Deadlock said:
I love all the little details. Kudos for working Weber in.
This should be compiled and posted as part of the fan fiction area of TheRaider.net, when it's finished.
Thanks Deadlock, look for my Last Crusade Tie-in in Chapter 5. I'm glad to hear that you like the details because one thing I've been stressing is the decision to skimp on detail in the early parts due to all the dialogue required to support the plotlines and introduce the characters. I assumed readers have some familarity with Hawaii and Pearl Harbor, so I really went light on the detail. Now that I'm on less familiar ground like Midway, I have to spend more time on set-up. One detail that I forgot to add is that the Clipper would have been fumigated on its way into Midway. I meant to add that detail to increase the misery factor of those onboard.
Another portion of Chapter 4:
As if on cue, a porter opened the rear hatch and hoisted a suitcase into the wagon. Gwen turned and rested her chin on the back of the front seat. She smiled when Indiana Jones gave her a wink.
?Is there any chance I misjudged you Mr. Jones,? said Nina as she brushed back a strand of wet hair.
?Never be quick to judge,? responded Indiana Jones.
?Amen to that,? said Lake.
Gwen looked back out of the open wagon. ?No one is looking too happy back in the second car.?
Everyone turned and looked back. Madam Sinn and her party sat in the rear seat ? except for one of her bodyguards who stood further back on the pier in the driving rain watching Sinn?s trunks being off-loaded. Flanked by her companions, Sinn had a distant, far-away look. In the front, Reverend Andrews sat on the passenger looking glum. Lastly, perched in the middle of the front seat sat an agitated sour-faced Richter.
Under his breadth but in a perfect imitation of Richter?s accent Lake said, ?What? Why is everyone looking at me??
Everyone laughed, and the conversation turned to Midway, its facilities and ubiquitous population of albatrosses that further complicated all travel on the island. The Woodies left the pier and headed past the airfield that occupied the majority of the island?s surface. Grieves pointed to a compound sheltered by a thicket of ironwood. ?That?s the Commercial Cable Company station ? at my last count there were fourteen men stationed there.?
?That?s a pretty big crew for such a small island,? said Nora.
?Correct," said Grieves. "But there?s a number of trans-pacific cables that run through Midway. It may not look like much, but Midway?s a true crossroad of the modern world.?
?And if the Orient continues on its present course, there will be need for far more men. . . .? mused Lake.
The car traveled past the one-story frame buildings that housed the Navy and Marine force on the Island and came to the Pan American system hotel. A small struggling lawn somehow sustained itself around the raised one-story V-shaped structure. At the juncture of the two wings, a large, square core room was fronted with a four-column wood portico ? an ornament presumably intended to set the hotel apart from all the Spartan structures on the thinly populated Island. Grieves climbed out of the car and helped Gwen out. ?Everyone go check-in, but do not tarry in your rooms ? dinner is being served.?
Thankful to be off the plane and soothed by the sound of the Pacific surf pounding the reefs beyond the lagoon, Indiana found that he had an appetite. In his room he quickly washed his face and changed his shirt. Out in the hall, he headed toward the sound of the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Grieves stood at the entrance to the dining room. ?Strange news in the wires out of Honolulu.?
?What?s up,? said Indiana Jones.
?The parents of one of the slain kidnappers stepped forward to claim the body -- not only are the parents one of the wealthiest Chinese families in the U.S., but it turns out the boy was actually related to Madam Sinn.?
?Related??
Grieves shook his head. ?Second-cousins or something like that.?
Indy nodded, trying to make sense of it. ?Earlier, you said there were three bodies recovered ? I know there was the guy that got plugged in the grove and the one that got speared in the harbor ? but I figured the guy I left in the harbor was fished out by the police
?The police never found anyone in the harbor. Madam?s Sinn?s bodyguards caught the kidnappers as they cast off from Ford Island. They shot a kidnapper there and the body was found on the pier.?
?Madam Sinn sure has some serious bodyguards,? said Indiana.
?What do you mean?? asked Grieves.
?In the grove when one of kidnappers tried to shoot us down, Sinn?s bodyguards actually closed ranks with me, like a charge.?
?Ex-soldiers??
?Without a doubt,? answered Indiana. ?And here I thought movie-stars only traveled with agents and publicists.?
?Well, her one companion ? Mr. Yang ? is her agent.?
Indy chuckled. ?Some agent.?
?Indeed. Thankfully Sinn will be safe from here on out -- all of our remaining stops are secure military sites.?
Indiana shook his head. ?But a kidnapping in Hawaii by a relative doesn?t make sense . . . .?
Grieves shrugged. ?If there?s one thing my time overseas has taught me is that things are done differently in the Orient. Madam Sinn comes from a wealthy family ? the kidnapping may have been some attempt to settle a family matter, or the plan could have been to smuggle her out of Hawaii on some tramp freighter and then hold her for ransom ? such things are not unheard of in China.?
?That?s all a bit far-fetched. . . . . ?
?. . . but it?s the best I can do standing here tonight,? said Grieves. ?Enjoy your dinner Dr. Jones.?
Indiana headed into the dining room. It was furnished with modern chromium chairs and Formica tables. The Glenn Miller came from a record player in one corner. The room was filled with passengers from the east-bound China Clipper and officers from the air crews. Lake, who was seated with Nora and Reverand Andrews, gestured for Indiana Jones to join their table.
?So Mr. Jones,? asked Nora. ?Do you have any tales of wanton promiscuity for us here tonight on Sand Island??
?No,? said Indy as he took his seat. ?it seems that the only story tonight is the food.?