Disclaimer: I do not own The Mummy. Just my OC.
A/n: So, I haven't written the Mummy in a very long time, but I do love it. It's one of my absolute favorite movies. We'll see how this one goes. Re-written and renamed. Follows, favorites, and reviews are welcomed and loved! Thank you! Enjoy!
Chapter One: Bargaining Chip
1923. Hamunaptra, Egypt
"Give us the girl, and maybe no one gets hurt," Rick shouted out to the enemy across the sands of Egypt. His rifle was perched against the trench. Hot sun beat down on his back, but he was steady.
No one messed with his best friend. No one. One who'd been there for him when he needed someone most on his worst days.
One Tuareg warrior roughly moved Rory back into his chest, grabbing onto her neck with his greasy dirty fingers, making her wince. She glared back at her best friend. What the hell was he doing?! Just shoot already, she pleaded desperately as it would be her only chance of escape.
Diversion, diversion, diversion, she repeated over and over in her head. She needed a diversion so she could escape. She gritted her teeth together. Damn it, Rick.
Fine. They didn't seem to be budging. Rick shifted within his position and glanced at his other best friend, Beni, who seemed a bit nervous. Rick grimaced.
"Charge!" the warrior holding her yelled in a language she barely understood.
They started rushing towards their enemy with their weapons raised, fighting for Hamunaptra, something Rory wished she only knew as a fairy tale. He gripped onto her tight to keep her from falling off his horse. Her hands were tied in front of her and she was in an awkward position. And her heart was beating faster than a mile as they raced across the desert heading towards the city, the one city they had searched for.
"All right then," Rick nodded as the warrior made his point with Rory tight in his grasp. Then their own general suddenly smacked the side of his horse and headed in the other direction back to the temples. Rick and Beni looked back at his retreating form curiously and then at each other.
"He just got promoted," Beni shrugged.
"Ready!" Rick called out and then leaned into his friend quietly. "You with me on this one right?"
"Oh, your strength gives me strength," Beni exclaimed.
Rick sighed. Right. He was on his own.
"Steady!" he yelled at his garrison who was supporting him down the line of the trenches.
C'mon Rick… Rory pleaded to herself as they got closer to the city. What the hell was he waiting for?
She could see that even Beni was heading for the temples as she fought through her tied restraints, trying desperately to get them off of her. He'd dropped his weapon and ran like a scardy-cat. "Wait for me!"
"Fire!" Rick shouted. And no sooner did he shout fire, his fellow French legionnaires aimed at the warriors that had headed their way. Rick shot at the warriors and one by one they fell over onto the desert, falling off their horses. Finally, one bullet had hit her captor's that caused them both to fall over, leading her to escape the chaos that had surrounded her.
Rory grimaced at the fall, and scrambled out from underneath the dust. Rick looked into the mess of the fading out Tuaregs for his best friend.
"Rory!" he yelled for her in fear she wasn't able to get out from the crazy that ensued all around them as everyone fired at one another. "There you are," he said. "This is not a time for roly-poly, come on," he said, picking her up to the point of almost dragging her. Her beautiful red skirt got ripped due to the horses' hooves stumbling over it as she had tried to get up herself. He grabbed her by the arm and together they ran back and away from the trenches. Rick pushed her back to the temples.
"Get inside!" He took out his pocketknife and cut through her restraints, setting her wrists free.
"Run!" He pushed her back towards the temple door that was still open. She ran back without a second thought so he could fight them off.
She ran down the sand, gripping onto her skirts. Fear and adrenaline had rushed into her lungs. She saw Beni waiting to see what was going on. He had a confused yet surprised facial expression as she approached him.
"Beni!" she gasped.
"You're alive!" he exclaimed excitedly.
"Yeah, no thanks to you. Go. Rick's on his way," Rory explained, wanting to shove Beni into safety, despite his antics. "If you're not going to use this, I'm going to," she said, picking up his rifle. She held it in between her arms, and was about to place her finger over the trigger until she saw Rick coming, and rushing towards them, screaming at them.
"Get inside! Get inside!"
Beni rushed into the temple and started to push the door close.
"Beni!" Rory yelled at him, turning to face him with a horrified look. She and Rick ran towards him.
"Don't you close that door! Don't you close that door!" Rick yelled at him, but it was too late. Beni had already closed it, leaving Rory and Rick out.
Rory sighed, breathing hard, and in defeat. Rick glanced at the rifle she suddenly had in her hands. She looked down at it and shrugged.
More shots fired at them. Rick covered Rory to protect her as she ducked, and used the rifle as some sort of cover until it ran out of bullets. She threw the rifle at them, narrowly hitting one of the warriors. Seeing the anger seethe into his soul made her think to retract her actions and run away with Rick by her side.
They both ran to get out of harm's way and into the temple city. "Jump!" Rick cried and he jumped over a big fallen pillar in the sand. Rory yelped in surprise as she attempted to jump over but rolled over into a tumble and rolled in the sand. He helped her up as the bullets continued to fly over them.
"Go, go, go, go!" he shouted at her as they continued to run from the remaining Tuareg's. She heard their cries that only made her heart pound against her chest even more.
They ran all the way into the desert city until they stopped at one statue. Rory and Rick looked at one another frantically and looked around for a way out only to realize that they were trapped. The Tuareg's had them cornered. They aimed their guns at them, ready to fire.
Rory licked her dry lips, and looked over at Rick. His eyes were closed, and she frowned. This was it? This was how the great duo was going to end?
But then by some miracle, the Tuareg's horses suddenly got spooked and started to turn around without their horse master's consent until they realized where they were standing. A woosh sound came over them and chills swept over Rory.
Then she heard it. The voice. Rory shivered and she turned to face Rick. Was he hearing it too, or was she going crazy from the sun and being out in the desert for so long? The voice got louder and more haunting in her soul that she couldn't let go of.
They shared a knowing look and turned around to face the statue. Rory blinked up at it. She inhaled sharply. This statue in particular seemed to hold something mysterious that she couldn't quite place her finger on and it was bugging her.
Then suddenly the sands started throwing at them. Rick jumped, startled from the sudden surprise. Rory too. They spun around and closed in beside one another only to find the sand sinking into a face.
A face with no eyes, and no tongue, cut deep into the sands beneath their feet.
"Rory… Do you know what that is?" he asked.
Rory was just as shocked and spooked as he was. She did not believe in the supernatural. It wasn't why she came to Egypt. She preferred the dead stay buried.
"I collect artifacts, Rick, not statues," she whispered, shocked to her very core being. "Can we get out of here now?" She really didn't like being here.
"Yeah," Rick nodded. "Let's." He sighed and together they started to head out, following the scared Tuareg's, of which they decided to surrender after that strange spooky moment in Hamunaptra.
They made their way into the desert, ready to head back into Cairo. He shook his head. "You had one job to do, Rory. One job. Keep the general occupied. Not become a bargaining chip."
"Yeah well, the asshole wanted to do more than occupied," Rory glared at him. "Dancing and drinking only held his interest so much. I had no choice."
Rick frowned. "The gig was up, huh?"
Rory nodded. "Very much so. Caught onto the fact we'd traveled into Libya and to Egypt to find this city of gold, or dead; take your pick on which one you like best," she said, discarding the rest of her restraints into the desert.
"Gold. Rory. We like gold," he reminded her.
She sighed. "Yeah. Me too."
She looked at her redden wrists and rubbed them in between her fingers. God, she was a mess. Her hair, her face, her skirt, ugh everything was torn and possibly blood ridden with cuts from this. It wasn't supposed to get this far, that's what he'd promised. She shook her head.
Unbeknownst to the two young travelers, a fine line of Medjai warriors stood upon a high ledge on close watch.
"The creature remains undiscovered."
"And what of these two? Should we kill them?"
"No," the leader of the Medjai said. "The desert will kill them."
Rick suddenly paused in his trek, and Rory frowned, wondering what was crossing his mind all of a sudden, but then she felt it too. Eyes watching her, watching them.
Rory narrowed her eyes at the warriors on white horses covered in black garment with interesting tattoos on their faces.
Rory looked up at the leader, or she assumed he was the leader because he was standing in the middle. Guardians? She stared into his eyes, and he stared back into hers. Her heart was still pounding, and this time she wasn't running. She was still. Captivated.
Rory bit her bottom lip and pulled a strand of hair out of her eyes that made her wince. Her finger had scraped against one of the incisions she'd gotten from her tumble and fall. Rick looked over at that and he stepped closer towards her checking out her wounds.
"Rick, I'm fine," Rory protested, pushing his hands away as he became concerned for his friend's injuries.
"No, you're not. C'mon. Let's get you cleaned up. He didn't hurt you did he?"
"No. I'm fine I hit him right in the shin just like you taught me," she said, and couldn't help but notice a little proud grin on his face, the kind of grin that a proud older brother would have over a younger sister. She rolled her eyes. "Please, let's just leave," Rory said and started to walk forward once more, already dreading the desert heat.
~*TM*~
