Indy raced about, splashing in the deepening water, pushing and probing the walls. Robert stood and stared, dumbfounded, not sure what to do. "Snap out of it!" Indy yelled. "Look for a panel. A release. Anything!" Robert galvanised into action and began prodding and kicking at the masonry. The water was already up to their knees and wading around quickly was becoming difficult. Indy looked up to see if the vent holes were still blocked. He could see far enough into the black shafts to know the Germans had cleared them. "Damn!" He cursed. The water was rising fast and was at chest height and the two of them were swimming now rather than wading. Still there seemed to be no release lever or way out.
"Is your life always this busy?" Robert asked, floundering in his robes. "Pretty much." Indy muttered. Then he had an idea.
"Too simple. It can't be." He said, then he disappeared beneath the water for a few moments. Even before he surfaced again Robert could feel the water level begin to rapidly drop. Indy came up like a dolphin, blowing water and shaking his head. "What did you do?" Robert shouted in amazement.
"The blade in the wall. I pushed it again. I figured if pushing it once sprang the trap, maybe pushing it again would stop it." Robert began to laugh. "I don't believe I'm here, doing this!" He said. Indy slapped his shoulder and said, "Neither do I, kid. Neither do I!" The water was down to feet level, rapidly draining away through the vents in the floor it had come in when the stairway began to rise again allowing them to escape.
"Are we getting out?" Robert asked, moving toward the stairs. "Are you kidding!" Indy replied. "We only just got in here!" He pulled at his sopping wet robes and went back to the blade switch. "What are you doing!" Cried Robert nervously as Indy began wiggling the blade from side to side, rather than back and forth. "Just an...." CLICK. "Idea......" Indy said, as a different switch was tripped. A grating sound to their left made them spin round to see an opening appearing in the wall some three feet away from them. It was small, barely large enough for them to pass through crouched down. Indy pulled a lighter from his pocket and clicked the flame into life. He peered into the opening, his dim light springing from wall to wall as he moved. He let out a low whistle. "What is it!" Robert whispered from behind as Indy made his way through the opening. "Come and see!" He replied, a note of awe in his voice as he stood up in the next chamber. Robert crawled through to stand beside him.
"No one has seen this for centuries." Indy murmured.
The chamber was not large but the walls were covered in hieroglyphics and paintings, richly accented in gold. Statues and figures stood around a raised central dais, with an archway at the centre leading nowhere. There were two small steps within the arch and on the top step was carved a small circle. The statue that had obviously once been there was missing. On each side of the arch was a white marble pedestal and on the pedestals, raised on ornate golden stems stood a small figurine. The figure of a cat.
"The other two!" Robert exclaimed, moving toward them. Indy put his arm protectively across the young mans chest, barring further progress. He looked at the platform, noting that there were raised golden stands at equal intervals around its circumference. There were ten stands. He nodded in understanding but looking quickly about, he became puzzled. Where was the tomb? Where was Cleopatra's resting place?
"My god, You've found it!" Indy and Robert spun round to see Rene entering the chamber the way they had come. Marcus and Marion followed, then Sallah squeezed through the small doorway as well. No one said anything further for a while as they all moved around the chamber examining the artefacts in a stunned silence, lighting ancient, dry torches hanging in golden sconces on the walls. Light sprang from place to place, illuminating the most wondrous artefacts Indy had ever seen. Then a familiar voice spoke, sending a cold chill up Indy's spine.
"Well done, Doctor Jones. I knew you wouldn't let me down."
The voice belonged to Smith. The company turned to see the man standing by the doorway with several German soldiers coming in behind. Indy went for his gun but stopped as Smith said, "Now, now, Doctor Jones...." And waved a sub machine gun at them. "What the hell do you want, Smith!" Indy growled, feeling like a lamb that had been led to the slaughter. Smith laughed. "Don't be so naive, Jones! You know what I want. Fortune and glory. The same as yourself. I will be rich beyond your dreams from this discovery. You know that."
"And the Nazi's and Jap's?" Indy hissed. Smith stepped forward, looking around the chamber. "Magnificent!" He murmured, shaking his head. Then he turned to answer Indy's question. "Hitler believes there is eternal life to be had in this chamber." Indy interrupted him. "So the cats go back on the pedestals and you stand on the top step and place the final cat on its stand, completing the circle and presto! You live forever." Smith raised his eyebrows and nodded appreciatively. "Well done, Doctor Jones. You are every bit as bright as I was led to believe."
"You forgot something." Indy added. "I've read the stories too. The prayer needed to invoke the gods. The translation was missing from Abner's notes. Now, if you happen to know where the pages are?...." Indy smiled smugly, leaving his words hanging but his grin was soon wiped from his face as Smith turned his gun on Rene and said, "The pages, Ballard, or Belloq. Whichever you prefer." Indy stared in disbelief as Rene looked at him and shrugged, then pulled some folded pieces of paper from inside his robes and passed them to Smith.
"At Marion's bar! While we were looking for ropes. You had the notebooks. You took the pages out!" Indy lunged at Belloq but was clubbed down by the butt of a German soldiers rifle. Belloq ran to him and pushed the soldier aside. "You don't understand, my friend." He said, helping Indy to his knees. Indy pushed him away. "I have been studying the riddle of the cats for over a year. If you knew what they could do, you would have destroyed this place the moment you found it. I couldn't let you do that." Indy glared at Belloq. "I never trusted you. I knew you couldn't change." He shook himself free of Rene's touch. Rene looked genuinely crestfallen at Indy's reaction. "You must believe me, Indiana," He said, "I did what I did for the best." Indy wasn't convinced and turned away from the Frenchman with a sneer of distrust.
"Dissension in the ranks. I like that." Smith said with a laugh. Then his tone changed to one of authority. "Get over there, Jones." He said, waving toward Marion, Marcus and Robert with the gun, then opened the folded notes, studying them. He frowned, realising the form of Hieroglyphics was one he could not decipher. "Where is the translation?" He snarled at Belloq, pointing the machine gun at him threateningly.
Rene tried to look innocent. "There wasn't one." He said. "Just a copy of the inscription from the body of the thirteenth cat." "Which, of course, you now have." Smith said, now pointing the gun at Marcus although he didn't entirely believe Belloq.
"How did..." Indy began. "Doctor Jones, Doctor Jones." Smith said, patronisingly. "You may be a master archaeologist and detective, but at disguise, well, you look about as convincing as Groucho Marx's moustache!" The fat Japanese thug laughed and Smith joined in. "We were trailing you all morning. We LET you in here so that you could uncover the tomb for us. You see, I too realised some time ago that Cleopatra's resting place had to be within the library. You have kindly saved me a great deal of trouble." Then he turned to Belloq again. "Now, My 'old friend', the translation, if you please." Rene was about to deny the knowledge once again when Smith barked an order in Japanese and the huge thug moved over to stand threateningly behind Marion. She smiled impishly at the huge man but he scowled back, ignoring her show of mock friendship.
"Now, 'Rene'," Smith continued. "The translation please, unless you really wish to see my colleague here dismember Miss Ravenwood with his bare hands, Samurai style....." The huge Japanese thug grinned, cracking his knuckles loudly. Marion no longer looked so happy and Rene shrugged and glanced briefly at Indy as he walked over to Smith and took the proffered notes from him.
"The words date from long before the time of Cleopatra." He said. "It seems that Ra, the Sun God and King of the Gods was depicted by the symbol of the Hawk for good reason. The modern notion that the Hawk symbolised his ability to span great distances easily and safely was only partially correct. Apparently, the Egyptians believed that he could also travel through the lives of others and not only with them."
"What do you mean by 'through'?" Indy asked, becoming interested in what Belloq was saying. Rene looked at Indy and made a face indicating that he was not really sure. "Ra was a God. Gods live for ever, only so long as there is someone who believes in them. Maybe 'through' means along with them, mixed with them. Who knows. Maybe it even means 'part' of them..." Smith looked at Belloq and laughed.
"Still trying to conceal the truth? Why not tell your friends what you REALLY think?" Smith was obviously in command of far more than Indy realised.
"What do you mean?" he said to Smith but staring at Belloq. Smith put his gun down, safe in the knowledge that there were now ten soldiers covering Indy and the others; then he sat unceremoniously on the head of a small statue.
"Look, Jones. Ra was more than a God. He travelled with his people all right. But don't you see? He was a god! He could go backwards and forwards in their lives as easily as you and I go backwards and forwards up the street!" Indy screwed up his face. "You mean he was a time traveller?" He sneered. His tone irritated Smith. "You are a fool, Jones. You don't understand, so you dismiss. Do you really think that the Gods are limited to the same puny astral plane as mere mortals? Look around you, you poor simpleton. Look at the pictures, the statues. The figures. Cleopatra was more than a Queen. She was special to Ra. Favoured. Not as a lover, but like a child. Don't you get it yet?" Indy stared around looking at the artefacts. There was a myriad of work depicting a hawk with the Queen.
"So? The priests believed she was favoured by the Gods. I've heard that plenty of times before. It's nothing new!" Smith was becoming exasperated, as if trying to point out the most elementary facts to an unreceptive school child."
Jones! Look! Where do you think we are standing? Exactly what have we ALL been trying to find?" He waved his hand about expansively, emphasising his point. Indy shrugged. "Cleopatra's tomb?" He said, trying to get ahead of Smith's reasoning. Smith breathed out loudly in satisfaction.
"EXACTLY!" He almost shouted. "And don't you think there just MIGHT be something MISSING?" Indy looked around, suddenly realising what Smith was driving at. "Jesus!" He murmured. "The Queen herself!" Smith was almost jumping up and down with excitement. "Yes! Yes! The Queen! She's not here!" Indy had lost the trail once again and said, "So? What does that prove, other than we're in the wrong place?" Smith looked at Belloq and said, "Will you explain, or shall I?" Indy and the others looked at Rene for an answer. Belloq sighed and began.
"Indiana. Indy. Do you recall the drawings? The words in Abner's notes? Travelling a wheel, and we are on the rim?" Indy nodded and Rene continued. "Life. Time. It's all the same. Haven't you noticed a certain repetitiveness in events as we have moved closer to this point? A constant sense of Deja Vu?" Indy nodded again. Indeed, he had noticed the similarity of many events to past occasions in the last few days. "Go on..." He said, now intrigued. Rene smiled and nodded, noting Indy's interest. "We are on that wheel. Continually travelling, until...." "Until we get back to where we started!" Marion exclaimed, catching on. Rene and Smith both nodded. "Exactly, Miss Ravenwood." Smith answered, taking over from where Rene had left off. "We are completing a circle. The Queen is not here. She never was. She is still in her own time, As much alive as you and I." Indy shook his head. "Well, I'm sure that's gonna do you a lot of good." He said. "What you gonna do? Go back and shake hands?" As he said the words he looked at Smith and realised how accurate his joking words were. "Aw, C'mon. You gotta be kidding!" He said in disbelief. Smith shook his head. "Not quite, Doctor Jones. But close. The cats are an important part of a gateway. A portal. With them, in this place, and with the translation our mutual friend Mister Belloq will provide, I fully intend to shake the hand of the Queen of the Nile. But not in her time, in this one! Think of it, Jones!" Smith was almost raving now. "A living, breathing, relic from the past! And not just any relic, but Cleopatra herself!" Indy stared for a moment, then threw up his hands and burst out laughing.
"Smith, you mentioned Groucho Marx a minute ago. You should join them. You're as big a clown!" Smith remained calm. "Don't worry, Doctor Jones. You will see that I am right. In fact, I intend to prove it. You will be the first to test the gateway to the past!"
