CH.36 Charge to the Valley of Wadi Hammamat.

A phantom voice, a hallucination's call, Is this Egypt's past, or did it change in time's thrall? What historical event shifted the land's sway, Erasing the chronotex from people's minds' array?Who am I, I ponder, a good friend of his, In this enigmatic journey, a companion through the abyss. Charge to the Valley of Wadi Hammamat.Jack...Jack...Ramon shrugged, calling out to Jack. "Huh?" Jack replied in a sleepy, unconscious voice. "Wake up, it's time," Ramon said while shaking Jack to make him conscious. Jack's eyes opened wide, suddenly realizing it was morning. The sounds of soldiers walking and talking, the commotion from outside, filled his ears, much like the marketplace in Pakistan where he used to wake up. The cold morning air seeped through the opened curtains of the tent, giving Jack the morning chills as it touched his body. The tent, which appeared brownish white at night, now looked fully white due to the morning light. "Hello, Jack. Get up, its time," Ramon repeated, snapping his fingers in front of Jack. "Oh yeah, sorry, Ramon," Jack replied as he used his hands to support himself and stood up. Stretching his arms outwards, shaking off the sleepiness, Jack glanced over at Kasib, who was still fast asleep. Kasib's legs were outside the blanket, and his shirt was half-folded, exposing part of his stomach. He snored loudly, undisturbed by Ramon's call. Jack asked Ramon, "Are you going to wake him up?" "Yeah, I will," Ramon replied, walking over to Kasib. He tried to shake him and said, "Kasib, wake up!" Undisturbed by Ramon's efforts, Kasib's dreams merged with reality. He lifted his right hand up, fist closed, and mumbled, "A true warrior needs sleep, now go away." Ramon, a bit annoyed, grabbed a cup of water and threw it on Kasib's face. Now, Jack had picked up his coat and was putting it on, preparing to face the morning cold breeze. As he made his way out, he witnessed Ramon and Kasib arguing. "Why did you do that, Ramon?" Kasib said with anger. "Well, you still dream like a kid, don't you?" Ramon replied with a smirk. "That's none of your business, isn't it?" Kasib retorted. Ramon then ran outside, saying, "See you in the main area. Bye!" Jack strolled through the camp, his coat keeping him warm in the chilly morning air. He observed the soldiers going about their daily routines, some talking about their lack of sleep, while others were busy packing their goods on horseback. Finally, he reached the main tent, where he found a gathering of soldiers waiting to get their food. At the far end of the tent, on a wooden table, sat Kamil and Setka, enjoying their breakfast. "Hey, General, Kamil," Jack greeted them with a smile as he approached. "Good morning, Jack. How are you?" Setka replied, returning the smile. "I'm good, thank you. So, what's on the menu for breakfast?" Jack asked. "Breakfast? What's that?" Kamil replied, looking a bit puzzled. "Oh, right, I meant the food," Jack quickly corrected himself. "Ah, we have bread, some fruits, and some milk," Kamil informed him, pointing to the available options. "Sounds good. Let me grab something. I'm quite hungry," Jack said, making his way to the table filled with fruits like bananas, apples, and grapes. He picked up an apple and placed it on his plate, then moved on to another section to grab a medium-sized loaf of bread. As he was about to pour some milk into a cup, one of the soldiers approached him and said, "Hi, how are you? You're Jack Sterling, right?" "Yes, that's me," Jack replied with a smile, a bit surprised that the soldier recognized him. "It's good to see you. Yesterday, you really helped with the investigation. You and Ramon saw Iliaz with the bottle," the soldier said, appreciating Jack's role. "Oh, thank you. Yes, we did our best," Jack replied, grateful that General Setka had spread the rumour to protect his identity.We made some changes. I noticed that the soldiers didn't get enough sleep, so I planned for this yesterday," Kamil explained. "What changes are you talking about?" Kasib inquired. "You'll find out soon enough, Kasib. Just be patient," Kamil replied, patting Kasib's shoulder reassuringly. Setka's commanding voice echoed through the camp as he stood up, plate in hand. He walked over to the table where the dirty plates were collected, placed his plate there, and turned around to face the soldiers in the main area. "All men, get ready in 10 minutes. We will depart for our mission!" he declared authoritatively. "Yess, Commander!" the soldiers responded with respect. Ramon and Jack quickly gathered their belongings. "Let's go, pack our stuff," Ramon urged Jack, in a hurry to get ready. "Okay, Ramon," Jack replied, following his friend. As they were about to head to their tent, they noticed Kasib eating his apple and asked him if he was coming along. "No, I prepared everything yesterday," Kasib replied calmly, still enjoying his snack. "And what about you, Kamil?" Jack asked. Kamil grinned and said, "I told my guards from the Special Unit to take care of it for me." "Spoiled brat," Ramon teased Kamil, giving him a side-eye. "Let's go, Jack," Ramon said, grabbing Jack's hand as they rushed back to their tent. As they ran, Jack saw guards quickly donning their armour, and the commotion in the camp was louder than ever. The loud horn signalled their departure, and it felt like Judgment Day without the judgment. The Special Unit Guards were already prepared in just a few minutes, ready for the journey ahead.As Jack and Ramon reached their tent, they quickly gathered their belongings and packed them into their bags. The atmosphere around the camp was bustling with soldiers getting ready for the departure. The sound of clinking armour, rustling of tents, and the shuffling of feet created a sense of urgency and determination. "We need to hurry, Jack," Ramon said, zipping up his bag. "Setka won't wait for us if we're late." "I'm ready," Jack replied, finishing his packing. They emerged from their tent, and as they looked around, they noticed Kamil's guards from the Special Unit were fully geared up ready to go. Jack and Ramon quickly hopped onto Ramon's horse and rode towards the entrance gates of the camp. As they rushed through the camp, passing tents with soldiers still inside, they finally reached the gates where they met Kamil and his unit. "Hey, Kamil, your guards are ready to go," Ramon teased. Kamil smirked and replied, "Well, it's good to have reliable people to take care of things for me." Ramon brushed off the comment and said, "Yeah, yeah, whatever." Kasib suddenly arrived, looking tired, and stopped next to Kamil. Before they could speak further, Setka appeared before them, looking commanding and focused. "Men, it's time to leave, Charge to the Valley of Wadi Hammamat" Setka declared with authority. "Our mission is important, and we shall not fail." "All right!" the soldiers shouted in unison. Setka's horse started moving forward into the endless desert, and the soldiers followed behind, holding their weapons high and looking determined to go into battle. "Maybe we should stay back and let them go first," Kamil suggested. Jack observed the energetic soldiers, their determination to fight following their leader, creating a cloud of dust as they rode off into the desert, ready to face any challenges that lay ahead. The four of them hung back for a moment, allowing the main group of soldiers to advance further ahead. They planned to join them later and support them as needed during the mission. Kasib adjusted his armour while Kamil checked his weapons, ensuring they were ready for whatever awaited them.