn't even realize what was happening to him. Alex retrieved Lu, as he floated closer into his reach. Lu let out a disappointed groan when Alex carried him back to Jennie, who, with Colin, had just caught up with the rest of the group.

"Now to find the exit door," said Rick, "You, stay in front where I can see you!" he demanded, glaring at Colin.

Jonathon sighed in relief when he realized that Rick wasn't telling him that, for once. He smuggled another bread roll into his jacket before coming along.

Back in the alley, Imhotep exploded out of the garbage pile and noticed his victims had gone. He looked to his newfound army, yelling somthing to them in Egyptian, which, if translated into English, would have been "Go, find them!"

The cats moved out of the alley and into the streets like a plague. They all broke off into groups, going down alleys, crawling into homes, and even attacking innocent passersby who just happened to step into their paths. Within moments, the entire area was filled with sceams of terror, which would soon spread across the entire city.

The O'Connells and company finally made it out of the kitchen and were now casually walking through the restaurant, trying not to raise any kind of suspicion. Of course, any moment of peace, for them, never lasted long.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" A woman screamed when she came into contact with a very rabid and grotesque-looking cat. This was followed by several other screams. A few other people, including a waiter, had even fainted at the sight.

More cats invaded the room, wreaking havoc and driving everyone outside like cattle. The place was now totally deserted, all except for the unconscious bodies, still passed out on the floor, and the O'Connells, who were now running for the door. Rick grabbed a chair on his way out and jammed it under the knob as they closed the door behind them, in an attempt to keep the possessed animals trapped inside.

However, outside was no better. To their dismay, the entire city looked as if it was being overun by thousands of rabid cats. Evy nearly cried when she overhead a small child, asking her mother what was wrong with their pet. Jennie heard it as well, and was suddenly fueled by rage. "This ends now!" She separated herself from Colin and his aid, totally disregarding the pain in her ankle. "I have a score to settle," she growled, storming ahead.

"Now what is she doing?" Jonathon let out an annoyed groan.

Colin watched her walk away, and cringed. "Hopefully not what I think she's going to do." He thought back on the day they'd first met, when she'd attempted to fight off the bullies. One of the first things he'd seen today, when they reunited, was that she was no less reckless then she'd been fifteen years ago, and it worried him greatly. He could only imagine what Imhotep would do to her if she tried confronting him alone.

He wasn't going to take this any longer, and without further question, he stormed off after Jennie. "I have some unfinished business to take care of as well," he told the O'Connells as he walked off.

Imhotep was too busy assaulting a merchant to notice the two hands reaching to grab the medallion around his neck. Unfortunately for Jennie, Imhotep's senses were very sharp. He could sense her presence, even from five feet away. He caught her, grabbing her wrist, before she had a chance to touch the black chain.

When Colin found her, he gasped when he saw Jennie being lifted in the air by her wrist. "Imhotep!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, getting the mummy's attention. "I swear, I'll send you back to the underworld myself if you harm one hair on her!"

Imhotep threw Jennie to the ground, and loomed over Colin. "Your services are no longer needed!" He picked Colin up by his shirt collar and held him up in the air. Then, with his other hand, he began forming a beam of energy.

Jennie rubbed the back of her head and adjusted her glasses. When she saw what was happening to her friend, she lunged at Imhotep. The mummy was so preocupied with disposing of his now-former slave that he couldn't stop Jennie from ripping the medallion away from him this time, making Imhotep release Colin in the process, just before he would've been demolished by Imhotep's cosmic blast of death. Unfortunately, not only did startling Imhotep allow Colin his freedom, but it also caused the mummy to miss-aim his attack, hitting Jennie head on.

The young woman was sent flying across the street. Colin watched her hit the ground "NO!" he cried, running to her aid. He slid across the rocky soil to her side. She was still alive, but barely. Her face and arms were badly bruised. Streams of blood dripped from her lips and forehead. Colin noticed that her clothes were soaking up a lot of blood.

"Colin," she coughed. She handed Colin the Medallion, which was still clutched tightly in her hand. "Please...don't let Imhotep get his hands on this?"

Colin took the Medallion from her and nodded, although at the moment it wasn't exactly the first thing on his mind. "Jennie, you...why did you..."

"That's what friends do." She smiled weakly at him, forcing a chuckle. She handed back his friendship ring, dropping it into his hand. As badly as he didn't want to believe it was happening, Jennie Daweson, his friend and the only person, he failed to admit, that he cared about, was dying. He tried to force the words out of his mouth, but the fear was too much for him to handle. He was regretting ever not telling her his feelings for her. Even when he was a child, he'd known there was something very special about this girl, something he had only hoped would be love. And now, here she was, slipping away from him and he couldn't even find the courage to tell her. A single tear fell from his eye, soon followed by another. "Jennie...I...I'm sorry, please, don't leave me..." Just as he was gathering the courage to tell her, her eyes slowly closed and her body fell limp. Colin shook his head in disbelief, his tears were now intense rivers, flowing down his cheeks. He scooped up Jennie's limp form, and held it close. "No, please! Please!" he sobbed. "I- I love you!"

He sat there, and cradled Jennie's still body for several minutes. A tear fell from one of the lenses of Colin's glasses, hitting the medallion in his grip. A few more teardrops fell onto it. Colin didn't realize it at the moment, but the medallion had been absorbing each tear that fell onto its surface. It eventually spread across the black, crystallizing it with a bright glow. It was as if the evil was peeling away from it, as if it was being restored to its beautiful, golden radiance.

One by one, each cat that had been under Imhotep's control was returning to normal. The mummies crumbled away into dusty heaps, while the living cats lost the red glow in their eyes and scampered away to either their families or the nearest ally.

Imhotep roared, his claws running slowly down his frustrated, decaying face. He whipped his head around to see the glowing piece of jewelry in Colin's hand.

Colin and the O'Connells watched the Medallion in awe. Suddenly, a burst of light shot up from its center, and a ghostly figure emerged and flew viciously towards the mummy. Imhotep screamed in horror as two hands grabbed his ankles. The ghost had a slim, human female body, while its head bore the resemblance of a cat. It pulled Imhotep with it, the bottom half of its body still attached to the Medallion's center, as the mummy resisted, clawing at the ground.

"What is that thing?" Rick asked his wife, a little freaked out by the situation.

"I- I think it's Bastet," Evy replied, her wide blue eyes never leaving the sight in front of her.

Colin looked on in shock as he watched his former master being pulled against his will into the medallion's light. He still held a firm grip on Jennie's body, as if afraid that it might be sucked in as well.

"Fools! I will not be defeated so easily!" As Imhotep passed them, he grabbed hold of Jennie's arm, in a poor attempt to stay among the living.

"No! Let her go!" Colin pleaded, tugging back on Jennie's waist as best he could. The O'Connells rushed to help, but before they could, Imhotep had successfully ripped Jennie away from Colin and both disappeared in a golden flash. The Medallion was once more plain and lifeless. The symbol on the Cat Goddess's head faced right side up.

Colin sat on the ground, his hands planted firmly in the sand. He stared down at the Medallion, in deep shock at what just happened. He could barely breath, or talk, all he could do was stare, eyes wide and mouth open.

Evy slowly began to approach the man; she had never seen this side of Colin Weasler before. Jennie had brought out the best in him and there was no doubt that he cared for her very much. For that, she was willing to set their differences aside and do whatever she and her family could do to help him through his loss and perhaps even make amends. "Weasler, er... I mean, Colin," Evy began, lightly touching his shoulder. He didn't bother to look back at her, but that didn't mean he wouldn't listen to her words of comfort.

"I'm very sorry and I understand how badly you must be feeling. I know we've had our...er, differences, but my family and I are willing to help you in any way we can."

"I sure hope mom knows what she's doing," Alex whispered to his father.

"You and me both."

There was a long silence, before Colin finaly gathered the courage to respond to his long-time rival. "Please, go now. I don't need your help," he said, trying to hide his emotions as best he could behind the same bitter wall of jealousy and angst he always felt towards the O'Connells.

Evy removed her hand from his shoulder and nodded in understanding. Rick and Alex exchanged annoyed looks as she walked passed them.

"Hey, listen, Weasler, my mom just swallowed her pride and offered to help you! What's your God damn problem!?"

"Alex!" Evy scolded her son.

Alex looked at his mom and grinned sheepishly, "Sorry, mom," and then turned back to Colin. "Anyway, it's obvious that Jennie meant a lot to you, and don't you think it would have been important to her, if we all could just get along, for five minutes even...No, because you're a selfish, backstabbing, sissy little WORM!"

"Alex, that's enough!" Rick shot Alex a warning glare. The boy rolled his eyes and returned to his spot beside his uncle Jonathon.

"Look, Colin, my son is right; you've put us through a lot of crap, and yes, I would very much like to knock your face in for it." Rick paused and cleared his throat. "But Jennie did care about you very much. She never said it, but I know it was there." He looked at Evy and pulled her close "Trust me, I know love when I see it."

Colin stood up suddenly, shortly after listening to Rick's speech. Rick waited for Colin to turn around and shoot him an insolent sneer, but instead he kept his back facing them.

"I do care about her, she was my everything...and I won't allow Imhotep to take it away." And with that, he put the Medallion around his neck and walked off into the Egyptian sunset.

"Where does he think he's going?" Rick questioned, bitterly.

Evy's face turned pale as the realization hit her. "The underworld."

Colin arrived in Spain, after hitching a boat ride out of Egypt. If he remembered correctly, the portal to the Underworld would be located there, at the Strait of Gibraltar. He left the docks and headed down the beach, where he began his search. He remembered it was near there someplace. The Strait of Gibraltar was a giant rock, about the size of a building, so it would have been pretty tough to miss.

It took a while, but Colin had finally reached his destination. He took a deep breath and looked down at his watch: 6:28 P.M., just in time. He waited a moment, then lifted the Medallion towards the setting sun. The last time he came here with Imhotep, they had used a Medallion not unlike this one to reflect the sun's light and open the gates to the Underworld. Colin wasn't sure if it would work with a different Medallion, but it wouldn't hurt to try. At 6:30 PM, the Medallion began to glow wildly as it reflected the sun's rays. A beam shot out from it, creating the portal in front of the mountain-like rock.

Colin nervously stepped towards the portal, holding his hand outward to touch it. When he finally passed through, the gate closed behind him, leaving him with no way out. He gulped and began making his way down the long stairway.

The Underworld had twelve levels, each one more treacherous than the last. Colin remembered a shortcut that he and the mummy had taken to avoid a specific level, the one which was home to the Devourer of Souls. Unfortunately, Colin wasn't sure if he could find that shortcut again, without Imhotep. He'd just have to face the obstacles as they came, regardless of the consequences.

As he passed through a cavern, the walls and ceiling seemed to be rippling. He felt something grab at him from behind. He jumped and turned his head, to see several arms, hands, legs and other appendages shooting out at him. Tortured and sickly voices echoed, crying and pleading. Colin panicked and ran deeper into cavern as quickly as he could, the sounds of suffering souls still haunting his ears. He tripped over a jagged rock, and fell to the ground. His glasses were knocked off his face in the process.

Colin stumbled back to his feet, completely disregarding his weak vision, as if it didn't make a difference. He backed away slowly, feeling his way around. Suddenly, something stopped him. He felt a hand gently touch his shoulder, and jumped in shock. "Who...who's there!" he demanded, voice high with fear.

"I am Osiris, God of the Underworld," a majestic male voice replied. Colin gasped at first hearing the name. He could feel something being placed in his hands. Thick wire frames and glass. He sighed in relief once he realized what they were and slipped them back onto his face.

Feeling awkward and completely insignificant, Colin attempted a bow, which he figured was appropriate in the illustrious presence of the ancient God. He fumbled for an appropriate response. "Thank you, Mighty Osiris."

"It's quite alright. Colin Weasler..." Osiris glared at the man in front of him. He held up his golden staff, and used it to gently lift up Colin's chin. "You've come here for something."

"Yes, I have," Colin replied, his heartbeat quickening ever so slightly. If Osiris could help him…he was a god, surely, surely he could bring Jennie back…

"And what is it you seek, may I ask?"

"A friend of mine. Please, I must get her back; I'll do anything you wish!" Colin's voice wavered slightly as desperate tears formed in the corners of his eyes.

Osiris held out his hand in a halting gesture. "First, you must pass a test." Colin gulped as Osiris continued. "I will summon Maat, the Goddess of Truth. Your heart's essence will be weighed against this feather," he explained, holding up large, white feather. "If your heart is pure, then you are free to pass. If, however, it is heavy with regret, then you will be given a task, to cleanse your soul and prove you are worthy to pass through the gates of the afterlife."

Colin nodded in understanding, gritting his teeth in determination as he waited, wondering how Maat would arrive.

Within moments, the Goddess Maat appeared, suddenly materializing just beside Osiris. After starting a little in surprise, Colin bowed again, as he had done with Osiris, with a little more grace and proficiency this time. He was becoming quite good at this.

The goddess was very quiet, only regarding Colin with mild interest before she took her feather and prepared to begin the ritual.

"Just relax," she told Colin. Her voice was soothing and welcoming. She set the feather down, allowing it to float about a foot above the ground. Colin clenched his eyes shut as Maat got ready to pull his heart's essence from him. He suddenly felt something trickle into his body, like liquid. It flowed through him for a moment, and just as quickly as it had come, it retreated, holding a glowing ball of energy. Colin watched in anticipation as it was set down over the feather, holding his breath, trying to cling to a wild hope.

The feather collapsed almost immediately under Colin's heart's essence. The two gods shook their heads in regret as Maat returned it to Colin's body.

Despite the fact that Colin wasn't at all surprised by this, he felt his heart, now firmly back in place, jerk with despair. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes," he announced through clenched teeth, trying to keep himself from trembling.

Osiris nodded and pointed to his right. "Beyond this cavern, you will need to face one last test. One that will prove your determination, trust, and loyalty... the three elements which make a pure heart. You may withdraw from this test whenever you wish, but know that once you do, you can never try again."

Colin narrowed his eyes, looked in the direction Osiris was pointing ,and started forward. As he stepped into the next cavern, he noticed a bright golden ray of light, shooting up towards the ceiling at the opposite end.

His eyes shimmered at the sight; it was quite inviting. He took a step forward, unfortunately not noticing the missing floor. He slipped down, gripping the piece of ground where he had been standing. Colin noticed that there was a bridge of stepping stones floating in front of him. In his best attempt, he reached for one of them, and pulled himself upward. With that done, he wiped the sweat from his brow and looked towards the next nineteen stepping stones. He cautioned himself not to look down at the empty abyss below.

He remembered an Egyptian myth involving this very task. According to the story, if he fell, he would wind up in the lowest levels of the underworld, where he would be trapped for all eternity.

As he was getting ready to jump to the next stone, they suddenly disappeared. "What?" he panicked as he watched them fade in and out in front of him, like weak holograms. He noticed the one beneath him was doing the same, and instinctively leapt back to the exit to the previous cavern. Hesitantly, he stood there as the stones became completely invisible. He turned back to look at Osiris and Maat, who were watching this display from their thrones. Colin grumbled and turned back towards the golden light in the distance. Somehow, watching it brought him new hope. He had to at least try...but how? He couldn't even see where he was supposed to be standing-and one wrong move, one miscalculation, could leave him falling to his eternal doom.

Colin cast his glance around the cavern. Surely Osiris and Maat were not so cruel as to force him to attempt an impossible task…? But there were no implements to help him, no rules or guidelines to offer him advice. He was alone.

In frustration, Colin kicked at the rocky ground in front of him. It was impossible. Impossible! How did the gods expect him to do this? He looked over at the invisible chasm, trying to gauge the position of the first stepping-stone.

It was then that a strange phenomenon captured his attention. Hovering above the empty abyss in front of him were specks of dust and rocks. It almost looked like they were layering a floor…or the bridge of stepping-stones he'd seen earlier.

Wait…

A vague idea began to form in Colin's mind. If he could put something on the stepping-stones, he could tell their position even if they were invisible…

Casting his gaze around the space behind him, Colin saw rocks littering the floor. The largest was about as big as his fist; the smallest, about a quarter of that size.

Slowly, Colin bent down to pick up one of the smaller rocks. Biting his lip with concentration, he did some quick mental calculations and tossed the stone out into the abyss.

It never fell. Instead, with an audible clatter, it landed in what appeared to be midair, just a few short feet in front of the lip of the chasm. Colin almost grinned and bent down again, gathering a handful of rocks, which he slipped into one of his pockets. This wouldn't be as difficult as he'd thought at first.

He took a moment to whisper a silent prayer, then, without further delay, leapt from the cavern exit to what he hoped would be a safe landing. Luckily, he made it once again to the first stone.

"Only nineteen more to go," he counted. It unnerved him to be standing on a piece of ground that was literally invisible, above the black depths of the underworld, so he tried to keep looking straight ahead, figuring that the sooner he could jump to the next one, the better. Reaching into his pocket, he took out another small rock and gently tossed it into what appeared to be the endless chasm in front of him. Just like the first stone, the second landed with a small clatter on a piece of rock that appeared to be nonexistent. Almost grinning, Colin swallowed and jumped to the next stepping-stone.

He repeated this process until he reached the fifth stone. Suddenly, the light at the end of the cavern, his goal, disappeared, and everything around him went completely black.

"What's happening now?" he panicked, fearing that he had done something wrong and that he had failed.

"Colin..."

Instantly, Colin twisted around, searching vainly in the dark for the source of the voice. He didn't dare move any farther than a couple of inches in any direction, lest he fall off the stepping-stone-which he assumed he was still standing on.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"We are the people who can make all the dreams you once had a reality," the voice said, sounding like it was coming from directly behind him again, and now Colin could hear the soft whispers of other voices as well, on all sides. He froze.

"What?"

"You heard us," said another voice, this one higher and more breathy. "We can give you everything your heart desired…wealth, fame, status. We only ask one thing in return. End this test. End it now, and everything you have ever wanted will be yours."

Colin was about to protest, about to refuse, but something in the coaxing voice stopped the words in his throat.

"Why protest?" a third voice said, sounding wistful and clear. "Your heart feels what your mind wants to resist. Think, Colin. Think of it. Fortune, vengeance…power." Colin shuddered. The voice had struck the deepest nerve he had that time, and it knew it.

"Yes," the voice hissed. "Power. Power beyond your wildest dreams-and we both know, Colin, that your dreams of power are intense," it said, probing a little deeper. "Poor, weak little Colin. How many times have you listed what you'd give to have a power half of what we could give you?"

Colin felt himself weakening under the voice's hypnotic monotone. Greed swelled in his heart as the voices began to clamor around him, each asking him questions, offering him things, things he could only dream of having, but none of them ever speaking above a whisper. They didn't have to. He could hear every word with the clarity of a single note.

Temptation ran through him, chilling his thin frame, as the promises kept coming-horrible, monstrous temptation. Everything that remained of the man that he had been wanted to give in to it. The sheer weight of the voices pressing at him drove him to his knees, every logical part of his mind screaming at him to take the offers, not to act the 'noble' fool….

As Colin debated, a familiar voice filled the air, drowning out all the others. Hearing this voice made Colin remember where he really was and what he had come there to do.

"Colin. The voices are right; you can walk away from this test. But, even if they were telling the truth, would they ever truly be able to give you what you want? Fame, money, power; they're all changeable things. But love? That lasts forever."

"Jennie." He saw the image of her, standing there within his reach. Thinking it was real, he scrambled to his feet, reaching out to pull her close. As he was about to embrace her, she faded away, along with the darkness surrounding him, and he found himself once again in the cavern with only fifteen more steps to go.

Colin caught his breath. The darkness, and Jennie's image, had been so real-He pressed his hands to the sides of his skull at the memory of the voices. They had all been lying to him. Each of them had been a part of him that he hadn't completely destroyed. But they were gone now, all gone….He continued, carefully leaping to each stepping stone.

He was finally halfway across when, suddenly, something appeared in front of him, quickly taking shape. It was large and didn't leave him any room to leap around it. Colin chuckled, figuring it was yet another illusion. As he reached out to stick his hand through it, he learned that this was no illusion. Or at least if it was, it was very lifelike. The creature-it was recognizable as an animal now-had a smooth and slimy texture, almost like that of an earthworm…

Colin screamed in terror and backed away until he felt his heel out over empty space. It was the end of the stepping-stone; he could retreat no farther from this frightening creature. For there, staring down at Colin, was a monstrous, but clearly harmless, earthworm.

Colin felt his heart pounding in his ears. The worm didn't appear to be aggressive; it didn't move to attack or retreat…but, despite that, just the sight of it was enough to make him terrified. Colin had some very deep-seated, very intense fears associated with these creatures, stemming from childhood, and it was all he could do not to turn to the gods and demand that Osiris end the test right now. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to look at the worm, wondering why his heart hadn't already given out from beating so fast.

What with his preoccupation with each disgusting detail of the creature in front of him, Colin couldn't quite bring himself to figure out what this was supposed to do with cleansing his heart. Unwillingly, he was reminded of the other day, when Alex had called him a "worm." That was when it hit him.

"The O'Connells," he growled, fear temporarily replaced with anger, as he thought of all the things they had taken from him: his happiness, his job, his dignity...All the things he had ever held dear were gone. Jennie was gone because of them. Had Evy O'Connell never gotten HIS promotion, he wouldn't have been forced to release Imhotep, and none of this would have happened.

The worm continued to stare down at him, as he cursed the O'Connells over and over in his mind. Then, with a jolt of horror, he noticed it beginning to grow in size. He could hear a crumbling beneath his feet and looked down-a mistake, he realized, as his stomach flipped over at the sight of the seemingly endless drop. He quickly looked back up-but this sight was no better; if at all possible, it was even worse. The sickening creature was still expanding, and, what was worse, it showed no signs of stopping. The crumbling sound became more pronounced.

"The bridge!" he gasped. Of course! The worm was meant to represent his unforgiveness towards the O'Connell family. With each negative thought, the worm would grow larger and larger, causing the rock bridge he was standing on to crumble and collapse, sending him to an eternity of failure in the bowels of the underworld. His only hope was to forgive the O'Connells. He tried quickly to remind himself of the time Rick O'Connell had shoved him out of the way when Imhotep almost turned him into an ice sculpture with the Trident of Voth, or even further back, when he had first laid eyes on Evy O'Connell, how there was a time when he had actually admired her fair beauty and intelligence, and her consoling words when he had lost Jennie. They really weren't such bad people, and, if anything, he should be the one begging their forgiveness.

"All right!" he cried, as the bridge was about to completely give way. "I forgive them!"

His voice echoed through the cavern. Then, with the blink of an eye, the worm vanished, and the bridge returned to normal.

Taking advantage of his freedom, he leapt across as quickly as he could, before anything else could happen. He continued, hoping against all hope that nothing else that horrible would block his progress…

As he inched closer to the second-to-the-last rock, it faded completely and, without warning, he plummeted towards his doom. Fortunately, he reached up just in time to grab the last stone. He hung there by his knuckles, with all his might. He could feel his heart leap out of his chest the minute he looked down. He then looked back up towards his goal. He was so close. Finally, he found what little strength and hope he had left to hoist himself up. The rocks' surface was smooth, which made it very difficult to keep a tight enough grip. With each attempt, his fingers slipped. Finally, after much effort, he successfully made it back on his feet.

There he was; one last step, and his task would be complete. He could almost feel Jennie's arms wrapped around him, and her tender voice whispering in his ear: "I love you!"

"I love you, too!" he whispered back, stepping forward to touch the light. However, just when he thought nothing else could stand in his way, a wall of fire burst from the ground, separating him and any chance he had of rescuing his Jennie. How could he reach her now, without burning himself to death?

He turned to face Osiris and Maat. "What am I supposed to do?"

Osiris waved his hand forward towards the fire wall. Colin cringed as the answer became clear. There was no other way. Colin turned back to the flames and lifted his head, as he tried to keep his mind and thoughts focused on Jennie. With a deep breath, he stepped forward, eyes squeezed shut, one hand outstretched to plunge through the fire and clutch the light, hopefully before he began to burn to death. He could feel the scorching heat of the burning sparks from here, tiny volcanoes of fire. Every fiber of his being protested him going towards the burning heat. Even though his eyes were closed, fire filled his vision as he inched nearer to the flames, leaping, flickering wraiths of heat that would consume breath, consume life, leave him a charred shell….well, he thought ironically, at least our souls will be together if that happens.

For you, Jennie.

With one supreme effort of will, he jumped through the flames.

As his body went through, he noticed that he couldn't feel a thing. Startled, he opened his eyes, looking at his unhurt body. Not a strand of hair or fiber of clothing bore any signs of the intense heat. He looked at his hand, still stretched out in front of him, clutching the place where the light should have been. It was gone…and, behind him, so was the wall of flame. The fire was never there to begin with; neither was the light... in fact, everything he had just gone through was nothing but an illusion. But if it wasn't real, why did he feel so different?

Osiris floated towards him, applauding Colin's accomplishment. "Well done."

"But, what about-I thought..."

"The light was only a mere distraction. Every obstacle you faced on your journey was the true test, and you passed. Your heart has been purified, and you are now free to find whatever it is you seek here."

Colin bowed to the two gods once more, thanking them for their help. He then took off to complete his mission.

Colin ran from cavern to cavern, calling Jennie's name in hopes that she would somehow be able to answer.

He stopped suddenly, when he noticed a large body of water, going from one side of the cavern to the next, and possibly into the following caverns. He looked around for a boat or even a raft on which to ride across. "I don't have time for this!" he growled, taking a step into the river, getting ready to swim. As he waded farther in, he began to notice some strange movement, from beneath the rippling, cold waves. Quietly leaning in to observe it a little closer, he heard faint moans and cries, just like he had encountered in the caverns. Just as he was pulling himself back up, something cold and slimy grabbed his arm and jerked it fiercely. Colin cried out in shock and revulsion-it was pulling him in!

"HEY!" he yelped, trying to pry the hand that was holding onto his wrist off of himself. He managed to wriggle away successfully, and watched as the hand slid back down into the water.

Massaging his wrist, he got back on his feet and continued to observe the river from a little farther away. The entire thing was swimming with souls, and it wasn't just the river. The walls, and the ceilings were a canvas of trapped spirits. Maybe he would find Jennie in this mess? Each soul was clumped up so closely to the one beside it, it was difficult to make out what was what.

"Looking for something?" a deep and frighteningly familiar voice asked him. Colin froze there for a moment, and slowly turned his head. No, please! Not him...not when I'm so close! he thought.

Standing at the cavern entrance, was Imhotep holding a lifeless captive. "JENNIE!" Colin cried. He glared at Imhotep, clutching his fists. "I've come to far too let you stand in my way!"

"Not to worry; you'll be joining your girlfriend very soon!" And with that, Imhotep eased his hands into a comfortable position and began to throw fireballs at Colin, continuously. His former lackey leapt from left to right, dodging them rather well.

Since magic wasn't getting the job done, the Mummy decided to try something a little more physical. He picked a, sharp, jagged rock off the ground and lunged at Colin with it. Once more, Colin moved quickly out of the way. At this point, Imhotep was so focused on destroying Colin that he didn't realize that Jennie's body was left unguarded. Colin, however, did realize this, and he took advantage of it. Colin ran to Jennie, and lifted her onto his shoulder. As he looked outward, he could see Jennie's soul floating by in the river. He had to catch up with it somehow. He would have to set Jennie down somewhere, but he couldn't just leave her for Imhotep to snatch again….

There was only one thing he could do. "One...two...three... JUMP!" he yelled, as he headed for the water, keeping a tight hold on Jennie. Just as he was about to dive in, Imhotep rammed into him, knocking him and Jennie to the ground.

"Now, to finish the job..." Imhotep raised the rock over Colin. Colin looked around, for any means of defense. He suddenly found himself levitating off the ground, helpless before Imhotep once more. "It's a shame you weren't this self-reliant when you were working for me."

"People change," Colin smirked.

"Farewell, worm!" Imhotep released Colin, and threw him into the river of souls.

Colin wasn't much of a swimmer, and with hundreds of souls pulling him down as aggressively as they were, there was no chance to surface for more then a minute-although he could still try to catch Jennie's soul before it was too late. It took every last bit of strength he had to keep himself alert, but once he tracked the soul down, he didn't take his eyes off of it for a second. He swam with all his might, even as he was losing consciousness. He reached out his hand, and successfully grabbed onto the soul; then, with what little strength he had left, he paddled his way to the surface, where Imhotep had been standing.

Colin gasped, taking a deep breath the moment his head broke through the top of the water. Making sure he still had Jennie's soul, he swam back to dry land, coughing water out of his lungs all the way there.

Furious that Colin had survived, Imhotep threw the jagged rock in his direction as he stepped onto the bank. The rock swiped him just under his shoulder, as he shifted out of the way. Instead of falling, he disregarded the wound and kept running. A simple flesh wound wasn't about to slow him down now, not after all he'd been through. He slid to Jennie's body and held her soul over it as he tried to figure out how to reunite the two.

"WOOORM!" Imhotep screamed, readying to attack Colin. He felt something grab ahold of his ankle. The Mummy looked down and noticed he had one foot planted in a puddle of water. Two arms had emerged from that puddle, and began pulling him down. "LET GO OF ME!" he demanded, as he fought his way out of the souls firm hold. More hands emerged from the puddle, overpowering Imhotep until he was helpless to stop them. Struggling and cursing fruitlessly, the enraged mummy was dragged under the frothing water, disappearing into its effervescent depths. The surface of the water calmed as the souls slipped back beneath it, leaving only a few ripples as testament to their existence.

Colin stared for a moment, after Imhotep had gone, just to make sure he was really gone this time. Once he had assured himself that Imhotep was trapped under that soul-infested puddle for all eternity (or so he hoped), he looked at the soul in his arms, and then down at the body in which it belonged. He knelt down, and laid the soul over the body. The minute it touched Jennie's pale skin, it seeped through. Colin waited a few moments, but there was no change.

"Please wake up," he pleaded. He knew something had to happen; it was only natural that the body would reanimate once the soul was put back in place.

Colin looked at the medallion around his neck, which he had temporarily forgotten about. "This is all your fault!" he yelled, throwing it on the ground. Just then, as if it were responding to Colin's fit, the medallion began to glow a bright gold, which, within seconds, exploded into a brilliant ray of light, which seemed to swallow the entire cavern whole. Colin held onto Jennie, and closed his eyes. The light remained there for several minutes-and then, in a flash, dissipated.

When it left, something felt different. The first thing Colin noticed was that he could hear the ocean close by. When he opened his eyes, he saw a beautiful pink and orange sunset; beneath that sunset was, indeed, a wide blue ocean. He blinked at the sight in disbelief. How could he be in the cold depths of the underworld one minute, and on a warm sunny beach the next?

Lying beside him was a gold medallion. He picked it out of the sand and dusted it off. He placed the medallion around his neck and looked down at Jennie, who remained unconscious.

He scooped her up and held her tight. As he continued to look down at her, her eyelids fluttered a bit, then slowly began to open. Colin was at a loss for words.

Jennie smiled up at him, and let out a yawn. "Hey there, tiger," she greeted him groggily. "How long was I out?"

Colin searched for something to say, something that would express his joy. "Jennie?" he paused, as he thought of the perfect thing.

"Yeah?"

The next think he knew, he was leaning in for what would become his and Jennie's first kiss. Whatever was holding him back before had disappeared with all his regrets, unhappiness and vengeance.

Their kiss was suddenly interrupted by a large round shadow hovering over them. When they looked up, the Zephyr was flying above them, with Rick O'Connell, hanging from a rescue ladder, yelling to them. "I'd hate to interrupt the wedding, but I though you two could use a ride."

Colin blushed and grabbed the ladder. He hoisted Jennie ahead of him then followed her closely. When they finally made it to the door, Rick and Alex helped them in.

Lu ran to Jennie immediately, jumping into her arms, then onto his rightful spot on her shoulder. He wrapped his long fluffy ringed tail around her neck, and nuzzled her cheek with his wet nose. Jennie returned his affection with a gentle scratch on the head and the lemur purred loudly.

"Hey, Weasler," Rick began, "Yah did good," he said, giving him a friendly punch on the shoulder. Colin winced in surprise when he felt a stinging sensation; he had completely forgotten about his cut.

It was then that Jennie noticed the wound from his battle with Imhotep. "Colin, what happened?" she inquired in concern, reaching up with one hand to peel a ragged flap of cloth away from the cut and inspect it.

Colin looked where his sleeve had a hole slashed through it, and the cut on his upper right arm. "Just a little scratch," he grinned, reaching around with his other hand to clutch it and hopefully negate the slight pain which was emanating from it.

"I'll get the first aid kit," Alex offered, with a slight grin on his face.

Rick left them, to assist Evy with the navigation, while Jonathon slept lazily on the sofa, with a magazine over his face.

"So, what's next?" Jennie asked Colin, her bright green eyes glistening.

"A new start," he smiled.

"Sounds good to me." Jennie rested her head on Colin's chest.

A flock of seagulls flew beside the Zephyr until it disappeared high above the clouds. All that was left in the sky were the last orange traces of the sunset, the inky night, and the stars. Out of all those thousands of stars, there was one that shone brighter and more radiant then the rest.

In Loveing Memory of
My Great Gandmother, Alice Faye Martin
1922-2002.

Credits: I Hope you all enjoyd my fic. I'd like to thank Eri for her lovely editing job, Rakiru-chan for provideing her awesome artistic talents to help illustrait this fic (FYI: Illustartions can be found in the art section!), Legend for her beautiful layout work, Finni-Chan for assisting me with graphics, such as the bio pics, the poster and link bottons, Universal for creating the series, And last but not least my friends for their ongoing support. If it weren't for you guys, I would have never finished this thing!