Introducing: Shiva 2005 AD May 1st 07.23 AM Egypt, 300 km north of Cairo, burial site of Ramses III
A group of men riding on camels slowly proceeds towards the ancient tomb of the Pharaoh Ramses III. The tomb had been discovered less than a year back, and nothing remarkable was found inside. The research team suspected that the grave was robbed ages ago, like many other such tombs. The archeological research continued in spite of that, but to cut down on expenses, several archeologists were taken off the team. The men dismount and unload the tanks of water they’ve come to deliver to the camp. Though it is early in the morning, they wear thick layers of clothing to defend, not only against the cold of the night, but also the burning sunlight that will soon reach the desert. As a result of several months’ work, the workers had dug out stone pillars, all about ten meters high, surrounding the entrance to the tomb. The hole was indeed so deep, that the diggers were forced to descend those ten meters to even reach the doorway. Soon enough, the men spot someone coming out of the tomb. They are startled at first but seem to relax when they realize that it’s one of the researchers. She waves at them from the pit. “Has she been down there all night again?” “Where does the energy to search like that come from? Well, better to spend it all, then...”, the men wonder. Ignoring their conversation, the woman makes her way out of the pit and straight into her tent.
Later in the afternoon, the sun is truly scorching. Most of the researchers have left for Cairo, where some sort of festivities is taking place. Two jeeps drive in close to the dig. Those left in the camp rush over to the jeeps. Weapons and other packages switch owners hastily. Then everyone marches down to the pit and into the tomb. Nearly half an hour later, the same men stand still deep within the tomb, facing a wide wall in one of the chambers. The wall is covered with hieroglyphic writing and other signs that have not been interpreted. One of the men steps forward. His age is difficult to judge, but his looks do tell of vast learning. “Master Hotemip, is it time yet?”, one of the men around him, all wearing turbans, asks. “It is time.”, he replies with a nod towards the wall. The men take their lit torches and use them to press parts of the wall in a precise order. With a rumbling noise, the wall forms an open doorway. Hotemip sends his men ahead into the corridor. He removes his own turban as he follows, revealing a bald head. Adjusting his red cloak, Hotemip steps in through the secret door. The unusual group follows this winding and forking corridor for long. Hotemip carries an ancient stone tablet, reading his men where to turn ahead of himself from it. After proceeding for several hours and losing five of his men in traps along the way, Hotemip and his group arrive at a great pool of water nearly covering 1
the entire chamber. In the other end of the room, on the floor across the pool, stands a pedestal with a lever. “That will open the door to Ramses III’s burial chamber”, Hotemip states with glee. Suddenly a character stands up behind the pedestal. Frightened, the men ready their guns. “Shoot!”, Hotemip commands them. But as quickly as the figure has come out of hiding, it disappears and the men fall to the floor, each stung by a sleeping dart. Hotemip is the last one left standing. “What is the meaning of this?!”, he roars. A woman climbs out of the pool in front of the pedestal. “I think you’re the one who has some explaining to do”, she answers in an intimidating voice, setting aside her bow. Growling, Hotemip asks: “Who are you?..” She climbs onto the pedestal, dropping her turban and a white shawl on the way. Her awe-inspiringly long, mostly blonde hair, tightly braided, comes out from underneath them. She wears a white, slightly dirty shirt and white pants, and long boots, both only partly concealing knives. She carries a quiver full of arrows on her back and several accessories on her belt. “I am Shiva”, she introduces herself, staring intensely at Hotemip. Hotemip then recognizes her. “Yes... You are the new volunteer. There was supposed to be no trouble concerning you. But you have only been here for some weeks. How could you have located the coffin or figured out how to unlock the secret passage--and what about making it through the labyrinth?”, he asks in disbelief. “It took a lot of hard work and use of my connections with the best researchers in the area. But I must admit that I know quite a bit about these things myself”, Shiva answers. “In addition to that, your men have been careless”, she adds in Egyptian. Hotemip’s eyes widen. “The fools! They have spoken in your presence, assuming that you have no knowledge of Egyptian!”, he curses. “That’s right”, Shiva nods, continuing: “I knew some of these men would have to be working for a different party, and not the national museum. I only had to wait to find out who exactly was behind it all. And now it’s time for you to pay.” “How amusing!”, Hotemip says in an irritated voice. “You cannot expect to stop me. No-one will believe you, as no-one expected to find anything in here to begin with! It was I, who spread the information about there being no grave here. And should you stop me, my underlings will follow, taking everything away in a flash. In fact, my men are waiting for me outside, a three minutes’ drive away from here.” “Your men aren’t waiting for you any longer. My friends will have made sure of that”, Shiva says, presenting a radio communicator. “That will not work so deep under the ground”, Hotemip states… He takes a knife off his belt and throws it at Shiva, who has already taken a whip from her belt and now ducks to avoid the knife. She jumps back up and swings herself over the pool by grabbing a hook in the ceiling using her whip. Hotemip already has another knife in his hand, and he attacks carelessly, stepping on his men on the floor as he tries to hit Shiva. He turns out to be a poor opponent, as it takes Shiva one precise hit into his chin to drop Hotemip to the ground with his accomplices. Shiva quickly ties the men up. She wipes the sweat off her forehead and realizes something, looking at the neat pile of criminals before her. ”Give me a break! Do I have to carry ‘em all out of here now? Aw, man...”
- THE END Translated by: Lari Fagerholm
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