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

Chapter 287: Kamchatka Wilderness, Soviet Union, 1960

Kamchatka Wilderness

Soviet Union

1960

"What?" Indy growled, a tremble of horror seeping through the gruff pitch.

Emily was quiet, trying to sense the tone in her father's voice. She finally continued. "It proposed. It said that it had the knowledge to solve the world's issues and I could ask anything and have anything... if I married it."

"What did you say?" Indy asked softly.

Emily gave her father's grin. "I told it hell no. And it sliced me."

Indy felt rage boil in his heart. He stuffed it down. Now was not the time for rage - he was not facing an enemy - he was facing his daughter. "Did it hurt you in any other way?"

"Other than getting sliced? No. Not that I'm aware of."

"Even though you couldn't move?" Indy asked, thinking of how the apkallu had restricted his body movements, actions and mind in the Temple of Doom and again at the museum, only days ago.

Emily blinked. "No. I could move just fine. I punched it and stole my braid back."

Indy stared at Emily, checking her body for wounds. "Wait... you could... move?"

"Yeah. It wanted to control me, but couldn't. I kept trying to stare it down - but that made me want to connect with it. It got worse when it transformed from a monster into a... good looking man. And I hated that. I hated that I wanted to connect with it, even though I knew it was evil. I want nothing to do with evil - or someone that will hurt me and then turn around and say they love me." She winced, holding the bandages tighter against her side. "I feel like a failure for... being attracted to it."

"While it was in human form?"

"Yeah."

Indy paused. "Attraction is a good thing, Em. Its part of connection. Nothing wrong with it. It just shows you're human. And the apkallu know that, and they want to exploit that - like they did with the first women, according to the legends. How deep are the cuts?"

"Lizavet doesn't think they did any internal organ damage," Emily answered. "They just... hurt..."

"Yeah." Indy thought of the numerous injuries he'd been through on his decades of adventure. "Best I can give you right now is a hug..."

Emily slid over to her father and leaned against his uninjured shoulder. "That's the best deal I've had since we got here."

Indy smiled, holding his daughter. "Better than world domination as a wedding gift from an abusive monster?"

"Hell yes, Dad. You taught me not to take abuse from anyone - no matter how hot they are. And considering these monsters live in the hellish volcano riddled Diya - that's pretty damn hot."

Indy took her chin. "I'd scold you about your language - but I married your mother, who curses better than you."

"Well, dang it, Dad - I can't be perfect." She gave her father's grin. "Does Mom offer lessons?"

"In cursing or being perfect?" Indy asked.

"I think I have a greater success with the cursing than I do perfection," Emily replied.

"Em - you are perfect. And you and Annie will always be perfect. Your mother is perfect for me. Marion and I couldn't have done any better... other than to have more perfectly loved disaster children. Because... your mother and I are... loving disasters... partners, each in our own ways."

Shorty bolted through the grass and back to the campsite, holding Lizavet's hand.

"And now we do have more kids," Indy smiled, expecting to hear news of a successful non-threatening wedding proposal.

Shorty raced to the fire, throwing the fish out of the way, trying to make the blaze taller to catch attention. "Dad! There's a plane coming! It looks like an American bomber! With two small escort aircraft! We might have a chance to get rescued!"