Indiana Jones and the Legend of the Crystal Skulls
by Ran Dum Gui
South African Deserts – 1939
A spear flies through the air, piercing the soft trunk of a rotting stump. Just then our hero, Indiana Jones, dashes past the stump. Behind him is a group of angry native Africans, carrying spears, swords and daggers. Indy approaches a wide river, and without second thoughts, he dives in and fights the current to the opposite shore. Indy hides behind a nearby boulder, while the Africans stay on the other shore, yelling and trying to throw their spears across the wide river.
“Whew…It’s a good thing those Africans think it’s taboo to cross that river,” Indy whispers to himself, “or they would’ve harpooned me like a fish! Well, at least I was able to get this…” Indy pulls a gold and silver medallion from his satchel. The medallion has strange writing on it, possibly African. “ I’d better get this medallion deciphered,” says Indy, still whispering to himself, “and then, I can figure out what it means” Indy gets up, and starts his trek across the desert, back to the airplane.
Back at the university, Indy is teaching a class about the fabled Noah’s Ark. The bell rings, signaling the end of class. “Remember to read chapters five and six for homework,” Dr. Jones announces to the class “have a good weekend, and I’ll see you all again next week.” Dr. Jones sits down at his desk, and opens a drawer. He takes the medallion out, and opens one of his books on “Ancient African Dialogues and Languages”. “According to this medallion,” Dr. Jones thinks to himself, “the Crystal Skulls hold an unbelievable source of power…” Dr. Jones sits back in his chair, staring at the medallion with a puzzled look on his face. “The Crystal Skulls…” Dr. Jones whispers to himself “the crystal skulls…but those are supposedly in Mexico… How could a primitive, African tribe, know about the crystal skulls?”
Dr. Jones reads on, deciphering the rest of the medallion. “And the crystal skulls will tell the meaning of existence, to whoever can collect the thirteen…” Dr. Jones pauses “the message just stops there…” Dr. Jones turns the medallion over, hoping to find the rest of the message, but the back of the medallion is just blank. “This could be harder than I thought… the thirteen…thirteen what?” Dr. Jones asks himself thinking deeply. Just then, curator of antiquities, and boss of the university, Marcus Brody walks in.
“Dr. Jones! Dr. Jones! Have you heard the news?” yells Brody, with a tone of excitement in his voice. “What news? What happened?” Dr. Jones asks, partly confused by Brody’s excitement. “You haven’t heard? The third crystal skull has been discovered!” Brody drops a newspaper on Dr. Jones’ desk. On the front page, it reads, “Third Crystal Skull found in Mexico by a native Mexican” Dr. Jones stands up from his chair, and grabs the medallion, stuffing it into his pocket. “Well then,” Indy says as he grabs his trusted fedora resting on his desk, “I guess I’d better get going.” “Where?” Brody asks, with a confused look on his face. “Where else?” Indy replies jokingly, “Mexico!”
Mexico City, Mexico
Indy gets off his plane. As he walks across the runway, he hears someone call his name. “Dr. Jones?” Indy turns around to see a beautiful young woman. “Uh…can I help you?” Indy asks the young woman. “My name is Eliza. Eliza Rose. I’m the archaeologist you contacted to help on the expedition for the crystal skulls.” “Eliza! It’s good to finally see you in person!” Indy says, still stunned by the young woman’s beauty.
“So, did you find any evidence of the location of the crystal skulls?” Indy asks Eliza. “Well, we think we have found something, but we need you to decipher the inscriptions. Do you think you can?” Eliza replies. “Well, let’s go see if I can decipher those inscriptions then!” Indy replies boldly.
Indy and Eliza arrive at a strange temple, with strange inscriptions covering the walls. Indy bends down and starts to read the inscriptions. An hour passes, and finally Indy finishes deciphering. “According to the inscriptions, the final ten crystal skulls can be found in The Temple of the Dead…” Indy says to Eliza. “But where is the temple?” Eliza leans against the wall, which cracks and collapses under her weight. She falls into a dark tunnel, lined with coffins and graves. “I think you just found it…” Indy called down to her.
Indy jumps down to the tunnel where Eliza is laying. “Are you alright?” Indy asks Eliza. “Yes…I’m fine…” Eliza replies “but I don’t think I can continue anymore, you go and try to find the crystal skulls, I’ll stay here.” “Okay, you’re sure you’ll be fine?” Indy asks, just to be safe. “Yes, I’ll be fine.” Eliza answers. Indy nods his head and continues on, through the rows of crypts and cobwebs.
After a couple minutes of walking, the tunnel open up to a giant room, with a rotting, old rope bridge suspended across a huge gap, that seems to go on forever. Indy cautiously crosses the rope bridge, being careful not to fall. Finally, Indy gets to the other side, just as the rope bridge collapses and falls into the abyss. Indy then goes through a doorway, leading to a seemingly harmless room, with a statue in the center, and another doorway on the opposite wall. As Indy walks through the room, he feels his foot start to sink into the ground.
Indy looks down to see himself sinking into quicksand. If that isn’t bad enough, darts and spears start to shoot out of the walls, zooming inches away from his face. Indy quickly pulls his whip out and wraps it around the arm of the statue, causing it to topple over, forming a bridge. Indy quickly pulls himself onto the statue, and starts running across it. As the statue sinks into the deadly quicksand, the walls and ceiling start to close in on him, and the doors start to close. As a spear whizzes past him, Indy grabs it, and jams it between the walls, stalling them, and giving him a split second to dive under the closing door, nearly crushing him.
Indy sits for a moment, so he can catch his breath. Once he is breathing normally again, Indy gets up and continues through the next doorway. In the middle of the room is a pool of water, leading to the other side of the room. Indy is about to dive in, when all of a sudden he stops, and takes a step back. Indy picks up a rock and throws it into the pool of water. The rock almost immediately dissolves in the steaming water. Indy then looks around for some way to get to the other side of the deadly pool of water. Indy spots a bar extending across the room ceiling. Indy throws his whip up, wrapping it around the bar. Indy pauses for a moment, and then jumps off the ledge, swinging across the water.
But, as he does this, geysers of the water erupt from the ground, barely missing him. When Indy reaches the other side, he grabs his whip, and runs out of the room. Finally, Indy finds a large statue, with ten crystal skulls embedded into the sides of it! “Wow…” Indy whispers to himself, “so these are the last of the crystal skulls...” Indy finds a large tapestry hanging from the wall, and tears it down. He then takes out the crystal skulls, admiring them for a moment, and then he gently places the skulls down on the tapestry. Once he has all ten, Indy wraps up the tapestry and slings it over his shoulder.
Once Indy does this however, the ground starts to rumble. “An earthquake? No… a booby trap…” Indy mutters under his breath. As the rocks from the ceiling start to crumble, an entrance is revealed in the side of the room. Indy run through the exit, past the rows and rows of crypts until finally, he sees daylight. Indy dives out of the cave as the exit behind him is covered by boulders and debris. When Indy looks up, a group of soldiers are standing in front of him. Eliza is standing with them. “Eliza? What are you doing?” Indy mutters to her. Just then one of the soldiers hits Indy in the side of the head with the back of his gun.
When Indy wakes up, he is tied up in the back of a jeep. He looks up to see a soldier, wearing an Australian army uniform. “So you finally decided to wake up Dr. Jones?” the soldier says to Indy in a somewhat friendly tone of voice. “Who are you?” Indy asks the soldier, still in a bit of a daze. “Me? Why I’m Bazzo Bennet, general of this here army!” the soldier answers in a thick, Australian accent. Indy looks around to see a fleet of Australian jeeps, packed with Australian soldiers. “You’re the general?” Indy asks Bennet, still a bit dizzy. “Well, more of an unofficial general. You see, this isn’t really the Australian army, it’s just a group of soldiers I put together so I can achieve my ultimate goal.” Bennet answers, still in a somewhat friendly tone.
“And that goal is?” Indy curiously asks. “Why, to rule the world of course!” Bennet answers, “and you, Dr. Jones, have helped me achieve that goal by getting the crystal skulls! Therefore, when I become leader, I’ll make you my assistant! Think of it, you and me, ruling the world together, and…” “There’s no way I’ll ever join you in such a selfish act!” Indy interrupts. “Fine then Dr. Jones, suit yourself. But if that’s how you feel then I have no use of you.” Bennet replies. Bennet turns toward another soldier sitting next to him. “Shoot him.” Bennet orders the soldier.
The soldier turns towards Indy, and raises his gun. But just as the soldier is about to fire, Indy kicks him in the jaw, sending the gun, and the soldier, hurtling out of the jeep at 55 mph. Indy is able to reach a small, Swiss army knife, and cut the ropes free. Indy gets up and gives Bennet an uppercut straight in his stomach. Bennet is able to yell the orders to his troops. “Kill him!” Bennet yells out. Upon hearing the command, the soldiers in the other jeeps pull out their guns ready to shoot Indy.
As bullets fly past his head, Indy punches Bennet, sending him into the back of the jeep. Bennet pulls out a revolver as Indy does the same. Bennet tries to shoot Indy, but Indy kicks the gun out of Bennet’s hand. Indy turns around and starts to return fire upon the other soldiers. Indy shoots the drivers in one of the jeeps, causing it to collide with another, flipping both jeeps over. Another jeep pulls up close to Indy, and one of the soldiers jumps onto the jeep. Indy punches the soldier in the face, stunning him.
Indy then pulls the pin from the grenade in the soldier’s belt, then Indy kicks him in the stomach, causing him to fall back into the other jeep, blowing it, and another jeep up simultaneously. Bennet is able to get back up and punches Indy in the face. Indy falls back into the second row of seats. Another jeep pulls up close, and starts firing at Indy barely missing him. Indy pulls out his whip, and wraps it around the driver’s neck, causing him to swerve out of control, and crashes into a tree, blowing up the jeep. The final jeep then pulls up to Indy. Indy pulls out his machete and pierces it into the hood of the jeep, causing it to swerve away, and explode.
Bennet gets up and backhands Indy. Indy punches Bennet as the driver pulls out a pistol. He turns and aims at Indy, but Indy dodges the shot, which barely misses hitting Bennet. When the driver turns back around, he screams. Indy looks to see a huge cliff ahead of them. The driver slams on the breaks, but its no use, the jeep keeps sliding towards the cliff. Indy grabs only five of the crystal skulls, stuffs them into his satchel, jumps from the jeep just as it drives straight off the cliff, sending Bennet, the driver, and the remaining five crystal skulls into the water below.
Before the jeep hits the water, Bennet grabs the tapestry, wraps the skulls up, and jumps from the jeep. Bennet is able to grab a nearby ledge, as the driver and the jeep, fall into the piranha-infested lake below. Indy sees Bennet start to run into the jungle. Indy pursues Bennet down the hill into the thick vegetation, chopping down branches and vines with his machete. After chasing Bennet for a minute or two, Indy emerges from the jungle into a huge campsite, most likely Bennet’s headquarters. Indy spots Bennet and Eliza getting into an Australian fighter plane.
“Eliza! What are you doing?” Indy shouts to her as she climbs onto the plane. A soldier hit Indy in the back of the head, causing Indy to fall. The soldier picks up Indy’s satchel, containing the five crystal skulls, and carries it onto the plane. The plane starts to take off as Indy gets up, and runs over to it. He pulls out his whip and wraps it around his waist, and then he ties it to the wing of the plane. The plane takes off with Indy tied to the bottom of the wing.
Gibson Desert, Australia
The plane finally reaches its destination, the Gibson Desert, in Australia. The plane lands as Indy unties the whip. Indy hides behind the back of the plane as Bennet and Eliza get off. Indy feels a tap on his shoulder, and when he turns around, and a large soldier punches him in the face. When Indy wakes up, he is in a huge canyon, tied to a large, wooden pole.
In front of him is a group of soldiers, and next to him the ten crystal skulls are lined up, with Bennet and Eliza standing next to them. “And now” announces Bennet, “we shall unleash the power of the skulls!” Bennet holds up a stone slab, covered in ancient Aztec symbols, writing, and pictures. Bennet starts to read the writing in a strange language, causing the skulls to glow. When Bennet finishes, the skulls start to levitate. A huge flash fills the canyon with a glowing essence. When the light is gone, Bennet finds all of his soldiers dead. Only him, Eliza, and Indy are the only ones alive. Indy laughs to himself. “What? What’s so funny?!” Bennet yells angrily at Indy. “To get the skulls to work, you must have them all. The Crystal Skulls hold an unbelievable source of power, and the crystal skulls will tell the meaning of existence, to whoever can collect the thirteen…skulls.” Indy says, repeating the message from the medallion. “That means, without the crystal skulls, you cannot obtain that power. In this case, it did just the opposite, now that you don’t have an army, you have no power over anyone or anything, leaving you completely powerless.