A/N: Thanks for sticking with this story for another chapter, and particularly to those that left reviews or PMs for the last one. I love reading all of them, and that you're enjoying the story.
A quick note to those that were confused about Sarah's comment at the end of the last chapter. Back in chapter 2 they were told that holding hands was frowned upon by modern Egyptians. She was referring back to that, even in jest.
This chapter was pre-read by MicroGirl1225 and CharmingCharles2896. Thanks to both of them. I have made a few changes since then, but nothing major.
As this hasn't been beta'd, PM me if you spot anything you feel needs correcting.
Having experienced the splendor of the Karnak temple complex, they are now in Luxor and this evening will visit the location shown on the cover for the story, Luxor temple (based on a photo I took there). Things are going to change significantly for Chuck and Sarah in this chapter…
Chuck vs Egypt
Chapter 4
After a very late lunch, on board the boat they would be staying on for the next four days, Sarah and Chuck separated as they went to their cabins and settled in. Sarah was with Zondra, as before. Chuck, like Carina, was on his own.
When Sarah told her the plan, Zondra offered to swap with Chuck, but Sarah was not yet ready to share a cabin with him. "We've only just decided to be boyfriend and girlfriend," Sarah said to her friend. "We've not even kissed yet!"
"How old are you?" Zondra challenged.
Sarah didn't answer that, but said, "Anyway, if we decide to sleep together, I can go to his cabin."
"If?" Zondra asked, as if it was a foregone conclusion.
Sarah glared at Zondra for a while, then huffed. "Ok, when."
Zondra looked at her friend and sighed. "We're only together for four days and nights before our time here in Egypt is over. You don't have long."
"I know, but I can't just demand to sleep with him so quickly," grumbled the blonde.
"Maybe spend time at the temple with him this evening, see how he feels about it."
Sarah looked at her, exasperated. "So, I should just walk up to him and say, 'Hey, Chuck. Want some sex?'"
Zondra shook her head, and looked sadly at her. "I know you aren't great with words unless questioning someone, but you can do better than that."
Sarah sighed. "I know, but it's a lot of pressure, Zee."
Zondra placed a hand on her friend's arm. "Maybe kiss him this evening? See how that goes."
Sarah brightened at that thought.
Luxor temple was not far from the boat, just over the main road, in fact. It was much smaller than Karnak. The gods represented there were the same as those at Karnak: Amun, Mut and their son Khonsu, the sacred triad of Thebes, as Luxor was known in ancient times.
As the daylight faded, the temple was lit up, making it look amazing against the deep-blue, and eventually black, night sky.
As they walked through the temple, Sarah grabbed Chuck's hand. She'd been wanting to do this all day, but felt doing it in this darkened temple where people might need to steady themselves was probably acceptable.
He looked at the joined hands before looking up at her face. His smile and crinkled nose affected her so much.
When they walked further in, Sarah noticed an alcove that wasn't floodlit. She pulled him into it and pulled him close. "Chuck, I want to kiss you."
He reacted instantly. His hand was suddenly at the back of her neck, pulling her closer. She raised her lips, and he lowered his. The kiss was tender. His soft lips were not pressing hard, but she still moaned into the kiss.
After a minute, they both needed to take a breath, but then kissed again. This time she brushed her tongue over his lips seeking entry and he opened his mouth. The kiss deepened. She moaned again, definitely enjoying kissing him. She closed her eyes and just sank into the kiss, not wanting it to end.
Suddenly, there was light surrounding them. It was so bright that she could see it through her closed eyelids. Had a spotlight been trained on them?
She opened her eyes and winced at the intense blue-white light. This wasn't the same as the spotlights.
She pulled apart from Chuck. The light flashed brighter still, and then she knew no more.
Sarah came to, feeling extremely groggy, but still standing. She felt like she had been tranquilized, or something like that, although she felt steady on her legs.
Opening her eyes, the light still seemed bright, but it was normal daylight, not that weird light from before.
Hold on. Daylight? It had been late evening before. Had she been unconscious for hours?
As her eyes became accustomed to the light, she realized she was no longer in Luxor temple. In fact, she had never been to this place before. She was in a multicolored room which looked out on a vista unlike anything she'd seen before. She could only think of it as an ancient Egyptian city that led down to the Nile, but not how she had seen it before. This looked new.
"Welcome to Thebes," a deep voice rumbled.
She looked around and saw a man dressed like a pharaoh. He was muscular and, well, beautiful. "What's with the fancy dress?" she asked.
"I am Horus. One of the Ennead. You would probably call me an Egyptian god."
She laughed at the craziness, but he seemed serious. She looked at him more closely. His build did match what she imagined the gods would look like, what the male bodies looked like on the murals. Buff would describe him best. His hairless chest exposed, with his abs very well defined. His shoulders, arms and back were covered with a bright yellow garment, but she could see well defined muscles on his arms, even so. The kilt he wore exposed his muscular calves. If she liked body-builders, she'd be attracted to him. It was all a bit much for her, though. She preferred less muscle than that, although she recognized he had an attractive face.
He then spoke again, "I have brought the two of you back in time to help us."
The vista beyond the window came to mind. Could he…?
"Is that why we're dressed in ancient Egyptian clothes?" someone behind her said. Sarah recognized Chuck's voice and turned to look at him.
He was bare-chested with what looked like she imagined men in those ancient times wore. A blue, white and red cloth kilt dropped from a belt, effectively covering him from waist to his knees. It was similar to what Horus wore but nowhere near as bright. Probably a different material.
This was the first time she'd seen him topless. Far less muscles than Horus and he had hair on his chest, which she found very attractive. She had to tear her eyes away.
Chuck looked at her and gasped, causing her to look at her attire. She had similar colors on the dress she wore to those on Chuck's kilt, but that wasn't the most significant thing she saw. The dress was like a longer multicolored kilt but the straps that held it in place were tied under her breasts, her bare breasts. She now knew why Chuck had gasped. She hastily covered herself with her hands, blushing furiously.
"Your attire befits the roles you will play here," the man who claimed he was Horus stated. "Humans will see you differently. Your skin will appear darker and you will seem older."
"I want to see how I look," Sarah demanded. She just took what he said to be true, although she didn't know why.
Horus pointed to the wall behind her where she saw a mirror. She walked to it and gazed at an older woman with darker skin, brown hair and eyes. She briefly lifted her hands off of her and saw larger breasts that were sagging slightly. She covered herself again quickly. And turned back to the god. "Why?"
He replied, "Your natural appearance would be too exotic. Blonde hair and blue eyes would stand out."
Chuck stifled a snort and Sarah turned and glared at him. "What?"
He blushed, but replied. "Your breasts stand out."
She ought to feel annoyed but could see the humor in what he said. She almost wanted to take her hands away and thrust her chest forward, but she resisted.
"You do look gorgeous, Sarah," Chuck said as he approached her. The look in his eyes confirmed that was what he thought. "No one would be able to look away from you."
He looked beyond her and into the mirror. Sarah looked around again at the two of them standing there. An older, definitely Egyptian looking couple..
On waking, Chuck had listened to Sarah and the man before them. Waking seemed a strange way to describe what had happened because he was standing up. Sarah must have 'woken' before him and was standing in front of him, her lovely shoulders uncovered. He wanted to step forward and kiss her lovely long neck, but that was inappropriate right now.
He realized that the blonde beauty before him was wearing clothing from ancient times. He looked down and saw that he was similarly attired.
The man stated, "I am Horus. One of the Ennead. You would probably call me an Egyptian god." He paused to let that settle in. Chuck was stunned. It seemed like science fiction. The so-called god continued, "I have brought the two of you back in time to help us."
Having gotten over the initial shock, Chuck responded, "Is that why we're dressed in Ancient Egyptian clothes?" Sarah turned to look at him. Her breasts were exposed and he gasped. She looked down and immediately covered them.
"Your attire befits the roles you will play here," Horus stated. "Humans will see you differently. Your skin will appear darker and you will seem older."
Chuck hardly heard what he said, and completely missed her reply, because the image of the topless Sarah Walker was imprinted on his brain. He didn't think he'd be able to function if she walked around like that.
She brushed past him and he turned to watch her. She was heading toward a mirror on the wall. Her reflection didn't look like her. He followed her. As he approached her, she removed her hands and her reflection in the mirror was of a darker-skinned middle-aged woman, with breasts that weren't as perky as Sarah's had looked. She'd covered them before he reached her.
She turned and asked the god a question, but Chuck initially didn't hear, just so transfixed on the beauty before him. He did hear the final words, though, "Blonde hair and blue eyes would stand out."
The final words triggered Chuck's response. He covered his mouth to stifle the snort. Sarah glared at him. "What?"
He knew he shouldn't say it, particularly how juvenile it was, but he did. "Your breasts stand out."
The glare stopped and she almost smiled. She was as stunning as before they appeared here. "You do look gorgeous, Sarah," he breathed out, almost overwhelmed with how she looked. "No one would be able to look away from you." I'm having enormous difficulty, he thought.
He dragged his eyes off of her and looked at himself in the mirror. The wrinkles around his eyes and long, graying hair made him look like a man of similar age to the reflection of Sarah's.
"As I said, only you and the Ennead will see you as you really are." Horus chuckled. "Two lovers and their gods."
Chuck didn't respond, but Sarah did. "Chuck's not my lover."
The god peered at her. "Are you sure?"
She seemed flustered by that comment. Chuck changed the subject, "Why have you brought us here?" Chuck asked.
"One of the Ennead had become… problematic. We need evidence to show that, as our leader refuses to accept any wrongdoing."
"So, why do you need us?" Sarah asked.
"Because none of us are seen as impartial." Horus replied. "And you seem to have the combination of required skills."
"I'm no detective," Chuck said.
Horus looked at him. "In your time, you're known as a hacker."
Chuck looked at Sarah in panic, not wanting her to know this. "What? I- I'm not!"
Sarah's initial shock was replaced with amusement. "Chuck, stop! Your whole body language is off. You're no good at lying, are you?"
He looked at her, knowing what her role was in the States. He swallowed hard. "Are you thinking you'll arrest me when we get home?"
She frowned. "What have you stolen?"
"Nothing. I just did it to prove to myself that I could."
His body language and facial expression made her think this was the truth. "What have you accessed, then?"
He blushed. "Well… the FBI, NSA and CIA systems."
She was stunned. "They must be amongst the most secure systems! You've never been caught?"
"No."
If this was true, he must be really good.
He rushed forth with, "Seriously, I've never stolen anything."
"White hat?" she finally asked.
He was relieved she knew of such a distinction. He nodded.
She turned back to the god. "Why'd you need a hacker?"
"And how'd you think a 21st century hacker is of any use back here?" Chuck added.
"We have a learning application that will acquaint you with our IT systems." Horus stopped and looked at both of them. "The more generic language skills were implanted in your brains during the time portal jump."
"Do the gods, the Ennead, and Egyptians share the same language?" Sarah asked.
Chuck looked at her, surprised at her question. She noticed and shrugged. "Languages are my thing."
"And a sharp mind," commented Horus. "No. You have both languages and will need to use them accordingly. Of course, all speak Egyptian."
"So, what do you want me to hack?" Chuck asked, having resigned himself to the fact that Sarah, the FBI agent, now knew he was a hacker. If they ever got back to their time, he'd have to persuade her not to arrest him.
"Emails, call logs, instant messaging… records."
"Records?" he questioned.
"Those of the individual Ennead," Horus said.
Chuck shook his head. "For all of that, I'd need more than just IT skills. I'd need to know how your encryption works, your low level coding and a whole lot more, as well as how to gain access to all the other things."
"Thoth will help you with all of that," Horus responded.
"So, why doesn't he get the information?" Chuck asked and then remembered. "Because you want an independent investigation?"
"Correct."
"And what am I to do while he collates the information?" Sarah asked.
Horus smiled. "You meet the other Ennead and start interviewing."
Chuck grinned at her. "Mingling with the gods. A bit more of ancient Egyptian experience than you expected, huh?"
She nodded.
Chuck turned back to Horus. "If we help, will you return us to our time?" he asked.
"To the exact time you left," Horus replied.
Sarah remembered Horus mentioning how they would look to the Egyptians. "What's our cover story when we meet other people?"
"You're a husband and wife from a distant land who have come to visit the pharaoh."
"If we come from a different land, why can't I look as I am?" she asked.
"So that you can walk amongst the people without drawing attention."
Chuck shook his head. The others looked at him. "You're right. Sarah would draw attention wherever she went."
That warmed Sarah's heart, making her think that being with him here wouldn't be so bad. She didn't have to read Chuck's mind to know what he was thinking as he mentioned that. She smiled her appreciation at him, but then remembered where her hands were and blushed, and looked at their reflections in the mirror. They looked similar to themselves, just muted. Chuck's eyes didn't have the sparkle of his real eyes. Her brown ones were muted too.
"Your eyes don't draw me in as much," she commented. "Nor your lips." Then she realized she was talking out loud and covered her mouth as she looked at the man next to her.
"Thanks for the compliment, Sarah," he said with a grin. Her left breast was now exposed and she hastily covered it again.
"Here, you are Chandir and Sheba, as far as the humans are concerned," Horus told them. "You may not actually see any, but it is important to have a story to tell."
Chuck couldn't resist teasing her. "So, you're 'the Queen of Sheba.' All high and mighty. Maybe I should be Solomon."
"No," both Sarah and Horus replied.
Chuck sniggered, then sobered up. "My skills are with technology that doesn't exist here. I can't see how I can help."
"We Ennead have advanced technology, even though the humans in this time do not. I believe you will relate." He pointed a device at Chuck.
Sarah was watching and Chuck staggered back. She caught him as he started to fall and eased him down to the ground, now unconscious. "What did you do to him?" she snapped at the god.
"I implanted knowledge of our writing and technology in his head. You both already have that for the Egyptian hieroglyphs and speech. He will now be able to use our technology along with his own skills."
"I don't remember being unconscious," she stated.
"You downloaded the knowledge as you traveled back in time. Besides, what he has now received is far more. Few human minds could take what he can. That's another reason why he was chosen."
"When will he come round?" She was worried about him now.
"Not long, but you should be with him when he does." Horus turned. "I will rejoin you shortly."
As he walked away, Sarah looked around the room. They seemed to be in a bedroom.
She carefully stood, still holding Chuck and dragged him to the bed. She lay him down on it, then climbed on and pushed pillows so she could sit with her legs out straight. Then, she pulled Chuck up so he lay against her, facing away. She then sat and waited.
Chuck woke up with a headache, and was also disoriented. He didn't move but tried to work out where he was.
His brain told him that he'd been taken back in time to ancient Egypt, along with Sarah Walker, which was ridiculous.
He opened his eyes and the surroundings seemed to match his thoughts. He also realized that he was lying against someone and could see that her hands were against his chest. Her hands! That must be Sarah and he remembered her being topless. That meant he was lying on her…
He sat up quickly, "God, I'm sorry, Sarah!" he gasped out as he avoided looking round at her.
"What for?" she said, sounding totally confused.
He waved behind him, at her, still looking away.
Then, he heard her chuckle, which surprised him. "Chuck, I'm obviously going to have my breasts on display while we are here. I've got to get used to it. You're going to see me like that, and a lot of other women. You can't be all twentieth century about it."
"But you were hiding them earlier," he reasoned.
"Initial shock, but I'm over it now."
He swallowed. "But having me lying on them…"
"Was my doing. I was worried about you when you passed out."
He wanted to talk about that, but hadn't gotten past the other topic. Sarah obviously sensed that and sighed. "Chuck, we're pretending to be husband and wife. You can't look away from me all the time."
He shook his head. "I know."
"So, look at me."
He slowly turned around but kept his eyes on hers. She huffed and thrust her chest toward him. "Look at my breasts, Chuck. You should be familiar with them."
He looked down. "Perfection," he breathed out.
The warmth that filled her mind was a surprise to Sarah. His praise meant a lot to her, it seemed. She tried to brush it away. "Thank you, Chuck, but only you'll see what they really look like. Everyone else will see older, somewhat saggier ones."
He realized he was staring and looked back up at her face again. "My gain, I guess," he honestly replied.
She felt like hiding them again, but knew she couldn't. In fact, having thought about their situation while he slept, she knew she should share. "Chuck, we are married here, we not only will have been intimate, but will sometimes need to embrace in public or at least walk with arms around each other."
He nodded. "I can do that. I did it in the Luxor temple."
"With you topless and my breasts exposed?" His eyes dropped to her breasts again and he gulped. "Chuck, in our time, topless sunbathing is quite common, even if you're not used to it."
He sighed. "I know, but as you say, I'm not used to it and certainly not with someone I'm so attracted to."
He was a lovely respectful man, who obviously felt uncomfortable with this. She had to deal with it immediately or it'd get more difficult. She walked to him, stood on tiptoes and pressed herself against him as she pulled him in for a kiss.
It took him a couple of seconds of shock, but then he responded. His hands dropped to her waist as he pulled her closer and opened his lips, deepening the kiss. It reminded her of the wonderful kisses from their time in Luxor temple. Kissing Chuck was so good. She pulled away. "Err… we won't be kissing like that in public. Just the kisses I started."
He shook his head to get rid of the thoughts that had appeared. He turned away, hoping she hadn't noticed his other reaction to them pressed together.
She did notice, though. Smiling, she said, "Chuck, good though that is for my self-esteem, that can't happen in public. We're going to have to practice chaste embraces."
Chuck groaned. "I don't think I can, Sarah," he muttered.
"Then we'll be found out," she flatly stated.
He looked back at her. She was standing with her fists on her hips and glaring at him. The craziness of the situation hit him and he started to laugh. That made her glare more. "You think this is funny?"
He managed to stop laughing and said, "I'm here with a beautiful woman with her breasts out, needing to kiss her. Before Luxor temple, I hadn't even kissed a clothed woman for seven years! If I told myself I'd get this lucky even a day ago, I'd think I'd gone mad."
Her lips curled as he spoke and her frown eased. "Who said anything about you getting lucky?"
That stopped his laughter and she then laughed. "You should see your face!"
He closed the gap and pulled her to him. He kept his mouth closed, but the kiss was still one of the best he'd ever experienced.
As he pulled away from her, she looked flushed. "You are a great kisser, Chuck, but I think the ones in public need to be shorter."
They practiced more. Neither admitting that they could stop at any time. For Sarah, it was nothing to do with her attire. She'd never enjoyed kisses as much. His lips were so sensual. In spite of her joke earlier, she thought that soon he was going to get lucky.
"I didn't expect to see this on my return." They quickly separated as the god continued, "Looks like I was right about you being lovers."
For Chuck, that sounded like a dream come true, and he hoped that was the direction their relationship was taking.
"We're practicing, so we look convincing as man and wife, our cover story," Sarah stated. That rather dashed Chuck's hopes.
Horus walked to the table in the room and placed down what looked like a laptop from Chuck's era.
Chuck walked over and sat in front of it. He knew exactly how to use this.
Sarah watched in amazement as Chuck activated the device, seemed to log in and then read what was on the screen.
"Maybe you should be able to read it too," Horus said and trained the device he'd aimed at Chuck on her.
She felt dizzy and started to collapse, but Chuck caught her and carried her to the bed. "Thanks, Chuck," she murmured.
"Any time, Sarah," he replied. He gave her a quick peck on her lips before going back to the computer and starting to type.
She lay back to rest her throbbing head.
Horus had logged into his computer and shown Chuck some of the key systems they used. It was like being on a corporate network in the twenty-first century, including areas that needed secure access. The email system was similar, too.
As Chuck now knew the language, he was easily able to read what appeared.
In truth, it felt much like being at home. However, that didn't mean he knew how to hack into secure areas or systems.
He turned to Horus who had been watching him. "I think I need time with Thoth before I can do anything."
Horus nodded. "Your first session with him is tomorrow."
Chuck sat back. He was going to be trained to hack in this time by the god responsible for knowledge and inventions. He couldn't wait.
Horus turned to leave them, but Sarah stopped him. "Where do we get food and drinks?"
Horus led them to what looked like some futuristic kitchen area. There was a panel against the wall. He pressed a button beside it and the panel opened. There was a large space exposed.. "Fresh food is better, but for now, use this to create what you want. You tell the synthesizer and it creates it for you." He turned to it and placed a mug from one of the cupboards in it before closing the panel. "Hot ambrosia," he said, looking at the device. It dinged and the panel slid open. Inside was a mug full of steaming liquid. Sarah reached for it, but Horus stopped her. "The human digestive system can't cope with this liquid."
"Hence ambrosia only being for the gods," Chuck said.
"Only for the Ennead," Horus corrected him. "We don't see ourselves as gods."
Sarah put in a bowl and when the panel was closed, she said, "Vegetable soup."
Nothing happened. "You'll need to be more specific as it won't recognize that."
She hadn't considered that. She listed the vegetables and what she thought went into the broth. What came out needed salt, but was a good approximation.
Chuck was so in awe. "It's just like the replicator in Star Trek."
Sarah had been thinking the same. She wasn't a great fan of the show, but did like that. "What are you having, Chuck?"
"Cheese toasty," he replied.
"You need to put in a plate and explain," Horus said with a sigh.
Chuck proceeded to do that and soon the two of them were sitting at the table with their first meal since breakfast back in the future. Horus left them to it, but said, "You should both get some sleep. It will be a busy time for you tomorrow."
Chuck looked at Sarah. "I'm sorry about staring earlier."
She thought back. "The look you gave me was quite flattering." She'd been thinking about it. She'd not felt so desired for some time, especially not by someone she was so attracted to.
"It's not just because I've not seen a naked woman for a long time, Sarah. You're stunning anyway, but naked? Wow!" he commented and looked back down to his toasty.
She pulled his chin up. "You're not so bad yourself," she said.
He smiled at that. She really liked his smile. His nose crinkled.
She then said what had been playing on her mind for days. "Maybe this cover will make us develop our relationship faster."
His eyes widened. "You mean…?" He trailed off before finishing the sentence.
She nodded, knowing what he meant.
He shook his head. "Almost as unbelievable as being here."
She frowned. "Why?"
"I've never gotten that far into a relationship so fast."
She smiled and reminded him, "We're going through something no one else has."
"I'll sleep on the floor," Chuck said.
She frowned. "We can sleep together in the bed, Chuck."
She was insistent and he wasn't going to argue, but he doubted he would sleep. He was more likely to lie there thinking about the gorgeous woman beside him. The one that felt this time together was fast-tracking their real relationship, rather than just being a cover here.
A/N: I've always had a fascination for the Egyptian gods as well as the ancient Egyptian society and relics. In this story, they will meet a number of those 'gods' and explore the messed up mythology that has morphed a few times over the centuries.
I'd really like to know what you think of this diversion from the tour, so please leave a review or send me a PM.