Sprech, Broadmoor, Gardener and all of the investigators are at the Pyramid of Menkaure. Entering the tunnel first are Gardener and Sprech because they know the way. Who knows what dangers lie ahead? Nerves are frayed. Everyone is jumpy.
Gardener: “Come on, hurry up!”
The tunnel beneath the Pyramid of Menkaure takes a turn.
Gardener: “I’m sure the guns here are unnecessary. They won’t be waiting for us here!”
Myles (whispering): “Has someone got any chloroform with them? You know, just in case…?”
Sprech: “Look here! I can see some very interesting hieroglyphs here. The sarcophagus was in the middle of the chamber. I translated these texts. There are of course ambiguities but it is about Nitocris. I don’t know how they got it out. There was no obvious way. So, quite obviously there were no signs of scrape marks but many people have been through. There must be a secret way in and out beneath the Pyramid of Menkaure.”
Joseph: “Everybody stand back. Let me take a look.”
Agatha: “This place positively throbs with evil. I touched her spirit and understand this.”
Myles examines the floor of the chamber: “
Myles: Look here! There are roller tracks that suddenly disappear. It is totally solid. The catch is below! We are going to have to try and force it!”
Myles, Joe, Irma and Sprech are the strongest and gather around the door.
They manage to wedge the door open and Wesley, the skinniest, is able to get a hand through and open the latch, in that instant he almost slides down and falls through but is able to cling on to the side as the hatch swings open!
A ramp descends down from the hatch.
Gardener: “Oh my god it is true!”
Irma: “Shut up you schmuck! What do you want, Nyarlathotep to welcome us in, putz!”
Gardener: “Sorry, sorry! But do you know what this means? There is another entrance!”
Trixie: “Gentlemen, please put on your robes, except for the four ‘prisoners’.”
The prisoners are Gardener, Broadmoor and Sprech, the rest are wearing the ceremonial white robes of the cultists.
Sprech: “Zis is amazing. I wonder if this is an older culture even zan zee Egyptians!?”
It’s a narrow, uneven tunnel, and would have been hard work moving the sarcophagus.
Under he Pyramid of Menkaure, the body of Shakti is being carried by Sprech and Gardener on a stretcher. The body is full of sticks of dynamite. The investigators have removed some vital organs to prevent him being resurrected and plan an appropriate and explosive send off for him.
The tunnel ahead bends again. The investigators stop and listen.
Only the strange howling and mewling of the winds can be heard. Joe suddenly realises that the investigators have joined the tunnel where they entered the first time!
Suddenly there is a revolting stench and Donelly begins to retch.
Joe: “Bejeezus! Who dropped that one?”
He recovers and the party continue forwards. Suddenly, something can be heard down the tunnel ahead.
Myles: “Lights out – something’s coming!” He hisses.
Joe: “It’s the beasts again! Normal ordinance, boys!”
They turn off the tunnel, beneath the Pyramid of Menkaure, the way the investigators are planning to go. The investigators wait until they are out of earshot before continuing.
Sprech is noting all of the tableau’s and murals on the walls.
Trixie: “Stop talking or I’ll knock your block off!”
Agatha: “Oh, I feel so safe with you. You’re such a thoroughly modern woman!”
Sprech: “An ancient pharaonic culture! Without morals! Without weakness!”
The investigator’s story is that, after recovering the body from he Pyramid of Menkaure, they are bringing Shakti to the ceremony to get him resurrected.
Silence descends and all ears listen. There is activity ahead.
Irma: “Let’s get to the hall within the Pyramid of Menkaure and resurrect our lord. And annihilate the priests!”
Out of nowhere, Children of the Sphinx leap towards Irma and Joe and try and grapple them!
Gardener: “Oh my god!”
The grapple attempt fails and Irma uses the martial arts he learnt from Firm Action in Shanghai to punch back, striking a bull-headed monstrosity squarely in the face! Joe strikes another with the butt of his M16. Joe strikes again and fells the monstrosity with the head of an Ibis while Irma finishes off the bull-headed beast.
Myles notices that one is still breathing and finishes it off.
Agatha and Gardener: “Oh my god!”
Sprech: “They are like the gods of ancient Egypt, but alive! Gott im Himmel! It is not a mask! We are in Duat! Neter-khertet! The ancient Egyptian underworld!”
Up ahead under the Pyramid of Menkaure, maybe 200’, there is a flickering of torches and the outline of a stele…
Entering the enormous chamber, Myles engages with the first of the guards, speaking in Arabic.
Priest in pharaonic garb:
Priest: “What is this?”
Myles: “We have prisoners, infidels!”
Priest: “Wait! Who are the prisoners?”
Myles: “They are people from the dig!”
Priest: “Then you are early! Take them to the cells!”
Myles: “Shakti told us to bring them here for questioning.”
Priest: “Shakti? We cannot keep them here. Take them to the jails.”
Myles: “They are to be questioned here.”
Priest: “Show me the prisoners. Bring them forth!”
The party continues along the bridge into the the Pyramid of Menkaure chamber. There are lots of guards with rifles on the bridge.
Myles: “I need to speak to you alone!”
Priest: “Bring them forward!”
Myles: “I need to tell you something and I don’t want to alarm the guards.”
Priest: “Yes, what is it?”
Myles: “I have Shakti’s body.”
Priest: “No! That is not possible! He is immortal! Eternal!”
Myles: “Maybe you can resurrect him?”
Priest: “I know the principle. Bring the body forward! Wait! What are these people and what are they carrying?”
Myles: “They are prisoners.”
Priest: “Bring the woman forward!”
Agatha is brought to him. The priest grabs her face and says something Myles doesn’t understand.
Priest: “Take her to the prison. I am in command here! Take her to the prison! Wait!”
He says something Myles doesn’t understand but then pulls out a death ray and shoots the priest at point blank range: He hits and obliterates the priest. Surprise, shock and action.
All hell breaks loose beneath the Pyramid of Menkaure. Irma shoots another while Joe shoots another two of them down. There is not a lot of space on the narrow bridge. Natalja shoots another at point blank range with her M16. Trixie shoots at three more on the large dais, dropping a priest and the other two. Great shooting. Joe takes down another with the BAR. With all of the cultists in the immediate vicinity of the bridge down, Irma, Gupta and Trixie run across the bridge while Myles and Wesley give them covering fire. Natalja gets in a great shot and takes down one of the guards below.
There are animal noises. Sprech drags Gardener down into cover while Agatha runs after Trixie:
Agatha: “You’re a spirited girl – I’ll follow you! We must find the body and I will try and exorcise her spirit!”
Trixie: “Good luck with that, gal!”
Natalja shoots again with a cracking shot taking down the other cultist. He didn’t know what hit him. Simon throws a flare onto the dais in the chamber to illuminate proceedings. Gupta guns another cultist down with his Tommy gun as the investigators rush towards the steep staircase.
Trixie: “Who the hell’s looking after my rear?”
Wesley: “This is hardly the time or place Madame.”
Sprech has his Lueger out:
Sprech: “Do we come forward? Ja?”
Four more cultists suddenly appear by the sarcophagus.
Agatha: “Oh my god they’re real! Those things are real!”
Myles fires his M16 and takes down one of the cultists on the dais. Gardener is losing his mind.
Gardener: “Help! They’re real! Monsters!”
Wesley runs back to Sprech and Gardener who are guarding Shakti’s body.
Agatha: “This place is the epicentre of evil in the world! We must steel ourselves for what is to come!”
Meanwhile, Wesley shouts to Sprech and Gardener:
Wesley: “Quick bring Shakti!”
Natalja has heard something.
Meanwhile Gupta is at the sarcophagus for the second time. The lid is on.
Wesley spots a cultist with a rifle, it jams, just as he is about to shoot!
Simon pulls out a flare to throw.
Agatha points at the sarcophagus:
Agatha: “That is the heart of evil in this place!”
Wesley throws a grenade and the explosion causes a lot of noise behind the pillars. It is impossible to see what damage was done.
Sprech: “If we throw zee body, vill it set off zee explosives? Vee must get it to the bottom of the stairs!”
The manoeuvrer is not easy. Gupta, Simon and Irma lift off the lid of the sarcophagus, but there is nothing in it!
Simon: “Agatha, where is she?”
Agatha: “I don’t know? Let me up!”
Simon: “Don’t let her up!!!”
Trixie grabs Agatha by the wrist and studies her expression, but is unable to read anything.
Agatha: “I must try to find the spirit my dear!”
Simon: “There’s nothing here! Agatha?”
Agatha: “Are you here? Queen Nitocris? I call you forth!”
Trixie: “Stop that right now. We are not trying to call her forth!”
Agatha: “Is this someone else there? I hear someone else!”
Wesley moves along the bridge drawing his lightning gun.
Agatha: “It’s a man? I don’t understand what you mean? Why do you keep saying fish? Oh, spanners? He’s here? HE’S HERE.”
Her voice changes. Trixie immediately tries to knock her out with a punch.
Monstrous Voice: “YOU DEFILE MY GREAT CHAMBER! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS TRANSGRESSION! YOU ARE ADDRESSING THE BLACK PHARAOH!”
Myles shoots her. As she drops the voice of Trent Duxford III:
Trent: “Run for your lives boys!”
Sprech: “WHO WAS SPEAKING FROM HER MOUTH!”
Irma suddenly has an insight:
Irma: “RUUUUNNNN!!!!”
Sprech: “Let’s go! JETZT! LOS! LOS!”
There is a scramble to get up the stairs, Myles makes it up with ease. There are thrashing tentacles and appendages from Agatha’s body, Joe blasts it with his BAR while Wesley unleashes a blast from the lightning gun inflicting severe damage on the already mutilated body of Agatha Broadmoor.
Irma throws a phosphorous grenade onto the body of Shakti. It fizzes and pops. The others are through as Wesley covers. To his horror, he sees the Sphinx emerge from the remains. He blasts it with the lightning gun which does nothing! Then the dynamite explodes and there is an awful bellowing! The thing is still alive. Wesley Fock is frozen in terror. His brain is screaming ‘Run’ but his body is not responding, as if his heart, blood and sinew have transformed into lead. A terrible realisation is forming in his mind.
Trent Duxford III is still locked in his deathly embrace with Nyarlathotep, Is there no reprieve? Even beyond death?
Suddenly and without warning, in that fraction of a moment in which so many horrific truths are compounded into a single, eternal terror, Fock feels the blood pounding in his heart and his legs are moving, running, fleeing. A sharp intake of breath and he is gone from the chamber. He can feel the contents of his stomach convulse, but fear allows no respite from the repulsion and singular horror he has witnessed.
