She could say she was perfectly focused on the book she had borrowed from the library, now open on her desk. If somebody would enter her office right now, they would see her doing what any normal art professor was supposed to be doing. Reading a book on ancient history. Vikings, to be precise.

But even though the matter was important, her mind wandered away. How could it be any different, when she couldn't even look at her own desk without thinking about Carmen's hands and mouth, and about that impromptu visit?

A strange beep from her open computer made her look at the screen.

"Hello?"

The image of a single white cap on a dark background occupied the entirety of the screen.

"Hey, Jules," said a voice she did not recognise. It seemed to be that of a young man.

"Uhm… who is this?" Although she now had an inkling on who this could be. There was just only one person in the world who called her Jules. Well, now there were two, apparently.

"Oh, sorry! You can call me Player." An image of a teenage boy appeared on the screen. "Red asked me to check in for any updates."

There was only one 'Red' Julia could think about. Carmen couldn't be working alone, and she had in fact met those two red heads that time in Milan. But this person seemed much younger to be involved in major leagues' capers. Besides, why hadn't 'Red' called herself?

"And…" there were many questions Julia wanted to ask, but she had no idea about how to begin. "How do you and 'Red' know each other?" Maybe it was a very silly question but she needed to know. He didn't look like her, so he couldn't be a brother, could he?

"We're old friends. From her school days." Player seemed to be proud of this.

"I see," Julia said, although she didn't. There was something strange with the math. Carmen was twenty. This guy couldn't be over 16, could he? "Oh, well," she decided to get back to business, at least for the time being. "I do have some updated information for her."

"That's great!"

"So… why isn't she asking me this herself? Is she alright?"

"Oh yeah, she is," Player said with a grin. "But she's… uhm… North, as we speak. No phones or anything like that. Just her comms."

Of course, that was the logical explanation. "I see. So, this is what I know…"

As Julia spoke, she could hear Player passing over the information to somebody. Probably Carmen on the comms. After a moment he smiled at the screen again.

"Ok, they've gone radio silent for a while."

"She's not alone then?"

Player pursed his lips. "I shouldn't-"

"Never mind. Sorry I asked. I just wanted to know she's safe." Even to Julia, the statement sounded ridiculous. "Well… as safe as possible, giving the circumstances."

Player looked at her for a moment. "She's not alone, and the people with her are very capable," he finally said, earnestly.

"Thanks for telling me this."

Player smiled again. "I'm glad to finally meet you."

"Finally?"

"Well, I've known about you for a while, Jules." Julia raised her eyebrows. What exactly did this young man know? "Since your A.C.M.E. times," he added, and Julia relaxed a little.

"Oh…"

"It sounds as if I was a stalker, right? Well… I guess I am."

"I am guessing it's your business to know stuff." Julia was starting to imagine Player as the ground person. Or maybe the tech guy. Or maybe both.

"It is," Player agreed. "Well, it was very nice talking to you, Jules."

"It was," Julia said. But then an idea came to her mind. "Hey, Player. Listen…" Julia hesitated for a moment. "I understand if you'd tell me you can't do what I'm about to ask but…"

"Yes?"

"In case something happens to Carmen, and she turns out to be unable to tell me… would you do it?"

Player looked at her for a moment, and then he smiled again. "Deal."

Julia sighed in relief. "Thank you, Player."

"Anytime, Jules," he replied. "And…" he continued. "Red would kill me if she ever knew I told you this, but…" he scratched his neck and looked around the dark room he was in. "She's happier since you're around. And for that I'm glad."

Her cheeks felt red, and she knew she was grinning. "Thanks for telling me this."

"No problem. See you around." And his image was replaced by the white cap for a second, and then her computer went back to normal.

Julia rummaged in the bottom most drawer of her desk and produced a cellphone. It looked just like any other, without marks or signs that would reveal how encrypted it was.

It was nice talking to Player. She wrote. TTYL.

That night, Carmen video called. She couldn't speak much. They had found a way to the message of the relic, even if not the relic itself, and that was something to celebrate… but Carmen was tired.

"Shadowsan almost…" Carmen swallowed. "He had it pretty rough," she said, after a moment.

"Shadowsan?" Julia asked.

Carmen bit her lip. "It's better if you don't know a lot of it. I want to tell you ,everything, Jules, I swear, but you're safer not knowing."

"I understand."

"Let's hope… one day. You should meet him." Carmen smiled, and it looked almost dreamy. "I'd love for you to meet, actually."

"Why him, especially?"

Carmen shrugged. "I guess you could say he's the closest thing I have to a parent."

Julia smiled, but inside she was feeling all sorts of things at once. "I'd be happy to."

"Someday, perhaps."

After that, they didn't speak much. Carmen needed some rest, and Julia wanted to get to the task of deciphering the second relic.

It took her a long sleepless night, and she was not sure she had managed to translate the right coordinates from the Sanskrit characters on that piece of leather. But they needed to get a move, and apparently it was to India.

Now, for Julia there was nothing else to do but wait, her fingers drumming on her desk, for a call that she expected would come from Carmen herself. When it came, it was clear that they were still in the marked spot. Behind Carmen, she could make out what looked like the jungle.

"Hm," it wasn't really Julia's training which kicked in, but the fact that, since Carmen showed up in her office with that relic covered in runes, she had made her business of doing some more research. "The text is Egyptian, but in two different alphabets. Coptic, used during the Medieval era, and hieroglyphs, dating far earlier to Ancient Egypt."

"So, we know the text on the relic was inscribed during the later period, by someone familiar with both."

"Aren't you a quick study?" Julia said, and even though she knew probably the entirety of Carmen's team was listening in, she smiled at a banter that was making her remember something completely different and much more private. "Shall I assume you are catching the next flight to Egypt, and that I will inform you of further particulars once I decode them?"

"Oh, now who's the quick study?" Carmen said back, and Julia saw the same gleam in her eyes, right before the call ended.

For the next few hours, Julia had only left her desk to grab a quick bite and a couple of books from the library, and now she was looking at the image of that fang-like relic, trying to move forward in the deciphering.

She was considering leaving her office and going back to her flat, when there was a knock on the door. "One moment please."

She did not recognise the two men standing outside. They didn't look like faculty, but then again, she had seen strange personalities at Oxford. "Can I help you?"

They were professionals, was the last coherent thought Julia could produce, as two pairs of strong arms reduced her. She felt it was getting hard to breathe, and then everything went black.

When she woke up, she was lying on her side, tied at the wrists and ankles. There was a dark cloth covering her face, making it impossible for her to recognise where she was. Even though they hadn't muzzled her, she knew better than to try and make a noise.

Julia took a deep, calming breath. She needed to gather as much information as possible and, for the time being, not letting her captor know that she had regained consciousness seemed to be her best option.

The floor was vibrating softly, and there was a faint metallic buzz. A plane, probably?

A man's voice could be heard from a short distance. He was asking something in Russian. The other man answered. Julia's knowledge of the language was superficial, to say the least, but she thought she recognised the word "arrival". These men were probably the ones who had kidnapped her.

For a long time Julia just listened, but they didn't speak again. At some point Julia dozed off, and when she woke up again, with a start, she realised the plane must be landing. Sure enough, the rumble became louder, and she felt a jolt as the wheels hit the ground.

The opening of the doors of the plane filled the space with hot, humid air. With professional efficiency, somebody lifted her, and after a good deal of movement, she was sitting somewhere. When that rumbled, too, she realised it must be a vehicle. Nobody spoke for a long moment, until the car made a final halt and Julia heard a door opening.

"Is she awake?"

"Yes."

This time they didn't carry her, but pushed her to make her walk. Still unable to look, Julia had the impression they were riding an elevator, and then entering a well lit space. With some force, she was pushed on a chair that was much more comfortable than any of her previous locations.

"Where am I?" she finally asked, her voice hoarse for lack of use.

Nobody answered her, even though she knew there was at least one other person in the room.

"Где я?"

Still, nothing.

Having lost all track of time, Julia couldn't tell how much time she had been sitting there.

Finally, there was movement in the adjacent room.

"We found this in her office," she heard one of the men speak.

"Gunnar will be ecstatic," drawled a woman. "Thank you, Boris."

"I am Vlad."

Julia focused on the sets of steps. Apparently there were at least three people in the room now. The sudden removal of the cloth over her head made her blink, blinded by the strong light coming from the windows.

Two women and one of the men were standing in front of her. The other one was at her side, as if he was standing guard. "You look… familiar," said the voice that had spoken earlier.

"I cannot say the same." Despite her predicament, Julia was not willing to show weaknesses of any kind if she could prevent it. Still, the statement made her think. Were they recognising her from her brief time at Interpol? From when she had been an A.C.M.E. agent?

"Yet, you know my affiliation."

"I can venture a guess." Julia had had encounters with some of V.I.L.E.'s operatives, but there was something different in this woman's demeanour. Something that made her think this could be a high ranked member. The thought made her both nervous and curious.

"We require your insight regarding your current 'research paper'." The quiet commanding voice made Julia think her hypothesis might be correct. This was somebody used to being obeyed.

She was not going to give up easily, though. "I have no idea what you are referring to."

The second man (Boris?) handed her several papers, and Julia had to suppress a gasp. "But it seems like you do." The page visible was the one with the photograph Julia had been using to decipher the code. That curious fang with traces, and a hand clad in a red overcoat, holding it. "And I will not ask you again."

Turned out, she had to ask again. Many times, as Julia refused to recite the translation she had already committed to heart. The punches in her stomach and sides were painful, but she was sure those two hit-men were capable of much more. Just as she knew she would speak, eventually. But she needed to buy some time. Carmen and Player were expecting news and they would be worried when she didn't answer.

Also, she knew Carmen was on her way to Egypt… and she, Julia, very much suspected Egypt was where she was right now.

One especially hard punch made her gasp. She couldn't have them inflict too much damage. Broken ribs would not help anybody.

"All right," she gasped. "All right, I'll do it."

"That is much better, Professor Argent," the woman said.

She was now shown to a table, where several pages of her research were scattered. The men had taken everything on Julia's desk, including the first relic and the books she had borrowed from the library. Julia looked around and saw, on another table some metres away, that they had also taken her computer and her phones. The two of them. That thought made her stomach feel heavy. What if Player tried to contact her now? No, she told herself. Player seemed to be clever enough to pin her location before trying to make contact. He just wouldn't.

With a deep breath, she focused on the papers in front of her. The second part of the inscription was almost completely translated, but Julia could use this to buy even more time. She could start over.

The two men stood next to her, showing polite interest on the pages. They were making her nervous, though, and Julia was glad she was stalling, because it was difficult to focus for real. One of the women, the older one, was pacing; the other was lying on one of the sofas, looking absolutely bored.

It was almost nightfall when Julia produced results. She couldn't take much longer without it looking suspicious. Unable to send Carmen or Player a message, her only hope was to delay the V.I.L.E. group as much as possible.

With a few commanding words, the older woman, whom the others referred to as Countess, ordered them all into a black van. The younger woman was now wearing a costume that made Julia almost gasp aloud. She recognised her now, from a few encounters and a very thick file from A.C.M.E.'s archives. That moody girl was Tigress, the thief who had given Carmen those wounds months ago.

Without a word at the change of attire, they exited the luxurious apartment. At least this time they didn't cover her head and, from the window of the vehicle, Julia could see that she hadn't been wrong. They were indeed in Giza, and approaching the pyramids.

She had to marvel at seeing V.I.L.E.'s resources in action, even when she had known about their operations for a long while now. They had passed the security gates at the pyramids' site as if they owned the place, and then they had been left alone to just enter an archaeological site that was reserved for just a small group of researchers. Despite being held captive, Julia's inner historian couldn't help but marvel at being inside this unique place.

When one of the walls gave way, she gasped aloud. For a moment it occurred to her that they might very well be on the verge of discovering something nobody had seen in centuries, and how exciting that could be for the world to know… but she was trapped, and V.I.L.E. was most definitely not known for philanthropist endeavours.

If only Carmen would somehow arrive in time…

As they faced the new wall of hieroglyphics Julia though this could give her another opportunity to buy some more time. But the hitmen were not only efficient but also clever. The relics were indeed keys, but they were missing one.

"This must be your lucky day."

Julia's heart gave a jump, and she made an effort to hide a grin that was threatening to spread all over her face at the sight of Carmen mere metres from them, holding the fang-like relic.

"It's all yours, Countess," Carmen continued. "If you let Jules go." Her eyes were murderous.

Even though it warmed her heart, it didn't escape Julia that risking the relic just for her, and even using a nickname, could very well prove there was a relationship between her and Carmen that went beyond capers.

"Of course," said the woman, approaching Julia, "once we no longer have use of her unique skills." She placed a hand on her head and Julia flinched in disgust. "Which we cannot know with certainty until you hand over that relic."

Carmen's entire body tensed, so much Julia gathered, before being precariously balanced over the pit, just being held by the Countess' hand. If she'd fall, would there be something to hold on to? How deep could that pit be?

Julia's ears were ringing, but Carmen's words arrived loud and clear.

"Wouldn't I?"

Julia looked up from the darkness, and met her eyes. For a fleeting moment, she could see a flash of panic in Carmen's, but her expression was set again, as the two hit-men attacked her. It was her chance. Trying to remember every self-defence lesson of her life, Julia hit the woman, but she was surprisingly tough, and the next moment Julia was hanging, her tied hands not helpful in preventing her fall.

It was the same Countess who helped her up, smiling, and it took Julia a second to realise why. One of the men was carrying Carmen's unconscious body, only to deposit it unceremoniously at their feet.

At last the puzzle was complete. At last the wall was moving, letting them all into a vault as vast as the pyramid above. Despite her predicament, Julia's eyes travelled from one side to the other, taking in weaponry, gold pieces, ancient idols and figures from at least a dozen different times.

But just as they were taking in the enormity of the loot, several things happened at once.

Agent Devineaux was standing at the door, impulsive as ever, threatening to hit everybody in it. And then, to Julia's further surprise, Carmen addressed him, as if she knew he would come, giving instructions as if they had an understanding.

"Do it," Carmen commanded, just as Vlad and Boris turned around to attack her. Focused on the fight, Julia almost missed it. It was just simple and brilliant, how Devineaux produced his A.C.M.E. pen, and a moment later, the Chief's holographic figure appeared, taking in the chamber filled with treasures, Carmen fighting two men with ancient weapons, and this woman, watching how the treasure she thought to be rightfully hers was about to be snatched from her. Realising what was about to happen, Vlad and Boris dropped her weapons and ran towards their chief.

And that's when finally, finally Carmen was at her side. "Are you ok?"

Julia nodded. "You?"

Carmen nodded as well.

"You need to go."

"I know," Carmen said, with a grimace of frustration. "I'll catch you later," she said, before blending into the shadows.