★˚⋆ HIS EYES WERE THE SAME deep startling blue as the ocean. An amused half-smile played on his lips as you looked up at the gulls cawing overhead. Everything was so bright. It was like the vibrance had been turned all the way up.
"I got you that ring you wanted," he said. "I'm sorry it took so long."
"It didn't take that long. I forgot about it."
"But you were looking so hard for it." He gestured for you to come closer. The ring in his hand disappointed you with how dull it was.
"Are you sure this is it?"
Strands of dark hair blew loosely around his face. "Not really. Maybe it's not the ring. Sorry."
He closed the ring in his fist. Then he started walking towards the water, not stopping until it sloshed up against his ankles.
"Oh, can you bring it to me? It's sitting on my chair."
You reached for the mask that hadn't been there a second ago. The teardrop jewel glinted faintly.
"Can I put it on?" you asked.
He frowned. "No. You always ask that."
You ran your fingers across the mask's delicate filigree. It was gorgeous. It must have been modelled after old-world Venetian masks. By some inexplicable urge, you grasped the green jewel and pinched on it until it shattered.
"Why would you do that?" he roared. You flinched. He never raised his voice. Or maybe he did and you just didn't remember.
"I'm sorry. I just thought—I wanted to find something."
The colour rose briefly in his face, but then he sighed and sank down until he was in the water. You went toward him, still holding the mask. It was only then that you realized the jewel had cut your finger. It stung as you kicked up saltwater.
"Don't you miss me?" he asked.
"No," you said, even though you did.
"You're lying," he said, even though his eyes were closed and there was no way he could have known.
"You were always a bad liar."
Knocking at the door woke you up. You took a moment to recover your senses before calling out, "What is it?"
"Sorry to wake you, Captain," Trish called from the other side. "Fugo made progress with Coco Jumbo. If you're ready, we're all in the bridge to see what he found out."
"I'll be there in a minute."
As you followed Trish down to the bridge, you couldn't help feeling a little uneasy. Your argument with Fugo still hung in the air, and you couldn't have been the only one who felt the palpable tension in the bridge. Thankfully, no one mentioned it, even as you and Fugo staunchly avoided eye contact.
[ FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE TO APOLOGIZE FOR MY MOST EGREGIOUS OVERSIGHT. ] Coco Jumbo began over the ship's speakers. [ I NEVER THOUGHT TO LOOK IN OWN SERVERS FOR INFORMATION ON POLNAREFF. SOMETHING PREVENTED ME FROM DOING SO, OTHERWISE I WOULD'VE TOLD YOU, SCOUT'S HONOUR. ]
"I won't go into the specifics, but there was some very sophisticated programming involved," Fugo said. "Whoever covered up that information was no amateur."
[ BUT NOW THAT I HAVE MY MEMORY BACK, I CAN TELL YOU THE WHOLE STORY! ] Coco said excitedly. [ GRAB YOUR CHOCO MILK AND GET COMFY. ]
You slid into the captain's chair, keeping a wary eye on Coco Jumbo all the while. Its red camera eyes shone steadily at everyone, and it splayed all of its legs out to rest on its belly. Narancia barely hid a snort.
[ THE FIRST OWNER I HAD AND THE ONE WHO WIPED MY MEMORY WAS JEAN PIERRE POLNAREFF. HE HAD ME SPECIFICALLY PROGRAMMED TO HELP HIM WITH CATALOGUING STANDS AND BIZARRE PHENOMENA WHILE HE WAS WORKING WITH THE SPEEDWAGON FOUNDATION. ]
"They're involved with that?" you said, although you supposed you shouldn't be surprised. The best you knew about it, the Speedwagon Foundation was a jack of all trades. If you could think of it, the Foundation had made a ventures into it, whether it was the preservation of old-world cultures or how to harness star energy. It was everywhere and didn't seem to be affiliated with any Upper Space society, which was surprising. It was a wholly independent organization dedicated to the betterment of mankind or something sappy like that.
[ THEY HAVE A DEDICATED BRANCH THAT POLNAREFF WAS A PROMINENT MEMBER OF. UP UNTIL HE WENT AFTER THE STAND ARROW, THAT IS.
YOU'VE ALREADY HEARD THE STORY FROM PERICOLO. POLNAREFF NEARLY LOST HIS LIFE GETTING THAT STAND ARROW AND IT WAS LUCKY THAT HIS ASSOCIATE MANAGED TO GET IT BACK TO HIM OR IT WOULD'VE BEEN ALL FOR NOTHING. POLNAREFF RETREATED AFTERWARDS, STAYING ON A DESERVICED IMPERIAL GUARDSHIP WHILE HE FIGURED OUT WHAT TO DO WITH THE ARROW. THEN, PURELY BY COINCIDENCE, POLNAREFF'S OWN STAND WAS PIERCED BY THE ARROW. THIS LED TO POLNAREFF'S REALIZATION THAT THE ARROW WAS NOT MEANT TO BE HIDDEN. HE TOOK IT UPON HIMSELF TO BE ITS GUARDIAN UNTIL THE TIME THAT IT WAS NEEDED. HE PASSED ME OFF A FEW WEEKS LATER, TO SPREAD MY INFORMATION UNTIL IT GOT TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE. ]
These last few words were slightly garbled. You looked over at Coco in alarm as its red eyes blinked haphazardly.
[ SORRY 'BOUT THAT. SOMETHING FUNKY IN MY SERVERS. ANYWHO, POLNAREFF WASN'T IN GREAT CONDITION, SO HE PASSED ON THE ARROW TO SOMEONE ELSE. POLPO'S THE NAME. HE'S HOLED IN THE GALACTIC PENITENTIARY IV. THE ARROW SHOULD STILL BE THERE. I CAN GET IN CONTACT WITH HIM NOW TO LET HIM NOW YOU'RE COMING. ]
You chewed on this new information. There were some glaring holes in Coco's story, like what exactly had happened to Polnareff's Stand and why he'd felt the need to guard the Arrow in the first place. If Polnareff had been the Arrow's guardian, why the sudden need to pass it off? Polnareff should have known his own capabilities. Also, Polnareff just casually passing off the galaxy's strongest supercomputer didn't make a lot of sense either. The Stand Arrow was starting to sound like a galactic prophecy bestowed by the stars, and somehow, by kismet, your crew had been in the right place at the right time to see everything off. You got the impression that Coco was missing a chunk of the story, but you didn't see how knowing it all would help when you now had the Stand Arrow's location so you didn't ask.
"Is everyone distantly related or something?" Narancia said. "Why does everyone's name start with a P?"
"Is that the only thing you got out of this?" Fugo snapped. "Polpo is in Galactic Penitentiary IV! A penitentiary, not some small-time jail."
Mista visibly winced at the pronouncement. "You mean he's a guard or something there, right?" he asked Coco.
[ HE'S AN INMATE. AT LEAST TEN LIFE SENTENCES. HE PROBABLY HASN'T SEEN STARLIGHT FOR THE PAST TWO DECADES. ]
Trish blanched. "And we're supposed to get to him, how?"
[ ARE YOU NOT A THIEVING CREW WITH A VERY TENACIOUS INSPECTOR ON YOUR TAIL? YOU HAVE STANDS FOR STARS' SAKE! GETTING IN AND OUT SHOULD BE A BREEZE! ]
Few thieving crews did anything despicable enough to wind up in Galactic Penitentiary IV. It was reserved for the lowest of the low, criminals who would've been put on death row if galactic law didn't forbid it. You'd been thrown in petty prisons often enough for the officers there to reserve a cell for you, but you didn't know how you'd fare in a penitentiary, Stands or not.
"Inspector Asswipe's never thrown us into a penitentiary," Mista mused. "How are you so sure that's going to work?"
[ THERE IS ACTUALLY A 67.45% CHANCE HE'LL BE DOING IT THIS TIME. HE'S GETTING VERY FED UP WITH YOU, IN CASE YOU HADN'T NOTICED. ]
Narancia swung restlessly in the pilot's chair. "But no one's ever been able to escape Penitentiary IV. We're going to waste time if we can't get out."
[ I'M SURE ZERO COULD ARRANGE SOMETHING FOR YOU. IF YOU WANT, I CAN PATCH YOU THROUGH TO HIM RIGHT NOW. MIGHT AS WELL USE THE RESOURCES YOU'RE GIVEN. ]
Even you were dubious as to how much sway Zero would have over the galaxy's most notorious penitentiary. After all, if Zero was ever arrested, that was where he would end up.
"Do you think he'll mind us asking for help like this?" Trish said.
"It's not like his tiny badge is going to do anything for us," replied Mista. "If he wants the Arrow so damn bad, he's gonna have to pull some weight."
Coco went ahead and sent a call through for Zero. The turtle must have some kind of private channel, which again, you didn't know how to feel about. You looked around the crew, trying to gauge their reactions. Furrowed brows, bouncing knees, pursed lips. All things considered, they were taking the whole penitentiary plan pretty well. JoJo, to his credit, didn't look any more pensive about this plan than he did about anything else you'd done, which you chose to take as a good sign.
You kept your mind intentionally blank as you waited for Zero to answer the call. If you didn't, you'd start to think that maybe this wouldn't be so easy, and even if you could get the Stand Arrow out, maybe your own ass wouldn't be so lucky.
Eventually, a hologram projected in the air and Zero's well-dressed frame came into view. You thought he seemed friendly, although that might have been wishful thinking when his mask was still in place.
"I was wondering when I would hear from you," Zero said. He tilted his head, his mask's teardrop jewel swinging. "How is everything going? Not too much trouble, I hope?"
"Are you kidding me? We nearly got offed by a pair of mechanics—ow, shit!" Narancia rubbed his ear from where Fugo had cuffed him over the side of the head. Without preamble and over Narancia's indignant swearing, your engineer said, "The Stand Arrow is in Galactic Penitentiary IV. Can you get us inside?"
Zero straightened in his seat. "Did you get this information from Pericolo?"
"We did," you said. "The Arrow was originally under Polnareff's possession, but it's shifted over to someone named Polpo. He's an inmate at the penitentiary."
Zero repeated the name to himself. "I might have known a Polpo," he said quietly.
"You were in the penitentiary, then?" JoJo asked, more bluntly than you would've expected. He was always attentive, but he fixed his gaze on Zero with a disconcerting intensity.
"For a time," Zero said vaguely. He spent a few more minutes in his thoughts before saying, "I have a man on the inside who should be able to get you where you need to be. It's just a matter of you getting into the penitentiary, but that shouldn't be a problem with your inspector friend."
"Are you sure you'll be able to get us out?" Fugo asked tartly. "It'll all be for nothing if we're stuck in there for good."
"Still don't trust me, do you?" Zero leaned his head against his fist. "If this does indeed turn out to be the Stand Arrow, then your job is drawing to a close. I'm as eager to get the Stand Arrow as you are. Believe me when I say I will use all the resources at my disposal to make sure you're out safely. Although," he added meaningfully, "that doesn't give you an excuse to be stupid."
The comment rubbed you the wrong way. What was that supposed to mean? When had your crew ever acted stupidly, and how would Zero even know?
"How will we recognize the guy you send to help us?" Mista piped up.
"You'll know," Zero said simply. "I should warn you that he has a predisposition to be suspicious, so he may give you a hard time. He's immensely loyal, however. He'll do what needs to be done." Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Zero asked, "How is your eye, pilot?"
Narancia jolted. "My eye? Uh, fine. Nothing wrong with it." He touched beneath his left eye gingerly. It was only then that you noticed the deep shadows under his eyes. You immediately felt guilty for not noticing sooner. Wasn't Narancia getting sleep?
"I should hope so. You're not looking too well. I have a very talented physician I can refer you to if need be."
"Uh, no, that's fine," Narancia muttered, the tips of his ears going red.
Zero turned his attention to JoJo. "How are you liking your time on the crew so far? You must be a new recruit. We didn't meet back on the Hub."
JoJo's jaw twitched. He shrugged, unwilling to give up anything more than that. Zero stared at him for a second longer before moving on to Fugo.
"I hope you know that I'm willing to be one hundred percent transparent with you if you do me the same courtesy. If we want this mission to go successfully, we should be pooling all of our resources. Hidden agendas hinder progress, sadly."
What the hell was up with this? Zero was chatting up your crew like he was the captain and not you. You didn't get what kind of half-meanings he was trying to pull, but it was obvious your crew was uncomfortable with them.
"We should get going," you said crisply. "Wouldn't want to waste time."
"No, certainly not." Zero waved his hand. "Best of luck. Please don't hesitate to reach out if there's anything I can do for you. I look forward to seeing you soon." With that, the projection of Zero retreated.
Trish sniffed. "I don't remember him being so overbearing."
"What the hell was he going on about?" Mista, eyeing Narancia, JoJo and Fugo in turn. "What have you three been getting up to?"
None of them answered. You changed the subject, not about to get into their business if they weren't willing.
"Coco," you said, "what's the best way to get into the penitentiary?"
[ WELL, WITH THE RECORD OF PETTY CRIMES AND THEFT YOU HAVE ALREADY, IT SHOULDN'T BE TOO HARD. A VERY POPULAR INFLUENCER HAPPENS TO HAVE A VILLA HERE IN LAIUS. IF YOU HAPPENED TO GO IN, ROUGH THEM UP AND STEAL THEIR LIMITED-EDITION LEVI, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE PENITENTIARY WOULD BE A HOP, SKIP AND A JUMP AWAY. ]
"Wouldn't it be easier to just call Asswipe ourselves?" said Trish.
"Probably not," you said. "We've given him so many false tips that he'd probably hang up on us."
[ THE THEFT HAS TO LOOK AUTHENTIC, MIND YOU. THE INSPECTOR WILL BE SUSPICIOUS IF YOU SEEM TOO WILLING TO BE ARRESTED. ]
"Someone's going to have to stay back on the ship," Fugo murmured. "We need an escape route and a fallback in case something goes wrong in the penitentiary. At least one person will have to watch the ship and contact Zero if need be."
"It should be JoJo then," Mista said. "This is probably going to get dicey. Rookie would be better off just watching."
[ IF YOU GRANT ME EXECUTIVE ACCESS, CAPTAIN, I'LL BE ABLE TO FLY THE SHIP FOR YOU WHEN YOU NEED IT. I COULD WORK TOGETHER WITH WHOEVER STAYS BEHIND TO MAINTAIN THE SHIP, CONSIDERING THAT YOU WON'T HAVE ACCESS TO ME IN THE PENITENTIARY. ]
"I wouldn't mind it," JoJo said. "I'd probably just get in the way anyway."
You chewed on the inside of your cheek. JoJo might have seemed like the obvious choice, but your gut was telling you someone else was better off sitting this one out.
"I'll think about it," you said. "Everyone get prepared. They'll be stripping us once we get to the penitentiary so don't bring anything you don't want to lose. Make sure you eat and deal with anything else you need to. We don't know how they'll be treating us there."
Everyone filed out of the bridge as you hung back to grant Coco access to the rest of the ship's systems. Even though you felt a little stupid doing it, you asked, "Who should stay back, Coco?"
[ THE PILOT, DEFINITELY. ZERO WASN'T KIDDING WHEN HE SAID NARANCIA LOOKS ROUGH. CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS, EVERY VARIATION WITH HIM IN IT LOWERS SUCCESS BY 5.036%. ]
You winced at Coco's bluntness.
"I mean, I could always stay back," you muttered.
[ YOU COULD. BUT DOING THAT LOWERS SUCCESS NEARLY BY HALF. ]
"And what is the success rate?"
[ TO GET THE ARROW? 75.03%. TO GET THE ARROW SAFELY? 22.31%. ]
You sighed. "Are you going to be alright on the ship with Narancia?"
[ WE'LL MANAGE. I HAVE YET TO BEAT HIM SOUNDLY AT ANY FIRST PERSON SHOOTERS. ]
With one last keystroke, Coco had full access to the ship. At some point the little turtle had gotten your trust, although you didn't know how. In its own way, Coco was looking out for your crew and you were grateful for it.
"Don't crash the ship," you said as you left to find Narancia.
[ HARDY HAR, CAPTAIN. ]
Narancia was in the galley, mindlessly drinking from another carton of Coco Jumbo as he scrolled on his holopad. He grinned when you walked in and you grinned back, although your heart wasn't in it.
"What's up, Cap?"
Might as well rip off the bandage. "I want you to stay back on the ship with Coco."
"What? Why? You're gonna need all the fire power you can get on the penitentiary."
"If something goes wrong, you're the only one who'll be able to make a quick enough getaway. They're going to be chasing the hell out of us once we escape. I'd rather we keep some of our firepower with the ship, plus you can keep an eye on the ship and Coco."
You internally winced at the choice of words. Narancia's face tightened and he cast his gaze to the floor.
"Is your eye really okay?" you asked carefully. "We all know something is wrong. If even Zero was able to pick up on it, it has to be bad."
Narancia didn't answer.
"You can tell me. It'll stay between us. If there's anything I can help you with, I will."
Narancia set his jaw. Now that you were looking closely, you could make out faint blue veins spidering along his eyelids. The skin around his left eye looked red and sensitive, like Narancia rubbed at it constantly.
You knew that Narancia was keeping this from you because he didn't want you to worry. If you were in his position, you would have done the same. But if Narancia going on this plan only worsened the health of his eye, you wouldn't allow it.
"It's some kind of infection," Narancia said finally. "I got eye drops for it. It should clear up in a week or so. It's really nothing to worry about."
"Still, I think you should stay back. Don't strain yourself. We'll be flacked if our pilot is short an eye." You tried to joke but it didn't quite land.
Narancia shrugged.
"Hey, do you think JoJo is going to be able to swoop in and save us once we start hauling ass? You're the only one I trust enough to do that. It won't be easy getting us out. Even if your eye was okay, I'd still want you to be our escape route. I need you to follow behind us when the GA's haul us off and be on standby until we're ready to escape."
Narancia rubbed beneath his eye with a fingertip. "Yeah, no, I get it. I'm just jealous you guys get to go into a full blown penitentiary without me. I know damn well I'm the only one who can get you guys out."
You half-smiled. Despite everything, Narancia didn't hold grudges. He always came around.
"You better get your ass to a doctor when all of this is over. I don't want your eye popping out on the console."
"But I've always wanted a bionic eye," Narancia said. "How cool would it be to have like, black scleras and red irises?"
You pursed your lips at the image that came to mind. "You'd look like an idiot."
"Ah, but I already do."
- ✦ -
NEXT CHAPTER ─
❝ EAT THE RICH OR WHATEVER, RIGHT? ❞
☆ ⁺ ⠀«⠀ APPROPRIATE SHOCK AND GUILT