I awoke to find Nate, Sully, and Elena hurriedly packing the room up.
"What's going on?" I sleepily asked.
Still working, Elena looked up and explained, "We need to get going as soon as possible. We just got word Andromeda is packing up down by the dock and will be heading east. We're meeting a contact of mine at a warehouse down the road. His name is Lucas Ros; he's the leader of the army we're working with. He'll be filling us in when we get there. There's some breakfast on the table, so eat up and help us pack."
I sat down at the small kitchen table. On my plate was a blueberry muffin, served with a glass of orange juice. Still not used to real food, I scarfed it down in the blink of an eye.
Having finished my breakfast, I began piling research papers into their assigned boxes and carrying them out to the truck Elena had sitting outside.
When we finally finished, Nate, Sully, and myself piled into the truck and followed Elena on her ATV to the warehouse, which was a large building with yellow side panels lining the outside. Several windows were broken or boarded up. We walked through the double doors into the structure, revealing a busy army operation, with soldiers running everywhere, shuffling vehicles and arming themselves for the coming fight.
A stout, plump man with closely-shaven hair and rough caramel skin approached us. He was donned in arid military clothing with his camouflage sleeves rolled up as the shorts tightly hugged his legs. Although he had to slightly look up, his stance made him look taller than what reality would have you believe.
"Mr. Drake, Elena, it's good to see you!" he exclaimed, shaking Nate and Elena's hands.
"Nate, Lily, Sully, this is Lucas Ros. He's the client we've been working with to get The Head," Elena introduced.
"Yes, Elena has taught me quite a bit about you, Mr. Sullivan. Your reputation precedes you. However… I don't believe I was informed a child would be joining us," he said.
"Lily is more than capable of handling herself under pressure. She'll do fine," Nate informed.
"… if you say so, Mr. Drake-"
"Please, call me Nate."
Lucas shot an annoyed glance at Elena, who simply smiled and shrugged. He turned back toward us and started explaining the mission.
"By this time, they should be finished packing their supplies for the trip to Chicoasén. We'll be leaving in a half hour; we'll be cutting them off just before they arrive so we can obtain the Head and their supplies. After that, we'll take the fight directly to their headquarters to finish this once and for all. Now, Nate and Sully, I need your help loading these weapons into our trucks. Follow me, please."
The three of them walked off to start working, leaving me alone with Elena.
"So you and Nate met while doing something pretty similar to this, huh?" I asked Elena.
"Yep, while searching for El Dorado. Nate can get pretty focused on his work, but he's a good guy. Don't forget, you don't have to do everything he says, alright? We need to keep him in line," Elena said, smiling.
"Of course! Besides, this is keeping me out of trouble, right?" I replied. "Now, what's that you said about El Dorado?"
While waiting for the mission's preparation to be ready, Elena told me of her wild adventure of searching for the fabled El Dorado with Nate and Sully, where they fought pirates and zombies.
Once the preparations were finished, Nate, Sully, Elena, and myself filed into Humvees and Jeeps with the rest of our forces and departed for Chicoasén where we would intercept our enemies. The trip took several long, boring hours. I read through Nate's entire notebook, finishing before we were even halfway there. Outside the windows was barren plains with trees in the distance; certainly nothing too exciting.
"Hey, Kid. I talked it over with Nate, and he agrees; since we're on our way to fight an army, you should know how to use a gun," Sully said, handing me a pistol.
"First off, never point a weapon at anything you don't intend on shooting at. Also, make sure to keep your finger parallel to the trigger until you're ready to fire. Guns aren't toys, and I'd hate for you to hit anyone you don't intend on killing. This switch on the side is the safety. Since we're in a car, we're gonna leave that on. Now, when you go to shoot someone, square your shoulders, lean into the shot, exhale, and pull the trigger. This pistol is yours now; it's pretty small, so it'll get the job done without having too much kick."
I never expected Sully to trust me with a weapon, let alone teach me how to use one. I suppose he's finally opening up to me a little.
We eventually started going through the small town of Chicoasén. It looked very similar to Copainalá, lined with small shacks and stores. Riding through the main street of the city, I could see another caravan up ahead, which looked to belong to Andromeda, although we weren't closing any distance on them.
"We're not going any faster?" I asked.
"We're following them to their base so we can put a stop to them once and for all, and we don't want to get any civilians involved," Nate explained.
We followed them to the edge of the city where we saw them pull up next to a large concrete building. We cut down a block just before the building to avoid any suspicion. Everyone started pouring out of the vehicles, readying their gear for the fight.
"Alright, Lily, I want you to stay behind us and watch our backs. Shoot only if it's absolutely necessary," Nate ordered.
I nodded in agreement. I brandished my pistol, keeping it pointed at the ground like I'd seen Nate and Sully do. We marched down a thin alleyway between buildings, sticking to the shadows to avoid being seen. Lucas, who had researched the building beforehand, led us to the side of the building where an unguarded entrance was waiting for us. The front line of soldiers charged in, guns at the ready.
We followed them into the building, which led us to a long, poorly-lit hall. Lucas motioned for us to follow him as he started walking down the corridor, eventually stopping at a door labeled E-6.
"The Head is just behind this door. Nate, because you're the one who found it, I'd like you to do the honors," Lucas beckoned.
"Uh… sure, I guess," Nate said, unsure of why Lucas didn't just go in himself.
Armed with a silenced pistol, Nate shot the door's lock and kicked it open. Gun raised, he slowly walked inside with Lucas and I following close behind.
"The soldiers will have to stay outside to make sure no one gets in. Not to mention, this is a pretty small room," said Lucas.
"Fine, but Lily stays with me," commanded Nate.
Inside was a short hallway leading to a small room containing a control console. To the left of the console was a door leading to another part of the building. Upon the console sat The Head, encased in a small cage that had wires connected to it. Two soldiers were standing on either side of the console. Nate shot them down before they had noticed him entering. Having taken care of the threat, Nate walked up to The Head and started analyzing it.
"I've seen this kind of tech before. It's surprisingly simple; you just unplug the cables and the cage should open," explained Lucas.
"Well, I've never been one to decline the easy route," Nate said as he unplugged the wires.
Just as Lucas said, the cage popped open. Smiling, Nate grabbed the head.
"Finally, we can be done with this. Let's get outta her-"
Nate's sentence was cut short by the click of Lucas' gun being readied.
"Wow, Nate… I can't believe how easy it was to get you in here!" Lucas scoffed as he hit a button on his walkie-talkie. A metal door slammed down from the ceiling behind him, cutting us off from everyone else, including Sully and Elena.
"Now, give me The Head," Lucas commanded as he walked toward the console. Nate, who had his hands up, reluctantly handed the relic over. The door to the left of the console opened. A tall, handsome man walked in, followed by two soldiers. He had short, dark hair and a scar covering most of the left side of his face. He was wearing a white button-down T-shirt along with a brown leather belt and a pair of cream-colored cargo pants, which were slightly rolled up on the ends. A long machete was sheathed on his left hip, while a pistol was holstered in his right. In the left breast pocket donned on his shirt was tucked a pen and small notepad. A deep, unknown fear pierced me as he walked in.
"So, who the hell are you?" Nate inquired to the tall man.
"My name is John Owens, Lucas'... employer, I suppose you could say. You see, Mr. Drake, I have plans for this artifact you could never comprehend. I will conquer the world with its power!"
A mad smile on his face, John thrust The Head into the air and started chanting in a language I'd never heard before.
The Head's sapphire eyes started glowing. The air in the room started to blow around as if we were standing in a hurricane. Golden sand started pouring from its gaping mouth, which formed into humanoid monsters. As more creatures formed, Sully and Elena had managed to force the door open. The door slamming back down behind them, they barged in the room, guns blazing. One of the shots hit Lucas in the head, who fell to the ground like a rock. However, the guns didn't seem to have any effect on the sand monsters, who continued to slowly saunter toward us.
"Keep shooting, they've gotta go down sometime!" ordered Sully.
I brandished my weapon and started shooting at the creatures, causing glittering sand to spew from them, which crept back into their bodies.
"We've gotta stop John, otherwise there won't be an end to these things!" yelled Nate. We started shooting at John, who didn't budge. Still chanting, golden sand started to gush from his body where the bullets entered. Suddenly, Nate rushed at John, but despite hitting him with all his weight, John didn't budge.
"Shoot the Head!" commanded Nate, who was barely holding his own against John.
Aiming my gun at the artifact, I fired a few rounds, but they bounced off. John looked down at me smirking, but his smile was shattered when he saw my necklace.
"Lil… Lillian?" he uttered.
For a moment, I stood there in shock. How does this man know my name?
The eyes on The Head stopped glowing. I took my chance and fired. It shattered into the very same dust that had been pouring from John, which quickly stopped. Letting out a disturbing screech, he began assaulting Nate. He tackled Nate to the ground and pressed his pistol against his forehead.
"How dare you! My plan would have worked perfectly if you hadn't come along and ruined it! I would've had my Mary back! The world would have been mine!"
"Get off of him," I commanded, pointing my weapon at him, "… and how do you know my name?!"
"That necklace you're wearing, that used to belong to your mother. Lillian… I'm your father," John replied. By now, blood had replaced the sand which had been flowing from his wounds.
I could feel my hands trembling as warm tears streamed down my face.
"Then why'd you abandon me at an orphanage; where have you been all this time?!" I asked.
"I've been trying to exact revenge on the people who took your mother's life! People like Nate, who have taken everything from me!" he seethed through gritted, bloody teeth.
Muttering the same incantation from before, he pressed the gun against Nate's forehead and prepared to pull the trigger. The gems from the Head dimly lit for a moment and sand started pouring from John once more.
"This is the end for you, Nathan Drake!"
Without a thought, I pulled the trigger, firing a bullet straight through the side of John's head. Sand and blood started pouring from the bullet wound. Quivering, he looked over at me, tears of golden sand streaming from his eyes.
"Lil… lian…" he uttered breathlessly. The Head's eyes stopped glowing. With his final word, John collapsed off Nate, his body slowly turning to sand. His lifeless eyes kept their gaze on me as he dissolved into nothingness.
A wave of sorrow washed over me, drowning the colors from the world. All light seemed to dim as I collapsed to my knees, sobbing.
My new family covered me in their arms as I cried for what seemed like an eternity. I don't remember most of the rest of that day. Emotionless, I felt like I had turned into one of John's zombies, like I lost something I never knew I had.