Chapter 6 Part 2

1543 hours, January 18, 2005

Deep inside of Dr. Clancy's discovered temple

Valley of the Kings, Egypt

Dr. Catherine Halsey looked up from her desk to hear the distant growl of the flood. More people she thought as she tapped her ancient computer on. Her computer beeped then flashed the date, but oddly enough it wouldn't be right for another 500 years. A second later a program activated, it showed the sensors that Kelly had planted a few years ago in order to track the people that were brave enough to explore the temple. They usually never made it to the underground levels of the temple because of the waves of flood but it seemed that someone fell through one of the hatches into one of the access rooms. This intrigued Dr. Halsey, especially since they were close to the key. She decided that she would wake up Kelly from cryosleep for this wonderful event that has never happened before. She quickly got up from her desk and left her office heading towards the small cryo room at the opposite side of the ship. Her feet pounded as she passed the silent darkened rooms. Her mind flashed the fact that no one had been in those rooms for hundreds of years. The only rooms she ever went in were her office/bedroom and the galley. But she quickly discarded the irreverent thoughts in order to focus at what was at hand. Her feet led her through the familiar passages, until she arrived at the looming door that led to the cryo room. The door asked promptly for a pin code and fingerprints and she quickly supplied them. The door beeped then opened up to a large closet sized room. A computer terminal sat right next to two tubes, one was for her and the other was for Kelly. Graceful fingers tapped on the ergonomic keyboard and initiated a response from Kelly's tube. The screen flashed the words "Defrosting in progress" and caused a chill to go through Dr. Halsey. "This always gets me excited" she said to herself. Moments later the tube opened to reveal the tallest women Dr. Halsey has or will ever see. The women's golden hair was in a crew cut style and her body was filled steel muscles, threatening to most but not to Dr. Halsey. The doctor considered her like all her other Spartans, as her own children. A smile filled her face as Kelly's eyes opened up and focused. Kelly let out a string of whooping coughs to clear the nutritive mucus that covered her throat. The mucus was supposed to be good for people who were frozen but most spitted it out for the fact that it taste horrible, and Kelly wasn't the exception. The yellow mucus lay inert on the floor as Kelly stepped out of the tube. Her face was emotionless as most Spartans faces were but her eyes spoke volumes of emotion.

"How long was I out?" Kelly asked

"About 5 years," Dr. Halsey said

"What year is it?"

"It's 2005"

"Wow, I can never keep track of the years" she muttered

"Same here but we need to talk about something,"

"What?"

"Someone has made it very close to the key," the doctor said

"Wow they must be very well armed or very lucky,"
"You know what that means, we need to talk to them and see if we can get out of this temple." she said with a pause, "See if you can salvage some weapons and supplies while I check on their progress,"

"Yes ma'am," Kelly saluted crisply. She went off while Dr. Halsey checked the terminal, to see how far they moved. They still remained a good distance away from the key but they should be able to meet them in time. She quickly tapped something on the terminal then turned it off. Her gaze looked around the ship then she rushed off to see if Kelly was ready.

Elaine toted her gun close to her body, waiting to see if more surprises would jump out to meet her. Her mind filled with images of monster zombies and those bulbous creatures know as the flood. She shuttered inwardly, but quickly composed herself and kept walking. Images of her father suddenly crept out of the back of her head into her mind's eye. She knew now that her father suffered a grizzly death at the hands of the flood. Her mind was finally at peace, because she knew that her father now rested better. Still, she wished that he could bury his remains, to put him in the earth, to give him a decent funeral.

"I think we're arriving at a room," Chris said as the hall widen significantly. Elaine was snapped back to reality, her mind reeling as she tried to ready herself for any danger. She snapped the gun to full automatic and check to see if she still had ammo. After she finished her check she rubbed the revolver for good luck, she knew that she would need it for whatever is up ahead.

The Chiroptera-class ship opened silently while exposing the interior of the ship. The platform landed on the floor with a thump then the two passengers stepped off quickly. Kelly carried most of the load and was armed with a SMG weapon, while Dr. Halsey carried an HE pistol and her E- board. The E-board was connected wirelessly to the onboard ship computer so she could keep tract of the people. So far they almost made it to the room; they just needed to clear a strip of hallway.

"We need to move quickly Kelly," Dr. Halsey said

"Going as fast as I can ma'am," Kelly muttered. She went noticeably faster towards the open atrium doorway while Dr. Halsey struggled to keep up and balancing her heavy E-board all at the same time. They were located pretty close to the key but they needed to be there before they could touch it. Her breath thickened as Kelly sped farther away, but she ran to a full sprint and finally caught up to her at the Key room but that was only because she stopped abruptly.

"What's wrong Kelly?" she said with a smile. Her smile disappeared instantly as she faced the direction Kelly was staring in. Four people in military fatigues faced her and Kelly, what surprised her even more was that one of them she was her exact mirror image. They stared at each other for what seemed for hours until both groups walked towards each other. Dr. Halsey just kept starring at the women; she looked like a tougher version of her. Both groups kept the awkward silence until Dr. Halsey picked her hand up

"Hi," she said in a meek tone. Suddenly the floor shock as a distant door opened and bulbous creature flooded in,. Kelly picked up her SMG and started shooting, while the other followed suit.

TO BE CONTINUED…