They don't seem to find a way out of Sethos' temple. There's always someone who needs help.
Chapter 8
"Why on earth does it take them so long?" Leonard started worrying where his friends could possibly be. The temple complex wasn't that big and there weren't many options for a cleverly devised hiding-place. Still, Raj seemed to be disappeared, there was no sign of Sheldon and Howard who should have stayed in the first Hall of Columns had also edged off. At least there was Penny who was keeping his company.
The fight wasn't over yet. Howard was struggling with his attacker. There was blood on the floor coming from his slashed arm. A deep wound gaped on his forehead. He felt dizzy, couldn't concentrate and was constantly avoiding the tackles. He rolled from one side to the other, swallowed some sand and was trying to incapacitate the Medjaij. But the disguised man was much faster than the mathematician. He pushed him towards the stairs which led to a sacred place. Howard missed the first tread and was now sinking his fingers into the limestone which prevented him from falling down. The Medjaij came closer, placing his right foot on Howard's fingers. He crushed them with all his strength. Howard howled, his bloodcurdling cry echoed through the empty corridors.
The end is near he thought but rescue arrived.
A small creature not as tall as Howard himself clipped the Medjaijs back of the head with a spear. Then the person jumped on the floor and compelled the man to touch down first with an accurately kick.
"Why don't you look for someone of your size?" a squeaky voice exclaimed. The Medjaij was overwhelmed but before he knew the person was already sitting on him putting a bow around his neck and pulled it until he was lying unconsciously on the cold rocky ground.
Then a hand appeared out of nowhere; Howard grabbed it and was immediately pulled up. He wiped the dirt and sand from his clothes and faced his saviour.
To his astonishment he was looking into a woman's face. She had curly blonde hair and was really pretty small.
"Hey" he spluttered "thanks for having rescued me from this Medjaij."
The woman wanted to answer but Howard turned around heading back to the Hall of Columns.
"Wait! Wait!" she cried after him.
"That's it? I just saved your life. Don't you even want to know my name or how come that I'm here?" she wondered and lifted her hood. Howard was now staring into two shiny and icy blue eyes. He must have forgotten about his good manners and apologised right away.
"Excuse me; I'm a little bit off my head. You are?"
"I'm Bernadette Rostenkowski, travel guide and casual lifesaver" she smiled and put her hands behind her back.
"Nice to meet you, Bernie" Howard replied. "I'm Howard Wolowitz, mathematician and passionate lover of numbers" he could not leave it. But maybe Bernadette was easier to impress than Penny.
"I don't get it" she shyly replied not having understood his play on words. She was wearing a dark blue coat and high leather boots. Her white shirt was polluted by an indefinable brown substance. Howard could swear that it was dried blood flaunting on her chemise.
"What are you exactly doing here?" she asked.
The mathematician wasn't sure if he should tell her about Bastets Box but his doubts were eliminated at once when they heard a desperate cry for help.
"What was that?" Bernadette moved in a circle. Another cry broke through the silence.
Howard stopped for a moment and listened. There was a knocking in the wall, a dull but energetically knocking.
"You heard it too, right?" he asked her while pressing his ear against the cold rock.
"We disturbed their eternal peace! The ancient emperors will come forth from the grave and lavish us with the infamous nuisances. Just because you were so greedy for wealth" the travel guide moved away more and more, she thought this was the only possibility to escape the punishment.
"Those are not lost souls calling to us. Sounds like Sheldon going crazy" Howard assumed.
"Sheldon, can you hear me?" he shouted. His finger ran up and down the wall. There had to be a secret mechanism somewhere.
"He must be entrenched in a tiny room, having a disposition to claustrophobia at the moment."
Bernadette inspected her new acquaintance. "What business does a mathematician have in Abydos?" she wanted to know.
"I'm an explorer" Howard replied without looking up. He was scrambling along the wall, searching for a leak.
"What do you explore?" the blonde didn't think of giving him a hand but was rather questioning him from a save distance.
"Bastets Box" he answered, already regretting it. Maybe Bernadette was one of the people who would take a rise out of him and his friends, someone who would make nothing of its legend.
"Seriously? Bastets Box? Isn't the box supposed to be hidden in Nofretari's Temple in Abu Simbel?" she wasn't sure if Howard was telling her the truth so she stood on his leg.
"Ouch! What are you doing?" he writhed with pain.
"You're a grave robber, admit it!" she squeaked. "I've been observing you and your team for some days now. You don't seem to make a good and experienced impression. What are your real intentions? Gold and treasures? Listen to me, honey. Don't try to mess with me. I won't allow six wannabe archaeologists to turn dignified legacies of great Egyptians emperors upside down" she clarified.
"Trust me, we're not wannabes. Dr. Cooper is a notable linguist, Dr. Hofstadter is an excellent and popular lector, Dr. Koothrappali studied Near Eastern Archaeology and has a knack for riches" he shouldn't have mentioned that.
Bernadette kicked him even harder.
"Let me explain" Howard whispered.
"Tell me" she rustled not reducing the pressure on his leg.
"Look, we're a team. Penny, the woman with pigtails, is our journalist and Amy, the half Egyptian half British feast for the eyes, is our leader. That's all. We're only interested in the box, nothing else matters" he was able to free himself.
"Now let me rescue Sheldon and Amy. We can talk later! They haven't much air left, I don't want them to suffocate" Howard became nervous. He hammered along the wall, stroking his fingers over the artful reliefs, but unsuccessful.
Bernadette leaned against the opposite wall, wincing at once as it turned around.
"Beware!" Howard grabbed her by the shoulders.
They both gave a glimpse into the murky closet.
A shape stepped out approaching them. Bernadette was keeping her bow ready.
"It was high time" Sheldon removed the debris, followed by an intimidated Amy.
"We made it! We made it!" Howard was overjoyed that he spontaneously hugged Bernadette. She roughly pushed him away.
"I think you owe me an explanation, now that you seem to be complete" the travel guide eyeballed the linguist and the librarian.
"Could we first turn back to Leonard and the others? I think we spent enough time in these musty corridors" Howard walked away he didn't give Bernadette a chance to change her mind.
"Where have you been?" Leonard ran towards them.
"We were half sick with worry" Penny spotted the wounds on Howard's body. She covered up her embarrassment.
"What happened to you? And who is she?" questions over questions. Bernadette made a step closer to Leonard and Penny.
"I'm Mrs. Rostenkowski and you'd better give me a reason for your presence or I would not hesitate to send out the public authority against you" she pointed the finger at the lector.
"Question two, answered. Now back to question number one" Howard began. "I had a little fight with a Medjaij who wanted to put our beloved linguist out of action. Luckily Bernie rushed to help in the very last moment."
Penny fetched her purse and pulled out the recorder.
"Would you like to voice your opinion? Have you heard of Bastets Box?" she held the micro under Bernadette's nose. The travel guide glanced at Howard.
Howard wanted to launch into a long-winded explanation but Leonard cut him off.
"Where's Raj?"
"Is that a trick? Are you trying to distract me?" Bernadette got really angry. Normally it was her who had the people under her thumb. But this group of American academics seemed to mock around with her.
"I haven't seen him" Sheldon contributed.
"How could you? You were busy saving my life" Amy made big eyes, unnoticeably pressing against him. Sheldon didn't return the gesture. He had rescued her for purely professional reasons; at least that's what he desired to show.
"What did you tell him?" Leonard asked.
"I wanted him to find evidence regarding Bastets Box" the linguist replied, being unaware of any wrongdoing.
"Any educated human being would look for evidence in the sacred chapels or in the walls dotted with inscriptions" Sheldon went on.
"Yes, but not Raj. His special fields are treasures. Where do you think he's staying at the moment, you clever – dick?"
"Does anyone know where the repertory is?" Leonard wondered.
What do you think of this chapter? What becomes of Howard and his guardian angel? Is Bernie going to mess or match up with the team? Will she spoil their adventure?