Origins- Protectors

Chapter Thirty-One: Paint the Town Red, Part One

The people of the Amazon Rainforest noted the outsider for his bravery. He had been struck with some of the most painful poison in the entire jungle, then plummeted a long distance to the water below. The warriors that found him in the pool had told the elder that the man was somehow still fighting to get to land, despite being at the end of his life. Despite thinking of him a dead man, Noctum recovered from his wounds and, within a week, found himself on a plane out of Brazil, heading to Egypt. He had made up his mind while being nursed back to health by the People of the Amazon. Jones Blakk could wait. He needed to learn more about Apis, so Adam had booked flights to Cairo, where he would attempt to find as much knowledge as possible of The Stranger,

"Anything to drink?" asked the flight attendant, walking to Noctum's first class seat,

"I'll have a..." Noctum was about to say long black, but suddenly, he found himself craving a glass of whiskey, "a tall glass of scotch,"

Noctum sipped at the drink, enjoying the burning sensation of the drink as it trickled down his throat,

"I could get used to this," He said to himself, sipping his fifth glass while the in-flight entertainment played before him,

It was an episode of one of Noctum's favourite television shows that he had discovered before the Bali incident. The Flash's third season was his favourite, and so he had watched the best episode, the one where the identity of Savitar, a murderous speedster, had been revealed,

"Do you like superheroes?" Asked the stewardess, bringing Adam another glass of whiskey,

'You don't know the half of it,' he thought to himself before returning conversation,

"I'm a little bit of a fan,"

"You know," the stewardess said, "some people unearthed an ancient tablet, just outside of Cairo. They're saying it's the second half of the one found in Australia,"

Noctum sat bolt upright, startling the woman,

"Can I borrow your phone for a second?" He asked,

"I don't know, sir," she replied sceptically,

"I'll pay you five hundred bucks,"

Noctum handed over the money, taking the phone,

"You'd better give it back,"

Noctum ignored her, switching on the browser. He quickly searched for the artefact. There was an official news story complete with a translation. It had been passed off as a fairytale but appeared to be a prophecy,

"Shining sphere of glowing red light," Adam read aloud, "the beacon of crimson calls the storm, the one that none can oppose,"

"What?" The stewardess asked as Noctum passed her the phone,

"The tablet translates to what I just said," he replied,

The rest of the flight was uneventful, mainly because Noctum was presumed dead, meaning that no Nighthawk assassins would come after him. The beautiful Cairo skyline stretched around him, the setting sun painting the desert a glorious orange. The touchdown was light, and as Noctum had no luggage, he walked out into the bustling city, his credit card in one pocket, and a roll of bills in the other. Most people would not have the right machines to process his card, so a roll of bills would be essential to navigating his way through the city,

"Where do you want to go?" The taxi driver asked as Adam slid into the back of the car, the frayed, but still clean leather snagging on his trousers,

"Fanciest hotel in the city," he replied,

Even if he was on the run, Noctum was not going to spend his time in a run-down hotel,

"That'll be the Atlas, then," the driver replied, slamming his foot to the pedal as he sped towards the Atlas Hotel, which had conveniently been relocated to the outskirts of the desert very recently,