Story Notes: This story is marching on quite nicely. I didn't mean for it to end up long but during the planning stages, it expanded when I started to write the outline. I enjoy this as it means the story is coming naturally from my mind and I'm not forcing it out. I like to let a story write itself as it means some add-in scenes make more sense.

Chapter Summary: Tintin wakes up to carnage but who is trying to steal from Indra and why?

Suggested Music

1. Liar Liar - Kamelot

2. The Fire Within - Within Temptation

3. Welcome to the Shadows - Avantasia

x

Tintin slowly pulled himself up in confusion, rubbing his neck as he slowly focused on the carnage surrounding him. The calm they had arrived to had been shattered by the sounds of screams and Snowy's incessant barking. His head pounded as his blurry vision started to clear.

I still feel normal.. obviously a sedative, not the madness poison.

He stood shakily and rushed to Indra, who lay on the staircase on his stomach. He shook him, trying his best to rouse him as the tang of smoke pushed against his lips and nose.

Blood from Indra's head wound dripped across his skin and onto the step.

"Indra? Indra, wake up!"

Tintin swung his head around to find a man hobbling around with Snowy clinging to his trousers and growling as much as he could manage, before being kicked to the side. Without a second thought, Tintin swung for the man, knocking him out cold with one punch.

"That's for hurting my dog!"

The guards ran everywhere chasing intruders in every direction. Tintin moved to follow them but paused as he caught an unknown man in one of the other rooms, searching through various items.

"Now what are you doing?"

He slunk as quietly as he could to the room, listening to his ramblings.

"Where is the blasted thing ..it. Aha. Gotcha,"

Tintin thundered into the room, knocking the man to the floor and grabbing the ornate green jewelled statue he'd been looking for. The man struggled onto his feet but his face remained covered, obscuring his face from the Journalist.

"You!" The man shouted, immediately tackling Tintin onto the floor, trying to get his hands on the priceless artefact.

Not rouges then... thieves.

How dare you take something that is not your own!

"Give me that!"

Tintin's ears pricked at the turn of phrase.

that voice... I know your voice!

Tintin kicked him backwards, propelling him into the wall as the other thieves began to withdraw. The man quickly glanced and followed suit, with Tintin not so behind but he had a head start and he disappeared into the undergrowth, conceding defeat.

Tintin glanced at the ornate marble statue.

What just happened? Why would someone want this?

X

RJ stormed into the building pushing his way through the men who dared attempt to stand in his path. His nostrils flared like a bull as Samir came into his line of sight.

"Why didn't you tell me he was here!" RJ bellowed, causing the walls to shake with each word. Samir stepped back slightly clearly unnerved.

"Who?" Samir stammered.

"That Reporter and that excuse for a Captain!" RJ Shouted, raising his fist at the thieving leader. "That reporter is supposed to be dead! I killed him myself with my bare hands. He's impossible to kill... why won't he just die!

RJ swung his hand across the table knocking everything onto the floor with a smash as his heaving chest rasped. He suddenly swung round, narrowing his eye's at Samir, who almost instantly avoided his gaze.

You have something... something I don't know about.

"What else do you have that I don't know about?" RJ hissed.

"Nothing to concern yourself with," Samir quickly reiterated.

I don't think so.

"Don't lie to me!" RJ Stormed over to him and pushed him against the wall. "I can smell it, deceit. You know something.."

"I don't .. have anything ..!"

RJ smirked, feeling his gun in his pocket. Within seconds he pulled his gun, stabbing the trigger with his finger. Samir's right-hand man fell to the floor with a scream, grasping his arm as blood immediately flooded across his skin.

"What are you doing?" Samir shouted, glancing at his friend and back to RJ.

RJ surged forward pressing the end of the gun to the man's squirming head.

"The next will be in his head if you don't tell me.." RJ growled. As the silence continued he started to apply pressure to the trigger,

"We have an inside man," Samir exclaimed quickly, briefly casting his glance to the floor. RJ chuckled.

"There you go," RJ teased, "that wasn't so hard was it,"

RJ pulled the trigger, emptying the chamber into the man's head. As the man stilled on the floor, the men moved back. Samir staggered slightly backwards, unable to retain his footing as he stared at his friend lying dead on the floor.

"If I find out you're hiding anything else, the next bullet will be in your head,"

X

Tintin and Snowy walked back to where they had been talking to Indra and the Secretary, Dinesh, called him over. He was kneeling next to one of the robbers, who was lying across the ground, motionless.

"What happened?" Tintin asked.

"Fell off the roof during the attack. The fall killed him, but there's something else," Dinesh pulled up the man's sleeve, revealing a circular tattoo with a wavy line and a dot inside the circle. Tintin involuntarily flinched at the sight of the symbol, for he hadn't seen it for a long time.

Kih Oskh... that's impossible.

"Great snakes.." Tintin's eyes widened as he recalled the events from his last encounter in India. "I haven't seen that symbol in a long time,"

"Where's Indra?" Tintin asked.

He needs to know if this is linked to Kih Oskh, especially after what happened last time.

"Follow me,"

Dinesh escorted Tintin to a second terrace where a doctor was examining him. His face was covered with several cuts and bruises. The moment he walked in Indra insisted that Tintin be checked over by the doctor as well. After a short argument, he relented. As the doctor did so they started to talk.

"Are you okay?"

"Just cuts and bruises I'll be fine," Indra replied. "Are you okay... I could swear.. the Dart that hit your neck.."

Tintin shivered at the thought that it could have been the madness poison.

"Whatever it was just knocked me unconscious.." Tintin concluded as Haddock appeared, placing his hand on his shoulder. "I thought for a moment I was about to go mad.."

"They're all gone, whoever they are. What's that?" Haddock asked, motioning to the statue sitting next to Tintin.

"Someone walked into the gallery room and tried to steal it,"

"Who?" Indra asked.

"I didn't see his face. it was covered. His voice" Tintin paused as the voice continued to echo within his head. He couldn't work it out. " ... I'm not sure. I'm not even sure what it is.."

"It's one of the objects recovered from the Kih Oskh stash," Dinesh stated. "We're already sent half back to where they belong. It's worth a lot of money, oddly that's the next statue on the list to be sent away,"

"Maybe that's why the guy wanted it .. Money.." Haddock added.

"Then there's the other mystery, if you didn't send the telegram, who did?"

"Blistering you don't think one of the thieves did?" Haddock questioned. Tintin shrugged until Dinesh stepped forward with a resolute answer.

"No.."

"Why not?" Haddock snapped

"Because I did... I sent the telegram,"

Indra sprang to his feet and joined the group standing next to Tintin.

"Dinesh? Why did you do that?"

"Sire, these robbers have been raiding palaces for months, things have been disappearing from the palace. I was concerned about the items we were planning to send back to where they belonged. I thought they could be at risk. We needed help and Ravi wouldn't listen. One of the other maharajas was badly hurt in the process. I didn't want to risk it,"

Indra's features softened as Dinesh spoke. His anger faded as quickly as it appeared.

"And you thought of Tintin.." Indra exclaimed with a smile.

"In my opinion, Tintin would be the only option... You trust him, sire. I understand the consequences of my actions..."

"Forgotten... you have done well,"

"Thank you.."

Tintin managed a proud smile, but it didn't last.

"There may be another problem though, Indra," Tintin interjected.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not suggesting this lightly, but I think there could be a link to Kih Oskh,"

"Tintin, that's impossible.. they were all arrested,"

Tintin wondered if some had escaped or left before he found the hideout next to the palace. It's not completely impossible, Tintin thought.

"Some could have gotten away.. the man who died.. he had the symbol on his arm,"

"It can't be. "

Tintin didn't want to believe it either but they couldn't just ignore it. The last time he'd been in India they tried to poison Indra with the madness poison, after doing the same to his father and brother. They'd been fighting the opium trade for years and they were targeted. After Tintin found the hideout they thought everything was over, evidently not.

"What's this Kih Oskh," Haddock asked, completely oblivious to the problem.

"They were a group of Drug smugglers operating in the country," Tintin explained. "We caught them, the operation was over. I can't understand why this has happened. If it's back up and running we could be in big trouble,"

"This is more complicated than I thought," Dinesh exclaimed. "I'm pleased your here Mr Tintin,"