The light. It shone from every bulb on the street. The headlights on the cars, which at any other time would have been intriguing, were tortuous, and the street lights glare swept over him like a wave of pure fire, sending pain through his body as if molten metal were flowing through his veins. Even with the protective hand of Ahkmenrah covering him, the light still seeped through and attacked him at every angle. It burned like nothing imaginable, and each second brought with it more fire than the last. His cries continued. He sought the comforting presence of his friend, but could not see him as his vision was blurred. He clung tightly to the Egyptian's thumb, it being his only sense of reassurance he was not alone. Though his injured arm throbbed and protested being used, he held on tight for all his worth as the bumpy ride to the car continued.

"This way!" Came Larry's voice suddenly.

Jedediah felt Ahkmenrah make a sharp turn, and refused to loosen his grasp as gravity threatened to throw him aside. He heard the thud of car doors, and was thrust into the brightness of a vehicle, strengthening the pain and his cries for it to ehis friend's Through the yelling chaos from the two bigger men and the band of miniatures, he could hear the desperate shouts of Octavius calling to him, but couldn't see anything through the blinding agony that consumed him. A second later he found himself in the darkness, alone, and his mind suddenly went to being trapped in the closet awaiting his death. Some of his pain was replaced by an overwhelming fear, and he screamed for help.

"Jedediah! Hush now, steady…." Said Octavius' voice from somewhere in the darkness.

Jedediah felt a steadying hand on his shoulder, and instinctively grabbed the outstretched arm, clutching it tightly and crying, the pain slowly ebbing away but still lingering, and the fear building up in might.

"Calm down now, breath," Octavius instructed, staying as still as possible in order to avoid causing his friend more pain.

"Octavius…." Jedediah gasped, still holding tightly to the Roman's arm. "Help me…."

"It is alright now, Jedediah." Octavius whispered soothingly, gently patting his friend's shoulder with his free hand. "I am here. You are safe now."

"I-It's dark," The cowboy said in a hoarse voice, unable to move.

"I know. But you are safe. The man who took you is no longer a threat."

Slowly, Jedediah loosened his grip on his friend's arm, and began to calm. But he grabbed it again suddenly when Octavius shifted a bit.

"No! Ockie don't leave me!" He cried, tears pouring from his eyes.

"I am not leaving you," Octavius said reassuringly, scooting back beside him. He could feel the wet droplets on his arm as Jedediah cried out his fear. "I promise you, Jedediah. I am staying right here."

After a moment Jedediah's grip lightened, but he still held tight to his arm for fear of finding himself back in the closet or under the light. They were silent for a while, the gentle hum of the car filling their ears and the vibrations from the tires shaking them through what appeared to be a small shoebox. There were other voices around them, the other men checking on their comrades and consolidating each other's fears. A few of them seemed to be having breakdowns, which wasn't unusual since a good portion of the men had been first time recruits. Octavius remembered his first action of duty. He had been so shaken he refused to eat, or speak, for almost a week. It took a few comrades pinning him down and forcing food Into him in order to live. And from the fear his dear friend displayed, he was suffering the same thing.

"Jedediah?" Octavius asked a few moments later. "Are you alright now?"

A quiet sniffle in the darkness answered him, followed by spoken words. "I-I think so-"

Suddenly, there was fierce swearing from Larry, just as the car made a sharp turn. The box the small band of miniatures had hidden in was flung against the door, the lid being knocked off and the men flung out upon impact. For a moment Octavius was disoriented, trying to get his footing on the rapidly vibrating car. He looked around urgently for Jedediah but could see him nowhere. Then, he heard an agonized cry, and whirled around to see his friend lying on the center floor mat behind Ahkmenrah's seat. The pharaoh quickly turned and grabbed the cowboy before Octavius could reach him, but the cries continued.

"Ahkmenrah, what's happening to him," Larry asked, his voice a mixture of worry and also annoyance, directed at the people who couldn't drive and the very slow man in front of him.

"It is the sun," Ahkmenrah replied urgently, cupping his hands around the miniature in an attempt to cover him in shadow.

Larry glanced over at them worriedly, then slammed his foot on the break as the guy in front of them abruptly stopped to make a turn. He glanced over again. "Why isn't he dust?" He asked over the cowboy's cries. Of course, he was glad he wasn't dust, but something didn't seem right...

"I don't know!" Ahkmenrah replied back, in an obvious panic. "It could be a flaw in the spell!"

Larry had to stop once again to avoid hitting a walking pedestrian. In the back, the startled shouts of the miniatures could be heard as they kept losing their balance. Octavius was holding to the seat, trying to see what was going on. Though it was against his better judgement, he had to reach his friend, and tried to climb the mountainous seat that sat the pharaoh. But he couldn't reach them. Instead, he focused on trying to keep his balance as Larry made the final turn into the museum's parking lot. The cries from the cowboy could still be heard as Ahkmenrah opened the side door, holding Jedediah in his shadow as he used his spare hand to gather up the other miniatures. Larry came up beside him and grabbed the Tablet, rushing up the steps with Ahkmenrah close behind. They turned into his office, quickly slamming the door behind them.

Larry went to turn on the light, then remembered what it did to the little cowboy, and instead turned on his flashlight, setting it down nearby so it provided enough light to see, but hopefully not enough to cause any more pain to Jedediah. Ahkmenrah quickly set the Tablet down on the table, then lay the little cowboy down upon it, keeping his hands to the Tablet's sides as he spoke another ancient spell. The Tablet glowed a bright silver, like a beam of moonlight, and slowly the cowboy's cries began to cease, and he was able to breathe evenly again, a wave of calm washing over him.

Octavius was beside him a second later, trying to coax him to stand. But he was too weak, and only lay on the hard, cold surface of the gold, shivering and staring up at nothing. Larry spoke.

"He's okay, right?" He asked, glancing momentarily at the Egyptian before turning his gaze back to Jedediah.

The pharaoh gently stroked the smooth surface of his tablet, eyes closed and breathing deeply. After a few moments he slowly opened his eyes again, and turned to Larry with a nod. "I think so. But I'm detecting he's terribly ill."

"What do you mean, 'ill'?" Octavius questioned, a worried look on his face.

"I mean," Ahkmenrah began, his tone quiet and solemn. "Something must have gone wrong with the spell. But it couldn't have..."

"Ahkmenrah..." Larry began, looking worriedly from cowboy to Egyptian.

"Something's wrong with the spell. It is like, he's been poisoned...but I do not know how..."

"Poisoned?" Octavius asked, his eyes full of worry.

Without a word, the pharaoh stood, turned on his heels, and left; leaving the door wide open. Larry followed.