Pharaoh's Daughter

8

O'Connell angrily strode through the compound. He saw Beni coming up the path with a man dressed in hooded robes, his face covered by an ornate death mask. It was Imhotep disguised.

"Beni ya little stinkweed, where did you slink off to?"

"You left me! You left me in the desert to rot."

"Oh yeah,... sorry bout that. So who's this guy?" he gestured to Imothep.

"This is Prince Imhotep, High Priest of Osiris."

"Oh, hey, how ya doin'?

O'Connell stuck out his hand, Imhotep instantly recoiled. O'Connell gave him the once-over. Beni quickly covered.

"The Prince does not like to be touched by other humans. A Silly eastern superstition, I'm afraid."

"Yeah, well, we all got our little problems today don't we?"

"He has come to help Mister Burns. Somehow I feel responsible."

"Don't gimme that, you never had any scruples."

"Do you know where I can steal some?"

O'Connell fake-punched him, Beni flinched. O'Connell gave Imothep a look as he strode off.

"See ya around, Padre."

Imothep's grotesque new eyes glared out from behind the mask.

In a proverbial den-of-iniquity were lots of deals going down. An older guy with a walrus mustache was drunk and talking to some tough customers. He was wearing British WWI fighter pilot gear.

"I'm the last of the Royal Corps still stationed out here, you know?... Oh some bloody idiot spilled his drink. All the other laddies died in the sky and were buried in the sand."

The tough customers shove him away. Winston staggered over to O'Connell and Jonathan at the bar.

"Ever since the end of the Great War... there hasn't been a single challenge... worthy of a man like me."

"Yeah? We all got our little problems today, Winston."

"I just wish I could have chucked it with the other laddies... and gone down in a flame and glory... instead of sitting around here... rotting of boredom and booze!"

He took the drink from Jonathan and and drank it.

"Cheers. ... Well, back to the airfield."

O'Connell turned to Jonathan.

"Tell me, has your sister always been..."

"Oh yes, always."

"And your cousin. Was their relationship always like this? With dispute?"

"Actually no. I don't understand either why that is now", Jonathan mumbled, "but I can tell you, if you're on Maddy's good side, she will be a literal sunshine."

Henderson and Daniels sidled up to the bar next to them.

"We're all packed up, but the damn boat doesn't leave till tomorrow morning."

"Tail set firmly between your legs, I see", Jonathan mocked."

"You can talk. You don't have some sacred walking corpse after ya."

There were a few moments of silence before O'Connell turned to Daniels.

"So, uh, how's your friend?"