Jinnah International Airport, 36 Days to Save Holly
"So…Jotaro…" The older Joseph grits his teeth as both he and his grandson trudge across the deeply foggy runway. He points to his younger self, being carried over Jotaro's shoulder, before he continues speaking. "…He, uh…he hasn't caused you any trouble, has he?"
Jotaro's eyes snap to meet his grandfather's gaze. The sharpness of his look seems to appraise the old man for a bit.
Oh c'mon, Jotaro, you can't blame me for being an idiot when I was younge-
"No, old man. He's been a great help. You weren't exaggerating at how…" Jotaro is silent for a moment, trying to find the word, "Creative you used to be."
"Oi, Jotaro, what's that supposed to mean? I'm plenty creative now! Just ask Kakyoin and the others."
"Tch." Jotaro pushes air through his teeth to scoff a bit. "You're right. You haven't changed much at all."
Agh. I know what you're getting at, Jotaro…Still too worried about how others see me…
"Jotaro…listen, has he said a lot-"
"Yes. Constantly."
"Yeah, well, uh, but has he said talked about Cae-"
"Old man. Stop."
"What? I just want to know where he's at with the whol-"
"No. Listen." As he finishes speaking, Jotaro indicates with a pointed finger in front of him.
"Hm…" Joseph squints forward, trying his best to peer into the fog. Maybe fifteen, no, ten feet in front of them is a silhouette of someone. Someone with very tall, flat topped hair.
"Oi, Polnareff, speak up. We're right in front of you." Jotaro calls out to the figure in the fog. What replies back is a very familiar voice, but extremely distressed.
"Jotaro! Run! Get away from me!" The figure seems to come closer, stumbling a bit as it walks.
"Polnareff, where are the others? What happened?" Joseph calls out to the figure, which slowly comes into view. Sure enough, the silhouette was absolutely Polnareff. Looking him over, though…
Damn, he's been-
"Watch out!" In a split second, Jotaro chucks the younger, still unconscious Joseph at his older self, knocking both of them to the ground.
"Jota-" As he falls, Joseph sees the blade of Silver Chariot thrust exactly to the spot where his left shoulder was. "-ro?" He grabs his younger self and rolls to the side, trying to stay outside of Polnareff's range.
"Oi, get out of here. I'll try and hold him off or knock him out." Jotaro steps forward, Star Platinum forming before him. With a purple flash, Star Platinum's hand lunges forward and bats away a clumsy swipe from Silver Chariot with its armguard. Twisting to the side to pivot, the other arm reaches out and snatches Chariot's sword arm. The sound of crumpling metal reaches Joseph's ears as he takes a few steps back.
"Jotaro…" Tears stream down Polnareff's face as blood spurts from his wrist. "That witch got us all, Jotaro…knock me out, kill me…either way, you have to make it out of here and beat her!"
"They got you all? Avdol, Kakyoin, Anne-"
"Not Kakyoin…I haven't see-"
"That's fine. I'll go easy on you, Polnareff." Jotaro's fist winds back, using the arm opposite of the arm Star Platinum continues to subdue Chariot with.
But.
Out of the corner of Joseph's eye, he sees a flare of light from beyond the fog. A red flame careens with incredible speed…straight into Jotaro's back. It singes the back of his coat, but knocks him forward.
"Jotaro! Avdol's behind-"
A sound like a whip crack rings out. Star Platinum barely catches a knee from Silver Chariot using its spare hand, the blow aimed at Jotaro's face. Joseph rushes towards the source of the flame, leaving his younger self on the ground where he landed before.
"Avdol! Answer me, Avdol!" Another gout of flame comes from the fog, which Joseph ducks under. Joseph hears Polnareff sputter a bit through tears behind him.
"She…she made me stab him in the tongue! He can't call for help like me! Not just Avdol, but-"
"Tch." Another burst of air finds its way through Jotaro's gritted teeth. Joseph turns to look back at his grandson, only to see a small figure of a girl standing under Jotaro's right arm. A small knife appears to be jammed into the backside of that arm.
"JOTARO!"
"Oi. Old man. You and Jojo will have to handle this one." Star Platinum's arm shudders a bit, the fog streaming in from around them and into the hole in Jotaro's right arm. Finally, it relents, and a blow from Silver Chariot crashes into Jotaro's chin, sending him back a few steps. With a sweep of his leg, Jotaro trips the crying body of Anne beside him, sending her crashing onto the tarmac.
"Hold on, Jotaro! Hermit Purple!" A host of vines reaches to try and extract Jotaro, but another stream of flame intercepts the vines and envelops them. Hermit Purple twitches a bit before retracting back in.
"Don't worry about me! Get Jojo!" Jotaro turns and shouts at Joseph before turning to face Polnareff. "Sorry, Polnareff." Star Platinum releases Chariot's sword arm, using the split moment after to make a powerful jab straight at Polnareff's head. With an equally swift motion, Silver Chariot attempts to block it with its other arm, finding only temporary purchase as the limbs collide with massive force. The metal arm of Silver Chariot trembles from the force of the punch, barely an inch or so away from Polnareff's head, before the hit powers through.
Polnareff gets sent skidding across the runway from the force of the hit, though it seems the damage was mitigated a bit by the blocking arm of Silver Chariot. Jotaro, however, stands almost motionless, huffing.
Did he-
Sure enough, a stream of blood comes from Jotaro's other shoulder, Silver Chariot having stabbed him there before it got sent flying. Both arms of Star Platinum hang limp for a moment before they find themselves in a readied stance. Star Platinum itself looks at its fists, confused at its lack of control.
"Jotaro…"
They got Jotaro…whoever this 'she' that Polnareff mentioned is…she beat us, then…
Joseph stands, dejected for a bit, before hearing a loud thunking noise. Several floodlights whir to life around Joseph, piercing the heavy fog. Behind it, however, are a massive horde of bodies. Along with the sides of the airport building proper, a quick scan of the situation reveals the nearest jetway moving about. The elevated passageway extends from the side of the airport gate, stretching out and turning as if to connect to a waiting plane. However, at the open mouth of the jetway, a crooked, shriveled old woman stands on the edge of it.
That must be her…just outside of Hermit Purple's range…
"Oh, Joseph Joestar. Master DIO has been so looking forward to feasting on both you and Jotaro's blood." The hag grasps her gnarled walking stick and points it at Joseph. "Once I deal with you, no one will stand in my master's way!" She cackles as the fog coalesces above her and the jetway, forming a bust of a giant skeleton with a gaudy crown. Slivers of fog dangle from the skeleton's bony fingers like marionette strings.
Her Stand…That's definitely the Stand Master causing all of this. If I can just defeat her, then all of this will be-
"There's no way out, Joseph. Look around you. The minute you make a move, I get to pull the trigger on your life." The twisted old woman points behind Joseph as she cackles more.
Looking around himself, he sees Avdol behind him, sweating and crying as Magician's Red reluctantly aims a flaming wrist at Joseph's head. Jotaro, too, has an arm cocked back, Star Platinum following suit. Polnareff limps up, apparently sustaining some damage to his leg from Jotaro's last hit. Even Anne drags herself to him, knife in hand.
This might be…the end- hold on.
Jotaro feels a pressure near his ankle. Looking down, he sees the unconscious body of his younger self…yet…
Didn't I leave him over there? I didn't carry him…
"No matter. Dead or alive, Master DIO will get his fill of your bloodline before he ends it for good. Polnareff, as revenge for killing my handsome, gallant son, you get to do the honors of filling our dear Joseph Joestar full of holes. Afterwards, Jotaro gets to kill the idiot at his feet. Two shall suffice for Master DIO."
I DEFINITELY didn't carry him over here…so how did…
Still distracted by the sudden appearance of his younger self, Joseph barely hears the clatter of an airport baggage cart as it bumps into Polnareff's back. Looking up, the cart seems to be similar to the ones they use in hotels, a metal frame designed to hold suitcases and such. However, the only thing on the cart seems to be a blond-haired cowboy, his wrists and ankles tied with cable ties to the corners of the cart. His eyes are bugged out in worry, sweat drenching his face.
"Oh, Hol Horse. So glad for you to join us…" The villainous looking woman sneers before seeing the man restrained. "Hm."
"Uh, hi, uh, Mr. Joestar."
"Do I know you?" The older Joseph simply squints at this 'Hol Horse' person. The cowboy looks like he's about to be quartered by the way he's tied to the cart…and on closer inspection, Joseph notices a few holes in his hands and limbs.
Someone tied him up to prevent him from being controlled…who…
Joseph sees a glint of shining green snake its way from the wheel of the cart. The flash of recognition barely washes over him before he hears a voice call out from the roof of the airport, above the jetway.
"Mr. Joestar! Duck!"
Joseph barely hits the tarmac before he hears the rushing of water around him. Several strands of Hierophant Green had practically enwebbed the area around him, seemingly one tentacle a piece for each of their puppeted friends around them.
"5 Meter Radius Emerald Splash!" From each tentacle, a barrage of emerald gemstones bursts forth and crashes into each of their friends, too quick for any of them to dodge or deflect. Each of them skid across the ground, with Jotaro, Avdol, and Polnareff's Stands dissipating as they fall unconscious from the blow.
"Kakyoin! Thanks for the save!" Joseph calls up to the red-haired teenage sitting on the roof, one leg dangling off and the other curled up. Kakyoin gives him a smile and a small thumbs up, before turning his attention to the jetway.
"Hierophant Green! Take down that Stand!" The strands of Hierophant Green coalesce in front of Joseph and begin to form more emeralds. "Emerald Splash!" Another stream of gems bursts up, aimed directly at the giant skeleton's head. However, the rocks seem to glide right on through the Stand, the body of it billowing like mist instead of reacting to the hit.
"You were sharp there for a moment, Kakyoin." The old woman snaps her fingers, and the jetway begins to retract back into the building slowly. "My Stand, Justice, is invulnerable. It's the very fog you find yourselves struggling to fight. But no matter…" Her voice grows a bit more faint as she retreats back into the receding metal passageway. "Stands or not, your allies will simply join the rest…"
The bodies of their friends drag themselves up, the massive skeleton hands above them tugging at their unconscious forms with the strands of fog connecting them.
Even with all that…
As Joseph begins to despair, he feels a tug on his pant leg as he sees his younger self pull himself to a kneel.
"Helluva time to play dead." The older Joseph scoffs as he pulls his younger self to his feet.
"Yeah yeah. Try having a Stand root around in your brain case."
"You'll have to tell me all about it…"
"Later. Answer me two questions first."
"…Okay." The two Joseph's stand back to back, readying themselves to fight off the encircling group of bodies.
"First, only Stands can hurt Stands, right?"
"Correct." As the marionetted bodies shamble closer, Hierophant Green hover above them both, firing off a few blasts of emeralds to hold back the crowd as long as it can. A few wayward gems knock over the cart that Hol Horse is still tied to, causing a few obscenities to pollute the air as it clatters to the ground.
"Alright, second, why the hell didn't you teach your grandson Hamon? Or for that matter, your kid?"
"Kgh." The older Joseph clicks in response, baffled by the timing of his younger self's question. "You wouldn't understand."
"Enlighten me, and I'll share how I figured out we can beat this Stand." The younger Joseph smirks the most shit-eating grin in the world.
Damn. He really does know the solution to this…
"Fine…" The bodies are almost within arm's reach, barely being held back by Hierophant Green. The lingering Justice stills pulls at the strings above them. "I didn't teach them…because I wanted them to lead peaceful lives. Not like me, like my grandfather, like my mother, like Caesar…"
"And what, have them miss out on their inner strength? All that work we put in when the Pillar Men attacked, wasted? Caesar's life, wasted?
"No." The older Joseph's tone snaps into aggression. "Not at all, you fool. That's what all of that was for. Not to pass down Hamon like a family trophy. But to give us all the chance to live life in peace. To be happy without worry. You're the biggest idiot on this planet if you think that wasn't what Caesar was truly fighting for."
If not for the groaning of bodies and impact of emeralds on flesh, the airport would have grown completely silent at those words. After a breath of a moment, the younger Joseph speaks up a bit sheepishly.
"…The Stand. It's made of fog…"
"Yeah. I heard."
"So, what's fog made of?"
"Water."
"And what does water conduct?"
"Ah." The awkwardness of the moment still hasn't left, but a shout from Kakyoin snaps them both out of it.
"I have a lot of questions for you later, Mr. Joestar, but for right now, do whatever it is you have planned! We're out of time!"
"Right, Kakyoin!" The older Joseph shakes himself from the moment, and continues, "We only need a few seconds! Hold them back for us!"
"Understood." Kakyoin stands up on the roof and points down at the horde surrounding them. Hierophant Green splits into innumerable strands and surrounds the two Josephs. "10 Meter Emerald Splash!"
Waves of emeralds smash into the group around the two Josephs giving them enough room to stand about a foot apart from each other.
With deep breaths, air pours into each of their lungs. The older Joseph can almost feel his younger self's heartbeat as Hamon crackles from both of their bodies, sizzling and popping as the sparks contact one another. They look at each other with determination, before looking up at Justice far above them. Hermit Purple's many vines wrap themselves in layers around both of the older Joseph's fists, while a single vine from the younger's wraps around his non-prosthetic hand. Energy ripples and flows from their Stands as they coil their legs down.
With a synchronized, mighty leap, they both spring up into the air, just in front of Justice's skeletal head. They reel back their arms, before shouting:
"GEMINI PURPLE OVERDRIVE!"
A barrage of vine covered punches rain into the Stand's head, the fog wisping and wafting around their fists. However, the crackle of Hamon emanates from each hit, sending ripples of energy reverberating through the fog like lightning in a storm cloud. A violent screech bursts from the Stand's mouth and from within the jetway hall below. Then, the fog utterly dissipates, revealing the clear night sky above them, starlight twinkling over the barely lit airport. Below them, all of the bodies, including the ones of their friends, fall limply onto the ground.
As they fall, both Josephs look at each other. The older one harshly glares at his younger self's massive grin, before it fades into a nostalgic smile. They give each other a thumbs up as they both speak.
"Not bad for a wrinkled old geezer!"
"And way not to mess it up, idiot!"
END of CONVERGENCE 6