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

Chapter 379: Kamchatka Wilderness, Soviet Union, 1960

Kamchatka Wilderness

Soviet Union

1960

Indy, carrying Emily bolted out of the ruins. Shorty and Lizavet followed.

Behind them the ruins collapsed, holding back the lava flow for a few moments.

"Where are we, kids?" Indy growled, looking around at the unfamiliar valley framed by volcanic mountains.

Shorty looked around. "This is where I crashed my plane during the war! I recognize those mountains!" He pointed.

The earth trembled, shaking and suddenly an explosion rocked the ground. Smoke and fire filled the sky as a great rumbling rushed down the side of the mountain.

"Volcano!" Lizavet shouted.

Shorty rushed ahead of them, moving toward the lake. "That's Edo's plane! I recognize it as the one that nearly killed us!"

He rushed to the side, jumping onto the runner, throwing open the door. Scrambling into the plane, he grabbed for Lizavet. "C'mon!"

Indy and Emily climbed into the small plane as Lizavet stared out the door, watching the mountains. "There will be another volcanic explosion -"

"Get us outta here before that happens, kid!" Indy ordered.

Shorty was fidgeting with the controls, flipping switches and testing levers. "Its a Japanese plane - things are a little different -"

"They're built from a German design," Indy replied, striding into the cockpit and flipping a few switches.

The plane's engines roared to life.

"Get us in the air, Shorty!" Indy ordered.

"Why do you know this, Dad?" Emily asked.

"Because I can fly - I just can't land!" He growled, moving around the plane. "Where the hell is the first aid kit? Gotta get you patched up."

There was a deep rumbling from the second of the two mountains.

"Hurry Shorty!" Lizavet warned.

Indy bolted back with the first aid kit. "Rockslide!"

"Shorty! The mountain is coming toward us!" Lizavet yelled. "And the water on the lake will evaporate and we won't have enough lift to take off!"

"Not what I'm worried about," Shorty announced, his back to the incoming disaster. "The last guy who flew through volcanic ash had it turn his engine into silica glass. He had to glide the plane."

"Then don't fly into the ash plume!" Emily ordered from the floor.

Shorty stared at her. "I think I can handle that, Little Sister."

"Then start the engine!" Indy, Lizavet and Emily yelled.

The plane roared to life, circling on the small mountain lake, its runners easing over the trembling waves as the earthquakes increased.

Lizavet shut the plane's door. "The mountain is coming down - with ash - like a flood. It will destroy the whole valley."

"I'm workin' on it!" Shorty declared.

"Work harder!" Indy blurted, as gauze rolled out of his hands.

Lizavet caught the gauze. "Too small!" She tossed a blanket to Indy and pulled out her hunting knife. "Wrap her entire side. Make it very tight."

The water sloshed them forward.

Emily rolled into the outstretched blanket. Indy tied it around her, Lizavet holding it tight using the gauze.

"Buckle up!" Shorty ordered, as the plane's engine throbbed.

Indy pointed to Emily and Lizavet. "In the back. Em take the navigation. Lizavet - do whatever you can with your skills to hold us together and in the air."

"I will try, Papa."

The plane jolted as the water sloshed.

Emily looked out the window. The entire mountainside was sliding before them in a massive gray flood of rock, ash and glacial remains. "SHORTY!!!!!!"

The slide crashed into the lake, dragging the plane nose downward, creating a massive tsunami wave.

Shorty turned the plane slightly, riding the crest of the wave, pressing more power toward the edge.

"We're outta of lake, son!" Indy yelled.

The wave crashed. The plane shot forward as the other half of the mountain slid into the valley where they'd been seconds before. Shorty circled the plane along the edge of the wave, the plane's engine sputtering just above the grayish flood below them.

"Shorty - I'd like to be higher and flying home!" Indy stared out the window of the plane. "And what did you just do?"

"Ever heard of surfing?" Shorty asked. "Take a board and ride out the wave. The plane had similar runners so I just... figured I could do that."

Indy's expression was sheer terror and instant regret. "I shouldn't have asked."

The other mountain exploded.

Indy jerked in the opposite direction. "What was that?"

"Don't ask, Papa," Lizavet replied.

"I want to know!" Emily blurted. "The sky's full of smoke and fire!"

"So's the plane!" Indy declared. "Shorty! Why is the plane on fire?"

"Ask Lizavet!" Shorty fought the controls, as large flaming rocks dropping out of the sky.

Indy turned to Lizavet.

"The first volcano exploded, Papa. The flame pit in Diya found the underground lake that Emily was in and the contact with water and magma created steam. The steam caused the explosion -"

Emily looked out the window. "The whole mountain's gone."

"Shorty!" Indy's head pivoted taking in the situation with horror. "Why are we flying toward it? It could blow up again!"

"Because the plane's on fire!" Shorty replied.

Lizavet grabbed the fire extinguisher next to her head and made a shaman motion.

"Fire's out!" Shorty called.

Seconds later she was back.

Indy grabbed Lizavet by the shoulders clutching her to his chest and then ordered. "Honey! Do not jump out of planes! Not even to shaman travel!"

Shorty dipped the plane sideways as volcanic pumice hit the body of the plane like bullets.