Round Robin part 13- by Trynia



  Calen and Menne had freed Shannon from Bez's clutches, but they 

were left with more questions then answers.  All the disparate threads of

E.V.I.L.'s plot were sending the elist people in a million different

directions.  Calen went over to Shannon's laptop and answered the

blinking EMAIL prompt that she noticed.

  "Did you check your email lately?" she asked Shanon.

  "I don't see what that has to do with."

  Menne's amulet glowed brightly, and she walked over in the direction

of the computer.  "Wait, I am sensing Bez' mischief from over here."

  "Was Bez using your computer?"

  "I was tied up!  I hardly had time to see. he knocked me out with a

huge sledgehammer when I walked in the door." Shannon griped,

showing  them a bump on her head.

  "You're kidding me," Calen groaned.  

  Shannon answered the email  prompt, sitting down behind the 

computer.  She noticed the many new  postings to KISS girltalk that had 

suddenly sprang up. Including the  newest one.

  "Wait, Elizabeth was going to meet someone during the show, and she  

never checked in," Shannon muttered, glaring at a post from Shandi.

  "Everyone's been asking why she hasn't posted to the list the past few  

days."

  "Uh oh." Calen muttered.  "We were supposed to meet up with her 

earlier. what could have happened?"

  "Where is she now?" Menne asked, feeling the hairs on her neck  

beginning to stand up on their end.

  "She was supposed to email us from where she works, the Waldorf  

Astoria in New York City," Shannon said, turning her head to look at  

Menne and Calen.  "She was gonna send an email to the list to let us  

know how things were going. but Shandi says she never posted to the

list."

  "It's simple then. We go to the Waldorf Astoria and find Elizabeth,"

  Calen nodded grimly.

  "I can do that," Shannon said.  "I was going to be heading back to New  

York for the KISS concert soon, and I have a flight leaving there later this 

afternoon.  Maybe you guys can go after that Bez twerp, and give him 

one for me!  He bragged about doing something to hurt Gene,

remember."

  Calen turned pale with anger, and turned to Menne.  

  "Be careful,"  Menne said to Shannon.  The three women exchanged 

glances.

    "Where do we start to find that twerp though?" Calen asked.  "He

vanished into thin air.  Can you trace him with your magic again,

Menne?"

  "I can." Menne nodded.  "Are you up to another flight?"

  "Sure, if it will help save Gene."

  Shannon wished them luck, and rushed out to the parking lot.  Thank  

goodness Bez had left her car there.  Menne waved her amulet over it to 

make sure there were no Bez pranks.  However as Menne was casting 

her detection spell, Calen saw something sitting in the front seat,

and she picked it up tentatively.

  "What is it?" Shannon wondered, staying well back.

  "It looks like papyrus, with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics on it,"  Calen 

said.  "Hey Menne, take a look at this!"

  Menne took the papyrus and scanned it. A frown crossed her face as 

she growled, "The arrogance of that little fiend!"

  "What?" Calen asked.

  "He's given me another damn riddle.  C'mon, let's get airborne. Hold 

this."  She handed Calen the parchment, and slipped an arm under hers. 

Wings expanded and Shannon watched the graceful Ibis rise magically 

into the air.  She shook her head, and climbed behind the wheel of her 

car.

  However, she stopped for a minute to go back into the room and  

retrieve her laptop computer before roaring off to the Waldorf-Astoria  in 

search of what happened to Elizabeth.

  ****************************************************************

  "What did the parchment say," Calen asked, her blond hair flapping in  

the breeze.  Menne's onyx eyes flickered back and forth beneath the 

curving visor of her ibis helmet.

  "Well, he said that the answer to why he kidnapped Shannon will be 

found under the Great Pyramid in the New World."

  "But the only one I know of is in Las Vegas. the Luxor!" Calen groaned.  

"And that's a long ways from here."

  "Hmm. that could be a problem." Menne muttered.  "I can't fly that fast."

  "Well we can go and use a charter jet.  I know of some people who 

have one we could borrow, to Vegas." Calen nodded.  "Turn around and 

follow my directions."

  They dipped and veered toward a private airport Calen told her of. In 

midair, Calen pulled out her cell phone and made a quick call ahead to 

the airline officials to have her friend's private Leer Jet ready. The 

airplane crews were astonished to see a small object on radar, about the 

size of an ultralight, swoop in for a landing.

  "Do you have a license to operate that?" one airline officialyelled,  

rushing out to where the two women landed.

  "Actually, I do," Menne said, pulling out her recently acquired  pilot's 

license from beneath her Egyptian armor.

  "We have no time for this." Calen said hastily.  "Is the Leer ready? I'm 

Calen McGregor, and I called about my friend loaning it to me for a trip to 

Vegas."

  "You're Calen MacGregor?" the airline official asked, running a hand 

through his hair.  "Wow!  I saw you on the Practice."

  "Really?" Calen asked, trying patiently to keep her cool, because she 

was worried about Gene and possible dangers he might face. 

  "C'mon, it's right this way!  Can I have your autograph?"

  "Sure," she said, and signed a piece of paper for the man before getting 

into the waiting jet.  Menne dispelled her armor, and both climbed in.  

The pilot waved to Calen, for she had used her friend's  jet in times past 

for various quick trips.

  "Nice to see you, Ms. McGregor!  Where to?"

  "Las Vegas, and quick," she said.

  ********************************************************

  An hour or so later, Menne was astonished to see the large pyramid 

that rose out of the landscape of neon and glass mountains.  In the 

middle of the desert the oasis of light and sound blared full force, with 

pieces of every nation and attraction one could dream of.  They

strode out of the cab and rushed up to the large Sphinx that kept watch 

over the LUXOR hotel.

  "Incredible!  It is like Egypt reborn," Menne gasped, her eyes  widening.

  "What does your amulet tell you?  Is Bez here?" Calen asked.

  "Yes. just this way." Menne said, holding up her amulet.  She wore her 

KISS t shirt, leather KISS army jacket that Paul had given her, and  jeans 

instead of her mystical armor.

  Little did either know that the little green dwarf sat up on the neck  of 

the Sphinx, looking down on them eagerly. Bez rubbed his hands   

together and cackled.

  "Step into my Parlor. said the spider to the fly. or was it the cobra   to 

the scarab beetle?  No matter. my employers will be pleased to have 

these two beauties in their clutches!"