Karachi Dockyard, 25 Days to Save Holly
Jotaro…Hang in there.
Joseph sits on the edge of a concrete drydock, legs dangling as he cups his chin with his palm. The midday sun beams down on his back, the heat beating with the anxiety in his heart.
Tch, what's taking them so damn-
"Oi, Mr. Joestar!" Polnareff shouts from a good distance away, his footsteps following behind him. As he turns to look at his approaching companions, a smile breaches his anxious expression. Sure enough Avdol and Kakyoin are walking behind Polnareff, though Polnareff is the only one hurrying towards him.
"Polnareff! It's nice to see you up and moving around." Joseph grins with relief, the image of the wounded Polnareff and Avdol fading from his mind. "You sure you want to keep going? You got your revenge, I wouldn't ask you to come along if you were at risk of getting-"
"Nonsense! You said it yourself back on that train, Mr. Joestar. We're family." Polnareff smiles with absolute sincerity, "And if I'm not mistaken, DIO is a family problem."
"…I'll hold you to that, Polnareff. No complaining if you end up looking like me at the end of this!" Joseph chuckles as he shows off his mechanical hand, secretly hoping to dissuade Polnareff with his bravado.
"Oi, oi, I'm not that bad off, now." Polnareff, however, completely brushes it off and leans in close to Joseph, "Say, Mr. Joestar. I never really got a chance to meet your younger self…Avdol told me he was an idiot! Can you believe that! You're one of the smartest people I know!"
"Ha!" Joseph lets out a hearty laugh, "Smart or not, that man's an idiot, a fool, and a pain in the ass. Don't worry, I only got better with age!" He grins and gives Polnareff a sly thumbs up, but Polnareff surprises him by lunging in for a hug.
"And uh, sorry that Jotaro got hurt bad. Kakyoin told me about your phone call a few days ago…" Still stunned by the suddenness of the hug, Joseph's arms hover in the air like the silence of the dockyard. Gradually, his arms lower as he returns the hug, a hard look washing over Joseph's face.
"Thank you, Polnareff. But rest assured, when we find that assassin that tore up Jotaro, we'll make sure he won't hurt anyone again." As he finishes speaking, Avdol and Kakyoin finally arrive. Joseph pats Polnareff's back in the hug and both of them step back a bit as they release each other.
"Joestar-san, I filled in Avdol on the details on the way here. Blindfolded man, Stand made of water that can cut through steel, more than likely senses through vibrations." Kakyoin lists off the information with a tone of uncertainty, as if he was watching Joseph's reaction with each hanging word.
"Good job, Kakyoin." The serious expression still hasn't faded from Joseph's face as he speaks, "Alright everyone. We'll be taking a four hour flight to Dubai. If all goes well, we'll refuel and get as close as we can to Egypt."
"Flight? How the hell are we flying from the dockyard?" Polnareff looks around, confused, before Avdol pats him on the shoulder and points to the sky over the water far past the dry dock.
"There's your answer, Polnareff." Following Avdol's pointing, Joseph turns around and squints towards the sky, the sun searing into his eyes as he spots his ride.
Yeah, took them long enough…They'll have to refuel, too…
"Is that…a military helicopter?" Shock drenches Polnareff's words, which causes Avdol to chuckle a bit.
"Let me guess, Mr. Joestar…a personal vehicle? Looks American." Avdol grins, obviously interested in the approaching helicopter.
"It's under my name as of today…though as usual the American military drags their feet when I paid well more than what that hunk of junk is worth…" Joseph grumbles a bit, impatiently tapping his foot as he watches the helicopter descend to a helipad a few docks away.
"I'm curious, Joestar-san, how much did you spend on that?" Kakyoin asks as Hierophant Green comes out and slithers its way closer to helipad for a better look.
"Too much, should've at least been here a day ago…"
"You remember our deal, Mr. Joestar?" Avdol walks past the still stunned Polnareff and slaps Joseph on the shoulder, a grin plastered to his face.
"Yeah yeah, you get the second flight."
"Good, I hope I can finally cash that in!" Avdol clicks his tongue as he spins around and starts to take the path over to the helipad. "Let us depart, friends. The sooner we get to Egypt, the sooner we can go all out on DIO. He made a coward of me once. I won't let him make a coward of any of us from now on, no matter how bad he hurts us. So come along, Mr. Joestar. You can be as gloomy as you wish, but do so while moving forward."
Kakyoin and Polnareff look at each other with renewed resolve before bumping both forearms in some foreign, young person gesture. They then follow Avdol, leaving Joseph alone on the dry dock.
You're right, Polnareff…This is family. Friends and…
He grits his teeth a bit, fist creaking as his metal hand balls up beside his thigh.
My grandson is fighting so hard for his mother…and I'm hundreds of miles away buying expensive aircraft, getting mad over little delays. I'm such an idiot…
He looks out over the sea at the end of the distant docks, far different than the ones he's used to. Not as daunting as the Atlantic back home, not as welcoming as the Mediterranean at his mother's, not as peaceful as the Pacific in Morioh-cho…
Morioh…Who am I kidding…I'm not just fighting for Jotaro and Holly…I have to make it back to Morioh one day. To apologize to Tomoko…for so many things. And maybe one day, after all this is done, I'll be brave enough to tell Suzi Q… heh, if DIO doesn't kill me, Suzi Q will…
The sun glitters on the surface of the distant Arabian Sea, the beauty of it lost on the wistful Joestar. He turns his back to follow the others, a few thoughts wisping through his brain like sea spray.
I have to keep moving forward…even if its towards uncertainty, towards difficult conversations, towards certain death… As long as my legs still work, I'll be just fine.
A gull caws over the dry dock. Joseph turns to look back, one more time, a bit of sorrow still draining out of him. He's on the dock to Venice, a young woman with blonde hair giggling in the distance. Then, he's on the pier in Morioh, a young black haired teacher with her arm outstretched towards him. And finally, he's back here in Karachi all alone, all within a flash of a moment. With a final turn, Joseph trudges down the concrete.
No matter how much progress I make…I always leave things behind.
Karachi, 2214 Miles from Cairo
Avdol knew that look on Joseph's face. He'd seen it many times on this trek: first, when Jotaro was missing, and then when everyone was split up at the airport…
The man's worries and doubts will do him in. What changed in him, I wonder? Those brief few moments with his younger self…it felt like that man was sure of himself in every way. Did age make him unsure? Or did youth make him too prideful, I wonder…
With confident steps, Avdol arrives at the helipad. A few Speedwagon Foundation members are refueling the military helicopter, with one spraypainting the Speedwagon symbol onto each side. One of them approaches Avdol with a conciliatory look on his downturned face.
"Sorry, Mr. Avdol, sir. I know Mr. Joestar said as soon as physically possible, but the U.S. military made things very difficult with all the red tape and-"
"No worries! You got here safe and sound, and you can take a plane home knowing you're alive." With a wide grin, Avdol pushes past the Speedwagon representative and puts his hand on the side of the helicopter. "He really went all out on this one, eh? Really sturdy, it's a shame they wouldn't let you keep the missiles and machine gun."
"Uh, yessir, Mr. Avdol. That was Mr. Joestar's stipulation, though. He wanted to be able to stop in civilian airspace, so we had all the weaponry disabled and decommissioned…"
"Ah, a real shame." Avdol sighs wistfully, before examining the interior. "Spacious. I'm sure I could have a few luxuries installed…"
"Oi, Avdol, why do you walk so damn fast all of a sudden!" Polnareff's shouting can barely be heard in the distance amidst the hustle and bustle around the helicopter.
Avdol leans out the side, hanging by one arm with one leg dangling out. He gives them a thumbs up as they approach him.
"Well, my lily-white friend, I just had to see what beauty we were taking today."
"Avdol…" Kakyoin studies the big grin on Avdol's face, "Do you really like helicopters or-"
"You two don't know about this, but Mr. Joestar and I have an ongoing deal. While we're traveling, anything he buys for travel is subject to this deal."
"…" Polnareff eyes Avdol with concern, "…Which is?"
"Any vehicle he buys, he gets to drive first. Then I get to drive it. If it survives, then he promised to give any vehicle I liked to me after this is all done. A sort of gift from a friend." Avdol pats the metal hull of the helicopter as he speaks, "Very sturdy, I like this very much!"
"Wait, so that solar powered boat?" Kakyoin asks, curiosity in his tone.
"I didn't like the way it steered." Avdol wearily sighs, "It's a shame, though I do not need much of a boat in Egypt…"
Polnareff, on the other hand, seems to be painfully wracking his brain before snapping his fingers in realization.
"Aha! And the plane would've been yours if you flew it and it DIDN'T wreck!"
"Precisely. Though, I am quite glad that this helicopter is much better looking than the last plane…"
"What makes you think that you'll get this one?" Kakyoin's eyebrows furrow a bit, "If you recall, the last two times we took to the air, our vehicle didn't make it."
"There's where I have luck on my side, Kakyoin…" Avdol happily points to the rotor on top of the helicopter, "This…is not a plane!"
And thank all that is holy that it is not a plane…I have been in enough plane crashes while in Mr. Joestar's company…Far too many.
"…But what are you gonna do with it?" Polnareff bluntly asks.
"Hm?"
"Like, where are you gonna put it? It's a helicopter." Polnareff holds his arms wide, indicating the size of the large military chopper.
"I'll worry about that when I buy a house back in Egypt!" Avdol heartily laughs as he sits in the back bay, buckling himself in.
Kakyoin and Polnareff simply look at each other, shrug, then join Avdol. After waiting a while, the Speedwagon representative swings his head in and waves to Avdol.
"All fueled up and ready to go! Send Mr. Joestar our regards, you should have all your necessary paperwork and clearance documents for the UAE in the pilot's area. Good luck!" With that, the representative departs, leaving the three of them in relative silence.
"…Hm, did anyone see Joestar-san?" Kakyoin goes to stand up but, as he does, Joseph puts his hand on the side of the back bay of the helicopter.
"I'm here. Avdol, you're up front this time."
"Really?" Avdol's happy face fades to one of deep concern.
He usually likes playing with these new toys…
"I'm tired. I'll swap with you once we get there. From what our intel says, it'll be best for you three to take on N'doul…" Joseph sits down and straps himself in. "Just get us there safely, Avdol. Wake me up when we get close…"
"Hm…" Avdol undoes the buckle and stands up, "Very well, Mr. Joestar."
Both Kakyoin and Polnareff seem to notice the change in tone from both Avdol and Joseph, but keep quiet. Joseph leans his head against the back wall of the cargo bay, eyes closed and arms folded.
Hm…if it will ease your mind to sleep, I'll be happy to oblige. I'm sure every minute waiting around has been eating away at you, Mr. Joestar.
Opening the pilot door, Avdol takes a seat and looks around at the controls. Each button, lever, and wheel has been thoughtfully labeled by the Speedwagon Foundation crew, along with a set of takeoff and landing instructions attached to the corner of the cockpit window. With a big smile, Avdol starts up the rotor, feeling the motor roar to life as they begin takeoff.
Alright then, we're coming for you, DIO. And Mr. Joestar…stay strong. For all of us.
END of INTERLUDE 11