Jason had to stop walking as he looked over at Ajay,
the prince was currently texting.
"Seriously?" Was all that could escape Jason's mouth.
"You're one to talk, you've had your phone on you as well, It's been going off for the last ten minutes," Ajay mumbled as he kept on walking past Jason, never once taking his eyes off of his phone.
"What?" Jason turned and pulled his phone out of his back pocket. Turning his phone off of sleep mode, Jason saw he had seven missed calls. Before he could see who was calling him, his phone vibrated in his hand, and the name flashed on the screen.
Riley
Jason sucked in a deep breath at his brother's name, and just simply tucked his phone back into his back pocket. He then jogged up next to Ajay. He could see the radio tower off in the distance, it was still a long, LONG way away.
"Important call?" Ajay asked as he put his phone in his pocket.
"Do you see me on my phone? Anyway, did you tell Pagan about the outpost?" Jason asked him as they continued to walk.
"... Yeahhh..." Ajay sighed softly.
"You sound... disappointed?"
"Dad's not too happy that I confronted the Golden Path without proper backup. He's definitely not happy that I'm going to this radio tower." Ajay looked over at Jason before looking forward once more. "Buuut, after I explained to him that it's actually better for me to do this..."
Jason wanted to reply at one point in Ajay's conversation, but his phone went off again in his back pocket, So while Ajay droned on about his father. Jason stopped walking and could only sigh out, knowing damn well who was calling him, he still looked anyway. Riley
"Do you need to take that?" Ajay asked him as he stopped walking as well. He had an eyebrow raised as he peered over Jason's shoulder to see just who was calling him so much.
"No, it's just... damn telemarketers won't leave me be! Even when I'm all the way across the world!" Jason snapped as he put his phone back into his pocket.
"I don't know much about America, but, I'm pretty sure your infamous telemarketers don't go by the name of 'Riley'," Ajay added air quotes around the name 'Riley' that only mildly ticked Jason off, but he let it be, for now, Ajay then started to go off on a story about Pagan and some scam artist that called the king. While Ajay told the story, Jason started to think as he walked forward with Ajay.
'Interesting, he's aware Pagan isn't his father but calls him 'dad' all the time. Also from what I gathered, granted I was only here for a day, but Pagan is nothing short of a tyrant, and yet again, Ajay agrees and seems to worship the ground Pagan walks on... probably because the guy is a prince also it seems Pagan cares deeply for Ajay. After all, he hired me to protect him. Also, earlier there was something about... Oh right... Father killing his baby sister and mother...'
"-And basically, in the end, the scam caller told Dad, "Fuck your dinner." Because, you know my dad played him and all, it didn't end too well for that man in the end... Let's just say, Dad, traced the number... Yeah." Ajay finished with a headshake.
"Hey, Ajay?"
"Hm?"
"I just want to shift the conversation for a moment... how and why did Pagan adopt you?" He questioned. Ajay stopped walking, that in turn caused Jason to stop walking. Ajay looked down at the ground and lightly 'tsked' his teeth. "Look, if you're not comfortable-"
"No, no, you were going to find out sooner or later, I guess I should tell you what I know," Ajay mumbled as he started walking again. Jason let out a deep breath and started to stride along with Ajay. Ajay only looked don at the ground for a few lingering heartbeats before he finally found his voice. "This is... what I was told growing up, so please understand there might be some holes in the story." Ajay pre-warned Jason before hand.
"According to Pagan, My dad, my biological dad, Mohan. Killed my baby sister when I was only two, how? I have no clue, I was never told how she died, but, I guess my mother had attacked him for it. Shot him. He lived and stabbed her. Then..." Ajay paused and only shook his head, "I guess he died from bloodloss? That's what I was told anyway."
"So... Why did Pagan adopt you? The son, of whom I'm guessing, is his enemy."
"My mother fell in love with Pagan while still being married to my dad."
"Okay then... oh... shit man..." Jason mumbled softly as he rubbed the back of his head, the realization that Ajay's sister was really his half sister hitting him in the gut. "So... why did he adopt you then?"
"According to my dad, he, and I quote, looked around at the carnage and saw little me crying after three days of being alone. He just couldn't let me be alone anymore, and he, himself, could not be alone anymore either." Ajay sighed out, "Look, man, can we... talk about something else, please?"
"Yeah, cool, cool. No prob. I'd like that." Jason nodded as the air between them became heavy. Still, there was one question on his mind just a little one.
"... Lakshmana."
"Huh?"
"My sister's name. It was Lakshmana."
Jason let out a low whistle as he looked at the tower up and down, and had taken them a grand total of two hours to get to it, and here it was in all its glory.
"Last one to the top has to try and rewire the signal!" Ajay called as he suddenly took off full speed towards the tower.
"Whoa! Hey, no fair!" Jason yelled after him as the two of them now raced inside the bell tower. The bell on the floor, Jason couldn't help but get a closer look at the bell. It was a nice looking bell, shame it was useless now.
"C'mon Brody! are you even trying?!" Ajay called down, Jason looked up to see the man now a good third of the way up already. Jason jumped across and pulled himself up onto a ledge before knocking down some wood blocking his way.
Shaking his head, Jason knew there'd be no way in hell he'd catch up with Ajay at this point. Still, he started to climb. Yeah, he was use to this kind of thing back in Rook Island, but something about these towers made him go a little slower up the way. Especially the jumping parts. Hell, he almost met the bell on the bottom a couple of times and this was him being cautious. Still, in the end he made it to the top where Ajay was waiting for him.
"I took the liberty of looting the crates while waiting for you," Ajay mumbled as he adjusted the gloves on his hands a bit.
"Yeah... great, cool..." Jason breathed out as he put his hands on his knees. He was more than just a bit winded from that. He needed to get back into the craft of climbing shit here shortly. Ajay walked up to the radio resting on the tower and frowned a bit. "They bent the box. Do you know anything on wiring?" Ajay asked Jason, who could only shake his head 'no' at this point. Ajay hummed out and looked at the wires in the box. He knew a bit of the wiring. tsking out, Ajay opened the radio a bit more and reached in carefully to plug the pulled wires back in to the best of his abilities. Once done, he popped the radio back together and changed the channel.
It was music to his ears as Rabbi Ray's voice vanished and his father's propaganda came back up. That wasn't all that sprang to life.
"Yes? Hello! Ajay!" His pocket radio went off, only to be echoed by Jason's radio as well. It was, no surprise, Pagan.
"Yes, dad? We just got the radio tower back up." Ajay explained as he stood, the floor beneath the two of them wobbled a bit to the side, making Jason a little unsteady.
"Ajay, I specifically sent you a text telling you and Jason to NOT go to the bell tower. I told you I'd have my men handle it."
"I didn't get that text," Ajay calmly shrugged, he wasn't lying, he was looking at his phone right now, no text, he couldn't help, but smile at his fathers deep inhale on the other side of the line.
Jason, on the other hand, looked completely petrified as he stood there his eyes the size of dinner plates. The fact that Ajay didn't do as his father wished seemed...unreal.
"Ajay, I'm looking at the message right here! I... oh... silly me... I didn't send it."
"That's what happens when you do coke, dad."
"Don't be smart with me right now, Ajay, I'm still very worried about you, with the Golden Path- nay - SABAL in the northern region of Kyrat, who wants your head on a silver platter right now... no. I want you home now."
"Dad, isn't that why you hired Jason? So I'd be protected at all times? I mean, he's done one hell of a good job at protecting me so far." Ajay looked over at Jason, Jason, unsure of what to say, just gave Ajay a thumb's up and let him continue to talk to Pagan.
"Yes. I did hire Jason to protect you... Still Ajay, I just have this feeling that Sabal is always looking at you through a telescope..."
While Jason slowly drowned out Pagan's worried speech to Ajay, he simply took his phone out of his pocket and looked at it. Ten missed calls, four text messages. With a sigh, he unlocked his phone and looked at the texts. All from Riley, not a big surprise there...
Hey.
I'm worried about you.
Mom asked about you.
Please come home. It's been over a month.
Jason only tore his gaze away from the texts before him and looked down at the path leading away from the tower. He could see trucks off in the distance, he figured Pagan probably sent men to bring them home. Odd, these trucks weren't red...
Jason almost dropped his phone when he realized those weren't Pagan's men.
"Shit! Golden Path coming our way!" He yelled to Ajay.
"What?! Ajay! You stay atop that bell tower!" Pagan demanded, "I'm already sending men to your location! Stay hidden!" Pagan snarled on the other side, he sounded beyond deadly serious with Ajay at this point. The line went dead right after that, the two of them only peered over the edge of the bell tower to get a look at the Golden Path rebels coming their way.
"Two trucks and an ATV, no Sabal in either of them," Ajay observed as he stared through his telescope.
"Damn, no grenades-" Hearing a soft ticking nose Jason turned to see Ajay a grenade in his hand pin pulled out completely.
"Whoops, I slipped," Ajay's monotone voice spoke as he dropped the grenade down below. The grenade landed on the hood of one of the trucks and within seconds the truck exploded killing everyone inside and causing the second truck to halt in its tracks.
"So much for staying hidden," Jason could only tease as he looked down below, the group already seeing the two of them and started to open fire from down below. "Got any more grenades?"
"Nope, that was my last one. Don't worry though I have an idea." Ajay smiled before suddenly grabbing the cord that was connected to the ground below, and zip lining down firing his handgun the whole way down.
"Shit!... you're insane..." Jason mumbled softly as he quickly followed Ajay down the cord. Not having a handgun, Jason could only take some of the bullets coming his way as he made his way down. "Ah shit!" Jason cried out as he clutched his bleeding shoulder. Thankfully he was a good ways down already so when he let go it didn't hurt him all that much. Hiding behind a tree, Jason pulled out one of the two syringes Ajay had given him. "Please be like Rook Island..." He breathed out softly. Taking a deep breath, Jason stabbed his arm with the syringe. Instantly he sighed out with relief as the pain in his arm vanished. Jason felt wired after that, like he could take on anything and everything in battle. Breathing out, he pulled his shotgun out, and turned shooting one rebel back killing him instantly. Pumping the shotgun he fired it at another rebel, doing the same thing, causing the man to fall back into a nearby tree. Running forward, towards the truck where one rebel was on a mounted gun, he got ready to fire at the man when Ajay suddenly reappeared from behind a tree and fired his handgun at the man it took a grand total of three bullets for the rebel to go down.
For a brief moment, Jason felt like they had won until an ATV almost ran him down from behind. He managed to jump out of the way, thankfully, but the man wasn't really aiming for Jason, nope he was going full-speed towards Ajay.
"TRAITOR!" The rebel screamed out at Ajay. Jason readied his shotgun, aimed, and fired before the ATV could hit the prince. Ajay wasn't dumb though, as he had fired at the rebel as well. Needless to say, the rebel fell off of his ATV. Ajay on the other hand jumped and quickly took control of the ATV. managing to turn before falling to his death off of a cliff, he turned the vehicle and rode up to Jason.
"Need a lift?" Ajay asked with a smile. Jason only chuckled in response and got on the ATV right behind Ajay.
"You know how to drive these things right?" Jason asked as he put his shotgun in his holster.
"Of course, I mean my uncle Paul showed me how to control one once when I was like... thirteen."
"What?!-AH!" Grabbing a hold of Ajay, the prince took off at an incredibly fast pace almost causing Jason to fall off. Wrapping both his arms around Ajay's shoulders Jason wasn't exactly aware of just how close to the prince he truly was. "Shouldn't we had stayed put-oh?" It was at that moment Jason realized Ajay wasn't planning on leaving the bell tower he was just doing circles around the bell tower for no true reason. Jason also realized that Ajay had previously just lied as he was doing expert turns as managed to circle the tower without hitting a single thing.
Jason finally lets go of Ajay's shoulders and just relaxed allowing the prince to continually circle the tower for the umpteenth time. Suddenly Ajay stopped and turned the ATV towards the dirt path. "What's up?"
"Sh. Hear that?" Ajay turned the ATV off and after a few seconds of silence between the two of them, Jason finally heard what Ajay was talking about. Gunshots, off in the distance. "Let's check it out." Turning the ATV back on, Ajay took off towards the gunshots, making Jason a little nervous.
"Is this the best idea? I mean, your father said to stay put, then again, he pretty much told you to not engage the Golden path and here we are." Jason mumbled rather bitterly.
"Look, I want to help in anyway I can. My dad doesn't like it because he's over protective and scared he's going to lose me like Lakshmana, but... I need to help Kyrat, for it's my country too." Ajay told Jason, Jason only pursed his lips to the side, but said nothing else to Ajay about it. A part of him does wish that Pagan doesn't kill him for Ajay's choices today. Ajay then stopped the ATV. This caused Jason to look around to see what had caused the prince to stop. Then, with no warning he took off to the left at a such a fast rate that Jason had to clamp his arms around Ajay's shoulders just so he wouldn't go flying off.
"What's going on!?" Jason demanded as he held on to Ajay a little tighter than he really should have.
Ajay didn't respond right away. He kept on driving until Jason saw it. A gun fight going on between the Golden Path and Royal army. Jason expected Ajay to stop or at least slow down, but he didn't. Instead he rammed the ATV into a nearby rebel sending the person flying. Ajay let out a loud and boisterous 'WHOOP' and turned the ATV quickly to ram into another rebel. Which he did, but he didn't pay much attention afterwards, Ajay's head turned to the side as he watched the rebel fall, Ajay seemed too preoccupied in watching the gun fire between the two parties that he didn't look forward as the ATV still continued to move forward.
"CLIFF! CLIFF!" Jason screamed as he 'thwacked' Ajay's arm as hard as he could to get Ajay's attention back in front of him. Ajay put the brakes on as quickly as he could and swerved the ATV to try and avoid going off the cliff. They stopped just in the nick of time to avoid disaster. Jason sighed out wearily, and with relief. Rubbing his forehead Jason almost relaxed. The only sound between the two of them was the gunfire still going on between the rebels and soldiers just a few meters away. Jason looked down the cliff cautiously. There was a fast-moving river below them. Something Jason didn't want to experience.
Ajay turned the ATV's steering wheel to the front wheels faced away from the cliff he must have gotten ready to take off towards the gunfire, however, before he could put on the gas there was a long 'HONK' from a truck and the two of them looked up to see a rebel truck gunning towards them. Ajay tried to take off before the truck could plow into them, but he wasn't quick enough and the truck t-boned their tiny ATV causing it to go over the cliff.
"NO! NOT AGAIN!" Jason screamed out as he was thrown off of the ATV. He could only watch helplessly as the ground was gone, and he was flailing his arms hoping it'll stop his fall.
"SHIT!" He heard Ajay shriek out, he could see the prince suddenly huddled up in a ball as he fell. Seeing the water below getting closer and closer Jason shut his eyes and could only brace himself for impact.
Pagan was pacing around his office, the convoy didn't find Ajay atop, around, or even near the bell tower. Breathing heavily, Pagan looked out at Kyrat from his office, and lightly put a hand on his chest where his pen pocket was. Silently he took out the pen Ishawri gave him years back. Gently moving his thumb over the engraving on the pen Pagan could only lick his lips.
"Ishwari..." Pagan breathed out.
Just then, the door slammed open opened, and Yuma came storming in.
"Ajay has fallen off of a cliff," Yuma told him as she stood there her shoulders squared.
"What?!" Pagan snapped as he looked at her with shock.
"Apparently he was on an ATV that got hit by a truck. Jason fell with him. They're both gone." Yuma told him a little cautiously. Pagan put his hand to chest, he felt his heart began to race.
"...Did you see his... body?"
"Body was swept by the river."
"Then... he might still be alive?!"
"... yes."
Pagan tucked his pen away and with shaky hands, he looked quickly at Yuma.
"Send a search party out. Follow the river, I don't care about Jason, if he's dead, then he's dead. I just want to find Ajay."
Yuma pursed her lips bitterly, "Shouldn't we be saving our resources for the Golden Path?"
"Yuma! I want Ajay found. Send a party out to find him. Now." Pagan ordered once more.
"... As you wish, Pagan."
His phone was ringing.
It was rather irritating.
Jason groaned loudly and reached over to find his phone. Feeling mud beneath his fingers, Jason opened his eyes and flipped over onto his stomach. Grabbing his phone, that was covered in mud but magically still working, he answered it without thinking.
"Jason Brody." He groaned his usual phone greeting.
"Jason!? Where are you! Riley has been freaking out for the past month! Out of all of the irresponsible things you've done, this is the worst! You can't just run away!" It was Liza. Jason groaned out as she continued to rant and rave at him over the phone. Using his hands, he pushed himself up off of the ground and looked around. The river beside him rushing on by, his clothes covered and caked in mud from the bank that he was resting on. It was no longer daylight out as the moon hung above him and the air chilled to an unbearable degree.
"HELLO?! JASON DON'T IGNORE ME!" Liza screamed at him over the phone, bring him back to her.
"Liza?... just... stop calling me, tell Riley I'm sorry." Was all he could say as he, rather rudely, hung up on her. Then, with no care in the world, he tossed his phone into the river. He groaned in pain and clutched onto his ribs. Must have broken one or two when he fell. "AJAY!" Jason cried out remembering the prince at that moment.
"AJAY!?" He called out again as he started to walk through the woods. "AJAY! IT'S JASON! SAY SOMETHING!"
"I'm over here, you don't have to yell." Came Ajay's voice to Jason's left. Rushing over to Ajay, Jason saw him sitting on the ground holding his left leg. "I broke my leg..." Ajay groaned out in pain.
"Can you walk?"
"No... I broke my fucking leg!" Ajay snapped irritably at Jason through gritted teeth.
"Okay, Okay, easy, lean on me, and keep off your leg," Grabbing Ajay's arm, Jason helped Ajay up. Ajay leaned on Jason, and they both sighed out. Slowly Jason walked while Ajay hopped weakly.
"No more syringes, huh?" Jason asked Ajay.
"No. I used my last one when we were at the cliff, I was shot. That's why I didn't pay attention right away. What about you?"
Jason checked his pockets quickly before shaking his head, "Must have fallen out with the rest of my things." He sighed out. Everything was currently missing from him, his guns, his radio, it was a miracle that his phone landed where it did.
"Okay, let's just try and get to the road, I can probably figure out where to go from there, hopefully," Ajay ordered, Jason nodded at the price, and together they walked through the woods. Jason was rather thankful that there were no animals around, at least no vicious ones. It didn't take long for Jason to see the road just up a head. Smiling, he hurried Ajay along, being mindful of the other's broken leg of course, and then they got to the road. Jason didn't know what made him happier, seeing the road, or seeing an abandoned car just to the left of them.
Ajay was oddly silently as he looked around quickly, his eyes scanning every inch of the landscape for them.
"What's wrong?" Jason questioned Ajay.
"I don't recognize anything."
"Well, there's a car, I can hotwire it and we can get back-"
"You don't understand."
"Understand what?"
Ajay paused as he hissed out in pain, his leg clearly bugging him. Still, with several deep breaths in and out, Ajay swallowed hard as he continued, "I know every landscape of the North. I should know where I am as soon as I see where I am."
"Okay?"
"I don't recognize anything. That means we're either in a part of the north I haven't seen yet, or..."
"Or?!"
"We're in the south, which is bad."
"How so?"
"The Golden path has control over the south."
"... So in short?"
"We might be fucked."
Riley Brody lightly tapped his fingers against the desk. Liza Snow sitting just across from him the cell phone in her hand. She looked pissed, beyond pissed. Her face turning an ugly shade of red as she sat there slowly shaking her head from side to side.
"What did he say?" Riley finally asked her.
"Never call him again. Face it, Riley, he's gone for good this time. At least he is to me, he clearly wants nothing to do with any of us anymore. Just let him go." Liza stood with a growl as she practically threw her phone down on the desk.
"... I know where he is." Riley confessed to Liza, causing her to look at him.
"What? How? He left no note-"
"Jason sucks at computers," Riley told her as he turned and went on the computer in front of him. Silently all he did was bring up the internet history and showed it to her.
"Plane tickets to... Kyrat? The fuck is that?"
"Some place in the Himalayas. That's all I know. I also know he didn't pay for the tickets himself, and he had to take a small plane to get there meaning-"
"He's trying to recreate Rook Island again... sometimes I wonder why he even bothered trying to save us if all he cared about was that stupid island!" Liza snapped as she crossed her arms angrily.
"... Liza-"
"No Riley! I know what you're thinking, absolutely not!"
"I can get us there, and we can just ask him why he's doing this! That's all I want is a reason!"
"Riley, I don't think he has a reason other than he wants to go and do things guns blazing."
"Liza... I'm flying off tomorrow, with or without you." Riley told her softly as he stood to put a hand on her shoulder. "I know where Kyrat is, I know where I have to stop to refuel up. I know all of it."
"... how long will it take to get there?"
"Truthfully? With a tiny plane like mine... about a week with how much I need to stop and fuel up."
"... I don't know Riley. I'll let you tomorrow. Right now. I need some time to fucking think about how much of an idiot Jason is." Liza sighed irritably as she stormed out of the room.
"I leave at dawn!" Riley called after her loudly before looking back over at the computer before him. "Kyrat... hopefully you won't be as dangerous as Rook Island was."