Sam
Why wasn't anyone returning my calls? What the hell is going on? There was too much riding on this, to have Sullivan mess it up now. "I bet he's hooked up with some broad?"
"Are you talking to me?" Chloe was in my ear, listening to every word. It was one of those times when you forget someone else is listening. Or when you think no one is watching you doing something, but really, they're staring right at you.
Chloe was outside with the rest of her team in the black inconspicuous transport across the street. Working with Nadine gave her access to some ex-intelligence operatives to help. They've all got these weird names, there's Hack on the computers, Wave on the audio, Video on the visual and Wheels on the….well….wheel. Their names are hidden, and we didn't need to know who they were, we just needed them to do their job.
I ride on my motorcycle. I'd never be too far from that.
Personally, I didn't think we needed 'em, technology just gets in the way. It has a way of being more brutal than the peacefulness of paper and there was a sense of usefulness, when using your mind to solve a mystery.
Anyway, time was passing at the rate a West African swallow flies. Which is damn fast. The playboy hotshot I'm waiting for is taking too long to arrive. And why couldn't I getta hold of Victor or Nathan?
Something was off…
Something was up…
It was just a matter of time 'til they'd see the calls from me on their cellular phones.
All Sully had to do was get confirmation that Redd Fisher had one of the maps. I spent ages working how we could get this confirmation. Victor had played the tables and knows Redd, really well.
My original idea was for Sully to plant a tracker on Redd and report back what I asked him, that's it. Apparently, that was too expensive. The money I had left was all I had to finance this operation and with Chloe's help, I need to locate this stone, I needed its power, not that I believed in the supernaturality of the artifact, but I was willing to take my chances.
"How long is this guy gonna take to get here?"
I turned the button on my jacket, which acted as a camera, Chloe was watching everyone coming into the bar. She had hooked up to Visual, who was checking every face on the screen as they walked past me. We needed confirmation who exactly Sergei was. Wave was listening, to see if anyone else may be involved with the group.
"I'm sure he's on his way, just hold on…"
I felt exposed here, Nikkita's bar in Kingston upon Thames was a meeting place of sorts for a Russian group calling themselves Zashchitniki Kamnya. A group later built to hide and protect historic artifacts, mostly from countries damaged by wars. Artifacts, not many even know exist in the world. The group's roots were built from a faction run by the Varangians and in the beginning, they protected one artifact, an ancient relic from their discoveries. It had made its way around the world over the years but was now believed to be lost. Fast forward to the present and the group is now in control by the Russians and has been ever since the sixteenth century.
The now newly appointed head of the group Sergei Romanov was making noise around his motherland, accessing records on its whereabouts. It wasn't just him in search of the artifact, he's teamed up with Redd Fisher and enlisted the help of a private Russian militant group to locate it.
From what Hack could find on Sergei and his private army, they were the biggest problem. He'd been recruiting recently, and his top lieutenant, Matvey, was out in the world somewhere with Redd Fisher. But like Nadine's military company, they'd most likely leave a trail of blood and destruction in their wake. Hack had combed the Russian archives looking for references to anyone in search of the artifact.
I wanted to bring Nathan in on this one the moment I saw it was being sought after, once again. I felt sorry for the pain I've put him through, across the years but he was enjoying family life. My niece was his artifact and he'd do anything to protect her.
Looking into her eyes a few weeks ago, reminded me, that day, this was why Nathan had given it all up. She's beautiful and I hate the fact I'm so far away from her. It was only 'til the other night, I realised how much of an adventurer she could be.
Did I go a step too far?
Thinking back to the room I called my study; it was littered with paperwork; bank records of potential buyers for the stone from Sully's contacts; lists of Chloe's contacts; lists of Nadine's contacts and images of what the legends depict the stone looked like. I fell deep in the investigation. There was one letter from the hospital though that would be the catalyst for the urgency of finding this rare treasure.
The moment I got the call confirming the letter I knew this would become my destiny, and Cassie would need to keep this secret. I don't think I realised what the doctor was saying until the moment had passed. They have no explanation for what the disease is, but it keeps running through my veins, getting worse by the day. The doctor's monotone voice didn't instil me with much hope, it was as though someone was talking to you, but you weren't really listening.
Cassie's words when she asked me what the letter meant, was too hard for me to explain. Shit, the doctors couldn't even explain it, but the images of 'Traan Van Eva', was something I could explain, mostly. She looked so excited and had an appetite to know more about what the stone held. I felt guilty that I may have planted a seed in her head which would grow into a huge curiosity.
But as we all know that poor cat's lives came to an end because of that.
I couldn't let all my lives come to an end, although I have practically used all of them up by now. It was Cassie's turn to see what I had become all these years. I used some of the old writings I found in one of the old father's desks at the orphanage. It was some scripture and an outline of a map. I also found possible links to a cave in Sweden. There were footnotes and titbits of other possible locations too, but I needed more to go on. At one point I thought the father at Saint Francis' knew someone who had found it. For years I wanted to get Nathan in on what I discovered, but Henry Avery's treasure was a much bigger find – it meant a lot to mom, me and Nathan too.
Would Cassie be in it for the money – like say, me, or for the adventure, like Nathan? She truly has the adventurer gene. I still can't believe I have a niece and now the adventure would slow down or stop for Nathan – he's gotta family. And family is important. I'd be lost without Nathan, Elena and Cassie. She's the only one who knows the truth, and I couldn't let her tell anyone about my condition.
I needed to find something to save me and hopefully have enough in coin to pass something on to the family. I showed her what I was researching and pointed out what the anti-racism protestors had done to the Edward Colston statue. Someone had found a piece of parchment buried inside the base of the statue. It was discovered when the remains of the statue went to the M Shed in Bristol. A few days later the parchment made its way to Scotland Yard and then it disappeared. I had a feeling who may've been responsible for that.
We were up all night researching the history and we went back to when Sir Francis Drake recruited Nuno Da Silva. There seemed to be a link to the Slave Trade, and it was big business moving people around – mostly to supply them to the Americas. Colston was part of the transatlantic slave trade – considered more brutal than the one Drake was dealing in. More and more people linked to the slave trade over hundreds of years were showing up as searching for the stone. It was very unusual.
It struck me as odd that Drake would be interested in this trade, unless there was something else about it. I believe he went searching for an uncharted island, to find out what was there. When I told Cassie, the potential name of the Island, the look on her face was a picture. As soon as she heard 'Garden of Eden', she became even more excited. I continued the story, explaining not only did Drake want to discover the island, but he wanted to find something he had heard about from his navigator. Something about the stone.
Cassie and I discovered the link to the stone was in the West African Slave Trading Company, it wasn't slaves Drake was after, it was someone of the upmost importance. Someone who was missing from Nuno Da Silva's grandfather's ship. A slave of value to Drake and anyone else who knew who they were. But unless this person was an immortal, I'm pretty sure they'd be dead by now.
Sieving through the hearsay and happenstance, it was hard to understand if he did find it. But given what I discovered about the stone, it may have been in the possession of the Vikings, and now its lost, most likely returned to the island. Some legends say its power could be harnessed for good or evil.
Of course, it was too fantastic for me, but if it could do what I believed it could do. It might be fantastic enough.
I just wanted to learn more about the fact there was two maps and a key to unlocking the secrets of the Island. The protectors would lead me to them, I was sure of it. Once we had everything, we could charter a ship and head to Africa and find the place Sir Francis Drake spent a part of his life searching for. He took a detour near Africa not recorded on his many secret voyages. It was the reason why he got into the slave trading business, and I believe what he found shaped history.
I know I'm past the middle of my life, but I didn't feel like it, there was still more to see and a shit load more to do, before the final curtain draws on my life for good. I wanted to sell off my assets as quickly as I could. Some good hands and good investments took care of the rest. The money I raised would be used for this operation.
Nathan had told me to not go into detail about the past with Cassie. To keep quiet about what we had done and what he had seen. Truth be told, the fifteen or so years I was away from him seemed like I missed out on a lot. I kindda saw why he was wanting to get out of the family business after what he'd been doing, but I wasn't ready to do that, and Cassie seemed eager to want to get into it too. We we're just getting started.
I've been too many people in my life, but the one person I enjoyed being more than anyone was Samuel Morgan. The night Nathan and I became the Drake's changed my life forever. I still had visions of that night, in the mansion.
What did that old lady die of?
What did her and our mom do together?
Could she have had the knowledge of the stone and getting close to it killed her?
These were questions I have grown up trying to understand over the years. From Morgan to Drake was the adventure and it only continued.
Some of my mom's notes spoke about her ideas of who we are and why we are the way we are.
From what I read, she believed her theory was that we know the planet's human life expectancy is short, but maybe something in our blood allows it to be longer. Could the true meaning behind the English proverb, 'you can't get blood out of a stone' come from that?
This was the clue that would help delve further into the origin of the stone, but from what Nathan was telling me about these ancient artifacts, they undoubtedly come with curses, which can shorten your life, make you crazy, who knows, but it wasn't me that came to that conclusion, it was Cassie, when she asked me what happened that night me and Nathan became the Drakes. I kept a lot of that act a secret.
One passage in her diary seemed odd to me, I remembered what it said:
50,000 years ago, humans began leaving Africa and nearly 450 years ago, is a time in history I believe Sir Francis Drake found something that allowed them to leave. Now we needed to find it – we needed to know what it can do, and if I am ever going to get through this – I will need to find it – before this thing inside kills me.
Did mom and that lady have some kind of a virus?
Cassie and I spent a great deal of time finding links to the stone and discovering more about its origin. This would be the final time I would do this, I kept saying to myself; the last big adventure, not counting the Tusk. I couldn't really do another adventure, especially like the one involving Avery's treasure, which nearly cost me my brother. I didn't want to lose him. And I definitely didn't want to lose Cassie. But I was compelled to try and find some answers to why my mom died, I couldn't save her, but maybe the stone can save me.
I could feel its metaphorical power running through my veins. Getting to it, meant following the group who swore to protect it. But the newly appointed Sergei wasn't going to protect others from finding it, he's going to find it himself. And as he'd been killing off certain members of the group, it was only a matter of time before someone was going to discover what Sergei Romanov was really up to. But I was going to get to him first. If they only knew he was there to capture it and not protect it – what the other members of the group would do to him, would make the Bolshevik Red Terror regime look like a girl scout picnic. Someone needs to tell 'em right?
The search was on, and Sweden would be where the trail would also take us, but first the other map was being auctioned at the Hamilton Estate. I had my suspicions Red Fisher had one of them, but if I could get the other before he did, then I might be able to come along for the ride. It was dangerous but it sure as hell would be worth it.
Chloe started talking in my ear again, "Sam I'm not finding anything more on the zaszzin….zashic…."
"Zaschitniki kamnaya, it means Protectors of the Stone."
"Yeah, those guys."
I could see Sergei had arrived, as I swirled the last of the green liquid in my glass. I didn't want to drink it, I just wanted to appear like I was getting ready to leave. Seeing him get out of his expensive Lamborghini, escorted by four large men from four different vehicles, with guns bulging outta their sports jackets, made me wish I was like him. The list of people on his arm was growing as they circled around him; one beautiful Russian woman and another beautiful English woman also accompanied him. It was as though they were showing up to a production at the West End and he was the movie star walking down the red carpet in his white tailored suit.
Where were the paparazzi? I thought.
This place is okay, but I think they're a bit over dressed. The part of me that felt like I could have been him once, slowly drifted away. And it made me realise how I loved being a Drake.
"Who does this guy think he is?"
"Jealous?"
"Only a lot." He does look expensive, his six-foot-two height, matched the muscle makeup of his manly frame.
"You heard from Sully?"
Chloe couldn't getta hold of him either, and he still wasn't returning my calls; I had no idea if Redd had another map, and it was just a matter of time before Sergei had come for what he wanted and then he'd be heading out too.
I watched the Russian playboy go to the back room with a leather briefcase in his hand. It was small and there couldn't be much in there, but I had a feeling I knew what was in there. The fee for an audience at the Hamilton Estate. Not money, but something else.
I had gotten up wanting to take a cigarette break before Sergei returned from the back room, but as I walked to wait outside, this very attractive slender woman stops me in my tracks. With a cigarette in my mouth and a spellbound look on my face, she approaches.
"You're not leaving, are you?" Her voice reverberated in my ear with a very well-spoken British accent. It was very sweet.
There was no way I was going to leave, I just wanted a smoke, but who could think of smoking at a time like this. The men looked at her as she walked to the bar, the women were also admiring her, she looked…well…I couldn't describe it exactly. Her long red dress and auburn hair was a distraction. She had a symbolic tattoo on her ankle and a very striking gold necklace sitting between her tasteful cleavage. I hoped people didn't think I was staring, but everyone in here was looking at her. And I had the pleasure of meeting her first.
"Sam, are you okay? What's going on?"
"I'm fine…erm I mean, your fine, I mean…it's a pleas….it's a pleasure to meet you," I said taking her hand and kissing it softly. She didn't seem to mind, I felt like there was enough predators in here, and I just added myself to the list. I needed to signal Chloe to let her know I was okay. I couldn't have her come charging in.
"Wow Sam, she's hot…bit skinny, needs some…" I reached for my earpiece and pulled it out, discretely as the woman at the bar ordered a drink.
"To whom do I have the pleasure…" I said, hoping she'd give me her name. She smiled and whispered into my ear.
"We never get to choose our own name, and in some cultures a name can mean a great deal to a person. Some are happy to give it, others enjoy the secret it holds." The sweet smell of her perfume was intoxicating. She smelt like she'd just been in the shower, combined with the perfume it was a nice overpowering floral scent. Her body appeared athletic although I doubt, she could move very far in that dress.
"Are you going out on the town tonight?" I said, looking at her and this place, Kingston upon Thames was hardly a euphoric clubland, it seemed she might be going further afield, across the bridge to the more classier joints of London.
"I have an engagement this evening. Yes."
Sergei hadn't come out of the back room yet, and I was kindda hoping that he didn't come out. I had one beautiful woman in front of me and another in my ear, I could still hear her talking about her after I put the earpiece back in. She opened her black Versace handbag and took out a silver cigarette case and asked me for a light.
"I don't think you can smoke in here."
"You're pretty cute for a middle-aged guy." She said in a seductive way, stroking the side of my rough looking face.
I took out my zippo and struck it for her, one strike and the flame grew. I carefully lit her cigarette. "Thanks, I'm still able to go a few rounds." I rubbed my jaw thinking back to the fights of old.
"A few rounds of what?" She smiled and showed her pearly white teeth, near immaculate and perfectly aligned. The glare from her teeth reflected on my zippo, before I put it back in my jacket. A patron walked by and caught some of the smoke. He politely asked her to put it out.
"Sure, hon." She extinguished the cigarette out in the last few dregs of my glass. I wasn't drinking alcohol; it was just lime cordial.
"You're quite the character Ms?" I tried again for a name.
Chloe had found her name and started to run a background check on her. This would be the second time we'd run an operation. Although the first involved Nadine. Yep, Nadine who tried to kill me. But Nadine owed Chloe a favour and she used some of her old contacts to help get this operation set up. Of course, she wanted a cut. Everyone always wants a cut.
"Charlotte Knight, 42, graduate of Oxford, now a professor of archelogy and anthropology. She majored in linguistics and engineering at Yale, wow she's quite a catch, married, two children, Rosemary and Erica and they have a dog called crumples."
"Tell me Ms what was it like graduating Oxford?"
"Sam…really!?"
I didn't need Chloe to tell me she graduated Oxford, her ankle tattoo shows a shield, with three crowns and the words Dominus Illuminato Mea, which everyone knows is Latin for The Lord is my Light.
"I'm impressed, what else can you tell, about me?"
"You wear a gold necklace shaped like the African continent, have you ever been?"
BUZZZ RING BUZZZ
Of all the times Nathan was finally getting back to me, I couldn't answer now, I was right in the middle of something and to make matters worse, Sergei walked past me and stared at Charlotte and at me. His eyes glowered over me, mostly wondering how I was talking to such a beautiful woman, I expect. I don't have much luck with women, most turn out to be psycho's or worse, they want to try and kill me.
I really needed to go…
"Who was that?"
"Some playboy big shot, thinks he's a ladies' man."
"I meant the person on the phone, was that your girlfriend?"
She'd already noticed I wasn't wearing a wedding ring; I didn't have time to settle down. My life was an adventure without having to deal with marriage and kids. Although come to think of it, I never thought Nathan would give this up.
"Nope, my brother."
"Sam, are you drooling? You need to get out of there cowboy."
Chloe was as much a distraction as Charlotte. But she was right I did need to get outta here. "I'm sorry, I need to get going, the pleasure was all mine."
She wouldn't let me go before I told her my name.
"It's Samuel… Sam Drake."
"Drake as in Sir Francis Drake? You do know he didn't have any heirs?"
"Nice one Casanova."
I smiled and blew her a kiss, it came off a little unnatural than I imagined, but I couldn't help myself. I like saying the name Drake, it felt powerful and adventurous. It also meant I was most likely gonna get shot at or some other catastrophic event would happen. I wasn't that well known, only by psychopaths and angry gangsters. And most of them were dead.
Sergei got into one of the black SUV's instead of his green Lamborghini. I could just about see through the tinted windows as he sat staring at me through the glass. He sets off accompanied by several other vehicles. Which looked like a motorcade.
"Chloe, meet me at the rendezvous. But stay close."
I went on ahead but kept a few miles back, Chloe was following the black SUV through the use of her tech team. I had the feeling Sergei knew I might follow him, so it was best to stay back. I couldn't help thinking about Charlotte. It was such a surreal moment.
"You still thinking about Charlotte" Chloe broke my train of thought, as I focused on something else. I thought about Nathan and Elena and how I envied them. They'd raised a beautiful daughter and she has the blood of an adventurer flowing through her. I wanted to be able to have that opportunity too. To have someone who I could share my adventures with.
The road led out on to the Kingston bridge.
"Sam, I think we're being followed…"
"OH GREAT! YOU GO ON AHEAD, I'LL CATCH UP."
I looked behind me and could see some vehicles I saw in the parking lot of the bar, I need to lose these guys, I thought. "Concentrate Sam," I said, narrowly missing an oncoming vehicle, it's still kindda hard to get used to the ridiculous way the Brits drive on the wrong side of the road.
"Sam you okay?"
"Yeah, just trying to remember about driving on the left."
"Yeah, good point, why do they do that anyway?"
"Highway men would rob you on the right, brits believed it was safer on the left, I don't feel safe on the left though."
"Right.."
I cut through some of the alleyways, and jumped my motorcycle on the sidewalk, avoiding the excessive traffic on the road and navigating through the pedestrians that littered the streets. I could see the SUV tailing me, the motorcycle was the right size for racing down the side streets, "get outta the way," I said dodging some kids from the university.
"Shit, the university, wonder if she's going to the Hamilton Estate. Chloe, can you track her SUV?"
"Sam, who are you talking about? Charlotte?!"
"Yeah, her licence plate is ER15 AKT," I remember seeing her get out of it. Personalised and clearly not hers. I asked Chloe to get Hack to check the DVLA and see who it belongs to. It was her daughter's car, Erica Knight, who has reported it stolen.
"Why would she be driving her daughter's car, then report it stolen?"
"Shit, I don't know."
"And you told her your name, nice move Casanova."
"Shit, not good." What was good was the fact I lost the SUV.
"Shit Sam, they're all over you, we're on our way."
"OH SHIT!"
It just came out of nowhere, flying down the street, straight at me. I went flying off the motorcycle, straight into the fountain at the centre of the plaza. "Christ…" I dived out the way once again as the huge vehicle drove straight at me, crumpling the wall of the fountain.
Chloe turned up in the nick of time and I dived into the vehicle as Wheels put his foot on the gas and we got the hell outta there.
"Need a ride," she said thinking her joke was funny, but it had gotten funnier. Nathan had been calling her. He was about 11 miles away from here after his plane arrived at Heathrow. Chloe had given him where we were heading, and we'd join him there at the Hamilton Estate. The race was on to get to the map, which will be auctioned in about sixty minutes time. We needed to get there in one piece though. Thankfully Hack was still tracking Sergei's motorcade and it would only be a matter of moments before we arrived.
"Wave, can you tap into Sergie's phone?"
We listened to him talking to his men. And on the computer screen we could see the transcript being made of the call.
Sergei Romanov: "Did you find Drake?"
Unknown Male: "Sorry boss, he got away?"
Sergei Romanov: "Shit, find him, he cannot be allowed to reach the estate?"
Unknown Male: "Hold on boss, I think we found 'em."
CRASH BANG
The side of our vehicle took the brunt of the pit move, we started swerving all over the road. "hold on." Chloe said, "Sam, they're ramming us…"
"You think!"
I tried to keep myself in one place and failed miserably as the vehicle began losing control. Wheels was holding it as best as he can. "Chloe, you got a weapon?" This was England and it was kindda hard to acquire a gun. But thankfully Nadine had given Chloe some weapons for just an occasion.
"Boss he's shooting at us."
We could still hear the chatter coming from Sergei's vehicle, I started shooting at the vehicle as other vehicles on the road started swerving to avoid the gunfire. "Hold the vehicle steady," rocking from one side to the other. Thankfully the lanes were just big enough to get by the oncoming cars as we darted around them at high speed.
POP POP POP
Three lucky shots as the pursing vehicle's tires just pop and it careens off the bridge and into the water below.
"Enjoy your swim."
Chloe smiles, "Nice one Sam." The victory was short lived as two motorcycles started shooting through the sides of the vehicle.
"Shit, you've gotta be kiddin me."
The bullets darted around the inside of the control van, ripping through the computers and tech inside. "Get down," but it was too late, shots buried themselves into Hack and Wave as I pulled Chloe to the floor.
"Shit, these guys, really don't…like….us."
Poking my gun through one of the bullet holes, I got a good few shots in. Chloe could see the motorcycle approaching the side of the vehicle, we pulled the side door open, and I reached and pulled one of the riders off the bike.
Each of us had a turn as we punched the guy or girl, no idea who they were, with the black crash helmet on. We threw them into the street as his friend caughtta hold of them, we watched as the remaining motorcycle pulled up to the side of us. The person in the black crash helmet, pulled out his Makarov pistol and started firing at us.
Instinctively, I jumped on the bike and knocked the soldier off as I saw another vehicle fast approaching.
"Jump!" Chloe wasn't sure, Wheels had been shot and there was no chance of getting out of this alive if she didn't jump.
"Chloe, Jump," I said more firmly as Chloe leaped on the bike and we shot off looking back as Wheels lost control of the van, it went straight into a shop window.
"You alright back there."
"Sam, look out."
The door of the huge vehicle in front of us came open and there she was looking at me, her beautiful red dress shone without a mark anywhere, and her auburn flowing hair didn't haven't a single hair out of place. It was Charlotte, the woman from the bar. She smiled and moved out the way.
WOOOSSSHHHH - BANG
"Oh shit," there was no way we could stop the missile as it hit the road, forcing us off the bike. I watched over my side as the bike flipped uncontrollably from the force of the explosion. Her soldier shot out the bottom of the motorcycle with an RPG.
Charlotte looked around and signalled her men to drag us into her vehicle. "Come on let's get the hell out of here, before the police catch us. We will take them to the mansion. My employer will be pleased to make your acquaintance Mr Drake and of course Ms Frazer."
Thank you for reading this chapter, get ready for an action-packed next chapter. We enter the Hamilton Estate and regroup with Nate as he finds another clue to tracking down Redd Fisher and his daughter. Will he be able to rescue Sam and Chloe from Charlotte and who exactly is Charlotte? Find out in the next instalment of Uncharted: Greatness from small beginnings.