The British Museum Case: 9

I started forward to help Miriam, but the fake police officer gestured with his gun, his finger tightening on the trigger.

"No you don't, cat-girl," he warned. "You try to help her, and you're next."

I hesitated. Laura didn't. She hurried to Miriam's side, only to be confronted with the muzzle of the fake policeman's gun pointed right at her black-cowled face.

"No you don't, Black kitten. You're all my prisoners. But the magic girl has to die." The look in his eyes told me he was serious. This man was under control by something other than human, like he was possessed or something. And he was going to kill Miriam unless I did something to stop him. But what? He couldn't take us all at once, but if any of us tried anything, he's kill Laura. I don't sacrifice my friends.

"So, I've got you all now. You don't dare stop me!" he crowed. "I've got you at my mercy! My masters will be pleased with this."

"Oh, I'm sure they will be," Laura said. Her mask, covering her whole face the way it did, hid her expression. It meant she looked quite sinister, and her face was unreadable. It was a shame, I thought, that he had a gun pressed to her head.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she replied. "But I don't talk to men who hold guns to my head."

"You certainly won't talk if I shoot you in the head!" he declared. "Now talk."

"You don't want Miriam. You want the Morrigan. She's onto your masters, and she's determined to destroy them. She can, you know. And THEY know. She's incredibly powerful. Miriam was trying to find her..."

"The Morrigan's deranged. Even I know that. My masters have made sure that she's helpless!"

"You're wrong," Laura replied. "That's just what she WANTS you to think..."

As she talked, I edged closer to Miriam's fallen fugure. She was covered by her cloak, and she lay still and limp. This man wanted her dead, and she was unconscious and vulnerable. I had to do something to help. Stealthily I crept closer to her.

Suddenly the armed man whirled to face me, his gun pointed right at my heart. My costume makes it clear enough that I don't wear armour.

"Move any closer and you die!"

"That will not happen."

I knew Miriam's voice at once. An invisible force tore the man's gun from his hands and hurled it across the room. Miriam looked up, one hand holding her up.

"Miriam!"

"We must go! Now!"

As I watched, SOMETHING emerged from the man's body. It was evil, like a demon. I cried out in warning, and the man screamed.

"Now!" Miriam cried. There was a blinding flash, and everything went dark.

The British Museum Case - 8

I'd only travelled by magic portal once before, but I was considerably happier this time - I knew who I would be traveling with, and I knew Miriam was a friend. Scruff followed, looking distinctly funny in her Robin costume. I've suggested she might want to change it, but she says she thinks it's great, so I'm stuck with a sidekick who dresses like a female version of Batman's. Laura had on her skin-tight Black Kitten costume, something I wouldn't want to wear in public in daylight, but there you go.

We emerged inside the Museum. I couldn't help noticing that Miriam was floating a good six inches off the floor. Nice if you can do it, I suppose. It certainly saves on shoe-leather.

"What are we looking for?" I asked.

"Confirmation that it was the Morrigan who raised the mummies," Miriam told me. "Last time I was too busy dealing with the mummies to perform the psychic scan that I need to perform on the crime-scene. But I shall be vulnerable whilst I am performing the scan, and I fear that I may need your help should the police decide to arrest me."

Fighting with the police. They hate me already, so it would be unlikely to do too much damage to my reputation. It's bad enough already.

Miriam, her hood raised, her eyes glowing in the shadow of the hood, led the way. I followed, and the younger girls followed me, whispering to each other. It was one of those times that I wished I had super-hearing, but I don't, so I didn't hear what Scruff and Laura were whispering about.

"Miriam," I whispered, "what happens if we meet some of the police on our way to the gallery?"

"We shall not. I can sense where they are, and I am leading us accordingly, so that we do not meet them."

As a result of another cool and useful power of Miriam's, we moved rapidly through the building to the Egyptian galleries. They were still in a mess from what had happened earlier, mummies and pieces of mummies all over the floor. Miriam floated, unfazed, over it all, coming to a halt in the centre of the room. She raised her arms at right-angles to her body and her eyes began to glow more brightly, the stone in her forehead lighting up as well.

"From now on, Jane, you must protect me," she declared. "I must read the ether, my mind must roam free around this place."

"You heard her," I told my younger friends. "Protect Miriam. Hopefully she'll be able to find something to lead us to this Shianna girl."

We watched the doors, ready for a fight but hoping that there wouldn't be one. I hate fighting the police anyway, they're on the same side as we are, they just don't know it. Trouble is, I do.

It was rather spooky to watch Miriam just floating there, strange purple energies drifting around her. I kept my eyes on the doors that led from the staircase, knowing that the police were most likely to come from there.

I heard footsteps approaching. That was not a good thing, I decided. In fact it was very, very bad. Miriam was still floating and doing her weird mystical examination thing, and that meant she needed our protection. I just hoped that the police were not armed, as they have a nasty habit of being these days.

"'Ere!"

It was a police officer, and he was carrying a rifle. What was more, he was pointing it at Miriam.

"What;'s goin' on?" he demanded. "'Ere! You're the Girl in Grey!"

"Guilty," I confessed, raising my hands. "Just don't disturb the flying girl."

"Too late," he grinned wickedly, Cockney accent vanishing. "The Fomorians will live!"

With that, he fired at Miriam. She screamed as the bullet struck her, and the black-cloaked figured fell to the floor.

The British Museum Case - 7

Miriam had found a quiet street for us to appear on, and no-one saw us emerge from her magical portal. I led the way back towards the Museum entrance.
"Did your friend raise the mummies, or did the enemy?" I asked her pointedly.
"From what I saw, I think that it was the Morrigan, She is confused and afraid, she knows that she is the last of her kind, and she fears the enemy."
"WHY?" Scruff asked. "I mean, I know that this thing's got to be some kind of evil monster, but if your friend's really a powerful sorceress, why can't she just defeat it?"
"It too is possessed of great power," Miriam answered simply. "Its evil is beyond that of a mere man, and I fear that has confused the Morrigan."
"She's quite a nice girl really," Laura offered her opinion. "I met her in Cheltenham. A nice red-haired Irish girl. She LOOKED about sixteen, but Miriam said..."
"It is complicated," Miriam said simply.
Police thronged the forecourt of the Museum. I wasn't at all surprised. After all, mummies had just come to life inside the place. I recognised the car of Inspector Greenwell of the Weird Crimes unit of Special Branch. But I'm not exactly popular with the police, and Laura's Black Kitten persona is even less popular, ever since she set fire to a warehouse in Greenwich belonging to her Dad.

Scruff makes the most interesting friends.

"No way in," I reported.
"No," Miriam said quietly. "Not for you. But I can enter even a sealed room."
"We'll need to change our clothes," I warned.
"I can do that as well."
We hurried back to the alleyway, and there Miriam spoke a few words. Instantly our clothes were replaced by the costumes we wear when crime-fighting.
"And now we go in," the mysterious black-cloaked girl said seriously.

Emily's Inbox Revisited

Emily found this in her inbox this morning. As she doesn't have a bank account, being legally dead and really black and smoky, she showed it to me:

Greetings, I have interest of investing in your country as well as seek your services in a private and confidential matter. My Name is Mr.Bryant Morn, a senior Auditor heading computing department here in our bank. On my routine inspection I discovered a dormant domiciliary account with a Balance of ($14.02 Million USD}.I write to seek your indulgence and assistance in transferring this fund to your country through legal means. I am proposing to make this transfer to a designated bank account of your choice in your country for investment. At the conclusion of this transaction, you will be given 30% of the total amount, 70% will be for me and my Bank colleagues who will help make this business a success. Let me know if you can handle it.Regards,Bryant Morn .

We laughed, then tacked the man down and Emily persuaded him to turn himself in. She can be really scary when she wants to be. And she wants to be.

My inbox revisited

Rising this morning and sitting down at the computer with Scruff and Emily (after I cleared three cats off the desk, keyboard and chair), I found that I had more scam mail:

From: Mr. Richard Klaus.
SA Post Office
P.O. Box 10 000
PRETORIA
0083 SOUTH AFRICA .

{MONEY TRANSACTION}
{THIRTY SIX MILLION USD}
(RE: TRANSFER OF $ 36,000,000.USD)
{BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY/YOUR ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED}

My Name is Mr. Richard Klaus. And I work in the International operation department in a Local Bank here in South Africa On a routine inspection, I discovered a dormant domiciliary account with a BAL Of 36,000,000 (Thirty Six Million USD) on further discreet investigation I also discovered that the account holder has long since passed away (Dead) leaving no beneficiary to the account The bank will approve this money to any foreigner because the former operator of the a/c is a foreigner and from Iraq in particular and I am certainly sure that he is dead and nobody will come again for the claim of this money A foreigner can only claim this money with legal claims to the account Holder therefore I need your cooperation in this transaction. I will provide the necessary information needed in order to claim this money, But you will need to open an account where this can be transferred. If you are interested send me your private Telephone No And Fax number including the full details of the account to be used for the Deposit. I wish for utmost confidentiality in handling this Transaction as my job and the future of my family would be jeopardized if it were breached The information will be as.
Follows:
Bank Name Address--------
A/C Name..........................
A/C Number Even an empty
A/c is still ok! ------------------
Swift Code No.....................
And i am assuring you that the transaction is risk free hence we are going to follow the normal transfer process. Finally a 25% of the total fund will be given to you for your steadfast corporation. Upon the receipt of the above details, payment will be activated by the feeding of your data into payment system, followed by a signal that will be sent to the paying bank to remit funds into your nominated bank account within 5 official working days of receipt of the above information. Contact me urgently via email privately for further details: { richardklaus200000@msn.com }
Thanks.
Yours Faithfully,
Mr. Richard Klaus.

If it looks too good to be true, it is. Especially as the man doesn't know who I am. In fact, if a bank employee really DID want to steal the contents of a dormant account, he'd use a friend as as accomplice, not a perfect stranger he'd contacted over the internet. So we did a little digging, and found the real sender of the e-mail. Emily slipped under his door one night, and terrified him half to death with a sword and her glowing red eyes. He's now in a nice cosy jail breaking rocks and being a useful member of society.

E-mail from the UN?

Checking her e-mail account this morning, Emily found this e-mail, which she decided to pass on (no, I'm not going to give her e-mail address. Let's just say it's blacksmokyoutsider@——.com). The e-mail claimed to come from the United Nations, but she had her doubts. Here it is:

Attn:Sir/ma,

How are you today and hope all is well with you and family?You may not understand why this mail came to you,but i will implore you to take your time to carefully go through this mail.

We have been having a meeting for the pass 7 months which ended 4 days ago at our office head quarters New York(UNITED NATIONS).

This email is to all the people that feel they have been scammed in any part of the world,the UNITED NATION have agreed to compensate them with the sum of US$ 150,000.This includes every foriegn contractors that may have not received their contract sum, and people that have had an unfinished transaction or international businesses that failed due to Government probelms etc.

We found your name in our list and that is why we are contacting you,this have been agreed upon and has been signed.

You are advised to contact Mr. Jim Ovia of ZENITH BANK NIGERIA PLC, as he is our representative in Nigeria, contact him immediately for your Cheque/International Bank Draft of USD$ 150,000. This funds are in a Bank Draft for security purpose ok? so he will send it to you and you can clear it at any bank of your choice.

Therefore, you should send him your full Name and telephone number/your correct mailing address where you want him to send the Draft to you.

Conatct:Mr. Jim Ovia immediately for your Cheque:
Person to Contact Mr. Jim Ovia
Email: jimovia00001@gmail.com

Thanks and God bless you and your family.Hoping to hear from you as soon as you cash your Bank Draft.

Making the world a better place

Regards,
Mr. Koffi Anann
Former Secretary (UNITED NATIONS).

Nigeria. How transparent can you get? Also the wording is all wrong for a real official e-mail. So we tracked down the man responsible, and Emily gave him a nice long talk on the subject of not scamming people. of course she had to hold his attention somehow, so she did it while shooting crossbow-bolts in a pattern around his head. The man is currently undergoing treatment in a mental hospital, gibbering about being tortured by a ghost. Emily maintains that she was just trying to keep his attention. I believe her, but she forgets that she looks scary to begin with.

Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.

A cry for help?

Another gem from my inbox today:

Dear,How are you doing today? I am sorry i didn't inform you about my traveling to Africa for a program called "Empowering Youth to Fight Racism, HIV/AIDS, Poverty and Lack of Education, the program is taking place in three major countries in Africa which is Ghana , South Africa and Nigeria . It as been a very sad and bad moment for me, the present condition that i found myself is very hard for me to explain.I am really stranded in Nigeria because I forgot my little bag in the Taxi where my money, passport, documents and other valuable things were kept on my way to the Hotel am staying, I am facing a hard time here because i have no money on me. I am now owning a hotel bill of $ 1000 and they wanted me to pay the bill soon else they will have to seize my bag and hand me over to the Hotel Management., I need this help from you urgently to help me back home, I need you to help me with the hotel bill and i will also need $1500 to feed and help myself back home so please can you help me with a sum of $2500 to sort out my problems here? I need this help so much and on time because i am in a terrible and tight situation here, I don't even have money to feed myself for a day which means i had been starving so please understand how urgent i needed your help.I am sending you this e-mail from the city Library and I only have 30 min, I will appreciate what so ever you can afford to send me for now and I promise to pay back your money as soon as i return home so please let me know on time so that i can forward you the details you need to transfer the money through Money Gram or Western Union.Looking forward to hearing from you soon.Best RegardsTharmini

I understand these things are bulk-sent, and everyone gets them, otherwise why would they get to me? A real person in this situation would write to friends and family first, not to total strangers. Still, you know me, ever the caring one. So I went to Nigeria (Nigeria? How transparent can you get?), grabbed the sender of this e-mail, who had been tracked down for me by the Sparrow, and flew him to India, where he was promptly arrested for fraud.

That's the fun thing about having a private aircraft and lots of money, I can do that.

The British Museum Case - 6

Miriam unfastened the silver broach that fastened her long black cloak and took off the all-enveloping black garment. As Miriam removed her cloak, I realised exactly why she wore her hood. Her hair was purple, not dyed, but naturally purple. It was long and curled slightly, but it was definitely purple. Her eyes were blank white orbs that glowed gently, and her lips were purple as her hair was - what was more, that wasn't lipstick!

"That.. is why I cannot reveal my face," she said.
"Sunglasses," I replied practically. "What happened to you?"
"I... I was born like this. My father was the leader of a cult that practiced black magic, and he wove spells around me in the womb. From those spells I derive my power - but that power terrifies me. I am cut off from the rest of the world, only Shianna is my link here. I must find her."
I sensed her desperation and I smiled.
"Okay, let's go to the British Museum, Miriam."
Miriam put her cloak back on. I assumed that she felt more comfortable wearing it with other people around. Fair enough, her eyes made her look pretty odd. Everything else could be carried off as cosmetic, but not those eyes. They seemed to look into your soul.
"I... I unsettle you." It was not a question. She knew how I felt, and she was telling me.
"Yes. I'm sorry..."
"It is an effect I have on people. I am quite used to it now."
She wasn't, but I wasn't going to press the point. She seemed the sensitive type.
"Now we shall return to the museum."
"Better make it a quiet corner outside," I warned. "The police may have closed it due to rampaging mummies."
Scruff laughed. Miriam simply opened a portal and stepped through. We followed, not knowing what we might find on the other side.

Legacy of Fraud

This morning I found this in my e-mail inbox:

FROM THE DESK OF: K. A. Adam (Esq.)
ADAM CHAMBERS+SOLICITORS,


NOTIFICATION OF BEQUEST
On behalf of the Trustees and Executor of the estate of Late Engr. Lukas Jonas
Würth; I once again try to notify you again by this same email address on the
WILL as my earlier letter returned undelivered.
I wish to notify you that Late Engr. Lukas Jonas Würth made you a beneficiary
to his WILL. He left the sum of USD$15,100,000.00 (Fifteen Million One Hundred
Thousand Dollars) to you in the codicil and last testament to his WILL. This
may sound strange and unbelievable to you, but until his death was a member of
the Helicopter Society and the Institute of Electronic & Electrical Engineers.
According to him this money is to support your humanitarian activities and to
help the poor and the needy in our society. Please if I reach you this time as
I am hopeful, endeavor to get back to me as soon as possible to enable me
conclude my job. Kindly reply through this email: barr.adamcamber@gmail.com
and
include to your contact list.

Yours in Service,
K. A. Adam (Esq.)
Email: barr.adamcamber@gmail.com

Now call me a suspicious little blonde in a cat costume, but I didn't think it was genuine. First of all, if it was, it would have had my name, Jane Hill, in it, not just 'you' all the way through. In fact, it didn't have my name in it at all, not even in the 'To' line. Secondly, I'm not exactly poor and needy. My pal the Sparrow tracked the e-mail using her amazing cybernetic abilities, and I dropped in on Mr. Adams at his office in Craven's Inn (one of the seedier Inns of Court in London). I used Emily's amazing interrogation abilities (threatening him with a particularly vicious dagger. Well, crook solicitors aren't known for being brave) to discover Adams' plan, which had been to take huge fees from his victims and then claim that the legacy had been eaten up by court fees or contested by relatives of the non-existent millionaire. Instead of which he's in jail in Wormwood Scrubs, and struck off for good, which serves him right for thinking he could get something for nothing.

I love it when that happens. In other news, I'm waiting for a vital piece of new hardware to be delivered before I get back to recording the British Museum Case, but watch this space. Meanwhile I've got to watch Royal Mail, who've probably lost my new toy. And I'm not happy that the Green Man's old girlfriend hasn't finished getting over him yet.

Oops!

Sorry for the great gap in posts, but Emily used my router for target-practice, and Scruff then managed to accidentally infect the system with a virus she created to take down the Serbian Mafia.

The British Museum Case - 5

"Okay, Miss Spooky, I'll buy it," I told Miriam reluctantly. "But watch it. I've seen some fantastic things, which is why I'm going to take on trust this story about ancient witches and magic helms, but one sign you haven't been completely honest with us, and I'll teach you a lesson you won't easily forget."
"I understand. In my life I have met many who did not trust me."
She sounded irritatingly calm, particularly considering her story that an ancient Celtic goddess was loose in London.
"So, what's this Shianna girl look like?"
"About your height, red hair, sixteen."
"And if she's wearing the helm..."
"It is not that easy. The helm can make itself invisible. She may look like any other tourist for all that I know."
"You don't give us much to go on. No photograph?"
"No. I... I am afraid that I did not anticipate this happening."
At least Miss Mystery was apologising, I thought. Hey, I wear a cat-costume, so I'm allowed to be catty. Well, that's how I look at it anyhow.
Frankly, I'm not too happy about Laura. She started dressing up in her skin-tight black PVC costume to stop her Dad, but she'd done what I did - one outing in the costume isn't enough if you can take it.
This newcomer was different. Now I'm open-minded, I know that just because you can't measure a thing doesn't mean it doesn't exist, but I still have a hard time with magic, especially magic done by mysterious girls in long black capes.
"where do we start?" I asked her.
"The British Museum. I do not know why those mummies came to life, but It is the only clue that we have to where The Morrigan may be."
"Okay," I agreed. "But you've got to come too. And we all need to be in civvies, 'cos I'm not the most popular girl in the world where the Bobbies are involved."
"Jane!" Laura objected, obviously having detected the less-than-subtle tones in my voice. "Don't be like that! Miriam's a friend."
"Yeah, a friend who hides her face with a black hood. Come on, Laura, be smart! But okay. In civvies."
"I... I do not... I look rather out-of-place in... in civvies," Miriam objected.
"Yeah, but you'll look pretty odd in that cloak as well."
Miriam reluctantly raised a gloved hand to the fastening of her cloak.

The British Museum Case - 4

Miriam was silent for a while under her hood. At last she spoke.
"It is... complicated. She is called Shianna. Her past is.. mysterious."
Like you, I thought. This MIriam seemed to be intent on giving us the minimum of information. I don't like that. Okay, so I can withhold information with the best of them, but what gave Miss Spooky the right to expect our help without telling us what was going on?
"So why is she so dangerous?" I decided to ask the obvious question.
"Shianna possesses the Helm of the Morrigan. It is an artifact of tremendous power that was forged in Ireland more than two millennia ago.
"The Morrigan was an ancient Irish war-goddess of vast power. Legends abound concerning her, and I do not know what is true and what is accretion. This much I do know; that two thousand years ago Ireland was ruled by a race of sorcerers of such vast power that the common people thought them gods. These sorcerers took the land from its past rulers, giants of sorcerous power known as the Fomorians. The Morrigan was the queen of these sorcerers.
"Using their knowledge of sorcery, they extended their lifespans by centuries, so that they seemed immortal. But it is not for men to make themselves immortal, and as these spells weakened, so did they. They were unable to resist the invading Gaelic race, and they retreated to their underground strongholds. There they grew old and, one by one, they died. The Morrigan feared that dissolution, and so in a final desperate bid for life, she cast a spell that bound her soul to her golden battle-helm.
"But she miscalculated. The spell destroyed her mortal form, and she was helpless without a person to wear the Helm. For more than fifteen hundred years the Morrigan was trapped in this helpless state. None dared wear the Helm, and she could not communicate. Then, some years back, I came across the Helm in a private collection. My... abilities made me receptive to the Morrigan's power, and she used me to take the Helm and give it to Shianna, who is descended from the ancient kings of Ulster. I say the she used me because that is what she did. Having been a Queen whose magic abilities led men to worship her, she was not used to asking for help. It took a titanic struggle for Shianna to master the Helm and to keep the Morrigan from imposing her will upon this world. Understand, she is not evil, but she is from another age when such things were accepted.
"Shianna has been able to control the helm until now. For the artifact that we sought proved to be of the Fomorians. Reminded of that race, the Morrigan overpowered Shianna. I fear for what she will do now. I know that you find my story fantastic, but that I cannot help, it is the truth."

The British Museum Case - 3.

Thankfully it was NOT a super-villain plot, and we stepped out into Laura's sitting-room. She pulled off her mask and sighed.
"Miriam, you knew that someone was going to attack the British Museum?"
"Not attack," the cloaked girl corrected, still completely concealed by her cloak. "But yes, I was aware something like this might happen. I am truly sorry that I was not able to prevent it, but she is able to fog my crystal ball."
Great, I thought, one really weird magic girl.
"You're not making a lot of sense," I pointed out, a little annoyed.
"I know that I am not," she extended one hand, covered by a blue glove and wearing a silver ring with a large sapphire in it. "I am sorry. All that I can tell you is that there is a being of huge magical power in London. And she is unhinged."
"Miriam," I said with all the patience I could muster. "If you need help, we'll help you. I guess Laura's already told you..."
"No, Laura has very loyally kept your secret. But I know that you are the Girl in Grey. The police say that you are a criminal, but I know that you are in fact the champion of the dispossessed. Thank you for your offer of assistance. I am sorry that I must ask, for it will be exceedingly dangerous, but I cannot do this alone."
"good," I smiled as I sat down on the sofa. "Now, I can see you prefer the mysterious stranger approach, but if I'm going to help, I'll need some more facts."
"Which you shall have. I do not usually work alone. Although I am naturally of a somewhat... solitary disposition, I have over the years found some very good friends. Alas some have died, whilst others have retired from this work, whilst I must go on, it seems. Some of my friends are otherwise occupied at present. When I learned though my crystal ball of a terrible threat to London, I travelled here with a friend. Alas, the threat was too personal for her. Its nature unhinged her, and now she is as much a threat to this city as the being we came here to fight. It is for this reason that I reluctantly approached Laura, and then your sister contacted her."
"So you need help finding this errant friend of yours. Look, if you created that magic portal, how powerful is she?"
"Powerful enough to turn this whole city into a blasted wasteland, I am afraid. Normally she is quite... responsible..."
"But right now she's unhinged and might do anything?"
"Yes," Miriam admitted.
"Okay," I laughed. "Why not. I'm in."
"Me too! Scruff cried. Everyone except Miriam found that funny, and I don't think she has a sense of humour.

"So," I said pointedly. "Who is this friend of yours?"

The British Museum Case - 2

"Get behind me, Scruff!" I exclaimed as other tourists ran screaming from the gallery. Scruff shook her head.
"Hey! I'm not some wimpy kid!"
"I know you're not, Scruff, but these things are dangerous!"
A mummy smashed through one of the display cases behind us. Scruff turned and kicked it, breaking off one of its legs.
"Hey, do they all break this easily?" she asked me.
"Pretty much, yes. But there's usually a lot of nasty things around the place too."
Scruff's 'phone rang. To my amazement she took the 'phone out and answered it.
"Hi, Laura! We're being attacked by mummies..."
I smiled. Laura Moriarty, alias the Black Kitten, was an ally of mine, and one of Scruff's best friends. True, she's a pain, but she's quite tough and smart as well.
"Yeah, we're in the British Museum. Sis thought... The Egyptian gallery, of course! Where else would they have mummies? Well, of course the Egyptian sort! Don't be silly! Oh, you're being mean!"
I tried to use my judo training to protect Scruff while she talked on the 'phone. If we'd just brought little black smoky Emily with us, she'd have seen the things off with her sword and all those other weapons she had under that black smoky cloak of hers.
"Okay, Laura! See you!"
Scruff turned off her 'phone and smashed a mummy's face in.
"What was that?"
"She's coming."
"WHAT?!" I was surprised, to put it mildly. What on earth was Scruff doing?
"Yeah. Laura's got one of her friends staying with her. A girl she met in Cheltenham, at the races..."
Only Scruff, I thought. Laura was well known for her wearing a tight black costume, but...
It was then that the gallery flared with light. Something seemed to open up in one of the walls that I was sure was extremely solid, and Laura jumped through, followed by someone else who was flying and completely concealed by a hooded black velvet cloak.
"Abominations!" she cried. "Return to what you were!"
To my amazement the mummies stiffened and fell, lifeless corpses once more.
"Hi," Laura was dressed in her Black Kitten outfit, and she looked pretty menacing in it. "This is Miriam. We met in Cheltenham when Doctor Alchemy was trying to nobble horses..."
"This is far worse," Miriam said seriously. "Come, let us go from this place..."
"Yeah, before they bill us for the mummies!" Scruff exclaimed. The mysterious girl nodded.
"Yes. Come with me."
We stepped into the glowing portal in the wall, and I hoped that this was not some super-villain plot.
It's been known to happen!

The British Museum Case - 1.

I like living in London. Lots of people say they can't stand the city, but I was born in London, and I've always lived there apart from three years at University in Manchester and of course my years at a boarding school in Surrey.
One of the great things about London is the cultural stuff. The national museums and art galleries. Now I'm kind of old-fashioned about art. If I look at a picture, I like to be able to see what it's meant to be. I hate those swirls of paint that look like something I did at primary school that get sold for millions. I mean, why? I could do a whole lot better!
Scruff's a bit of a computer geek. And a comic book reader (hey, she's sixteen), so she's really into low culture. I'm trying to teach her about the finer things in life. Ms. Madison tried, but gave up. Still, she's not family. She has some excuse for giving up.
So I'd decided to combine Scruff's visit to a comic shop with a visit to the British Museum. People gave us some funny looks, me in my neat clothes and my extremely untidy sister make an interesting pair.
It was a quiet day in the museum. Which means it was still pretty busy. Of course I remember when I was a little girl, and the reading room was still part of the British Library. The Great Court still rather impresses me.
Scruff clutched her bag (which is as scruffy as she is) and looked around in amazement.
"Hey, Sis, I like it."
"So do I. Now, where do we start? The place is huge..."
"Mummies?" Scruff asked.
Mummies it is, then. Glad you came?"
"Of course! Sis! You've got a date tonight, haven't you?"
"Green Man, a nice cosy place I know in Southwark. I just wish he'd hurry up and propose to me. A girl can't wait for ever, you know. Yes, I know about Sparrowhawk, but that was ages ago, and I want to get married in the spring."
Yes, I sounded desperate. The Green Man has that effect on me.
"Sis, you sound desperate!"
"Well maybe I am desperate. Did you think about that, Scruff?"
"Yeah. It's funny."
Little sisters. Why bother trying to get sympathy out of them?
We climbed the stairs to the Egyptian galleries, and I tried not to think about the Green Man. That's just impossible with me. I'm in love, and I don't mean maybe.
"Hey! Mummies!" Scruff exclaimed as we entered the gallery. "Kind of dead, but rather..." she screamed.
Scruff's not the screaming type, but when a mummy comes to life in front of her, even she can get scared. I was rather spooked too - and I've seen it before!

Evolve or die! Epilogue

[Back to Scruff, 'Cos I want to]
I was sitting on the sofa in sweater and trousers while Emily made some supper (she's such a good cook. Okay, so she does Indian food all the time, but hey, she learned to cook in India, so go figure). I really hate having a broken rib. It hurts. But Toxic was insane, so that sort of made up for it.
Sis and Laura came in through the window and pulled down their cowls. Laura looks so cool in her costume, but I keep saying that. Okay, it's true, but still...
"Scruff!" Sis exclaimed. "Laura said Toxic hurt you!"
"Yeah," I confessed. "But we stopped her!"
"Curry for four!" Emily called from the kitchen. Sis sighed.
"Emily! I've got a date with the Green Man in fifteen minutes! He's coming here to pick me up. We were going to have dinner at the Savoy!"
"I'm very hungry," Laura said brightly. "And I love Emily's curry."
"Okay. You three amuse yourselves. Laura, if you want to spend the night, there's a spare room." She laughed. "It's funny, in the end Toxic's own worldview defeated her. Because she couldn't accept the supernatural..."
"I sent her insane!" Emily entered the room. "What can I say? I'm just dangerous." she leaned against the door frame, red eyes very bright. "It was fun, though. Can Laura join our group? She just finished school, she's got lots of money..."
"I'll think about it," Sis replied.
"Please," I added. I like Laura, and maybe she could get me my own motorbike. Okay, so I'd probably crash it, but still, it would look cool.
"I'll think it over. But not tonight. I've got a date!" she hurried into her room. Laura giggled as he took off her belt and sat down on the arm-rest near my head.
"Your sister's funny. Want to try to get those two to marry?"
I smiled.
"Yeah and yeah."
"Me too!" Emily joined us. Yes, we were conspiring.
What about Toxic knowing Sis's secret identity? Well, since Toxic thinks she's Charles Darwin, no-one's going to believe a word she says!