Free Mummy Madness by Andrew Cope

the
     professor and the children. Ben gave his dog the thumbs up and Lara backed off,
     allowing Mr Big into the Egyptian Room.
    Professor Cortex was bandaged very
     tightly. His body lay in Qua’a’s coffin, hardly breathing. Mr Big
     continued to hold Star at arm’s length; her eyes were bulging and her kicking
     had stopped. He opened one of the glass cases and ushered the growling Lara and
     yapping Spud inside. He threw Star’s limp body in after them and slid the door
     closed. He wedged the glass shut with a dagger and the barking was muffled. Star was
     sitting up, getting her breath back. Lara was barking fiercely and Spud was throwing
     himself at the glass, but it was no good.
    Mr Big waved at
     the dogs. ‘I’ll deal with you later,’ he yelled above the noise of
     the alarm. ‘I have one more thing on my “to do” list,’ he
     snarled, turning to the children.
    Ben stood bravely to the fore, his
     sister and brother hiding behind him. ‘Whaddaya want?’ he asked.
    ‘Some help,’ said Mr Big,
     giving a politician’s smile. ‘We need to play “find a
     pharaoh”. And the clock’s ticking. If you and these meddling dogs have
     taken the trouble to find me, I’m guessing you know which mummy I’m
     after?’
    ‘Qua’a,’ blurted Ben.
     ‘Because you know about the legend of the Nile Ruby.’
    ‘I know the
truth
of the
     Nile Ruby,’ purred Mr Big, walking through the exhibition, peering at the
     information above each mummy. He stopped at the bandaged professor, his eyes
     shining. ‘Qua’a!’ he exclaimed. ‘You’re everything
     I’d hoped for.’ He bent down and touched Ben’s hastily wrapped
     bandages. ‘You’ve aged so well.’ He looked up at the children, who
     were hardly daring to breathe. ‘Where are the adults?’ he snarled.
     ‘Mum and Dad?’
    ‘It’s just us,’ said
     Ben, sweeping his arm round the room. ‘Lara knew you’d be here. I
guess she wanted a final showdown. We
     just followed her. There are no adults.’
    ‘What about that nutty
     professor?’
    ‘He’s a mummy …’
     began Ollie.
    ‘His mummy,’ interrupted
     Ben, ‘is poorly. So he’s looking after her,’ he said, nudging his
     little brother in the ribs.
    Mr Big knew he didn’t have time
     for any more questions. The emergency services had arrived and he could hear distant
     shouting above the sound of the piercing alarm. He eyed the gladiator’s sword
     and then the mummy. ‘I don’t need the whole thing,’ he snarled.
     ‘The gem’s in the head. I just need the head!’
    Ben could have sworn he heard the mummy
     gulp. He thought quickly. ‘I’ve got an idea,’ he said, calm on the
     outside, heart pounding in his eardrums. ‘I can help you escape. But
     you’re going to need the whole mummy. The best plans are always simple, right?
     This place will be swarming with paramedics. So we lay the
     prof … 
pharaoh
 … Qua’a … on a
     stretcher and walk out of the front door.’
    Lara had calmed Spud and they watched
     the silent action from behind the glass. Her sharp eyes saw the mummy’s chest
     collapse with relief
as the baddie laid
     his sword on the floor. Mr Big grabbed Sophie by the scruff of the neck and
     approached the glass cabinet. He waved his sword towards the dogs.
     ‘Sit,’ he ordered. ‘And shut up!’ He opened the glass case
     and bundled Sophie and Ollie into the display. Mr Big slid the door shut and rammed
     the dagger in place, sealing them in, in silent terror.
    ‘Here, you grab his legs.’
     Mr Big and Ben heaved the bandaged scientist from the display. ‘Crikey, the
     old pharaoh’s a lot heavier than I expected,’ said the baddie.
     ‘Here, stick him on this Egyptian rug and we’ll use it as a
     stretcher.’ Sophie and Ollie watched in disbelief as the professor was rolled
     on to a rug. Mr Big started dragging the rug out of the room. ‘Come on,
     boy,’ he yelled, ‘get a grip!’
     

     
    The professor’s bandaged