Hope everyone had a good holiday! 2020's almost over (thank goodness!), so here's my gift to start off.
The press conference took longer than expected. Thankfully, Khan's chauffer waved off the nosy reporters while he kept his stoicism. His philosophy was never show a weakness they could exploit.
"Quite a speech," said a soft voice. Few things caught him off guard. But then, that's why he always found her fascinating. That shining smile and equally shining black hair hadn't changed. The one difference, which he had only seen in photograph, was the infant sleeping she held. "I heard you were opening a new bank."
"Sorry, madame," said the chauffer. "All questions are over until-"
Khan cleared his throat. "Give us a moment."
"Yes, sir." The chauffeur nodded and made his leave.
"Finally moving up in the world," said Rose.
Khan nodded, but his attention was on the infant. "So, this is her." He might as well be talking about the weather.
Rose smiled. "Yes," She kissed the tuft of black hair, identical to her own. "This is our girl, Eliza." Before he knew it, she stepped toward him until the only thing keeping them from physical contact was the baby pushed into his arms. "Make sure you support the head."
"No, Rose, I'm not-" he tried to step back but she pushed on, giving him no other choice but follow her instructions. When the infant was secured in his arms, Rose backed away, leaving him weighed by this precious cargo. Khan glared at Rose, who sported a triumphant grin with her hands on her. "You little minx," he uttered. Normally, he liked that about her, but this time it irritated him.
"Don't tell me you're scared of a baby," she teased.
"No, I just don't care for children."
"Didn't think you could escape being an uncle forever, did you?"
Uncle. The word sounded so foreign. Great, he was only thirty and she was already making him feel old. He looked down at Eliza. She looked so fragile against his robust frame. At least she didn't wake up. The last thing he needed in public eye was trying to quiet a squealing infant. Instead, she rested her head contentedly against his chest. A tiny hand grasped his jacket. He tsked in amusement. The kid showed spirit, he'd give her that. Just like her parents.
Rose giggled. "She likes you."
Khan cocked a brow. "She's an infant. How could you possibly know that?"
Rose shrugged. "Mother's intuition." Her face fell. "Silas wanted to be here, but he had another freelance job."
"I figured." The more Khan looked at Eliza, the more he could make out her father's features. He wondered which of the parents' personality traits she would pick up.
"He does love you," Rose continued. "He just," she trailed, searching for the right words. "He wants to be his own person."
"So he said."
"Talk to him, Shere." She sounded like she had just walked a mile.
"And what did Silas say?" Khan kept his eyes on the child to avoid meeting his old flame's eyes. Eliza yawned and her eyelids flickered just enough to reveal the same amber shade as her father's. The one both brothers shared.
Rose rolled her eyes. "Same excuse as before. He knows how busy you are so he's waiting on you. Ugh!" she rubbed her temples. "I swear, you Khans are more like mules than tigers."
Khan chuckled. "And yet, you still married one."
"At least he's a mule who listens." She sighed and dropped her arms. "Look, I know we've had our…disagreements. But what's past is past." She caressed her thumb along the baby's foot and smiled when the tiny toes uncurled at her touch. "We've got the future to think about."
Khan looked back at the sleeping baby, still clutching his coat. Hard to believe this innocent being was his blood. It was only a matter of time before this world's hardships tested her. However, she wasn't his responsibility. In the past, he tried to talk Silas into following him up in the world. They had both come from nothing, and he was determined to look out for his little brother. But if the jungle taught him anything, everyone was better off dealing with their own problems.
Khan passed Eliza back to her mother. "Our futures take different paths."
Rose sighed as the child settled back in her arms. She removed the reluctant little hand from the expensive jacket. "I'll tell him you said 'hi' anyway."
"Mr. Khan."
Khan's eyes shot open at Mrs. Snarly's voice crackling over the intercom. He had only closed his eyes for a second with his chair leaning back and his hands folded across his chest. That was new. He often held late business meeting, leading to rumors that he was part vampire, but he wasn't wasting time worrying about such trivialities. He still made sure to get 3-5 hours sleep to regain his strength. Last night he couldn't remember sleeping at all.
That didn't matter now. He pressed the speaker button. "Yes."
"Dave's back. He brought someone from the museum." Normally, she sounded bored, but this time there was a solemn air in her tone.
"Send them in."
Khan recognized the slim bear as one of his researchers. Beside him, a short beagle with glasses and a fedora carried a briefcase. The beagle tipped his hat. "Good day, sir. I am Professor Peter Q. Wolf from the museum's archeology department." He set the briefcase on the desk. "Dave here told me about your interest in ancient ushabtis." He unlatched the case as he spoke. "I think you will find this most interesting."
A newspaper clipping lay atop a stack of papers, crowned by the headline 'Tomb of Queen Hatshepsut Found,' dating back one month. Fascinating, but in this case irrelevant. Khan rummaged through the papers until a stack photographs paper clipped together caught his eye. The front picture showed the image of a figurine representing a young woman wearing the garb of Egyptian royalty. The details were so intricate, he might have mistaken it for a real woman. From the black and white camera, there was no telling its actual size or the material it was made of.
"Now that," the professor continued, "is where things get really interesting." Wolf shuffled through the briefcase until he found another newspaper clipping. This time the headline read, "Artifact Stolen," with a picture identical to the first photograph Khan found. He picked up a photograph capturing the moment in which two archeologists had opened a chest containing the same figurine. He could now see how small it was.
"Were there any other valuables with the tomb?" asked Khan. "Jewels perhaps?"
"Yes, sir. Treasures grander than any I have yet to excavate."
"While I can see the significance of this particular piece, I don't get is why anyone would steal only this."
"An interesting point," Wolf nodded. "Especially considering that it was made of wood rather than stone."
Khan looked at the professor.
"We found a tablet in the tomb explaining why," said Wolf. "Apparently, her most prized possession was not buried with her. In order to keep her likeness preserved on mortal earth, she had a shapti of herself cut into pure ruby."
"And where is it now?"
"According to the tablet, 'She is the key to herself under protection of the god's eyes."
Khan brows furrowed. "I didn't call you here for riddles, Professor."
"Of course not," Wolf stuttered. "I believe the key refers to this," he gestured to the photo. "If the shabtis share the same likeness, I assume this one opens the ruby's hiding place. As for the god's eyes, one common denominator among other cultures seems to be what they believe to be a real god's skull watching from an island. The only place to match that description is Skull Island.
Khan interlaced his fingers. "And that's the one place to hunt for such a treasure?"
Professor Wolf shrugged. "Of course, one must be a madman to attempt such a feat."
"Indeed." From the prison records, Covington seemed to fit that profile. Khan pulled a check from his drawer, filled it out, and handed it to the professor. "I believe this will show my appreciation."
Wolf's eyes widened. "Why, this will fund our research beautifully!" He offered to shake hands. "Sir, I can't tell you enough how- "
"Good day." Khan ignored the gesture to pick up and dial his phone. Wolf knew when to quit, especially regarding a man of little patience, so he made his exit. In the meantime, Khan ordered his pilots to have a small fleet ready for Skull Island pronto.
He sat back a moment to process what he had learned, but his thoughts drifted back the memory before the meeting. To how much had changed in the span of twelve years. Once his niece overcame her shyness, she acted in the same cocky manner as a certain other black-haired tigress. Mix that with her father's tenacity and the result was…a little headache.
A headache he wanted back. He wasn't her father, but if Eliza had that Khan stubbornness Rose observed; if she remembered what he taught her, she will survive this.
