Rick's Kryptonite

The Truth and Prison

        We got back into the city really late at night, Rick was very unhappy and mumbling about how terrible our hike was. I heard him say something about getting a drink. I was going to go with him just to make sure he didn't do anything stupid, but I was so tired and felt so disgusting. I needed to shower first, so I headed home to my humble abode. But before I did I tried to reason with Rick, get him to sleep, shower, stuff of that sort but he just brushed me off. He had said he had enough of my 'mothering' and stalked off. I shrugged and sighed knowing I'd probably find him later.

Once I got to my door I realized it was propped open slightly. Noticing this I slowly pulled the dagger from my boot and pushed it open more, it creaked at the movement. I walked inside and flicked the light switch on yet I saw no one inside. I was still convinced someone was in my house though, so I kept searching. My suspicions were confirmed when I heard water running, it was coming from the kitchen. I swiftly glided over there and looked around the corner I set the dagger up to where I could throw it quickly if needed. Holding the blade I continued forwards. I saw a figure standing there at the sink, I walked closer and right when I was about to throw the knife at the figure it turned around and screamed!
"GOD JOE IT'S JUST ME!!!" Evy yelled at me, scaring me, making me drop the knife. It clattered onto the floor.
"Jesus Evy, no need to yell." I said as I bent down to pick up the knife glaring at my sister.
"Sorry, you just startled me is all." She said, I nodded understandingly because who wouldn't be startled if they were threatened with a knife.. Evy looked me over.
"What happened to you?" she asked immediately her British mum skills coming to surface as her face showed worry.
"I'll tell you about it later, right now I need to shower and get some sleep." She nodded and didn't press the matter anymore, letting me go off and shower.

***

1926--Cairo (3 years after the Battle of Hamunaptra)

I woke up later in the day, I didn't have a job currently so there was no reason to get up early. I was just living with my sister in my apartment in Cairo, of which our parents had bought for us before they died. I hadn't heard from Rick since that night 3 years ago. Of course I was worried about him and I'd sent letters after letters to him but only for them to return to me. Who knows what really happened to him. I knew he could take care of himself he was a grown man but that didn't change the sick feeling I had for the situation. I got up and and put some tea on the stove shaking those thoughts from my mind. My sister had scrawled a note on some spare paper and put it on the fridge,

"Went to work, be back soon." Ah of course. Evy worked at Cairo's Museum of Antiquities, although I don't know why she did. It was shitty paying and not really worth it, plus the curator was an absolute jerk. I've been trying to make her quit for years, she's been working on it but Bembridge Scholars kept rejecting her application because she doesn't have enough field experience. But, for women it's hard to do anything of the sort you have to pose as a man or something to gain any sort of respect. I would know...  I sat down on the chair in my living room pouring my tea into a tea cup when Evy burst through the door with Jonathan behind her. They were talking excitedly about something, I wasn't sure what.
"Joe!!!" Jonathan exclaimed.
"Jonathan!" I smiled at him setting down my tea cup and getting up to hug him.
"Joe, Jonathan's come from Thebes, found this puzzle box on a dig.." I looked at Jonathan knowing that was for sure not true, I knew my brother better than that. Evy was just the gullible one.
"Oh, is that so?" I asked her still looking at Jonathan, he squirmed a tad under my gaze. I looked back to Evy.
"We opened this box and inside was a map to Hamunaptra! I'm sure of it!" I tensed up a little. She pulled this out of her bag. I recognized it and knew immediately Jonathan did not get that on a dig down in Thebes. This was the box that Rick had found the day we were in the desert.
"That's awesome Eves. Jonathan, a word?" I walked over to the kitchen with Jonathan at my heels.
"Where did you really get the box?" I asked him giving him a hard glare. He caved under it and finally told me.
"Stole it off a drunk in the local Casbah." I lightened my gaze on him.
"I knew it." I said and walked away towards the pantry to grab some food. "Any idea where he is now?"
"Cario prison, I assume" Jon answered truthfully.
"Great. Let's go shall we?" I asked, Jon looked startled.
"Wait Joe we can't just barge in there." Jon said trying to reason with me.
"Fine, give them a ring. Let them know we are coming." I told him. He quickly went towards the phone and called Cairo prison.
'Oh Rick' I thought 'What did you get yourself into?' I sighed as I went back into the living room to see my sister admiring the map and key Jon had 'found'. I sat back down and finished the tea I had poured for myself as Jon came back into the room a moment later.
"We are good to go." He informed me.
"Eves, might want to grab your hat. We are going out." I told her while eating some shortbread cookies. She nodded and quickly rose and went to her room to grab it. When she came back we all went outside and into the car for the ride to Cairo prison. When we got there I was greeted by a smelly gross warden. I crinkled my nose. As Jonathan started to talk to him about why we were here, the warden escorted us to this mans cell.
"You told me you found it on a dig down in Thebes!!" Evy scolded Jonathan. I lagged behind them so I didn't catch any of the blame.
"I was mistaken!" Jonathan countered.
"You lied to me!" Evelyn freaked out a tad.
"He lies to everyone, what makes us so special?" I piped up from behind them.
"We are his sisters!!" She replied angrily glancing back at me.
"Just makes you more gullible" Jonathan told her.
"You stole it from a drunk at the local casbah?!" She asked very annoyed and sounding a tad scared.
"Picked his pocket actually." Jonathan corrected and tried to turn her around since she was clinging on his arm. I kept walking with the warden.
"What exactly is he in prison for?" I asked the warden as we approached the holding cell.
"This I did not know, so when I heard you were coming I asked him that myself." He told me.
"And what did he say?" Evy asked.
"He said... He was just looking for a good time." He said and made a gesture that told the guards to bring the prisoner to the viewing area. I looked at him. It couldn't be Rick this man was so scraggly and seemed like he'd been there a while. But I knew those beautiful blue eyes anywhere. He looked at me, then at my sister and Jonathan.
"Who are you? And who's the broad?" He asked. 'Damn Rick where are your manners' I thought cringing inwardly.
"Broad?!" Evy asked, appalled.
"That's my sister actually." Jonathan butted in.
"Well I'm sure she's not a total loss." Rick said.
"I beg your pardon!" Evy was about to go off on him but the warden interrupted her.
"I'll be back in a moment." He said.
"I tremble with anticipation" Rick said sarcastically as the warden walked away. Okay time to get down to business.
"Hello, we've uhm found your puzzle box and we've come to ask you about it." Evy started.
"No." Rick said.
"No?" Evy asked.
"No. You came to ask me about Hamunaptra." Rick said. I had not told Evy about Hamunaptra, no one knew that I had been there.
"How do you know the box pertains to Hamunaptra?" Evy asked her voice hushed so she wouldn't draw attention.
"Because that's where I was when I found it. I was there." Rick told her looking at me. Evy looked astounded while Jonathan looked suspicious. He stepped forward getting closer to Rick.
"And how do we know that's not a load of pig swallow?" Jon asked. I sighed, knowing it was a bad idea.
"You know, do I know you?" Rick asked. I covered up a laugh knowing what was going to happen next. Jonathan tried to explain but Rick then realized where he knew him from and punched him in the face. Evy gasped and immediately tended to him. Rick got beat by the guards, his head hitting the bars with a deafening bang, yet he showed little pain. I knew it was my turn to make myself known. I stepped over Jonathan and squatted near Ricks level as he was being held on his knees. "I just decked your brother." Rick informed me.
"Yes, well... I know my brother." I told him shrugging, Rick slightly smiled at me.
"How have you been Joe?" Rick asked me. I just laughed.
"You have to take us back Rick." I said getting serious.
"You sure you want to go back? Seti's place, City of the Dead?" I sighed, knowing he was making his point.
"Please." I said, looking at him trying to persuade him with my eyes.
"You really want this?" He asked and gestured me closer.
"Yes Rick" I said rolling my eyes and getting closer. He quickly grabbed my chin and kissed me. I was stunned.
"Then get me the hell out of here!! Do it Joe!!" He yelled as he was dragged back to his cell.
"Where are they taking him?!" Evy piped up.
"To be hanged... Apparently he had a very good time." The warden answered.

***

The Hanging

Almost all the prisoners of Cairo were out to watch Rick be hung. I was not happy with the situation. I couldn't believe this was happening and this was where I found him three years after I left him. I had my hand on my gun ready to shoot that rope off his neck if need be. I was leaning against a pole watching this whole event go down. Evy sat next to the warden and Jonathan had wandered off somewhere.

"I'll give you 100 pounds to save this mans life." Evy tried to reason with him.
"Ma'am I would pay 100 pounds just to see him hang" I sneered at him pulling my gun out slightly.
"200 pounds." Evy tried again.
"Proceed" the warden said.
"300 pounds" Evy would not give up. The hangman turned to Rick and asked him something I couldn't quite make out, however, I did hear Rick's response.
"Yeah loosen the knot and let me go." I smiled at him. The hangman said something to the warden in Arabic and the warden yelled back to him.
"No of course we don't let him go!!" I laughed a tad.
"500 pounds!!" Evy finally exclaimed.
"And what else? I am a very lonely man." He put his hand on my sisters leg. I pulled my gun on him, his hand was quickly removed as Evy smacked his hand with her book. Suddenly, Rick was dropped through the trap door.
"NOO!!" I yelled and pulled my gun quickly readying to shoot the rope that held him.
"Ah his neck did not break, now we must watch him strangle to death." the warden told me.
"He knows the location to Hamunaptra!" I said.
"You lie!" He countered me.
"I would never!" I said feigning my sisters high pitched voice. 
"Are you saying this filthy godless son of a pig knows where to find the City of the Dead? Truly?" The warden questioned.
"YES! And if you cut him down we'll give you 10%" Evy said.
"50!" The warden tried.
"20!" Evy tried. I could see Rick turning different shades of blue. I needed to shoot him down soon.
"40!" He tried.
"30!" Evy tried again.
"25!" The warden cracked.
"Ah! DEAL!" Evy said smiling happily. I quickly aimed and fired at the rope it broke seconds later, and Rick fell to the ground holding his neck and looking up at us gratefully. I smiled I couldn't wait to catch up with my old pal.