Sam sat curled up in the back seat of the plane while Sully and Nathan navigated across the atlantic. Sam had been all over the world especially in Russia but it'd never felt like this; her family was an array of mannerisms and proper ettiquette; she grimaced at what her grandmother would think if she were to see her now, flying across the world with criminals, chasing after some artifact that could destroy the world.
While; it was true that this wasn't her first rodeo with danger and criminals; she had been married to the mob during her youth; and had fought extremely hard to prove to everyone around her that she'd changed and could actually be a law abiding citizen but; stepping back into the dangers and daringness, it felt nice; it was kind of like visiting with a friend that she hadn't seen in a long time.
As the plane cut through the clouds, a sense of nostalgia mixed with excitement bubbled within her. Here she was, miles away from the life she had worked so hard to build, a life of stability and respectability, yet the thrill of adventure called to her with an irresistible pull.
Her past, intertwined with figures from the shadowy underworld, had been a whirlwind of danger and moral ambiguity. She had left that world behind, or so she thought, but as the plane soared towards their unknown destination, Sam realized that part of her thrived in these unpredictable situations. It was as if this journey was not just about the pursuit of the artifact, but also a rediscovery of a part of herself she had long neglected.
"Sam, are you okay?" Her thoughts were interupted by Nathan who glanced over at her as she nodded. "How much further?" She asked him as Nathan checked their position before answering. "We've still got a good chunk of the journey ahead. Roughly eight or nine hours to the Himalayas. It's a long haul from the Atlantic." Sam groaned out. She'd never been the best at road trips; and being confined in a small space. "why don't you take a nap? you look exhausted." He said as she huffed with a sarcastic smirk. "Is that your way of telling me that I look like shit." He arched a brow before commenting back. "no; it's my way of telling you that you were just shot and you should get some rest.."
Sam let out a soft chuckle at Nathan's retort, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly. "Fair point," she conceded, shifting in her seat to find a more comfortable position. Despite her reluctance to admit it, fatigue was gnawing at her.
She leaned back, closing her eyes and trying to relax. The steady hum of the plane's engine and the thought of the journey ahead, filled with unknown dangers and discoveries, mingled in her mind. It was a far cry from her usual days of procedural police work, yet there was an undeniable allure to it – a call to adventure that resonated with a part of her she had long tried to silence.
It wasn't long before Sam was drifting into a deep sleep, leaving Nathan to occasionally glance back at her. "Nathan, I am only going to say this cause I care but; how do you think this is going to work between the two of you?" Nathan gave him a puzzled expression. "I know your sweet on the girl; don't bother denying it! I have seen the same from her with you; the two of you are like fire and gasoline, which can either be extremely exciting or incredibly dangerous," Sully finished, his tone a mix of caution and jest.
Nathan let out a half-hearted chuckle, keeping his eyes on the horizon. "Sully, I haven't really thought that far ahead. Right now, I'm more concerned about getting to the Himalayas and finding the Heart of Eden without getting ourselves killed."
Sully nodded, understanding the immediate priorities but not quite ready to let the topic go. "I get that, kid. But you've got a knack for attracting trouble, and throwing a tough, smart detective into the mix? Just be careful, is all I'm saying. You both have a lot at stake here."
Nathan knew Sully was right. His history of navigating both dangerous terrains and complicated relationships hadn't always ended well. And yet, there was something about Sam that felt different, something that went beyond the thrill of the chase and the heat of danger. He glanced back at her sleeping form, her features softened in sleep, and felt a protective surge.
"you see! there it is! that look that you get when you watch her! what is that?" Sully asked as Nathan quickly glanced away from her. Nathan shrugged, trying to mask his feelings with a nonchalant expression. "It's nothing, Sully. Just making sure she's okay," he replied, focusing back on the controls.
Sully, however, wasn't easily convinced. He had been around Nathan long enough to recognize the signs of deeper emotions. "Come on, Nate. I've seen that look before. You're worried about her, and it's more than just because she's a part of this job. You care about her."
There was a brief silence, filled only by the hum of the plane's engines. Nathan sighed, realizing there was no point in trying to fool Sully. "Maybe I do," he admitted reluctantly. "But it's complicated. She's a cop, Sully. And we're... well, we're not exactly on the right side of the law all the time."
Sully raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "Well, she might be a cop, Nathan, but she doesn't seem all that 'straight and narrow' if you ask me. She's here, isn't she? Willingly joining us on this crazy ride."
Nathan gave a short laugh, the corners of his mouth turning up despite the situation. "Willingly? Let's not forget, Sully, I've got bruised balls and a sore spot on the back of my head that say otherwise. She's not exactly here by choice."
Sully chuckled, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Ah, Nate, when has anything in our lives ever been straightforward? Maybe she's not here by choice, but she's staying. That's got to mean something, right?"
Nathan couldn't deny what Sully was saying; he made a good point but they had more important things to worry about and Nathan couldn't afford to let his mind wonder about her. "Sully, let's table this discussion for another time. We have a long ride ahead and I just wanna focus on that; we'll figure out everything else later on." Nathan gave one last glance towards Sam before fully focusing on the controls.
Sam's eye's flickered as Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata played through her mind, a piece she hadn't heard since she was a young girl. She was twelve years old when she was crowned The Cassadine Russian princess, she was twelve and her Uncle Stavro's was twirling her around the ballroom; she loved dancing with him, he was an impeccable dancer but that was a long time ago. The entire family watched as they danced a beautiful and magnificent waltz; one she'd been preparing for weeks but as Stavro's turned her one last time, and her face settled on where he should have been; it was no longer him, it was Nathan Drake staring back at her. She was no longer a young girl either; she was a grown woman, and Nathan, a loving smile showing on his face as he closed the distance between them with a passionate kiss.
"ahhhhh" Sam screamed out in agony, not of the dream but of the absolute hell that she'd awoken to. She glanced around in a groggy state; she could see Nathan slumped over the top of the controls but she couldn't see Sully cause her seat was directly behind his. Sam inched her head up to peer out of the window; they were nose down into some tree's; roughly thirty feet in the air. "Nathan." Sam groaned out as she struggled with the seatbelt that was cutting into her stitches. "Sully." She screamed; she could see Nathan stirring as she popped the seatbelt loose and fell forwards; bracing herself as she landed against Sully's seat; her knee jamming into her stitches. "Ahhhh; fuck!" She cried out as Nathan's head came up. "Sam?"
Nathan yelled feeling the plane peer down a bit more; only being held up by two large trees. Nathan glanced over at Sully's empty seat. "Sully?" He yelled out fighting to stand up, making his way over where she remained in the fetal position. "Sam, are you okay?" He asked as she nodded. "Yea, I knocked into my stitches, I think I might have popped them." She said easing up off the ground. "We're gonna have to jump," Nathan declared.
"Are you fucking nuts? That's like thirty feet; we won't make it!" Sam snapped, her disbelief and concern evident.
"Hang on." Nathan leapt up to Sam's seat; taking ahold of the metal bar before angling himself up to it, climbing ontop of it to a metal bin turned on it's side; he opened it, grabbing a long rope; dropping it down beside her before grabbing both of their bags, dropping them down, the Plane falling even closer to the ground. "Can you make any more ruckus?" Sam yelled, the plane shifting even more as she tiedthe rope tightly against a metal bar underneath the front seats. "I'll go first." Nathan said with both of their bags on his back; he climbed out, easing down the rope before making it to the ground.
"Okay, It's safe! Come on down!" Nathan ordered as Sam took a deep breath before sliding down on the rope; dropping further and further before landing beside him. "Where the hell are we?" Sam groaned out. "I think we're in Myanmar; we're in the jungle. And we still have about an 8 hour trip before we make it to the temple." Sam quickly lifted up her shirt to see her bandage; it was a little dirty but didn't appear to have any blood on it. "It doesn't look like you popped any stitches; which is good cause we've got a long walk ahead of us." Nathan said carrying both of their bags. "What about Sully?" Sam asked as Nathan shrugged his shoulders, clearly unsettled by his absense. "I don't know, maybe...I don't know. Let's get out of here." Nathan urged on as Sam stopped him once again.
"What happened? How did the plane crash?" She asked as Nathan let out of gust of air. "I don't want you to freak out or anything but it was shot down! I don't think we're welcomed here." He said turning and continuing down the jungled path with Sam following closely behind him. "Nathan, that wouldn't have freaked me out. You've already said that there are multiple people after this thing; maybe one of them shot us down but i'm more concerned about Sully; where could he have gone?" The jungle before them was a maze of tree's and brush with echoing calls of the wildlife as they ventured deeper and deeper into the jungle.