How long has it been since I've worked on a fic on here? (scrolls) Whoa...that's a while.

(claps hands) Okay! So I've had this idea stuck in my head and I've finally decided to put pen to paper and flesh it out. Literally. I started this fic at work on some scrap paper and decided to actually work with it, instead of leaving it in a folder for X amount of years.

Since this is my first Uncharted fic, please let me know what you think. Whether or not it's worth continuing or not. (bows) I've been reading up on torture methods lately and wanted to put all this useless knowledge to use. (laughs) Sorry, Nate. (- -;*)ゞ

Disclaimer: Do we still have to do these? I mean...I've been doing them since I started writing in 2003. Oh, well. Better be safe than sorry. I don't own shit, yo! Well...I own the plot. But that's about it.


1

Evade & Capture

Nathan released a breath, exhaling and allowing himself to sink into the couch pressed against the wall. The break was well-deserved. After running through the Karakum Desert in Central Asia for what turned out to be a fruitless effort over a rumor for a client, getting back to the wonders of central air was a nice welcome, and one he had no intention of leaving for a while. Sully had to catch a flight to England to meet with an old colleague for something or other, so Nathan was more than willing to lay low for the time being. The last thing he wanted was to take on a job – at least for a few days.

He shut his eyes, listening to the ticking of a clock on the wall across the room, trying to clear his mind. Getting his body to relax was easy; it was his mind that he always had trouble turning off. His mind would always try to find some obscure thought to latch onto in an attempt to deprive him of sleep. Most nights, those thoughts would not last too long, less than an hour, but other nights, he would stay awake for hours. It was those nights when he would get up to find something to occupy his time – usually looking up history and historical artifacts in a way to connect them. More times than he would like to admit, Sully had gotten up only to find that Nathan had never even gone to bed. Either that or the young treasure hunter would be passed out on the table with scattered papers under him. Those were the times Sully would have to partially carry the barely coherent man to bed.

He rolled onto his side, curling his legs as his now faced the back end of the couch. The familiar scent was a welcome and he could finally feel his body start to relax. Yet, as he felt his mind tinging on the edge of sleep, another thought of his past pulled him back: when he was still young and not as experienced, pick-pocketing a man that resulted in failure. The man was older, older than Sully was when he first had his run-in with the man at age fifteen. He offered to buy Nate food, but then expected a specific form of payment. He remembered his brother finding him before anything happened and punching the man in the face before they both hauled out.

It taught Nathan a valuable lesson at that age, which he would later use for his own advantages, but still not a memory he enjoyed dwelling on frequently.

The thoughts began drifting into darkness, slipping farther and farther away before his body and mind were able to synchronize.


His mind came back online as the loud crack of thunder pierced his ears, shaking the room. He groaned and curled tightly into the fetus position, attempting to go back to sleep before he fully woke up. Another low rumble followed by a loud "boom" put a stop to that and he cursed. He rolled onto his back, eyes now open as he stared at the ceiling, listening to the sound of rain outside. He grabbed the pillow he was using and shoved it over his face, yelling into the pillow every obscenity he could think to the sky.

"Now that was a bit uncalled for, love."

Nathan tossed the pillow down and jerked his head in the direction of the voice.

He shot up, his hand going under the couch cushions before brandishing a handgun and pointing it at the speaker as he stood. A familiar face was sitting in the armchair across from the couch, his elbows on his knees.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down there, cowboy. I'm not here to cause you trouble. I could've done that already if I wanted." Nathan furrowed his brow as his hand slowly brought down the weapon, though his grip stayed tight, his eyes dark

"What the hell? How the hell did you—"

Before he could finish his question, the brown-haired man motioned to the door. "I walked right in. Should really check your doors, mate."

A thousand and one questions began swarming through his head, his face trying to convey every emotion at once, resulting in mixed expressions. He rubbed the side of his head, trying to get a grasp on words.

"How the hell are you alive?!" was the first and most important one to come out of his mouth.

Harry Flynn crooked a smile before shrugging, still sitting in a relaxed pose, seeming unfazed by the question and Nathan's overall reaction. "C'mon. I was in a room filled with that blue sap. Did you really think I didn't have a backup plan? I'm not that dimwitted, Nathan."

A look of shear confusion washed over the younger man.

He saw Harry's lifeless body, blown by Lazarevic's grenade. Elena nearly lost her life and she was not as close to the explosion.

As though reading his mind, Harry stood up and walked up to him. Nathan took a step back. "Oh, it hurt like hell – nearly died, actually. Glad to see you checked before you up and left me there."

"You tried to kill us."

"Exactly. Tried. Didn't succeed, though, did I?" Nathan shot him a scowl. "Besides, I wasn't the one who took the bloody pin out of it. I just had my grip on the handle."

"Get the hell out," came the sharp response as he pointed to the door with the gun.

"Look, Nate, I wasn't actively trying to kill any of you assholes."

"You shot me," his voice flared with anger as he involuntarily took another step backwards.

"Desperate times, darling." The response he received was an expression of anger and non-amusement as the other's hand appeared to grip the pistol tighter. "If I wanted you dead then, don't you think I would've done it?" Harry sighed as he threw his arms up in submission. "Listen, I wouldn't be here if I didn't require your services."

Nathan crossed his arms over his chest. "Now why would I do anything for you?"

Harry moved, turning to the side as he reached into his back pocket. Out of reflex, Nathan's arm shot up as he pointed the gun directly at the other man. Harry rolled his eyes and waved his other hand. "Oh, put that thing down before you hurt yourself." He took out an envelope from his pocket. Still on edge, Nathan slowly brought his weapon back down. He put it into the back waistband of his jeans as the older man held the envelope out to him. Snatching it, he opened the flap and took out the paper inside.

It was old and nearly crumbled in his hands. The paper was filled with various symbols, scrawled writing in Spanish throughout. A picture of a stone colored in red was circled with the phrase "irá para alimentas el poder" written off to the side. Other phrases – "debajo de la tierra" and "negro más negro" – were across the page. A diagram of a wooden elevator was drawn in the corner.

He brought the paper down and looked at the intruder. "What's this supposed to be?"

Harry held out his hand, motioning for the paper and envelope back, which Nathan obliged. "See, that's the thing. I don't know. But apparently my client did. And she's was willing to sacrifice a lot for it, mate."

Nathan shrugged and put his hands on his hips. "So what's that have to do with me?"

The lighter-haired man began folding the paper carefully back. He returned it to its resting place in the envelope, then slipped it back into his pocket. "Well, see, that's the thing. Nothing, really. But the woman's gone mad – and I mean full on demented. I stopped helping her and, well, she didn't take that too kindly. Lazarevic doesn't hold a candle to this woman when it comes down to levels of sanity."

"So let me take a wild guess here: she wants you dead."

"That would be the ticket."

Nathan nodded his head. He dropped his arms and chuckled. He began shaking his head and waving his hand. "Oh, you're just piling on the reasons for me to help." He looked to the Englishman before motioning to the door. "You have fun with that. If you're still alive in a month, hit me up and tell me all about it." He let a small laugh escape his throat at the other's expression, clearly not finding it as entertaining. He passed Harry and opened the front door, motioning with his free arm for the older man to leave.

"Look, Nate," Harry started, saying Nathan's name with a sigh. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't need your help." There was a pause between them as Nathan searched the other's face, as though trying to read his sincerity. "I've seen what this woman is capable of. I've seen her flay the skin off of someone who only questioned her. She had one of her comrades eaten alive by dogs because he suggested this stone she's after doesn't exist. If she's like this already, and if this stone does what that paper claims, well…I don't know about you, love, but I'd rather not think of that."

Nathan stared at him, half of his brain telling him to let it go, kick the man out and leave him to his own devices, while the other half was calculating to risks and wanting to do something to help the guy out.

Always the hero.

If this woman was truly as horrible as described, then willingly going to her only to make sure she would fail was begging for trouble. If he did decide to help his old comrade, the last thing he could do was tell Sully, less the man refuse to let Nathan go alone and force himself to tag along. That was too much a risk that he was not willing to take. Then there was the chance that Harry Flynn was lying and, instead, setting him up. That was not too far out of the realm of possibility, either. It was not like the man had not done it in the past.

However, he could not help but admit what Harry had said earlier was true: if he had honestly wanted him dead back on the train, he could have done it. He had a clear head-shot before he was even noticed, but chose to shoot him in the side. Then again, his aim was also shit.

So there was that.

Going against his better judgement, he groaned and pushed the door shut. He hit the back of his head on the door frame. "I can't believe I'm agreeing to this…." He stared at Harry. "I swear to God, Flynn. If you so much as blink wrong, I'll kill you myself."

"Relax your pretty little head," he said, walking up to Nathan and placing his hands on his shoulders. "You save my arse, I save yours."

Nathan let a sarcastic smile cross his face. "Lovely," he mocked in an English accent, causing Harry to chuckle. He patted Nathan's cheek before stepping away, causing Nathan to shake his head and shoo his hand away. "So does this crazy lady have a name or what?"

"Alessa Laveaux," he said as he moved back to the chair he had been sitting on, picking up a small bag that was sitting next to it. He slung the bag over his shoulder and turned back to face Nathan. "Ready to leave when you are, darling."


A rock slipped from a narrow, rocky high-rise, causing the man to stumble forward before an arm shot across his chest to push him back against the wall. Nathan released a small breath as Harry kept his arm over him. Below, two men dressed in excavation gear walked by. Despite seeming as though they were standard archaeologists, every person they had encountered was carrying some form of firearm.

An obvious cover for what was happening.

The two men below were carrying AK assault rifles, carrying on a conversation in French. As the rock from above hit the ground, both of the men glanced over. When they looked up, however, both Nathan and Harry were nowhere to be seen and the men chalked it up to the settling of the mine. They turned their attention back to their conversation before disappearing down a dimly lit pathway.

Off to the side, with their backs completely pressed to the wall, the two fortune hunters exhaled airs of relief.

Harry hit Nathan in the chest with his forearm.

"This is supposed to be a stealth mission, you know."

"Excuse me. Sorry I can't account for the earth."

"Better planning on your part, then." Nathan mouthed Harry's response sarcastically, which received a sharp elbow to the stomach. "C'mon. The site's still a way's down."

"Of course it is," Nathan commented, though Harry had already moved out of earshot.

He continued to the end of the ledge before jumping to the small platform a few feet away where his partner was starting to climb down. His shoes made contact with the ground as he jumped the last few feet of the drop, landing in a crouch. He stood, stretching out his back and lolling his neck before following behind the older man.

As they rounded the corner, light spilled into the shaft. A large opening led to one of the main dig sites. Old lamps on wire were strung up, filling the room with light, along with several lit torches along the interior walls. Old wooden stairs wrapped around the room, leading to a caged-in switch, which was either the power to the lights or to the wooden elevator near the back. A fence blocked off the back of the room. The fence was riddled with old warning signs of "NO ENTRY" and "DANGER."

Nathan and Harry ducked around separate corners as guards walked around the room, also clad in disheveled digger's clothes and AKs. Nathan's eyes searched around the room, his eyes following the fence in the back to the old elevator. Two of the guards were leaning against a wheelbarrow, talking and laughing about something out of earshot. They turned their attention to another approaching them. They exchanged words before one of them rolled their eyes and the one who walked up to them stood on the wooden platform. They gripped a lever on the side and pulled it down. The lights in the mine flickered before the elevator began descending into the ground.

"Let me guess," Nathan started as he watched the top of the elevator disappear. "The elevator."

"The elevator, yeah." Harry looked at Nathan, who was releasing an inaudible groan. "What? You thought it'd be easy? Just like that?"

"I was hoping," he said, shaking his head.

Harry raised a brow. "You're as dimwitted as you are pretty."

Nathan pursed his lips together, as though attempting to formulate a response for coming out with, "Not the worst compliment I've ever gotten." Harry's face fell flat as Nathan sent him a smug smirk. They turned back to look into the room. "Now how do we do this without getting ourselves killed?" he asked, though he was merely musing to himself. His eyes traced back to the old stairs and wooden walkway above, leading to a chained off area which appeared as though it would lead behind the fence. "Think there's another way down besides option number one?"

Harry seemed to be following his gaze and shrugged. "Possibly."

Nathan looked at him. "Did you see anything when you were down here before?"

The response he received was silence. As though calculating, the older man drew out, "I took the direct route." An aggravated noise from the man beside him. "Now when I left…completely different story." He flashed all teeth to Nathan, and then ducked into the room, staying low as he moved to a mound of dirt and rock.

Nathan followed after him, mirroring his motions as he came up next to him. Peering around the mound, a guard was sitting on a large rock, taking apart his weapon. Ensuring there were no other guards that could see them, Nathan went first, crouching as he tried his best to stay out of sight. As he came up behind the boulder the man was sitting on, he looked in all directions, then reached up and grabbed the man around the neck and shoulders, pulling him down behind the rock and out of sight. He kept him held for a moment, cutting off the blood flow to the man's brain long enough for him to slip into unconsciousness. He made sure to stay quiet as he slowly laid the man on the ground. Motioning to Harry, the lighter haired man quickly moving, making sure to grab the now comatose man's weapon. He grabbed the clip and barrel. After screwing the barrel back on, he tossed the clip to Nathan, who gave him an odd look before the AK was shoved in his direction.

The expression he gave was asking why he was being given the weapon, given that he already had a para .45 in his holster. The response he received was "ask questions later" as Harry went around him to head to the stairs. Shaking his head, Nathan swung the weapon around his back, making sure the strap was tight enough to not cause an issue. He followed after Harry, who was waiting for him at the base of the steps. However, now that they were able to get a good look at them, the realization set in that they would have to find another route. While the first few steps looked to be fine, the entire middle of the staircase was gone, most likely due to wood rot. A curse escaped from Harry's mouth.

Nathan looked to the immediate area and, eyes landing on an alternate route. He hit the other man in the shoulder with the back of his hand.

"Check it," he said, nodding to the metal ladder that was attached to the upper platform. Though parts of it were rusted, it still appeared sturdy. Harry looked to Nathan, his hands on his hips as he motioned to it.

"You first, mate."

Nathan sneered. "You just wanna check out my ass," he said, walking over and getting ready to jump to reach the ladder.

"Not necessarily," was the response as he jumped and gripped the first rung. He pulled himself up, having to use only his arms before he had enough rungs for his feet. "That's just a bonus," Harry finished as he followed suit.

Once at the top, they knelt down, looking at the men below, trying to scope out another way to get to the passage further underground. The platform they were on wrapped all the way around, with another set of stairs seeming to lead behind the closed off section. None of the guards were paying any attention to the upper section, but neither of the men took that to mean they would not see anything out of the ordinary. They began to slowly traverse across, making sure to keep an eye on all of the guards, in case one of them happened to look up.

The wood creaked beneath them as they kept their footsteps light. Harry was to the front, taking the role of point man, as Nathan monitored the scene around them. Yet, as they kept moving, Nathan failed to notice a soft spot in the wood and, when he stepped, the wood cracked and his foot fell through.

"Shit!" he called out as the rest of the wood started to give way. The splintering wood cut into his ankle and he tried to pry himself loose, but when he attempted to pull his foot loose, the platform began to crack.

One of the guards below yelled out, causing the other men in the room to look up and begin clamoring. Harry was at his feet, trying to help him get his foot dislodged. "So much for the stealth element," he said, to which the other man cursed at him.

Bullets whizzed by Nathan's head and he ducked down, yet, when he did, the wood finally broke. "Ah, shit!" he yelled as the entire area around them fell through. Harry was able to jump back just enough to grab Nathan as the wood underneath him hit the ground below. More bullets flew around them as Harry had his arms holding tightly onto the other's forearms.

"Why do you weigh so much?!" he groaned as he tried to pull Nathan up.

"Don't blame me because you skipped arm day!" His legs kicked out below him as he tried to propel himself upwards, using his partner's body weight. "Fuck!" One of the bullets made contact with his leg, piercing his left upper thigh.

"I got you! Pull up on one – two – three!" On the count of three, Harry pulled back as Nathan pulled up. As his upper body made contact with the stable section of the platform, Harry grabbed his belt to finish hoisting him up. "Shit, your leg!" Blood began seeping through his jeans and through the puncture wound. Nathan cringed as he dragged himself forward, getting away from the hole and moving to harder wood. "Well, it was a good attempt." He commented as the shouting below seemed to have gotten louder. They heard the elevator turn on and looked over to see it ascending. "Shit, shit, shit – we gotta move." He said as he grabbed Nathan's arm. "Can you walk on it?"

"Don't have a choice," he said, his voice fighting off the hot pain that was radiating from the wound and down his leg as Harry helped pull him to his feet. When he tried to put pressure on his leg, the pain intensified as the muscles flexed around the bullet lodged within. Another curse escaped his lips. Staying true to his word, Harry was at his side, looping Nathan's arm around his neck as his arm went around his waist, taking part of his weight as they moved towards the stairs on the other end. More bullets were fired at them, forcing them to keep their heads as low as they could.

"Flynn, you fucking coward!" one of the men below yelled out through the gunfire.

"Glad to see you're as popular as always," Nathan quipped, cringing again as his leg throbbed.

"My reputation precedes me, what can I say?" The two laughed, despite the situation.

One of the bullets grazed across Harry's arm.

As they moved closer to the opposing stairs, a small, round object came up over the railing, landing a few feet in front of them, a red light on the side flashing. Without so much as a thought, Nathan let go of Harry and they both began running as fast as they could in the opposite direction, going to only surefire way to avoid the explosion.

Down.

"Go, go, go!" Nathan yelled as he pushed Harry towards the gap where the platform was at one point. He jumped down after him just as the explosive went off, sending shrapnel and sharp pieces of splintered wood into the air as it destroyed the pathway the led behind the fence.

Harry had barely managed to land on his feet, while Nathan landed on his injured leg before falling to all fours. In a moment, Harry was grabbed Nathan's arm, pulling him to his feet as they started to move as fast as they could towards the shaft they initially came down. Gunfire surrounded them, causing them to keep their hands close to their heads as they ran. The adrenaline was enough to let Nathan move quickly, but he could feel his leg starting to grow numb. Moving from the mound towards the passage, one of the guards had the initiative on them and came around the mound, hitting Harry in the face with the butt of his gun. As Harry fell backwards, his hands shooting to his face, Nathan lunged at the man, grabbing his gun and pulling down on it before punching him in the nose. The man made an attempt to recover, but Nathan had confiscated his weapon and hit him square on the temple, causing the guard to hit the ground in a stunned stupor.

Harry already recovered and Nathan tossed the gun to him as they continued heading for the shaft. Although he was trying to ignore the numbing pain in his leg, he could feel himself slowing, nearly dragging his leg behind him. He felt a stabbing pain radiate through his right side as a round of bullets managed to make contact. His body hit the ground with a thud, a loud shout escaping him. He reached around to take the AK strapped to his back and fire blindly behind him.

The passage was only a few feet away.

He just had to make it that far.

As the thoughts ran across his head, Harry was back at his side, trying to haul him to his feet. "Nate, c'mon! Get your arse up!" Just as Nathan was almost back on his feet, Harry released a shout and dropped him, his hand jerking up to hold the fresh bullet hole in his shoulder. Shaking it off, he turned his attention back to Nathan, who was stumbling trying to stand back up.

"Shit – go! I'll catch up!" he said, as Harry made an attempt to aid him.

"Not with that leg, mate!" When he managed to help Nathan back to his feet, the younger man pushed him forward, forcing him to stay in front. But when Nathan fell again and Harry turned, the younger fortune hunter was pointing his AK at the top opening of the shaft. "What the bloody hell are you doing?!" Harry yelled at him, crouching down as he evading more gunfire.

"You're not getting out of here hauling my ass around!"

Without so much as another word, Nathan fired off the rounds at the top of the opening. Rocks began falling, causing Harry to jump backwards just as the entire opening caved in, separating the two of them.

"Nate! Nate, you pillock!" he began shouting as he tried to dislodge some of the rocks. "I'm gonna kill you when I get back in there!"

Nathan sighed as he shook his head and forced his body to turn around. He lifted up the weapon as some of the guards approached, no longer firing. When he pulled the trigger, however, the gun made a hollow click.

Empty clip.

He felt his heartrate increase, but the guards suddenly stopped and turned. Coming up behind them was a young woman, who appeared to be only a few years older than Nathan himself. Her slit eyes and callous expression caused a chill to exude down his spine, which only intensified as the woman smiled, seeming out of place. Her black hair was pulled back into a tight bun and, despite the environment, she was well-dressed, to the point of wearing high heels. She held her hand up, signaling for the guards to put their weapons down, which they immediately abided. Slowly, she walked up to Nathan, her dark eyes peering down at him, odd amusement on her porcelain face.

"Well, well. What have we here?" she asked, her French accent thick. "A thief? Come to take what's mine?"

"Don't flatter yourself, lady."

She chuckled – no.

She giggled.

Like a small child who found a toy their parents would not allow them to play with.

She walked up to him and crouched down, making eye contact, an odd smirk still gracing her features. "Mr. Nathan Drake," she spoke his name, putting emphasis on his last name. The way she spoke had Nathan clamp down on his jaw. "Fancy seeing you here, but not unexpected." Her eyes quickly glanced to the now caved-in opening. Without even turning her head, she said, "Find Flynn and bring him to me. Dead or alive, I've no preference." Three of the guards responded with a "yes, ma'am" and left the group, leaving five others behind. Her gaze returned to Nathan's, that smile returning. "I must say, it's quite a surprise…you helping Harry Flynn. Didn't he try to kill you at one point?"

Nathan shrugged. "Let bygones be bygones."

She nodded, as though understanding by disapproving. "So let me ask you this, Mr. Drake," again, emphasis was placed on his name. "What exactly to Mr. Flynn tell you?"

"Sorry, Ms. Laveaux,"—he put the same stress on her name—"but besties don't tell secrets," he responded with his usual sarcastic tone, a typical smirk crossing his lips.

Again, she nodded in the same manner. She collected herself, standing straight. In one swift move, she lifted her foot and shoved the heel of her shoe directly into the bullet hole in Nathan's leg.

He shouted, cursing and yelling louder when she twisted her heel, causing it to press in deeper.

She pulled her heel out, leaving Nathan to roll to the side, holding his leg, his face contorted in pain.

"Honestly, it doesn't matter what he's told you. It's not like you're leaving any time soon." She ran her hand over her hair, smoothing down the already-gelled front.

Though his voice came out in a rasp, he still managed to ask, "So what? You're gonna kill me?"

She laughed and shook her head. Once again, she crouched down, this time grabbing his jaw and forcing him to look at her, her nails digging into his cheeks. "Oh, no, Mr. Drake. You're much too cute to kill." She paused as her eyes darkened, her smile spreading wider. "But I love seeing beautiful men in excruciating pain." His eyebrows knitted together as the realization of her words set in.

Flayed the skin.

Eaten alive by dogs.

His chest dropped as she let him go and stood back up. Again, she shoved the heel of her shoe into his wound, forcing another yell out of him before she hastily jerked it out and turned to her guards. "Take him down," she ordered, voice strict. "Pin him and get the hose." With that, she walked passed her men and out of sight.

~TBC


So...my first Uncharted fic. Actually, the first fic I've done in a while. (ponders)

Sue me. Actually, please don't. I'm broke. (laughs)

If I should bother continuing this, let me know! Because I've got the ideas, I just need to the support. Otherwise, I'm pretty much writing this for me. (laughs harder) Why am I like this? (- -)