Even Worse

Although we outnumbered them, the minions of Set managed to surround us easily. We were afraid to touch them lest they have the power to kill us via touch. Larry kept rummaging through his bag and showing items to Mr. Thorndyke, only to replace them once he received a dismissive shake of the head. Slowly we were reduced to hiding behind display cases so that we could not be reached. At least we were together.

“The pattern doesn't fully contain his power?” Harry asked, panic clearly in his voice.

“His power is greater than I expected,” Mr. Thorndyke noted. “The containment is insufficient to completely hold him in at this point.”

“Why do you continue to defy me?” asked Set. “Cease your worthless resistance and join me.”

“No,” I said bluntly. “I already have a job that attempts to crush my soul. My life may not be perfect. Everything may not be just the way I'd like it but I would rather keep working at making it better than give up to help you win your petty revenge.”

Set just laughed. “As if you have a choice in the matter!”

On the other hand, Mr. Thorndyke smiled at me. “Nicely put young man. I may not have used those words myself, but the sentiment behind them can't be faulted.” Larry displayed a sphere shaped device from his bag of tricks to Mr. Thorndyke, bringing an even brighter smile to the man's face. “Is that what I think it is?”

Larry nodded and then paused. “I suppose that depends on what you think it is.”

Mr. Thorndyke's excitement did not fade. “It's a ecto-spiritual displacement device!”

Larry smiled. “In that case, it is what you think it is.”

“Then use it my friend!” encouraged Mr. Thorndyke.

Larry wasted no time in doing so, rolling the sphere towards our attackers. Bouncing off a gun man's foot, the sphere suddenly stopped, feet emerging from it to balance it. Gaps appeared in the top of the device. A barely audible whirring noise began, sounding rather like a muffled vacuum. The energy levels of the reanimated attackers began to fade. The green of that area seemed less green somehow.

A gun man reached out towards the retreating Larry. As it collapsed, the gun man fell on Larry, knocking him roughly to the ground. Harry had been trying to grab Larry away to safety, missed, and fell into a display case, crashing through it to the ground. Djed-hor, as he fell, bumped one of the canopic jars out of alignment, freeing Set. Much of this felt like it happened all at once.

Set laughed again. “As I said, you have no choice.”

He approached us.