Imhotep's Key

by JoeB1451

(Part 2 of ROS)(BuffyRainbow SixThe Mummy) Anck-su-namun is back and she has discovered that the Key to bringing back her dead love is living in Sunnydale.

17. Chapter 16

Imhotep's Key Chapter 16

By Joseph Black

Disclaimer: Red Storm and Tom Clancy own Rainbow and Characters. Joss Whedon owns Buffy and Characters. If you recognize any other character they belong to their respective owners. Original characters belong to me. I make no profit off the following except to have a little fun.

Spoilers: Buffy to present. Rainbow to Bear and the Dragon.

Author's note 1: I am adjusting the Buffy time line slightly, this fic starts just after "Never Leave Me", moving things back about a month.

Author's note 2: I can't seem to get Fanfic to except my special formatting. So anytime you see this ' anything inside is in a foreign language. And if you see this it's some ones thoughts.

Author's note 3: This is a continuation of the story started in 'Rainbow Over Sunnydale'. It would be helpful to read that fic first.

Terms: 1) DNS server: A DNS server is what takes the web address that you type into your web browser and matches it with the appropriate address so your computer can find it.

Notes to Reviewers:

JA Baker: Yes it was a long review. Thanks for taking the time to write it. I don't think you've gone overboard with Two Tribes. Every subplot you have introduced so far has either advanced the main plot or has set up for a major advancement down the road. I have seen authors that seem to wander off the core plot and not go anywhere with it. You certainly haven't done that. One of the nice things about writing a longer story is that you have time to indulge these things.

Jack: Thanks for the review. I tried to email you a longer reply to some of the stuff you wrote but it came back as undeliverable. I tried two different email accounts. Please drop me a note with an email address at I'll be more than happy to send it to you.

I liked a lot of the stuff you brought up. I think your theory on symbology would make a nice basis for a series of stories. Either in the Buffyverse, or as a stand-alone series. That being said, I don't know if it would work in the Cannon Buffyverse. Crosses seem to be have a universal effect on vampires. We see this in Season 2 when Willow is worrying about explaining crucifixes being nailed to the wall, to the reaction of the Master to a cross in Nightmares. Though I'd be willing to bet that he was born sometime in the middle ages so the crucifix could have a place in subconscious. I'm not so sure though with Kakistos in Season 3. I got the impression from the way people were talking about him that he was a BC vampire. Giles didn't give either Faith or Buffy any warning about Crucifixes not working on him.

nascar girl: It's good to be missed! ;) I do have plans for the Scythe, but it is much, much later. Have plans for Buffybot too, that will come much, much sooner.

Antonio: That is an excellent point about Riley and the Buffybot. Have to give that some thought. Ding is nothing if not adaptable.

WBH21C: Thank you!

Joe: "Heaven preserves the balance," is one of my favorite lines from a book. Dings plans will be revealed.

Dorothy: I'd like to claim credit for the ticket machine idea. But I think they mentioned something similar in the series once. Yeah I think Buffy would understand Clark's order too.

Allen Pitt: Not sure were Warren got the parts for it. It might of come from another more technologically advance dimension. Considering how it was abused in The Gift I'm thinking Willow had to get the parts from somewhere. Good point on the robot squads. Can you imagine how the AFL-CIO would react to a robot that advanced?

Paladin Steelbreaker: No worries on Mulder and Scully showing up. X-Files was a tv show in the Buffyverse. I see no reason for it not to continue to be. I had a bit of a problem with Andrew. Do they go to Buffy first and maybe create some friction, or do you see if Andrew is willing to do it first. If he's not then you don't have to mention it.

Sorry, you are one of my most loyal readers, but I have some plans for the Buffybot. It won't ever be a main character, but it can be used for comedy relief so easily. Faith is coming, she'll have a much more prominent part in the next story. Not to get people's hope up she won't get to Sunnydale, but she'll be in it a lot more as Dr. Golden starts to interact with her.

I agree with your sentiments on Sum of All Fears. It was hard to believe that Clancy was actually involved with storyboarding it. I think the problem was that they had so screwed up the time line with Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger that it couldn't be salavaged, so Clancy decided to start from scratch. Be interesting to see if the next one they do is Debt of Honor, cause Jack ends up President at the end of that one.

Harry: Truthfully Rampart is the only Hospital that I now of in LA. My source was the same as yours. But from what we saw in the series it seems to be a trauma center so its logical for them to get overflow. You're close to what Ding has in mind for the BB.

Antonio Cabaass: You'd think she was too old, wouldn't you?

Duchess67: You have to look at it from Clark's perspective. On one hand there's Willow on the other hand is the entire population of Southern California, if not the USA. When you balance one life against the Ten Plagues of Egypt being unleashed, it's hard, but there is really know choice.

Ding will try to sell his idea to Clark in an upcoming chapter.

war90: Pucker factor I don't think quite covers it. I do have plans for Xander and Anya.

Thanks to all that reviewed. Constructive criticisms always welcomed. Flames cheerfully ignored.

The Oval Office
1600 Pennsylvania Ave
Washington DC.
29Oct2002
2210 hrs

Jack had hoped no one would ask that question. He'd planned to go into it at the meeting of the Inner Circle tonight. He really didn't want to go through it twice, but Robby deserved an answer, "Two years ago Buffy sacrificed herself to save her sister. Dawn has a thing inside of her that at certain times and places can be used to penetrate the walls that separate dimensions. Such a portal was opened in Sunnydale. The only way for the portal to be closed was for Dawn to die. Buffy figured that her blood was the same as Dawns so she jumped instead and the portal closed."

"How bad would it have been if the portal had stayed open?" Ben Goodley asked.

"Eventually? It would have spread until all dimensions were one. Since different dimensions have different rules of physics it would have been utter chaos."

"It would have been the end of everything, everywhere," Robby said quietly.

Ryan nodded.

"When's the next time it can be used?" Robby asked.

"I don't know, but I am going to find out. When Andrea gets back we are going to seriously look at providing Dawn with Secret Service protection especially if it's in the immediate future."

Jackson nodded.

"You said Buffy died." Arnie stated to get the conversation back on track. "She obviously got better. Someone perform CPR again?" he asked trying to lighten the mood a little.

Ryan's face went cold, "No Arnie, she was dead for almost four months. Willow performed a resurrection spell."

The other three men in the room blinked in unison.

"Resurrection as in 'On the third day the tomb was empty' kind of resurrection?" Van Damm asked in a shocked voice.

"More like a 'Lazarus come forth!' kind I would imagine," Robby corrected the Chief-of-Staff. "The big guy did it all by himself."

Ryan nodded at the VP, "Willow found a spell that allowed her to bring Buffy back. By casting that spell Willow made herself the prime ingredient in the one that will bring this Imhotep guy back.

"This brings me to why I want to talk to you guys before the rest show up. I don't want to take time for this tonight. Arnie, I want to award Buffy the Presidential Medal of Freedom. I think she deserves more, but anything else and I think we'd have to involve too many people."

Seeing his Chief-of-Staff frowning Ryan quoted, "-especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interest of the United States, World Peace or cultural or other significant public or private endeavors- I think she qualifies."

Van Damm waved the comment aside, "No argument. I was only thinking that the medal is largely symbolic. It's not like, oh say the Medal of Honor, where there are real material benefits from it. Unless we can figure out some way to award it to Buffy publicly it's just going to be a piece of metal that she can't show anybody."

Ryan frowned, "All right I see your point. Lets think on it though and see what we can come up with."

"Jack? Does Buffy have any memories from where she was while she was dead?" Robby asked quietly, almost reverently.

"John says she was pulled out of Heaven, Robby," Ryan replied in the same tone.

"So it's real," Robby Jackson, the son of a Baptist Minister, said in a hushed whisper.

Ryan nodded gravely.

Sunnydale General Hospital
Sunnydale CA
29Oct2002
1915hrs

The doors to the Emergency Room slammed open as the ambulance crew pushed the gurney that Ben Bascome was riding on through. Andrea, John, and the Finns came in right behind. "We have a stabbing here!" One of the EMS technicians called.

"Put him in Trauma 2!" The Admitting Nurse called.

Sandra was just finishing checking out Buffy's wound in Treatment 1. Trauma 1had Anck-Su-Namun's henchman with the ruptured diaphragm, "Okay Buffy, it doesn't look that bad. It's a clean through and through wound. Didn't hit any nerves and looks like it missed the bone and major blood vessels. We'll get it cleaned up and you bandaged, give you some antibiotics and pain killers and get you up to your room."

Buffy's eyes went wide, "Ah, if it's alright couldn't I just go home and stay off it? I really don't like hospitals."

"I said it didn't look that bad, that doesn't mean we didn't miss something. Plus I want to get a jump on it if it looks like it might become infected."

"But, I don't get infections, and it'll be alright in a day or two, you know how fast I heal, right? So there is no need for me to stay in the hospital."

"Buffy, when was the last time you were shot?"

"May," came the instant reply.

Sandra made a tsking noise she hadn't expected that answer. "Tim?" She asked the nurse that was assisting her.

"Yes, Doctor Sanchez?"

"Go see how that stabbing is, I'll finish up here."

"Yes, Doctor," the nurse, said as he was leaving the treatment room.

"Where were you shot and how long did it take you to heal up then?" Sandra asked as she picked up a roll of gauze.

Buffy seeing a way out dove right in, "I was shot in the right shoulder, and it healed up within the hour."

"Let me see," Sandra asked and Buffy opened up her shirt to show the Doc her unblemished shoulder. "I don't see anything," she said.

"See? I healed good!" Buffy smiled.

"Why didn't it scar? The bites on your neck left some impressive scars." Sandra pointed out.

"It wasn't caused by a vampire?" Buffy offered.

"Buffy, I've read your medical charts and your collection of scars, if they had come across my desk when you were seventeen I would have had Youth Services and the SPD talking to your mother. Now you just told me you were shot in the shoulder, so what happened to the scar?"

Buffy was saved from answering by a knock on the door. Turning Buffy smiled and said, "John! Just in time to spring me!"

"How is she Doc?" John asked Sandra.

Sandra recognized him as the guy who had been with the FBI agent when she had briefed him on Andrew Wells' condition.

Looking at Buffy to receive permission she said, "She should be okay. The bullet just ripped up muscle tissue, it doesn't seem to have hit anything else."

"So I think it should be okay to go home. You guys would make sure that I don't have to move around much, right?" Buffy said pleadingly.

"I don't know Buffy," John began, "you should really listen to your doc."

Sandra sighed, "Look Buffy, I'll cut a deal with you. I'm on till seven tomorrow morning. You stay the night and I'll check the wound before I go home, if it looks okay then I'll release you, but only on the condition that you do stay off of it 'till I tell you it's okay. I'll check it evenings on the way to work, and mornings on my way home."

Buffy clearly not happy about staying in the hospital, but recognizing the best deal she was going to get, nodded her agreement.

Sandra began wrapping the wound in gauze, first battle to the Doc.

Fort Irwin Flight Line
Fort Irwin NTC California
29Oct2002
1922hrs

Capt. Jake Preston landed the Apache with his usual flair. His anger only manifested itself as he climbed out of the attack helicopter's cockpit. He didn't throw anything, but the deliberate way he was moving indicated that it was taking all of his self control not to.

Waiting off the ramp was Colonel Al Hamm, the Commanding Officer of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, known as the Black Horse Cav. It was also called the OpFor, or the Opposition Force of the National Training Center. They were perhaps the most elite unit in the US army. While it was called a regiment, its size was closer to a brigade and was normally attached to a heavy division to provide its rapid response and/or scout force. It could go into harms way fast and woe betide the soldiers on the other side if it did. During the Bio War the 11th ACR, the 10th ACR, and a brigade of the North Carolina National Guard, all together they would qualify, just barely, as a division in size, had annihilated an enemy force that was comprised of twelve divisions. Al Hamm had put the edge on these troops, they were his, and someone was butting in. Worse, Al Hamm checked the Promotable List whenever it came out. He fully expected to see his name on there one day. He couldn't ever remember seeing a Colonel John Clark on it.

Mary Diggs had asked Hamm to trust him, that what was going on needed to be explained face to face. Hamm trusted Diggs like no other man on Earth. But, what ever was going on had better been good. Of course he was bringing back Nick Eddington, the former commander of the National Guard Brigade that had gone to Suadi with them, so Hamm had a bad feeling it was.

Jake walked up to his CO and saluted sharply, "They emptied the van and do you know what was in it? What I would of killed if that smuggler hadn't stopped?" It came out in the cold, unemotional voice people use when they are beyond rage. "There was the driver, in the back there were four men, four women, and six kids. What could have been that important?"

"Let's go and find out," Hamm told his subordinate officer.

The Washington Post
1150 15th Street N.W.
Washington DC.
26Oct2002
2245 hours

Bob Holtzman clicked off his offices TV set. He had his excuse to go to Sunnydale. He hit the net and found out when the next flight out to LAX was leaving from Reagan National Airport and then headed for his boss' office.

Tanner Gaudrue was still watching the CNN clip when Bob knocked and walked into his office. "I'd like to cover this one," he said by way of a greeting.

Tanner looked up, "Why? This had to be ROPE's last hurrah with the losses they took from their initial strike. We have stringers out in LA that are on the scene already and the whole thing will be cleaned up before you get there."

Tanner, seeing that the thing was about to repeat itself turned up the sound. The TV showed a tall lanky brown haired man, the caption read, Frayne Murphy, FBI, Sunnydale, California and he was saying, "We received a tip that ROPE would be operating in this area. Several people we suspected as being part of this organization were located in Sunnydale and we had them under surveillance. Unfortunately we didn't think they were close to acting. They were apparently getting gear together for a strike and when a Sunnydale Patrol Car pulled into the facility, one of the terrorists panicked and opened fire. We were planning on a raid once we were sure of that these people were in fact terrorist, so there were forces in the area that responded instantly to the scene. In the resulting shoot out 14 terrorists, the manager of the business and a Sunnydale Police Officer were killed. One terrorist was captured, and two local citizens were injured. This is the entirety of my statement at this time. As more information becomes available we will pass it on."

Tanner turned the volume back to mute, "I don't need you out there to pick up the drips and drabs that will be released. So unless you can give me a more compelling reason than you want to go, I'm not springing for a plane ticket."

"Look Tan, there is something else going on out there, and it needs to be looked into."

"You think he," Tanner asked nodding at the TV set, "isn't telling the truth about this being a ROPE operation?"

Holtzman thought about how to put this. While it was possible that this was indeed ROPE, or Radicals Opposed to Practically Everything, something just didn't sit right, he couldn't put his finger on it, but there was a voice he didn't ignore whispering in the back of his mind. He thought on it, ROPE had shown up out of nowhere in early September of this year. They were a group of anarchists who had decided that the source of evil in the world was the Internet. Looking into it they had decided that the way to shut the Internet down was to take out all thirteen of the DNS servers worldwide. They had actually managed to launch five attacks simultaneously, two had succeeded and the Servers in Berkeley California and in Brazil had been destroyed. Of course the servers had just switched to their backups and no one outside of the two facilities had noticed anything had happened. The other three attacks had been stopped before they had even gotten into the buildings that housed the servers. The server in Brazil was already backup and running and Berkeley was building a more secure building for theirs.

"Okay Tan, maybe UCSD is the backup for Berkley and ROPE was looking to finish what it started. But something just doesn't feel right about it."

"Does this have anything to do with that file on Sunnydale I saw you putting away?"

Holtzman went defensive, "I told you, that file was background."

Tanner glared, "Damn it Bob, I'm getting tired of going into senior editor's meetings and when I get asked what Holtzman is working on having to answer, danged if I know."

Holtzman glared right back, "And you know why that is happening."

"You can't still be ticked about that story leaking? Come on Bob, that was a once and done thing, the situation now is totally different."

"Are you saying that there is no one on this staff that's not gunning for Ryan anymore?"

Tanner threw up his hands, "They weren't gunning for Ryan then either."

"No! They had their noses so far up Kealty's ass they were able to check for cavities. It came down to the same thing though."

Taking a deep breath Tanner brought himself back under control, "Without some clue as to what you are working on you aren't going anywhere."

"I could put in for a leave of absence, my contract gives me three months every five years. I haven't taken one yet."

"You need to give us sixty days warning so we can set up substitutes for your column." Tanner fired back.

"I could quit," Holtzman replied in a hard voice.

"I could fire you," Gaudrue replied in an even harder voice. Then softening it went on, "Look, Bob, give me something, I give you my word it won't go any farther than this office till you publish."

Holtzman recognizing that his boss wasn't going to relent and not really wishing to go looking for another job said, "I may be on to something, I need iron clad proof though, and I think that proof is in Sunnydale. A lot of stuff has tied together in the last couple of days, if I am right then we are looking at a big story."

"How big?" Tanner asked.

"To find a bigger one you'd have to go to Jerusalem in the first century AD."

Somewhere in Sunnydale
30Oct2003
0340hrs

Anck-Su-Namun smiled as she looked at the wrapped form in front of her. It was only vaguely recognizable as human with a short hump at one end, and a tented bump at the other. The mummy was covered in hieroglyphics and had a musty, unpleasant odor. The hard part was done. They were well hidden and unlikely to be found. Now all they had to do was wait. The spell that would exchange Willow Rosenberg and Imhotep was not one of those were you needed people chanting constantly and were one misspoken word meant you had to start all over again, if you were lucky. All this spell required was a witch who had performed a resurrection, certain herbs and pieces of jewelry that were encased inside the wrapping, and the writings on the top of the wrapping. The interaction of these things with the witch's aura produced the bridge that allowed the exchange, you just had to sit back and wait.

There were other things of course. The stress put on the body of the witch was immense. With out someway of replacing nutrients and water that were burned the person inside the wrappings would die long before five days passed. There was also the small matter of the wrappings covering the nose would likely suffocate the sacrifice long before the exchange could be made. Fortunately modern medicine had given them the ability to solve these problems. Before they had wrapped Willow they had inserted both an IV line and an oxygen line. She would be given the liquids and air that she need to remain alive long enough to complete her part in this ritual.

Anck-Su-Namun sighed; she was looking forward to seeing her love again. He would undoubtedly punish her severely for the failure of her love at Am-Shere, but she would suffer what ever he deemed appropriate, after all, she did deserve it.

Suddenly on the other side of the mummy, as if summoned by her thoughts stood her love, or not. Her minions all hit the floor prostrating themselves before their Lord. Anck-Su-Namun, not fooled this time, turned to the groveling ones and said in a sharp, disgusted voice, "GET UP!"

Turning back to the faux Imhotep she asked sharply, "What do you want now?"

The bald man tilted his head and studied the black hair woman on the other side of the mummy and slitting his eyes asked, "You took a pretty big risk back there."

Anck shrugged, "I did what need to be done. My Lord and Love must live again. To do that I need her," she said nodding at the mummy, "You said it was all right to harm The Slayer. It looked like I hit her in the leg, unless Slayers are a lot more fragile than I have been given to believe then she is harmed, not dead. Which if I remember our last conversation correctly, is within your stated parameters."

"If you inspire my anger do you really believe your lover will be able to protect you?"

Anck said nothing, just stared.

Scowling the figure of Imhotep disappeared in a flash of light.

Elsewhere
Unknown
Unknown

Willow Rosenberg was drifting. She remembered getting to the Secure Store. Anya wanted to check in with the manager before they got the books. They had been in the office perhaps two minutes when the door opened behind them. Willow had started to turn when she felt a sting in her right shoulder. Everything had frozen. She could breathe that was it. She heard Anya hit the ground right next to her. There were some gunshots and she heard the manager of the storage site fall. After several minutes there was more shooting, this time from outside. She was gathered up and placed in a van when more shooting had started and then the van had peeled out. She felt another prick, this time in her arm, and then everything went black. When she came to, she found she still couldn't move, not because she was paralyzed, but rather she was wrapped completely up in something. Not only couldn't she move, but also her nose was filled with the sent of what ever was wrapping her, she couldn't see nor could she hear anything. Willow had taken enough psych courses to know that she was in some trouble because of the extreme level of sensory deprivation. She was unsure how long she was like this when the odor in her nose subtly changed, and not for the better. There was a definite rotten egg smell being added to the mix. She hoped it didn't get any worse. Because if she vomited with her mouth wrapped she would choke. Flickering lights began to move against her eyelids, Great, now I'm hallucinating, Willow thought becoming a little afraid. Suddenly she found she could move her arms and legs. Taking a chance she opened her eyes and squeaked. Directly above her was a huge dog head, with tall ears and a long thin muzzle. It was gray in color, and oh wait, it was a statue. She rolled off the stone bed she was on and looked down. Her whole body was wrapped in off white bandages. She raised her arms and saw that her hands were submerged in bandages with her fingers and thumbs bound together. She reached up and feeling around her head she discovered with the exception of her face she was completely wrapped.

She looked around the room. The dog head that had initially frightened her she realized was actually the head of a statue to the god Anubis. There were hieroglyphics on all the walls. Across from the first statue was its twin, complete with a matching stone table in front of it.

A movement in one corner drew her attention. Standing in front of a bronze door was a man. He was taller than her, bald, with olive color skin. He was wearing only a loincloth.

When he saw she had noticed him he smiled and said, "Welcome to the Antechamber of Hell Willow Rosenberg. I am Imhotep."