Unnatural Cave In
The handcuffs dug into Hitomi’s wrists as they were shoved into the back of the tomb. She landed hard on her shoulder, luckily not as bad as she could have, but it was going to hurt. The three of them just glared at the smirking General Douglas who watched.
“What, no desperate cries of ‘You’ll never get away with this”? I’m disappointed.”
“Good.” CJ said as she stood up.
Douglas grunted, “I’d stay back, unless you want to save yourselves some suffering.” He turned and walked out, leaving some soldiers to finish wiring the doors, while another kept a gun on them.
As the wiring was finished and the rest of the soldiers withdrew, Hitomi jerked her head at the door, but CJ shook her head, then motioned for them to get down as the cry, “Fire in the hole!” echoed. The tomb shook violently as the charges went off, filling it with choking dust. CJ and Hitomi held their breath, but it set Mitchell into a violent coughing fit. Once the shaking settled, CJ took stock.
The tomb was largely intact, except for around the door, which was nothing more than a hole filled with rubble. Her practiced eye knew there was no chance for them to dig out. That left them with one alternative.
She knelt next to Mitchell as he concentrated on getting his breath back. She felt guilty for getting him into this, but had a feeling something like this might have happened regardless once Douglas was finished with him. She resolved to talk with Buck about General Douglas when they got out of here. “Mitchell, what would be the best way to search for a back way out of here?”
He took a few more shallow breaths and shook his head, “Hard to tell. There may not even have been one. It’s possible they just walled up any extra passages. If that’s the case, we can hope the explosion weakened a wall.”
She nodded, “Get your breath back, we’re going to get out of here.” She stood and walked over to her friend. Without much effort, she broke the chain on her cuffs and did the same for Hitomi.
“I could have picked them,” Hitomi whispered.
CJ shrugged, “You can pick the bracelets later. Right now, let’s see if we can find a way out of here.” Her friend nodded, and they started combing the walls. It wasn’t long before CJ spotted what looked like a seam in a small alcove. She stepped back and motioned Hitomi over. “What’cha think?”
Hitomi squinted and moved closer, “Worth a shot.”
Siege nodded and went over to Mitchell, who was sitting against the wall, looking at the sarcophagus. “I think we may have found something.” She motioned for him to lean forward, and she reached back and popped the chain on his cuffs.
He looked up at her in astonishment, “How…?” He shook his head, “No, never mind. I think I may have found something too.”
“What?”
He pointed at some of the carvings on the stone box. “Look at that cartouche. Doesn’t it look more like the cuneiform on that scrap of paper than the normal hieroglyphs?”
She cocked her head at the carving, then slipped the paper from a pocket. She looked at it, and while she couldn’t read it, the two sets of glyphs did look similar. She crouched down and looked at the rest of the carvings.
“More than a few of the cartouches on here have cuneiform in them.” She called Hitomi over and pointed.
“How deep does the rabbit hole go, Alice?”
“Cute. Do you have a camera in that belt of yours.”
Hitomi snorted and popped a small metallic stick out. “Of course.”
“Good. Would you mind snapping some pictures?”
“Will do. Speaking of pictures, you think we’re still being watched?”
She thought for a moment, “I don’t know. I’m not sure I care either. Let’s grab a few pictures of the carvings, while you do that, maybe I can find something else to grab before we see if we can get the back door open.”
Hitomi nodded then paused, smirking, “You know, we should keep a guy around for you to impress more often. You’re far more talkative.” CJ glared. “Going…”
“What, no desperate cries of ‘You’ll never get away with this”? I’m disappointed.”
“Good.” CJ said as she stood up.
Douglas grunted, “I’d stay back, unless you want to save yourselves some suffering.” He turned and walked out, leaving some soldiers to finish wiring the doors, while another kept a gun on them.
As the wiring was finished and the rest of the soldiers withdrew, Hitomi jerked her head at the door, but CJ shook her head, then motioned for them to get down as the cry, “Fire in the hole!” echoed. The tomb shook violently as the charges went off, filling it with choking dust. CJ and Hitomi held their breath, but it set Mitchell into a violent coughing fit. Once the shaking settled, CJ took stock.
The tomb was largely intact, except for around the door, which was nothing more than a hole filled with rubble. Her practiced eye knew there was no chance for them to dig out. That left them with one alternative.
She knelt next to Mitchell as he concentrated on getting his breath back. She felt guilty for getting him into this, but had a feeling something like this might have happened regardless once Douglas was finished with him. She resolved to talk with Buck about General Douglas when they got out of here. “Mitchell, what would be the best way to search for a back way out of here?”
He took a few more shallow breaths and shook his head, “Hard to tell. There may not even have been one. It’s possible they just walled up any extra passages. If that’s the case, we can hope the explosion weakened a wall.”
She nodded, “Get your breath back, we’re going to get out of here.” She stood and walked over to her friend. Without much effort, she broke the chain on her cuffs and did the same for Hitomi.
“I could have picked them,” Hitomi whispered.
CJ shrugged, “You can pick the bracelets later. Right now, let’s see if we can find a way out of here.” Her friend nodded, and they started combing the walls. It wasn’t long before CJ spotted what looked like a seam in a small alcove. She stepped back and motioned Hitomi over. “What’cha think?”
Hitomi squinted and moved closer, “Worth a shot.”
Siege nodded and went over to Mitchell, who was sitting against the wall, looking at the sarcophagus. “I think we may have found something.” She motioned for him to lean forward, and she reached back and popped the chain on his cuffs.
He looked up at her in astonishment, “How…?” He shook his head, “No, never mind. I think I may have found something too.”
“What?”
He pointed at some of the carvings on the stone box. “Look at that cartouche. Doesn’t it look more like the cuneiform on that scrap of paper than the normal hieroglyphs?”
She cocked her head at the carving, then slipped the paper from a pocket. She looked at it, and while she couldn’t read it, the two sets of glyphs did look similar. She crouched down and looked at the rest of the carvings.
“More than a few of the cartouches on here have cuneiform in them.” She called Hitomi over and pointed.
“How deep does the rabbit hole go, Alice?”
“Cute. Do you have a camera in that belt of yours.”
Hitomi snorted and popped a small metallic stick out. “Of course.”
“Good. Would you mind snapping some pictures?”
“Will do. Speaking of pictures, you think we’re still being watched?”
She thought for a moment, “I don’t know. I’m not sure I care either. Let’s grab a few pictures of the carvings, while you do that, maybe I can find something else to grab before we see if we can get the back door open.”
Hitomi nodded then paused, smirking, “You know, we should keep a guy around for you to impress more often. You’re far more talkative.” CJ glared. “Going…”
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