Rick and Ardeth, meanwhile, were up on the deck, a little ways away from where Greta was staring out at the sea.
"So…if the Germans can unlock this pendant thing, then all hell breaks loose?" Rick asked, tilting his head for clarification. Ardeth raised an eyebrow at the overly-casual American, but couldn't help smiling.
"Yes, that is the basic idea." Ardeth nodded.
"But…what, exactly, will happen? I mean…you didn't really explain it very well…" Rick motioned, trailing off a bit.
"Honestly…I did not explain it well because I do not know, exactly." Ardeth admitted after a reflective moment. Rick turned fully to him, an eyebrow raised.
"You don't know?" He asked incredulously.
Ardeth shrugged, a bit self-consciously, then allowed a small smile. "Among my people, the Bridle had always been considered a legend. We never had any clue it actually existed. We had been told stories of a King…but no name was ever given. We assumed it was a legend, because the details were so hazy. All that I know for sure, is that this King supposedly wanted to conquer Earth for some reason other than simply…" Ardeth trailed off, struggling for the words.
"Conquering the Earth." Rick supplied.
"Yes. Exactly. There was supposed to be some ulterior motive, which was what made him so feared. And the bridle was supposedly worn by his stallion, and whenever he rode with it, all the armies of the Earth would follow him, allowing him complete and total control. But nothing more was ever divulged to us." Ardeth continued.
"Then how did the damn Germans know about it?" Rick mused.
"Oh, I am sure the legend is well-documented. And I have heard that their new leader is quite a mystic, besides being almost insane for power. That is just the sort of combination we should fear." Ardeth shrugged, and Rick nodded in thoughtful agreement.
"Well, hopefully we can…" Rick started, but Ardeth cut him off quickly by smacking his arm. Rick turned to Ardeth, confused, and the Med-Jai discretely motioned behind them. Rick turned his head a bit and saw two large men
"The Germans." Ardeth whispered.
Rick's eyes widened. He hadn't guessed the men to be as big as they were…and so fierce looking.
"What do we do?" Rick hissed.
"Perhaps they will not see us." Ardeth returned.
That seemed to be the case when all of a sudden, from the other side of the ship, Jonathan and Suzette came running up loudly, and painfully apparent. The two Germans heard the commotion and turned. Ardeth winced as he watched them approach suspiciously.
Rick and Ardeth motioned fiercely for the two of them to remain silent, but Suzette and Jonathan didn't see. Jonathan reached Rick first, his eyes wide.
"Jonathan…" Rick started, his lips pressed together in fear, and Ardeth reached into his pocket. Rick saw and hoped Ardeth was armed in some way, because he, unfortunately, was not.
"Rick! That German woman that was with the men who stole the pendant from Suzette is on the boat so that means…" Jonathan stopped abruptly as he felt a large hand clamp down hard on his shoulder.
"Dieu…" Suzette whispered, her eyes wide.
The man whose name Suzette recalled being Gerhard grabbed Ardeth Bey and whirled him around, pressing him back against the railing. Ardeth's hand was still in his pocket. Gerhard didn't seem to notice that, and Suzette prayed the man had some sort of back-up.
"Pleasure to see you, sir…and, ah, I see you have brought some friends." Gerhard smirked. Gerhard's partner had Jonathan still by the shoulder, and had pulled a pistol from his pocket. He aimed the gun at Rick, who had looked about to dash off.
"Do not move." Gerhard's partner demanded.
Gerhard smiled, then turned to Suzette. "And you, fraulein, what a pleasure! We never got the chance to thank you for supplying us with your pendant."
"Damned lousy Kraut." Suzette muttered angrily.
In a sudden flurry of movement, Ardeth pulled a small pistol out of his pocket and aimed it at Gerhard, who jumped back as his partner instantly pointed his own handgun at Ardeth. Using his distraction, Rick jumped on top of Gerhard, who was unarmed apparently, and sent the German plowing down into his partner. The man fell to the deck, almost pushing Ardeth over the side of the boat, but Jonathan grabbed the Med-Jai before he could fall. The pistol was knocked from the German's hand and it shot off the side of the boat into the Mediterranean below.
"Damn!" he cried.
"Suzette! Get the pendant!" Rick demanded as Gerhard jumped to his feet, throwing Rick off and to the ground. Suzette, who had been watching the scene unfold, open-mouthed, snapped back into motion and dove towards the still-unnamed German as Ardeth jumped on top of him to prevent him from getting up. Gerhard, who had dislodge Rick, cried out and pushed Ardeth off, but Suzette stuck her hand in the German's pocket before he had a chance to get up. With an almost bestial cry, the German grabbed her hand before Suzette could take hold of her pendant. Jonathan, who had gone over to help Rick, heard her cry out in pain, and he and Ardeth tackled the German to the ground again. Ardeth cocked his pistol, pointing it at the German's head.
"Let go of her, or I will shoot you." He threatened in a calm tone.
The man instantly released Suzette's hand.
Suddenly, Gerhard cried out something in German, and Ardeth felt something hit him in the back of the head, hard. Suzette screamed, and one of the "Bella's" deck chairs clattered down in a cacophony of noise. Ardeth fell forward, dazed, and dropped his pistol. The other German grabbed it before Suzette, Jonathan, or Rick could react, and Gerhard helped his partner to his feet.
He aimed the gun at Suzette.
"Anyone moves and I shoot her." He threatened.
Rick and Jonathan instantly heeded, and Ardeth, who was only half-conscious, could not move much anyway.
Someone ran up, and Suzette realized it was the damned German woman. She had apparently hurled the deck chair at Ardeth.
"Was ist los?" She breathed. 'What is wrong?' Suzette translated mentally. She knew some German…her father had taught her. He had learned it in the Great War, as a German POW. Coincidentally, Suzette's father had been wearing the damned pendant when he had been captured. But, that was neither here nor there as far as the present situation went, Suzette reminded herself wryly, staring down the barrel of the German's handgun.
"The Med-Jai and his friends." Gerhard's partner explained, motioning to them. Suddenly, his face reddened, and Gerhard rolled his eyes.
"Josef, stop it! She cannot know!" Gerhard reprimanded.
"What are you doing with them? You cannot shoot them now!" the woman exclaimed, looking around nervously. The deck was oddly empty, but then again, not many people were on the boat to begin with.
"She almost got the pendant." Josef explained, motioning to Suzette.
"And we will get it! God, if we can stop the apocalypse once, we can definitely do it again!" Rick challenged, but Josef buried the gun in his forehead, scowling dangerously.
"All right then, perhaps I can be dramatic later…" Rick smiled brightly.
"Perhaps I can shoot you now so you will not get the opportunity!" Josef cried.
"Er…well, no, that wouldn't be good." Rick shook his head.
Gerhard sighed in a disgusted way.
"Help me get them back to the room…we can tie them up there and kill them when we get to Egypt." Gerhard decided after a moment. The woman gave him a look, somewhere between fear and confusion, but she nodded. Jonathan turned to the woman and gave her a raised-eyebrow look. The woman simply shrugged, but she still looked unsure.
"Take him…he's barely conscious anyway." Josef told the woman, motioning to Ardeth.
She nodded, and Jonathan, Rick, and Suzette could not help but notice her expression as she got Ardeth to his feet…a strange mix of confusion, wonder, and a deep sort of…familiarity.
~ Later That Night ~
Greta could not stay in the room with the four tied up. With the money the Fuehrer had provided, she, Josef, and Gerhard had been privy to not only premier tickets, but also, premier rooms. Unfortunately, that meant there were plenty of places to hide the American, the Englishman, the French girl, and the other man…
The Med-Jai.
She still was not sure what that name meant, though Greta took it to mean that the man was some sort of warrior. He looked it…with his long black hair and tattooed face. But just what kind of warrior, Greta had no clue.
"Something about him," she muttered to the dark, depthless Mediterranean beneath her. "Something I knew. The word even."
It was too confusing.
Suddenly, Greta felt a large hand on her shoulder, and she jumped.
It was only Josef.
"What do you want?" Greta demanded tiredly.
"Just to see something. Gerhard and I had been wondering…" Josef trailed off and took the aquamarine pendant out of his pocket. Even though the night was dark, it still seemed to glimmer…almost internally. Greta regarded it, as she had been regarding it, with a skeptical air, but now…something new. Something besides the skepticism.
"Take it." Josef demanded, practically thrusting the necklace into Greta's hand.
Frowning at Josef, Greta closed her hand around the pendant. She turned to Josef, who was watching her anxiously. Greta raised an eyebrow, unsure of what, exactly, Josef was waiting to see.
Suddenly, the pendant grew warm in her hand…oddly warm, and Greta stared down at it.
It was glowing. A deep turquoise color, both warm and offending at the same time, and Greta closed her eyes. She could hear hoof-beats somewhere, but that made absolutely no sense. None at all.
Greta was too busy concentrating on the pendant.
She did not see Josef smile in a cruel way, and look out over the Sea, to the desert land that was waiting beyond. When they arrived in Egypt, then it would begin.
And it would not be Germany in the end…no, it would be something else.
"Something infinitely better." Josef whispered, smirking as he glanced at Greta, who was still staring in wonder at the glowing stone.
"So…if the Germans can unlock this pendant thing, then all hell breaks loose?" Rick asked, tilting his head for clarification. Ardeth raised an eyebrow at the overly-casual American, but couldn't help smiling.
"Yes, that is the basic idea." Ardeth nodded.
"But…what, exactly, will happen? I mean…you didn't really explain it very well…" Rick motioned, trailing off a bit.
"Honestly…I did not explain it well because I do not know, exactly." Ardeth admitted after a reflective moment. Rick turned fully to him, an eyebrow raised.
"You don't know?" He asked incredulously.
Ardeth shrugged, a bit self-consciously, then allowed a small smile. "Among my people, the Bridle had always been considered a legend. We never had any clue it actually existed. We had been told stories of a King…but no name was ever given. We assumed it was a legend, because the details were so hazy. All that I know for sure, is that this King supposedly wanted to conquer Earth for some reason other than simply…" Ardeth trailed off, struggling for the words.
"Conquering the Earth." Rick supplied.
"Yes. Exactly. There was supposed to be some ulterior motive, which was what made him so feared. And the bridle was supposedly worn by his stallion, and whenever he rode with it, all the armies of the Earth would follow him, allowing him complete and total control. But nothing more was ever divulged to us." Ardeth continued.
"Then how did the damn Germans know about it?" Rick mused.
"Oh, I am sure the legend is well-documented. And I have heard that their new leader is quite a mystic, besides being almost insane for power. That is just the sort of combination we should fear." Ardeth shrugged, and Rick nodded in thoughtful agreement.
"Well, hopefully we can…" Rick started, but Ardeth cut him off quickly by smacking his arm. Rick turned to Ardeth, confused, and the Med-Jai discretely motioned behind them. Rick turned his head a bit and saw two large men
"The Germans." Ardeth whispered.
Rick's eyes widened. He hadn't guessed the men to be as big as they were…and so fierce looking.
"What do we do?" Rick hissed.
"Perhaps they will not see us." Ardeth returned.
That seemed to be the case when all of a sudden, from the other side of the ship, Jonathan and Suzette came running up loudly, and painfully apparent. The two Germans heard the commotion and turned. Ardeth winced as he watched them approach suspiciously.
Rick and Ardeth motioned fiercely for the two of them to remain silent, but Suzette and Jonathan didn't see. Jonathan reached Rick first, his eyes wide.
"Jonathan…" Rick started, his lips pressed together in fear, and Ardeth reached into his pocket. Rick saw and hoped Ardeth was armed in some way, because he, unfortunately, was not.
"Rick! That German woman that was with the men who stole the pendant from Suzette is on the boat so that means…" Jonathan stopped abruptly as he felt a large hand clamp down hard on his shoulder.
"Dieu…" Suzette whispered, her eyes wide.
The man whose name Suzette recalled being Gerhard grabbed Ardeth Bey and whirled him around, pressing him back against the railing. Ardeth's hand was still in his pocket. Gerhard didn't seem to notice that, and Suzette prayed the man had some sort of back-up.
"Pleasure to see you, sir…and, ah, I see you have brought some friends." Gerhard smirked. Gerhard's partner had Jonathan still by the shoulder, and had pulled a pistol from his pocket. He aimed the gun at Rick, who had looked about to dash off.
"Do not move." Gerhard's partner demanded.
Gerhard smiled, then turned to Suzette. "And you, fraulein, what a pleasure! We never got the chance to thank you for supplying us with your pendant."
"Damned lousy Kraut." Suzette muttered angrily.
In a sudden flurry of movement, Ardeth pulled a small pistol out of his pocket and aimed it at Gerhard, who jumped back as his partner instantly pointed his own handgun at Ardeth. Using his distraction, Rick jumped on top of Gerhard, who was unarmed apparently, and sent the German plowing down into his partner. The man fell to the deck, almost pushing Ardeth over the side of the boat, but Jonathan grabbed the Med-Jai before he could fall. The pistol was knocked from the German's hand and it shot off the side of the boat into the Mediterranean below.
"Damn!" he cried.
"Suzette! Get the pendant!" Rick demanded as Gerhard jumped to his feet, throwing Rick off and to the ground. Suzette, who had been watching the scene unfold, open-mouthed, snapped back into motion and dove towards the still-unnamed German as Ardeth jumped on top of him to prevent him from getting up. Gerhard, who had dislodge Rick, cried out and pushed Ardeth off, but Suzette stuck her hand in the German's pocket before he had a chance to get up. With an almost bestial cry, the German grabbed her hand before Suzette could take hold of her pendant. Jonathan, who had gone over to help Rick, heard her cry out in pain, and he and Ardeth tackled the German to the ground again. Ardeth cocked his pistol, pointing it at the German's head.
"Let go of her, or I will shoot you." He threatened in a calm tone.
The man instantly released Suzette's hand.
Suddenly, Gerhard cried out something in German, and Ardeth felt something hit him in the back of the head, hard. Suzette screamed, and one of the "Bella's" deck chairs clattered down in a cacophony of noise. Ardeth fell forward, dazed, and dropped his pistol. The other German grabbed it before Suzette, Jonathan, or Rick could react, and Gerhard helped his partner to his feet.
He aimed the gun at Suzette.
"Anyone moves and I shoot her." He threatened.
Rick and Jonathan instantly heeded, and Ardeth, who was only half-conscious, could not move much anyway.
Someone ran up, and Suzette realized it was the damned German woman. She had apparently hurled the deck chair at Ardeth.
"Was ist los?" She breathed. 'What is wrong?' Suzette translated mentally. She knew some German…her father had taught her. He had learned it in the Great War, as a German POW. Coincidentally, Suzette's father had been wearing the damned pendant when he had been captured. But, that was neither here nor there as far as the present situation went, Suzette reminded herself wryly, staring down the barrel of the German's handgun.
"The Med-Jai and his friends." Gerhard's partner explained, motioning to them. Suddenly, his face reddened, and Gerhard rolled his eyes.
"Josef, stop it! She cannot know!" Gerhard reprimanded.
"What are you doing with them? You cannot shoot them now!" the woman exclaimed, looking around nervously. The deck was oddly empty, but then again, not many people were on the boat to begin with.
"She almost got the pendant." Josef explained, motioning to Suzette.
"And we will get it! God, if we can stop the apocalypse once, we can definitely do it again!" Rick challenged, but Josef buried the gun in his forehead, scowling dangerously.
"All right then, perhaps I can be dramatic later…" Rick smiled brightly.
"Perhaps I can shoot you now so you will not get the opportunity!" Josef cried.
"Er…well, no, that wouldn't be good." Rick shook his head.
Gerhard sighed in a disgusted way.
"Help me get them back to the room…we can tie them up there and kill them when we get to Egypt." Gerhard decided after a moment. The woman gave him a look, somewhere between fear and confusion, but she nodded. Jonathan turned to the woman and gave her a raised-eyebrow look. The woman simply shrugged, but she still looked unsure.
"Take him…he's barely conscious anyway." Josef told the woman, motioning to Ardeth.
She nodded, and Jonathan, Rick, and Suzette could not help but notice her expression as she got Ardeth to his feet…a strange mix of confusion, wonder, and a deep sort of…familiarity.
~ Later That Night ~
Greta could not stay in the room with the four tied up. With the money the Fuehrer had provided, she, Josef, and Gerhard had been privy to not only premier tickets, but also, premier rooms. Unfortunately, that meant there were plenty of places to hide the American, the Englishman, the French girl, and the other man…
The Med-Jai.
She still was not sure what that name meant, though Greta took it to mean that the man was some sort of warrior. He looked it…with his long black hair and tattooed face. But just what kind of warrior, Greta had no clue.
"Something about him," she muttered to the dark, depthless Mediterranean beneath her. "Something I knew. The word even."
It was too confusing.
Suddenly, Greta felt a large hand on her shoulder, and she jumped.
It was only Josef.
"What do you want?" Greta demanded tiredly.
"Just to see something. Gerhard and I had been wondering…" Josef trailed off and took the aquamarine pendant out of his pocket. Even though the night was dark, it still seemed to glimmer…almost internally. Greta regarded it, as she had been regarding it, with a skeptical air, but now…something new. Something besides the skepticism.
"Take it." Josef demanded, practically thrusting the necklace into Greta's hand.
Frowning at Josef, Greta closed her hand around the pendant. She turned to Josef, who was watching her anxiously. Greta raised an eyebrow, unsure of what, exactly, Josef was waiting to see.
Suddenly, the pendant grew warm in her hand…oddly warm, and Greta stared down at it.
It was glowing. A deep turquoise color, both warm and offending at the same time, and Greta closed her eyes. She could hear hoof-beats somewhere, but that made absolutely no sense. None at all.
Greta was too busy concentrating on the pendant.
She did not see Josef smile in a cruel way, and look out over the Sea, to the desert land that was waiting beyond. When they arrived in Egypt, then it would begin.
And it would not be Germany in the end…no, it would be something else.
"Something infinitely better." Josef whispered, smirking as he glanced at Greta, who was still staring in wonder at the glowing stone.