Chapter 14 of Indiana Jones and the Golden Spider

Posted by Goodsport from adsl-216-102-199-185.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net on July 26, 2000 at 02:36:12:

Chapter 14 - Revelations

    Aragorn coughed to clear his throat from all that singing. How long must I pretend being a nutcase? he asked himself miserably. He had pretended to be insane ever since the Germans attempted to kidnap him, hoping that they would be convinced that he couldn't tell them the truth and set him free. However, he couldn't take any chances and escaped when he had the opportunity. He planned that he would continue his acting in front of Meg to make sure that she wouldn't know what was really going on. Meg knew that Aragorn had mild epilepsy in the past but was eventually cured and was clear of seizures. She probably assumed his epilepsy had returned in the form of slight insanity and disruptive speech.

    Aragorn smirked. He was far from his former days. If not, he wouldn't even be flying the seaplane right now. He knew he had to be careful. Nobody's secret assignment for him to steal the Golden Spider backfired on him in Nicaragua when that gold capped tooth sneak who called himself Albert A. took it from him. Must have been some kind of in-joke, considering where that Albert A. said he was from! Now, Aragorn was desperate. When Meg and Jerico, or the rest of the team Meg hired, succeed in getting the Golden Spider back, he must steal it again. Otherwise, he won't get the rest of his bribe from Nobody's agents, Walter Quigely and Bud-arc, the guys who told him his secret job in the first place. He sighed.

    I guess I'll just have to wait.

* * * * *

    "What was that all about?" Detective Fiddler asked once he reached Deirdre's bedroom where the telephone extension was. He waited in the doorway. No answer. His eyes searched for the professor, but there was no sight of her. It was then that he heard some muffled sobs and saw Deirdre crouching in a corner. He jogged towards her and knelt down.

    "Deirdre..." he called softly as he gazed compassionately into her eyes.

    "I need to meet someone in Barcelona," Deirdre said between sniffs while staring blankly at the floor.

    "Spain? But you can't go now, not when Barcelona just got conquered by Franco's forces! You'd be flying into a tornado!"

    "But I have to, Fiddler!" Deirdre fought back. "In fact, we have to! You're the only one I trust right now."

    The detective's face turned solemn.

    "You need to tell me what's going on Deirdre. I don't like being in the dark."

    "Please go with me and I'll explain everything on the way to Spain," Deirdre grabbed hold of his hand and pleaded. Detective Fiddler looked into those eyes full of grief and sadness. He smiled and gave her hand a little squeeze.

    "Okay, I will."

    When they and Kent Allard returned to the police station, the Fiddler confronted the chief inspector in his office. Fiddler closed the door behind him, making sure nobody could eavesdrop on their conversation.

    "Chief, somebody called Professor Campbell at her home and insisted that she go to Spain. It sounds awfully serious, so I wish to accompany her," he explained.

    "Fiddler, you're a detective. You can't just..." Kent Allard waved his arms around in the air, "...leave!"

    "You've got to let me go with her! Just think of it like returning my dad's good deed of saving your life during the Great War in Europe," Fiddler persuaded. Kent Allard's expression softened.

    "Please don't use that as an excuse, Fiddler. I am really grateful to your dad for saving my ass but it would be completely wrong to give you the green light. You know that, don't you?"

    "But you were the one who asked me to keep an eye on Deirdre in the first place. What if she gets attacked, all alone like that? Is it so wrong to protect someone whose life is in danger this very moment?" Detective Fiddler leaned closer. "Let me go with her, Kent. Please?"

    "Well, I…" Kent Allard hesitated and then sighed. "Oh, all right!"

    Fiddler's heart leaped with joy. He felt like kissing Kent, but instead just shook his hand.

    "Thank you, sir!" he beamed.

    "I'll take it that you're on leave," said a reluctant Kent. "Keep your badge with you to let those customs guys at the airport permit you to bring your gun along on the plane. Meanwhile, I'll cover the paperwork and handle those press hounds who are just dying for information. Sheesh, you really owe me big this time, Fiddler!"

* * * * *

    There were only a few people on the DC-3 to Spain that day. The seats were almost all empty except for five or six passengers occupying both the left and right of the side seats. But who wanted to go Spain at this time anyway?

    Tessa glanced out of the plane window next to her. Outside, the plane was flying above a group of white puffy clouds. Her eyes were fixed on them but her mind was elsewhere. She smiled mysteriously to herself as she thought about what had happened for the past few hours. She and her partner, Indiana Jayne, who was sitting beside her now, had finally obtained the spider blood from Professor Deirdre Campbell's lab after many obstacles. Now, the blood of which was filled inside a grape juice bottle as a disguise, rested safely inside Jayne's clothes bag.

    "What are you grinning about?" Tessa's thoughts were interrupted as Indiana Jayne's voice rang in her ears.

    "About our success, of course," Tessa answered, smiling contentedly at the Chinese-Malaysian.

    "It wasn't much of a success, Tessa," Jayne remarked curtly. "We could have gotten the blood sooner if you didn't have to be so afraid of those dogs."

    "Jayne, those were Rotweilers. And you shouldn't mess with them, believe you me," Tessa defended. Jayne smiled coldly.

    "You know, sometimes you can be such a wuss!" Jayne then rose to her feet and stormed away. Tessa watched her angrily as she approached the ladies' room.

    A wuss? If I hadn't been smart enough to persuade her to get out of Deirdre's residence before those dogs tear out a piece of her flesh, she'd be a goner. Even if it did mean getting caught by the police.

    "Why the frown, darling?" a deep male voice asked. Tessa turned behind and saw a man smiling at her.

    "Who are you?!" Tessa demanded.

    "Does 'one of Sir Muppet's henchmen' ring a bell?"

    Tessa thought for a while before replying.

    "Oh, so you're working for that English lad who can't keep his hands off the Spider, eh?" Her fingers secretly felt for her silenced gun that she smuggled in.

    "Ahh... there's no need for that, Tessa," Allu shook his forefinger. "I didn't come to war with you. Instead, how about a deal?" Tessa took her fingers away from her pocket before saying, "What deal? And how did you know my name?" Allu, who was sitting behind her, leaned closer to the front.

    "You're that cute Polish bombs-expert Nobody hired to get the Golden Spider before Muppet does, along with your other firend in the bathroom. Oh, you bet I know more than just your name, dearie. Well, anyway, it's obvious that life would be so much easier for Muppet if your employer would be out of his way into getting the Spider. To make things worse, Nobody was also his stiff competitor in the liquor market almost ten years ago. So, what Muppet and I want from you now is pretty simple. Kill Nobody and you will be rewarded more your blasted employer will ever give you!"

    "So you want me to blow Nobody's head up? You're crazy! He has agents all over the place. They'll kill me before I even get my money."

    "I'm just asking you to put something in his gin! Isn't that easy enough?"

    "Yeah, it's easy," Tessa replied sarcastically. "Easy for you, you mean. How will I know that you guys will to pay me?"

    "If I don't pay you, by all means, I give you permission to use your bombing expertise and kill me… and Muppet too," Allu grinned mischieviously.

    Tessa laughed a little and then asked, "What about Jayne? Do I tell her too?"

    "Two's company, three's a crowd, Tessa," he quoted. "Besides, I noticed you and your friend aren't getting along anyway. Once you reach the Azores to change planes, eliminate Indiana Jayne and take a flight back to Nobody's headquarters to tell him that you lost Jayne somehow. That's when you'll strike."

    Tessa flashed Allu a sly smile.

    "You've got yourself a deal."

* * * * *

    Maybe I shouldn't have been so harsh on Tessa. I didn't really mean what I said, Indiana Jayne sighed and stepped into the bathroom. Oh, well. What is done is done. I might as well forget it. She was about to close the ladies' bathroom door when she suddenly felt a gun poke her from the back.

    "Jangan bergerak," a male voice rasped in Malay, ordering Jayne not to move. Jayne smiled.

    "The only guy I know who knows how to speak Malay and who has that particular voice has got to be..." Jayne pushed away the 'gun', which was actually a finger poking her back, and turned around swiftly. "…you, Doktor Jones!"

    Doktor Jones grinned at Jayne. "You're no fun!" They laughed together and hugged.

    "Oh, gee! It's been ages since I've seen you! The last time we saw each other was..." Jayne tried to remember.

    "When we were both in Fall Guy's security agency," Doktor Jones finshed for her. "That's when that private eye exposed your deal with Nobody."

    "Goodsport," Jayne half-smiled, remembering her encounter with him and that pilot. "Boy… despite the fact that he blew my deal, I did him a favor murdering his cheating fiancee. He should be grateful. Did you know he's on the same case my partner and I are working on now?"

    "Yeah," Doktor Jones nodded. "The Golden Spider right?"

    "How'd you know?" Jayne's jaw dropped open.

    "Because I'm with Nobody now, just like you. And I've boarded this plane to warn you that Nobody's pretty annoyed that you and Tessa didn't kill the professor in New York."

    "How can that be? Walter Quigely told me that he wasn't!" Jayne asked in confusion.

    "I'm not sure about Walter," Doktor Jones reported, "but I know that Nobody isn't too happy with failure!"

    "Well, high time he changed his feelings. Tessa and I have the first marker to opening the Spider."

    "Good, very good indeed! When we land in the Azores, I'll take a flight back to tell Nobody about the news," Doktor Jones looked relieved. Jayne noticed that her friend was wearing a steward uniform.

    "Erm, Doktor Jones… why are you wearing that?" she pointed at his suit. The corners of his lips curled up.

    "I was short of cash for a ticket, so I..." Doktor Jones trailed off and scratched the back of his head nervously. He remembered the almost naked steward he had dragged and locked inside the airport's storeroom.

    "You never cease to amaze me!" Jayne laughed.

    "Oh, and after this I have to go to 'work' You're having a cheese sandwich later," he winked and started to leave. Jayne waved goodbye.

    "Oh, I almost forgot!" Doktor Jones dashed back and whispered, "Muppet's sidekick is on this plane."

    "Huh?! What?!" Jayne asked in bewilderment.

    "I don't know… but whatever it is, watch your back!"

* * * * *

    "The Brothers of what??!!" Indiana James Lambert blurted out when he and the others gathered near the plane.

    Why does this sound awfully familiar?Indy wondered.

    "Los Hermanos de la Araña Dorada - or The Brothers of The Golden Spider. They have protected the Golden Spider for years," Shaggy thought for a while. "Or one could also say that they have been protecting us for years. Many people have succeeded in stealing the Golden Spider but none of them was able to do more than just that. Some people say that once somebody opens it, or even just possesses it, they either become mad or disappear without a trace. But those who are pure of any evil intentions or those who are strong enough to stand the power of the Spider will be fine - although the Brothers didn't want to take any chances since they are not absolutely sure about that. So for all these years they have devoted their lives to keeping the Spider safe from anyone's reach."

    Indiana Jones was impressed at his long lost colleague's deep knowledge. It was so deep that he should have been doubting it by now. Somehow, though, he trusted the bearded Spaniard with all of his heart.

    "Shaggy, how do you know so much about the Brothers? I can understand that through all your research you're surely the expert about the Golden Spider, but I'm not sure how-" Indiana Jones stopped when Shaggy started folding up the sleeves of his shirt.

    "How, Indy?" Shaggy asked back. "I was one of them, that's how." As predicted, there was a spider tattoo on each arm. Indy's Girl gasped.

    "That's impossible! If it's true, how come you're here with us at this very moment? Aren't you supposed to be the one gunning us down?" Sophia interrogated furiously. Indy placed his hands on her shoulders and looked straight at her.

    "Let him explain, sweetie," Indiana Jones said through gritted teeth. Then, both of them turned to Shaggy, waiting for an answer.

    "The Brothers pass down their duties to their sons when they are too old to serve. I already had these tattoos when I was just a toddler. My father was a Brother but he never wanted me to follow his footsteps because he didn't want me to suffer such a hard life. My father never believd in the Golden Spider, but he had no choice but to defend something he didn't have faith in," Shaggy smiled sadly. "When I was eleven, he secretly sent me to America to find a decent job and maybe a proper education. My mother and the rest of my family stayed at Hacienda de la Shaggy. I often sent home the money I earned, hoping to make my father proud. But I later learned that he died, and I took up archeology just to prove that artifacts don't possess any supernatural power. It was as if I was avenging my father."

    "So you jumped at the opportunity when your employers offered you to get the Golden Spider?" Micah Johnson guessed.

    "Just to prove that there was nothing to protect, to prove that it's all nonsense," Shaggy replied weakly. Indy patted his back comfortingly.

    "We're really sorry about your father," Indy told his friend, his voice full of concern. Shaggy smiled again.

    "It's okay, it was a long time ago. I just want to get this over with and carry on."

    Soon, after Indy's Girl checked the fuel level of the Brothers' seaplane and confirmed that everything was fine - that they were ready to resume their journey.

    "No damage to the plane, a full gas tank… and we even have some artillery in the back. Call this good luck, Indy?" Indy's Girl asked playfully after turning the ignition.

    "Nope, just archeology!" Indy answered as he buckled his seat belt.

*************************

Who wants to contribute Chapter 15? :)

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