Favoured Friends

Part 11/?

Summary: An invitation to the National Egyptology Conference quickly becomes deadly race for the mythic Ichriem against an old rival of Sydney's - the assassin known only as 'the Viper'.

Note: This is a round robin originally posted at the Relic Hunter Yahoo Group. Although I'm posting it, I did not write the entire thing. This part was written by Cari Loran ( carilorus@yahoo.com )

Also, I have Support Services. That means that, if you want, you can put me on Author Alert and receive notice when other stories of mine are posted, even if you haven't paid yourself.

Posted: Saturday, August 17, 2002

Sydney hung up the bland hospital phone, letting it haplessly clatter in its cradle. Until that moment she'd never considered herself a coward, but was now forced to admit she'd chickened out.

She hadn't told Claudia about Nigel.

It was probably stupid. After all, didn't the wispy secretary deserve to know? She was as much Nigel's friend as anyone, and although Claudia would certainly never admit it or act on it, Sydney suspected she nursed a slight crush on the young Englishman. But then, so did half the girls in her 'Intro to Archeology' lecture... a fact to which Nigel remained naïvely unaware.

Claudia was generally a perky optimist, seeing sunshine and rainbows where other people saw only shadows and storm clouds. But learning Nigel was in the hands of an international mercenary might be too much for her to coat with a silver lining.

If Claudia broke down and cried over the phone... if the eternal optimist lost hope, Sydney wasn't sure she could deal with it. Any comfort she tried to offer the secretary would be hollow. How could she just sit and spout platitudes and say 'everything will be all right' when nothing was further from the truth?

Yes, the secretary did deserve to know, but not now, not before something was certain.

Sydney stared up the ceiling, something she'd been doing too much of lately. *Damn Shanahan* How could the man possibly believe Nigel and The Viper were one in the same? Worse yet, believe that she knew it and was protecting him! Had he gone to detective school over the Internet?

How anyone could meet Nigel, talk to him, and believe he was a wanted criminal in a dozen countries was beyond comprehension. Shanahan had obviously seen one too many black and white movies. Maybe in the world of fiction the meek grad student would turn out to be someone like Bond, James Bond, but in real life? The old 'least likely suspect is the best suspect' game seldom panned out.

Sydney shifted position slightly, wincing as the movement pulled at the row of fresh stitches in her back.

First order of business was to get out of the hospital and to the airport. Nigel, bless his heart, had brought a bag with a fresh change of clothes for her release. If she could just get dressed and make it past the guard who was no doubt lurking outside the door, she'd be home free.

She chewed her lip... those were all things easier said than done. The poison had left her too weak; she'd be lucky if she could fight off a fluffy bunny, much less an armed member of the NYPD.

What she needed was help. She knew several people in New York City, but unfortunately none of them had any sway with law enforcement. If only there was a way to convince Shanahan how wrong he was, he might help her leave the hospital. But how to do it? If she could just get the man to sit down and listen to her, she had no doubt she could make him see reason.

She began mulling over a few ideas until a sudden voice outside the door snapped her from her thoughts. Chances were good it was just a doctor about to walk in and give her another round of probing, but with The Viper on the loose, she'd made sure to scout the room for possible weapons. Her best bet in case any unwanted snakes slithered in was to snatch the IV rack, although she seriously wondered if she could actually lift the thing or not.

As the door opened, her hand inched towards the metal stand just in case, then abruptly froze as she caught sight of the person entering the room.

The newcomer was dressed in black, from his polished shoes and dark slacks to his sports jacket and tie. A pair of sunglasses protruded from the top of his kerchief pocket. He was a muscular man, somewhere in his early-to-mid thirties, and possessed steel blue eyes which reflected little of his emotional state.

The man let the door close softly behind him and took a look at the figure in the bed. A light smile graced his lips. "Hello Sydney," he greeted, moving a little closer. From behind his back he suddenly produced a bouquet of bright yellow daisies. "You can't seem to stay out of trouble can you?" The tone was both teasing and serious. "And this time I had nothing to do with it."

Still in a state of disbelief, Sydney reached out and took the bouquet. "What are you doing here?" She tried to keep the shock from her voice, and wondered how successful she was.

The man pulled up the visitor's chair and straddled it backwards. "I came to see you. News travels fast in my circles you know." He gave her the once over, allowing his smooth brow to furrow. "The bastard really got you didn't he? The doctor's say you're doing well though."

"Yeah," she agreed grimly, setting the flowers aside. "He got me... in more ways than one."

"I know." The man nodded, a note of sadness crept into his tone. "I heard about Nigel... and I'm sorry." He shook his head. "The cops around here are certifiable, thinking he might be The Viper. If Shanahan bothered to check the FBI profile, he'd know it was impossible unless Nigel's either a master of disguise or the youngest 50-year old in the world."

"Well, at least you believe me," Sydney groused, which brought her to something else. "And you didn't answer my question: What are you doing here anyway? I'm sure you didn't just happen to know what's been going on."

"I never 'just happen' to know anything," he confirmed. "I'm after The Viper Syd. This guy's on everyone's top ten list, if we can get him it will make a lot of people very happy... including you."

"What do you want?" She tried to sound appropriately suspicious, but couldn't believe her luck, this could very well be her ticket out.

"Information."

"What makes you think I know anything?"

The man leaned forward, tilting slightly in the chair. "Because I know you're lying here in this bed with a knife wound in your back. Because I know a dead man was found in your assistant's hotel room, and because your assistant himself is now missing. And finally, I know that less than fifteen minutes ago a first class ticket was purchased under your name on a TransAtlantis airline flight from New York to London, final destination Cairo." He grinned and let the chair plunk back on all four legs. "Feel free to jump in and contradict me."

Sydney opened and closed her mouth, finally crossing her arms over her chest. "Well if you know all that, why do you need me at all? You seem to be doing fine on your own."

"What's in Cairo Sydney? Is that where you think The Viper's taken Nigel?" He paused for a moment. "Is that where Ichriem is?"

The relic hunter looked up in surprise. "What do you know about Ichriem?"

"Absolutely nothing," he confessed. "Aside from the fact that The Viper is after it, and apparently wants it pretty badly. Are you going to tell me what's so special about this thing? What it is?"

"Maybe." Now it was bargaining time. "If you get me out of this hospital and to the airport in time to catch my plane."

The man arched an eyebrow, then gestured towards the assorted medical devices in the room. "Do you really think you're up for that?"

Sydney pushed herself up in bed, choosing to ignore the question "Look, Nigel's been missing for hours, and I know I don't have any proof, but I'm willing to bet The Viper's already left the country... he could be in Egypt by now. Every hour, every minute that goes by gives him that much more of a head start." She hated to think how much time had already passed. "So are you going to help me so I can help you, or are you going to sit there and ask questions?"

The darkly dressed man stared at her with his unreadable blue eyes, then nodded. "All right." He stood, turning the chair around to its original position. "I'll take care of the cops, you get dressed and be ready to go in half an hour. I'll pick you up and you can tell me all about this Ichriem thing on the way to the airport." He held out his hand. "Is it a deal?"

Sydney held out her hand and grasped his in a firm shake. "It's a deal."

"Good." The man nodded, and with a smile, turned to leave the room. "Oh, and one more thing..." he added as he opened the door. "It's nice to work with you again."

And Derek Lloyd was out the door and gone before Sydney could reply.

End Part Eleven