1 The Scroll of Egypt
Professor Sydney Fox glanced at her teaching assistant Nigel Bailey. Nigel was reading a book called Mysteries of the Egyptian Pharaohs, and he didn't notice her come in. "Oh, Hi Syd!" Karen, her secretary called as she walked out of Sydney's office, small stack of paper in her hand. Nigel looked up from his book and smiled. "Hello, Syd! I didn't see you come in." He greets her. Sydney smiles back at Nigel then asked him to come into her office. "Is something wrong, Sydney?" He asks, concern in his voice as they entered her office. "No." Sydney said, smiling to reassure him, "Do you remember the name 'Tim DeBry'?" Nigel thought for a moment before saying, "Isn't that the man who called last week, saying it was urgent?"
"Yes. Same man. I just got off the phone with him. Well, he wants us to look for a scroll that is believed to tell the burial places of all the Pharaohs." Nigel looked at Sidney, interest in his eyes. "Where…Where is this scroll said to be?" Sidney paused for a moment, putting some papers in her desk. "Tim didn't want to say it over the phone. Someone else, who Tim referred to as Smith, is also looking for the scroll. Apparently, Smith is working for someone who wanted the bodies so he could sell them to small science labs or museums for a high price. Smith would get half the profit." Nigel nodded. They had seen people like Smith on relic hunts before. "Will DeBry tell us where at a meeting?" Nigel asked. "Yes. He said that he would meet us here." Nigel nodded and left, sitting at his desk he picked up his book again. Sydney thought about some of the adventures they had been on. Once, she remembered, they had to find the head of a nun that had been dead for four hundred years. One other adventure was one that was remembered with emotion. Sydney had been shot and captured by a band of angry men in Russia. She had been tricked into believing that Nigel was dead. For Sydney, the idea that Nigel could be dead was not a realistic one. When she found Nigel alive she had never before in her life felt so happy and relived to see someone. "Syd?" Karen poked her head in the door, stirring Sydney from her thoughts, "DeBry's here." Sydney walked out of her office and saw Tim DeBry standing in the doorway, a bag strung over his shoulder. "Sydney." DeBry said, stepping forward. Sydney nodded in greeting and introduced Nigel, who was now standing next to her. "This is my associate Nigel Bailey. Nigel, this is Dr. Tim DeBry." Nigel and DeBry shook hands, then the trio headed into Sydney's office. "Where is this relic at?" Sydney asked, beckoning for DeBry to sit down. Nigel stood a few feet behind DeBry's chair. "The scroll is said to be in a secret passage below," DeBry paused, as if not wanting to disclose the location of the relic, "In a secret passage below the Great Pyramid."
"Do you have any materials or resources to help us find this passage?" Sydney asked, looking up at Nigel. "Yes." DeBry said, reaching into his bag. DeBry pulled out a manila envelope and handed it to Sydney. Sydney pulled two small parchments; a map and some hieroglyphs. Sydney studied them for a moment before saying "Nigel? Can you tell what this says?" Nigel moved up to the desk and put his glasses on for a better look. He examined the paper, his brow furrowed. Looking up, he said, "I can't make it all out, but it looks like it says something like 'For left is right, and right is wrong or in the end you will be gone'." DeBry nodded enthusiastically. "I've heard things about this passage. Things like, if you take one wrong turn, make on wrong move, you die." He paused, "One man, David Allocate went in the passage looking for the scroll, and he never came out!" Nigel studied the man sitting in the chair, fidgeting nervously. This wasn't at all like the calm, cool guy that Syd had described him as. Sydney put the map down and walked out of her office. "Karen? Could you get three tickets for the first plane to leave for Cairo in the morning?" Karen smiled, "Sure." DeBry leapt out of his chair, knocking Nigel down in the process, and exclaimed "No!" Sydney spun around and looked at him. "I won't be going with you." Sydney looked at him one more moment before looking at Nigel, who just stood up from the unexpected blow. Sydney turned back to Karen, whose eyebrows were raised in interest. "Two then?" She asked. Sydney nodded, then escorted DeBry to the door. Tuning around, she looked at Nigel. "Are you all right?" She asked. Nigel nodded and said, "I'm fine. I just would like to know what that was about." Sydney looked out the door where the man had left and said, "Me, too."
Professor Sydney Fox glanced at her teaching assistant Nigel Bailey. Nigel was reading a book called Mysteries of the Egyptian Pharaohs, and he didn't notice her come in. "Oh, Hi Syd!" Karen, her secretary called as she walked out of Sydney's office, small stack of paper in her hand. Nigel looked up from his book and smiled. "Hello, Syd! I didn't see you come in." He greets her. Sydney smiles back at Nigel then asked him to come into her office. "Is something wrong, Sydney?" He asks, concern in his voice as they entered her office. "No." Sydney said, smiling to reassure him, "Do you remember the name 'Tim DeBry'?" Nigel thought for a moment before saying, "Isn't that the man who called last week, saying it was urgent?"
"Yes. Same man. I just got off the phone with him. Well, he wants us to look for a scroll that is believed to tell the burial places of all the Pharaohs." Nigel looked at Sidney, interest in his eyes. "Where…Where is this scroll said to be?" Sidney paused for a moment, putting some papers in her desk. "Tim didn't want to say it over the phone. Someone else, who Tim referred to as Smith, is also looking for the scroll. Apparently, Smith is working for someone who wanted the bodies so he could sell them to small science labs or museums for a high price. Smith would get half the profit." Nigel nodded. They had seen people like Smith on relic hunts before. "Will DeBry tell us where at a meeting?" Nigel asked. "Yes. He said that he would meet us here." Nigel nodded and left, sitting at his desk he picked up his book again. Sydney thought about some of the adventures they had been on. Once, she remembered, they had to find the head of a nun that had been dead for four hundred years. One other adventure was one that was remembered with emotion. Sydney had been shot and captured by a band of angry men in Russia. She had been tricked into believing that Nigel was dead. For Sydney, the idea that Nigel could be dead was not a realistic one. When she found Nigel alive she had never before in her life felt so happy and relived to see someone. "Syd?" Karen poked her head in the door, stirring Sydney from her thoughts, "DeBry's here." Sydney walked out of her office and saw Tim DeBry standing in the doorway, a bag strung over his shoulder. "Sydney." DeBry said, stepping forward. Sydney nodded in greeting and introduced Nigel, who was now standing next to her. "This is my associate Nigel Bailey. Nigel, this is Dr. Tim DeBry." Nigel and DeBry shook hands, then the trio headed into Sydney's office. "Where is this relic at?" Sydney asked, beckoning for DeBry to sit down. Nigel stood a few feet behind DeBry's chair. "The scroll is said to be in a secret passage below," DeBry paused, as if not wanting to disclose the location of the relic, "In a secret passage below the Great Pyramid."
"Do you have any materials or resources to help us find this passage?" Sydney asked, looking up at Nigel. "Yes." DeBry said, reaching into his bag. DeBry pulled out a manila envelope and handed it to Sydney. Sydney pulled two small parchments; a map and some hieroglyphs. Sydney studied them for a moment before saying "Nigel? Can you tell what this says?" Nigel moved up to the desk and put his glasses on for a better look. He examined the paper, his brow furrowed. Looking up, he said, "I can't make it all out, but it looks like it says something like 'For left is right, and right is wrong or in the end you will be gone'." DeBry nodded enthusiastically. "I've heard things about this passage. Things like, if you take one wrong turn, make on wrong move, you die." He paused, "One man, David Allocate went in the passage looking for the scroll, and he never came out!" Nigel studied the man sitting in the chair, fidgeting nervously. This wasn't at all like the calm, cool guy that Syd had described him as. Sydney put the map down and walked out of her office. "Karen? Could you get three tickets for the first plane to leave for Cairo in the morning?" Karen smiled, "Sure." DeBry leapt out of his chair, knocking Nigel down in the process, and exclaimed "No!" Sydney spun around and looked at him. "I won't be going with you." Sydney looked at him one more moment before looking at Nigel, who just stood up from the unexpected blow. Sydney turned back to Karen, whose eyebrows were raised in interest. "Two then?" She asked. Sydney nodded, then escorted DeBry to the door. Tuning around, she looked at Nigel. "Are you all right?" She asked. Nigel nodded and said, "I'm fine. I just would like to know what that was about." Sydney looked out the door where the man had left and said, "Me, too."
