Series/Universe: The Mummy
Disclaimers: M7 characters belong to Trilogy, et al. Mummy characters (particularly Ardeth Bey, Lock-Nah, the Carnahan-O'Connell family and Imotep) all belong to Stephen Sommers. Original characters are all mine ... don't mind if you borrow them, just ask first, give them back intact and give credit where credit is due.
Warnings: The usual ... violence, language, and references to ugliness. Oh yeah, and the original characters. Can't forget them.
Spoilers: All twenty-one episodes, both Mummy movies, though more of an emphasis on the second (and my favorite, since it has more Ardeth)
Updated 6-12-25
Authors Notes: (sheepish look) Uhm … hi? I know, twenty plus years later. Updates for all four of my universes are in the works. This is the first to be done, and I was determined to have it ready to go by May 24th in time for Eric Close's birthday. So, why now, after all these years? I wish I could say … I just know that while I was on my way to Colorado at the end of March, I suddenly had Vin talking to me again.This story was the last to be re-started … but two weeks ago, during commencement, Vin sat down on the corner of the table where my partner and I were awaiting students for rehearsal and asked me if he ever mentioned how much he hated flying. Don't be surprised if my writing style has changed … there have been a lot of changes in my life. I moved from Pennsylvania to North Carolina in 2003, I was unemployed for three years before getting my job at the college twelve years ago and lost my older brother in a traffic accident three years ago. I'm fifty-five years old and my perceptions have changed a great deal. But I still love Vin Tanner, still love writing him (I can't count the number of times I've caught myself laughing as I've written these new parts). Hope you enjoy these as well!
Somewhere Over Greece
Vin Tanner wanted one thing understood very clearly … he HATED flying, with a white-hot burning passion. The Seven left New York the previous day, bound first to England, now to Greece, and then to Cairo by airship. JD was already sick once and Vin blacked out twice due to lack of oxygen. Scared the hell out of Chris. He thought he heard references to the other boys being having issues, but his memory was fuzzy. But as much as he hated flying, the sooner they got to Egypt, the sooner they could get to the ladies. And that was all Vin cared about.
Much to the astonishment of the entire group, Orrin got them on a series of flights at the last minute. Only an hour before they were scheduled to board the ship, Chris received an urgent phone call from their employer, telling him that instead of taking a ship to England (which would have taken entirely too long), they would fly instead. It would still take a long time, but not nearly as long as the ship would have. And as Orrin told Chris, he was worried sick about his girls … all three of them. Vin was pretty sure they all felt that way. But Orrin was the one funding this ‘expedition,’ and Vin wasn’t about to ask what it cost. The lives of those women were priceless … and while he cared about all of them, there was one especially precious to Vin.
From England, they took the airship to Athens, and then from Athens to Cairo. Once they were in Cairo, they would take a balloon to a location a short distance from the Medjai encampment. According to Orrin, the proprietor of Magic Carpet Airways, someone with the unlikely name of ‘Izzy’ was familiar with the Medjai. Vin still wasn’t sure how that was determined, but he wasn’t about to look a gift transport in the mouth, not when he still had the sense that time was running out. And, it seemed, he wasn’t the only one. But he knew that worryin’ wouldn’t accomplish nothin’ neither.
Instead, he relaxed in his seat beside Chris, leaning his head back. At least, as much as he could relax with his worry over their ladies. It wasn’t the fault of the airship. Hell, it was far more comfortable than the plane, even if they were in third class. According to Josiah, they were flying over Greece now, where they would dock and switch to another airship to take them to Cairo. It was decided that they would stay together, as a group, rather than try to see the city, no matter how much as they might have wanted to. Josiah was their interpreter and their guide, as he’d been to Athens before. Once they reached Cairo, Josiah would share those duties with Vin, especially since Vin had been in Egypt far more recently.
“You okay, baby brother?” Chris asked softly and Vin side-eyed his companion. It wasn’t often that Chris referenced the age difference between them. His older brother went on, “I know you’re worried about the ladies, and I know you’re still recovering from our flights from New York to London. Hell, so am I. What’s going on?” Vin sighed quietly, trying to think of how to explain what concerned him. Then Chris added, his voice dropping, “Does this have anything to do with the conversation you had with Adriana before she left?”
What? Chris smirked at him, adding, “Did you really think no one noticed you taking her to one side before she got on the train? Please, little brother, give my observation skills more credit than that!” Vin swallowed hard, because he did his best to forget that conversation. It … he hadn’t planned to say any of that to Drina, didn’t want to put that burden on her, especially not when she was getting ready to leave to help a member of her family. But he’d had a sudden, terrifying sense that he might never see her again and the words … the words slipped out.
“I … kinda told Drina that I love her,” Vin admitted reluctantly. His brother’s eyes widened, but didn’t ask the obvious question (how did you ‘kind of’ tell a woman you loved her?), and while Vin would have ordinarily said something else entirely next, this time, he continued, “Been havin’ one a’ my feelin’s about this whole mess, and the words slipped out. Didn’t want to say ‘em, didn’t even want to think ‘em, but there were there and … didn’t want to put any more pressure on Drina, but they was there anyhow. She … she said we’d talk about it, about all of it, the next time we saw each other.”
Vin would never say what he hoped for, although he believed Drina felt as he did, especially with the way she looked at him after the words came out. And her response was neither a denial nor a rejection. Chris was silent for several minutes as he settled back against their seat. Vin found himself anxiously waiting to hear what his brother had to say. His second mother, Pegeen, often said that she was the only one who could tell Vin what to do, and that was true. But while he obeyed Pegeen, he listened to Chris just as much as he did to her.
“For what it’s worth, Vin, I don’t think you put any pressure on her … I think you may have given her a lifeline, something to hang onto until we get there,” Chris said at last. Vin looked at his older brother quickly and Chris explained, “I’ve been getting’ a bad feelin’ about this whole situation as well. Not sure if it’s because of Adriana’s uncle, Will Richmond, or something else, but nothing about this sets well with me, and that’s been the case from the beginning.”
Vin sagged in his seat, feeling as he did when he was twelve and he and Chris found their uncle Alex’s picture among their father’s belongings, a picture of Uncle Alex when he was twelve, and it was just like lookin’ into a mirror (that may have played a part in Vin’s decision to let his hair grow out). He asked softly, “What do we do, Chris? We’re weeks behind them and for all we know, they could be to Hamunaptra by now.” He was afraid, and he didn’t like that. He didn’t like showing fear, not even to his older brother. It was his job to be strong for the others, to watch their backs. But he was also worried sick about someone who meant the world to him. Chris put his hand on Vin’s shoulder, green eyes meeting blue.
Chris said softly, “We will find our ladies and bring them home, little brother. And if Will Richmond, or anyone else, makes that impossible … then we’ll take it out of their hides.” He squeezed Vin’s shoulder, drawing the sharpshooter into his brother’s side. It was all he allowed himself before sitting up straight once more. The airship was making its descent into Athens. Hold on, Drina, he thought, we’re comin’ …and if need be, hell’s comin’ with us.
-------MMMMMMM-------
Med-jai Encampment
“Let me look at your face, sweetheart.”
Adriana Wilmington blinked as Evie Travis knelt in front of her. She spent the last several days sleeping, ever since they arrived at the Med-jai encampment and really, Adriana wasn’t entirely sure how long ago that was. She hadn’t slept well since they left Arizona, too worried about warning Ardeth, too worried about what Will Richmond was trying to do, too worried about meeting her mother’s younger half-brother. Once they were safe in the encampment, Ardeth escorted her, Evie, Mary and Charlotte to their own tent where Adriana promptly fell asleep, almost as soon as she shucked her outer layers. She only woke up to get a few bites to eat and use the privy and then went right back to sleep.
Her best friend’s mother was always there when she woke up if Mary wasn’t, as had been the case when Adriana woke up again about twenty minutes earlier. And now, Evie crouched beside her, carefully inspecting the bruise on her face left by Will Richmond. The older woman clucked under her breath, murmuring, “I wouldn’t like to be in that man’s shoes when any of your brothers or your young man sees that.” Adriana blushed at that reference to Vin, but didn’t argue. Because she was right and Adriana knew she was right. Evie rocked back on her heels and asked softly, “Oh, sweet girl … why did you never tell us the truth about Stephen’s death, why did you never say what really happened? Why did you let me blame you?”
Adriana looked away briefly before whispering, “Because I blamed myself. I thought if I’d been smarter and more assertive, I could have gotten Stephen to leave it alone.” Evie snorted at that, and the young archaeologist grinned sheepishly … at least, as much as she could with half of her face bruised … before continuing, “I know, but that’s how I felt. And I was so useless when Ardeth faced off with Stephen’s murderer.”
Evie cupped the unbruised side of her face, something she hadn’t done since Adriana returned from Egypt, and the girl closed her eyes, blinking back tears as she did. She missed Evie over the last two years, so much. In many ways, Orrin and Evie were more like her parents than the people who created her. Adriana loved her mother and hated her father … but if she was honest with herself (something she tried to be), there was a part of her that hated Katrien as well. From the time she was four years old, she had to protect herself and her mother.
That was a burden that no child should ever have to carry. Chris and Buck were there as much as they could be, but they were both very young men themselves, and it shouldn’t have been their burden, either. Eight years after her mother’s death, when her father moved them unexpectedly to Four Corners, Arizona without telling Buck, Adriana braced herself for the abuse to intensify. And it did … until she met first Orrin and Evie, then their daughter. Adriana would never forget the relief of sobbing in Mary’s arms when she finally admitted what her father did to her and to her mother, and the sheer rage in Orrin Travis’ dark eyes as he heard her confession. She would never forget Mary’s supportive arm around her shoulders, or Evie Travis gently caressing her hair. After all they’d done for her, and she couldn’t save their son.
“It wasn’t your fault, honey. Not any of it, and I am so sorry I ever thought it was. I know better. I gave birth to Stephen, raised him. I know how he was when he got on one of his crusades … it’s something he has in common with Mary,” Evie whispered, and Adriana offered a tired smile. Well, that was certainly true. It was one of the reasons she came home in the end, along with her dreams that her presence would lead to Ardeth’s murder. Yes, she missed her brothers so much it made her throat ache (especially when she got off the train to find Mary standing side by side with Chris, waiting for her), but Orrin always told her that she had a calming effect on Mary, and it was entirely likely that if she hadn’t returned, Mary would have come after her and possibly run into the same nightmare that Adriana found herself in when she and Stephen reached Cairo. The idea that her best friend would follow her brother’s example terrified Adriana. Returning to Arizona was … it was something she had to do.
And when she got home, she found Mary and Chris, as well as Buck … and Vin. Somehow, while she was in Egypt, Vin met up with the other six (including his older brother, although Adriana hadn’t known that Vin and Chris were brothers. As odd as it sounded, it just never came up in conversation). Vin. Dear heaven, she missed him so much. She missed Buck and Chris and JD. Even though JD was being a horse’s ass before she left. Adriana understood, though. He was afraid for her, afraid of losing her, so soon after their relationship as brother and sister stabilized. She was afraid for herself, too, but couldn’t shake the feeling that she had to be here.
She was still needed here, although she wasn’t sure why. Maybe because her uncle wasn’t here yet? Evie said softly, “Orrin has already sent the boys.” Adriana looked back at her surrogate mother, who smiled faintly and went on, “Vin and Chris do their silent communication thing, but I’ve been married to Orrin for well over thirty years. I know my husband and I knew in Cairo that if we missed any of our check-ins to update Orrin, he would send the boys. They’re on their way here. We just need to buy time. Besides, I think even if he hadn’t, Chris and Vin would have come, no matter what the others did. That boy loves you, you know.”
“I know,” Adriana whispered, “he told me before we left.” Evie’s eyes widened, and the young woman went on, “Not straight out … I don’t think he’s ready for that. To be totally honest with you, I’m not even sure if I’m ready for that. But … he told me that he would come for me, no matter where I was. If I needed him, he would come for me, even if Satan himself stood in his path. You … Vin …” Adriana stopped, because she wasn’t entirely sure how she wanted to say what needed to be said. But Evie … well, Evie understood anyhow. She stroked a lock of Adriana’s dark hair back from her temple tenderly.
“Vin Tanner is one of the most loyal people I’ve ever met. He would stand … he has stood at the sides of his friends when they needed him most. You’ve heard the stories about how he was there for Buck and Josiah when others doubted them. He would stand up to Satan himself, and honestly, I think I’ve seen him do that. But he doesn’t look at any of the boys the way he looks at you.” Adriana barely suppressed a giggle at that statement and Evie ruffled her hair, scolding, “Now, stop that, young lady, you know what I meant!”
“Yes,” the girl agreed, her lips trembling with suppressed amusement, “but it’s still fun to tease you.” For some reason, it was easier to breathe. She had Mama Evie back, and there were times during the last year when Adriana thought that day would never come. She … she had Mama Evie back. She had Mama Evie back. A tiny sound emerged from her throat, and suddenly, it was very hard to see her surrogate mother, because there was something in her eyes. Adriana gasped and she felt the older woman’s arms go around her, holding her tightly.
“Oh, sweet girl … I’m here. I’m here, and we’re safe for the moment. Orrin has sent the boys, and if I know my husband, he’ll move heaven, hell and earth to get them here as soon as he can. And then, Will Richmond will have to worry about the Med-jai and the Seven,” Mama Evie whispered into her hair, rocking her from side to side as Adriana wept for the first time since Stephen was killed. But it wasn’t just that. It was the last three years, and everything that happened. It was the memory of Vin crumpling to the ground after Rupert Browner clubbed him … it was the sight of her two brothers on their knees as their father pointed a gun at them both.
It was hearing JD’s voice tremble as he told her about finding Vin unconscious after his first fight with Chanu, and her little brother realizing that he, that they, could have lost Vin. It was seeing Buck’s face as she broke down during their argument about Adriana coming back to Egypt. It was the tears streaking Mary’s face as the two embraced for the first time since Adriana and Stephen left for Egypt so many months earlier.
It was Ardeth’s arms around her when they met again, days earlier. It was Altair’s warm, kind smile as she led the women of Four Corners to their tent. It was seeing Charlotte weeping in Mary’s arms when they thought Adriana was asleep. It was Chris, trying desperately not to laugh as she and Mary teased each other about something that probably didn’t matter, but made them both laugh. It was JD’s godawful jokes and Buck’s gleaming eyes as he teased their younger brother. It was Vin’s smile asthey watched the sunset together on the Travis wrap-around porch. Oh God, she missed them all so much.
She cried for what seemed like forever, and then Mama Evie was pulling back, her own eyes filled with tears. But she gently wiped away the evidence of Adriana’s weeping from her face, murmuring, “There now. I know, you need to rest more, sweet girl, but let’s wash you up first.” Adriana nodded, once more feeling drained. She hadn’t slept this much since her return home to Arizona (and awakening the following morning on the divan in the Travis’ drawing roomto find Vin Tanner looking down at her as if he couldn’t believe she was real). Mama Evie gently bathed her face with a cool cloth, before easing her back down onto the bedroll. Adriana’s eyes slipped shut, and the last thing she heard before drifting off was Mama Evie whispering, “Sleep well, sweet girl. I have the watch.”
-------7777777-------
Everywhere and Nowhere
This … wasn’t what he expected, when he threw himself backward into the abyss, staring into the eyes of Nefertiri-reborn and her protector. One moment, he was being pulled deeper and deeper into the abyss, and in the next, a strong hand was pulling him out of that same abyss. It wasn’t Anpu who pulled him out of the abyss, but it was the god of the afterlife who greeted him. He was being given an opportunity for redemption, if he was willing to take it. There were those seeking the treasures of Hamunaptra (as there ever was) and cared naught if their actions led to the end of the world.
Without his desire to return Anck-su-namun to life and the hom-dai clouding his mind, Imhotep now understood why this was a Bad Thing. He hadn’t cared about the world after Anck-su-namun took her own life … only about restoring his own world. That was his crime, trying to alter the natural balance. Anpu was pleased with this acknowledgment, which led into his chance for redemption. Imhotepwent entirely too far, in so many ways … but so did the Med-jai, and their actions imprisoned not only Imhotep himself, but their own descendants. He would return to the mortal world and assist the Med-jai with the newest threat to the safety of the world.
In so doing, he would set himself and the Med-jai free. When he was pulled from the abyss, the hom-dai was broken once and for all. It was a blessing … to a point. Some of the unnatural abilities from the hom-dairemained, including the healing factor and the ability to travel in and as sand. Things that would prove useful in the days ahead. He learned from the boy who pulled him from the abyss that he and the Med-jai would not be alone in ending this threat.Seven men from the home country of Nefertiri-reborn’s husband and protector were on their way, and he was proudly informed that they were formidable allies indeed.
It was coming near time for him to return to the land of the living. And Imhotep wasn’t sure how he felt about that. His previous returns to life were … not pleasant. For anyone. A soft voice said, “You’re worrying about nothing, you know that. You aren’t the same being you were the last two times.” Imhotep smirked to himself, both amused and annoyed by his companion’s comments. He couldn’t quite make up his mind about the young man. Did he like him, or did he find him annoying? The other man smirked at him, bright blue eyes reflecting mischief.
“You don’t have to like me, Imhotep. Hell, I don’t like certain members of my own family at times! Damn stupid runt!” this was said almost under his breath. Imhotep learned some English during his previous lives, but he wasn’t familiar with the word ‘runt.’ He supposed it didn’t matter much. Not as much as why this man was in the afterlife with him. The young man said, as if hearing what he was thinking, “I’m here because two people who mean the world to me are among those you’ll be working with. And they’ll be arriving in Egypt soon, because two people who mean the world to themare already there.”
Imhotep thought about what Anpu told him, how a man, not so different from Imhotep during his previous lives, sought to return Imhotep to life again, this time to resurrect his lost daughter. How, exactly, he thought Imhotep could do that without the little girl’s body was anyone’s guess, but it seemed likely he hadn’t thought that far in advance. Anpu confirmed that the child’s body remained where it was, and there were no small girls with the expedition bound for Hamunaptra.
The Med-jai had already been warned, and already stopped the expedition, but the man wasn’t giving up yet. He was as determined to return his daughter to life as Imhotep was to bring back Anck-su-namun. And he still wasn’t letting himself think about her, not when the grief, the hurt, was still so fresh, not when he could still hear her cry out ‘niy’ as she ran from the chamber, even as Nefertiri-reborn pulled her mate to safety. Anck-su-namun had loved him, he was sure of that. At least in their first lifetime, and he had seen the joy in her eyes when he drew her spirit back into her body as Meela Nais.
Meela. Was that the key? She was Anck-su-namun’s reincarnation in body, yes … but she was also a wholly different person. Was that why his beloved ran from him in the end? Did it matter? Imhotep realized with a start that yes, it mattered. It mattered very much, and he needed answers. His light-haired companion said softly, “You’ll get the answers you need, Imhotep, I promise you. Once we deal with Will Richmond and Anton van Gesen. Richmond is the dangerous one, yeah, but van Gesen … he’s not being entirely honest with his son.”
Imhotep, who also watched the interactions between the father and son, observed, “He seeks to protect both his son and niece, because of love and duty. The things he has not told his son is to protect him. That doesn’t mean that his silence will protect the boy. It might do the opposite.” Even now, the father and son were approaching the Med-jai encampment where van Gesen’s niece slept, surrounded by her companions. Imhotep asked, “And what of those dear to you? How will I know when our allies from far away arrive?”
The young man who pulled him from the abyss, who smiled at him and told him to call him ‘Alex,’ smiled now again, a distinctly mischievous expression as he said, “Oh, Imhotep … there won’t be a doubt in your mind when you see my boys. You’ll be able to tell, just by looking at them!”Humph. They would see about that (however, Imhotep suspected that he would, indeed, be able to tell just by looking at them. Alex was being very, very smug right now, and the former high priest learned the hard way to be careful when his companion was behaving like that).
*******
End Notes: Yes, one Alexander Christopher Larabee wormed his way into this series as well, because of course he did. Do you really think he would let his boys go anywhere without following them?Yeah, no … not happening. As to how he can be in the Egyptian afterlife, well … Alex can be very persuasive when he wants to be, and of course he followed Vin the first time his youngest nephew ended up in Egypt. Anpu is more commonly known these days as ‘Anubis,’ the Greek name for him, and I doubt that’s how Imhotep would know him. Also, yes, I changed my mind about how the Seven got to Egypt, because otherwise, it would take months, and Orrin was worried enough about his girls to splurge and arrange more expeditious transportation. I did some research into international air travel in the thirties, to make sure that what I wanted to do was feasible (hence, the references to JD getting sick and Vin blacking out). Finally, in terms of the other stories … I suspect the SG-7 story will be next to be updated, as I’m more than two thirds done with it, although updates for the OW and Captain Power stories are both in the works right now. I’m also trying to finish my first original novel, so I’m in essence working on five stories right now. (facepalm)
To be continued...
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