Disclaimer:I don't own the characters from National Treasure; they belong to Disney, Jerry Bruckheimer and Jon Turtletab. I also don't own the characters from the Mummy, they belong to Universal and Stephen Sommers.
Author's Note: Hey, thanks to my reviewers: xxroxy-dogxx, dasiyduke80, Riley Poole's number-1 fan and Phantom Creedy lover- you all are AWESOME! Thanks for the feedback, it keeps me going!
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Chapter Five: The Desert Works in Mysterious Ways
The nanosecond the plane came to a stop, Benjamin Gates and Abigail Chase-Gates were out in the hot Egyptian heat. "I can't get Riley's phone," Ben said. "And the number he called me from the other night belongs to a Natalie O'Connell, and she's not answering, either."
"I hope he's all right," Abigail said. She tossed her blonde hair into a messy ponytail. The heat was near unforgiving, a far cry from China, which was experiencing a lot of rain. "Ben, what in the world is going on?"
"I have no idea," he replied. "But first things first. Let's get a hotel room. Then we can start asking around. I know Riley was at the Egyptian Museum because he told me he lost our bet." He smiled ruefully. "I think I'll let him keep his twenty bucks after this, though." He shrugged. "Anyway, we can start there, at least."
"Ben, Egypt is huge. How are we supposed to find him out there?" Abigail waved a hand toward the skyline to prove her point.
"Riley will try to get back to the airport later tonight. That's when the plane with the FBI and Treasury Department agents is touching down with the treasure," Ben explained. He looked out over the city. "I just hope he gets there."
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Riley opened his eyes very, very slowly. His right shoulder was on fire. His vision swam, but the picture finally cleared. He was lying down inside a tent, although it more or less resembled a bunch of rugs or blankets strung up on wires. Whatever he was lying on, though, was really comfortable.
"You're awake!" Natalie O'Connell said excitedly. She had just come into the space and was looking down at him. Riley felt his breath catch.
Natalie's long hair was up in a simple bun, showing off her high cheekbones. She wore a simple, traditional-looking outfit that was a royal blue with gold accenting. The top only went down to her belly button, leaving a thin strip of skin exposed. She had a belly-button ring. Riley was surprised. And impressed.
And in love. "Wow," he managed. "You look great."
Suddenly self-conscious, Natalie crossed her arms over her stomach. "I- well...it's all they had," she said.
"I won't complain-Ow!" Riley had held up both his hands in surrender, and realized that his hand was attached to his arm, which was attached to his shoulder, which now burned like hell. "Shouldn't have done that," he winced.
"Baby," Natalie teased good-naturedly.
Riley made a face. He lay still for a few moments, looking at the ceiling. "Where are we?"
"About ten miles from the outskirts of Cairo. I actually watched an EgyptAir jet take off from the airport," Natalie said. "Or at least, it was coming from that direction."
"That's great! That means we aren't that far away. We could make it back-"
"Riley, dear, it's 115 degrees outside- and that's in the shade. Your shoulder needs time to mend," Natalie protested.
"You will rest here for the day. Tonight we will help you return to the city," a new voice said. It was deep and rich, with a thick and definite Middle-Eastern sound to it. Riley looked up at him. He was in his late-thirties, he guessed, with dark brown eyes and tattoos under his eyes. He was wearing all black, and his curly black hair fell to his shoulder blades.
"Who's your friend?" Riley asked Natalie.
Natalie and the new arrival both exchanged looks. "Uh," Natalie began, looking at Riley. "Well, I'm not entirely sure how to put this. I...Riley, may I introduce you to Ardeth Bey."
"Ardeth Bey..." Riley tried the name out. "Hold up, that name sounds really familiar."
Natalie handed him her copy of Adventure in the Sands. She flipped open to a hand-drawn portrait by Alexander O'Connell. The drawing was done in the 1950s, but the face was unmistakable.
This was the same man.
Riley's brow furrowed in confusion. "Wait a second. This drawing was done in the 50s. The story happened in the 30s. But you haven't aged at all, or you age really well or something, because this picture...and you..."
Ardeth smiled gently and held up a hand, silencing Riley. "The desert works in mysterious ways, my friend. Do not think so hard."
Riley nodded, still in shock. "Not a problem."
Ardeth's eyes flickered to the young man's shoulder. "How is your shoulder today?" he asked.
"It hurts a lot," Riley admitted.
"We removed the bullet," Ardeth explained, "and patched you up the best we were able, but we are very primitive when it comes to medicine. When we get back to Cairo, you may want to have someone look at it."
"Sounds good," Riley said, touching his shoulder gingerly. "Hey, listen. Thanks," he told Ardeth. "I mean, I'm not sure how all this is happening, but..."
Ardeth nodded to him. "Do not worry about it. Rest. Tell me about this treasure you are supposed to be protecting."
"It's the Knight's Templar treasure, the Freemason treasure," Riley began. "Slowly, over the years, they added to it, things from every corner of the earth." He looked at Natalie's strange look and smiled. "Ben usually tells it better. Anyway, when it got to the Americas, the freemasons hid the treasure so the British couldn't get to it, but they left a series of clues so it could eventually be found again. It just so happens that Ben's family was the last family in charge of it. He found me, and me and his buddy Ian went looking for it. And then Ian went bad, and Ben met a girl, and we had this whole big treasure hunt thing, and we nearly died, and then we found the treasure and decided we were going to give it back to wherever it came from. I was supposed to return part of it to the Egyptian Museum, but that was before we started on this little adventure."
"Who are the men who are after you?"
"Not a clue." Riley said. "I haven't the foggiest. But the sooner we get the treasure somewhere where it can be protected, the better I'll sleep at night."
"Where is it now?" Ardeth asked.
"On its way over here on a cargo plane," Riley explained. "There are US FBI and Treasury agents on it. I was supposed to meet them at the airport to authorize the transfer." He sounded exhausted.
Natalie squeezed his hand, sending shivers up and down his spine. She handed him a wooden cup with water in it. "Here." He took a few sips and lay back. "Rest. We'll wake you tonight."
Riley nodded and squeezed her hand gingerly back. "Sounds good," he breathed. He closed his eyes, and was soon asleep again. Natalie watched him for a few moments before ducking under the tent flap and joining Ardeth outside. She sucked in a breath- the temperature change even from inside the tent to the sand outside was unforgiving. Natalie glanced around at the tent camp. There were at least twenty or thirty people that Natalie had counted, most of them men around Ardeth's age or older, some women and a few scattered children around. It was hard to believe that they lived this way and were practically within earshot of Cairo, Egypt, one of the world's most thriving metropolises.
She looked up at Ardeth. The older man was looking thoughtfully out on the desert. He finally felt her eyes on him and he looked down on her with a smile. "What is it?"
Natalie felt extremely embarrassed. "I...no offense, really, but Riley's right-how are you standing here? You'd have to be pushing a hundred and-" she gave him the once-over. He was definitely not horrible-looking. The eyes, his hair, the whole mysterious air- "you're nowhere close."
Ardeth nodded. "So inquisitive. Like your great-grandfather."
Natalie acknowledged him with a smile. "He would be in to this whole adventure thing. My grandfather and father, too. Guess it runs in the family." She studied him. "But you didn't answer my question." It was the academic in her, she just couldn't help it.
"As I told your friend," Ardeth said, "the desert works in mysterious ways. Perhaps, just as I protected your great-grandfather and his parents, so have I been called to protect you on your journey as well."
Natalie thought about it. It wasn't exactly an answer- but it wasn't half-bad, either. She could accept that. "What would make the Medjai so interested in the treasure, Ardeth?" she asked.
The descendant of the ancient guardians of Pharaoh was silent for a moment. Then he showed her his hand. Natalie couldn't detect what was wrong with the picture. "I-I don't..."
"The Ring of the Medjai," Ardeth said by way of explanation. "It was given to the first of our line millennia ago. It was given to him by the first pharaoh of Egypt to show his thanks for the Medjai's loyalty. The night High Priest Imhotep murdered Pharaoh Seti, the leader of the Medjai who went after Imhotep was wearing that ring. In the fight to capture Imhotep, the ring was lost."
"So how do you know it's with the treasure?" Natalie asked him.
Ardeth didn't answer at first. "Truthfully? I don't. But even if the ring is not with the treasure, some of it belongs to pharaohs our people protected for generations." He shrugged- it looked very out of character, and Natalie couldn't help but smile. "It seems right that we make sure it goes to the museum."
Natalie nodded. "You take your duty very seriously even though Imhotep is gone and there are no pharaohs anymore," she said to him.
He looked out on the desert. "Duty is all we have," he said simply.
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