Jonathan stepped off the boat at Giza Port, and surveyed the area, as usual it was bustling with people, none of whom were the person he was looking for. "Oh well." Jonathan sighed, "I'll show her later." he said with a grin as he clutched a rolled piece of papyrus tighter in his hand. He swiftly made his way through the crowd and across the docks, a wide congradulatory smile on his face the entire time, "Yep, Jonathan Carnahan, you've done well-- very well if I do say so myself," He said, "...Two finds in a year-- God I'm good." He continued to congradulate himself as he strolled away from port and toward the Cairo Museum to find his sister, but of course he couldn't resist dropping in at his favorite place in Cairo; a tiny card house where he could try his luck on a game or two of poker-- or as many games as he could fit in before his sister, Evelyn got off work.
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It was six o'clock and Evelyn was still busily shelving books at the library. She stacked another armload onto the shelf and began alphabetizing them from her perilous positon on the fifth rung of the ladder.
"Let's see... Akenaton, Amenhotep the first, second, and third, Amun, Amun-Ra, Ankh, Anubis--"
"Hello," replied a voice from behind,
"Hello," Evelyn replied back, hardly noticing she was being spoken to, "Aton, Bastet, Bubas--Ahh!--Who-who are you? Er, I-I mean, can I help you?" she asked, turning to face the intruder.
"Yes actually, I'm Charlotte, Charlotte Wright. I'm looking for my fiance, Rick O'Connell," the woman said,
"Well, um, I'm sorry Miss Wright, you fiance isn't here. He left several hours ago."
"I figured as much." Charlotte said, not seeming the least disapointed, "You must be Evelyn Carnahan, I've been meaning to speak with you."
"Me?" Evelyn asked,
"Yes, I'm looking for someone who can read heiroglyphs, and according to Rick you're quite the expert."
"I-I--Well, I don't know if I'm an expert, but--"
"Nonesense," Charlotte replied with a smile, "He's quite the admirer of you."
"Um, thank you. I'm flattered--"
"I didn't say I was." Charlotte scoffed, "But, lets get back to business. I'm going on a um... what's the word?..."
"An expedition?" Evelyn offered
"... You could call it that." Charlotte said, "Its in the Valley of the Kings-- And don't interupt me, its nowhere you've heard of-- But in order to find what we're looking for someone will have to decipher heiroglyphics, and that's where you come in. I'm willing to pay you three hundred dollars, one hundred and fifty before we leave and one hundred and fifty when we back provided you hold your end of the bargain and don't ask questions. Do we have a deal?" Charlotte asked, extending her hand to be shaken.
Evelyn considered this for a moment. It was obvious that Charlotte was a shrewd business woman, her offer sounded fair enough, but there was something suspicious about it. Still, when would she get another chance to explore the Valley of the Kings? It didn't seem likely, at least not in her financial situation, so she agreed.
"Its a deal." Evelyn replied with a quick handshake,
"Good... We leave now." Charlotte said and without another word, she headed out of the library.
"Wait! Wait for me!" Evelyn called, she quickly grabbed a sheet of paper and scribbled down a quick note:
'Jonathan,
Sorry I'm not here, something unexpected came up. Don't worry about me I'm just off on a dig, and should be back soon. Love Evelyn.'
She set the note on her desk where Jonathan wouldn't miss it and hurried out the door after Charlotte.
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Jonathan checked his watch as he left the card house, it was eight o'clock and Evelyn would be off work in an hour giving him just enough time to wander over to the museum and sneak up on her. As he walked he tried to think of a hiding place that would top his last one. There wasn't a very wide variety of hiding places in the museum so he decided that a free-standing sarcophagus would have to do. Evelyn wasn't expecting him back for another week anyway, let alone with an actual artifact so she'd never suspect it.
As he strolled up to the museum door he carefully tucked his papyrus into the pocket on the inside of his jacket, then silently snuck through the front door. Once inside, he headed straight to the mummy display room, trying his hardest not to laugh. Found a large sarcophagus leaned up against the wall,
"This should do it!" he said to himself. He carefully opened the door, making sure the mummy didn't fall out in the process, then slipped inside. He left the lid opend just a crack so he could get air, but he was almost sure Evelyn wouldn't notice.
It was several minutes before Jonathan heard anything. From his cramped position in the sarcophagus he could hear faint footsteps coming his way. At this point he was finding it almost impossible to stifle his laughter as he pictured himself flinging open the sarcophagus and leaping out in his sister's face. As he pictured this he lost control and began giggling loudly for several seconds.
"Darn." he thought, suddenly gaining composure. He listened for a moment but didn't hear anything, "I don't think she heard me." he said to himself. He had just let a sigh of relief when suddenly the door to the sarcophagus flew open and he found himself face to face with a revolver,
"AHH!!!"
"AHH!!!"
"AHH!!!"
"JONATHAN!" shouted the man behind the revolver. In response, Jonathan opened one eye and looked out at his attacker, and was yanked out of the sarcophagus, "What the heck do you think you're doing?!" the voice sounded familiar, Jonathan recognized it as O'Connell without opening his eyes,
"I was just um... looking for Evie," he offered,
"In a coffin?" O'Connell asked, putting the gun away.
"Well, she would have found me eventually." Jonathan replied. "But, she's probably heard me by now, wouldn't you say? Evie! Its Jonathan, I'm back!" he called, heading off for the library.
When he entered the library it was surprisingly quiet, "Evie?" he called,
"She's not here." O'Connell said from behind, "I checked the whole place, there's nobody here."
"Hm, that's odd." Jonathan said, "I'll just have to wait until she gets back," he said, sitting at Evelyn's desk and propping his feet on it. "So what're you doing down here O'Connell?"
"I'm looking for my fiance."
"Fiance? Well, that's quite a change of pace. Who's the lucky-- I say..." Jonathan took his feet off the desk and reached for a piece of paper on the other side. "Dear Jonathan," he began reading aloud, "... Something came up... blah, blah, blah... On a dig... blah, blah, blah... Evie." Jonathan put the note down, "Well, that explains it, she's on a dig." Jonathan said, "Well, see you around O'Connell." Jonathan said, about to walk out the door,
"Wait-- Doesn't any of this sound strange to you?" O'Connell asked,
"Um... no..." Jonathan answered slowly. O'Connell rolled his eyes,
"Your sister's on a dig. She's not here. My fiance's not here. See a connection?" Jonathan thought for a moment,
"Oh my god! Your fiance and my sister are the same person-- You're marrying my sister!" O'Connell slapped himself in the forehead, he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"No, they're both on the dig you idiot!"
"Well, that was going to be my second guess." Jonathan said. "Well, that's good to know." Jonathan said, ready to leave again. He was about to walk out the door when he noticed O'Connell's troubled expression. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"There's something weird about it...." O'Connell said, "Charlotte hates archeaology, why would she want to go on a dig?"
"Money?" Jonathan suggested,
"She's rich?"
"Fame?"
"She could care less."
"Hm, well, that is strange." Jonathan said nonchallantly, taking out his papyrus to admire it.
"What's that?" O'Connell asked,
"I found it on a dig. Looks like a map of some sort doesn't it?" Jonathan asked, holding it up, "But there's a bit of it torn off right here where the writing is, see?" O'Connell walked over to look at it, and suddenly snatched it from his hand,
"I've seen this before." he said, "Charlotte had the torn part, I'm almost sure of it."
"But... I thought she hated archeaology."
"She does, but she used to study it. I'm almost sure she had the other half when I met her." Jonathan took another look at his map,
"Did she know what it said?" he asked,
"I don't know, something about gods, or a temple or something." Jonathan's eyes widened, "... The Temple of the Gods."
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It was six o'clock and Evelyn was still busily shelving books at the library. She stacked another armload onto the shelf and began alphabetizing them from her perilous positon on the fifth rung of the ladder.
"Let's see... Akenaton, Amenhotep the first, second, and third, Amun, Amun-Ra, Ankh, Anubis--"
"Hello," replied a voice from behind,
"Hello," Evelyn replied back, hardly noticing she was being spoken to, "Aton, Bastet, Bubas--Ahh!--Who-who are you? Er, I-I mean, can I help you?" she asked, turning to face the intruder.
"Yes actually, I'm Charlotte, Charlotte Wright. I'm looking for my fiance, Rick O'Connell," the woman said,
"Well, um, I'm sorry Miss Wright, you fiance isn't here. He left several hours ago."
"I figured as much." Charlotte said, not seeming the least disapointed, "You must be Evelyn Carnahan, I've been meaning to speak with you."
"Me?" Evelyn asked,
"Yes, I'm looking for someone who can read heiroglyphs, and according to Rick you're quite the expert."
"I-I--Well, I don't know if I'm an expert, but--"
"Nonesense," Charlotte replied with a smile, "He's quite the admirer of you."
"Um, thank you. I'm flattered--"
"I didn't say I was." Charlotte scoffed, "But, lets get back to business. I'm going on a um... what's the word?..."
"An expedition?" Evelyn offered
"... You could call it that." Charlotte said, "Its in the Valley of the Kings-- And don't interupt me, its nowhere you've heard of-- But in order to find what we're looking for someone will have to decipher heiroglyphics, and that's where you come in. I'm willing to pay you three hundred dollars, one hundred and fifty before we leave and one hundred and fifty when we back provided you hold your end of the bargain and don't ask questions. Do we have a deal?" Charlotte asked, extending her hand to be shaken.
Evelyn considered this for a moment. It was obvious that Charlotte was a shrewd business woman, her offer sounded fair enough, but there was something suspicious about it. Still, when would she get another chance to explore the Valley of the Kings? It didn't seem likely, at least not in her financial situation, so she agreed.
"Its a deal." Evelyn replied with a quick handshake,
"Good... We leave now." Charlotte said and without another word, she headed out of the library.
"Wait! Wait for me!" Evelyn called, she quickly grabbed a sheet of paper and scribbled down a quick note:
'Jonathan,
Sorry I'm not here, something unexpected came up. Don't worry about me I'm just off on a dig, and should be back soon. Love Evelyn.'
She set the note on her desk where Jonathan wouldn't miss it and hurried out the door after Charlotte.
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Jonathan checked his watch as he left the card house, it was eight o'clock and Evelyn would be off work in an hour giving him just enough time to wander over to the museum and sneak up on her. As he walked he tried to think of a hiding place that would top his last one. There wasn't a very wide variety of hiding places in the museum so he decided that a free-standing sarcophagus would have to do. Evelyn wasn't expecting him back for another week anyway, let alone with an actual artifact so she'd never suspect it.
As he strolled up to the museum door he carefully tucked his papyrus into the pocket on the inside of his jacket, then silently snuck through the front door. Once inside, he headed straight to the mummy display room, trying his hardest not to laugh. Found a large sarcophagus leaned up against the wall,
"This should do it!" he said to himself. He carefully opened the door, making sure the mummy didn't fall out in the process, then slipped inside. He left the lid opend just a crack so he could get air, but he was almost sure Evelyn wouldn't notice.
It was several minutes before Jonathan heard anything. From his cramped position in the sarcophagus he could hear faint footsteps coming his way. At this point he was finding it almost impossible to stifle his laughter as he pictured himself flinging open the sarcophagus and leaping out in his sister's face. As he pictured this he lost control and began giggling loudly for several seconds.
"Darn." he thought, suddenly gaining composure. He listened for a moment but didn't hear anything, "I don't think she heard me." he said to himself. He had just let a sigh of relief when suddenly the door to the sarcophagus flew open and he found himself face to face with a revolver,
"AHH!!!"
"AHH!!!"
"AHH!!!"
"JONATHAN!" shouted the man behind the revolver. In response, Jonathan opened one eye and looked out at his attacker, and was yanked out of the sarcophagus, "What the heck do you think you're doing?!" the voice sounded familiar, Jonathan recognized it as O'Connell without opening his eyes,
"I was just um... looking for Evie," he offered,
"In a coffin?" O'Connell asked, putting the gun away.
"Well, she would have found me eventually." Jonathan replied. "But, she's probably heard me by now, wouldn't you say? Evie! Its Jonathan, I'm back!" he called, heading off for the library.
When he entered the library it was surprisingly quiet, "Evie?" he called,
"She's not here." O'Connell said from behind, "I checked the whole place, there's nobody here."
"Hm, that's odd." Jonathan said, "I'll just have to wait until she gets back," he said, sitting at Evelyn's desk and propping his feet on it. "So what're you doing down here O'Connell?"
"I'm looking for my fiance."
"Fiance? Well, that's quite a change of pace. Who's the lucky-- I say..." Jonathan took his feet off the desk and reached for a piece of paper on the other side. "Dear Jonathan," he began reading aloud, "... Something came up... blah, blah, blah... On a dig... blah, blah, blah... Evie." Jonathan put the note down, "Well, that explains it, she's on a dig." Jonathan said, "Well, see you around O'Connell." Jonathan said, about to walk out the door,
"Wait-- Doesn't any of this sound strange to you?" O'Connell asked,
"Um... no..." Jonathan answered slowly. O'Connell rolled his eyes,
"Your sister's on a dig. She's not here. My fiance's not here. See a connection?" Jonathan thought for a moment,
"Oh my god! Your fiance and my sister are the same person-- You're marrying my sister!" O'Connell slapped himself in the forehead, he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"No, they're both on the dig you idiot!"
"Well, that was going to be my second guess." Jonathan said. "Well, that's good to know." Jonathan said, ready to leave again. He was about to walk out the door when he noticed O'Connell's troubled expression. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"There's something weird about it...." O'Connell said, "Charlotte hates archeaology, why would she want to go on a dig?"
"Money?" Jonathan suggested,
"She's rich?"
"Fame?"
"She could care less."
"Hm, well, that is strange." Jonathan said nonchallantly, taking out his papyrus to admire it.
"What's that?" O'Connell asked,
"I found it on a dig. Looks like a map of some sort doesn't it?" Jonathan asked, holding it up, "But there's a bit of it torn off right here where the writing is, see?" O'Connell walked over to look at it, and suddenly snatched it from his hand,
"I've seen this before." he said, "Charlotte had the torn part, I'm almost sure of it."
"But... I thought she hated archeaology."
"She does, but she used to study it. I'm almost sure she had the other half when I met her." Jonathan took another look at his map,
"Did she know what it said?" he asked,
"I don't know, something about gods, or a temple or something." Jonathan's eyes widened, "... The Temple of the Gods."