The streets of London were filled with mayhem and terror on that Tuesday morning. Coatl and his army had the whole town under their control in a matter of minutes. The military tried everything in their power to stop the raging Aztecs from destroying the city, but they were stronger. Even with all the modern weapons the police force had, nothing topped the ability of the pointed stick. "This is the smallest world I've ever seen!" Coatl remarked, towering over the burning buildings.
"My lord, there's something you should know. The world is a lot bigger than this tiny civilization. Across the seas there is more land with more people to conquer!" one of his men said bravely.
"Then we head out for the rest tomorrow at the break of dawn." he replied.
"I'll get the troops ready," the solder grunted, turning around abruptly.
All The TV's and radio stations around the area were buzzing with warnings. "Rouge army crashes through city." and "beware of broken materials in the streets; stay inside," were the most repeated. The locals didn't know what to make of this. The only thing they did know was that the O'Connell family hasn't been around for a while.
"What are we going to do? What are we going to do?" Jonathan repeated over and over. The village surrounded the doomed family in hope of contorting them. "Coatl was the only one who could break the spell," Acalan sighed.
"This boy says all this time they were under a spell!" Jonathan translated.
"So we can work together," Rick thought out loud.
"Together?" all the villagers said in unison.
"Why are you all afraid of this dude?" Alex asked.
"From all that we've been through, there's nothing that can stop you from doing what's best for everyone!" Evi added. Everyone just shrugged sadly, knowing they couldn't defeat him alone. "So they want us to kill him while they sit back and watch?" Rick yelled, "I don't think so! Jonathan, try to tell these people we need their help to do this,"
"Come on chaps! I'm slightly older than nineteen and live off my brother in law, and I happened to be able to beat the tar out of two mummies!" he said rather proudly, holding up his blue pocket diamond for everyone to see.
That certainly roused up the crowd quite a bit. "Way to go Jonathan! Even if you changed the story up a bit..." Evi smiled, knowing he'd done the right thing.
"We can do this!" Alex said, joining his dad.
"We just need all the men, and Acalan I guess, weapons, a good thinking snack, and a little pinch if magic," Rick yelled.
"Ready to teach these people mummy style?" Evi said, taking hold of Rick's hand. "Oh yah! Bring it on!"
Coatl charged forward, moving without fear. He was making his way eastward to Egypt. He knew there he would find the ancient spell book, the book of the dead, and use it to bring back all the men who were killed before they got their chance at world domination. There was only one problem. Between the ruthless army and their prize was one huge ocean, the great Atlantic. This angered Coatl. "How can one mere thing stand in my way of victory?" he growled, seeing his follower's doubtful expressions. He would show them. Using all his might, he summoned his dark powers together. First, there was no reaction. Then, the water began to ripple. All of a sudden, twenty thousand miles of ocean shot up into the air, making a wide passageway for him and his army to cross. The people that inhabited the area stood there, frozen in fear. Coatl had come and destroyed everything in his path.
While the army marveled at their master's work, Coatl just started forward, as if nothing had happened. "To Egypt!" he called out loudly. "And get me a margarita from neighborhood bar!"
"Alex and I will stay here and train the slaves- I mean recruits- while you take Lin to find his story book," Rick instructed Evi.
"Oh, you don't think I know how to fight?" she laughed, giving Jonathan a sideways glance.
"I just thought you two would like some mother daughter bonding time!" he replied, kissing her briefly. "I know you'll do great," Rick smiled, letting her go.
"And just what am I supposed to do?" Jonathan demanded.
"You... You can keep watch!" Alex said keeping his focus on gathering the swords into a giant pile. "Now that's what I like to hear!" he grinned, sitting peacefully down on a log.
"So what exactly does this spell book have to offer?" Evi asked, being careful to avoid the droppings around them. "Well, from what I know, you can do anything with the powers it gives you, save the world or destroy it," Lin explained.
"Where did you learn to know that?" Evi said, full of wonder.
"When you're lived in the Himalayas all your life, you meet people," she grinned. "The person that taught me how to decipher spells was professor Goldburn," Evi said, continuing the conversation. "You mean Eddie Goldburn?" Lin said excitedly, remembering the old name.
"You know Eddie?" she replied with a surprise. "He was the decedent of Napoleon, who sent troops all over the world!"
"His son used to come over and help my mom and I clean the place up," Lin said, gazing at the pyramid now that it was in full view. "Wow! I still can't get over the fact that you've been living for thousands of years!" Evi breathed eager to know everything she did. "Napoleons last big find was in Egypt, when he searched for the Oasis of Adam Shere, which is another story, Alex can tell you about it; anyway, that last find was in-"
"1486!" Lin smiled, happy to know there was somebody who was just as smart as her. "You are the daughter I've always wanted!" Evi cried, feeling the same way.
"Alex should be glad to have a wonderful mother like you," Lin said, showing a small smile. "I know your mother is more than grateful to have a daughter like you!" Evi corrected, contorting her. "We're always here for you," she said softly.
Alex and his father were hard at work trying to teach a bunch of peasants how to fight like a pro. They've spent hours under the scorching sun, clashing swords and throwing punches. "Pretend that your opponent is the worst thing that you can think of, and think about winning, and how good you'll feel once he's dead!" Alex instructed, looking over everyone's work. He went over to Acalan, who was doing better than he expected. "Wow, you're like a natural born sword fighter!" he admired.
"My grandfather used to teach me before Coatl took over," Acalan said.
As usual, Alex only understood half of what he was saying. "Well, you should be ready to fight him," he confessed.
Acalan didn't seem to be listening to him. He was too busy staring at a girl, around his age, who was choosing a sword a few feet away from them. "Do you like her?" Alex asked, obviously knowing what his answer was. "You're not going to get anywhere just standing here like a lump! Go talk to her!" Alex said, giving him a push forward. Acalan looked back at him, thinking it wasn't the best idea in the world. "Go on," Alex persisted. "The love doctor strikes again!" he said to himself. He sat down and watched Acalan go over and start a conversation. He didn't know anything they were saying, but he thought it sounded like he was hitting off pretty well. That changed when the girl laughed and walked away. Acalan came back looking really disappointed. "Don't worry! Your old man here will hook you up after this whole war thing ends!"
Meanwhile, Jonathan was fast asleep, snoring in the shade. "Hey!" Rick yelled over to him. The snoring continued. "Great," he mumbled, stopping what he was doing to wake him up. He silently went over behind him, and then quickly turned over the log he was laying on. Jonathan went down, head first into a pile of mud. "What was that for? I was in the middle of my dream date with Kate!" he complained, struggling to stand up.
"You better get your butt out there and help get these hopeless people trained!" Rick said.
"But I can't even train myself!" Jonathan sighed.
"That's not true; you have a gift in... Don't worry; it'll come to you eventually!" Rick smiled.
"Evi had to pick him," he grumbled, picking up a sword that was two times bigger than him. "You know what! How about you sit over there, and entertain yourself with this stick!" Rick said, holding a small stick.
"Fine!" he pouted, going to the corner of the village.
"A little farther!" Rick yelled, until Jonathan was completely obscured from his view. "Perfect!"
The Medjai of Egypt were going through their usual activities of the day, traveling across the country looking for trouble. The O'Connell's old and trusted friend Ardneth Bay sure wasn't expecting what was about to happen. The sun seemed to dim as Coatl and his army arrived at their destination. "Get every Medjai out here now!" he yelled to the twelve tribe leaders. They sped off on their horses, riding as fast as they could. "I've come for the book of the dead!" Coatl cried to the remaining Medjai.
Luckily, Ardneth had picked up some Spanish from previous experiences. "Leave this place!" he warned.
"I will do no such thing! My army is bigger than yours!" Coatl grinned.
"You drinking a margarita; guess you've met the O'Connell's!" he laughed.
"I'll kill you know, and take the book!" Coatl smirked, signaling to his army.
Ardneth was about to panic when the rest of the Medjai showed up over the horizon. "We will see how great you are," Coatl said, narrowing his eyes.
Ardneth went back to his gathered men and gave them an encouraging speech. "We don't know who these people are, or where they came from, but they want the book of the dead, that we are sworn to protect! You've all been trained for this, and I know you can do it. We all are Medjai, and this is what we're supposed to do!"
An uprising cheer came from the men, who were ready for anything.
Evi and Lin were making their way through the rooms of the pyramid, looking for the book. "Well Rick didn't give us any instructions on where it was!" Evi said, flustered.
"It must be somewhere safe, protected I guess," Lin replied, trying to be somewhat helpful. They walked past a row of columns, entering a giant room surrounded by various statues. "I'm guessing it's in here!" Lin corrected herself. Evelyn took a step forward, accidentally triggering a trap. "Being around Jonathan so much has its flaws!" she sighed, preparing for the worst.
A series of arrows shot through the air, heading straight for them. Instinctively, Evi ran behind one of the statues, taking Lin with her. The arrows whizzed past their heads, barely missing them. Once the first hurdle was over with, they prepared themselves for the next. Out of the walls came hundreds of razor sharp spikes. Every second, they seemed to be getting closer and closer together. "Let's go!" Evi yelled, taking Lin's hand. Her eyes widened as she saw the sleeve of her shirt was snagged by one of the arrows. "Help!" she cried, not wanting to become a cabob. Evelyn stayed by her, pulling at the arrow. "It won't come loose!" she yelled back, beginning to panic herself. Not knowing what else to do, she ripped the sleeve of her shirt off, letting her free. "Sorry about the shirt," Evi sighed.
"No time!" Lin said, running towards the book.
The spikes were almost a foot away from them. Running as fast as they could, they lunged themselves at the doorway, just as the spikes clanged together. "The book of spells," Lin breathed, eager to open its pages.
"Let's get it and try to get out of here," Evi panted, still tried from the long run.
"I guess we make a good team, you and I," Lin smiled, carrying the book with her. "I guess we do!" Evi smiled back.
"Where is that woman?" Rick wondered, his patience wearing thin.
"Don't worry! You know mom; a little trouble in the way, a few mishaps, then she and Lin will come strolling in like nothing happened!" Alex laughed.
"You're right, I'm starting to act like sir sleeps a lot over there!" he smiled, gesturing over to the snoring creature.
"Hey," Alex said softly, tapping Jonathan lightly on the shoulder, "would you like a nice cup of warm milk, or a cookie to make you feel better?" he smiled, rubbing him on the back. "Oh wait, I forgot! The whole time you were busy sleeping like a baby, we've been working our butts off and sweating like a blasted hippo!" he yelled, startling his uncle. He shot up, knocking over a pile of rocks. "Can't I just have a few minutes to myself?" he shouted, staggering up.
"It's been six hours!" Rick corrected, not surprised.
"I've been through a lot in the past two days; I've been sucked into a pathetic movie, with pathetic people, sleeping on a pathetic log, and getting knocked up by my pathetic sister!" Jonathan screamed irritably.
"Well, you can finish training THEM while Alex and I take a long, long nap!" Rick grinned, taking his place. Jonathan scowled, and started off towards everyone else in a huff.
Rick glanced over to Alex, who was already shot out on the ground. Rick was about to get up and check on his brother, but a sudden scream from the crowd told him otherwise. He laid on the log, looking up into the blue sky. His eyes were almost closed when a cry from deep inside the jungle, jerking him awake.
"RICK!"
Reluctantly, he got up and peered through the leaves. Evelyn and Lin were back, holding the book with them. "It's been horrible Rick! We almost got killed back there! But, if I do say so myself, getting the book was a piece of cake!" she smiled, proudly handing it over to him. "That's great." Rick said blandly, trying to put on a fake smile. Evi went over to where Alex was sleeping. "Aw, he looks so cute when he's asleep! Should we get him up?" she whispered.
"Well we were trying to get some sleep, since we've been up all night working," Rick explained. "You two look like you could use one too!"
"Maybe... But the book..." she yawned. She laid down next to her husband, Lin doing the same with Alex. "We... Got a lot of work to do..." she said, drifting off, still clutching the worn book.
Ardneth and Coatl were locked in a never ending battle, fighting for their lives. The both of them were equally skilled, so it was hard for them to pick a weak spot. Coatl gave his enemy a merciless glare, showing the cold and hatred in his eyes. "You seem to know what you're doing, Medjai," he snarled, swinging his sword angrily. Ardneth didn't know what to do; more and more Aztec solders came flooding into the battle, more than his own men could bear. He wondered why the O'Connell's haven't showed up to save the day yet. "Soon you will die, pathetic one!" Coatl smirked.
"You know nothing. Us Medjai never back down from a fight, never," he said proudly, standing for the bravery and the justice of he and his men. Coatl had him cornered, and was about to take the final blow when, from nowhere in sight, a dark shadow appeared over the two men. Bullets began to whiz in the air, killing many of the Aztecs with it. Coatl looked up in shock to see a ragged old ship hovering in the air. A face appeared from the side, with a smile that could only be mistaken for one person. Izzy Burges. He served as the transportation for the O'Connell's on their previous adventure, jumping from place to place looking for their lost son. "Happy to see me?" Izzy yelled down to Ardneth.
"Happy as always my good friend!" he replied.
"O'Connell have anything to do with this?" he demanded.
"I have a hunch," Ardneth grinned.
"Well that's just great! Another mummy! Let's kick some Aztec butt!" Izzy said with a hint of enthusiasm. He began shooting again, trying hard to avoid hitting any Medjai.
"You called your friend for help defeating me?" Coatl laughed, "My army keeps on getting stronger! You're hopeless!"
With that, they continued their battle, never backing down.
Izzy eventually ran out of bullets, making him almost defenseless. "What would O'Connell do?" he asked himself, instantly knowing an answer. He grabbed one of the sandbags weighing the airship down, chunking it down. It hit about three Aztecs with a thud. "Hah!" Izzy grinned, "Still got it!"
"So, now that we have the book, how are we supposed to get back to London?" Lin asked the others.
"Good point," Rick sighed. They've been trying to decipher the spells ever since they woke up from their nap. "Since we don't know these symbols, let's just ask someone around here to read it!" Evi shrugged, putting down the book in defeat. Alex picked it back up, knowing just who to ask. "Alex?" Lin and Evi said in unison.
"Be right back ladies!" he called from the forest.
"Hey dude, can you understand this gibberish?" Alex said, handing him the book. Acalan's eyes widened as he saw the words revealed on the page. "This... Is it," he laughed, knowing it was what they've been searching for. He tilted the page over to Alex, trying to describe what the symbols meant. "Sangi- lanka, rang, lesam," he said slowly. Alex tried his best to repeat the phrase. Soon, he got it figured out. "But why hasn't it worked?" he wondered.
Acalan knew exactly what he was talking about. He got up, and went inside his house. He came back shortly after, holding a strip of meat in his hands. "Eww... What is that?" Alex gasped, moving away from him. Annoyingly, Acalan tried again. He held the meat up to the sun, hoping he would figure it out by now. "Oh, I get it! Before we can figure this world domination thing, we need to have some lunch!" he grinned. The smile quickly vanished when he saw Acalan's expression. "Okay, that's not it!"
He got a sward from his waist and put the meat on a stone. Trying to be as observant as possible, Acalan brought the sword down, cutting through the meat. "Oh. A sacrifice. That was my second idea," he said, feeling really stupid. Acalan just gave him a satisfactory smile, and left for his house.