Inspector Vergier had made it to Cairo, and decided to walk the rest of the way to the pyramid. The weather was rather mild, with only a slight breeze, and the temperature was only warm enough to merit rolling up his sleeves. He fumbled with the pistols in his pocket, scowling. He had to face it—he let Phantom R get away. His only hope would be to stop him at the Great Pyramid.
He could see the pyramid now, but that wasn't all that was there. Bloodied carcasses from tourists and patrollers alike were scattered across the ground. Shocked at the sight, he sprinted towards the pyramid, hoping to discover who had done this, and why.
He climbed up the steps outside until he came to the entrance. He quietly sneaked through the passage. As he crept higher, he began to hear voices. Stealthily drawing his pistols from his pockets, he entered the King's Chamber of the pyramid. The room was filled with Chevaliers, and right in the middle of them all was Napoleon himself. Vergier's mind flashed back to the last entry of the Mystére Incident: the theft of Napoleon Bonaparte's casket. He didn't want to jump to conclusions, but the evidence before him seemed clear. The short man started to speak.
"Ah, if it isn't the famed Paris Inspector! I'm glad you made it here! You were a mere stumbling block to our plans. I will be happy to end your pathetic existence." He motioned at the 30-strong Chevaliers escort, "Get him!" They began to close in on Vergier. He blasted a couple of them, but there were too many for him to take alone. He ran back out the pyramid the same way he came in, hoping that they didn't follow him. When he got to the outside, they were gone. He didn't want to lose Phantom R, but his own life was at risk now. The Chevaliers could emerge from the pyramid at any second, so he knew he had to leave. He had lost Phantom R, and his daughter was nowhere to be found. Maybe I missed something back at home, he thought to himself. They might have left a lead somewhere in Paris. Saddened at his loss, he caught the next plane back to Paris. When he arrived, he was shocked at what the city he protected had become.
"Do not worry, Chevaliers. Phantom R will be here soon enough."
"Is this ride ever going to be over?" Charlie groaned. "I'm getting seasick!"
Raphael teased, "Stay over there then! I don't want to catch it!" Charlie fumed and Marie giggled. He squeezed Marie's hand and asked, "Have you been enjoying the ride?"
She eagerly nodded, "Oh yes, it has been wonderful!" They had ran into a sea captain in Rome who had agreed to take them to Egypt. It had been a long ride through the Mediterranean Sea, and they were finally traveling along the Nile. Soon enough, the ship docked, and the three teens and dog exited the vessel.
Charlie complained, "This is all your fault! I am never riding on a boat again!"
They caught a ride on a dune buggy that took them to Cairo. "Wow," Marie gushed, "this place is so cool!" Fondue woeufed in agreement. They exited the city and began to walk to the pyramid. Raphael changed into his Phantom R attire and started dancing. Marie was skipping, Fondue was bounding, and Charlie was sulking. "This is going to be so exciting!" Marie beamed.
"Once we get inside the pyramid, we have to look for more symbols," Phantom R informed his team. "Marie, you can play 'Phantom Notes' when we find one! It should lead us to our next destination!" He continued shuffling along until he saw the pyramid. He stopped suddenly, and Marie ran into him. She peered over his shoulder and gasped. The grounds surrounding the pyramid were covered in dead bodies. Phantom R's fists tightened.
"Why...why would anyone do such a thing?" Marie blubbered, her eyes filled with tears. Fondue whimpered. Even Charlie stopped complaining when she saw the remains of the massacre. Phantom R grabbed Marie's hand, then tried to grab Charlie's. Charlie pulled away and started off toward the pyramid.
"Let's go," she said. "We don't have all day." Phantom R, Marie, and Fondue followed solemnly. The three entered the pyramid and began walking through the corridor. The first room they came upon was the Queen's Chamber. Charlie poked her head in and motioned that the coast was clear. They piled into the room and began searching. "I think I found something," Charlie alerted the others. Phantom R and Marie looked at the wall where Charlie pointed. There were carvings in French, only a centimeter high. "Why on earth would there be French written in an ancient Egyptian pyramid?" Charlie skeptically asked.
"It doesn't matter," Phantom R replied. "Look at what it says! 'The Moon Princess holds the key, enter with sounds so sweet. Don't leave after you enter me, there are more treasures for you to seek.'"
"That doesn't even rhyme," Charlie criticized.
"Marie," Phantom R didn't need to say anything more. She pulled out her violin and began to play Moon Princess, the song of her first adventure with Raphael. Even Charlie grinned as the music filled the small chamber. It echoed throughout the pyramid, and anyone who was within could hear. When she was done, the room started to rumble, and the wall began to glow. The bricks making it up separated to reveal a small room behind it. Marie cautiously entered and inspected the inside. There were two statues of women with French inscriptions on them. One read, 'Princess of the Moon, this treasure is yours. Wear it around your neck with the coin from the holder of the Bracelet.' She gingerly took the necklace from the hands of the statue. It was very simple, a gold chain with a medallion hanging on it, but the medallion had the special symbol embossed in it.
"Phantom R," Marie asked, "will your coin fit inside this necklace?" He pulled the coin his father gave him out of his pocket and slowly handed it to her. She took it and fit it into her treasure. It clicked into place. Smiling, she slid it over her head.
The second statue had a different inscription: 'Maiden of Fight and Flight, this treasure is yours. Use it to defend yourself when your other props fail.' Charlie glared at the writing wondering why she had a part in Phantom R's petty quest. She snatched a dagger out of the hands of the other statue, the symbol gleaming on its hilt. She quickly concealed it within her overcoat, promising herself to save it for when she truly needed it, like the inscription read.
"I don't see anything else in this room," Phantom R observed. There must be more to explore in this pyramid! Let's go everyone!" Fondue cheerfully ran ahead of them as they made their way to the King's Chamber. Everyone stopped short as they peered into the room. Chevaliers were everywhere, and Napoleon was in the middle.
He glared down at the small band of heroes, an evil grin covering his face. "Hello, Phantom R," he greeted. "I see you have brought some friends with you! The Inspector's daughter, I presume?" Charlie scowled but didn't answer. "And you must be Elizabeth's daughter," Napoleon mused, looking directly at Marie.
"Get behind me, Marie!" Phantom R commanded. Marie stepped back, and the other three prepared for battle. "You've done enough damage already, Napoleon!" Phantom R stated. "We saw what you did to get in here!"
"Oh," Napoleon replied, "those imbeciles? They were merely obstacles we needed to overcome. As you have seen, they stood no chances against their emperor! You are no different!" He pointed at the two teens and the dog. "Get them!"
Charlie whipped out her football and kicked it at one of the Chevaliers. Phantom R knocked a couple more over while Fondue attacked a few on his own. The heroes were horribly outnumbered, and were losing ground quickly. Marie cowered in the corner as she watched her friends fighting. Charlie was the first to go down, knocked over after being cornered. Fondue was subdued and snatched up by some of the other Chevaliers. Only Phantom R was left fighting, but there were still over twenty left, and he was noticeably exhausted. There must be something I can do, thought Marie. Not knowing what else would help, she quickly pulled out her violin. She slid her fingers down the strings and began to play the "Melody of Hope." She remembered it giving Phantom R so much strength when they were in the hanging gardens. Closing her eyes, she felt the music flow through her, and she felt empowered. The fighting ceased, and even Napoleon was staring at Marie. Glowing light encased her new necklace, and a beam of light shot through it, taking out the rest of the Chevaliers and sending Napoleon crashing to the ground. At the sound of bodies hitting the floor, Marie opened her eyes just in time to see Phantom R lunge at Napoleon, but Napoleon was quicker than he looked. He rolled out the entryway toward the corridor.
"This isn't over, Phantom R! I will acquire the ultimate power!" Phantom R ran to pursue him farther, but he was already gone.
Charlie groaned as she sat up. "Thanks for helping me you two," she sarcastically added..
"Hey, no problem, 'Maiden of Fight and Flight!'" Phantom R responded.
"I didn't give myself that nickname!" Charlie barked back. Fondue in the meantime had gotten up and was yipping at something on the wall.
"What is it, boy?" Phantom R inquired. He followed Fondue's gaze to see another inscription on the wall. "I think this one's about me," said Phantom R. "This is what it says, 'Holder of the Bracelet, this treasure is for you. The 'Song of the Duo' will bring your treasure to you.'"
"Another song?" Charlie complained. "Do songs really have this much power all the time? It's really annoying!"
Marie pulled her violin back up to her chin and played "Phantom Notes." Her necklace and Phantom R's bracelet began radiating. They looked up at the ceiling, and it began to open. One last statue was lowered from above. Phantom R stepped forward, a statue of the Pharaoh before him. "This one has an inscription too. It says, 'You already know where your next destination is. Once you are there, you must use this treasure to reveal the true location of the next symbol. This treasure will be the key to defeating your enemy.'"
"Wow, it doesn't rhyme for once!" Charlie noted. The statue was holding a sword. Phantom R picked it up and held it in his hands. He saw the glimmering symbol on its hilt.
"We're coming for you, Napoleon," Phantom R murmured.
Charlie retorted, "Of course we're coming! We have absolutely no idea where to go, but hey, we're going to make threats anyway!"
"Quiet, Charlie," Marie commanded. "Phantom R, what did it mean when it said, 'You already know where your next destination is?'"
He turned, a frown still on his face, and answered, "We knew to go to Italy because we read it in a newspaper. That newspaper also said that a symbol was spotted inside the Taj Mahal in India. That must be our next destination."
"Please tell me we're not riding on a boat this time!" Charlie pleaded. Phantom R couldn't help but smirk.
"No Charlie, we're done with boats. I don't think I would be able to deal with hearing your voice for that long!"
"I have a very pleasant voice, thank you very much!"
With the mood lightened, the troupe made their way out of the pyramid, treasures in hand. They spent the rest of Charlie's money on food and plane tickets, and they headed out for India.
"I am very sorry to hear that they slipped out of your grasp, my lord."
"No matter, they will be coming for you next."
"I will be ready."
"That girl proved that she had incredible power. You must retrieve her for me."
"Yes, my lord."
A/N: Charlie broke the fourth wall a couple of times in this chapter. I'm so sorry that it took me so long to update! School has been overly busy lately, and I have had almost no free time for the past couple of months. I was originally going to end the chapter after the Queen's Chamber, but I decided to make it extra long since I haven't updated in over a month. Now seems like a good time to tell you that very soon, possibly even after the next chapter, you the readers will get to choose the direction the story goes! I have two different scenarios in mind, and I want you guys to get as much satisfaction out of this story as you can! So, be prepared to vote which direction the story goes in the coming chapters! Don't forget to R&R! Daisy out!