Jonathan heard it first…the sharp, frightened scream coming from outside the Museum, and he jumped to his feet. Rick, Evelyn, and Ardeth frowned
"What is it?" Rick demanded.
"Someone's screaming out there." Jonathan announced, and started for the door. The others stared at him, confused, but Jonathan motioned for them to follow and they did.
Sure enough, as the four ran out of the huge Museum doors, three large, dangerous-looking men were attacking a young woman…the same young woman who had shunned Jonathan earlier that afternoon!
"HEY!" Rick cried, rushing over. The three men were roughing the girl up quite hard, and though she was putting up quite a fight, she was no match for the three of them together.
"STOP IT!" Rick demanded.
One of the men looked up at Rick furiously. "Stay out of this!" he snarled. Fortunately, that proved just the distraction the girl needed and she kneed the man, quite hard, in the groin. The man groaned and slumped to the ground, but one of his partners grabbed the girl and threw her down next to him.
"Where is it?" He growled, taking out a small knife.
The girl stared up at him, her eyes wide, but still defiant. The man repeated the question, and she set her face against him.
There was a swift, swishing sound, of metal against leather, and Ardeth's shadow fell over the man, who stared up, his eyes widening in fear as he saw that the Med-Jai was brandishing his deadly-looking scimitar.
"I would suggest you leave her alone." Ardeth threatened quietly.
"And if we do not?" One of them spat.
"Then I will be forced to kill you." The Med-Jai returned immediately.
The three men stood, the one who had held the girl pushing her back down in angered force. The girl stayed against the ground, waiting. One of the men turned back as they walked off darkly.
"We shall be seeing you again. You can count on it." He whispered ominously.
The girl stared as they walked past.
***
Vassily sighed, staring at the box. He was wondering, faintly, if Lilia had actually made it to the Museum, or if she was simply sulking in some street café closer to home. The latter sounded more like his sister, who, when angered, needed time alone to burn it off. Vassily contended that when she returned home, he would apologize. It was better to admit he was wrong then bare his sister's rage, which burnt colder than a Russian winter.
The box was still there. Sometimes, in his less lucid moments, Vassily believed it moved on its own.
He hoped Lilia was all right. For the oddest moment, a sense of unease permeated the familiar room, and Vassily suddenly heard his sister's small voice, the way it had sounded in the Saint Petersburg train station, nine years ago. Vassily heard her voice as it had sounded then:
Lost and afraid.
***
Lilia's Russian accent grew noticeably thicker when she was upset, and at that moment, her English was nearly incomprehensible. The others around her…the cocky, big-headed Englishman, the prim and proper English woman, the brash, charismatic American, and the tattooed, distant Egyptian…could barely understand her recounting of the details. Lilia had no idea why she was telling them anything, other than the fact that she felt she owed them. They had defended her, and then they had taken her inside and they had cleaned her up a bit, wiping away the blood and dirt. Lilia was always one to repay debts, even when they were only debts of kindness.
"Wait, wait, wait…wait a minute. Now…slowly…what happened? Oh yeah, I'm Rick O'Connell, by the way." The American…Rick, apparently…held his hands up, motioning for Lilia to calm down a bit. Though not seriously hurt, Lilia knew she would be sporting a few good bruises and cuts. Which Vassily would, of course, become very upset over.
"I was walking to the Museum…this Museum, in fact…obviously…and the three men attacked me. It is as simple as that." Lilia explained, trying to control the Russian in her tone.
"They were looking for something." The Egyptian man surmised, his voice soft but deep, meaningful, and mysterious. Lilia turned to him, feeling an odd shudder pass through her as the man regarded her with his dark, shaded eyes.
"N-No." Lilia stammered, then cursed herself mentally for stammering. All of sudden she wanted to get away from these people. She had not kept it secret for eighteen years to have it pried out of her by some nosy librarians, or whatever they were. She doubted the American and the Egyptian men were librarians.
"The man said to you…'where is it'. I think he was looking for something. Yes, and I'm Jonathan Carnahan. I believe we, eh, met before." The Briton, Jonathan, gave Lilia a winning smile. Lilia raised an eyebrow at him.
"Da. We did. And I have no…no idea what he was talking about. Now if you will excuse me, I should return home." Lilia got to her feet abruptly.
"Wait…we can't let you leave, what if they're still out there. Oh yes, I am Evelyn Carnahan." The English woman introduced with a nice smile.
"You are his sister?" Lilia asked, raising an eyebrow and motioning to Jonathan. The Englishman turned a bit red, and Rick couldn't help but laugh. Though Jonathan was a very close friend (after what they had gone through together, how could they be anything but close friends?), Rick did enjoy seeing the ne'er-do-well Englishman horribly embarrassed.
"Yes…unfortunately." Evelyn rolled her eyes with a bit of a smirk. Jonathan sighed, but put on a winning smile. He could take it like a man!
"I doubt, highly, that they are still out there." Lilia protested.
"Look, lady…" Rick started.
"Lilia." The Russian woman corrected, holding up her hand. Rick nodded, smiling a bit, and continued.
"All right, look Lilia…if those three were crazy enough to attack you in the middle of a busy side walk, in broad daylight, then they will still be out there." Rick countered with a slight air of expertise. After all, he had been around the crazy evil type long enough to observe some of their habits.
"Yes, they did strike me as the persistent type." Jonathan agreed.
"My home is not far." Lilia returned coldly.
"And what happens after you return home. What if they follow you?" The Egyptian man countered. He had not given Lilia a name, and Lilia did not expect him to give her one either.
"I live with my brother." Lilia then turned to Jonathan with a bit of a sly smile. "And I believe Mr. Carnahan can describe Vassily to you."
"Ah…yes, quite a…quite a fellow." Jonathan nodded, pulling on his collar a bit. Evelyn and Rick turned to the Englishman, both cocking eyebrows. Jonathan sighed and rolled his eyes melodramatically.
"So I shall be leaving now. Thank you so much for your assistance. Das vedanya." Lilia nodded curtly, and turned to leave, but a hand fell on her shoulder. Lilia looked up to meet the dark eyes of the Egyptian man.
"At least allow me to walk you home. I believe my friends and I would feel much better about ourselves." He compromised.
"I know I would." Evelyn nodded.
"Yep." Rick added. Jonathan just gave Lilia another winning smile. Lilia sighed internally and gave him a small smile back. She then turned to the Egyptian.
"Fine." She sighed.
"Good." He nodded, and led her out of the library, but paused before they exited the Museum. He turned to her, regarding her it seemed. Lilia frowned, unusually confused.
"I am Ardeth Bay." He told her in a low voice…in fact, her very nearly whispered it.
"What is it?" Rick demanded.
"Someone's screaming out there." Jonathan announced, and started for the door. The others stared at him, confused, but Jonathan motioned for them to follow and they did.
Sure enough, as the four ran out of the huge Museum doors, three large, dangerous-looking men were attacking a young woman…the same young woman who had shunned Jonathan earlier that afternoon!
"HEY!" Rick cried, rushing over. The three men were roughing the girl up quite hard, and though she was putting up quite a fight, she was no match for the three of them together.
"STOP IT!" Rick demanded.
One of the men looked up at Rick furiously. "Stay out of this!" he snarled. Fortunately, that proved just the distraction the girl needed and she kneed the man, quite hard, in the groin. The man groaned and slumped to the ground, but one of his partners grabbed the girl and threw her down next to him.
"Where is it?" He growled, taking out a small knife.
The girl stared up at him, her eyes wide, but still defiant. The man repeated the question, and she set her face against him.
There was a swift, swishing sound, of metal against leather, and Ardeth's shadow fell over the man, who stared up, his eyes widening in fear as he saw that the Med-Jai was brandishing his deadly-looking scimitar.
"I would suggest you leave her alone." Ardeth threatened quietly.
"And if we do not?" One of them spat.
"Then I will be forced to kill you." The Med-Jai returned immediately.
The three men stood, the one who had held the girl pushing her back down in angered force. The girl stayed against the ground, waiting. One of the men turned back as they walked off darkly.
"We shall be seeing you again. You can count on it." He whispered ominously.
The girl stared as they walked past.
***
Vassily sighed, staring at the box. He was wondering, faintly, if Lilia had actually made it to the Museum, or if she was simply sulking in some street café closer to home. The latter sounded more like his sister, who, when angered, needed time alone to burn it off. Vassily contended that when she returned home, he would apologize. It was better to admit he was wrong then bare his sister's rage, which burnt colder than a Russian winter.
The box was still there. Sometimes, in his less lucid moments, Vassily believed it moved on its own.
He hoped Lilia was all right. For the oddest moment, a sense of unease permeated the familiar room, and Vassily suddenly heard his sister's small voice, the way it had sounded in the Saint Petersburg train station, nine years ago. Vassily heard her voice as it had sounded then:
Lost and afraid.
***
Lilia's Russian accent grew noticeably thicker when she was upset, and at that moment, her English was nearly incomprehensible. The others around her…the cocky, big-headed Englishman, the prim and proper English woman, the brash, charismatic American, and the tattooed, distant Egyptian…could barely understand her recounting of the details. Lilia had no idea why she was telling them anything, other than the fact that she felt she owed them. They had defended her, and then they had taken her inside and they had cleaned her up a bit, wiping away the blood and dirt. Lilia was always one to repay debts, even when they were only debts of kindness.
"Wait, wait, wait…wait a minute. Now…slowly…what happened? Oh yeah, I'm Rick O'Connell, by the way." The American…Rick, apparently…held his hands up, motioning for Lilia to calm down a bit. Though not seriously hurt, Lilia knew she would be sporting a few good bruises and cuts. Which Vassily would, of course, become very upset over.
"I was walking to the Museum…this Museum, in fact…obviously…and the three men attacked me. It is as simple as that." Lilia explained, trying to control the Russian in her tone.
"They were looking for something." The Egyptian man surmised, his voice soft but deep, meaningful, and mysterious. Lilia turned to him, feeling an odd shudder pass through her as the man regarded her with his dark, shaded eyes.
"N-No." Lilia stammered, then cursed herself mentally for stammering. All of sudden she wanted to get away from these people. She had not kept it secret for eighteen years to have it pried out of her by some nosy librarians, or whatever they were. She doubted the American and the Egyptian men were librarians.
"The man said to you…'where is it'. I think he was looking for something. Yes, and I'm Jonathan Carnahan. I believe we, eh, met before." The Briton, Jonathan, gave Lilia a winning smile. Lilia raised an eyebrow at him.
"Da. We did. And I have no…no idea what he was talking about. Now if you will excuse me, I should return home." Lilia got to her feet abruptly.
"Wait…we can't let you leave, what if they're still out there. Oh yes, I am Evelyn Carnahan." The English woman introduced with a nice smile.
"You are his sister?" Lilia asked, raising an eyebrow and motioning to Jonathan. The Englishman turned a bit red, and Rick couldn't help but laugh. Though Jonathan was a very close friend (after what they had gone through together, how could they be anything but close friends?), Rick did enjoy seeing the ne'er-do-well Englishman horribly embarrassed.
"Yes…unfortunately." Evelyn rolled her eyes with a bit of a smirk. Jonathan sighed, but put on a winning smile. He could take it like a man!
"I doubt, highly, that they are still out there." Lilia protested.
"Look, lady…" Rick started.
"Lilia." The Russian woman corrected, holding up her hand. Rick nodded, smiling a bit, and continued.
"All right, look Lilia…if those three were crazy enough to attack you in the middle of a busy side walk, in broad daylight, then they will still be out there." Rick countered with a slight air of expertise. After all, he had been around the crazy evil type long enough to observe some of their habits.
"Yes, they did strike me as the persistent type." Jonathan agreed.
"My home is not far." Lilia returned coldly.
"And what happens after you return home. What if they follow you?" The Egyptian man countered. He had not given Lilia a name, and Lilia did not expect him to give her one either.
"I live with my brother." Lilia then turned to Jonathan with a bit of a sly smile. "And I believe Mr. Carnahan can describe Vassily to you."
"Ah…yes, quite a…quite a fellow." Jonathan nodded, pulling on his collar a bit. Evelyn and Rick turned to the Englishman, both cocking eyebrows. Jonathan sighed and rolled his eyes melodramatically.
"So I shall be leaving now. Thank you so much for your assistance. Das vedanya." Lilia nodded curtly, and turned to leave, but a hand fell on her shoulder. Lilia looked up to meet the dark eyes of the Egyptian man.
"At least allow me to walk you home. I believe my friends and I would feel much better about ourselves." He compromised.
"I know I would." Evelyn nodded.
"Yep." Rick added. Jonathan just gave Lilia another winning smile. Lilia sighed internally and gave him a small smile back. She then turned to the Egyptian.
"Fine." She sighed.
"Good." He nodded, and led her out of the library, but paused before they exited the Museum. He turned to her, regarding her it seemed. Lilia frowned, unusually confused.
"I am Ardeth Bay." He told her in a low voice…in fact, her very nearly whispered it.