A few moments earlier.
"Uncle Sully?" My voice was a little nervous, but it still sounded like mom's sweet voice. It was also a bit nervous – kindda like dad's. His voice was cool though, he sounded tough. But I can tell you, he's soft. I could see my uncle in the distance.
I sneaked past the yellow construction worker's cabin and got as close as I could without being seen. This place looked off limits to the public, it was deep inside a rock face. The waters below looked deep and murky. There were wooden platforms stretching out halfway into the sea, from the beach area. This was most likely where boat tours would come once it was open to tourists.
Uncle Sully's Sea Plane rested against one of the platforms. There were blue and red barrels on the wooden ramps and scattered around the site. I could see construction equipment at the far side of the beach area. He was on the beach area talking to a smaller bald guy, with a ginger goatee. I couldn't see the man's face properly but had the feeling he was familiar to me. He looked a lot smaller than my dad and way smaller than the giant man next to him. The bald guy's outfit was expensive and powerful, and he was directing his team to different areas inside the rock face. It looked like they were shaping the rocky walls, blasting their way into something.
"Why does he have a gun?" The feeling of being scared happened but it passed quickly enough. Keeping my voice low was hard – it was too excited, it needed to be quiet.
I was too far from the meeting and thought I should be nearer. Hiding near the cabin wasn't fun and I had to get closer. Behind those barrels, stay outta sight, the words said - whispering to myself. The yellow hut didn't have any construction workers near it – there didn't appear to be anyone inside either.
Okay, no one will see me, but there was someone and they narrowly missed me as they walked by. I kept to the back wall, and I walked behind the guy closer to the barrels so I could hear what was going on.
"Cassie, this isn't a good idea," looking at Uncle Sully and the rich guy, they were making a deal. Uncle Sully shook hands with the rich guy, laughing in his own way, probably thinking about some random joke or the money he was going to make. Dad said he often did deals and to look after him.
"Ha ha, this place is looking great Redd." Uncle Sully said holding on to his disgusting cigar between his teeth. "What's with the outfit?" He pointed to the large man dressed for war, I think I heard his name was Matvey, but I liked tank man or the giant better. He looked menacing and I hoped I didn't get seen by him.
Redd the rich guy walked closer to the giant man made from pieces of a tank.
"We're almost ready to go, this is quite a big venture and I like big things," he tapped on the arm of tank man. The tracks ran down his left and right sides. I think they had bullets for his deadly shotgun he was carrying. "Matvey here, keeps me safe and I feel relaxed with him around."
Boy was the giant ugly, scars on his face, sunken eyes I didn't see a ring so I kindda thought he wasn't married. Who'd marry him – he'd scare the kids to death. Uncle Sully looked worried but kept laughing.
"Whatever you say Redd, I'll just be taking what I came for and I'll get out of here."
I couldn't help thinking that guy might have been the scariest looking man I'd ever seen, well except for clowns. I still don't like clowns and I don't know where it comes from. I mean who's scared of clowns? I had a bad feeling inside this cove, it was large enough to drown out the sound of gunfire if anyone shot those scary weapons.
"What's going on?" My voice was quiet, but I wanted to know why Uncle Sully was here, who was Redd, the bald guy and why does he have that ugly giant protecting him? There was a way to get closer; more barrels to hide near - there I could hear and see more and find out what was happening.
Just before standing up another guard walked past me. "Ha ha…that was close."
He looked behind, but I don't think he heard me, if he did, he decided to ignore the noise and carried on walking passed. He walked near Uncle Sully and towards the giant man and Redd.
More people arrived – two guys in suits joined the soldiers on the beach. They had cuts and bruises, but those were fresh. I watched as the brutes walked past Uncle Sully and again to the big giant.
Uncle Sully looked impatient, "Redd, sorry to rush you, have you got what I need?"
A grunt came from the giant, he looked and sounded menacing. "What happened to you two?" He had a thick Russian accent. The brutes described what happened in the bar. I wanted to peek out and listen more as they described a fight had taken place in a bar they'd come from.
The English words were hard to hear but it sounded like: barfight, some scrawny guy, moved like a drunk, throwing arms and fists.
I could sense Uncle Sully might have known who that was. It sure looked like he did when the brutes described what had happened.Redd walked over to Uncle Sully. He stood a few inches shorter than him and directed him towards the edge of the water.
"Come Sullivan, we'll talk more about inside."
"Err…Redd inside what?"
I couldn't believe what I was seeing, a huge white underwater vehicle emerged from the water. I had seen submersibles, smaller types of watercrafts in dad and mom's business, but this was much larger and appeared like something a Bond villain would own. It stopped and the doors opened much like a plane opening its doors. I glimpsed inside – there was plenty of room for the giant and everybody else.
Dad showed me some of the deep-sea equipment he uses at work, but this was like a fancy submarine. We both watched James Bond films, and this looked similar to something I'd seen before.
"Jesus what in god's name is that?" Uncle Sully was taken by surprise as the fancy looking submarine appeared in front of them. It was quiet and just emerged from the water.
"That Mr Sullivan is what money can buy?" Another three soldiers stepped out of the large underwater craft. "Where's Nikolai?" they hear coughing coming from inside, the giant stepped on board and dragged out another soldier coughing and spluttering. He holds him up towards Redd.
"He is sick, he touched it – he must have." The grunts from the giant became words, he was able to string a sentence together. I thought.
"I don't like to do this; these men are expensive - but he shouldn't have touched it."
The giant dropped the soldier who looked unwell. He lay on the floor coughing and spluttering, hitting the ground he tells Redd he's sorry. In a flash a silenced weapon appears, and Redd shoots the soldier - point blank in the head.
"Shit," I couldn't believe what I'd just seen. The bald guy had used his gun to murder someone. He removed a piece of paper from the inside of the soldier's vest. Uncle Sully wasn't sure what to do and he looked at the paper but appeared confused.
Redd's words disturbed me, and I knew I needed to get out of there.
"He was dead anyway, I showed him mercy."
CRASH BANG
The barrel rolled on the floor. Everyone looked at me and I began to run away. The sounds of the giant boomed in my ears. "GET THAT GIRL!"
I started to turn around and run, this was a good chance to get away, I could see dad near the yellow cabin – what was he doing here? He looked ready to go into battle with a gun strapped to his side. Where did he get that from? But Matvey grabbed me before I could get away. My legs kicked out, tank man's grip was tight, but it was loose enough for me to ty and squirm out of it "Let me go," screaming. "LET ME GO YOU, BIG APE." I could see mom too now, who was pushing dad to rescue me, I could handle myself – what was dad gonna do – he could die? I thought a bit more about how I was going to do break free. I bit the giant's hand and he dropped me on the floor next to Redd's shining brown loafers. My glasses fell on the floor, but I picked them up and put them back on.
"Well, well, who do we have here?"
Uncle Sully didn't say who I was, I could see his face – disappointed about what was unravelling.
"What is your name Ms?" The bald guy was persistent. I have been working on an English accent. Downton Abbey was boring, but I liked the accents. Using it I pretended to be British.
"Mrs….Beaufort….Margaret Beaufort." The English accent hid my voice, this was also so I didn't give away anything about knowing Uncle Sully. I picked a woman I knew from history class.
"Really, you're the youngest bride on this island, if memory serves you were six when you married?"
He knew I was pretending to be one of the youngest brides in England. The was a feeling of being impressed by this guy, but he made my skin crawl. The accent I used was pretty good, where was my Oscar?
I wondered what dad was going to do. Shoot his way to me?!
And what was mom gonna do?
Dad was just a deep-sea diver and mom was a journalist – she filmed dad's salvage operations and wrote about them. She also did some freelance journalism and had recently written an article about Redd Fisher – the man with the ginger goatee. I now recognised his face on the cover of her article. My parents didn't do much with their life outside of that – they were boring. We'd decided to go on vacation. Dad was interested in what I found at Uncle Sam's place when I stayed there a few weeks ago. My uncle came and picked me up from New York, and I went back to London to see his house. I wasn't sure if dad was even interested in what I saw there and how was I going to get free?
"You're outta your god damn mind…" Uncle Sully didn't look happy about what was happening he walked next to Redd, looking at me, "Come on Redd, I didn't sign up for this, let the kid go."
It didn't look like he was going to let me go. I planned out what to do next. I needed to kick the bald guy's legs, grab his gun and shoot someone, but all eyes were on me and so were the guns. They'd fire as soon I even moved. I didn't want to get shot. I was scared but I felt safe enough with mom and dad close by and Uncle Sully next to me.
Redd knelt and his stinky breath hit my face, his pistol was now in his hand, and he started stroking it, like it was a moggy, as though to brush the hair of her.
"You want a history lesson Mrs Beaufort? I have the location of one of the most powerful artifacts in the world. Not even written in history, I will make history when we find it."
Unfolding the paper he took from the soldier, me, Uncle Sully and Matvey looked at the cipher. I recognised it as being one of the earlier ciphers from communiques gathered and distributed among the West African Slave Trading Company. It was a cipher used throughout civilization.
"Do you know what this is?"
"Redd she's a kid, she doesn't know what it is?"
I did know what it was, I'd seen another one like it. "The cipher was used by Sir Francis Drake to organise attacks on the Spaniards, it was later used in WWII by the Germans" Redd didn't help me up from the floor, which I thought he was going to do – instead he looked at me smiling.
"Yes, you do know what this is." I saw a sentry walking towards us and had an idea dad was luring him. He told Redd he thought he'd saw something as he walked closer to the cabin. The sound of a dying bird came from the cabin. The guard went to investigate.
What should I do? I thought. The cipher was cool, but it was time to escape. Before anything else happened. Witnessing the murder wasn't good either – was he going to kill me? I thought the best idea was to just run for Uncle Sully and push Redd out the way, but I also wanted to make sure Uncle Sully would be okay. I'll probably yell at him for what he's getting me into. And why didn't he tell dad?
It'd been a few years since we last saw each other. I remembered dad saying he was helping Uncle Sam on a job, but that was a few years ago. Dad warned me that Uncle Sully needed protecting, once he'd find out what's going on – I'm sure dad wouldn't be happy. Did dad and Redd know about the Stone of Eve?
"What can you see here Mrs Beaufort?"
"Redd she's just a kid, come on we'll go on board – get outta here kid."
"No! Don't move Ms Drake, look at the cipher and tell me what it says?"
Shit, he knew who I was, but I didn't really know him and what if he didn't know what was contained in the message? Should I tell him? But the, feeling he knew more than what he was saying made me believe there was something else he wanted, there was no way I'd help him, but what did he want?
It didn't take long to decipher the message. "That you will find the next clue in the other slave trader statue, Borba Gato."
"Very good, Ms Drake, do you know where the statue is?"
I could see Uncle Sully was getting angry, he knew Redd wasn't going to just let me go now - not after what just happened - witnessing a murder – an execution.
"Look Redd she doesn't know a god damn thing, what are you trying to do here. We're old men we don't need this on our conscience."
Redd had a weird look about him, as though he knew I knew where this statue was. I needed to act fast as Uncle Sully was now looking like he was going to be in danger too. I couldn't have dad rescue me, I needed to be brave. I needed to be like Diana, an Amazonian.
My bravery quickly disappeared as Redd nodded his head – which was a signal for the giant to shoot Uncle Sully. He held his silenced pistol to his head. Redd looks at Uncle Sully and then back at me.
"Do you know where this is?"
"Sao Paulo!" My whimpering was coming out, I was scared.
Really scared…
And where was dad?
"Victor, Victor, we go back, way back. I've taken you at the tables and you've helped me in the past. But now you and Nathan Drake are trying to play me for a fool. You know where the other map is don't you?"
"Redd, wait a damn minute, I'm sweating like hooker in church here, I haven't got a clue what you're talking about, I didn't know Nate was even here."
The noise coming from the cabin, sounded like bones crunching, anyone this side could have heard the noise. We watched as my dad slowly appeared near the cabin. He looked shocked that we all heard what he was doing. He stood in front of the yellow cabin holding a gun I recognised the design in from the internet. Dad was wearing a tanned holster he had the MP-443 pistol pointing at the giant
Bang, he fired the gun which ricocheted off his chest and behind one of the barrels.
Good shot dad I thought, it didn't do anything except piss everyone off. They all pointed their guns away from me and directly at dad.
The giant was holding a classic KS-23 shotgun, and he looked ready to use it. Dad wasn't sure on his next move, but Redd and his army just watched him, waiting for him to make the next move. I'd never seen dad like this – he looked beaten up in his damaged shirt and pants. The ring hanging from his neck that he had everywhere. It was his wedding ring, he didn't wear it on his finger he wore it on his neck – it was as though he used to have a ring around his neck – I guess this had more meaning.
"I thought that might have done more damage." Dad said smiling.
The fuel drum at the far side of the cove exploded. The explosion ripped through the scene, bringing these huge rocks into the ocean. They were already blowing holes into the rock, so my dad made another one. The attention was off me and Uncle Sully as the bullets went flying towards dad, he got into the cabin and started shooting from the window inside. I was still on the floor looking at what dad was doing – I'd never seen him like this before.
Redd stopped shooting.
"Get Sullivan, I'll get the girl." Uncle Sully tried to grab me amidst the chaos, and we started running towards dad.
"Argggh,"
"Uncle Sully!" He got a bullet in the shoulder as I crawled on the floor trying not to get hit. Dad managed to get a couple of hits in on the soldiers at the far side. The two brutes headed inside the underwater craft. I could now see mom trying to wave towards her.
Redd grabbed me and pointed his weapon to my head. "Stop shooting Drake, I see you've come out of retirement."
Dad had no choice, he had to stop and began walking back towards us, I could see all the guns pointing at dad. Hopefully mom had a clever plan of getting us out of this mess. Dad looked at Redd.
"I see you've come out of the retirement home too, is this your doctor?" He looked at Matvey, I wouldn't want him caring for me, I thought.
Dad looked to be concealing a hand grenade, I don't think anyone else could see what I could see behind him, and he began taking out the pin walking closer to us. My god what was he going to do?
The giant grabbed Uncle Sully and held onto his neck.
My dad continued, "no wait he's not a doctor, he's park security."
"Nate…c…an…the…..jokes." Uncle Sully said barely about to breath.
"Wise words from Victor. Show me your hands Drake?" Redd backed away towards the underwater craft – holding me in his arms. Dad couldn't throw a grenade and kill his only daughter, but he needed to do something.
"Well Drake, we'll be seeing you." He nods to giant who throws Uncle Sully to the ground and I thought he was going to shoot dad, but picks him up instead and holds him in the air – laughing.
"Why…is…everyone doing this to….me today?" Dad could barely breath, I yelled for Matvey to stop, and he wouldn't. Dad unpinned the grenade and dropped it at Matvey's feet. I watched as my dad went flying in the water as the giant threw him like we'd throw the ball for Vicky our Labrador puppy – back home.
"Aaaarrrggghhh"
SPLASH
He went straight into the ocean, but not before dropping the grenade. Matvey threw the grenade behind him, blowing up two of his men. Redd, the giant and me, got inside the vehicle. I hoped dad was okay – the last I saw of him was being thrown out into the water, mom was hiding near the cabin and Uncle Sully got shot in the shoulder. Like any normal ten-year-old girl, I began to cry. What did Redd want with me?
I could hear explosions and water splashing. There were more soldiers onboard – this girl soldier looked so cool – with her large weapon and cool hair style. The gun fight wasn't over as I watched the men and women on the backend beach area of the cove. They fired their carbine assault rifles at something, but it was hard to make out from the porthole what they were shooting at, as we sunk deep into the ocean.
I saw Uncle Sully swimming in the sea and hoped he was swimming towards dad. That was the last I saw him as the craft manoeuvred away under the ocean.
"Dad, Uncle Sully, Mom! Please save me?" I wasn't sure what Redd wanted with me or what danger I was in.
"Let me go." I had dropped the accent and returned to my normal voice. The giant began pushing me. He wouldn't stop, he must have thought I was a ball he could push towards its destination. I felt like I was walking towards another room on the craft. The inside of this place looked like a very expensive ferry – there were carpets and some really nice furniture – it felt this could be a home underwater. The walls and doors were so white.
"Where are you taking me?" I said, I was only a kid and didn't want to be part of some child smuggling ring.
The giant and Redd didn't give me an answer. I had no idea where they were taking me. The cipher mentioned about a statue in Brazil – Sao Paulo, but I wasn't sure if this was where they were going or if Redd had found what he wanted in Sao Paulo. The giant kept pushing me towards the room. He opened the door and pushed me down into a very basic wooden chair. This room wasn't as nice as the other ones we walked through.
"What – no TV?" There were two guards playing poker behind a glass screen. They'd been watching the boy. Creepy!
I wasn't alone in the room, there was a young boy tied to another chair and I was going to sit with my back to him. The giant tied my hands to the hands of the cute boy, who was unconscious at the back of me. I couldn't see his face and was wondering something as I sat in the empty chair.
"Were you expecting me?" Thinking about the empty chair. There was that question and who was the boy tied to me? "Do you want kids, old man, what do you want with us?"
Redd looked at the boy. I saw the boy briefly before I sat down, and he looked healthy but was sitting in a slouched position.
"So, your father taught you about ciphers, did he?" Redd was wondering how I knew about ciphers. Dad was boring, he used to panic every time I fell off my bike or wandered off too far and he definitely - didn't teach me about ciphers – I just looked at Wikipedia and recognised it being one of the early Arabic ones. I knew it was a monoalphabetic cipher.
"Why would you think dad told me? What do you know that I don't?" Remembering the action scene, I just saw him in. I had the feeling dad was more than he let on, he wasn't a mathematician, but I didn't think he was an action hero either. Redd looked at me asking more about the cipher.
"What do you know about the cipher?"
"It has polyalphabetically made features, so probably early 1400's, it's a homophonic substitution cipher. Made by the duke of Mantua."
I felt like I knew what I was talking about, but this wasn't the first time I'd seen it. I saw it in Uncle Sam's study. I went on a tour of Uncle Sam's house and found something unique in his study – he was looking at the West African Slave Trading company and some connection to a treasure going in an auction in the next few days. I couldn't stop thinking about the cipher and did my research using mom's computer. I didn't understand what was being auctioned it just had a question mark that Uncle Sam wrote down and someone who had an invite to the auction – a woman called Chloe Frazer.
I remembered thinking about my notebook which I left at the hotel - there was something about a slave trader statue in England that had been vandalised and a fragment of a cipher like this was found inside a part of the statue. It looked like it hadn't been touched – still in pristine condition but went missing from Scotland Yard. I didn't have to think too hard who might have been responsible for that – but wait did my dad realise what it was?
I looked at the boy and couldn't understand what he had to do with this. I looked at Redd and asked him who he was.
"This my dear is where were heading…"
I didn't understand what that meant.
"I have found the other part of the map and then you and I are going to a place not many have, to find something not many know about, but I know about it and the power it holds. Where we're going is a place like nothing you've ever seen before."
Thank you for reading the third chapter.
What happened to Nathan Drake? Did he survive the gun fight and who is the boy tied to Cassie?
Join the adventure once again as we uncover more about the mysteries surrounding the Stone of Eve.