Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Utah, 1912
Harriet "Indiana" Jones rode through the dust of Utah in 1912 on the back of her favorite horse, Gertrude. She was taking riding lessons with a local group of young girls. The sun glared down at them, making the shine of the red dirt even more unbearable. Ahead was the shape of Double Arch, a natural formation of close set rock archways. They would stop to water their horses ahead.
Behind Indy was Shirley, heavy set and puffing with exhaustion from the long ride. It was the farthest the group had ever ventured into Arches Natural Park on their riding expeditions. Many of the other girls complained of bodily aches, but Indiana was too busy taking in the extravagant surroundings. Nature could do such astounding things and the Double Arch was one of them.
"Come with me, please Indy, pleeeasse," whimpered Shirley, "I don't want to go alone!" She was terrified of peeing alone, always scared someone might be watching her. Indy shifted in her riding boots, considering.
"Fine, I'll help you find a quiet place, but only if you watch over me too." Indy always helped Shirley out when possible. She took friends where she could find them.
They traipsed over the rocky terrain searching for a break in the rock walls to hide behind. Soon enough they found one, only it wasn't just a shelter, it was a cave. From deep inside Harriet could hear the echoes of men shouting.
"I don't like this. We should move on," Shirley said.
"Just do your business so we can get out of here," insisted Indy. "I'm going further in to see what's happening."
Indy walked carefully down the path of rocks further into the mountain. It was a small cavern and there was just enough light from behind for Indy to see ahead. She was naturally inquisitive, especially out in nature. She felt secure enough in her surrounding to be able to defend herself.
The voices were riotous with joy and as Indy approached, they began to form words.
"Look at what the kid found! It's a box!"
"Here let me have it. I want to see."
Shirley carefully appeared by Indy's shoulder just as the scene came into view for her. There were five men and equipment for digging spread all about. The men were all circled around a box that had recently been found. The leader pulled the box away and began to open it. He wore a leather fedora on his head.
Fedora man pulled from the chest a decorated cross to the awe of the surrounding men. He held it up with reverence. Indiana's eyes darted over the cross intently. She looked back to Shirley and began to whisper frantically.
"It's the Cross of Coronado. Cortez gave it to him in 1520." Indy sucked in a breathe harshly through her mouth. Her eyes were set suddenly with stubborn and righteous anger. "That cross is an important artifact. It belongs in a museum. Run back and find the others."
Shirley nodded, but the vast amount of her attention was focused intently on her foot. Indy noticed the gardener snake that had snuck up on Shirley. Her hand darted out quickly, grabbing the snake close to the neck.
"It's only a snake," she said impatiently, and with a flick of the wrist she threw it father down the cave. "You have to tell the girls there are men looting in the caves."
Now Shirley nodded, but paused before leaving. "What are you going to do, Indy?"
"I dunno," she said, "I'll think of something."
Indiana glared at the man in the fedora from a distance. She eyed where the Cross of Coronado had been placed. It would be easy to dart out from where she was hidden and grab the thing. However, getting out was another matter. She spotted a rope hanging down the ceiling and looked up to see the light of an exit. Now she had a plan.
Quickly she left the safety of the hallway and was in the cavern. Indy moved swiftly and low to the ground. She had the Cross in her hand before and instant had passed. She hurried to shove it down the belt on the waistband of her skirt. Now, for a hasty retreat. She kept moving forward and lept to grab onto the rope. Using all her strength she pulled herself up the rope and closer to the outside. She was nearly out when her riding boot caught on a piece of wood, nudging it off the ledge and back down behind her.
Suddenly the loud male voices started up at her, leering and yelling at her retreating butt. Outside, she pulled the rope up and out of the cavern to prevent the robbers from climbing up after her immediately. Looking around, she got her bearings. Indiana put two fingers to her mouth and whistled loudly. She was hoping to call over her horse, Gertrude.
Without warning, Gertrude sprung out of the scenery just below the rocky terrain Indiana perched on. It surprised Indy so much that when she jumped to mount Gertrude, she ended up falling hard back onto the ground anyways. It would follow that after the most impressive bit of rope climbing she'd ever managed, that she would make such a silly childish fall. Regardless she's back on her feet quickly and swinging her leg over Gertrude in no time.
She starts off riding towards where she'd left her group, but turns back when considering the geography. Behind her was rocky desert and ahead was flat terrain. In the distance over the flat land she could see a train approaching. It chugged closer and Indiana guided Gertrude from a quick trot to a panicked gallop. Behind her, a sudden wave of automobiles started up and began racing her way. She could feel them on her heels in only a minute. She was getting closer and closer to the train, going so fast that it felt almost out of control. It was a carnival train brightly painted with the words "DUN AND DUFFY."
Gertrude pulled alongside the train and Indiana took the chance to grab the ladder railing of the car train. She pulled herself once again up and off the horse. Up the ladder she went and spotted a way into the car immediately. She pulled open the roof lid and, without looking down, dropped into the darkness below. Immediately she knew it was a mistake. The smell of animal fear and stale hay overwhelmed her and to her right in the darkness a large animal was moving.
And of course, of course, always out of the frying pan and into the fryer for Indy. She had dropped directly into the lion cage of the travelling train circus. Right now their main attraction was circling her with increasing interest. She fell back to one of the opposite walls and noticed a red practice whip hooked to the wall. It was thick and red. Indy wasn't sure she could wield such an object, but grabbed it anyways, desperate for protection from the beast. She slashed it wide in the direction of the lion, but ironically managed to rake the tip of the whip down the edge of her cheek, splitting it in a deep cut. She cursed to herself, beginning to consider whipping again at the approaching danger. Above her, Fedora hat appeared in the hole she had dropped through.
"Throw up the whip!" he commanded. She did as he suggested, letting herself be pulled up with the whip. By now she was straining with the weight and didn't mind the help the other robber men provided in getting her out of the lion's cage. When she was up top she glared once again at the large man in front of her.
"You got heart, kid, but that belongs to me," fedora hat growled.
"It belongs to Coronado!" She was still ablaze with fury at the thought of the injustice. Fedora man glowered right back at her.
"Coronado is dead and so are all his grandchildren."
"This should be in a museum!"
"Now give it back!" he roared at her.
Her hand moved hardly without her knowledge, throwing the whip off the side of the train, with the pantomime being that she had thrown the cross. It pained her to lose it, but if she could get only a second of distraction she would be able to escape.
The whip worked and Indy dove under the legs of the crony in front of her, tripping him up. The other robbers had to work to keep him on the roof of the carriage and Indy took her chance to dive into the next train compartment. She grimaced at the graffiti which pronounced it to be a "Magic Caboose." Couldn't be worse than a lion, right?
Her plan went into work as soon as she stepped into the cab. Haphazardly spread about were the props of a magic act. The chest in front of her was inscripted with the Tarot depiction of the devil. She knew what it was, having messed around with such trickery when a Carnival had once passed through town. She dove into the chest and got it closed just as Fedora hat opened the door of the caboose.
He noticed the movement of it closing almost immediately, but it was too late. The chest collapsed in on itself and opened to reveal nothing inside. He continued through the caboose to the end and pulled open the door to stare out the end of the train. He smiled almost in disbelief at what he saw.
Indy was running in the opposite direction of the train back towards town, her skirt kicking up in the dust and braided hair swinging behind her as she went. She must have disappeared through the trap door in the caboose that allowed magicians to get away with their acts. He was impressed that anyone had managed to get one over on him so consistently, much less a young girl.
Indy felt nearly like passing out by the time she reached the town's limits. Her arms ached harshly from all the abuse they had endured, and she wasn't used to running such distances. When she burst back into her house she was nearly too out of breathe to relay what she needed. She took a minute to just breathe before hastily pushing through the French doors into the study of her father. Indiana's father was a Professor of History at Oxford University. He often tested her patience with quizzes meant to sharpen her mental abilities.
Before she could get his attention, he stopped her. The Professor didn't look up from his book. He didn't see her sweat, her dirt, the way she was swaying on her feet.
"Count to twenty!" he directed at her.
She began, "One, two, three,"
"...in Greek," her Father interrupted.
She started over, "Ena, dyo, tria,"
There was a knock from the front door and outside the window Indiana could see the town Sheriff glowering into their dark house. She turned away from the Professor to let Sheriff Dan in.
"Just the man I wanted to see, now there were five or six of them they came after me"
"It's alright girl, you still got it?"
"Well, yes, sir, it's right here." Indiana pulled the cross out from where it had been in her belt. He grabbed it from her immediately.
"Well, I'm glad to see that," he said, "because the rightful owner of this cross won't press charges if you give it back."
Indiana's jaw popped open in surprise. Her eyes widened and she reached back out at the cross before stopping herself. Again, a dark shadow passed over her forehead and the Sheriff could see a hard look of anger and stubbornness coming over her.
"He's got witnesses, say five or six of 'em." The Sherriff pulled back from the door and allowed the robbers to spill into the front entryway. Fedora man led them with a smile. One of the crony robbers grabbed the cross from the Sheriff's hand and whooped with a yell. He and the other robbers exited, probably to deliver the cross safely to the hands of a buyer.
Fedora man stayed behind.
"You lost today, kid," he said, "but it doesn't mean you have to like it."
He pulled the leather hat from his head and plonked it on Indiana's head before swiftly departing. Indiana was left staring at his receding figure in surprise, her face covered in blood from the clumsy whip and dirt from the run. When she looked down the world suddenly shifted to...
Ten years in the future!
AN: the next chapter will be out in a week! Thank you for reading!