Chapter 2 - Oxygen
Their trip was far less eventful afterward, although they talked a lot more now – Jonah was "buzzing" in his own words and Ricardo was whistling along to the radio and taking a little less care while driving. Eventually the resort came into view, essentially a bunch of nice apartments on a mountain. After checking in, Ricardo was happy to help Jonah with his luggage. They came to his lodgings and dropped it off. An idea came to them at the steps;
"Hey, I don't just want you to piss off after what happened there. Wanna get dinner?"
Ricardo took a moment to think, then nodded. Shortly after they found themselves at an American-style burger joint, sitting outside and chatting like old friends.
"So-so I say to him," Jonah was trying to keep a straight face. "How can you hate a sceptic tank when your house is basically the same?"
The two howled in laughter, the context making the joke all the better.
"Joder, that's gold. Did you ever get your money back?"
"Nah he left for Canada or something. I'd be miffed but that insult was worth twice what he owed if I'm honest."
"Gotta stay positive."
"Exactly. You got much to keep you positive?"
"Just a couple siblings, nothing major. I don't see them much, they live down in Fuengirola."
"That's a bit far, why you this far away?"
"It's like a 2 hour drive, I visit weekends. I'm studying at Madrid Uni and I need the money, taxi driving lets me see the sights and make cash."
"And do in weirdos with punching ghosts."
"I still don't know how any of this works. So, this thing appears beside you and punches his one? And for some reason I can't see it?"
"Sums it up."
They were quiet, unsure where to go from there. Luckily the food arrived to break the awkward silence, and they ate happily. Ricardo had ordered a ton of food, typical Spanish eating pattern, while Jonah had gone for a regular burger. He picked out all the tomatoes – thoughts of red things weren't pleasant right now. Still, he supposed he was dressed a little loud – an open jacket with no undershirt, coloured a deep blue and shorts with small rectangular cuts in it to let in more air. Ricardo was a bit soberer, just a T shirt and jeans. Still had this odd hat on for shade.
They finished eating and headed off. However, on the way up the road Jonah's eyes lit up – he had spotted a bar. A drink was what he needed the most. Ricardo protested but still followed him in, a fairly quiet one full of families. Still they served Tenants and accepted "Señor Joestar's" ID. The two shared a few beers, talking for what felt like half an hour but was actually three or four, with alcohol to suit that timespan. Having this ability amused Jonah greatly, and he kept making the paste stick people's glasses to the counter. It was never any less funny watching them tug at their glass, check their muscles then complain to an increasingly annoyed barman who kept having to lift up glasses for people. Jonah had worked out how to dissolve the paste at will, which added to the hilarity of messing with people.
At about 2 in the morning they stumbled out of the bar, arms around each other's shoulders and singing a slurred rendition of "That's Amore." Somehow, they got to the apartment without incident, and after some confusion over who got which room they bid each other a good night and crashed into a deep sleep.
A loud banging sound pierced Jonah's skull, causing him to awake. He didn't notice Immigrant Song appear in a defensive stance, nor did he notice it relax then disappear. It turned out to be the cleaning lady at the door, and after a few hurried "come back later"s and broken Spanish she left. Grumpily, Jonah made toast and idly munched it while looking down at the nearby pool. His brain was coming online, firstly noticing the shapely hips of a woman sunbathing, then the stale beer taste in his mouth and finally the memory of Ricardo using the other room. He peeked round and saw he was still sound asleep – it was only 9am after all, for some reason he woke early after drinking. Leaving a note saying "gone to grab teabags + milk use the flat as you like," he left for a walk to go shopping and maybe talk to that girl at the pool.
The sunlight shone at the perfect angle to get in Ricardo's eyes, forcing him to awake. He sat up and stretched, feeling thankfully free of a hangover. Little known fact, big dinners absorb alcohol. Checking the living room, he found the note and nodded. The plan was to wait for him to come back, say his goodbyes, exchange numbers and then go back to work.
This was all shot in the head by, well, a shot to the head. He was only vaguely aware of something going through him before he fell on the floor, blood spilling and darkness growing.
"Seriously? Damn. Well, see you around? Yeah, sure, Saturday sounds good." Jonah smiled at the girl as she walked off, those hips swaying beautifully at him.
"Ricardo, you'll never guess what I pulled – just look out… the…. doooor…."
He trailed off when he realised his friend lying on the floor, oddly dry despite the blood running across the marble floor. Immediately Immigrant Song was behind him, keeping watch as he tended to Ricardo. There seemed to be no injuries, which was a little suspicious. Looking to the left he saw a golden arrow lying on the floor, covered in dried blood. A note was tied to it and had miraculously stayed clean.
If you live, meet at beach at 5pm.
"At least he's direct."
Jonah checked Ricardo for any more injuries, sighing with relief that he was breathing. He then went to the balcony and tried to find a shooter – sadly, nothing out of the ordinary. As he was checking, he heard a scream. Whirling around, Jonah saw Ricardo looking rather distressed at the blood.
"What happened? Am I dead Mierdamierdamierdamierda…"
"You're fine, get a grip!"
He still hyperventilated, so Jonah took a cup of water and doused him. He wasn't sure if that worked outside of movies but at least it quietened his friend.
"Look, see this note? We'll find and catch whoever did this. We need to prepare though, follow me."
Ricardo noted an odd look in Jonah's eyes – much more contemplative and serious than he was used to. He followed without protest.
Come 5, they stood on the beach and waited. The letter hadn't been specific but this was the rockier bit filled with crabs that tourists avoided and was kept out of view for fear of ruining the carefully crafted scenery. Ricardo kept scratching the back of his neck – something felt off. Jonah was back to his usual relaxed posture, but still had an edge about him. They said nothing to each other, keeping a careful eye out for danger.
Eventually a man emerged from a corner and began striding towards them. He wore a lot of denim, with a jacket and baggy jeans to match, a white shirt with a red lightning bolt underneath all of it. It seemed as if he'd walked right out of a 70s movie.
"Hello, boys." He said in a calm, almost teacher-like voice. "Glad to see you both."
Johan stuck his hands in his pockets. "What do you want?"
"Cutting straight to the point, are we? I like that. I'll do the same then, mutuality is key I always say."
Nobody had any idea what he meant by that. "We recently lost a member of our… group. We wanted to get some replacements, and we thought you two were the perfect candidates. Did you bring the arrow?"
Jonah shook his head. "Didn't think to bring it." A lie – he'd just decided against it.
"Ah." There was a pause. "Well, we will need that back. We have more but –"
"What do you want?" again it was like Jonah had switched to a completely different person.
"My, how hostile. But as I say, mutuality – am I not showing you courtesy? Please do the same." All the honeyed words in the world couldn't hide that slight grit in his voice. "After all we're here to offer you a job."
"And what would that be?"
"Working for our… group. Think of us as a group people hire when they have no other jobs doing."
"Mercenaries," Ricardo blurted without any thought but absolute certainty.
"Sometimes. We procure goods, move them around for clients, help in legal proceedings…"
"Smuggling, illegal trade and Money laundering." It was like the words escaped his mouth on their own.
"Perceptive. You'll be useful, my friend. Have you learned of your stand ability yet?"
They both stared at him blankly. He laughed, they were like kids when you tried to explain something complex.
"Stands. Your abilities are known as stands."
"Ability. Only one of us has one."
"Which one?"
"Not your business."
A vein appeared on the man's head. "Look, kid. I've tried being nice, and I'm offering you something very, very good. Show me some goddamn respect or there's gonna be trouble."
Jonah grinned. "Made you lose your cool."
A red fist appeared and tried to punch him, streaking at incredible speed. It was pushed back by a green arm, as Immigrant Song appeared and deflected the blow. The arm retracted back into its master, who was looking somewhere between smug and angered.
"So, you're the stand user, boy. I'm guessing it was you I hit with that arrow?"
"Yup." Sometimes a lie is better than withheld information.
"Well, I'm afraid we have no use for the other one."
A red fist streaked towards Ricardo, who dodged it with surprising agility.
"Ooh, you're fast kid."
The red arms began a flurry of blows, but Immigrant song struck him with one of its own. He reeled, spitting in anger. The stand had fully formed, a red humanoid with a row of spikes across the head insectoid eyes, thin, almost mechanical arms and no visible legs – simply a trail of red haze stretching to the user.
"I feel it's only fair to introduce myself, now that I've seen your stand. My name is José de la Cierva, and this is 「Space Oddity.」Unfortunately, you are being uncooperative and I cannot leave loose ends. Therefore, you must be eliminated."
"You're telling us a lot." Jonah mused. "Any chance you're going to tell me what it can do?"
"Not unless you tell me."
There was a moment of silence as they eyed other, waiting for the first move. Sticky paste launched at Cierva, but something deflected it. Following suit was a sudden barrage of pain racking Jonah's body, who fell to one knee groaning. Space Oddity took the opportunity to charge in, an audible *crack* with a single right hook. It sent him sprawling, fighting to stay conscious. Despite this he managed to stand again, staggering and spitting blood.
"How… how is your – erm… Stand, right? How can it move away from you? I thought they were attached to you?"
To illustrate the point, Immigrant Song tried to rush him but was yanked to a halt by some invisible tether.
"Still alive while knowing so little. I'm almost impressed."
The air around Jonah seemed to rush, and he just made out black streaks moving around him. As this thought passed through, Ricardo crashed into him – a loud *crunch* was heard, and they fell back. They looked at where they had been standing, where a small pile of rocks was smouldering.
"I don't know how," Ricardo panted. "But I keep feeling them when they're around."
"What are they?"
"Rocks, I think. No idea what he's doing to them."
With a nod, Jonah got to his feet, facing his opponent down. Cierva was watching Ricardo carefully, a calculating expression which didn't even focus on his actual opponent.
"Tell me, can you see our stands boy?"
The reply was a shake of the head, but his eyes were clearly focused on Space Oddity.
"Ah-ah-ah, you can. So you're both stand users."
The wind picked up again, this time around Ricardo. It was like his body moved for him, he felt where the rocks were going to strike and stepped aside the effortlessly.
"Ugh, what can it do? How are you doing that?" Cierva cried. He seemed agitated.
"Don't know, but it seems to be annoying, mi hermano. Besides I'm not the one you should focus on."
With newfound confidence, Jonah was walking towards his opponent at a casual pace. Cierva snarled, the wind picking up again and sending rocks smashing into him. Curiously, the other boy did not react.
"What, can you not pick it up all the time?"
"No, just not when he's in danger."
Looking again, Cierva saw Jonah was undeterred. The rocks clung to his body but had done no visible damage. He gave a frustrated whine and tried another barrage, only for no effect. His body seemed to just absorb the impact like it was nothing.
"How are you doing that? G-get away from me!"
As he got closer the answer was clear – a thin sheet of blue paste covered him. Immigrant Song grabbed some rocks off it, throwing them back and forth in its hands meaningfully.
"Ricardo?"
"¿Si?"
"Howsabout we finish this arsehole off together?"
"I like the sound of that."
When he said that, something appeared next to Ricardo – a small shield, with a canine motif on it. Four eyes covered each corner, looking frantically around. A little red smoke ebbed from it.
Seeing this spurred Ricardo on, who walked to Cierva alongside his friend. The smuggler tried to run, but found his feet wouldn't move – a blue paste held him in place. Ricardo threw the first punch, a solid hook.
"It doesn't look like it can attack, but you can still blame「Oxygen」for your loss."
The following barrage was like they were at a punchbag, with Immigrant Song pummelling the face while Ricardo kept dealing blows to the stomach. When they felt he'd had enough, Jonah removed the paste to let him fall then reattached him to the ground.
"I must say," he mused. "Levitating rocks is a little mundane but I guess if you can do it fast enough it can definitely be scary."
Cierva spat blood onto the rocks. "My boss will be furious. There's tons of us, and only two of you. Do what you want with me, but mark my words – I'll be the one laughing in the end. Only felt fair to warn you."
Immigrant Song dealt a knockout blow, shutting him down. After another call to the police, they left before anyone could work out what had happened or who did it. They got to the apartment, Jonah opening the fridge and getting out a beer. Ricardo was running back and forth grabbing things to pack, raising the larger boy's eyebrow.
"What are you doing?"
"We need to go! They'll be after us. Cierva said so."
"Yeah but they won't work out its us, will they?"
"If they know it was us he arranged to meet then they'll put two and two together."
"Still got time."
"No we don't! Honestly let's just – "
But Jonah had already flopped on the couch and was watching the TV. He checked his phone, texts from that girl from earlier lighting up his phone. Ricardo had no idea what to do – he didn't want to leave his friend, but he was freaking out. He started hyperventilating again, which earned him an incredulous look.
"Look, just have a few Coronas. We'll leave tomorrow but I just wanna rest. Giving up a date with a girl just to recuperate."
"We're sitting ducks though."
"We'll be the same on the road. It's night so they'll be able to do us without getting caught. We stay in our apartment so the can't catch us on the street then head out when traffic gets heavy."
Ricardo stared. Once again, it was like a switch flipped and it was a completely different. Still, he saw the logic, begrudgingly getting himself and beer and lying on the other couch. They whiled the night away with talk of celebrities and the news, talk only dying when a report came out of a local smuggler being found on the beach and swiftly jailed.