Previously:

Suddenly a rumble catches them off guard. The Great One points behind them. "What the Hell is that?"

---

"So what do we do?" Ma'at asks, looking around at the others. "How do you fight this darkness?"

No one answers right away. Pizoku bites his lip a little. "With light?"

-

"And who is symbolic of the sun?" Taylor says, looking over at the assumed Egyptian Gods.

A look of dawning crosses onto Ma'at's face. "Bennu," She replies. "The Phoenix."

Taylor walks over to the two aliens. "Where's your daddy?"

"Heliopolis," Thoth replies. He gets it now.

Taylor turns to look at the others. "The City of the Sun," he points out. "Any questions?"

Episode Eighty-Two

"Rumblings"

Suddenly a rumble catches the Representative of the East and the Representative of the South off guard. The Great One points behind them. "What the Hell is that?"

The South looks behind her and rolls her eyes. "That would be Eight of Nine."

The Great One walks over and circles around Mallard of Nine. "I do not approve," He says after a moment of scrutiny. "He's ugly and lopsided and purple," he decides. He sniffs the air near Mallard's body. "And smells of bourbon."

A waft of smoke swirls through the air and surrounds Mallard of Nine. There is a sickening noise and unearthly shrieking as the temple shakes. The smoke dissipates. Mallard is gone.

The East sighs. "Now we're short a Nine again."

The Great One turns back to the children. "You, little miss pigtails!"He points to a skinny girl in the middle of the crowd. "You are now Eight."

"But I'm ten," the girl replies with a pout.

"Insolence!!!!" The Girl is surrounded by smoke and suddenly is gone. "Right," The Great One turns to a different girl. "You will now be Eight." He places a hand on her forehead and her eyes glow.

The Great One turns to the crowd. "Any other questions?" No one moves. "Fine. It is time."

Meanwhile, in Egypt

Pizoku tries not to fall over onto his side as the ship shakes. "What is that noise?" Naoki asks as a deep rumbling sound vibrates the ceiling.

"That would be the sound of the dune opening," Jilan explains from where she sits by Ashlee and Reese.

Naoki looks at her curiously. "Opening?"

"Yes, so we can fly out of here." Jilan smiles at him. Naoki looks quite thrilled.

"Won't someone notice that?" Pizoku asks.

"We're in the desert," Reese shrugs it off. "Most likely we'll just be interpreted as one of those strange lights that sometimes happen."

"You may want to brace yourselves," Ma'at calls back from the piloting section of the vessel. "It has been a while since this ship has flown."

An internal rumbling vibrated the ship and it lurched. "Here we go," Reese says with a smile.

The ship lurches again. "Are you gonna complain about his driving too?" Ashlee turns and teases Reese. Reese sticks his tongue out at her. Pizoku leans against the wall and smiles as the ship continues to lift.

A blaring sound startles the group on the floor. "What is that?" Naoki asks, looking up.

Jilan stands up. "Exactly what it sounds like." She walks towards the front section. "An alarm."

Pizoku stands up and stumbles up behind her. He moves between Neah and Taylor, who stand behind the seated Thoth and Ma'at.

"Oh my gods," Neah whispers as she looks out the forward window.

A sandstorm rages in front of them and fills the horizon. Taylor looks at it hard. "They found us."

To Be Continued.