A Family found:
A/N: ALRIGHT! For those of you who frequent this site, you might know about this fic. You may or may not have read it already. I cannot take any credit for this idea, given that it was given to this fandom by the lovely Lena. Unfortunately, Lena has decided that she'd no longer like to be a part of this fic and has entrusted it to me, given that I cowrote a BUNCH. This fic kinda feels like my only real fanfiction accomplishment, I mean it's 110 pages long! I couldn't let it die. That being said, if you have read it, you'll want to start again. I've decided that since I'm taking the reigns, I'm going to revamp it a bit and fix some things. Hope you guys enjoy.
Death. One thing all human beings have in common. Well, all ordinary human beings that is. Death is the great equalizer. It brings the most uncommon people together in to cling to any life they can get. Death is the very reason that a Librarian, a Soldier, a Janitor, a Cowboy, a Thief, and a Cranky Old Man went from strangers to family. The desperation to escape the cold grips of death have brought them to be much more than a team, but a found family. A mother and father, a grandfather, and three children. This story, among other things, is about love, angst, pain, family, self love, true happiness, the darkness of the world, and also the light. Don't be fooled by the Macguffin. Everything isn't always as it seems and not everyone is who they say they are. Of course, to get to that point, you must start at the very beginning. That is, the beginning for our tragic hero, Ezekiel Jones.
It was meant to be a quick job. To be honest, stealing a jewel encrusted dagger should've been slightly more difficult. Ezekiel smiled as he typed rapidly into his phone. He heard a French voice come over the loud speaker, sounding slightly panicked. In a flash, all of the guards had left their stations and ran to wherever the announcement told them to go. Perfect. He was now clear of any barricades between him and the precious dagger. He smiled as he walked up to the glass case, feeling the borders of it to determine the different security measures that were fixed on the dagger. He heard a clink from behind him and spun around to find a tall man with dark hair, holding up a knife, about to stab him from behind. The thought of literally being stabbed in the back gave him deja vu. As he lifted it to stab, however, a bolt of electricity came from behind him and he was knocked down. Behind him stood a familiar looking man. He wore a white button up with a mustard yellow vest and a brown jacket. To top it off, he wore a red ascot tucked into his shirt. He had definitely seen him before. He realized that the man had just saved his life, but he was still sketchy.
"Why is that guard holding a dagger?" He questioned, turning back to the knife on display.
"He's not a guard." The man said, matter of factly. "He's here to kill you, Ezekiel Jones." So he recognized him too.
"And I'm assuming you're not here to kill me." He walked to the other side of the glass box and positioned a suction cup to the side of it. "So, tell you what, watch my back for 10 minutes and I'll cut you in on 10%." Then man gave a smug laugh. He had heard that laugh before. Suddenly it hit him. Ezekiel knew exactly who the man was. "You! Don't I know you? Yeah… Cairo Museum. You were that crazy professor that said the crown jewels of Akhenaten were casted."
"Librarian, not professor, but yeah." He interrupted.
"I stole those right off the main exhibit." Ezekiel told him as he drew a circle in a gel that would cut through the glass.
"Oh I know, I'm the one who had to smite the evil mummy. And now, you're going to steal this jeweled dagger." He sounded disappointed, but not surprised.
"Oh no no. This is mine. I just left it locked in this display case on my way to work this morning. You know how that happens." He told him sarcastically.
"You looped the video feed to avoid the guards. That's clever." Flynn glanced up at the ceiling as the gel began to smoke, showing that the glass was being cut.
"You're smart enough to be my sidekick. We'll call you 'Kid Crime' and you can wear little green shorts." Ezekiel said shortly. At this point he was just annoyed. It wasn't like this guy was going to stop him so why was he still talking. Although, he did save his life.
"Cutting through the glass in a room full of infrared sensors." That caught his attention. Ezekiel's hands froze as he glanced up. "Less clever." Suddenly alarms were going off and lights were flashing around him. Ezekiel paused for a moment before turning to run. Flynn followed behind him closely. Ezekiel got to the balcony before he saw the guards running up his only exit.
"My escape route is cut off." He muttered in panic. He was not about to go back to prison.
"Mine's not." Flynn appeared next to him. Ezekiel decided he should follow, as it was his only way out. He would abandon the Librarian, or whatever he said he was, later. Although one thing was still unclear.
"What do you want mate?" He asked, following behind him.
"Come to New York. Find out why people are trying to kill you." Flynn told him. They made it to the door and Ezekiel could hear Flynn muttering. "Sidekick. Hmmph. I'm not your sidekick, you're my sidekick. Let's go. Let's go."
They kept running until they were finally free from the guards. They then made their way to the airport, catching the soonest flight to New York City. They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes before Flynn decided to break the ice.
"So Ezekiel, after all these years of wondering I might just get an answer. What made you want to steal the Crown Jewels of Akhenaten? You were barely a teenager then. What could've caused you to even begin stealing something of that caliber?"
"Need." Ezekiel's answer was short. He kept his eyes glued on the window, fearing they would betray him.
"Need?" Flynn snorted. "I wouldn't steal anything, no matter how much I needed something."
"Then you've never been desperate." Ezekiel mumbled. Flynn noticed the thief was pulling away suddenly. Not quite as humorous as he had been a few minutes before. Flynn leaned back into his seat, closing his eyes as he remembered that day in Cairo.
It began as an average July day in Cairo. Hot and humid. Flynn's clothes, though lightweight, clung to frame. He fanned himself with the pamphlet he had been handed by a tour guide at some point. It didn't really help as it was just waving warm air back at him, but it was a comfort. He was half listening to the guide droning about King Tutankhamen's Sarcophagus and the curse put on it. Totally true by the way. He should know, he was the one who ended the curse. It was his job to do so. In fact, he knew more about the history of almost anywhere than most tour guides. He wasn't there to learn. He needed to get to the main exhibit. The crown jewels of Akhenaten. He was certain they were casted, which meant that the original jewels had been taken off the display and that an evil mummy would be lurking somewhere.
"If you look to the left you'll see our main exhibit."The tour guide trilled with a cheerful, fake voice. "Here you'll see the sarcophagus of Akhenaten as well as his many belongings. You can observe the canopic jars that once held his mummified organs. You can also see his rather large jewel collection including the Khepresh Crown, which is considered the crown jewels of Akhenaten. You'll also notice the mummy inside the sarcophagus." That caught Flynn's attention.
"Everyone get back!" He shouted suddenly. "The mummy is going to try to kill you!" That was all it took for everyone to stare at him.
"Very funny sir, but if you could lower your voice, as we are in a museum." The tour guide's smile was forced.
"You don't understand. I'm not joking. I'm the Librarian." He tried to do the incantation the way Judson had shown him how to.
"And I'm the tour guide. You're disturbing the other guests. If I have to ask again, you'll have to leave." Suddenly that fake smile was gone.
"I see why you'd think I'm crazy but the crown jewels were casted! They're not the original! Do you know what that means?" Flynn asked but was cut off by a kid running into him. "Hey watch it!" He turned his attention back to the crowd. "Look at the mummy! It's ready to… attack?" He slowed as the mummy finally came into view. It was still and it looked like it had never moved in it's life. "Or maybe not…"
"Sir I warned you twice. I'm sorry but you're going to have to leave." The woman told him as security came behind him.
"Wait but I-" He began but was cut off by alarms. The same kid that had run into him jumped down from the display, clutching the Khepresh Crown to his chest. He whipped his head in the direction of the guards, looking terrified. Flynn gasped at how young the kid was. After processing the fact that he was young, Flynn thought about how amazing of a thief he was for only being around 15. He didn't have much time to think however, because as soon as the boy ran away with the jewels a scream rang out. Flynn whipped his head around to where the mummy stood moments before. Apparently the jewels weren't cast because now the mummy was awake. See the thing about mummies coming to life is that if they bite you, you wither away to dust and die, giving the mummy your life. The mummy of the past pharaoh was currently trying to bite a woman, so Flynn, doing his duty as the Librarian, picked up the staff that was on display and began attacking the mummy. After an intense battle, whacked the corpse in just the right spot, causing it to become nothing more than a pile of wrapping. A cheer rang out from the crowd that remained in the museum, but Flynn ignored it as he pushed through the people. If it hadn't been for that damn kid, he would've been able to see that the jewels were real, without having to smite a mummy.
"Hey! Kid Crime!" Flynn sat up with a start. "We land in like 10 minutes." Ezekiel smirked.
"Oh… Thanks." Flynn wiped his chin, making sure there was no drool.
"So you're still sore over the mummy thing huh?" Ezekiel chuckled.
"How could you tell?" Flynn asked, turning a skeptical eye towards him.
"You were mumbling in your sleep." Ezekiel opened his mouth to say more but the captain's voice came from the intercom letting them know to fasten their seatbelts and prepare for landing. After a long flight from Geneva, they were finally back to New York City.
They made their way to the New York Metropolitan Library and met up with some of the most normal looking people he had ever seen. Everyone was so… white. Honestly it wasn't surprising to him that he was the only bit of diversity to the group, but it was still a little disappointing. He just hoped they didn't give him the 'genius Asian' stereotype because he wasn't about that life. Then again, he wasn't really one for a group of friends either.
The people he met included Colonel Baird, a tough as nails, no nonsense soldier. He was never a fan of an authority figure. Next was Jake, a southern raised cowboy. He had an air of overconfidence about him, a sort of self righteousness. Then there was Cassandra. She was more interesting. She wore a bright blue sweater over a flowery dress with knee socks, giving her a more innocent look. Her fiery red hair stood out against the cool shades of her outfit. He had to admit, she was kinda cute. He shook his head at the thought. He was a lone wolf. Nothing changed that. Besides, a girl like Cassandra wouldn't go for a thief. They loaded into an elevator, preparing to go all the way down.
"I don't get why I'm stuck here with a cowboy and a maid…" Ezekiel broke the awkward silence that filled the tiny elevator car.
"You might want to apologize to the little lady." Jake told him. That explained everything he needed to know about Jake. He held the girls to a much higher respect than he held Ezekiel. How typical.
"Little lady is actually not an improvement over maid." Cassandra smirked sarcastically, rolling her eyes. The lights flashing from each floor intensified as the car began picking up speed. "Is it just me or is this elevator…?"
"This thing's going really fast." Jake interrupted.
"Probably terrifyingly fast." Ezekiel finished. Baird looked just as stoic as she had at the beginning of the ride, staring straight at the door. Ezekiel deduced that this was not her first ride on that elevator. When the doors finally opened with a ping, they got to see the Library.
The ceiling was domed and high with circular windows allowing the rays of sun to stream in. Shelves full of books created corridors that went back as far as they could see. All around them were glass cases full over valuable artifacts. Flynn stood at the center, right past the white marble staircase, guarded by two golden lions. It was...beautiful.
Ezekiel couldn't help but let out an amazed chuckle. Beside him, Cassandra gave the most adorable giggle as her hands flew to her face to cover her smile. Baird walked to join Flynn while Jake looked all around.
"You've got to be kidding me!" He didn't sound angry, but excited.
"Not kidding," Flynn smiled. "But we don't have a lot of time so: questions! Ask them!" He ordered as he spun around, walking them through the long corridors of shelves and tables.
Jake pointed to a long spear that sat on two pillows in a glass box. "Is that the Spear of Destiny?"
"Yes." Flynn answered.
"Ark of the Covenant?" Jake was growing more excited.
"Yes." He replied, spinning on his heels.
"Wait what about Bigfoot and Dracula?" Cassandra asked, twirling around.
"Yes on Bigfoot." Flynn smiled, enjoying their amazement. He had been the same way when he first joined the Library, just 10 years before.
"So vampires aren't real?" Ezekiel questioned.
"Vampires are real, but Dracula is not. Because I killed him." He turned to Colonel Baird suddenly. "Is this helping? I don't that it is." He answered for himself, before taking a sharp right through the bookshelves.
"What?!" Cassandra gasped excitedly before running to catch up.
"10 years ago you all received an envelope inviting you to apply to a position here in this Library, but you never showed.
"Ten years ago I was in the hospital…" Cassandra looked up at one of the shelves they were passing., frowning slightly. It was so strange to be open with people she barely knew like that. Then again, she didn't have much time left to remain a closed book forever.
"Right…. With your tumor…" Flynn sucked a breath in whilst flinching. Jones, Baird, and Stone turned to look at her. Confusion, surprise, and a bit of horror were evident in their expressions. Ezekiel couldn't help but feel his heart sink. He couldn't imagine how she must've felt. She looked down at the carpet while Flynn deduced his way though her little secret.
"Synesthetes rarely have all 5 senses involved, but you've got full on hallucinations and seizures, indicative of a frontal lobe anomaly. How… big is it?" He asked, his shoulders shrugging a bit as he tried to put it delicately.
"It's about the size of a grape." She responded in a small voice. She saw no point in trying to deny it. She smiled awkwardly. "Which I really wish they hadn't told me because I used to really like grapes." She said in an attempt at a joke,
"Are you… ?" Ezekiel asked hesitantly, but afraid to overstep his boundaries, he cut himself off.
"Not yet." She paused to smile at him sadly, but he looked down, avoiding her eyes. She seemed to accept that, as if it happened often, and continued. "Someday... sooner than I'd like, but… not yet." She clasped her hands and filled in the awkward silence surrounding her by cheerily continuing her discussion on the shortness of her life, wanting to finish it and change the subject, "But I lived long enough to know magic exists! So that's pretty cool!" Flynn put his hand out towards her as if saying that he'll agree to the subject change.
"Very cool!" He agreed.
"Stone, why didn't you show up?" Baird asked, also sensing that Cassandra wanted to move out of the spotlight.
"Because I already had a job. The family business." Jake said as though it should be obvious.
"I threw mine out." Ezekiel admitted, remembering back to that fateful day. "It was obviously a mistake." He chuckled. "I steal stuff. I've been stealing stuff since I was a kid, I'm not gonna get invited to some Library…"
"It's a magic Library." Cassandra disagreed.
"Yeah great. Doesn't fill my pocket." He smirked. "I came here to find out who's trying to kill me.
Cassandra couldn't help but feel a little distressed by what he said, thinking that it was impossible for someone to be chosen by a Magical Library without having something going for him. She blushed as she thought I mean he does have some things going for him. Okay so she thought he was cute, sue her. Not to mention that accent.
They turned down a tunnel-like hallway that ended with a pair of double doors.
"If magic is real then how come we don't see it all the time?" Jake asked.
Flynn threw open the double doors, revealing a sort of office with a large table in the center, covered in artifacts of all kinds. The walls were a strange yellow- green and the floors were a dark brown marble. At the center of the floor was a white and blue marble compass.
"Once upon a time the world was filled with magic. It traveled along a power network called ley lines." They gathered around the table as Flynn picked up an ordinary globe. It only appeared ordinary. He tossed it into the air and immediately it transformed in a holographic globe the size of the room. Blue streaks began to run through the continents, bringing picture of artifacts with them. "See the ley lines, see the magic. Over the centuries the magic was drained off and stored into artifacts."
"Like Excalibur." Baird commented.
"Exactly. He was one of the most powerful." He told her fondly, hitting an umbrella against his palm.
"He?" Cassandra made a face.
"Magic continued to fade as cities were constructed over the leylines and technology began to advance, and as you can see now, there is very little magic left. My job is to make sure that what little remains doesn't fall into the wrong hands." Flynn ignored her question. He put his hand out and the globe shrunk back into it's usual mundane orb shape. "Like the people that tried to kill the three of you."
"The woman who tried to kill Stone had a snake tattoo." Baird informed Flynn. He turned very slowly, ominously. One might even say, overly dramatically. One might be Ezekiel.
"Serpent Brotherhood." He looked at their puzzled faces. "An ancient cult bent on bringing magic back into the world. I've fought them before."
"So these serpent ninja brother fellows are the ones who were trying to kill us?" Jake asked.
"Serpent Brothers use assassins." Flynn paused to laugh. "Ninjas? Who said ninjas? In Oklahoma? That would be ridiculous." Jake made a face towards the Colonel.
"But what did Professor Shear find that pushed the Brotherhood to murder their way down the list?" Baird asked, sighing.
"Still vexing." Flynn turned, rubbing his chin in wonder while Jake picked up a paper with a painting printed onto it.
"Does it have anything to do with this painting? The 'Crown of King Arthur?'" Jake asked, studying it with intensity. Ezekiel had seen the actual painting before. Somewhere. He was sure that if he really thought about it he could remember.
"What?!" Flynn turned around suddenly, a new fire in his eyes. He took the paper from Jake, looked at it for a moment, laughed, then glared at Jake. "'Crown of King Arthur,' You're sure?"
"Yeah." Jake said as though it was obvious.
"The Crown of King Arthur was forged by Merlin to give Arthur the control over the magic that he needed to build Camelot." Flynn informed them all.
"So the Brotherhood wants to bring magic back but they need the crown to control it." Eve said. "I cannot believe I just said that with a straight face."
"Um… why is bringing magic back bad?" Cassandra spoke up from the corner. "Cause magic seems pretty cool…"
"Magic is cool. Until warring nations drown each other in tidal waves of blood. Or use dragons to burn cities to the ground. People using magic well can be good, but a world of wild magic is full of chaos. Suffering. I will begin by ex-" Flynn cut his answer off when Jake picked up the picture of the painting before he took it back. "I will begin by examining the original painting."
"Wha- I just said that I remembered what it was called. It's a minor piece. No known artist. I don't know where it is." Jake's eyebrows furrowed in irritation. Apparently he was very passionate about art.
"Munich Museum of History and Art." Ezekiel spoke up for the first time in awhile, causing all eyes to shift to him. "I cased it last month for a heist and I memorized the inventory."
"There's a flight to Munich. Three flights to Munich out of JFK. One at 6:00, 7:15, and 10:45." Cassandra look down like she was embarrassed.
"That's why they were targeted." Eve looked on in sudden realization. "You were busy doing whatever Librarians do." Eve waved a hand towards Flynn.
"Save the world. A lot." Flynn added.
"They," She spoke over him, gesturing to Jake, Ezekiel, and Cassandra. "The other Librarians-"
"Not Librarians. I'm the only Librarian." Flynn made a face at her.
"Were the only other people clear to find the crown. The Serpent Brotherhood was just trying to wipe out the competition." Eve finished.
"I say we beat em to it." Jake hissed ominously, clearly thinking himself tougher than an overrated art major.
"Fair enough." Ezekiel nodded, as though he had just decided, which of course, he had. He didn't do teamwork so this was a big deal for him. "Nobody tries to stab Ezekiel Jones in the back." That was what got Flynn. He dropped his jaw exasperatedly, all the while shaking his head.
"I've never been to Europe! So-" Cassandra smiled as she gripped the straps of her bag tighter, clearly very excited. Then Flynn interrupted. As usual.
"First of all, no. Second of all, let's not refer to ourselves in the third person, Europe is overrated, and I work alone. So, if you'll excuse me, goodbye." Throughout his speech, Flynn had been walking towards the entrance, before throwing the doors open and expecting them to leave. What he got was eight eyes staring back at his with intensity.
"Uh uh. I got an envelope. The Library invited me to this party and I'm taking them to Munich. Maybe we'll see you there. Do try to keep up." Eve smirked, patting his shoulder. The trio smiled and snickered behind her as they pushed past Flynn in the doorway. As they made their way from New York City to London, Ezekiel, got up to go to the bathroom on the plane. He stood in front of the small mirror, mind going elsewhere. How had this all happened so… quickly…? He wasn't one for friends and certainly not one for family, so why was he still there? Maybe it was curiosity, maybe it was the fact that deep down he knew there was some good to him, most likely, however, was that it was a brand new adventure. A new group to tru-okay maybe not trust, but to observe the relationship with. God did he want to observe a relationship with Cassandra. He stopped himself with the shake of his head. There was no way she'd be into a scrawny Asian thief. Especially not with the way she was looking at the cowboy. Jake may be an asshole, but Ezekiel doubted he would bring any trouble for the redhead. Himself on the other hand? That's all he knew how to bring. Well, troubles and problems. Boy did he have a massive, deal breaking problem and if Cassandra, or anyone for that matter, were to find out? He'd lose the chance for adventure. He pulled a small bottle from his pocket, swallowing two of the small, white tablets, starring himself down in the mirror. When did he become someone that even he didn't recognize?
A/N: Thanks so much for reading! I hope you all enjoy. Please leave a favorite or a review. I know this is a little different from the original, but I hope you guys will like this just as much. I'm leaving the original posted fic online so you can still read it. If you want to request anything or just want to talk, I'm fangirlandtheories on tumblr. Come visit me! I love you all more than nachos. ~Fangirlandtheories xoxoxoxo