Chapter 2: The Writings on the Stone.

"Indy, I don't like the looks of this…" Marcus Brody said in the small cafeteria section of the university. He sipped his coffee (Double milk, no sugar as he always took it.) "You know what the Nazis are like. They don't like being denied, and like the big babies they are, they usually get what they want."

"Oh come on, Marcus," Indy said as he sipped his Dr. Pepper to compensate with the heat. "You know the Nazis don't scare me. I'm usually carrying a gun, so you don't need to worry,"

"I'm not particularly concerned with the Nazis," Marcus said. "Mind you, they are a big pain in the behind, but Stonehenge has been a mystery to archaeologists for centuries. I'm a little uneasy about this. What makes you think you might be able to uncover the secret?"

"Trust me," Indy said, smiling. "I found the Ark didn't I?"

"That's true," Marcus replied, somewhat defeated. "I can't imagine what the Well of Souls was like…"

"Oh, that was nothing," Indy said. "You should have seen the chore it was to try and get Marion to play along with that little crusade." He rubbed his chin where she had slugged him.

"Oh, go on, Indy." Marcus said. "It's just routine graduation that's going to be around here anyway,"

Indy finished the Dr. Pepper and threw the glass bottle into the garbage can. "So long, Marcus. Tell Mom I died game."

He took his brown fedora from a hanger on the wall, put it on and left for home.

…

When he got to the little place he had rented, he found a small package on the ground that had come through the mail slot.

He put it on the table and opened it, loosening the bow tie he usually wore. A small note was inside. It read "A little bed side reading. Love from Kendra"

Indy grinned. She was an attractive girl, and probably with a good head on her shoulders. He put the note aside and looked at what she had sent him. Some background on the Stonehenge, folklore and reports on the Nazi movements.

Indy put this in a small leather briefcase he would take with him on the plane. He got out his larger suitcase into which he packed his standard white shirt, brown pants with the two belt he used, one with a square brass buckle and the other one, which was just a plain leather one. He also stored his leather jacket inside as well as his twelve-foot bullwhip and a holster containing a shiny new Smith & Wesson model 15.

He got a few more odds and ends together, zipped up the suitcase and called for a taxi to take him off to the airport.

The plane was rather small, like all he had travelled on, but it would do. He reserved a quiet seat for himself, pulled the brim of his fedora down over his eyes and went to sleep over the flight. (Note: This is the part in the movies that always shows where Indy is by the moving red line.)

The plane pulled into the Glasgow airport at nine at night. Indy checked into a small hotel that was out of the way and started to read whatever Kendra had left him. He'd get out to the site tomorrow.

…

Indy always made a habit of getting up bright and early every day he was on the job. He had no intention of wasting the morning when the sunrises were the most beautiful and promoting his work, the dew keeping the bugs away and the air slightly cool. Today was no exception as he found that Kendra had already rented him a jeep. He paid the man who ha delivered it and set out to the site.

It was a large site that was set up around Stonehenge. Most of it was tents with men inside taking readings and slaving over maps and specific pieces of folklore.

One of the people inside looked up when he entered the tent. "Indiana!" Kendra McFarland called and came over. "Welcome to Stonehenge!"

"Gee, thanks," Indy was kind of alarmed by her exuberance, but it was rather nice to see her. "What do you guys have so far?"

"My, you don't beat around the bush, do you?" Kendra laughed. It was a sort of giggle, but Indy looked past it. "We don't have very much. All we can get out of the druids around here is that something is supposed to happen tonight?"

"What's so special about tonight?" Indy asked.

"We don't know." Kendra said. "All we really know is that they think our investigations are a joke."

"Then why aren't we laughing?" Indy asked.

"Indy," Kendra began. "Suppose they are keeping something secret from us that's extremely dangerous? Something as dangerous as this theoretical nuclear fission these scientists are talking about?"

"And the druids are keeping hush-hush about it for reasons that might concern the Nazis?" Indy suggested, going along with what Kendra might be onto.

"Exactly!" Kendra said, excitedly.

"Well, it's an amusing theory, but not what I came out here for." Indy said.

"You don't honestly think that I dragged you out here by that hat of yours just to relieve your boredom?" Kendra put her hands on her hips. "Take a look at this. The druids have kept these for generations."

She showed him a variety of art works, depicting various strange events going on around the place they were now. It was all rough, and not very well done, but it caught Indy's attention. "Someone made a mistake, these works look like they were done recently, maybe in the last two or three years."

"There's no mistake." Kendra said. "We dated them. They're over four thousand years old. There's one constant in all of them, though."

"What's that?" Indy said, looking up from the works.

"They all show the full moon. That must have something to do with it." Kendra said. "The first phase of the moon's cycle is tonight."

Indy looked up. "What do you have so far?" He asked.

Kendra looked slightly embarrassed. "Pretty much nothing." She said. "But I think that something might happen tonight, seeing as the moon is acting up."

"How do you know?" Indy asked, folding his arms.

"Just a gut feeling, my dear Dr. Jones." Kendra said. "You do believe me don't you?"

"I've been around long enough to believe in just about anything." Indy said. "Even in nuts like you. We'll wait and see then."

…

Night had fallen, when Indy was out for a walk. He looked up into the night sky. Cloudy, with a slight breeze blowing the clouds over. What was he doing out here? Waiting for some moon to come over and do what?

He started back to his tent, which ran rather close to the site. Then, the clouds blew away and the moon shone down on the site.

A light caught Indy's eye. Something had appeared on the stone slab nearest to him. "Kendra!" He called.

Kendra McFarland came running out still in her night clothing, her dark hair all over the place and her eyes half closed. "What is it?" She said, pulling on a robe.

"Get some of the rubbing paper I have in my satchel." He said. "And a piece of charcoal. I don't know what the hell's going on. Hurry!"

Kendra ran off, got what Indy asked for and handed it to him. Indy set to work rubbing the new engraving that had appeared on the stone, finishing just as the clouds rolled back over. Indy took the paper back to his tent, Kendra right behind him.

"What is it, Indy?" She asked, brushing a stray bit of hair away from her face.

"I don't know, but I think we might be able to find out." Indy said, laying out the fresh rubbing. "It's all in a form of old Celtic. I can make out a bit of the roots in other languages, but I can't read it."

"I might be able to," Kendra said. "But first, I need some coffee. You?"

"Sure, black." Indy said, fixing up a small lantern and took off his fedora, leaving it on the side of the bed. Kendra was back in a moment, entering the tent taking a large swig from her cup. "Here," she handed Indy his, and he took a long drink. The rush of caffeine gave him a rush and got him more focused against the rising fatigue that had been creeping up on him.

"OK, let's see," Kendra said. She put on a set of glasses and looked down at the rubbing. Indy saw just how much of a cutie she was. He always had been attracted to a woman in glasses…

"All right, now it makes sense," She said and read to him. "Make welcome, traveller. Know that it was the high druid Baran in heed of the writing that the Overlord made appear to him who built the great temple. However, lacking in understanding, the high one had destroyed the work, but a band of trusted disciples have fled to the far corners of the earth, the vital parts of the gateway to the temple going with them. If thou are to tread along the path of knowledge, look to the east. Fikel it is who flees to the mountains of heaven, where the sanctuary of Shangri-La holds a terrible secret."

"I think I get it," Indy said. "Some fella named Baran, the high druid here maybe thousands of years ago built some temple, and a gateway to it. A few disciples ran away with the parts for the gateway when Baran smashed the thing. One of them probably went off to these heavenly mountains they're talking about."

"Well, I don't know where to start." Kendra said, taking off her glasses. "Who knows where these mountains of heaven are?"

"I might have an idea." Indy said. "You have a map on you?"

"Name your country," Kendra said as she dug in her bag.

"Central Asia," Indy said. Kendra found it and tossed it to him. Indy caught it and took off the elastic. "Ah ha!" He said, clapping his knee. "I thought so!"

"What?" Kendra asked.

"Here," Indy pointed to near the Chinese border. "This mountain range, the Tian Shan. It borders China and Kazakhstan. Translated, the name is "Heavenly Mountains"."

"Kazakhstan?" Kendra looked worried. "The Russians own that area of the world, and they haven't been too impressed with the Americans, and I don't think that an American archaeologist would help matters much."

"Well maybe I won't show the border guards my passport," Indy said. "I'll be off tomorrow to find out about this 'Shangri-La'."

"I'm sure I'll enjoy travelling with you," Kendra said.

"Hang on," Indy said. "I'm not looking for a partner. This could be dangerous."

"Who said anything about partners?" Kendra said, challenging him. "There might be more of this text that you might need to read, and I'm not too sure if you could cram in everything,"

Indy thought for a moment. What she said was right. But he always worked alone. A girl like her was more of a distraction than an aid. But, he couldn't read what was one here so…

"All right," he said. "You'll come with me, but only as an interpreter."

"All right," Kendra pouted. She stuck her tongue out at him as he left the tent. Indy smiled. It would be nice to have a little company on this trip…

End of Chapter.

Ok, maybe it sucked, but please review anyway!