by J.P Jackson
Taylor lay in a half sleep, fresh memories weaving themselves through his mind's fabric. He watched his own interrogation by Apophis, saw the general cut off his finger and eat it, then squirmed when Jack kicked his ribs. He fought alone in the gladiatorial ring, sprinted for the covered garbage chute while a sabre toothed cat devoured a slave behind. He slid over to the grate when suddenly, the whole thing collapsed inward, sending Taylor falling into the chute.
The rest played out precisely as he remembered it. He cut himself free from the worm then crawled through the ventilation shaft. He witnessed Apophis grieving at the wooden coffin, experienced the golden cube and the lions tossing him overboard. After vanishing in midair and reappearing on Lanza's coffee table, Taylor saw Penelope under anesthetic while a silver gauntlet was attached to her forearm. With only time to see her eyes open, Taylor returned to the ancient past, landing in a swamp of mosquitoes before back at the village in time for the arriving caravan.
