| STORY 2 Page 25 |
| "GOOD! I'M GLAD! Now take your Dad home while you still have one, before some sonuvabitch kills his dumb ass! You'll thank me for this someday, Alex!" With that Kit turned and ran down the narrow back street and disappeared around a corner. Desiree ([email protected]) February 2, 2003 "Senbi!!" "What!?!" The startled man yelped out as he was jolted awake by the screaming Gabrielle. "Senbi! You promised me you would help me protect the entrance!! You lying son of a..." "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Senbi was groggily apologizing to the fuming Gabrielle. "Allah-dammit-all, Senbi! You have to stay awake!! What if he came through here while you were dozing off, you bugger!? What if." "It's all right! I only dozed for a second; he didn't come through. Don't worry!" The still hazy Senbi was trying to calm his now hysterical sister. "Senbi," Gabrielle tried to come up with the words to chastise her brother, but the emotion took over her, and she slumped her shoulders in weary resign. "Hey, hey- it's ok. This'll all be over soon. Jonathan and Ardeth will be back soon, and then we can destroy the tunnel." When this didn't comfort Gabrielle, Senbi tried to change the conversation, "Um, why are you here, anyway? Shouldn't you be back with Nefret?" Gabrielle smacked Senbi on the chest for his stupidity, "I'm here to take over the watch, you idiot!" "Oh, thank Allah! I'm exhausted." "Senbi, you, you�!" "Oh, sorry." Senbi turned to go back to his hut and collapse on his bed. "See you later." "Take care of Nefret, you, you, bugger!!" Gabrielle, once again, depended on her British terminology to annoy and put down her brother. When Senbi shrugged and didn't answer, Gabs turned around to the entrance of the tunnel and started pacing back and forth in front of it. "Oh, Jon, where are you?" ~*~*~*~*~ "ALEX!!!! What the bloody hell did you think you were doing? You could've been hurt! You are SO grounded!!" Evie was beside herself with anger. "Rick? Where's Kit? Alex- go to your room. Jonathan, watch him!" "C'mon, Alex." Jon took Alex's arm and led him away from the fuming couple. "We'd better go." Alex nodded and followed his uncle off of the deck and down into the ship to his quarters. "Rick?" Evie looked at her husband, searching for some answers. "Kit kicked me in the balls and ran away." Rick's annoyed and pained voice failed to catch Evie's attention. "Dammit! We were so nice to him! I wanted to have him be a part of our family." Finally the pain in his voice registered, "Oh, dear. Rick? Are you all right?" Rick was walking with his legs spread slightly apart, and then he sat down slowly and painfully into a chair and looked up at Evie, "Oh, yeah- I'm goddamn perfection." "Oh, dear. What are we going to do, now?" Evie sat down next to Rick and rubbed her forehead with her hand. Rick sighed, "I don't know, but we'd better get going anyway. Where's Ardeth?" Rick had just noticed that their Med-jai friend had disappeared. "I'm right here." Ardeth walked in just at that moment. "Where've you been?" Rick slowly turned to see Ardeth walking towards them. "I went to see some friends of mine, but they have left." Ardeth paused, "I do not know why they left with such haste. I thought they were supposed to be here another week, but I might have be mistaken." Ardeth's brow furrowed. Rick didn't like the idea of Ardeth being wrong, "Where were they going?" Ardeth hesitated, "Hamunaptra." "Ah, fuck." Rick's frustration showed clearly on his face. Ardeth hated having to say this, "We have to find them- we are going to need them to find Skarzinski." "Shit." Rick swung up his hands and stood up, but too quickly. He leaned over to his groin and groaned in pain. "You know what this means, don't you? I'm gonna have to ride a fuckin' camel." Penny ([email protected]) February 8, 2003 Rick straightened up, a grimace marred his face for the umpteenth time since he had been back. He was beginning to think, it would be permanently etched there thanks to his nephew. "There has to be another way," he groaned, thinking a camel ride may just finish what Kit had started. If he ever got his hands on that kid...no best not to entertain that thought too long, he just might start enjoying it too much. He pushed Kit from his mind and thought for a second. What had he told Evie and Jon about getting around with all the traveling, they'd have to do? They'd practically need a ..."YES! No camels boys and girls! Ut-huh! Nope! Got a better idea. Let�s go! Everybody out the door!" he grimaced again, waving his arms. "Grab your bags and let�s go. Got a magic carpet to catch!" "Rick what are you rambling about?" "No time babe, he got a boat to catch," he said mysteriously and wiggled his eyebrows at her. Her eyes widened and she smiled as his meaning took root in her mind, and she kissed him. "You're brilliant darling!" "Yeah?" he answered flatly. "Tell me that when they slip the noose back around my neck." Evie frowned at her husband. "What are you going to do, Rick?" When he began to rummage through the first aid pack, he looked up with a frustrated grimace on his face. "I'm gonna kill that damned kid!" He went back to rummaging in the bag. "EVIE! WHERE THE HELL IS THE DAMN ASPRIN?" An hour later they arrived in front of The Magic Carpet Airlines sign. It hadn't looked much better than the last time they'd been there. In fact, it looked exactly the same, to the passengers in the cab. Although there were mixed emotions from the back seat. Alex was ecstatic, Jonathan groaned and if Rick didn't know better, he'd swear Ardeth turned a pale shade of green. "Cheer up guys! It could be worse! It's not like it's the Titanic!" It was. IT WAS THE GODDAMN TITANIC! Rick scrubbed his hand down his face in disbelief as if the mere action would erase the view in front of his eyes. He brushed his hand through his hair and wondered if he'd still get the same rotten toothed little executioner he had the last time they had tried to hang him, when he shot Izzy Buttons, deader than a door nail. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" He felt the laughter bubble up in his throat only this time, he wondered if it was the kick he had taken to the family jewels. Hadn't Evie told him a couple times, he should quit thinking with what was in the front of his pants? Kit probably gave the poor thing a concussion, he laughed out loud. That would explain the silly laughter that seemed to be coming out of him. He wiped away a tear that threatened to trickled out of his eye, as he waved them off. He stared at what once, no doubt, been a sea going wreck waiting to happen. It was at least twenty feet bigger, looked like it had never seen a damned coat of paint, half of the boards looked rotten. In fact, the only thing Rick could tell that was the same thing, was the nets that hung over the sides. He looked all around then. "What the hell are you lookin' for O'Connell?" the wiry little man wanted to know. |