Hey I thought I’d indulge in a bit a free form writing while at work. Inspired by that recent artwork of Indy finding the Millennium Falcon I have this taking place rather than Indy 4. Comments welcome it’s been a while since I did this.
Marshall College - 1957
After class, Indy was intercepted by Jenny Rogers, one of his new students.
“Doctor Jones? Could I have a moment of your time?” She was conservatively dressed and carried herself with a certain confidence.
“Uh, sure Jenny, come over to my office, I have a few minutes.”
She came in with a rather large bag that she had dug out from her locker, one of those used for bowling balls. She set it on his desk as they sat down opposite of each other.
“What’s this about Jenny? Your grades are good, not phenomenal but you’re doing pretty well in my class…”
“As you may or may not know Doctor Jones, my father was a bit of an adventurer himself. In his lifetime he did more to explore the wilds of Africa and South America than anyone alive today.”
Indy was sure where this was going but he had a meeting with the Dean coming up and didn’t want to be late and prodded her on.
“During his last expedition in Peru he found something. Something odd and not of this world.” She started towards the bag.
Indy didn’t want to start this sort of conversation again “Look kid, if you’ve come looking for a UFO hunter or a Captain Video you’ve come to the wrong place.”
She unzipped the bowling bag to reveal a black helmet, chipped in places. It reminded him of a Stahlhelme, but exaggerated. The facemask part was intact. He felt vaguely uncomfortable by it and did not pick it up.
“What is this?” he asked.
“The future.”
She replied with such certainty it put him ill at ease but then brushed it off. “You got gipped Jenny, this some kid’s toy from Britain or the Soviets….” He held it and then looked inside. There was circuitry in there like nothing he’d ever seen before. He ignored the pinprick he felt at the back of his neck.
“It’s no trick Doctor Jones. This is the find of a lifetime.” She looked at him with almost serene eyes. He’d seen that look before, a quiet determination and obsession. He’d lived it.
“That’s getting a little old at my age Jenny. So this is what? A gasmask? Doesn’t seem very effective. Does it come on?”
She let out a small sigh “No. but…”
He was going to miss his appointment with the Dean and he’d get his ass handed over him for that. It was nothing more than a juvenile prank. “I don’t have time for this Jenny, hawk it over to Cronkite or something, get some tests done.” He rose to leave and she put the helmet reverently back in the bowling bag, setting it on the floor. “I’ve got a meeting to catch.”
He grabbed his jacket and started to put it on as she whirred around, having pulled out a silver device, the size of a modern telephone handset and held it with both hands. A shaft of red light pulsed out of it and in one fluid motion slashed it through his desk. It cut through the desk cleanly, and it collapsed inward, papers, lamp, phone, all came crashing down. It had been cut in half, as sure as she had used a fine-tipped sword.
As quickly as the red shaft of light had appeared from the object it retracted, leaving only the silver object, which she quickly re-pocketed. Indy stood frozen, still half in-the motion of donning his tweed jacket.
“Still have any doubts about the potential of this?”
Indy recovered and finished putting his jacket on and tersely responded “You owe me a new desk.”
