New Delhi, 1988
Joseph wearily takes the steps down from the plane while gazing at the bright airport lights illuminating the night sky, and as he steps on the airport runway below he feels a smack to the back of his head. "Ouch, what's the big idea?" Turning, he sees Jotaro with his hand still in the air.
"Baka."
"Hey, I still have no clue what you're saying."
"He's saying you're an idiot, Joseph." Anne shouts from a ways into the airfield. Their plane sits dead in the center of the runway, cocked at an odd angle with the front landing tire nearly shredded from impact.
"You're the one who told me to do it, you little witch!"
"And here I thought we could move in peace." Jotaro sighs and shoves Joseph to the side as he steps off the landing steps.
"The pilot said himself, it was just electrical failure!"
"Jotaro, how many planes has he crashed now?"
"Hey!"
"He's tied with his older self now." Joseph quietly scowls at Jotaro as he speaks, "Wipe that look off your face, Gramps. We have a hotel to get to."
Jotaro trudges forward, eyes heavy from lack of sleep. Joseph and Anne tag along a little ways behind. Anne admires the scenery and lights as they step into the airport gate proper, while Joseph has dug his hands deep into his pockets.
What's with me and planes? I should just take boats from now on. Jotaro has been odd, though. He seems to be planning for something…
"Anne, how many days do you think we are from Pakistan?"
"Are you seriously that dense, Jojo?"
"Hey, there was no Pakistan when I'm from, I have no clue where the damn place is."
"Hm," Anne pauses in recognition of Joseph's justified ignorance, "Pakistan is just west of India. I'd say maybe a day on a bus and we'd reach the border."
"So we have five extra days until we meet up with the rest of Jotaro's group."
"More time to sightsee with Jotaro, I guess."
"Ugh, I just wish I could find the guy who put me here. Who knows if he's even alive at this point."
"Will you finally tell me how it happened?"
"When we get to the hotel…Hey, Jotaro! You better have picked a good hotel!" Jotaro simply waves his hand behind him without turning. "Damn that kid."
New Delhi, probably the right airport (?)
Damn this city is something else. Reminds me of Houston.
Hol Horse thumbs through a small packet of papers, scanning through them under the airport's parking lot lights. His steed shuffled its hooves in boredom. "I know, I know. We just gotta wait for the plane to land."
How the hell did that lady get a hold of a fax machine anyway? I've been to DIO's palace. That gaudy monster mansion barely got a phone line in it. Must be that mountain of money that creep is sittin' on.
He glances back up at the front of the building before him. "'Indira Gandhi International Airport'. This is the spot." His eyes squint as he looks at the timetable outside the door. "If they really are flying here, they're late."
Hol Horse scratches his head and leans back to stretch his legs out. He had been riding hard for the past few hours, but it seems there was no real need to hurry. Suddenly, Hol Horse straightens up and readies his hand. A slight sound of footsteps clattered on the pavement a ways behind him.
Sandals?
Whipping around backwards on his saddle, he sees a stunning Indian woman, probably no older than her early 20s, stepping cautiously behind him. When they lock eyes, she dashes towards him into the spotlight. Her garb is ornate, and undoubtedly traditionally Indian.
"Oh, aren't you a gorgeous American man! Please, help me!" Hol Horse briefly betrays an expression of confusion, but melts into a cool confidence.
"How can I help ya, milady?" He leans down and offers her a hand as she approaches. She takes it and looks at him with sparkling eyes.
"Oh, I had just been set up for an arranged marriage with some boring old man. I always wanted to explore the world, and seeing you, looking so free and handsome…"
What the hell is this lady ramblin' about?
"I know just what yer talkin' 'bout."
"Oh, sweet cowboy, take me away!" The lady fake swoons dramatically and starts to try and hoist herself up on his horse.
"Ah, but first, can you do me favor? After that I'll take you anywhere, darlin'."
"Oh, but name it!"
This lady's creepin' me out, but she can at least be useful before I drop her off in the middle of town. I can't really go in with my trusty steed, here. Well, not after just getting kicked out for tryna enter with dear friend.
"Go in there and check the arrivals gate for a fella with a dumb scarf and tight pants." The woman looks up at him with an almost knowing look, but she quickly turns her head down towards the pavement.
"Is he…your lover?" She seems to chuckle inaudibly to herself.
"God no! I'm here on business, lady. Either you can make yourself useful, or find yer adventure somewhere else." He spins back around on his steed and starts to walk a bit closer to the airport.
"No, wait, I'll do it." Her gait seems a bit more confident now, but the quicker stride has her trip over a piece of asphalt halfway to the front entrance. She catches herself, and as she stands Hol Horse notices the blood on her right hand.
She's a weird one. Hopefully I can ride away before she gets back.
As if on cue, Hol Horse sees a rapidly descending plane fly over him and towards the airport, just as the Indian woman walks in. The lights on it are all out besides its emergency lights, and he hears a resounding screeching noise as it seems to connect with the runway in the distance. "Well, I reckon that's them."
He shuffles through his papers again. "'They have reservations at Le Meridien, kill them there.' That old hag is awful picky. 'When you're done, meet with my son just in case ZZ has failed.'" He tosses the papers to the ground, and rides his horse near the taxi pickup. "Nuthin' to do but wait."
New Delhi, 43 Days Remaining
Stepping outside the airport, Jotaro makes his way straight to the waiting taxi. Speedwagon Foundation had been ready for them to arrive an hour ago, but unfortunately a plane with a bunch of fried instruments takes a bit longer. He casts a glare behind him at Joseph.
Good grief. He's only shortening the time I can spare to help him.
His eyes catch something else. An Indian woman clutching her right hand starts to follow the trio as they head to the taxi lane, staying pretty far behind them. Star Platinum manifests itself by Jotaro's head, and zooms its eyes in on her hand. There is blood pooling in her palms, and the woman seems to recoil and turn the other way.
So soon? We have to be careful. She definitely saw Star Platinum.
"Hey, don't hit me with that thing, I saw you glaring!" Joseph puffs himself up defiantly.
"Yare yare daze…"
"What?"
"Joseph, you need to learn some Japanese."
"I just got here!"
"Gramps." Jotaro plants his feet and turns. "I heard there's a bug going around New Delhi, don't get anyone's blood on you."
"Huh, that's sudden." Joseph turns his head around to examine his surroundings at that statement. His eyes squint as he scans the nighttime street in front of him. "Hey, who's that asshole?" He points straight across the street, pointing at the obvious blond cowboy and his horse facing a wall.
Hm. Either this guy is an idiot assassin, or…
"Get in the cab, Gramps. Leave the cowboy alone." Jotaro coldly states as he takes the front seat.
"Hey, wait up!" Joseph and Anne pile into the backseat, "What if that guy's an assassin?"
"That guy on the horse? He doesn't seem to notice us." Anne points through the tinted windows at the man, who seems to be nervously looking towards the airport door. Jotaro tilts his head and looks in the rearview mirror.
"Let's go already." The driver starts to pull away, and Jotaro sees the woman from before running towards the cowboy. In a jolt, he starts to gallop the opposite direction as the group, and the woman just stands dumbfounded and abandoned. Joseph spins back around in his seat, also staring.
"Harsh. That's no way to treat a lady."
Time passes…
Taking the express lanes there, the group had already checked in and gotten into their penthouse suite in about two hours. It was well past midnight now.
Those two haven't seemed to follow us far. I need to get some sleep before I can fight anyone else with a clear head.
Jotaro marches off to a bedroom on the right and slams the door. He flings himself onto the bed facedown, and crashes hard.
"Jotaro? Hello?" Joseph peeks his head in and sees the sleeping teenager. "Oh, poor kid. I'll let him sleep."
New Delhi, in front of some ritzy hotel
I hate asking for damn directions.
Hol Horse ties his horse to a light pole outside the hotel. He checks his pockets, then balls up the map in his hands. The thing was covered in ink from all the folks he had to stop and ask for them to circle where the hotel was.
This damn place is lit up like a Christmas tree, how'd these people not know where to find a glowin' building?
His eyes followed the height of the building to the very top. If that lady hadn't rushed his horse at the airport, he could've followed them as they left. Somethin' about that lady won't right, though, but at least she couldn't have chased him on foot. Hol Horse taps his thigh in thought.
They're supposed to have sent someone to help me. I'm damn near useless by myself, but if I can just catch them by surprise…I reckon one of 'em is good enough for my reward. That kid in black looked like Jotaro, so I reckon I shouldn't mess with him. That mystery man, though…
His boots loudly thump against the polished hotel floor as he confidently steps up to the reception desk. He sees a man and a woman clerk, and makes a hard swerve to the woman. "Hello, my dear." Hol Horse winks and tips his hat. The lady looks at him with complete deadpan eyes.
"Yes, welcome to Le Meridien. How may I assist you?"
"Ya see, well," Hol Horse glances at the clock on the reception desk, "My friends checked in a few hours ago, and I was staying with them for the night."
"Can you tell me their names?"
"Jotaro Kujo, big guy, black trench coat. Japanese guy, he had this elementary schoolkid and some fairy with a scarf with 'em."
"Ah, yes. They did check in recently, did you want me to call them to inform them you're here?" The receptionist reaches for the phone, but Hol Horse firmly slams his hand on the desk.
"No! No, uh, they're probably asleep after their long flight. I just flew in myself, see? Can you just point me there and I'll knock to see if someone's awake."
"Oh, of course sir. Top floor, the penthouse suite on the left, Penthouse A."
"Thank ya kindly, madam. And another one of my friends might be here soon, just send them my way if they're also looking for Jotaro." Hol Horse tips his hat once more and heads to the elevator. Looking at the buttons inside, he notices the buttons end at twenty. He taps it, and the elevator slowly ascends. Just as the doors close, he can barely see someone else approaching the reception desk.
"Slow ass thing. It'll be sunrise before I get there," He grumbles to himself as he twists his boot into the elevator's carpeted floor.
New Delhi, 1988
"So, I chase the guy to the beach, and he starts attacking me with this invisible bird guy."
"How'd you know it was a bird guy if it was invisible?"
"I'm getting there!"
"You've been 'getting there' for like 2 hours."
"That's because you keep interrupting! Anyway, he tosses me around a bit, but I stun him with a big blast of Hamon. Then he stabs me with the invisible birdman, everything goes turquoise, and I can finally see the bird guy. Real freaky, gotta say."
"Uh huh…" Anne yawns loudly and rubs her eyes. "Yeah uh, tell me more when I wake up." She gets up and takes the other unoccupied bedroom, shutting the door behind herself. Joseph stands up to protest, but sits back down on the couch in the living room. He casts a weary glance at the city skyline outside the massive window facing the front of the building.
Nah, the couch is fair. I've caused you guys a lot of trouble today. I better get some shut-eye. Even if that cowboy followed us, it should take him a bit.
Joseph glances at the digital clock by the TV. About 2:30 at night. He stands up and pours himself a glass of water, sips a tiny bit, and watches the city outside. His eyes are wide open. It's been a bit since there's been this much action. "Don't worry, Jotaro. I can handle this next one."
END OF CHAPTER 7