I'm back! For those of you who don't know who I am then, hi there and take a look at my profile it explains pretty much everything you need to know. I tried a story like this several months back but it just wasn't...good (heh...) so I ripped it apart and kept the basic ideas the same except now the story will be taking place in-game. Please enjoy! Leave a review if you want, tell me what you think and such. I'll update once a week, probably on fridays but let's see where this goes for now.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Amanda, Henry and Anita...they belong to me.
"A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history" - Mahatma Gandhi
She was running. Running through the hallways of her home, calling out to anyone who could hear her. The dark wood floors were cold against her bare feet and she could see her breath cloud in front of her as she turned the corner.
Now she was standing in a jungle. Her feet were now covered in mud and leaves, and she kept running. Then she heard her name, a whisper on the leaves. It beckoned her further into the jungle, such a sweet voice so full of life and happiness.
Finally she came to a clearing and she saw a boy. He was no more than five years old, dark brown hair in a mess and his skin covered in dirt. His eyes, her eyes, looked back at her with an intense curiosity. The girl walked toward the boy slowly and when she was close enough, so close she could almost feel the fabric of his shirt on her fingertip…he vanished.
That's when the chaos started. Everything around her began to crumble and die away. She huddled down and covered her ears from the deafening noise of the dying jungle. And then just when she thought it would all be over, everything went quiet. A hand, strong and warm, reaches out to touch her shoulder. She looks up to see a man, his face in shadow but she knows who it is. Her brother.
She reaches up for his face, just to touch it and make sure this really isn't a dream when he stops her and moves his face into the light. She can just see the tip of his chin…
"Good morning Conneticut!" Amanda shot up into a sitting position in her bed. She rubbed her eyes and looked over at her alarm clock which told her it was exactly half past five in the morning. She groaned and slammed her hand on the power button of the clock, reveling in the peaceful silence that came after.
Amanda swung her feet over the edge of the bed and made her way to her closet. Turning on the light she found her work out clothes and began getting dressed. I had that stupid dream again, she thought to herself pulling on her shorts. It didn't surprise her really. She had been having the same dream almost every night since her father died.
Father. Now there was someone she found herself missing a lot more lately. He would know what to do; he would know what I've been doing wrong this whole time. Amanda bent down to pull on her weighted shoes and walked out of her closet pulling her hair up into a high pony tail.
She walked to her bathroom and flipped the switch by the door, squinting as the artificial lights blinded her for a second. As she brushed her teeth she couldn't help but wish that somehow she could just press a button and everything would be just the way it should be. Mom and Dad would still be here and I would have my brother with me…if only.
Walking out of the bathroom and toward the door to exit her bedroom Amanda glanced over at the picture she had on her desk. It was of her and her father, they were smiling warmly at the camera. Amanda was holding her master's degree and her father had his arm around her shoulders. One of our few happy moments together.
She shook off whatever other solemn thoughts she had and exited her bedroom. She walked down the hall past her study-which once belonged to her father-the room held many memories, and even the scent of her father lingered in the room, tobacco, peppermint and scotch. It's feels like he's always with me, she thought as she turned and made her way down the grand staircase. Turning she opened another door and walked down an almost barren hallway. Occasionally there would be a portrait hanging on the wall or a small statue sitting in a lit alcove but she ignored the fine artwork and reached the end of the hall.
Opening the door revealed a large gym with all the essential equipment needed for anyone. Sighing, Amanda reached over and pressed the power button to her stereo and began her warm up to loud, blaring music.
"Today is the day Amanda", she told herself as she walked toward the treadmill, "you will find him today."
Yeah right, came her cynical side, you'd have better luck finding the god damned tooth fairy.
By seven in the morning Amanda was drenched and exhausted but she wasn't finished yet. Panting and sore she made her way to a door near the back of the room. Opening the door she stepped outside of her home and saw her large pool sitting and just waiting for her. Almost without thinking Amanda dove into the pool and started swimming a few cool down laps.
Finally when her arms were too sore she floated on her back and let the morning sun warm her skin. "Had a good dip?"
She looked up to see her Uncle Henry standing by the pool, his hands on his hips and a large grin on his face. "What are you doing here?" Amanda asked closing her eyes and resuming her peaceful floating, although with her slimy uncle standing right beside her she could hardly concentrate on the warm sun and cool water.
"Anita called me. She said that she is worried about you and asked me to come by and cheer you up."
Amanda felt her eyes roll, "Sure she did. And she called the last few times too right?" Her eyes opened and she felt herself getting slightly irritated. Every time her uncle came over he was either asking for money or asking her to join him on another one of his silly little adventures. The last one she went on with him involved a major jewel heist and several armed guards shooting at them. Luckily they hadn't been caught, but when they finally made it to safety, Amanda knocked out her uncle and stole the colossal emerald from his bag and returned it to the museum they had taken it from with a note attached to the gem with the word 'sorry' written in a neat, tight cursive.
Needless to say her uncle has yet to forgive her for that little incident. And he probably never will. Holding a grudge is a talent that Henry had mastered, and he had plenty of practice. Being the younger brother Henry expected to receive a hefty sum of money from Amanda's father after his passing. To his great disappointment, Amanda received everything, including the estate, her father's research and all of his money.
With a hefty sigh Amanda climbed out of the pool, grabbing a towel and wringing out her clothes. She looked up to see Anita standing nearby, a look of concern on her soft face. "You won't deny the company of your uncle now will you?" Henry said a sly grin plastered on his wrinkled skin.
Amanda turned to him, "Just give me a few minutes to clean up. Anita will show you to my study, wait for me there and Henry...don't touch any of my father's things or any of mine. Because if you do, I will knock you out again, and this time it will be permanent."
Amanda stepped out of the shower and began to apply her daily makeup. What would give Anita the idea that when she is in a funk, she wants to talk to her greasy uncle of all people? The house maid was like a mother to Amanda, if anything she is the one Amanda would talk to not her uncle. So yes she was right in thinking that Henry had come here on his own free will and was most likely going to ask her to join him on another ridiculous adventure. Those usually ended in her regretting agreeing to come along and Henry always ended up with a black eye. Finishing up the final touches on her eyes she began to towel dry her long, dark hair.
Wrapping the towel around herself again she went over to her closet and picked out a pair of faded jeans and a white cotton V neck shirt. She put on her black low top converse and made her way out of the closet still shaking out her hair to get it as dry as possible.
She heard a swift knock on the door and then it opened. Anita stepped in wearing her usual attire, dark jeans, a brown shirt and hunter green cardigan and comfortable house shoes. Her salt and pepper hair was pulled back into a loose bun. "Please tell me I won't have to be cleaning blood off the carpet."
Amanda laughed despite her slightly sour mood, "I don't think so. He'll never admit it, but Henry is terrified of me." she said with a smirk, running her hands through her hair trying to make it look decent.
Anita walked up and brushed the girl's hands away and began to fix the mess Amanda had made, "What is he doing here? Money again? Another ridiculous jewel heist?"
"Probably a jewel heist again. He had that look in his eyes."
"Well whatever he wants it had better not put you in danger again. You came home with all those cuts and bruises…it was awful." Anita said taking the towel and squeezing out more water with a frown on her face.
"There wasn't that many cuts and I only bruised my hand from hitting Henry's hard head." Amanda smiled despite the bad memories. She had come home, exhausted and injured. They were minor injuries but Anita had nearly broken the kitchen sink when she laid eyes on Amanda. The house keeper had been working for Amanda's family ever since her father first moved into the home which was several years ago, before Amanda was born. Unfortunately, Anita began working for her father a couple years after he had let go of her brother and was already remarried, so Amanda couldn't use Anita in the search for her brother.
Finally Anita stopped her fumbling and stood back with a small grin on her face, "You look so much like your father. He would have been proud of you."
Amanda smiled, "Thanks. Now let's go see what Henry wants. Care to join me?"
"Sure," Anita shrugged and followed out the room, "Maybe I can stop you from spilling his blood all over my carpets."
Tossing the towel aside she opened the door and made her way down the hall way to her study. She opened the door and felt Anita close behind her.
"So Henry, what is it this time?" Amanda began to pull open curtains and open the windows to let in the fresh air. She sat down at her desk and turned on her computer and monitors and began running her programs on them. Anita stood next to Amanda, keeping a close eye on the situation.
Henry sat down in the chair in front of the desk and sighed as he watched his niece stare fiercely at her screens. "Amanda, you know that I'm not here to ask for money."
"Then why are you here Henry? Found another precious jewel that belongs in a museum but instead you want it for yourself?" she looked up at him, gray eyes piercing his own dark brown ones.
He sighed and placed hands in his lap, "It's this obsession you have Mandi."
"What obsession?" she asked turning back to her screens.
"This one. This whole quest to find a half-brother, who your father didn't want in the first place."
"Dad wanted him. It was just too late when he realized that."
As she worked tirelessly on her computers Henry couldn't help but wonder exactly what she did all day in this office, and he let his curiosity get the better of him. "What are you doing on those computers all day anyway?"
"Running a facial recognition program," at Henry's questioning look she beckoned him to come and stand behind her. When Henry was there, Amanda began pointing out everything on her desk. "Three screens. Two have the program running constantly, and the third I use for my research."
"What are you researching?"
"Francis Drake. Marco Polo, pretty much every famous explorer who ever lived. Look if what dad thought was correct is really true and my brother is using the name Drake, then I have to start with the person he became so interested in. And I also have been catching up on the family tree."
Henry leaned against the desk, "Find anything good?"
"Well I may have found that we are actually related to Sir Francis Drake. See he never had kids with his wife back in England, but, that doesn't mean that the guy didn't get around. See here," she pointed to a list on the middle screen, "Elizabeth Ardonth, born April 15, 1580. Mother was an aristocrat and father was an ambassador to the Queen of England. She had her first child at age fourteen to her husband Sir Edward Ardonth but, look right there, a child, a boy who has no last name on the family tree but the tree branches out from him."
"And this proves that your ancestor really is Sir Francis Drake?"
Amanda shrugged, "It's a start, and call it a gut feeling, but I may be right and so is Nathan."
"Well that's all very interesting Mandi but I have something to show you, just to get your mind off of all of this."
She rolled her eyes and turned from her monitors giving Anita a look that said 'I told you so'. "I knew you were here to show me some priceless jewel."
"No, no jewels this time, just take a look at this," he pulled out a pamphlet and placed it in her hands, "And tell me if you find anything interesting in there."
Amanda felt her brow crease but played along with her uncle. It was a pamphlet with the title, "The Travels of Marco Polo" written in white lettering. "Seriously Henry?" she asked raising an arched brow at the man.
"Just look through it, please Mandi." Amanda sighed and opened the pamphlet, hoping that she wouldn't find anything and started skimming through the pages. She turned the pages a few more times passing over picture after picture of pieces. But one particular piece caught her attention for some reason.
It was just an oil lamp at first glance but when she looked at it closer she saw what looked like Mongolian script carved into the surface. "Ok so this oil lamp has some interesting lettering on it…what's the catch Henry?"
"Just hang on," he said pulling out another sheet of paper, "Your father taught you Latin right? Translate that for me."
She looked at the page; it was a copy of a copy so she had to squint to see the words. Amanda began to read the words out loud, "In Trebezan we were set upon by thieves. Father, Mafeyo and I were robbed of our greatest treasures…" she trailed off, lost in what this actually was, "Henry this is Marco Polo speaking."
"I knew you would like it. Keep going it gets better," he urged her on.
Amanda looked back down at the paper and continued to read, "So that it should not fall into the wrong hands, I concealed my greatest sorrow in the unlikeliest place. The light of the Great Khan shelters the fate of the thirteen…Henry, do you know what this is?" she felt her heart begin to race despite the fact that it was her slippery uncle showing her this find.
He shrugged, "I was hoping you could tell me actually."
"His lost fleet! Marco Polo's lost fleet! Henry, how did you get this?" Amanda exclaimed jumping up to her feet.
"That's a long story. But I'm going to go ahead and assume you know the whole tale about his missing fleet?"
"Who's missing fleet?" Anita asked stepping up to see the paper.
"Marco Polo! Here," Amanda sat down in her chair and typed furiously until finally a file popped up showing several pictures of the explorer and his ships, "On his last great voyage, Marco Polo leaves China. He had six hundred passengers, and fourteen ships each of them packed to the brim with treasures from Kubla Khan. Exactly a year and a half later he arrives in Persia with only one ship and eighteen passengers left alive. Now, Polo was a man of writing. He recorded everything that happened on that voyage but he never told anyone what happened to those ships."
Anita still confused turned to Henry who finished Amanda's explanation, "Somewhere out there are all of those ships filled with treasure just waiting for one of us to find it."
"Henry…this oil lamp is the key, I…wait, wait why are you showing me an oil lamp that is locked away in a very tightly secure museum?" she said, her rational mind returning to her.
Henry held up his hands, "Don't get the wrong idea Mandi. I'm showing you this because I know of someone who is planning to steal that lamp and find that treasure and keep it for their own selfish needs,"
"But, Henry don't tell me you want to steal this thing."
"No, actually it already was stolen."
Amanda felt a sense of relief wash over her, "Well then why are you showing me this?"
"Because I know where to find this thief, and he needs our help."
"Why would I help a thief?"
Henry paused and looked her in the eye, "This thief…is your brother."
Not sure if this last little bit was obvious or not but...oh well it's still pretty cool right? *fingers crossed* I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. See you all next week XD