A/N: Thanks for continuing to read this story, in spite of FanFiction keeping it secret by not sending out email notifications. The reviews are great to see too, although I have to search for them because of that problem.
Thanks to MicroGirl1225 for the pre-read of this chapter.
No beta, so PM me if you spot anything you feel needs correcting.
Chuck is still trying to get to grips with the IT system, but getting there. Thoth is preparing something to help Sarah…
Chuck vs Egypt
Chapter 9
Sarah walked with Chuck to the lab the following morning. As expected, he was less than enthusiastic about what he would face.
"See it as a challenge, Chuck. Your goal is to beat the system. Isn't that what you did as the fish?"
She remembered his hacker name, but thought this might amuse him enough to break him out of his shell of misery.
It worked, or at least, partially. "Piranha," he replied, with a hint of a smile showing. "You know the name's Piranha."
She raised a finger, as if she'd been trying to remember and he'd solved the puzzle for her. "Ahh, yes. The hacker I'll have to keep hidden from the US government agencies."
He grinned. "My own personal smoke screen."
She stopped him and kissed his cheek, not caring about being seen in public. "And don't you forget it, Fishy."
He held her sides, just under her ribs, and lifted her up to his height to give her a kiss. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed back.
When he put her down, she whispered, "More of that later. Now go and beat those bots."
He entered the lab more positively than he'd expected to, and also less worried. He felt invincible with Sarah's support.
Thoth caught Sarah just after Chuck disappeared into the building. He seemed completely oblivious to their embrace which he must have seen. "Sarah, I'm hoping to have something for you by lunchtime. No. I WILL have something for you."
"Thanks, Thoth." She paused, but decided to say it, "Look after him. He's pretty miserable."
Thoth looked at her carefully, taking in her expression. "Moral support?" he asked.
"Something like that," she replied.
"That's your responsibility, isn't it?"
She simply said, "I have my work to do. Getting him ready is your role."
He looked doubtful. "I can't fuss over him while busy with your project."
"So, I can wait. Please help him through this, but don't see it as fussing over him, just mentoring."
He pondered her words, then said, "Very well, but it'll take me longer to complete your work."
She smiled as sweetly as she could. "Thanks, Thoth."
Chuck definitely felt more positive. Sarah was right. He was the best hacker back when he'd done that sort of thing. He probably still was. He needed to stop doubting himself. He could do this.
Thoth had been supportive and encouraging before. He obviously believed it. However, when Thoth walked up to him and said, "You can do this, Chuck." Hearing Thoth matching his own thoughts was a bit jarring. Having the Ennead put a hand on his shoulder and squeeze it fatherly was weird. However, it felt right too. Thoth was like his dad. Stephen Bartowski had always believed in his son, his son's abilities. That his son was destined for greatness.
"Er, thanks, Thoth."
Chuck waited while Thoth prepared and activated the test. Then, he walked to the test chamber. This was his labyrinth. He would come out victorious this time. Not having achieved the minotaur's death like Theseus had in Greek mythology, and presumably taking its head as proof, but with the secrets that were hidden away.
Then, he'd do the same in this reality.
Heqet almost sauntered into the interview room. If they'd been in the twenty-first century, she'd have slumped down in the chair and drawled a hello at Sarah.
"How's the sex life, Sarah?" Heqet asked as she sat.
"Not relevant here," Sarah responded primly.
"Ooh. That doesn't sound good. Didn't you get any last night?" teased the Ennead who was known as the goddess of fertility.
Sarah hadn't, but that was a mutual choice between her and Chuck. They'd held each other and she'd felt loved. She'd not had that for so long that it was one of the precious gifts that Chuck had bestowed upon her.
"Do the Ennead ever have sex with humans?" she asked abruptly.
Heqet blinked. She wasn't expecting that question. "No. Because there's no attraction between the two species."
"I don't think that's true. I suspect it does happen but no children result from it," Sarah challenged.
Heqet definitely looked flustered. Before she answered, Sarah asked another. "Is it just the male Ennead that do it, or the women too?"
Heqet visibly clamped her mouth shut.
Sarah sat back. "I need the full picture here if I'm to solve the case. I feel like I'm only being given partial facts."
Heqet spoke quietly. "We don't like to talk about children or the lack of them."
Sarah nodded. "I know about the infertility since arriving."
Heqet sighed. "Not everyone knows the full details. Some think it's just certain individuals, but it's all of us."
"Have attempts to have children via the humans been tried?" Sarah asked, getting back to her original question.
"Yes," Heqet quietly stated. "I've heard that both sexes have tried with humans and neither succeeded. We are the last of the Ennead here."
Sarah leaned forward. "I'm sorry I pushed, but I had to know."
"Some of us had children as we journeyed here," the Ennead said. "Those of us that didn't regret it now."
Sarah could understand that, but pushed on.
"So, there was no likelihood of offspring resulting from Osiris and Nephthys having sex," Sarah said. Heqet said nothing. "So, it didn't happen because of any desire for offspring, as in the future myths."
"The myths are just that." Sarah knew Heqet was right.
She wasn't going to get any answers about the possible coupling without challenging those involved. That conversation with Nephthys felt more important than before. She and Ma'at would force her to answer somehow.
Sarah fell back on her other questions. "Do you report directly to one of the two of them?"
"I do. Osiris."
"What is he like as a leader?"
She asked the questions, but didn't feel connected to the interview anymore.
Chuck was amazed.
It had only taken him three hours to achieve all the goals of the test! The previous day, he'd spent six hours and had then been blocked completely by the final barrier and the bots had swarmed over him, overwhelming him.
"Speed is important. Taking time, loses time and concentration. That didn't happen today."
Chuck smiled at Thoth's comment. He had indeed pushed ahead faster than before and it seemed to have paid dividends.
Thoth said, "You should have lunch and then do it again."
Chuck stared at the Ennead. "Again?" he asked incredulously.
"You want to prove it wasn't just luck, don't you?" Thoth said, as if it was obvious.
Chuck sighed. "Okay."
Thoth didn't join him for lunch, so after he'd finished eating, Chuck sought him out.
Thoth was back on his project for Sarah. "How are you getting on?"
Thoth looked up. "I think it's just about done. I need to test it, though."
Chuck considered that. "How?"
"I search for someone specific in one of the other busy cities and someone far away, but still contactable."
"Who?"
"Atum in Heliopolis. He rarely leaves the city, but doesn't stay in one place. It's crowded and there are other Ennead there too. For one further away, I will look for Taweret up in Uat-Ur, where she travels." Seeing Chuck's confusion, he said, "You know that as the Mediterranean Sea."
"Taweret is away from Egypt?"
"We do interact with the Ennead in other regions occasionally," Thoth told him.
The Ennead walked over to the test controller and set up the next one.
Chuck walked into the test room, ready for another grueling few hours.
Anubis wasn't anything like Sarah had expected. The god of the dead, depicted with a black jackal's head, was a grim and rather frightening god. The bright, cheerful Ennead that breezed into the interview room after knocking politely was quite the opposite.
"Hello, Sarah. So pleased to meet you. How're you and Chuck getting on?" He stopped, grinned and then rushed on. "Ha. I don't mean together. I hear that's definitely going well! I meant with the investigation. I hope everyone is helping you with it. I'm guessing it was quite a shock being brought back here. I hope you can complete what you're doing and get home soon." He took a breath. "I'm Anubis, by the way."
Sarah felt overwhelmed for a second. He's rushed all that out, almost in a continuous stream. Taking no breaths between most sentences. He reminded her more of Chuck when she first met him than a brooding dark god.
"Err... well, Anubis was my next interviewee. You're just not what I was expecting."
He grinned. "Ahh, yes. Black jackal head? Ushering the dead into their next lives?" She nodded. "You know those myths were all made up, don't you?"
She sighed. "I do, but what you're taught sticks with you."
He leaned forward onto the desk. "Thoth has told me some of my myths. Which parent did you believe?" She could see the mirth in his eyes.
"Well, I used to think that your father was Ra, but I don't know now and have no idea about your mother. You're linked with the Osiris / Set myth as the daughter of Osiris and Nephthys."
He sat back smiling. "I love that one."
"Where Nephthys abandons you shortly after giving birth to Osiris's son."
"Leaving me in a basket floating on the river," he said. "Don't forget that! What an awful mother!" He looked ready to start laughing.
"And Osiris's wife, Isis, rescues you and raises you as one of her own."
He burst out laughing. "I really love that twisted story. Nothing like reality. Pure fiction."
"I've realized why you're known as the jackal," she said, grinning herself.
He tried to look serious. "I've not heard a jackal's laugh, so can't comment on the similarities. It's sort of insulting, really." Then he grinned again. "But all part of that wonderful mythology."
"So, who are your parents?" she asked, curious now to know this.
"Not Ra, but his brother, Re. My grandparents weren't very imaginative when naming their sons. His wife, my mother, was Hephet. You won't have heard of her, she died in childbirth on the journey here. Her sister, Hesat raised me. My father wasn't up to that. He never got over mother's death. I think he blamed me for it. Anyway, he died from a broken heart."
"So, how come you're so cheerful?"
He smiled. "My surrogate mother missed her sister and worked hard to keep me happy. She was a lot of fun." He grinned, "Still is."
"I think you and Chuck would get along well," Sarah commented.
"I'd love to meet him, but after this interview, I have to get back to Imentet." Noticing Sarah's frown, he said, "You know it as Giza. It's where the humans I guide live."
She tried to get back to her purpose here. "You report to Osiris, don't you?"
He stopped grinning. "Oh, this is the interview, isn't it?" She nodded. "Yes, I do." He was visibly trying to hold back a grin.
"What?" she asked.
"Not because he's my dad, though." He fully grinned then.
She rolled her eyes. "So, what's he like?"
"As a dad, I have no idea." She glared at him. He sighed. "As a leader, he's ok. Supports us when we need it, but leaves us be otherwise."
"You like him?"
He nodded. "But then, there aren't many I don't like."
"Such as?"
"Sobek. He can be a bully at times."
"And what do you think of Set?"
"Other than being another future dad?" He grinned, but then became serious again. "He seems to be another good leader. Well, he did until all this flared up."
They talked more about both Ennead, but she didn't really learn much more.
As he stood to leave, Anubis said, "say hello to your boyfriend from me. And tell him I'm sorry we can't meet." She was sure that Chuck would feel the same. The two of them were quite similar in their attitudes and humor.
It was mid-afternoon when Sarah got a message from Thoth.
* Done *
She had no sessions that afternoon, deliberately.
She called Ma'at. "Thoth's completed his work. I'm going to his lab to see where Nephthys is. Can you be ready to go tomorrow?"
Ma'at surprised her. "After dealing with a few Egyptian challenges, I've been ready since mid-morning. I'll come over to the lab, too."
Sarah hastened over there, eager to find her next mark.
Thoth looked up as she entered the lab. Chuckling, he said, "I thought you'd be quick."
"Ma'at will be joining us," she said.
"Ahh. Our very own detective. You've gotten her involved."
"I offered to help her," Ma'at said as she walked in.
The two Ennead hugged briefly. "Let's see your latest invention, then," Ma'at said.
He ushered Sarah to the seat beside him and Ma'at brought another, sitting on his other side. He leaned in and initiated the search.
"You haven't run this yet?" Ma'at asked.
"I didn't want to do that without Sarah. It's her search, really."
"How long will it take?" Sarah wondered out loud.
"Not long," the scientist replied vaguely.
He had included a graphical representation of the search, so a map of Egypt and the surrounding lands was displayed. An expanding circle was overlaid, spreading out from Thebes, and the land within it became slightly grayed.
The circle expanded beyond the Egyptian border over the Mediterranean and the lands that would become Iran near the top and right, and deeper into Africa below and to the left.
A red dot appeared at the edge of the circle, top right.
"Where's that?" Sarah asked, her excitement spilling over.
Thoth adjusted the display, zooming in. "Uruk," he and Ma'at said simultaneously.
"Sumerian?" Sarah asked, trying to remember the other civilizations around at this time.
Thoth nodded. "They claim Uruk to be the first city, but we know that's not true."
"It is a logical place for Nephthys to go, though," Ma'at said. Sarah looked at the woman, who expanded. "There are a number of other Ennead there."
Sarah looked back at Thoth. "How accurate is this?"
"Reliably," he replied. He reached across the table and picked up what looked like a cell phone. "This mobile version will home in on her when you get there."
"This is going to be fun," Ma'at said. When the other two looked at her, she shrugged. "Well, it is."
Ma'at had left, but Sarah decided to wait for Chuck.
It was great to hear that he'd beaten the test in the morning, but she worried that he may be too tired to repeat that. That would squash the happiness he must have felt earlier.
She sat quietly thinking about what Thoth had discovered.
Nephthys now called herself Inanna. Sarah remembered reading about this Sumerian goddess. She became a goddess of a number of other civilizations over the centuries. The Assyrians knew her as Ishtar, the Greeks as Aphrodite and the Romans as Venus. Quite a popular and powerful goddess, famed for her beauty, amongst other things. When she mentioned that to the two Ennead, Thoth commented. "She must've done some research before departing."
After Sarah outlined what she knew about Aphrodite and Venus, Ma'at grinned. "So, we're off to see the goddess of love!"
The way Ma'at said it, Sarah suddenly got the Wizard of Oz song in her head, but said nothing. They weren't off to see a wizard, just a woman who'd run away following what Sarah thought of as 'the incident.'
Sarah now sat wondering how long Nephthys had been planning to leave. Maybe it wasn't the sudden departure it seemed to be.
"He's done it again," Thoth said.
She looked over to him hunched over the test controller computer. "Chuck?" she asked unnecessarily. Thankfully, Thoth didn't comment on that, but nodded.
The door to the other room opened and a grinning Chuck Bartowski emerged. "Yes!" he cried and fist pumped. Sarah suspected this wasn't the first of those. She rushed over and hugged him.
Sarah had only briefly told him about the search while at the lab. She'd been more excited about his achievements and he'd rushed it all out without really thinking about her news.
They were now back home and about to eat dinner as his euphoria died down and the full picture appeared in his head. He held it in until they sat down to eat.
Before he said anything, she asked him, "Do you know about Nephthys in other religions?" He frowned, not understanding what she meant. "The Sumerians know her as the goddess Inanna. The Assyrians will know her as Ishtar, the Greeks as Aphrodite and the Romans as Venus. Quite a popular and powerful goddess, famed for her beauty, amongst other things."
His frown deepened. "I've read that the ancient Greeks believed Hathor was the same as Aphrodite."
"And I've read a very different lineage starting with Nephthys," Sarah replied. "That seems right based on what she's done so far."
Chuck shrugged and said, "More mixed up myths, I guess." He sighed. "So, I guess we both start the next part of our adventure tomorrow, separately."
Sarah looked up at him. "We do," she said quietly.
He could see the excitement in her features, even though she was trying to suppress it. "Hey, it's not a bad thing," he said.
She blinked. After a moment, she said, "Only you can see through me. I can't hide anything from you, can I?"
He chuckled. "You hid your feelings for me pretty well at the start."
She put her fork down, the pasta still speared. "I was fighting those feelings back then and I think your self-doubt did my work for me."
He nodded, suspecting that she was right. "I'm gonna miss you while you're away," he said.
She smiled. "I think you're going to bury yourself in your own hunt and won't even think about me."
How did she know him so well already? He sidestepped that. "You'll be missing from our bed."
"I may be back before then," she replied, hopefully, he thought.
"Or you may be away for some time," he said.
She pushed her plate away from her and stood. She reached for his hand. "Then we make tonight a memory that will sustain us."
As they walked to the bed, Chuck hoped that he'd consumed enough sustenance to survive a night of passion with the woman he loved.
The next morning, both were weary. They hadn't had much sleep. Neither would admit it, but they both ached from their exertions overnight.
Sarah briefly packed clothes for her trip. She did this quietly while Chuck was showering. She didn't want him seeing and feeling sadder about her possibly long absence than he already was.
Ma'at arrived fairly early to take Sarah away.
Chuck walked with Sarah to the Ennead's flier. He didn't even notice the bag Sarah carried. His eyes locked on the craft.
His English word was just what Sarah expected to hear. "Wow!"
It was just like the flier from Star Wars used by Luke Skywalker on Tatooine, but with a roof over the top. It hovered just above the ground. They both knew the flyers were cloaked, and therefore not visible, when they flew.
A small ramp had been lowered and Ma'at was standing at the top in the doorway.
"Is this what you use to travel around Egypt?" Chuck asked.
"Hello to you too, Chuck," Ma'at said, her amusement clear.
He blushed. "Hello, Ma'at. I'm very pleased to meet you."
"To answer your question, this is more powerful than the usual flier. It's taking us further and possibly through rougher weather." Sarah obviously looked nervous, so the Ennead added, "We'll be safe, Sarah."
Sarah dropped her bag and turned to Chuck. The passionate kiss was to remind him of what he meant to her. His dazed look suggested the message was clear.
"See you as soon as possible, Chuck," she whispered in his ear.
She grabbed her bag and leaped onto the flier. Both women waved, and they were off.
Chuck just stood motionless as the flier rose and set off. The cloaking took effect almost immediately. It was just as he'd watched on Star Trek with the disappearing Klingon Birds of Prey.
He couldn't enjoy that fact, though.
It felt like Sarah was leaving him. He knew that was stupid. His insecurities from his past, the future, was causing this. She couldn't leave him. They needed each other. Needs. Without each other they wouldn't get to return to their time, a significant need in itself, but there were others. He needed her, the woman she was, with a passion that made his feelings for Jill seem insignificant. And, amazing though it was, she had a matching need for him.
But he did miss her already. God damn it!
He shook himself out of this self-pity and set off.
Thoth had agreed to let Chuck work in his lab. That was partly so that he could help if needed, but also so that others couldn't surprise Chuck while he was hacking.
Not everyone knew the depth he would hack, but everyone knew that some form of hacking was part of the process. Thoth thought that would mean files would be hidden. He didn't think anyone apart from maybe Horus would expect him hacking into emails and messaging.
As Chuck arrived at the lab, Thoth quietly told him of the extra precautions he was taking. Others wouldn't be able to come into the lab until the assignment was completed. Not only that, Thoth would come and collect Chuck to take him there and back, at least until Sarah returned. The apartment would be equally secured.
Chuck was both impressed and disturbed by what he heard. "It feels like I am a prisoner, being escorted from my cell to where I have to do my chores, under supervision all the time."
"We should've done this from the start," Thoth said.
Chuck looked balefully at him. "And that helps somehow?"
Thoth shrugged. "Can't have you hurt to stop you, especially while you are under my care. Sarah would kill me if anything happened to you."
Chuck knew that was tight, but it didn't make him happier about it.
"I need to get started," he said.
"How? What's your plan?"
Chuck had at least thought this through. The start. "I want to explore the file system. Get to know its layout and, particularly where the key players have their private files. I won't attempt to enter any of those yet. Then, I want to access the email system. I will need to see who Set and Osiris contact. That I'll do in bursts, one of them at a time. I'll start with Set."
Thoth nodded. "You might not find anything. He may have deleted any incriminating emails."
"Maybe, but what he leaves will be of interest."
"I'll leave you to it. Don't stay anywhere long enough to get caught."
Chuck gave him a look that said, "Really?"
As Thoth walked away, Chuck sat in front of the computer he was to use. He cracked his knuckles and started typing on the keyboard.
Sarah sat quietly beside Ma'at as they set off. She didn't know why Chuck had affected her more today than normally. He did occupy her mind a lot. He had since she'd first met him, even though she'd not acknowledged it at the time. Today was different.
It was crazy. She and Ma'at might get what they needed relatively quickly and be back in less than a day, but that still meant they'd have a night apart. That hadn't happened since they'd arrived here.
So, tonight, wherever she slept, she'd have cold feet. She could cope with that; it'd been part of her life before Chuck. No, it wasn't that. She was dependent on his help to get back to their own time. That was significant, but it wasn't that either. She was emotionally tied to him. Something that had never happened before. She needed him, for him. His presence, his being… his love.
"You're seriously in love with him," the Ennead commented. "That look on your face says it all, Sarah."
"I am," she replied quietly. "It's crazy. We've not known each other for long."
You can't put a timetable on it."
Sarah sighed. "Can we talk about our plans? I need to stop focusing on how I'm missing him."
"Go ahead. It's your plan."
They had circled the city of Uruk to get to know the layout, but also to pinpoint exactly where Nephthys was within the city.
"Wouldn't the Ennead have a location away from the humans?" Sarah asked.
"Usually, but sometimes we mingle. I suspect she may be doing that."
Sarah frowned. "Why?"
"She used to do that in Nubt. The one in Upper Egypt. I think she'll do the same here."
Sarah was aware of Nubt. It was a location near the city Kom Ombo, the next location of the tour after Luxor.
The device Thoth had supplied was intended for short range use on the ground, not from this high in the sky as they were. They had to fly low to achieve anything.
Ma'at was annoyed. "He should've given us another device for use from a distance. This is useless!"
"So, we have to go down there and mingle as well," Sarah replied.
Ma'at was still grumbling as she landed the flier on a high rooftop and they alighted.
If anyone had seen them, it would look like a ramp, and depending on where the viewer stood, a door appeared from nowhere. The flier was still cloaked and would remain so.
Once they were on the roof, Ma'at pressed a button on a control she carried and the ramp slid into the flier and the door sealed. They suddenly appear to be on their own, no flier visible.
Ma'at handed the control to Sarah. "So that we both have one," she said.
Sarah looked at what was in her hand. It looked like a spherical stone, but she knew it wasn't. Holding her own version, Ma'at demonstrated its use. When gripped top and bottom, it could be twisted. Lights appeared on it. Ma'at pointed at one on the side. "This one indicates the direction to the flier. She moved it and the light moved around the edge pointing at the flier. "The number on it indicates the distance in lengths. The light below that can be pressed to open or close the door."
Sarah slipped hers into a pocket in the side of her dress.
"Come on," Ma'at said, pulling Thoth's seeking device out of one of her pockets as she slipped her door opener into the other.
They walked to the stairs at the side of the building to head down.
Sarah hoped they'd get a signal as soon as possible, but in the meantime, would take in the Sumerian city.
A/N: I enjoyed writing the interactions with Ma'at. More of that in the next chapter along with meeting Nephthys. That will be more informative than the other interviews.
Please leave a review to let me know your thoughts.