GIZA PORT

Team of explorers swarm the docks. Across the Nile, the pyramids spike the sky. Evelyn, Jonathan and Evan walk along the boardwalk besieged by hawkers selling everything from toy tombs to King Tut action figures.

"Do you really think he'll show up?" Evelyn asked her siblings while they walked.

"Well, considering that we did save his neck, he has to show up or I'll personally put a bullet through his head." Evan told her sister and brother while she carried her bags.

"Undoubtedly, I know the breed, he may be a cowboy, but his word is his word." Jonathan said and walked besides his sisters.

"Personally, I think he's filthy, rude and a complete scoundrel. I don't like him one bit." Evelyn said.

"I for once disagree with you." Evan muttered under her breath.

"Anyone I know?" O'Connell asked. The three siblings turned to see O'Connell walks up; shaved, showered, spit and polished, with a new haircut and clothes. He looks more dashing and handsome than ever. Evelyn is suitably impressed.

"You clean up well." Evan told O'Connell who looked at her.

"Oh...um...hello." Evelyn greeted the charming man. Jonathan grabs O'Connell's arm and shakes his hand.

"Smashing day for the start of an adventure, eh, O'Connell?" Jonathan said to O'Connell.

"Yeah, smashing." O'Connell said and quickly checked his pockets.

"Oh no, no. I would never steal from a partner, partner." Jonathan said. Evan rolled her eyes.

"Don't listen to him. He steals from everyone, even his own sisters." Evan said earning a glare from Jonathan and a chuckle from O'Connell. Evelyn, recovering, she clears her throat.

"Mister O'Connell, can you look me in the eye, and guarantee me this is not some sort of flimflam? Because if it is, I'm warning you-" Evelyn didn't even finish because O'Connell cut her off. O'Connell steps up close to Evelyn, invading her space looks her straight in the eye. Evelyn backs away slightly.

"You are warning, me?" O'Connell asked and Evan glared at him.

"Okay then, I'm warning you." Evan said and O'Connell turned to her and stepped towards her.

"All I can tell you, miss, is that my Colonel found that map in an ancient fortress, and the whole damn garrison believed in it so much, that without orders, we marched halfway across Libya and into Egypt to find that city. Like I told ya, all I saw was sand. Everybody else was wiped out by Tuareg warriors. I'll take your bags." O'Connell said and grabbed Evan's bags. Evan noticed he took her bag with weapons so she followed him.

"Hey, come back here!" Evan said and ran to catch up with him.

"Yes, yes, you're right, filthy, rude, a complete scoundrel, nothing to like there at all." Jonathan said as he saw his sister go after O'Connell.

BARGE

Evan was siting on a table, staring out over the passing river. The gunny-sack drops onto the table making Evan turn to O'Connell.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya." O'Connell said not sorry at all.

"The only thing that scares me, Mister O'Connell, are your manners." Evan said and looked at his weapons.

"Still angry that kissed ya, huh?" O'Connell asked and Evan rolled her eyes.

"That isn't considered a kiss but no." Evan said and O'Connell looked at her. O'Connell reaches into the gunny-sack and starts pulling out revolvers, pistols, hunting knives, a massive elephant gun, and a half dozen carefully wrapped sticks of dynamite.

"Uh, I understand the guns and knives but dynamite? Are we going to war? I would have came more, uh, prepared." Evan told O'Connell and she grabbed a knife. 

"The last time I was at that place everybody I was with died." O'Connell told her and Evan nodded, she grabbed a rag and started to clean O'Connell's knife.

"Not many people have the same courage as you." Evan said and O'Connell looked at her confused. "I mean, you saw people die yet you are going back."

O'Connell grabbed another gun and started to clean it. " 'Well, considering that you did save my neck, I had to show up or you would have personally put a bullet through my head.'" O'Connell quoted her and Evan smiled at him.

"Well, you could have left as soon as we were gone, but you didn't. Aren't you afraid?" Evan asked and O'Connell looked at her.

"There's something out there, you know, something under that sand." O'Connell said not really answering her question.

"Yes, my sister is hoping to find a certain artifact, a book, actually, my brother thinks there's treasure. What do you think is out there?" Evan asked O'Connell.

"Evil. The Tuaregs and the Bedouin believe that Hamunaptra is cursed, they call it, 'the doorway to hell.'" O'Connell said putting air quotes around the doorway to hell.

"Ahmar is Ossirion. "Passageway to the underworld", actually." Evan corrected.

"Why are you going?" O'Connell asked making Evan stop.

"I miss the thrill. I need action." Evan told him and put down the gun she had been cleaning.

"My sister doesn't believe in fairy tales and hokum, Mister O'Connell, but she does believe that one of the most famous books in history is buried out there, The Book Of The Living. It's what first interested her in Egypt as a child. It's why I let her came, sort of a life's pursuit for her." Evan told him and he nodded.

"Why else are you going? Other than the thrill?" O'Connell asked and Evan grinned.

"I want to find the Book of Amun-Ra, it contains ancient spells and incantations that could take life away from mortals." Evan said and O'Connell nodded.

"So you belive in 'fairy tales' and 'hokum'?" O'Connell asked and Evan shook her head.

"I don't know what I belive anymore." Evan said honestly.

"The fact that they say it's made out of pure gold, makes no nevermind to your sister, right?" O'Connell said changing the subject. Evan looks at O'Connell surprised.

"You know your history." Evan said.

"I know my treasure." O'Connell corrected her. Evan gets up and gives the clean rag to O'Connell who was using a dirty one. As Evan was going to walk away she turned to him again.

"By the way, why did you kiss me?" Evan asked wanting to know. O'Connell turned to her.

"I was about to be hanged, seemed like a good idea at the time." O'Connell said as if it was nothing.

"You really need to learn manners!" Evan snapped and walked away angrily.

"What?... Wha'd I say?" O'Connell asked confused. Then he hears someone snickering under the table. He quickly reaches down, grabs that someone and lifts him up. It's Beni.

"My very good friend! What a surprise." Beni said nervously.

"Why if it ain't my little buddy, Beni. I oughta kill you." O'Connell said and sticks a knife under Beni's throat.

"Think about my children!" Beni said trying to come up with a way to weasel his way out. O'Connell looks at him confused.

"You don't have any children." O'Connell pointed out, not once looking away from the small man.

"Someday I might..." Beni whispered and looked at O'Connell with hope in his eyes. Not hope to have children but to get out of yet another life or death situation with his 'friend'.

"So you're the one leading the Americans, I shoulda figured. So what's the scam? You get 'em out in the middle of the desert then leave 'em to rot?" O'Connell asked and Beni shook his head.

"Unfortunately no, these Americans are smart, they pay me only half now, half when I get them back to Cairo, so I must go all the way." Beni said his body tense. O'Connell pulls the knife away. Beni relaxes, rubs his neck.

"You never believed in Hamunaptra, O'Connell. Why are you going back? The devil himself lives out there." Beni asked O'Connell. They look as they hear Evan laugh. A single camel in the horse paddock takes another bite at her. She laughs again and backs away. O'Connell grins as Evan walks away, down the deck.

"The girl saved my life, figured it was the least I could do, keep her out of trouble." O'Connell said to Beni.

"You always did have more balls than brains." Beni told him. O'Connell's eyes narrow at the insult, he looks back at Beni.

"Bye, Beni." O'Connell said making Beni confuse.

"Huh?" Beni asked him confusion evident in his voice. O'Connell grabs him and chucks him over the side of the barge. Beni splashes into the river. O'Connell takes his gunny-sack and starts walking off down the deck.

That's when he spots three sets of wet footprints, coming up over the railing from the river and heading down the deck. O'Connell quickly looks around, immediately on the alert.