Chapter 3: Imhoteps Revenge

 

 

 

Being brought back from the darkness, and pain of the underworld, and the circumstances which had sent him there once more, had fueled Imhotep’s hate for the Med-jai, and for the three people who had defeated him the last time.  Several weeks had passed, and the master had sent the pupil out to gather information.  Adom had waited all of his life to be a part of something, and unlike Benny, he was fed by the want of power, something Imhotep had promised him in exchange for doing his bidding.  The Dark Lord had given Adom a different way to exit and enter the city, a long underground route which led to Thebes.   From there his young pupil was able to enter and leave the sacred city as he pleased.  While Adom gathered information, Imhotep used  what little power he had to bring back a few of his priests, and had them preparing the heart of the city, The Chamber of Life and Death, for his use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It hadn’t taken Adom much time to find out where those his lord sought were living, and now in London Adom made a few very interesting discoveries.  The first was that Evelyn and the Legionnaire had married, and the best discovery was that they had a young child.   Discovering the young boy was almost as good as finding Hamunaptra and Imhotep, and Adom decided his Lord needed a gift.  Now the young man was at the park, watching as he had for a few weeks, the child and his nanny playing.  He had waited for the Nanny to be alone with the child, fearing the father, and now he hid behind some bushes watching, and waiting.

 

 

 

 

“Nanna Cara I want play hide an seek,”  Alex said.  He had on a once piece outfit dark blue with a little sail boat on the front.

 

“All right Alex I’ll close my eyes but you must stay close.”  Cara counted, and Alex ran to the bushes.  He crawled in, and then something was put over his nose.  He tried to scream, but couldn’t, then sleep fell over him.  Once she had counted to 20, Cara went in search of Alex, looking in silly places like a garbage can, and in her satchel.  Finally she walked over to the bushes.

 

“Is Alex in here?”  she asked crawling in.  Usually he giggled and gave himself away, but today he was playing seriously, or so she thought.

 

“All right I have you,”  Cara said as she crawled in to center of the bushes which was hollowed out.  Alex was not there, and the only thing she did find was his brown sandal.  Panic set in fast, and Cara crawled out of the bushes yelling for Alex, but he wasn’t answering her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

With Cara taking care of Alex, Rick was able to get a head start on his newest contract with a gentleman in New Zealand wanting Sam and Rick to build him a customized yacht.  Once he had the contract the way he wanted it, Rick picked up the phone and called the Museum smiling when his wife answered.

 

“Hello Mrs. O’Connell,”  he said.  Hearing his voice made her bad day better, and Evie sat down.

 

“I’m so glad to hear your voice,” she said.

 

“Well I aim to please.  I finished this contract, and Cara has Alex so I thought we could go out for lunch,”  he said hoping she would have the time.

 

“I think getting away for a while would be a wonderful idea.”

 

“Then I will come and get you,”  Rick said.  Once they had gotten off the phone he went upstairs and got dressed, then went out to the car and left for the Museum.

 

 

 

 

It wasn’t long after he left, that Cara arrived with only a Sandal.  She was a mess, and finding that Rick was not there made her even more upset.  Cara was 18, and she needed this job with the O’Connells as a means of living, now she felt she had ruined that.  After she had taken time to calm down, she called to the museum, and felt relief and fear when Evelyn picked up the phone.

 

“Mrs. O’Connell I don’t know how or where he is but I can’t find Alex.  He was playing, we were playing hide and seek just as we always do and I found only his sandal. I looked all over the park,”  she said trying her best not to cry.  On her end, Evie nearly dropped the phone. 

 

“Are you there now? Have you called the Authorities?”  she asked looking up when her husband walked in.

 

“I had the Authorities in the park looking but I  came to the house to see if Mr. O’Connell was here,”  she said.

 

“Go back there and find my baby,”  Evelyn said, then hung up.

 

“Alex is missing,”  Evie said as she grabbed her long coat.  Rick led the way to his car, and they left for the park.

 

 

 

 

By nightfall every inch of the park had been searched, and no one had seen anything suspicious.  Rick had sent Cara to her Aunts reassuring her that she was not the one to blame, though he wanted someone to blame.  He and Evelyn were still looking in the shops around the park, ones they had searched many times.

 

“Evie,”  Rick said taking her hand.  She looked at him.

 

“We need to go back to the park,”  she said very matter of factly.

 

“Evie we’ve looked everywhere we can, and the Authorities are out in the city looking for him,”  Rick reminded.  He didn’t want to give up, and never would, but they needed rest.

 

“No Rick, we won’t quit.  He is here somewhere, and we will find him.”  she walked away, and Rick closed his eyes then opened them when one of the authorities walked up to him.

 

“With your permission we want to sweep the waterway,”  he said. Just before he could answer, Evelyn cried out, then fell to the ground.

 

 

 

 

It was her own bed that Evelyn woke up in, and for an instant she felt refreshed, then she remembered Alex, and sat up.

 

“Easy Sweetheart, you have a nasty bump,”  Rick said.  When she had sat up, Evelyn felt the room spin, and reluctantly let her husband help her lay back against the pillows.

 

“Has anyone found him yet?”  Evelyn asked.  Rick closed his eyes and shook his head.

 

“They swept the waterways, and they are still searching but no one has found a trace of him.

 

“Oh Rick why did we get a nanny,”  she asked, then started to cry.  Gently Rick eased her in his arms.

 

“Shhh.  Evie we needed time for ourselves, and we are going to find him, even if we have to look all over this planet, we will find him,”  Rick reassured.  In a moment her tears subsided, and she let the comfort of her husbands arms wipe away the rest of her sadness.

 

“I want to go look,”  she said.  Before Rick could say yes, or no to that, the phone rang, and he picked it up.

 

“O’Connell’s,”  Rick said.

 

“Mr. O’Connell we found a woman and a boy who say they saw a young boy taken out of the park.  He was asleep, but he fit the description of your son.

 

“Do they know where he was taken?”  Rick asked.  He got the information from the officer, then hung up.

 

“Someone saw Alex taken from the park.  The officer said the woman and boy who saw them gave a description of the car, and that the car was found at the port.”  With Rick’s help, Evelyn got dressed, and they packed their things in case they needed to go somewhere, then went downstairs finding Jonathan up having breakfast.

 

“Jonathan Alex has been taken by someone,”  Rick informed, then filled in the details. 

 

“I am coming to,”  Jonathan said and left to get ready.

 

 

 

 

 

At Hamunaptra, Alex was in a pit screaming for his mum mum, and no one had come to him in quite a while.  Suddenly sand started to fill the pit,then a man formed before his eyes.  Alex looked at him

 

“Want my mum mum,”  Alex said.

 

“Shh,”  Imhotep responded as he held the baby in his arms.

 

“Go see my mum?”  Imhotep used his powers to levitate them out of the pit, then carried Alex through the passages of Hamunaptra to the Chamber of life and Death.

 

“What is your bidding?”  Adom asked when his master, walked in.

 

“Go to Cairo and wait.  His parents will come for him,”  Imhotep said in his tongue, knowing they would, wishing they would.  He had grand plans for the O’Connells, and Alex was the key.  Once his pupil had left, Imhotep had one of his fully regenerated priests take the child to clean him and dress him in a gown more of their time. 

 

“You take me see my mummy?”  Alex asked as the man left the chamber with him.

 

“Do not worry child, you have been chosen,”  the priest said.  Exhausted from the long trip, Alex soon fell asleep, and the priest prepared him for what lay ahead.

 

 

 

 

It took a great deal of time, too much time, but Rick and Evelyn were able to find out that Alex had been taken aboard a steamer ship bound for Egypt, and both of their hearts weighed heavy with what that meant.  Now on their own steamer ship, with Jonathan to accompany them, they boated their way to Egypt to save him from whomever had him.  Since they had boarded the boat, Evelyn had not spoken a word to Rick, and wouldn’t sleep with him at night, and it didn’t take long for him to get tired of that.  Another night arrived, and when he got to their cabin she was already in the master room, the door locked.

 

“Evie we need to talk,”  Rick said as he knocked lightly.  He didn’t get a response, so he tried again.  When she didn’t answer him he drew back and kicked the door in, finding her on the bed reading.  She continued to read as if nothing had happened, and Rick quickly crossed the room to stand beside her.

 

“Will you say something to me?”  he asked.  Again she ignored him turning the page, and he grabbed the book out of her hands.  Evie simply slid down in the bed turning to face away from him.

 

“God damn you,”  he yelled

 

“Evelyn what the hell is wrong with you?  Alex is gone, and your ignoring me for what reason I don’t know, and if your mad at me then yell at me, or throw something at me,”  Rick said. 

 

“I’ve nothing to say to you,”  came her cold reply.  That was a start.

 

“Okay so your mad at me, is it because I suggested hiring a nanny, and because we weren’t there Alex has been taken?”  Rick asked sitting on the bed side.  Her response was to move away from him, still not facing him.

 

“If we would have been there he wouldn’t be gone,”  Evelyn said.

 

“Evie look at me,”  Rick said as he place his hand on her shoulder.  He felt her shutter, and slid in to bed next to her.

 

“I need to know what your thinking sweetheart.  We are part of one another, and you hiding how you feel isn’t going to make finding Alex any easier.  I’ll tell you what I’ve been thinking.  This whole situation feels like it’s tied to Imhotep and Hamunaptra.  I think somehow he has been able to come back, and somehow he found out about us and about Alex,”  Rick said pulling her against him.  She didn’t try to move away, and in a moment she turned to face him.

 

“Why would he want Alex?”  she asked.  While she hadn’t been speaking to Rick, she had been racking her brain to think of any curse or spell that had to do with children, and nothing came to her mind.

 

“I don’t know maybe he just want revenge, we did after all keep him from taking over things,”  Rick pointed out.  That much Evelyn knew, but somehow the thought of Imhotep seeking vengeance just for that purpose seemed odd.  A coldness had crept into her heart, and she had a feeling that more was in store for all of them.

 

“I keep wondering how he is.  He likes his story time with you, and rocking time with me before bed.  Do you think he is afraid?  Have they been feeding him?  Do they tell him he will be safe?”  Evelyn asked as a tear made its way down her cheek.  Leaning forward, Rick kissed her tear away.

 

“I know honey, I’ve thought those same thoughts, and all we can do is hope.  I know it’s not much to go on but we can’t lose our hope that we will find him and rescue him,”  Rick said.  His words brought some comfort, and she snuggled against him pressing her face into his chest, smelling his scent.  Rick moved his hands up and down her back, then lower to her bottom cupping her soft skin.  When she felt him pulling on her nightgown, Evelyn sat up and removed it.  In turn, Rick took his cloths off then lay on his back helping her strattle him.  Her lips on his chest drove the breath from him, and Rick reached between them and began to rub against her clit, the one place he knew would drive her mad.  Evelyn’s response was a high pitched squeal, and it didn’t take much for both of them to need more.  With her husbands help, Evelyn raised up then pressed herself down on his swollen penis. 

 

“Evie,”  Rick groaned, as he felt his penis wrapped in wet warmth.  He took both of her hands and held them as she began to raise and lower against him.  Both had needed this time, this love making, to make up for their earlier argument, and to renew their love, which is something they would need once they got to Egypt.  When it was all over they lay snuggled together, and drifted into a sound sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having to wait in Cairo, instead of being with his master was not something that Adom was all that happy about.  It was only knowing that he was helping with a grand plan, that kept the young man from disobeying, and to pass his time he worked at the museum assisting with tours as he had always done.  It had been a week since he had last been at Hamunaptra, and just as he was about to go mad, a couple, and a gentleman, walked into the museum, the people he wanted to see.  Before they, or anyone else could see him, he left the museum to go to his master.  While Rick and Evelyn  headed for the Library, Jonathan left for the house to gather things they would need for the trip to the City of the dead

 

“I know there is a book on curses here that should let us know what Imhotep is planning,”  Evelyn said as she led her husband to the Library.  In that vast room, Evelyn knew exactly where she was going, and in a moment she had the book of ancient curses she had wanted.

 

“What can I do?”  Rick asked, as his wife poured over the pages of the thick book in front of her.  Distracted from what she was reading, Evelyn didn’t acknowledge his question, not until he put his hand down on the page she was reading.

 

“I’m sorry darling.  Perhaps ask the curator if anything strange has been going on.”  She said.  Both of them knew the Curator, because she had been Evelyn’s replacement, and before they had left Egypt, they had spent a great deal of time with Ninah.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting what he needed for the ritual of life had not been easy for Imhotep.  He had fully regenerated using another one of his many incantations, one which did not require the use of the box, or the death of humans.  The only problem was that he had very limited use of his powers, and to him that was a small set back.  With all he needed, Imhotep sent for the young boy, who was the key to his return.  As he waited he heard running feet approaching and looked up to see Adom entering.

 

“They are here my master,”  Adom said with glee.

 

“You must lead them here,”  Imhotep said, then looked past Adom to his priest who had Alex.

 

“See my mummy,”  Alex said.  He had been treated well, but despite that he missed his mummy, and was not all that happy.

 

“You will see her very soon,”  The priest said using English.  He took Alex to Imhotep, and once in his arms left to gather the last of what they needed for the ritual.

 

“Do not be afraid,”  Imhotep said as he laid Alex on the alter which was covered in soft blankets.  He strapped Alex down which made the little boy very unhappy, then began to chant ancient words.  Soon Alex fell into an un-natural sleep, and the Ritual of Life began.

 

 

 

 

 

As the sun began to set over the museum, Evelyn Rick Jonathan, and Ninah were still researching curses, when Ardeth Bey walked in.  Upon hearing of Alex’s abduction, and the fact that Evelyn thought Imhotep was involved, Ninah had used the Falcon that the leader had left for her to send messages by, to tell him the grave news.

 

 

“My friends we do not have much time,”  Ardeth said, causing all of them to look at him.

 

“If what you say is true, the creature intends to use your son to be reborn.  He would not have enough power to harm us, and once he has taken over your son’s body there is only one way to stop him,”  Ardeth said.  His words made Evelyn’s heart pound painfully in her chest, and she knew what the Med-jai was referring too.

 

“I have gathered my men to watch over Hamunaptra, and have brought with me transportation for you to get there.”  It didn’t take long for them to prepare for the trip and as they left Adom arrived.  Seeing them with the Med-jai made his task of getting back to the lost city urgent, and the young man wasted little time in doing so.