In Cairo at the Museum of the Ancients, curator Horus Selim is on the phone telling Anwar Farthay that his policies don't have Egypt's best interest at heart. Selim complains that the policies will diminish Egypt's historical contributions. Anwar says that the days of the pharaohs are dead, and Selim tells him that the pharaohs aren't dead but only sleeping. As he hangs up, Selim says that it is Anwar that is dead.
A mummy walks toward Anwar's office and the official hears someone at his door. Anwar takes a gun from his drawer, and the mummy comes in. The official shoots at it but the bullets have no effect, and the mummy strangles him.
Jim gets his briefing from a tour guide at a dinosaur museum. He's informed that in the last several months, high-ranking officials in the Egyptian government have been murdered by strangulation. Anwar was the most recent, and he was responsible for Egypt's successful negotiations with Israel and several terrorist states. The IMF believes that Selim is somehow connected to the deaths, and has used his high-profile position to create antipathy to the government policies. The team must determine Selim's guilt and stop the interference in Egypt's negotiations.
Later in Egypt, the team assembles at a tomb in the desert. Jim says that Selim is a nationalist and tough to nail. He points out that Selim is meeting with Karnak, the museum's right-hand man. Jim says that they may be able to divide the two, and Max says that the tomb will be ready in two days. Shannon notes that Selim is preoccupied with Seth and they can use that to get to him.
Shannon goes to the museum and sees Karnak go into Selim's office. Inside, Karnak says that their followers have heard the call, and he doesn't want to wear the wrappings again. Selim says that the day of Seth will soon be at hand, and has Karnak give him a strangling cord. The curator puts it on a display with other weapons and dismisses Karnak.
In the streets, Nicholas approaches Karnak and claims that he's with the national security police. Karnak says that Selim is a great man, and Nicholas tells him that Selim is involved with recent political murders. The assistant professes ignorance and insists that he's done nothing, and Nicholas walks away. He then calls Jim and says that he made Karnak nervous. At the tomb, dirt falls from the ceiling and Grant warns that the communicators emit a subsonic frequency that can destabilize the stones. If the doors are closed then the communicators would be useless.
Selim walks through the museum and pauses at a statue of Seth. Shannon approaches him, saying that she's a graduate student working on a dig outside of Cairo with her father. She says that her father thinks that they're on the verge of a major find and Seth's image keeps approaching on a scroll that her father is working from. Selim believes that it is the Scroll of Seth, but then dismisses it as nothing and says that he would like to meet her father.
At the tomb, Grant brings up a file on Seth for Jim and Max, and notes that most of Seth's images were destroyed during the Crusades. Grant uses the real-life Scroll of Thoth to make their own fake scroll.
At the market, Karnak meets with Selim and tells him what Nicholas said about Selim's involvement in the murders. He wonders what they should do, and Selim tells him to do nothing because the day of Seth is almost there.
That night, Karnak and the robed Seth followers take a politician to an ancient temple of Seth. Selim is in a pharaoh's garb and tells his followers that when they kill they will be rewarded. One of the followers strangles the politician with the cord and they toss his body into a pit filled with sand. The body sinks out of sight, and Selim says that they kill for the love of Seth and the love of killing.
The next day, Shannon drives Selim to the tomb and they show him the fake scroll. Jim, as Shannon's supposed father, says that they're about to uncover the tomb of the high priest of the cult of Seth. He refuses to let Selim take the scroll to the museum. Max comes over and says that they need a rest, and Jim orders him to get back to work. They stage a fight and Shannon goes to Max after he complains that Jim has driven off the other workers with his obsession. Selim tells Jim to keep them posted on his progress and suggests coffee together the next day. As he goes, Selim warns that ancient Egypt belongs to Egypt.
That night, Nicholas breaks into Selim's office and takes photos of the weapon display and the stone slabs that Selim has on display.
The next day, Max moves a sarcophagus into position. Grant checks the photos and discovers that the strangulation cord and says that it was used as a weapon of execution. He discovers that the slabs are on rollers and sets the computer to continue deciphering.
Jim and Selim meet for coffee as Karnak looks on, and Selim demands the scroll. Unimpressed, Jim warns that Selim is unfriendly, and Selim apologizes and says that Seth was the greatest god of Egypt. Jim dismisses Seth as a god of evil. Shannon and Max come over and Jim says that Max being there bothers him. Shannon tells them to stop arguing and says that they found the entrance to a tunnel and they're going back to open it. Once the three agents leave, Karnak points out that Nicholas is watching them.
Grant translates the slabs and tells the team that they were used for performing rituals to Seth, including rituals for execution. The rollers allow the slabs to be positioned for different readings at different times of the year. There are four positions for four moons over two months, and the dates match the executions of the politicians meaning that a fifth politician was made and there are more to come. Grant puts a clear emulsion on the fake scroll to reveal what they want at the right time.
Later at the cafe, Max meets with the owner, Serapis, and tells him to set up a meeting between Max and Selim about a scroll.
At the tomb, Jim and Shannon seal a door and stencil hieroglyphs onto the door. Grant puts an oxygen tank into the sarcophagus while Nicholas works on a mummified face mask.
The robed followers surround Max, and he puts up a struggle... and drops his communicator. They take him to Selim's office and take the fake scroll from him. Selim figures that he can't fail without the scroll, which will make him all powerful. He wonders why Max brought it to him, and Max says that he hates Jim. He knows the power behind Seth and demonstrates his "knowledge" by moving the slabs and says that the execution of the unfaithful has been called. Max explains that they found an antechamber in the tomb and Jim is worried about a curse. Selim orders Karnak to wear the wrappings one more time and eliminate Shannon and Jim.
That night, the "mummy" enters the tomb and approaches Shannon as she works on the door. Jim hears Shannon scream and runs in as Karnak strangles Shannon with the cord. Robed followers knock out Jim, and Selim and Max come in. Selim examines the fake hieroglyphs on the door and recognizes it as the curse of Anubis, and Shannon dares him to open it and suffer the curse. Selim tells her that after they take what belongs in Egypt, they will seal Shannon and Jim in the tomb forever.
The followers take the sarcophagus and the antiquities, and Shannon says that the curse warns that the dead will walk again and take vengeance on those who defile the tomb. Karnak hastily leaves, and Selim warns Max that he can either join the new order or die with Shannon and Jim. Max runs out as the door closes.
Outside, Grant rigs a hologram projector to be triggered by an ancient ring that he puts on his finger.
At the museum, Max and Karnak open the sarcophagus and reveal the high priest of Anubis inside. Max warns that by sealing in Jim and Shannon, they've risked unleashing the curse.
In the tomb, Shannon wakes up Jim and tells him what happened. Their communicators don't work through the thick stone.
Selim takes Max to his office, reveals a screen behind the scrolls, and tells Max that everyone pictured are politicians who have abandoned Egypt's greatness in the past. He insists that their deaths will usher in the new order, throwing the government into chaos and giving birth to a new Egypt with Selim as pharaoh and Seth's followers as his army. Selim says that Max could become part of it if he's willing to kill.
Selim and Max go to the sarcophagus and Max points out that Selim will have to kill all of the politicians at first. The curator says that Max may be part of it and has his followers blindfold him and take him to the temple. Selim leaves Karnak behind to meet with Serapis.
Jim and Shannon wait for Grant to return as their air runs out.
Nicholas, disguised as the mummy, emerges from the sarcophagus and advances on Karnak. Karnak panics and backs away, and Nicholas knocks him out with a tranq ring. He then removes his mask and calls Grant, and tells him that he heard Max say that Jim and Shannon were trapped in the tomb. Grant goes to the tomb and opens the door, rescuing Jim and Shannon just as their oxygen runs out. Once Grant reports that Nicholas has Karnak, Jim tells him to continue with the operation.
At the temple of Seth, the followers bring Max in and remove his blindfold. Selim tells him that his life is about to change forever, and orders the followers to robe him for the ceremony.
Grant enters the museum and Nicholas joins him. He hasn't been able to find the photos of Selim's targets, and Grant takes Karnak away. Serapis arrives without them seeing him and leaves to report.
Later in the desert, Karnak wakes up and finds Grant saying that it is not Anubis' will that the followers kill. He triggers the projector in the nearby pool where he planted it, and talks about how Seth's seal has been broken and the killings must stop if Karnak wants to save his soul. Karnak quickly leaves, and Jim tracks Karnak via the bug that they planted on him.
Nicholas checks Selim's office and triggers the slabs to reveal the pictures. After Nicholas tells Jim what he's found, Serapis and the followers knock Nicholas out and take him to the temple.
Jim, Grant, and Shannon follow Karnak and discover that the trail leads to a sand dune.
In the temple of Seth, Karnak tells the followers what Grant told him. He insists that they must disband to save their souls. Selim and Max come in and Selim insists that Seth does not want the killings. The curator accuses him of betrayal and strangles him.
Shannon falls through the roof of a chamber and the trio figures it's their way in.
Karnak's body sinks into the sand pit, and Selim tells the followers to prepare for the ceremony.
Shannon finds windows looking down on the temple, and Grant goes down another shaft. The followers drag Nicholas out while Grant emerges into the temple behind the giant statue of Seth. Selim comes out wearing the pharaoh's garb and Serapis says that they found Nicholas in Selim's office. The curator tells Serapis that he will take Karnak's place. The followers take Nicholas to the altar, and Grant radios to Jim saying that they're in the head of Seth's statue and the windows are Seth's eyes.
Selim tells Max that he will kill Nicholas, and Grant tells Jim that if he sets his communicator to the right frequency, it will make the temple collapse. Jim has worked out that the chamber in the head is a giant reflector and dawn will arrive in a few minutes. Jim and Shannon go to work polishing the reflectors.
Grant plants his communicator in a crack, while Max tells Nicholas to make it look good. He fake-strangles Nicholas and the followers cheer. Grant knocks out one follower, while Selim tells Max to toss Nicholas' body into the sand pit. He starts intoning from the scroll, while the robed Grant blends in with the followers and signals to Max. He triggers the writing on the scroll, and Selim realizes that it's the curse.
The sun rises and the sunlight shines into the chamber and through the eyes onto the altar. Grant triggers the emulsion, causing it to burst into flame, while Nicholas "comes back to life". Grant declares that Selim is the evil one and Karnak spoke the truth, and the followers grab Selim and toss him into the pit. As he sinks into the desert, Nicholas, Max, and Grant return to the statue's head and escape with Jim and Shannon. The communicator causes the ceiling to fall and the followers run out as the temple collapses. The agents watch as the sand falls where the temple stood and then walk away.
Written by Gadfly on Oct 7, 2018