Prometheus High 2: The Books of the Dead by Stuart Wilson

Author:Stuart Wilson [Wilson, Stuart]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia

By the time Athena captured Erwin, took him back to the Atet and got down to the sand again they were fifteen minutes behind schedule.

‘Sorry,’ she said to Marceline, who was waiting in a shaded area at the edge of the cemetery ruins.

The other students had already begun exploring the complex. Athena could see heaps of early morning tourists but no purple sashes nearby.

‘It’s fine,’ Marceline said, looking at her phone. ‘We’ve just enough time to find a taxi.’

They zigzagged their way through the ruins before they came across a strip of black asphalt that bisected the yellow sands. A cluster of vehicles filled a carpark nearby. Tourists were spilling out of buses, vans and cars, cameras and phones in their hands, ready to snap their first view of the pyramids.

Marceline approached a newly emptied taxi without fear, speaking to the driver. Athena did a 360, scanning the area. She couldn’t see the Major or Mx Hollybow, and could only spot a single purple sash in the distance.

Soon they were speeding along the highway towards Alexandria. Athena went through the plan in her head. They were to use their fake library cards to enter as normal patrons of the library. Special care was to be taken with the security cameras that would no doubt be at the entrance. Hopefully, their hats could stay on inside, otherwise they’d have to try to keep their faces down. They’d already stashed their sashes in their bags, as the fandango would just attract attention. It was good to know they wouldn’t have to fend off automatons this time, but human library staff would be more likely to notice anyone behaving strangely. The key was to act casual, but not too casual. She was going to follow Marceline’s lead. Her roommate had experience with blending into the background.

Two and a half hours later, the taxi pulled up outside the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Their first test was getting through the doors. Athena exhaled slowly as they passed the security guards posted at the entrance. Tourists were milling about. Athena had read that tour groups were taken through the library at regular intervals, but that only members had access to all the floors and books.

Which is why, moments later, they faced their second test. There was a row of steel turnstiles sporting electronic card readers at the door to the library proper. Marceline and Athena nodded to each other before holding their fake IDs to the card readers. For a split second, Athena panicked. What if the cards didn’t work, and someone came over to help them? Or even worse, what if the machine registered their cards as forged, and those burly security guards charged towards them?

There was a beep as the light went green and the turnstiles let them through.

Phew.

As they moved into the reading room, Athena looked up at the regularly spaced skylights above. Last time they were here, they had been running over the top of them, automatons hot on their tail. Athena’s gaze dropped to the cascading balconies.

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