"What do we do!? what do we do!?" Suzette shrieked sharply as the Germans approached, and Ardeth slapped a hand over her mouth, leaving only Suzette's wide eyes uncovered. Jonathan and Rick backed up a bit, cocking their pistols, and Petey stared at his customers in confusion.
"First, we try to achieve the element of surprise." Ardeth hissed, practically dragging Suzette back, then walking forward again, motioning for her to stay put. Suzette nodded, rubbing her jaw where the Med-Jai had very nearly squashed her face.
"Friends of yours, O'Connell?" Petey whispered as the Germans entered the store.
As they caught sight of Rick, Jonathan, and Ardeth, Greta, Gerhard, and Josef pulled out their guns. Almost in unison, the American, Englishman, and Med-Jai pulled out their guns, in a scene faintly reminiscent, to Rick and Jonathan at least, of something that had happened a little less than ten years back.
"Guten Tag." Greta sneered.
"Good bloody day." Jonathan sneered right back.
"So, would you like us to shoot first, or shall we let you go. Of course, I doubt you three could do much damage anyway." Gerhard spat derisively.
"Wanna test us?" Rick spat right back.
"Well…I'm sensing some tension here…" Petey raised an eyebrow, and started to back up away from the six. But, unfortunately, he tripped over Suzette, who was still crouching back where Ardeth had told her to wait. The French girl screamed and jumped to her feet, shooting her derringer into the air, thereby causing the gun-bearing contingents to all jump in shock and look around for the source of the fire.
Rick and Ardeth, fortunately, regained their bearing first, and the American and the Med-Jai ran forward, both barreling into Josef and Gerhard, who were still looking for the source of the gunshot. The two Germans fell back almost at the same time, leaving only Jonathan and Greta standing. Greta turned to Jonathan, who still had his rifle pointed at the woman.
Suddenly, he gasped.
She was wearing the necklace!
Jonathan was about to do…something, he wasn't sure what, when Gerhard, who was much larger than Rick, threw the American into the Englishman, sending them both flying back. Ardeth, meanwhile, had forced the handgun from Josef, but that was all the ground he was able to gain. Suzette judged the situation and pointed her gun at them, but she was unable to get a clear shot. Petey, as the owner of an under-the-table gun retail in an Eastern city and thereby full of experience, had ducked behind the counter and was watching the fight with a highly nervous expression.
Gerhard, meanwhile, had grabbed his gun, and pointed it at Jonathan and Rick, who were still tangled up in one another. Greta smiled happily, and Suzette screamed "WATCH OUT!"
Unfortunately, all that managed to do was distract Ardeth, and Josef was able to dislodge the Med-Jai, throwing him into the wall, hard. A poorly-constructed shelf fell on top of the dazed Ardeth, and he slumped down, motionless. Josef smirked, and Suzette, angered, aimed her derringer, able to finally get a clear shot. She pulled the trigger, but as she shot the gun, she tripped forward over something and the bullet flew wild. At the same time as Suzette fired her gun, Josef fired his, aimed almost directly at Ardeth. But he had been spooked by Suzette's gunshot, and in the resulting smoke, the German wasn't sure if he had managed to take care of the damned Med-Jai.
Suzette wasn't sure, either.
"No!" Suzette cried, and rushed over to the fallen warrior.
"One down, two to go." Greta, who had seen the gun go off, smirked, and she and Gerhard pulled back the triggers on their guns, aiming at Jonathan and Rick, who were looking around, desperately trying to find the source of the two gunshots. They couldn't see either Suzette or Ardeth.
"I don't believe so!" a new voice cried, and something smacked Gerhard in the back of the head sharply. The German started forward, blinking in pain, and Greta and Josef whirled around in shock. Rick and Jonathan rose to their feet and knocked the two to the ground, but Greta kicked Jonathan in the groin, hard, and the Englishman moaned in pain as he rolled off her. Josef managed to dislodge Rick, and he and Greta dashed out of the store, followed by Gerhard.
"What just happened there?" Rick demanded, getting to his feet. Who had thrown something at their big German buddy?
"I figured I would find you here, O'Connell…the best place to get guns quick in Cairo." A highly cultured English voice smirked.
"Evelyn?" Rick sputtered, and his fiancé stepped all the way into the store, smiling triumphantly. Unfortunately, she also stepped on Jonathan, who was still rolling around in hurt.
"BLOODY LOVELY!!" Jonathan screamed, frustrated.
"Evelyn! What are you doing here?" Rick demanded joyfully taking his bride-to-be in his arms and kissing her. Evelyn kissed back, then they both pulled away, staring at each other with that deeply-in-love sort of expression.
"What…you think you can leave me behind?" Evelyn challenged playfully, then turned to her brother.
"Are you all right, Jonathan?" She asked as Rick helped him up.
"Oh yes…I just…may never be able to…father children." Jonathan panted, his voice an octave or two higher.
"Thank God for small favors." Rick smirked, and Jonathan was about to reply, when they heard Suzette called to them softly.
They all looked over, and gasped.
"What the…oh. Oh…" Jonathan breathed in sharply.
"No..." Rick's mouth hung open, his eyes wide.
"Oh my God…" Evelyn whispered.
Ardeth Bey, Med-Jai warrior, lay in a pool of darkening blood.
***
"Damn! Now there's five of them! What the hell are we going to do!?" Gerhard demanded as Josef started the car, tearing away from the gun shop.
"Get to the outpost before them." Greta replied intensely. She was a bit unnerved at how the Englishman had looked at her…at the necklace. Did he know something she didn't? Greta was both tired and completely alive, and she felt as if she were someone else. As if the pendant had made her someone else, and the Greta she had been was not entirely fond of this new person. But…dear Lord…the power was immense! Once they got to the outpost…which was really the Sacred Ground, the power would be unleashed. Then…to hell with Germany, to hell with the Fuhrer, that power would be hers!
"Well, I think I got rid of the damned Med-Jai." Josef boasted, driving as quickly as he could through the busy Cairo streets.
"Good show, there. If he's been taken out of the picture, this will be infinitely easier. So…it still is only four against three." Greta winked at Gerhard, who nodded with satisfaction. It would have been a bit more satisfying if he had been the one to kill the Med-Jai, but just as long as he was dead.
Greta, suddenly, felt something painfully strong shoot through her, and she cried out in shock. Josef looked over at her, eyebrows raised in confusion.
"What is it!?" he demanded.
Greta stared down at the pendant, which looked as if a fire was burning inside of it, and the car was bathed in an eerie turquoise glow.
"Its power is growing." Gerhard smirked.
"Soon. Soon." Josef nodded.
Greta simply stared, her whole body wracked with the intense control of the pendant that had once been part of a bridle.
"First, we try to achieve the element of surprise." Ardeth hissed, practically dragging Suzette back, then walking forward again, motioning for her to stay put. Suzette nodded, rubbing her jaw where the Med-Jai had very nearly squashed her face.
"Friends of yours, O'Connell?" Petey whispered as the Germans entered the store.
As they caught sight of Rick, Jonathan, and Ardeth, Greta, Gerhard, and Josef pulled out their guns. Almost in unison, the American, Englishman, and Med-Jai pulled out their guns, in a scene faintly reminiscent, to Rick and Jonathan at least, of something that had happened a little less than ten years back.
"Guten Tag." Greta sneered.
"Good bloody day." Jonathan sneered right back.
"So, would you like us to shoot first, or shall we let you go. Of course, I doubt you three could do much damage anyway." Gerhard spat derisively.
"Wanna test us?" Rick spat right back.
"Well…I'm sensing some tension here…" Petey raised an eyebrow, and started to back up away from the six. But, unfortunately, he tripped over Suzette, who was still crouching back where Ardeth had told her to wait. The French girl screamed and jumped to her feet, shooting her derringer into the air, thereby causing the gun-bearing contingents to all jump in shock and look around for the source of the fire.
Rick and Ardeth, fortunately, regained their bearing first, and the American and the Med-Jai ran forward, both barreling into Josef and Gerhard, who were still looking for the source of the gunshot. The two Germans fell back almost at the same time, leaving only Jonathan and Greta standing. Greta turned to Jonathan, who still had his rifle pointed at the woman.
Suddenly, he gasped.
She was wearing the necklace!
Jonathan was about to do…something, he wasn't sure what, when Gerhard, who was much larger than Rick, threw the American into the Englishman, sending them both flying back. Ardeth, meanwhile, had forced the handgun from Josef, but that was all the ground he was able to gain. Suzette judged the situation and pointed her gun at them, but she was unable to get a clear shot. Petey, as the owner of an under-the-table gun retail in an Eastern city and thereby full of experience, had ducked behind the counter and was watching the fight with a highly nervous expression.
Gerhard, meanwhile, had grabbed his gun, and pointed it at Jonathan and Rick, who were still tangled up in one another. Greta smiled happily, and Suzette screamed "WATCH OUT!"
Unfortunately, all that managed to do was distract Ardeth, and Josef was able to dislodge the Med-Jai, throwing him into the wall, hard. A poorly-constructed shelf fell on top of the dazed Ardeth, and he slumped down, motionless. Josef smirked, and Suzette, angered, aimed her derringer, able to finally get a clear shot. She pulled the trigger, but as she shot the gun, she tripped forward over something and the bullet flew wild. At the same time as Suzette fired her gun, Josef fired his, aimed almost directly at Ardeth. But he had been spooked by Suzette's gunshot, and in the resulting smoke, the German wasn't sure if he had managed to take care of the damned Med-Jai.
Suzette wasn't sure, either.
"No!" Suzette cried, and rushed over to the fallen warrior.
"One down, two to go." Greta, who had seen the gun go off, smirked, and she and Gerhard pulled back the triggers on their guns, aiming at Jonathan and Rick, who were looking around, desperately trying to find the source of the two gunshots. They couldn't see either Suzette or Ardeth.
"I don't believe so!" a new voice cried, and something smacked Gerhard in the back of the head sharply. The German started forward, blinking in pain, and Greta and Josef whirled around in shock. Rick and Jonathan rose to their feet and knocked the two to the ground, but Greta kicked Jonathan in the groin, hard, and the Englishman moaned in pain as he rolled off her. Josef managed to dislodge Rick, and he and Greta dashed out of the store, followed by Gerhard.
"What just happened there?" Rick demanded, getting to his feet. Who had thrown something at their big German buddy?
"I figured I would find you here, O'Connell…the best place to get guns quick in Cairo." A highly cultured English voice smirked.
"Evelyn?" Rick sputtered, and his fiancé stepped all the way into the store, smiling triumphantly. Unfortunately, she also stepped on Jonathan, who was still rolling around in hurt.
"BLOODY LOVELY!!" Jonathan screamed, frustrated.
"Evelyn! What are you doing here?" Rick demanded joyfully taking his bride-to-be in his arms and kissing her. Evelyn kissed back, then they both pulled away, staring at each other with that deeply-in-love sort of expression.
"What…you think you can leave me behind?" Evelyn challenged playfully, then turned to her brother.
"Are you all right, Jonathan?" She asked as Rick helped him up.
"Oh yes…I just…may never be able to…father children." Jonathan panted, his voice an octave or two higher.
"Thank God for small favors." Rick smirked, and Jonathan was about to reply, when they heard Suzette called to them softly.
They all looked over, and gasped.
"What the…oh. Oh…" Jonathan breathed in sharply.
"No..." Rick's mouth hung open, his eyes wide.
"Oh my God…" Evelyn whispered.
Ardeth Bey, Med-Jai warrior, lay in a pool of darkening blood.
***
"Damn! Now there's five of them! What the hell are we going to do!?" Gerhard demanded as Josef started the car, tearing away from the gun shop.
"Get to the outpost before them." Greta replied intensely. She was a bit unnerved at how the Englishman had looked at her…at the necklace. Did he know something she didn't? Greta was both tired and completely alive, and she felt as if she were someone else. As if the pendant had made her someone else, and the Greta she had been was not entirely fond of this new person. But…dear Lord…the power was immense! Once they got to the outpost…which was really the Sacred Ground, the power would be unleashed. Then…to hell with Germany, to hell with the Fuhrer, that power would be hers!
"Well, I think I got rid of the damned Med-Jai." Josef boasted, driving as quickly as he could through the busy Cairo streets.
"Good show, there. If he's been taken out of the picture, this will be infinitely easier. So…it still is only four against three." Greta winked at Gerhard, who nodded with satisfaction. It would have been a bit more satisfying if he had been the one to kill the Med-Jai, but just as long as he was dead.
Greta, suddenly, felt something painfully strong shoot through her, and she cried out in shock. Josef looked over at her, eyebrows raised in confusion.
"What is it!?" he demanded.
Greta stared down at the pendant, which looked as if a fire was burning inside of it, and the car was bathed in an eerie turquoise glow.
"Its power is growing." Gerhard smirked.
"Soon. Soon." Josef nodded.
Greta simply stared, her whole body wracked with the intense control of the pendant that had once been part of a bridle.