The Files of Art. Inc.: The Hunt for the Lost Scrolls: Chapter 115 (25.03.2024) (FFFF/FFF/ MM/F)

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Post by slackywacky »

Caesar73 wrote: 1 year ago If this approach works the readers must decide for themselves :)
It works for me!
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Post by mrjones2009 »

Certainly does work!

Can't wait for the next installment
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Post by Beaumains »

Anna was lucky there. No permanent injuries. If her opponent had been less cocky, she would have been dead.
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Post by GreyLord »

Beaumains wrote: 1 year ago Anna was lucky there. No permanent injuries. If her opponent had been less cocky, she would have been dead.
That is an excellent analysis by @Beaumains.
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Post by Caesar73 »

GreyLord wrote: 1 year ago
Beaumains wrote: 1 year ago Anna was lucky there. No permanent injuries. If her opponent had been less cocky, she would have been dead.
That is an excellent analysis by @Beaumains.

Absolutely [mention]GreyLord[/mention] and [mention]Beaumains[/mention] - that Anck-Sun-Amun did not perform the deed herself, is probably the only reason why Anna is still a alive - and besides a scar, bruised rips, a few other ugly bruises, some cuts and her wounded pride - she lifes to fight another day
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Post by Caesar73 »

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Around the same time: Unknown location:

Nofret was on her way to report to her superior. Before the large oaken door two daughters of Isis stood to attention presenting her curved blades, as Anck-Sun-Amun´s second in command came nearer: The Egyptian returned the salute “At ease!”

Without looking left or right, not bothering with knocking at the door, she strode into Anck-Sun-Amun´s Office. The High Priestess did not look up till her second in command stood right in front of her desk. Now Nofret herself stood herself to attention.

“Have a seat Nofret” the dark haired woman acknowledged her presence. “What have you got?” “Milady, Hathor is following some leads, but so far we have not been able to locate Professor Callahan or von der Marwitz and her people. It seems as if Callahan has vanished from the earth”

“Too bad, that Iput and Nefer failed in her task trailing them” Anck-Sun-Amun sounded cold “See personally to additional punishment”

“I will High Priestess” Nofret confirmed “If I might make a suggestion?”

Her boss looked straight at her, and the expression of these cold hard eyes made her shudder. Finally she nodded “What do you propose?”

“We should keep the following places under surveillance. Callahan will show up at one of them at some point” Nofret stated.

After an eternity the High Priestess nodded “See to it, and keep me posted”


Hall Place Entrance Hall around the same time:

The girls had already assembled in the spacious entrance hall of Hall Place Manor. All dressed in thick coats, gloves, shawls, caps and sturdy boots– to fend of the cold as Kate joined them “How is Anna?” Sophie wanted to know

“Much better” Kate sounded relieved “the swelling of her face has receded – somewhat, she still looks terrible” The detective added and continued

“She definitely is on the mend, but she is still in considerable pain, even if she tries to hide it, Anna is way too proud to admit that, and I think her wounded pride hurts her as much as her body – now she is sleeping”

“Anna heals fast” Chris reassured the American “And rest will help”

Sybil´s voice interrupted them “We have a visitor a Mr. Smith, he says he works for the government, I made a quick online search, he seems genuine, he works at treasury, something about import and export - but I will do a more thorough back ground check as we speak” The tech wizard told them “But I doubt that Smith is his real name, probably MI5 or MI6 if you ask me”

They exchanged glances “Did we step on anyone´s toes?” Chris mused

“You mean besides leaving a couple of corpses behind in the British Museum” the Dark Lady chuckled.

“Oh and” Sybil interrupted them “He drives an Aston Martin DB 5” That stroke a bell with Chris, but she couldn´t tell why, but an Aston Martin DB 5 was not exactly a car, some simple accountant would drive.

The Lionhead doorknocker ended their conversation. With Chris in the centre the girls formed a half circle as the large door swung open and a blonde man entered, he was wearing a perfectly tailored grey suit, Kate registered, cut wide enough to hide a gun – and the detective was sure that the newcomer was carrying.

His face was clear cut; he moved with the practised motions of the trained professional, he radiated confidence and competence. His most remarkable feature was his piercing pale blue eyes. He was not overly tall – for a man, a little smaller than Chris.

Chris regarded him with a long inquisitive look “To whom do we owe the pleasure, Mr. Smith?” “She sounds calm, but is clearly on her guard” Smith thought to himself.

He was impressed. The pianist was as imposing a figure as their informant had told them he smiled as he remembered some details their contact had told them. Her file was an interesting read:

Christine von der Marwitz was an immensely gifted artist, but had trained martial arts since early ´childhood, her skill with the katana was impressive – it was said that her daisho had been made by one of Nippon´s most skilled blacksmiths, and handed down over the Centuries to her.

“All in good time Miss von der Marwitz, it is a pleasure to make the acquaintance of you and your friends, your fame precedes you, Miss McKenzie, Miss King, Miss Garrett, Doctor Reichenbach and Captain Beckett, if I may say so” He was greeted with silence and inquisitive looks.

He added:

“Would you convey my best wishes for a speedy recovery to Her Grace the Grand Duchess, she fought valiantly yesterday as she always does” Smith smiled enigmatically.

And for a very short moment, just a fracture of a second those stony features which resembled a roman statute became softer. Chris could not help it, but she was intrigued.

Kate looked sharply at Smith “Where do you know that from?

“There is no need to worry Ladies, but we have a second camera system installed in the museum unknown to the public and the museum´s board” ‘And Kate noticed that Mr. Smith did not explain the part “as she always does” that left room for some interesting conclusions.

Smith turned to Kate and Sophie “Your marksmanship is impressive as are your reflexes Miss von der Marwitz!” Sophie blushed, while the American was unimpressed by the flattery.

Smith continued to smile as Chris cut in, straight to the point as usual “You seem to know a lot about us, but we don´t know nothing about you. You could begin with telling us who you really are and what do you want from us, I do not believe for one second Smith is your real name” Chris had stressed the “really”

Smith chuckled, not angry in the slightest “You are indeed not the one for small talk, to your first question: The name is Bond, James Bond”

Bond continued – “and regarding your second question: I am here on behalf of a high ranking person to extend an invitation to you all”

The German was still not convinced “Who is that person? We had enough mysterious invitations for a lifetime, so tell us, who this high powered person is or leave”

The agent was not deterred by Chris´ obvious anger and that said something “I am here on personal order of Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to invite you to a dinner at Buckingham Palace in twelve days from now, so that the Grand Duchess should be able to attend”

Stunned silence greeted those words –“Why should we believe you? You just pop in here out of the blue and throw a fancy name in our faces and expect us to take you up on your word?” Kate regarded Bond with a long inquisitive look “Your distrust is understandable but in this case misplaced Captain Beckett” Bond still smiled

“O is it Mr. Bond? You need something more to convince us than polished phrases you know, I still don´t buy it”

Bond seemed more amused than angry “May I?” he asked as he pulled a large envelope out of his jacket and gave it to Chris, who hesitated to take it “Neither is the envelope drugged nor scented with perfume”

Bond smiled as Chris´ eyebrows raised a fraction “Where does he know that from?” she thought “You are obviously well informed” she returned guardedly as she took the envelope. It was heavy, made from exquisite handmade paper; it was sealed with red wax. The seal was the personal private seal of Her Majesty.

Carefully the pianist broke the seal and retrieved the invitation card, made from the same heavy paper and read. When she had finished reading, she gave the card to Kate who read herself and passed the card around, obviously impressed “This is a joke right?”

Bond just smiled, obviously amused “I wouldn´t dare to make a joke in such a matter”

Chris bowed slightly “We feel deeply honoured and will accept the gracious invitation of Her Majesty, but tell me Mr. Bond to whom do we owe the pleasure of this invitation?”

The Secret Agent smiled “Sometimes it seems you forget how famous you really are. Take your concert at Carnegie Hall last week and you have admirers in other – more clandestine - circles as well. Her Majesty is a great admirer of your art; she followed your career since your first concert”

Christine blushed deeply but said nothing, looked studiously at her feet instead. 007 could count himself among the happy few to see Chris reacting that way. The agent continued:

“When the Queen learned that you are in London she made the request to meet you and your friends and Her Majesty would be delighted if you and the Grand Duchesse and Miss Reichenbach” – this time it was Sophie´s time to blush – “would play at that event, the choice of program is yours of course. If you need anything you can contact me”

“Who will be the other guests?” Kate asked, her natural curiosity getting the better of her

“Just a few much selected guests: as far as I know the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will be in attendance as will their Royal Highnesses the Duke and the Duchesse of Cambridge, the Duchesse was immensely fascinated by your concert at Carnegie Hall”

Chris remembered that the Duchesse had played the piano herself at christmas with the singer Tom Walker at Westminster Abbey – and proved herself a gifted piano player.

Bond looked at his watch “Captain Beckett, as much as I would like to talk with you, but I have urgent business to attend to”

The Secret Agent bowed slightly “That will be all!” Bond turned on his heels and wanted to leave „If you excuse me“

„Not so fast Mr. Bond!“ Chris called sharply after him „Yes Miss von der Marwitz?“ The Agent was not angry in the slightest; in fact he seemed to be amused, the German was tenacious and he liked that “What do you want not know?” he asked politely

„If I am not mistaken you have the licence to kill, so you are not simply an errand boy, not even for Her Majesty – God bless her - so allow me one question Mr. Bond: What is the interest of the government in this?“ Chris Eyes drilled into his – Bond did not even flinch.

„That is a good question Miss von der Marwitz“ Bond smiled his infuriating smile again „We have followed your search for the scroll very closely and Her Majesty´s government is very interested in what you find out – and the activities of a certain Egyptian here in London. The Lady has a reputation – and as a token of good will, I have this for you“ he produced a USB Stick and gave it to Chris “You will find the information useful – but now you must really excuse me” he turned on his heels and left.

As the door had closed behind him there was stunned silence. Hayley spoke first “You know what this means Girls: We will go shopping!”

“Tell me that I am dreaming” Kirsty asked Hayley “No, you are not – this the real deal” The American returned, giddy with excitement.

“Did you expect that?” the Dark Lady took Chris aside “Definitely not” the pianist replied thoughtfully “Bond was very well informed, too well for my taste. I ask you: How many people know about the prepared letter in Nuremberg or the perfumed invitation I got by Sieglinde at the Adlernest? MI6 has either hacked our server, which I doubt, or a very good informant, and there is only one person who possesses this knowledge, two maybe …”

“You mean Sieglinde or von Stülpnagel?” the thief asked Chris “Their names spring to mind, don´t you think?” Chris added dryly

“My bet is on Sieglinde” the thief stated

Kirsty interrupted them “Hey Ladies, save this Conversation for later! We have some serious shopping and sightseeing to do today!”

“Meet me in 10 outside” Chris replied “I will deliver the USB-Stick to Sibyl, she should check the content”

The pianist hurried to the conference room, where she found the hacker behind her screens”

“Sybil this is important: Check the informations on this stick – and by careful, there might be malware on it”

“Will do” the brunette acknowledged and Chris left to join the others.
Last edited by Caesar73 1 year ago, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Nainur »

Oh, wow! 007...
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Post by Beaumains »

Adding Bond and the queen to this story is an interesting choice, but I am not the biggest fan of this change. Maybe I am more familiar with them than with Castle or Callahan, but it feels a little off. Why would a famous secret agent be a simple errand boy? Why would he tell about the secret cameras? Why does he know so much? I think another grandmaster of puppets would change the vibe of the entire story. Any more powerful parties involved could change the unique dynamic, and it almost seems to grotesque to involve the Queen in a bondage tale. I liked the rogue squad, and I doubt that involving politics is the best way to continue. Still, the writing of this chapter was good. It flowed well.
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Post by Caesar73 »

Dear [mention]Beaumains[/mention] , Bond will be a recurring character - and I will not bring politics to the story. The introdcution of Bond had two reasons: One was that I let my imagination run wild, when I had the idea, I just couldn´t let go :) but the seond reason is more important: As we can read between the lines in this chapter, one of the characters is an old aquaintance of him, a flame of his maybe? - and this is the main reason why I introduced him. His role in this story will be no large one, his conncetions might come in handy at one or the other point.

As for the "errand boy" - I borrowed this from the movie "Red Sparrow" when Jennifer Lawrence says that to a Russian Ambassador. It was meant as provocation - and this is the way Chris meant that here. But Bond did not take the bait.

The Queen ... another crazy idea of mine :) I have not written those chapters yet, because they will be part of the last arc, when the proverbial dust has settled. It will be similar to the Chapters at the beginning of the chapter, the Concert in Carnegie Hall.
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Post by Nainur »

Caesar73 wrote: 1 year ago Dear @Beaumains , Bond will be a recurring character - and I will not bring politics to the story. The introdcution of Bond had two reasons: One was that I let my imagination run wild, when I had the idea, I just couldn´t let go :) ....
This one is reason enough, surely! :)
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Post by slackywacky »

Caesar73 wrote: 1 year ago Bond will be a recurring character
It's not like nothing else in this story reminds us of Bond, James Bond... gold paint maybe...
Thanks for reading. Feel free to comment.
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Post by Caesar73 »

slackywacky wrote: 1 year ago
Caesar73 wrote: 1 year ago Bond will be a recurring character
It's not like nothing else in this story reminds us of Bond, James Bond... gold paint maybe...

Indeed :) But the main focus will be on the connection of James Bond to one of the characters not his role as a the agent with a licence to kill. There was a hint in the last update who that might be :) You have three guesses :)

The next update is due tomorrow - or Friday at the latest :)
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Post by Caesar73 »

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Hall Place: Conference Room a short while later:

Evie sighed, since the very early hours of morning she brooded over the scroll, while Amanda was working concentrated on their secret special project, Evie knew Amanda was perfectly suited for the job, because of her unique skill set – and if things went according to plan, they would not need that failsafe.

Even if the Egyptologist had made decent progress it was hard work, her eyes burnt. The content of the scroll, or the part she had translated so far, reminded her of a very early stage of the pyramid texts, which were basically a guide through the afterlife for the Pharaoh.

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Another sensation, because if her hypothesis would prove correct these texts would be the oldest funerary texts ever found: so far the oldest known pyramid texts dated to the 5th dynasty. This scroll was older, probably well over 200 years, then the till now oldest pyramid texts.

But after what Evie could tell already, the scroll contained not only funerary texts, but there were those diagrams and sketches in black and red ink as well. So far those remained a mystery – but there was a peculiar phrase, which she had never read in a funerary text ever before: “The sun ray of Amon-Ra will turn the world to ashes and the Son of Horus will cleanse the earth with fire”

This phrase she had always found in context with those diagrams and sketches, 20 times so far. One crazy hypothesis she had pondered was that those diagrams and sketches could be some blue print of sorts, but if so: for what? The title “Son of Horus” referred to Pharaoh, so much was clear. Was the “sun ray of Amon-Ra” a mystical weapon? So far she discarded that idea. “This is neither a movie like “The Mummy” nor a novel like “The Queen of the dammed by Anne Rice” Evie scolded herself.

She concentrated on the next column …. as out of the blue a picture sprang into her mind: the moment as they charged into room 61 seeing the bloody and beaten body of Anna on the floor, Chris kneeling next to her, stroking the Russian gently above her head, speaking softly to her – around them the two corpses of Anna´s wannabe assassins, one headless lying in a pool blood, tissue, brain matter and bones, the other staring blindly at the ceiling a bolt protruding from her chest.

This picture haunted her as did the ones of Sarah and Kirsty dealing with the two cult-members who were supposed to catch her.

They had fought with desperation and blind rage, so that the Briton and the Canadian had had no choice but to kill them. The Dark Lady had taken out her opponent with a hard and precise stroke to the larynx, while Kirsty had rammed her combat knife into the chest of her enemy. Evie shuddered.

She could still not help but to feel a twinge of guilt for having left Anna alone, even if she knew that Anna had made that decision herself, for her, Evie´s own good – Sophie had told her as much too.

But that rationale did not ease the weight of guilt, it was still there, and she felt it keenly.

“Get a grip” the Egyptologist admonished herself “if you make no decent progress, Anna´s sacrifice will be for naught” Evie began to tackle with the next hieroglyph, some kind of stork … and immersed herself in this strange world, the undiscovere'd country, from whose bourn No traveller returns’ That made sense she thought, only a happy few could travel this land – but she was sure, she would return, and unlock the secrets of the scroll.


Hall Place: Anna´s Room, around 0300 PM

When Anna awoke this time, she felt definitely much better than before: a glance at her watch told her that she had slept well over four hours straight, deep and dreamless. The Russian yawned, carefully she tried to sit up, and to her surprise this time she could do it herself, every movement still did hurt – much if she was honest to her herself - but not the excruciating way it had in the morning.

Slowly and very carefully she swung her legs out of bed, and found her comfy Birkenstocks next to her feet “How perceptive of you Kate” the violinist smiled fondly, Kate was the best friend one could wish for

For a moment she just sat there, before she tried to get up, very slowly, very carefully. Anna was still not moving very gracefully and far from elegant, but she managed to walk the short distance into the bathroom under her own steam – she was sweating though profusely when she arrived in the bathroom, she felt as she had run 10 kilometres. Anna avoided though a look into the mirror, as she washed her hands.

When she had returned from her visit to the bathroom Anna popped some cushions behind her back, so that she could sit upright. On her nightstand she found her copy of Dostoevsky´s “Crime and Punishment” which her grandfather had presented her with on her 15th birthday.

It travelled with her always – and obviously Kate had put it on the nightstand, because she knew that the Russian read in that novel frequently, mostly on travels. The main theme of the book, “one of the finest studies of the psychopathology of guilt written in any language” had never failed to fascinate her, and after the beating she had sustained, she felt strangely drawn to the book, not that she felt any guilt about anything. Guilt did not cut it. No, her “sin” had been of another sort. If she was honest with herself, she had simply underestimated the Egyptian driven by her desire for revenge – and paid the price – and almost made the highest sacrifice, if Kate and Sophie and Chris had not arrived right on time.

She stared ahead, but did not really see anything around her for a moment - images of the previous evening popped into her mind she felt the force of the blows and kicks again. Never in her whole life had she been so soundly beaten.

Anna shuddered as she remembered the moment when Anck-Sun-Amun´s brutal round house kick had hit her with full force it had felt as if her head had been ripped off her spinal column. The violinist did not register that her knuckles turned white, so tight she had gripped the book.

She would have her revenge she swore to herself, but on her terms, and when she would be ready for it, and that meant she would work hard on her martial arts skills. Anna nodded grimly. Her grip loosened. Dostoyevsky would be the right cure right now.

But before she opened the book, her growling stomach told Anna, that it had been hours since she had something to eat, just as she made motions to call Evie or Sybil, someone knocked at her door

Anna called “Enter” – it was Evie, the Egyptologist hovered on the threshold and seemed not entirely comfortable, there were those small tell-tale signs, which betrayed her uneasiness.

The other woman was clearly shocked by the sight of Anna´s face. “You should have seen me this morning” Anna tried a grin. “It is nothing that will not heal. In fact “You came right on time Evie! Could you get me something to eat?”

“Of course!” the Egyptologist piped up “Sophie made Chicken Madras this morning, I fetch you something”

Anna beamed, well the right unhurt side of her face at least, “That would be great!” What interested her more: Why had Evie come in the first place?

“Delicious!” she sighed 20 Minutes later and laid the spoon aside. The Russian looked up and regarded the Egyptologist with an inquisitive gaze “What is on your mind Evie?” Anna waited patiently

At last Evie took her heart in both hands, as she blurted out: “You know I feel bad, you got injured because of me, you nearly died - Sophie said that this is nonsense but …” Anna cut in “Sophie is right Evie: It is nonsense – I made my decision and it was the only chance for you to get help and save us both – and you did that, I owe you my life, never forget that – I will surely not, I owe you”

“I know, but ….”

“Save the but´s Evie” Anna said with a certain finality “You could not have done more than you did, tell me how is the translation going?” the Russian changed the subject – and Evie was glad she did.

“I am making progress, but it is difficult. This is by far the oldest text of its kind that has been discovered so far and that alone makes it unique, but on the other hand it is completely different that the later pyramid texts of the 5th dynasty, but the drawings and sketches? I have no idea so far, what they mean …“

“You will find out Evie, and Amanda is surely a great help” Anna reassured the Egyptologist “Sure, she is ….”

The Russian looked at her intently “There is something else, isn´t it Evie?” “Yes?” the Russian prodded gently

“I felt so incredibly helpless yesterday in the museum …” Evie sighed ´”could you guys teach me to fight for myself?” Evie ventured tentatively “I couldn´t have done what you did, throwing myself at those horrible women …”

“And look what I did get out of it” Anna replied dryly with a lopsided grin – and winced “A black eye, a few badly bruised rips a couple of ugly bruises and some nasty cuts, probably a scar” – she touched the wound above her left brow and grimaced - … “you are sure about this?”

“I am” Evie sounded surer now “If you are then we will teach you, but that will take time and you have to train hard” Anna stated “but there is another thing; Evie do you know what hurts more than my body?”

The Egyptologist shook her head “My pride” Anna said calmly, I got my ass handed back to me yesterday, and that did not happen in a while – I felt incredible helpless at some point …” she paused “No, “helpless does not cut it. I was certain I would die” For a moment Anna seemed to be very far away.

“But you did not run” Evie stated “No I didn´t” Anna nodded “But that is what this is all about: You can train, you can learn till the cows come home, but in the end all that matters is the will to fight – even against all odds, and you will find that strength in you Evie” the Russian added with utter surety

“You know, what kept me going was I knew you and the others would come for me, this is about trust, about courage, it is as simple as that” For a while neither Evie nor Anna said a word.

Finally the Russian stifled a yawn – “I am sorry Evie, but I am tired, we can talk later – and I meant it, that we will train you” and as soon as the Egyptologist had left, Anna washed down her pills with some water, curled herself together under the covers and was soon fast asleep again.

Evie thought long about what the Russian had said “I will find that strength” she swore to herself, “I will!”
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Post by Nainur »

Aaaahhhh, it's an intriguing tale told with great regard to detail!
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Post by GreyLord »

[mention]Nainur[/mention] said intriguing, and that is absolutely right. You are doing a fantastic job, [mention]Caesar73[/mention].
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Post by Beaumains »

Nice continuation. Good to see that Anna is still human and does not heal instantly.
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Post by Caesar73 »

Beaumains wrote: 1 year ago Nice continuation. Good to see that Anna is still human and does not heal instantly.
Do I detect a little irony here ? :) Just jesting :)

I can assure you, Anna is very human as the future will tell. She bleeds, she hurts, she heals she hates - and she loves :)
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Post by Beaumains »

Not really irony, more like referencing the typical spy/action movies where the protagonist magically heals and is bad-ass within minutes. With your description, it is hard to judge how severe the wounds are, which organs are damaged (still, I'm not a doctor), but her being knocked out for quite some time seems logical. I'm glad you didn't cut corners here.
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Post by Caesar73 »

Beaumains wrote: 1 year ago but her being knocked out for quite some time seems logical. I'm glad you didn't cut corners here.
Thank you [mention]Beaumains[/mention], I got you wrong. Indeed in many action movies the heroes heal miraculously. I did not want to go down that road. The reader should get a picture how the encounter with Anck-Sun-Amun affects Anna physically and psychologically. And it is safe to say, that Anna will be not fit for any in fight for a while. For the psychological effects: Future will tell.
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Post by Mineira1986 »

While it's good to see Anna recovering slowly, giving a bigger impact for her defeat, I'm not a fan that any potential tension with other characters are solved in one conversation. In more realistic terms, there are a total of ten different women and one of them has been almost killed. Tensions should arise. Like, Christine doubting herself, people blaming others (not out loud, but feeling that somebody should/could have done something). Hayley hopping and excited for shopping isn't exactly how they should react. The situation has lots of potential for interesting conflicts among the characters but most of them seemed untouched by the recent events.

On the other side... there is the first part of the chapter and that was very interesting to read. Evie trying to do her research but constantly thinking about those recent events. She puts some extra pressure on her own shoulders... all by herself! "If I don't do this, Anna would have sacrificed in vain." That's the stuff I'm talking about! She's about to make a huge discovery, but her mind dwells between that and her feelings of guilt. Well done. I think I'm choosing Evie as my new favorite character for this sequel.
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Post by Caesar73 »

Mineira1986 wrote: 1 year ago The situation has lots of potential for interesting conflicts among the characters but most of them seemed untouched by the recent events.

You have a point [mention]Mineira1986[/mention] - in part this is a problem when you have large cast as in this story. This was one reason why I concentrated primarily on Kate, Anna - and Evie.

Speaking of Evie: Evie is a character I have lots of fun writing about. That she and Chris had an argument was not the last time, as you will see soon: The next update will be online either this evening or tomorrow at the latest.
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Post by Caesar73 »

[mention]GreyLord[/mention] [mention]Bandit666[/mention] [mention]banshee[/mention] [mention]Beaumains[/mention] [mention]Bigballgag1[/mention] [mention]Trammel[/mention] [mention]wolfman[/mention] [mention]mrjones2009[/mention] [mention]slackywacky[/mention] [mention]Nainur[/mention] [mention]Shotrow[/mention] [mention]TightsBound[/mention] [mention]Pantyhose971[/mention] [mention]TayDay95[/mention] [mention]NotSeen[/mention] [mention]Mineira1986[/mention]


Hall Place: Sarah´s Suite, later in the evening:

Comfortable reclined the thief sat in a well-padded arm-chair, her feet popped up on a foot stool, on the table next to her a carafe with a rich and heavy red wine of Spanish Vintage. For comfort the Canadian had dressed in a red woollen turtleneck sweater, thick black leggings and two pairs of thick red woollen socks on her feet.

She read Clausewitz´ famous treaty about the art of war in an English translation. Sarah shut the book “You know Chris? Clausewitz was right with what he wrote about the “Fog of War”, don´t you think?”

Chris did not reply “Upps I forgot, your earbuds are on” from the small table next to her she retrieved her IPad, typed and repeated her question Chris grunted her acknowledgement because she could not communicate otherwise.

The pianist sat on Sarah´s bed. Her whole body was encased in nylon. The Canadian had tied her legs first frog-tied and then tied Chris nyloned Soles together, so that they were tightly pressed against each other, her big toes tied too for good measure. Between her soles a vibrator was lodged, buzzing on a low frequency.

A tight crotch-rope held a vibrating egg in her vagina, also buzzing on a low frequency “Priming the pump” the thief called that, and indeed Chris was very aroused by now.

Her musky scent hang heavy in the air. The blonde´s ample bossom was compressed and enhanced by a tight breast harness, which made her breasts only more sensitive. Her nipples had the Canadian adorned with vibrating clamps, also buzzing on a more or less medium setting, more annoying than painful.

Chris hands had been wrapped into duct-tape, in each hand the pianist held a foam ball. Her arms and wrists were tied in a modified box-tie which was more a reverse prayer tie. Chris wrists were almost between her shoulder blades.

The blonde´s head was covered in silk scarves, only her nose protruded from the silk. The shawls hid a most elaborated gag: Firstly the thief had packed Chris´ mouth with two pairs of used panties and in the space between a small sock.

Over that one shawl, a used sock and second shawl, a used sock, a third shawl. Sarah had taped gauze pads above Chris´ eyes and covered them with a Shawl. One shawl had been bound above her head and knotted unter her chin, causing her to bite down on the packing inside her mouth. Two more shawls covered her head.

She had been bound like this for over an hour. Sweat covered her skin by now. A soft groan escaped her lips, barely audible. The Thief switched the ear buds into silent mode and Chris was in her own small world again.

The persistent stimulation took its toll – and she knew by know how good Sarah was at this Game, letting her simmer on low temperature till she would have raped a goat, the sensory deprivation did its part in keeping her on edge. When the ear buds were off, the only the only thing she could hear was the pounding of her blood.

Sarah enjoyed the sight on her bed very much. Now and then a soft groan could be heard. The thief grabbed the IPad and typed some commands. Chris moans intensified as the vibrations got stronger, sweat shimmered on her nylon covered skin –and around the crotch-rope a damp patch had formed.

The pianist began to strain against her bonds “I can watch her the whole day struggle without getting bored“ - an evil smile crossed the Canadian´s face.

Sarah got up and went to the small fridge and retrieved some ice cubes. She went to the bed and pulled at Chris´ hose and panties and put some ice cubes in her panties. The effect was nothing else than spectacular.

If she had could? Chris would have trashed around on the bed as the ice cubes hit her most sensitive spot. They melted quickly as snow in the sun. Her breathing accelerated even more,

The thief decided to let Chris simmer for a while longer. Wickedly she set the vibrator between Chris´ soles on a higher setting. The reaction was instantaneous. Sarah changed the settings of the ear buds: “If I interpret your gag talk correctly you just said “For fuck´s sake let me cum?” The gag talk intensified “I guess I am correct” the Dark Lady teased Chris.

“Patience, my dear Patience!”

She stood up, gave the blonde a playful shove, which caused Chris to land on her back, granting the thief easy access to Chris´ butt.

The Pianist grunted as she felt a hard slap on her butt, a second and third one followed.

Chris cursed into her gag.

“Calm down” the Canadian admonished her playfully and helped Chris to sit upright again.

“Patience is a virtue, Chris” the thief teased the blonde “As an artist you should know that” Obviously the blonde did not agree, her gag talk became more agitated.

How did it come that the pianist had ended in this predicament? “Entirely my fault” she cursed inwardly “Why did I accept that stupid wager in the first place?” She should have known that the Dark Lady knew the collection of the National Gallery intimately by profession and so it was no surprise that she found William Turners famous painting “The Fighting Temeraire” first.

Grudgingly Chris had admitted defeat – and now she was here. The Dark Lady was amused by Chris´ fruitless struggles, her angry moans, how she strained for release. She typed something on her Pad “Chris I am not entirely heartless. I think you have earned your first orgasm” Chris did not escape that the thief stressed “first” – it would be a long night. She felt the first orgasm building - she strained more and more against her bonds which the Canadian enjoyed very much.

“We will have so much fun!” she told the blonde who was on the train to La La Land by now.


Hall Place: Conference Room, the next Morning after Breakfast:


Chris stifled a yawn, the last night had been short but there had been compensations. “Short night?” the Dark Lady asked feigning innocence. The blonde nodded “Short and rewarding”

She looked around: after breakfast they had assembled in the conference room; Evie was about to deliver an update on her progress. Even Anna was present; the Russian had insisted on having breakfast with them “If I have to spend another day cooped up alone in my room, I´ll climb a tree” “Not very likely in your present condition” Kate had teased her friend, which had caused the Russian to shoot her friend an angry look.

But Kate had a point the Russian had to admit: The left side of Anna´s face glistened in all shades of black, blue, green and yellow and Kate had been right: Her black eye was nothing else than spectacular, all in all though the Russian was considerable better off this morning. She did move very carefully still, and from time to time a flash of pain crossed her face, she tried to hide that of course:

“No I am not fit to climb a tree, even the short way from my room, down here has tired me out” Anna winced as a sharp pain reminded her not to move too quick, it was the spot where Anck-Sun-Amun had kicked her brutally in the ribs, after Anna had crashed down to the floor.

Anna´s mood had considerably improved though as Kirsty had allowed her to go for a walk in the Park and Gardens of Hall Place later “But you will confine yourself to the Gardens and the Park, if you set one foot outside the perimeter I will personally chain you to the bed, are we clear?”

“That we are” Anna had agreed “Anything is better than staying indoors” “And one more thing” the Briton added “You will not go alone” The Russian heaved a sigh but nodded “Fine with me”

Chris had followed the exchange with barely hidden amusement. This banter was a good sign: Anna was on the mend. They had not talked about it, but Chris had felt guilty too, that she had agreed to Evie´s proposal had been a mistake and she would made that error not a second time.

The Pianist opened the session “So Evie what can you tell us?”

“Progress was good so far, but I will probably need one or two days to finish the work, that means a first translation, there are some really difficult passages, you have to know that the pyramid texts are among the most mysterious texts of Ancient Egypt – and there are those drawings and sketches, and the translation is only the first step, and I think I have found something really important, there is that recurring line:

“The sun ray of Amon-Ra will turn the world to ashes and the Son of Horus will cleanse the earth with fire”

“What does that mean?” Anna inquired

“I am not entirely sure – for now” Evie replied “But this phrase is repeated so often, that it has to be of great importance” Evie stated “My hypothesis might sound crazy to you, but I did some research: This phrase is unique and I remember a very obscure text, where the same phrase appears. In that context it referred to a mystical weapon”

There was stunned silence for a moment “The Sun Ray of Amon-Ra” Anna repeated to herself

“That would explain the interest of the Egyptian to acquire that scroll” Chris mused.

“What do you need to verify your hypothesis Evie?” Kate asked

“I need time …” Evie replied, she paused “But there is one thing that might help considerably though” the Egyptologist clarified “I need some books from my apartment”

“Can´t you finish the translation without them?” Chris regarded her with a long look “Or can we get them from a library?”

“Yes Chris, I might finally get there, even without the books – and no, the books are so special, so rare – you cannot just go the British National Library and say “hey, can I borrow those books” Evie stated firmly.

Chris paused for a second, thinking.

“Don´t get me wrong Evie but I don´t think it is a good idea to go near your apartment especially after what happened to Anna” she nodded at the Russian´s battered face, who had just touched the stapled cuts, which adorned her face - the Russian grimaced.

“You can bet that your apartment is under surveillance” Kate added “They count on the fact that you will at some point return there. It is not safe”

“Exactly” Chris continued

“That means?” the Egyptologist sounded pugnacious and not pleased.

“That means” this time it was Sophie who provided the answer “that it is too great a risk my love – oh god did I say that aloud?” her face turned bright red “going anywhere near your apartment” with a tinge of regret in her voice

“So I cannot go” Evie sounded a little hurt.

“For the time being: absolutely not” Chris confirmed “and that is final - we can´t simply not take the risk at the moment, as long as this Uberbitch is out and about. I will personally kick anybody´s ass, who does not follow that order, are we clear?” The Pianist added sternly, staring Evie directly in the Eye “Is that understood?” Evie stared back broke Eye-Contact first and muttered sullenly something that sounded like “Yes”

There was a moment of strained silent when the Egyptologist made another attempt

“You guys could escort me”

“No, we will not risk another confrontation before we know more, we will walk probably right into another ambush in broad daylight” the pianist countered, a steely undertone in her voice.

“So far we know nothing about their base and how many enemies we have to deal with” the Dark Lady seconded “You have seen what they did at the museum. You are obviously valuable to them, and they are ready to risk much to get you that much is clear”

The Egyptologist looked still mutinous.

“Listen Evie” Chris addressed her, more kindly this time “During our last adventure we learned one lesson the hard way: Almost any time, when one of us went alone bad stuff happened; ask Kate what happened at Sylt or Anna what happened to her in Nuremberg “So this is final: You don´t leave Hall Place Manor for now – till we know more. The Dossier by MI 6 provided us with some background, but not enough – so we will take no chances”

Evie seemed ready to argue the point again - not intimidated by Chris´ stern look this time but Sophie laid a hand softly on her thigh and shook her head slightly “Right” Evie muttered.

Sophie sighed. This was not the first time in the last days, that Chris and Evie had butted heads. Both strong willed - both dominant.

When they filed out of the room minutes later Chris took Sophie aside “Have a close look at Evie, will you?” “I will” the lawyer sighed “But it is hard for her”

“That I understand” Chris agreed “It is just that the risk is too high, 48 Hours ago we nearly lost Anna” then her face brightened up “I haven´t told her about the invitation” and went after the Russian. Chris was curious about Anna´s Reaction to the News. She had her suspicions about her best friend and James Bond.


After Lunch:

During lunch Evie had talked very little. Anna on the other side was definitely on the mend. The News that they had been invited by Her Royal Majesty had improved her mood considerably that she would meet James again had cheered her up even more. But the Russian had firmly blocked all questions about 007, just smiled enigmatically

Instead she wagged a ginger at Hayley and Kirsty in mocked indignation “So that is the reason why you went on a shopping spree yesterday” “I saw you returning yesterday with all the bags you know!”

“No worries” the American smiled “we will get you something posh too – but you should think about wearing a Mask” she teased the Russian “Like the Phantom of the Opera” Kirsty added smiling “If I must I will do even that!” Anna made a face

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Emmy Rossum and Gerald Butler perform the “Phantom of the Opera” by Andrew Loyd Webber

“Na” Kate teased her “It would be a shame to cover this spectacular Black Eye” “Just you wait Kate Beckett, just you wait!” Anna returned in mocked indignation “Oh I am already quaking in my Shoes” the Detective grinned “You should” Anna stated flatly.

Chris followed the banter with amusement and with relief: Anna was recovering quicker than she had hoped for – or at least it seemed that way.

A short while later Evie and Sophie left the Dining Room, the Egyptologist whispering in in urgent tones to her lover “What do you think they are up to?” Chris asked the Dark Lady “I wouldn´t bet my money on it, but they probably want to spent some quality time” The Thief smiled “What about you Chris?”

“I wouldn´t mind some quality time too” Chris smiled a tad deviously “But this time it is your turn ….” The Canadian grinned “Make me!” “I will, I most certainly will!” Chris countered

“The Gym in 20 Minutes – the Loser gets tied up!” the Canadian challenged the blonde.

“We will see” the Pianist returned smiling. Since the End of the Hunt, Chris had honed her already impressive Martial Arts Skills and sparred almost daily with Ragna. The Pianist was sure to have a few surprises up her sleeve for the thief.

“You will lose!” The Canadian taunted Chris as they left the Dining Hall to change.
Last edited by Caesar73 1 year ago, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by banshee »

Fun read! Lets see who ends up loosing this time
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Post by GreyLord »

The Dark Lady is deadly in a fight, but she is not up to Chris' level. I think that she knows this which implies that by accepting this contest, she is ready to take her turn as sub.

Now for Evie, she has appeared very contrite for what happened to Anna because of her actions. But I am wondering if she has really learned her lesson yet. Time will tell.
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Post by Caesar73 »

GreyLord wrote: 1 year ago Now for Evie, she has appeared very contrite for what happened to Anna because of her actions. But I am wondering if she has really learned her lesson yet. Time will tell.
I think, Evie´s contrition was and is genuine, that I would not doubt, but there are obviously two souls in her breast: Her contrition for what had happened to Anna and her desire to unlock the secrets of the scroll, now more than ever: Since she discovered the "The sun ray of Amun-Ra" she is hellbent to find out what is behind that mysterious formula - at almost every cost. And as you can see, when she discusses this with the others, she probably has not fully realized how dangerous the Egyptian is.
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