The next morning they had gotten up early and after eating breakfast, Indy, Henry, Sallah and Selene took Sallah's jeep and headed towards Sallah's friends house. Hishep was an old friend of Sallah's and had come to his aid on more than one occasion and was always full of information about digs and whereabouts of certain artefacts. As Sallah drove, Selene looked around at the street scenes and bustle of daily life. Indy was wearing his usual attire of wool pants and a khaki shirt with epilates, with the sleeves rolled up. He had decided to leave his jacket at Sallah's house as it was too hot to wear. He was, of course, wearing his fedora. He also carried with him his usual weapons, being his whip and gun.
"So what do you think of Egypt so far?" asked Indy.
"I think it's fantastic. Very vibrant and hot."
"Ah, Selene", said Sallah. "This is a warm day compared to most."
"Really?"
"Yes", said Indy. "It gets much hotter than this."
Indy leaned forward.
"You okay dad?"
"Yes thank you. Just enjoying the scenery around us."
A while later they had stopped in traffic as a funeral procession was taking place. Just then, a man appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Selene, pulling her out of the car. Indy tried to grab her but he was too late. The man dragged Selene away and Indy jumped out of the car.
"Indiana!" yelled Henry.
"Stay here!" he shouted.
Indy ran after them, frantically trying to find the man and Selene. He heard a scream and ran towards the noise. He saw her being dragged away.
"Indy!"
He continued running and stopped abruptly. They were now at a dead end. The man was holding a knife and gently pressed it to Selene's neck. She could feel the man's hot breath on her face and grimaced, daring not to move.
"Don't move!" he shouted.
Indy stepped slightly closer.
"I said not to move!" he growled.
Indy considered firing at him, but Selene was too close and he dare not take the chance. The man pressed the blade closer.
"Where is the Benben stone? Talk or she dies!"
Indy thought a moment.
"We have it. It's at a friend's house."
"Good. That is good." He nodded, and his face broke out into a wide, evil grin. "Take me to it!" He demanded.
Indy nodded slowly and then in a flash he unhitched his whip from his belt and cracked it towards the man. Instantly, the end caught the man's wrist, knocking the knife out of his grasp and breaking his wrist. The man screamed in agony and fell to the floor. Selene ran to Indy, throwing her arms around him.
"Indy, honey. That was, well, bloody fantastic. I mean..."
She drew away.
"Indy, what is it?"
He grabbed her hand and headed back toward the jeep.
"Sorry Selene. I appreciate the compliment, but right now, we've got to get outta here!"
They returned to the jeep and he attached the whip to his belt. The jeep had disappeared.
"Great", muttered Indy. "Where are they?"
Then he heard a yell. Dad. He looked around and then spotted the jeep a few yards away. A man dressed in white robes was flying at Sallah and another man in similar clothing grabbed Henry by the collar. Henry hit the man across the face as Indy ran over.
"Stick close to me," he told Selene.
The man who was attacking Sallah was now arguing hotly in Arabic. He threw a punch, which connected with Sallah's jaw. Sallah threw one back, but the man ducked and Sallah accidentally hit Indy in the face, who had been standing behind the man. Selene stormed over and grabbed the man by the collar and before Indy and Sallah could do anything, she kneed the man in the groin and he groaned in agony. He fell to the floor and e fHe felljjjjj looked up at her, frightened. She stared down at him.
"Nobody hits my boyfriend! Do you understand?"
He nodded his head several times nervously and ran off. Indy and Sallah smiled. Henry had knocked the other man out. They went over to the jeep and the others stared at her. She threw her hands in the air.
"What?"
"Selene, that was amazing!" said Indy. "You just..."
She smiled, loving the look on his face. They got in the jeep.
He gave her another look.
"Now what?"
"Just remind me, never to start a fight with you."
She put her arm around him.
"I'm sorry. I just got angry, I guess."
"Well, I was very impressed with you", he said as Sallah drove on.
"I mean, well, I'm..."
"Speechless?" she asked and kissed him on the cheek.
Henry glimpsed this in the rear view and shook his head and then his face cracked into a grin.
Half an hour later when they arrived at Hishep's house, Sallah turned to Indy.
"Indy, are you all right?"
"Yeah, Sallah. I'm fine."
"My friend, I am very sorry about the thing that happened just now. I didn't realize..."
Indy waved a hand.
"Don't worry about it."
Sallah walked to the front door of the house and knocked. Almost at once a man came out. It was Hishep. He was in his mid-thirties, thin and of average height and dressed in a galabeya.
"Hello Sallah! How are you, my old friend?" he asked enthusiastically.
"Very well, my friend. These are my friends from America, Indiana Jones, his father Henry Jones and..."
Hishep looked at Selene and smiled. He stepped forward.
"And who is this beautiful lady?" he asked.
"Selene", said Indy and Henry simultaneously.
Hishep kissed the back of her hand.
"Charmed."
"You're too kind", she said.
They followed Hishep inside.
"Hishep", said Sallah. "You do like to think of yourself as smooth, don't you?"
Indy laughed as Hishep led them into his living room.
"Please sit."
"Firstly", he began "I am very pleased to meet all of you, especially you," he gestured to Indy. "My friend Sallah has told me a lot about you and don't worry, it is all good."
"Glad to hear it", smiled Indy.
"All right then." Hishep got up and poured some drinks, handing them round to his guests.
"I have a pretty good idea where you can find the Benben stone."
Everyone looked at him with interest.
"In the Temple of the Phoenix."
He was instantly met with a barrage of comments.
"No offence", said Selene. "But I was under the impression that the stone wasn't in the temple..."
Hishep held up a hand.
"I thought you would say that. It's not actually in the temple as such but is hidden in a secret chamber adjoining the temple."
"Ah, I see", said Sallah.
Indy smiled. This is going to be a lot easier than I thought.
"But", began Hishep.
Indy's smile faded.
"But what?" he asked
"Reaching the stone is not going to be easy."
"Don't tell me. There are traps and various other dangers?"
Hishep smiled weakly.
"Yes, I am afraid so."
Indy leaned back in his chair.
"Terrific."
"So", said Selene. How are we going to get round this?"
Indy smiled.
"Don't worry, sweetheart. You won't have to."
She nodded, smiled and then her face fell.
"Oh no. Indy. It's too dangerous. I mean, what if..."
"Selene don't worry. He'll be fine", said Henry.
Indy smiled.
"Thanks dad."
"There is something else", said Hishep.
"Go on", said Sallah.
"The person who hid it there, well, he will be coming back for it soon."
"Who is he?" asked Sallah
"His name is Ashraf. He claims to be an archaeologist, but is nothing better than a common grave-robber."
"And what are his intentions with the stone?"
"I'm not sure. I only know that you need to hurry, before he goes back for it."
Half an hour later they left Hishep's house.
"Well my friend", said Sallah. You have been a great help."
"It is my pleasure. And it was great to meet your friends, especially the lady."
Sallah looked at the others.
"You must apologies for my friend. As you can see, he sometimes speaks before thinking."
He turned to Hishep.
"Goodbye, Hishep."
They left the house and headed back to Sallah's house.
"Honestly", said Selene. "He's such a flirt."
"I was thinking that", said Indy.
"Are you jealous?"
"No. Why should I be?"
"No reason", she said, resting her head on the back of the seat and closed her eyes.
"He was quite charming, though", she said, her eyes still closed.
"Selene."
She opened her eyes.
"You are jealous, aren't you?" she laughed.
"Well. Maybe just a little bit", he admitted.
She hugged him.
"Oh, Indy." That's so sweet, she thought.
Henry, who had heard everything, rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath.
Sallah laughed.
It was early evening and Henry, Indy and Sallah were discussing the temple and planning when to go after the stone. Selene and Fayah were in the courtyard talking and Fayah was telling Selene about the first time she met Sallah. Her parents had introduced Sallah to her as they knew his parents. They had spent some time together and had fallen in love. They then got engaged and got married. They had bought their first house and had started a family. Fayah then asked Selene how she had met Indy. Selene told her about the first time she had seen him and she had joined him on his adventures. Fayah sighed.
"Ah, you're so lucky. Indy is a wonderful man and he will make you very happy."
Selene smiled.
"He already has made me happy."
Just then Indy appeared, wearing his usual attire of khaki shirt and pants. He had left his jacket and hat inside.
"Hi. Thought I heard my name being mentioned", he said smiling.
"Oh you know, we were just saying..."
Fayah stood up.
"Well, I'll leave you both now", she said, excusing herself.
Indy sat down across from Selene, taking her hands in his.
"How are you?" he asked. "I hope you're enjoying Egypt."
"Oh Indy, I love it", she smiled. "It's wonderful and the people are so friendly. Thanks for coming after me today. You really know how to take care of yourself."
"Oh, that's okay", he smiled. "So can you it would seem."
He paused.
"Selene, when you hit that guy, you..."
"…called you my boyfriend", she finished. "I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all."
"Well, I figure that you are, seeing as, well, you know..."
"I know."
He leaned over and kissed her.
Later that evening, Indy, Selene, Henry, Sallah and Fayah were sat around a large table with Sallah's children. Fayah had prepared some food for them.
"That was fantastic", commented Indy after they had finished. "Thank you."
"I thoroughly enjoyed it as well", said Selene.
"I have to say Fayah, you are a fantastic cook," said Henry.
"Thank you everyone," she said.
"Indiana's mother was also an excellent cook as well", added Henry.
"Yes?" asked Selene.
"Oh yes. She was absolutely fantastic in the kitchen and believe me, I always stayed out of the way."
"Selene is a very good cook as well", said Indy. "And the last time I got in the way, well..." he chuckled.
Selene laughed.
After dinner, Selene helped Fayah and the children clear away. Selene washed while Fayah dried. The children had run off and Indy came into the kitchen.
"Yes?" asked Selene.
"I just wanted to tell you. I think you're doing a great job there."
Selene was just about to say something, when Sallah strode in to the room.
"Ah Fayah, I see you're busy there." he smiled.
"Care to help?" asked Selene, jokingly.
"Nah", said Indy. "Besides, you're better at that than I am", he laughed.
With that Fayah picked up a tea-towel and tossed one to Selene. At once, as if on cue they threw the tea-towels at Indy and Sallah.
"Get out!" yelled Fayah, laughing.
At once Indy and Sallah backed off and Indy held up a hand.
"Okay," he chuckled. "I'm leaving!"
There was a knock at the door. Sallah went over to the front door and opened it. It was an old friend of Sallah's who also knew Indy.
"Qena, come in!"
Stood in the doorway was a young Egyptian woman, about nineteen. She saw Indy and her eyes lit up. She went over to him and threw her arms around him.
"Indy, it's great to see you again! How are you?"
She didn't seem to want to let go.
Selene had come into the room to see what all the fuss was about. What she saw was a complete stranger, a young lady hugging Indy. Indy glanced over and saw her stood there, tea-towel draped over her shoulder and her arms crossed, looking slightly miffed. Indy smiled, but felt slightly uncomfortable at the attention he was receiving. Qena let go and smiled at him. Indy could see the look on Selene's face and shrugged.
"I'm just fine, Qena. And yourself?"
"Oh Indy, I've been fine. I've really missed you. It seems like ages since I last saw you."
Henry rolled his eyes. This young woman was obviously infatuated with his son.
"Well, I guess it has been a while."
She took him by the arm and led him to the couch.
"So what have been up to over the last few years?"
Indy sighed. It seemed as if the whole room was listening.
"Oh, you know. The search for ancient artefacts, travelling, that kind of thing."
He flashed a smile at her and she smiled, dreamily.
"Listen", said Indy. "We've got an early start tomorrow. So, if you'll excuse me."
Her face fell.
"Oh, okay. Well it's been great to see you again. We'll have to do this again sometime."
"Yes," he said, standing up. "Nice to see you again", he smiled.
She sighed and got up.
Then she noticed Selene standing there.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Oh, I'm Selene. Indy's girlfriend."
Qena's face fell. She felt sick.
"Well, I uh, I have to go now. Bye Indy", she said, leaving and closing the door behind her.
Sallah laughed.
"I'm sorry Indy, I did not mean to laugh but..."
Indy looked over at Selene. She was not amused. Indy walked over to her.
"That was Qena. She..."
"I can't believe you", she began. "She put her arms around you, she..."
Selene stormed into the kitchen. The others looked at each other and Sallah went over to the kitchen door and closed it.
"Oh dear", said Henry. "So, who is Qena?"
"She is a friend of one of the diggers and has spent some time with myself and Indy on various dig sites. And as you can see, she is very fond of Indy."
Henry nodded.
"I can see that. Did her and my son...?"
"No. Indy has never dated her, but ever since she met him she has been infatuated with him. He knows how she feels and is naturally flattered but as you can see, he doesn't feel the same way."
In the kitchen Selene was arguing with Indy.
"Selene, she grabbed my arm and pulled me over to the couch. It's not my fault..."
"So Indy, how many girlfriends have you had in the past?"
"Well, I…wait a minute. I know what you're thinking. You think that me and Qena, were, that we. Oh no. Selene, she's a friend. I've never dated her."
"But her eyes lit up and she was so happy to see you!"
"Well, I guess. Sheesh! You accuse me of being jealous?!"
"I'm jealous? I saw the way that you glared at Hishep. Indy, you almost turned a shade of green."
"I what?" Oh great, here it comes. "Okay, without trying to sound arrogant, I think that Qena has a slight crush on me."
"A slight crush? That's the understatement of the century! Indy, she's completely infatuated with you. I saw the way she went all googly eyed..."
She stepped closer to him.
"The way her eyes lit up when she saw your face."
He moved closer.
"Yeah?"
"I saw the way she gazed into those beautiful hazel eyes of yours."
"Uh-huh?"
"And I bet she's thinking right now, how lucky I am to be your girlfriend."
They kissed.
Selene gasped, coming up for air. God, he was such a good-looking man.
"I'm sorry, Indy. I didn't mean to get angry. It's just that I, well, she was..."
"It's okay."
There was a knock on the kitchen door and Sallah entered.
"I see that everything is all right."
"Sallah, please accept my apologies."
"Selene, there is nothing to apologise for."
Henry, Fayah and Sallah had retired for the evening. Indy and Selene had spent some time talking on the veranda. Night-lights hung about the garden giving off a soft glow.
"So Indy. Just how many girlfriends have you had?"
"Aw, c'mon Selene. I don't know. But you've got to be the most beautiful."
"I bet you say that to all the girls", she said, kissing him.
It was getting late and they retired to the guest bedroom, changed clothes and crawled into bed. A few hours later Indy woke up. Selene was gone. He switched on the bedside lamp and there was a note on Selene's pillow.
Indy
I needed some air so
I am heading a few miles
south from here.
See you soon.
Indy got up, put on his pants and shirt. He put on his gun belt, put on his leather jacket and fedora and attached his bullwhip to his belt and also put his gun in the holster. He realizes that this may seem overcautious to Selene but still; he wanted to be ready in case anything bad was afoot. He crept downstairs and left the house by the front door. He walked over to the jeep. The keys were in the ignition and he started up the engine and drove in a southerly direction.
A while later he saw a horse near the road. He recognised the horse. It was Sallah's horse, Epona. He stopped the jeep and got out. A few minutes later he saw a figure of a person standing, looking up at the night sky. He walked over to the person, who turned round to face him. He was relieved when he saw that it was Selene.
"Indy, I didn't expect to see you. I..."
"You okay?"
"Yes. I just needed some time by myself. It really is a beautiful night."
"When I woke up, you had me worried there for a moment."
"Indy, I'm sorry."
She turned to face the stars in the sky and Indy put his arms around her.
"I was just thinking about the child that I lost, that's all. Didn't mean to worry you."
He put his mouth to her ear.
"Hey, it's okay."
She loved the feel of his strong arms around her, his warm breath against her ear.
It came without warning. Something had struck Indy over the head, hard and he yelled in pain. Selene screamed. Indy looked around but could barely see as stars danced before his eyes. Selene yelled for help. Indy tried to stay conscious and alert and was worried that he would black out. He staggered and fell to the floor, giving into unconsciousness.
"Indy!" she yelled.
Stood, was a figure of a man but she couldn't make out his face in the darkness. Selene went for him, and as she did she pulled his jacket. The man grabbed her and pushed her to the ground. Then he grabbed Indy and bolted to the jeep, putting the unconscious archaeologist in the back. He then got in the driver's seat and drove off. Selene gasped. He's gone. Indy's gone. She noticed that something had fallen out of the man's jacket. A piece of paper. She picked it up and written on it was Al-Qasr. D. Oasis. She ran over to Epona got on and rode as fast as she could, back to Sallah's house. When she arrived she had woken Sallah and Henry and told them everything.
"God, it's all my bloody fault. I shouldn't have gone out."
"Don't blame yourself", said Henry. "It's not your fault."
"We must find him and fast", said Sallah.
"But how?" asked Henry.
Selene showed them the scrap of paper that had fallen out of the kidnapper's jacket.
"That's the A-Qasr Dakhla Oasis", said Sallah.
"You know it?" asked Selene, hopefully.
"I have not been there, but I can find it."
She smiled.
"I think under the circumstances, were going to have to leave as soon as possible to get my son. It's time to forget about the stone," said Henry, desperately. "I don't think Indiana will be pleased, but at this moment we have no choice. We must leave now."
The others agreed.
"All right my friends. I will organize some provisions. We will need to take a train to the oasis and it is not going to be easy. Very dangerous. Selene, please do not think me rude, but would it be better for you to stay her with Fayah?"
"No, Sallah. I can't. Besides I'm a nurse, remember. Indy will probably need my help."
Sallah nodded. He understood.
"But of course."
"Oh, I hope he's going to be all right", said Selene, her voice full of concern.
