The Seven Swords of Diya: An Indiana Jones Fan Fiction - Part 2

Chapter 240: CIA Office, Undisclosed Location, Somewhere in the USA, 1960

CIA Office

Undisclosed Location

Somewhere in the USA

1960

Mac slowly held up his hands facing Marion Ravenwood and her shotgun. "All right, Mrs. Jones. You still have your top secret clearances from World War II. I suppose I can tell you... some... details..." He swallowed. "I have various contacts in the area of Kamchatka checking up on the Russians. There's a map which was under my left hand, along with some recent photographs that detail a volcanic eruption."

Marion pulled the documents forward. "What am I looking at?"

"Its a... U2 flyover... one of our newest and most covert spy planes to take reconnaissance photographs. The photographs as recent as a few hours ago. The smoke cleared, but there's strange radioactivity in the area."

"Got a magnifying glass?" She asked.

"In the drawer." Mac pushed himself away from the desk, resisting the urge to try to reveal what else was in his desk drawer. He wouldn't win the draw.

Marion reached into his desk drawer, removing a pistol. "Nice gun! I think I'll keep this too." She stuck his 1911 .45 caliber handgun from World War II into her belt.

"Isn't that a little too much firepower for you?"

Marion 'tsked. "Mac... a lady can never have too many bags, shoes, pretty dresses or firearms."

"I see why Indy married you."

"That and I threw a snake at him seconds after we met. Fear does a lot for a man." Marion grinned. "Take the magnifying glass and see if there's any evidence of a man-made explosive device."

Mac paused. "Wouldn't the volcano have destroyed...?"

"Just studying the explosion patterns and tell me what you see."

Mac obeyed. "Judging from the formation of the lava... Looks like the eruption shot out of the ground and into the air and fell. Except for that depression... that looks like it was filled in."

"Now look at the mountains. Any evidence of landslides?"

"Yeah... but they all look like it stayed in the valley." He looked up. "Please tell me you don't know what you're talking about."

"That would be lying, Mac. I'm a simple civilian. I'm not allowed to lie to the government."

"Simple civilians don't steal my firearms, Mrs. Jones."

"I'm certain the mafia has," Marion smiled. "You do remember that you sent me to recruit them against the Nazis, right?"

"They're not simple civilians."

A suited mob boss' henchman filled the doorway. "Hey Miz Boss... whadda ya want done with the rest of the staff?"

"They can just be tied up and do overtime in the basement, Lennie."

"In or outta cement shoes?"

"Out."

Mac stared at Marion. "You kept contacts? With the mob?"

Marion smiled, switching weapons. "I'm a bounty hunter, Mac. You didn't think I was darning socks for the war effort while Indy was off having all the adventures? And after 1947, I had to get a job."

"Does he know?"

The shotgun was now against her leg, and the pistol in her hand.

Marion laughed. "Indy's only been home for a month. And after this stunt - he'll be sleeping in the barn for year. What he doesn't know from me - isn't going to hurt him. What he doesn't know from you - will probably kill him."

She pointed to map. "So all the debris went into that valley?"

"As far as our photographs show, yes."

"And that valley is a circle of mountains, right?"

"I'll have to check prior photographs," he slowly moved the documents around under the watchful barrel of his own pistol. "Yes."

Marion studied the photograph for a long moment. "What was this valley before?"

"Some kind of ancient site. Circle of standing stones..."

Marion's finger circled the depression. "They were around that place, right?"

"Think so. You can look at the photographs."

Marion paused. "If Abner and my grandfather are right - that's bad news."

"What?"

"My grandfather witnessed the aftermath of the 1840 Mount Ararat earthquake. There was a steam eruption from a fissure in the ground." She pointed to the evidence in the photograph. "The steam melted the glaciers on the mountain. Causing mudslides. I think you call them lahars." She pointed to the evidence in the photograph again. "That depression... got filled with mudslide debris. It probably has magma underneath it. Which means - when it blows up - it will throw all the washed in debris up and out, and that explosion will take the whole damn valley with it."

"When do you think that will happen?" Mac asked.

"Volcanoes are temperamental. They work on pressure and tolerance of that pressure. Kind of like women..."

"Which means it could explode any moment," Mac murmured. "What's Abner's research got to do with any of this?"

"Mac - that's a standing stone circle, near a volcano pit. The ancients considered places like that entryways to the underworld. Sometimes in their lore - things crawled out. That's why they had stone circles there to mark the area as sacred or taboo. And Henry told me you sent them hunting the Seven Swords of Diya - which are only for putting said evil supernatural things back."

"You don't seriously believe that, do you?" Mac tried to laugh.

"Ask me how we got the Ark of the Covenant back to the United States in 1936, Mac. Ask me why the German High Command's reports included a vacating of that entire island, and the autopsies of Belloq and others who were present included strange burns that left holes in their bodies and piles of random burned gooey flesh. I know you have those documents somewhere, Mac. You have all the other documents from the Germans and the Japanese."

Mac stared at her. "How did you know those things?"

"The better question is how Indy and I survived. You can ask him when you get him home."

"Get him home?" Mac asked, trying to buy time.

Marion moved his pistol closer. "That was the entire point of this visit."

"Yes ma'am." Mac swallowed. "There is one person I can call. He's on Attu Island. It's the closest military base we have to Russia. Not sure what he can do. But I'll call."