Troubles And Trinkets (1)
The next three days passed without incident. Jason had immediately informed Aaliyah about his encounter with the winged guards, and she in turn alerted the Bergers. Though her immediate contact was very skeptical of her report she later received a call from a higher ranking member of the gang who took it far more seriously. 'We will keep a lookout for anything suspicious', he assured her. She also assigned Enzo and Blanford to patrol Montblanc at regular intervals, but they found nothing out of the ordinary.
In the meantime, Jason decided to rotate which hotels he stayed in every night. He thought long and devised a plan: he would check out and move in the middle of the night, but not before surveying the area to make sure he wasn't being watched. He would pick a hotel that wasn't too close to the last one, and then do a sweep of the building to sniff out anyone lying in wait to ambush him. Enzo had offered to let Jason stay at his apartment but he declined, fearing that he might inadvertently give away Enzo's address to the guards. The Les Jeunes hideout was also off-limits on Aaliyah's orders.
Despite his caution Jason still found it hard to relax. Every moment he spent recuperating felt like he was lying out in the open, waiting for a winged beast to swoop down and tear him apart. His nights were equally restless; placid dreams were often interrupted by the sight of avian claws and the sound of gunfire. By the time May 12th arrived Jason had enjoyed no more than 13 collective hours of sleep.
The lilting sounds of an acoustic guitar floated through the air as his phone rang. Jason answered it with a stern command. "Password."
"[Ugh,]" Aaliyah groaned. "[This really necessary? Can't you recognize voices over the phone?]"
"Password," Jason repeated.
"[Fine… 'Rhinoceros beetle'. Ya happy?]"
"What's up?"
"[I heard you're feelin' better, so I got a job for ya!]"
Jason felt relieved. Having something to do would keep his mind off of the assassination attempt. "What kind of job?"
"[Sid is gonna make rounds and check on clients. You're gonna go with him. It'll let ya get a feel for how we do things.]"
"You mean, like as a security measure?"
"[That and to collect protection money.]"
Hesitation crept into Jason's answer. "I… Look, do you have some other job I can do? I'm not… too comfortable with taking money from, you know, normal citizens…"
"[Oh, don't give me that crap! Have you ever heard of a bodyguard that works for free? They're just paying us for watchin' out for em'! We don't threaten em' or abuse em' or anything! Is that what you were thinking about? What kinda assholes do you take us for?!]"
"Alright, alright," Jason hurriedly replied, eager to keep Aaliyah from getting herself worked up.
A sigh was heard as Aaliyah calmed down. "[I've gotta pay a 'tribute' to the Bergers to keep them happy, so we need cash now more than ever. I'd be makin' rounds too, but I'm lookin' into something right now. If it pays off, we might get a lead on what the government's up to… and why those men were after you.]"
If she's still willing to keep me around, even knowing that people are out to kill me… I guess I sorta owe her one… "Alright," said Jason while fighting a yawn. "Where do I need to go?"
"[Sid'll meet you on the corner of Rivera and Houghton. Should be pretty close to you. He's headed there now. Lemme know if ya see anything weird. And when ya get back, get some damn sleep!]"
"Easy for you to say…" Jason muttered as the call ended. He shook his head in an attempt to fight off his fatigue. "It's gonna be a long day."
Jason gathered his belongings before heading downstairs to check out. He hadn't bothered unpacking, so it was as simple as grabbing his duffel bag and slinging it over his shoulder. The familiar sounds of speeding cars and prattling passers-by met him at the door. A warm afternoon wind brushed against him, one that nearly lulled him into shutting his eyes as he trekked down the sidewalk. Before he knew it he had arrived at the designated spot. Sid was already there.
Though it wasn't the first time Jason had met Sid, he knew next to nothing about the man. In truth, Jason found him a bit intimidating. Sid's appearance certainly didn't help matters. The 200-centimeter-tall man stood as still as stone, his powerful arms crossed in front of his thick chest. Suspenders ran over a simple white shirt that seemed to barely stretch across his broad shoulders, and they ended at a large pair of clay-colored carpenter's pants. His hair was as striking as his figure: thin horizontal rows of dark brown that were arranged so carefully they must have required a ruler. Every second row was cut much shorter than the odd-numbered rows. Jason was tempted to stare at the peculiar hairstyle, but Sid's chilly gaze suggested that would be a bad idea.
Sid's voice was as deep and resounding as Jason expected it to be. "Let's go." Pointing one of his massive fingers he singled out his truck, a simple but sturdy white pick-up. Jason slung his bag into the cargo area and hopped into the truck. The interior was in pristine condition; there wasn't a smudge, tear or stain to be seen. The engine purred when Sid shifted into first gear and set off for their first destination.
The roads of uptown Montblanc seemed to stretch on forever as silence blanketed the truck. Sid kept his eyes perpetually forward, never so much as glancing in Jason's direction. The boy started to wonder if Sid had forgotten he was there. He laboriously cleared his throat to see if it would garner Sid's attention, but the noise was quickly swallowed up by the silence. A couple minutes passed before Jason tried to strike up a conversation. "So… how long have you been working for Aaliyah?"
"Seven months," Sid curtly replied.
"Ah." Jason waited an awkward few seconds before continuing. "So that'd be November, right?"
"Yep."
"...You like being in Les Jeunes?" Jason immediately regretted asking a question that dumb-sounding.
"Yep."
"Um… do you have a Stand?"
Sid ignored the question and the truck sank back into reticence. Jason feared he was getting on Sid's nerves, so he contented himself with staring out the window. After a few agonizingly long minutes the truck pulled into the driveway of their first stop. Sid exited the truck, closing the driver side door with a resolute slam. Jason followed him up to the doorstep of a modest dull yellow house. Three swift knocks upon the plywood door summoned a middle-aged man with mop-like blond hair.
The man seemed to be expecting Sid and greeted him with a casual wave. "Hey. How you been?"
Sid shrugged. "Same as ever."
"You don't REALLY mean that, right?" the mop-haired man responded. "I heard all that shit about the chemicals! Friggin' troops roamin' around, closin' the city off… what the hell are they thinking? I'm scared to even go outside to go to work! It's scary, man!"
"It'll blow over soon," Sid said dryly.
I guess it WOULD be best not to alarm their clients, Jason thought. Especially when we know that the stuff about the chemicals is a cover story.
The mop-haired man relaxed a bit. "I hope so. I don't see how you stay so calm about it… Anyway, you need this month's payment, right? Guess it IS the second Friday. Gimme a sec." The man disappeared into his house, but quickly reappeared with a wad of dollar bills in hand. He relinquished the money to Sid.
"Let me know if you have any problems," Sid said while stuffing the money into one of his oversized pockets.
"Well, there was one thing," the mop-haired man replied.
Sid's expressionless face quickly gave way to solemnity. "Someone giving you trouble?"
The mop-haired man waved his hand about. "No no, nothin' like that." He pointed past Sid and Jason. The two followed his hand to find a rustic-looking red car with its hood up. "My car's been actin' weird! It squeals on the road, and the engine's been overheating! Can't figure out why! You're good with cars, right? Think you can take a look at it?"
Jason found the question absurd enough that he wondered if the mop-haired man was joking. They're gang members, not car mechanics! Where does this guy get off? Sid gave the man a sideways glance, one that lasted long enough to worry Jason. Before he could open his mouth, Sid turned and started toward the car. Grabbing the frame, Sid peered inside and examined the car's innards. "Need your tools," Sid gruffly stated.
The mop-haired man fetched a metallic tool box. Sid dug through it until he found a small socket wrench. A few twists later Sid removed the battery and placed it on the ground. After another few glances at the engine compartment, Sid reached for some more tools and began to tinker further with the car. Jason didn't know that much about automotive work and couldn't help but inch closer to the work area to see what Sid was doing.
Before long Sid had removed the entire air housing unit. After he loosened a few screws near the crankshaft Sid pulled out a long black rubbery belt. Holding it up to his face with grease-stained hands, Sid examined the belt closely. "You ever get your drive belt replaced?" The mop-haired man shook his head. "You need to. It's damaged." Sure enough, one of the belt's many ridges had a crack in it.
Once Sid replaced everything he had removed he and Jason got back in the truck and left for the next house. Though he only halfway expected an answer, Jason couldn't help but ask "Why did you do all that for him?"
Sid cracked the slightest of smiles. "Keeps him happy, so why not."
It was 3:32 when Sid received a call.
"[You said to call if anything came up,]" an elderly male voice stated. "[Well, somebody left me a little note on the door sayin' that 'by the end of the day I'll be sorry'. Of course, I'm not worried about some punk-ass kid but Gabriel's been fretting about it all day. You think you can swing by and look around?]"
"Of course," Sid answered. "Headed your way."
The moment Sid put his phone away he wildly spun the steering wheel to the left. The truck nearly spun out as it crossed the median and finished its u-turn. Even with his seatbelt on Jason was jerked to and fro. He shot Sid a dirty look while rubbing his neck. "Geez, man! Are you trying to jerk my head out of its socket?!"
"No." Sid's simple answer was as unemphatic as everything else he'd said so far.
Once his equilibrium returned Jason stared outside to get a bead on where they were headed. Much of the opposing traffic disappeared as they traveled further uptown. Residential areas quickly replaced the gaudy tourist traps of downtown; blocks of humble brick and mortar homes lined the narrow roads.
Jason sighed. "I give. Where are we going?"
"An antique shop. You'll see it."
"That guy on the phone sounded pretty old. Does that mean even the elderly around here pay protection money to gangs?"
"Yep."
Jason gave Sid an inquisitive stare as they drove through a tunnel. "Why wouldn't they call the police if someone's threatening them?"
Sid quietly scoffed. "The cops around here pick their fights carefully. Getting protection from a gang'll keep you safer than relying on the police around here."
The pick-up truck turned onto a peaceful cul-de-sac called Scarpe Street. Children on the corner crowded around a fire hydrant they had tampered with, gleefully dancing beneath the streams of water erupting from it. The sight reminded Jason of the ever-increasing heat, and that it would only get worse as summer approached. At the same time, he found it a bit comforting to see a display of innocent joy in the midst of Bolum's misfortune. He was focused enough on the children that he barely noticed the truck coming to a stop.
A two-story building made of time-worn stone stretched out across the end of the road. Its build and girth made it stand out from the houses around it, and though it certainly looked durable the discolored cracks creeping along its frame betrayed its age. The sign running along the building's peak read 'Reeve's Antiques'. Large single-pane windows on the first floor displayed an assemblage of various knickknacks.
The door opened and out came a bald man in his seventies. Considering his age, he was in surprisingly good shape; his face was mostly unmarred by wrinkles and his musculature suggested a strict workout regimen. Though tall and broad, the old man still had to look up at Sid when he walked over to shake his hand. "Thanks for comin' on such short notice."
Sid took the old man's hand and gave it a couple of firm shakes. "It's no problem." Sid motioned to Jason, then to the old man. "He's Jojo. That's Reeve."
Reeve dug into his jean pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. "Here's that note," he remarked while handing it to Sid. Jason leaned in to read it alongside Sid. It was written in pencil by someone with scratchy handwriting.
'You're gonna pay for laughing at me! By the end of the day you'll be sorry! I swear it!'
"One of my customers found it slid under the door about an hour ago," Reeve explained. "I didn't think much of it, but Gabriel kept bugging me about it. She even wanted me to close up shop, if you can believe it!"
Jason cleared his throat before speaking up. "That might not be a bad idea."
Reeve seemed personally offended at the suggestion. "Boy, this shop hasn't closed early since Christmas! If my arms aren't broke, then my ass is working!" The pride in Reeve's statement was easy to hear, so Jason dropped the subject.
"Anything unusual happen lately?"
Reeve gave a short silent laugh. "Yeah, some scrawny punk came in here yesterday. It was around closing time, and he wandered in and starting examining everything. He was wearing some goofy-ass outfit, so I badgered him about it. Maybe that pissed him off, I dunno, because not long after that I found him trying to sneak around upstairs in the living quarters! I gave him a good wallop! Told him 'I used to beat up pissants like you for a living'! By the time I was done with him he was about ready to cry! While he was stumbling out the front door, he pointed at me and said 'These wounds prove that you don't respect me! I'm not gonna let you walk all over me!' Then I chased him out and he ran off. Haven't seen him since."
"He might come back with friends and try to get revenge on you," Jason pointed out.
"Yeah, that's what my wife was thinking. I ain't too worried about it, but I figured I'd have you come and keep an eye on the place so Gabriel would calm down."
With that Reeve waved the two inside. The wooden interior of the shop was divided into several rooms littered with various trinkets and baubles, all of which were neatly ordered on tables and dressers. The display nearest the front door touted a variety of ceramic pots and bowls, most of which had tiny price labels drooping from their edges. The wall behind it was all but covered in paintings that ranged from still-life depictions of mundane objects to abstract arrangements of multicolored shapes and strokes. Across from the paintings stood a large pearl white lampstand with dainty curved legs and a swirling trim finish. Atop it a pair of similarly designed lamps guarded an assortment of jewelry. Running along the floor was a small maze of chairs that were made of everything from woven straw to luxurious silken material. A large oaken dresser on the far wall carried a selection of empty cans, each of which once housed a long-discontinued food. Several other displays throughout the exhibition rooms carried all manner of other antique items, from rusty tools to feathered masks to ancient bicycle parts.
With a contented grin Reeve gestured toward the massive collection. "There's more history in this room than there is in that French museum! This business has been in my family for the past five generations, and we've collected stuff from all over the globe! You won't find a better assortment of antiques in all of Bolum!"
Jason didn't doubt Reeve's boasts; he had never seen so many ancient items in one place before. He joined the shop's handful of customers and perused its wares. His eyes wandered from collections of clay spoons to a large elliptical mirror that looked like it came straight out of a fairy tale. While smirking at the distorted reflection that stared back at him he spotted an eclectic assortment of small figurines behind him. Among the winged cherubs, dancing women and religious figures was an odd one that caught Jason's eye. It was a small bronze statue of a panther that was partially hidden behind a rectangular glass case. The case resembled the kind that one would find on a grandfather clock, and the panther appeared to be climbing on top of it from the back with its head and paws wrapped over the top. There was something oddly alluring about it, but Jason moved on after failing to find a price tag.
Seeing Sid and Reeve move toward the back of the store, Jason abandoned his window shopping to join them. "…and the damn bathroom's been leaking upstairs," Reeve moaned while pointing up at the wooden floor above his head. "I'm sure she'll blame me for that too…"
Sid crossed his arms and paid little attention to the sea of mementos around him. "You said he went upstairs?"
"Yeah," Reeve answered. "I looked around earlier but didn't find anything. You wanna take a look?"
Sid waved Jason on and the three men climbed a creaky set of wooden stairs up to the second floor. They opened the door to end up in a fairly normal, if somewhat simplistic living room. On the recliner in the corner was an elderly woman with frizzy white hair and prominent worry lines. Grunting softly as she raised herself up, the woman approached Sid like he was an old friend. "Oh, I'm glad you came, Sid!" She clasped one of his large hands and gave it a soft squeeze. "You know that Reeve wanted to ignore the whole thing and not call you? I kept telling him 'don't be stubborn, remember what happened to that family on Upton?' But nooo…" She gave Reeve a bitter look. "Reeve just has to take care of it all by himself!"
Reeve pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "You're overthinking this, Gabriel! That little punk from yesterday's just trying to scare us! But I made the call like you wanted! So let's start looking!" He walked over to the door on the other side of the living room while muttering "That woman, I swear…", and the other three followed him into the kitchen.
They searched through the spacious kitchen and found nothing out of the ordinary. They checked under the dinner table, in every cupboard and cabinet, and Jason even got Gabriel to turn off the oven so he could check inside. There were no bombs, traps or notes of any kind.
Next they went from the kitchen into the couple's bedroom. Aside from the usual amenities there was a large safe pushed up against the wall. In addition, an assortment of antiques had been placed at the corners of the room, presumably to be looked over and priced before preparing them for the sales floor. Jason spotted another copy of the bronze panther statue among the clutter. Water leaked steadily from underneath a door on the right. "He STILL hasn't fixed it," Gabriel whispered to the boy.
The door led to a fairly large bathroom. Nearly every inch of the wooden floor was covered in a thin layer of water. It was easy to see why; the sink was overflowing with water as it steadily leaked from the spout, seemingly ignoring the drain altogether. Sid and Reeve both examined the malfunctioning spout, but couldn't figure out exactly what the problem was. "There has to be something backing up the pipe," Sid muttered. Aside from the overflowing faucet nothing odd could be found within. After the group reconvened in the bedroom Reeve smirked "See, Gabriel? Once again, you were worried over nothing!"
Gabriel stomped over to her husband. "Don't take that haughty tone with me! How do you know that boy won't come back with a bunch of thugs later tonight? Heck, he could be downstairs right now for all we know!"
"After the ass-whooping I gave him that kid ain't comin' back in here! And I'd recognize him in a heartbeat even if he did!"
"And what if five of them decide to kick down the door in the middle of the night, Reeve?!"
Even Sid looked like he was getting annoyed by the couple's bickering. "Look," the 200-centimeter man said, "we'll take a look around on the first floor, then we'll search outside. If we don't find anything, we'll discuss what to do after that." Reeve and Gabriel both seemed to agree with that plan. Sid and Jason hurried back downstairs before they could start arguing again.
While combing over the seemingly infinite supply of knickknacks, Jason turned to Sid. "So how long are we gonna stay here?"
"Til' they're satisfied," Sid replied while carefully digging through a barrel full of hats.
Jason chuckled. "Isn't Aaliyah gonna get ticked off if we spend the day here instead of collecting payments?"
"She'll get over it," Sid said nonchalantly.
Before long 5:00 had come. Reeve shooed away the last couple of stragglers and locked the front door. Prior to returning upstairs he stopped to shake hands with Jason and Sid. "Like I said, thanks for coming by. We're getting your payment ready, so come get it when you're done. Then MAYBE I can convince Gabriel that everything's fine. I don't wanna keep you here all night."
Jason's tired eyes started to burn as he made his way to the back of the shop. As he stopped to rub them his gaze fell upon the ceiling. It was wooden, which coincided with the floors he had seen upstairs, but he found it odd that there were several cracks running along it.
"Sid," Jason called out. "Right above here is the bathroom, right?"
"Yeah," Sid answered without ceasing his search.
Jason put a hand to his chin. "If the bathroom is leaking so bad, shouldn't the water be dripping down to the first floor through the cracks?"
"Yeah."
"Well… it's not. There's not a single drop coming from upstairs."
After a quick glance at the spot Jason referred to, Sid shrugged and went back to his business. "Maybe there's another layer between the floors that's keeping the water from falling through."
"This is a really old building. It doesn't look like it's been fixed up much. And those two probably spent most of their money gathering these antiques. If it was a normal leak, I'd be soaking wet right about now. There's something weird going on."
At this point Jason had captured Sid's full attention. "You think it's a Stand?" Sid scoffed when Jason nodded in the affirmative. "You're overthinking this."
Sid's casual dismissal incensed Jason. "The last time someone told me that, I nearly got killed!"
"That was different. Someone was after you. Who would know that you're here?"
"That's not my point! The guy trying to get revenge on Reeve might be a Stand User!"
"All this from a leaking faucet? In all the time I've spent checking up on clients, fighting off other gangs, looking out for officials… I haven't met one Stand User just roaming the streets."
"It's not nearly as impossible as you think it is." Seeing Sid's unconvinced expression, Jason cut him off before he could retort. "Redding managed to stay hidden for over two months. There are over 40,000 people in Montblanc, right? How many more of them could be in hiding?"
Sid's heavy stare slowly turned into a contemplative one. He silently started up the stairs. Jason followed close behind.
When they arrived in the bedroom Reeve and Gabriel stood at the opened safe, counting out a number of dollar bills. "Oh, there you are," the old woman said. "Just a moment, almost got your payment ready." When she turned to hand the money over to Sid, she stared at her hands and gasped. They were empty.
"Wha… I just had your money in my hand! It was right here! I didn't drop it, I'm sure of it!"
Jason immediately summoned Schizoid Man when he spotted something attached to the front of Gabriel's leg. It was the panther statue. Inside of its glass case was a miniature wad of money.
The statue vanished.
Two young men waited outside of Reeve's Antiques. Pressed hard against the stone building's right wall, they were impossible to spot from within the shop.
The smaller of the two sat cross-legged on the ground. Most of his pale gaunt body was covered by a peculiar looking tracksuit that sported a black and white checkerboard pattern. Both a set of long bangs and a drawn hood concealed most of his blue eyes, as well as the anxious look within them. "I k-knew it," his tenor voice quivered. "Th-they can see my Stand!" He pounded his small fist against the ground. "Dammit! Why did this have to happen?!" The young man seemed close to tears as he clutched the sides of his head in panic. "Just when I finally try to get my respect, I get spotted! Why now, of all times?!"
The other man silently watched his sniveling partner. His coifed brown hair spiraled about, exposing most of his forehead. His lime green polo shirt was matched with a similarly colored tie. At length he approached the younger man, who was too deep in self-pity to notice his movements. He raised his hand in the air.
"If I can't beat them, I'll never… AGH!"
A mighty slap made him collide with the ground. The young man rubbed his stinging face. "Why'd you hit me?! We're supposed to be…"
The man with coifed hair grabbed the younger one by the scruff of his tracksuit and pulled him close. "You think anybody would respect a crybaby?!" His snarling rage quickly dried the younger man's tears. "Quit disgracing yourself! One guy sees your Stand and you lose your 'will'?"
"B-b-but Vaughn…" the younger man stammered fearfully. "They have to be Stand Users! I've n-never fought other Stand Users before! What do I do?"
Vaughn released the younger man. "You keep your 'will'! I told you earlier: all you need to accomplish your goals is 'will'! If you have enough 'will', you can do anything you want!"
Kneeling down, Vaughn met the younger man at eye level. His bold proclamations became words of encouragement. "Listen, Ellas. When our ancestors claimed dominion over the land, they didn't do it with 'strength'! Humans are far weaker and slower than the animals, so what did they use to overcome them? It was 'will'! Little by little over the generations, humans imposed their 'will' upon nature. They cleared the forests and made their civilization by refusing to obey nature's rules! They subdued the animals and rose higher and higher on the food chain until they stood at the top! This power that you and I have… it's proof that our 'will' is greater than anyone else's! It gives us free reign to trample the lesser under our feet! The only thing you have to do is believe in it and follow through! That's how you'll get your respect!"
Ellas stared back with a mixture of awe and inspiration in his eyes. He answered with renewed determination. "Alright, I'll do it! I won't let people step on me anymore!" When he glanced up at the second floor, a twinge of fear entered his voice. "Y-you'll still help me, right?"
Vaughn turned away from Ellas as he stood back up. "As long as I get my fifty percent…" he muttered to himself. His enthusiasm returned when he faced his partner. "You've got nothing to worry about!" He pointed up at the window above them. "My Stand's ability… I've already set it in motion!"
Jason and Sid had little time to ponder what they had just seen; the bathroom door was torn off its hinges by a powerful torrent of water. It poured into the bedroom with all the force of a raging flood, knocking everyone present off of their feet as it pounded them. The deluge continued as water ceaselessly flowed into the room, filling it up at an alarming rate. By the time Reeve and Gabriel found their voices and cried out the water had already reached their waists.
"Schizoid Man!" Jason's Stand smashed the nearest window with a punch. "Once I give the water somewhere else to flow to, we can drain it out!" To his dismay, the water completely ignored it. Even as the flood climbed above the borders of the window, not a single drop fell through it. As the water rapidly approached his neck Jason noticed that the bedroom door was open. The kitchen floor was utterly dry. "None of the water is flowing out of the room! It's only moving within a specific space!"
Jason was forced to hold his breath when the flood reached the ceiling and encased the bedroom in a veritable cube of water. Fortunately, Sid and the store's proprietors had done the same. Though Reeve and Gabriel seemed to be wading well enough, Sid's massive body worked against him as he struggled to keep from sinking. Jason swam to the floundering Sid and Schizoid Man grabbed his hand. Just as he was about to make for the kitchen with Sid in tow he saw Reeve and Gabriel get suddenly yanked out of the water.
Two thin purple arms with long spindly fingers had reached in and grabbed the old couple. When it pulled them forward a wave of water was pulled with them. Their confused screams quickly faded away as the wave carried them across the floor, down the stairs and out of sight.
The Stand that belonged to the two arms entered the cube of water, gently bobbing up and down as it blocked the exit. Nearly all of its humanoid body was dark purple, save for a set of octagonal blue eyes. Small tubes ran from each cheek into a protuberance that rested where its mouth should have been, forming what looked like a diver's oxygen mask. Hardened surfaces on its shoulders, forearms and forelegs gave the impression that it wore some sort of organic armor.
Schizoid Man threw a punch at the enemy Stand, but it swiftly dodged the attack and answered with a swing that nailed Jason in the gut. He fought not to open his mouth as he doubled over, but the attack wrenched a bit of precious air out of his lungs. Schizoid Man immediately launched a kick at the purple Stand's head, but it just as quickly blocked. Its next attack, an uppercut aimed for Jason's chin, forced his mouth open and sent water splashing down his throat.
Jason threw his hands over his mouth, desperately trying to conserve what oxygen he had left. He could feel the tension in his chest rising more and more as he fought his desire to breathe. He attempted to float away from the Stand, but it had no intention of letting him go. His body's screams for air grew louder as the enemy Stand grabbed his hands and forced them away from his mouth. Long purple fingers constricted around his neck. His throat burned like a wildfire as his last vestiges of air were choked out of him. He could no longer fight back; he had lost the concentration necessary to command Schizoid Man. Darkness enveloped the room as the world started to fade away.
Within his dimming vision Jason saw the enemy Stand being launched backwards. It flew out of the bedroom, straight through the kitchen and into the living room. He felt a gentler force push him out of the cube of water and onto the dry kitchen floor. His vision slowly faded back in as he coughed and hacked, his lungs gleefully drawing in fresh air. When Jason looked behind him he saw Sid and his Stand.
Its coarse, granite-colored body was every bit as massive as Sid's, though its exaggerated proportions made it appear even larger. Small sunken eyes peered out of a square-shaped head, one that emulated Sid's hairstyle by way of ridges of alternating length. A thin rocky surface ran between its eyes and protruded slightly outward, giving it a long flattened nose. At first sight it had only a right arm, but moments later a series of floating granite-textured blocks made their way toward its left shoulder. The blocks pressed against one another until they formed a powerful arm ending in a hand with blocky fingers. The cracks between each block disappeared as they connected the arm to the shoulder.
Sid took a couple of deep breaths as he stood up. "「DIVISION BELL」 isn't very fast… I was waiting til' it got close." He stared into the living room as he helped Jason to his feet. "I don't see it anywhere…"
Just as Jason's strength returned he saw the enemy Stand's limbs appear through the kitchen wall. Its body materialized bit by bit as it phased through the wall. It spoke with Vaughn's confident voice. "Not bad, getting out of my 'water-shape' like that…"
"Who are you?!" Jason demanded.
The enemy stand pointed a thumb at itself. "The man who's gonna claim this store! All these artifacts will fetch a hefty price, don't you think?" The Stand spread its arms out. "I practically feel like I'm raiding an ancient Egyptian tomb! I'll kill that old couple and seize all they own! Unless… you two nobodies think you can suppress me."
Jason took a step forward and glowered at the enemy Stand. "So for nothing more than money, you'd kill innocent people?"
"Why not? The only people that matter in the world are the 'willful'! If I can impose my will on someone, then that proves that they're lesser than me! And the lesser don't deserve anything if they can't stop someone from taking it away!"
"I see," Jason said. Schizoid Man appeared in front of him. "Then how much 'lesser' than me will you be once I beat the shit out of you?"
Schizoid Man lunged forward. As its fist flew toward, the enemy Stand put its hands in front of its shoulders. Both hands faced each other and made the same gesture; every finger except the pinky bent to form a four-point 'claw'. A stream of water left the bedroom and glided through the air at an incredible speed. It collected in the space between the Stand's hands, forming a rectangle of water that remained floating in the air. The points where its fingers had touched served as the borders.
Schizoid Man's punch stopped when it hit the 'water-shape'. "It's like jelly!" Jason exclaimed. The enemy Stand placed a hand on the floating water. Jason quickly made Schizoid Man retract its fist. Clenching its hand, the enemy Stand grabbed the 'water-shape' and pulled it to the side, manipulating it as though it were a piece of cloth.
A nefarious chuckle came from the Stand. "This is the power of my 「TEXAS FLOOD」! " With a snap of Texas Flood's fingers, the floating water lost its shape and fell to the floor. "The very element of water itself bends to my will! Whatever space I command it to fill, it will always obey me and flow to that location!" Texas Flood hovered away from Jason and Sid, floating into the living room. It traced a rectangle along the door frame between the two rooms. "Any water nearby will follow my orders! Including… the water I sent downstairs!"
A loud rumble sounded up the stairs, then a wave forced its way into the living room. It began filling the gap between the kitchen and living room, flowing upward and filing into the space between the door frame.
Jason and Sid chased after Texas Flood. To their surprise, they had no trouble moving through the premature water-shape; it was as simple as stepping through a fountain. Water continued to flow up the stars and gather in the door frame, harmlessly brushing past the two as it did so. By the time they noticed what was being carried along with the current, it was already upon them.
Multiple copies of the panther statue floated on the surface of the wave. Jason and Sid were unable to avoid touching them as the water slid past them. The statues remained stuck to their legs. Schizoid Man and Division Bell both attempted to pull the statues off, but to no avail.
"That won't work," Ellas' voice sounded from one of the statues. "Once they're on you, you can't take them off!"
Texas Flood laughed again as it slowly hovered away from the duo. "You two have the same power as me. If you wanna prove that you have the same will, then follow me down these stairs! Of course, you could just jump out the window and make a run for it… but then what would happen to that old couple, I wonder?" Texas Flood disappeared through the door.
"Dammit," Jason swore. "There must be two Stand Users!" He looked down at his legs. Seven statues clung to them in various different spots. His hand passed through them when he tried to touch them. "This has to be some kind of trap."
Sid sprinted toward the door, slinging it open and heading through it. The moment he passed through the door his right hand disappeared. It took a couple of steps before he realized it; he felt no pain and there was no wound to be found. His hand had been bloodlessly removed at the wrist.
"Y-your hand!" Jason started toward Sid but stopped short of the door. "It has to be the statues! The statues took your hand!"
"Yeah," Sid agreed, looking down at his feet. "One of the statues is gone."
"It's just like when it stole the old woman's money! I don't know how, but it took your hand away when you started down the stairs!"
Sid looked at Division Bell and found that its right hand was missing as well. "Makes sense. My Stand IS me," Sid stated in an unusually calm tone. Without another word he started down the stairs again.
"Are you crazy?! They're trying to lure us down there! You're walking right into a trap!" Jason nervously eyed the door frame that separated him from Sid. He gradually extended his hand toward the stairs, but quickly pulled it back before it crossed through the frame. "Just stay there! We have to figure this out! If I go on the stairs, I'll lose something too! I've gotta find another way down!"
"Jojo!" Hearing Sid raise his voice surprised Jason enough to demand his attention. "Sometimes it pays to be cautious. Your caution proved that there was a Stand at work here. But sometimes you have to throw away your caution in order to 'move forward'! All these statues are is a way to keep us from 'moving forward'! I came here to keep Reeve and Gabriel safe, and anything that will stop me from doing that I'll gladly throw away!"
Sid continued down the stairs. Just before he reached the door to the showroom he heard Jason follow after him. The boy was also missing his right hand. He paid it little mind.
"Every minute I spend worrying is a minute those two are alone with that bastard! Let's go!"
-TO-BE-CONTINUED-
