"According to these hieroglyphics, we're underneath the statue." Evelyn informed them as Rick and Jonathon worked at prying the ceiling slabs loose. "We should come up right between his legs."

"And when those damn Yanks go to sleep-No offense-."

"None taken." The O'Connell siblings replied, Alexandra circling around in a lazy look-out.

"We'll dig our way up and steal that book right out from under them."

"Are you sure we can find this secret compartment thing?" Rick wondered, switching out for a pick to better break through.

"Oh yes, if those beastly Americans haven't beaten us to it." Evelyn replied, Isis telekinetically lifting a tool to join in. "No offense."

"None taken."

"Hey." Jonathon realized, Basil clinging with one hand as the other three were occupied with digging tools. "Where'd our smelly little friend go?"

Scarlet shrugged, nodding her head towards one of the branching hallways, and Tip rolled his eyes from where he lounged on one of the empty statue bases.

"Away." Alexandra translated, a smile flickering across her face.

The trio shared a look before shrugging as well, returning to the task at hand as the brunette stared up at the ceiling, smile slipping away into a troubled frown.

The darkness was so thick here that it was impossible to even see Scarlet's Aura from where the Lucario stood at her side, let alone the men she knew were above them…

"Hey."

Blinking the shadows away, an unearthly screaming still ringing in her ears, Alexandra turned to her brother as the Carnahan siblings stepped down, leaving a sizable hole in the ceiling at least twice as wide as she remembered.

"Sure you're okay?" Rick pressed, brow furrowing in expanding concern.

"You're such a mother-hen." She teased, fingers sliding into Scarlet's fur. "I'm still fine, you big worrywart."

Rolling his eyes at the jab, Rick pressed a hand to her shoulder, leaning down to make direct eye contact.

"Family looks out for family. You need me, I'm here."

Mouth twisting in an exaggerated disgust at the mushy moment, Alexandra deflated with a sigh, nodding.

"Yeah, I know…"

Pleased that she at least knew that much, he ruffled her messy ponytail with a snicker and walked back over to Evelyn, who started in on a rather cheery explanation of mummification.

Shoving her wayward curls back, Alexandra sent a half-hearted glare her brother's way before green eyes dropped to meet red.

If only things were that simple.

"Let me get this straight." Rick cut in, Tip sprawled across his feet as Isis cradled the Dark Pokemon's head on her own lap. "They ripped out your guts, and they stuffed them in jars…"

"And then they take out your heart as well." Evelyn confirmed, gesturing with a small tool from her American-procured kit. "Oh, and you know how they took out your brains?"

"Evy, I don't think we need to know this." Jonathon interrupted, using a pick and some small stones to perfect his golf swing, though she ignored him.

"They'd take a sharp, red-hot poker, stick it up your nose, scramble things about a bit, and then rip it all out through your nostrils."

"Ow." Alexandra noted blandly, Scarlet biting back a smile at her dry humor.

"Oh, that's gotta hurt." Rick agreed, flinching as if imagining the pain.

"You're dead when they do it, Ricky." His sister pointed out, snickering. "You don't feel a thing."

"For the record, if I don't make it out of here, don't put me down for mummification." The eldest O'Connell decided.

"Likewise." Jonathon agreed, taking another swing-

Basil shrieked when a heavy stone object fell from the weakened ceiling and hit the floor with an echoing BANG, Alexandra already on her feet as Scarlet snarled, Auras pulsing in fright.

Coughing at the disturbed sand in her airway, Evelyn stepped closer, studying what seemed to be a coffin of some sort as Isis trailed in her wake, horns twinging.

"Oh my God, it's a-"

"Sarcophagus." Alexandra whispered, the darkness seeping out of the stone so thick it was almost hard to breathe.

"Buried at the base of Anubis." Evelyn agreed, staring up at the broken ceiling that once held this strange object. "He must have been someone of great importance…Or he did something very naughty."

As Evelyn scrambled to get out a brush to clear away sand from the hieroglyphs, the female O'Connell could only stare, dread and something like sorrow twisting her insides into painful knots.

"So, who is it?" Jonathon demanded, holding up a torch for his sister to read by.

Tip prowled around the room, keeping far from the Egyptian coffin, with Isis trotting at his side and sliding nervous glances over every few moments.

"He That Shall Not Be Named…"

The translation made those knots ache, and Alexandra pressed a hand to her belly as Scarlet whined, shaking out her ears.

"This looks like some sort of lock." Rick pointed out, having uncovered a size-pointed indentation.

"Well, whoever's in here sure wasn't getting out." Jonathon joked, gaze darting to where Basil was now riding on Tip's back.

"Yeah, no kidding…It'd take us a month to crack into this thing without a key."

"A key?" Evelyn parroted, mouth twisting in thought before realization struck. "A key! A key! Now that's what he was talking about!"

As the Englishwoman rushed to retrieve something from their bags, Rick shared a confused look with Jonathon and Alexandra.

"Who was talking about what?"

"The man on the barge." She explained, brandishing the puzzle box. "The one with the hook. He was looking for a key."

Once open, the box fit perfectly into the slot, and two separate facets of Alexandra's soul rejoiced and shuddered at the discovery.

"I don't think we should open it." She forced out, fingers tangling in her Lucario's fur as the golden-furred Aura Pokemon bristled.

"Come on, it'll be-"

Rick's assurances were cut short by a bloodcurdling scream, and the quartet rushed out into the biggest branching hallway, weapons drawn.

Warden Hassan, screaming and clutching his head, ran headlong through his bewildered travel companions and right into a wall, the resulting CRACK the very last sound he made.

Wide-eyed, Alexandra turned to see if his Hippowdon was following in the now-dead man's footsteps, and found Sabra a dead weight on the sand, blood leaking from every orifice.

Heart hammering with adrenaline, she turned to her brother, skin tight with goosebumps.

"I didn't do it."