CHAPTER 6

That evening Larry updated Nicky on the whole situation. Nicky was saddened by the news that his friends were being separated. He hadn't been to the museum since his dad left. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen much of Avery either. He wondered how she was. But his attention shifted when his dad mentioned having dinner with a colleague.

"Ugh, you're working all the time now."

"C'mon. I used to work every night."

"Yeah but that was when you had the coolest job."

"Are you saying what I'm doing now isn't cool?" He felt a little offended by his son's statement.

"Dad. It's a glow-in-the-dark flashlight. It doesn't even compare to hanging out with a t-rex skeleton!"

Meanwhile back at the Smithsonian, after finishing filing the mountain of paperwork, Avery found time to visit the storage pod. She showed the gate guard her ID then was buzzed in. The gate guard did not pay much mind to her, seemingly in their own world. But she couldn't worry herself with that. She had an urge to open the steel doors to see how her friends had fared the journey to DC. The doors were too heavy for her to open herself. Try as she might she could only open it more than a few inches before her muscles started to protest. She could fit her arm up to her shoulder inside. She got out her phone's flashlight and peered inside the pod. Everything seemed to be in order and she was just about to sigh in relief when suddenly a glow emanated from one of the crates. Her heart rate spiked as she knew the only thing that it could be; the tablet.

"No, no, no!" Inside the pod, crates were being opened and lids were shoved aside. The passengers were curious at first and momentarily thought they were back at their original museum. Upon hearing Dexter make a small sound, almost as if he was saying 'sorry', did they notice the tablet in his arms.

"Dexter, you bad capuchin! Why did you take the tablet, buddy? Do you know how bad this is?" Avery demanded but had little luck as she could not grasp it.

"Dang it Dexter! Quit takin' things that ain't yours!" Jed reprimanded him as he and Octavius had emerged.

"It is a pleasant surprise to see you again Avery." Octavius had addressed her and the other passengers in the pod nodded their heads in agreement.

"Hey guys, welcome to the Smithsonian archives. If you'll excuse me…Dexter, give me the damn tablet!" He continued to play keepaway even as other members in the pod tried to grab it from him.

"What are you, part dragon? That you have to hoard every shiny, valuable object? Oh god, what am I gonna do?" Even if she got the tablet it wouldn't really matter as she didn't know how to turn it off or command it. And the only other person who could do that was miles away but unavailable.

Avery sighed wearily as she withdrew her arm, this situation had grown larger than she would be able to handle on her own. She hated to admit it but she needed to turn to the one person she knew she could trust with museum secrets. She pulled out her phone and dialed a number that luckily she hadn't deleted over the years. After a few rings he picked up, much to her relief. She was afraid he would be too busy working. Or that he would refuse her call in the first place as she had said some rude things to and about him.

"Larry! Please don't hang up! I need your help! Dexter stole the tablet and now everyone is alive! And I can't open the damn storage pod!" Around her she could hear the creaking of and scratching at the wooden crates and she could feel her stress level and blood pressure rising with each sound being made. Sunrise couldn't get here fast enough. She did not relish the thought of meeting those inhabitants. If only she were that lucky.

Elsewhere in the museum archives, a certain wax Pharaoh had awoken. It took him a minute to realize what the cause was. He slowly smiled as he realized the greatest treasure in the world was somewhere in his reach and he would not take this opportunity for granted. It was fate finally shining down on him after three milenia. But before he could grab it, he needed to find a way out of his current predicament. He scowled as he realized he was trapped in a coffin box, not his own cozy sarcophagus. He began to kick at the lid and to his relief, the wood splintered and easily fell off. Stepping out from it, he took a few moments to get his bearings straight. He alone could not access the tablet. No, he needed reinforcements for his protection. He was a Pharaoh after all, too precious to be harmed. And luckily for him, he was surrounded by his own troop of guards who emerged from their own crates shortly after hearing their king. Instinct took over as he instructed them to follow his lead as they made their way through the underground labyrinth. He could sense the tablet's magic nearby. With each step he planned out his victory, by gods how he could taste it. A thought occurred to him that if the tablet was here then so would be his precious baby brother. Oh how this night just keeps getting better.

Avery's back was turned toward the only exit as she strained her muscles in an effort to pull the door open. She had Larry on speaker phone.

"Argh! Just. Open. You stupid. Door!" She punctuated her sentences by slamming the door. It did nothing of course but it made her feel a little better getting her rage out. She had no clue how long she had been at it. An hour? Maybe two?

"Maybe you could put the phone down when you bang on the doors?"

"Now is not the time, Larry! Nothing I do is working!"

"Me help?" Attila offered.

"I appreciate it Attila, but I don't want you guys hurting yourself at my expense."

"The sentiment goes both ways, Avery." Jed reminded her not to push herself too hard and she felt sheepish as she realized that she was neglecting herself again.

"Something might be stuck or rusted. I'm not strong enough to open it! Dexter, when you get out of there you are going in the biggest time out mister!" She felt like she could not catch a break tonight. She slid down to the floor and rested her head against the door.

"It is okay Avery. We are all fine here. Take a deep breath." Sac tried to reassure the young woman. But even after following her instructions, Avery did not feel any better.

"Larry, any chance you could come by tomorrow? Please?" Her voice was shaky as she struggled to get a grip over her emotions.

"Yeah, I'll be on the first flight tomorrow or even drive there if I have to." She shakily exhaled, at least she got confirmation that he would be there to help her the next night.