"You know him, Miss Bell?" asked Hans, looking at Miranda who still had a look of shock etched on beautiful her oval face.

Miranda took a moment to regain her composure before replying Hans. "W-We went to university together. He was a...close friend."

Hans looked back at Constantine. "I see," he said before his voice trailed off. "Isn't this a coincidence."

"What's he doing here, Hans?" asked Miranda, looking away from Constantine and to Hans.

"Why I'm interrogating him of course," replied Hans, turning to look at Miranda with a sickly grin.

Constantine could see that Miranda's composure began to crack again if only slightly. He noted, however, that she was doing a rather good job of hiding it. At a glance, no one would have noticed it. But Constantine knew better. He could see the look of disapproval and disgust in her eyes. Looks like those theatre classes you decided to take in university really paid off.

"But...why are you interrogating him?" Miranda asked, furrowing her thick and luscious eyebrows.

"Because he tried to stop us from getting the amulet," answered Hans. "And I need to know why."

As Hans and Miranda exchanged words, Constantine wondered whether or not she could be an ...unexpected ally. It was clear to Constantine that Miranda, by the look in her eye and inflection in her voice, that she was less than supportive of Hitler's people and their methods. She must not have known what she was really getting into. No idea at all. Perhaps she doesn't even know who she's working for.

"Enough of this," began Hans, approaching Miranda slowly. "We have more...pressing matters to attend to."

"Miranda, don't go!" cried Constantine with what little strength he had left.

"Silence!" yelled one of Hans' men.

Constantine felt a blinding white burst of pain surged through his entire body. He screamed in agony

Hans smirked. He then began to walk towards the tent's exit. Miranda just stood there, looking at Constantine who continued to scream in agony.

"Miss Bell, let's get going," said Hans who stood at the tent's threshold. "Our prize awaits us."

Miranda looked away from Constantine and to Hans. "Coming," she said, lacking any sort of enthusiasm in her voice.

Miranda stepped out of the tent, leaving Constantine at the mercy of his torturer.

###

Miranda followed Hans and his men through the sand filled and dimly lit streets of the once grand holy city of Abydos. The streets which were once filled with people coming from all over Ancient Egypt to pay respect to the gods, goddesses and pharaohs of their choosing were now deserted. Now only Hans, his men and Miranda walked through it. Even the ork workers Hans had hired to excavate the city were nowhere to be seen. As Miranda continued following Hans and his men through the empty streets, the image of Constantine tied up to a chair, injured, flashed in her head. She had worked for many...undesirable people before in the past. But never before had anyone of them use violence as much as Hans and his men. Images of Professor Croft's interrogation began to also play in her head. She closed her eyes. She tried to shut out the images of the professor's interrogation. At that moment, a sense of guilt and disgust washed over her. How could I just leave Constantine there? And what did I get myself into? She shook her head. I shouldn't have taken this job. I shouldn't have, said Miranda to herself. I need to get out of here. And rescue Constantine.

Hans and his men took a right, heading towards the direction of the city's map room. Miranda, however, did not. She waited for a moment. Waited to see whether Hans or any his men would realise that she was not following them. But they didn't. They kept walking towards the building where the city's map room was located in. Miranda, sure that neither Hans or his men would follow her, or realise she was missing, left. Left back towards the direction of the tent where Constantine was held captive in.

###

Not long after Hans and Miranda had left, Constantine's torturer had stopped torturing him. He had grown tired and had left the tent to stand guard outside. Seeing that he was alone in the tent, Constantine tried to loosen the ropes which bound him to the chair. He needed to try and stop them discovering the location of the Temple. He had to. But whenever he was close to loosening his binds, it would somehow tighten again. It soon became clear to Constantine that Hans had enchanted the ropes which bound him with some sort of spell which caused them to tighten whenever he was close to escaping. I don't think even the great Houdini could get out of this, not unless he had his wand on him.

Constantine continued to try and loosen his binds, even though he knew it was impossible to do so. He had to keep trying. As he continued to try and loosen his binds, he wondered to himself whether or not Haashid would swoop in with the Alexandria constabulary to rescue him. He hoped they were. At the moment, they were his last hope. His only hope. As Constantine tried to loosen his binds yet again, he started to hear voices coming from outside the tent. He immediately recognised one of the voices that were coming from outside. It was Miranda's. There was no doubt about it. As Constantine tried to listen to the conversation that was taking place outside of the tent, a flash of blue light came from outside the tent. What the bloody hell just happened out there? wondered Constantine who tried to loosen his binds again.

The flaps to the tent's entrance parted, and in stepped Miranda with her intricately carved wand drawn.

"M-Miranda? What are you doing here?" asked Constantine as he watched Miranda walk over to him.

"Setting you free," answered Miranda before cutting the ropes which bound Constantine with a cutting spell.

"T-Thanks," said Constantine as he slowly stood up.

"We better get out of here before Hans and his men realise what has happened," said Miranda as she walked over to the tent's exit. "Get as far away as possible from here."

"I-I can't do that," remarked Constantine, shaking his head.

Miranda stopped in her tracks and looked at Constantine, concern and confusion both etched on her beautiful oval face. "Why not?" she cried.

It was clear to Constantine that Miranda still cared deeply for him, despite them falling out with each other all those years ago.

"Because I can't let such a powerful artefact like the Tome of Thoth fall into the hands of a man like Hitler," answered Constantine.

"Hitler? What does HE have anything to do with this?" asked Miranda, arching her eyebrow in confusion.

She doesn't know who she's working for. "M-Miranda, do you know who you're working for?"

Miranda shook his head. "No. Not exactly. I just know that my employer is well connected and well funded."

"Miranda, you're working for the Dark Axis and Hitler."

Miranda took in a deep breath and released it slowly. "I-I had no idea. I thought I was just working for some...crime family. I-I didn't know." Miranda placed her hands on her hips and looked down. "What have I done?"

Constantine gently placed a hand on Miranda's shoulder, causing her to look up at him. "Help me, Miranda," said Constantine. "Help me to retrieve the Tome from the Dark Axis before they can use it."

"That's suicide, Constantine! There's no way we can stop Hans. Or the people under his command. They are too powerful. Too skilled."

Constantine knew she was right. Hans and his men were skilled and powerful, dangerous. He had seen them in action, first-hand. If they could take down the guards protecting the Grand Library of Alexandria, people who were trained specifically in the arts of martial magic, what more could he and Miranda who were not given their extensive training hope to accomplish? But they still had to try.

"We still have to try. If they manage to acquire the Tome, many lives, innocent lives, will be at risk. Not only non-human lives, but human ones as well. I know you don't want that to happen."

Miranda held her silence as she looked downwards at the ground. She had her arms crossed over her chest. Constantine knew that she was considering what he was asking of her. She only ever looked down at the ground with her arms crossed around her chest when she was in deep thought. It was one of her little quirks. The young adventurers took in a deep breath and released it slowly. She then looked up at Constantine.

"You're right. The Dark Axis needs to be stopped. I'm in. Even if this is a suicide mission."

Constantine offered Miranda a small smile. "Let's get going then."

Constantine and Miranda exited the tent, with Miranda taking the lead. He just hoped they were not too late.