Chapter 3

"Nathan Drake." Rika said, turning around slowly to face Drake. "I'm only surprised it took you this long."

"It has been a while, hasn't it." Drake commented, staying focused and keeping his smirk on his face. "And you've moved up in the world 'General Raja'."

"And I see you've gone nowhere."

"I don't know." Drake said, shifting to bring emphasis back to the gun in his hands "I'm pretty comfortable where I am."

Rika smiled coyly for a moment, then her face dropped into a deep scowl.

"You killed my brother."

"No, I didn't. I tried to save him."

"Anda sudah tahi!" Rika shouted, flailing her arms "The men who survived told me, you were trapped in that room together, and when they got in, there was no Eddy!"

"They probably told you about the freaky creatures that were killing everybody too!" Drake shouted back.

"That will be enough!" Chandra shouted, stepping forward. Drake redirected the gun to him, but Chandra laughed. "You are to kill me? Then do it. With my men who will shoot you, there would be no purpose." Drake looked at the three other Teppa soldiers who had their guns pointed at him.

"You didn't think this through very well, did you Nathan?" Rika said snidely while Drake tried to maintain his poker face.

"No, it's all part of the plan." He said in a not very convincing tone, taking a nervous step back. This had gone much better in his head.

"You always were too headstrong, and driven by your emotions. Now look at you, your thirst for revenge has put you in a position even you can't get out of." Rika said. Drake looked around nervously when he caught sight of something behind the Teppa soldiers.

"You're right Rika." Drake said, forcing himself to hide his smile. "There's no way I could get out of this alone. But I'm not alone, now am I?"

A gunshot cut through the night, and one of the Teppa soldiers fell to the ground. Chandra, Rika, and the other two Teppa turned in shock to see Sully standing next to one of the doorways on the other side of the courtyard with his pistol in hand. One of the Teppa raised his rifle, but another gunshot cut him down. Sully ducked behind cover as the third Teppa started firing while Rika shouted orders into her walkie-talkie for more soldiers to come to the courtyard, and then quickly fled.

Drake attempted to pursue Rika, but Chandra cut him off. He grabbed Drake's wrist and twisted it, causing the gun to clatter to the floor. Chandra swung at Drake, who dodged the attack and countered with a quick uppercut. Chandra stumbled back, but quickly recovered and launched himself at Drake. Drake ducked it, and was about to follow up when Sully shot the other Teppa soldier, who spun around and fired stray bullets as he fell to the floor.

Drake and Chandra were both startled, but when Chandra ducked he left his back turned to Drake. Taking the opportunity, Drake jumped onto Chandra's back and wrapped his arm tightly around the man's neck. But the Teppa commander was stronger than he looked. With a quick move, Drake was flipped through the air and landed on his back in front of Chandra, who raised his booted foot and brought it down. Drake rolled out of the way just as the boot came crashing down where his face had been. Drake jumped up and tackled Chandra, but the man was now on guard and was able to deflect most of Drake's attacks. Chandra spun sharply with his elbow bent out, connecting with Drake's head and knocking him to all fours. Chandra dropped down and rammed his knee into Drake's ribs a few times, but then Drake pushed himself up, wrapping his hands around Chandra's neck. He lifted Chandra off of him and pushed him back, quickly picking up his gun. However, Chandra was too quick, and swatted the gun away again. Chandra lunged at Drake, but the move was quickly countered and Drake was able to knock Chandra off balance and tackle him. The two men collapsed and rolled along the floor, out of the courtyard, and into the grounds of the villa. Chandra raised himself up, standing several feet away from Drake, and pulled a knife out from his waistline.

"Looks like this is to be the end, Drake." Chandra said, flipping the knife through his fingers as a display of dexterity. Before Chandra could move however, he was covered in the bright headlights of a fast approaching vehicle. Chandra shielded his eyes and was too shocked to move before the car hit him, launching him through the air and into a crumpled. It was the car Sully had driven over, and in the driver's seat was André.

"Get in!" André shouted, and Drake gladly obliged. He turned to see Sully running through the courtyard as bullets flew by, blindly shooting over his shoulder. Drake opened the door and urged Sully, who dove safely into the back seat of the car. André immediately sped off, headed in the direction of the exit.

"I have half a mind to beat you down right now!" Sully said angrily to Drake while gasping for breath "So if I were you, I'd stay quiet until I calm down a bit."

Drake nodded and remained silent as they drove out of the villa's grounds and back towards Madrid.


"C'mon Sully, you can't give me the silence treatment forever!" Drake exclaimed as a steely-faced Sully drove along Autovía 6 and into Portugal. Just a few hours ago, they had dropped André off at his uncle's house in Badajoz and then continued South-East to the border. Their destination was Arraiolos, a small city in central Portugal and home of their employer, Mr. Correia. For the nearly five hour long trip, Sully had been almost entirely silent, and it was beginning to bother Drake.

"Seriously, Sully, I don't see what the big deal is!" He exclaimed, vying for the older man's attention. Finally, Sully cracked.

"You don't see what the big deal is?!" He roared, his face turning slightly red. "Nate, you lied to me about why you took that job, failed to mention your personal interests, and put everybody's life on the line! You know we have more important things going on, and you opted to take time away from that and start picking your own fights while just dragging me along. So do you see why it's a big deal, and why I'm so pissed off!"

Sully fumed for a few more minutes, and Drake stayed quiet. After a little while, he decided it was opportune timing for an apology. He vocalized this, but Sully only shushed him.

"You're not sorry. You're too headstrong to be sorry, and what you need is something to kick your ass into shape and knock some sense into you."

Once again the car fell into silence, so Drake decided he'd flip through Magellan's journal again. His Portuguese was not top notch, and he had difficulty with most of it, but he figured Correia would do a much better job of translating it. Even if Drake could translate the journal, he was far too distracted. Having Sully mad at him tore him apart. Drake knew the London job was big, and knew that he probably should have told Sully about Rika. Despite Sully's involvement, his was a personal matter for him. Maybe his pride was getting in the way, but he needed resolution for the events that had occurred between him and the Raja family. Correia knew about this, and that is why he sought Drake out to do the job. How Correia knew, and how he managed to track the Teppa so well was beyond Drake. Whoever his resource was, the guy was good. And clearly very involved in the criminal underworld. These thoughts flickered through Drakes head as he slowly began to drift to sleep.

It felt like it had only been a second when Drake was jolted awake by a knock on the window. Bright sunlight was streaming into the car, hurting Drakes eyes. He turned and looked out the window to see Sully standing there, holding coffee and pastries. Drake stepped out into the warm day and blinked away his sleep, graciously taking the breakfast. Drake stretched, yawned, and looked at his watch. It was about 8 in the morning. He'd been asleep for nearly four hours.

"Thanks for letting me sleep." Drake mumbled, glancing around. One look at the white painted houses clustered close together and the familiar castle on the hill told him they were in Arraiolos.

"So where does this Correia live?" Despite his friendly morning gesture, Sully still seemed verbally upset and curt.

"We can walk there from here if you're up to it." Drake offered, and Sully simply nodded. Together, the two men strolled through the town until they reached a small and somewhat shabby home, nearly identical to all the others. Drake flipped open his notebook to check the address and nodded.

"This is it." He said, walking over and knocking while Sully stayed close behind him.

The door opened and a large man with a shaved head stood in the frame. He nodded to Drake and gestured for him to come in. They entered into the small house that looked drab and lacked furniture.

"The owner of this shack is supposed to deliver us that big paycheck?" Sully asked, and Drake nodded.

"Yeah, he had a much bigger house, and actual furniture. But he sold it all to raise money for getting this log book." Drake explained. Sully was about to say something, but they had walked into the kitchen dining room where a middle aged man with flowing brown hair streaked with gray and suntanned skin sat on a small wooden chair eating a meager breakfast off a paper plate at a small wooden table. He smiled warmly and stood up. His face looked complacent, but his rigid and proud posture revealed the wounds his ego had recently suffered.

"Mr. Drake, so wonderful to see you again!" Franco Correia exclaimed, shaking Drake's hand then turning to Sully. "Mr. Sullivan, right? Mr. Drake has said a lot about you, it's an honor and pleasure to meet you." Correia said, being careful to speak slow enough that his accent didn't convolute his words. Sully reciprocated the handshake and nodded with a smile.

"And Mr. Drake," Correia continued "I'm sure you remember Mr. Cutter." He gestured to the large man, who nodded, remaining straight-faced.

"Oh yeah, he's the guy who tried to cop a feel last time I was here." Drake said with a smile. The man raised his eyebrows and smiled back.

"Yeah, I remember you." He responded with a heavy British accent. "I also remember I wasn't very impressed."

"Ha-ha, great. He's got a sense of humor." Drake said sarcastically.

"Behave yourselves!" Correia said, still smiling. If one word could be used to describe Correia, it would be fatherly. "Mr. Sullivan, let me formerly introduce you to Charlie Cutter, my close friend and employee." Sully reached out and shook Cutter's hand.

"Don't be offended by the kid." Sully said. "He just doesn't like being outwitted."

"I wasn't outwitted!" Drake shot defensively, but he was ignored.

"I'm sorry about the mess." Correia said, clearing the table. "You have caught me in the middle of breakfast! I wish you had called before. Would either of you like something to drink?"

"No thank you." Drake said. "And it was a bit late for us to call when we finished the job."

"Please, sit." Correia said, sitting himself in his own chair. Drake and Sully sat, while Cutter moved into a different room. "So, I take it you retrieved the log book?" Correia asked, and Drake nodded. "May I?"

Drake pulled out Magellan's journal and handed it over to Correia, who took it gingerly in his hands and started inspecting it very carefully.

"Where are you gentleman staying for the evening?" Correia asked absently, unable to take his eyes off the journal.

"This evening?" Sully asked, incredulously. "Mr. Correia, we need to be in London by this afternoon."

"Oh right. Mr. Drake mentioned that." Correia said, looking up from the book with a confused look in his eyes, as if he had just woken from a dream. "That is regrettable, as I was actually hoping you both could help me with something."

"I told you Mr. Correia, I could only do this job, and then I'm out." Drake confirmed, getting a sad but knowing nod from Correia.

"As it is, I think you can afford to stay." Sully said, drawing from Drake the most incredulous look he had ever been given.

"Sully-"

"May I borrow him for a moment?" Sully asked to Correia while placing his hand on Drake's shoulder. Correia nodded and Sully led Drake to a different room.

"Sully what the hell are you-"

"You're staying." Sully said with such finality it cause Drake to shut his mouth instantly. "You aren't ready for what's in London. I need you focused 100%. Hell, I need you focused 200%, and right now you're so wrapped up in this goddamn Raja business, you're more useful to me here. You almost got us killed in Madrid, and in London we will be dealing with real heavy hitters. You know that better than anyone. I have a lot on the line here and am committed to this job, while you still have your head up your ass about some little girl who flicked your ego. So handle this, and shape up."

"You need me in London!" Drake defended, but Sully shook his head.

"Not yet. Not for a few more months. I'm still figuring things out; I wanted you there for convenience. But like I said, with the mood you're in, it's only more of a liability for you to be there. So, I'm going. I'll call you if anything changes, but until then handle this business here. Got it?"

Drake was about to argue, but knew it wasn't worth it. Sully was even more headstrong than he was. So Drake just nodded sadly. Sully patted him on the shoulder, thanked him, then walked out the front door into the sunlit street. Drake saw the older man pull out a cigar and perch it between his teeth just before the door closed and Sully was gone. Drake stood in stunned silence for a moment until Cutter walked into the room and stood beside him.

"Everything okay mate?"

"Yeah… yeah." Drake said, coming back to life. "He just has some other obligations elsewhere, that's all."

"And you?"

"I'm staying." Drake said, turning with Cutter and walking back into the room where Correia sat, now with a laptop in front of him.

"So glad to hear you will be joining us, Mr. Drake." Correia said with a warm smile. "Although I am sorry to hear Mr. Sullivan had to leave."

"It's fine. So what is it you need?"

"In one moment, I can show you." Correia said, typing away at his laptop. He cleared his throat and spoke into the computer. "Doctor? Mr. Drake is here."

"Perfect!" a voice crooned out from the computer. Correia turned the laptop around and Drake saw the screen was filled with the live video feed of a thin man with short white hair, startling blue eyes, and a gaunt face. The man was donning a lab coat that looked several years unwashed, and he himself had the appearance of being long past his better days.

"Mr. Drake, allow me to introduce you to my associate, Dr. Anton Rezikov. He has been my accomplice and informer for quite some time now concerning the Ferdinand Magellan logbook."

"It is wonderful to finally meet you, Nathan!" Rezikov croaked, his voice harsh and raspy.

"Likewise." Drake said, unsure how to treat the familiar greeting.

"I have been telling Anton many stories about your accomplishments and of your recent work for me. He is thrilled to hear that it was a success, and it is from him that my new offer stems. But I shall allow him to explain." Correia said, pushing the laptop forward so that Rezikov was the center of attention.

"So, Nathan, I shall not dwell on formalities, if you do not mind, and will get straight to the business. As Franco has told you, I have been his associate and informer when it comes to obtaining Magellan's logbook. Together, we are compiling data about Magellan's journey with strictly original documents. Franco is in possession of some very wonderful maps and charts, while I happen to possess some shipping logs and diaries of crew members who survived, including that of Juan Sebastián Elcano, the man who took over for Magellan and completed the circumnavigation."

"We have been collaborating with the information we have, but what we truly needed was not only the logbook, but all of the documents together!" Correia cut in, an excited look in his eyes.

"Yes, my friend here is much more optimistic than I." Rezikov said sadly. "You see, about a year ago, when this research Franco and I were conducting still was in gestation, some thugs came to me in Novodvinsk and demanded I hand over all of the documents. I escaped them and fled to a cousin's house, where I believed I was safe for at least the time being. But I was wrong, these were no ordinary thugs, they were an army. I believe you have had an encounter with them recently, Nathan?"

"The Teppa." Drake whispered with realization. "In Russia?"

"Yes, they were here in Russia. And they found me at my cousin's house, killed him, and burned the house to the ground. They are a vicious people. So I moved up the Dvina River, shifting from town to town and trusting nobody, until I reached the large city of Arkhangelsk. I got lost in the size of the city, but was still wary. I found for myself an empty warehouse that had been and was to remain unoccupied for several years. So I set up here and," Rezikov swept his arms to display the rusting and decrepit walls of the warehouse "Home sweet home."

"The point is," Rezikov continued "I have remained in this warehouse, conducting my research on the Magellan documents I have, while keeping tabs on the Teppa. With this recent acquisition of the Magellan logbook, and with our goal is so close to reality, I have decided to give my documents to Franco for him to complete the research. His hands are capable ones, and he is the only man I trust."

"So what do I need to do?" Drake asked, dreading the answer.

"I have not left this warehouse since I arrived, and I cannot leave. The Teppa can be seen every day patrolling the streets. They don't know where I am, but they know enough to stay in this part of the city. I live every day of my life in fear."

"So you need us to come pick up the documents." Drake completed, nodding his head in confirmation of his own assumptions.

"Exactly."

"Why can't Charlie go?" Drake asked, gesturing towards Cutter.

"I am going." Cutter said, stepping forward. "But you should know I can't do this on my own. You have experience with these bastards. Hell, you just beat them at their own game."

"Not to mention you will be able to verify the authenticity of the documents." Correia interjected. "Just to be sure." He added while looking at Rezikov apologetically, who nodded with understanding.

"So you want me to fly over to Arkhangelsk, which is apparently crawling with Teppa soldiers, verify the documents, gather them, and bring them back?" Drake summarized, earning an encouraging nod from all other parties.

"Should be a piece of cake, right?" Cutter said, smiling. Drake looked at Cutter, then to Correia, and finally to Rezikov.

"Dr. Rezikov, could I have a moment with Mr. Correia and Mr. Cutter?"

"Of course, Nathan. It's a big job, I know, so take your time thinking about it." Rezikov pressed a button and the screen went blank. Immediately, Correia launched into a plea.

"Mr. Drake, this is a momentous occasion for me; years of research have led to this opportunity. It is a lot to ask of you, and your pay will increase respectively. Of course all fees will be covered by myself. The acquisition of these documents means everything, and the risk of them falling into the hands of the Teppa is simply too high! I trust you and Mr. Cutter, which is why I am turning to you for help." Correia stopped, breathless from the rapidity of his appeal.

Drake was silent for a moment before he said anything in response.

"I'll do it." Correia released a sigh of relief, but Drake quickly cut off the man's thanks. "On one condition. You tell me what it is you are looking for."

Correia glanced at Cutter, who gave a nod. This surprised Drake. Cutter had seemed unfriendly to say the least, but it seemed he was actually in favor of Drake.

"Very well." Correia said, sitting down and gesturing for Drake to do the same. Drake took one of the other chairs, and Cutter sat next to him. "I suppose to understand my quest, you need to know at least a small amount about Ferdinand Magellan, or Fernão de Magalhães, as we call him here in Portugal. Being a historian of sorts, I'm sure you know the basics of his journey: he leaves Spain in August of 1519, reaches the equator in February of 1521 after going around South America, March 6th he reaches Guam, and on March 17th becomes the first Portuguese man to set foot in the Philippines. On the 28th, Magellan landed on the island of Mazaua and met with two kings, whom he converted to Christianity and was peaceful with. He even managed to celebrate Easter mass with these kings and their people, the first Easter celebration of the now vastly Christian Philippines. This is where I am interested. I have here Antonio Pigafetta's excerpt about this island." Correia walked out of the room and came back with a bundle of papers. He opened them up and held one up to read it.

"In this island there is a quantity of dogs, cats, pigs, fowls, and goats, rice, cocos, figs, oranges, lemons, millet, wax, and gold. This island is in nine degrees and two thirds north, and one hundred and sixty two longitude from the line demarcation: it is twenty-five leagues distant from the other island where we found the two fountains of water. This island is named Mazzava." Correia set down the document and looked at Drake. "Massava, Massawa, Mazaua; the island goes by many names. Nonetheless, the name it used to go by is no longer the name it uses. In fact, nobody is positive where this island is. Mazaua is one of the greatest conundrums of the Magellan expedition. It was such a momentous occasion, and so great a historic event, I have tried endlessly to find the answer to its location. But with alterations made to documents and inferences people have made, it is difficult to ascertain the truth. That is why I seek only original documents." Correia dug through the papers once more and handed Drake a topographical map of the Philippine islands. "Most people believe that Mazaua is the modern island of Limasawa. Many geographers and historians immediately refute anybody who disagrees with this. But look carefully at the island here. Do you see anything wrong?" Correia said, pointing out Limasawa on the map.

"They are the wrong coordinates." Drake observed.

"Precisely. Mazaua is described as being at 9⁰ 40' North, 162⁰ away from the Line of Demarcation. That is not where Limasawa is. So we must think, we know he was at the island of Homonhon and the traveled West and Southwest, most likely past the island of Leyte and Dinagat through the Surigao Strait. Investigation of Philippine Coast Pilot reports from the early 20th century show that Limasawa has no natural port that Magellan would have been able to use. And if the Line of Tordesillas was the Line of Demarcation, as many Portuguese and Spanish explorers knew it, which puts Mazaua in a much different location. I don't know where Mazaua is, but I know it is not Limasawa."

"You think Dr. Rezikov's documents will help you find Mazaua?"

"I am positive."

Drake sat in silence, deep in thought. It would be a difficult job, but the overall goal was an intriguing one. Not to mention Rika was still out there, and for whatever reason she wanted these documents just as bad as Correia and Rezikov. So wherever these documents went, she would go. Drake didn't necessarily want to kill her, but there was no way he could let her win.

"Alright, I'm in." Drake said, reaching out and shaking Correia's hand. The man practically jumped up and down with excitement.

"Oh this is wonderful! I will get in contact right now with Anton, tell him what I've enlightened you of, and then tell him the fantastic news! Of course, you can stay here for tonight while we make the plans. Charlie can show you where your room is." Correia spoke in one breath and jumped back onto his laptop. Cutter started walking down a hallway, ushering for Drake to follow him.

"This will be a nice little vacation for us, huh? I heard Arkhangelsk is beautiful this time of year. Very romantic." Drake said, but Cutter only looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Now, what happened to that charming sense of humor?" Drake murmured.

"I just think we are playing on different teams, mate."

"On different- what? Oh, wait, I get it. Haha very funny."

"Yeah, well, brevity is the soul of wit." Cutter said, opening a small door that led into a shabby room with an old bed on an old bedframe. Drake walked in and started unpacking his bags while Cutter left back out to the main room. Drake pulled out a jacket and lifted from under it his guns and gun holster. He really hoped he wasn't making a stupid mistake here.

Drake sighed. He felt very uncharacteristic the past few days, stuck in a sulky mood he couldn't seem to drop. Maybe Sully was right, maybe he was safer and better off here. Drake nodded his head resolutely. He was letting his emotions get in the way. It would have been too risky to try and pull off the London job while his thoughts and emotions were so convoluted. He was safer here.

Exactly one month later, Drake would find himself in one of the most life-threatening situations he had encountered yet.


Author's Notes: Wow, three months later, I resurface from my little cave with this thing. It has been a very busy few months, with promise of a very busy few months to come. But, I have still not forgotten about Nathan Drake and those of you who are following my story! This chapter is awfully long, but I certainly hope you enjoyed it. A lot of background info and plot set-up, so maybe not the most interesting. Leave some reviews, let me know how you like where the story is going. I am struggling a bit more to nail Cutter's character compared to Drake and Sully, so especially let me know how you feel about that. Anyways, I promise I won't take so long with the next chapter as long as you promise not to give up on me here. Thank you again for you reading and reviews. Until next time!