10378/Leavin' on a Jet Plane

Leavin' on a Jet Plane
Date of Scene:	09 December 2019
Location:	Fort Hamilton, NY
Synopsis:	Indy and Cindy hop a cargo plane headed East. Way east.
Cast of Characters:	Indiana Jones, Silk

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Indiana Jones has posed:
Indiana Jones' SUV barrled through the city streets, making pretty good time. However, he only took it three or so miles before he realized he was driving what was effectively a stolen car. He pulled over into the parking lot of a mini-mall, finding a parking spot next to a broken light pole. He stopped the engine, then took out a cloth and began wiping down the insides of the vehicle.
He was working quickly, but methodically. Behind those eyes, his mind was racing. Jingjiazhuang. It was a minor burial site in the province. But his "good luck" charm had failed him, and if that chalk-white freak wasn't able to find out what Indy had neglected to tell him, he would find out soon enough.

Silk has posed:
Silk is following from above and slightly behind the SUV, until it comes to a stop. Her brow furrows, and she descends quickly, her feet settling in beside the driver door, just behind him as he wipes it down. "Everything okay in there? I wouldn't say we're quite a safe distance away, just yet. Just for the record." Her face is still masked, as she looks around, watching for danger.

Indiana Jones has posed:
Indy blinks and whirls around, hand to the P99 in his belt before realizing who it was. "Damn...no, there's a subway station around the corner. I think driving a hot car will make the next step very, very difficult."
He begins to wipe down the door. "That tapestry has a key to something that thug wants. I had hoped to destroy it, but my trusty Zippo failed me. So, now I have to go to China. There is a place called Jingjiazhuang, in the Shanxi province of western China. There is something there, and I have to find it before the big, blond bastard does. I might know someone who can get me in there...and hopefully, I can stay one step ahead of that guy Tombstone."

Silk has posed:
Silk doesn't flinch as he turns on her with the gun. "I could get it back from him for you. But things as they are, he probably has pictures of it on the phone and half a dozen servers by now." She looks down the street and crinkles her nose. "So we better hurry. If he doesn't know anyone who can translate it, SOMEONE will.

Indiana Jones has posed:
Indy closed the door with the keys inside, leaving the doors unlocked. "With luck, this thing will be gone before the subway train arrives."
He begins walking towards the corner, then stops and looks at Silk, puzzled.
"We...?"

Silk has posed:
"You think for n one moment that I'm gonna leave you and your defective Zippo to your own devices?" Silk replies, turning back to him. You can say no, but it just means you have no idea who'll be sitting next to you on the flight,or when and where I'll pop up once you get there. And I'm little enough that you don't have to worry about me crowding you on the plane." Her tone is matter-of-fact. "Good thing I already have a passport."

Indiana Jones has posed:
Indy looks at her, REALLY looks at her. She is resolute, and he has a pretty good idea that in a fight, she'll win.

"You're asking for the kind of danger you don't think are possible. We won't be dealing with street gangs. This could attract some very influential people. You will need to be quick, clever...and willing to follow my orders without question. I say jump, you only ask me 'How High?' on the way up. I don't want you to get killed in some faraway land because you don't think I know what I'm doing. Can you handle that?"

Silk has posed:
"If you say jump, you'll be pulling me off a rooftop before you finish the word. You've never worked with anybody like me, Dr. Jones. Kind. Obedient. Mild mannered. Asskicker." Her hidden smile touches her eyes as she speaks. "I'll do anything you want. Anything. As long as you're not messin' it up. Cause I'm not gonna lose you to some emo jerkbag with bad teeth because your Bic didn't flick. Can you handle that?"

Indiana Jones has posed:
That list of traits...well...the last one he believed.
"All right. I suppose I can justify the need for an assistant. But we are going to need to move quick." He paused. "Okay. I need you to pack for two weeks, and then meet me at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn. Tell the gate security that you're here with Indiana Jones. And show your ID. I'll leave word at the gate. Pack warm...and pack QUICKLY." He eyed her speculatively.

Silk has posed:
"You got it. Now, are you catching a subway train, or am I gonna websling you wherever you're going? Cause I'm not leavin' you here to foot it somewhere." She looks around. "It still isn't safe."

Indiana Jones has posed:
He looked up and the idea of swinging through the valleys of skyscrapers and apartment buildings made his stomach turn a little.
"We'd better split up. Vacate the scene in separate directions. I can take the subway, and I need to make some calls, call in some favors, and I'm sure you need to square things with your friends and family." He rubs his face. "And you and I are going to have a long time for me to find out what you can do. If I need to make some kind of play, I need to know what moves you can make."

Silk has posed:
Family and friends...that's sweet. But she does have a few calls to make, just to make sure no one goes looking for her. And as for his making a move...well...

Silk blinks. More important things to think about for right now. "Gotcha. I'll meet you there. Or beat you there," she says with an apparent grin. "This is gonna be fun!"

Indiana Jones has posed:
"Fun..." he says softly as he makes his way to the subway. The word has a bittersweet taste. It reminds him of all the expeditions, of how everything worked flawlessly...
...almost.

Three hours later, Indy was waiting in the hangar, wearing his standard khaki clothes, the leather jacket, and his fedora. It was a headpiece that had gotten a lot of bad press from some subculture known as "neckbeards," but he had always been fond of the Stetson fedoras. He had lost count of how many he'd had.
His duffel bag was at his feet, and the large manila envelope was sitting on top of it. Now...he hoped Miss Moon would be here soon. He had sent her a text with a time only. No idea who might be listening in.
And if she was going to risk that neck of her, it seemed only fair to call her "Cindy"...

Silk has posed:
Cindy arrives at the appointed time at Fort Hamilton. Showing her ID and giving Dr. Jones' name gets her right through, and she is ushered to where he's waiting. She has a weekender on wheels that she's pulling along behind her with a handle. Very small for two weeks overseas.

"I'm here. The party can begin."

Indiana Jones has posed:
Indy raises an eyebrow. "A weekender? I did talk about dressing warm. Do you have enough for cold weather? I'm talking weather that will make New York look like a balmy summer day. In ARIZONA."

Silk has posed:
"Layers, Dr. Jones. It's all about layers. Besides, I don't suffer the effects of cold /quite/ as much as you do. It isn't about how much you pack. It's about what you pack." Just then, a man from security arrives with a larger suitcase. "Oh and that one has my coats."

Indiana Jones has posed:
Jones sighs. "All right. That looks better." He points to a large military cargo place, a dull C-130 with an open rear gangway. "That's our ride. It's headed to a base in South Korea. From there, a smaller plane will take us to Shanghai. So, we're going to be in the air 14 hours for the first leg, then another two before we land in Shanghai. The rest of the trip will be overland."

Silk has posed:
"Pff...is that all? I've spent 14 hours in the air in the past three days," she replies. But she is looking at that cargo plane with a little bit of trepidation. "But...W-what if I need to pee?"

Indiana Jones has posed:
Indy smiles wryly. "Communal bathroom. But it won't get dumped until they're back in San Francisco...so there will be a smell. Come on. Let's get our stuff stowed. They're leaving in 20 minutes."

The doesn't bother with stuff like noise control, or excessive comforts, so Indy and Cindy find themselves sitting next to each other in jump seats, sharing space with large crates of food (MRE's), seeds, and vaccines. Indy has a journal that he is reading through, populated with notes, maps, and names.
He is wearing clamshell headphones, the kind pilots wear, and he looks over to Cindy before plugginghis into a jack on the wall, queuing up the inter-connected sound system for the cargo bay. "How are you doing?" comes over the headset assigned to Cindy.

Silk has posed:
"Just fine!" she replies with a thumbs-up. She has a couple of books on her lap, but she is watching the last bit of loading, instead of reading. Next to her is nestled a cross-body bag, purse-sized, that, for all he has seen, Indy probably believes to be full of nothing but protein bars.

Indiana Jones has posed:
Indy nods. She seems to be handling things all right so far.
"All right...Cindy...I need you to pay attention. There are some things you need to know. It might save your life sometime."

Silk has posed:
Cindy turns back to Indy, pulling her long dark hair up into a ponytail. He has her full. attention, and that much is obvious. For all her banter, she knows how to be serious when she needs to be. "Sure thing, Boss."

Indiana Jones has posed:
"I'll accept Dr. Jones, Cindy." He takes a deep breath.
"In Chinese mythology, one deity named Hsi Wang Mu is referenced. She is a goddess of prosperity, and one of the symbols of her demenses is that of the peach. She even wears a headdress with peaches hanging from it. This is relevant because she is reputed to take care of a garden, primarily an orchard of peach trees. These peaches are supposed to be tthe epitome of the fruit - beautiful to the eyes, ripe and succulent. And anyone who eats them supposedly becomes immortal. The palace where the goddess lives is on the Mountain known as K'un Lun. There is a K'un Lun mountain in China, but that was designated by the Chinese government and is not the one referred to in the legend."

Silk has posed:
"So...let me see if I have this straight. The actual location was in that cloth, right? And that was why you were going to burn it...." Cindy furrows her brow, looking down thoughtfully. "I mean...that garden and those peaches are just myth, though. Right? Do you think there is anything in that location for Skidmark to find? And if there is...how can we keep it safe from him? We can't move a whole peach orchard...."

Indiana Jones has posed:
Indy chuckles. "You'd be surprised at how many myths and legends have a basis in fact, Cindy Moon. But right now, we shouldn't concern ourselves with whether or not these peaches exist. I think the tapestry was a pointer, to point to another source of information. It gave the location of a burial site, but not what could be found in it." He looked around. "If we're lucky, it's undisturbed. But that means we have to unearth whatever the tapestry was pointing to. Then we can just take it back to the States. If it has historical significance, I can talk to Murray at the museum, who will handle which institution will get it. If we're not so lucky, China's government has already unearthed it. They may stick it in some archive...or even destroy it without knowing what information it holds. China loves the idea of its Communist utopia so much, they have a predilection towards destroying anything that might not dovetail with the narrative."

Silk has posed:
"Ohhhhhh..." Cindy's mouth makes a perfect little "o" as she says it. "I get it. So we have to protect the artifacts from their own country of origin. That's...that's terrible!" Cindy shakes her head. "Well, I'm glad you found it out, and hopefully before anyone else did. I'd love to think we could take care of this mess before it becomes a mess. Somebody has to protect real history, before it's all gone."

Indiana Jones has posed:
Indy nods. "This is not a new occurrence. One Egyptian pharaoh, Hatshepsut, was so hated by her successor, Thutmose III, that he obliterated all references to her from nearly every building in Egypt." He takes out a book titled CONVERSATIONAL CHINESE (Cantonese/Mandarin) and hands it to Cindy. "Might want to spend some time on this."

Silk has posed:
"Ooh...thank you! I'm sure that will help!" She adds it to the two books in her lap. Both are also Chinese language books. They appear to be textbooks for college courses, likely I and II. "With these three books, I'll be fluent by the time we get there." Cindy thinks for a moment, however. "But even with all his efforts, we know who Hatshepsut was. You can't change history, even if you try to obliterate it."

Indiana Jones has posed:
Indy nods. "But that is only because there were those who concealed her references with the guardsmen came to call. I think it may be the same here." He sits back in his chair. "I'm going to get a little sleep. Wake me in four hours if I don't wake up myself. Think about any questions you might want to ask before we get there." He tilts his fedora forward to cover his eyes. "Anything you want to know now before I nod off?"

Silk has posed:
Cindy watches him lean back and cover his face. An expression crosses her own face, and she smiles slightly. This is a man she admires. He knows everything. He can do anything. Finally, she shakes her head. "Nah, get some rest. I'll be reading. If I have any more questions, I can ask when you wake. Rest well, Dr. Jones."

Indiana Jones has posed:
Indy hmms. "You, too, Cindy. Listen...when I wake up, I need you to show me your powers..." He already sounds sleepy. "...need to know what...you can do..."
The last word dissolves into a quiet snore.