Nate was in no condition to fight. He had barely regained consciousness from the injuries he'd sustained at the hands of Benjamin Edwards and his men. Now he had awoken to find himself face to face with a man he'd known longer than his own wife, a man he had held as one of his oldest and closest friends. And at that moment, David Reese could not have cared what condition his old friend was in.
"You don't look so good Nate," Reese growled; landing a blow to Nate's cheekbone that collapsed him to the ground. As he struggled to regain his senses, he felt the weight of David's boot pressing against his chest, his old friend leaning down to speak.
"You've had this coming for a long time," Reese taunted, leaning his weight down on Nate's sternum, "You should've known I wouldn't die so easy you stupid-"
Before he could finish, Nate grabbed his foot, and managed to wrench him off, pushing Reese to the floor. Nate stood up as quickly as he could manage, trying to get space between the two of them. He needed space to think, to get a better grasp on the situation.
"Have you…" Nate wheezed, wincing through cracked ribs, "Been with… with them… the… whole time? "
As Reese approached, Nate tried to swing a punch, doing his best to defend himself. But he was far from peak condition, and was struggling to keep his wounds from getting the better of him. Reese caught the punch effortlessly in his hand, twisting Nate's wrist as he put pressure on the small bones of his hand.
"Behave Nathan," Reese replied coldly, smirking as Nate went to one knee, "And to answer your question, I'm right where you and your choices landed me. Besides, they're better friends than you are."
And then, as he felt any resistance fade, Reese let Nate's hand go, allowing his prey to take a moment of respite.
"Glad we know who's in charge here."
"What…the hell," Nate groaned, cradling his hand, "Are you talking about? Why are you here?"
As the words left Nate's mouth, a flash of anger overtook David's eyes. And then, faster than Nate could even react, Reese had him pinned to the wall, the bony edge of his forearm pressing into Nate's throat.
"You know exactly why you piece of shit! Reese exploded, "It was your fault! Everything that's happened is because we followed YOU!"
As Nate struggled to maintain consciousness, he struggled to get free. But Reese responded by applying more pressure, pushing Nate up the wall, causing his feet to slowly rise off the ground. As Nate struggled for breath, he felt his ears ring and his vision begin to fade, barely making out David's words.
"-BELIEVED IN YOU!-….-IS DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!"
Two Years Prior
"Hate you…hate you both," David grumbled, not even lifting his head off of the pillow.
Elena couldn't help but chuckle at David as she walked into the room, Nate close behind. David was face down on the bed, his shoes and socks strewn across the floor, and his shirt soaking in the sink. Both Nate and Elena found themselves smiling as they spotted Juliet, asleep and snuggled up against David on the bed. Nate pulled his phone out of his pocket, quickly snapping a picture.
David let out a long groan as he heard the phone camera capture the image. "You…dick," he grumbled, still not removing his face from the pillow.
Elena tried her best not to laugh as she surveyed the room. The baby powder was spilled across the carpet, with powder dusting several of Juliet's toys, along with one of David's books, a hard back copy of Hemmingway's The Sun Also Rises bent and damaged in the corner. As long as they had known each other, Elena was still always surprised by the sophistication of his taste in reading material, though whether that judgment said more about him or about her, she wasn't certain.
"Did you seriously get puked on again?" Elena smiled, looking at the blue t shirt floating in the sink. Nate burst out laughing at the question, unable to contain himself.
David groaned, being as careful as possible not to wake Juliet as he rolled over, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Guess again," he retorted, giving a tired smile, eliciting greater laughter from Nate. "Swear that kid's got it in for me."
"Aww come on David," Elena replied, half patronizingly, "She loves you."
David laughed, rolling his eyes, "Oh yeah," he cracked, giving a large smile, "She's gonna love me to death." He chuckled for a moment, pushing the hair out of his eyes. "And if that's how she shows love, I'd hate to see what she does to you."
"C'mon David, she's just a baby," Elena replied, "She doesn't know any better."
"Yeah," Nate chimed in, finally controlling his laughter, "You act like she's got some agenda against you."
"Well, whatever the case may be," David shrugged, reaching into his bag, "Seeing as how the baby's asleep, I don't know about you responsible folk, but I'm gonna have a drink."
He retrieved a bottle of whisky from his bag, followed by three small glasses. He set the three glasses out on the small table next to the bed, pouring the amber liquid into each. After each glass had been filled, he nudged one slightly towards Elena and one towards Nate, and then brought the third one towards himself. The trio picked up their glasses, giving a small toast. Nate brought the glass towards his lips, but before it made contact, he felt Elena's hand snake in and take the glass from him. Nate looked slightly hurt as he saw his wife giving him a scolding look.
"Aw c'mon Elena," Nate groaned," It's just one drink. I've been doing great."
"For twenty months Nate, I know" Elena replied, "And I'm really proud of you, but the answer's no."
Reese couldn't help but chuckle as Elena drank Nate's drink, followed by her own. But his face immediately straightened as he earned his own glare from Elena, making him shift uncomfortably in his chair.
"Yeah, the hell were you thinking?" Reese spat, covering his own ass, "I didn't pour that drink for you."
Nate sat there, confused and slightly slack jawed at the sudden ganging up. "Whatever," he sighed, "Fine. We've got more important things to talk about"
Elsewhere, opera music filled the air of a small, sparsely furnished apartment. It consumed the space, an enthusiastic performance which almost completely drowned out the ringing phone. The phone rang for a few moments before the music stopped, accompanied by the small scratch of the needle being lifted from a record. A man with short hair and a neatly trimmed beard in a button down shirt and blue silk tie walked across the room, placing a half full glass of red wine on the small end table as he picked up the small cell phone.
"Sir?" the man answered simply.
"The situation is evolving Abraham," a man's voice replied in a calm drawl, "I believe we'll soon need your help."
"To help ensure Drake make's the right choices?" Abraham replied dryly, removing his tie with his free hand.
"He'll follow the right path," the voice on the phone retorted, "I just need you to make sure he knows the way."
"The hell's that supposed to mean, he's dead?" David asked, almost shouting.
"That's what Sully told me," Nate replied as Elena gestured for David to quiet down, pointing towards a sleeping Juliet. "He got an autopsy and everything. On all known records, Benjamin Edwards is dead."
"Do we at least know who he was?" Elena inquired, "It might give us a clue to who he is now."
"Benjamin Edwards," Nate replied, "Was a professor."
David raised an eyebrow, "Never woulda thunk it," he replied, "I'd have guessed either terrorist or circus clown."
"Please don't bring up clowns." Nate grumbled, "As I was saying, he was a professor of medieval history at Oxford, until about ten years ago."
Nate opened a window on his laptop, revealing several images to his wife and friend.
"When he was killed by an IRA car bomb while on vacation," Nate paused, "With his family."
The pictures had been emailed to him by Sully. They had been dug up by one of Sully's many contacts from old police reports in Ireland. The pictures showed the warped and charred remains of the car, the burnt ground encircling the blast area, the yellow police tape. The graphic nature of the scene was amplified by the presence of two body bags off to one side.
"Apparently," Nate sighed, "He was out for a walk with his wife and three year old daughter when the blast went off. It wasn't meant for him, just a parked car they were walking by. The police believe cellular interference is what set off the explosive."
There was a moment of tense silence amongst the trio.
"Turns out," Nate continued solemnly, "It was the university calling, hoping he could return a day early. His wife and girl were killed immediately. I guess Ben was a tough SOB, held on for five days in a local hospital."
As Nate finished, Elena found herself transfixed by the photos on Nate's laptop, the two body bags, the ambulance, the gurney next to the charred carcass of the automobile. She thought about the little girl, how it would feel if it were Juliet. And then, for just a moment, Elena found herself feeling sorry for Ben.
"Well that'd be enough to drive anyone crazy right?" Reese piped in, "But anything, uh, post-death? How he's walking around now, or who this guy he's working for is?"
"Ben's boss, whoever this Henry Reimer is," Nate replied, "There's nothing. Of course, there are plenty of people with that name, but that's exactly the problem. There's no one that stands out, no one with any kind of connection, or history, or anything that would make him more than another name in the phonebook. And as far as walking away from a car bomb after being declared dead, there are no real leads, but there are stories. Like a ghost, he's popped up around various countries over the years."
"Well hell," Reese grunted, "So what do you do when you're being hunted by both a figurative and a literal ghost?"
Unfortunately, nobody had any good answers to that question.
A short time later, Nate and Elena were alone in their hotel room. Juliet had been laid down in her crib, and was sleeping peacefully, giving the couple a quiet moment together. Elena was taking a well-deserved shower as Nate stood in front of the mirror, running the straight razor over his stubbly chin.
"Back in Miami," Elena called out over the shower, "That, that Russian," she paused, not wanting to recall the situation, "He said that Henry Reimer remembered you, right?"
"Yeah," she heard Nate reply simply.
"So there's a connection there right? Some connection to your past, you sure you don't know what it is?"
"No."
Elena recognized the blankness in his tone, the almost absent minded response. Nate was lost in his own head, digging for that same answer. But they both knew how dangerous his old life had been. She sighed quietly as she realized that that connection was buried in a laundry list of enemies and close encounters.
"I'm scared Elena," Nate spoke weakly.
Elena stopped. She had seen Nate scared many times. Seen fear in his eyes more than anyone else. She had to comfort him when nightmares kept him up at night. She may have been the only one he's ever truly dropped his macho façade around. But to hear him admit it, openly verbalize being afraid, was a rare thing even for her.
She turned the silver lever, the shower head cutting off the water. Silent for a moment as she stepped out of the shower, her eyes landed on Nate as she reached for one of the towels, wrapping it around her midsection. He stood over the sink, his hands resting on the counter top, his solemn gaze locked with his reflection in the mirror.
"Nate," Elena started.
"I don't know who these people are," Nate interrupted, "And the fact that they could represent any number of people from my past scares the hell out of me."
Elena's eyes traced the scars that lined his body as she stepped up next to him. A doctor had once told them that approximately a quarter of his body was scar damaged. An entire life of danger was mapped out on Nate's skin, a biography of close calls. As Nate turned to face her, she felt his hand trace along her side, a shiver running up her spine as his fingers traced her own scars, the physical remnants of her own brush with death. Reminders of mistakes they didn't want to relive.
"We'll be okay Nate," Elena reassured him, slipping her arms around his waist; "David's got his friend in the Marshal's service looking into this too, maybe he'll find something we didn't."
Nate leaned in close to his wife, taking a deep breath as his forehead rested lightly against hers. He didn't even want to think of a response. He just wanted to appreciate their shared embrace.
"We came here just to buy ourselves time," Nate thought, "Time to figure out what we're up against, and maybe form a plan to stop all of this. But that time isn't helping."
"Every fiber of my being says 'Let's just leave'," Nate whispered, breaking the silence between them. Elena took a step back, looking Nate in the eye. "When the dig is done, we should take Juliet and run."
"I just want to disappear, make it so they can never find us," Nate continued, a modicum of confidence returning to his voice, "But running won't fix anything."
Nate ran his fingers through Elena's hair, pulling her in for a brief kiss. He took a deep breath, admiring how clean Elena smelled.
"If we ever want a normal life for us, for Juliet," Nate paused, the conviction in his voice strengthening, "We can't spend it running, hiding. Whatever it takes, I've got to stop this, to end it before either of you get hurt."
"Let's just take this all one day at time," Elena replied, holding Nate tight, "C'mon," she continued, taking Nate's hand, "Let's try to get some sleep."
She began to lead her husband out of the bathroom, but paused when he didn't follow her.
"Go on ahead," Nate spoke, "I've got to finish up in here."
Elena nodded, closing the door as she stepped out of the bathroom. Almost as soon as the door closed, Nate's face became deadly serious. After thinking silently for a moment, he retrieved his cell phone from the countertop, and began typing a quick text to David.
I've got a plan. This will all end when the dig is over, but I need your help.
Nate stood in silence, taking a deep breath before typing out another text.
And please don't tell Elena.
The next morning, the trio arrived slightly late to the dig. David had spent the earlier hours of the morning pleading with Nate and Elena to take Juliet to the dig's contracted daycare, wanting to tag along to the dig, and by the time they acquiesced, they were running a little late. Nate had made a quick phone call to late Gabriel know ahead of time, so the group had already started the day's work without them. As Nate went off to join his fellow students, David stayed behind with Elena, grabbing the camera out of the trunk.
"You know how to use that thing?" Elena joked as she looked at Reese, who was glancing over the various buttons on the camera.
"Aw c'mon, give me some credit Blondie," David smiled, "I'm more than just a pretty face."
Elena rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she gave a small smile. "Whatever you say Fabio."
"Now which one's the record button?"
Elena turned to look at David, a disbelieving smile on her face. "Shut up," she chuckled.
"I'm serious," he insisted, his voice a complete deadpan, "I had this same problem with my laptop last week. I called tech support and everything, but for the life of me I couldn't find the any key."
Elena paused, resting her hand on her forehead momentarily. "Not dignifying that," she replied as she shook her head, trying not to laugh.
As Elena and David began filming some of the workers in the dig, Nate made his way through the site, trying to catch up to his group. He spotted a group of students gathered around one of the small dug out pits, and as he approached, tried to see if he could find Chase or Gabe in the crowd. He noticed Gabe first, standing slightly off to the side, talking on a cell phone. As he walked up to join his friend, he saw Chase standing a short distance away, talking seriously with a business man. At least, that's what he looked like. The only kind of person he had ever known to show up to archaeological sites in expensive three piece suits were rich business types.
"Certainly wasn't here yesterday," Nate thought to himself.
Nate walked over to Gabriel, who was just ending his phone call. "Morning Nathan," Gabe welcomed, "Nice of you to join us."
The tonal jab at his tardiness was not lost on Nate, "Sorry about that Finch, won't happen again." Finch began to turn towards the group of students, but Nate caught his attention, "Just out of curiosity," Nate started, raising his hand to point in Chases' direction, "Who the blonde guy is talking to Chase?"
Gabe squinted as he looked over at the pair, who were still conversing with one another, "I'm not entirely sure," he replied, racking his brain for an answer, "He just showed up this morning, I believe he's one of the foundation's big investors."
"Well he definitely stands out like a sore thumb," Nate smirked as the duo turned their attention back where it belonged.
"Alright," Elena said as David followed close behind, camera in hand, "I got the majority of my interviewing done yesterday, but we should get a few video conversations to round everything out."
"Sounds good to me," David replied, pulling a black beanie over his head, tucking strands of hair under it. "Just tell me where to point the lens."
"Actually, just wait here a minute," Elena replied as she spotted Chase parting ways with a man in a three piece suit, "I'm going to speak with Dr. Chase for a moment."
David nodded in understanding as Elena walked off. He stood there for a few moments, watching as the two women conversed with each other.
"Really wish I had learned to read lips," David thought as he looked on, wondering how long the two were going to talk. He was able to pick up the gist of the conversation by watching their body language, as Elena explained what she was hoping to accomplish, and if there were any important area to focus on.
"Something about her seems familiar," Reese thought as he looked at Chase.
At that moment, the pair looked in his direction, and he could've sworn he saw a look of recognition on Chase' face.
"Oh no," David grimaced internally, watching as Chase' speech body language became more heated. "Oh no."
David frowned slightly, recognizing that type of reaction as he watched Elena's body language become confused, then defensive, then reassuring, trying to calm Chase down with little success.
"Oh God no," David thought as Chase began to move his way, "No no no."
Chase stormed closer to him, ignoring Elena's attempts to stop her.
"No no no no no fuc-"
As soon as she came within reach, Chase decked Reese in the face, causing him to stumble back as her fist collided with his cheekbone
"Oww, son of a bitch!" David exclaimed, holding his left hand to his face. Elena did her best to restrain Chase as she tried to swing again.
"You're a real piece of work you know!" Chase shouted, trying to kick at him as Elena held her back, "You bastard!"
"Call that kettle black why don't you?" Reese retorted, ignoring the people who were taking notice of the altercation, "The hell's your problem?"
"Are you serious!?" Chase returned, "I don't know how you talked your way in here, but if you think you can come in to my dig after conning my grandfather…!"
"Wait, what?" Elena and Reese spouted in unison. Reese backed up a step as Elena turned to face him, a demand for an explanation written on her face. David assumed that this was what was going to happen. He had seen reactions like this before, the few times that people from old jobs. But he had no idea what specific job Chase was angry about.
"Yeah, when my grandfather was looking for Cibola years ago, in came your friend here," Chase explained, "He had gathered every cent that he had in his search, and when he realized it wasn't enough, he started looking for investors. Unfortunately, no archaeological institute wanted to back his research."
"When the hell was that, almost twenty years ago?" David griped, his anger at being punched in the face not helping his judgment in the scenario.
"Doesn't change the fact that you fed my grandfather some bullshit investment scheme," Chase replied, "Then stole all his money the first chance you got!"
"Hey, he came to me!" David shot back, "And I never stole nothing from nobody, he gave that money to me!"
Before the confrontation got any worse, or gathered any more attention that the small group that had already amassed, Elena stepped between the pair, asking Chase to calm down as she guided Reese away from all the negative attention he was receiving. She tried not to feel embarrassed as the onlookers silently judged her, or at least so it felt, for "taking the side" of the accused criminal. After everyone had separated, Elena stood in silence, waiting for David to calm down.
"You know," Elena sighed, "I'd slap you if I didn't think you'd have another temper tantrum. That was uncalled for. And do you want to tell me what the hell all of that was about?"
"I was a different guy back then," David sighed, wishing he hadn't let his anger get the better of him and make the situation worse, "I started out just conning criminals, people that needed to be taken down a peg you know. But as I got better at it, and my lot in life got worse, I guess I stopped being as selective. Didn't notice the harm I was doing until it hit real close to home. That's about the time I left Harlan."
Elena nodded, trying her best to be understanding. She had known what David used to do, like Nate, he had been a thief. But she had just never seen a repercussion that seemed so personal before.
"Alright, it's okay," Elena replied, "You should probably get out of here though. Could you just pick up Juliet and watch her back at the hotel?"
David gave a submissive nod, "Sure thing Blondie," he smiled weakly, taking the keys to the rental car before he left.
As the students began to separate into smaller groups, the man in the suit made his way into the crowd, approaching Professor Finch.
"Excuse me, uh, Gabriel Finch?" the blonde man asked, extending his hand to the bespectacled academic, "This learning opportunity was your idea, right?" he asked, pointing at the dispersing students.
"Yes, it was," Finch replied, his brow scrunching as he attempted to identify the man, slowly accepting the handshake, "This is an old associate of mine, Nathan."
"Nice to meet you," the man in the suit replied, shaking Nate's hand as Nate turned to face them. Realizing that both men were wearing expressions of attempted recollection, he continued, "Sorry where are my manners? John Church, I'm helping fund this project."
"I didn't expect any investor visits while we were here Mr. Church," Finch admitted, "But you're free to see the lecture we're doing right now."
"Don't mind if I do," the blonde man replied, "It was a bit of a last minute decision to come here, but I like to keep a close eye on an investment. And I have to ask, do we have any kind of security concerns here?"
"No, why do you ask?" Finch inquired.
The man in the suit turned his attention to Nate, "I thought I recognized you from a magazine article I had read a while back. You're Nathan Drake right, the security consultant?"
Nate was slightly taken aback. He had taken a break when Juliet was born, but his post treasure hunting career had become fairly successful. Even so, he wasn't used to being recognized for his work.
"Yeah, but not here as a consultant," Nate replied, guiding the conversation away from the group so that they wouldn't disturb the lecture, "I'm actually here as a student."
"Oh really?" the man in the suit replied, with Gabe dismissing himself from the conversation to take a phone call, "So, I hate to ask, but how does all this compare to your old work?"
Nate hesitated for a moment, "It's actually night and day," he explained, "There's so much precision and attention to detail at a dig like this, where every little thing gets recorded. Back in the old days, there'd be days where I'd practically stumble on-"
Then, as Nate took another step, the ground creaked beneath his weight, quickly collapsing in a hole under him. He dropped swiftly down into the hole, smacking his forehead into the edge before disappearing from sight. The man in the suit stood silently for a moment, sharing the shock of several onlookers.
"Ow," Nate voice echoed weakly.
Across town, David had just picked up Juliet from the daycare center. As he strapped her into her car seat, he noticed her staring at the black eye he had developed under his left eye.
"Yeah, I know Dimples," Reese smirked, "Uncle David got what was coming to him."
A haunting voice broke the silence, "Not everything he had coming I think."
David spun on his heels, his eyes landing on Benjamin Edwards, who stood several feet away in the empty parking lot, a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth. David's face became deadly serious as he closed the car door with one hand, his other slowly coming to rest on the 1911 at his belt.
"That's a nice shiner," Ben smiled, taking a long pull from his cigarette, "Taking care of kids really that rough on you?"
David drew his pistol as a reply, his arm by side, the gun pointed at the ground. "Don't know how you found us Chuckles, but you've got one chance to go back where you came from."
"That kind of talk isn't necessary Mr. Reese," Ben smiled, putting his cigarette out in his hand.
"Well say I think it is," Reese growled, raising his gun as he cocked the hammer.
"Then at least you're making the day interesting," Ben grinned menacingly.
Before David could react, two large thugs grabbed him from behind, forcing him to drop his gun as they held back his arms. They pulled David away from the car as Ben approached, looking at Juliet through the window, who met his gaze through the glass with curious eyes.
"You stay away from her you son of a bitch!"
David's angry words fell on deaf ears as Ben looked down at Juliet, seemingly oblivious to the world around him. He looked as though he had completely forgotten what he was there for as he stared sadly, almost longingly, down at Nate and Elena's little girl.
"What?" David called out, "She remind you of Abigail?"
The words snapped Ben out of his trance, his mind struggling as he processed them, broken, painful, and all but forgotten memories resurfacing.
"Abigail?" Ben whimpered, his voice barely audible. His eyes twitched, a look of physical pain dancing across his face as he fought against the memories.
David took advantage of the momentary distraction, flipping one of the thugs over his shoulder, wrenching his arm free from the second as he turned to kick the man in the chest. But before he could continue, Ben ran into him like a freight train, tackling him to the ground before clasping both hands to David's throat.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME?!" Ben erupted, his black eyes brimming with hate, "ABOUT MY LIFE?!"
David gasped for air, "More than I'd like, and not enough to make me feel bad for you," he cracked, pulling a combat knife from his waistband.
He jammed the blade into Ben's bicep, eliciting a large scream as he pulled himself free; smashing the elbow of Ben's other arm backwards in the process. David quickly dove for his gun, and pulled the trigger as Ben came lunging after him. Ben dropped to the ground with a large thud, blood trickling from his hair. As the two men came in for a counter attack, David managed to shoot one in the leg before the other disarmed him. They exchanged skilled and efficient blows, with Reese finally able to land a kick to the back of the man's knee, quickly following up by grabbing the man's hair, slamming him headfirst into the ground. Before he could finish the pair off, he felt a blow to his side that took him off the ground, slamming him into the side of his car.
"That was rude Mr. Reese," Ben growled, massaging the side of his head, "I liked this shirt."
David lay flabbergasted, pulling himself up to lean against the car. He was certain he'd shot him in the head. It was possible that he had grazed him, but as he saw Ben reach into his coat pocket, he realized that even his arms were okay. Ben pulled out his cell phone, pressing speed dial before holding it to his ear.
"Yes sir," Ben spoke into the phone, "I've got him right here."
Ben crouched down next to David, a condescending grin on as he held the phone to David's ear.
"Listen closely Mr. Reese," a calm, articulate voice said, "You have an important decision to make."
So who else was super excited by the trailer for Uncharted 4? I knew that it would be a story of Nate coming out of retirement! I called it! I mean come on, even if things were fine between him and Elena, it would have just spat in the face of his character arc in Drake's Deception if he just kept in the game like nothing happened. On that note though, I don't plan on attempting some weird convoluted retcon that would allow my story to exist between Uncharted 3 and 4 or after it. No matter where the official story goes, my story will stay as my own version of the post-U3 universe.