Chapter Eight: "The Demon Killers", by Joseph Mashuga

 Indy looked at the chamber, a look of recognition crossing his face. "I'll be damned."

 Bernice looked from Marcus to Indy. "What? Who is it?"

 Indy turned to Bernice and said in hushed tones, "Professor Vasily Dobtcheff, one of the greatest Egyptologists of the nineteenth century. Let's check the other pods; who knows how many other people are hibernating."

 Marcus let off a low whistle. Benny glanced back at Marcus, then followed his gaze to another chamber. And another. And another. "Indy...."

 "Yeah, I know, how did he get here?"

 "No, Indy, look at the other chambers."

 He did so, and each of the academics noticed something different. Bernice spoke up first.

 "They're all Gumme tribesmen. All of them except Dobtcheff."

 Indy glanced around. "There's no dust in this room. It's all clean."

 Marcus peered at the professor. "He shaved his beard off."

 Bernice and Indy peered at Marcus in unison. A brief silence followed, broken by Marcus.

 "How did he get here? Mars, that is, not the chamber. Another one of those sacrificial pods?"

 Bernice shook her head. "I doubt it, though sacrifice was morbidly fascinating to the Osirans, enough so that there should be more pods at the other pyramid. No, the professor would have died the way we almost did, unless he had managed to stumble into the same emergency exit that Marcus provided for us. Dobtcheff must have found a wormhole connecting this pyramid to the one in Brazil."

 Jones scanned the room slowly. "If Dobtcheff found a...worm hole...to this place, there must be one leading back." Indy paused, as if finished, then sighed. "He isn't one of my favorite people, but I suppose the best way to find both answers is to ask him. There has to be a method of opening these chambers, but the walls have no pictograms on them. Check the cases for any hieroglyphics."

 "Already there, Indy. There's an ankh above each cylinder." Benny touched the glyph, and the strange liquid began draining from Dobtcheff's case. Within minutes, the substance was gone, and the case slid upward around the professor. Dobtcheff's eyes snapped open and he convulsed briefly before slumping forward. Marcus and Bernice pulled the breathing mask off the professor's face and lowered him to the ground.

 "Is he all right?" Indy asked.

 Bernice lifted Dobtcheff's head slightly and she gave him a cursory examination. "Other than the shock of waking up, he seems fine. I'm not exactly an old hand at hibernation problems, though."

 "Vasily, this is Marcus. Vasily, can you hear me?"

 Dobtcheff focused on the somewhat blurred face before him, then his eyes flicked toward Benny. "Of course I can hear you, you old fool. I can see you too, though I've no idea who this angel of a woman is."

 Indy groaned. "Yep, he's all right."

 Thump went Dobtcheff's head to the ground.

 "Oops, sorry," Bernice said dryly. Marcus and Benny slowly helped Dobtcheff to his feet as Indy examined the other walls in the chamber. "My name is Bernice Summerfield. Can I ask how you got here, Professor?"

 Dobtcheff shook the cobwebs from his brain and peered around the room. "You can ask, pretty, but I'm a bit sketchy on the details myself. Give me a bit to collect myself, if you would, dear." Seemingly ignoring Benny's glare, he regarded Indy. "Mr. Jones, why am I not surprised to find you following my footsteps like a lost puppy dog?"

 "You're lucky we did follow your footsteps, Dobtcheff, else you'd still be napping. It certainly wasn't beauty sleep, I can see."

 Marcus piped in. "Oh yes, Vasily, when did you cut the beard?"

 "Eh?" Dobtcheff stroked his chin. "I didn't shave."

 "I must fulfill an ancient prophecy. I must avenge an ancient wrong. Great forces are being unleashed, and soon death, destruction, and despair will travel to all corners of the Earth. I have a destiny to fulfill, and nothing will stand in my way."

 The Doctor stepped closer to Zeitflur. "And how do you hope to accomplish that?"

 Zeitflur's blood-tinged eyes betrayed no emotion as he raised his hands toward the Doctor. "By killing you first."

 "Jock, Kael, get out of here!" the Doctor cried. Jock grabbed Kael by the arm and half-dragged her out of the shattered chamber. The Doctor had noticed two things about Zeitflur, who was by now less than two feet away from him. Though Zeitflur raised his arms to fire, the energy discharge emanated from his chest. There was also a brief period between the empowered man's aim and the energy discharge. If he was right...

 The Doctor's own hair stood on end as Zeitflur's body started glowing once again. The Doctor waited for the briefest of moments, then dove forward and pushed Zeitflur's arms to the left as he hit the floor hard.

 Energy exploded through the doors opposite those Zeitflur had intended to destroy. The Doctor scrambled to his feet and ran down the corridor, arms over his head, as debris rained down around him. Zeitflur's shrill laughter reverberated throughout the corridor. The Doctor felt goosebumps arise on his arms, and dove into the adjacent corridor as another energy blast flashed where he had been only a moment before. A battered, bloodied Jock pulled the Doctor to his feet, and they continued fleeing the possessed Zeitflur.

 They stumbled out of the pyramid scant minutes later, the sound of Zeitflur's laughter and the scent of ozone nearly absent. Of course, merely leaving the pyramid did not stop the trio from escaping further into the Brazilian canopy; however, the figure of Jock pitching face first into the thick underbrush did slow them down somewhat. The Doctor slowed and glanced back at the bush pilot, noticing Jock rising to his feet with the bedraggled tomb robber from the earlier afternoon. Jock and the weary man were quickly on their feet, and the Doctor continued into the jungle after Miss Kael. After a couple more minutes, the foursome stopped running. The Doctor pulled Kael to the jungle floor, and Jock did the same with the robber.

 "We should be safe for the immediate future," said the Doctor, "assuming that Zeitflur isn't able to track us with his rather remarkable vision." He turned to his former assailant without missing a beat. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I am the Doctor, this is Katherine Kael, and the man who quite possibly saved your life there is known as Jock."

 The thief backed away from the trio, placing his back against a large tree. His eyes danced wildly about, focusing briefly on each of the three. "I--I'm--Clark--yes, Clark Norton. You have to help me! The tribesmen, don't let them find me. I'll do anything!"

 "Anything? Hmm, I don't believe you will need to do anything. Clark, you say? You wouldn't happen to know a miss, well, now she's a miss, though she used to be a missus, Cleo Shea? Red over green, six feet, mid-twenties?"

 "Huh? Cleo--yes, I know her. Well, I knew her, used to be married to her, actually. Why, do you?"

 "Know her? Well, yes, I knew her. Until a short time ago." The Doctor's face grew somber. "You should remember her, she's the one who tossed you about the pyramid earlier."

 "Oh. Oh! Oh my, I'm sorry. I was--I'm sorry, the Gumme, they tortured me. I'd been studying the pyramid, when they somehow decided I knew too much about it." Clark glanced about the forest nervously. "They made me see awful things, hear them too. I saw a city in flames, and their leader was talking to the Pharoah about Sekhmet."

 "Their current leader? Xicowl?" the Doctor leaned in towards Clark, the puzzle pieces almost audibly clicking into place.

 "Yes, they were talking about killing the gods! Ra was the last to die, but he unleashed Sekhmet in a final act of vengeance against humanity."

 "I see we should have contained you better." Xicowl stepped into view less than ten feet from the tree Clark had been "hiding" behind. "Your actions have led to Sekhmet's reawakening."

 Indy grumbled inaudibly and walked back into the main chamber as Marcus, Bernice, and Dobtcheff examined the other pods.

 Bernice looked around the room. "Professor, did you see any other tribesmen in the pyramid? Anyone at all?"

 Dobtcheff shook his head. "Sorry, lovely, but I never even entered the pyramid. At least, not until now." He approached one of the glass cases. "These tubes all have Gumme in them? How unusual. No, the only tribesman I noticed was Xicowl, and him just before I lost consciousness. Strange, I felt quite ill when I passed out, but I'm fine now. I know I had a beard then, too, damnit. I hate what I look like without one."

 Indy's voice reverberated throughout the chamber, giving it the same muffled quality the Brazilian pyramid had. "Is anyone else interested in getting out of here? I'd prefer not to be stuck on Mars any longer than we have to be."

 Dobtcheff paled, and he peered upward at the translucent ceiling. "Mars...?"

 Bernice sighed. Thanks a lot, Indy. "Yes, we're on Mars. You wouldn't know how to get back, would you?"

 Dobtcheff sighed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but I have no idea."

 There was a grating sound. Bernice and Dobtcheff turned to see Marcus on the floor, rubbing his bottom. "Ow. What is it with walls in this place? None of them stay still."

 Bernice groaned. "Marcus..."

 The glass cases were all being drained of the strange fluid within. Bernice hauled Marcus to his feet. "Indy, we're in trouble!"

 Jones peered into the chamber. "What was that...noise..." Indy's voice died out as the cases slid open in unison. Fifty-nine hands removed fifty-nine breathing masks, and the various tribesmen shivered and retched. Bernice, Marcus, and Dobtcheff moved as silently as they had in the rest of their lifetimes, but it was not quite enough. One of the Gumme pointed their direction, yelling. Only Bernice understood, of course.

 "They've taken Xicowl! They must be followers of Sekhmet! Kill the followers of the demon!"

 "Oh boy," muttered Indy. "The number of times I've had a horde of tribesmen after me...quick, get out!" Indy pulled Marcus through the doorway. Bernice and Dobtcheff followed shortly afterward, and they ran back into the mummy's chamber. With a flick of the wrist, the bullwhip wrapped around the mummy's arm, still keeping the two chambers connected. Indy snapped the whip and pulled; the mummy's arm came free, closing the chamber door. Bernice ran to the door opposite that which they had left. Dobtcheff and Marcus helped Bernice slide the door to the side, and Indy wedged the arm into the doorway. The pounding of the Gumme reverberated through the pyramid.

 Bernice smirked, whispering, "I thought I heard a tapping..."

 Moments later, the academics entered a chamber much larger than that which they had left. All about the chamber, strewn about as if left by a careless child, were various pieces of jewelry. A statue stood in each corner, nearly twenty feet tall and made of some unknown metal. Ra's image stood in one corner, Horus placed opposite the chamber, opposing him. Osiris and Bast likewise opposed one another, and an ornate statue of Set adorned the very center of the room. Various coins were spread about the room, and tapestries seemed to conceal every inch of wallspace. Indy whistled, more in appreciation of the age and rarity of the find than thoughts of the value such pieces would bring.

 "Hold onto your potatoes," he murmured.

 "There are one hundred and twenty seven tribesmen, Doctor."

 "Not bad. How many of them are four thousand year old priests? Including yourself, of course."

 Xicowl spat an oath, glaring at Clark. "Sixty of us chose to remain, in case the threat of Sekhmet should ever occur again. We must wake the Pharaoh. Only the Pharaoh can stand against Sekhmet with any chance of survival."

 "The Pharaoh?"

 Xicowl motioned back to the pyramid, and the group began their trek back through the jungle. "When Sekhmet was unleashed, we had little time to prepare. But where we were weak, afraid, the Pharaoh was strong, and knew what must be done. He ordered us to gather as many of the forgotten relics of the gods as we could find. The Pharaoh knew some of the relics' secrets, and he used the gods' own power to fill his body with their power. He charged us with building a place to hold Sekhmet, far from the reaches of man. The Pharaoh and Sekhmet fought a great battle, and both beings fell into exhaustion. We came here, and used the relics to ensure that if ever Sekhmet should wake, the Pharaoh would also wake. I have heard the sounds of battle within the pyramid; they must be fighting again. I must help my Pharaoh."

 "Unfortunately, the only beings Zeitflur were fighting were us. He nearly obliterated us, just as he did Doc."

 Xicowl nodded sadly at Jock. "I am sorry. His loss affects us as well, for he was nearly a tribesman, in spirit if not by birth." Xicowl's face became the pinnacle of determination. "If Sekhmet is not fighting the Pharaoh, we are in terrible danger. We must wake him!"

 "I've been thinking about that. Let us hope I think more quickly the closer we get."

 "That shouldn't have happened. The rest of you okay?" After assents from Benny, Marcus, and Dobtcheff, Indy turned in the direction his whip was now pulling. Indy gazed up at his whip, wrapped around the mouth of the cobra-headed god, the image of Set, walking towards him. His shock quickly became a strangled yelp as snakes were vomited out of the evil god's mouth.

 Fortunately for Indy, he was too distracted by the snakes to notice that the other statues were also moving.

 TO BE CONTINUED: THE FIVE FACES OF FEAR!!