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A powerful-looking man stood in the doorway. But it was obvious that he was not an ordinary man. There was something inexplicably unearthly about him. His eyes were filled with rage, and his scowl was fixed upon Taurik.

"That's Kharis?" Sam gaped.

Qismah nodded grimly. "He's fully regenerated now," she explained.

"Alright, Qismah," said Rahat in awe. "I believe you now. For what it's worth."

"Better late than never, right?" Sam chuckled, trying as usual to make light of the situation.

The Creature roared, and the ground began to shake. Sand from the floor rose up and filled the air, blinding everyone in the process. Taurik shut his eyes and held Marianne close to him. Where the others were and how they were faring, he knew not. And at that moment, there was nothing he could do about it.

Just as quickly, the sand fell back to the floor. Through the remaining dust particles came Kharis, presumably to claim Marianne again. Taurik possessively moved her behind him.

"Not good," said Sam, eyeing the Creature cautiously. "Any ideas anybody? Maybe we can reason with it."

"This creature is the bringer of death," said Qismah, backing away. "He cannot be reasoned with. He will never eat, he will never sleep, and he will never stop."

Rahat groaned. "Oh, this just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?"

"Nevertheless," Taurik stated, "Sam and I are Starfleet cadets. We must at least try."

As if on queue, Kharis began to speak in what Taurik assumed was ancient Egyptian. Neither Sam nor Taurik had gotten their universal translators yet, so they were unable to understand him.

Behind his shoulder, the Vulcan heard Marianne inhale sharply. "He wants me to come with him," she translated.

"That is not an option," he told her. "I will never let you go again."

Marianne answered, and Kharis spoke again. "He's challenging you, Taurik," she whispered fearfully.

"Tell him there is no need for violence," said Taurik. "We can resolve this situation logically."

Reluctantly, Marianne interpreted the Vulcan's words once again, but before she could finish, Kharis angrily slammed him aside.

Taurik lay on the ground in a daze. He vaguely heard Marianne scream his name, while the being's thoughts rushed through his mind. As he had suspected, the Creature was indeed a shapeshifter. His unspoken theory that he was a telepath was also confirmed.

Kharis was exiled from his world thousands of years ago, for the crime of showing pity to an enemy. He was left on a primitive planet to die in the desert. But he was found by a caravan, and taken to the kingdom of Egypt. This civilization impressed Kharis, and he decided to stay. He was welcomed into the fraternity of the clerics of Ra. After only a few short years, he became their high priest.

And yet, he felt more drawn to the cult of Anubis. Once he joined those followers, he soon discovered that he could in some cases use his mental abilities to revive humans who were thought to be dead. Further still, he learned that humans likewise had the capacity to attain and practice these mental arts.

One such human was his most astute and ambitious pupil, Imhotep. He assisted Kharis in his opus, writing down the words used to focus the human mind. There were several successful cases of bringing the "dead" back to life.

Imhotep eagerly learned all he could from Kharis, but then betrayed him in order to take his place as the cult's leader. He accused his teacher of blasphemy and demanded that he punished with the Hom-Dai. Just before the sarcophagus was sealed, Imhotep revealed that he was in reality one of his own people, and had been sent by the other shape-shifters to ensure that Kharis' punishment was fully carried out. With that horrible knowledge, Kharis lay in silence for what seemed like an eternity.

Until his coffin was found and he was roused. Taurik saw Kharis' thoughts as he moved through the camp. What he first came to be aware of was the fact that his people were all gone. The sorrow and despair at being the last of his race was extreme. And then he heard Marianne's singing. Kharis was entranced. He could not understand the words, but they were nevertheless the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard. What's more, he found that her music was the only balm that was able to soothe his pain.

The shapeshifter soon came to realize that he wanted Marianne. Not only because she was beautiful, but also because he needed a mate in order for his race to survive. At the time, however, there were too many others around. He was not yet strong enough to take them on. He would have to wait to claim her.

It was in Luxor that Kharis finally recovered his full strength. He had been watching Marianne for weeks. Taurik sensed the Creature's relief at the memory of his leaving to go back to school.

When Marianne was at last alone in her room at the hotel, Kharis put her in a trance and carried her off. The "mummy" had plans to subdue the Earth, and then move on to other worlds. Taurik could not allow that to happen. In addition to his love for Marianne, he also had his duty.

The vision seemed to have lasted for hours. But when Taurik came to, he saw that the others were trying to stop Kharis from taking Marianne again. Taurik tried to speak, but the wind had been knocked out of him. He took a deep breath, and called to Qismah, who was nearest to him. "The book," he said, getting to his feet, "Find the incantation and read it. I'll explain later."

At once, the girl ran for the Book of the Dead, and boldly snatched it from Kharis, who was occupied with fending off the three men. In his surprise, the Creature released Marianne's arm and turned his attention to Qismah. Grabbing her by the neck, he lifted her up and squeezed, forcing her to drop the object.

Rahat yelled and charged toward him. While they struggled, Taurik picked up the book and gave it to Marianne. She opened it and turned the pages.

"Keep him busy!" she told them. "It will take me a few minutes."

"We don't have a few minutes!" shouted Sam, as he got up after being hurled backwards.

"Inform me when you are about to read the spell," instructed Taurik. Marianne nodded, and he closed his eyes. Holding his hands together, he cleared his mind. He was not as strong a telepath as most Vulcans, but he hoped his abilities would suffice if combined with the support of the "magic words," as well as the knowledge he obtained from the mind link with Kharis.

While she searched, John, Sam, and Rahat continued to struggle. Qismah was still on the ground unconscious.

"Don't forget about the Amenophus character!" Johnny called to Marianne as he dodged a swing. "You always miss that one!"

"Hurry, Marianne!" said Rahat, just before Kharis' fist hit his jaw.

At last, she found the correct page. "Taurik," she nodded to him.

Taurik focused all of his mental energy while Marianne carefully chanted the incantation. Kharis shrieked once he became aware of what was happening. With renewed urgency, he brushed aside the opposition and moved toward her again.

"Speed it up, Marianne!" Sam was desperately hanging onto Kharis' leg. The Creature unheedingly dragged him across the floor.

There was an explosion of light when she finished reading. The shape-shifter howled in horror. Taurik's vision returned just in time to see Kharis disintegrate into dust at Marianne's feet. The last part of him to go was his hand, which was furiously gripping her ankle.

"Taurik," she breathed incredulously, "you did it!"

"We did it together," he corrected her kindly. Before he could utter another word, however, the earth beneath them trembled again. Some of the stones in the wall and ceiling were coming loose.

"Yeah," said Sam, voicing everyone's thoughts. "Time to go!" He looked at Taurik with anticipation. "You do remember the way out, right?"

"Of course," the Vulcan replied nonchalantly. Without another word, he took Marianne's hand and ran. Sam and the others stayed on his heels. The roof of the labyrinth was collapsing behind them as they dashed up the stairs back into King Tut's tomb. The sepulcher appeared to be more stable, but nobody wanted to take any chances.

By the time they made it outside, the ground was still again. Clouds of dust and sand rushed out from the entrance.

"It's going to be fun digging all of that rubble out," Rahat mumbled wryly, "assuming it's even possible."

Johnny smiled crookedly. "And you know they'll call 'the experts' out to come and try it," he said in the same tone, shaking his head with dread. He had no doubt that "the experts" were going to end up being himself and Rahat.

"Not before a vacation," moaned Rahat. "That mess isn't going anywhere," he dismissively waved it all away with his hand.

"You know," Sam mused, half to himself, "I kinda feel sorry for old Kharis…Last of his species and all."

The sun was going down when they mounted their camels to go back to Luxor. Rahat helped Qismah up, and then awkwardly handed her his snack bar. "I…I know it's the time of Ramadan," he said, boyishly brushing his hair back with his hand. "And, you haven't eaten all day…" he trailed off. It was a striking contrast to his usual, ladies' man persona.

Qismah smiled warmly at him, also a departure from her normal behavior. "Thank you," she said as she shyly accepted his gift. Regaining his confidence, Rahat winked at her and then got onto his camel.

Nobody had thought far enough ahead of time to bring an extra dromedary for Marianne, so Taurik held her in his lap. His eyes became fixed on hers, and before he knew it, she had coaxed him into a wistful kiss. He surrendered unquestioningly. It was unreasonable to expect a human to be logical, after all. At least, that would serve as a justification for anyone who objected to a Vulcan indulging in such a disgraceful loss of control. He could think up several more excuses should it prove to be necessary.

No one disapproved, though. Quite the opposite, in fact. Sam and Johnny made kissing noises and teasing remarks. Rahat even added a wolf whistle.

"C'mon, Johnny," Sam goaded, "Howa bout a kiss?"

"No thanks, man," Johnny said, revolted, and not sure if he thought Sam's joke was funny or just plain nasty. Probably both. "I don't swing that way, and neither do you."

The caravan toddled off into the sunset. Not surprisingly, Marianne wanted another kiss. "Your request is illogical," Taurik told her, "but not objectionable." With that, he gladly granted her wish.