Indiana Jones and the Empire of the Sun

Chapter 4

From the darkness behind us, a sharp, familiar face appears from out of the darkness. A sinister, distorted smile begins to stretch across his pronounced features. The man to whom this face belongs stands at the top of the staircase, looking down on us dominantly. The more he steps into the light of the cavern, the more I recognize his striking features.

He's dressed in somewhat casual attire, with a white shirt stained by the sand of the desert and a blood-red bandana tied around his neck. His pants are brown and his shoes are made of brown leather.

Behind him stand several more men holding rifles, the exception of one carrying a machine gun. They all wear the same army uniform, all with a flag embroidered on the collar.

"Vince Russo," I say under my breath. However, the echo makes my words audible to all.

"I must express my gratitude, Doctor Jones," he says as he makes his way down the staircase, his posse close behind. "You have essentially led us to a gold mine we weren't looking for."

"Why the hell are you here Russo?" Anger begins to seeth within me.

"Oh, come now. We must treat each other with respect. After all, we are colleagues," he says tauntingly.

"Were." I correct him. "I don't work with double agents like you."

"Indy, who is he?" Alice asks from behind me softly. I reply in a normal voice, letting others hear what I say.

"Vincenzo Russo. Fellow archaeologist. We worked on several excavation sites in India back in the '20s. Until he turned fascist."

"Which I hardly see as a reason to hate me," Russo declares.

"You're right. It was more the fact that you deceived me and tried to get me killed at the hands of your compatriots that turned me off," I say begrudgingly. "How'd you find us?"

"Oh, Doctor Jones. We've been hot on your tail for a long time now." A blade of Russo's oiled, pitch-black hair falls over his eyes. His grey eyes are striking, even in the flickering light of the fire.

"I'm surprised you didn't suspect anything on your journey to find the Inca idol. Though of course, you seemed otherwise preoccupied."

"Since Peru?" I ask accusingly, now unsurprised at how low he would stoop.

"The Italian force can blend in like a chameleon, Doctor Jones. We originally wanted the idol, but with an undiscovered paradise like this in our hands, we do not need to be concerned with such insignificant matters. With this, we shall carry forth the legacy of the great Roman Empire."

"Wow. You've got quite an imagination there," I say patronizingly. Marcus and Alice have both backed away, their torches beginning to flicker out. I dip mine back in the fuel of the moat.

"You were responsible for the train sabotage then. Why follow us out here?"

"You have been a nuisance to our cause for over a decade now Doctor Jones. We will be waiting for that idol when it arrives in Connecticut. But when we saw you and your friends–" he rudely gestures to Alice and Marcus. "–were not dead in the desert, we began to worry that we would need to go to more extreme measures. Using our advanced technology, we tracked your journey through the desert. But when the sandstorm came along and you happened to stumble upon something of great value, we decided it best to follow your trail on foot."

"And you're gonna excavate and expose this entire city with just the seven of you?" I say with condescension and a hint of amusement at my opportunity to mock them.

"Oh not to be concerned Doctor Jones," he says, his smile spreading across his stubbly skin. "Our reinforcements will arrive within a matter of hours and this temple will ours for the keeping. But I do believe that's enough chit chat."