Simon amuses me ^_^

The Puzzle

London, England

"And from out of the desert, two heroes swing into action!" Alex cried. He was in the Zephyr's superstructure with his next door neighbor, and the two of them were swinging from beam to beam on ropes tied to the highest point.

Simon landed on the metal beam beside him. He was quite short and had dark hair and big, round glasses. "If you were around more, we could hang out all the time," he said.

"I know," Alex replied, fixing his sleeve. He usually had them rolled up, but was using them to cover up the Manacle while he played with Simon. "It's kinda hard being on the go all the time."

"At least your parents take you around the world. The only place I went to last year was the shoelace convention in Liverpool."

The redhead laughed, drawing his wooden sword. Simon drew his as well, and the pair began a swordfight.

"What's that?" the younger boy asked suddenly.

Alex' sleeve had dropped slightly, and a little gold was showing. "Oh – nothing," he tried to blow it off. "Just something I found on one of my mom's digs."

"It looks magical," Simon said, lowering his wooden sword and taking a closer look.

He laughed again. "Magical? You read way too many comic books, Simon. Come on," he swiftly moved past the subject, taking his rope and swinging through the air again.

Rick opened the hatch on the floor of the air chamber, sticking his head up. "Alright, guys, time to hit the road. I'm done packing up," he said.

They drove back to their house, and Rick made the boys part ways.

"Okay, Simon, I'm sure you want to go home for dinner."

"Obviously you've never tasted my mum's tuna noodle casserole," the 10-year old replied.

Alex laughed again, waving goodbye to his friend. "I'll see you later, Simon," he walked inside the gate.

"And you have chores to do, Sport," his father reminded him. "Starting with taking out the trash."

The redhead walked over to the garbage can. As soon as Rick was out of sight, he rolled up his sleeve.

"And I think I could use a little help," he grinned to himself. "After all, practice does make perfect."

He concentrated hard, and the Manacle glowed. Catching the trash in its aura, he lifted it and walked it down the path.

"You give chores a whole new meaning," he said, proud with himself.

Simon peered over the fence from his house. "How are you doing that?" he asked in amazement.

Alex was startled, and hid his glowing arm behind his back. "Doing what?"

The sudden jerk made the garbage cans fall over, and their contents flew everywhere. "Whoops."

"I knew it!" the English boy exclaimed. "That thing is magical! You've got to tell me what it is!"

The redhead stepped closer to the fence. Jena, his only friend, hadn't been around in weeks, and he was dying to share the Manacle's abilities with someone other than his parents. "Can you keep a secret?"

Simon mimicked pulling a zipper across his mouth.

Inside the house Rick greeted his wife, who was flicking through a pile of books with one hand to her head.

"I just finished unloading the last of the packs from the Zephyr," he said. "Boy, it is good to be home. How's the research going?"

Evy sat back in her chair and sighed. "Terrible," she replied. "I don't know what we're going to do. We've exhausted every clue I can think of."

"Well, maybe this'll cheer you up," he held up the page in his hand. "It's a telegram from Ardeth Bay. 'Found: one piece of the Puzzle of Horus. Should lead us to the scrolls. Come to Egypt at once. I will see you in Khadri. Bring Alex: we will need the Manacle of Osiris'."

Evy didn't hear anything past the first sentence. "The Puzzle of Horus!" she repeated. "Of course that's the answer!"

"What was the question?" Rick asked as she lifted a book from the pile on the table.

"Horus was the son of Osiris," she explained, leaving through a large diary. "He created the Puzzle to project a vision of where the Scrolls of Thebes would be. Legend says Horus then broke the Puzzle apart and had his soldiers hide the three pieces. He who has the Manacle has the ability to find the pieces."

"So if we find the pieces and put them together…"

"The Puzzle should show us the location of the scrolls! The real location, without any more wild goose chases!" Her eyes were gleaming.

Rick sighed. "Something tells me I shouldn't have unpacked."

In the garden, Alex was telling Simon about all the adventures.

"A real mummy?" Simon echoed. "But in the movies they're so slow and stupid."

"Trust me; this one's fast and smart."

"Simon, what are you still doing here?" Rick asked as he exited the house.

"He was just leaving," Alex said.

"And so are we, Alex. We're going to Egypt tomorrow; something's come up."

"Will you be back soon?" Simon asked.

The redhead shrugged. "You never know."

The next morning, they were packed again.

"Looks like we're about ready," Rick said, clipping a trunk shut.

"Ready, willing, and more than able," said a familiar voice.

"Jonathan," the American said, his voice filled with dread. "What a…"

"Surprise?"

"That wasn't exactly the word I had in mind."

"So, where are we off to this time?" Jonathan asked, rubbing his hands.

"Egypt," his sister answered.

"Egypt? As in – "

"Mummy central," Rick finished. "It's not too late to back out – we'd understand. Actually, more than understand."

"No, I'm a man of my word. I'm going," Jonathan replied.

"Suddenly, he's a man of his word."

It was a short trip to the airfield, and an unexpected surprise was waiting for them there.

"Hey!" called a cheerful voice as they drove up to the Zephyr's dock. Jena was waving at them.

"Jena!" Alex was the first out of the car and ran to greet her. "Where've you been? We haven't heard from you in weeks! Are you okay?" he noticed the cast on one of her arms, but it wasn't in a sling.

"Of course – I'm fine," her smile didn't decrease in the slightest. "Broke my arm, is all. I got my memories back, but I just wanted to let you guys know I'm okay. Are you headed off somewhere?"

"We were just about to go look for the scrolls," Rick said, carrying some bags up to the airship. "A lead showed up in Egypt."

"Egypt," her expression faltered for a second. "Want some help looking? Now that I can use my powers…"

"You can use your powers?" Alex exclaimed. "That's so cool! So you can shoot fire, and control water and fly?"

"Well… not yet," Jena admitted. "But it's only a matter of time."

She told them all about her agents on the flight to Egypt, but wouldn't answer any questions about her recovered memories. Evy wouldn't let anyone push the matter.

They were just pulling down to the pyramids when a sudden gust of wind knocked the Zephyr off course.

"Can't you smooth out the ride?" Jonathan protested. "You're making me sick."

"Trust me," his brother-in-law replied. "The feeling's mutual."

"It's just turbulence," Evy said to her brother. The blimp shook again, and a storage closet burst open. A small boy fell out. "Simon Montgomery? What are you doing here?"

Simon smiled sheepishly. "Well – you're always traveling to some far off land. It just seemed like fun."

"Fun?" Rick echoed. "That's an interesting word for what we do."

"It's going to be more fun now," Jena said, walking up to Simon and facing Alex. "Who is this?" she asked.

"This is my neighbor, Simon. Simon, this is Jena. She's been traveling with us."

Simon scrambled to his feet and stared at her in awe. "And your parents let you travel all over the world, fighting mummies and dragons?"

"Actually… Mama doesn't know about any of that," Jena confessed. "Papa's pretty cool with it, though."

Evy turned to her son. "Alex, did you know about our stowaway?"

"No, Mom," Alex hurriedly denied. "I didn't tell him anything!"

Simon walked over to the window and looked out at the pyramids. "What are we going to destroy with your Manacle first? Skeleton warriors or sea serpents?"

Evy glared at the culprit.

"Okay, so I may have said something," he admitted.

"As soon as we can find a place to send a telegram, we're going to let Simon's parents know he's okay," the woman said. "Then we're sending you home by whatever means necessary."

"Mrs. O'Connell, I read Bram Stocker's The Mummy cover to cover," Simon said enthusiastically. "Don't worry, I can handle myself out there."

"Actually, Simon," Evy smiled. "I'm not at all worried about you being out there."

Her meaning was made clear when they landed. The three O'Connells, accompanied by Jena, left him in the safety of the Zephyr while they went to talk to Ardeth Bay.

"It's not fair," the boy complained. "I should be out there."

"I'll let you in on a little secret, lad," Jonathan said from his sprawled position on the couch. "Out there is grossly overrated. Besides, you are in here with the man responsible for leading the battle charge against the Mummy several times."

"You did?" Simon was instantly intrigued.

"Well, I hate to brag, but if I must… pull up a seat!"

While Jonathan was lying through his teeth, the O'Connells were discovering the location to the second puzzle piece.

"One piece of the Puzzle of Horus," Ardeth handed the golden fragment to Alex. As soon as it entered his close proximity, the Manacle glowed.

"The soldiers put a piece of a puzzle in a bunker," Alex said when the vision stopped. "It was right beside a big arch."

"The Arch of Sobekhotep," Jena added. Like every vision, she had seen what it had showed Alex.

"We must hurry," the Medjai warned them. "I took this piece out of the Mummy's possession; it is likely that he is on our trail."

#~#~#

"And that ishow I single-handedly turned Imhotep into a quivering mass of bandages," Jonathan finished much later.

Simon was sitting with his arms crossed, not enjoying the story. He looked up, glad that it had ended, and looked behind the man. "Fire!" he exclaimed.

"Actually, I relied on brute force."

"No, fire!" he pointed.

Jonathan turned around to see part of the blimp in flames and let out a yell.

"What do we do?" they both cried in unison. "Why are you asking me?"

Jonathan hurried to the door and opened it. "When I'm the bravest one in the room, we are in deep trouble."

No time to get the rope ladder, the two of them leaped out into the sand.

#~#~#

"It appears the architectural style has changed over a few thousand years," Ardeth commented dryly.

They were standing in front of a warehouse beside the arch, the neon lights flickering.

"The warehouse is built on top of the ruins," Evy said, disheartened.

"And getting through the concrete floor to the bunker won't be easy, that's for sure," Rick added.

"Hey, Jena, got any agent's ability that could help?" Alex asked his friend.

"What?" the arukatasu exclaimed. "Of course not – I've only passed one test so far!"

Imhotep made a sudden appearance, sending a fireball which halted any planning. Jena warned them it was coming, so they could all dodge in time, but it hit a box of firecrackers. They all exploded noisily, flying into the air.

"No notice? Can't you sense his presence?" Rick demanded the girl.

She laughed apologetically. "I forget you guys can't."

"Look!" Alex pointed to a trapdoor behind Imhotep. "Maybe it's close to the bunker."

Jena grinned, and summoned her agent's ability by creating a portal inside her own body. Jump's power was instantly absorbed without its physical form needing to appear.

Bending her knees, she flew upwards into the air and grasped the railings on a higher platform. Launching off it, she had passed the Mummy and was standing beside the trapdoor in a second.

"This," she said to herself, "Is awesome."

She hopped down into the basement.

Rick and Ardeth heaved a box of fireworks onto a forklift. Alex used the Manacle to move it forward, and the Medjai threw a lit dynamite into the open crate as it neared the Mummy and his lackey.

Simon and Jonathan entered the warehouse at that moment.

"This is even better than the movies!" the boy exclaimed. Fireworks shot towards them, and they fell to the ground to escape.

"And just a wee bit more realistic," Jonathan added.

"Get back!" Evy yelled as the four of them ran towards the side door. Pushing the 10-year old, she turned on her brother as they all cleared the exploding warehouse. "Jonathan, I told you to wait with him in the Zephyr!"

"Imhotep set it on fire," he protested in his defense. "It was either follow you, or be burned."

"So the Zephyr got destroyed?" she exclaimed.

"We'll figure something out," Rick said grimly. "We always do."

Simon looked around. "Where's that girl that was with you?"

At that moment, a something small shot out from the exploding warehouse, flying high into the air and landing beside them. Jena grinned at all their expressions.

"D- did you just jump that distance?" Simon stammered.

"Yup," she answered cheerfully. "Cool, isn't it?"

"Did you get the puzzle piece?" Rick asked.

In response she pulled the gold piece out of her pocket. Alex took it, and another vision told the two of them where the third piece was buried.

"The statues of Bahariya," Jena said when the vision had faded. "They're pretty far away from here."

"If we hurry, we can make the train," Ardeth informed them.

"Bahariya," Simon said dreamily. "How exotic."

"I'm afraid you're not getting off," Evy told him. "I'll telegraph your parents from the train. We have friends in Cairo that you can stay with until your parents arrive. No, 'if's, 'and's or 'but's, Simon," she added when he tried to protest.

On the train, Jonathan placed one hand on his head. "I need a career change," he said.

"You need to have a career before you can change it," Rick added.

"Details, details."

Simon was sitting next to Ardeth, continuously bugging him.

"Alex said you're a Medjai," he prattled. "Part of a secret sect. Is that like being a Secret Avenger? I read all their comic books. I even have a Secret Avenger's pen light – "

"Uh," Alex approached his friend and pulled him away. "Sorry, Ardeth. Simon's still learning the difference between a comic book and real life."

Jena was sitting by herself on a bench behind the rest. She had summoned Jump's physical form, and the bunny-like creature was curled up on her lap as she stroked it and talked to it.

"I really hate waiting," she said quietly. "And I can't afford to, either."

There's nothing you can do about it, Jump replied without moving. You have no choice but to wait for another agent to issue a test.

"But I need to be able to do more stuff," the girl protested. "I need to at least be able to fly, and have speed, and I need some kind of attack – "

No matter what you say to me, I have no influence over the others.

"There must be something I can do to hurry up the next test."

Indeed.

She sat up straighter. "What is it?"

Try not to think about it, and the time will pass quicker.

Jena frowned. "That doesn't change anything. I'm still not taking a test."

The others will decide the best time to issue their tasks. It's likely they're waiting for your arm to heal.

She looked at the cast on her arm. It had been a week since her fall, and although she healed faster than normal people, it didn't seem to be progressing.

"May I sit next to you?"

She lifted her head to see Evy. "Of course. This is Jump, one of my agents."

Evy looked around. "I don't see anyone," she said in confusion.

Jump lifted its head. Normal people can't see agents.

"Oh." Jena explained. "It seems they're all invisible to you."

"That's a shame." The woman sat on the bench. "Did you have a nice time at home?"

"Yes. I love traveling with you guys, but I miss my family as well. Especially my brother."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." Evy's expression clouded, and she hesitated briefly. "I know you don't want to talk about it, but regarding that man in China…"

Jena dipped her head.

"I need to know if he'll be showing up again."

There was a pause.

"I don't know; maybe," the arukatasu admitted. "I'm sure he's looking for me, now that he knows I'm alive. Don't worry, though. He has no interest in your family. I don't think he will, but if he does find me I'll lead him away from you."

After a moment, she added, "The High Priest is here."

Just then, the train shuddered. A few seconds later, the car door was ripped off its hinges and the smell of death flooded their senses.

"Why must he always ruin every trip?" Jonathan asked in exasperation.

Imhotep took a deep, deep breath.

"Everybody move," Rick ordered. Evy, Jonathan and the three children hurried to the other door. Alex had the two puzzle pieces in a box under his arm.

The Mummy sent a gale through the car as soon as he exhaled, and everyone grabbed onto something except Simon.

"Look out!" Alex shouted, tackling his friend and protecting him from being blown into the wall.

Ardeth drew one of his swords and swiped at Imhotep, who ripped a metal bar from the floor and began sparring. After a few shots, the priest threw the bar at the Medjai, throwing him over.

Rick grabbed something a ceiling rail and swung himself across the car to kick the Mummy. Imhotep grasped his ankle and threw him backwards, towards the others.

All this time, although no one could see it, Jump had been hopping from place to place to avoid getting hit. Jena was watching with fascination.

"Oh, I get it!" she exclaimed suddenly. "Jump is an evasive ability, not just convenience!"

She received a few odd looks, but she didn't notice. She hopped up a couple of feet into the air, and before she could land she quickly launched herself off the wall towards the high priest. The leap enabled her to cross the car more quickly than usual, and she had Imhotep's attention at once.

Using her newfound agility, she taunted him and hopped out of the way before he could lay a hand on her, giving everyone else a chance to escape to the next car. Unfortunately, they were moving towards the back of the train, instead of the front.

Anticipating her escape, Imhotep slammed Jena into the wall with his hand around her throat. She clutched at her neck, her windpipe being crushed, and saw Jump behind her captor. It was jumping on the spot, bending its knees more than it needed to.

Again, she understood. Jump's power was that it gave strength to her legs, not just for jumping. Curling into a ball, the girl kicked the Mummy with both her heels.

Imhotep flew backwards, crashing into the other side of the car, and Jena followed her companions to the next compartment.

Evy was at the next door, which was sealed shut. "It's a dead end," she said. "The next compartment must be a box car."

Jena caught up with them and glared at the door.

"I need the help of more agents," she muttered, determining to try something she had thought of a while back. She wasn't sure it would work, so she had been saving it until she really needed it.

Taking a step away from the door, she created a portal in front of her. A bright pink form stepped out of it; this was Power.

Power took the image of a little girl – about five or six years old – that seemed to be dressed like a circus performer. Her dress was the color of cotton candy, and resembled a tutu. Her pants were stuffed with air to puff them out so that each leg was about a foot wide – not much less than they were long. Her shoes were pink little slippers that curled at the end, and to top everything off she was covered in bright baubles.

Power frowned at her master, her large pink eyes narrowing. "That won't work," she replied, tossing a strand of short hair away from her face. Usually she was a carefree, fun-loving agent, but being manipulated was not something she enjoyed. "I'm not going to open the door."

"Come on, please!" Jena begged. "Issue me a test, real quick."

"My test is a battle of strength," the agent informed her. "Do you really want to take that test using only Jump as aid? You'll fail and end up with a contract, when you need my particular gift to pass a lot of the other tests. Contracted agents won't help during trials."

Jena had no choice but to create a portal, and Power took a step towards it. "Next time you summon an agent without passing the test, you won't even have a chance at the trial," she issued her final warning before disappearing.

The door to the car lid open, and Imhotep's roar of fury filled the car.

"He sounds mad," Simon said, feeling afraid for the first time. The reality of the situation had just dawned on him.

"That's not his stomach growling," Jonathan replied.

Desperate, Alex moved towards the window. "You want the Puzzle?" he said, getting a good grip on the box in his hands. "Fetch!"

As hard as he could, the boy hurled the metal box into the window. The glass instantly shattered, and the prized pieces fell onto the desert beside the track and were left behind.

"Alex!" Evy exclaimed in disbelief.

Imhotep roared again. Turning, he left the cabin from the way he had come in. Slamming the door closed, the Mummy sent a burst of fire onto the metal, wielding it shut, and stepped onto the next car. He smiled to himself as he heard another train shooting down the parallel track towards them. He summoned all his strength and detached the two cars, lifting the one containing the troublesome humans and throwing it across the rail of the oncoming train.

Everyone rolled across the car as it was shifted.

"There's another train coming," Jena announced. Her hearing was the best.

With both the doors welded, Ardeth quickly punched open the sky light and hoisted himself onto the roof. Rick helped the children up while the Medjai pulled them out, followed by Evy and Jonathan. Finally, the American was the last to leave.

"Hurry!" Evy rushed them as they ran off the roof. The moving train would hit them in five seconds.

No time to use the ladder, they all dived off the car and landed painfully on the hot sand – all except Alex, who had dropped something which was apparently important enough to go back for.

"Alex!" Rick shouted, taking a step back to go after him. Jena stopped him.

"I'll get him – look after everyone else!"

Before he could argue, she had leaped back onto the roof and dropped into the car after her friend. Alex was right beside her, looking startled by her sudden appearance. He had apparently retrieved what he had dropped.

Acting quickly, the arukatasu grabbed him and jumped as high as she could. The moving train smashed into the stationary car almost as soon as they were clear.

The two of them flew into the air. Higher and higher, it didn't seem like they would ever fall back to earth.

"How high can you jump, exactly?" Alex yelled over the rush of air. He was holding onto her tightly.

"Honestly," she replied worriedly. "This is higher than I've ever gone."

Finally, they peaked and began the journey down. Moving faster and faster, Jena concentrated hard. The first time she had made a huge jump, she had lost balance and broken her arm. But for the week between then and her return to the O'Connells she's been practicing staying in control, and she thought – or hoped – that she could handle this.

After what seemed an eternity, they landed on the ground. The landing shock was quite painful, but she was on her feet.

She let out a huge breath of relief. That was lucky.

"Are you two alright?" Rick asked anxiously, running up to them.

"I'm okay," Alex replied. He was shaking, but unhurt.

"Yeah, fine," Jena said, sinking to her knees. Her legs felt like jelly.

Relieved, Evy moved onto the next task. "We've got to find a way to get the Puzzle pieces back from Imhotep," she said.

"Unless he never got them in the first place," Alex grinned, removing the golden parts from his pocket proudly. "Think he'll be mad?"

Everyone was relieved.

"Bahariya is just over that bridge," Ardeth pointed in the direction they had been traveling in the train, "And the Mummy is no more than a mile or two behind us."

"Then let's get going," Evy began walking. "I'd like to have Simon in Cairo by sunset."

There really was nothing else to do other than begin the trek. Fortunately it wasn't far; it couldn't have been more than a couple of miles. Their main concern was Imhotep catching up with them.

It wasn't long before they were approaching the statues of Bahariya. They all searched in the sand, and soon Jonathan straightened his back in triumph.

"Got it!" he exclaimed. "Finder's keepers, mummy's weepers."

Alex took it, trying to connect it to the first two. "The third piece won't fit," he said, exasperated. "You're good at puzzles, Simon. Why don't you try?"

The 10-year old took the pieces of gold and fidgeted with them for a few moments, his brow furrowed in concentration. When the three segments were connected in a shape that somewhat resembled a visor, he looked up. "I think I did it," he said.

Alex took the completed Puzzle of Horus, and it glowed with a bright light. Instead of giving him a vision of the scrolls' location, the visor projected a life-size holographic image of the Eiffel Tower.

"It's Paris!" Jonathan exclaimed with delight. "Finally, a city with a little class."

"But… where exactly are the scrolls?" Rick wondered, a little confused.

"As we get closer to the scrolls, more shall be revealed," Ardeth said. "The Puzzle shall be our roadmap." Suddenly he pointed at the approaching sandstorm in the distance. "Unless we want company we must leave."

"Turn off the hologram – he'll see it!" Jena exclaimed, leaping towards Alex and snatching the Puzzle out of his grasp. In doing so, her hand brushed against the Manacle.

"Wow!" Alex shook his wrist as a burst of energy was released. It swarmed into the Bahariya statues of several Griffins, causing them to come to life. "I think the Manacle just gave us a way out of here!"

Jonathan looked horrified. "I'm not riding one of those things!" he refused.

"You're welcome to stay and keep Imhotep company," Ardeth responded, climbing onto one of the animals.

After reconsidering, the Englishman chose escape. "Tally-ho!"

Imhotep emerged from the whirlwind, and a dizzy Weasler fell on the ground beside him. Simon gasped at the sight of them. The Mummy was completely furious.

"Come on," Alex seized his friend's arm and dragged him to the beasts. They hopped onto the same one and flew into the air with everyone else.

"This was a little better than one of your comic books, right?" he asked as they flew higher. "And just wait 'til we get to Paris."

"Paris?" Simon exclaimed in horror. "Your mum said my parents are meeting me in Cairo. I'm going home. I think almost being burnt to a crisp, fighting a Mummy and jumping off the roof of a train while another one is speeding towards us," he took a breath, "Is quite enough."

"I thought it was a slow day," the redhead replied with a grin.

Jena flew her Griffin close to Rick's to speak with him. "Do you think the High Priest saw the image of that tower?" she asked.

"Don't know," the American replied. "I guess we'll find out soon enough."

The arukatasu frowned. "I really need to pass more tests, though," she said, and then she sighed. "It's too bad. I really can't do anything other than wait for them to be issued."

Suddenly a portal opened above her, and a woman in a deep green dress stepped out. Jena recognized her as Through.

Through smiled at her, landing on the head of her Griffin. Her lime colored hair was tied in a loose bun, and strands blew in the wind. "I'm glad you can accept that," the agent said. "I'll give you a test. It will be done inside of a building, and you may use the aid of Jump to help."

Through evaporated, returning to the form of a card.

Jena grinned wildly. "Yes!" she exclaimed. Then she sobered again. It wouldn't be long before the Scrolls of Thebes were found. Unlike the other times, this wasn't a false lead. And when the time came… there wouldn't be any reason to remain with the O'Connells. For that, she was sad.

She was also concerned about what would happen to the Manacle after it was removed from Alex' wrist. Would it go to the museum, as Evy had originally intended? Or would it be destroyed along with its powers?

Either way, she would deal with it when the time came. For now, she would focus on her test with Through… and helping her friends.