The good stuff really was good.

The earthquake had uncovered what appeared to be an ancient tomb further south in the desert, one that had been mentioned by one of Hitler's former scientists. Their mission was to find it, search it, and retrieve their target, which was inside it. Of course, this involved learning how to survive in the desert, familiarizing themselves with ancient Egyptian, as well as basic archeological techniques and anticipate potential traps.

They had three months to do this, and once they did, they would be setting out on their own to find...

"I don't like this," Rachel said, staring at her tray of food. Her pasta was untouched, even if she'd been twirling her fork around her fingers for the past ten minutes.

Davyn continued to chew and finished the phrase he was reading before lifting his nose from his book. "It's actually quite decent."

"No, I mean what Edwards said." She plunked a fusilli with her forked but still didn't eat it. "About what whe have to retrieve."

Davyn frowned and closed the book on Egyptology. Once the briefing was over, the seven of them who were left were shipped off to the museum to start their study. Davyn had been so enthralled by all the books that he'd forgotten about food until Rachel came over to ask him to lunch. Now in the cafeteria, it appeared that food was not the only thing on her mind or, by the state of her plate, not on her mind at all.

"What about it?" he asked.

"A giant jewel," Rachel whispered. "Why does it have to be a jewel?"

Davyn tensed and pushed his tray away. He could tell that this was an important moment. Rachel was confiding her doubts to him out of all the other people she'd spent more time with. She was offering him her trust. Unless she was actually trying to lull him into some sort of trap.

"So what if it's a jewel?" he ventured on.

She watched him through narrowed eyes as if trying to determine if he could be trusted. He wondered where this paranoia was coming from. Weren't they supposed to trust each other if they were to work as a team? But once the briefing was over, the ride to the museum had been silent, and then they'd all spread out as if trying to avoid each other. Davyn wasn't doing that per se, he just liked to be by himself, but now that he thought about it, it was strange.

Rachel had the right idea. He needed more information, and he obviously needed an ally. She seemed smart and observant and had brought it up, so maybe it was time to build some trust.

"What's the deal?" he asked.

She bit into her lower lip for a moment. It was full and rosy, even if she was obviously not wearing any makeup.

"It's been strange since we got here," she finally said, her voice low. "From the beginning, we were told that some might leave, so not knowing who, we kept to ourselves. No matter what we believe... Well, it's obvious that the CII aren't joking around."

"It is, isn't it?" He indicated where they were because he still couldn't believe he was eating lunch in the cafeteria of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

"I don't..." She sighed. "We don't know much about each other. We didn't talk. I don't know what your circumstances are and how you got here, but... I don't know, maybe I'm overthinking it."

She wasn't. It was him who'd completely ignored the team, caught up as he was in his excitement to do something. To matter. He'd been picked up off the side of the road as he was running away from the police. Who were the others? However, he didn't think this was the best time to get up close and personal with Rachel, so he focused on something safer.

"You're not overthinking it. You're right to be wary." He glanced around the cafeteria at their supposed team. Would all of them actually enter that temple? "I've just gotten a little carried away with what we have to do." He hesitated a little before letting this piece of himself out. "It's exciting for me."

"It's exciting for me, too. That's why it bothers me that it's a giant jewel."

"You don't like giant jewels?"

"It's just too easy to turn it into a cash grab. That energy theory... I mean, how could a jewel generate energy?"

"Maybe it doesn't have to generate it."

Davyn and Rachel both jumped. Simon sat a few feet away, at the same long table, his tray in front of him. He tried for a smile, but it came out strained, and Davyn realized he'd been building up courage to interfere in their conversation.

Rachel grumbled. "Than how is it an energy source?"

Simon glanced left and right, then finally slid closer to them on the bench. He was on Davyn's side, so it was easy for him to look at Rachel. Davyn still had the feeling the guy had the hots for Rachel. Not that he blamed him. Rachel was a beautiful woman and was smart and courageous to boot.

"I think source is putting it broadly. I've been giving it some thought, because it seemed a bit silly to me too. But what if it's an amplifier?"

Davyn scooted back a little to get a better look at the guy. He glanced back with innocent green eyes, blinking as if asking for approval. Davyn had labeled him as a sappy idiot the moment he'd turned to stare at Rachel the first time. He hadn't actually considered that he could be smart.

"Amplifier?" Rachel asked, shaking her head. "How would that even work?"

"Same principle as a magnifying glass, really," Simon said with a shrug. "It focuses the light of the sun, and the excess heat results in fires."

"Yes, but heat and fire usually push something else, like steam engines and thermal powered engines. We don't use fire as energy. We burn something."

Something clicked in Davyn's head, but he wasn't sure he knew what it was yet. "So you're saying that this jewel could have light magnifying properties?"

Simon turned to him and opened his mouth, then closed it. "Um, I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself. I'm Simon." And he reached out his hand.

Davyn was tempted to slap it away and tell him to get a hold of himself, but he didn't think now was the time to be hostile towards someone who'd just come up with a good theory.

"Davyn." And he shook his hand. "So, jewel properties?"

"I obviously don't know more than you do. I'm just thinking that all of this has to have a point."

"Unless I'm right, and it's a cash grab," Rachel pointed out.

"It would be a rather elaborate cash grab when there are graverobbers for hire all over the streets," Simon pointed out.

"You think they haven't tried already?"

The new voice had all three of them looking in the other direction. At the end of the table was the guy with the intense grey eyes, which had drawn Davyn's attention during the briefing.

He shrugged once he noticed them staring. "What? You're loud."

"We're not that loud," Rachel snapped. "You were just listening in."

The guy quirked an eyebrow. "What? Was it a secret conversation?"

"As if," Davyn said, waving his hand. "Not like anything is a secret around here." He narrowed his eyes. "Or should be."

"I'd say you're a naive idiot, but I can read between the lines." The guy moved closer to them, leaving his empty tray at the end of the table. "Your light theory is cute, but small fry."

"Not sure what you mean," Simon said, pulling back half an inch.

"Yes, running sunlight through a magnifying glass creates fire. But what would it be like if they managed to amplify something stronger?"

"Stronger than the sun?" Simon asked.

The guy hesitated, drumming his fingers on his chin. "How much do you know about laser theory?"

"It's not a new concept," Davyn pointed out.

"Of course, if you're thinking bar codes and CD players."

"What exactly are you thinking?" Rachel asked.

He opened his mouth but closed it again. "Not sure we've reached the part where I'd want to tell you that." And he moved away again, picked up his tray, and walked away.

"Dramatic as fuck," Davyn mumbled. It bothered him, because he was the dramatic one. "Who's that guy?"

"He's been very quiet since he came here," Simon answered. "He keeps mostly to himself, observes the others. His name is McLane, like the Highlander."

"That was MacLeod," Rachel said, rolling her eyes.

"Is everyone here Cher?" Davyn asked. It was getting a bit frustrated.

"Um, you mean like a pop star?" Simon asked.

"No, I mean like only having one name. Edwards, McLane..." He halted, realizing that he hadn't actually given anyone his full name either.

"It's been hard trusting people. We don't know each other, and we're not sure what we're up against," Simon said. "But I guess we are expected to work as a team. At least the ones that are still left."

"Really?" Rachel smiled, but it was cold and calculated. "Do you want to jump on the trust train first?"

Davyn was sure Simon would blush and pull away again, maybe mumble an excuse and leave them at it. To his credit, he didn't. Instead, he took both him and Rachel in, his eyes probing. He seemed to make up his mind about something, because his features rearranged into a mask of self-confidence he didn't seem capable of.

"Sure. My name is Simon Stefani. I'm twenty-two and specialize in IT."

"IT, huh?" Rachel said, sounding a little taken aback.

Davyn was too, but for a different reason. "That's how we're introducing ourselves? By our specialties?"

"Isn't that what's relevant at this point? Why we're here? They must have recruited us because we're good at something."

Simon made a very good point, and Davyn found himself wondering just what he was good at. Also, he felt a bit confused about being so much younger than Simon. The guy didn't seem older at all.

Rachel just hummed, as if considering her skill set. Davyn had no idea what to say either. He'd always considered he was good at everything he did, but when he had to narrow it down to one specialty, what could he say? He'd never been good in a field rather than a subject at school. And once again, it made him feel inadequate. What had had he even done outside of school? Crime-lording and drug dealing?

"You guys don't trust me," Simon dead-panned. "You made me say it and now you're skirting around it."

"I'm not." Rachel heaved a sigh and leaned back. "Rachel Young. Twenty-one. I'm just trying to figure out what I would specialize in. I'm studying bioengineering and am passionate about it, but being any good at it? I'm not sure." They both turned to Davyn.

He was momentarily distracted by how Rachel was studying in the exact field he wanted to get into. A part of him wanted to question her about her studies and college. That part of him needed to die.

"I'm good at getting people to do what I want?"

"Seriously?" Rachel asked through half-closed lids.

"Yeah. For some reason, people actually listen to me."

"So you're here for some super leadership skills?" Simon asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No. I think I'm here because I know a lot of random shit. History, politics, survival. I can fight pretty well."

"Oh?" She once again looked interested. "Like how well?"

"Like knock five bigger guys on their ass well."

"Well then." Simon shifted in his seat, putting a bit of distance between them. "I guess we don't all have to be geniuses. It makes sense for the team to be diverse."

Davyn bit the insides of his cheeks not to say anything. Let them believe he was the dumb one. "True. But what do you think they need IT and bioengineering for? We're going into the desert."

This seemed to give the two geniuses pause.

"Maybe they'll need it for later?" Simon ventured.

"Agreed, maybe they do." And Davyn picked his book back up and disappeared behind it. 

"You're reading," Simon observed.

"Astute observation."

"We're not walking stereotypes, Simon," Rachel said. "Mind your own business."

He opened his mouth to say something, but seemed to think better of it because he got up and left.

"No, really, what is your deal?" she asked the moment they were alone.

"I'm not well adjusted for this. I come from a troubled background," Davyn mumbled. Egyptology was hard and her talking to him wasn't helping.

"So you don't trust us?"

To be honest, he didn't. Rachel and Simon were both bearable, her more than him, but it felt too soon to share anything. After all, he was still a fugitive of sorts.

"I'm not a people person."

"You just said your secret skill was leadership."

"Leadership can be done without getting up close and personal."

She huffed. "That's what you think."

He lay the book down carefully, hating how this change of scenery had ended up throwing his entire system upside down. He felt like this new thing in a new environment had shoved his past and every fucked up thing in it somewhere in the very back of his mind. This wasn't right. He couldn't be a new person here. Or the old one who existed when his father had died. He was who he was, all his horrible decisions included.

"Look, I'm coming off some bad shit, and I haven't adjusted to what happened yet." He took in a deep breath, realizing that he needed to give Rachel something if he wanted to keep her around. And he did. She was cool enough. "Edwards literally picked me off the street and brought me here."

"What?"

"I mean it. I have a lot of shit to deal with and I was hitchhiking when he picked me up."

"Running away from home?"

"Something like that. So you see why I might have a bit of trouble fitting in with college geniuses." He hoped it would work, because the more he talked about it, the more he felt as if he were about to choke,

Fortunately, she backed off, giving him a sad smile. "Yeah, I can understand that. And who knows? Maybe after a while, you'll feel comfortable enough to share."

The idea of sharing everything with her made him shudder. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why would you care?"

She shrugged and sat up. "I don't know. I have this thing where I read people right. And I think you're worth my time. I'll see you later." And she left Davyn with his book.

♣

As it turned out, everyone had one name and one specialty, which they liked to share. Over the next couple of days, the drafts began training.

Like he'd anticipated, Davyn was well above the rest of them at combat and map reading. This of course labeled him as the muscle of the group. It wasn't exactly fair since McLane seemed as competent as he was, but was holding back for some reason. Holding back and pulling away, as if he alone knew the secrets to survival.

The grueling regime has them cracking one by one, sharing names and skills as well as personal nonsense. The first to go that route was Alan Martinez, a Mexican immigrant who prided himself with his methods of going unnoticed and nicking stuff out of people's pockets. He was designated the role of the person who would break into locked places.  

Walter Turner, the only black man in their group who also happened tk have unsettling red hair, turned out to be their linguist, while the final member of their team, Harrison Levy, appeared to be very good at following protocol. How that was helpful, Davyn didn't know.

As it turned out, their specialties didn't matter that much. All of them had the same schedule. Get up at the crack of dawn, train in survival, train in combat, then study their asses off in the museum library. In the evenings, they would usually be much too tired to exchange more than a few words. This suited Davyn just fine, though after about a week spent there, he did have to admit he liked Rachel and Simon just a bit more than the rest.

Funnily enough, they were rarely both with him at the same time, and Davyn suspected it was Rachel who was trying to dodge him. It was hard to dwell on it too much when he had so many new and exciting things to focus on.

"No, Davyn, that's wrong," Walt Turner said, glancing at his translation.

If there was one thing Davyn had learned during his time with the drafts, it was humility. He was the youngest there, maybe except for Alan, and surrounded by people who were just as smart, if not smarter than him. It was a hard come down after his time spent as the leader of largely incompetent men, but he knew he needed it. If he wanted to be better, he was aware he should surround himself with better people.

So he listened to Walt and put his pencil down. "Explain."

"Look at the Roseta. You're writing down an order. You're reading a story."

Davyn picked up his pencil again, staring at the text and the code key he was still learning how to use in order to decipher ancient Egyptian. "Isn't it the same words?"

"Yes, the words are the same, but your nuance is off."

"The nuance?" Simon asked. He'd joined them but was working on his laptop rather than focusing on the language aspects. "What's the difference?"

"It's a whole different message!" Walt said, outraged.

Davyn knew him well enough by now to tell he was acting. Walt liked his little drama show. And now he was in full swing as he let out a dramatic sigh and brushed his red hair out of the way.

"This would be so much easier if you knew Latin and ancient Greek."

"I bet it would be," Davyn mumbled, picking up the translation again.

This was really hard, even if he had a knack for dead languages bigger than the rest. It was the only reason Walt tolerated him and agreed to teach him. He'd dismissed the others as idiots. Which was really strange in a group filled with exceptional individuals.  But, the others thought it was Walt's job to read the writing on the wall.

Davyn disagreed. It was a bad idea in a team for only one person to know how to do a specific thing. What if a rock fell on Walt and crushed him or something? Rachel agreed, so it was usually her keeping him company. Not now, since Simon decided to crash the party first.

"No offense, Walt," he said. "But I think Latin and ancient Greek are obsolete."

Walt threw him a fleeting gaze. "In favor of your black box?"

"This black box is taking over the world." Simon's eye lit up as they always did when he started talking about computers.

Davyn hadn't really been into computers, but the way Simon talked about them got him thinking. Maybe there really was something to them, and he should pay more attention.

Walt huffed. "Languages are forever. Technology is fleeting and ever-changing."

"I deny neither of those affirmations." Simon closed the lid of his laptop. "I just want to be the reason for the ever-change."

This got Davyn's attention. "What are you thinking?"

"Developing performance and speed on these devices." Simon patted his laptop. "Make them work as fast as we can think, or faster. Broaden the band and take the internet off dial-up."

"You think that's possible?" Walt asked.

"That's what I've been working on in Stanford. That and a software necessary for all the hardware changes and integrate them into every operating system. This is going to be the future, I tell you!"

He sounded so convinced, and Davyn fond himself in awe. Simon was so sure of his future, of his contribution to the world. Everyone on the team had ideas about their lives and their careers, what they would do with their skills and knowledge. It made Davyn feel like a loser. A teenager still lost inside the fantasies in his mind.

Yes, he could talk about what he'd like to do, but unlike his peers, he'd taken precisely zero steps in that direction.

"Huh," Walt said with a smile, "if you think that's the future, maybe I should have my kid look into it when he grows up."

This effectively froze both Simon and Davyn.

"You have a kid?" Simon asked, his voice shaking.

"Yes. Didn't I tell you? He'll be four in a couple of months."

"No, you didn't tell us," Davyn whispered. None of them had ever shared something so intimate. Walt's trust weighed a ton. "What's going to happen to him if you...?"

Walt let out a laugh. "I'm the linguist. I'm sure you guys will take great care of me."

"Of course we will," Simon said, his tone fierce.

But his assurance, Davyn realized as he returned to his translation, didn't mean a thing. They were just kids heading out into the unknown. And while he had nothing to lose, maybe others did.

Unexpectedly, this got him thinking about McLane. Why was he here, and what exactly was he trying to protect?

♣️♣️♣️

You got to meet the team! I know there are some changes in names, but this is due to the changes I have planned for the new version of the series. But you definitely know who's who!

I hope you're enjoying Davyn learning some humility and maybe actually making some friends!

Here's to me getting to write more because I'm once again out of backlog! Yay for responsibility!