Chapter 5: One step closer

"Okay 395 this is the place…Kimmie are you sure you're okay, you've been looking over your shoulder ever since we got off the plane. I seriously doubt anyone recognized us."

"You're going to think I'm nuts for saying this but, I could swear I saw Eve on the plane."

Shego knocked on the door and scoffed. "Kimmie you're just seeing things. She's been in prison for a year now there is no way she could have gotten out, hell I have a hard time breaking out of the prison they send people to."

Kim gave a weak chuckle. "Your right, maybe I'm just a little paranoid after the six months of hiding."

The door opened to reveal a short stubby man with a wild mustache. He stared at the two women for a long moment before he spoke. "It too late for visitors. Vat do you be vanting?" He asked in a heavy accent.

"Um…are you Hamilton?" Shego asked. She had been thrown off by the man's appearance. She had been expecting a man who was…well not this man.

The man straightened his posture and proudly answered. "Yes. I am Hamilton. Who be you?"

"I'm Elyse, Gina's daughter and this is…"

The man stopped her mid sentence. "Ah yes. Please come in." His accent suddenly dropped and he pulled the women through the door, making sure to search the street for any followers before closing the door. "I didn't recognize you; your mother said you two would be in disguise."

"My mother said we could stay with you while we were in Germany."

"Oh yes of course, stay as long as you need. Anything for Gina's daughter."

"How do you know Gina?" Kim asked with sudden interest. Up to this point Kim had been looking around the front room on the man's home, it seemed like a regular home for a man of his age. Paintings hung on the walls along side old photos of, what she would guess, old friends and family. Everything seemed to check out.

"Oh Gina and I were college chums and we also used to excavate together. We traveled all over the world together, oh we dreamed of making ground breaking discoveries. Though that all changed when she met James and married him." His voice became listless and his eye glazed over as though he were going back in his mind to when he was a young man. He sighed heavily and turned his attention back to Kim. "She's truly a brilliant woman." Kim nodded in agreement.

The man sighed and straightened his demeanor. "Well you two must be tired from your trip, please allow me to show you to your room. I'll carry your bag for you dear." He reached for the bag in Kim's hand.

Kim jerked back. "No, thank you. I can carry it myself." She smiled at him, while keeping a tight grip on the bag.

"Alright then. Follow me." He led the women down the hall to a narrow door at the end of the hall. He pushed open the door to reveal a small room. "I'm sorry for the cramped space; there isn't much room to spare in these Germany apartments."

Kim and Shego looked at one another with the same quizzical stare; they both stared at the single bed and frowned. They stepped into the room and waited for the door to close behind them before they began to speak. "He must be kidding. He expects us to share this tiny ass bed?" Shego said folding her arms in disgust.

"It'll be like London…only more…um, cozy." Kim said setting her bag on the bed. She searched through it while Shego continued to complain.

"In London the bed was twice this size."

Kim pulled out the stolen journal and began flipping through the pages. "We'll live. Now look at this, it's a riddle that will lead us to the temple." Shego took a seat next Kim still grumbling about their living conditions. Kim read the passage aloud. "I am the ocean upon which you walk on the surface, I dwell in the unmoving monster who holds all the wisdom of the universe in a single stare, I am the key to your destiny."

Shego scratched her head. "And that helped us how?" Kim shook her head.

"It's the location of the next clue. See here, I am the ocean upon which you walk the surface. Clearly we can't walk on water but there is one ocean that we can walk on. An ocean of sand, so we know it's in a desert. I dwell in the unmoving monster who holds all the wisdom of the universe in one stare. For that you have to think back to mythology. The sphinx is the only creature that holds all the wisdom of the universe."

Shego cut in. "So I'm guessing we're going to Egypt for a little sightseeing?" Kim nodded happily.

"But I thought the Sphinx was solid, no one has found any entrance that would prove otherwise."

"True but we have something everyone else doesn't have the technology we do. We'll find the temple in no time."

"So when do we leave?"

"As soon as I get my Kimmunicator upgraded."

Shego frowned. "How long?"

"One or two days if I start working tomorrow morning."

"And if you start working now?"

"I'm tired Shego."

Shego frowned even deeper but conceded. "Fine, but I'm not staying a minute longer than we need to."

Kim nodded and laid down on the bed, the moment her eyes shut she was fast asleep. Shego shook her head and brushed Kim's hair out of her eyes. They had been up for more than two days straight and it had finally taken its toll on them. Shego positioned herself and Kim under the blankets before turning out the light. She couldn't help but glace at the shadow moving under the light of the door. She closed her eyes and fell into a light sleep.

888

Shego awoke to the light creak of floor boards groaning under the weight of someone outside their door. She looked over at Kim, who had curled close to Shego's warmth in the night. The creaking stopped for a moment, the doorknob turned ever so slightly. Shego closed her eyes when the door opened and closed. A shadowy figure moved toward the end of the bed, Shego opened her eyes and let them adjust to the dark of the room. The figure moved around the end of the bed searching for something. The figure came closer to Kim, Shego made a show of turning over and wrapping a protective arm around the girl. The figure stopped and stood still for a long moment before moving toward Kim, still searching. Shego waited patiently until the figure was reaching out to Kim. Shego saw her chance and took hold of the figure's hand throwing them over the bed and into the wall. She turned on the light and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

Light fell over the figure and Shego found herself staring at Hamilton. She looked back at Kim who still lay curled in bed sound asleep. She turned back and glared at the man who struggled to stand. "You better have a damn good reason to be in here in here in the middle of the night." Shego said in a low whisper.

"It's my home. I can be anywhere I want at anytime I want." The man said fixing his robe.

"Whatever perverted crap you're trying to pull it's not going to happen. Now you have three seconds to get out of my sight before you suffer severe burns." Shego said raising a plasma lit hand. The man huffed. "And if you wake her up I can't be responsible for the pain I inflict on you. Three…two…" The man hurried out of the room making sure to close the door quietly behind him. Shego dowsed her hand and reached under the bed, pulling out Kim's bag she had placed there for safe keeping. It appeared nothing had been disturbed, she placed the bag back under the bed and turned out the light. She would have to keep a close eye on him for the rest of their stay.