Page 21 of Ancient Obsession

“Left side of the head is cleared,” said a young woman with dark blond hair piled into a bun on the back of her head.

Dr. Brennan nodded. “Very good, Vera. Samira?”

Samira, who had been the one to translate Amenmose’s name, nodded from her place opposite Vera. “Right side of the head is clear.”

“Thank you.” Dr. Brennan moved from the base and walked around, bending now and again to inspect the seam. “Now we’re just waiting on Lucien.”

“Let me see,” Dylan stated, moving beside Lucien. He was taller than Lucien, with broader shoulders and big arms.

“I can get it, just give me a minute.” Lucien’s face had reddened slightly, his focus more intense.

Dylan snapped the end of a glove impatiently. “Just stand aside so I can see it.”

“There’s just…” Lucien grimaced slightly. “One stone wedged in here.”

“Then let me try to get it.”

“I’ve…almost…” Lucien grunted quietly, and a small stone bounced across the cement floor.

Oliver watched the stone disappear into the shadows. It had spent thousands of years in that spot and had traveled thousands of miles from Egypt to the United States. Would it now spend years in that corner?

“That got it.” Lucien straightened up and sent a quick glare toward Dylan.

“Hopefully you didn’t damage the lid in the process,” Dylan said.

He gave Lucien a little more space, but not quite enough. Dylan was apparently the dick of the group. Good to know.

“Lucien, please retrieve the stone and place it in the sample box,” Dr. Brennan instructed.

Lucien pressed his lips together but did as instructed. When he returned to the coffin, he put more space between himself and Dylan.

“Time for the bars,” Dr. Brennan said.

Each team member selected one of the crowbars from the workbench. They returned to their places and carefully pressed the flattened ends of the crowbars into the seam they had cleared.

Dr. Brennan took a moment to survey the group. “Are you ready? It’s important to not drop the lid once it has been raised. We don’t want to damage the body or any artifacts inside.”

Everyone nodded. Dylan counted down from three, and they all pressed down.

A few things happened fast.

Oliver heard the grinding scrape of metal against wood, followed almost immediately by the hiss of adjusting pressure. It was like the body inside released a breath it had been holding ever since it had been entombed. Dust and a dense cloud practically erupted from the small space between the lid and the coffin’s side, coating each team member.

Vera shrieked in surprise and jerked backward. Her grip on the crowbar faltered, and the lid wobbled. Oliver reacted immediately. He moved into the cloud and grabbed the abandoned crowbar. The dust felt thick against his face. He closed his eyes against it but could feel it settling on his skin in a slightly tacky coating. He pressed down on the lever, stabilizing the lid. The weight of it surprised him. It had obviously been constructed from solid wood.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Vera said as she wiped at her face. “What is that stuff?”

“Keep the pressure!” Dr. Brennan called, voice strained as she leaned on her own crowbar. “Vera, now that you’ve got free hands, insert the foam spacers. Quickly.”

A mixture of dry and damp scents filled the air. Oliver turned his face away as he wondered what he’d just inhaled. A virus from thousands of years ago and for which there was no known cure? Some kind of poisonous booby trap?

Vera whispered, “Thank you,” as she placed a piece of foam about an inch thick in the gap they had produced. He nodded, focused on maintaining an even amount of pressure on the crowbar.

“All right, now that we’ve got the first level spacers, let’s give it another lift.” Dr. Brennan looked at Oliver. “Thank you for assisting. If you could stay in place for this next effort, I would appreciate it.”

“Of course,” he said.

They all slowly lowered the lid until it rested on the spacers Vera had applied. The team adjusted their crowbars, and Samira showed him how his should be angled. Vera had gathered larger spacers in preparation.