1988, sauter d'un hélicoptère
"Three, two, one, jump my lily-white friends!" With the shortest of running starts, Avdol leads the jump from the helicopter. Kakyoin leaps out next, both landing squarely on the barely finished floor of the unfinished skyscraper. Polnareff however, stops himself on the edge of the helicopter door, his eyes having drifted downward at the 20 floor drop below him. He can feel his heart pounding in his chest and his eyes go wide in the face of the extreme distance below him.
Shit! If I miss, I'm done for! Just breathe, Polnareff…Make this one count.
Slapping his face to ready himself, he sees Avdol and Kakyoin waving from the open-sided building, the unsteady movement of the rocking helicopter not helping his anxiety as the light from the setting sun dances off the glass of the lower floor windows. The nearby crane lines are slightly tilted away due to the air flow from the helicopter, their massive hooks glinting with sunlight.
C'mon, Mr. Joestar, hold it even! I can't get a good jump like this…Maybe I should just meet up with them late-
Before he can finish his thought, he feels a tugging around his waist. Looking down, Polnareff sees a familiar green strand securely tied around his waist, lightly pulling him towards the open door of the helicopter.
"Oi, guys! Wait a minute, give me a minute to prepa-" And before he can finish, his voice freezes in his throat as he sees both Kakyoin and Avdol grab the other end of Hierophant's thread. "…"
A grim look shadows Polnareff's face as the realization sets in.
"…It was an honor working with all of you…" With no delay, the strand around his waist yanks hard as both Kakyoin and Avdol reel him from the helicopter to the building. Polnareff is twisted around mid-air as he clenches his teeth, his hands steepled in prayer. A few thuds later, Kakyoin and Avdol stand around Polnareff's collapsed form before nudging him with their feet.
"Polnareff…you made it. You should've told us about your fear of heights before we jumped." Kakyoin gently says, reaching down to tap Polnareff on the shoulder. However, Avdol darts down first and scoops Polnareff up by his shirt.
"Polnareff! We have a job to do. Snap out of it, we mustn't delay. If he gets away…" Avdol points directly at Polnareff's face while holding him up, but Polnareff bats it away with a nonchalant wave.
"Oi, oi, I'm fine. Let me down. This is a pretty big building…we better get to work." After getting released, Polnareff paces a bit, walking a bit deeper into the unfinished tower away from the open side. The air grinds against Polnareff's nostrils as the smell of oil paints and sawdust floods his nose.
…It's fine. Just stay away from the sides…
As his eyes scan the floor they're on, the faint light from outside barely penetrates the darkness lingering in the construction site before them. Metal beams further in catch glimpses of the light from outside, but beyond that all Polnareff can see is…broken work lights.
Damn. He's already set up to take advantage of us…
"Not to fear, Polnareff. You forget, I'm always prepared for situations like this." Avdol gives him a smiling snap, though his form is silhouetted as Polnareff lingers on the darker side of the room. The Egyptian man reaches into his sleeve and takes something out that Polnareff can't quite see.
Oh! Right. He has a Stand that makes fire.
However, as Polnareff looks at his two friends, a sudden beam of light blasts Polnareff's eyes. He goes to cover them, but he could've sworn it came from Avdol.
Did he get a new power? Why is it so bright?
"Move out of the flashlight's beam, Polnareff. You'll go blind." Kakyoin gently speaks as he walks towards Polnareff, who scoots a foot to his left and opens his eyes again.
"Oi, Avdol," Polnareff rubs his stinging eyes as he looks at Avdol, who calmly holds his flashlight towards the interior of the building, Magician's Red nowhere in sight. "Why not just use some fire? Seems perfectly suited for-"
"Polnareff, speak quieter." Avdol's voice is low and serious as he continues. "To answer your question, I'll ask you one. Would you use a rapier on someone with armor?"
Polnareff pauses, then responds with a soft and quiet answer, "Not unless it was chainmail or something with gaps. But what does that have to do with anything…"
"The answer, Polnareff, is that you know enough about swordplay to answer that. I know enough about fire to know it would do us more harm than good right now."
"Meaning?" Polnareff gets closer to Avdol, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Our opponent is blind, and our battlefield is a construction site. Many items around here are flammable, yes, but more importantly…" Avdol starts to step forward, Kakyoin and Polnareff at his flanks as the flashlight pierces into the dark construction floor in front of them. "The heat could cause the building materials around here to expand and contract, sending vibrations thoughout the building. From Jotaro's experience, the Stand can react to sounds, and can find our location through those vibrations. Not only that, but we do not yet know if it can sense significant heat changes…"
"Ah…" Polnareff smacks his head a bit. "I suppose that makes sense…"
"Don't worry, Polnareff. As long as we are cautious, we will be okay." Kakyoin reaches over and gently pats Polnareff's shoulder, before the three of them fan out a bit as they approach a makeshift doorway, halfway through the building process.
"Hm. We do not know the floor our enemy is on. But Kakyoin should be able to find him given enough time, though we may need to buy him some time. Polnareff, I'll need you to keep your eyes focused." Avdol pokes his head and the flashlight through the open doorframe, the area drenched in darkness around the cone of light. The musty air hangs still, the heat of the Abu Dhabi sun long faded from this deep into the building. If they listened hard enough, they'd probably be able to hear a pin drop from the other side of the floor.
"Kakyoin, will you be okay?" Polnareff also peers in, seeing nothing of note in the next room.
"Of course. I'll head downstairs, where the building is a bit more complex and finished, and start from there. You two head up…but watch out. Any severe fighting could send you all out of the building."
Polnareff gulps loudly at the thought of being ejected out of a skyscraper window, which earns him a sharp elbow to the ribs from Avdol.
"Hush now. Let us keep moving. Find a way to tell us if you find anything, Kakyoin." Stepping forward, Avdol shines the flashlight on a doorway. Above it, a shattered sign with what used to a be a symbol for stairs hangs, glass littering the floor around. "This is where we say goodbye, for now."
As they step to the diverging stairwell, Kakyoin scoops both Avdol and Polnareff into a hug, patting them on the back.
"Be safe. I'll be trying to keep an eye on you two, as well. Take care, friends." Leaving the hug as suddenly as he started it, Kakyoin swiftly heads to the stairwell and starts navigating down the center of the stairs. Hierophant Green bobs and weaves Kakyoin as he speedily descends the U-bend staircase like a spider traversing web.
Oi…don't go acting like this is the end…
Face shadowed with concern, Polnareff looks at Avdol, who returns a confident smile.
"Worry not, Polnareff. Even if you lose your way from me, the glow of your skin will be enough to light the area around you."
"Oi, get serious, Avdol…" They both start trudging up the stairs, the walls around them bare save for the metal framing and rough concrete. Even though their steps are light, the sound reverberates the open space of the dark stairway.
"When I get serious, Polnareff, is when that bastard who hurt Jotaro is going to roast." Avdol starts to click his tongue, but restrains himself. Even so, the sound of their chatter gets swallowed up in the looming darkness above.
Helipad a few block away from Silver Tower, 25 Days to Save Holly
Feh. If only we had gotten here an hour sooner. With the sun going down, we're at a disadvantage…
Joseph straightens himself up as he slams the helicopter door shut. He peers off the edge of the fringe of the helipad, a few buildings away from where he dropped off his teammates.
"It's going to take a bit to catch up…but at least Speedwagon has a cordon around the building. If anyone tries to leave or get in, we'll know…"
Breaking out into a sprint, Joseph rushes towards the stairs down. Just as he gets to the door, though, he comes to a screeching halt.
"…What the hell, I'm not this damn old already, am I?" He puzzles with himself for a moment, before whipping around and running for the edge of the helipad. "Here goes nothing!"
Hamon pours through his body like whiskey in his veins, the warmth inside pushing against the Abu Dhabi heat on his skin. His feet crackle as he launches into a massive leap straight off the side of the building. He falls for twenty…thirty…forty feet, his speed increasing as the wind rushes by him. Still, he calmly looks at the nearby buildings, soaking in the details.
…Now!
Closing his eyes, he reaches his hand out, Hermit Purple surging out and catching the corner of a nearby building. The vines pull taut, swinging Joseph around the corner, the wind blowing from all sides as he flings himself around the fifth floor of nearby buildings.
As he rounds the corner near Silver Tower, he scans the front face of the building for a convenient entry point. Thankfully, he spots an open side of the building for him to tumble through on the fourth floor. He breathes in deep, focusing his Hamon to straighten his trajectory. With a bit of finesse, he lines himself up perfectly as he rounds the corner of the building he's attached to. Just as Joseph sighs in relief, he sees something small and distant at the base of the unfinished skyscraper.
Oi…is that…a person?
Squinting, he can barely make out the form of what appears to be a woman in a hood ducking through a hole in the fence line around the construction zone. From her attire, she looks to be either poor or from some rough side of Abu Dhabi…
Shit! If she breaks in there, that Stand might slice her to pieces! There's no telling if that claw can tell the difference between people or not…
Gritting his teeth, he releases Hermit Purple and descends closer and closer to the ground. In the distance, the glimmering sea grows darker as the sun falls below the horizon. Just before he lands, he grips onto a lamppost with Hermit Purple and swings safely over the metal construction fence. Landing squarely on the ground, he rolls on his shoulder to lessen the impact, finishing in a kneeling position. The lamppost behind him flicks on, the evening descending on Silver Tower.
I gotta find that woman before it's too late.
He stands, a little sore from all the swinging, and cracks his shoulder.
"Ha! I knew I still had it in me…" With tentative steps, he warily treads his way to the front entrance, moving some plastic sheets aside as they stand in for the door. The darkness inside seems to draw him deeper, menace emanating from within.
Tch…If that Stand is close…I might be done for. But I can't let any more innocents get caught up in this…
Steeling his resolve, Joseph plunges in to the dark, Hamon pulsing around him to help him find his way around. He puts his hand against the concrete wall beside him, hoping to feel something moving on the first floor. However, he feels a sharp, hot pain surge through his arm as an electric current pulses up through his arm and down his leg, causing him to yelp loudly in pain. In the instant of the shock, he sees that his hand had rested on an apparently live outlet and pulls it away, shaking his hand from the pain.
Guess the lights are supposed to work in here…no doubt our 'N'doul' broke them on his way in to hinder us. I should be more careful…
END of INTERLUDE 12