Dateline: Thursday, 9 April 1925 – SCENE 01 – PLANS – The team is disturbed by Taylor‘s recounting of the events the night before and wonders about Morello’s fate, who disappeared not long after the chaos began. Last seen heading deeper into the chamber, they wonder if he survived.

Deciding that returning to Mycerinus’ pyramid would be suicide, the party breaks up tries to discern the Brotherhood‘s next move. Taylor spies the day’s edition of the Cairo Bulletin and sees a headline about the Ibn Tulun mosque.

Suspecting that the mosque is the resting place of the missing piece from Nitocris‘ sarcophogus, they fear that the Brotherhood may have beat them to it.

SCENE 02 – COMFORTS – Crandal awakens in a simple but well-appointed room with a bed, wash basin, mirror, and single small window. She is very weak and still in pain from her ordeal, but manages to gingerly get up from the bed. Listening at the doorway and peeping through the keyhole reveals that there is someone standing guard outside. She hears voices and people moving in the hallway outside but cannot make out what is being said.

Standing on a chair, Crandal looks out the window and sees that she is back at al-Shakti’s plantation manor, in one of the wings of the house. The courtyard is busy with apparently normal activity.

Returning to her bed, Crandal enters a mesmeric trance and tries to reach Broadmooor psychically. Instead, her consciousness returns to ancient Egypt as her past self, Berenike where she meets Broadmoor’s past self, the instructor, Nanuet. Nanuet informs Berenike that they are returning to the palace to bless the new Pharaoh now that Senet has been thrown down, thanks to the uprising she organized.

After this scene, Crandal returns to the present day. At that moment, she hears a voice speaking outside the door and it opens …

SCENE 03 – DOCTOR VARBREAUX – Miss Shosenberg proceeds directly to the Cairo police to enquire about the incident at Ibn Tulun. While waiting for an officer to speak with her, she overhears the police discussing something strange that was recovered from the scene; the police sent for a forensic scientist, Doctor Varbreaux, who removed it and brought it to his laboratory. Shosenberg obtains the address of Varbreaux’s laboratory and heads straight over.

Arriving at Varbreaux’s laboratory, Shosenberg tells the doctor that she is investigating what happened for the New York Times. Varbraux shows Shosenberg a large (about 6 lb)piece of tissue that was found at the scene, obviously biological, but belonging to no animal Varbreaux knows. Even more disturbing, the tissue still responds to touch, quivering, as if it were just removed from its body, which should be impossible — the tissue should have already begun its decay at this point.

The tissue sample consists of a black leathery hide and dark muscle tissue beneath. The closest animal Varbreaux can surmise it came from would be a hippo, but how would a hippo end up in a sealed room? And where did the rest of it go?

The other thing that puzzles Varbreaux is the fact that the tissue sample was cut very cleanly — whatever made this cut was extremely sharp.

Shosenberg leaves her contact information with Varbreaux.

SCENE 04 – CAIRO BULLETIN – Adler proceeds straight to Nigel Wassif‘s office at the Cairo Bulletin and leaves him a bundle consisting of his journal, notes, and the Pnakotic Manuscripts. He informs Wassif that if something happens to him, an attorney from New York will be looking for these. Wassif puts the bundle into his safe and then probes Adler for information. Wassif explains that, while his is not a believer in the supernatural, his dear friend Doctor Kafour was, and he wants to know more about what is going on in Cairo; the deaths of so many scholars in such a short span of time has him very concerned.

Adler explains the situation as best as he can and Wassif explains that he’s been keeping tabs on the Brotherhood for some time, thanks to being tipped off by Dr Kafour. Wassif offers to assist in any way possible and assures Adler that he has some influence in Her Majesty’s consulate and bring quite a bit of political pressure to bare.

As Adler is leaving Wassif’s office, Wassif tells Adler that Simon Keane sends his regards. He wishes Adler luck.

SCENE 05 – AL-SHAKTI RETURNS – The door to Crandal’s room opens and a young, impeccably dressed, Egyptian man enters. Addressing Crandal in ancient Egyptian and calling her by the name Berenike, the man introduces himself as Senet — better known in this time as al-Shakti — reformed into a new body.

Senet/al-Shakti informs Crandal that in a few days, her waiting will be over; he will finally be able to resurrect Nitocris after waiting thousands of years. Together, they will usher in a new age of worship under the Black Pharaoh. al-Shakti tells Crandal that he is now in possession of all three items required, as well as Broadmoor, who has some part to play in Nitocris’ resurrection. The items are kept in al-Shakti’s safe. He also tells Crandal that more sacrifices will have to be carried out tonight after last night’s botched ritual.

Crandal asks if she can see Broadmoor and al-Shakti says, yes, if she is well behaved. He then orders to have his physician sent to look after Crandal, as well as provide her with clean clothes and food.

SCENE 06 – IBN TULUN – Joined by two mercenaries hired from Ishaq Rahal, Taylor and Moriarty investigate the scene at Ibn Tulun asylum/mosque.

They meet Doctor Ghanem, head of the asylum, who shows them the scene – a sealed room 25 feet below the ground, only accessible through Ahmed al-Dhahabi’s office. The room below is empty and looks as if there was, indeed, a cave-in.

Taylor discovers a smashed chest underneath the rubble, looking as if it at one time held a piece of jewelry.

Dr Ghanem provides Moriarity the the address of Cairo General, the hospital al-Dhahabi was admitted to.