This adventure is just beginning...
“Use this!" shouted Indy. He tossed his revolver to Marion, while lassoing one of the masked henchmen around the neck with his whip. “It only has a few bullets left, make them count!”
Short-round seemed to fighting over a dozen of the thugs all at once in the far corner of the chamber. Roundhouse kicks, followed blocks, after chops and somersaults, as Shortie made quick work of his adversaries. But Indy could see he was hurt – his right arm had been sliced and was bleeding a lot through his white gi.
A shadow came across Indy’s face and he looked up to see a huge bear of a masked man standing over him. Indy tried to use his whip on the thug but the giant stamped on it and grabbed Indy by the throat, lifting him from the ground.
Three sudden sharp gunshots rang around the chamber and all that were in the stone cavern froze. The giant man dropped Indy to the floor and keeled over, slumping to the ground. Blood trickled from three places in his huge chest.
“You wasted all three remaining bullets on one man?!” gasped Indy as he rubbed his throat.
“Hey, Jones!” shouted Marion as she spun the revolver around and used it to club another thug over the head. “I just saved your life! Start sounding more grateful or this new partnership of ours is over before it even begins!”
Marion then quickly pulled out the hidden pistol from her stocking and finished off the rounds from that gun at more of the sect guards. Across the room, Shortie finished off the remaining thugs he was up against too.
Indy and Marion raced over to check on their friend.
“Oh, my Gods…” Marion said, looking at his wound.
“It’s just a scratch, right, Shortie?” laughed Indy.
Short Round grimaced but laughed through it. “Yes… I’ll survive, besides, I think there’s something here you’ve been looking for.”
Indy looked up to the altar and statue that seemed to be carved out of the cavern wall itself. In the space where the strange creature of the netherworld held its eyes sat two small gleaming statues of miniature dogs.
“Indy…” gasped Marion. “It’s the Lung Kou dragons.”
Indy climbed up the neck of the stone beast and grabbed the two statuettes. He sighed, “The Eye of Horus…”
“I cannot believe you did it, Indy.” Short Round.
“I know…” Indy’s eyes gleamed in the flickering torch light, but then he seemed to recover the looked of lust on his face. “And now I am returning them to their rightful owners.”
Shortie held out his hands and Dr Jones placed the statuettes into his.
“Just what the hell is going on, Jones?” growled Marion. “Is this what my father died for?!”
“Marion,… these are important artifacts for the Chinese people.” Said Indy, slowly. “And they belong in a museum. Besides, the fight against this sect isn’t over for us - we have more important work in Nepal, right?”
Marion sighed and nodded.
“Thank you both.” Shortie said, grunting as he struggled to his feet. “My uncle Wu Han would have been grateful, Indy.”
It wasn’t long until they found their way out of the myriad of caves and underground passageways, back to the forest road and the outskirts of the city. Shortie took the Dragon statuettes to his dojo and collected his car, to give Marion and Indy a lift to Peking Airport.
“No need for brake blocks these days, eh, Indy?!” quipped Shortie.
Indy smiled, reminiscing about days gone by but also thinking of the day before on top of the Great Wall. Marion sat cradled against him in the back seat, exhausted from the beginning of their adventure. It felt good to have her next to him again after all this time.
“Hey, by the way,” chuckled Shortie. “Have you ever heard how Willie is doing these days? I often wonder if she's still a big-time singer.”
Indy rolled his eyes and waited for the inevitable reaction…
“And just who’s Willie?!” Marion shrieked, taking Indy’s arm from around her. “An old
pal too, I suppose!”
“Aw, that’s ancient history, Marion.” Sighed Indy. “Besides, there’s other things on my mind right now, I promise.”
“Like what?” Marion smiled her mischievous smile once more, gazing into Indy’s eyes.
"Like, ever since you said we had to go back to Nepal, I can't get out of my head what the old Chinese potter whispered to me up on the Wall as he jumped off… "
"What was it, Indy? Tell me." Marion's voice changed to a tone of concern, but gave away a little disappointment as well.
"He said, ‘An everlasting flame will beckon you to a land of snow, but beware, for a cyclops awaits you there where your destiny will be fulfilled'"…
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