The announcement was taken form a website. I don't own the characters of TBBT. Comments?
Chapter 2
"But I really need those things. You can't just rifle my property, choosing whatever you like and pretend it to be yours", Sheldon was extremely annoyed by the guards behaviour. It was yet the second time that he wasn't allowed to stride through the security check.
"Sir, you're carting some scissors along, which could in case of emergency cause an accident", the guard tried to explain. Sheldon found it incomprehensibly and made his indignation room.
"What do you think shall I use to scratch along the hieroglyphs instead? Maybe my own finger or a toothpick? Or maybe I could simply take your shoe buckle?" The scientist proposed.
Leonard knew that the moment to intervene had come.
"I can give you assurance that Dr. Sheldon Cooper has no ulterior motives. All he wants is his bag, which needs to be disinfected afterwards and eventually have a seat in the plane."
It was difficult for him to solve the situation but he didn't want to cause even more trouble. Sheldon however shushed him and put his hands behind his back.
"May I inform you about your duty as a security guard?" He stared at the man who was a heads smaller than himself.
"Here we go again!" groaned Howard and let his luggage fall. Penny took her chance and started to record this dispute. "Now he will start to list all the rules he learned by heart to confuse this poor fellow", Howard said to the blonde journalist.
It wasn't until minutes later when Leonard could finally convince Sheldon to hand over his scissors, promising him to buy him a new pair as soon as they arrived in Cairo.
After having taken the bus to the terminal they checked out their seat numbers. "Great", Leonard muttered as he discovered that Sheldon was the lucky guy to sit next to Penny. He could share a row together with Howard, and Raj found himself between two young girls who seemed a little bit drunk.
"Good morning", the stewardess put on a big smile. "Yeah, whatever", Dr. Hofstadter snapped and stowed his carryall above his head. "At least you don't have to stand Sheldon's speeches or his occasional panic attacks."
Howard wanted to cheer his friend up but Leonard was constantly peering over to Penny. She had no idea of her faith. Spending time next to Sheldon during a flight could be a real torture. A couple of years ago he had made the experience. Every little vent had made Sheldon shout and he had clawed his nails into Leonards arm.
"Welcome aboard Egyptair Flight to Cairo. To operate your seatbelt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seatbelt and if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised. In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, oxygen masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child travelling with you, secure your mask before assisting theirs. If you are travelling with two small children, decide now which one you love more."
Some laughters rushed through the seating rows. "This is kinda macabre, isn't it?" Sheldon asked Penny.
"It's called sarcasm. Have you never heard of it? They want you to lose your angst of crushing down." She went on glancing at the screen in the corner of the plane which allowed the travellers to follow the departure.
"Why should anyone lose their angst after hearing this announcement? It scares me even more!" Sheldon replied and shook his head. "Did you know that Finnair, Qantas and Cathay Pacific are the safest airlines on earth? The worst months to fly are July, August and September. The most common causes of death during a plane crash are the huge pressure and the heat of course."
Penny bashed her head against her seat. "Okay, stop it! Instead of telling me statistics and the probability that I won't survive this flight why don't you tell me something about your trip to Egypt? I'm wondering how much you know about the secrets of Bastets Box. I mean that's what you're going to explore. I have to write an incredibly long report about this adventure which is very important for my future career. Let's start with the basics." Penny pulled out a pen and her note book. Sheldon closed his eyes and then approached the journalist, which made Leonard jump up.
"What is he doing?" the lecturer asked without losing sight of Sheldon. "Maybe he sat on a peanut which pinched him. Why are you so concerned about that girl? You don't even know her. Sure, she is good-looking, has a nice body and a beautiful broadcast, but that doesn't give you the right to control every step she makes", Howard dragged Leonard down. "She could be in danger! What do you think will happen when we, by accident, fly through severe hailstorms? Penny won't have any skin left or she will be deaf!" He was getting ready to stand up and beg Sheldon to switch places with him.
But he already knew the answer. "This is my spot. See, the ticket says row 6 seat 27", Sheldon would look into his eyes, waiting for Leonard to say "You're right"; and then his gunge smile would follow the lecturer back to Howard.
"Are you on the way to Egypt?" giggled the redhead next to Raj. He was cramped and started to sweat. "What's wrong with you?" she touched his hand and caressed his fingers. Raj smiled but didn't say a word. He hoped for a stewardess to pass by so he could demand a drink, but there was far and wide no one in sight.
"What mission do you have in Cairo?" the brunette on his left wondered. "A marriage maybe?" she pinched his cheeks. The archaeologist folded his hands together and made a little bow before standing up.
"Leonard, Howard" he ran to his mates, hard breathing. "I'm sharing my row with some adorable chicks, but as you know without alcohol I'm incapable to chat along with them. Is one of you interested in switching my…" he couldn't even finish his sentences when Howard grabbed him by his shoulders, whispering a "make yourself comfortable and thank you" and disappeared.
"So Raj, how about we take out the map and discuss where we should search first after Bastets Box?" Leonard suggested. His friend nodded and passed his finger over the rivers of Egypt. "We're landing in Cairo, right? Then I propose we check in at our hotel and take a nap. The next day we should visit the famous museum to get some facts about Bubastis, the city which worshipped Bastet the most."
"Do you think we're on the right track? I expect to find important evidences in the temple of Kom Ombo. My researches confirm this thesis", Leonard had spent three years with deciphering the inscription of Kom Ombo. He knew what he was doing. Raj seemed little enthusiastic.
"Why should anyone keep the Box of Bastet in a temple which has been erected to praise Sobek, the Crocodilegod and Haroeris, who built together with Ta-senet-nophret and Pa-neb-Taui a triad of Gods?" the archaeologist asked.
"That's a good question. I'm sure you're aware of the powers of Bastets Box. They had to hide it, otherwise tomb raiders, Bedouins or common folk would have searched for it, trying to hog the boundless mights. So the keepers had to think of another place, a place which should never be in the cards", Leonard finished his deliberations.
"Bastets Box. Where do I start?" Sheldon put his hands behind his head. "First of all you could reveal me who Bastet was? Was he a pharaoh?" Penny sucked her pen. The linguist snorted. "You don't know who Bastet was? And you're using her history as a spring board into further careers?" astounded and scandalized at the same time ran Sheldon through his hair. "Penny, Penny, Penny." He smiled at her giving her the feeling of being totally lost.
"Let's start from the beginning." He cleared his throat. "Sure, we have eight hours left" the journalist smirked insecurely.
"I try to overlook this sassing response. We find ourselves in a time between the 22nd and the twenty-third dynasty of the Ancient Egypt. That's when the cat experienced the most adoration in Bubastis. The main Goddess of this city used to be Bastet who has been represented as a woman with a lions head. Families mummified their cats out of devotion, wherever she was worshipped. All this happened during a time where the inhabitants of a town or a city viewed the cult of animals and their reverence as an act of invigorated force. Now some people shaved off their eyebrows out of mourning, when their beloved pet died. It was even prohibited to kill an animal! This ritual was especially widespread in Theban, Bubastis and Sakkara", Sheldon spoke in a hurry that Penny had a hard time with writing down every detail.
"Okay, those were the basics, right?" she hoped inner. "Yes. More or less, I left out a few important facts but I guess it's good enough for you and your readers. You might ask now, what has this to do with Bastets Box? Did they put a mummified cat in there? No, that would be absurd. Actually, Dr. Koothrappali has a better understanding if it comes to worthy treasures, but as he can't talk to women in a sober condition I have to take this. Bubastis Box is an all times riddle. There is only one inscription that confirms its existence. From the very beginning I and the three other scientists have striven to solve this mystery. If we believe what Imhotep handed us down, the Box contains a liquid which enriches its owner with eternal luck", his eyes widened after opening the secret to Penny.
"You mean like in the Harry Potter movies? Felix Felicis?" the journalist grinned over to the linguist. "Something similar. There are some differences but it would be a Sisyphean task trying to explain you that. But that's only the good part. Unfortunately the liquid allows its owner to arouse Bastets army, a legion of thousands of bloodthirsty cats who would destroy Cairo in less than an hour" he sighted and turned apart.
The loud-speakers came on. "Dear passengers we're expecting some turbulence in the next few minutes. Please, fasten your seatbelt."