The Seven Swords of Diya: An Indiana Jones Fan Fiction Part 1

Chapter 171: Flashback: Marion and Indy's Tent, Archaeological Site, Egypt, 1947

Flashback:

Marion and Indy's Tent

Archaeological Site

Egypt,

Along the Red Sea

1947

Indy dropped his trousers as Marion grabbed them, shaking them out with force.

Two scorpions fell out.

Indy took a breath of relief.

Marion watched the one scorpion. "Are those babies on her back?"

Indy was reaching in his duffle for another pair of trousers. He immediately dropped them and whipped off his shirt. "Marion! Get your clothes off! The scorpion babies sting worse than the adults! And they can have up to 800 at once. We'll never find them all."

"Indy!" Sallah called from outside the tent.

Indy ducked his head out of the tent. "Sallah, take the girls for a swim in the Red Sea. We have a scorpion issue, and I don't want to scare them. The salt water should take care of the scorpions."

"That's just it, Indy. I can't find them."

"What?!" Marion ducked her head out of the tent beside Indy, her hands clutching the oilskin tightly. Part of it was her state of undress - most of it was Sallah's news.

"The sandwiches and cookies are gone. Along with two canteens. There's no sign of a scuffle... if that's what you're worried about. Abdul and I have looked all over..."

"In the tomb?" Indy asked his heart almost stopping.

"Yes. They're not there."

Indy shut the tent and grabbed a pair of trousers and a shirt from his duffel as Marion did the same. "I'm sorry this couldn't have gone better, Marion. I wasn't planning on getting scorpions in my trousers, especially on a date."

"There's always something, Indy. You know we never get a break. We just need to find the kids," Marion grabbed one of Indy's shirts, stole a pair of his trousers and shrugged on a shoulder holster and pistol.

Indy took the med kit and a canteen. "If they're on foot they can't be far."

"I'll take a horse and check the perimeter," Marion agreed, grabbing her scarf and a flat brimmed hat similar to Indy's fedora.

They bolted out of the tent as a rumbling noise shattered the silence of the desert beach.

Indy and Marion looked at each other.

Abdullah, Sallah's teenage son rode up on a horse. "The debris we've been hauling out of the tomb collapsed!"

"Where are the girls!?!?" Indy demanded

"We haven't found them."

There was a screech. Annie bolted from the dust racing towards her parents.

Marion grabbed her, pressing the terrified child to her body.

Indy knelt. "Annie, where's Em?"

Annie was wailing pointing across the camp.

Indy grabbed the horse and charged into the dust. "EM! EMILY!!!"

Marion knelt clutching Annie. "What happened?"

Annie couldn't speak she just wailed, hanging onto Marion.

"Answer me, Annie!" Marion demanded. "Did you go into the tomb?"

Annie shook her head no.

Sallah offered her some water.

Marion took it and washed Annie's face, trying to hide her fear and be patient with the speechless terrified child. "What happened? You need to tell us what happened! Annie, please!"

"We look....we went looking for... Uncle Sallah. We weren't in the tomb!!! Promise!!! We didn't go near it!!! Em thought she saw something so we were by the cliff. She was climbing there... and everything fell down.

Marion looked at Sallah, wanting to scream.

Sallah - father of ten - bent down unfolding a map of the site. "Where were you?"

Annie shook her head, hiding against Marion. "I don't know. I don't know!!!"

"Please Annie!" Sallah tried to soothe. "It's important Indy know where to look."

Annie shook her head.

Sallah looked at his son Abdullah. "Ride into town. Get the diggers. I know it's Friday and they'll be at prayers, but a little girl's life is in danger."

"Yes, Father."

Abdullah galloped away.

Sallah looked at Marion and Annie, and then gave them both a hug. "Indy will find her."

Marion gave a trembling shudder, thankful for Sallah's calming presence. "He has to. Em is his littlest artifact. He's never given up searching for an artifact."