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Instalment Eight - Instalment Eight

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Egypt, 1798

Captain Jean Tombier led the general deep into the building. He had led him first to the pyramid itself, and then inside the maze of passageways found and cleared by the archaeologists.

The general had carefully avoided the rubble which still littered the floor, and had seemed unperturbed when a swarm of bats swept past them squealing in rage. He followed Tombier in near silence towards the heart of the pyramid, blazing torch held high so that he could see the magnificence of the edifice, could marvel at the colour and intricacy of the graphics on the walls.

Now they stood at last outside the King\x92s Chamber, the centre of the pyramid. \x91We are here, sir.\x92 Tombier made to enter the chamber, but he felt the general\x92s hand on his shoulder, pulling him back.

\x91I think not, Jean,\x92 the general said. \x91This I must see alone.\x92 He smiled in the gloom, and patted Jean\x92s shoulder. Then he turned, and was gone.

Tombier waited for what seemed like hours. At first he could hear the general\x92s boots ringing on the stone floor of the chamber. But after a while the sound stopped, and he was alone with his breathing and his thoughts.

His torch was burning low. If they did not start back soon, they would not have enough light to find their way to the entrance. Tombier bit at his lower lip and weighed up the unpleasant alternatives: risk having to grope out of the pyramid in darkness, past the fallen rubble and the bats, round the sudden holes in the floor that dropped away forever; or brave the general\x92s wrath if he disturbed him without good cause.

He was reaching the point where he thought he had good cause, when there was a sudden blaze of light from inside the chamber. Brilliant whiteness blazed out into the corridor and imprinted a negative image of the doorway on Tombier\x92s retina. \x91Sir,\x92 he shouted, \x91general!\x92 and stumbled towards the doorway. He collided first with the wall, and then, just as his eyes fought to re-adjust, with the general as he left the chamber.

\x91What was it, sir? What happened, what did you see?\x92

Even in the dim light, his sight washed out by the sudden flash, Tombier could see that the general was pale as death. His hand shook as he pushed his hair out of the way. He seemed to notice, and pushed it inside the front of his jacket. \x91Nothing,\x92 he said eventually, \x91I saw nothing.\x92

\x91Nothing? But the light - I saw -\x92

\x91I tell you, there was nothing. Nothing happened here. If anyone asks, I went into the chamber, stayed a few moments, then left.\x92

Tombier stared at him. He would not question the orders of his general, but clearly something was wrong.

The general clapped him on the back and tried to smile. Instead his mouth stretched into a grimace. \x91One day, perhaps, I will tell you about it. One day I may be able to discuss it with you over a cognac while armies burn behind us. One day, perhaps. But not today.\x92 He turned and looked back towards the entrance to the chamber. \x91No,\x92 he said softly, \x91not today.\x92

Tombier led the way out of the Great Pyramid in silence. It was the only time that he saw Napoleon Buonaparte afraid.

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Chapter Eleven

The next morning Tegan was not at her best. She survived the cottonwool cloud that was breakfast, feeling revived by copious quantities of orange juice washed down with strong coffee. By the middle of the morning she was feeling decidedly better, and eagerly agreed to accompany the Doctor when he suggested he was going to examine Nyssa again.

Atkins was waiting for them in the hall. Probably, Tegan thought, he was a bit bored and lost. But of course he did not show it, any more than he showed any real emotion.

Within a few minutes, it was Tegan who was feeling bored and lost. The Doctor was listening for Nyssa\x92s heartbeat with an ear trumpet pressed to her chest. \x91Best not to disturb anything at this late stage,\x92 he said when Tegan asked if they could remove some of the bandages. She desperately wanted to see Nyssa\x92s face again, to check that she at least looked well and peaceful.

Disappointed, she wandered despondently round the room, glancing at the various relics on their shelves and tables. Atkins was examining some of them in detail, apparently fascinated by the pieces. Tegan gave each a cursory glance, then moved on. Only one of the exhibits she looked at did she find at all interesting. It was a bound collection of the notes and drawings from Kenilworth\x92s expedition. She flicked through it, noticing odd torn pages from Simons\x92 notebook which had been glued on to larger sheets and then bound in with the other notes and sketches.

\x91Hey, Doctor, look at this,\x92 she called at one point, but he merely grunted and continued his examination of the inert body.

\x91Please yourself,\x92 Tegan grumbled, looking round to see if Atkins was interested. But he seemed engrossed in a display of necklaces. Tegan looked again at her sketch of the excavations outside the pyramid entrance, then she closed the book and moved on.

She turned to watch the Doctor as he leaned over the coffin. He was now wearing a stethoscope and seemed to be listening to Nyssa\x92s arm. He nodded with satisfaction, coiled up the stethoscope, and stuffed it into his pocket. The he dashed round to the other side of the sarcophagus and started tapping on the edge. Tegan could see she was in for a long wait, and leaned back against the red velvet of the curtain behind her. She could feel the wall straight and hard behind the curtain. And she felt it give way under her weight.

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Atkins grabbed Tegan\x92s elbow as she slipped in surprise. \x91What is it?\x92 he asked.

\x91I don\x92t know. The wall wobbled.\x92

Atkins pushed experimentally at the curtain close to where Tegan had been standing. \x91You\x92re right. There\x92s some give in it certainly.\x92

The Doctor was frowning across at them. But he had stopped his tapping on the coffin and seemed to be paying attention.

Atkins went to the corner of the room, and hunted around for the edge of the curtain where it met the one covering the next wall. The curtains were all fitted to tracks set into the ceiling just in from the wall. Atkins pulled at the edge of curtain, and drew it back a few feet, revealing the wall behind. Tegan stared in amazement, and even Atkins seemed surprised.

The Doctor stepped down from the dais and crossed to join them. \x91Interesting,\x92 he said quietly. \x91Very interesting.\x92

The wall beneath the curtain was actually a plasterboard partition, probably erected as a skin for the real wall behind and several inches away from it. The board was relatively thin, and wobbled if any force was applied to it. It was covered in painted hieroglyphics.

\x91You know what this is?\x92 the Doctor asked after they had spent a few minutes examining the paintings.

\x91Yes,\x92 said Tegan. \x91It\x92s weird.\x92

The Doctor shook his head. \x91A little eccentric perhaps, but not really weird. Atkins?\x92

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\x91It\x92s a copy of the tomb,\x92 Atkins said simply.

\x91Exactly.\x92 The Doctor stepped back and waved an arm round the room, gesturing at the other walls. \x91They\x92ve painted a copy of the interior of the tomb. Probably from Kenilworth\x92s expedition\x92s notes.\x92

\x91The notes are over there.\x92 Tegan pointed to the book she had been looking at. \x91But why bother? And who did it?\x92

\x91Oh just a bit of fun, probably. Or perhaps an attempt at some context and authenticity for the mummy. Either Prior did it, then changed his mind about the ambience and put up the curtains, or one of his predecessors had the paintings done, and someone later didn\x92t think much of it.\x92

\x91So someone, if I understand you correctly, Doctor,\x92 Atkins said, \x91for whatever reason, created an exact replica of the original tomb?\x92

The Doctor nodded. \x91Or rather, they think they did.\x92 He pulled back the curtain from a section of the adjacent wall. \x91But we know one thing they\x92ll have got wrong, don\x92t we Tegan?\x92 He grinned widely and pointed to a cartouche half-way up the wall. Then his smile froze. \x91I don\x92t like that,\x92 he said.

\x91What\x92s wrong, Doctor?\x92

\x91Nothing, that\x92s the problem. This name is exactly as it is in the actual tomb.\x92

Atkins nodded. \x91That does seem reasonable, Doctor.\x92

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The Doctor shook his head. \x91Not when Tegan and I altered the only sketch made by the expedition so that it was inaccurate.\x92

Atkins gaped. \x91But, why Doctor?\x92

\x91Because it is the name of Nephthys, and it conceals the mechanism that opens the door to the secret inner chamber we told you about.\x92 He reached out, hesitantly, and pressed in the middle of the open square in the centre of the cartouche. As soon as he pushed, he whipped his hand away as if burned.

They watched and waited in silence for several seconds. But nothing happened.

The Doctor exhaled heavily. \x91Well thank goodness for that,\x92 he said.

The murder of Sir John Mapleton and the theft of a single bracelet from his collection made the local early evening news. Tegan and Atkins had spent the afternoon in town, each finding that they enjoyed the other\x92s company. Atkins was secretly impressed with Tegan\x92s openness and her forthright nature. Tegan admired Atkins\x92 control and reserve.

The Doctor had warned Tegan before they set off that she was not to explain too much to Atkins. But in fact Atkins did not seem interested in explanations. He took everything in his stride, nodding politely at Tegan\x92s inadequate descriptions of cinemas, aeroplanes, and the one way system.

They arrived back just after six-thirty, and found the Doctor, Prior and Vanessa sitting in the lounge watching the television. \x91Don\x92t even ask,\x92 Tegan told Atkins, and he shrugged and settled into an arm chair.

\x91Good grief,\x92 Prior said as the article finished. They had all listened in silence, the Doctor, Tegan and Atkins exchanging worried glances when a picture of the bracelet was shown. Vanessa sat silent and still, her eyes fixed on the television.

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\x91I knew Mapleton,\x92 Prior said. \x91Only slightly. Did some business with him. You remember?\x92 he asked his daughter.

She nodded, but still said nothing.

\x91What sort of business?\x92

\x91Oh, bought a couple of pieces he was bored with. Vanessa fancied that bracelet, strangely enough. But he wouldn\x92t part with it. I think we went for a necklace instead.\x92

\x91Why the bracelet?\x92 Tegan asked.

\x91Oh, I don\x92t know.\x92 Vanessa seemed to switch back on. \x91Just liked the look of it. It was years ago. I probably thought it would impress some boy at school.\x92

\x91It probably would,\x92 the Doctor agreed. \x91Certainly somebody wanted it very badly.

Vanessa had been feeling strange all day. She was tired and felt as if she was floating just above reality. At first she put it down to the excesses of the previous night\x92s party, but by the evening she was wondering if perhaps you felt like this all the time after you turned twenty-one. It would explain the behaviour of many of the adult population, after all.

The news about Mapleton left her with an odd mixture of emotions. She was at once saddened by the loss of an acquaintance of her father\x92s, and at the same time she experienced a bizarre feeling of excitement. And now she wanted to - to, well she was not sure what. But something had to be done soon.

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She sat alone in the lounge, staring at the blank screen of the television, and listened to her mixed thoughts and emotions. It was almost as if they were in some way no longer her own.

\x91Could I ask you something?\x92 The Doctor\x92s voice jolted her out of her reverie.

\x91Of course, Doctor. How can I help?\x92

He sat in the armchair next to her, perched on the edge of the leather, hand clasped in front of him and elbows resting on his knees. \x91Your great-great several times uncle, Lord Kenilworth, brought back various relics from one of his expeditions.\x92 Vanessa nodded. \x91Like your mummy, you mean.\x92

\x91Er, yes. Yes. Well, those relics included several which were all together inside the tomb, and which have some significance we don\x92t yet really understand.\x92

\x91How do you know?\x92 Vanessa asked. But in the back of her mind she felt sure she already had the answer.

\x91Oh, well, it\x92s probably all in Kenilworth\x92s notes which are down in the basement. Anyway, there are four relics I\x92m interested in. One is a statue of a jackal. That was stolen many years ago, while the expedition was on its way home.\x92

\x91Anubis,\x92 muttered Vanessa. \x91He who is in the Place of Death.\x92

\x91Yes, absolutely,\x92 the Doctor said slowly. \x91I thought you weren\x92t interested in Egyptology.\x92

\x91I\x92m not. But you pick things up.\x92 Vanessa shrugged. Where had she heard the phrase before? Never mind, it wasn\x92t important.

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\x91Well, interested or not, the second relic is the ring your father gave you last night.\x92

Vanessa\x92s hand immediately closed over the ring, and she pulled away, sinking deep into her armchair.

\x91It\x92s all right,\x92 the Doctor said quietly. \x91I just want to be sure it stays safe. Because the third relic is the bracelet stolen from Mapleton last night.\x92

\x91You think someone is after them?\x92

\x91What do you think?\x92 the Doctor asked quietly. When she did not answer, he went on: \x91The last of the relics is a carved statue of a snake. A cobra. You wouldn\x92t happen to know where it is, would you?\x92

His eyes were deep and blue. Penetrating, searching, pleading. Did she know where the snake was? \x91No,\x92 she told him. \x91I don\x92t.\x92

The Doctor nodded as if this was the answer he had expected. \x91Well, just a thought.\x92 He stood up.

\x91I\x92m sorry. You could try the family records, Kenilworth\x92s account of his expedition might say what happened to it.\x92

\x91Thank you,\x92 said the Doctor from the doorway. \x91It might indeed.\x92

Vanessa watched the door close behind him. She would feel better after a good night\x92s sleep. She wished James had not had to go away. She\x92d have done anything to keep him here, with her.

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The Doctor did not sleep that night. This was not unusual. Instead he waited until the house was quiet, then went to Prior\x92s library. He hunted out every volume he could find about the various dialects and styles of early Egyptian hieroglyphics. Then he looked for any documentation of the myths about Seth, Nephthys, Osiris and Isis.

He read every word of each of the books at lightning speed. But it still took him almost until dawn. With his new and deeper insight into the legends and the writing, he hoped to be able to decipher more of the inscriptions he had copied down from the tomb. He was not sure when he would next get a chance to spend a useful amount of time on his studies, but even from what he remembered of the inscriptions, he did not feel that all was well.

In fact, he had several very nasty suspicions.

It did not take the Doctor long the next morning to convince Tegan and Atkins of the importance of finding the cobra. He also gave then a brief description of his conversation with Vanessa the previous night, and mentioned in passing that he was still hoping to decipher more of the inscriptions.

\x91It seems a sensible suggestion,\x92 Atkins volunteered. \x91Although we already know where the cobra went.\x92

The Doctor nodded. \x91Yes. To Macready. Still, given Vanessa\x92s contact with the ring and the bracelet, I thought she might have heard what happened to the cobra.\x92

\x91Prior would be more likely to know,\x92 Tegan pointed out. \x91He\x92s the expert in this stuff after all.\x92

\x91Good thought, Tegan. Let\x92s go and ask him. At least he might be able to point us to some sort of inventory of snake relics in the collections of the world.\x92

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They found Prior in the library. He limped over to them, leaning heavily on his sphinx-handled stick, and listened patiently to the Doctor\x92s request.

\x91Did Vanessa ever tell you how she and James Norris met?\x92 he asked as they sat round the library table.

\x91I thought he was the architect for the alterations you did to this house,\x92 Tegan said. Prior nodded. \x91Indeed he was. But Vanessa and I knew him before that. He practically begged me for the work, in fact. He was young and enthusiastic.\x92 Prior laughed. \x91He still is, I suppose. Anyway, I had him draw up the plans and supervise the work. Did a damned fine job too, as it turned out. But I could see that Vanessa valued his company, even then. And I must confess I like the lad myself.\x92

Atkins coughed quietly, and everyone turned towards him. \x91He did mention, Mr Norris that is, that he originally came to you when he inherited some relics of Egyptian origin.\x92

Prior nodded. \x91Indeed he did. He had no idea of their value, but he had read an article I wrote for Newsweek about how tourism and neglect are eroding the great sites of ancient Egypt and they should be preserved. Shocking.\x92 He leaned across the table. \x91Do you realize that -\x92 He broke off. \x91Never mind, hobby horse of mine. Sorry.\x92

\x91Not at all,\x92 the Doctor said. \x91There\x92s a long way to go before people understand the importance and delicacy of their own past.\x92

\x91Indeed so,\x92 Prior nodded. \x91Indeed so. Anyway, you were asking me about the cobra from Kenilworth\x92s expedition.\x92

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\x91And you were telling us about James Norris,\x92 Tegan said.

\x91Well naturally,\x92 Prior replied. \x91After all, he\x92s got it.\x92

\x91What?\x92 The Doctor looked round at his friends. \x91Does Vanessa know that?\x92 he asked quietly.

\x91Oh yes,\x92 Prior said. \x91It was one of the relics he brought to me for valuation. Pure coincidence, he had no idea that it was almost a family heirloom.\x92 Prior gave another short bark of laughter. \x91Wouldn\x92t part with it though. Vanessa tells me he\x92s got it out on his mantelpiece in that cottage of his in Cornwall. I\x92ve told him a thousand times, anyone could just walk in and -\x92 He stopped short again, mouth open and brow creased as if a terrible thought had just occurred to him. \x91My God,\x92 he said quietly.

\x91What?\x92 The Doctor was leaning across the table, his hands reaching out towards Prior. Prior turned to him gravely. \x91I hope he\x92s got it insured,\x92 he said.

\x91Where is Vanessa?\x92 Tegan asked. \x91I haven\x92t seen her all day.\x92

\x91Oh she went to have a lie down for a bit. She\x92s been a bit under the weather last couple of days. Probably missing James. He\x92s down in Cornwall.\x92

\x91At this cottage of his?\x92

\x91Yes, Doctor.\x92

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The Doctor considered. \x91Two of the four relics are missing already,\x92 he said to Prior. \x91Of the others, Vanessa has one and James Norris has the other.\x92

\x91You think they might be in danger?\x92

The Doctor nodded. \x91It\x92s possible,\x92 he said. \x91If you keep an eye on your daughter, perhaps you can lend Tegan a car and tell her how to find Norris\x92s cottage.\x92

Prior nodded. \x91I can lend you a map,\x92 he told Tegan. \x91But it\x92s about a four-hour drive from here. Might even be five.\x92

\x91And why am I going to see Norris?\x92

\x91To warn him he might be in danger.\x92

\x91You could phone him,\x92 Prior offered.

The Doctor shook his head. \x91I\x92d rather Tegan saw him in person. He\x92s more likely to take things seriously then. But perhaps you could call and make sure he\x92s there when she arrives.\x92

\x91Of course.\x92

\x91But why am I driving? And why aren\x92t you coming?\x92 hissed Tegan. \x91There are quicker ways to get to Cornwall, you know.\x92 She glanced across at Prior, but he had pulled himself out of his chair and was hunting through a pile of books, presumably for a road atlas.

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The Doctor nodded. \x91I know. But Atkins and I have an appointment somewhat further afield, and I rather fancy we have a greater need for the quicker means of transport you have in mind. I don\x92t think the

Tegan sat back in her chair. \x91Terrific,\x92 she said. \x91I get the second rate assignment again.\x92

\x91Not at all, Tegan. We\x92re on a short quest for knowledge, but you could be saving lives.\x92

\x91All right, Doctor.\x92

The Doctor rubbed his hands together. \x91Splendid.\x92 He stood up and started towards the door. As he passed Tegan, he said quietly: \x91Oh, there is just one other thing.\x92

\x91What\x92s that?\x92

\x91We really have no idea if Norris can be trusted.\x92

\x91I have no idea if anyone can be trusted,\x92 Tegan told him. \x91Why did Vanessa lie about the cobra?\x92

\x91I don\x92t know. Perhaps she\x92s got a rotten memory, or perhaps she didn\x92t want to implicate her fiance.\x92

Tegan nodded. \x91Maybe.\x92

\x91You like her, don\x92t you?\x92

Tegan nodded. \x91She\x92s okay. She reminds me of someone. To look at, I mean. But I can\x92t think who it is. Maybe someone I was at school with.\x92

\x91Yes,\x92 said Atkins, \x91there is a certain familiarity in her features.\x92

The Doctor grinned. \x91Perhaps she\x92s just got that sort of face,\x92 he said.

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Vanessa felt no better than the previous evening. Her head was still swimming, and she could hear disjointed and distant voices echoing in the back of her mind. She had tried to call James, but all she got was the answerphone. Either he was out, or he was working and did not want to be disturbed.

She had also tried to sleep, but even when she managed to doze off for a few minutes she had nightmares. They were gone when she awoke, just the memory of a distant terror lingering on the edges of sleep.

After she woke the third time in a cold sweat, she decided to have a shower, and then to read or watch television in the hope of taking her mind off things. She let the cool water splash across her body and run down her skin towards the drain, washing over tiles that had been parched for a thousand years.

A thousand years? Where had she got that idea? She shook her head, her long wet hair swinging round and sending droplets of water skidding against the glass walls of the shower cubicle.

Prior seemed happy for Tegan to take his car. He could, he pointed out, always borrow Vanessa\x92s should he need to get out. And since they were actually in the middle of London anyway, he could choose between taxi, bus and tube for any local journeys.

So, soon after lunch, Tegan found herself sitting behind the wheel of a Jaguar, wondering where the windscreen wipers were operated from should she need them, and wishing the seat were a couple of inches higher. Another of the shocks she got from being over ten years behind in automotive technology and not used to the state of the art even in her own time was the power steering. She had gone almost a complete circle in the driveway before she managed to crunch to a halt on the gravel and learn about the latest anti-lock braking systems.

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Prior tapped on the driver\x92s window, and after a short pause as Tegan discovered electric windows, handed her a road atlas.

\x91A bit easier on the steering,\x92 he said as he showed where he had marked the relevant page with a sticky yellow notelet. Then he showed her the pencilled circle in the middle of what appeared to be a trackless swamp where Norris had his cottage. \x91There is a track. I\x92ve drawn it on the map for you, so far as Vanessa could remember where it is. Had to drag her out of the shower to show me.\x92

\x91Is she still not feeling well?\x92

Prior shook his head. \x91Not a hundred per cent. I thought she\x92d ask why I wanted to know, but she just pointed and went back into her room. I can\x92t fathom what\x92s up with her, but I hope she\x92s better soon.\x92

Tegan agreed, and studied the map. \x91Doesn\x92t look as easy as it might be. I could end up in a ditch.\x92

\x91Well, the car\x92s insured,\x92 Prior laughed.

Tegan laughed too. \x91I\x92m not sure I am, though.\x92 She thanked him, almost caught his nose in the window, and swung the car round carefully so that it faced back down the drive.

As she turned past the front of the house, she caught sight of movement at an upper window. As the car stopped, Tegan adjusted the rear view mirror so she could see what the movement was. Vanessa was standing at her bedroom window, the curtain pulled back. Tegan turned and studied the figure in the mirror for a moment. The window was almost full length, and she could see Vanessa framed against the dark interior of her room. She was strikingly beautiful, tall and slim. Her dark hair was still folded up on to her head in a towel after her shower. Her features were aquiline, and her eyes large and cat-like with huge pupils. She was dressed in a simple white night-gown which reached to her knees.

And in that moment, Tegan realized who Vanessa reminded her of. With her long hair tied up, she was the image of the Shabti figures in the entrance corridor of Nyssa\x92s tomb.

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Vanessa watched the car set off down the drive. Then she pulled the towel from her long hair, and shook it free. She sat in front of her dressing table, head slightly to one side as she dried and brushed her hair. In the mirror, Vanessa could see the door to her room. She had almost finished when she saw the reflected handle begin slowly to turn.

She swung round on her seat, putting down the hair drier and comb, one knee pulled up to her chin. As the door swung open, she stood up, backing away from the figure which filled the doorway.

The mummy stepped into the room, the floor shaking slightly beneath its heavy feet as it swung towards Vanessa. She stood, back to the far wall, staring at the huge shape as it lumbered towards her.

Behind the mummy, Sadan Rassul appeared in the doorway. His broad squat shape was silhouetted against the wall of the corridor outside. \x91Do not be afraid, my child,\x92 he said gently as the mummy reached out for Vanessa.

An unholy roaring sound broke the stillness of the desert air. One moment, nothing but sand and the breeze; the next, the TARDIS melted into existence on a dune overlooking a deep crater. After a pause, the TARDIS doors opened and Doctor and Atkins emerged. \x91What we really need,\x92 the Doctor said, \x91is to contact someone who was on the expedition. If there was an expedition. But someone must have been here, to know about the Nephthys hieroglyphic.\x92 He handed Atkins a heavy torch, and showed him how to switch it on.

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Atkins considered. \x91So we see if we can find clues as to how long ago the pyramid was re-excavated, then use the TARDIS again to try to trace someone who can divulge information to us about the expedition.\x92

\x91Exactly,\x92 the Doctor smiled. \x91Now then...\x92 He twisted round trying to get his bearings, licking his index finger and holding it up. Then he stared out across the desert sands in the opposite direction to the crater. \x91That way, I think.\x92

\x91Actually, Doctor, if I may?\x92

The Doctor nodded.

\x91I\x92d suggest this way.\x92 Atkins pointed down into the crater. The far side was a more regular shape than the other ragged edges. In places a gleaming blackness glistened beneath the sand. It was the side of the pyramid.

They stared at it for a moment. Then the Doctor said: \x91Can I ask what methodology you used for that inspired geographical deduction?\x92

It took them several minutes to stumble and trip down the steep side of the crater. As they approached, the could see the door of the pyramid standing open, a deep pile of sand covered the floor and prevented the door from closing again. It had been open for a long time.

\x91Do you think they survived the traps?\x92

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The Doctor nodded. \x91Oh I should think the traps were deactivated when we removed Nyssa\x92s body. Pretty much served their purpose by then.\x92 He clambered up the shifting pile of sand and through into the main passageway. Light came in through the open doorway, but they still needed their torches to see where they were going.There was gradually less sand as they made their way up the corridor. The Shabti figures were gone from their alcoves, and the sound of the echoing footsteps seemed deadened and dull. At last they reached the burial chamber. The doors were pulled shut, but not fastened. The Doctor and Atkins looked at each other. Then the Doctor nodded, and they each opened one of the heavy double doors, and together they stepped into the chamber.

It was empty.

They walked to the centre of what had been the burial chamber, stopped and slowly turned round. Their torchbeams played over the floor, ceiling and walls as they took in the enormity of the change.

\x91You know,\x92 Atkins said, \x91I can understand the removal of relics and even furniture. But why take the walls?\x92

The Doctor nodded. The stone had been hacked away, leaving a scarred mess of stonework where once there had been carved hieroglyphics. \x91They certainly did a thorough job.\x92

\x91I don\x92t remember this.\x92 Atkins crossed to an open archway on the far side of the rough cave that had been the chamber. \x91What was it?\x92

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The Doctor joined him. Beyond the archway, illuminated by their torches, was another smaller cavern. Like the main chamber it had been stripped bare, the walls hacked down.

\x91This,\x92 said the Doctor, \x91was the hidden chamber I described where the second mummy was incarcerated.\x92

\x91Not hidden any more,\x92 commented Atkins.

\x91No,\x92 agreed the Doctor grimly. \x91And, as we should have realized, the mummy, like everything else, has gone.\x92

St Helena - 1821

Napoleon had managed to struggle into a position where he was half sitting, propped up by the pillows. He had sent the nurse from the room, and was alone now with Tombier. They looked at each other for a while, saying nothing in the way that only friends can. From outside, came the cry of seagulls, and the faint sound of the waves lapping on the shore as the tide went out.

\x91Not long now, my friend,\x92 Napoleon whispered hoarsely. \x91I am losing my final battle, I fear.\x92

Tombier said nothing. He grasped his general\x92s - his emperor\x92s - hand tightly. Napoleon laughed, a half cough of humour. \x91A good habit, Tombier, to say nothing when there is nothing to say.\x92 He reached over and patted his friend\x92s hand as it held his. \x91Yet I am always so open with you.\x92

Tombier smiled, though the smiled did not reach his eyes. \x91Yes, sir.\x92 He stood, and walked to the window. \x91Except once.\x92 He hoped that Napoleon had missed the way his voice caught, and that he had turned quickly enough to hide the tears welling up in his eyes. <