Red Line: Destination Nepal

Paden

Member
Excellent work, Joe. I must admit, I like Grieves much better as an out-and-out villain. That way there's no reason to temper one's dislike of him. :) Frankly, for me personally, Nora is one of the most interesting characters in the story thus far, although I still find myself second-guessing her motives. Perhaps it's my noir-soaked thinking, but I can't help but see her as a perfect femme fatale.

Another note, something I don't think I've mentioned before. Your characterization of Jones himself is dead on. From the depiction of his attitudes, his dialogue, and the way his strengths and weaknesses play into the story, you've done a great job with the character. You've stayed very true to the adventurer from Raiders.
 

roundshort

Active member
After rewatching all of Indys speeking parts, he is much chattier than I thought. At his meeting he actually talks too much, Joe I think the original issue i had with how much verbage Indy woudl really use was wrong, I think you really have it, well lets get it on!
 

Joe Brody

Well-known member
[Start of] Chapter 11

Indiana released the lock and sprang up through the hatch. Brilliant light and hard winds washed over him. In the instant it took to train his pistol toward the pilot’s windscreen, his senses abandoned him. He dug his heels hard against the mailbags and pressed back on the nose of the plane, frantically blinking to salvage his vision and equilibrium. All he felt was the wind against his neck freakishly pressing his grey fedora to his head. He blinked again and focused on the Flight Deck. No one was at the controls.

“Oh Lord.”

He squinted – vainly looking through the windscreen for some sign of Yang. Then a bullet and a second cracked through the glass leaving small spider-webs of cracks across the pane. Indy crouched low with his gun arm extended full forward on the plane’s fuselage. Hoping to send as much glass as possible flying through the cabin, he sent round after round blindly at all parts of the windscreen. At the first empty click, Indy ducked down and traded guns with Nora.

“Reload me.” Indiana grunted. He dumped out a handful of bullets from his pocket and sprang back up. Without hesitating he fired through the glassless windscreens toward the rear of the Flight deck. As he ducked down again, he perceived a flash of light erupt from the throne room. Indiana grinned at Nora as he took back his gun. “We’re in business.”

With a deep breath Indiana again launched himself up. Inside he could see Yang’s henchman emerge from the radioman’s station in an attempt to fire into the Throne room. Grinning still, Indy shot into the back of the clear target. Indy’s eyes went wide and his grin vanished as the henchmen, hit by at least one round, clutched at his spine and staggered back toward the pilot’s chair. The mortally wounded man stumbled over the low pilot’s chair and fell on the controls, sending the plane steeply down. The wind shifted, and Indy’s fedora flew from his head, lost to the sea below.

Inside Yang refused to abandon his refuge in the Navigator's seat to take the controls – and nothing moved up in the Throne room. For an interminable instant, there was only deadlock and a quickening descent. Desperate, Indy climbed up onto the plane’s fuselage in an attempt to climb to the Flight Deck. With his cheek pressed close on the plane’s cold metal skin he thought he heard pops of gunfire through the screaming wind. He threw his right hand up and clutched the frame of the windscreen, sickened by the sensation that he was dangling in space and the inevitability of the ocean below. Ignoring the shards of glass that cut his outer hand, he pulled himself up through the portal. Halfway through and straining, Indiana looked up just in time to see Yang lunging toward him – with Grieves stumbling forward at Yang’s side.

With his free hand Indy grabbed out and twisted Yang’s left arm down. Aided by the pitched floor, Indiana succeeded in driving Yang’s chin down hard onto the controls. Indy then grabbed Yang’s jacket and scrambled over the agent’s back to tumble forward into the cabin.

On his back, Indy looked up to see Grieves – his face as red a beet – at the controls, straining with every ounce of strength to arrest the plane’s dive.

Yang fell on Indy but he managed to kick Yang aside. Indy then swung on top the Japanese agent and pummeled the man into unconsciousness.

Indiana climbed to his feet and leaned on the back of the Second Pilot’s chair. He looked to Grieves who was anxiously scanning the horizon. Gasping, Indiana said, “Turn us around and get us to Manila.”

“I’m afraid that’s impossible.”

Indy pulled back as Nora climbed into the cabin. “What do you mean ‘impossible’?”

Grieves tapped the fuel gauge where the needle rested on ‘Empty.’ “It seems Yang dumped nearly all our fuel. We have to land.”

For the first time, Indiana registered Grieves steadily banking the plane to starboard. Indy looked up and over the Director’s shoulder. Far out on the horizon a large steamer made its way toward the Clipper. Furious, Indiana said “Yang never intended to fly to Tokyo.”

Grieves guided the plane lower. “So it would seem – landing a Clipper anywhere in Japan would create a sensation. A sensation that doubtlessly would tip off Yank agents.”

Red faced, Indiana pointed at Grieves. “Just land this plane . . . . but I’m warning you now, if you try anything cute. . . .”

Indiana pulled back and turned to follow Nora up into the Throne Room. She stopped short and clutched at Indiana. “Bob’s dead.”

[Short section -- but I'm really busy these days. Just trying to get to the end of Part 1.]
 

Paden

Member
A short section perhaps, but full of very strong material. Descriptions like this:
Joe Brody said:
With his cheek pressed close on the plane?s cold metal skin he thought he heard pops of gunfire through the screaming wind. He threw his right hand up and clutched the frame of the windscreen, sickened by the sensation that he was dangling in space and the inevitability of the ocean below.
really ratchet up the suspense (not to mention capture the terrible vertigo that would be part of such a situation). Thanks for your continued work on this, Joe. It's really appreciated.
 

Joe Brody

Well-known member
Paden on 10/17 said:
You've stayed very true to the adventurer from Raiders.

Query whether having Indy shoot someone in the back is starting to go over the line. [Leaving Indy grinning as he shoots the guy reveals my sentiments.]

Paden said:
A short section perhaps, but full of very strong material.

Thanks - I have my doubts though -- [Jokingly] after I rap up the one chapter post-script to Part I, I think I should enter one of those bad-Hemingway knockoff contests.
 

Paden

Member
Joe Brody said:
Query whether having Indy shoot someone in the back is starting to go over the line. [Leaving Indy grinning as he shoots the guy reveals my sentiments.]
That is something of a complex question, but within the realm of my own personal understanding of the character I'd say it's possible. But I think it hinges on the circumstances surrounding the incident, as well as the particular individual that Indy sends to their reward. We know from the Barranca incident that Jones isn't bloodthirsty. As noted earlier in this thread, Jones shows Barranca mercy after a fashion, only moving to disarm him, rather than pursuing more lethal actions. But I'd argue that Indy's actions were motivated, at least in part, by his estimation of the threat Barranca presented. Jones rightly sized up his "partner" as a coward, who sought to strike him from behind and ran in the face of superior skill and force. Barranca presented a momentary danger, but not an ongoing one. In other words, Jones doesn't kill unless he perceives that he has to, and Barranca didn't pose the kind of threat that would make such an course of action, for Jones, a necessity.

But, if Indiana recognized that an enemy meant him deadly harm and believed said antagonist was both willing and capable of fulfilling such deadly intent, I don't know that Jones would see striking first, even from a position of complete advantage, as unjustified. To speculate a bit further, I'm not sure that Jones would object to such an action against someone that he viewed as genuinely evil. Although both grief and rage play into his impulsive actions in the Cairo tavern in Raiders, I can't help but wonder if part of the reason Jones was willing to dispatch Belloq was because he recognized just how ruthless his competitor had become, and how willing Belloq was to destroy whatever came between him and the prize. I guess what I'm driving at is, were it the right enemy, I could see Indy doing what you describe and even experiencing a certain grim satisfaction in the process. But I think it would have to be a particular kind of antagonist. Not a Barranca.

Just out of curiosity, does this mean we should expect a turn into noir territory in part two?
 

roundshort

Active member
Joe, I don't think Indy would shot anyone in the back, no matter what. In all three movies he faces his foes in open combat. In LC, he does rip soem nazis pretty harshly, but Indy is not a cold blood killer. I have always thought Indy followed a certain Cowboy code, and no hero would ever shot anyone in the back, I think he would always give them a chance.
 

Joe Brody

Well-known member
End of Chapter 11

Indiana looked up to the throne room where the dead chief engineer sat with Andrew?s limp body draped over one shoulder. In a seeming gesture of futility, Andrews?s gun arm still pointed out with the dead open hand barely holding the .45. Nora stepped up, took the pistol and rummaged for several extra clips. ?You?re going to need these.? She offered the gun and clips to Indy. ?I?ll raise Manila on the radio while we?re still airborne.?

Indiana tucked the weapon in his belt and stopped just as he started to slide down the ladder step railings. He pointed at Grieves and said, ?You ? once we land dump as many bodies as you can into the sea. We need to lighten our load in case we have to move. You can start with your buddy Yang.?

In the Galley Indy shrugged past a dazed Lucien Lake and began rummaging through the cabinets, throwing open doors and knocking through the stores. When he came across the liquor he started to rifle through the bottles.

?And here I thought Lake was the only passenger likely to raid my liquor,? said a weak Andy Solemn from his seat in the Lounge.

Indy grinned as he inspected the bottles. ?Don?t worry, my needs are very specific.?

?I?m guessing that you need more than liquor.?

Indiana stopped searching and turned to look at the wounded porter. The still deathly pale old man pointed at the cabinet at Indy?s feet. ?Look there.?

Indiana crouched down, opened the door and pushed aside a stack of table clothes. He pulled out a battered canvas backpack. Confused, Indy said, ?My pack.?

?No. That?s my pack,? chuckled Solemn. ?I made it myself on the Golden State. Go on, look inside.?

Indy lifted the flap and found a waterproof bag filled with heavy, waxen sticks of dynamite and thick fuses. Indy grinned, ?So it was you that stole the explosives.?

Solemn beamed, ?We flew the dynamite into Wake on the Clipper?s first flight ? the whole time we were in the air all I could think of was what a way to start a new job. After you said that we might not make it to Manila, I figured you had fixed on someone coming after the Clipper. So I got enough to blow the plane.?

Indiana hefted the bag and laughed. ?Four times, at least.?

?I had no problem helping myself from the storage shed and getting it aboard ? since I was onboard before the stuff was found missing no one thought to search my kit. . . .?

?Listen,? said Indiana cutting off the Steward. ?We may get shot up pretty bad. You have to be moved forward.?

Indiana went into the cargo hold and feverishly re-arranged the heavy mailbags. Indiana then carried the wounded steward to the middle of a tight horseshoe shaped space that he had created among the canvas bags. ?Not exactly a bunker ? but it?s the best I can do,? said Indy. ?You?ve got at least six feet of protection.?

Indiana then retrieved the drugged Madam Sinn. As he made his way forward, he was struck by her stillness. She had strong, broad shoulders, perfect skin and a regal profile. Indiana thought of her baby and how the child?s abduction had paralyzed this formidable, near legendary starlet. Moments later, as Indiana placed a sleeping Gwen Grieves in Solemn?s care, he braced himself against the mailbags. The plane skimmed the water and came to a stop. At a portal Indiana saw three skiffs from the unflagged freighter rowing hard toward the Clipper. Indy shouted for everyone to get to the Cargo Hold. Stopping only to grab Solemn?s pack, Indy headed for the starboard hatch and stepped out onto the sea wing.

Each of the skiffs was manned by at least eight men dressed in the rag-tag irregular dress of poor merchant sailors. This thin subterfuge was betrayed however by the sailors? telltale hard sustained rowing ? a result achieved only through military discipline. When the boats closed to forty yards, Indiana lit the fuse to a stick of dynamite. He cooked it for a second and then heaved the stick hard at the nearest target. It landed square in the boat and gave off a tremendous explosion. Bodies and splinters erupted across the water. Without command, several sailors on the other two crafts gave up their oars for rifles. As they opened fire Indiana ? standing upright in the line of fire -- lit another fuse and hurled the stick. The charge missed the boats and detonated in the water.

The boats continued to close. As Indy lit another fuse, Nora came out on to the sea wing. She immediately raised her gun ? though her targets were well outside the effective range of her weapon ? and fired toward the attackers as she walked determinedly to the edge of the sea wing to stand next to Indiana. Nonplussed by the few sailors firing rifles from the bobbing boats, Indy said, ?We?re in luck. They weren?t expecting much of a fight.?

?I got through to Manila,? said Nora. ?They were already looking for us after we missed our last radio check. Planes should be here within the hour.?

As Nora reloaded and Indy threw another stick toward the second craft, the first damaged boat ? with its three unmolested survivors -- gained the sea wing. While a fatal explosion erupted on the second craft, the three attackers screamed and leapt toward Indy. Indiana quickly slung the pack up on his right shoulder and raised his gun toward his assailants. Sidestepping his first attacker, Indy shot the second man point blank in the abdomen. Indy then punched the third in the face as Nora shot the first attacker in the back as the man lunged toward Indy. Leaving the third man to Nora, Indy shrugged the pack off his shoulder and pulled out another stick of dynamite.

Slowed by the damaged but still floating hulls of the first two boats, the last skiff was forced to slow and maneuver so the sailors could gain the wing. Indy took full advantage of the delay and lobbed another stick into the boat. Another fantastic explosion sent bodies flying. Stone faced, Indy and Nora together dispatched the remaining able sailors who refused to surrender.

?The freighter was only transport,? said Indiana as he looked up at the huge gantry on the mid-deck of the freighter where four or five men scrambled about. ?Unarmed and without much of a crew, I don?t think that she is much of a threat . . .?

Nora had turned away from the freighter. ?Well what about that??

Indy looked to where Nora pointed. Five hundred yards from the nose of the Clipper a submarine had surfaced. On deck, men scrambled to ready the deck gun.

Indiana turned to Nora, ?I bet that?s the same sub that retrieved Yang?s photos of Pearl Harbor. I need to get over there.?

?I?ll get Grieves.?

Nora nodded and ducked back into the plane. After a moment, the Clipper?s engines choked alive, and the plane began to move across the water. The Clipper turned toward the submarine. Clutching a wing strut, Indiana shouldered the pack backwards ? with the pack tight against his chest ? and braced himself as the plane picked up speed. As the Clipper cut toward the sub, sailor?s scrambled on the deck of the sub and several opened fire with small arms. When the plane passed the sub, Indiana crossed his arms over the pack and stepped off the sea wing into the rushing water.

As the Clipper continued on, the Japanese sailors ran the length of the submarine deck, firing at the plane as they ran. Indiana surfaced next to the rear of the sub. He reached into the pack and pulled Andrew?s .45 from the waterproof bag. He placed it up on the deck and then he readied a charge which he dropped into a ballast intake. He jumped up on deck and ran toward the conning tower. Seconds later an explosion knocked Indy to the deck. The sailors at the nose turned and came running back toward Indiana. Indy stood and opened fire ? causing the sailors to stop and use the deck gun for cover. Shielding himself behind the tower, Indy readied two charges; dropping the first into a ballast intake and lobbing the second up onto the tower. As the explosions rocked the sub, Indy reloaded his gun and lit yet another stick of dynamite. He glimpsed around the tower, took a deep breath and ran around the corner toward the nose screaming, ?Arrrrghhhhhh!?

As Indy charged, he opened fire. Panicked the sailors looked at each other and jumped into the sea. Indy stopped and dropped the last stick into yet another ballast intake and dove off the far side of the submarine. As Indy swam toward the rear of the sub, the Clipper came roaring back to the sub. Indiana pulled up next to the rudder and wedged his last stick of dynamite in the rudder. He lit it and turned to swim to the Clipper. Swimming hard, he went under when the last charge exploded. He surfaced and then continued on to the Clipper. Grinning broadly, Indiana pulled himself back on to the sea wing.

Concerned, Nora said ?You couldn?t sink the sub??

Indiana shook water from his arms and paused before he entered the Clipper. ?I damaged the starboard ballast tanks. The sub can?t submerge now ? and I?m pretty sure I damaged the rudder with that last charge. We just have to tell whoever picks us up they have two easy targets.?

?I?ll have Greives burn whatever fumes this plane has left so that we can put some distance between us and our friends.?

Overhead, Marine planes equipped with torpedoes took a low pass and dipped their wings in salute as Indy waived to the pilots. ?Good idea. The further the better.?
 

Joe Brody

Well-known member
End of Part I
[Please note that I rewrote part of the last section]


As the Clipper continued on, the Japanese sailors ran the length of the submarine deck, firing at the plane as they ran. Indiana surfaced next to the rear of the sub. He reached into the pack and pulled Andrew?s .45 from the waterproof bag. He placed it up on the deck and then he readied a charge which he dropped into a ballast intake. He jumped up on deck and ran toward the conning tower. Seconds later an explosion knocked Indy to the deck. The sailors at the nose turned and came running back toward the intruder. Indy stood and opened fire ? causing the sailors to stop and duck behind the deck gun for cover. Shielding himself behind the tower, Indy readied two charges. As he fumbled at his task, bullets from the sailor?s guns sparked and ricocheted around him. He looked up to the Clipper ? which Grieves had brought well behind the submarine, out of range of the submarine?s deck gun. Nora stood on one of the sea wings ? pointing up at the sky over Indy?s shoulder. Indy waived her off ? he had every intention to blast the scopes and intakes at the top of the conning tower. Indy dropped his first lit charge into a ballast intake and lobbed the second up onto the tower. As the explosions rocked the sub, Indy reloaded his gun and lit yet another stick of dynamite. He glimpsed around the tower at the sailors crouching behind the deck gun, took a deep breath and charged around the corner screaming, ?Arrrrghhhhhh!?

As Indy charged, he opened fire. Panicked the sailors looked at each other and jumped into the sea. Indy pulled up -- something wasn?t right. He jerked around and looked over his shoulder as a high-pitched whirring sound filled the air. Eyes wide, Indy looked up toward the sun to see two American dive-bombers making a run directly at the sub. The two planes had already dropped their payloads and peeled away. As the torpedoes hit the water, Indy tossed the last stick of dynamite aside and stuck the pistol back in his pack. He then raced toward the far side of the sub as the two torpedoes cut twin white trails through the water toward the sub?s mid section. Indy leapt into the ocean just at the torpedoes made impact with stunning success. With the submarine no longer a threat, the Clipper moved toward the sub and slowed near Indy. Explosions rocked the sinking sub and Indy pulled himself up onto the sea wing, shook water from his arms and said, ?If I never set foot on a submarine again it will be too soon.?

Nora helped Indy to his feet and said ?I tried to warn you about the torpedo bombers. The planes passed over as you swam to the sub.?

Grinning broadly, Indy said, ?Some warning.?

?What?s the matter?? asked Nora teasingly. ?Couldn?t sink a sub on your own??

?I disabled it,? said Indy with mock indigence. ?That sub wasn?t going anywhere with the damage I did to its ballast tanks.?

Getting back to business, Nora said, ?More fuel is on the way but I?ll have Grieves burn whatever fumes this plane has left so that we can put some distance between us and our friends.?

Overhead, Marine planes took a low pass and dipped their wings in salute as Indy waived in thanks. ?Good thinking. Let?s hope we keep our escort all the way back to Manila.?


Chapter 12

An unusually large crowd of Filipinos, American Marines on liberty and press gathered at Pan Am?s harbor-side facility in Manila to witness the arrival of the Philippine Clipper. Among the crowd was a funny little man dressed in an unseasonably warm black fedora and black leather coat. Shadowed by another equally unseasonably dressed companion, the man in black shouldered his way through the mixed crowd, anxious to gain the best vantage point of the pier where the plane was expected to dock. Something had happened on the plane ? of this the man in black was sure ? but the crowd?s odd mix of languages and hushed whispers prevented the man from divining anything conclusive. As the great Clipper taxied across the harbor, the man in black gave up on eavesdropping and scanned the crowd through his thick round lenses for clues.

Newspaper photographers at the front of the pier craned and jockeyed for best position. Even the Chinese starlet the man in black knew to be onboard the Clipper could not be the cause of so much agitation. Next to the press, the man in black noted what he took to be an unusually large contingent of Pan Am employees. Their somber faces confirmed that something had indeed happened on the flight from Guam. A group of white clad medics and ambulance drivers standing on the pier provided the man in black with final confirmation that something was afoot.

The man in black blanched as the Clipper roared to the pier and a man emerged from the docking hatch in the nose of the plane. Instead of some lowly Pan employee there stood a man that matched exactly the description of the man in black?s quarry ? an American Professor of Archaeology named Indiana Jones. The man in the docking hatch wore a tattered, wrinkled suite and held a long pole to help grab the mooring lines tossed by the Pan Am agents on the pier. The man in black exchanged an anxious glance with his dour companion and stood on jittery feet waiting for the passengers to deplane.

Again it was the man meeting Jones?s description that was first to emerge. He walked backwards onto the pier holding a makeshift stretcher carrying an old wounded man. A tall, thin man carried the other half of the burden. The tall thin man walked with what the man in black marked as the unsteady gate of a fall-down drunk. Ambulance drivers rushed forward to take the stretcher but waited while Jones leaned close to shake hands with the wounded man and to share a quick word. Jones also gestured into the plane and several medical types ducked inside.

A young girl emerged next, followed by an older, heavyset man who walked with a coat draped over his forearms. Here, the man in black raised an eyebrow. It was evident to his practiced eye that the coat was a subterfuge meant to conceal bindings on the heavy man?s wrists. Something interesting had indeed happened on the plane. Close behind the bound man was a beautiful tall dark-haired women. She scanned the crowd and gestured to a small contingent of clean-cut men in blue suites. The man in black immediately marked the clean cut men as American agents and snorted in derision. He leaned close to his mustached companion, gestured to the tall women and spoke in German, ?Anfängers? [?Novices.?] (correct?)

The Chinese movie star emerged to a great reaction from the crowd. Madam Sinn wore sunglasses and a black skirt with a white jacket with a black lining and details. The man in black smiled as the press shifted to capture Sinn?s stoic passage down the pier. After several seconds passed, the man in black became agitated. His brother should have emerged from the plane. The two medics emerged moments later struggling with a lifeless body covered in a blanket. Again the crowd shifted to view the grim scene and cameras erupted. As the body passed the man in black, the corpse?s hand fell below the cover offered by the blanket and the man in black knew that his brother was dead.

He turned to his companion. ?Follow Jones. Don?t let him out of your sight.?

Without a word, the man in black?s companion nodded and moved into a better position to tail Jones. As the crowd broke, the man in black stood fast. He studied each of the passengers and settled on the drunk who had assisted Jones with the stretcher. The drunk stood off by himself, leaning against the edge of a fender wiping sweat from his brow.

?Excuse me,? said the man in black in accented English. ?Can you tell me what happened on the plane??

?Spies were onboard.?

?Spies?? The man in black pulled a small black enamel flask from his breast pocket and offered it to the drunk.

?Yup, a whole mess of them.?

?And what happened to the spies?? asked the man in black as he took his flask back from the drunk and returned it to his pocket.

?Oh, they got theirs all right,? said the drunk. He pointed up to the Pan Am Terminal building where Indiana Jones stood next to Nora and one of the American Agents. ?That man there ? Indiana Jones. . . . .? The drunk sputtered and pulled at his collar. He tried to clear his throat and finally croaked out, ?is not a man to be messed with.?

?Is that so?? said the man in black as the drunk fell to his knees gagging. The man in black turned to leave, and Lucien Lake collapsed on the pier, dead.


[Remainder of Chapter in Next Post]
 

Joe Brody

Well-known member
End of Part I
[Please note that I rewrote part of the last section and that this is the first of two posts]


As the Clipper continued on, the Japanese sailors ran the length of the submarine deck, firing at the plane as they ran. Indiana surfaced next to the rear of the sub. He reached into the pack and pulled Andrew’s .45 from the waterproof bag. He placed it up on the deck and then he readied a charge which he dropped into a ballast intake. He jumped up on deck and ran toward the conning tower. Seconds later an explosion knocked Indy to the deck. The sailors at the nose turned and came running back toward the intruder. Indy stood and opened fire – causing the sailors to stop and duck behind the deck gun for cover. Shielding himself behind the tower, Indy readied two charges. As he fumbled at his task, bullets from the sailor’s guns sparked and ricocheted around him. He looked up to the Clipper – which Grieves had brought well behind the submarine, out of range of the submarine’s deck gun. Nora stood on one of the sea wings – pointing up at the sky over Indy’s shoulder. Indy waived her off – he had every intention to blast the scopes and intakes at the top of the conning tower. Indy dropped his first lit charge into a ballast intake and lobbed the second up onto the tower. As the explosions rocked the sub, Indy reloaded his gun and lit yet another stick of dynamite. He glimpsed around the tower at the sailors crouching behind the deck gun, took a deep breath and charged around the corner screaming, “Arrrrghhhhhh!”

As Indy charged, he opened fire. Panicked the sailors looked at each other and jumped into the sea. Indy pulled up -- something wasn’t right. He jerked around and looked over his shoulder as a high-pitched whirring sound filled the air. Eyes wide, Indy looked up toward the sun to see two American dive-bombers making a run directly at the sub. The two planes had already dropped their payloads and peeled away. As the torpedoes hit the water, Indy tossed the last stick of dynamite aside and stuck the pistol back in his pack. He then raced toward the far side of the sub as the two torpedoes cut twin white trails through the water toward the sub’s mid section. Indy leapt into the ocean just at the torpedoes made impact with stunning success. With the submarine no longer a threat, the Clipper moved toward the sub and slowed near Indy. Explosions rocked the sinking sub and Indy pulled himself up onto the sea wing, shook water from his arms and said, “If I never set foot on a submarine again it will be too soon.”

Nora helped Indy to his feet and said “I tried to warn you about the torpedo bombers. The planes passed over as you swam to the sub.”

Grinning broadly, Indy said, “Some warning.”

“What’s the matter?” asked Nora teasingly. “Couldn’t sink a sub on your own?”

“I disabled it,” said Indy with mock indigence. “That sub wasn’t going anywhere with the damage I did to its ballast tanks.”

Getting back to business, Nora said, “More fuel is on the way but I’ll have Grieves burn whatever fumes this plane has left so that we can put some distance between us and our friends.”

Overhead, Marine planes took a low pass and dipped their wings in salute as Indy waived in thanks. “Good thinking. Let’s hope we keep our escort all the way back to Manila.”


Chapter 12

An unusually large crowd of Filipinos, American Marines on liberty and press gathered at Pan Am’s harbor-side facility in Manila to witness the arrival of the Philippine Clipper. Among the crowd was a funny little man dressed in an unseasonably warm black fedora and black leather coat. Shadowed by another equally unseasonably dressed companion, the man in black shouldered his way through the mixed crowd, anxious to gain the best vantage point of the pier where the plane was expected to dock. Something had happened on the plane – of this the man in black was sure – but the crowd’s odd mix of languages and hushed whispers prevented the man from divining anything conclusive. As the great Clipper taxied across the harbor, the man in black gave up on eavesdropping and scanned the crowd through his thick round lenses for clues.

Newspaper photographers at the front of the pier craned and jockeyed for best position. Even the Chinese starlet the man in black knew to be onboard the Clipper could not be the cause of so much agitation. Next to the press, the man in black noted what he took to be an unusually large contingent of Pan Am employees. Their somber faces confirmed that something had indeed happened on the flight from Guam. A group of white clad medics and ambulance drivers standing on the pier provided the man in black with final confirmation that something was afoot.

The man in black blanched as the Clipper roared to the pier and a man emerged from the docking hatch in the nose of the plane. Instead of some lowly Pan employee there stood a man that matched exactly the description of the man in black’s quarry – an American Professor of Archaeology named Indiana Jones. The man in the docking hatch wore a tattered, wrinkled suite and held a long pole to help grab the mooring lines tossed by the Pan Am agents on the pier. The man in black exchanged an anxious glance with his dour companion and stood on jittery feet waiting for the passengers to deplane.

Again it was the man meeting Jones’s description that was first to emerge. He walked backwards onto the pier holding a makeshift stretcher carrying an old wounded man. A tall, thin man carried the other half of the burden. The tall thin man walked with what the man in black marked as the unsteady gate of a fall-down drunk. Ambulance drivers rushed forward to take the stretcher but waited while Jones leaned close to shake hands with the wounded man and to share a quick word. Jones also gestured into the plane and several medical types ducked inside.

A young girl emerged next, followed by an older, heavyset man who walked with a coat draped over his forearms. Here, the man in black raised an eyebrow. It was evident to his practiced eye that the coat was a subterfuge meant to conceal bindings on the heavy man’s wrists. Something interesting had indeed happened on the plane. Close behind the bound man was a beautiful tall dark-haired women. She scanned the crowd and gestured to a small contingent of clean-cut men in blue suites. The man in black immediately marked the clean cut men as American agents and snorted in derision. He leaned close to his mustached companion, gestured to the tall women and spoke in German, “Anfängers” [“Novices.’] (correct?)

The Chinese movie star emerged to a great reaction from the crowd. Madam Sinn wore sunglasses and a black skirt with a white jacket with a black lining and details. The man in black smiled as the press shifted to capture Sinn’s stoic passage down the pier. After several seconds passed, the man in black became agitated. His brother should have emerged from the plane. The two medics emerged moments later struggling with a lifeless body covered in a blanket. Again the crowd shifted to view the grim scene and cameras erupted. As the body passed the man in black, the corpse’s hand fell below the cover offered by the blanket and the man in black knew that his brother was dead.

He turned to his companion. “Follow Jones. Don’t let him out of your sight.”

Without a word, the man in black’s companion nodded and moved into a better position to tail Jones. As the crowd broke, the man in black stood fast. He studied each of the passengers and settled on the drunk who had assisted Jones with the stretcher. The drunk stood off by himself, leaning against the edge of a fender wiping sweat from his brow.

“Excuse me,” said the man in black in accented English. “Can you tell me what happened on the plane?”

“Spies were onboard.”

“Spies?” The man in black pulled a small black enamel flask from his breast pocket and offered it to the drunk.

“Yup, a whole mess of them.”

“And what happened to the spies?” asked the man in black as he took his flask back from the drunk and returned it to his pocket.

“Oh, they got theirs all right,” said the drunk. He pointed up to the Pan Am Terminal building where Indiana Jones stood next to Nora and one of the American Agents. “That man there – Indiana Jones. . . . .” The drunk sputtered and pulled at his collar. He tried to clear his throat and finally croaked out, “is not a man to be messed with.”

“Is that so?” said the man in black as the drunk fell to his knees gagging. The man in black turned to leave, and Lucien Lake collapsed on the pier, dead.


[Remainder of Chapter in Next Post]
 

Joe Brody

Well-known member
End of Chapter 12, End of Part I (second of two posts)


From a distance Nora stood and watched Indiana at the counter of the cable office in the Manila Airport. In his last remaining suit, Indy stood tapping at the counter waiting for a clerk to return with a cable that was being held for him. Nora admired Indy?s sturdy, self-assured profile and then glanced around the bustling terminal building. When the clerk returned, Indiana eagerly opened the envelope but grew agitated as he read the message. Glowering, he scanned the crowd and then scratched out a hasty reply. After paying the clerk, Indy dug his hands in his pockets and returned to Nora.

?What?s the matter??

?My colleague in the States is not having any luck confirming Ravenwood?s whereabouts.?

?You don?t know where he is? You mean to tell me Army Intelligence engages you to get to this Ravenwood fellow and you don?t even know where he is?

Perplexed Indiana said, ?I?m working on it. He?s somewhere in Nepal . . . . . I think. Besides I?m upset because the cable wasn?t coded. Back when I learned about Richter on Wake, I sent a cable telling my colleague to use code.?

?Do you know where your colleague was when you sent the cable??

Indy nodded. ?Yeah, I entered his calendar in my date book before I left.?

?And when you consulted your calendar did you realize that we had just crossed the International Date Line??

Indiana cursed and crushed his cable. ?I missed Marcus.?

?I?m going with you to Hong Kong.?

Indy shook his head. ?No. You?ve got to see to Gwen and the Madam Sinn ? and I?ve got to figure out another way to get to Nepal. Something a little more discrete than commercial air.? Indiana looked around the terminal and thought for a second. ?Wait here.?

Indiana picked up his satchel and ducked into a men?s room. Moments later he emerged a different man. Instead of his grey woolen suit, he was decked out in full field gear: brown leather jacket, Aldens and fedora. Scanning the crowd, he stepped up to Nora. ?Come on I have to check my bag for the hop to Hong Kong.?

Clutching Indy?s arm, Nora leaned close. ?You?re going to Hong Kong dressed like that??

?Work with me on this one,? said Indiana under his breath.

When they got to the ticket gate at the exit out to the airfield. Indy stopped and stepped close to Nora. ?And one more thing.?

?Yes.?

Indiana gestured to the bag slung on Nora?s shoulder. ?I?m going to need that.?

?What?? said Nora perplexedly. ?It?s not even mine to give. I bet Grieves embezzled most of this cash from the Airline. What do you intend to do? Bribe your way across the Orient??

?Not exactly ? but something like that.?

?I have a bad feeling about this. . . and I here I am just beginning to think you aren?t about the money.?

Indy smiled and leaned in to give Nora quick kiss. ?Trust me.?

Without another thought, Nora reached up and pulled the bag from her shoulder and handed it to Indy. She turned away from him and dug her hands in her pockets. Indiana slung a bag on each shoulder and leaned over and brushed a strand of hair away from Nora?s face. ?What?s the matter??

?I wanted to believe that there wouldn?t be a war.? Nora sighed. ?And then along comes Yang and Grieves.?

?War will come ? if it?s not here already,? said Indiana. As the pair walked to the gate, Indy scanned the crowd and noted a tall skinny mustached man watching him across the Terminal. ?If I?ve learned one thing about war is that you have to keep moving. Anything you do to further the fight is gravy. And you did something about it when helped stop Yang. Now it?s time to move on.?

Nora stopped. ?So that?s what you?re doing with all that money? Moving on??

Indy handed his luggage bag off to an attendant but insisted on keeping Grieves? moneybag. He smiled. ?No, I?m making my own luck.?

?Well here?s hoping your luck doesn?t run out.?

The pair kissed and Indy turned to run out to the old tri-motor that sat idling on the runway. He climbed aboard and worked his way back down the narrow aisle. Crouching to look out through the passenger windows, Indy saw that the tall mustached man stood watching the plane. Indy took his seat and waited as the plane taxied down the runway. As the plane taxied to the far end of the airfield, Indy left his seat and headed to the cockpit. The engines strained as the pilots readied for takeoff. The pilots looked baffled as Indy tapped the pilot on his shoulder.

?How you doing?? said Indy with a cheesy grin. ?I?d like to get off.?

The pilot eyed Indy like he was crazy. ?It?s too late. We?re on runway. We take off now.?

Indy grinned and bobbed his head ? and then he punched the pilot once, knocking the man unconscious. Without a trace of humor, Indy turned to the co-pilot and said, ?Fly.?

The scared co-pilot nodded his head and opened the throttle to take the plane down the runway. Indy pulled the unconscious pilot away and then climbed into the pilot?s seat. The co-pilot continued to steal scared looks at Indy. Irritated, Indy stopped peering out onto the runway, leaned over and growled, ?I said fly.?

The plane rumbled down the runway. Indy donned his gloves and tightened his fedora, and reached back and grabbed the leather duffle carrying Grieves? cash. Clutching the bag close to his chest, Indy shot one last grin at the co-pilot, yanked open the pilot?s door and threw himself out onto the runway ? on the far side of the airfield away from the terminal. Indy struck the runway hard, but he made himself roll into a drainage ditch. He laid there with his head down for several long minutes, listening to the plane take to the sky and fade into the distance. Finally, Indy raised his head, grinning broadly. He stood and crossed the ditch to the bustling warehouse district that saddled up against airport. Indy cocked his fedora on his head, adjusted the strap to his duffle and faded into the crowd.

End of Part I

(1) roundshort -- I erred on the side of using Marines in Part I (rather than sailors or Army Air Corps) because giving the Marines an active role ties well into Sallah's line later in the film.
(2) Paden, thanks again for the kind words but they were undeserved. I'm eager to move on the I admit to being fatigued with the climax on the sub when I wrote the original passage. I've attempted to better tie the action on the sub (and Indy's talk with Nora) with the action later in Raiders.
(3) Shortly, I'll post the one chapter epilogue which will give a very good idea where Part II is going. It's very different from Part I. I'll also soon be posting my bibliography with some comments as a sort of wrap-up.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
roundshort said:
Joe, I don't think Indy would shot anyone in the back, no matter what. In all three movies he faces his foes in open combat. In LC, he does rip soem nazis pretty harshly, but Indy is not a cold blood killer. I have always thought Indy followed a certain Cowboy code, and no hero would ever shot anyone in the back, I think he would always give them a chance.
Dr. Jones also tried to save one Giant Thuggee from being smeared onto
the surface of a rock-crushing, turning cylinder. I remember that the biggest
complaint about the story in #2 of the Marvel comics series was the unusual,
out-of-character depiction of Indy pushing a guy out of a plane, which
was before the 2nd movie - before the *political correctness* had begun.

That said, during the fury of *battle*, Indy just fights to survive.
 

roundshort

Active member
Dang Joe, the best yet! Burning the midnight oil here! A little forshadowing of how inyd might know his way around a Nazi sub, hhhhmmmmmm! What action. Call Lucas and 'berg, lets get your movie made!
 

roundshort

Active member
While I am sure that Christmas with, what do you have 6 or 7 kids you have been busy, but it as been like a month now! The football seaason is almost over, can't you add to this great story?
 

Joe Brody

Well-known member
For some time I?ve been meaning to post my sources for Part I of Red Line: Destination Nepal. My three sources were:

1. CAV Video?s production entitled the ?China Clipper?, www.aviationvideo.com . Made up of stock footage, the video tells the story of the Clipper?s design, the construction of the Island stations, and the Clipper?s wartime service. Of special interest is a promotional film that was shot by Pan Am to promote the Clipper. Facts taken from the tape include:
a. The mechanic?s compartment between the engines in each wing.
b. The role played by Pan Am officers and Clipper pilots that were subject to secret pre-war conscription orders to train American bomber pilots.
c. Footage of the hotels with narration about Pan Am flying ?first class ? the only class? which formed the basis for much of Red Line?s descriptions.

2. The National Geographic Magazine for December 1936. The magazine has two features of interest: (i) Flying the Pacific, which is a writer?s account of his trans-Pacific trip on the Clipper immediately prior to the commencement of passenger service, and (ii) Beyond Australia?s Cities. Facts taken from the articles include:
a. That the Clipper was used to fly dynamite to the islands for blasting coral.
b. Vivid descriptions of the rat and hermit crab infestation on Wake, including stories of Pan Am personnel using rat shooting for R&R.
c. Information on the Engineer?s throne room and the Chief engineer.
d. Information on the hotels, the island cable stations (most notably the Midway station), and flight times.
e. Information on Guam and the locals, including their use of the crude Water Buffalo carts.
f. And in the article on Australia, the information on Kalgoorlie that forms the backstory for my heroine, Nora Crowe.

3. The Seaplane site that provided the cut-away image of the Clipper I posted earlier in story. This site had excellent shots of the island stations and great descriptions, including shots of the hydroponics buildings. Frankly, had I not come across this site, Red Line: Destination Nepal would not have ever been written. http://www.pacific-seaplanes.com/Boarding_Ramp/

On the issue of Indy shooting a foe in the back, I would just note that during fight on the Clipper, the battle was joined between Indy and Yang and his henchman. Yang?s henchman knew full well that he had an armed attacker capable of firing from the nose. The henchmen took a risk in going for Andews and as it turned out, he chose poorly. I submit that this is not truly shooting someone in the back and I have no doubt that Indy would take full advantage of the situation.

Lastly, with respect to Part II of Red Line, for the time being I intend to only post the first chapter of the second part. I hope to have this up in the next couple of weeks. As I?ve said, Part II will lay out what will be a very different Indiana Jones adventure. It?s going to be gritty, violent and very focused on Indy. Part I, on the other hand, was meant to be a large cast piece with a lot of interesting characters. It was meant to be a cross between an old Charlie Chan movie and Humphrey Bogart?s Across the Pacific. I hope people will continue to enjoy it. Part II will require significantly more research on my part and right now I think I will only write it if there is sufficient interest among the readers here. Part I was easy because the Clipper flight to Manila gave a narrative structure and there was so much material based on the plane itself. The remaining portion of Indy?s journey ? from Manila to Nepal ? is much more open ended, especially given the direction I intend to take the story.

Thanks for reading. This was a blast for me.
 

Joe Brody

Well-known member
Red Line: Destination Nepal, PART II

The second part of the untold story of Indiana Jones's journey to the Raven

Chapter 1

The day’s last delivery truck pulled away from the entrance to Club Obi Wan hours before the arrival of the first patron. Down a dark alley across the street, Indiana Jones watched as the Club’s doorman abandoned his post to duck inside with an unwieldy crate of champagne. Indy nodded at his opportunity, pulled on his gloves and broke cover.

Shanghai’s dense, never-ending throng gave the unshaven American an unusually wide berth. For hours he had stood patiently in the shadows waiting -- but Indiana knew that it was not the trailing scent of the alley that was the cause of the glares and reproachful glances. If anything it was the stench acquired from a six-day journey aboard the junk that had brought him from Manila. Determined and grim, Indy pushed through the crowd and kept his gaze fixed up on Club Obi Wan’s first five stories. At his side he readied his whip and without breaking stride he snapped it up just as he let the coils loose. The whip took to the railing of a second story balcony. Indy climbed up and made an agile ascent from the second floor to the fourth using every railing and ledge the building had to offer. Not even the weight of an awkward leather duffle slung over one shoulder slowed his progress. Behind him the staggered and staggering rooftops of Shanghai’s International Quarter trailed off down to the Bund.

Indy paused on the shallow fourth floor balcony and adjusted his fedora. Sheer curtains billowed out open French doors. Inside was an empty sitting room richly appointed with British furniture and Chinese silk. Across the room, a door to an inner hall was slightly ajar. A haunting chorus of soft feminine ‘ooohs’ modulated between three notes to the steady beat of a bongo drum accompaniment. Indy stood transfixed with a ray of light from the hall cracked across his face. After a time the seductive music stopped, and just as Indiana started across the room a group of giggling young women – naked except for wraps clutched up to their breasts – scurried down the passage and disappeared. Indy grinned and walked inside to the door where he scanned the empty passage. Taking a deep breath and drawing his pistol he cut across to the only door on the inside wall. With the slightest pause, he strained as he turned the handle hard and opened the door. Nothing had changed – the dark study still smelled liked a London library. Black stuffed leather chairs matched the lacquered furniture. But behind the massive desk there was one addition: underneath a baby spotlight and sitting on what appeared to be an antique upended campaign trunk sat a jade sculpture, Nurhachi.

Indy’s eyes went wide. As he walked toward the treasure, he detected – too late – the presence of a figure standing flush to the inside wall.

“Good evening Dr. Jones,” said a familiar voice.

Busted. Indiana turned toward his former employer. “Good to see you again Lao.”

“Hmnn,” snorted Lao Che. The gray at the notorious gangster’s temples had grown prominent but his obsidian eyes still held the same mischievous glint as the day of his betrayal in the Club upstairs. Lao tightened his expensive black silk robe and smirked. He took self-satisfaction to new heights. “I’m not so sure. Perhaps you are disappointed to not find me in flagrante delicto.”

“With the girls? No, not at all,” grinned Indy as he raised his pistol – index finger clear of the trigger – toward the ceiling. “I was hoping we could talk business.”

Lao’s hand drifted toward his pocket. “As far as I am concerned, there is only one piece of unfinished business between you and I, Dr. Jones.”

“Not what I had in mind.” Indiana jerked his chin toward the strap on his shoulder. “May I?”

Lao removed a nickel-plated automatic from his jacket. “Of course.”

Indy lowered the bag, jerked open the zipper and opened it wide. Inside were bundles upon bundles of bills, American fifty dollar bills and British ten pound notes. Indy tossed the bag across the room to Lao’s feet where it met with a quick kick. Lao glanced down and gauged the contents. “Quite a bit of money.”

“It’s to pay off an old debt. Several years ago a Pan American executive named W.C Grieves ran up some big gambling debts here in Shanghai and skipped town. If Grieves didn’t gamble in one of your halls, I’m betting you bought up his paper because your airfreight company competes with Pan Am. I know your penchant for getting leverage whenever possible.” Now Indy returned Lao’s smirk. “And Grieves was an influential and powerful man.”

“You flatter me Dr. Jones but why repay the debt of another? We both know that the loss you caused me is not the sort quantifiable in cash.”

“What’s done is done Lao. There were losses on both sides and as far as I’m concerned, we’re square.”

Lao raised his gun and pointed it toward Indiana. “Unfortunately for you Dr. Jones, I do not share your glib assessment.”

“Lao,” Indiana raised his hands and took a tentative step back. “All I want is passage on one of your planes to Nepal.”

“How odd.” Lao lowered the gun a fraction.

Puzzled, Indiana lowered his hands. “What do you mean ‘odd’?”

“Coincidence is a most intriguing anomaly Dr. Jones. It is something not to be ignored.” Lao waived his gun toward a set of French doors. “Please step outside.”

A broad limestone terrace extended out across the roof of the adjoining building. Ornate hand carved railings gave way to a late evening sky of the deepest royal blue. Lao waved two dark-suited guards back to the far corners. Indy picked his way past the empty champagne bottles that littered the ground and stood before a great wicker divan covered with wrinkled sheets. Several pearl hairpins and a female’s kimono lay at the foot of the divan.

“Lao, I never figured you for the outdoor type.”

Lao frowned. “You are like Chen. You both should excuse an old man’s vices.”

Indy noted the crime lord’s frustration at the mention of his son. Indy holstered his weapon and cocked his fedora back on this head. “Are you having problems with Chen?”

“You know all to well that my son is ambitious Dr. Jones. It would be unnatural for him to not aspire to his father’s station.”

“There’s ambitious and then there’s ambitious. How bad is he gunning for you?”

“Don’t give Chen too much credit. For now his ambition is just something to keep this old man on his toes. Some day he will run all my businesses but not today. Unfortunately, even in matters where he seemingly makes a good choice – like his marriage – he is still capable of serious lapses in judgment.”

“I don’t doubt it. Believe me, I have no desire to see Chen while I’m in town. So can you help me get to Nepal?”

“It depends. Will you travel with me to Tibet?”

“So that’s the coincidence,” nodded Indiana Jones. “We’re heading in the same direction – and you need some added protection since you don’t know who you can trust with Chen feeling his oats. But isn’t Tibet a little too backwater for your tastes?”

Lao shrugged and walked toward the railing. Indy glanced back and forth between Lao and the two bodyguards off in the far corner of the terrace. “Some of your men are from Tibet. Are you going on some sort of recruiting trip?”

“Not at all. I’m bracing for a storm far greater than a son’s ambition, Dr. Jones. Western dancing and dance halls are outlawed in Japan. Jazz music is viewed as decadent. So when the Japanese take Shanghai. . . . and I believe that will happen within six months. . . . ” Lao gestured over the railing to the great neon glow below. “. . . . establishments like Club Obi Wan that will be the first to feel the wraith of the Japanese Imperial Army.”

“And the Japanese will be especially brutal with people like you.”

“Precisely. And not only will all things Western be targeted but the Japanese will rape and destroy all aspects of true Chinese culture. Japan has been frustrated by the stalemate here in China since 1932 and it will be Shanghai and Nanjing province that will pay the price.”

Indiana put his hands on his hips. “So what are you saying?”

“A great war is coming to China. And I need someone like you Doctor Jones, someone capable – someone trustworthy – to travel with me to Tibet so that I can find a safe haven for that which is most precious to this old man. I need your help to safeguard Nurhachi.”
 

Deadlock

New member
Brody's back with a vengeance! Excellent as always. Sex, guns, money and history... What more could a man ask for? ;)
 
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