Ange – Le Début

It feels a little strange to be giving reports on the activities within the IERA to Level 37. It’s like a game of cat and mouse – The IERA give me snippets of misinformation I can provide to Level 37, and Level 37 does the same thing.
 
“Je ne fais confiance à personne.”
 
So, when I’m back in Old Town Fort Collins and approached by a man I do not know claiming to be the founder of Operation:Angel, I am torn between my distrust of anyone and my desire to get to the bottom of Operation:Angel. I instinctively defend myself and get ready for a fight, but this old man bristles and cowers – he simply wants my help. His story is so full of holes, claiming his memories had been scrubbed by the Level 37 scribes, and babbles on about the “N” substance. He knows this place, this exact spot, is special somehow and has been waiting for anyone to come out. I’ll have to suggest that Level 37 finds a new spot to teleport us to next time.
 
This man, Dr. Tristan Lyons, wants to take a walk, and I’ve got plenty of time before I’m due back for my next assignment. What do I have to lose, really?
 
“fais attention à ce que tu souhaites”
 
We barely make it out of the back alleys into the town proper when there’s a commotion. When I finally get a look, there’s giant spiders and swarms of rats running through the streets. Luckily the people have cleared out, makes clearing out the vile things quicker – I knock them down in waves and squash them casually when they’re all out. A simple job .
 
“pourquoi faut-il que ce soit des araignées?”
 
The creatures are running from the bookstore, and my new friend tells me that he recognizes it. Putting the strangeness I just saw out of my mind for now, we go in. Perhaps everything I’ve seen and been through has desensitized me, I barely register that the cloaked patron standing right next to me has no feet. Turns out the old man was right, he had been here before, researching the “N” Substance. “Tomb Secrets: Nephilim Burial Grounds” What the hell am I hearing? When Daland explains that “Nephilim” is the name for the children born from the union of a woman and an Angel, he has my attention, and when the doctor begs for help in getting to Egypt to explore these burial grounds, I realize that I may just have to be late for that next mission.
 
“Qu'est-ce que j'ai accepté de faire?”
 
Next to travelling via teleportation or portal, this group has it down. We show no passports, no documentation, nothing on our way to Egypt. I might have to seek these folks out again here if I need to sneak around the globe. It’s not all bad – for everywhere I’ve been and everything I’ve done, I haven’t driven across the desert to a freaking pyramid burial ground before. Un autre terminé!
 
The presence of some low-level guards for Level 37 in front of the pyramid tells me there’s definitely something of interest here. Luckily they back down when I throw around some Elders name and explain that he won’t be pleased when I do not come back with the data he requested from in the pyramid. Bluff achieved – yeah, I’ve still got it! They say they won’t stop me, but I’ll have to get past the sentry. There’s just one? What is this, a joke?
 
“C’est un jeu d'enfant.”
 
The sentry shoots first and doesn’t even bother to ask questions – he hits me with something that blinds and deafens me. These damn sunglasses don’t do what I was told they were supposed to do, so I make a mental note to go back to that dealer and get my money back. I throw up shadow and try to obscure myself as I stumble around blind. I feel some shots come my way, but I barely feel the hits I do take, so I head toward those blasts. This blindness can’t last forever, and when I can see again, I want to be close enough to knock that sentry into next week. I can see and hear again…
 
“Les gars, le jeu commence!”
 
I do my best to turn this into a slugfest, and get a couple good shots in. The sentry thinks it’s got the upper hand when it locks me in some sort of energy bands. I feign helplessness, but I am also Atoms, and I can move them through the air like one who teleports just as easily as anything else, which allows me to escape the bands and stagger the sentry with a punch. He isn’t down yet and tries to do the flash trick one more time, but thankfully misses and it’s only then I realize this is a man in a suit, and it's not some dumb robot. I give him a chance to surrender, and when he declines, it’s lights out.
 
“maman a dit de t'assommer!”
 
It’s ancient American music, but it made me smile as a child. The guards have gotten closer and they were .. cheering? as I knocked him out. This guy must have been un gros connard. I grab the doctor and we make our way into the pyramid. He’s scared, but I didn’t come all this way to back down now. I joke about hoping not to have to fight any mummies as we make our way down the steps and along the halls. There’s conduit on the walls, so someone has been here for some time at least. By the time we’ve made it to the third chamber, I’m ready to find something other than sand, and that’s when I hear it, a groaning, coming from either side chamber. I look left and spot someone on the ground, unconscious perhaps, in a protective suit, and lurking over them… you guessed it… d'une momie égyptienne!
 
“fais attention à ce que tu souhaites”