Rating: PG13 prolly eventually
Author: Angel - http://www.geocities.com/ninthsaturn
Summary: The ending of the Scorpion King changed and expanded upon. The O'Connells meet up with some strange people that look very familiar. Almost too familiar.
Disclaimer: I don't own The Mummy or it's characters. But I would give a whole heck of a bunch to own Imhotep and Ardeth. ;-)
*
The early morning sunlight was beautiful, very peaceful in it's quiet dimness. It was almost like the only things that found existence were Rick and the earth - together alone, greeting each other with the usual warmth and friendship. At least that's how it seemed to him. Rick had always liked waking early to a pretty sunrise, while Evy was a creature of the night. And the night suited her, caressed her pale skin in just the right tones to set his emotions ablaze no matter how he'd felt previously.
But the cold reality of last night kept him grounded from that wonderful peace that usually accompanied his mornings. He could still hear the sound of the SUV crashing to the earth, could still recall the sensation of falling. And more importantly were the after effects of such a dramatic night. His friends lay in the sand some distance behind him, both injured seriously.
Jonathan had not awakened once during the long, hard night. He was still alive, that was a very good sign in his book, but the fact that he remained unconscious really worried Rick. Evy would be devastated if her brother failed to open his eyes when she came. Perhaps Michael's talents as a head doctor would come in handy if such were the case. Rick felt a hollowness in the pit of his stomach, which was aggravated by the thought that he might never again joke around with Jonathan or go on an adventure.
He had to shift his attentions elsewhere or it would drive him to restlessness again. Ardeth was in visibly better condition than Jonathan. He'd slept through the night without incident and had awakened once for water. So far as they could tell he'd only suffered a few broken ribs and a broken arm, but that wheezing had Michael's concern. He was very vehement that Ardeth receive some sort of medical attention soon.
But the problem they had was transportation. It wouldn't be wise to try and drag two sick men through the desert in either direction, and yet to sit and await death was out of the question. Either he or Michael would have to choose a direction and go. Rick felt it should be him. He didn't know if he could take sitting there watching his two friends die. He swallowed at that little slip in his thoughts. No, they wouldn't die. Everything would be just fine.
He heard an intake of breath from behind. Someone was awakening. He dared not hope it was Jonathan, but that was the first person he laid eyes on, peering through the open doors of the SUV. And was disappointed. There was no movement from the car. It was Michael who'd awakened from his sandy bed and sat up. He groaned and dusted himself off, then looked up. "How long have you been awake?" he asked, his dark eyes scouting for a canteen.
Rick shrugged, running his fingers through the sand. "Not long. Probably about fifteen minutes. You stayed up pretty late watching Ardeth, so I thought you could use the rest."
Michael grunted, swallowing a gulp of water. "No later than you, my friend. We have a choice to make."
"Yeah," O'Connell said, nodding. "Which one of us goes and which stays. I'll go."
The man before him nodded, obviously having reached that same conclusion. Rick wished to God that man would stay out of his head. He didn't know what psychologists did to figure someone out, but he didn't like the idea. "But there is another choice to be made. Which direction do we take? The Med-Jai are closer, but there is no guarantee they have a healer with them and even so, no guarantee they can treat either man sufficiently."
Rick tossed some sand and squinted at the rising sun. "And the other direction?"
Michael's expression was grave. "Towards Alannah and Evelyn. Alannah has the spell scroll that can take me back to the future. It may be possible to take Jonathan and Ardeth to my time where they can receive better treatment. There is an incarnation of Jonathan there, so the gateway may be open to the future for them both."
Both choices could end up saving the men or killing them, depending on who had healers and how long it took to reach either place. Alannah had access to better medicine given the chance, but she was further away. The Med-Jai quite possibly didn't have any healers with them or even if they did, might not be able to save his friends as easily as say someone from the future. But they were closer. The decision was a hard one.
One that couldn't really rely on logic or facts. It was a game of chance. So he chose what his heart told him. Right now he could use Evy's level headed reassurance and optimism. He got up and came back down to the supplies, sitting and getting out his bag. "I'll go for Alannah," he informed his new friend, looking for any sign of disagreement.
There wasn't any. Michael only nodded once, his eyes serious and so like Ardeth's that Rick could swear this was the man he'd fought with and been friends with. He supposed that was how it should be, after all the man held Ardeth's spirit. The subject of his thoughts coughed from nearby and Rick turned. Ardeth's face didn't hide the pain he was going through and he looked a bit pale to Rick. His panting hadn't gotten any better during the course of the night. If anything, it sounded worse. The Med-Jai immediately tried to sit up, groaning when he failed.
"I wouldn't advise that," Michael told his double in a slightly chiding tone.
Ardeth looked up at the brightening sky, his face frustrated. "There is an army attacking my people and a crazed supernatural being out there, looking for us. This is not the time to be sensitive about minor aches." His voice was breathless and halting.
Michael and Rick shared a despairing look. Smirking slightly, the ex-Legionnaire wondered how this man with Ardeth's self-sacrificingly stubborn spirit would handle his past self. The direct approach seemed his weapon of choice. "Do you hear that wheeze in your breath?" he asked, watching Ardeth. The Med-Jai nodded, furrowing his brow slightly. "I have the sneaking suspicion that you've damaged one or both of your lungs. The more you move, the more oxygen you loose. Play the game smart, not hard."
That seemed to do the trick, but not without an annoyed expression coming from Rick's old friend. But whatever his feelings concerning the way Michael had worded that, it kept Ardeth still and that was important. He scooted to where he lay and smiled down. "You know that head shrinker's right, don't you?"
Ardeth drew in a few labored breaths and closed his eyes in obvious discomfort. "Yes...I suppose. Where will you go?"
Rick winced at the sound of Ardeth's voice. He was going to have to make this as quick a trip as he could. Glancing at the fallen car made his frustration rise. "I'm going to get Evy's future self. She's got a spell that can take you to the future where you can get better treatment than here." He smiled. "I guess the sooner I head out, the sooner I can return. Promise me you'll take it easy."
The Med-Jai nodded his head, his eyes betraying his physical weakness. "I will. God be with you." He coughed and closed his eyes again, leaving them that way.
Licking his lips and pushing away worry, Rick grabbed his bag and stood up. "I'll be back," he said simply, looking at Michael.
The psychologist inclined his head, saying only, "I know you will."
If only Rick could feel as certain as Michael sounded. Actually, it wasn't as much as knowing he'd get back as it was getting back in time. He had to and would. That was all there was to it. So he set his eyes to the direction that Evy and Alannah were, whispering, "Hold on, Jonathan," and heading off.
*
Alannah sat in the front seat with Imhotep. This car was smaller than Michael's. It was black and sleek and seated only four, six if one wanted to push it and crowd the vehicle. The woman in the front passenger seat was currently biting her fingernail, which seemed to make Imhotep happy. At least her hands weren't at the radio controls. The mummy, Evy could tell, was slightly more particular about his music than Michael had been. Playful fingers constantly had smacked her smaller fingers away, which was almost always followed by a dirty look and a pinch from the woman beside him.
Taking her hand down from her lips, Alannah rested back and gazed at the endless sands before them. "I wonder if they reached the Jedi in time to save Ardeth Bay," she thought aloud.
"That's Med-Jai," Imhotep corrected absently, his hand fooling with a set of controls above the radio. Suddenly a rushing sound filled the air, following closely by an almost heavenly coolness that relieved the oppressive heat from outside. Noon crept dangerously over the earth and threatened to overheat anything and anyone in it's path.
Alannah pressed a button on the radio and a flat, round thing came from it's surface. "You're wasting gas," she warned her lover, removing another one of those discs from it's holder and pushing it into it's slot. She gasped as Imhotep quickly swerved by a cactus, holding herself against the dash board. "I sometimes wonder if letting you get a license wasn't a foolish idea."
The creature in the driver's seat shrugged and bumped Alannah with his elbow. Evy relaxed against the leather seat in back, reveling in the cold air that brushed against her. The future was definitely a very convenient place and she found herself quite interested in some of it's perks. Beside her, Evy noticed the past Imhotep's slightly confused expression as he rubbed his bare arms to keep warm. Between them, Alex too seemed to be getting a trifle chilly.
Evy leaned forward and tapped the driver on the shoulder. "Your half naked past self is getting cold back here and so is my son." She could only hope he took that well. He seemed as easy going as could be, but she couldn't forget that he was Imhotep, not even another incarnation of the monster beside her, but the actual thing.
He reached up and the rushing sound lessened. The coolness faded slightly, but wasn't completely gone. He glanced back at the younger Imhotep. "When you live in ancient Egypt, you try not to overdress." His eyes caught Alannah messing with his radio. "Pick a song, my princess."
Alannah stuck her tongue out at him and continued searching through the music for whatever it was that would satisfy her wants. "I'm about to go sit with Evy and let your brooding self sit up here with you."
"Brooding self," Alex muttered, his voice slightly sarcastic as he looked at the four people around him. "Half naked past self. Mom with blue hair. Do you people know how weird this is?" Suddenly two glinting blue eyes met Evy's dark ones thoughtfully. "I'd like to get in on this weirdness, actually. Mom, can Aunt Alannah dye my hair blue?"
Evy's eyes widened a moment, then she shook her head. "Absolutely not. I'd be the talk of town if I let you do that. I can't even begin to imagine what your father would think."
"Aaaw," Alex groaned, shaking his head and looking at the priest beside him. "They never let me do anything even remotely interesting. At least when I was with you, I could irritate you by escaping every now and then." He grinned.
The priest smirked in remembrance, nodding his head. "That you did, boy. When I escape I must be sure to repay you for the trouble you caused me." Imhotep's eyes glinted dangerously through his smile.
Alex backed into his mother and Evy frowned. "You'll what?" she challenged.
Grin still written on his features, the younger priest reassured Evy, "I am only jesting with the boy." Evy's eyes narrowed as Imhotep maintained an innocent expression, but the moment she looked away slightly she saw him run his hand against his throat is a mock threatening way to her son. She turned her head back and he pet Alex's head in a friendly manner.
"I know when I'm not wanted," the boy said matter-of-factly, shoving himself over the seat and into the front with a small fuss from the four adults that had to avoid his flying limbs. He looked up at the elder Imhotep when he was finally settled. "You don't want to pay me back still, do you?"
Imhotep looked down at Alex, his face chiding. "If you do that again I might." His dark eyes glanced into his rearview mirror warningly. "My dangerous younger counterpart was only kidding you. He knows how foolish it would be to try anything wrong."
Alannah pointed ahead, interrupting the little scene going on between Alex and the two priests. "What's that?" she asked, sitting forward in her seat as if to get a better view. "It's a person."
Leaning over, Evy saw who it was and knew him. She could recognize him in a crowded room with a hat on. "It's Rick! I wonder what's going on."
Imhotep pressed the gas a little harder until they came closer to the very tired looking ex-Legionnaire. His eyes took on several emotions, from relieved to happy to confused as he noticed that the car held one Imhotep - or perhaps even two Imhoteps - too many. Rick chose to approach the vehicle on Alannah's side and bent down when she rolled down her window. "Thank God. I thought I'd die out here." He looked inside the car. "What's with the new guy?"
"I come from the future," Imhotep supplied in English, a small smile written on his tan face. "Do you need a ride?"
Evy could tell that her husband was having a little trouble assimilating the fact that he could actually understand his enemy now, and that this enemy was being friendly. Shrugging, he got in as she opened her door and scooted close to the younger priest. "Where are the others?"
His blue eyes got very grave as he turned towards her, sitting sideways to free up room in the crowded back. The driver began forward again once the door was shut. "That's what I was coming to tell you. There's been an accident."
Alannah whipped around and looked at O'Connell, her luminous eyes worried. "Michael?" she whispered.
"He's fine," Rick answered. The look in his eyes made Evy wonder whether or not she really wanted to know what had happened. But he continued on before she could decide. "The SUV flipped over when one of those Anubis creatures landed into the side of it's hood. Ardeth and Jonathan were hurt pretty bad."
Swallowing, Evy braved the next question, worry already starting to build over her brother and friend. "How bad?"
The expression on her husband's face told her volumes. He looked halfway between worried and wanting to comfort. Rick took her hand. "Jonathan's unconscious. He hasn't moved since last night. Michael isn't sure what to make of it. Ardeth's got some broken bones, mostly ribs and he's having trouble breathing." He looked into the front at Alannah's saddened face. "Mike said we should take them to the future to be treated."
She exchanged glances with the man beside her. Evy saw the woman unconsciously hug Alex to her as if to impart some comfort. "That's probably a good idea," she agreed softly, turning her eyes to the front again.
There wasn't much any of them could say after that, so the rest of the trip remained quiet. Evy found her eyes fixated on the seat in front of her husband while her head rested on his shoulder. What were they going to do? They hadn't even begun to fight the Scorpion King and already two of them were badly injured.
They would have to make a way. The future depended on it.
*
Hey guys, sorry this chapter is so...kinda uneventful, huh? Anyhow, thanks for the reviews!!! :) I'm glad you guys find this story interesting...I know it looks scary for Jonathan and Ardeth. :O Hmm. I wonder how they would like to handle 2002?
Anyhow,
Lula, Deana, Marcher and jonnycarnahan, thanks!!!
:D You guys rock! -Angel