CHAPTER 7
The trio ran as fast as they could into the stairwell, and without pausing started sprinting up the stairs. At about the second flight, they heard the stairwell door get kicked down, and Ambessa's deep voice shouting orders. There was the sound of marching feet and then guns being fired up the stairwell.
"Get away from the sides!" Drake yelled, pulling Flynn away from the bullets that clanged against the handrail.
"Hell! We should have just taken the elevator." Flynn said, gasping for breath.
"Power's out, remember?" Drake said in response. "Don't tell me you're already tired! We've got, like, ten flights left." Flynn let out a massive sigh and the group kept running, not even daring to stop for cover fire. Drake pulled out the walkie-talkie as he ran and shouted into it over the sound of the bullets.
"Sully! Sully, do you read me?"
"Yeah I hear ya kid. What's all that goddamn racket?"
"We kinda decided to skip the whole subtlety thing. It got boring. Anyway we need you to pick us up in a couple of minutes here."
"Skip the subtlety? What the hell are you talking about?"
Flynn reached over and wrenched the walkie-talkie out of Drake's hand and held it to his mouth.
"Damn it, old man! Fly the bloody helicopter to the roof and pick us up!"
"Alright, alright. Jesus Flynn, sometimes you just can't take a joke. I'm on my way now."
Flynn handed Drake the walkie-talkie, ignoring the condescending look he was being given.
"Really, Harry. We were just joking."
"We don't have time for that kind of shit, Nate!"
A few flights later, they were beyond conversation. The gunfire had ceased, and the tired soldiers seemed to be solely focused on running up the stairs. Flynn, Drake, and Vincent were covered in sweat from sprinting up the steps and the guns strapped on their backs were beginning to weigh tons. Finally, on the twelfth flight, they saw an emergency door marked as roof access. They barreled through, and finally came out onto the roof of the Cazenove and Co. Ltd. Headquarters.
Drake looked around desperately and saw the helicopter flying over from the north.
"Damn it, Sully, hurry up." Drake muttered turning towards the roof access door they had just come up from. The helicopter was over them in a minute, and Sully lowered a rope ladder. Flynn started climbing just as the first of the soldiers burst onto the roof. Drake and Vincent took advantage of the narrow opening and soldier's exhaustion to shoot many of them down, and they retreated a few steps. Vincent started climbing the rope ladder, and Drake took cover as the soldiers sent some return fire. Suddenly, Drake's radio crackled to life and Drake heard the faint drone of Sully's voice.
"Say that again, Sully." Drake shouted as he adjusted the setting of his walkie-talkie. Sully radioed in again, this time clear enough to understand.
"Grab the rope ladder!"
Drake fired off a few more rounds before turning and lunging for the swaying ladder. He grabbed hold and stabilized himself as the helicopter started to turn.
"Hold on, kid!"
The helicopter pulled back and angled its nose down towards the roof as several soldiers poured out. Drake tried climbing the ladder, but it was too difficult to do as the helicopter moved. Suddenly, a loud thundering sound was heard above him and Drake looked up to see the machine guns on the bottom of the helicopter going off, firing round after round of high caliber bullets into the crowd of soldiers. The helicopter was stationary now, and Drake started climbing as fast as he could.
For the second time that week, Drake found himself climbing into a flying vehicle while under enemy gunfire, only to collapse on the ground and look around at the faces surrounding him.
"Hasn't this happened before?" He muttered. Flynn and Vincent both got the reference and chuckled. Flynn then started rolling up the ladder as Vincent leaned into the cockpit.
"Fly us outta here Sully!"
"Sure thing Vincent, how about I just pick off the stragglers first?" Sully shouted back, and after a few more seconds of firing, he started lifting the helicopter higher and turning it. Drake looked down and saw that Sully hadn't been exaggerating. The two dozen soldiers who had been pursuing them were now lying dead on the roof. All except one, who had just run on. A very large soldier. With a very large gun.
"Everybody get down!" Drake cried out as Ambessa opened fire on them. The bullets clanged against the helicopter, a few ripping through the metal.
"Sully! Fly higher and get out of his range!" Drake shouted over the noise of the bullets. Sully did fly higher, but it wasn't enough. The bullets kept striking the helicopter, and although none of the men were shot, a red light soon started blinking in the cockpit.
"Of all the goddamn luck…" Sully grumbled. He turned and shouted back at Drake, Flynn, and Vincent "Hey you three, grab some parachutes! He hit our gas tank!"
Drake slipped on his parachute, but noticed that the gunfire had stopped. He looked over and saw Ambessa discard the gun, and realized that all of the ammo was used up. Still, Ambessa stood there, watching them. The smoke was probably a dead giveaway that they were crashing, and he wanted to make sure they were dead.
"The helicopter's autopilot will keep it rising!" Sully shouted, as he slipped on his own parachute. "So we have a little bit of time before the gas runs out. We want to jump when we are as high as possible, so when I say jump, you jump. I suggest you try to guide the parachute away from the guy who is trying to kill us." The other three men nodded, and Flynn turned to Vincent, smiling.
"What did I tell you? We never have good luck!"
Vincent smiled in return, trying to mask his fear.
"Jump!"
Drake felt himself dropping through the air and quickly pulled his chord, his parachute launching behind him. He immediately felt the drag and remembered just how much he hated parachuting. He tilted away from Ambessa and towards Finsbury Circus, where Miranda still waited. He looked back at the helicopter, which had now pitched off in the opposite direction and was dropping drastically. He also looked back and saw that Flynn and Sully were following his lead, but Vincent was not. Instead, the archaeologist was struggling to aim his parachute, which was horribly tangled. Drakes stomach dropped as he realized that Vincent was going straight down to the roof they had just left. He tried to veer his parachute around, but only succeeded in turning it partially, causing him to land several buildings down from Cazenove and Co. Ltd. Sully and Flynn were carried by the wind several blocks further, where Drake assumed they landed safely, but Vincent landed on the roof of the under construction building they had used to break in.
"Nate, where the hell are you? What happened to Vincent?"Sully barked over the radio.
"He had a faulty parachute. He landed on the building next to Cazenove." Drake responded. He watched in horror as Vincent, now untangled from the parachute, started waving him down. Ambessa had also seen Vincent go down, and was now making his way over to the young man. "I have to help him."
"Alright. We'll go get Miranda and meet you at the same place we dropped you off. Be careful."
Drake strapped the radio back onto his belt and released the parachute from his back. Ambessa had reached Vincent, and the fight had begun. It looked like an almost comedic game of cat and mouse, with Vincent dodging the massive man's attacks and Ambessa effortlessly pursuing him. Drake knew that, like a game of cat and mouse, Ambessa was just playing with Vincent. Soon he would actually start fighting. Then Vincent wouldn't stand a chance.
Drake started picking his way across the rooftops, scrambling as fast as he could. Vincent pulled out his rifle, but Ambessa yanked it out of his hands and tossed it over the edge of the roof. He grabbed Vincent by the shirt, lifted him, and threw him into a scaffold. The rickety pipes and wood collapsed on top of Vincent, and Drake started running faster. Ambessa strode over to the collapsed scaffolding when suddenly Vincent jumped up with one of the pipes in his hand.
Drake stopped, unsure of what route he should take. He was a few rooftops away, but there was no clear path to the roof Vincent and Ambessa were on. He looked over to see how his friend was holding up and was surprised to see that Vincent was successfully using the metal pipe to fight Ambessa; he kept beating the larger man further back and down with the pipe. Ambessa was only able to block the assault, and therefore could not fight back against Vincent.
"Keep holding up Vincent. I'm coming." Drake whispered as he started scaling the building he was on to a higher point. A cable connected the roof of this building to the one next to it, and Drake noticed from there he could climb on top of Cazenove and Co. Ltd. from which he would be able to get to the roof where Vincent was. As Drake reached the cable, he used his pistol to slide along it, rolling onto the next building. He climbed up to the top of Cazenove and saw Vincent still beating Ambessa.
As Drake started running over, Ambessa grabbed the pipe Vincent was swinging and used the pipe to pull Vincent closer to him. Vincent was caught off balance and toppled forward towards Ambessa, who drove his fist into Vincent's face. Vincent immediately crumpled, and Ambessa reached down to lift him up.
"Ambessa!" Drake shouted out. Ambessa turned towards Drake and smiled maliciously, dropping Vincent as he opened his arms to Drake.
"So, Nathan, you've come back to save your friend?" Ambessa asked walking towards Drake.
"Don't move, asshole." Drake said, pointing his gun at Ambessa. The man froze with his arms still half-raised into the air. He remained perfectly still as he stared at Drake.
"Why don't you just kill me now?" He asked
"If I remember correctly, I owe you one from back in Austria." Drake said, staring at Ambessa. He very badly wanted to kill the traitor, but he knew he couldn't. He had at least some kind of honor.
Ambessa just smirked, but didn't see Vincent slowly rise to his feet behind him. Vincent raised the metal pipe, and brought it down full force on Ambessa's head. Ambessa dropped to his hands and knees, crying out. Despite his pain, he turned back around just as Vincent was planning to strike again. He grabbed the descending pipe and stood up. Pulling Vincent closer, he fastened his hand around the young man's neck.
"Seun van 'n teef!" Ambessa shouted. Drake took aim at Ambessa, but with Vincent in the crossfire he couldn't take the shot.
"Mason, maybe we could talk about this?" Vincent gasped as Ambessa lifted him a few feet off the ground.
"You are truly becoming a nuisance, Mr. Fawkes!" Ambessa said angrily as Vincent clawed at his throat, gasping for air. "I knew we should not have asked Jozeph to kill you. He is long past his military prime. It should have been my job!" Ambessa lowered Vincent and pulled him close so that they were face to face. "But don't worry; I'll finish what he started!"
With all of his inhuman strength, Ambessa hurled Vincent into the air. Vincent landed on the other side of the roof, rolled several feet, then slid over the edge.
"Vincent!" Drake cried out. Ambessa turned to face him and Drake squeezed off a shot. The bullet clipped Ambessa's shoulder, and the man quickly ducked behind an AC unit for cover. Drake kept his pistol aimed at where Ambessa was hiding, and prepared to shoot on sight. Seething with rage, he walked forward, abandoning his own safety out of need to make Ambessa pay.
"Nate!"
Drake paused and turned toward the edge of the building where Vincent had toppled over, and saw a pair of hands clinging to the edge.
"Help me!"
"Your friend is still alive, Mr. Drake." Ambessa said, still hiding behind the unit he was using for cover. "And now it seems you have to make a choice."
"Nate, I can't hold on!"
"You must consider what is more important: killing me, or saving Vincent."
Drake stood still, momentarily stunned by indecision. A second ago, all he cared about was killing Ambessa. Part of him still said that was all that mattered.
"Nathan!"
Vincent's urgent call snapped Drake out of his reverie. He holstered the gun and sprinted to the edge of the roof. He dove and slid, extending his arm and catching Vincent's just as the young man lost his grip and started to fall.
"I got you buddy!" Drake groaned, straining under the sudden weight. "Hold on!"
Vincent looked up at Drake, and using his dangling arm reached into his back pocket.
"Here," he said, pulling out his journal and holding it upward. "Just in case anything happens. You'll need it."
"Nothing's going to happen. We'll be fine." Drake said, but took the journal anyway. "Now, give me your other hand."
Vincent swung up his free hand and held on tightly to Drake's arm. Drake started slowly lifting Vincent, when all of the sudden there was the familiar groan of metal and a loud snap. Drake lost his balance as the gutter he had been putting his weight on gave way. He jumped away from the gutter, but Vincent slipped out of his hands and started to fall once more.
Drake cried out, scrambling back to the ledge. The gutter had come partially undone, half still clinging to the ledge and the other half dangling in the air. Vincent was holding on for dear life to the dangling half.
"Harry was right; you really do have shitty luck!" Vincent shouted at Drake. Vincent started shimmying up the pipe which groaned under his weight and bent slightly lower.
"Nate, there's a fire escape that I think I can get to. Do you see it?" Vincent called, still slowly making his way up the pipe. Drake shook his head as he tried peering over the ledge.
"No, I can't see it. The ledge extends too far."
"Ok, well, I'm gonna try for it." Vincent called back. Drake took a moment to look over his shoulder and wasn't surprised to find that Ambessa was nowhere to be seen. Drake looked back over the edge, and watched as Vincent slowly shimmied his way under the ledge. The gutter was making a louder groaning sound, and Drake could tell it was about to snap.
"Almost got it…" Vincent muttered. Drake could still hear him, but could no longer see him given that he was now under the protruding ledge. With a final groan, the gutter gave way and snapped, falling all thirteen stories to the pavement below. Drake now noticed for the first time that people were beginning to accumulate at the base of the building, and sirens were blaring like crazy through the streets. The police would be arriving in just a few minutes.
"Vincent, you ok?" Drake called out, and after a seconds pause he got a response.
"Yeah, just peachy. Sore as all hell, but alive."
Drake listened as another noise was heard from below, like someone jumping on the fire escape.
"Did you miss me?"
Drake's spine tingled with fear. It was Ambessa. He was on the fire escape. There was a loud thud and groan of pain, and Drake assumed Vincent had been thrown against a wall. He badly wished he could at least see what was happening, but could only stand by and listen to the assault.
"Piet wants your journal. Hand it over." Ambessa said, and there was only silence. "The journal, Mr. Fawkes!"
Drake listened and was sure he heard a small chuckle come from Vincent.
"Well isn't that ironic." Vincent whispered softly. There was another loud thud of a body being slammed against the wall, then the recognizable noise of a fist slamming into a man's gut.
"Where is it?" Ambessa yelled. Still, only silence from Vincent. Drake struggled to look over the edge of the roof, hoping to catch sight of Ambessa so that he might be able to save Vincent from impending death.
"Fine." Ambessa said, and Drake sensed a hint of mocking mixed with the man's anger. "If I cannot bring Piet your journal, I will just have to bring you. This will be a very painful experience for you, Mr. Fawkes. I hope you find that protecting your little journal was worth it."
Drake heard Ambessa's receding footsteps and turned, rushing to the stairwell that led into the building. He sprinted through and ran onto the fire escape.
"Ambessa!' Drake shouted, running back into the building. "Vincent!" He cried, hoping to hear a response. Still, there was nothing. They were gone.
Drake ran downstairs, and burst out onto the street. People crowded the sidewalk, looking at him in shock. Police were now marching onto the scene, trying to push pedestrians out of the road and away from traffic. Drake looked for Ambessa's large frame, but could see nothing through the throng of people. Drake started pushing through the crowd when he heard a woman's voice call his name. It was Miranda, waving to him several feet away from the edge of the crowd. Drake kept pushing his way through the mass of spectators, his eyes continuously scanning for Ambessa or Vincent. By the time he reached Miranda, Flynn, and Sully, he knew it was too late. Vincent was gone.
"Nate! Oh Nate, thank god you're alive!" Miranda said wrapping her arms around him. He staggered under her weight, suddenly feeling too tired to stand or speak.
"Thought we had lost you up there with Vincent." Sully chuckled, slapping him on the shoulder. Miranda pulled out of the hug, looking around confused.
"Wait, where is Vincent?" She asked, looking all around. Drake leaned against the car and slumped down.
"Ambessa has him…" He whispered. Frustration and anger flooded him, but there was nothing he could do.
"What?" Flynn cried out striding over to Drake. "What do you mean Ambessa has him? He was our only lead on where we might find this bloody sword, and now not only is he gone, but helping van Meer?"
"Goddamn it Nate, what happened up there?" Sully asked, sitting next to Drake. Miranda hadn't moved but just stared at him in silence.
"There was nothing I could do." Drake whispered, the rage inside of him building up. "We got separated and Ambessa got a hold of him. I tried to find them, but they're gone."
Flynn was walking in circles, glancing around nervously as more police started to show up.
"Ok, this sucks. But we need to get out of here." He said, opening the car door. "We can talk more at the hotel, but if we stay here we risk getting arrested. And there's no way we can help Vincent from prison."
Drake nodded and climbed into the car, his eyes glazed over and his body slow and cumbersome. Sully and Miranda had the same general air of defeat. The car ride back to the hotel was silent, although after 10 minutes, Drake felt the need to voice the thought that had been burning in his mind since the car ride began.
"He did give me his journal though." Drake said out loud. Everybody in the car turned to look at him in surprise, even Sully who was driving. The result was a near head on collision with another car, which Sully luckily avoided at the last second. He pulled over on the side of the road and turned back to Drake.
"What do you mean you have his journal?" Sully barked, face still red from the adrenaline rush.
"Just before Ambessa kidnapped him, Vincent handed me his journal for safe-keeping." Drake explained, pulling it out of his pocket and handing it to Miranda. She flipped through it and stopped on the last page. Her eyes scanned it and she looked confident.
"We need to get to a library." She ordered to Sully. "I think I can find out where we need to go next." Sully nodded and turned the car back onto the road. Miranda stared at the journal, closing it and clutching it to her chest. For her, it was all that was left of her brother.
"What are you thinking?" Drake asked, leaning over to her.
"The inscription that Vincent translated." She explained. "If it's referencing what I think it's referencing, then I know where to go." She paused and closed her eyes, a single tear rolling out from the corner of her eye. "I just hope we get there before van Meer does."
Author's Notes: It's been one month since my first upload, and we sure have come a long way! I hope you are all enjoying how the story has developed. There is more to come, so keep on reading and reviewing! The reviews have been great, so thank you all so very much. In a few days I'll put up Chapter 7, another research-heavy chapter that will finally point Drake in the right direction.
