"So what are you going to do?" Anna overheard the muffled voice of her step-brother through the front door just before a key began to turn in the lock.

"I gotta go after them." Larry Daley's voice answered, "Figure the rest out from there."

The door opened and the pair immediately saw Anna sitting there at the dining room table on her laptop where she'd been looking at pictures on her university's website. She only had a few weeks left to sign up for a dorm.

"Hey Anna." Larry greeted her though he looked worried and very, very serious. Anna had gotten to know Larry well in the last three years, since her father married Nicky's mom. She'd been the second person he'd let in on the secret of the museum, the first of course being his son. She'd even been going with Nicky on Wednesday nights when his dad would take him to work with him. But that fun loving guy who blasted music for the exhibits to party to was long gone right now which told Anna something was up.

"Listen, something's come up and I can't watch Nicky this weekend. Do you think Erica would mind?"

"Well she's out with some of the other lawyers right now, it's girl's night." She shrugged, "But it shouldn't be a problem. What's up?"

"Umm. . . " Larry trailed off, his mind clearly somewhere else. Seeing his dad's frazzled state Nicky answered for him.

"All the exhibits got shipped to the Smithsonian for some stupid renovation project." He began and Anna's eyes widened. "But Dexter got hold of the tablet and Jed just called dad, shouting about some trouble they're in."

"Alright, I've got my flight booked." Larry chimed in tapping away at his phone, "Then I've got to be back Monday to plan a pitch with Wal Mart."

"You're going to D.C.?" Anna asked skeptically.

"Got to. They're my friends, they're in trouble."

"Good luck explaining that to the staff in Washington." She muttered making both boys freeze and stare at her. She looked back and forth between them and pointed out the obvious, "The Capitol is the most secure place in the country. They're not just going to let you in because you claim your friends – inanimate exhibits- need your help. You're not even working for the Natural History Museum anymore. They're going to be suspicious when the guy who made the Super Big Dog Bone suddenly wants access to their archives."

Larry sighed, his arms dropping to his sides, phone still in hand, "She's right. I need a cover story."

"Or someone who knows more about museum curating then you." Anna suggested lifting her eyebrows suggestively. Since Larry had been taking her to the museum Anna's interest in history had peaked. She was intending to start college in the fall as a history major in hopes of working at a museum one day.

"Noooo….." Larry dragged out the word, "What about your dad?"

"He's in Chicago on a business trip all weekend, he won't even know I'm gone. Besides, I'm eighteen he can't tell me what to do anymore."

Larry pointed at her with his phone, "He's paying your full ride to college, I'm pretty sure that extends his rights to tell you what to do."

"But he's not even here!"

"She's got a point dad, and you can use the help." Nicky chimed in for her defense.

Larry looked between the two knowing some good points were being made. Anna's research on museum archives and storage would be helpful. And she'd gone to the Smithsonian only a year ago with her school, she'd be more familiar with the place then he was. He sighed and started tapping on his phone again. "We'll need a second plane ticket."

As he made the arrangements Nicky and Anna shared a high five across the table.

.

.

Larry had spent the majority of the trip to D.C. on his phone setting up details for his Wal Mart meeting while filling in Anna on everything Jed had told him. Immediately she dug out her phone and looked up the name Kahmunrah. He was the eldest son of the Pharaoh Merenkahre and Queen Shepseheret, who had gifted him the "Gate of Kahmunrah" upon his birth. He was the fourth Pharaoh of Egypt. After his father had died his final wish was Ahkmenrah take his place. In a rage Kahmunrah killed his younger brother Cane and Abel style and took the throne. The three were buried together in the tomb their father had constructed before his death, as was custom, but Kahmunrah's tomb was never found. It made Anna feel a little better that the Kahmunrah they might face was a wax figure like Teddy and not a mummy – it was just less creepy. But if Kahmunrah had been willing to kill his own brother for power then what would he do to the others just to get his hands on the tablet?

It was a relief when they landed that they still had several hours of daylight left to figure out a way inside the archives. If they could get the tablet first they could turn a piece and no one would come to life, everything would be easy from there. But her job wasn't so easy, getting Larry inside would be as tricky as stealing the Declaration of Independence.

While in the taxi Anna couldn't use her phone without getting car sick. Her foot tapped against the ground with anxiety. There was so much she needed to study and every minute that ticked by was wasted if she couldn't be on her phone. She'd left her laptop with Nicky, she'd done a project in school on the Smithsonian after their field trip last year and had schematics that would be useful. But bringing something like that here would have been a surefire way to get arrested, or at least detained for the night. So she'd left that part up to Nicky.

"Okay, McPhee said the Federal Archives are in the Smithsonian so where are we going?" Larry asked his son who he was on the phone with.

She heard Nicky's muted response fill Larry in. The archives were underneath the National Mall, but that wasn't the part she was worried about, she was focused on getting past any security that was supposed to keep people out. Not exactly something she had researched for her school project, there was no extra credit for a break in layout.

"Nicky, please focus. Which museum are the Archives in?"

Anna noticed the taxi cab driver's eyes flicker to the rearview mirror as he looked at them curiously.

"We work for the museum in New York." She explained as Larry covered his mouth with his hand so the driver couldn't hear him so easily.

"So if Ahkmenrah's tablet is down there. . . " his eyes turned to hers for a minute catching up with what she already knew. The biggest museum in the world would come to life tonight if they didn't make it in time.

When the taxi stopped the most obvious landmark around was the Washington Monument but Anna turned her attention to the buildings lining the street. The African American History and Culture Museum, The American History Museum, Natural History Museum, Ripley Center, Smithsonian Castle, the Freer and Sackler Galleries, the Arts and Industries building, the Hirshhorn Museum, the Sculpture Gardens, Air and Space, and the American Indian Museum. That was a lot to come to life at once.

"Okay, so what's step one?" Larry asked her.

She looked at him surprised, "You don't have a plan?"

"What? Yes I do. I have a very good, well thought out, plan."

Then her phone buzzed and she looked at the text that had just come in. It was from Nicky.

Did he tell you he has no plan yet? It asked.

She looked up at Larry with a smirk, "You have no plan."

"Yes! I have no plan. What have you got?"

She sighed and put her hands in her jacket pockets. Larry had rushed them out of New York so fast she'd barely had time to change out of the sweats she'd been in. She had thrown on a pair of dark green skinny jeans, a light blue and green plaid button up with a navy blue infinity scarf before grabbing her dark denim jacket from the hook by the door and sliding her hiking boots on – they'd been the only shoes within reach and she'd been rushing. "Scope the place out, look for security doors, staff only areas, see how well guarded everything is. We'll need to split up, cover more ground in less time. This place is massive."

"And we don't have time for getting caught. Whatever we end up doing needs to happen between closing and sunset, ideally."

"Agreed." She nodded.

"Okay, I'll take the back half, from the Air and Space/ Natural History Museum back to the Capitol Building."

"Okay, I'll take the front half."

"Be careful."

She chuckled knowing he was only looking out for her, even though she knew this place better then he did.

"Don't get lost." She joked before they parted ways.