Pharaoh’s Curse Pt. 07

"No, the First was far worse, given the land of Egypt had just been cut off from the Gods. So the people and the land were feeling the effects of it," Andrew said low so the couple before them wouldn't overhear him. Arching an eyebrow when rows of the mummified Pharaohs lined both sides of the entranceway. Noting how both Carla and Anta found the sight just as odd as he did before handing the man his invitation. However, he noted how the man oddly looked up from the invitation at him once the man read his name. Not realizing that pinned onto the inside of the man's left side jacket sat the man's Uraeus, the symbol of his order. Nodding when the man wished him a good evening, and yet Andrew felt something was off with the man. He just couldn't put his finger on it. Carla and Anta played a little game to see if he could name which Pharaoh was which as they walked passed the display cases. Of course, he was right on all counts. That was until one display stopped him in his tracks as a scowl formed on his lips at the sight of the mummified woman. He knew who it was, and while the plaque was wrong, he knew instantly who the mummy was. Cleopatra VII or normally known as simply Cleopatra.

"Andy, what's wrong?" Carla asked worryingly, lightly resting her right hand on his upper back as she noted the look of disgust on his face as he stared at the case. "Surely, the body of," looking at the plaque and giving it a quick read, "Hatshepsut wouldn't put you in this foul of a mood?"

"That's not Hatshepsut," Andrew nearly growled in disdain at the woman before him. Not because she was a woman, it was what she did to Egypt that burned his blood. Not something he could rightly understand himself.

"But the plaque..."

"The plaque is wrong," Andrew cut Anta off.

"If it isn't Hatshepsut, then who is it, Andy?" Carla asked, trying to get to the bottom of this change in his mood.

"Cleopatra," Andrew said very coldly. Not noticing the shocked looks on Anta's and Carla's faces, given how no one could ever find where they had buried her body.

"You're not joking, are you?" Anta asked seriously, to which Andrew just shook his head.

"Come," Carla tugged on the sleeve of Andrew's jacket, noting the people drawing near to them. She didn't want anyone to overhear their discussion. Unaware of the hidden microphone placed behind the plaque to catch that very moment so the Medjay could verify that Andrew was indeed the true Pharaoh and not a ploy of the Great Serpent.

Alex's eyes lit up as she saw her son's face through the crowd that was approaching them. Silently watching how he was talking and vaguely how Anta or Carla pointed at something as she greeted their guests alongside the other museum personnel who made this night happen. Then she noted something coming over her son; she knew that scowl from anywhere; it was the same one he wore when he first arrived at the dig site months ago. Yet she just didn't understand why or what caused him to wear it when, just a few seconds ago, he was happily smiling at Anta and Carla.

"Mr. McCain!" Dr. Anders greeted as he smiled joyously at the sight of Andrew. "I see you have lovely dates for this evening," he stated, slyly winking at him, noting the bashfulness of Anta and Carla as they clung tighter to Andrew. "You should come by the museum sometime; the survey of the items in the chamber you led us to where Akhenaten[40] and Nefertiti[41] rested and of their mummies is going very well. I don't remember a time when there was so much excitement in our department," Dr. Anders said mirthfully as he shook Andrew's hand. "Oh, Dr. Ali is around here somewhere; she wanted to discuss something with you, after you greet everyone, of course," he stated, getting a nod from Andrew.

"And just where might I find her?" Andrew asked, wondering what she wanted.

"She said something about being over in the Old Kingdom section," leaning into Andrew, "I think she's got the bug; she's always been fascinated by the Second Dynasty and where their bodies were buried, just an FYI." Dr. Anders said, patting Andrew on the top of his shoulder before the three of them moved down the line so he could greet the other guests.

"Mr. McCain, nice to see you again; it seems like we just went on a long, beautiful trip together," Alex said once he had reached her side after speaking with two other people before her, playing up the act that Andrew wasn't her son in front of her colleagues.

"Oh? Did we go somewhere? I don't recall," Andrew teased, tapping his chin with his finger only to get a light pat on his chest from his mother.

"I hope you're ready to return to the temple site; it's going to be very... remote," Alex said, emphasizing the last word.

"Hey, as long as I have the biggest tent and the rest of my demands fulfilled, I'll live up to my agreement," Andrew said, playing up his act.

"I do hope you remember those nights beneath the stars we shared there," Alex said in a sweet tone, trying not to act too familiar with him in front of the museum staff.

"Maybe," Andrew said sinfully, remembering that was where this all started for him.

"Good, now I hope you enjoy your evening," Alex said, sighing in her mind when all she wanted to do was kiss him at that moment. However, she didn't need that finding its way into the papers and Julián catching wind of it. She didn't need him or his new wife making trouble for her son. Not when she knew wholeheartedly that Andrew enjoyed being deep inside of her as much as she loved feeling him fucking her to oblivion. Still, as she peered at her son's back as Anta and Carla led him deeper into the museum, she was still worried about that change in his demeanor. After everything they had gone through, she didn't want some strange metaphysical thing happening to her son.

"We're going to go say hi to our friends now that we're back; you don't mind, do you, Andy?" Anta asked, pressing her body against his right side, as did Carla.

"No, kind of wondered when you would, given we've been back a whole day now," Andrew teased, "it seems the two of you are just so into someone."

"True," Carla cooed, leaning in and placing a kiss on his lips, trying not to smear her lipstick.

"You best not keep Dr. Ali waiting," Anta said, shaking her head when Andrew asked his silent question if they were related, noting how Abasi glared angrily at her from the corner of her eye as she got her own kiss in. "I'll see you in a bit, won't I?"

"Mmmhmm," Andrew hummed as he nodded.

"Haas! Bill!" Carla and Anta shouted as they hurried over to their friends the best that they could in their heels. Carla wore a seductive smirk on her lips when she peered back at him, giving him a little wave, telling him she would be waiting.

The soles of Andrew's dress shoes clicked and echoed off the polished, waxed tile floor as he walked leisurely towards the Old Kingdom section of the museum. Keeping his eyes in front of him and not on the objects behind the display cases to keep from being bombarded with memories of ages past. That was until he got to the Nemes of Ramesses II[42] that hung behind a glass display case.

"Arrogant sod," Andrew mumbled, knowing his family only came to power because they took the throne by force, not chosen like he was. "I will make Egypt greater than even you could imagine," he stated with determination. Pondering if this was how all the other Pharaohs before him felt when they, too, wondered what to do to make themselves stand out from all the others. "Unlike you, I will take Kadash[43] and reclaim the lands beyond. I will make Egypt whole, unlike you who squandered the men you led in that battle," Andrew said to his reflection in the glass. "Unlike you, your father, his father, and all your descendants, I am the rightful Pharaoh, you and the others were only pretenders to the throne..." Turning his head when he heard someone approaching. Turning on his heel and continuing on his trek, knowing if anyone heard that, they would have thought he had gone insane. In a sense, he had, given he could tell Ramesses was not amused with his rant. Not that he cared if the old Pharaoh liked it or not; he and all the rest served him and him alone since he was Pharaoh. It was just once in a while he had to reassert who was lord and master of his mind, soul, and body.

Andrew's body grew tense; he didn't know why as he approached the entrance to the Old Kingdom section of the museum. His eyes darted to and fro, looking for anything out of place. His fingers flexed, ready to handle the weapons of Ra should the need arise. Tentatively stepping over the threshold, the feeling didn't go away as he walked deeper into the area.

"Dr. Ali?" Andrew called out, looking around the area for the woman. Noting that it was rather dark, given how the rest of the museum was lit up. Instantly spinning on his left heel as he heard the large pocket doors slamming shut, something he didn't think the place had. His nostrils flared, knowing he had just walked into a trap. Quickly praying to Bast and Sekhmet[44] as he prepared himself for an attack, feeling their touch upon his back. The skills Bast drilled into him, along with all the battles the Pharaohs fought and the reflexes that went with them, flooded his being. His head snapped to the right as he heard the rushing of feet. Andrew had no clue what was in the masked man's raised hand as he barreled toward him. All he knew was the man, and his friends would soon learn he was not weak as they must have taken him for. Bending his body like a reed backward as the man brought, what appeared to him, given the speed of it to be a club, down, using the man's momentum, a shove and a trip sent the man gliding along the polished floor into the feet of another man, causing said man to fall onto the man's back and bury his face in the first assailant's ass. However, soon two became six, and Andrew knew he was in a very bad position as the four men that had revealed themselves approached him with more caution than the first two. Quickly unbuttoning his jacket, if he was going to fight, he wasn't about to have the garment restrict his movements. "If you wish to die at the hands of Pharaoh Menes II, then I will gladly expedite your meeting with Osiris and Anubis," he boasted as he called forth the crook and flail of Ra. Its heavenly orange light burnt away the shadows of the room, revealing to his eyes he would have no way of getting out without injury due to the number of people that surrounded him. Then it turned rather weird for Andrew as the approaching men dropped to a knee and prostrated themselves before him as they felt the heat baking into their skin. Trying not to show how weirded out he was at that moment. "Wait... don't I know you from somewhere?" Andrew muttered as one of the men reached up and pulled off his mask, revealing the old man beneath it.

"Forgive us, Lord Pharaoh," Mido spoke, pressing his head against the tile floor only to have his medallion slip out of his shirt and clang onto the floor, causing Andrew's eyes to center on it.

"Medjay." The word left Andrew's lips without thinking.

"Yes, Pharaoh, we are the Medjay," Dr. Ali spoke as she walked out from behind one of the displays. "We have waited in secret for your return to lead Egypt once again," she said, keeping her distance as the heat of his weapons was just too much for her. Wondering how he could even hold them, much less be that close to them and not burn up. "Please, your grace, will you not put those away?"

"As I recall, you, Medjay killed me once; I'm not fond of repeating that," Andrew stated, referring to King Tut and how he died.

"A member of our order did that because Tut's wife wanted the throne, not us as a group," Mido said, lifting his gaze off the floor. "We understand your concern that you might be apprehensive given what must be going through your mind at the moment. Yet, please, my lord, put away the weapons; none of us here wishes you harm. I know it appears that we do; we had to test you."

"Why?"

"To see if you were truly sent by the Gods and not Apophis," Halima said, stepping forward dressed in all black just like the others. "To see if you were truly the son of Ra," she said, nodding down to the weapons that were still in his hands. She could have sworn the surface of it appeared to be moving like what she had seen on the surface of the Sun.

"So, did you worm your way into the contest just to get close to me?" Andrew asked accusingly, watching Halima drop to her knees.

"No, your lordship, I did not. I didn't even know you existed at the time. I was still under the impression it was just a fairytale. It wasn't until I asked you that question and how you glanced at me that I realized I was looking at the King of Egypt," Halima answered, keeping her head bowed. "Please, Pharaoh, take me hostage if you must, if you feel unsafe with us, but please put away the weapons. It feels like a miniature sun in here," she said as a bead of sweat ran down her brow.

"Thank you," Dr. Ali sighed as the cold air of the A/C could be felt once his weapons were dematerialized.

"Now, what do you want with me?" Andrew asked, eyeing them all suspiciously.

"To help you," Mido said, lifting himself up to his knees.

"Help me?" Andrew muttered, perplexed.

"Yes, we're in all levels of government, in the highest ranks of the army; you will need help taking control over the country," Mido said, giving the ones he mentioned a wave to step forward and introduce themselves.

"And this is supposed to endure you to me?" Andrew asked after they spent ten minutes introducing themselves to him.

"Pharaoh, please, don't take that tone," Dr. Ali pleaded. "I know this must be difficult for you, given how your ba[45] is now just rousing from its long slumber, yet we are here to help you. We ourselves have waited countless years to see the country, the land that we love, restored back to its true form. We know you have no reason to trust us, yet this," pulling out her Uraeus medallion as she stepped closer to Andrew as it rested in the right palm of her hand, "this is what has guided us since the fall of Egypt, this is what kept us safe when the Christians and the Muslims were rooting out people that were heretics in their eyes. You see, you, your past self, bestowed this onto the Medjay; I'm sure you will remember that day in time. We want you to know while there might have been some bad apples in our ranks, we have always heeded your command and kept the secrets of the Pharaoh hidden from all those who tried and failed to lay claim to your heritage," Dr. Ali said, trying to rebuild their order and regain the seat of power they had once held in Egypt.

"And what is it that you want from me? Surely you simply can't be doing all this out of some sense of loyalty to a royal house that has been extinct for two thousand years or more," Andrew asked, turning his gaze to Mido, who had gotten to his feet some minutes ago.

"You need bodyguards that you can trust to keep what should be hidden, hidden, and you need an army to ensure that this great awakening happens," Mido said with a cocky smirk, telling Andrew he knew all about what he had said to the reporter. "I have said we, Medjay, are everywhere. We have been infiltrating the ranks of the invaders that sell off our heritage or proclaim to be saving it only to hide it away in lands far from its birthplace. Test us if you like, yet I speak the truth, Pharaoh; each one of us has been preparing for this day."

"And the army will just fall in line?" Andrew asked skeptically after asking the man who turned out to be a Fariq officer in the Egyptian army a few battle questions that only a man who has studied tactics and put them into action would know how to counter who answered his questions to his surprised satisfaction.

"The top officers might not; they've grown fat on the corruption of the government, the lower rankings, the ones who are conscribed into the ranks, they have no love for the government that bleeds this land dry and rebukes their duty to ensure that their men are paid the wages they're owed. They will follow you, my lord, I'm sure of it," the man said with a firm nod.

"Very well, if you are to be my shield, stay hidden until I'm ready to take back the throne," Andrew said sternly, turning on his heel and preparing to leave.

"Of course, my Pharaoh," Mido nodded. "If I might suggest one thing..." Watching how that stopped Andrew in his tracks, causing him to peer back at him. "That Halima here will be your contact between us since she's already been seen with you and won't draw too much attention to you or her."

Andrew's eyes ran over the woman, noticing how she fidgeted beneath his gaze. "Acceptable, and you..." Pointing at the General, "ensure that the forces of Egypt are prepared to go to war, and make sure the symbol of Set, Sekhmet, and Bast adorn their gear and everything else," Andrew commanded.

"Set, my lord?" the man asked, confused.

"He is the god of war, General," Andrew said from over his shoulder, "and I mean to win." His voice died away as he slipped out of the room. As he was walking past display cases to return to Anta's and Carla's sides, he could feel the eyes of the giant Set statue following him across the room. "Yes?" he asked, turning and looking at the stone figure.

"You honor me, Pharaoh; I have not been remembered as the God of War for some time. As you and your armies honor me, I shall ensure our enemies cower in the face of our might!" With that, Set left his mind and returned to the heavenly plane.

"Set is a mighty one to have at your back, as long as you honor him." Andrew instantly spun around at the voice he hadn't heard in months. "We meet again, young Pharaoh," Isis said in her human disguise as Neith smiling warmly at Andrew.

"Isis, I wasn't expecting to see you here," Andrew said, trying to keep his cool. However, he knew having two gods appear in less than a minute was never good.

"Come now... Menes, you think I would miss out on this?" Isis said, waving her hands out and to the sides of her, smirking when she used his royal name. "That I, one of the Gods, would miss out on this when the true King sets his base for his ascension?" Andrew could hear the amusement and the pride in her voice that he had chosen the right path. "Although, I must say, even Ra was bemused when you put that usurper in her place. I don't even think Menes, the first one," a glint of humor sparkled in her eyes when she said that, "could or would do such a thing, and his blood was purer, in the godly sense, than yours. Don't take that as me degrading you, just that you constantly surprise us, Gods."

"Thanks... I guess," Andrew said, he was still taking it as a put-down.

"Now," looping her arm around Andrew's left and leading him off to where Carla and Anta were, "I know Ptah has asked for a specific spot in your temple. I don't condone him demeaning my son," Isis said, lightly patting Andrew's left bicep. "You know, Osiris is so looking forward to the day when the people will talk to him again. He does get awfully lonely for a god," she uttered in a wifely tone. "I do thank you for what you've done, setting up that little shrine you've been carrying around in your bag. I haven't heard my husband's laughter in so long. You should hear him going on and on about how it was being jostled in your suitcase," Isis chuckled. "So, would you be so kind as to erect his statue by the door?"

"Sure, I don't have a problem with that," Andrew answered; he so didn't want to have a horde of Gods on his ass. "I'm assuming you'll be wanting to be next to him?"

"Of course, where else is a wife's place than beside her husband," Isis retorted, shooting Andrew a smirk. Slyly noting the looks, she was getting from the two women in Andrew's life as they neared them. "I'll speak to you again, young Pharaoh; enjoy the evening," she mused before placing a kiss on Andrew's left cheek and heading off into the depths of the museum and back to the realm of the Gods.