Post by Tim E. Vortex on Jun 27, 2011 14:16:28 GMT
.\V/. Timothy & the Curse of the Emerald Sky (part I) .\V/.
March 14th 2287
March 14th 2287
We had just arrived in the beautiful African country of Egypt where we were greeted by the blazing sun, blessing us with his happy glow. It was often a great pleasure to witness something as majestic as the great pyramids, heightened by the fact that there was a hotel merely a mile away. Nothing could dent my confidence in the world.
“I can’t stand the sand.[/color]”
Enter Michelle, the perfect optimist.
“My dear, the pyramids are one of the twenty-four wonders of the world.[/color]”
“Twenty-four?[/color]”
“Right, right, right, sorry. That’s time travel; lots of stuff... just not necessarily in the right order. I digress, this is simply marvellous.[/color]”
“I’m sure it’ll be just as marvellous from a window in a hotel. I’ve had quite a week, y’know. Trent’s place ain’t no Hilton.[/color]”
The Scottish. Never satisfied unless they’re home. Although, she did have a point. I could see the sun eagerly retiring, and this is no place to adventure when the night hits.
“Okay, I’ll make you a deal. We’ll go to the hotel tonight and drink the finest herbal tea on offer, but tomorrow, we go get our pyramid on.[/color]”
“Okay, well just as long as you never use the phrase “get our pyramid on” again.[/color]”
And away we went into the horizon. Granted, I could’ve used my watch to teleport us, but watching Michelle struggle in her sandals was surely the twenty-fifth wonder. Eventually, we reached the place.
“You’ll love this place. The tea there is magnificent. Oh, and the people are fantastic. Last time I was here, there was this singer and he did the most wonderful version of Justin Beiber and it was just so...[/color]”
It was the same hotel as before. It was a thriving place, full of stone huts and stalls of exotic fruits. However, something was amiss. Unlike my previous visit, it was empty. Not a single person in sight.
“Dead?[/color]”
“That’s odd. It was only a few years ago and this place was booming. It was the top tourist spot of the twenty-third century.[/color]”
I explained. Suddenly, a hand lunged itself towards me, clutching my collar. A burley man with a dirty beard collected Michelle, lifting her off the air and pulled us both into the hotel’s lobby. Here, two men of the same were scattered around and stood in front of me, attired in a beige suit and visored hat was an elderly gentleman.
“Who are you?”
The man enquired.
“Oh, hello. I’m Timothy Edward Vortex and this is Michelle. And you are?[/color]”
“Professor Amgine.”
He gave a gentle nod to the men who had apprehended us and we were released. I readjusted my collar and quickly advanced behind the counter and over to the mini cafeteria. I picked up a cup from the side and began to pour the translucent, green liquid into it. I then turned to face the group.
“Cuppa and biccies, anyone?[/color]
“You are so... British.[/color]”
“British? Tell me, Mr. Vortex... What are you doing here?”
“Oh, we’re merely passing through. We’re somewhat of explorers.[/color]”
“Archaeologists? Ah, then you must be here about the curse.”
I could have easily grabbed Michelle and escape – I could tell from the expression on her face that she was undoubtedly accept the offer, but if a curse is brought to my attention, then I’m all ears. I hoisted myself up onto the wooden counter and nodded my head in agreement.
“Then you were foolish to be out alone at this time of night. This is when he comes.”
“It’s never a straightforward trip with you is it? For once I’d love to just go sunbathing in Barbados, but noooooooo, it’s all werewolves and Gorgons and, wait, he? Who’s he?[/color]”
Michelle asked in a frenzy as I casually took a sip of my green tea. The professor glanced at me, and then turned his focus to Michelle.
“The great Pharaoh... Tutankhamen. According to the legend, he will return every ten years under the Emerald Sky.”
“Marvellous![/color]”
I ejaculated, inviting a dozen raised eyebrows to dart towards me.
“My apologies... do continue.[/color]”
“Hold on. What’s the Emerald Sky?[/color]”
“It’s the most precious stone on this planet, allegedly sent here from another world, holding great power. Now... you know me, now meet the team. This is Eduardo, Richo, Alonzo and Frank. Frank’s British, just like yourselves.”
“It’s a pleasure, fine sirs, although Alonzo, I do request you return my watch upon to me.[/color]”
He thinks I didn’t know. It was hardly an accident that he reached into my pocket upon grabbing me earlier. The professor looked disappointed. He turned to Alonzo and gestured his head towards me, and so his man complied with the leader’s silent command, handing the watch back to me. A strong wind scratched on the walls outside and the eerie sound of deep breath engulfed the room.
“Eduardo, go check it out. Richo, you go with him.”
The two burley men picked up their rifles and advanced towards the door as I finished off my tea.
“So, Professor. What business is the Emerald Sky of yours?[/color]”
“It was my daughter’s life work. We were living in Salou, Spain and Tutankhamen became her obsession; her room was filled with manuscripts, all written in hieroglyphics. Well, supposedly.”
“How’d you mean?[/color]”
“Well... I’m quite inversed in the field, but this language... it must’ve been far older than anything I’ve seen. I couldn’t understand a word of it.”
“So... if you’re daughter was so obsessed with it... why didn’t she come herself?[/color]”
“She did... Ten years ago. Her body was brought back to me in a sack! Well, what was left of her body. As a father, I made it my duty to finish her life’s work.”
Whilst I was interested in the professor’s story, we were interrupted by a haunted scream that echoed in the distance. Picking up their guns, the professor, Alonzo and the least exotically-named Frank left the building. I, armed with Michelle, hastily followed them outside and there, lying in the sand was Eduardo, shrivelled up as though all the life had been drained out of him.
“Oh my God![/color]”
I knelt down beside him, observing the corpse in greater detail. Richo then emerged from behind the corner and the professor struck him with the back of his hand.
“Hey![/color]”
“You fool! I told you to stay together! And now look... he’s dead!”
“Everybody just calm down. He’s not dead. Well, he is, but he’s alive. Well, he’s not. He’s not, not alive.[/color]”
Michelle leans over Eduardo.
“You think you’ve got problems... I have to put up with that twenty-four/seven.[/color]”
“My dear, now is really not the time.[/color]”
“Explain!”
“King Tut’s after eternal life, am I correct?[/color]”
“Well, I suppose...”
“That’s why he needs the Emerald Sky. That’s where the power of life comes from. But, until he gets this immortality, he’s not strong enough to live, so he took the life out of Eduardo, just like he did to your daughter.[/color]”
“People have died, Mr. Vortex. And you stand there smiling?”
“They haven’t died... they’ve had the life sucked out of them.[/color]”
“I’m not following this. Are you following this, Frank?[/color]”
“So... they can have it restored?”
“Give that man a cigar. It’s like a vacuum cleaner, you can suck all the dirt up, but you can just as easily turn it to blow.[/color]”
My head was spinning with ideas as the men looked on in confusion.
“Can you save them, Mr. Vortex? My daughter... can you save my daughter?”
“I’m Timothy Edward Vortex. I can stop Tutankhamen and I can save everyone he’s killed and there’s one thing... just one thing that he can say...[/color]”
“What’s that?”
“Mummy![/color]”[/color]