The desert sun beat down on the small expedition team as they made their way out into the Valley of the Kings. Today would be the day; the team leader had made extensive preparations for this particular dig. For today they would be entering the lower mostly unexplored levels of the tombs in the hopes of finding some of the treasures that the tomb robbers had not been able to find.
Everyone on the team knew what the team leaders were hoping to find. For they had all been briefed to the point of being conversant in the legends of the Millennium items. Some of the legends surrounding the items made the legends of King Arthur and Camelot seem like science fact. Mostly unbelievable and thought to be the ramblings of sun scorched ramblings of the worker class in Egypt's past recorded in a couple family legers as fact and forgotten.
Even if they didn't find the mythical items the potential for other unearthed treasures made the whole team excited about the expedition. Walking as far in as they could they found the point marked on the maps as the end of the currently known and explored passages. Lighting torches they continued onward carefully down a very steep incline where most were relieved to get to the bottom with out breaking their necks.
One of the members of the expedition had some cartography experience so he was put in charge of mapping where they were and where they had been. Accurate maps were desired for they all wanted very much to be able to get out of the lower tombs with their lives intact.
They were very nearly stopped by a collapse in the tunnel, except they had thought to bring some of the heavier digging tools. Soon a small path was cleared and the team leader began speaking of the legends again. Some of this information was old to them all, but the older man surprised them all by telling them new information about what was supposed to be in these tunnels.
As far as they had come, the tunnel had been distressingly blank except for the occasional inscription to ward off the evils of both worlds and ensure safe passage for the spirits into the realm of the dead. That was, it was blank until it opened into a huge chamber. Such a chamber should not have been able to have been built this far underground with the weight of the pyramid and the sands of Egypt bearing down on it. Yet like a porcelain bubble the chamber held its own through out the millennia.
Immediately the crew started with the floors, checking it to be sound they set up the preliminary camp there. With various specialists working in the camp and a few of the explorers checking the two passages that branched off from the room, the path the team leader was searching for was found. It lead to a seeming dead end, except dead ends normally didn't have so many hieroglyphics around them so they assumed that it was a doorway of some sort.
Soon after, they discovered the mechanism for opening the doorway and as they let the air circulate out for a second thy realized that this was by far one of the smallest chambers they had been in. Eventually the team leader stepped into the room and smiled as he saw the indentation in the wall. There it was, just as the legends had predicted. There were many other treasures in the room and one by one they were carefully carried out to the main chamber where they could be gently dusted of and catalogued before being wrapped for travel to the Egyptian Government's Bureau of Egyptology.
The team worked carefully and swiftly. None of them knew what their presence or the vibrations of the sounds they were making would do to the internal structure. Clearing the tables of all of the important equipment they packed up for the day and marched quickly back up to the surface. For the time being they were safe in the room, but none of them wanted to test that by staying any longer than they had to in order to get this done.
With the discovery came the overwhelming excitement of the team leader. It was infectious and they all had a good time around the encampment that night, not noticing that one of their number moved silently away in the shadows of the night.
After almost a month at the site and one cave in of one of the upper chambers that had nearly claimed the lives of the team leaders. The expedition headed back to Cairo where the Team leaders would present their findings and reports to the Egyptian Government. Everyone else was just looking forward to going home to family and loved ones.
As the report was given it was not completely good. For the team leaders had also to report that one of their team members was discovered sneaking back into the camp in the early predawn hours. After a thorough search of his effects it was discovered that he had far more money on him that was ever necessary for a trip out into the middle of the desert.
An investigation was launched and it was further discovered that several of the artifacts that had been brought up from the tomb were missing. The man had not said anything about it, but by the way he reacted to the questioning and after checking his things more carefully it was eventually discovered that he had been sneaking the artifacts out of the camp. Presumably to sell to the black market.
He was dismissed promptly and taken into custody. For their help in rooting out one of the more modern day tomb robbers, each of the two team leaders were invited to ask for one thing from the expedition. Each of them took a small artifact and had it cleared by the government and returned home to complete their research and their dissertations on the subjects that they had each been researching throughout the journey.
A dark, well built, sun touched man brooded over all of this as his plane made the trans-pacific flight. Dark and unapproachable it served as a good deterrent for people that might have otherwise tried to engage him in chitchat. ~Soon old friend. Soon you and I shall meet again, and this time I will ensure that you get everything that is coming to you.~ The dark smile that graced his lips did nothing to enhance his features, which were handsome in an exotic manner. Instead made him seem darker, more predatory and entirely far too dangerous for even the stewardess to even want to approach.
It was hours later when the trans-pacific flight touched down in greater Tokyo. This was by design so that he would rent a car and drive to his final destination. He needed to renew his contacts here first, for if he were to start his little project and not let his contacts know he was here, it would certainly be as detrimental as just walking up to his target and outright demanding what he wanted.
First however, he needed some sleep. He checked into the nearest relatively cheap hotel and slept for about 9 hours before waking somewhat rested, but knowing that it would be enough until his internal clock readjusted. Checking out, he hopped into his little rental car and took off for several small shops in the city. He had some items to buy and with those items, messages to pass along.
It would be many hours later when he was finally on the road to Domino. His final destination and he knew that with his contacts renewed he would have no trouble finding what he was searching for. Soon, very soon, there would be hell to pay for the humiliations of the past. And with each step growing closer to his goal, he knew that it would not be long. Just a little longer, he had waited nearly 40 years for his revenge, carefully keeping tabs on the ones he swore vengeance on and staying underground until the time was right. He had already taken his revenge on one; a little more time now would mean nothing to him for the other.
Everyone on the team knew what the team leaders were hoping to find. For they had all been briefed to the point of being conversant in the legends of the Millennium items. Some of the legends surrounding the items made the legends of King Arthur and Camelot seem like science fact. Mostly unbelievable and thought to be the ramblings of sun scorched ramblings of the worker class in Egypt's past recorded in a couple family legers as fact and forgotten.
Even if they didn't find the mythical items the potential for other unearthed treasures made the whole team excited about the expedition. Walking as far in as they could they found the point marked on the maps as the end of the currently known and explored passages. Lighting torches they continued onward carefully down a very steep incline where most were relieved to get to the bottom with out breaking their necks.
One of the members of the expedition had some cartography experience so he was put in charge of mapping where they were and where they had been. Accurate maps were desired for they all wanted very much to be able to get out of the lower tombs with their lives intact.
They were very nearly stopped by a collapse in the tunnel, except they had thought to bring some of the heavier digging tools. Soon a small path was cleared and the team leader began speaking of the legends again. Some of this information was old to them all, but the older man surprised them all by telling them new information about what was supposed to be in these tunnels.
As far as they had come, the tunnel had been distressingly blank except for the occasional inscription to ward off the evils of both worlds and ensure safe passage for the spirits into the realm of the dead. That was, it was blank until it opened into a huge chamber. Such a chamber should not have been able to have been built this far underground with the weight of the pyramid and the sands of Egypt bearing down on it. Yet like a porcelain bubble the chamber held its own through out the millennia.
Immediately the crew started with the floors, checking it to be sound they set up the preliminary camp there. With various specialists working in the camp and a few of the explorers checking the two passages that branched off from the room, the path the team leader was searching for was found. It lead to a seeming dead end, except dead ends normally didn't have so many hieroglyphics around them so they assumed that it was a doorway of some sort.
Soon after, they discovered the mechanism for opening the doorway and as they let the air circulate out for a second thy realized that this was by far one of the smallest chambers they had been in. Eventually the team leader stepped into the room and smiled as he saw the indentation in the wall. There it was, just as the legends had predicted. There were many other treasures in the room and one by one they were carefully carried out to the main chamber where they could be gently dusted of and catalogued before being wrapped for travel to the Egyptian Government's Bureau of Egyptology.
The team worked carefully and swiftly. None of them knew what their presence or the vibrations of the sounds they were making would do to the internal structure. Clearing the tables of all of the important equipment they packed up for the day and marched quickly back up to the surface. For the time being they were safe in the room, but none of them wanted to test that by staying any longer than they had to in order to get this done.
With the discovery came the overwhelming excitement of the team leader. It was infectious and they all had a good time around the encampment that night, not noticing that one of their number moved silently away in the shadows of the night.
After almost a month at the site and one cave in of one of the upper chambers that had nearly claimed the lives of the team leaders. The expedition headed back to Cairo where the Team leaders would present their findings and reports to the Egyptian Government. Everyone else was just looking forward to going home to family and loved ones.
As the report was given it was not completely good. For the team leaders had also to report that one of their team members was discovered sneaking back into the camp in the early predawn hours. After a thorough search of his effects it was discovered that he had far more money on him that was ever necessary for a trip out into the middle of the desert.
An investigation was launched and it was further discovered that several of the artifacts that had been brought up from the tomb were missing. The man had not said anything about it, but by the way he reacted to the questioning and after checking his things more carefully it was eventually discovered that he had been sneaking the artifacts out of the camp. Presumably to sell to the black market.
He was dismissed promptly and taken into custody. For their help in rooting out one of the more modern day tomb robbers, each of the two team leaders were invited to ask for one thing from the expedition. Each of them took a small artifact and had it cleared by the government and returned home to complete their research and their dissertations on the subjects that they had each been researching throughout the journey.
A dark, well built, sun touched man brooded over all of this as his plane made the trans-pacific flight. Dark and unapproachable it served as a good deterrent for people that might have otherwise tried to engage him in chitchat. ~Soon old friend. Soon you and I shall meet again, and this time I will ensure that you get everything that is coming to you.~ The dark smile that graced his lips did nothing to enhance his features, which were handsome in an exotic manner. Instead made him seem darker, more predatory and entirely far too dangerous for even the stewardess to even want to approach.
It was hours later when the trans-pacific flight touched down in greater Tokyo. This was by design so that he would rent a car and drive to his final destination. He needed to renew his contacts here first, for if he were to start his little project and not let his contacts know he was here, it would certainly be as detrimental as just walking up to his target and outright demanding what he wanted.
First however, he needed some sleep. He checked into the nearest relatively cheap hotel and slept for about 9 hours before waking somewhat rested, but knowing that it would be enough until his internal clock readjusted. Checking out, he hopped into his little rental car and took off for several small shops in the city. He had some items to buy and with those items, messages to pass along.
It would be many hours later when he was finally on the road to Domino. His final destination and he knew that with his contacts renewed he would have no trouble finding what he was searching for. Soon, very soon, there would be hell to pay for the humiliations of the past. And with each step growing closer to his goal, he knew that it would not be long. Just a little longer, he had waited nearly 40 years for his revenge, carefully keeping tabs on the ones he swore vengeance on and staying underground until the time was right. He had already taken his revenge on one; a little more time now would mean nothing to him for the other.