"Beautiful," whispered Dirk Pitt as he gazed into the hold of the ancient Egyptian funeral barge. The barge was filled with ancient treasures. He swam into the hold cautiously noting that some of the support beams were decaying. 'It's amazing its been so well preserved,' mused Pitt mentally, 'But still I should be very careful.'
"Dirk, anytime you're ready to answer would be good," came the voice of Pitt's friend since childhood Al Giordino over the communicator.
Dirk smiled faintly. "Sorry Al. I promise to be better."
"Find anything interesting?" Giordino asked.
"Definitly. I imagine the Egyptian government will be happy with our find. I'll take some pictures so everyone can see some of this."
"Make sure you don't disturb the artifacts or the archaeologists around here will hang you from the nearest tree," joked Giordino.
"I'll be good..." Pitt's voice died off as he spotted movement from the corner of his eye and turned quickly.
"Dirk, are you okay?" Giordino asked in concern.
"I'm fine Al. I'm going to explore a bit. I have enough air." Dirk moved toward the spot where he had seen the movement. "Come out, come out wherever you are," Pitt muttered under his breath.
Suddenly a shadowy hand shot out of the darkness and grabbed Pitt's ankle. Pitt quickly managed to kick free, and grab the dive knife strapped to his leg. He tried to hook his arm around the stranger's neck, but recieved a kick in the stomach that threw off his aim. The figure managed to pull out of Pitt's reach, but dropped the object he'd been carrying. Pitt jumped for it clutching what felt a lot like a staff in his hand tightly. The figure lunged at Pitt, pulling out a huge jagged knife and struck at his chest. Pitt dodged it, but barely. The deadly confrontation continued, each holding their ground waiting for the other to make a mistake. Suddenly Pitt noticed that the ship was shaking a bit. This fight was too much for the old support beams to cope, and Pitt knew he had to get out or he'd be trapped within the ship. Holding onto the staff he made a break for it. His opponent also realized the danger now and made a break for the nearest opening to him. Pitt made it out just in time. The barge collapsed. Pitt looked around, but failed to see the stranger.
"Al, I'm coming up," Pitt said to alert his friend.
"I've been trying to get in touch with you for the last five minutes! What the hell is going on down there?" Giordino demanded anxiously.
Pitt stared the object his attacker had left behind. It was a beautiful pure gold scepter covered in precious stones like rubies and emeralds. At the very top was a the biggest ruby he had ever seen. In confusion, his eyes darted from the scepter to the the wrecked funeral barge. Why would a graverobber choose this object out of all the priceless relics in the barge to steal and why had it been worth dying for? "I really wish I knew Al."

AWSOME GAMAY!!! th: I guess we have another writer in our midst. party:
This one sounds like its gonna be way good! I can't wait!

Great start th:
Nice to see someone else have a go as well.......
Heather *hint,hint* ;)

HEY!!!! :o None of that Rob! :P :lol:

Great job, Gamay! I was right in the action with Dirk the whole time I was reading it. Great to see a breath of fresh writing, keep it up! w:

Thanks or the encouragement guys! Here's the next installment. I hope its okay.

Giordino held the scepter up in front of him and shook his head. "I don't know why I let you out of my sight. Only you could attacked while making a simple explorative dive."
"Must have been something I said," Pitt joked.
"We should tell the authorities, and they can decide what they want to do about this mess. They are not going to be happy with any of this."
"Yeah, although I doubt they'll believe me about the fight in the barge," Pitt said.
"They'd believe it if they knew you at all," laughed Giordino.
"Very funny wise guy," Pitt said rolling his eyes at his friend. "I'm going to call Admiral Sandecker and see if he can convince the Egyptian authorities to let us bring the scepter I recovered back to the States for analysis and protection. Someone wanted it pretty badly."
"You don't think the thief died in the ship?" Giordino asked.
"He might have, but I don't think this was an isolated theft. If the thief was just there to steal gold, then he could have just reached in and pulled out the stuff close to the edges. Instead he risked entering the ancient barge and picked out this one object. This person was willing to die for this thing. I have a feeling there is more to this scepter than meets the eye."
"You go call Sandecker and I'll take this thing to the lab and the scientists there can see what they can do to preserve it," Giordino said.
Admiral James Sandecker, the director of NUMA, carried tremendous weight and managed to convince the Egyptian government to allow NUMA to keep the mysterious scepter temporarily, under the condition that it would be returned to Egypt and NUMA would help salvage the buried treasures. He also arranged jet transport for Pitt and Giordino back to Washington D.C.
While Pitt and Giordino rested on the plane back to Washington, Hiram Yaegar, NUMA's resident computer whiz, was hard at work slaving over his fantastic computers, who were rivaled by no one.
"Okay Max. Give me what you found," he said to the holographic image of an attractive woman.
"I looked everywhere, and all I could find was a mention of it in a stele discovered six years ago in the ruins of the palace of Cleopatra," Max answered. "A translation was published. Would you like to read it?"
"Yes please Max," said Yaegar, leaning forward to read. He was instantly entranced by by the story written so many years ago.

"The Romans are on top of us. Our armies have fallen, our beloved Queen will soon be no more. This is the end of our great nation! If only our Queen still held the scepter, forged so long ago by the very first Pharaoh. It maintained us and kept our nation strong and prosperous. If we still had it, those barbarians wouldn't have made it near our borders. It was stolen by those trecherous Romans! I am sure of it. They knew they could never beat us while we still had the scepter. The end is near."

Yaegar sat back and rubbed his eyes while he contemplated what he had read. It was certainly an interesting story, but it was just a story wasn't it? If the scepter was so significant to the Egyptians, why had there never been anothor mention of it and if Cleopatra had held the scepter, how did it come to rest in one of her predecesor's tombs? The scribe who had written this seemed to have given it almost mythical powers. He stared at the translation. It sounded so real. Knowing that the scepter actually existed, he could almost bring himself to believe it himself, but Yaegar was a sensible man who needed more proof then one brief mention on a stele that could have been faked.
"Max, please find me the name of the archaeolgists who found and analyzed this stele," he told the computer, who responded instantly. An hour later, he had spoken to several authorities on the subject. "Admiral, Max and I have some information to share," he reported.
Pitt and Giordino landed in D.C. and were greeted by a security force Sandecker had arranged to meet them, so that the scepter would remain safe.
They were escoted to Sandecker's office, where Sandecker, Yaegar, and NUMA's deputy director Rudi Gunn were waiting. The scepter was taken to a safe place in the building to be stored for the moment. Coffee and assorted papers were handed around to everyone, and they got right down to buisness.
"Hiram, what are the chances this translation is a hoax," Pitt asked.
"If its a hoax its an incredible and expensive one. The tablet was dated to the time of Cleopatra and the writing style is consistent with the scribes at the time. What's more, although this is the only translation Max could find with a reference to the scepter, it is not the only one that exists. They were not published because most were incomplete, but references to it occur throughout the history of Egypt. Papyrus and paint don't preserve well unfortunately," Yaegar responded. "The documents have been analyzed by many experts and all agree they are genuine."
"I can accept that, but here's what I don't get," said Giordino shaking his head. "We know Cleopatra couldn't have carried the sceptor. Dirk found it being taken from in one of her predecesor's tombs."
"I asked myself the same thing, and I still don't have a satisfactory answer for that," Yaegar admitted. "Right now we just seem to have more questions then answers."
Pitt stood. "Then I think we should find some answers." He turned to Sandecker. "Where is the scepter now Admiral?"
"Locked up in the basement. In the vault we keep the valuable artifacts in," Sandecker answered.
"I'd like to take another look at it. We didn't get to see it after the lab preserved it because they wrapped it up and said not to take it out of the protective case until it was in a controlled environment. Maybe there is some clue that was buried under the gunk that had collected over the years." Pitt received the key and headed down to the basement.
Pitt took the elevator down to the basement and walked to the vault. He was surprised to see the guard apparently sleeping in front of the vault. He stopped beside him to berate him for his laxity, but suddenly noticed a red stain spreading on the back of the guards head. It was blood. Someone had attacked the guard.
"Darn!" Pitt cried, quickly calling Sandecker for medical assistance and back-up to close down the building. It was a long shot, but maybe they could stop the intruder before he got away. Pitt quickly tore some of the cloth from his shirt and used it to slow the bleeding from the guards head wound and clean it some.
"What happened," murmured the guard, who had woken up but was still dazed from the blow to the head.
Pitt, who had been examining the wound, breathed a sigh of relief. It didn't look serious. "Someone hit you. Did you see the culprit?"
The guard had come around more and was able to answer, "The guy I was guarding with did it. Name is Tim Latterly. He's newer to the security team then the rest of us, but had been reliable on previous jobs. I really don't know him well." He then passed out.
The ambulence had shown up promptly and the attendents where quick to assure Pitt that the guard would be fine.
With the injured guard in good hands, Pitt looked in to confirm his suspision that the scepter was gone. Tim Latterly the guard had said. Either he'd been bribed or the real Tim Latterly had been substituted. Pitt wasn't ready to jump to any conclusions yet.
He looked around. The scepter was gone, and the room had been destroyed. Priceless artifacts scattered across the floor, many broken. One guard injured, the other missing, and all for that scepter. He couldn't understand why. Pitt felt the anger rising within him. Whoever was behind this would pay. He would make sure of this.

Wow! This is Awesome, Gamay! Good thing I encouraged you to do this, because obviously you are a very good writer. Hopefully, you and others can write some great stories that this forum can use. I think that there's one story left in me and then that's it. Can't wait for the rest of your story, Gamay! Enjoy your writing because it can be a lot of fun. w:

This GREAT Gamay! REALLY awsome! You have talent, thats for sure. th: Keep it comin! :)
I think you have given me a new courage to start writing here on the forum...maybe. :lol:

PS- WHAT TONY!!! YOU'RE GONNA STOP WRITING!!!!!!! yike:

Nope, I simply won't let you. :P

More, more I say! bu: :lol:

And more you shall get. I'm really starting to get into this. Dear_Heart I'm waiting for you story. Tonym5 I will simply not allow you to stop writing. You will continue under threat of constant messaging!!! (diabolical laugh) :P :lol:


Sandecker paced across the floor of his office. He was furious. Someone had penetrated his beloved NUMA. He looked hard at the security chief. "What is going on here!" Sandecker demanded of him.
The chief squirmed under Sandecker's harsh and angry gaze. "I need more time to gather information on what happened. We are still scouring the building for the stolen artifact..." His voice died out under Sandecker's gaze. This look would have stopped a rampaging bull.
"Too little, too late," Pitt said flatly. "We don't know how long the guard was unconscious, and in a guard uniform he could have walked right out without anyone giving him a second glance. Besides he may have dumped the guard uniform by now and be posing as a visitor. What are you going to do? You can't possible check every person in the building."
"What do you have on this other guard? The one that seems to have gong rogue..." unn looked down at the notepad in front of him, "Tim Latterly."
The security chief pulled out a file on him. "He's been with us for six months. The newest to the security team, but he was very good and had been reliable. He's an ex-Marine," catching the looks he was receiving, he added, "He left the Marines in good standing. A medical discharge that kept him from returning to his work there, but wasn't bad enough to keep him from security work. He had hurt his knee, but he passed the necessary physical for us."
Sandecker, still giving him a death stare, asked,"And you checked all this with the Marines."
The chief straightened self-righteously, "Of course I did! We screen all our employees."
"Can we have a copy of the information on Latterly," Pitt inquired.
"Of course. Take this copy. The original is back in my office," said the security chief before excusing himself to get back to work.
"Look at this. Latterly has an address," Pitt mused aloud.
Giordino shot his friend an amused look, "Do I smell a field trip in the air?"
Pitt laughed. "I think it would be rude not to stop in and say hello."
Pitt and Giordino bid the others goodbye and headed over to Latterly's home.
The address was for and apartment in one of the rougher neighborhoods. They talked to the landlord, who was cranky because Latterly's rent was overdue, and convinced him to let them in to look around.
They entered the apartment and Giordino looked around the room distastfully. "Do you think the rats pay their part of the rent."
Pitt, ignoring his friend's comment, was making his way around the room. Despite the shabbiness of the room, it was clean. The closets and drawers were empty. The room looked like it hadn't been occupied at all recently.
"Crap! He must have run out without paying. I should have known. Normally I wouldn't let someone get away without paying, but this guy has been rooming with me since he left the Marines. He always paid the beginning of every month and he was a quiet tenant." The landlord looked around in disgust. "I better start looking for another tenant."
Giordino's eyes were focused on a lamp sitting on the night stand. "You may have a problem there. This is a crime scene."
Pitt and the landlord came closer. "Why do you say that?" Pitt asked.
"There is a blood stain on the edge of this lamp's base. Unless it was there when Latterly moved in, I think we should look for a body."
The landlord paled and ran from the room to call the police. Pitt and Giordino followed, careful not to touch anything on the way out.
They decided to look around the outside of the building and split up.
While Pitt was exploring he heard a noise. It was the crash of a dumpster lid. Pitt sprinted toward the place where he heard the noise and saw a shadow running away. Running at full speed, he realized that he wouldn't be able to catch the guy on his own. He also realized that the intruder was doubling back in an attempt to lose him. Pitt yanked out his phone and managed to gasp out a few cryptic instructions between heaving breaths, praying that this guy continued back toward the apartment building and Giordino.
Out of nowhere came Giordino, tackling the stranger and wrestling him to the ground. At first the stranger struggled in vain, but was unable to break Giordino's strong grip. Thye handed him off to the police, but before being put in the police car Pitt pressed him up against it and demanded, "Who do you work for!"
The stranger just laughed, "What I'm just supposed to spill now. I think not."
The police took him away with Pitt and Giordino just staring angerly after him.
Hours went by, but the prisoner refused to talk. Tim Latterly's body was discovered in a dumpster with all of his stuff.
Pitt, angry at the lack of progress and the mass of events beyond his control, demanded that he be allowed to speak to the prsioner. At first the police refused, but Pitt was stubborn and absolutely refused to take no for an answer. Finally they caved.
Pitt was let into the room and the first thing he noticed was how similar the man they caught looked to the photo he had seen of the late Tim Latterly. It was no wonder his co-workers had accepted the imitation so readily.
The man recognized Pitt instantly. "It's you," the venom in his voice was obvious. "Are you here to tell me how I'm going to go to jail forever or how I'll be executed for my crimes, which you can't prove." The voice took on a mocking tone. "You don't think I know. You are all idiots if you think you can intimidate me into talking."
"I'm not here to intimidate you. I just want to talk," Pitt said, barely able to keep himself from tearing the villan's throat out.
"I suppose I have time," the man laughed.
Pitt was instantly on alert. This guy was too cocky. He was acting like he still had an ace to play.
"Was it worth it?" Pitt asked.
This question threw the man. Confused he asked, "Was what worth it?"
"Was the scepter worth a man's life?" Pitt asked, hatred etched across his face.
"I don't know why the boss wanted that darn thing," the man snorted. "I just do what I'm told."
"Where is it?" Pitt asked.
"You don't really think I'm going to answer that, now do you?" the prisoner said, a wicked smile across his face. "I'm done entertaining you. You can let yourself out." The man then shut down, ignoring Pitt as though he wasn't even there.
Pitt left and was greeted by Giordino. "Any luck with our friend."
Pitt shook his head. "No, let's head back to NUMA to regroup."
They had just gotten into the car, Pitt behind the wheel, when they heard an explosion from teh police station and suddenly saw a little black car take off.
Pitt jammed his foot against the accelerator and took off after the fleeing car.
"Al, there is a gun in the glove compartment. See if you can shoot out the tires," Pitt instructed his friend.
"Time for a master marksman to show off his stuff," Giordino said, sticking his arm through the window and aiming the gun.
The other driver was recklessly weaving back and forth on the road. Luckily it was late and the road was empty.
"Dirk, try to pull closer, so I can get a better shot," Giordino told him.
"I'll see what I can do," Pitt said through clenched teeth as he fought to keep control of the car. It had rained while they had been at the police station and the road was slick. Pitt could barely keep the car from spinning out, but at least the other driver appeared to be having similar problems.
Slowly Pitt managed to bring the car up so that it was only a few car lengths away, giving Giordino a clear shot finally which he took advantage of to shoot out three tires of the opponent's car, sending it spinning off the road.
Unfortunately for Pitt and Giordino, their car had just hit a slick patch on the road, and they too went off the road out of control.

That's it? Well I guess I can go back to reading Sahara. :lol:

OH NO!!!! :o

Not to worry. My ultimate author powers will protect them. I'm not through with them yet :lol:

The car continued on its runaway path. Pitt knew he couldn't pull the vehicle out in time. He unlocked the car and yelled "Jump!" to Giordino.
Both launched themselves from the car, positioning their bodies so that they would roll when they hit the ground in an attempt to absorb some of the shock.
Pitt lay there for a minute recuperating. Then he went through a mental checklist to make sure everything still worked. "Al, are you okay?" he called.
"How do you still have a license?" Giordino answered.
"Very funny." Pitt was relieved that Giordino was making wise cracks. He couldn't be badly hurt. "How about an actual report this time?"
"Nothing broken, but I'm going to be really sore for a few days," Giordino answered. "What about you?
"About the same," Pitt responded, pushing himself to a sitting position and looking around. He saw Giordino sitting a short distance away looking dazed, but he was definitly still in one piece. "Did you see where our friends went off?"
"Over there," Giordino said, pointing to a spot about ten feet away.
"I'll be back. You rest up," Pitt said, walking to the spot Giordino had pointed out.
He crept toward the car cautiously, worried that the occupants might be armed. Pitt looked in the window and saw that there had been no reason for him to be worried. These two wouldn't be shooting anyone again. The driver had bled out and the passengers neck was obviously broken. Pitt stared coldly at Latterly's murderer. He was not a cold man, but he reserved his sympathy for those who deserved it.
Pitt searched the car and found a metal case in the car's trunk. He opened it and was pleased to find the stolen scepter. He closed the case and went back to collect Giordino.
They took a cab back to NUMA. Both were worn out from the days exertions, but they couldn't rest yet. There was still too much to do.
Pitt and Giordino filled the others in on the events that had just transpired and the scepter was tested to make sure it was the genuine article, which it was.
"I wish we knew who was behind all this and why," Sandecker said.
"Whoever masterminded all this is certainly covering his or her tracks," then Pitt smiled and added, "But that is about to change. I have a plan."

Hehe, Of COURSE he has a plan! :)

:lol: No doubt in my mind! With Pitt it's sure to be a wild ride!!! w: Keep up the good work Gamay!!! th:

With plans made, everyone rested in their offices to recharge for the following day. While they slept, the laboratory technicians made a copy of the scepter. A tracking device was embedded in the fake and a story was leaked to the press that the scepter was to be shipped to the Museum of Natural History, where it would be displayed in the gem exhibit. The fake was put on display and guards were placed outside the exhibit, so that it would look convincing to the thieves but would hopefully keep anyone else from being harmed. The guards were all checked so a ringer could not be brought in like the last time. While the fake was shipped out of NUMA surrounded by guards, the real one remained at NUMA in a locked cabinet in Sandecker's office, which remained constantly occupied so that in the event this plan failed the thiefs could not simply walk away with the real scepter. All they could do now was wait and hope the rats took the cheese.
They didn't have to wait long. The next night the theft was reported. When Pitt was told he smiled and said, "Show time."
Following the tracking device, they ended up outside an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Washington.
"Evil villans are so uncreative. An abandoned factory! Now that's original," Giordino quiped.
"I doubt that the head honcho did the theft," Pitt said thoughtfully. "Let's sneak in and see what we can see, shall we?"
"You first fearless leader," Giordino said with an answering smile.
They crept in and continued on for awhile. Pitt looked around in dismay. "Where is a map when you need one? I think we're lost," Pitt whispered to Giordino.
Giordino put his finger to his lips and cocked his head listening. He then pointed to the right and they went down that path, guns drawn and ready if they were needed.
Three men were sitting in the room playing cards with the fake scepter laying on the edge of the table. One checked his watch. "Where in the hell is the boss? He was supposed to be here half and hour ago."
Another collected the cards and shuffled them. "You got somewhere to be? He'll be here."
The first man shot his companion a dirty look. "With the way he was driving us, I'm surprised he's late. We finally got the thing. If you ask me, this whole thing was a colossal waste of time and money," he grumbled.
A shot rang out and the man fell. "Nobody questions me," hissed a menacing voice from the shadows.

"Does anyone else have something they wish to say?" The source of the voice walked forward. Pitt was shocked. It was Vincent Wilson, the rich owner of a chain of luxurious hotels. He was one of the richest men in the world and was well-known as a lover of ancient Egyptian culture. Wilson had sponsored many archaeological expeditions in Egypt. Pitt now suspected that this hadn't been done out of the goodness of his heart.
A wicked smile marred the handsome face known by millions. "Where is it?"
The two henchmen still alive were worried. They were just hired goons and after what had just happened, they were very afraid for their own lives. One of them picked up the fake scepter and held it out muttering nervously, "Here boss."
Wilson took it in his hand and laughed. "Finally! After all these years of planning and searching, victory is within reach. He held the scepter above his head proudly.
Pitt's skin crawled, but he stayed put. They needed to know what he was planning.
Unfortunately though, Wilson was not planning to share his plans with the hired help and turned to leave.
Pitt motioned to Giordino and the two moved off to follow, but Pitt's foot accidently kicked a small can which clattered as it hit the ground again. Pitt and Giordino held their breaths, praying they hadn't been heard. Their luck failed to hold. Wilson spun around and yelled "Find the intruders!"
The henchmen pulled their guns and started methodically searching. Pitt and Giordino exchanged a look. "At least its two to two," Giordino whispered.
Just then Wilson spoke into a small two-way radio that had been clipped to his belt. Twenty guards burst in and surrounded the place.
"Spoke to soon," Pitt murmured, "His entourage has arrived."
They carefully made their way through the building, successfully staying out of sight. They were almost free when they heard a voice yell, "Halt or I'll shoot!"
Pitt and Giordino turned to see five guards staring at them, all of which had guns aimed at their chests.
"I'm sorry. Have we met?" Giordino said mischievously.
"Put your hands up and make no effort to resist. My men are trained to kill," said a man who wore a fancier uniform then the rest and appeared to be in charge of the assualt team that had caught Pitt and Giordino.
Pitt looked around at his captors. These were on a completely different level then the thieves who had stolen the fake scepter. These were obviously highly trained professionals. For right now, they would have to lay low.
After they had been thoroughly searched by the guards, they were taken to Wilson.
"I'm going to hazard a guess that you two are the NUMA men who have been ruining my carefully laid plans, " he said scornfully.
"You get an A plus for accuracy, but an F for your bad attitude," Pitt said in contempt.
Wilson turned from Pitt and Giordino to the head of the guards, "These men are a menace. I don't want to see them ever again."
"You won't sir," he responded.
Wilson's eyes hardened, "You'd better. Remember what happened to your predecessors who failed me."
"I remember sir," came the tense response.
At this Wilson turned his attention back to Pitt and Giordino. "Farewell gentlemen. We won't meet again."
Pitt tried to stall for time to think up an escape plan. He didn't plan to die here. "If we're going to die, then we have a right to know why. What is going on here?"
Wilson laughed. "Is this the part where the bad guy tells all and the hero foils the plans? I don't think so, Mr. Pitt. You've been enough trouble and it ends here. There will be no reprieve." Wilson left and the majority of the guards went with him.
The chief guard motioned the others to force Pitt and Giordino to walk foward. Even with the aura of death in the air, Pitt and Giordino remained calm.
"Any bright ideas," Giordino said under his breath, so the guards couldn't hear.
Pitt was looking at a pile of heavy pipes stacked precariously that they were next to. "Actually, I do. Fake sick right when we get clear of those pipes. Make sure to attract and keep everyones attention."
Giordino did as he was told and as Pitt had predicted, all the guards focused on Giordino when he dropped to the ground moaning and trashing out as if in pain. They didn't know what to do about this situation. While the guards were distracted, Pitt managed to sneak away and pushed against the pipes sending them rolling away.
The pipes knocked everything in the factory down, casuing the guards to be severly distracted. This gave Pitt and Giordino the opportunity to make a run for it, carefully to keep clear of falling boxes and staying low to avoid any stray bullets coming from the guards. The guards managed to get of a stray shot that got Giordino in the arm, and Pitt was grazed on his left side. Still they managed to get away in alive and in on piece.
They managed to call Sandecker, who called in a favor from the director of the FBI to go pick up Pitt and Giordino.
While all this was happening, back in Egypt, Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala were working on raising the artifacts from the wrecked barge for the Egyptian government as the agreement made had dictated.
Austin and Zavala were inspecting the wreck, when they were called back up by the captain. A strikingly beautiful woman was waiting for them. She had jet black hair, and held herself like royalty. Both men were speechless.
"Mr. Austin and Mr. Zavala?" she asked. I was told you were in charge of this operation."
"That's correct miss. Can we help you?" Zavala said smiling seductively.
Austin shot his partner a whithering look, knowing perfectly well what he was thinking. "How about focusing Joe?," he sighed. Austin turned back to the young woman and asked, "What do you need, Miss..."
"Pleasantries are unimportant right now," she said self-righteously, "I must know where the scepter has gone. I know that NUMA has it."
Both Austin and Zavala, who had been kept up to date about what was going on at NUMA, were suddenly suspicious. "Scepter?" Austin asked innocently.
"Please don't play with me, Mr. Austin," she said angerly. "There is too much at stake here." Seeing the suspicion in their eyes, she realized the only way to get any cooperation here was to explain herself more fully. "I'll tell you everything and then you can decide for yourself whether you think I am trustworthy or not. May we go somewhere more private please?"
Austin nodded and the three of them walked to an empty cabin. An hour later, Austin pulled his phone to call Sandecker.

Seeing as you're a big fan of the Numa Files series, I suppose it was inevitable that your story turn in that direction. Ah well, I'll stick with it since I already packed up and sent home all my Cussler books. :lol:

Keep up the great work!

:lol: I couldn't resist doing a cross-over. Kurt and Joe are definitly going to be a part of this, but that doesn't mean Dirk and Al are done. The only problem is I'm not sure I can fit the Trouts in to the story though. Very sad. I can't have more people. I'm having enough trouble keeping track of all these people. <_< If I decide to do another story they will definitly be included in it. I'm going to stretch a few things (like historical facts) to make the story work. Don't be mad (hiding under covers)!! :lol: Okay enough of a briefing. On with the story. Enjoy!

"Kamila Matara?" Gunn asked. Gunn and Sandecker were sitting in Sandecker's office discussing the call they had just received from Austin.
"That's the name Austin gave me. I asked Hiram and Max to do a background search on her," Sandecker said, chewing on the end of huge cigar protruding from his mouth. "Austin wanted us to hear the story from Miss Matara. He said he believed her and Kurt's instincts are usually on target."
"That is true," Gunn mused. "How are Dirk and Al doing?"
"They're fine. Al has a broken leg and a bullet grazed Dirk's side, but they're going to be okay. They still insist that they be allowed to see this to the end, although they may be out of anything physical."
Gunn laughed suddenly as he tried to picture their headstrong friends sitting on the sidelines. The image wouldn't form. "If I know either of them at all, they'll hobble into the action if they have to."
"Probably," Sandecker agreed, "But still we should try to discourage that. I doubt we'll be successful."
Yaegar walked in carrying a file in his hand. Sandecker and Gunn greeted him warmly.
"Hiram, what did you find out about Matara?" Sandecker asked him.
Yaegar looked at teh two men and said, "You aren't going to believe what I discovered. Hell, I didn't believe it at first, but Max and I triple checked the data. It's correct."
Both Sandecker and Gunn stiffened expecting the worst. "What is it?" Gunn prompted.
"Max and I traced her genealogy and she appears to be a direct descendant of Cleopatra," Yaegar said sheepishly.
Both Sandecker and Gunn stared in disbelief. "Cleopatra," Sandecker repeated slowly. "That's not possible. Cleaopatra's son was killed by Octavian Caesar wasn't he?"
"There were always rumors that this might not have been so, and then four years ago there was evidence unearthed that gave a lot of support to these rumors. The stuff is definitly geniune. Among these objects found was an ancients scroll that had been well preserved do to the hot and dry conditions of the Egyptian landscape. This dictated a genealogy that indicated that Cleopatra's son Ptolomy Caesarion changed his name to Oba Tamar and went into hiding. Oba means 'king' by the way. He married a woman named Nathifa and they had a son named Tumaini, which means 'hope'. This document goes for many generations, but tests prove that the papyrus was created at the time of Cleopatra and her son."
"How did you trace it to Miss Matara? The name Tamar isn't even close to Matara," Gunn said, still doubtful. This was a lot to take in at once.
"Children usually take the surname of their father. Many of the children were girls. The genealogy includes the girls born. There were other documents buried with the oldest one. They were obviously very concerned with keeping track of this. Great pains were taken to record everything. The second to last name on the last list is Thema Matara. Thema means 'queen' by the way. I connected this name to a more modern genealogy which shows her as the a direct forebearer to Kamilah Matara. Of course the only way to know for certain would be through a DNA test, but I'll stand by my findings."
Sandecker and Gunn were both stunned. Sandecker was the first to recover and speak. "Well I think its time we all met the young lady. I'll talk to Pitt and Giordino and tell them where to meet us."
The plane carrying Austin, Zavala, and Matara landed and the three were taken to a safe place where they could talk.
"What happened to you two?" Zavala asked Pitt and Giordino when he saw the bandages. Austin and Zavala had not yet been informed of their friends' injuries.
"That is a very long story," Giordino said smiling at his friend. Definitly not worth the time."
Austin shook his head. "Have you two ever considered trying to stay out of trouble?"
"Where's the fun in that?" Pitt retorted.
Getting back to business, Austin introduced Matara to everyone. They all greeted her warmly.
"Thank you for listening to me," she said quietly. "I promise you this will be worth your time."


Me again. I promise everything will be explained in the next installment. I know you've been waiting a while for an explanation and there was very little action in this part, but background is important. More to come. Stick with me a little longer.

Don't worry about it Gamay, we're all just glad your taking the time to write this awsome story.
And take your time on any explainations, we're patient people...well, for the most part. :lol:
You are doing really great! I can't wait...(well, :lol: I can wait) for whats to come.

A direct descendant!?!? WOW...Let me picture a woman close to perfection in beauty....hmmmmm....this old Pirate grins wolfishly. p:

More story now. Matara can be trusted and taken at face value. How do I know? Because I created her and I say so. Ah the powers of a writer. :lol: I'm taking a vote. Let me know if you guys want a romance between Matara and one of the other characters, and if you do let me know who it should be with.


Matara closed her eyes, picturing a place and time in the distant past. "After Cleopatra's death, her son knew Caesar would never permit him to live. Caesar wished to absorb Egypt into the growing Roman Empire, but he knew this would never happen while a heir to the thrown still lived. My people would never have shifted their full allegiance away from Ptolomy Caesarion. As a result, Caesarion changed his name and with the help of several loyal followers was able to hide from Caesar. When Caesar failed to find him, it was announced that Caesarion was dead. Caesarion kept the scepter that had been passed from Pharaoh to Pharaoh with him. It was a powerful symbol and Caesarion planned to use it to reclaim his birthright when the time came. This time never came though though. Egypt pulled itself through the tough time and it was decided by Caesarion descendents and their advisors that the position of Pharaoh was dead and buried. Now the family's goal was to guard the scepter so that it would never resurface. This duty has now passed to the last remaining descendant of Cleopatra's bloodline, which is me." She stopped briefly and looked around, expecting to see disbelief but instead saw just interest.
Yaegar answered her confused stare. "We know you are a descendent of Cleopatra. I did some research and discovered some documents confirming this fact."
Recognition stretched across her face. "Oh those things. I remember when they were discovered. Father was upset and worried that just the discovery that Cleopatra's line hadn't died out would cause pretenders to come forward and cause chaos within Egypt. Luckily my family managed to bury those findings or at least so we thought."
Yaegar laughed. "If it is on any computer, I'll find it Miss Matara."
"So I see," she said smiling for the first time during the meeting.
"Where does Wilson fit into this?" Giordino asked.
"He discovered the stories behind the scepter. My people believed that the scepter was magical and would protect Egypt when the ruler held it. My ancestors encouraged this myth, but this is a myth. The scepter is not magic, but it is a very potent symbol. It represented the ultimate authority of the Pharaoh and the glory of Egypt. Its doubtful that people still believe the scepter is magic, but symbols hold a lot of power as has been seen in the past. Egypt is managing to hold its own now, but Wilson plans to destroy this. He plans to play on the worldwide fear of terrorist attacks by setting off a series of devastating explosions throughout Egypt. He will the step forward with the scepter and restore the peace that he destroyed, establishing himself as Pharaoh. Once he has done this, he plans to build up his military force and expand outward. To keep your country from interferring, he plans to set off explosions in the heavily populated cities in your country. I only know a few. Washington D.C., San Francisco, Chicago, and Boston are the ones we've discovered. I'm certain there are more."
A shocked silence fell around the room. The death toll around the world would be unimaginable. Only Austin and Zavala remained collected because they had heard all this already, but their eyes were filled with horror, disgust, and loathing.
Gunn spoke up first. "Our country won't stand for being attacked. What makes him think we won't fight back?"
Matara looked at him sadly. "How will you fight back if you don't know who attacked you? He is relying on the fact that you won't know until after the devastation, and even then won't be able to finger the culprit. Even if you tell your President, he'll probably attack Egypt, where Wilson plans to be while your country is going up in flames. Hundreds if not thousands of your countrymen and mine will die. My people should not suffer because of some rich madman from your country. We must stop him before this ever starts. I must regain the scepter so that it will never see the light of day again."
Pitt spoke up now. He had listened silently throughout Matara's story and he believed her, but there was still one thing that didn't make sense. "If you had the scepter, how did it end up in the barge?" Pitt asked.
"Wilson's men stole the scepter from us and when they tried to escape in the water, we pursued them. They stumbled across the barge and when they realized we were going to catch them soon, they hid the scepter in the barge hidden among the other treasures and then put as much distance between the scepter and themselves as they could. When we caught them, they refused to reveal where the scepter was to us. We didn't know it was in the barge until news of your discovery reached us. Wilson controls people through fear. If you fail him or defy him, he kills you. He has made at least five attempts on my life since he started his search, which have failed thanks to my friends and supporters. Many of these people have also had attempts on their lives," Her eyes filled with tears as she remembered, "And many are dead now because of him. My whole family is gone as well as several of my closest friends. We have to stop him before he kills anyone else."
Austin offered her his handkerchief. "Believe me Miss Matara. You've come to right place for help. Between all of us, Wilson doesn't stand a chance."


Don't forget to vote!!

My vote is for it to not be with Pitt since I would feel badly for Loren. How about a little Juan Cabrillo action on the side. :lol:

Hmmm... Either Al or Zavala :P

Okay I flipped a coin. Zavala's getting a girlfriend. I'm very intrigued by the idea of a three way cross-over. Thanks for the ideas guys. th: Let me see what I can do... :)


Wilson planned to set the explosions off from Egypt so Sandecker arranged military transport for Pitt, Giordino, Austin, Zavala, and Matara. The plan to infiltrate the control center required that they split into three groups. Pitt and Austin would be responsible for stopping the bombs from being activated, Zavala and Matara would trap Wilson, and Giordino would guide them through the maze of corridors from the outside. His broken leg would keep him from entering with the others, but it didn't keep him from helping to neutralize this menace. They would meet an old friend of Austin's from his time with the CIA who was working on mapping out the opposition.
The flight to Egypt was long and it was agreed that they should all rest so that they would be ready for action when they landed. The only one who couldn't sleep was Matara. All she could think about was her failure. She had failed to keep the scepter safe and hidden away and now look what was happening. Even though she had been told it was safe, Wilson believed he had it and that meant he'd carry his plans through. She had to stop him.
Zavala woke up, and noticed Matara sitting by herself, looking out the window, lost in her thoughts. He had felt himself drawn to her since they had met, and this increased as he studied her sitting there, looking very like a queen should look; intelligent, regal, kind, and compassionate. She was also easily one of the most beautiful women he had ever met. He went over to her.
"Why so blue, Miss Matara?" Zavala asked smiling, sitting down beside her.
Matara turned her attention to Zavala and attempted to smile, "Its nothing, Mr. Zavala. Thank you for asking though."
"Please call me Joe," he said to her. "There are like three people who call me Mr. Zavala and I don't like any of them."
He was pleased that his comment received a soft laugh and a genuine smile. "And my name is Kamilah," she countered.
"Well Kamilah, now that we're on a first name basis, would you like to discuss what's bothering you?" he asked kindly. "I hate seeing you looking so sad, perhaps I can help."
Matara shook her head, "It's nothing really," she whispered barely audible.
Zavala stared for at her for a second. He wasn't fooled by her denial, but he decided that pushing her would only get her to close him out all together. At least she was talking. "Okay then lets change the subject. You can choose."
Matara was intrigued by this friendly, handsome man. She was very attracted to him. "Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself," she suggested.
"You first," he smiled.
They spent several hours talking and getting to know each other. Zavala finally convinced her to get some rest, and they both slept until the plane touched down.
Zavala turned to Matara and reassuringly whispered in her ear, "This will be over soon enough, querida."
They exited the plane and Pitt turned to Austin. "Where do we meet your friend?"
"He'll find us. I'm sure he won't leave us waiting long," Austin answered.
Austin proved correct. They were not standing there more than five minutes when a familar figure approached them.
"Kurt, its good to see you," Juan Cabrillo said happily pumping his friend's hand.
"Always a pleasure Juan. Its been years since we last saw each other. Our schedules just don't mesh," Austin said smiling.
"We'll have to do something about that," Cabrillo turned his attention to the others. His face reflected surprise and pleasure as he recognized Pitt and Giordino. They were just as surprised to see him. The reunion was very warm and happy.
"Talk about not seeing people for a while. Its good to see you two again," Cabillo said.
Giordino turned to Austin, "This is your old friend from the Agency?"
Austin laughed, "I swear I didn't know you had ever met. Juan and I worked together several times and we remained friends even after we both left."
Matara spoke up, "I hate to interrupt, but there is much we need to do and very little time."
Pitt nodded. "The lady is right. We'll catch up once this is all over. Juan, did you get the plans we need together?"
"But of course," Cabrillo answered. "Come with me and we'll go over them. I have the blue prints and I can give you a decent idea where the guards are posted, so we can get in successfully and stop this before it starts."
"We?" Austin repeated.
"Yes," Cabrillo said innocently. "I'm going with you guys."

Yay!

I agree with Erik on this one...YAY!!!!!!!
I really love how you're mixin it up, with the characters and all.
Its like a big PARTY!!!! party:
You go get her Zavala...you latin lover you! :wub: :lol:
Im starting my story, I only hope its close to as good as yours. :unsure:

"You're going to need more than two people to bypass the system and I've had more time to study the shut-down procedure," was Cabrillo's basic argument and it was a good one.
They quickly went over the plans and set off. Austin, Pitt, and Cabrillo headed directly for the control center, while Zavala and Matara decided to search for Wilson in the room he was using as an office. Each person wore a headset with a two way radio that could be switched on and off as needed so they could all communicate.
The corridors intersected in a multitude of places, turning the building into a maze, luckily Giordino was able to steer them through it.
"Take a right here," Giordino said to Pitt, Austin, and Cabrillo.
"Are you sure this is the right direction?" Austin asked. "We can't afford to get lost."
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Giordino answered peevishly.
Pitt shrugged. "Lets just keep pushing forward. If he's wrong, we can kick his ass later," he said teasing Giordino.
"Oh ye of little faith. When was the last time I was wrong?" Giordino demanded.
"Why is it I am not at all comforted here?" Austin groaned in mock dismay.
Cabrillo rolled his eyes, "I hate to be the killjoy here, but since we are breaking and entering into a heavily guarded building where we are severly outnumbered, perhaps we should focus."
"Where's the fun in that?" asked Austin.
"Okay guys, joking aside for a second. According to the diagram you are really close, but there are about six guards standing around the next corner guarding the room," Giordino informed them.
"'About'?" Pitt asked, glancing at Cabrillo. "How do you get 'about' six guards?"
"There were six guards when I surveyed the defenses, but that doesn't account for all parts of the day. There may be more or less," Cabrillo said, shrugging his shoulders.
Pitt glanced around the corner quickly, confirming the fact that Cabrillo's information was correct. There were six guards, all armed but they seemed lethargic. Guard duty could be boring if there wasn't anything to guard against, and these guards were pretty relaxed. They had no reason to believe anyone was on to them. Pitt figured that if they struck quickly they could take out all the guards without raising the alarm. He turned to Cabrillo again, "You do good work."
"Three against six," Austin said smiling devilishly. "Not bad. We can each take two."
On Pitt's signal they sprung. The scuffle was short and the guards were quickly knocked out and tied up. They took three of the guards' uniforms, ID badges, and a key card that they hoped would open the door.
"Cross your fingers," Cabrillo whispered, sliding the card through the slot.
The little light changed from red to green and they were able to open the door. The room was filled wall to wall with computers.
In awe, Pitt said, "Can you imagine how much fun Hiram would have here?"
"Every computer guys' heaven," Austin agreed. He looked around the room and said, "Let's get to work guys. We have a lot to do."
Zavala and Matara were having a harder time locating their target. Finding a person tended to be more difficult then finding a room because people moved.
"Okay he's not in this area at all. You know this guy better than I do. Any idea where he'd go?" Zavala asked.
Matara though hard about it, going through a mental check list. "The roof," she said finally. "He'd be able to feel like a Pharaoh surveying his kingdom."
"Then off to the roof," Zavala said. Suddenly he froze and whispered, "Crap." He was certain he heard footsteps approaching. Zavala pulled Matara into a closet after him. He pressed his ear against the door so he could hear what was happening and know when they were in the clear.
The guard passed by without noticing anything amiss and they could continue.
"Al, you there?" Zavala asked.
"Nope," came the reply.
"Very funny. Can you get us to the roof safely?" Zavala asked.
"Can and will," Giordino said, giving them directions. "Keep in touch."
"Will do," Zavala responded.
Austin and Cabrillo had more experience in working with and more importantly disarming this kind of system because of their work with the CIA, so they were working on destroying the program for good so that it couldn't be easily reactivated. When they were done, the program to detonate the bombs would have to be completely rewritten from scratch. Pitt was keeping on eye out for guards.
He stiffened when he heard, "There were supposed to be guards here. Where are they?" Another voice answered, "Not sure. Hell, someone broke in. Here is one of the men on duty. We need to report this." He knew he needed to do something to stall the guards from calling for help. His mind raced as he tried to think of a way to stall for time. There were three guards and he didn't dare use his gun and risk detection. He didn't want to pull Austin and Cabrillo away from their work. They needed to keep this moving. Then it came to him.
He ripped his uniform like he had been on the loosing end of a fight and let Austin and Cabrillo know that he was leaving and they would need to watch their backs while they worked.
He lay down on the ground and dragged him self forward, groaning as if in pain. "Help," he cried, mixing a loud groan in with the word to make sure he had the guards' attention. Pitt was careful to keep his face hidden so that the guards wouldn't realize they didn't recognize him or worse would recognize him as the enemy. If that happened everything was over. They'd all be slaughtered and the disaster Wilson was planning would be set into motion. "I need help, please."
The guards rushed foward and one asked him, "What happened here?"
"Someone broke in," he told them. "We managed to kill them all, but they desimated us too."
"I need to report this," one of the other guards said, picking up his radio.
"Wait," Pitt cried, causing the guard to focus his attention back on Pitt. "Look over there and make sure those devils are dead," he said motioning to where they had stored two of the unconcious guards bodies. While the guards were distracted, he struck, knocking them both out and dragging them so they couldn't be seen.
"So far so good," he muttered under his breath. He just wished he knew how long they would remain that way.

You have captured the banter between Dirk and Al quite well. th:

A large structure had been built on the roof, with a huge window on one side that overlooked the city.
Zavala glanced in one of the smaller windows and saw that no one was home. Pulling out a small leather pouch that contained an array of lock picks, he chose a large one that he thought would work and opened the door while Matara kept watch.
"He's not here either," she said, the disappointment in her voice obvious. "I really don't know where else to look for him."
"It looks like we just missed him, and I bet that he'll be back," Zavala said. "This cup of coffee is still hot and steaming."
Matara nodded. "Lets wait a bit. We can grab him when he comes in. This running around certainly isn't getting us anywhere."
While they waited, Zavala contacted the others to let them know Wilson was still unaccounted for and to suggest that they keep an eye out.
They didn't have to wait long. Wilson walked into the room less than ten minutes later. His shock was unmistakable as he looked up from the papers in his hand and realized he was staring down the barrel of Zavala's gun.
"Who are you?" he managed to stutter.
"My name isn't really of any importance here," Zavala said acidly. "Shut up, get down on the ground, and maybe I won't shot you."
Wilson managed to tear his eyes off Zavala's gun and refocused them on Matara. He sneered as he recognized her. "Why hello, Miss Matara. Too late again I see."
"What do you mean too late?" she demanded worriedly. She looked out the large window and thankfully seeing no distruction, turned back to Wilson. "We aren't to late. We're going to stop you!"
Wilson pulled out a small transmiter, and sneered wickedly. "When I press this button all the bombs will go off. I won't be stopped this close to victory!"
"I said on the ground," Zavala shouted. Outwardly he looked calm and composed, but inside he was very worried. He hadn't heard from the others recently and didn't know what was going on with the bombs.
Wilson threw his hands up as if in defeat and got down on his knees. Zavala saw a flash out of the corner of his eye and spun toward the door, shooting down the armed guard who had run in to the room. While he was distracted, Wilson charged grabbing Matara and pressing a knife against her throat.
Zavala's heart jumped into his throat. The gun came up, but it was useless as long as Wilson held her. He couldn't get Wilson without hurting Matara. His mind raced, when he noticed a movement in the shadows. He stalled for time. "What makes you think I'm going to let you leave with her?" he growled.
"You have no choice," Wilson said confidently.
"I disagree," a familar voice chimed from behind.
Austin stepped out of the shadows, gun aimed at Wilson's unprotected back. "Release her," he snarled.
Wilson considered his options. He was only protected up front while holding Matara, but he could go back to relying on the bombs if he got rid of her. He threw her away from him and grabbed the transmitter. Zavala caught her in his arms before she hit the ground.
"Back off or I'll set off all the bombs at once," he said, certain he had won.
Austin laughed. "Have fun with that," he told Wilson in all seriousness. "The system is disarmed and completely harmless now. That button won't do a darn thing."
Wilson pushed the button, but no explosions were heard. He pushed it frantically several more times.
Austin's confidant expression never faded even a little. "Its over Wilson. Don't expect help to come barging in here. The others are rounding up the rabble you hired. I would suggest giving up."
Wilson wasn't ready to give up yet. He still had one trick left. He pulled a little device and pressed a button, making sure to cover his eyes.
A blindingly bright light filled the room and then faded. While Austin and Zavala were recovering from the light, Wilson snatched a gun from his desk and went to shoot them. Before he could fire it, another gun sounded.
Wilson fell to his knees, looking up into the eyes of Matara, who still held the smoking gun in her hand.
"I won't let you hurt anyone else," she whispered fiercely, her eyes filled with determination.
Wilson collapsed to the ground and died.
Austin and Zavala had recovered by now and came over to her.
"Nice shot," Austin commented.
Zavala took his gun back and holstered. He then put his arms around her and kissed her cheek. She sighed and snuggled closer to him.
"How did you keep from being affected by that light?" Zavala asked her.
"Luck," she laughed. "It's about time I had some. My eyes were closed at the time it went off."
"Well, I think we're done here," Austin said. "Pitt, Cabrillo, and Giordino will be waiting for us."
Matara looked at Austin curiously. "How did you get in here anyway? I didn't see you come in the door."
"That's because I didn't come in the door. When Pitt, Cabrillo, and I finished with the bombs, we split up and I volunteered to find you two. Giordino told me you two were up here, but that he hadn't heard from you in a while so I rushed up. When I heard what was going on I decided the front door wasn't an option, so I sneaked in through one of the back windows."
Zavala eyed his partner's broad shoulders, and laughed. "That must have been fun."
Austin rolled his eyes. "Next time get trapped in a place with bigger windows."
They made their way out. The guards were turned over to the authorities and the bombs were found and removed in secret. Pitt, Giordino, Austin, and Cabrillo went off on separate, well-deserved vacations.
Zavala and Matara remained in Egypt to receive the scepter, which was shipped to them by Sandecker. They still had one more job to take care off before they were done.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Kamilah?" Zavala asked her.
"The scepter would never be safe on display somewhere. It is to powerful a sumbol and should have been destroyed decades ago, but my ancestors couldn't bring themselves to do it," she said quietly, staring at the kiln that was being used to melt the gold. "It was never meant to see the light of day again, and is better of a myth then as a actual piece in a museum. There will always be people like Wilson who crave the power of the Pharaohs. Believe me, this is for the best."
Zavala smiled and kissed her passionately, "Whatever you say cara."
Matara opened up the kiln. The gold had melted away so only the gems were left. They threw the gems to the bottom of the Nile. If they were ever found again, they were no longer dangerous.
Zavala pulled her close as they watched the gems sink to the bottom.
"So my dear, how does it feel?" he whispered to her.
She looked at him strangely. "How does what feel?"
"How does it feel to no longer be responsible for that thing?" he asked.
She closed her eyes, leaning against his chest. "Like freedom," she answered. Matara turned to face him. "Take me away from here."
"Where do you want to go?" he asked, leaning in to kiss her.
"Anywhere," she whispered, tilting her head up to meet his lips.
After a long kiss, Zavala laughed pulling her close to him. "That I can do," he whispered in her ear.


THE END- I hope you guys enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thanks for all the support.

YAY!!!! party: Another story!!! Another story!!!
Fantastic Job Gamay! Well done. th:

A terrific job, Gamay!!!! I love it!!!! Please write some more stories!!! w:

yike: That can't be it! Are you sure Wilson didn't somehow survive and sneak out the same window Austin snuck in? Maybe one of the bombs really did go off. I need more!

Seriously, really great job Gamay. The storyline was tightly woven and the characters believable. You have a very natural style and I hope to see more from you in the future!

th: