He was going to have several bruises, possibly a cracked rib, and one hell of a head ache, but all in all, he was going to be okay. At least he hoped so. Nate groaned as he raised himself off the floor, coming to a seated position. He rubbed his head as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He cursed under his breath as he came to his feet, looking up as he heard voices call out.
"Nate!" a voice called, emanating from the one source of light above him, the hole he had fallen through, "Nate are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Nate grunted in reply, "I broke the fall with my face."
Stretching his aches and pains, Nate felt a satisfying pop in several of his joints as he took in the dark space that surrounded him. It was difficult to tell how large, or how small, it was. The darkness that enveloped him made it difficult to determine if it was even a man-made structure, or just an empty cavern.
"Hey!" Nate called out to the hole above him, "Anybody got a flashlight?"
He could hear the chatter above him as people clambered to find a light to give him. As he waited, he wondered how long it would take word to reach Elena of what happened. He rubbed the bump on his forehead, certain that somebody had to be looking for her. But there was no telling where she was in the site, or what she may be busy with.
Moments later, a voice called his attention, and a small toolkit dropped into the space a few feet from him. He unrolled the canvas bag, removing a bent head flashlight from one of the pouches, clipping it to his belt as he depresses the button on its side, illuminating the chamber in front of him. He ran his fingers over the various pouches, taking inventory of what had been given to him. He heard one of the pouches crackle, opening it to reveal a radio and earpiece.
"Nate can you hear me?" Gabe's voice crackled through the earpiece. Nate clasped the radio to his hip, inserting the small bud into his ear.
"Yeah, I'm here," Nate grumbled into the mike, "Judging from the bag, I'm guessing you guys would like me to do a little scouting."
"We've got some people looking for rappelling gear," Gabe replied, "If you're up to it, some of the staff were hoping that you'd see if there's anything worth looking into down there."
"Sure, why not. You know, when I said I used to stumble upon these things, I meant it as a figure of speech."
Across the camp, the man in the suit made his way through all the workers, his purposeful walk causing all to assume he belonged there. He eyed his goal a short distance away, a discrete tent on the edge of camp. Along the way, he directing a select few to the area Nate had fallen, holding up his ruse that he had dismissed himself from the situation to find help. He had almost arrived at the tent when Elena came around a corner, bumping into him.
"Oh, I'm sorry," they both said in unison as Elena dropped the notepad and pencil that she was carrying.
"Oh, it's my fault," the blonde man replied, picking the notebook up off the ground. "I shouldn't have been walking so fast."
As he handed the notebook over, a quick look of recognition glanced over his face, "I'm John Church by the way," he lied.
"Elena Fisher-Drake," Elena replied, extending her hand in greeting.
"Nathan Drake's wife?" he replied, shaking her hand absentmindedly, "I'm glad I found you, there was an accident on the other side of the site."
He explained what happened, reassuring her that, at least according to Nate's own declarations, he was okay. He directed her where to go, and she thanked him for letting her know as they parted ways. As she disappeared around the corner, the man's faux concern gave way to a cold, stone faced demeanor before he turned back towards the tent that had been his original goal. He pushed the flap aside, his gaze falling upon Benjamin Edwards as he stepped inside. The Irishman sat quietly in a folding canvas chair as a quiet looking worker looked him over. Ben's eyes traveled up to meet his new guest, narrowing slightly as the two made eye contact.
"Mr. Reimer," Ben greeted seriously.
"So what happened?"
David Reese was weighing his options. He sat quietly in the rental car, thinking about what had transpired. He went through what the voice on the phone had said, unfortunately unrecognizable behind a voice modulator.
Remembering the plan what Nate had asked of him the night before, to the weapons he had hidden in the trunk, and to the seemingly inescapable threat that had already followed them across continents. The desire for new information passed through his mind, hoping that it would illuminate the best choice. A small cooing noise broke the silence, and his eyes made contact with Juliet in the rear view mirror, who was sitting peacefully in her car seat.
"Yeah, I know, I know," David sighed, "It shouldn't be a choice at all."
Just as he was about to start the car, his cell phone rang. Retrieving it from the cup holder, David pressed the phone to his ear.
"What've you got for me Tim?" he asked hopefully.
"You guys are not going to believe this," Nate spoke into the radio, slightly slack jawed. His shoes scraped on the stone floor as he took in his surroundings. Holding the mike close, he spoke again, "I think I'm in some kind of records chamber."
"A records chamber?" Gabe's voice crackled into the earpiece.
"Well I wouldn't call it a library," Nate commented, removing the flashlight from his belt to examine a wall of rickety wooden shelves ahead of him. "But yeah, there's a good assortment of books and papers down here."
Nate ran his fingers over the shelves, feeling the layers of dirt and dust as he eyed the aging yellow pages.
"Several hundred years old at least," he narrated absentmindedly, engrossed in his findings.
"Nate?" Elena's voice came in, breaking his almost trance like state. "Nate, are you okay?"
"Just a little banged up, but I'm fine," Nate's voice returned as Elena and the others listened on the surface. "You should see this stuff Elena," his voice crackled over the speaker as Elena held the radio close, "It's remarkable."
Before he could continue, a wooden chest on the opposite side of the room caught his eye. The voice of one of the workers crackled into his earpiece, saying something about having found some rappelling gear, but Nate wasn't listening. The chest stood a little over a foot tall, ornately carved wooden sides begging for closer examination. A smile spread across Nate's face as his eyes came within a few inches of the decorative carvings. He barely heard the dull thud of a rope hit the ground as the others prepared to enter the space. The lid of the chest was similarly decorated, as well as adorned with a clear circular crystal seal. The pads of his fingers ran over the seal, his attention finally diverted by the light touch of Elena's hand on his shoulder.
"Nate, this is amazing," Elena spoke as Nate turned to face her. As he stood, her eyes landed on the decorative chest, "Any idea who this belonged to?"
"Tough to say," Nate replied, eyeing the archaeologists who were making their way into the chamber, "The writing is centuries old, but I'm having trouble placing it."
Nate grabbed Elena by the waist, shifting themselves to the side as one of the workers made their way over to the chest.
"Besides, I don't actually work here," he smirked, "So I think that I should leave this to the pros."
As the dig professionals began measuring and documenting every detail, Nate and Elena made their way out of the chamber, reassured by one of the workers that they would be allowed a closer look at the find once everything was recorded and accounted for.
"Congratulations," Henry told Nate, inviting him into 'John Church's' private tent, "You weren't kidding when you said you'd stumble upon a good find."
"Yeah, but usually that's just a metaphor," Nate smiled, running his hand through his hair, "I just wish I could attribute that find to more than just dumb luck."
Nate only half listened as the conversation continued, his mind remaining focused on the wooden chest.
"Hey, success is success," Henry asserted, retrieving a bottle of high end bourbon from a foot locker, along with two glasses, "Doesn't matter how you got there. Hell, the guy who invented Penicillin did so by accident."
"I suppose I've got to take what I can get," Nate returned, still thinking about the symbols that adorned the chest, running through all the symbols and languages he knew in his head.
"To success," Henry interrupted his train of thought, holding out a glass of bourbon to Nate. Nate hesitated, eyeing the bottle on the table. It was a $200 bottle, and one Nate knew to be incredibly good.
"Thanks," Nate replied, giving a declining little wave, "But…" he fished into his pocket, retrieving a small plastic chip.
"My apologies," Henry nodded in understanding, withdrawing the drink, "If you don't mind, how long's it been?"
"No problem," Nate replied, his attention once again beginning to wander back to his find, old habits hoping for some significance to it, "It's been about twenty months."
"What changed things for you?"
"Found out my wife and I were going to be parents," Nate responded with no shortage of pride.
"Congratulations, I've actually got a son of my own."
Nate began to answer, but was interrupted by the buzz of his phone. He excused himself as he retrieved the phone from his pocket.
Not safe.
Nate's brow furrowed slightly as he looked at David's text. It wasn't much to go on, but he started thinking about how what they should do.
"So what's your daughter's name?" Henry interjected, derailing Nate's train of thought. Nate's eyes snapped up, narrowing in suspicion as Henry took a calm drink of his bourbon.
"I, uh," Nate hesitated, "Never told you I had a daughter."
"Oh," Henry replied nonchalantly, "Must've heard from someone else."
Nate paused momentarily, not able to shake the suspicious feeling that was nagging him. His phone buzzed again.
"So tell me about them," Henry replied. If he had been caught in a slip up, he wasn't acting like it, "Your wife and daughter."
"What would you like to know?" Nate replied.
"I want to know," Henry replied, a sudden coldness in his voice, "If they deserve to share your fate."
Outside, Abraham made his way into the site, false identification giving him easy passage. He scanned the crowd methodically, trying to get his bearings. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Elena, talking animatedly with a brunette he didn't recognize. His orders didn't concern her though, at least not yet. So he turned away from her, taking a deep breath as he made his way into the camp.
"What did you say?" Nate asked, breaking the tense silence that had come over them.
Henry retained a detached coldness in his silvery blue eyes, taking a seat in a canvas chair. "Well I suppose I should properly introduce myself. Henry Reimer."
Nate's heart pounded, his knuckles turning white as he reached back to grasp his gun. But his hand met nothing but air, his waistband empty. As the realization dawned on him, Henry revealed Nate's gun in his hand, removing the magazine and emptying the chamber, a look of disappointment in his eyes.
"Unfortunately, the real John Church is dead in a hotel. Though I'm sure would be happy with his investment in this dig."
Henry motioned toward the canvas chair opposite from him, but Nate continued to stand in defiance.
"What do you want?" Nate fumed.
"Honestly I haven't decided," Henry replied coldly, "I suppose it's up to you really. If you can give me a good reason not to kill you right here and now."
The anger in Nate's eyes wavered, fear momentarily showing through.
"Now sit down," Henry ordered, "And help me make a good decision."
Nate stood for a moment longer, but acquiesced, "So I hear you want my help," Nate spoke quietly, "At least so your Russian friend told me."
Henry gave an almost imperceptible smile, but said nothing.
"Well, if you're looking for a security consultant, my hours are from ten to six every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday," Nate cracked, hiding his apprehension as best he could manage, "Appointments are preferred, but walk-ins are accepted on a case by case basis."
"Cute," Henry replied, a confident quarter smile on his face, "But that's not why I'm here."
"Well then how can I help you sir?" Nate replied sarcastically. He couldn't tell what was stronger at the moment, his anger or his fear.
Henry chuckled, "Well first you're going to tell me exactly what you found down there," he pointed outside, in the direction of the hole, "And if you think it's valuable."
"Why?" Nate countered, though his mind was already returning to work on the issue.
"Well to be honest, my men lied when they said we wanted your help with something valuable," Henry admitted plainly, "I hoped it might pique your interest."
"And that worked out well for you," Nate retorted.
"But now you've piqued my interest," Henry continued, "Because I'm in the middle of a war, and you were a mere side project to me. I had intended nothing more than to take you out back and put your worthless ass down like Old Yeller, as a nice morale boost for my men."
Nate was taken aback, unsure of how to respond.
"But to fight a war you need resources," Henry stated matter-of-factly, "And you just stumbled onto the one thing that just might make you more useful to me alive."
"So that's it?" Nate managed a meager chuckle of his own, his best attempt to appear more confident, "After all that, you're just the millionth asshole to give me the 'die now, or help me, and die later' deal?"
Henry just snickered in reply.
"Why the fuck should I help you?" Nate spat.
"Because you killed someone very important to me. You're going to help me because it's your fault my organization now stands decimated, fighting to survive. And because it's not only yourself you should be worried about."
There was a tense moment of silence between them, Nate's mind racing over the details of the box.
"So I'll ask again," Henry continued, his voice filled with calm menace, "Do your wife and daughter deserve to share your fate?"
Outside, Elena was still talking to Chase. Elena had gotten all the journalistic coverage she needed done, so now they were just chatting. Chase was sharing a story from her childhood, but her expression turned sour in a moment. Confused, Elena turned to see David come up behind her, a look of apprehension on his face. He had Juliet in a harness on his back, looking around in wonder at her new surroundings, her head adorned with a set of earmuffs and David's black ski cap.
"What're you doing back here?" Chase asked, hostility evident in her voice.
"We're blown," David whispered in Elena's ear, ignoring Chase. He took Elena's hand in an attempt to lead her away, but she didn't budge. He turned back to face her, and was met with an expectant gaze.
"We've got to go," David insisted, staying as calm as he could, "It's not safe."
"What're you talking about?" Chase asked.
"David, what's going on?" Elena asked concernedly, sensing the seriousness in his voice.
"They found us," he replied, his tone remaining subdued so as not to attract attention, "We need to leave now."
Henry picked up Nate's gun, sliding the magazine back in place. He looked expectantly at Nate.
"Would you like to reconsider that drink?" Henry deadpanned, chambering a round in the pistol.
"Leave?" Chase inquired, confused by the tension between her two companions, "What's going on?"
"It's uh, it's complicated," David replied, eyes scanning the crowd, "Blonde guy, nice suit, where is he? I saw him here earlier."
"Mr. Church?" Chase replied, "He's talking with Nate."
"Son of a-" David sighed, "We've got to go, right now."
David returned to leading Elena through the crowd, Chase not far behind, refusing to be left hanging. As he scanned the crowd, he saw them intermittently, people who didn't feel right. His gut told him they were bad news.
Inside the tent, Nate broke the silence after several moments. A pair of men had entered the tent, standing guard behind him.
"The City of the Caesars," he mumbled, the revelation dawning on him.
"The what?"
"The City of the Caesars," Nate repeated, "The Wandering City, or Trapananda, it's a lost Patagonian city, rumored to have been hidden deep within the Andes, built by Patagonian giants."
"And this all means what?" Henry asked impatiently.
"The legends say that it only appears at certain times, and that those who stumble upon it by accident will forget. But it was said to have been built between two mountains, one of gold, and one of diamonds."
Henry sat in silence for a moment; pondering the story he had been told. His eyes darted between Nate and the two men.
"Go get the chest," Henry ordered one of the men; "We're leaving."
The man nodded, and turned to leave. But as he made his way through the tent flap, a boot connected with his chest, sending him tumbling back inside. Nate and Henry both jumped in surprise as Abraham burst into the tent, quickly blocking a punch from the second henchman. As Abraham took on both guards with great skill, Nate kicked the edge table in front of him, slamming it into Henry's stomach. Henry dropped the pistol to the floor, and Nate quickly dove after it.
Upon raising the weapon to meet his adversary, however, he saw that Henry had already disappeared out the back of the tent. Nate began to make his way after him, but halted as he felt Abraham's hand grip down hard on his shoulder, pulling him the other way. Nate looked back as he was dragged out of the tent, his eyes landing on the two effortlessly incapacitated henchmen on the ground.
David Reese eyed the suspicious figures that littered the crowd, trying to avoid notice. Several of the men were becoming increasingly active, likely receiving orders via earpieces.
"I'll go find Nate," he reassured, Elena and Chase in tow, "But we've got to get you and Juliet outta here."
"David, I hate to play twenty questions," Elena asserted, "So can you fill me in on all the details?"
"That blonde guy, he's Henry Reimer," David nodded, slowly unbuckling Juliet's harness. Two of the agents began eyeing them suspiciously. "I don't know how, but they followed us here."
"Excuse me," Chase interjected, "But what the hell is going on?"
David turned to look at her. He'd forgotten she was there. "You've got to start getting these people out of here," he replied, handing off Juliet, harness and all to Elena. "We're all in danger."
"The hell are you talking about?" Chase responded irately. Elena removed Juliet from the harness, sitting it discreetly with several bags as she held her daughter close, wondering why she in fact had two sets of earmuffs on.
"You're a friend of Nate's right?" David asked Chase, "You can come with us if you want, but we need to keep moving."
"Oh my God," Chase replied with disbelief. David noticed the men pushing their way towards them, "If this is some kind of con…"
Before anyone could reply, everyone jumped at the sound of a distant gunshot. David's gaze quickly snapped back to the approaching agent, who pulled a large pistol.
"DUCK!" David shouted, fast drawing as he put himself in front of Elena. Raising his weapon with greater speed, David shot the man square in the chest, sending the whole site from confusion into full-fledged panic.
"ARE YOU COMING OR NOT?" Reese shouted at Chase, "EITHER WAY WE ARE LEAVING NOW!"
The trio made their way through the site, Elena suddenly understanding why Juliet's ears were so well covered.
Nate dropped down into a pit right behind Abraham, narrowly avoiding several more shots. His minded quickly went to Elena, praying she was safe. Nate drew his PPK, looking over the edge of the pit, but Abraham quickly pulled him back down as a shot tore through the tent behind them.
"Get off me!" Nate shouted, pulling himself out of Abraham's grip, baffled by his new 'associate's' sudden interference, "Who the hell are you anyway?"
Abraham looked at Nate, eying the pistol that was being held low at his side, "The Horseman of War," he replied with calm sarcasm, pushing Nate's gun away from his abdomen, "And today I'm your guardian angel."
Looking to see if the coast was clear, Abraham jumped out of the hole, shooting an agent as he came around the corner. He swept his weapon side to side, looking for additional targets. But when he looked back into the pit, Nate was gone.
"God damn it."
Reese led the way out towards their car, Chase and Elena staying low behind him, Elena holding Juliet tight.
"Do you know how to shoot a gun?" David asked Chase.
"It's been a while, but yeah," Chase replied. David produced a snub nose revolver from his jacket pocket.
"Then be ready." He insisted, passing the weapon back to her.
They rounded a grouping of tents, the car finally in sight. But just before they reached the lot, Chase stopped.
"What about Gabe?" she asked, thinking about where he could be," We've got to find him!"
David groaned, looking back into the hysteria of the camp. "Nate's probably taking care of him," David guessed, wanting to keep the group moving.
"I'll go find them, you take care of Elena and the baby," Chase ordered, turning back to the camp.
"Wait, but-" David began.
"No time to argue!" Chase interrupted, beginning to run back into the site, "Just keep them safe!"
"Son of a bitch," David grumbled before calling out to her, "BUT YOU'VE ONLY GOT… six… bullets," he trailed of, realizing she was already out of earshot.
"ELENA!" Nate shouted, searching each tent, avoiding panicking archaeologists as he looked.
"Please God let her be safe."
Nate heard the shot before he saw the mercenary, practically feeling the bullet whiz by him as he instinctively ducked into a tent. Running through the weak canvas structure as bullets tore through the walls behind him, Nate dove out the back, flanking the mercenary. He aimed at the man, managing to get two shots in, hitting each of the attacker's legs before he could get another shot off.
"ELENA!" he screamed again, continuing his sweep.
As he entered one of the tents, he came across the wooden chest, obviously abandoned in the middle of its examination. The contents were organized neatly on the table, several documents, a stone talisman, and a few gold coins. Grabbing the chest, Nate quickly shoved all the contents inside, throwing the chest and lid haphazardly inside a nearby duffle bag. He darted back out of the tent, about to call out again, when a voice sang out.
"Catch a falling star, and put it in your pocket,
Save it for a rainy day."
Reese watched intently as Elena fastened Juliet into her car seat, trying to calm her cries. "Alright, let's go," he said as she finished up, making his way to the driver's side door.
"Alright," Elena stood ready for action, "You have another gun for me?"
"Huh?" David paused, momentarily confused, "No, I meant go as in time to leave."
"I thought you were going back for Nate?" Elena countered, her voice full of defiance.
"I am," David assured, "After I get the two of you out of the country."
Nate recognized Elena's favorite lullaby when he heard it. He spun on his feet, determined to locate the man who was now taunting him with it.
"Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket,
Never let it fade away."
Nate raised his gun as the voice echoed, as if it were closing in from all sides. And then, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, a chill running down his spine as he made a slow 180 degree turn, his heart pounding as he came face to face with Ben.
"Hello Nathan," Ben grinned, standing about twenty five feet away. But before he could utter another word, a shot rang through the air, and he stood stunned as he felt the impact dead center in his chest. His eyes wandered down, settling on the crimson liquid that was quickly coating his white button up. And just as the reverberations of the gunshot died down, Ben tipped backwards, landing with a resounding thud as Nate looked on, wisps of smoke trailing from his gun barrel.
Nate stood still for a moment, drawing long, shuddering breaths. His adrenaline flowed, his pulse pounded, and his heart boiled with rage as he stared at the motionless form in front of him. His hands started to shake as he lowered his weapon, remembering what had happened in Miami. He death gripped his pistol, knuckles turning white, fuming as he thought about that monster in his house. He raised his gun again as he remembered what that man did.
"PUT YOUR HANDS ON MY WIFE!?" he screamed, cocking the hammer on his gun, his eyes watering, "THREATEN MY DAUGHTER?!"
His breath shuddered as his hands shook, finger against the trigger. He stood there for a moment, gritted teeth and bated breath, before finally lowering his weapon. He turned and walked away, trying to regain his composure as he kept an eye out for other men. Things were quiet, for the moment, but he kept his guard up. But then, Nate froze in his tracks as a voice broke the silence.
"I'm impressed Nathan."
Nate's heart skipped a beat, and he spun as fast as he could; only to be grasped by the throat, practically choke slammed into the dirt. As the daze of impact wore off, his breath stopped short as he looked at a wild eyed Ben kneeling over him, hand still at his throat.
"Didn't think you'd actually shoot me," Ben grinned maliciously.
Reese spun around, getting himself between Elena and the site, "Whoa, whoa, whoa Blondie, stop!"
"Don't Blondie me David, we can't just leave Nate!" Elena shouted, trying to move around him.
"Elena, Elena! I promise I'll come back for him," Reese insisted, "But he asked me to get y'all out, to make sure both of you were safe if things went bad!"
He pointed at a crying Juliet to emphasize her presence. They stood silently for a moment, a look of understanding coming over Elena. But just as soon as it arrived, it was gone, defiant determination in her eyes.
"No," she spoke, snatching David's gun from his hand, "I won't just be pushed aside while my husband's life is in danger."
And with that, she pushed him aside.
"Damn it Blondie," David sighed as she began to pass him by. Unsure of what else to do, he grabbed her in a choke hold, wrapping his arm around her neck. He did his best to keep her still as she thrashed around in surprise, not wanting to hurt her.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
Nate gasped for breath, Ben's grip tightening on his throat. His fingers dug into Bens hand and arm, but to no affect.
"I didn't think you were so cold blooded," Ben tormented, "Shooting an unarmed man."
Nate's hands grasped through the dirt, hoping to find his gun. But instead he found himself gripping a baseball sized rock. With all the strength he had left, he hauled off and slammed the stone into Ben's head. But the Irishman barely budged.
"Woo man Nathan, now we're having fun," Ben laughed, "But you'll have to do better than that!"
Right at that moment, the flat face of a shovel slammed full force into the back of Ben's skull with a decisive clang, causing to collapse in a heap. As Nate coughed, gasping for air, he saw Abraham standing over him; shovel in hand, a frustrated look on his face.
"Come on," he insisted, offering a hand to help Nate up, "Let's move."
He pulled Nate to his feet, but before either could say a word, a dart flew through the air, hitting Nate in the neck. He immediately started to stumble, and Abraham spotted Henry a distance off, disappearing into the tents. Abraham quickly drew his gun from his canvas jacket, firing as several mercenaries came into view. But Nate began to fall, swinging at nothing, his vision distorting. He heard voices as the world warped around him. He'd felt these affects before.
"Damn it," Abraham cursed, lifting an increasingly incoherent Nate into a fireman's carry, "Time to go."
Reese lowered Elena gently into the passenger seat, triple checking her pulse as he fastened her seatbelt. She was fine, just unconscious. Her pulse was steady, her breathing quiet. He walked around to the other side, taking a seat behind the wheel. As he closed the door, Juliet's cries filling the air, he sat quietly for a moment, weighing his options.