When the portal transports them to the Valley of the Kings in ancient Egypt, the Time Soldiers encounter thieves and an angry pharoah as they try to make their way to safety, and along the way they learn that the amulet may give them some control over their journeys.

The Time Soldiers hear someone crying. They find themselves on a deserted beach. They spot a cave in the cliffs filled with treasure chests, cannons and Pirates? Can the Time Soldiers avoid being captured? Will they be able to free the child prisoner? Will they make it home?

A year after their previous trip, the Time Soldiers enter the portal again and are transported to a treasure-filled cave,where their attempt to rescue a girl from pirates gets them in big trouble.

Presents twenty-four essays by American authors, chosen by guest editor Stephen Jay Gould as the best to be published in 2001, including selections by Barbara Ehrenreich, Jonathan Franzen, David Halberstan, and others.