Riddle Me This, Riddle Me That
The Museum…
It was not long after sunset that the Helix arrived back in Cairo. Everyone was somewhat exhausted since it had been a long day. They slowly made their way through the Museum entrance when Jesse greeted them.
"Adam, Emma and I checked out the Faculty and found something interesting."
"What's going on there?" Adam asked stretching a little.
"Well we where looking through Malone's office, checking through the files that he left behind after he quit. We were just about to leave when Emma sensed someone approaching the room. We hid in the closet, but here's the kicker, it wasn't a closet. It looked like a secret warehouse or research lab."
"Sounds like things aren't all what they seem," Adam surmised.
"Well that's not all. Someone came into the room while we were down there. So Emma hit him with a psionic blast and we brought him back with us. He's been out like a light ever since," Jesse stifled a yawn and made a half smile at the others. "Looks like you guys have been busy."
"Yeah, we found the key. Now all we have to do is recognize the pattern on the key and match it to the hieroglyphs on the first piece. Hopefully it'll have the clues to the location of the second piece on it," Willow showed Jesse the key enthusiastically, anxious to start the puzzle solving.
"First thing's first. Everyone should get some rest and we'll decipher the first piece in the morning," Adam turned to see the slightly exhausted looks on everyone's faces. "Before I turn in I'm gonna go check on our guest. Maybe we'll now be able to get some answers."
"Why don't I start deciphering the key now, I'm not sleepy. Besides, it'll be good for the brain," Willow smiled at Adam and the others for emphasis.
"Alright. Now the museum offered to set us up with a hotel, but I thought it would be better if we didn't stray too far from here. So Alex has set up some beds in the back labs. Hope that's okay with you guys," Adam looked at them all apologetically.
"Hey its not exactly five star, but I'm okay with that," Shalimar shrugged.
"Fine with me," Brennen replied.
"Me too," Jesse added.
"Hey I've slept in worse places," Willow joked.
In the back…
Emma had kept a silent watch on Tucker, who only in the last few minutes began to stir. Adam entered the room silently.
"How's our friend doing?"
"I think he's starting to come around. He's been out for a while, so I don't know how he's gonna be," Emma, like the others, was a little exhausted and anxious to turn in. She was grateful when Adam and the others returned, which meant it wouldn't be much longer.
"We're probably gonna have to take some extra precautions due to our friend's abilities. I'm gonna put a special suppressor to prevent him from using his telecyber abilities, all the while keeping him in a force field similar to the one back in Sanctuary," Adam attached a small device to Tucker's head.
"Kinda like a sub-dermal governor," Emma added.
"Sort of, but not as archaic," Adam then activated a force field around Tucker. "That should keep him from using his phasing abilities."
Just then Tucker's eyes shot open and he looked alarmingly at Adam and Emma. Realizing he'd been caught, he began to panic and tried to phase out of the room.
"Don't bother, this force field was specifically designed for individuals such as yourself," Adam then saw him try to disable the device. "Those devises on your head are preventing you from using your telecyber abilities. I designed them for that purpose."
"What the hell am I doing here?" Tucker was agitated, worrying about how mad Malone was gonna be when he found out he'd been caught.
"Hopefully to answer some questions. So you might as well get comfortable, cause you're not going anywhere."
"I have nothing to say to you guys," Tucker spoke in defiance.
"Oh I think you'll have plenty to say," Emma shot a psionic blast at him causing him to stumble a bit. "That's better."
"Who are you and your friends working for?" Adam asked noticing more cooperation in Tucker's face.
"I work for Christopher Malone. I have for the last few years. Some suit named Napier, bought our services to help him find a mystic stone," Tucker answered, somewhat dazed from the blast.
"The eye. What do you know about the eye?" Emma asked.
"Only that it exists."
"Did this Napier ever mention to you who he was working for or who he answered to?" Adam had an answer in his mind, but kept it to himself, waiting for Tucker to confirm his suspicions.
"No, we only wanted the money, no questions asked," Tucker was groggy but fought it. "Probably another group of suits."
"Did he ever reveal to you or your associates what he intended to do once he found the eye?" Adam decided to press further, thinking there was more than what he was telling.
"Like I said before no questions asked. We just do our job and get paid," Tucker answered.
Emma pulled Adam aside, "Something doesn't make sense. Why would Malone part with something he feels so passionate about?"
"My guess is he was gonna use the money they received to find the eye and then make off with it when he found it," Adam was slowly starting to put the pieces together, but there was something still eating at him.
"So you think Malone has no intentions on turning it over," Emma didn't need her powers to know what Adam was thinking then. "You think the GSA's behind this?"
"Well anything's possible. This artifact is definitely worth so much, that it wouldn't surprise me that the GSA would want to get their hands on it, powers or no," Adam shook the thought and then turned to her, "Why don't you get some sleep. It's gonna be a busy day tomorrow."
"What about him?" Emma turned to Tucker, sensing his defeat.
"Don't worry he's not going anywhere. Besides the guards will keep an eye on him and alert us if he starts any trouble." Sensing Adams confidence, Emma nodded as they both left the room.
Several hours later…
Shalimar stirred from her slumber. She sat up in the bed and glanced at Brennen, who was peacefully sleeping beside her. She slowly rose from the bed, careful to not wake Brennen and left the room.
The cold floor made her feet tingle, but she ignored it as she stormed the silent halls of the Museum. She came to the door of the lab and quietly entered to see a slumbering Willow lying with her head down on the table. Shalimar smiled and shook her head as she walked towards the quite form. She carefully lifted Willow into her arms and carried her into a room across the hall. Willow shifted in her sleep slightly as Shalimar set her down on a cot and pulled a blanket over her.
Shalimar just sat there and stared at her. They had come a long way in the past few months.
She had witnessed Willow go from lost and confused, to a confident young teenager bursting with enthusiasm and a new lease on life. This little scamp had tended to be a royal pain in the ass, but at the same time, managed steal her heart. She sighed inwardly, grateful for the second chance she had been given.
She silently cursed her father and Eckhart for robbing her of her baby sister for so long. What made it worse was what Willow was subjected to while in the custody of the GSA. Knowing what they had done to Willow made her skin crawl. Injecting a baby with an experimental drug was enough to make her want to begin a personal crusade. No one would miss Eckhart or the GSA and the satisfaction of the idea made it a worthwhile thought. She shook it off decided to focus on the now and the young girl who had come to mean so much to her.
She gave Willow a gentle kiss on the forehead and silently got up. Making her way to the door, she glanced back at her and turned out the light, leaving her to dream of the adventures they were gonna embark on come tomorrow.
Early that morning…
Willow had been the first one awake that morning. She had been frustrated at falling asleep but had decided not to stress about it. She had succeeded in translating the hieroglyphs on the key. Easy as pie. Now the trick was to matching the symbols on the first piece to the key, which was covered from top to bottom in them. The trick was arranging the words in the correct order according to the inscriptions on the key. What she had believed to be a walk in the park was shaping up to be a pain in the ass.
"Good morning. How's the riddler?" Adam asked as he entered the room.
"Adam, I know I'm so close, but there seems to be a word missing," Willow leaned back in her chair and stretched, causing her neck to crack.
"Well what do you have so far?" Adam sat next to her and glanced at the paper she was writing on, noting the considerable number of scribbles.
"See for yourself. I've managed to come up with this so far; Across the dessert to the south, upon a lonely body where the resting-place of the blank resides. That's pretty vague. I don't know if I did something wrong. I'm just basically going on hunches and educated guesses here."
"It's better than nothing." Adam studied the paper carefully and then turned his attention to the key. "Maybe we should use the Helix's computer."
"Aw but where's the fun in that?" Willow shrugged. "It takes away the satisfaction of solving the clues without the aid of technology. I have to hand it to the Egyptians, they were the best."
Adam broke his attention way from the piece he was fumbling with in his hands. Just then the others strolled into the room, anxious to get moving.
"Morning guys. Sleep well?" Willow asked.
"Like a rock. Man those cots were comfortable," Brennen yawned and stretched a little.
"What are you guys up to?" Shalimar asked.
"Willow was just explaining to me the progress she'd made in the translations," Adam smiled, still concentrating a good portion of his attention on the piece in his hand. A particular dent in the stone had sparked his interest. "She's hit a bit of a snag, so I'm gonna throw my two cents in."
"I'm so close, I can taste it," She handed her notepad to Brennen. They both studied it carefully with confusion.
"So what does it mean?" Shalimar looked at Adam, then Willow.
"Until I find out what that last word is, which I can't find on the piece anywhere, I have no clue," Willow shook her head. "But hey, you wanna hear what else I found on the key while I was translating?"
Adam broke his concentration from the piece and looked up at Willow.
"Well according to this tablet, the pieces are called Talisman. Suppose it beats calling it a piece, now at least we have a name." She glanced at the stone in her hand and turned serious. "I also found another riddle hidden on the bottom part of the key. It's separated from the others. It says; Only one who possesses Earth, Air, Fire and Water may enter the sun," Willow pointed out riddle on the stone and looked up as Jesse came bumbling in, sleep still fresh in his eyes.
"Who knows what it means. I bet we'll find out soon enough," Brennen unconsciously put his hand on Shalimar's back, rubbing gentle circles on the area in question.
"Well we'll worry about that later, for now let's just concentrate on finding the pieces," Adam resumed his studying of the piece. "Willow did you notice this dent here?"
"Yeah what about it? I just assumed it was from wear, so I paid no attention to it. Why?" Willow looked at Adam.
"First rule of Science, never rule anything out. My instincts are telling me this is worth checking out."
The Helix…
Everyone had made their way to the Helix. Tucker was obligated to join them since Adam wasn't taking any chances with him. They all stood around a holographic image while the computer analyzed the Talisman.
"I knew it. It's another clue. Willow you recognize this symbol?" Adam smiled glancing on the image projected. He knew what it was, but he wanted Willow to identify it.
Suddenly the lights came on and a small grin formed around her mouth. "Yes, it makes sense now. Across the dessert to the south, upon a lonely body where the resting place of the Queen of queens resides."
"Who is it? Cleopatra, Nefratiti?" Emma looked towards Adam.
Willow shook her head, "No it's Isis, Osiris' queen. She ruled the underworld with him. She's the Queen of queens. Lonely body must mean an island. The island of Philae is where her temple is."
"And that's where we're heading."
With that the Helix lifted off.
End of Chapter 5
That one took a bit longer than I anticipated. Thanks for your patience and keep reading.