by Amma Lee
"Understood, let's head back for a little while," Leonne said and looked over at Director Morris. "We'll be back with our analysis of the situation soon." Leonne and Dylan walked closer to Theodore and Theodore teleported them out of the museum leaving Director Morris alone.
"The stone…" Director Morris whispered as he rubbed the pedestal.
Chapter Three
"I don't know about that director's story, boys," Thomas said as soon as they were back at the treehouse.
"What about the story didn't sit well with you, Thomas?" Leonne asked and folded his arms. Leonne initially thought the story didn't add up, but Director Morris had evidence.
"Well firstly, there was no sign of an actual forced break-in, and then something's telling me that a mummy didn't randomly come across the code to that door's control panel." Thomas stopped speaking then and turned towards Theodore. "Give me the wrappings," Thomas said, and Theodore quickly pulled the dirty cloth from his book bag.
"Humph… have you even dealt with mummies before?" Dylan questioned Thomas with his hands on his hips. "Maybe the mummy had some special ‘infiltrating' power."
"I doubt it," Thomas said running over to his book bag. He pulled a small vial filled with a blue liquid out of his bag. He popped off the lid and dipped the wrappings in the solution. "Mummies aren't known to be bright, and if this one had any powers, it would have been skilled enough to make sure the crime scene had no evidence of a break-in by leaving being wrappings" Thomas said looking at the wrappings in the blue liquid. Soon the color of the substance turned yellow. "Yup… these are some really old rags." Thomas said shaking his head.
"We can see that, so obviously it’s from a mummy. Do you have any experience with mummies?" Leonne asked then.
"I have experience with everything child, that's why some aspects of the story don't line up. I can say for sure that these wrappings are at least a few hundred years old." Theodore shivered at that.
"That's creepy, but I am curious to how it got into the museum undetected," Theodore said and grabbed the wrapping out of the vile. "I'll look into this to see if I can pinpoint where the… where the mummy might have gone."
"Dylan, get Chief Stewarts on the phone. If we're dealing with mummies, we might need additional backup." Dylan nodded his head and went over to his station to contact Chief Stewarts. "Thomas, can you tell me anything that we should know about mummies?"
"There are plenty of things you should know about mummies," Thomas said, looking at Leonne. "But I guess that I can give you boys a few details that will be substantial. Listen up because I'm only saying this once!" Thomas shouted since Dylan and Theodore were focusing heavy on their tasks. "Mummies are located in catacombs in tombs. They are not living beings, but they are also not like Casper." Thomas was aware that the boys were still young so he would try his best not to frighten them. "They throw a mean right hook, and if you are hit by them, you'd feel it for days."
"We can handle ourselves," Leonne said. The Millennium Squad had taken on witches in hand to hand combat, there was no way they would get showed up by a former human wrapped in a lot of bandages.
"You tell him, boss!" Dylan shouted. No one should ever underestimate their power. Thomas shook his head.
"I'm not trying to insult your abilities, I'm just warning you of the dangers of battling mummies," Thomas said and shook his head. Leonne understood what Thomas was trying to do, but even though they were kids, Leonne needed to remind Thomas of their professionalism. They would be victorious.
"Have you pinpointed a location for our culprit, Theodore?" Leonne asked turning his attention to the matter at hand.
"Negative boss," Theodore said in a frustrated way.
"Well…" Thomas said. "There is a catacomb behind the Citrus Waterfall in Sequoia," Thomas added. "We can try there. Mummies aren't fast so we'd be able to determine quickly if our little thief is there." Dylan turned from his station and frowned.
"You could have told us that earlier fur ball," Dylan mumbled angrily, and Thomas grinned.
"I didn't want to upstage your technology with my observations." Leonne couldn't help but roll his eyes. He was with Dylan on this one, if Thomas knew of a particular location, he should have gone ahead and shared this information with them. It would have definitely made the process go faster.
"Theodore, call Director Morris and tell him of our findings and that we're setting off to nab the mummy before he awakens all of the mummies in the world with that stone!"
"Sir!" Theodore said and contacted Director Morris. Leonne was pretty sure that this would be a long and difficult mission.
*****
"Why are we bringing him again?" Dylan whispered to Leonne as he, Leonne, Theodore, and Thomas made their way through Director Morris' museum. Leonne sighed.
"Because Director Morris wants to help us and possibly make sure that we don't end of ruining the stone," Leonne responded quietly.
"Having Director Morris might be an advantage," Thomas said, and Theodore turned towards him and nodded his head.
“Where did you disappear to a little bit after we got here?” Theodore asked Thomas and Thomas shook his head.
“Nowhere,” Thomas said nonchalantly.
"Well… anyways,” Theodore went back on topic. “Director Morris should know a lot about what we might encounter at the catacombs of Sequoia. I'm sure he'll have plenty of beneficial and necessary information." Thomas agreed with Theodore, but that wasn't the only reason why Thomas didn't mind Director Morris joining them on their mission. There was something about the old man that Thomas wanted to keep an eye on. He didn't have any basis for his suspicion of Director Morris, it was simply one of his gut feelings.
"Boys you have arrived!" Director Morris shouted as he came closer to them with a large cylinder container. Leonne furrowed his brow in confusion.
"Director Morris, what's with the container?" The container was rather large to just casually carry around on a dangerous mission. Director Morris frowned.
"The Emerald Stone shall not be touched with unclean hands, and it also should not be around too much water. This container will protect it from both!" Director Morris shouted excitedly. Director Morris then tapped the bowl. "This container will also ensure that the stone is not scratched or damaged in any way."
"That is a lot of work for just a rock," Dylan said, scratching his head.
"It's a stone!" Theodore and Director Morris said at the same time.
"If the stone can bring destruction to the world by raising a mummy army, then it's better off being destroyed," Dylan said and placed his hands on his hips. To be completely honest, Leonne did not disagree with what Dylan had just said. The stone definitely did not need to get into the wrong hands.
"Absolutely not! The stone must be preserved in the museum! Now let us go to this Citrus Waterfall in Sequoia!" Director Morris said and walked over to Theodore.
Thomas watched the back and forth between Dylan and Director Morris with keen interest. He agreed with the boy that the stone should be destroyed, but he could also understand preserving an artifact as powerful as the Emerald Stone. Thomas believed that he and the Millennium Squad were in for a great treat.
"Alright boys, we're heading out!" Leonne shouted.
"Sir!" Dylan and Theodore shouted and with a push of a button on Theodore’s remote control, they disappeared.
Chapter Four
"Wow," Theodore said once they had successfully teleported just outside of the Citrus Waterfall. "It's beautiful." Leonne looked around silently and had to admit the sunlight shining off of the waterfall that created a faint rainbow in the water was rather breathtaking, but they weren't there to sightsee.
"Eh… it's just some water falling down, it's not that special." Dylan said. He didn't appreciate girly stuff like scenery. That was something that girls were interested in. Thomas looked around the grand waterfall and grinned. This would be a beautiful place to do research at if I don't want to be cooped up in the lab,
Thomas thought to himself.
"Is there a way to get around the falls without getting wet?" Leonne asked. All of their equipment was waterproof, but if they went into a battle with mummies, he'd prefer that they didn't slip on their own puddles of water.
"One moment," Theodore said and pulled up a hologram screen on his multi-tool. He typed something into the holographic keyboard, and a map appeared on the screen. "There is only one way around the waterfall without getting wet, and that's a cave somewhere nearby," Theodore said and shivered. He was sure the cave would be dark, and Theodore wasn’t a fan of the dark.
"I'll go ahead and scope out the area," Dylan said.
"Wait!" Leonne said, and Dylan paused and turned and glanced at Leonne. "Take Thomas with you… you've always been his favorite." Apparently, he couldn't say ‘take Thomas to investigate with you' with Director Morris with them. They were trying to keep him being a private detective and able to speak a secret.
Dylan frowned, but understood what Leonne was getting at. As much as Dylan wanted to refuse Leonne's orders, he wouldn't because Leonne was the boss after all.
"C'mon fur ball!" Dylan shouted and turned and started walking away. Thomas wasted no time and immediately caught up with him. Order or not, Thomas was going to go and investigate a little before Leonne had said anything anyways.
"You must really like having your pet on missions with you," Director Morris said in confusion. The Millennium Squad was the best detectives in the world, so if they wanted to bring their pet along, then by all means.
"So, what do you think, fur ball?" Dylan asked once they were far enough from the group. "You honestly believe we should have brought that man? Things could get ugly," Dylan didn't really want to talk to Thomas, but Dylan didn't feel like getting chewed out by Leonne.
"Hmmm…. I don't think the director can perform well in battle, but I'm sure Director Morris knows things about this place that I might be drawing blanks on." Thomas said, and Dylan looked down at the gray cat. He was surprised that the cat admitted not having knowledge in something because Thomas was incredibly arrogant when it came to him believing he knew everything.
"I don't know, I think he should have stayed at the museum," Dylan said. The closer they got to the waterfall, the more Dylan's clothes and Thomas' fur got damp.
"That's because you don't see the big picture," Thomas said. He stopped and listened. The waterfall would have made it hard for people to hear, but not Thomas because Thomas was a cat and he trained his ears to hear over incredibly loud sounds. When he didn't hear anything out of the ordinary, he sniffed the air.
"Smell anything weird?" Dylan asked. He wanted to get this mission over with as quickly as possible. If Dylan got the chance to fight mummies, then the mission would be worth it, but if not, Dylan would rather be at the treehouse or at home. His mom told him that she had a surprise for him earlier that morning and he really wanted to get to it.
"No, go back and get the others," Thomas said, and Dylan frowned. He was going to argue with him, but he chose not to. He'd do what Thomas asked for the sake of the Millennium Squad's reputation. "Hmmm…. I don't sense anything being here recently." Thomas whispered.
*****
"Make sure that you're careful, swimming isn't my area," Leonne said as he looked at the bluish green water. The water would surely wash whatever, or whoever, away.
"Yes, I'm not too fond of water, so I definitely don't want to try to fish anyone out of the water." Director Morris hadn't spoken much. He was only interested in getting the Emerald Stone, he wasn't interested in interacting with people. Director Morris fumbled with the large container, hoping to place the stone inside of it soon.
"Finally made it," Theodore said as they made it to the cave's entrance. "The exit to the cave should take us to the catacombs, there are bound to be many tombs with mummies inside. As long as we aren't too late and the mummy who stole the stone hasn't begun the ritual, we should be fine."
"Any idea how to take them down if we have to fight them?" Leonne asked.
"Wait," Director Morris finally said. "Have you three not come up with a plan?" Leonne really made it a great deal to come up with ideas, but he drew a blank on how to approach this situation. There were too many details that were missing as to how the mummy actually had stolen the Emerald Stone. Thomas didn't offer them any plans either.
"No, but please rest assured that we will provide you with a top-notch service," Leonne said. He didn't want to worry the director, but he wasn't going to lie about it either. Leonne was sure that at the end of the day, they'd be victorious, especially with Thomas assisting them.
The Millennium Squad, Thomas, and Director Morris finally made it inside the dark cave, and Theodore paused feeling uneasy.
"It's…. it's pretty dark in here… don't you think?" Theodore asked. He hated the dark even when he was with his comrades.
"It is pretty dark, it's a little hard to see in here," Leonne said. He wasn't so much afraid of the dark, but he wanted his comrades to perform at the top of their abilities.
"Heh… baby," Dylan said, teasing Theodore. Theodore pushed up his glasses and pulled out a remote control from his pocket. He pushed a dark blue button and the remote control turned into a drone that surrounded them with a bright light. The ball of light buzzed around and Theodore sighed in relief. He hadn't had the time to test his new invention, so he was happy that it had worked.
"I'm not a baby, besides you're the clumsiest of the three of us," Theodore retorted. "You're more than likely to walk into a wall." Dylan and Theodore exchanged a few words, and Thomas shook his head. Kids will be kids, scared or not, and humans will still have difficulty seeing in the dark, Thomas thought to himself. Thomas didn't sense any danger in the nearby vicinity, so he was sure that they'd be all right for now.
"Everyone, I'm going up ahead," Leonne said and started to walk ahead of them. "Come with me, boy," Leonne knew that Thomas would be a bit irritated to be referred to as ‘boy, ' but he was being cautious and didn't want to blow Thomas' identity. Once they were far enough from the group, Leonne started to speak.
"Do you agree with Theodore? Is this the only entrance to the tombs?" Leonne asked. Thomas looked up at Leonne.
"Yes, I do agree that this is the only entrance. However, I don't sense anything being in here in a long while." Thomas said with slight confusion in his voice. This was an exciting mission for him indeed. There were so many questions that ran through his mind.
"Well…would you even be able to sense a mummy anyways?"
"I can sense anything. There's nothing that I cannot sense." Thomas said confidently. Something wasn't adding up, was the mummy more intelligent than he gave it credit for. "We should be at the exit soon." It didn't take long for the five of them to reach the door, but what they saw at that moment confused even Thomas. What was in front of them was a locked entrance to the tombs, with phrases decorating the door.
Chapter Five
"What in the world…" Dylan began and looked over at Theodore. "What the heck is this?" Dylan pointed over his shoulder at the words written on the door.
"Millie," Theodore said, and the drone lighting up their path moved closer to the door. He named the drone Millie? Leonne couldn't help the question running through his head. Theodore looked over at the words on the door and thought for a while. "A riddle? No…. this appears to be some type of puzzle." Theodore said mostly to himself.
"A puzzle you say?" Dylan said and placed his hands on his hips. "We don't have time for some childish puzzle." Dylan snapped and walked over towards the door. "We need to hurry up and get that rock."
"Stone!" everyone shouted in unison. Thomas walked closer to the door and read what was written. Here lie the remains of the mummy king. Preserving royalties' bodies was for the best, his kingdom believed. They had one goal for their bodies as their souls climbed towards the sky. What was their purpose for these mummies without a life?
"We probably have to answer the question righ
t to open the door," Leonne said and scratched his head. "We need to figure out the mummies’ goals for preserving their bodies, I suppose." Leonne wasn't the smartest in the Millennium Squad, Theodore took that title, but he wasn't a nincompoop either.
"How do we do that?" Dylan asked. "I don't know jack squat about mummies, other than they're wrapped up in dirty rags."
"Director Morris, do you know anything?" Theodore turned, looking at the museum director. Theodore had read about many reasons to why a mummy might be preserved, but he was sure that some of what he had read were myths. Director Morris didn't say anything as he fidgeted from one foot to the other. Thomas looked over at Director Morris in suspicion. He's acting a little odd. Is he nervous? Thomas asked himself.
"So close," Director Morris mumbled low enough that the others couldn't hear, but Thomas’ sensitive ears was able to pick up what he had said. He must really want the stone back, but I suppose it's for a good reason. Thomas' body was starting to tense up, he was feeling like he was missing something. Things didn't feel quite right to him.
"Director Morris!" Theodore shouted when Director Morris didn't respond to him. The director flinched and abruptly looked at Theodore.
"Ah, my apologies." Director Morris cleared his throat and read the message on the door. "There are several theories as to why mummies mummify themselves. I'm sorry, but I do not know the exact answer. How about we try them all?" Director Morris suggested.
"I guess that's all we can do." Leonne sighed. That method could take a while. Leonne suggested looking up the answer on the wide-web, but it was just as Theodore and Director Morris suggested. There were thousands of theories. Leonne was about to unleash a loud sigh, but he heard loud meowing and felt clawing on his pants' leg. He looked down and saw Thomas looking up at him.
"Hmmm… your cat probably wants food or needs to go to the bathroom." Director Morris looked over at Leonne and Thomas. They'd been gone a long while, and he knew cats were creatures who preferred to lounge around. Leonne knew that wasn't the case, though. Thomas wanted to tell him something.
