After a great and perilous journey, King Xerxes found the Well of Wishes around the time of 480 B.C., wishing to be the greatest conqueror the world had ever seen. Upon being granted his wish his armies grew to unimaginable size and his empire grew to cover nearly half of the known world. Deciding that no one could again find this power, Xerxes charged his greatest wizard and his most loyal bodyguards with the protection of the Hidden Garden so that no other man would ever find it again. And so it has sat, hidden from the world.
----Havana, Cuba, 1937
The old mansion sat on the rise of a steep hill, a wall surrounding it. Both the mansion and its wall's stone and mortar darkened by age and growing vines, but the mansion was lit up brightly. Music played from within as cars drove through the gated entrance of the mansion, parking at the front steps so that a butler could open the rear doors. Men and women dressed in luxurious clothes stepped out and walked up the steps, joining the ever-growing party within the mansion. Guards patrolled the grounds of the mansion, dressed in suits and ties for the party, but the bulges under their coats easily revealed the handguns they carried.
Inside the massive mansion, Hector Pocasa greeted his guests as they entered, handing them glasses of wine. Hector Pocasa wore an expensive, tailored Italian suit. His graying black hair was slicked back on his head and a neatly trimmed moustache sat above the cigar he clutched between his teeth. A wealthy man controlling many of the banks in Cuba, Pocasa was able to easily buy smuggled weapons and, in turn, sell them again to anyone who had the money to buy the weapons in Cuba. His biggest buyer was the Cuban army, the real center of power in the country, who greatly desired to acquire as many American firearms as possible. Pocasa also had many other interests and hobbies. Classic cars, cigars, wine, but the one hobby he valued most was rare artifacts. His collection was enormous, taking up one whole floor of his five-story mansion. Of course, not everything in his collection was obtained legally, but to Pocasa that was simply a save of money. Why buy something when you can have it stolen? He knew enough smugglers to where he could get anything from any part of the world. And his most prized piece was the Gema de la Serpiente…the Gem of the Serpent. A priceless green gem he had "liberated" from a museum in Brazil. It had only cost him one man, but his men had killed four museum guards, so it was no great loss in Pocasa's eyes.
The night had cooled, but was still humid as a single guard slowly walked along the wall of the mansion. Looking around, he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket and lit one up. Taking a long drag off of the cigarette, he slowly breathed the smoke out into the night sky. He suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Excuse me…"
The guard turned, but a hard right punch slammed into his jaw as he turned, spinning him back around as his eyes rolled back into his head. Indiana Jones shook his hand.
"Ouch!"
Looking around, Indy saw that no one was running towards him, so he quickly dragged the unconscious guard over towards a bush against the wall that he had jumped. Searching the guard, Indy pulled out a pistol from under the guard's jacket and quickly unloaded the bullets from it, then pulled a ring of keys out of the guard's pocket before dumping the body behind the bush and out of sight.
Quickly walking to the mansion, Indy moved to an old drainpipe that ran up the side of the building. Gripping the old metal pipe Indy pulled on it hard to see if it would support his weight. It creaked badly, but stayed attached to the wall. Indy shook his head, pulled his fedora down tight over his head, and then slowly started climbing the pipe. Indy had just barely reached the third floor when a door suddenly opened underneath him, spilling bright light out onto the grass. Two guards stepped out from the door, lighting cigarettes. Indy froze looking down. The drainpipe suddenly popped underneath his hand, buckling slightly.
"Oh, boy…"
The two guards heard the pop and started to look around. Indy quickly reached over to a balcony that stood out from the side of the mansion. Gripping onto the railing of the balcony, Indy hauled himself up and over onto it just as the drainpipe gave away, collapsing down to the ground below. The two guards dove out of the way as the metal pipes slammed into the ground below. Looking up the two guards quickly looked at each other and moved back into the house.
Standing up on the balcony, Indy quickly flipped through the keys on the key ring he lifted from the guard until he found a key that unlocked the glass doors. Opening the glass doors, Indy stepped into the massive room. It looked like a museum show room with priceless paintings hanging all along the walls. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, hanging over a number of cases and stands that held numerous historical artifacts and invaluable objects from all over the world. In the center of the room a single wooden podium stood with a light hanging low above it. The bright green gem had been carved into the image of a coiled snake, its eyes bright red rubies. Walking quickly to the podium, Indy lifted the gem carefully up, pulling a rag out from his pack and wrapping it around the snake. Indy would have liked to save more of the countless items of history all around the room, but he didn't have the time.
The doors of the room suddenly burst open and three men carrying Thompson sub-machine guns walked in, their weapons aimed at Indy. Behind them, flanked by three other men, Pocasa slowly walked in lighting a cigar.
"Ah, Professor Jones. I wondered if I would have the chance to see you after my men spotted you at the Havana Airfield yesterday. A shame that your trip to Cuba was such a foolish one."
"You stole this artifact, Pocasa. It belongs in a museum."
Pocasa let off a deep laugh.
"Professor Jones, I believe that I, like you yourself, can appreciate these wonderful things more than any group of school children staring into a glass case. Now please, give me the gem."
Indy slid the gem into his pack and in the process slid his leather jacket open a little wider, giving him easy reach to his bullwhip or his Smith & Wessen revolver. Indy grinned slightly at Pocasa.
"Afraid not."
Pocasa pulled the cigar from his mouth and took a step towards Indy.
"Professor Jones, understand that you will give me that gem. And you will do it now, or I will be forced to kill you."
"You're not going to shoot anything in here, Pocasa."
Indy held out his hand, pointing at various objects.
"You wouldn't want to damage any of your collection, would you?"
Pocasa's eye twitched in anger.
"Give me the gem, Jones!!!"
"Come get it."
Pocasa's body shook with anger. The three men with the machine guns looked at each other, preparing to fire. Indy got ready to dive behind the first case he could reach when Pocasa suddenly relaxed, straightening his tie.
"Very well, Professor Jones. Get him."
His men stared at each other for another moment, then shrugged and started forward. Two men ran towards Indy, but Indy quickly reached out, grabbing the edge of display case and tipped it over. One of the guards slid to a stop, but the other couldn't stop quick enough and was caught under the case as it slammed into the ground, the antiquities within shattering on the ground. Pocasa threw his cigar down.
"Get him without breaking anything!"
Indy raised his fists as the second guard jumped over the fallen case. The guard swung a hard right cross, but Indy ducked underneath the punch, bringing his fist up and slamming it into the stomach of the guard. The guard dropped to his knees, the wind knocked out of his lungs, before Indy stepped forward and planted his knee into the guard's face. The guard dropped to the ground unconscious and Indy turned to face another guard, but was caught across the jaw with a punch. Indy stumbled back, bumping into another case. The guard started towards him, but Indy quickly reached behind himself, gripping the closet thing he could. The guard grabbed Indy around the collar, but Indy brought the Ming vase around, smashing it across the face of the guard.
Another guard lifted an empty podium up and threw it at Indy. Indy jumped out of the way as the podium collided into the guard Indy was fighting, tumbling him into the case and crashing it to the ground. Pocasa cursing in Spanish, pulled a revolver from his jacket and shot the guard who threw the podium.
"I said without breaking anything!!"
Two other guards ran forward grabbing Indy by the arms and holding him as another guard ran forward punching Indy in the gut. The guard pulled back to punch again, but Indy jumped up, planting his boots into the chest of the guard and sending him sprawling back, colliding with Pocasa. Indy stomped down on the foot of one of the men holding him causing him to loosen his grip on Indy. Indy brought his now freed hand forward, punching the other guard in the face. Indy quickly ran forward and jumped over Pocasa as he shoved the guard laying across him off, running out of the room.
"After him! Kill him!"
His men shakily stood, grabbing the Thompsons that they dropped and ran after Indy. Indy quickly ran through the halls of the mansion, getting to the staircase and running down two steps at a time. Pocasa's men reached the staircase, aiming their guns down the stairs and firing after him. Bullets impacted all around Indy as he raced down the stairs. Indy heard guests start yelling in panic as the guns fired as he came to the end of the stairs onto a balcony that overlooked the foyer. A guard suddenly ran up the staircase on the side of the balcony, a shotgun in his hands. Indy ran forward, slamming into the guard before he could aim the shotgun, causing the weapon to fire up into the ceiling. Pushing the guard backwards, the two men slammed into the railing of the balcony, breaking through it. The guard fell down the eight feet, slamming into the marble floor as Indy uncoiled his whip and cracked it out, wrapping its tip around chandelier that hung from the ceiling. Dropping to the foyer ground, Indy pulled his whip down as guest scattered from around the scruffy looking man. Indy quickly ran out from the front door of the mansion as Pocasa and his guards appeared on the balcony aiming their guns down at him.
"Get him!!!"
Indy quickly ran from the front of the mansion towards Pocasa's garage. More guards started pouring out from the mansion, running after him. Pocasa ran out from the mansion, catching a glimpse of Indy running into his garage.
"Do not let him get away!"
Two guards pulled open the doors of the garage, but were knocked out of the way as Indy flew out from the dark garage on the top of a Indian Model 101 Scout motorcycle, sliding on the gravel of the driveway before turning to the gated entrance and gunning the engine. Pocasa's men fired their guns after him, dirt and gravel kicking up all around the motorcycle as the rim of the fedora on Indy's head was bent back from the wind whipping past him. Two guards started closing the gates of the mansion, but Indy pulled his .45 revolver from his belt and fired it, hitting both men in the legs. Indy roared the motorcycle through the gates and drove onto the road outside the mansion.
Indy laughed as he drove the motorcycle down the old dirt road, heading toward the Havana Airfield. Reaching to his pack, he patted the lump there, thankful that it was still in one piece and didn't have a bullet lodged into it. A pair of headlights suddenly came around the bend behind him and a whiz flew by his left ear. Indy ducked down and looked behind him at the car trying to catch up with him. Two men were leaning out from the rear windows as Pocasa sat in the passenger's seat yelling at them in Spanish.
"Great…"
Indy gunned the motorcycle as the two men leaning from the car fired again at him. Pushing his body down lower, Indy tried to make himself as small of a target as he could. More bullets whizzed past as he zigzagged the motorcycle, trying to get closer and closer to the airfield. Pulling his revolver back out from its holster, Indy fired over his shoulder at the car behind him before clicking empty. Indy slid the gun back into its holster as he reached the edge of the airfield.
Ralph Willis laid on the wing of his C-47 reading a comic book, glancing at his watch. Indy had been gone for three hours and should have been back. Ralph started to read to comic again when he heard gunfire. Jumping up, Ralph stared out across the field and saw Indy driving a motorcycle towards him as a car drove after him, it's passenger's firing guns at him.
"Ah, hell…"
Jumping down from the wing, Ralph jumped into his plane and ran up to the cockpit, flipping switches, before the rumble of the twin prop engines slowly started to rumble to life. Turning the plane up the airfield, he started pushing the throttle down.
Indy saw Ralph jump into his plane and a moment later watched as the engines started. Indy gunned the motorcycle, aiming it at the door to the plane as it turned to face down the runway. The plane moved down the empty runway as Indy eased the motorcycle onto the end of the runway behind it, pushing it harder. Indy glanced behind him as the car slid to a stop at the end of the runway, Pocasa climbing out from the passenger's side and throwing his empty revolver after Indy. Indy pulled the motorcycle closer to the plane as its landing gear began to rise up from the airfield runway. Reaching out, Indy grabbed the edge of the doorway into the plane and started to pull himself up, feeling the motorcycle leave from between his legs. Indy hauled himself into the plane.
Indy stood up and closed the door of the plane, the deafening roar of the engines immediately cut down to a low hum. Walking up to the cockpit, Indy slid into the copilot's seat next to Ralph.
"So I guess you made some new friends, huh?"
Indy stared at him as Ralph's his big belly shook with laughter.
"So did you at least get the thing we were here for?"
Indy reached into his pack and pulled the wrapped gem out, slowly pulling the rag from around it revealing the undamaged, bright green gem.
"Yeah, I got it."