1988, sur un train Thaïlandais
Polnareff presses his head into the worn plastic moulding around the train window, his eyes barely registering the deep Thai forests lining the railroad tracks. With the middle knuckles of his left hand, he taps the glass absentmindedly, and the early afternoon sun pours into the dining cabin from the far window. The scenery flies behind them, and the train car rattles a bit on the old rails.
The man with two right hands…Sherry…
He hears the gentle sipping of tea and the quiet clatter of porcelain. Sitting across from him, Kakyoin shuffles in his seat, before producing a book from his pack. Polnareff feels a crick in his neck and straightens his back as he stretches his limbs out, catlike. Joseph and Avdol are sitting on the other side of the cabin, cards laid out for a fortune reading. The vines of Hermit Purple snake their way across each arranged card, and when as Avdol reveals the center card, Joseph smashes his prosthetic hand on the table. The cards tumble to the floor, Avdol clenching his fist.
"Mr. Joestar, I know you're upset-"
"You don't know the half of it! My grandson could be dead because I dragged him into this!"
"Then let's keep reading his fortu-"
"Your cards aren't doing any good, Avdol. Every time, Hermit Purple pulls up Stars, Hermit, and a flipped Fool. Last time I checked, I'm not with my grandson right now."
"By all accounts, Mr. Joestar, it doesn't seem to make sense. But I believe in Jotaro and…"
Polnareff cracks his neck and presses his forehead against the cool glass, tuning out from the conversation. His brow wrinkles as he pictures yellow slime digging into Star Platinum's fist.
I can't believe he got Jotaro. He was our strongest…no. There's no way. He'll catch up to us.
"Mr. Joestar." Kakyoin pipes up, interrupting the irate Joseph without even closing his book. "Whether or not Jotaro survived his fight with Yellow Temperance, we learned something very valuable."
"My sister's killer is one of our assassins." Polnareff grumbles to himself. Kakyoin's eyes lock on to the stewing Polnareff, before continuing.
"We shouldn't split up anymore." Joseph deflates a bit, and sinks into his seat. Hermit Purple reaches out to the cards on the floor and starts to place them back in the waiting deck. Avdol nods solemnly, and starts to shuffle his Tarot deck.
Without Jotaro, the assassins have an even bigger edge on us. We don't even know what to expect next, and with one man down…What am I saying? I'm just in this for revenge. Once I kill that bastard, my time with these guys ends. Sherry…
"I'm gonna stop by the room after I get back from the restroom, you guys need anything?" Polnareff rises up and jams his thumbs into the waistband of his pants, ambling to the front of the train.
"No, thank you, Polnareff." Avdol casts a gentle smile his way. Kakyoin throws up an indistinct hand signal, and Joseph remains quiet in reflection. Just as he passes Joseph, Polnareff makes out a small whisper.
"Just like Caesar, huh."
Time passes…
Not even a mirror in the bathroom huh.
Polnareff rubs his shoulders as he slides open the sleeping cabin. The lounge with the rest of his group is only a few cars to the rear of the train, one before the caboose. His rucksack carelessly rests on the side of one of the beds, and he rummages through it for a little bag of peanuts he picked up at the station. His eyes glance up at the window and he sees the scenery had stopped moving. A train whistle blows, and the train chugs its way up the track once more. Looking out, peanuts in hand, Polnareff glances at the passing train station, a simple covering beside a dirt road.
What country hick could be boarding the train from this place? And is that…
Just as the train begins to move past the bare station, Polnareff spots a slick red sports car parked in the middle of the dirt road. A large, muscular arm grabs the door frame tight, before pointing a finger gun gesture at the train. The station disappears behind the train, as Polnareff glues his face to the glass to try and see more of the car.
Now THAT…that was a slick ride. How did some Thai hillbilly get ahold of such a smooth ride…
Polnareff turns and scratches his chin in thought, before stuffing a few more peanuts in his mouth. He swivels around to slide the door open to the train car, but something catches his eye in the glass on the door. A mummy-like figure seems to pressed up against the exterior of the train, hands clammily sticking to the window.
"What the he-" Polnareff whips around, only to see the window clear of any one or any thing. He reaches for the door handle only to hear shattering glass, and in the reflection of the door he sees the mummy clamber into the train car through the freshly broken glass.
"Chariot!" His Stand appears behind him and thrusts towards the broken window, only to be once again met with empty air. Polnareff's eyes dart around the cabin, searching desperately for the hidden enemy. The rushing air from outside the train force his eyes into a squint, and his peanuts drop to the floor as he raises his arm to block the wind.
Dammit. They caught up to us already?
In a flicker of a moment, Polnareff feels a knife jam itself into the front of his left forearm, and he stumbles back. Chariot slashes wildly in the face of the wind, as Polnareff slides open the sliding door to try and escape. Just as he gets it open, he hears a voice scream from down the hall.
"Polnareff, you idiot, why'd you go alone!" Joseph is sprinting down the hall of the train car, at full speed, before he rams into Polnareff. Polnareff slams into the cabin door, shattering the glass in the middle of the door. Joseph shakes himself off, and immediately offers Polnareff a hand up. Before he can take it, though, Joseph's eyes snap to the wound on Polnareff's forearm.
"OH MY GOD!"
Thailand, 43 Days to Save Holly
Polnareff had left the room about 15 minutes prior, and Joseph continues to sit in silence in his seat. He could feel Avdol's intense stare on his forehead for the past 10 minutes.
Damn. If Jotaro is still alive, I…I can't leave him alone again. As much as I trust in his skill and power…I can't…
"Mr. Joestar."
"Yes, Avdol?"
"Hasn't Polnareff been gone for a while?"
"The room is a few cars up, let him take his time." Joseph fiddles with his prosthetic hand, and silence blankets the room. After a few minutes, an attendant walks in with a piece of paper in his hand.
"Is there a Joseph here? A message was faxed in." The attendant scans the room, and Joseph holds out his hand expectantly. "Oh, here you are, sir. If you need to make a call, the phone is in the front most passenger cabin."
"Thank you, sir." Joseph gulps and stares at the small note in front of him. Kakyoin glances at the paper from the corner of his eyes, and Avdol continues to shuffle with his eyes closed.
"'Mr. Joestar, as per your request I am following up with you about the plane tickets you requested.'" Avdol deals out a Tarot array, and Kakyoin sets his book down. "'The tickets were successfully picked up by your grandson, Jotaro. He should be on his flight when you read this message. . Please call me when possible about the digsite in Tibet.'" The tenseness in Joseph's knuckles subsides, and he sighs heavily.
"Seems like he really did just get separated. That assassin was just trying to throw us off." Kakyoin chuckles quietly to himself and resumes reading.
"I'm relieved, Mr. Joestar. Seems like my Tarot reading was saying that he had gotten those tickets safe and sound." Avdol finishes his spread, and indicates them to Joseph. "Now, let's see if we can get the upper hand on our next assassin."
The train lurches to a stop as Joseph reaches out with Hermit Purple. "Hm, seems like an odd place for a passenger pick-up." He gazes out the far window and sees a dilapidated station, with only one passenger boarding towards the front of the train. Only catching a slight glimpse, Joseph notes that the passenger was wearing simple rags and very obviously deformed in the skull. Their hands were tucked into their pockets, but it seemed like the figure's left hand had been either horrifically twisted or…
Hm. Suspicious but not out of place in the middle of nowhere.
His vines dip into the cards, and Avdol flips three cards in sequence. Hanged Man, Fortune, and lastly, Chariot.
Oh shit, Polnareff!
"Mr. Joestar, that's-" And before Avdol can finish, Joseph is sprinting through the carriage doors towards their sleeping cabin.
We LITERALLY just said not to split up, and we let Polnareff slip off! The bastard's gonna get killed!
The cabins blur as Joseph busts his way through each door, shoving other passengers aside until he opens the door to their train car. Just as he opens the door, he hears shouting from their cabin, and a distant rumbling from the rear of the train…
Thailand, 4535 miles from Cairo
What a foolish man! Even being an old man, he sprints like an Olympic athlete, so he'll have to wait for us to catch up.
Avdol stands and calmly puts his deck back into his pocket, as Kakyoin stands staring at the door that Joseph just sprinted through.
"Wait, Polnareff's under attack?"
"He may very well be. Mr. Joestar is a bit on edge, but it is hard to say whether or not the attack is imminent."
"We should still check in on him, Polnareff did leave a while ago." Avdol nods in affirmation and they both start to head to the door. Just then, a loud grinding and screeching of metal rushes in from behind them. Both turn, only to see that the caboose of the train has been molten and shredded off, leaving only the connecting face of the train car limply dangling from the car connector.
"Avdol, we may have our own issues to deal with." The leftover metal from the train car showers the tracks behind them with sparks, before getting violently smacked off into the treeline by something riding the rails in its place.
"A Stand?" Avdol rushes forward and opens the door, only to get hit by some sort of projectile that knocks him on his back.
Is that…a sports car?
He rises on one elbow and looks out the door, only to see a monstrous looking red sports car grinding up the railroad tracks as it rides over them with spiked tires. There seems to be small openings on the front, presumably where that projectile launched from. Avdol puts his hand on his shoulder where he was struck, and notices the dampness of the spot. Inhaling, he recognizes the scent.
Gasoline? This should be interesting.
"Avdol, are you okay?" Kakyoin knocks one of the tables down to provide cover as another gasoline bullet careens towards them, only to splatter on the wooden table. He kneels beside Avdol to lend him an arm, but Avdol simply raises a finger and clicks his tongue at Kakyoin.
"Tch, tch, yes. I am. But this poor assassin doesn't know who he is messing with."
END OF INTERLUDE 3