The Imagination Latibule: Moon Knight - The Rise of the Moon

Chapter 5

It was Monday, and you were fully prepared to act like nothing abnormal had happened over the weekend. Steven was too; until you stepped off the bus at Tottenham Court Road. He'd tripped over the pavement – that was nothing new – and as you helped him up, he caught the eyes of a man on the bus. A man that you assumed was a complete stranger, but Steven couldn't produce any words as he dragged you far away from the bus stop.

"Steven, what's wrong?" you asked, struggling to keep up with his fast pace.

"Oh my God," he said, taking the steps to the museum two at a time. "He's real." You had no idea what he was on about, and your concern only grew as he rushed up to the front desk.

"Hey J.B, how you doin' mate?"

"How's it going, Scotty?" JB asked and you clenched your teeth.

"Alright mate," Steven said.

"It's Steven," you corrected.

"Morning y/n." Sure, your name he got right.

"You watching otter videos again?" Steven asked.

"They're adorable, mate."

"Great, yeah. Cool. Listen man, I need you to keep an eye out cause I'm being followed." You swivelled to him.

"You're being followed?"

"Really mate?" JB said, his face the picture of scepticism.

"Yeah. Will you just, like, not let anyone in, yeah?"

"It's a museum sweetheart," you said to Steven.

"Yeah, that'll be difficult."

"Obviously. I just mean, like, anyone dodgy," Steven pleaded.

"Anyone who wants to come in can, it's free." JB turned away and you guided Steven into the museum, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I don't think anyone's following you," you said to him, "but if it makes you feel better, no one's gonna try anything in a place like this. You're safe here." As Steven's eyes darted about the room, you gently prised his satchel from his hands. "I'll be back in a sec," you said, and you rushed down to the locker room to put yours and Steven's belongings away. When you came back, the heavy double doors to the main room were shut – something that didn't even occur when the museum was locked for the night. You walked over and could hear Steven talking to someone.

"Mate, I don't have your bloody beetle. I swear, I..."

"Oh, no. The scarab doesn't belong to me. It belongs to her. Do you know Ammit?"

"Ammit?" you whispered to yourself, remembering what Steven – Marc? – Steven in a weird sleep talking state, had told you. You peaked through the door lock, and saw the man, the same man from the bus, and hated yourself for not believing Steven when he said you were being followed.

"The justice of Ammit surveys the whole of our lives," the man said. He walked towards Steven as he spoke and you could hear the crunching of glass. You wanted to interrupt, but you also wanted to know more. Steven was safe as far as you could tell.

"Consider this... Had Ammit been free, she would have prevented Hitler and the destruction he wrought. Nero, the Armenian genocide, Pol Pot."

"Not nice people," Steven said.

"But she was betrayed."

"Was she?"

"By indolent fellow gods. By even her own Avatar."

"Avatars. Blue people. Love that film." Steven's nerves made him speak his every thought.

"By Avatar, what I mean -"