CHAPTER 10

Meanwhile, Kahmunrah had assembled a small army of Ivan the Terrible, Napoleon, and Al Capone, and their men. With more eyes and ears working for him, it would be easier to locate the two people he needed the most. He would assign them these patrols of the museum while he could sit back and focus on his goals. He was used to a certain luxury and he wasn't about to waste it running amok himself. Not when he had lackeys to do the work for him.

"Now some of you may perish, but that is a small risk I am willing to take."

"Small! Why do you look at me when you say small?" Napoleon bristled at the offending comment. He was ignored by everyone.

"As I was saying, you have your tasks. Now bring me Larry Daley and that girl to me before the night is over!" A deadly cat and mouse game was just about to begin. He grinned wickedly. Surely those two would be no match for him and the other men. It was only a matter of time before he got what he wanted.

As the trio carried on their way through the museum, they came upon the hall of famous human form sculptures. Avery was currently flexing her art history knowledge with each painting and sculpture they passed. It felt great to finally be able to use her talents in the field. This was the best hands on experience she could ask for!

"Sorry, I can't stop and look around. I have a little more pressing matters than a dancer girl."

"She's a Dega ballerina, Larry! You uncultured swine." Larry shook his head and continued walking. Avery hung back and was interacting with the little girl.

"I can't believe I have the pleasure of dancing with a Dega!" She was utterly starstruck as the statue was having fun teaching her simple ballet moves.

"Hey Thinker! Whatcha thinking about?" As she practiced another move she sidled close to the famous Rodin sculpture and couldn't help but ask the childish question.

"I'm thinking. I'm thinking. I'm thinking that that woman over there is gorgeous! Hey baby! You like these guns?" She was definitely not expecting him to sound like such a 'bro,' she thought he would sound more sophisticated. But that quickly left her mind as she watched him flex his bronzed muscles in an attempt to pick up a woman statue that she did not know.

As she left him to flirt, she realized that she had lost sight of Larry and Amelia. Come to think of it, the halls were oddly quiet and if she listened closely she could hear something marching this way. It could only mean more guards that were after them. She froze momentarily looking around for a place to hide. The room did not have great hiding spots unfortunately. In her hesitation the little Dega grabbed her hand and signaled for Avery to follow her. The girl took her behind the Thinker. If she crouched down enough she just might be able to conceal herself. She heard them enter the room and she held her breath. To her surprise, the ballerina emerged from hiding and started dancing in an effort to keep the soldiers distracted and away from Avery. It worked, they had not seen her. She gave the girl a nod of thanks who then gestured for Avery to stand up. If she was quiet enough, the guards might not notice her. She tiptoed ever so slightly to the wall of the next room, her back pressed against it. She kept herself hidden from view of the soldiers. Though she could hear everything quite well.

Napoleon was asking about Amelia and Larry being friends and now they like-like each other. Citing that all the French love a good romance story. Avery had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing and giving herself away. Larry's hesitation and confusion was quite funny.

"Split up and find that girl! We will take this man to the king." He started marching away as half of his soldiers stayed behind, already on patrol. Avery pressed herself against the wall not daring to even breathe, they were just about to round the corner when…

"Wait! I'll come with you!" Amelia volunteered, she subtly peered into the adjoining room and saw a sliver of Avery. She needed to keep the soldiers' attention away from Avery to give her time to escape. She knew the gravity of the situation and she liked the girl, she wouldn't turn her in, not if she could have a say in it. Amelia moved to follow Larry but the soldiers blocked her path.

"No, our fight is not with you." Napoleon said, leading Larry away. The remaining guards started to spread out.

"You know, gentlemen, I think I last saw her down in that direction." She pointed at an opposite hall. The soldiers', who were not very bright, blindly followed the command of this strange woman. Once they were a safe distance away did Avery come out of her hiding spot.

"Thanks for that, I owe you one. But oh god, they're after me! And I stick out like a sore thumb!"

"Sounds to me like you need a disguise."

"That's a good idea but where are we gonna find one in time? Wait, we're in a museum! There's gotta be a section of historical clothing somewhere!" She pulled out her phone and searched up the Smithsonian's exhibits and which hall they were in. As luck would have it there was a hall dedicated to women's fashion. As soon as they knew where to go, the pair raced off. Avery hoped that with this little detour that they wouldn't miss much.

Arriving at a room full of mannequins milling about in period costumes, the pair quickly scanned the room for a suitable disguise. She knew she couldn't afford the time to look around but she was still picky. She did not want to be stuck wearing a corset or a petticoat hoop skirt the whole night. Not if she was running around the museum. Sweat plus centuries old clothing was a recipe for disaster. Finally her eyes settled on a mannequin in a below the knee length, dark blue, beaded fringe flapper dress.

"Hi Miss Mannequin, I know this might sound strange but I was wondering if you would give me your dress for the night?" Please say yes, please say-

"Doesn't seem like a fair trade off, sweetie. What do I get in return?" Of course this mannequin was just a tad stuck up.

"I'll let you wear my clothes! Please, that's all I have to offer! I really need your dress." The mannequin eyed her outfit and circled her, a pensive look on her fiberglass face.

"I like your style, kid. Alright, you've got yourself a deal!" Finally!

"Thank you! I'll return it to you by the end of the night!" After ducking into an alcove for some privacy, they emerged with Avery wearing the dress and the mannequin wearing her button up shirt and slacks. The dress was loose fitting and easy to move around in.

"Oh! One last thing. An outfit isn't complete without accessories!" She pulled off her own feathered headband and repositioned it on Avery's head, even touching up her hair with bobby pins that seemed to materialize out of nowhere.

With a word of thanks, the pair made another mad dash out of there and hightailed it to where Kahmunrah's gate was located. That was the only logical place they could be.

Kahmunrah had evidently made himself a dragon's hoard of all the valuable items from the museum. He was currently enjoying his treasures when he heard Napoleon announce his arrival.

"Ahh if it isn't Larry Daley once again. But where is the girl?" He was annoyed that the man could not follow a simple order.

"We could not find her! I have my men looking for her!" Napoleon gave a salute as if to promise that his men would return any minute with her in tow. After all, his men were the best.

"Imbeciles! I'd find her myself if I weren't already occupied. I've caught one of your friends foolishly trying to escape." He gestured towards Jedediah who was in an antique bird cage. He looked sad as he hung his head in shame.

"Now if you don't mind, I'll just take that from you. Of course, I had hoped to have the both of you present for this but I cannot wait any longer." He ripped the tablet from Larry's arms and placed it in his gate. "Finally after three thousand years, my beautiful army shall be...unleashed!" He made a grand gesture with his arms.

Around the corner, Amelia and Avery were returning and had to slow their steps to avoid detection. Upon hearing that last statement, Avery braced herself for what was to come. She held her breath and closed her eyes. But nothing happened. Even after he tried the combination again and a third time. It was silent throughout the room as everyone looked at each other in confusion, not sure what to make of it.

"Well," Kahmunrah sheepishly said after a while, "it appears mother and father changed the code on me." His face was red with embarrassment and it made Avery smirk a little.

"Well that sucks for you, unleashing the underworld thing is not working out for you. Waiting thousands of years from the dead. Must be frustrating." Larry said to add insult to injury. Though Kahmunrah's face grew serious.

"I shall wait a thousand more years if I must!" He started pacing in front of his gate, thinking of a new plan.

"Yeah but here's the thing: in a few hours you'll be standing here in a frustrated position, frozen. And Avery and I'll walk right out the door with our friends. We've got all night."

"All night huh?" He stopped pacing as his eyes wandered to Jed's cage. Slowly a plan was forming in his mind. He pointed towards Jed. "Well, I'm afraid he doesn't have all night." He ordered the cage to be opened.

"Hey, let me down, I don't like to be manhandled!"

"I won't hurt you. Whoops, I lied. He's got a little over an hour, not all night like you previously said."

Both of their smirks faded as soon as they realized Jed was in actual danger as the hourglass sand started pouring down on him. Larry tried to move towards him but was barred from moving toward him. Avery watched helplessly from the side. She couldn't move without giving herself away.

"You are the guardian and know all about this tablet!"

"Look I don't even know where to begin or how to decipher it!"

"Pity. Your cowboy friend seemed like such a character." He removed the tablet from the gate and shoved it in Larry's hands.

"You have one hour to figure out the combination. Or the cowboy will die by my hand. Don't even think of escaping because I'll be watching you. Tick tock Mr Daley. Tick. Tock."

"You got this, partner!" Jed yelled watching Larry's retreating form.

After he ran out of the room, he was met with Amelia and another woman? It took him a second to realize who he was looking at.

"Avery?"

"Yeah, I guess if you can't recognize me then this disguise is working!"

"Right, well, we only have an hour to solve the combination. Any ideas?"

"I wish I could say but I've got nothing."

"We'd better hurry to find someone who does then."

"Wait, Larry… I'm gonna stay behind and keep an eye on Jed. I have my phone on me so we can stay connected."

"Alright, yeah, okay. I'll keep you updated if I can then. C'mon Amelia, we got a tablet to decode." With that they raced off.