Indiana Jones and the Book
of the Palladium
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Disclaimer: I don't
own Indeh. Or Marcus. Or the Palladium, come to think of it.
A/N: Oh dear. It's getting quite boo-hooish, I know, but still, the point
was to deal with emotion. The next chapter'll be the challenge. Yes. Nerg.
--
Riiiiiiiing!
Sitting up tiredly, Indiana rubbed his eyes and got out of bed. Checking his watch – he hadn't bothered to take it off the night before – he noted the time; 12:05 PM. He'd overslept.
Riiiiiiiing!
What on earth was that noise? It wasn't the alarm clock; that was silent, resting unwound on his bedside. So it must be… the telephone!
Riiiiiiiing!
Hurriedly, Indiana got out of bed and headed towards the telephone, which was ringing rather angrily as the person on the other side waited impatiently for him to pick up, which he did just a few moments later.
"Hello?"
"Indy? It's about time; I've been waiting at least ten minutes. What have you been doing?"
Indiana sighed with some relief – it was only Hope. "I was asleep—" he began sheepishly, but was cut off as Hope continued, with a slight cough.
"Well, nevermind. I think I've got what you're looking for. Are you free this afternoon?"
"I think so… after three. I have a lunch appointment."
"Great. See you then."
Hope hung up, leaving a quite bewildered Indiana staring at the receiver.
Pretty
soon, he got over his confusion and entered the living room, to have a look at
the book he had picked up earlier. Sitting down at the table – already fully
dressed; he hadn't bothered to change the night before – he stared at the cover.
The book was leather-bound, the golden lettering on the cover almost entirely
faded away. He could still make out what it said, though: βιβλίο του Ελλάδα;
Book of Greece. It was quite a fat volume, containing quite a lot on Greek
mythology and folklore, and Indiana was certain there would be something about
the Palladium in it – his new obsession. After the previous night, he was quite
sure it was real – perhaps it didn't have the power to keep cities safe, but
nevertheless it would be a brilliant addition to the museum. Even if he wasn't
quite as interested in 'fortune and glory' as he had been back in '35, it was
still one of the things that he enjoyed about his work.
He spent the rest of the day with the book after phoning the college to tell
them he wouldn't be in that day.
--
'The Secret Room', as Indiana was inclined to call it, wasn't quite a secret. As Indiana and Hope had headed off to check out their books, the librarian, an old lady who had a lot of cats, had merely made a comment.
"Why," she chuckled, stamping a book entitled The Mysteries of the Trojan War, "I should show you that old room in the basement, with all the dusty books. You'd get a kick out of that, you would."
"What room?" Indiana and Hope had asked in unison, staring at the librarian in a quizzical manner.
"Oh, it was here before we moved in. It's filled with old books and maps and things. Shall I show you?"
"If it's not too much trouble," said Indiana, trying to conceal his growing excitement.
"Alright. Cathy, take over for me, would you? Come on, then," said the librarian, turning back to the two and leading them off to a secluded part of the old building. She stopped at a point halfway between a bookcase and the wall, pointing to one of the tiles that was considerably less chipped than the others.
"Down there," she said amiably, folding her arms. "You can go down, if you want. Take as long as you like. Just be sure to return the books when you're done. Holler if you need anything."
With that, the librarian turned and headed back to relieve Cathy of her post, leaving Indiana and Hope to their own devices. Indiana had managed to pry open the trap door from a crack in one of the corners. The ladder was already propped up beneath the opening, so Indiana climbed down first, followed by Hope. They were astounded by the volume of books inside the small room, and immediately went to work.
The rest, as they say, is history.
--
Eventually, three o'clock rolled around, and Indiana got ready for his lunch appointment with one of the founders of the museum and Marcus Brody. Needless to say, it was quite boring, and Indiana was glad when it was over and he could finally leave. He was quite intrigued to what Hope had found. Could this be it? Could it be the lead to finding the Palladium?
Walking down the street where Hope's temporary home was, Indiana could see a commotion up ahead. A mob of people were crowding around one of the smaller houses, making room for an ambulance parked there as well as some police cars and… hold on. Wasn't that Hope's house? Indiana broke into a run. Reaching the crowd, he began to push past people, not bothering to apologize, until he came to the front and watched, much to his horror, as a team of medics lifted a prone figure on a stretcher into the back of the ambulance.
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To Be Continued