CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

"Jesus," muttered Forrest. "So, we're most likely dealing with explosives, RPGs, hand-held weapons, all of it."

"We might be dealing with a warhead as well," frowned Leif. "We know that one was stolen about six months ago, and Burkhard is the kind of man that could have pulled that off. It hasn't been used, discussed, or seen since then. He's the logical candidate."

"There will be hundreds of thousands killed instantly," whispered Abdul.

"No. No," repeated Leif, shaking his head. "We're going to stop this."

"How?" asked Garr.

"Her ego," said Ellie. They all turned to look at her. "She's a woman who believes she's untouchable. She's royal. She thinks she has a right to everything and everyone. We're going to dispel that myth."

"Ellie, honey, we know all of that, but how in the world are we going to draw her out?" asked Leif.

"I need technical help. From home." She stepped away, and they heard her speaking to Pigsty and the others.

"You want what? Ellie, do you understand how difficult this is going to be?"

"Of course I do. That's why I called you for help. I need this, Pigsty, and I need it fast. I'm going to change my clothes and hopefully put up enough of a commanding physical presence that she'll believe this."

"Alright. We'll get busy on our end."

"Ellie, what are you doing?" asked Abdul.

"I need your help. I need a change of clothing. Something royal-looking. Something that says, ‘I am the Queen of Egypt.'"

"Maybe she's the crazy one," smirked Major.

"Ellie? I have the link. When you're ready, have the feed sent to me, and I'll upload it to her phone. This is going to be tricky, but my little genius friends tell me it will work."

"I love you guys," laughed Ellie. "I'm almost ready."

"You look beautiful," smiled the Egyptian female officer. "You look very much like an Egyptian queen. A plain one, but still, very royal."

"Well, I didn't want to risk anyone else's life," she winced. "I think I'm ready for this." She walked out into the main office, the entire time seated with the general and another young officer.

"How do I look?"

"Holy shit," muttered Sebastian. "You've lost your damn mind."

"Nope. But she will when she sees this. Have you read the script?" she asked the other officer.

"Yes, ma'am, I have. Are you certain this will only go to her device?"

"I have it on good authority it will only go to her phone. Hopefully, this will draw her out," said Ellie. "What I need for all of you to do is make sure that I'm still alive."

"Not funny, Ellie," growled Leif. "This is crazy. You're baiting her with the one thing she wants. She's going to come for you."

"And I'm the only one that can bait her," she said to the man. He stared at the unfamiliar face with the dark makeup. Her eyes had been overlined to emphasize the old-world look. Her hair was returned to its rich dark brown, her eyes no longer wearing the brown contacts.

"You look beautiful," frowned Leif.

"I'll borrow the outfit for another time," she smirked. Turning to the young officer, she nodded. "The background will be placed in behind me, right?"

"Yes."

"What background?" asked Forrest. He stood behind the cameraman, seeing the computer-generated graphic of the Valley of the Queens.

"Ellie, we're ready."

"Ready," she nodded to the others in the room. The cameraman held up his fingers, counting backwards from five.

"Good evening, my fellow Egyptians," said the officer. "I am here to deliver stunning breaking news from the Valley of the Queens. Egypt has a new queen."