The Search For Indiana Jones

Part 6

When we got out of the plane, I was already sweating... and I barely had moved a step.

"Not used to deserts, Melissa?" Sallah asked.

"I think it's my first time in an actual desert..." I replied.

"You're not the only one sweating..." Cassidy added, who I think looked like she was sweating even more than I was.

"Come on, you two. We can't stay here," Indy said. "Sallah, where's my father?" Cassidy and I both hoped that he wasn't captured... we knew he had the map to the grail.

But Sallah said, "He's been taken by the Nazi forces looking for the grail as well." That was the worst that Cassidy and I assumed. If Henry had the map, the Nazis would find the grail before we even knew where he was.

"Did my father have anything that they would've needed?" Indy asked Sallah.

"I knew he had something to help find the grail, but I can't remember what it was..."

"What do you mean you don't remember what it was?! He should've had it in his hand!" Indy and Sallah were now arguing at each other about what Henry had in his hand... I pulled Cassidy to the side.

"We're gonna get nowhere if these two are bickering at each other. We have to tell them about the map to get moving." I said to her.

"Are you doing it or should I?" Cassidy asked. We stared at each other for a bit. Neither one of us wanted to interrupt them since they were older than us... but it had to be done to get anywhere, let alone find Henry.

"I'll do it." I finally said. I looked around to see if there were any people... luckily, we were in a quieter part of town. I walked up to Indy and Sallah, raising my voice to get over their bickering.

"HEY!! We're getting nowhere with the both of you arguing!! You want to be out there before the sun sets?! You wanna know what your father had in his hands?! It was the map from this diary! He had Cassidy and me give it to him so he could rendezvous with Sallah to get a head start on the grail!... Now, I suggest that we get moving if we're gonna find your father before the sun goes down." I stood there for a little bit of catching my breath.

"Yeah, you want the Nazis to find the grail before we do?!" Cassidy added. We were all exchanging glances for a little while... I think we were all just shocked by my little freakout.

"You two have a point," Indy finally said. "We have to find my father before those Nazis find the grail."

"I know the route they're taking. We can catch up if we leave now." Sallah added.

"Right, let's go," Indy replied. Sallah took us to his car that was nearby, and we hopped in, with Sallah driving and Indy in the front. Cassidy and I were in the back seats, again. On the drive, I was thinking about that final clue... 'Only the penitent man will pass'... penitent means the man repents of his sins... a penitent man kneels before God because of his sins... What would kneeling have to do with the traps of the Holy Grail? I didn't understand why, but I would find it out eventually. I was almost half asleep when we caught up with the Nazis. We were up on a cliff... I was assuming that it was to conceal ourselves. The first thing that caught my eye was a very, VERY big tank.

I whispered to Cassidy, "What do you think they keep in there? A nuke?"

"No idea... why would they need a tank that big?" Cassidy whispered back.

"Who knows..." I saw that Indy was putting some binoculars to good use... he had been on and off them since we got to the cliff. Though the angle of the sun told me something different. With the angle of the sun and Indy's binoculars, the glint from the glass could give away our location. Indy handed the binoculars to Cassidy to see if she could see Henry. I don't think she saw anything because five minutes later, she gave them to me. The soldiers seemed to have stopped for a break, so we had time to look around. I looked through the binoculars at the tents... no Henry. I looked at the tank... still no Henry. A bunch of soldiers caught my eye, and I looked at them... two of them had Henry in a grip. I gave the binoculars back to Indy.

"See that bunch of soldiers over there?" I said to him, pointing to the soldiers I was just looking at. Indy looked through the binoculars again.

"Sure enough... good eye, Melissa," Indy replied. "Let's go." We found the safest way down the cliff and made our way down to the camp. Once we got down, I heard guns going off. We looked around at the cliffs, and there were people up there... Cassidy and I recognized one of the men up there. He was the same man we saw in Venice... the leader of the Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword! He and his men had come to protect the grail... or to help us... I didn't know which one. Indy told Cassidy and me to stay hidden while he and Sallah got rides for us... I was assuming that he was stealing some of the horses...

"Where is he getting the rides from?" Cassidy whispered.

"I think he's stealing horses..." I whispered back.

"Isn't that bad?"

"Well... stealing is stealing... just roll with it for now..." There was gunfire all over the place and explosions here and there. We almost got our hiding place blown to bits on one such blast. Indy and Sallah seemed to be gone for a long time. I was getting worried, and so was Cassidy... so much for a regular Christmas break... I got the diary out of my pocket and handed it to Cassidy.

"Melissa, what are you doing?" Cassidy whispered.

"I'm going to see if I can find Henry. The Nazis know I have the diary, but if I hand it to you, hopefully, we'll fool the Nazis for just a bit longer." I whispered back to her.

"Good luck... and don't get captured."

"Can't promise you that." Cassidy took the diary and put it in her pocket to hide it. I started being like a stealthy spy, sneaking around the camp. I saw the soldiers who had Henry, and they took him inside the tank. I was thinking, 'Great... now, I have to get in that big tank...' Next to me, I saw another Nazi uniform... and it was my size. I can fool them again! I quickly took the uniform and went into the closest tent that was empty. I changed in about two minutes. I came out looking like a perfect Nazi. I didn't think I would be doing this again...

I headed for the tank and got inside. I saw Henry almost right away. He was going to say something, but I covered his mouth and gave him the quiet signal. He understood what I was doing. Since there was only one soldier in there, I snuck up behind him and knocked him out. I also took the pistol he had.

"Come on.. this way," I whispered to Henry. I helped him out of the tank, and we got down... at this point, it was so easy. All of the soldiers were huddled in a corner, listening to their general. As we ran back to the hiding spot where I left Cassidy, I took off the uniform from hat to pants. I still had my other clothes on under the outfit, so it was like I never had it on me in the first place.

Henry and I got to the hiding spot one minute before Indy and Sallah came with four horses and... a couple of camels. I think Sallah likes camels... Getting back to the hiding spot, when we got back, Cassidy wasn't there. Indy was talking and hugging his father while I looked around the hiding spot, making sure that she wasn't buried in the sand trying to scare me. I did find a little hill that had something embedded in it, though. I dug in the hill... and I found the diary. Now, I was worried... where was Cassidy?!