[End of] Chapter 5
?Just as we're ripping into a crate with the crowbar, the baggage man and the Conductor enter the car. The Conductor lights into to me, and the baggage man -- well, he took the trespass into his car pretty personal -- so he jumped Indy and let fly. Indy got a pretty good beating . . . .?
At this Lake chuckled. ?Yes this is starting to sound familiar. . . .?
?. . . . but Indy sucked it up and actually started to hold his own against that big mean Irish son-of-a-***** baggage man. The Conductor ended it by taking a cheap shot that put Indy down. All hot, the Conductor said ?Now what the Hell is going on here?? Indy pointed at the crate and claimed it held stolen artifacts. The Conductor peeked inside and whistled ? he reached into the packing and pulled out a hand painted Mexican clay vase. Problem was it was brand new, cheap junk. The conductor pointed at Indy and said 'No Ticket' and told the baggage man to tie up Indy till the next stop. The Conductor then sent me back to work, saying that if I?m lucky I?ll get to keep my job.?
Andy blackened at the thought of the Conductor?s rebuke. "Mad-as-heck at Indy, I left with my tail between my legs. Later on, I'm working in the dining car and Indy -- still bound -- comes hoping in from the baggage car holding a sack. The sack is stitched closed and inscribed 'The Presidio Mining Company'. Indy -- with this big 'ole wolfish grin -- said 'It was hidden in one of the jars.' It was filled with gold dust. So we go back into the baggage car where the baggage man is sprawled out across the floor. Indy had head-butted the baggage man, knocked him out cold. I cut the bonds to Indy?s feet . . . but the three thugs came busting in. The Conductor had gone and told them that someone had tried to break into one of their crates.
"Indy did not hesitate. He hurled the sack straight into the red-headed punk's gut and then squared off against the other two. Me? I'm no fighter, so I just stand there. The big Indian pulled out a wicked long knife and the guy with the walrus mustache grabbed a plank. Still bound at his writs, Indy took my knife and . . . ."
Grieves lowered his paper in a huff. "Shouldn't you be setting up for dinner?"
Andy stiffened and headed toward the Galley. "Right you are, sir."
"Dad!? said an exasperated Gwen Grieves. ?He was nearly finished."
"Well there wasn't really much more to tell," said Indy as he climbed to his feet. "Bottom line, I was young and blundering. I had messed with that gang once before and I jumped to conclusions when I saw them in El Paso. I'm only standing here today because I got lucky . . . . and I got some help from the man that's making our dinner." With that Indy walked out of the cabin, thanking Gwen for the tea as he headed back into the passenger compartment.
Indy settled into a seat and stared at his reflection in the window. It was late afternoon and the sky was a deep dark blue ? and there were still some time before the plane touched down in Wake Island. What should have been a relatively short eight hour flight had been pushed back due to the delayed departure from Midway. Indy studied his jaw, which was red and swollen from the beatings he had taken over the last two nights. He reached for his fedora to take a nap when he noticed Gwen Grieves settled into a seat across the aisle. On her lap she had a white canvas Pan American shoulder bag. On top of the bag were several irregular blue-glass orbs.
Curious, Indy asked, ?What do you got there??
Gwen looked up. ?Oh, these are glass floats the Japanese use for their fishing nets. My dad and I found them on the beach in Midway. The current carries them all the way from Japan. My Dad says they are good luck. You want one??
Indy chuckled, touched his sore jaw. ?Gwen, I could sure use it ? but at the rate I?m going it would be broke by morning.?
Indy perched his fedora low on his brow and settled into sleep.
Indy awoke with a start. Passengers -- from both the rear sleeping compartment and the passenger cabin -- moved forward toward the lounge, where the stewards appeared to be in the middle of breaking down the dinner seating. Indy caught strains of anxious questions ?did we hit something??, ?did an engine stall??, and ?what?s wrong?? Aside from the confusion among the passengers, Indy noted that the flight remained smooth, the drone from the engines constant. As Grieves -- with one hand on Gwen?s shoulder -- sought to calm the group, he kept one eye toward the front of the plane. In seconds one of the pilots made his way aft.
?Are all passengers accounted for and O.K.?? asked the pilot.
Standing on his toes, Grieves counted the crowd. ?All passengers are here. . . . and all non-flight staff as well.?
"Should we radio Midway?" asked the pilot.
"Now why would we do that?" snapped Grieves.
"Because on Midway you promised to contact Captain Yorick if any suspicious happened en route to Manila."
"And what exactly did happen?" said an exasperated Grieves.
"I can't say,? said the pilot. ?But there's a chance someone just jettisoned something from the afterhatch that hit the tail -- something fairly heavy."
Grieves said, "I refuse to believe that. That thud could have been anything. . ."
"Even at eight thousand feet?" ventured Indiana Jones.
The pilot looked back over his shoulder at another member of the flight crew who had come up behind him. "Ricketts, what do you think?"
The First Engineer, wearing a heavy fur-lined flying suit that looked more like a costume from a Flash Gordon film that a uniform for a flight over the Pacific, spoke up loud enough so that Grieves could hear. "I was strapped in the Throne Room and -- and from the sound of the 'thud' it sure sounded like an impact on the tail to me. I've checked all instruments and gauges and we're running tip-top."
"That's what's important," said Grieves. "I'm not about to risk every person on this plane being detained indefinitely by some paranoid Marine because of some mystery thud. So since the plane appears to be fine, I suggest that everyone get back to stations and get this plane to Wake Island."
The pilot shifted on this feet, ?I don?t know Mr. Grieves, I think we should. . . .?
From out of nowhere, Richter interrupted, "Madam Sinn has two trunks stowed in the sleeping compartment."
Yang moved beside Grieves, "The same two trunks that were loaded in the cabin for the flight from Pearl. Surely, Mr. Grieves you appreciate the need for Madam Sinn to maintain her appearance and to have access to her wardrobe?"
"Mr. Richter," said the pilot. ?What are you suggesting?"
"Those trunks could hold an object big enough to cause the impact in question. No other passenger had access to such large containers."
?And why would anyone want to jettison something mid-flight??
Richter leveled his cool grey eyes on Grieves. Condescension cut through his accent. ?Obviously, to keep the object from being found in case the plane was later searched.?
"What interesting speculation," said Grieves. "Captain, do you intend to search the whole plane? Or -- late as we are ? do you plan on turning around and looking for something floating on the surface?"
The pilot scanned the crowd. Madam Sinn looked expressionless but held the pilot?s gaze. Finally, Yang said, ?Captain, you may search Madam?s Sinn?s luggage if it will ease your concerns.?
A red-faced Grieves glared at air crew. The pilot hesitated. ?No, that will not be necessary.?
The pilot turned to the engineer. ?We?re about an hour from Wake. Have a radio check done and we?ll check out the tail when we land.?
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Still not all that happy with the vignette but I sat on it for a few days and it will have to do.
roundshort said:
Wow, I did not know that . . .
Hmmm, what am I reminded off "It's hard to live with a price on your head . ." or some quote from Empire. was that on Hoth?
Well, we'll just have to wait and see how this unfolds. And yes, the quote is from the Rebel Command to Solo in the Hanger Bay in Hoth.