Chapter Five: No Domestic Goddess Here

The wheels of the train churned at a frantic pace below Bianca's seat. Every so often, they would buck or shake t the side, reminding her once again that the vehicle was older than she was and should have been impounded years ago.

That was just one of the many items on her ever growing list of what was making her annoyed at that moment. The seats were barely cushioned, they didn't have a pillow with them, so the only thing that was available to rest her head on was the rattling window pane, she didn't have any thing to entertain herself with, four people had been shoved into a compartment that was clearly meant for two and to make everything so much better, they were going to be on this train for the entire afternoon and through the night. In the beginning, she had tried to console herself by thinking that riding in a moving vehicle was ten times more comfortable than trying to ride a camel across the vast desert, but by the third time she had to ask Jonathan if he would please stop leaning on her so much, even that didn't have any effect on her mood.

Bianca sighed as she glanced down at the piece of fabric that she held in once hand and the needle that she had grasped in the other. She could already tell that the line of stitches that now ran along the new hem was terribly crooked and that the right pant leg would now be about an inch longer than the other, but it had taken too long to complete and she was too tired to go back and fix it.

In their mad dash to gather all the things that they would need for their journey, Evy had been thoughtful and had thrown in an extra pair of clothing in with the water canteens, picks, and shot guns. Unfortunately, Evy was about four inches taller than Bianca and had completely different dimensions meaning that she could either run around tripping on the hem of her trousers all day, or she could put her minuscule skills to work and try to fix them. She was beginning to think that she should have chosen the former.

'In, out, in, out, god damn it.' Bianca jumped up at the pinch of pain that came as she jabbed her finger with the needle yet again. She untangled the hand from the layers of fabric and held it out. Thankfully, the jab hadn't drawn blood. She threw her sewing project into the bag that she had crammed down half under the seat in a huff. She ran a hand across her hair. The one good thing that had happened so far was her finding a ribbon and enough pins for her to tie the mad mass of curls she called hair into a tidy bun. 'I give up. I can stay in this stupid skirt for the next month if it means I don't have to stab myself anymore.' She knew that she would pick it back up again within the hour.

The couple sitting across from her hadn't been awake for the last few hours of the trip. Evy was leaning fully on her husband while Rick seemed to be trying to take up as much leg room as he possibly could in the small private compartment they had been given. Bianca glanced up as Evy sighed softly in her sleep and turned more towards her husband. She rolled her eyes at the woman as she herself turned to look out the window at the scenery as it whirled past.

It really wasn't much to look at. Civilization had long been left behind and now the train rumbled through miles and miles of sand dunes, flats and more sand dunes. The most exciting thing she had seen so far was a caravan and the skeletal remains of a camel. Bianca leaned closer to the window and shut her eyes, hoping that she might be able to actually get some sleep. The track below seemed to even out and the train ran smoother for a few minutes as she began to relax. Her mind, which had been buzzing non stop for the last twelve hours, settled. A few hummed bars of the song stuck in her head, a jazzy piece that she didn't know the words to, leaked out before she could stop them.

"I didn't know you listened to good music, mum!"

Bianca grimaced at the sound of her companion's voice. It had been so long without hearing his voice, she was beginning to forget how annoying she found it. "You go to many gin joints then?"

"No, Mr. Carnahan. I haven't been to any place like that since I was a teen-ager. My neighbors think that it's acceptable to play their records very loudly at early hours in the morning, that's all."

He stretched his arms above his head then draped them above the seat as if he sat on his own personal throne and not a rickety, old bench. "Well, you're missing out on a whole lot of fun. Maybe we could hit the town together some day after this whole thing is over."

Bianca scoffed at his suggestion. "I don't think so, Mr. Carna-"

"It's Jonathan, mum. I'm not that far past my prime yet." he interrupted.

"I don't think so, Jonathan." She smiled slightly at his quip and continued, putting more emphasis on his name than was needed. Hoping to steer the conversation away from her going anywhere with him, she asked, "How much longer are we going to be stuck on this train? I don't think I can stand being cramped in this cabin for much longer."

Jonathan let out a laugh that made her glance towards the sleeping pair to see if it woke them. "You'd better get used to it. Minya might be closer than the middle of the desert that we could be going to, but it's still quite a haul from Cairo. My best advise would be to just get comfortable and get as much sleep as possible."

"And what about you?"

"Someone has to stay awake to make sure baddies don't steal you away into the night, don't they?" The look on her face seemed to get across that she wanted a real answer from him. "And I was hoping to find someone on this moving pile of rust and bolts that might have some booze they're willing to share."

'That's exactly what I thought.' Bianca shook her head lightly as she turned towards the window, hoping for a chance to take his advice.

The train was shaking just as much as ever, but the exhaustion had finally caught up with her. She could feel herself drifting off the very moment she lay her head against the wall. The bumps of the car turned into a constant rocking motion and the churning of the wheels soon sounded like a soothing buzz to her worn out mind. Just before she drifted off completely, she heard Jonathan ask one more question. "You sure you don't have any nicknames, mum?"

The thought to keep her mouth shut didn't even occur to her.

"Bibi." she yawned. And with that, she was asleep.

The setting sun behind them cast a crimson light on the line of camels as they marched across the desert sand. They had been traveling the entire day, but there wasn't the usual murmur of discontent that you would find in a normal band as they traveled. The only man brave enough to voice his displeasure at his traveling conditions now lay twenty miles back with several holes in his chest. No one had spoken a word since then.

Apophis rode in the front of the train of camels, riding on his own thoroughbred horse he had purchase before setting out from the city. Years of high society living had conditioned him not to ride anything but the best. Especially around his own men; there was no need to get them thinking that they were on the same level.

He motioned to his next in line, an ex-military man he had picked up in Athens years before and the only man he would put a bit of trust in. The man steered his own camel close enough to hear his boss speak. "Have the scouts reported anything yet, Iason?"

Iason shook his head and stared at the sand in front of him dutifully. Apophis didn't take to anyone below him on the chain of command making eye contact with him. "No, sir. None of them have seen anything since we started off." When he wasn't dismissed, he took a chance and asked, "Is there something that they should be looking for, sir?"

Instead of chastising him as was expected, Apophis instead gazed around at the mountainous dunes that surrounded them on all sides as if waiting for something to appear out of the sickly hot air. "No, nothing in particular. I was simply hoping that she would put up a better fight than this." Apophis trailed off, leaving Iason with more questions than before he asked.

It was true that he was disappointed with the girl, he had expected so much more from her, but the thought that she had given up the chase before it even began brought some joy with it as well.

"Tell the men to pick up the pace. Any that refuse and move too slowly will be punished." Apophis barked at his right hand man. A smirk crossed his face for a split second as his orders were relaid to the men. With any luck, one of them would begin to lag.

Bianca jolted awake at the same time the train screeched to a halt. Her dream disintegrated into wisps within moments and she found herself stuck in the nightmare that was her real life at the moment. Her neck and back cracked audibly as she forced herself to sit up in the seat. She could only imagine what her leg was going to feel like after so many hours crammed into the corner with no movement.

"We're finally here! I thought we might be traveling forever." Evy said, just a little too awake and happily for Bianca's taste. 'That's coming from the person that managed to sleep through the whole thing and had a nice, comfortable person to lean against.' Bianca huffed as she thought back at the hours of staring out at nothing but sky and sand.

Jonathan seemed to agree with her because she could hear him grumbling at his sister's merriment as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Mind not being so loud, Evy? I think someone hit me in the head with a sledgehammer last night."

A very unladylike snort left Bianca as she realized that he was paying for the fun that he must have had after she went to sleep. He caught her glance and winked, before going back to wincing at the sounds of bags being pulled from the over head compartments and voices babbling in their native tongue.

"Well, come on. Grab your stuff and let's get off this hunk of junk." Rick said as he stood and pulled his pack over his shoulders. The handle of a shot gun poked out just enough for someone to realize what it was and Bianca began to estimate how long it would be before they were stopped by the police.

The men filed out of the cabin quickly while Evy fumbled with her bags and Bianca fought to get her limbs to cooperate with her again. The prickly feeling of a once asleep foot was beginning to set in which only added to the stiffness and resistence that she felt from her bad leg. Thankfully, Evelyn was right there when she hauled herself to her feet and began to wobble almost immediately. Evy took a firm grip on Bianca's arm, allowing her to use her as a balance as she teetered out of the car and down onto the platform.

"There you are. We thought you got lost in there." Rick said. He moved to take his wife's bags and gave her a quick peck on the cheek in the process. Bianca noticed Jonathan roll his eyes at the action and couldn't help but agree with him. She was never one for mushy shows of affection and especially not ones when you were supposed to be saving the world from a mad man.

Binaca cleared her throat and glanced at the lovey dovey couple next to her. "So, what's the plan? You said that the museum here has everything taken from the tomb now, right? How can you be sure that they'll let us just waltz in to take a sneak peak at their priceless artifacts."

"She has a point Evy, you might be a respected scholar in Cairo and London, but I'm not so sure these people will be as willing to bend over backwards for you." Rick said as he gathered up the rest of the suitcases and started hauling them towards the street.

Evelyn began steering Bianca around the hoards of people that seemed to be coming from every direction imaginable with ease. "They have to let us see them! We have more than enough evidence that the clue is somewhere within those artifacts, we have the testimony of Bianca about the break in and, if you have forgotten, I am a renowned Egyptologist not only in the little ten block radius around our home, but all across this country."

"Easy there, mum. No need to get snippy with the man." Jonathan looked around at the buildings and stalls that now surrounded them. The train ran directly through the city and the station was positioned in the exact middle of the most industrial part of town. Despite that, there wasn't a single automobile on the street. "I don't want to be the first one to say this, but I don't think we're going to find a cab any where around here."

"Perfect." Bianca groaned. "How far away is this museum?"

Rick pulled out one of his many handy maps from his pack and gave it a quick glance before answering. "Only about a mile from here. We should be able to get there within the hour if we hurry up."

He didn't wait to even see if any one was following him as he started off in the direction of their destination. Bianca hoped more than anything that Rick actually knew where he was going.

"Are you going to be alright walking that far?" Evelyn asked Bianca softly enough that no one else could hear.

She nodded. "I should be fine. A stretch should do it some good after that ride." Bianca noticed out of the corner of her eye that the other woman kept glancing over at her, then quickly darting back. "Do you have something you want to ask?"

Evelyn looked startled at being caught, then quickly turned to embarrassed. "I was just wondering, if you don't mind telling me of course, what happened. You know, to your leg."

She had expected this questions for a while now. In fact, most everyone that she spent time with ended up having the same conversation. "I was in an automobile crash when I was eighteen. My knee never healed correctly, so it's difficult to bend or put much weight on." Seeing the dreaded pity cross over her face, Bianca added, "It's really not as bad as it could have been. At least I can walk."

"Yes, I suppose you're right. It's still so unfortunate that something like that happened to you. And at such a young age."

"What was unfortunate?" Jonathan called over his shoulder at the two woman trailing behind.

"Meeting you." Bianca shot back at him. She smiled slightly as she felt Evy shake with laughter. With the entire group in a better mood than they had been for days the walk to the museum didn't seem too long after that.

Two hours later, Evelyn sat, absolutely fuming, in the plush cushioned seat across from an aging man. Bianca could see the woman tense more and more with every word he said, and she didn't blame her one bit. She knew that she would have gone into a full blown hissy hit by that point if it had been her in the hot seat.

"And further more, just because you are some big shot from the great England, that means nothing to the real scholars here." The man droned on in his heavily accented, chalky voice. "We have worked for years to be where we are today, and what have you done? From what I hear, you stumbled upon a tomb, got half a dozen Americans killed, and then the site mysteriously disappeared into the sand right after you managed to get out with the 'treasures'. Others might have been fooled by your story, Mrs. O'Connell, but I am not."

Bianca raised an eyebrow at Rick at the curator's comments and got a mouthed 'long story' in return.

They had been listening to the ancient man talk in circles for the last half hour. The very moment that he learned what they were coming to him for and just who they were, he had transformed into a hostile beast, bent on stopping them from getting even fifty feet from the artifacts that they needed to see.

"Yes, but if you would just listen to us, we have proof right here that the artifacts inside your storage room this very instant can lead us to the resting place of the-"

Her held up a hand, silencing her instantly. "I have had enough of your fairy tale. If you want to waste your time chasing myths and false archeology, then you are free to do so, but I will not have you using my property and resources to do so."

Bianca opened her mouth to begin a rampage against him, but Rick beat her to it. After spending just a few days around the man, she could pick up on the dangerous, poison, edge in his voice. "Listen, we aren't asking you to hop across the Sahara with us. All we want are a few hours to look over what you found in that Ra tomb and then we will be on our merry way. You can forget that we were ever even here."

The curator scanned the group, his eyes giving Jonathan a distasteful once over as he pulled out his trusty flask. "I'm sure that you can remember your way out. Good afternoon."

"What a pleasant man. Can we invite him for tea some time when this whole thing blows over?"

Bianca would have thrown something at Jonathan if she had anything at hand at the moment. Instead she lowered herself onto the wooden bench just outside the building they just left and said, "Evelyn, what on earth did you do to him?"

Evy ran a hand through her hair as she paced up and down the side walk. Her husband stood dutifully by her the whole time. "I have no idea! I mean, some of the men in the community don't take to having a woman in charge of an area of a museum, but I've never had anything like that happen before."

"You know we have to get to those artifacts, right? The more time we waste here, the more time we give our friend, Apophis to find out that he's in the wrong end of Egypt and coming running." Rick said.

Evelyn looked up at the stone building. It wasn't nearly as impressive as her own, but it was still large and housed just as many marvels. "There must be some way to get into the store room with out them knowing."

Bianca almost gave herself whiplash as she turned to look at the woman. 'Did I really just hear that? Did she really just suggest what I think she suggested? She knows that sounded highly illegal, doesn't she?"

Jonathan grinned and plopped down on the bench next to her, spreading out to take up as much of it as possible without being on Bianca's lap. She was almost too in shock to be annoyed. "Sounds like you're finally coming around to my side, dear sister."

Bianca could hardly imagine just what 'his side' entailed and she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know.

I really want to thank everyone who has taken the time to review this so far. Every comment means a lot to me, as corny as that sounds.

The pacing in this chapter really gave me a lot of trouble. On the one hand, things actually need to start happening, but on the other I don't want to rush things. My main concern is having the characters behave as believably as possible, but that's starting to get in the way of other things that I need to do with the story. Comments and advice would be great at this point.