Alone

Disclaimer: - I don't own any of the characters of The Mummy, I'm just borrowing them to play with.

Alone Chapter 17

In another hour it would be dawn and as always in the desert the nights were cold, but the hour or so before the sun rose was always the chilliest. Even in the cab of the truck Rick could feel the biting cold. He winced slightly as the gears of the battered vehicle screeched and ground in protest as he dropped down into a lower gear to turn off the road at the place Ardeth, who was sat next to him, had indicated.

Rick drove carefully not wanting to stray from the barely visible track they were now on and risk getting the truck bogged down in the shifting sands. He scrupulously followed the other man's directions trusting Ardeth not to lead them astray. Just as he'd trusted him when with a cold, almost emotionless, expression Ardeth had told him that he had the perfect punishment for Jonathan's attackers. Rick still wasn't sure what that punishment was going to be but after seeing Jonathan frantic with worry for Evy's safety, and learning that one of the men who'd raped him had been near Evy, had spoken to her and that the threat of the same thing as had happened to Jonathan being done to his sister was being used as blackmail Jonathan into silence, Rick was angry enough to tear James Holden and his servant apart with his bare hands. He was just relieved that Jonathan had had enough trust and enough faith in him and Ardeth to overcome his trauma and fear to tell them everything. It had been hard to listen to but had served to strengthen Rick's resolve to make those bastards pay. As for Ardeth the guy was pretty inscrutable at the best of times but since listening to Jonathan's stuttered out account of what had happened to him Ardeth had become totally focused on only one goal – justice.

Getting their hands on Holden and his Egyptian servant who was his constant companion wasn't difficult. It seemed he thought his power over Jonathan was absolute and didn't fear that he would give away his attackers identities. What Holden had failed to realize was that Jonathan had friends now that he trusted with his life and with the life and well being of his sister. How could Holden begin to understand what they'd all been through together and how it had bound them together as more then just friends. When you'd risk your lives to save each other and escaped death a myriad of times there wasn't anything you wouldn't do for each other.

Jumping Holden and his servant in a dark Cairo alley had a certain irony to it after what Jonathan had told them that appealed to Rick. It had been fairly easy to over-power them neither of the other men a match for the fighting skill of Ardeth or himself. Once their hands had been tied behind their backs and a gag had silenced Holden's frightened protests and muffled his servant's whispered Arabic they'd been bundled into the back of the old truck one of Rick's less respectable old contacts who owed him a favour had lent him no questions asked the only proviso being that it was returned clean with, "no hard to explain blood stains Rick." After tying their feet together Rick had jumped into the cab and followed Ardeth's directions taking the other two men on what he knew, and he suspected they knew, would be the last journey of their lives.
Rick found his reminiscing interrupted by Ardeth's quietly spoken,

"We're here."

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Ardeth didn't think that he'd ever felt such cold rage in his life. Even facing the monster Imhotep and seeing the death he wrought and ever mind-full that if Imhotep regained his power that the very world would be laid waste had not brought about such a cold fire to race through his veins. Imhotep was a creature of darkness one who's soul had been corrupted by ancient dark magics, while the men who were tied up in the back of this truck were fully human. They had a soul and a conscience that they'd ignored to do unspeakable things to someone who meant everything to Ardeth. He had known immediately what punishment was called for, it was a punishment that his ancestors had reserved for only those who's transgressions were unforgivable. Ardeth had never seen it used during his lifetime but had heard whispers when he was a child that during his grandfather's time there had been a man from a Bedouin tribe who'd attacked one of the Medjai warriors wives and this had been the punishment the tribal council had deemed as appropriate.

He knew that he would be the one to inflict the punishment upon Jonathan's attackers and he'd have it no other way. Back at Hamunaptra he'd vowed to protect Jonathan with his life and although he knew that what had happened to Jonathan in Cairo hadn't been his fault he still felt as though he'd failed to uphold his vow and he needed atonement.

The journey out into the desert to a place that Ardeth knew would be perfect for his purposes was mostly silent and he was glad. He knew that O'Connell was a man who had seen more of life then most and that there was a steel inside of the American that matched his own. O'Connell wouldn't balk at what needed to be done. The outrage at what had been threatened against the woman he loved had made O'Connell the perfect accomplice.

The dawn revealed the ruins that were Ardeth's destination and as they loomed nearer he told O'Connell,

"We're here."

O'Connell peered through the dust covered windscreen towards the unremarkable looking tumbled down mud brick walls with several wooden posts still standing and slowed the truck until they came to a stop in front of the ruined structure.
Both men sat in silence for several seconds before Ardeth said,

"Come justice must be exacted upon those creatures who have hurt an innocent that we had both vowed to protect."

At his words O'Connell lips thinned to a hard line and Ardeth knew for certain that he hadn't underestimated the American when he'd seen in him someone like himself.

O'Connell didn't reply just nodding and moving to the back of the truck with Ardeth.

When they threw back the canvas flap from the back two pairs of frightened eyes stared back at them from the gloom. Although he could see the fear in the two men Ardeth had no sympathy, after all he'd heard Jonathan, words interspersed with quiet sobs, as he'd told them how he'd begged Holden not to rape him and how Holden had merely laughed at him. These two creatures that shrank back from him in terror as he reached for them had shown no mercy and so didn't deserve any.

Ardeth hauled Holden out of the truck dumping him unceremoniously onto the sand while O'Connell manhandled Holden's servant until he lay panting next to his master. Both of the bound men were trying to speak around their gags the desperate grunts and whines they were making falling upon deaf ears.

Ardeth reached down with his knife and cut the ropes binding the men's feet together and pulled Holden upright and began dragging him towards the ruins, O'Connell and his captive following along behind. Holden struggled against his hold but Ardeth wasn't about to let his prey escape him now and merely tightened his hold on the other man feeling his fingers digging into the flesh on the tops of Holden's arms and not caring how much pain and discomfort he was causing.
Once at the ruins Holden and his Egyptian servant were soon tied to two of the thick wooden stakes that still stood upright amongst the crumbling walls. Reaching out to the servant first Ardeth pulled the gag down from his mouth and asked him in Arabic,

"What is your name?"

"Hanif…it is Hanif. Please master, please I am innocent I did nothing…" the man babbled out in his native tongue.

Ardeth interrupted him coldly,

"Silence. You are as guilty as this creature." Here he indicated Holden. "You hurt one who had done nothing to you. You violated him and showed him no mercy and I will show you none."

Hanif knew who O'Connell was and knew what Ardeth was referring to, and although he didn't know who Ardeth was he knew this was a man of integrity and strength who would avenge his friend. He knew he was doomed and lowering his eyes he began murmuring his prayers to Allah hoping that he would be merciful upon his soul.

Stepping away from Hanif, Ardeth stood in front of Holden and studied him for a moment. He was aware of O'Connell's quiet presence behind him as he stared into the frightened eyes of the man in front of him and he found strength in that presence and his resolve hardened as he reached up and none-to-gently pulled the gag down.


Gulping in air Holden tried to bluster his way out of the situation first, as Ardeth had expected.
"How dare you lay hands on me and abduct me. I'll see you hanged for this you…you animals. I demand you release me immediately..."

Ardeth just took a step back to get out of range of the spittle that flew out of Holden's mouth as he shouted at them demanding to be released and raining empty threats of retribution upon their heads. Ardeth waited until Holden had exhausted himself leaving himself gasping and red in the face before he stepped in close and laying the cold metal of his knife blade against Holden's throat he said so quietly that even Rick standing close behind him had to strain to hear the words,

"You can make no more demands and no more threats. You won't ever hurt anybody again." Leaning in even closer so that Holden shivered as Ardeth's breath ghosted against his ear as he spoke Ardeth continued. "You hurt and violated one who's life is more precious to me then my own. One who I had sworn to protect. One who I have sworn to avenge. Your life is forfeit and I am here to collect."

Ardeth moved back and removed the knife from Holden's throat as Holden stared at him with wide eyes. Refusing to accept his fate as his servant had Holden stammered out,

"If…if this is about Carnahan…about…about what happened…it's not what you think. He...he wanted it…I…I didn't…Look if things got out of hand I'm s…sorry, but we didn't do anything he didn't want. If he's saying we forced him he's lying…he's ashamed of what he did and he's lying…"

"Enough!" Ardeth snarled. "Don't you dare sully him with your lies. It's time for you to face justice."

"No…no…" Holden whined as he saw Ardeth raise his knife once more. "You can't…you have no right. It'll be murder. If you want to hand us over to the authorities we'll stand trial in court, but this…this is murder."

"No." Ardeth told him calmly. "This is justice. The justice of my people. You are in our land and I shall exact justice our way. You committed the most heinous of crimes and for that you must suffer the most terrible of punishments which has been passed down to my people since the time of the pharaohs – the punishment of the five cuts."

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During the drive back to Cairo neither man spoke and as they'd driven away from the ruined buildings Rick had been careful not to look in the rear view mirror at the bloodied bodies that now hung limply from the ropes binding them to the wooden poles. The men weren't dead – not yet – the sun and the heat of the desert would finish them off slowly, and although the punishment had been harsh Rick only had to picture Jonathan's devastated face with eyes that were clouded with pain before any glimmer of sympathy he'd had with the two men who'd hurt him disappeared.

Glancing across at Ardeth, Rick studied the other man's profile as he gazed out of the windscreen. His face was cold but almost serene and Rick wondered what the other man was thinking. Before he turned his attention back to the road Rick spared one last glance down to Ardeth's hands which he held still in his lap. The blood on there had mostly been washed away with the water from one of their canteens but Rick could still see the dark red stains in the creases of Ardeth's knuckles and caught under his nails. A sudden memory of the metallic tang of so much blood filling the air assailed Rick's mind along with the vision of Ardeth slowly and methodically carrying out the punishment. Although Rick wasn't ashamed of what they'd done and he didn't regret it he knew the memory of it would stay with him for a long time to come, and when he thought about it maybe that was right.

Turning his attention back to the road Rick urged the truck on a little faster wanting to get back to Cairo, back to Evy and Jonathan. Hoping that at last they could begin to put the horrors of the past weeks behind them.

Author's Note: - The "Punishment of the Five Cuts" is, according to a documentary I saw on the History Channel, a genuine punishment used against those who'd carried out heinous crimes in ancient Egypt. It involves the criminal having his ears, lips, tongue and nose cut off and his eyes cut out. It was generally followed up by horizontal impalement – which I did spare Holden and Hanif LOL.