Re: Indiana Jones and the Scrolls of the Prophet (Chapters 4-7)

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Posted by The Man with the Hat from port151.maxc03.bignet.net on July 29, 1999 at 22:24:44:

In Reply to: Indiana Jones and the Scrolls of the Prophet (Chapters 4-7) posted by The Man with the Hat on July 29, 1999 at 19:22:35:

: CHAPTER FOUR: No Honeymoon!

: Indy walked through the Paris airport, holding more luggage than it seemed possible for him to carry. "Do you really need all this stuff?" Indy asked.

: "I assure you, Professor," the Captain said, "that everything I have brought has a specific purpose."

: "A saxophone has a purpose, but I didn't bring one with me."

: A man walked by, reading a newspaper. Blindly he bumped into Indy, knocking the collection of suitcases from Indy's grasp.

: The man walked on, without so much as an apology.

: "Uh, Paris," Indy said.

: Indy bent over to pick up the cases, noticing that one had broken open in the fall. Scattered on the ground was an assortment of make-ups, hair care products, and pieces of a broken mirror.

: Indy looked up at the Captain.

: "It is important, I believe," Russell said, "that a woman look her best at all times." They both shared a laugh.


: The man watched Indy as he picked up the contents of the suitcase and stuffed them back inside. "Incompetent fool," he said to himself. They had made a good choice hiring him. Cyrus was to be commended when he got back.

: He followed Indy and Russell as they walked across the terminal, then outside. "Taxi!" Indy called. The driver got out and went to the back, where he opened the trunk. Indy placed the luggage, including the broken case, now closed with the help of Indy's belt, inside. Indy and the Captain got into the back seat of the cab, and the man watched them pull away.

: "Soon," the man said to himself.


: "Do you know the name of a good hotel?" Indy asked the driver in French.

: "The Capri," the driver said. "You are on your honeymoon, no?"

: "No," Indy and Russell said in unison.

: "Too bad," the Parisian cabbie said. "Did you know that this is the City of Love?"

: Indy replied, "Well, I knew it wasn't Berlin." The taxi driver chuckled.

: "The Capri," he said, as he pulled to the curb, in front of a large pink building.

: Indy handed him a large wad of bills. The cabbie quickly exited the taxi and took the cases from the trunk. "For this many francs, allow me to carry them inside for you."

: "That's all right," Indy said. "Adieu."

: Indy and the Captain entered the lobby and went to the desk. "We'd like a room," Indy said.

: The Captain stepped in front of Indy. "Two rooms," she said.

: "I'm sorry," the clerk said, "but all we have is the Honeymoon Suite."

: The couple looked at each other. "I guess we must take it," Russell said, finally.

: "Damn," Indy said. "I shoudn't have broken your mirror."

: CHAPTER FIVE: The Dead of Night

: Indy laid on the plush carpeted floor of the hotel room. He had let Captain Russell have the bed, knowing from her demeanor that there wasn't a chance in hell of sharing it. But why did he want to, anyway, he wondered. She wasn't his type. Sure, she was attractive, but not in the way others had attracted him. And then, there was the ice cold way that she carried herself. She had put up a frigid wall so strong that the Egyptian sun couldn't melt it. Too thick to go through; too slippery to go over. Those ice walls were a bitch.

: Then it hit Indy. It wasn't the attraction, it was the challenge. He started to drift off to sleep with that thought dancing in his head, when there was a knock on the door.

: Indy rose from the floor and saw that the Captain was still sleeping. There was a second knock, more like pounding really, before Indy opened the door.

: In the hallway stood a slight man, probably in his early thirties, his hand braced on the door jamb. His hairling was noticeably receding, although he tried to hide the fact with his hat. A Lucky Strike hung in limbo from his lower lip.

: "Beware," the guy whispered, as he began to step into the room. He fell forward, caught by Indy before he hit the ground. Indy saw the knife protruding from the man's back.

: "Russell, get up," Indy said. Indy laid the guy down on the carpet. When the guy spoke, his words gurgled in his throat. "You search for the tomb of the prophet," the mystery man said, his breathing labored.

: "How do you know that?" Indy asked.

: The guy ignored the question. "Do not go to Salon."

: "Why?" Indy asked. "What's in Salon?"

: "Only death," the stranger said. He silently closed his eyes and died.

: Indy checked the man's pockets, all of which were empty.

: "Who is that?" the Captain asked, finally out of bed.

: "You mean 'was'," Indy said, picking up the telephone. "That's what I intend to find out."

: CHAPTER SIX: Shadows on the Train

: A French police inspector, whose name was Claude Rambeaux, stood looking over the body of the dead stranger. "Well, he's as dead as a Druid," the policeman said. Indy wanted to tell the cop that not all Druids are dead, but he let it pass. "Who is he?"

: Indy said, "That's what we were hoping you could tell us."

: Two men in white entered the room with a stretcher. They lifted the body by its wrists and ankles, placed it on the stretcher, and carried the dead man off.

: "We'll find out who he is," Rambeaux said. "If we need to reach you, you'll be here?"

: "No," Indy said, "We're heading for Salon first thing in the morning. We'll contact you when we get there, to let you know where you can find us."

: "Very well," the inspector said, tipping his hat to Indy and Russell. "Good day to you."

: "Good night," Indy said to the cop, and closed the door behind him.

: "Why Salon?" Russell asked, as Indy turned to her.

: "Salon is the town where Nostradamus last lived. That would be a good place to start." Indy smiled. "Besides, our dead friend warned us not to go. Sounds like an open invitation to me."


: There was a bit of a chill in the air as Indy and Russell prepared to board the train. They had paid the room up for two extra days, so that they could store the bulk of their luggage in their room, a fact that made Indy very happy.

: The conductor shouted the "All aboard", and Indy and Russell, along with a dozen other passengers, boarded the train to Salon. The duo found their compartment, and Indy sat down while Russell went looking for the dining car. Indy picked up a magazine, which must have been left by a previous passenger, and began thumbing through it. He had just started reading an article when he was distracted by footsteps coming down the aisle. The owner of the footfalls walked past the window of the door to Indy's compartment, slowing down for a second to look into the room, then picking up speed upon realizing he had been seen.

: Curious tourist, Indy thought to himself, as he went back to his reading. But there was something familiar about him, something Indy couldn't put his finger on.

: It will come to me, Indy thought. And it did.

: CHAPTER SEVEN: The Nazi's Tale

: The female Army captain sat on the bed, eating a croissant that she had brought back from the dining car.

: "I tell you," Indy said, "that guy was at the airport when we arrived in Paris."

: "I think you're just letting your imagination run away with you," Russell said, as she broke another piece off the croissant and poked it in her mouth.

: Indy looked at her. "Can you stop eating those croissants long enough to hear what I'm saying?"

: "I'm sorry," she said. "Do you know how long it's been since I've eaten?"

: Indy said, "Apparently, never." Indy watched her eat the last of the pastry. "Now, as I was saying, I think we're being followed."

: "That's ridiculous," was the Captain's reply.

: Indy started to open his mouth to comment, when a shadow fell over the window of the compartment door. Indy looked up and the Nazi smiled back at him, a single gold tooth flashing like a beacon in the intermittent light of the train. Indy slid open the door as he said, "Ridiculous, huh?"

: "Dr. Jones?" the Nazi queried.

: "Yes?"

: "Come with me, please."

: Maybe this is a chance to get some answers, Indy thought. "C'mon," he said to Russell.

: The Nazi held up his hand. "My orders are to bring you only."

: "I'll be all right, Indy," the Captain said. "Go on."

: Indy walked out the door, sliding it closed behind him, and followed the German officer. This had better be worth it, he thought.

:

A Nazi colonel stood smoking a cigarette near the reae door of the caboose of the train. He snuffed the butt out under his boot as Indy entered with his escort.

"Indiana Jones," the Colonel said, matter-of-factly.

"Excuse me?" came Indy's reply.

The Colonel replied, "That is your name. Dr. Henry 'Indiana' Jones Jr."

"I'm sorry," Indy said, not really believing that his lie would work. "You've got me confused with somebody else."

"Archaeologist. Treasure seeker," the Nazi went on. "Does the Ark of the Covenant ring any bells? The Holy Grail?"

"I'm sorry," Indy repeated."

"You've cost the Fatherland nearly as many lives as this forsaken war," he said. He held up a piece of paper in view of Indy. "And, may I say that you take a good picture."

"And...?" Indy asked, at last unable to deny his identity.

"And we would like you to join us."

Indy was astonished. "But, you're a Nazi. I don't think your boss, Der Fuhrer, would approve."

"My name is Heinrich Schreck," the officer said, "and I am not a Nazi."

"Right," Indy said, "and my name is really Churchill."

The Colonel continued without acknowledging the sarcasm. "I represent a small but growing band of former Nazis who do not approve of Hitler or his methods."

"Yeah," Indy said, "that would be just about the whole world, Mister."

"Your mission, Professor Jones, would be to find the hidden scrolls of Nostradamus."

"If you know that much about me," Indy said, "then you know that that's already my mission."

"Your assignment thus far has been a hoax. You have been fed false information. In short, Professor, you've been decieved."

"To what end?" Indy asked.

"Frankly, you've been designed to fail," Schreck said. "I'm afraid there's more than two sides to this war."

Indy paused for a long minute. "I'll have to think about it," he said, finally.

"By all means, Professor," the ex-Nazi said, "but don't think long. The fate of the world may be in your hands."

Indy turned to leave. "How will I find you?" he asked.

"I'll find you," Schreck said, as Indy walked out the door.

Indy's head hurt from all this new information struggling to fall into place. He reached his compartment and looked inside.

Captain Russell and her bags were gone!




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