[Name]'s POV
Cold drops of water hit my skin, and I slowly open my eyes to find myself laying on some wet rocks. I sit up and look around the dark island, rain pouring down on me as I look around for my three friends. "Nate? Sam? Harry?"
I receive no response and my breathing picks up. "I'm alone," I whisper while standing up on the slippery and rocky ground. "The last thing a treasure hunter ever wants is to be alone on a group journey."
I stumble over the rocks and onto a path, making my way up. "I need to find the others," I grumble while walking through some brush.
The path runs out and I sigh, but jump and grab onto the ledge of a cliff. My hand starts to slip, but I tighten my hold. "Great. This is going to be ten times harder," I growl while slowly climbing up the cliff.
I make it to a landing, shouting out my friends names again and receiving no response. "Damn," I mutter and jump across the ground onto the side of a cliff. I start to slowly climb up the ledges when one breaks off. I start to fall, but I grab onto another ledge and dangle in the air
I climb up to the cliff and when I grab the edge of the landing, the stone crumbles. I fall through the air and land on a muddy slope, knocking the air out of me. I sit up as I begin to slide down and my eyes widen when I slide off the slope and begin falling through the air again. I hit the ground below me, slamming my head on the stone and knocking myself out.
~
"[Name]. Come on, love, wake up," I hear a familiar voice choke out.
I slowly open my eyes to see Flynn on his knees beside me, looking down with worry. "Hey, Harry," I chuckle, and his eyes widen.
"Thank God... what happened, darling?" he asks while examining the gash on my forehead.
"I fell from all the way up there," I point up to cliff above the slope.
"You're lucky you survived."
"I know, but I'm glad to see you," I smile, and he cups my right cheek and rubs my cheekbone. I cover his hand with my muddy one and stare into his worry-filled eyes. "Hey. I'm fine, Harry."
"I know, it's just- I thought I lost you..."
"You won't be getting rid of me that easily," I grin while slowly sitting up. Harry helps me stand up, and I fall back into his chest.
"Love..."
"I'm okay. I just need to get back into the swing of things."
"If you say so, but we should try and track down Sam and Nate."
"Well, I have a pretty good idea as to where they would be heading to," I state, before pointing at the creepy jagged mountain.
"Why must you choose the creepy mountain?" Harry asks, and I chuckle.
"Because if Sam and Nate go anywhere, it'll be that mountain."
"Then let's go."
We walk up a path and climb up a few cliffs while the sun beats down on us and the humid air draws out the bugs.
"Hey, [Name]... what if they didn't survive?" Flynn asks, and I frown.
"It's a possibility, but let's try to be optimistic," I respond while grabbing a stone on a cliff side and climbing up to the top.
"One more thing," Harry states while catching up to me. "What's with the tension between you and Sam? You guys were okay just yesterday."
"I'll let him tell you, but to say the least- he has a lot to own up to," I sigh, finding some exposed rocks on another part of the cliff with two pitons stabbed into it. "We can use these to climb."
I pull the pitons out of the rock and toss one to Harry who catches it. I jump up and stab my piton into the rocks above, before reaching up and grabbing a stone above me. I pull the piton free and make my way up higher. I stop climbing for a few seconds to look out at the scenic views of the island.
"Everything all right up there?" Harry asks from below me on the rock wall.
"Yeah... just taking in the view," I chuckle while climbing the rest of the way up. I pull myself up onto the cliff top and run across, jumping off and stabbing my piton into the exposed stone across from me, sliding down some due to the momentum of my fall from the jump.
Some talking comes from above me and I recognize the voices as some of Nadine's men. 'Dammit' I look over my shoulder to where Harry now crouches in the grass. 'Luckily I still have my pistols and knives, but my rifle must be somewhere deep in the Indian Ocean by now... along with the rest of our equipment' I sigh lowly, before quietly making my way up the side of the cliff.
I grab the edge of the ground above me and peek up to see one of the mercenaries walking away while the other walks towards me. I quickly duck back down and the sound of footsteps stops in front of me. 'Now' I tell myself, before reaching up and pulling the mercenary over the edge of the cliff, letting him fall to his death.
I peek up again to find the coast is clear. "We're good, Harry," I whisper over my shoulder while pulling myself onto the ground and crawling into some high grass.
My British friend joins me, and we point out the mercenaries all around us, some on the high ground. "See any with a sniper rifle?" I whisper, and Harry points to a cliff across from us.
"The guy up there," he states, and I nod.
"I'm getting that rifle," I announce quietly, before wading through the grass and taking out some of the mercenaries quietly.
I make it to the cliff I need to climb up, when a red laser starts shining around the ground I'm standing on. "Fuck," I whisper, pressing up against the side of the cliff.
"I could've swore I saw something," the sniper above me mutters, and I stealthily start to make my way up the cliff. The sniper turns his back to me and I pull myself onto the ground and jump onto his back.
"Goodnight," I whisper, before snapping his neck and dropping off his back. His body hits the ground, and I take his rifle and some ammo from him. "Now we're back in business."
"Thanks for leaving me back there alone, love. I had a wonderful time," Harry pants while joining me.
"I'm glad it was fun for you," I smile cheekily, and he playfully rolls his eyes.
"Let's keep moving." Harry pats my back and we continue heading down the path.
"You know- finding Shoreline is a good sign. Means we're close to something," I point out while spinning around to face Harry.
"Mhmm, it's a good sign if you look at it that way," he smirks, and I continue walking backwards. "You know, [Name], walking backwards may not be such a smart-" I step off the edge of a cliff and topple backwards, falling through the air. I react quickly and toss my grappling hook up, wrapping it around a branch and swinging through the air. "Idea."
"Goddammit," I grumble while swinging back and forth.
"Told you so," Flynn says, and I scowl.
"You could've warned me!" I exclaim while climbing up the rope onto the top of the cliff. "What if I died?"
"But you didn't."
"But if I did."
"Well, that certainly wouldn't be good," Harry replies, and I roll my eyes.
"Come on." I shake my head, going to take a step forward when I hear arguing above us. "That sounds like..." I trail off, glancing at Harry.
"Sam and Nate," we say at the same time.
We quickly climb up the side of the cliff and pull ourselves onto the ground where the two brothers argue with each other at. "Hey guys! Nice to see you alive!" I chirp with a grin.
Sam and Nate whip around, their eyes widening a small fraction. "[Name]! Flynn!" they exclaim, and I lay on my back on the ground.
"I told you they'd head in the direction of the creepy mountain, Harry," I smack his leg as he stands up.
"Yes, I gotta admit, you did," he responds and helps me off the ground.
"What the hell happened, [Name]?" Nate asks while walking over to me and cupping my muddy face.
"I uh- I fell off a cliff, landed on a muddy slope, then fell several meters to the ground and knocked myself out," I chuckle, and he frowns.
"Will you be okay?"
"I'll be fine," I chuckle before looking between the two brothers. "So! What's the argument about?"
"Nothing. Don't worry about it. We found Avery's sigil right here, so let's keep moving forward," Nate mutters, and walks off. I glance at Sam who raises his hands defensively, making me sigh.
"Let's catch up to, Nate," I state while jogging after him.
I drop off a small ledge and land in a large puddle, running forward and catching up with the younger Drake. "Why so moody all of a sudden?" I ask my friend, and he looks down at me.
"Maybe there is an easier way to save Sam. What if the treasure isn't even here?" Nate says and I frown.
"Guess we'll just have to see," I mutter, and we follow the path around to a large stone wall with steps in the ground leading halfway up it.
"Sam. Flynn. Up here!" Nate calls over his shoulder as we take the stairs up and climb onto a rooftop. We drop down into the room below us through a hole in the roof, a few rodents scurrying past our feet.
"This place has seen better days," Sam looks around once he drops in beside us.
"The roof could use some work and the rooms need to be completely redecorated," Harry states, and we walk into another room, crawling under some wooden beams that have fallen.
I crawl under a crate, crouching and making my way through another small space until I'm safely in a room that's been completely destroyed. "There's an exit up there. I'll go find something to stand on," I tell the guys while running up some old floor planks that have been knocked over and under a few tree branches.
"There's a crate up here!" I shout while pushing it down to the ground below.
I jump down after it and place it against the wall with our exit above it. "Ladies first," Sam smirks, and I playfully roll my eyes before climbing up the crate and onto the floor above us.
"Holy shit..." I gasp in amazement at the sight in front of me.
"What is it?" Nate asks, and I slowly look back down at my three friends.
"Libertalia," I breathe out, and the three men quickly climb up and join me.
"The pirate utopia that's been a mystery for over 300 years only to be discovered by one Samuel Drake," Sam states, and we all look at him in offense, making him tsk. "And his younger, slightly less charming brother; a British thief; and the most beautiful girl in the world."
"I hope you know this isn't our first lost city, Sam," I tell him, and he pats my shoulder.
"Shhh. Just enjoy the moment."
"So, where do we start?" Harry grins and I point towards the large building with a guard tower.
"There would be our best shot," I state, and we jump off the floorboards and land on the ground below. I look around the commercial district of the city in wonder. "How long do you think it took them to build this place?"
"Years. Decades even," Nate replies, and I purse my lips.
"It makes you wonder how they kept it a secret," I say, and we walk into what used to be a bar. I take a seat on a chair, the other guys dragging some other chairs over to join me. We each pick up an empty tankard and clank the metal together before looking around at our abandoned scenery.
"What were they doing here?" Nate asks, breaking the silence.
"The colonists?" Harry asks and the younger Drake brother nods.
"Yeah! I mean- you throw your entire life away for these infamous outlaws, and then what?"
Sam leans back in his chair and raises the old mug he holds. "Well- you lean back, take a load off, find some refuge, enjoy a few drinks," he states with a smirk and looks out through the hole in the wall. "There's far worse fates and it doesn't seem like such a bad place to live."
"Minus the part where you have to see Avery's statue everyday," Harry points out, and we all chuckle.
"Do you guys ever wonder..." I trail off, and they look at me.
"Wonder what, [Name]?" Nate asks, and I smile slightly.
"That with different choices... how any of us might have ended up?"
The guys go silent, contemplating my question while I also try to think about my own life. "I certainly wouldn't have met any of you bloody yanks," Harry smirks and pats my back.
"Our lives would have been... normal," Sam's nose scrunches up at the thought. "Not a life for me."
"I... I never actually thought about it," Nate says, and Sam chuckles.
"Probably would have wanted to take his magic show on the road."
"I was good," Nate points out and Sam shakes his head.
"It wasn't a viable option."
"You were jealous. You couldn't comprehend my skills."
"What skills, mate," Harry smirks, and Nate clicks his tongue and lightly punches Flynn's shoulder.
"That was low, Flynn."
I smile and giggle at their playfulness, before looking down and sighing. "In all seriousness though, I think we're fortunate. Life hasn't been fair to any of us, but we've all never given up. I really don't think I could picture myself doing anything else."
"I guess normal just isn't in any of our blood," Sam chuckles, and we set down our tankards on the old wooden table between the chair I'm sitting in and the one Nate's sitting in.
"My mugs run dry," Nate chuckles, and Harry lends me a hand, pulling me out of my chair.
"So what do you guys say. Shall we continue to explore Libertalia?" I ask while we step out of the rundown bar.
"That sounds good to me," Sam responds, and we walk around the town, stopping in what used to be the blacksmith and horse stables.
I notice the mess of swords in the blacksmith and the bones of horses in the stables, making my eyebrows furrow in curiosity. 'I wonder what happened to make people leave in a hurry and without their horses' I hum, continuing down a couple of stairs to another part of the town.
I brush my fingers over a pillar with an article carved into it. 'Must be apart of their code of conduct' I tell myself, before heading down some broken stairs where another statue of Avery waits at the bottom.
"Captain Avery," I state while the guys join my side. A symbol of a skull is painted on the statue and I narrow my eyes. "What's this sign?" I ask, and Sam looks at it.
"I saw a few of them, before I found you three," he states, and Harry cocks an eyebrow.
"Is it another sigil?" he asks, and I shake my head.
"No, that's what's weird. Something is really off about this place. You guys noticed the skulls of the horses, correct? Something happened that caused people to leave in a hurry, if they actually got out at all," I mumble, shivering slightly at the thought.
We turn away from the statue, and Sam walks towards the prison while I talk to Nate and Harry. "Hey guys! Check it out!" Sam laughs, and I look to my side to see he's now in a broken pillory.
I giggle and take a picture of Sam who pouts for the photo. "Okay, let's keep moving," I smile while entering another building and walking around it towards a hole in the wall with an old bookshelf leaning against it.
"Through here," I state while crawling over the bookshelf and out to the other side.
I spot a tunnel under some old floorboards and I crawl under, making my way through it. Sam, Harry, and Nate follow me under, and we walk into an underground hideout.
"It looks like an old hideout," Nate says, and Sam's face contorts into confusion.
"Yeah, but who would they be hiding from?" he asks, and I flash my flashlight onto a piece of fabric with a map of Libertalia on it, spotting where we need to go.
"Here's the treasury by the tower, so that's where we need to go, but what was really going on here," I tap the map, before backing up.
"That's what we need to find out," Nate says, and we walk away from the map and over to a ladder, climbing up to the floor above.
We walk along the path, when it splits off into two different ones. I head down the path on the left, passing by a broken statue towards an old well that has a hole at the very bottom.
"This is our way out," I say while attaching my grappling hook to the wooden post over the well and rappelling down.
I look below me as I lower myself down as far as I can, the ground barely visible from my altitude. "Damn..." I whisper before looking ahead to see more of the colony. "There's more of the colony down here, but be careful coming down!"
I swing over and land on the floor of the second story of what used to be a house or building of some sort, two sides of the building completely missing the walls. The faint sound of voices comes from ahead of me, and I quickly lay down on the ground, spotting some of the Shoreline mercenaries. I pull out the sniper rifle I took, attaching a silencer to it. Nate, Harry, and Sam land beside me and I signal them to go on ahead.
They drop off the floor into the high grass below, and I snipe the four mercenaries across from us and the one in a tower. I watch from my position as the three guys split up and go around, clearing out the rest of the mercenaries.
I snipe a few more of the Shoreliners, before standing up and catching up to my friends. "We are a great team," I grin while slinging the gun on my back.
"Perfect score on the shots, [L/Name]," Sam grins, and I bow.
"Thank you. Now, let's get to the treasury room," I state, and we grapple around the area, heading towards the large building.
More mercenaries show up and we take them down using sneak attacks. "You have very good guerrilla warfare tactics, [Name]," Nate states, and I shrug.
"I'd rather not charge into a battle carelessly. Plus, sneaking almost always has the advantage," I point out while we walk through some high grass, stepping over bodies.
"Here's an exit," Harry states while walking over to a wall with an opening up top. I climb onto his shoulders and pull myself through the opening onto the ground above.
Nate and Sam come up next and they help pull Harry onto the ground. "You're much heavier than you look," Sam grunts and Harry flexes.
"It's from all that working out and climbing, lads," he grins, and Nate looks at him.
"Didn't you want to leave all the climbing to [Name] and-" the younger Drake gets cut off by Flynn.
"Shut it, mate."
I laugh and pull out my phone, taking some pictures of the scenery. "I could sell these pictures and make a few dollars I bet," I shrug while tucking my phone away.
"That's actually a smart idea," Sam mutters, and I grin.
"My idea. Don't you steal it."
I walk towards a narrow floorboard and slide across it, jumping up once I reach the end of the board, and grabbing onto a wooden beam on the wall. I climb across it and land on the ground on the other side. I walk under a doorway and drop down to the ground below, where a wooden door waits to be opened.
"Shall we see what's out here?" I ask my friends who join me.
"Of course, love," Harry responds, and I open the door and go to step outside.
I don't anticipate there being no floor on the other side and Nate grabs my shirt before I tumble to my death. "Don't immediately try to walk through the door once you open it," he scolds me, and I pout.
"Hey, but look," I point across from us at the building. "That looks like a mansion."
"That's our treasury," Sam states, and I huff, before pressing myself against the wall and sliding across a narrow plank.
I reach the end of the plank, but a wooden beam above me provides a spot for me to climb around and land back on wooden flooring. I enter the small room, and climb up the ladder that's broken in the middle. I climb outside and slide across another wooden beam, scaling the rest of the way up the square tower-like building.
"We're getting closer!" I announce while walking across the wooden floor. I toss my grappling hook out and it wraps around a wooden post. "Here I go," I grin while jumping off the building and swinging through the air.
I jump off once I'm over a landing and my boots hit the stone ground. I lean against the wall and wait for the other guys who take a few minutes to catch up. "Took you long enough," I smirk while pushing off the wall.
"How aren't you tired?" Sam asks, and I shrug.
"Adrenaline."
The guys deadpan, before we head up some stairs and out to a canyon. I drop down to a lower part of the cliff, heading over to a broken window. I climb inside and wander over to a gaping hole in the floor, but a wooden post attached to the ceiling can still be used to get us across.
"See anyway to get us across?" Harry asks, and I nod.
"Yeah," I respond while jumping off the floor and tossing my grappling hook at the same time onto the wooden beam.
I grapple over to a small wooden landing, sending a smirk over my shoulder. "Keep up," I wink before using a metal pole to grapple over to what used to be a stone balcony.
I pull myself through a hole in the building, dropping down and landing on a muddy slope. I slide down through the mud, before standing up and walking into a foyer that has tree branches and vines growing through it.
"This is an expensive looking building, but it's definitely not living quarters," Nate states while the four of us make our way up a grand staircase.
I look around to find nothing, but a few valuables. "There's nothing up here," I state while we make our way back down the stairs.
"Then let's head through the hole in the wall," Sam points ahead of us at a destroyed wall.
"Good suggestion."
We walk through the hole and head down an overgrown path, crouching down and crawling under a knocked over pillar. We come out into a courtyard where skeletons are littered across the ground.
"My god," Nate whispers, and Harry looks around.
"So that's where the colonists went," he mutters and my eyebrows furrow.
"Barricades and cannons. Who the hell were they fighting?" I ask while taking pictures and wondering around the place.
"Do you think it was some kind of inside attack?" Sam asks and I shrug.
"I have no idea," I reply while looking at the bodies. "Actually, now that I look at it- I think you're close, Sam. Some of these skeletons are wearing what a soldier at the time would wear."
"So the colonists versus the soldiers," Harry states, and I nod.
"Someone might have been trying to make a withdrawal," Nate says, and Sam looks down.
"Let's just hope they didn't succeed," he mutters, and we walk up some stairs and down a large hall to a golden door.
Nate pulls the crank on the side that would open the door to the treasury room, but it breaks. "Let's get this open," I sigh, and Sam helps me push the door open. We step inside, and I take a deep breath. "And it's empty."
"Of course it is. Think it was Rafe?" Sam asks, and I look at the dust-covered shelves.
"Nope. This place hasn't been touched for years."
"I guess we should search for clues," Harry states, and I nod.
"It's our only option if we want the treasure that badly," I mentally roll my eyes, before going through some drawers.
I find the manifests of what some of the treasure is, along with a painting of Avery with 'thief' written on it. I climb up onto one of the shelves, and look around at the paintings on the wall of the founders of Libertalia to see them all ruined with the word 'thief'.
"Hey you guys! Over here!" Sam calls out. I jump off the shelf I'm on and walk over to him where the others have already joined. Sam flips a coin, before showing us it. "Libertalia money."
"With Avery's sigil on it... he must've melted down the gold and minted it to make his own currency," Nate points out.
"Which means the treasure was here," Harry says, before sighing, "but where is it now?"
"Guys think for a second," I say, and they look at me. "There was fighting inside and outside. Colonists versus soldiers. The word thief is on every single one of the paintings of the founders. Not any other word. I would bet money on it that the founders took the treasure for themselves, and left the colonists with nothing. Pirates will always be pirates."
"And I know where they moved it," Sam states, and points up to the ceiling where a map of Libertalia is. "Follow the path."
"New Devon... Avery was from Devon, England," Nate points out while we look at the mansions painted on the map.
"Each mansion has a sigil. That's where they lived," Harry chuckles, and the four of us look at each other.
"Let's find higher ground and get our bearings. New Devon is our next and hopefully last stop," I smirk, before climbing onto another shelf and looking around.
Nate and Sam push a shelf leaning against a wall to the side and turn the crank behind it, raising the chandelier that was on the ground. "Go ahead, [Name]!" Sam shouts, and I toss my grappling hook at the chandelier. It wraps around and I climb up the rope and swing over to a chain.
I grab the chain and swing over to one of the frames of the murals on the wall, climbing across the frames to a stone landing outside. I climb up part of a wall of the tower and jump up, grabbing the ledge below a window. I jump up again and grab the window edge, pulling myself inside the tower.
"Up the stairs," I grin while running up them.
I make my way back outside as the next set of stairs were broken, and I clamber up the building. I climb back into the building, and Harry is the first to join me. He stands under a ladder and boosts me up, and I grab one of the rungs and climb up to the floor above me. I spot a wooden chest and I smirk and push it. "One chest coming down."
I push down the old wooden chest so the others can get up, before climbing up another ladder to the very top of the tower. I quickly take out my phone and take some pictures of the area when I spot New Devon out in the distance.
"There it is," I smile while pointing at the secluded town.
"Just across the river," Sam smirks, and Harry laughs.
"What d'ya say, lads and lass. Shall we steal from the rich?" he asks, and I eye him, before shrugging.
"Let's," I say, before making my way down the makeshift path off the tower.
A flash of light catches my eyes, and I dodge the blow of an RPG. "Fucking hell!" I exclaim while climbing down quicker until I'm forced to climb into the tower. The tower starts to fall apart and one of the blows of the RPG sends me flying into an opposing wall. I fall the rest of the way down the tower, groaning in pain, when someone helps me up.
"I got you," Nate tells me, when the tower starts to collapse.
I hold onto him as we slide down the floor and he attaches his grappling hook to a wooden beam. We end up dangling in the open and I pull out my pistols and fire at the mercenaries before climbing off Nate and making my way up the rope. Nate follows after me, and we start running across the collapsed tower that is breaking into pieces with each step.
"Run!" Sam and Harry yell to us, and we make the final push and jump out of the tower towards the stone landing.
More gunfire comes at us, and we run towards the wooden doors at the back, kicking them down once we reach them. We run across the floorboards to the next door and Sam holds out his pistol while I start pushing open a door. A ticking grenade is thrown at us, and we dive out of the way and cover our heads as it goes off.
My ears start ringing and the floor I'm on collapses from under me. I start sliding down a muddy slope and I jump off, soaring through the air and grabbing onto some stone blocks on the wall across from me. "I'm going to so give Sam hell after all of this is over," I mutter while climbing up the side of the wall. I hear my friends fighting the mercenaries above me when all the firing stops.
"That is concerning," I mutter, before crawling into a room and pulling out both of my pistols.
Out of the corner of my eye I see a fist coming at me and I block the punch and knee the person in their abdomen, dropping my guns at the same time. My feet are quickly swiped out from under me and I fall, but wrap my legs around the attacker's legs, bringing them to the ground as well. I scramble up and straddle them, a frown coming to my face when I notice it's Nadine.
"Of course it's you," I mumble when she pushes me off of her. I stay seated on the floor, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "What? You going to shoot me now?"
Nadine pulls out her gun and places the barrel against my head. "Such a shame really. You're quite talented, but I am sick of you and your annoying friends."
Before she can pull the trigger, I push the gun out of my face, grabbing her arm and throwing her over my shoulder. She lands on the floor and I jump onto my feet, getting into a fighting position. "I've heard a lot about your family from my father when I was younger. Let's see if your as good of a fighter as my dad said your father was," I state, and she stands up and squares up.
Nadine goes for a roundhouse kick to my head and I block it, retaliating with a side-kick to her abdomen that she left exposed. She stumbles back and glares at me while I smirk. I throw a punch which she blocks, following it up with a jab to her side.
"Come on. Is this all you've got," I state, and she throws several punches and jabs.
I block most of them, grunting at the few hits I do receive. The fight starts to get more heated, both of us receiving some hits, when Nadine goes to throw another punch. I side-step out of the way and grab her now outstretched arm. With fluid-like motions, I step closer to her, turning my side towards her and throwing her over my shoulder. She hits the ground with a loud thud, the old floorboards crumbling, before completely breaking.
We both fall through the air and crash through another roof, before landing back outside on the stone ground. I quickly push myself onto my feet and straddle Nadine, reeling my arm back for a punch and deciding to end our fight. I go to throw my arm forward when someone grabs my elbow and pulls me off of her.
"Let me go!" I exclaim, turning around to come face to face with Rafe.
My breath hitches as his lips are only a couple of inches from mine, his blue-green eyes boring into me. I fail to notice Nadine stand up until I hear the click of a gun, drawing my attention off of Rafe.
"Sam," I mumble as he holds one of the pistols I dropped to Nadine's head, the other gun nowhere in sight. Harry and Nate seem lost with what to do, and I send them a quick small smile.
"Well, this just keeps getting more and more interesting. Nate. Samuel," Rafe states while eyeing the guys then looking down at me, "[Name]."
I stare at him and we hold eye contact for a few seconds again, before he breaks it and looks at Flynn. "And you are Harry Flynn as I've been informed."
Sam grips Nadine's arm while keeping the barrel of the gun against the side of her head. He glares at Rafe and the few mercenaries behind him, "Put your guns down, now! All of you!"
"Rafe, this guy is on edge," Nadine growls, her hands up in surrender.
"Oh, don't worry about him, Nadine. These guys don't kill in cold blood. It's not their style," Rafe says and aims his gun at me while his mercenaries train their guns on my friends.
I back up a few feet, my gaze staying on Rafe and the gun he has pointed at me. "You willing to bet her life on that?" Sam says lowly and Rafe smirks.
"Go ahead then. Shoot her, but I'll take this one's life," Rafe gestures towards me.
"Sam!" Nate and Harry shout in fear, their eyes flickering to me in worry.
"You wouldn't kill me, Rafe. I know you," I whisper, spitting out blood.
"You willing to bet your life on that?" Rafe cocks an eyebrow, and I smirk.
"I am."
He starts closing the distance between him and I, when Sam growls, his finger itching to pull the trigger of the gun against Nadine's head. "Not another step."
"You mean," Rafe starts and places the barrel of the gun against my head. "Like this?"
Sam goes to pull the trigger, but Nate stops him from killing Nadine. "It's done!" Nate says while tossing away my pistol.
"Hey! I spent good money on that," I cry out, and Nate looks at me incredulously.
"I'll buy you another."
Rafe lowers the gun he had aimed at me and backs off, glancing back at Nadine's men and saying, "Hold your fire! Don't shoot!"
Nadine walks over to join Rafe, hissing something towards him as she does. Harry grabs my hand and pulls me over to him, glaring at Rafe who looks at all of us.
"So, Samuel," Rafe approaches him and brushes some dust off the older Drake's shirt. "I guess you knew this moment was coming."
Rafe swings his pistol and hits Sam with the butt of the gun. Sam falls to the floor and Nate sighs, "Hey, man, come on."
Rafe aims his gun at him and glares with a scowl. "You have us, mate. Just take it easy," Harry grunts, and Nate nods in agreement.
"You're a businessman, Rafe. Let's just... work out a deal or something," Nate sighs, and Rafe rolls his eyes.
"Oh a deal? Yeah, I'd love to hear what you have in mind," he replies and knocks Sam back down to the floor as he starts to stand up. Nate goes silent and Rafe starts to pace. "Go ahead. I'm listening," Rafe gestures for him to continue, and Nate helps his brother back onto his feet.
"You wanna find Avery's treasure? We'll help you find it," Nate says, and Rafe cocks an eyebrow.
"And in exchange, I let you four live?" he asks, and Nate nods his head.
"That... and a small cut."
I face-palm and Rafe laughs, and gestures to me, "Even [Name] is finding that deal ridiculous, Nathan."
Nate, Harry, and Sam look at me and I cross my arms. My gaze lands on Sam and he immediately starts shaking his head when he realizes what I'm going to say, "Sam-"
"[Name]," he whispers and I look at him.
"This situation is your fault, it's time you owned up to it."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Nate looks at me and I sigh.
"Hector Alcázar, the guy Sam says he owes money to- he died in a shootout six months ago. Sam's been lying to us this whole time."
Nate shakes his head in disbelief, "That's not true..."
Rafe chuckles and claps a few times. "[Name]'s right, Nate. The best part is, I was the one to get Samuel out of jail," he states and walks over to me, leaning down so his lips graze my ear. "I was trying to tell you that over the phone a few days ago, but you hung up before I could."
Nate looks at his brother who looks away in shame. Rafe backs away from me and faces Nate with a slight smirk, "Here's the thing, Nate. I never stopped looking for the treasure. I kept running into these dead ends. And then I hear that Sam Drake is still alive and somewhat well.
"He's been out of jail the last two years, tracking down the second Saint Dismas Cross," Rafe tells him before taking a few steps back and chuckling, "and he did it all with me."
"I can't believe you!" Nate pushes his brother away from him before looking at me. "How'd you know, [Name]?"
"Doesn't take much searching on the internet to find out the truth," I mutter and Rafe laughs at the tense situation.
"If it's any consolation, he duped me too. He pulled a Houdini on me and brought all of you and that old man into the mix," Rafe says with a small shrug.
"You don't deserve it," Sam growls and Rafe cocks an eyebrow.
"And you do?"
"Do any of us?" I retort, catching everyone's attention. "We're just a bunch of thieves. None of us have any more rights over the other for the treasure. It's fair game as far as I'm concerned."
Nadine sighs and turns to Rafe, "Enough with this. Rafe, either you end this now, or I will."
He chuckles and faces us again with a grin. "Well, it's been a nice reunion and an introduction," he nods his head towards Harry before aiming his gun at me. "But it seems it's time for you guys to go."
I back up some so I'm standing between Nate and Harry who backed up to the edge of the cliff. "You need us if you want to find the treasure, Rafe," Nate says and I glance over my shoulder to see the drop behind us.
Rafe hesitates for a second and hums. "You're right," he states them smirks. "Well, partially right. I'll only be needing Sam."
The mercenaries fire their guns and when Rafe pulls the trigger of the gun aimed at me, it only clicks, making my eyes widen. My shock is short lived as it changes to horror when Sam takes a bullet to the shoulder from one of the mercenaries guns. He pushes us out of the way, knocking Nate, Harry, and I off the cliff.
We yell, trying to grab onto something, but our attempts are fruitless. My head hits the side of the cliff, making my mind spin, and the last thing I remember is hitting the ground before my world goes dark.
~26 years ago~
I look out the window from my hiding place at the orphanage I'm forced to stay at, before looking back at my collection of books and my mother's journals. I take some notes in my journal, marking up maps, and determining where I need to start searching for the missing treasures of Cleopatra.
I sigh quietly, not getting too far with my markings, when a picture slips out of one of my mother's journals. It falls to the floor, and I lean down and pick it up, flipping it over to see a picture of my Mom, Dad, and a young me standing between them with a wide grin on my face. 'This was taken a year before dad was killed' I realize while looking at the date marked on the back of the picture.
A few tear drops slide down my face and I wipe them away quickly. 'I miss you mom, dad' I exhale while tucking the picture in my journal. "Now to get back to what I was doing," I mutter, before continuing to look through my mother's notes she made in her journal.
My eyes scan across every page, pulling out words and phrases that stick out. One of the phrases makes me stop reading and I root through my own notes and stop at the same phrase. "Huh..." I trail off, my fingers tracing over the picture of a necklace with the phrase inscribed on its locket.
"Seems it's apart of a museum display in Cairo. That's where I'll head to one day," I smirk, when tapping comes from the window above me.
I glance at the watch on my wrist to find that it's nearly two in the morning. 'Who could it be' I hum while opening the window to find Nate. "Nathan?!" I whisper-yell and he signals me to come outside.
I pull myself out through the open window, the cool night air greeting me. "What do you want at two in the morning?" I ask and his blue eyes sparkle in the moonlight.
"Let's run away. We both want to go on adventures and we can together! Sam-" he starts and I hold up my hand, stopping him.
"Are you insane? The authorities would be on us in the blink of an eye," I respond and his smile he held falls.
"We could change our names! Sam said he knew some guys."
"I'm not giving up my name, Nate."
"Last name then. Sam and I are changing ours to Drake," he says quickly, and I stop. 'The state did place me in the orphanage with my step-father's last name. I could just go back to my original last name' I smile at the idea before nodding.
"All right. I think I can do that," I state and Nate's head shoots up.
I look into his blue eyes, a smile coming to my face. "Really?!" he exclaims and I nod.
"It's better than being miserable here," I shrug, going back inside and grabbing my bag, placing my journals, notes, and books in it. "When do we leave, Nate?"
He pops his head through the window and looks down at me. "Sam's waiting for us now. We should hurry though, the police are kinda after us," he states, and I stop packing my bag.
"What did you guys do?"
"We'll tell you once we're somewhere safe," he says, and I nod while finishing up my packing, a moment of realization dawning on me.
"I most likely would never have seen you two again if I didn't agree to come."
"That- that's true..."
I toss my bag outside before climbing out through the window. "Then its a good thing I decided to come," I smile, and we start walking across the rooftop.
"So what will you change your last name to?" Nate asks me.
"My real last name, [L/Name]. The one you know me as is my step-father's last name," I explain and he nods, when I glance at him. "And you and Sam will no long be Morgan's, you'll be Drake's."
"That's right."
"As in, Francis Drake?" I ask, and he smiles and nods.
I giggle, and we slide down a drainpipe and land in a dark alley, where a small light waits near the entrance. "You showed up," Sam smiles while leaning on his motorcycle.
"Your brother convinced me," I respond with a shrug.
"Well, we should get going. I've contacted the guys I told you about, Nathan. They can get our names changed," he states, and I shake my head.
"The guy who was my Dad's best friend can get it done legally for us if you guys want him to. I still have his phone number since he's practically an uncle to me," I explain and they send me a confused look. "I'll tell you guys the story one day."
Sam hesitantly nods his head and smirks. "Okay. Let's go to where I'm staying and you can call him in the morning."
"I can't believe we're actually leaving," Nate breathes out as we climb onto the back of his brother's motorcycle.
"It's kind of exciting though," I giggle, and Nate chuckles.
"Didn't you say it was insane at first?"
"Shush it," I lightly punch his back and he feigns pain.
"All right you two. Hold on tightly. We're heading off to our new lives," Sam smirks and kicks the kickstand of his bike up before driving away from our past lives.
~flashback over~
I wake up to the blinding sun shining down on me. A loud groan leaves my lips and I sit up, leaning against a rock. "How many times will I hit my damn head today," I mutter to myself.
"She's over here!" someone exclaims, and I hold my throbbing head in my hands, feeling some blood drip out.
"Stop screaming and turn down the damn sun!" I hiss, looking down at my tattered pants and shirt. 'I'm going to need to go shopping soon' I huff, my eyes trailing down to the worn out soles of my boots.
Several sets of footsteps approach me, and I glance up to see Elena and a banged up Harry and Nate beside her. "Elena?!" I question in shock, and she kneels down and sighs.
"The guys explained what happened," she states and brings a damp cloth to my forehead, dabbing the gashes with it. "You definitely have a concussion."
"No surprise there," I mutter, and she backs up before holding out her hand.
I take it and she pulls me onto my feet and looks me up and down. "Did you decide to roll around in spikes then dive into mud?"
"Probably would have felt better if I did." I scratch the back of my head.
"You're lucky you survived the fall, [Name]. All of you are," she states, looking at Nate, Harry, and I.
"So what now?" I ask and Harry looks at me.
"Sullivan's finding a place to land the plane on the northern side of the island, so once we get Sam we can get out of here," he explains, and I lick my lips.
"Good. I take it Sully was the one to bring you, Elena?" I ask her, and we start walking through a large pond.
"Yeah, he's kept me updated on things," she says, and I nod, when she sighs. "[Name], I've been meaning to ask. When I met you, you had mentioned a guy named Rafe. Then when we last talked you mentioned him again. This is the same guy isn't it?"
"It is. Except this time we're not working together."
We walk onto a sandy bank on the other side of the pond, following a path on our right, and Elena looks at me. "What will you do about him?"
"I wish for him to stay alive. Sure, he may be an entitled asshole who's slightly psychotic," I state, and Nate snorts.
"Slightly is downplaying it," he mutters, and I playfully roll my eyes.
"But he just wants to prove himself. People have only ever seen him for his parents wealth and business, and that's why he wants the treasure. For him, it's not only about the money, it's about him as a person," I explain and my friends go quiet and I close my eyes. "Did you guys notice Rafe pulled the trigger?"
Nate and Harry's eyes widen, and they look at me in shock. "No!"
"He did, but like I stated. He wouldn't kill me, I know him too well."
We make our way towards the car that Elena must've stolen from Shoreline, climbing up some small cliffs. "Rafe, has always cared about you. And after all these years, it seems he still does," Nate frowns.
"How did you meet him anyways, love?" Harry asks me.
"I met him in D.C. I was in that area to get some information on one of my finds, and Rafe Adler just so happened to be in the city the same day I was. He may have caught me after my break-in into a museum and that's where things sprung off," I smile reminiscently.
"Don't leave us hanging. Explain what happened," Elena grins, and I smile and think back to the very day I met Rafe Adler.
~17 years ago~
I watch as the tiny hour hand on my watch hits one. My head shoots up, and I smirk as the last of the lights go out inside the International Spy Museum. "Perfect. Power got cut," I whisper while walking away from the building.
I walk around a corner and look around me for any possible trouble. Once I'm positive the area is clear, I climb up the side of a building, walking across the rooftop until I'm on the roof of the spy museum. A smirk comes to my lips as I find the roof hatch and I open it and enter the building. My feet touch the firm ground and I look around me, and make my way through the exhibits until I come to the one I've been looking for.
I examine the glass case it's in, before taking out a lock-pick and fiddling with the lock on the case. Several seconds tick by, and I grin when the lock clicks and the case pops open slightly. I slip my lock-pick behind my ear, opening the glass case more and picking up an old bag from the World War II era.
"Now let's see if my prediction is correct," I murmur while opening the bag.
At first glance it looks empty, but a small slit on the side catches my attention. I slip two of my fingers into the slit in the fabric, feeling around until my fingers brush up against the edge of some paper. I grip it and pull my fingers out, revealing a tan-colored piece of paper that's been folded multiple times.
I close the bag and put it back in the glass case, before unfolding the paper and looking at its contents. My eyes widen as I roughly translate the message from Japanese to English. 'So the treasure of the Awa Maru really was never on the ship as I predicted, but why would they just leave it in Japan' my eyebrows furrow as I read further into the message.
'A secret cave deep within Aokigahara is where the treasure was being kept, but why' I mentally question while folding up the paper. 'Guess I'm heading to Japan' I smirk while gently putting the paper in my pocket, closing the glass case I unlocked.
I quickly make my way back to the roof hatch I came in from, jumping and grabbing edge of the roof and ceiling. I pull myself though the hatch, shutting it behind me. 'I made good time. Power will come back on in ten minutes' I smirk while climbing down the side of the building.
"Just what the hell are you doing?" a deep voice asks, and I tense up, spinning around to face the unknown person.
A guy with slicked back brown hair and blue-green eyes walks towards me, wearing a pair of black jeans, a white shirt, and a black blazer. I narrow my eyes, and a small smirk plays across his lips, making me scowl. "I was doing nothing that demands your concern or business."
"Hm? I think breaking into a museum does require my concern. Especially when it's government property."
"What do you want?"
"What's you're name?"
"You can't answer a question with a question."
"You are aware I have every power to turn you into the authorities right now?"
"Go ahead and try, you'll be dead before you're even off this street," I warn him, and he purses his lips.
"Feisty... I like that. Who are you?" he asks again, and I grin.
"Why should I tell you?" I retort, and it's his turn to smirk.
"I thought we're not answering questions with questions."
"[Name] [L/Name]. And you are?" I ask, extending my hand.
"Rafe Adler," he states, and shakes my hand.
"Well, Rafe- it was a pleasure to meet you, but I suggest you forget you ever saw me here," I tell him while glancing at the watch on my wrist.
"That won't be happening, [Name]," he responds and I look at him. "You're a treasure hunter, aren't you?"
I nod warily and he smiles. "You could prove useful to me. How would you like to work alongside me sometime?"
"I don't know if I can trust you."
"I haven't called the cops on you yet, have I? And I've been here since you entered the building," he states, and I shut my mouth.
"Hmph. I guess you make a fair case," I mumble and he runs a hand though his hair, a cocky smirk appearing on his face.
"So what do you say, Ms. [L/Name]?" he asks.
I stare into his turquoise eyes and smirk back at him. "I'll accept your offer, Mr. Adler."
~flashback over~
"After that day. I did end up finding the missing treasure, which was worth a few billion by the way, but that's a story for another time," I smirk, and my friends' jaws drop. "And as for Rafe- well him and I became exceptionally close. He called me up a few months after that day in D.C and we did a minor project together. It ended with us becoming great friends and trustworthy partners.
"As time passed, I quickly caught on to how he felt towards me just by how he acted. Around others, he was the typical Rafe that he comes off as: egotistical, angry, frustrated, there are so many words to describe him, but around me, he was always... calm and relaxed, he showed a softer side that no one else saw and his smiles were always genuine," I smile faintly at the memory, a frown coming right after.
"Then he found out about Avery's treasure. I knew he wanted to be known for something of his doing, but I didn't anticipate just how far he'd go for it.
"That's how Sam and Nate got involved. I knew that those two were after the treasure and they needed Rafe as much as he needed them and I. Things went bad quickly and after the prison breakout and Sam's 'death', it seemed I truly lost Rafe. He wasn't the person I had grown to know, and I would've given anything to have him go back to normal." I whisper, shaking my head and looking up at the sky for a few seconds.
"You miss your friend," Elena states, and I nod.
"I really do," I tell her, and we drop off a ledge into some high grass, looking up to see some mercenaries by the car Elena must've stolen from Shoreline.
"Seems they found your car," Nate tells her, and Harry chuckles.
"Technically it's their car, mate," he points out, and Nate takes a deep breath, sending a sharp look at Flynn.
"I don't have any of my guns. I dropped them during my fight and I lost the sniper rifle I stole when I fell out of the tower," I cry out quietly, and Elena hands me two desert eagles with silencers attached to them.
"I had a feeling all your guys' guns would go missing, so I brought some backups. Though I didn't bring you another rifle, [Name]," she states while handing out normal pistols to the guys.
"That's fine. I'll just steal one from one of the Shoreliners," I explain while shooting some mercenaries in the head.
My guns make little sound with each shot and the enemies drop dead quietly, bringing no attention to us. "You'd make for a good assassin, darling," Harry states, and Nate chuckles.
"Or a ninja as we've been saying for a long time," he tacks on and I face-palm while shooting the last of the Shoreliners.
"[Name], you've cleared out the area, and there's a sniper rifle on top of that building," Elena points to the rooftop of an old building.
"Thank god," I whisper while running over to the building and climbing up. I pick up the rifle from the ground and examine it in my hands. 'A custom M14. A fantastic sniper rifle' I nod while taking the ammo off the mercenary's dead body and placing it in a pouch on my belt.
"You good?" Nate calls up to me and I send him a thumbs up. "Then let's get to the car."
I pick up some grenades, placing them on my belt, before jogging over and joining Elena, Harry, and Nate at our car. Nate pats the drivers seat from his spot in the passengers seat, "You're driving."
I toss my head back and groan. "Fine," I mutter while hopping into the car and starting it up.
"Why are you complaining? You're a good driver," Elena points out, and I pout.
"I just don't want to drive," I mumble, and she sighs.
"Just head up river," she states, and I drive towards the river.
The car goes into the water and I drive down, before making a sharp right and driving uphill, and out through an opening at the top. I head down the path when Harry points ahead of us. "Look at that elevator."
I look out at the wooden structure and Elena awes. "It's massive."
"That's what she said," Harry murmurs, and I reach back and smack him while the others chuckle.
"I'm guessing New Devon is at the top," Nate states, getting on topic again.
"Hopefully," I murmur.
"Let's get up there," Elena tells me, and I nod while speeding up.
I drive through another river, making my own path up to a different elevator while the other three talk amongst themselves. I drive up a muddy hill, stopping the car at the edge of a small cliff. "This elevator looks big enough to fit the car. We just need to lower it," I state while leaning against the steering wheel.
"Then let's try it," Elena says, and I reverse and start driving down towards the contraption.
"I have a question, [Name]," Harry states, and I hum in response. "Was the reason of you being so upset with Sam because of him lying?"
"That's one reason, the other is because he betrayed someone. I don't care if Sam doesn't like Rafe, but betraying someone is out of line. Rafe has been betrayed several times now, and honestly- he has every right to be pissed- especially at Sam," I state, glancing at Nate who frowns while I sigh.
"Though, for Sam's sake, Rafe shouldn't be trying to tear him to pieces, either. It's not like he's a saint after all." I park the car near the ramp that leads up to the platform, turning in my seat to face Nate and Harry. "Both of them made stupid fucking decisions and it'll bite them in the end."
"I could drink to that," Nate says, and I buckle and gesture to the elevator in front of us.
"Well, we're here. Now let's find a way to get that elevator down so we can go up."
We hop out of the car, and Harry points at a lever. "There's the lever."
Nate pulls the handle towards him, but nothing happens. "Nothing can ever be easy," he mutters, and I look at the waterwheel.
"The waterwheel is still working, so maybe we can fix the elevator. If not- we climb," I state, before we all start looking around and finding a way to fix the waterwheel.