"U-Uncle Josuke?" she asked, stunned. The tall, powerfully built man with the outdated pompadour smiled and hugged her.
"Oh come on Jolyne. You're an adult now. Just call me Josuke." A strange sense of nostalgia overwhelmed her. Her uncle hadn't changed.
When Jolyne was eight, her uncle had traveled from Japan to 'learn the family business', what that was; she wasn't entirely sure. He was actually a police officer in Japan. She heard some rumor that her great-grandfather was some of realty king in New York but it seemed strange that a man who looked like her father's younger brother was the heir to something like that. Despite that, she loved Josuke very much.
During his stay in the States, he came down to Florida to visit Jolyne and her mom for a few months. Even though her father, Jotaro, was never around (or maybe it was because Jotaro was never around) Josuke took a special interest in Jolyne. So for a while, he offered to babysit much to Jolyne's delight. He was such an easy man to talk to, especially when she used to tease him about his hair. It was hard to explain, but there was just something extraordinary about her uncle. Every time she broke a toy or put a dent in something, he always had to ability to fix it. In a way, it reminded her of her father...
As the years passed, Josuke would still come over to visit but those trips became less and less frequent as she got older. His last trip was at least three years ago, when she was still in the gang. He got so mad at her. For the first time in years, Jolyne felt like she was letting someone outside of her mom down again. It was an awful feeling but it didn't make her quit. But it might have been the reason her uncle stopped visiting.
"Jolyne," he said somberly, "I'm sorry we couldn't meet under better circumstances."
"It's okay, Uncle" she said, trying to bite back her emotions. The annoyed guard threw dirty looks at them, but she ignored him. Josuke loosened his hug on her.
"How are you holding up?"
"I'm surviving," she said flatly. He leaned his head towards her ear.
"Did you get that amulet Jotaro left for you?" he whispered.
"Yes"
A ridiculous grin slide on Josuke's face.
"Great!"
Then he pulled away and punched the guard in the face.
The guard staggered for a few seconds before falling to the ground, unconscious and his mouth agape. For a split second it looked like his teeth were falling off, only for them to reattach to the mouth.
"Josuke!" she gasped. It wasn't her uncle's crazy actions that surprised her as much as the ghost she saw next to him. Behind her uncle was a muscular spirit, with a pink body and white armor. She could feel it staring right at her. It had a different appearance but it was similar to the green spirit that followed her.
"You have a stand, right?" he asked suddenly.
"A-A stand?"
"Jolyne, I'm busting you out of here," he said unleashing his ridiculous corny smile. "Don't worry about breaking any laws. We've got a plan all set for you. But first, I've got to rough this guy up just a little more."
For some reason this information didn't surprise her. So much made sense now. If her father had sent her the stone, he must have known about these so-called 'stand' powers. Maybe he had one of his own. Maybe everyone in her family had one. Maybe everyone, except for her. A bad taste was working its way up her mouth.
"Did he send you?" she asked coldly as she sat down by the table.
"What?" asked Josuke, genuinely confused.
"My father. Did he send you instead of coming here himself?"
"No Jolyne," he said, with a stern look in his eye. He sighed and walked over. "Look. I know what it's like to not see your dad and then have him waltz into your life one day. There's a lot of anger there and it builds up to the point where you get too mad at him to listen. I know. But that's not going to get you anywhere. Not here. No one forced me. I came because I wanted to."
Jolyne looked away, annoyed that her uncle was trying to take the place of her worthless father.
"Besides, I figured you'd have an easier time listening to an uncle instead." His goofy grin returned and she sighed.
"And there's another reason," Josuke pulled out a picture from his jacket and placed it on the table. Jolyne looked over it. It was a brawny man with weird spiral facial markings and long, unkempt hair. For some reason, his eyes had a clear coloring to them, almost as if he was blind.
"Who's that?" she asked, trying her best to seem uninterested.
"His name is Jongalli A." Jolyne stared, bewildered while Josuke shrugged and said, "Yeah I know. Weird name.
"Based on his records, he's an ex-solider with bad cataracts that decreases his sight. He had a reputation as an assassin and he's currently inside the men's section of this facility. Jolyne, has your dad told you about a man named DIO?"
"No," she replied after regaining her composure, "my dad barely ever talked about his friends. He barely talked to me at all"
"Really?" Josuke was dumbfounded. "Nothing? He didn't tell you anything about Stands or Vampires or the Arrows...? How did he expect you to survive if he never told you anything!?" he sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He took a quick glance outside the cell window and turned his attention back to her.
"Okay Jolyne, I'll explain everything to you later. Right now, all you have to know is that DIO is bad and he had a lot of flunkies who really hate your dad. They framed you and threw you in here to draw out Jotaro."
"W-Wait a minute! I was framed?" she could feel her irritation growing as she rush up from her chair, knocking it over.
"Oops, almost forgot," he said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah Jongalli A framed you. He ordered a gangster to dump an innocent man on the streets so that you and your boyfriend would hit him. Then he hired a talented lawyer to increase your sentence and end the investigation."
Jolyne was speechless. Revenge was the first thing she wanted once she escaped prison. She had already made a few plans to get revenge on her old boyfriend, but it never occurred to her that someone else might have caused all this. Not that it was going to stop her from getting back at Romeo but it was still baffling to think that he was kind of innocent too.
"That sounds really unbelievable." she said weakly. Lately it seemed like everyone was conspiring against her, punishing her for something she didn't deserve. It was starting to wear her down.
"I know, but bare with me," said Josuke, trying his best to sympathize. "This guy was probably waiting for the chance of you getting a visitor. He's probably expecting your father, so he could show up now at anytime. We need the amulet that Jotaro left you. It looks normal on the surface but there's a communicator inside. It's already set up and the submarine will automatically move towards the predestinated location."
"Um..." Jolyne bit her lip, nervously. "Josuke. I do have the amulet but it's not on me." The room fell silent. Josuke took another quick glance out the cell window and then pounded his head against the door.
"My god, Jotaro really didn't explain anything to you. Great. Look. Head to back to your room and get the amulet and meet me near the location. Don't worry about how I'll get there." She nodded. Given everything that's happened, she and Josuke needed to escape as quickly as possible.
"Okay. I'll trust you Josuke."
He continued to look out the window, signaling to her that the coast was clear. As she got up from the table and walked towards the steel door, the smoke from the cigarette caught her eye.
"Hey Josuke. This is probably a random question but do you smoke?"
"No," he answered, a bit confused as he moved away from the door. "I thought those were the guard's-" He stopped as a sudden realization hit him "Jolyne! Get down!"
It all happened in an instant. Jolyne flew back and hit the floor while Josuke rushed over to her.
She instinctively ran her fingers to the wound to stop the bleeding. For some reason, she could feel the pain but her chest didn't feel wet. Josuke appeared to be equally surprised. Instead of a bleeding wound, there appeared to be a collection of string, woven into a thick, sturdy structure, almost like a bullet-proof vest. The crushed bullet rolled off and her body shield disentangled as quickly as it had appeared.
So this is Jolyne's stand, Josuke thought as he helped her up. She can make something this complex appear in an instant. But this is no time to admire her good instincts.
"Get your stand ready Jolyne! We're going to get a real fight soon"
"Damn," she said, gasping for air, "you weren't exaggerating." She struggled to catch her breath. Her attention turned to the cigarette in the ashtray. There was something suspicious about a lit cigarette that belonged to no one; it had to be tied with the stand user somehow.
This Jongali A guy. Josuke said he was blind. How can he shoot me when he's blind? Even if he could see, he's not standing outside the cell. It'd be like shoot through smoke. Smoke...
"The cigarette," she gingerly walked over to the table and pinched the butt of the cigarette. "That's how he knows our movement. He's using the smoke."
Josuke was too focused on scanning the hallway to really pay attention but he had a sneaking notion that she was right.
"That rifle made no noise," he said cautiously. "I don't know if we can dodge a second time. Jolyne, we're going to have to break out of here now. We've got to get that amulet." She nodded. "A rifle from the men's ward? It's got to be one of those abilities you were talking about."
Of all the times to leave that stupid amulet in my cell, it had to be the day when I'm getting shot, she thought, vexed at the turn of events. Suddenly she remembered the little boy and the weird rock he gave her. She pulled it out her pocket and clutched it tightly.
"Hey, you know what this is?" Josuke turned his head slightly, puzzled by the weird rock she showed him.
"Huh? Looks like someone used acid to melt it." He summoned his stand and smashed the rock. Surprisingly, it didn't break apart but reassembled. Pieces of the rock were coming together to form a new, yet familiar shape.
"It's a bone," he said frankly. Jolyne winced. The bone was too big to belong to a chicken or any kind of normal animal. It had to be...
"A human bone. Female, I think," she said as she passed the bone on to him. Josuke examined the bone for a few seconds. "Uh, Jolyne, it's not that I'm questioning your hobbies but now is not the time to show people bones." He broke it apart and she put the tiny bone away, scoffing. Suddenly, she caught something from the corner of her eye.
"Hey look outside!" Jolyne turned, bewildered with the object outside. It almost looked like a helicopter-no- more like a UFO. There were keys dangling from the bottom as it hovered around, changing direction sporadically. It hit the wall and the UFO fell to the floor. Suddenly, the UFO started to flatten, almost like it was made of paper.
"What is that!?"
"It's a stand. There's no doubt. Don't stick your face out too much Jolyne"
All of a sudden, the UFO assumed its original shape again. Jolyne could feel her heart pounding, anticipating it's next move. The air in the room began to feel really thick and it became harder and harder to breath. The stand hovered slowly off the ground and continued to glide away.
Now's our chance! Jolyne shot out some of her strings through the window but the stand dodged it effortlessly.
"Jolyne!? What are you doing?"
"It's air, Josuke. The stand changes according to the air currents, even to the small air currents made by my strings."
His eyes glanced back at the burnt out cigarette as he came to understand the situation.
"Of course. That explains how he could shoot you with the cigarette smoke. But you know what that means, right? It can also dodge our attacks. Unless..." his voice trailed off.
"Unless?"
He examined the walls of the cell while Jolyne kept watch. He knocked on the walls and assertively kicked a few of the pillars until he found a weak spot in a pipe. He forced the support concrete aside and found an opening, large enough for both him and Jolyne to slip through.
"We break out from inside the room," he answered with a goofy grin on his face. Jolyne was reluctant. it seemed too convenient to have an opening this large in a prison full of desperate prisoners.
"Is that an air vent?"
"I don't know but it looks big enough for us to get through. Come on!" Although she was still skeptical, she knew it was their best chance at escape. She held her breath and crawled inside.
After several minutes, Jolyne and Josuke managed to reach the end of the air vent. It was unusually spacious for a prison air vent but Jolyne wasn't going to complain about an easy escape. There was a small drop from the vent to the floor but before they stepped down, Jolyne wanted to look around. Using her strings, she tied the ends to the pipes on the ceiling and slowly lower herself down. This room had a lot of pipes, the type that carried electricity and polluted water. A few of the pipes were emitting steam.
This must be the power room. How was this underneath us? Suddenly she heard a familiar buzz.
"Jolyne! It's the stand!" yelled Josuke, surprisingly close to her. Unaware of how close he was, she jolted back into him and knocked him against the corner of the vent.
Josuke winced. His hand slid across the edge of the sharp corner, cutting it the process. Before Jolyne could get a chance to apologize, Jongalli A's stand started shooting. They ducked behind the pipes, trying to stand still and hold their breath.
Suddenly Jolyne heard a voice call out.
"Big sis!"
She looked down. It was the baseball kid from before, waving his arms from behind a pipe. This sudden action caught the stand's attention and it started chasing the boy. However, the boy quickly jumped inside the water of an open pipe valve and swam inside. The stand floated aimlessly, almost as if it was lost.
Resourceful little bastard, she smiled as she realized that the stand could not detect the boy's body under water.
All of a sudden, the pipes began to contort and the shift in pressure caused the pipe bolts to fly off. The stand had somehow managed to break open the pipes!
The boy, paralyzed with fear, watched as the stand moved closer. With a fierce speed, Jolyne jumped down and summoned her strings to create a large net. Her plan was crazy and she didn't think that her net could really stop the Jongalli A's stand; if anything, it was going to shoot her. But she didn't care. If she didn't act now, that boy was dead.
The stand fired but missed Jolyne. Instead, the bullet made impact with a pipe. The pipe exploded behind her and the room filled with steam.
Jongalli A's stand hovered around for a bit, unsure where to travel. Suddenly, a net wrapped around it. Jolyne came out of the steam, completely unharmed.
"Can't see so clearly in steam, huh? I figured the steam from the pipe was easier to spot than I was. Well now it's too late!"
A bolt flew from the steam and through Jongalli A's stand. Jolyne turned to see Josuke's stand and several of the pipe's bolts in his hands.
"Like shooting rats," he smiled.
She smiled back, leaving the broken stand to fall to the ground. But there was still the matter of the boy...
"Who are you, kid? How did you get inside this prison?"
The boy was speechless, probably still in shock. Jolyne climbed down the pipes, hoping that a close encounter would help calm him down.
Suddenly she felt a sharp jab at her side. Something was cutting into her skin, digging deep inside like a knife. She reached inside her pocket and found the bone but somehow, it had melted again.
"What the hell is this?" she asked the boy forcefully. "What's going on here?!"
The boy remained silent. He had an odd look on his face.
"I don't understand," he said, worried. "You can't- You can't lose it..."
It looked like the boy was about to cry. She wanted to comfort him, when suddenly-
"Jolyne, who are you talking to?"
She turned around. Even though there was still a bit of steam in the room, her uncle clearly had good eyes. How could he not see the boy in front of her?
"To this kid."
"What kid?"
"The one here-"She stopped.
He was gone.
"But he was right here! He has to be here!"
She frantically searched the room. It was possible the kid was hiding in a pipe. Suddenly she saw something move from behind one of the pipes. It looked like a bloody man.
"It's him! That guy from the photo!"
"Jolyne! What are you talking about!?"
"I know what I saw! He's still moving!"
She rushed over to the pipe but her uncle stopped her.
"Jolyne, listen to me! There's no one here! There was no kid. There never was a kid. This whole time, you've been talking to air."
"Wha- but-"
She struggled to find words. Nothing made sense anymore. The boy? The man? The secret tunnel? She was starting to get dizzy as the sweat trickled down her neck. How could Josuke not-?
She analyzed her uncle, searching top to bottom. Something didn't seem right.
"Josuke... didn't you cut your hand?"
"What are you talking about Jolyne?" he said as he looked down at his hand. Even though she saw him had slice it on metal, it looked perfectly fine.
Her breathing grew more rapid and her vision started to blur. It felt like parts of her body was being to melt- like the whole room was starting to melt. No- it really was melting! Everything and everyone was melting, even Josuke was melting.
No... this can't be right! she thought as she tried to keep her fingers from melting. First the air vent, then the boy, and now the hand. This...This must be an enemy's stand!
Jolyne woke up with a jolt. She could feel the bone draw blood as she clenched it against her hand. It was the visitor's room but everything had changed.
The walls were covered in a foul-smelling mucus, drowning the room with its miasma. The table and chairs were falling apart almost like someone was melting them. It was so overwhelming that Jolyne couldn't even lift her head from the table.
Josuke and the prison guard were unconscious, completely unaware of the situation. The guard was sprawled out on the floor, most of his equipment and face had melted away. Josuke was slumped on his chair, with the acid tearing away at his face and hair. She shot out her string to him but it melted in midair, less than a few inches in front of her.
She cursed as she struggled to breathe as the goo enveloped her. She could even feel the goo trying to go inside her mouth.
Damn, this can't be Jongalli A's real ability. This is someone else. Someone else got into this room so that everyone can experience his stand. He can make people experience illusions and then he melts them. Like a snake...
Her eyelids felt heavy. She was starting to fall asleep again. She clenched the bone even tighter. By herself, she was going to die...
But the boy gave her an opportunity. A chance to live. She couldn't waste it. She summoned Stone Free and put her plan into motion...
With the last of her strength, Jolyne used Stone Free to break the table and knocked Josuke back. He flew against the wall and slowly opened his eyes.
"What?" he asked, lethargically.
"Good," said Jolyne, struggling to move "I did it. I can move now, as long as my mind is awake. Uncle, break down the door. With Crazy Diamond."
Josuke admired Jolyne's resolve. Right now, he barely had the strength to move his head much less talk as much as she could.
"Hurry up! We're running out of time!"
He summoned his stand and ripped the door open. Unable to move his legs, Josuke gingerly dragged himself to entrance.
"Let's get out of here!" Jolyne uncharacteristically barked. "Pull me along!"
"Wait a minute. Jolyne..." he said, slowly. Jolyne glared, annoyed that he was wasting precious time.
"What!?"
"How did you know my stand's name?"
His serious tone startled Jolyne and she struggled to respond.
"W-What?"
"Crazy Diamond... I never once said my stand's name was Crazy Diamond. How did you know my stand's name?"
She didn't respond. She just gave Josuke a mysterious look, a look that was completely alien to Jolyne. This couldn't be real...
Josuke gasped for air. He could feel something gently choking him and he struggled to rip it off.
They were strings, Jolyne's strings. The room was melting but Jolyne had managed to stay awake despite the poisonous fumes.
"Great. Good thinking, Jolyne." She made a subtle movement in agreement.
Josuke struggled to summon his stand but the miasma was too much. Crazy Diamond appeared only to disappeared a few seconds later. He was too weak and groggy to fully control it. At this rate, there was no way they could move across the room before passing out again. Unless...
"Jolyne. I have an idea. Bring out your stand."
"My string doesn't work here," she said weakly.
"No," he gasped, trying to get as much air as possible, "your other stand. The one with the glasses." It required a great deal of effort but Jolyne was finally able to summon Stone Free.
Suddenly, Josuke summoned Crazy Diamond and with all his strength, punched Stone Free. The force of the hit flung Jolyne across the room into the door, forcing it open.
"Sorry. This was the only way to get you out. Now use your string to drag me and the guard out"
"Why did you have to punch me so freakin' hard!?" she yelled, indignant. Her temple throbbed but it was clear that she was back at full energy. "And why do I have rescue the guard!?"
Nevertheless, she summoned her string and wrapped it tightly around Josuke and the guards waists. She briskly pulled them out of the room (although Josuke was convinced that she was intentionally being rough on him) and released them in the hallway. Josuke grasped for air as he struggled to get up, while Jolyne pulled something out her pocket.
"Hey, we got out of there thanks to this bone. Do you think it's some kind of special bone?"
Confused, Josuke examined the strange object.
"Special bone? I don't think those exist Jolyne."
So this is the first time Josuke's seen the bone. Jolyne thought back to the illusion. It is real. Which means that the boy who gave me this bone must be real too.
Suddenly, the alarms released a loud roar.
"Attempted escape in Sector 4! Attempted escape in Sector 4!"
Enraged, Jolyne released Stone Free and broke the nearby alarm. Josuke shook his head as he summoned his stand to fix the alarm, which wasn't making any noise now.
"If it's not broken, it might confuse them for a couple of seconds."
"Well, this is still reality," Jolyne said, ducking underneath the nearest security camera. Josuke quickly followed suit, trying his best to adjust his plans to the new situation.
Suddenly a small voice cried out from behind.
"Big sis, big bro."
It was a boy!
"Follow me!" he ordered, pointing down the hall.
"Jolyne. There's a kid here." said Josuke, stunned.
"Don't worry he's on our side," she said, rushing over to the kid.
The guards rushed on to the scene, baffled with the strange breakout. The guard in charge was found unconscious and sent for immediate medical attention. They analyzed the camera footage but it caught no sight of the prisoner. Only a sudden fade to black and return to normal, almost as if the electricity was disconnected and reconnected. The records on which prisoner was scheduled for the visitors' room were mysteriously gone.
Yet unbeknownst to them, the strangest thing connected to the breakout was the mysterious creature behind them.
It slithered from guard to guard, scanning the evidence they had collected and dripping ooze where ever it went. Yet none of the guards noticed; it was like a ghostly ripple, a faint vibration you could feel but very few could see. Perhaps it was better that they could not see. Although it looked human, it had ghastly, white skin and empty white eyes. Much like a snake, it lacked a nose and its movements were animalistic. Upon its head was a black crown, covering the top portion of his head all the way down to his eyes. Aside for a few scraps of black, the humanoid was almost completely naked. Because of that, one could see that there were mysterious carvings in its skin. In a sequence all over its body, the letter G, a triangle, and the letters CT, would repeat. Over and over the pattern would repeat on its skin, yet something about the process felt incomplete.
Suddenly the monster spoke.
"So it seems that Jotaro Kujo didn't come for his daughter after all. This changes things." Something caught his eye. It was the cigarette he had left earlier. The guards completely ignored the minor detail from the room, but no matter. It was easy to dispose of such things. He picked it up, the ooze he excreted covered cigarette. Then it began to melt. In a matter of seconds, the cigarette had vanished completely, converted into an invisible pile of slime.
"If he doesn't respond to his daughter, let's see how he reacts to his missing messenger."
