The pained cries from the cowboy met his ears, igniting a sharp urgency which took all of Octavius' strength and willpower to fight it off and stay where he was, waiting for the right moment to leave the safety of behind the tattered recliner where he and the men who had came with him crouched, waiting for a chance to free the man who lay restrained on the windowsill. They watched, some, like Octavius, with shocked horror, others with hate or rage, and some with fear and uncertainty as the man continued to light up the tiny cowboy, and only the steadying hand of Marcus on his shoulder kept him from betraying their presence in his desperate urge to reach his suffering friend. The pain of watching helplessly was torture. Just as the light must be.

As the man turned from the window and made his way to the shadows, Octavius felt himself being dragged back into the shadows by Marcus and another shoulder, and together they crouched, waiting for the man to settle and Larry to begin stalling. As the three men began to talk, Octavius gathered his wits about him, and motioned for the men behind his to follow as he slowly inched his way along the back wall, towards the sill that held his friend captive.

"So," Came the man's voice as he spoke to Larry, unaware of the little men sneaking behind him. "We are both very similar men. We have things we deeply care for. Me, I care about the money. You, you care about your little friend. If you give me the Tablet, I give you your friend, and we break it as even."

"Hmm," Larry hummed to himself, trying not to focus on the tiny men as they passed.

"Alright," Octavius whispered, turning to look over his shoulder at the men behind him.

He led them to a small wooden chair that was leaned against the wall, only a few inches from the sil. Cautiously, they tiptoed the rest of the way, keeping to the shadows as they weaved their way amongst the boxes and clutter littered about the floor. When they reached the end of the shadow cast by the recliner, they waited a moment to assure themselves they hadn't been seen, and with as soft of footfalls as they could muster, made it unseen to the wooden chair.

Nodding to Marcus, Octavius unslung the was of rope that had been over his shoulder, and threw it up, watching as it wrapped around the top part. He tugged on it, and once he was sure it was secure, ordered quietly for his men to climb.

He waited for all his men to reach the top before following, glancing over his shoulder every second or two, making sure they were still unspotted. The man was still talking to Larry. As of now, they were safe. Finally, he reached the top, and stood with his men, staring across the gap that separated them from their target.

It was a long gap, too long to easily walk across, and deep. A fall from that height would kill instantly, and all of them kept well away from the edge. There was no way to the window.

Suddenly, there was a loud shout, and then a barrage of vibrations sent the chair shaking, the men scrambling to find hand holds on the smooth wood surface. Then, without any warning, the chair was violently tossed aside, the men scattering. Octavius lost his grip on the wood, and found himself flying through the air, and then landing safely on the windowsill, his heart racing and his breathing quick with the shock of the impact. He saw that it had been the man who'd knocked the chair away, and that Larry was violently grappling with him, Ahkmenrah dodging the two, gripping the Tablet close to his chest as the man reached out every so often to snatch it away.

"Oct...Octavius...?" Came a weak voice from behind him.

Remembering the mission, Octavius leapt to his feet, and ran to his friend, who lay trapped; stuck beneath the merciless sticky substance that held him fast to the surface.

"Jedediah!" He exclaimed, finally seeing the cowboy for the first time since his abduction. "Thank the gods you are alright..."

"That was some entrance," Jedediah said with a smirk before breaking into a short bout of coughing.

But Octavius hadn't heard him. He was too busy examining his friend's state. He was deathly pale, his normally bright blue eyes lacking their usual lively glow, and looking half starved beneath the strip of tape that held him. The Roman could tell he was in pain, and the fear in his eyes was ever relevant, but the cowboy kept it under control, trying to smile and stay as calm as possible despite his current situation.

Below him, Octavius could see his men gathering about, running to avoid the giant feet that slammed down around them as the three giants fought, two of them trying to avoid getting too close and the third uncaring. He turned back to his friend, and tugged experimentally on the sticky bonds that held him. The cowboy winced, and Octavius tried another approach; cutting it. He took his sword and very carefully, taking great care to avoid injuring his friend with the sharp blade, hoping to cut the tape and free the cowboy. To his relief, he found his idea working, and soon had the cowboy free. He quickly helped him up, supporting him as they made their way to the edge of the sill. There was a sudden burst of light.

With a cry of pain, Jedediah fell to the ground, writhing in agony as the light immersed him. The man, who had seen the escape attempt, had flipped the switch, and the bright artificial light bathed the room in its yellow glow, lighting up the Romans and the few cowboys who had accompanied them. Unsure of what to do, Octavius hurriedly dragged his friend into the shadows, and tried to shield him from the bulb's reach, though it was useless.

"Wait!" Came a sudden cry from one of the three fighting men.

Octavius looked up to see Ahkmenrah yelling at the man, who was holding the Tablet with a greedy grin on his face. It was glowing.

"It's even more beautiful than I ever imagined!" The man exclaimed, holding the golden artifact to the light. He smiled as he examined it, not having any reason to fear attack as Ahkmenrah and Larry had drawn off, and were keeping well away.

"No!" Ahkmenrah yelled, stepping back towards Larry. "Its power is too strong! It will overwhelm you!"

But the man did not listen, and with a smile touched the center piece, which glowed the brightest.

What happened next was too horrible for Octavius to witness, and he turned away, taking to shielding his friend as golden light exploded all around them. He felt a rush of air against him, and the cries from Jedediah filled his ears as he took the force of the explosion, keeping his footing firm and hoping his shadow would deflect enough light to take some of the cowboy's pain away. It was all he could think of doing before he lost consciousness.

A few moments later, a hand very gently scooped him up, and another took up Jedediah. As he slowly came to, he saw Larry's face above him, and quickly rose to his feet, looking around urgently. He could hear his friend screaming, but couldn't see him until Ahkmenrah, who had an expression of shock and looked like he was about to be ill, stepped up beside the night guard. The Roman was vaguely aware of others around him as the two quickly gathered up the other miniatures, the only thought in his head reaching and protecting Jedediah from the light that glowed all around them.

As the two bigger exhibits hurriedly ran outside, Octavius faintly noticed the small pile of singed ashes lying on the carpet, and shivered. It was no use wondering what had happened now. The only thing that mattered was getting to the car, and protecting Jedediah from the light.