Rick
and Drake silently watched the burly guard retreat around the
corner. Rick
had only been incarcerated in this hole for less than
two days but
his frustration was at melting point.
"Well I'll
be damned if I'm gonna sit and wait for them to hang me,
and it sure
as hell is lookin' that they are!" He slammed his fists
against the
bars in anger. Drake watched the American with mild
amusement
provoking another outburst from the stranger. Rick reached
his arm through
the bars pointing his finger at Drake. "So, is this
your lot?
A pretend ruler? Second fiddle to guards?" A lack of
response from
across the way encouraged Rick to continue "You're no
fool! You
gonna sit here waiting for the scraps or come with me?"
Still he received
no response from Drake other than a intrigued look.
Rick couldn't
hide his annoyance, "C'MON!!! Show me the way out!"
*
Dr.Bey sat
watching this scene play out like a slow motion
nightmare.
The only consolation being that the Carnahan's had very
little idea
of what they'd found. He laughed sardonically as Miss
Carnahan babbled
excitedly about the map pertaining to Hamunaptra
while her
brother literally drooled at the prospect.
"Now, now!
Let's not be hasty with this. Goodness knows this superb
object has
been buried for centuries, but who's to say someone hasn't
beaten us
to the punch?" Evelyn and Jonathan looked at him with a
mixture of
query and disbelief. "We need time to authenticate this
map. Certainly,
it could be that Seti himself placed it here for
prosperity..."
he then lowered his voice, speaking with
scepticism
"...or it could have been placed there last week!"
The good doctor
reached over his desk and took the map from Evelyn's
hands. Just
then, Jonathan reached forward and grabbed it in time
with him,
leaving Evelyn sitting between the two glancing from one to
the other.
*
Evy drew her
eyes to Jonathan, widening them to hint that Jonathan keep a
good grip
on the possibly priceless paper. He winked and she coughed
nervously.
"Perhaps Jonathan and I could follow the trail and see if the
map points
us in the right direction," she suggested, grabbed Jonathan's leg
and winning
a groan from him. "What do you think, Jonathan?
*
Drake regarded
the white boy across the way with interest. He did have a
point and
it wasn't like Drake had much to lose. With a shrug the large man
stood up.
"Start coughing."
It only took
the new guy a second to decide whether or not to follow Drake's
instructions.
With an expression that plainly said, "You'd better know what
you're doing"
the stranger began to cough. Drake cupped his hands around
his mouth
and shouted, "We got a live one!"
Within a moment
the guard ran into the hallway and turned towards the
coughing inmate.
"Stop that faking, you!" he commanded.
Drake took
that oppotunity to dart his arms through the bars and into the
narrow passage,
grabbing the guard and slamming him into Drake's own cell
bars. Effectively
knocked out, the guard fell limp and Drake yanked his
keys from
his belt. He unlocked his door and opened his new companion's.
"We're gonna
have to think fast. I can get us a place to hide, but getting
out will be
our problem." The stranger eyed him in irritation for the
drastic and
sudden action. Drake only grinned and shrugged. "I don't
believe I
caught your name."
*
Rick stepped
from his cell, grateful to be out but somewhat agitated
at new companion's
expediency. "Not much for hatching plans, huh?"
His sarcasm
brought an idignant rise from Drake infering that the
American could
find his own way out if he didn't dig up a few manners.
The two escapees
hastily stepped over the unconscious guard each
looking forward
and behind, making sure they were seen by no-one.
Once they
reached the end of the passageway, Rick slapped his
companion
on the shoulder, giving him a wry smile. "Name's
O'Connell."
Drake nodded and looked around the corner, checking the
way was clear
while Rick kept watch behind them, "Before I meet your
friends I
need to pick up my guns! Let's just hope someone left the
front door
to this place open or we're both gonna swing."
*
Drake frowned
thoughtfully as he and O'Connell stood in the shadows
while a couple
guards chatted lazily nearby. He pointed and
whispered,
"The one sitting at the desk is what we gotta worry
about. The
other one is pompus little ass that cares only for his
own hide.
If he thinks he's threatened he'll back off, but we gotta
be careful
he don't take off and warn someone."
He glanced
back at Rick and grinned. "You rush the little guy and
I'll take
the one at the desk."
*
O'Connell shook
his head and murmured, "The little guy?" but he was
given no time
to protest as Drake had already mounted his attack on
his chosen
man. Rick's prey was already out of his seat and running
for the door
when he was felled by the weight of O'Connell thumping
down on his
back. The little guy was out before he hit the floor.
Rick looked
around to see Drake stuggling with his foe and lent
assistance
by way of breaking a chair across the man's shoulders.
Yet another
obstacle lay slumped in the corner.
A gasping O'Connell
looked up over at Drake "As I said, you're not
very big on
planning the attack, are you?" Drake just smiled and
shrugged as
Rick looked in the direction of approaching
footsteps
"C'mon, keep moving! They've heard us! Which way?"
Drake pointed
ahead of them and both men hurried towards the daylight
which shone
promisingly through the crack in the door at the far end
of the passage.
They burst through and found themselves in a crowded
street bustling
with the day's market activities. O'Connell grabbed
Drake by the
scruff of his shirt "This way, and stay close, with any
luck we can
lose ourselves in the crowd."
*
Drake grinned
despite the danger he and this O'Connell man were in.
While being
in prison had been fun for a little while, Drake was
surprised
at how warmed he felt at now being back out and free again.
Bumping into
people left and right, Drake followed this man,
wondering
where he could be leading him. Drake had his mind on the
local thieves
den and a few necks he thought needed breaking right
about now,
but this stranger made him curious. "Where you think
we're gonna
hide?" he asked in an amused voice, shoving a squalling
man he'd just
walked in front of to the ground.
*
Jonathan held
to the paper in his hands, noting the interest in Dr.
Bey's eyes.
He held it decidedly far enough from the grasp of the
curator and
hesitated at his sister's question. There could be
danger out
there...but there could be vast hordes of money. Without
missing a
beat Jonathan said, "Sure thing, Evy. You and me taking a
little trip.
Sounds fun." He eyed the paper in his hands.
*
"NO! I absolutely
forbid it!" Dr. Bey's was flushing with
exasperation
and anger. "You're not about to start galavanting about
the desert
before I have this map properly dated and preserved!" He
could sense
the determined mood of the Carnahan's but he couldn't
just let this
map slip away from him. He found himself in a stand
off with the
English pair, neither party was prepared to compromise.
Suddenly, as
ill fortune would have it, Dr. Bey sneezed and he lost
his grasp
on the parchment. Jonathan seized his opportunity and took
several steps
away from the desk while Evelyn quickly stood and
joined her
brother in backstepping their way to the door.
