A/N: I'm back with the next chapter. Sorry for the long wait.
Chapter 1: On the Verge
November 2042
Jail, Maui
With nothing better to do, Cassie decides that a shower is what she needs. After all, this was time for the prisoners to take showers, brush their teeth, and maintain personal hygiene. Once again, Cassie Drake was in a jail cell, not a prison, but it sure acted like a prison. Cassie was just counting the days until her trial. It should be in December of this year and she desperately prays for the days can go by quicker. She should be getting a call from her lawyer anytime soon so they can go over more details for the trial. As she heads to the shower room to separate herself from her Overlord spy of a cellmate and away from the serial killer who wants to kill her, Cassie grabs some towels before making it to the shower room. Seeing several other girls in there already under shower sprays, Cassie's subconscious fear of exposure surfaces. She thinks back to the early days, remembering a particular time in Iceland when she and Derek were drenched in rain, yes, rain, and had to shed all their clothing and get warm around a small fire. She had been uncomfortable being nude around him but it wasn't completely uncomfortable; Derek passed out at the mere sight of her several times and it made her laugh hysterically on the inside. Her best friend, the boy she developed feelings for at seventeen, who would later marry her six years later, passed out at the sight of her birthday suit. But now that they've been married for three years, he started to get over his problem but there was a part in Cassie that admitted she missed seeing Derek pass out.
Either way, now she would have to deal with exposing herself to these prisoners who want nothing more than to hurt her. She turns on the shower head and begins shedding off her jumpsuit. Just as she removes the jumpsuit and is standing in a tank top and shorts, something in the corner of her eyes catches her attention.
The other people being held hostage in the jail quickly leave the shower room, grabbing what towels they can as Sonia and seven other girls step through, staring down Cassie like she were some kind of animal ready to be torn apart.
"Hey, Sonia," Cassie said, her Drake-like instincts kicking into high gear, making her smile uncomfortable and think of some quips. "Uh, you need a compass because you look lost as hell."
"Ahh, Cassie, still making jokes when you're wildly uncomfortable. I think that is what I'm going to miss about you the most."
Cassie takes a step back. "Did you come here to shank me in the shower? That's another life sentence to your trial."
"I hope so." Sonia tilts her head. "I barely killed twelve people and yet, I'm the one to receive life in prison, not you."
"Well, I haven't-"
"I've done some digging in your past. You..." Sonia smiles, licking her lips eagerly, "You...killed...394 people."
Cassie flinches. "What?" Oh shit, I didn't know I killed THAT many people. "I think you're just making a number up. I never-"
"You're a treasure hunter with a body count, a much higher body count than I could hope to accomplish. I want to immortalize myself as a legendary serial killer and I was on my way but... I can never match your kill count and Jesus Christ, you're only 28?"
Cassie narrows her eyes. "Where did you get that number from?" Am I really responsible for the deaths of almost four hundred people?
"Some friends of mine from the outside contacted me, and told me some interesting stories." Sonia continues smiling. "You killed 394 people but only one of them was murder and that is what you're arrested for." She steps closer, protruding a makeshift knife. "I would kill to have that body count under my belt. Sadly, I can't accomplish that task; I can't be a legendary serial killer. But... if I kill you, right here, right now, I'll be famous for killing the woman who killed 394 people."
"It was self-defense, all but the last one. You'll just be murdering another innocent human being."
"I don't know." Sonia takes another step forward. "Once the public hears about how many people you've killed, I'm sure they'll call for a noose around your neck."
Sonia charges Cassie. Cassie barely has time to react before she picks up her jumpsuit and uses it to catch Sonia's hand with the knife. Cassie strikes her in the gut but Sonia is a bigger girl who manages to shove Cassie into the tile wall behind her. Cassie knees her in the groin (a tactic that works better on men than women) and redirects the direction of the knife. Cassie strikes her in the waist before tripping her feet. Sonia kicks Cassie's feet from under her and slashes the knife.
Cassie jerks her head back, only to accidentally hit the tile wall with the back of her head. Her ears ring for a brief second and it takes her a split second to see the glint of the knife. Cassie lunges to the side, missing the knife by inches, and picks herself up. Cassie backs away, holding her hands up in a boxing stance as Sonia rises to her feet.
She's experienced with a knife. She's bigger than me and stronger. She's also tougher. Damn it; she's basically one of those giant guys I regularly fight but with a knife. Just like that big guy at that warehouse back in my Noah's Ark adventure.
"Can't we be friends?" Cassie asks, shrugging slightly. "You know, sit down, have some tea along with a side of girl talk? I don't know how to make tea but we could still make it happen."
Sonia now holds the knife in a reverse grip.
Cassie backs away until her back hits the wall again, where she feels a pipe dig into her back. Sonia charges for Cassie, roaring like an animal. Cassie quickly turns and rips the pipe out of the wall, hitting Sonia in the face with burning steam. The big girl screams in agony, backing away, and Cassie charges for her. She tackles the big girl to the ground and kicks the knife far out of reach. She punches the screaming girl in the face but she manages to strike Cassie in the gut before shoving her off.
Two of Sonia's lackeys charge for Cassie. Cassie leaps to her feet and side-steps them, barely avoiding their charging. Cassie delivers a hammerfirst to the first girl's jaw, knocking her out while the second one charges Cassie and pushes her against the wall. Cassie knees her in the stomach before breaking away from the wall and twisting her body out of the girl's grip. She shoves the girl back, who lunges for her again at a low angle like a football player. Cassie somersaults over her head, causing the girl to crash headfirst into the tile wall, knocking herself out and causing some ceramic tiles to come apart.
The last five girls decide to charge her all at once. Cassie gasps at the sight of the five women charging her, leaps to her feet, and prepares to get overwhelmed when-
-the five girls into in shower water and all go down like a bag of potatoes. One of them slips but catches themselves at the last second leaving themselves open for Cassie to Superman punch her in the temple, knocking her out with ease. Seeing no other choice, Cassie leaps and grabs Sonia's knife off the floor and uses it as a weapon to fend off the four attackers.
Cassie sidesteps and parries their punches and waits to use the knife on them. When she saw an open, she stabbed the first girl in the knee, disabling her and leaving her screaming on the floor. Cassie rips the knife out of her knee and keeps her eyes on the three remaining prisoners.
"Come on, let's see what you got!"
"Bitch!" one of them yells.
"We're going to cut you open!" another yells.
"But I thought that was Sonia's job?" She waves the knife in her face. "Sonia, your people are trying to steal your credit."
"Don't you even dare," Sonia groans as she picks herself off the floor, holding her red, blistering, bleeding face. "She's mine."
The three attackers look at her. "Are you sure?" one of them asks.
Cassie charges the three of them, stabbing the first one in the stomach before Superman punches the second one.
The last one dodges another punch from Cassie before getting behind her and holding her in a headlock. Sonia charges for Cassie, aiming for her stomach, but falls into the shower water.
Cassie elbows the one holding her in the headlock but her concretation is broken when the girl she Superman punched recovers and strikes her in the gut.
"Hold still!"
Cassie leaps and kicks the girl away with both feet. "In your dreams." She breaks out of the headlock and backhands the girl before following through with a punch. She turns back to the girl she kicked away, who catches her in a chokehold. Looking to her left, she sees Sonia coming for her. Gasping, Cassie knees the girl holding her in a chokehold before pushing her in the path of Sonia's knife. The knife drives into the back of the girl's spine and drops her. Sonia leans down to rip the knife out of her spine but by the time she turns, Cassie is already lunging for Sonia, holding the knife she ripped out of the other prisoner, and stabs Sonia in the throat.
Sonia yells and slashes Cassie across the stomach. Cassie winces before driving the knife deeper into Sonia's neck. When Sonia falls to her knees, Cassie quickly backs away and watches Sonia flop to the ground, holding her neck as he pours out like a fountain.
That's... oh god, Cassie internally gulps.
"395," a new voice calls out. "That's your kill count now, Cassie Drake."
Cassie gasps, looking up to see a police officer standing before her, holding a baton. Before her mind can comprehend it, he charges for her. Cassie leaps out of the way, expecting the officer to chase after her with the intent to kill but-
The police whacks one of the prison girls over the head just as she recovers from Cassie's attack earlier. She goes down but is still conscious so the officer whacks her over the head again, not stopping until the girl is knocked out. He repeats the process for the other girls disabled from the fight but still conscious.
When he's done, he holds the baton up, smiling. He looks at Cassie. "You did what you had to do, Cassie Drake. These people attacked you and you defended yourself. Self-defense."
Cassie gasps, backing away. "Police brutality, eh? And people wonder why people hate those 'Blue Lives Matter' signs."
"Are you okay, Cassie Drake?" Isabel steps into the shower room. "Are you okay?"
Cassie gasps. Great, the Overlord spy is in the room with me.
"Looks like my husband came just in the nick of time."
Cassie looks at the officer. Husband?
"Dwight De Luca." The officer waves to her smugly. "At your service. Now then, I suggest cleaning yourself up in the other shower room while I clean up in here."
Isabel grabs Cassie's arm. "Let's go."
She winces. "Don't touch me, Overlord scumbag!" She puts a hand over her mouth, gasping. "Crap."
Isabel laughs. "I was wondering when you were going to start blurting it out. But come on, let's go somewhere more, private, where we can talk. If not, I'll just have Dwighty here force you into our jail cell, and then we can talk there but I prefer to keep this conversation civilized."
What's their game? If they wanted to kill me, they would've done so already. What are they up to? No, don't overthink it; just comply, look for an opening, and then... do something.
XXXX
March 2027
Motel, Florida
Sitting at his desk, Eric Vale reads a book called 'A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates'. Putting the book down, he sucks in air through his teeth before turning to the other two people in the room. "Do you guys believe in ghosts?"
Vasily and Alexa climb out of bed and stare at Eric.
"We grew up Christain," Vasily answers, "which means no."
"I do," Eric says. "I believe in ghosts."
"As in..." Alexa begins, "Vito and Mira?"
Eric nods. "No, Vito and Mira are not ghosts, they're in heaven; there's no reason for them to be trapped on earth." He clenches his fists. "I was talking about ghost ships." He reaches over and picks up a journal. "Do you see this? This is the last journal of François Aregnaudeau. Have you heard of him?"
"Let me guess," Vasily speaks up, "French... baker?"
Alexa spots the pirate book on Eric's desk. "French private?"
"Privateer," Eric corrects. "One of the few pirates to vanish off the face of the earth and become a legend, especially in the ghostly kind of way." He picks up another journal. "And do you know what this map is?"
Alexa shrugs. "A map?"
Eric chuckles. "This is a map that Juan Ponce de León made and hidden away until it was sold on the auction we bought it from." Eric looks at the map. "I can tell by the landmarks that it is a map of Florida but there are no landmarks or names of cities. But there are numbers." He opens the journal. "Numbers that correspond with notes in Aregnaudeau's journal."
"So, what about it? How is it relevant?"
"What is Ponce de León amous for?"
Alexa's eyes widen. "The Fountain of Youth."
Eric smiles. "An elixir that grants one everlasting life or rejuvenates one to a younger age whoever drinks from the spring. The exact location is always believed to be in or around the Bahamas, sometimes, in Florida. That's why we're here."
"You could've told us this earlier." Vasily begins dressing himself. "You know, saved us a lot of time."
"I was afraid you guys would laugh at me."
Alexa laughs. "Eric, how long have the three of us been married? When we laugh, we laugh with you, not at you." She puts on her clothes. "I thought our Florida trip was a vacation."
"Nope, we can't afford vacations."
"Course we can; we're rich."
"Not what I mean." Eric looks at the map. "If we want to expand our army and build it to take on the whole world, we need money. I know it's a long shot but if the Fountain of Youth is real, we can sell its location for a grand prize. Aztlan was real so there's a chance the Fountain of Youth is real."
"And what do Antoino and Frida think of this?" Vasily asks.
"They'll understand. They believed in Aztlan, they'll believe in this."
"And what do you plan on doing exactly?" Alexa asks once again. "We sell the location of the Fountain of Youth?"
"I see us guarding the Fountain of Youth with all our might and then having people pay us to heal them or make them immortal. People will pay millions, maybe hundreds of millions to use its rejuvenating abilities. With that money, Overlord can go to many places."
"And... what if bad people wanted it?" Vasily points out.
"We're already bad guys. 'Terrorists' as they call us in the press." Eric taps his fingers against the table. "But, I trust us more than I trust anyone else. We're good people, not monsters, and our goal is to rid the world of injustice, and unfairness."
"For Vito and Mira?" Alexa asks.
Eric nods. "For those two."
Alexa lies back in bed, despite getting dressed. "Why don't you join us in bed, Eric?"
Eric shuts the notebook and collects the map. "Thank you but, I don't feel up for it right now. I'm going to go check on the Hidalgo siblings."
"Knock before you enter." Vasily looks down. "I made the mistake of not knocking."
"Aye aye, captain." Eric salutes him before walking out of the bedroom. Heading down the hallway, he knocks on the neighboring door and waits patiently.
Frida Hidalgo opens the door, wearing an oversized shirt that obviously belonged to her brother. "Eric, what a surprise. What are you doing here?"
"Just making sure you guys feel at home here in America," Eric says. "By the way, I got Vasily and Alexa up to speed; I just want to get you and your brother up to speed. Where is your brother."
"He's preparing a shower for us." She turns into the room. "Antonio, Eric te necesita."
"Estoy en camino," Antonio replies.
A few seconds later, Antonio walks into view, wearing a robe. "What is the hot topic on this hot spring-a-fling day, Erico?"
Eric tilts his head. "Erico?"
"Sorry, would you have preferred I called you 'Enrico' because I can; my English vocabulary is expanding."
"No thanks, but I'll put a pin in it." Eric invites himself in. "And, please, put some clothes on or something to stop reminding me you two are siblings."
"We should be fine," Frida insists. "So what's going on?"
Eric brings them up to speed on the Fountain of Youth quest.
"Oh, so that's why we're here in Florida," Frida nods. "I understand."
"Florida is home," Antonio smiles. "I just love the place. There's a lot of Spanish people... and black people, so that's a bonus."
"And now we get to play pirates," Eric points out.
"Pirates?" Antonio gasps. "YES!" He thrusts his hands in the air. "My bucket list is complete!"
Eric laughs. "Just making sure everyone is up to speed."
"Good, is there anything else?" Frida questions in a polite manner.
"Nothing else," Eric nods. "Now, I'll leave you."
Without saying another word, Eric steps into the hallway and closes the door. Pausing in the center of the hallway, he narrows his eyes, trying to make out what he's seeing. Two children stand at the end of the hallway, walking towards him. He recognizes them.
"Hey Eric," Vito waves to them.
"Do you miss us, Eric?" Mira asks.
"I do," Eric says to them. "I miss you two every day."
"We miss you two, Eric," they both say. "Promise you won't forget us?"
Eric steps towards them, taking a knee before them. "I could never forget you. I think about you every day, I miss you every day." He strokes their faces. "I think about what I could've done to save you every day. I would give anything to see you smile, to see your sweet beautiful eyes." He tears up. "I'll never forget the sound of your voices or what you look like. I'll never stop visiting your graves."
"Bring us flowers," Vito tells him.
"The red ones," Mira adds. "Please."
"Anything you want," Eric nods.
They smile. "Thank you, Eric."
Without warning, a car out of nowhere comes by and-
"NO!"
Eric leaps to push them out of the way, only to land on the carpeted floors. When he shakes his head, he remembers where is and what he is doing. They weren't real. Picking himself up, he desperately looks around for any signs of Vito and Mira before he closes his eyes.
Alexa and Vasily step out into the hallway.
"Eric, are you okay?" Alexa asks.
Eric's breath leaves him and his skin turns pale on him. His breathing becomes shaky as he opens his eyes.
"N-no."
Chapter 2: In the Dark
2027
Coral Cove Park, Florida
Arriving at their intended destination, Eric admits that he was a little disappointed they were a little further away from Miami than expected. But the map says what the map says. Looking down at the notebook and map, he sighs heavily before tucking them away. Licking his lips, he turns to Alexa and Vasily.
"So, are you sure this is the right place?" Alexa asks, eyeing the limestone before her. "Because this place doesn't exactly have the 'lost treasure' feel to it?"
Eric laughs. "Well, it is a buried treasure so obviously, it isn't going to be obvious to the public. But it is hidden in plain sight and no one knows what to look for except those who know what to look for."
"That's a lovely way of putting it," Vasily jokes. "You should have your own Wikipedia pages about quotes."
"Who knows, maybe I'll have my own Wikipedia page."
"I'll even make one for you."
"Be sure to get my birthday right."
Vasily nods. "Sure. Younger than me."
Eric shoots a glare at him.
"Okay, okay, older than me."
Eric gives him a thumbs-up. "Alright."
Frida and Antonio approach Eric.
"What are we looking for?" Frida asks. "You're the one with the treasure-hunting love so what are we looking for?"
Eric smiles. "Okay, so, when I looked at the map and journal, I was cross-referencing stuff I found in both the notebook and journal. First of all, there were several numbers on the page. At first, I didn't make anything of it until I realized it was binary. It was binary referring to locations marked on the map. The most significant number is four so I looked up binaries in the past using that pirate book to see if there were some kind of codes that pirates used referring to the number four. Then I realized I was looking in the wrong place; the number four doesn't exactly have a place in the binary pirate code world. 0 and 1 were the most prominent so instead of looking for 4-specific codes, I looked for binary codes with four numbers. This included four ones, four heroes, or four digits total. I noticed this consistent pattern throughout the map and when I had my men give me an update on the locations, it all led to the middle of nowhere, random places in Florida, except this place. 0011 - I had my men check all the locations marked as 0011 on the map and they all come back as limestone locations and ironically, there are four limestone locations in Florida. We are at one of those four locations."
"Limestone? Why limestone?"
Eric shrugs. "Perfect place to hide something and no one would suspect a thing."
Antonion looks around. "Did anyone else hear suspenseful music during that whole speech or was it just me?" He looks around again. "Nah, just me, probably."
"Then let's hurry it up," Frida says, "it is hot outside and I want to dive in the water so let's hurry this up a bit." As Frida turns, she pauses. "I gotta say, Eric, you sure got the passion and enthusiasm for history."
Eric nods. "I sure do."
"You should've seen him in the orphanage," Vasily says, "he is a big lover of history."
"Understatement of the century," Antonio shrugs.
"Guys," Alexa speaks up. "I hate to interrupt this lovely praise ceremony but can we get a move-in? I know it's early in the morning but if it takes forever, we could be stuck here by nightfall."
"Right," Antonio nods. "Luckily, I have the perfect thing to keep us hydrated?" He removes his backpack and pulls out a bag of oranges. "Since we're in Florida, I decided to immerse myself in the culture and get us some Florida oranges from Florida."
Alexa flinches. "Those are just oranges."
Antonio laughs. "Yeah, Florida oranges."
"How are Florida any different from regular oranges?"
"They're from Florida."
"So, if I got oranges from Mexico, would they be Mexican oranges?"
"Exactly!"
Frida laughs. "Guys, I think we should listen to Alexa's advice and get a move on."
Antonio nods. "Yes, because the sooner we wrap up, the sooner I get to see you in the bikini I packed for you, Hermana."
"Perverts," Vasily whispers under his breath.
Without wasting any more time, they get to work. The Overlord soldiers with them begin excavating the limestone near the water without causing the place to crumble down. They didn't have any major excavating equipment like cranes but they did have dynamite. Alexa orders the soldiers not to use dynamite unless absolutely necessary. So they opted to go for the open cave they found on the eastern wall, a cave big enough to fit a large group of people. Eric walks in, looking around, searching for any signs of crevices or anything that might lead them to the Fountain of Youth.
Crevices were not in short supply and there were plenty of holes to crawl through. 'Caving' he believes it called. Eric shines lights on all the walls and surfaces before looking up at the ceiling, seeing water drip down on them. As he looks around, he spots Frida and Antonio in the corner of the cave, removing rocks from the wall.
"Hey," Antonio smiles as he holds something. A flintlock pistol. "Hey, Frida, check it out! I'm John Wick." He waves the gun aimlessly. "Pew, pew, pew."" He aims at her. "Pew, pew, pew."
"Antonio," Frida scolds, "not now."
Antonio puts the flintlock to his temple. "Pew." He laughs before putting the pistol back.
"Hey." Eric runs to him. "Where did you find that?"
"Oh, this?" Antonio grabs the pistol again. "Oh, I just found it in this tiny hole big enough for us to crawl through, no big deal. I mean, it's just a flintlock pistol." He smiles. "Hey, Frida, with this pistol, I can finally go as Captain Jack Sparrow for Halloween." He cheers. "My bucket list is complete... again!"
Eric moves over to the hole barely big enough for one person to fit through. He shines the light before backing away. "Someone's going to have to crawl through."
"Any takers?" Vasily nods. "Because I sure as hell am not crawling through."
Alexa nods. "Have you guys... heard of... the Nutty Putty Cave incident?"
Vasily nods. "That's why I don't want to do this caving thing."
"But it's a flintlock pistol," Eric says before grabbing it and examining it. "A genuine one, not a fake. Barely holding up, collecting dust and nature, real. Which means..." His eyes widen. "We're on the right path. If the Fountain of Youth is in here, we gotta do something. I'll climb through."
"Wait." Alexa grabs his hand. "We can get someone trained... someone who is experienced with caving."
Eric touches her hand. "No, I don't want anyone to die. This is my mission and if I send someone to finish the job for me, especially in a dangerous spot, then... I'm a goddamn coward."
Alexa flinches. "You took God's name in vain."
Eric looks at the ground. "I guess I did." He turns to the hole. "Either way, I'm going in. Go get a rope, a tracker, and whatever I might need when I'm going inside."
"Feet first," Vasily orders, "go feet first, understand? And pull every chance you get."
"I will." Eric sighs heavily as he waits for his men to come back with his equipment. As Eric puts on the equipment, he begins climbing inside the cave.
Alexa grabs his leg. "Hey, Eric, I swear to... the higher being above us, if you don't come back, I will drag your ass back to the surface. If you die, I will break through the doorway to Heaven to kick your ass, got it?"
"I ain't going to Heaven," Eric says before he begins climbing.
Following his husband's advice and heeding the words of his wife, he climbs in feet-first and tugs on the rope every few minutes to let the people on the surface know he's okay. As he climbs through the cave, he dons a pair of night vision goggles to give him a hand. He took the flintlock pistol with him, which he kept tucked in his holster. As he continues to crawl through the cave, he stops every few seconds to ponder, making sure he is on the right path - only path - before moving on. As he pauses to catch his breath, he closes his eyes and lets his head rest on the limestone ground beneath. He removes his night vision goggles to look around. Seeing nothing, he simply closes his eyes and rests, catching his breath.
"Eric," a voice calls out. "Eric, are you there?"
"Eric, where are you?" another voice calls.
His eyes perk up, recognizing the voices. "Vito, Mira?" He looks up, putting on his night vision goggles. "Hang on, hang on, I'm coming!"
"ERIC!" both kids call out again. "Eric, where are you?!"
"I'm here!" Eric rotates on the ground so he crawls head-first through the cave. "Hang on, I'm coming. Keep yelling so I can find you!"
He crawls as fast as he can through the cave, wincing at the feeling of the rocks digging into his forearms and groans. He turns the night vision goggles onto a higher setting and tugs on the rope more as it causes him to stop a few times.
"Vito, Mira, please, keep calling. Please, I'm going to find you! I'm going to save you!"
He comes across an opening. Stopping just inches from crawling through the opening, he loses his balance and falls through. Yelling suddenly, he catches himself on the rope at the very last second before he can tumble into an abyss. He hits the limestone wall hard enough to bounce off before reaching for a handhold but the green sighting of the night vision goggles makes it hard for him to see. He manages to grab hold of a rock but the rock comes loose. Suddenly the rope gives through and he falls. His screams are cut short when he feels himself land hard on his ass a split second later. Wincing hard, he groans and falls on his side.
"I landed on my ass on solid rock ground!" Turning around, he looks through the night vision goggles once more, seeing himself in some kind of void of black nothingness. Climbing to his feet, he puts his back to the wall, which now has a smooth, solid surface, smooth enough to make even those who use exfoliating on a daily jealous.
"What the hell?" He looks around the cave. "Vito, Mira, where are you?"
He closes his eyes behind the night vision goggles. "What the hell? What the hell was I thinking?" He shakes his head. "Vito and Mira. They died in front of me, they're not real. They're... not... real."
"Sounds like someone is in denial."
Eric draws his gun. "Who's there?"
Silence.
"Great, more voices in the head."
"Man, it's been so long since we heard someone's voice who wasn't ours."
Eric gasps and pulls the hammer on his pistol. That's not a hallucination. "Who the hell is that?"
"Give us your rope, give us your goddamn rope, scoundrel!"
His training kicks in and his eyes sharpen through the night vision goggles. Suddenly, without warning, he sees a figure wearing black clothing charging at him in the darkness wielding a cutlass.
BANG! BANG!
The figure drops to the ground, lying on its back, groaning with two bulletholes in its head.
"Attack," another voice yells. "Get the rope!"
Eric sees several more figures, all wielding cutlasses racing for him. Eric kicks the first one back and fires on him, creating legroom. He fires on the other figures before somersaulting out of the way and picking up a fallen cutlass. He turns and parries a slash attack. More thrusts of the sword come his way and he does what he can to parry them. He kicks them back to create more leg room but the numbers pile on him. He knocks one down, steals his cutlass, and uses it to double his parrying ability.
Who am I fighting, Eric wonders to himself.
XXXX
With Alexa and Vasily
"We're going in after him," Alexa says. Despite wanting to tug on the rope again, seeing the rope dance and prattle like a stick in water, she decides to climb into the cave to find out what's going on herself. She decides to go in headfirst in case she has to pull Eric out herself. Vasily follows behind after her, holding several flares in his pouch as well as a pistol.
Frida, Antonio, and six Overlord soldiers follow after them, bringing a lot of heat and excavating equipment just in case.
"Hang on," Alexa says, "we're coming, Eric."
XXXX
2042
Maui
With Cassie
Pulling her into a jail cell, their old jail cell, Cassie stares at Isabel with hate in her eyes as the two sit down. Isabel, however, stares at Cassie with a smile.
"Hello, Cassie Drake." She pulls up her sleeve to reveal her serial number tattoo. "Yeah, I was wondering when you'd stop playing ignorant and just confront me. I'm not going to hurt you, Cassie Drake."
"I don't know; people who use my full name instead of my first name tend to want to hurt me. You know, you started this in the whole place. That Egypt from six years ago, I had nothing to do with whatever your operations were yet, you still decided to target me."
"That wasn't me. I had nothing to do with that. I agree; Overlord did target you so they started it."
"Had you just left me alone, we never would've met. Had you not compromised my Egyptian friend's cousin, everything might have been fine and dandy."
"I have no intention of harming you, Cassie Drake."
"Why? Because I'm an Omega target I should be spared in case you guys want to make use of me in the future. Is that why I'm constantly being spared by you guys? Hate to break it to you but some Overlord soldiers don't follow your orders."
"I'm not a leader; I'm a soldier, an off-duty soldier. Well, not right now but... I am now." Isabel tilts her head. "I know all about you, Cassie Drake, how you lost your child. The story I told you, about my miscarriage, was real. That miscarriage is what led me to join Overlord in the first place. I wanted revenge on the man who killed my baby. I got it."
"Did it feel good?"
Isabel narrows her eyes. "Did it feel good when you killed Marcus Cote?"
Cassie nods. "It did. That bastard killed my daughter just because he was angry at me for 'stealing' his spotlight. I wasn't trying to steal his spotlight or anything; it wasn't my intention to steal his spotlight and he still blamed me. He wanted me to suffer for it."
"You don't have a happy life, Cassie Drake."
Cassie claps her hands sarcastically. "Exactly, right on the money. I could've had everything, my family is suffering because of me, I'm on the world's most dangerous terrorist group's hitlist, my friend betrayed me, and I lost my unborn daughter. And now, I'm most likely about to serve life in prison because of that asshole. My life is crap doesn't even begin to cover it. Even if somehow, I do get off or am proven innocent, you guys will still be after me. You'll use my family as leverage. And who is to say that you guys won't eventually look for some kind of weapon of mass destruction? I hate you Overlord scumbags with all my might and I want you all to suffer for everything you've done, not just to me but to everybody who suffered because of you. I want to make sure that your plans for world domination never come to fruition and I want to find your leader and give him a piece of my mind."
Isabel smiles through the whole thing but somehow, Cassie doesn't see it as a smile of malice but one of pity.
"I am so sorry for what has happened to you." Isabel's lip quivers. "I can't imagine the pain you're going through. I swear, I swear to God, if it were in my power, I would do everything I could to make you feel better. The only thing I can do right now is comfort you, make you feel good somehow."
"Are you an Overlord fanatic?" Cassie demands. "What do you get out of this group?"
"I got my husband. The love of my life."
"Dwight."
"Yeah." Isabel looks to the ground. "They said you were a horrible person for killing our members. They all want you to die or something but... after getting to know you, and talking to you, I see that that is not the case. The people of Overlord are nothing but a bunch of terrorists who want to rewrite the world with themselves as the victors. I just wanted to get revenge on the man who killed my baby. I believed In Overlord but over time, I saw them for what they truly were, and talking to you, being your friend, it... it sealed the deal. I just want to leave, go home, live my life with my husband but we can't leave, not until our mission is done."
"And what mission is that, take over the world?"
She shakes her head. "No. My mission was to get myself arrested and keep an eye on you, make sure you're safe."
"Ha," Cassie chuckles, "of course, Overlord would know that I'm in jail; they know almost everything about me."
"They're powerful, too powerful for me to take on."
"I wish I could just go back in time and change all of this," Cassie says suddenly. "I want nothing more than to be by Derek and Evan's side and live my life with them. I want my family, more than anything in the world."
Isabel moves over to sit by her side. Cassie flinches upon feeling the Overlord's spy wrap around her arms before she gives herself permission to bury her face in the spy's shoulder and cry.
Chapter 3: Into the Light
2027
With Eric
Parrying and dodging more of the thrusts of cutlasses and small knives, Eric continues to engage with his unseen enemies. After knocking some enemies back, he gets behind one and draws his sword to his neck. He steps back against the wall. "Get back," he orders, holding the hostage at swordpoint. "I swear, I'll slice this bastard up."
The attackers laugh.
"You can try," one of them says.
"We've already tried slicing him up; nothing."
Eric continues stepping back. His night vision goggles helped him see that his enemies were tall, skinny men wearing old clothes that looked to have been rotting for the longest time. And maybe it was the goggles but their skin looked like it was just barely hanging from their bones.
"Eric!" a familiar voice shouts. "We're here." Alexa crawls through the pathway from earlier before drawing her pistol. She fires several shots in the dark. "Get away from our man."
The attackers backed away from the strange weapon and to the wall. Alexa shines a flare and tosses it to the bottom, lighting up the place. Eric quickly removes his night vision goggles and shoves his hostage forward before returning to the wall. Alexa, Vasily, Frida, and Antonio rappel down the wall and join beside Eric, where they draw their guns and aim for the enemies.
Eric gasps at the sight before him. The attackers stand before him, wearing old uniforms from the 1800s and have gray rotting flesh dangling from what bones are still in place and their skeletal hands are moving without any muscle or skin to aid them. Given the garb they're wearing, an ande skull and crossbones, Eric deduces these must be pirates.
"What is this?" one of the pirates asks. He gestures to the flare. "So red."
"What are you?" Eric yells. "WHO ARE YOU?!"
The pirate looks at him. "Are you from the land of the British? You speak English so are you?"
"Are you British or..."
"I'm one of the few ones who speaks English fluently." The pirate steps forward. "Who are you?"
"You attacked me," Eric yells. "Who the hell are you?"
The pirate laughs. "First Mate Claude Berjeau. I see you met the rest of my crew, all twelve of us."
Alexa, Vasily, Frida, and Antonio aim at the twelve pirates while the others, still in the pathway above, train their barrels on their enemies.
"Why did you attack me?"
Berjeau laughs. "I'm afraid we got ahead of ourselves. But.. are you real?"
"You felt me put my hands around you so what should that tell you?"
"It's not eh first time we hallucinated." Berjeau looks at the flare. "But it is the first time in a very long time we saw a light."
"What happened to you?" Eric demands. "Are you... what's up with your faces?"
"Oh, you mean our beautiful faces?" Berjeau strokes his skeletal cheekbones. "This... this is from drinking too much water. Too much water from the false fountain."
Eric's eyes widen. "False fountain?"
Berjeau smiles again. "I knew it; you guys are here for the same reason as us: the Fountain of Youth." He sighs heavily, the smile never leaving me. "Consider yourselves lucky you didn't have a captain named Aregnaudeau."
Eric's eyes widen. "Aregnaudeau?"
"Precisely." Berjeau walks around, no longer keeping his eyes on Eric. "It was supposed to be a simple routine mission. You know, navigation and all that bloody work. That's what the captain told his superiors. What he really wanted was the Fountain of Youth. The beautiful Fountain of Youth."
"Aregnaudeau found the Fountain of Youth?"
"Yes, he did. And we were there to see his moment of glory. But... this moment of glory wasn't for the right discovery."
Eric tilts his head. "What do you mean?"
Berjeau holds his hand out. "Follow me."
Eric looks at his skeletal hand. "I'm not touching your hand."
"So be it." Berjeau walks to his left and Eric follows after him. The Overlord soldiers and pirates stay behind. As Eric follows Berjeau into another part of the cave, something dawns on him.
"You were part of Aregnaudeau's crew?" He gasps with wide eyes. "Aregnaudeau was captain in the 1800s. You..."
"Christmas, 1812." Berjeau sighs with annoyance. "That's how long we've been stuck in here."
"What?" Eric feels his throat dry. "It's 2027."
Berjeau pauses and looks at him. "Excuse me? It's... 2027?"
"It's not the 1800s anymore."
"Oh my god," Berjeau gasps silently. "It's been 215 years?" He shakes his head. "No, we could have been in that cave for long. I was thinking a ten, twenty, maybe thirty years at the most but... two hundred years?"
"What were the 1800s like?"
Berjeau leans against the wall. "My wife, my daughter... they're dead. I didn't get a chance to spend Christmas with them and I promised that I would be home in time for Christmas."
"How did you get trapped in here? All you had to do was climb out?"
Berjeau looks at him. "Our pathway was out of reach. Centimeters out of reach and even with our swords, we could've clawed our way out. We've been stuck here for 215 years without food and sunshine."
"What about water? How are you alive?"
Berjeau marches forward. "Follow me."
"As I've been doing for the last few minutes or so."
Berjeau continues leading him down the cave. "I haven't been completely honest with you, whatever your name is."
"Eric. Eric Vale."
"Claude. Claude Berjeau."
Eric laughs. "I gotta show you James Bond."
"Who is James Bond?"
"That's why I gotta show you. I have literally never met someone from the 1800s. In 2027, everyone from the 1800s is dead. Well, except you and your crew. I have so much I want to ask from you."
He looks at him. "And I have so much I want to ask you... and one thing I want to show you."
After a few more seconds of walking, they stop in front of a spring. Eric's eyes widen as he shines a flashlight on it. Berjeau looks at the flashlight like a curious child. "What is that thing? Some kinda torch?"
"A flashlight."
The beam lands on a rusted yellow spring looking like a fountain one can find in the mall except this was the size of a yacht.
"Is that..." Eric loses the will to speak. "Oh my gosh, is that Fountain of Youth?'
Berjeau smiles. "Ahh, I remember having that look on my face when I first gazed upon this spring. But... as much as I want you to keep smiling, I think now is the time for the harsh truth." He leans closer but is careful not to touch Eric. "That... is not the Fountain of Youth."
Eric looks at him. "What?"
"Let me ask you something, do you believe that one can be alive without being dead?"
"Uhh..."
"Can one be ugly without being pretty?"
"I uh..."
"How about this: can one be evil without being good?"
Eric licks his lips. "Are you talking about the yin-yang thing or something?" He pauses. "Uh, are you talking about how one cannot exist without the other?"
"Precisely. Do you think that youth can exist without the elderly?" Berjeau cocks his head. "Well, do you?"
It takes three seconds for Berjeau's words to hit him like a brick wall. "Based on what you're saying, that spring isn't the Fountain of Youth but..." His eyes widen. "The Fountain of... elderly?"
Berjeau leans closer, smiling. "Exactly."
Eric's breath hitches. "There are two fountains? The Fountain of Youth and the Fountain of Elderly?"
"Eh, I prefer 'Fountain of Old Age'."
"You drank from the spring and instead of rejuvenating you or making you young, you..."
"We aged. For every sip we took of the fountain, we aged one year. I suspect the water in the spring isn't water at all but some kind of natural element that accelerates the aging process in humans." He looks at his hands. "Then again, I'm still alive after 200 years so I imagine there may be something supernatural to the fountain. Or maybe it's a side-effect of whatever the true nature of the spring's liquid is." He takes his hand back. "We didn't want to drink the water but we were so... thirsty. Over the years, as we continued to drink, the spring dried up and no water rose from the spring. Either way, me and my crew are still alive and we're possibly the only people left alive from the 1800s so maybe it's a good idea to give us your rope and have you pull us out." He smiles. "After all, I'm pretty sure I owe you because I warned you about the Fountain of Old Age and... I'm offering to give you whatever knowledge I possess from the 1700s to 1800s."
Eric flinches before heading to the spring. Touching the spring with his hands, he notices the symbols carved on the inside of the spring.
"Also, I know where the Fountain of Youth is," Berjeau smiles. "Oh yeah, that's the ultimate treasure I've kept locked away in my head for a long time."
Eric spots a symbol on the spring carved out.
"Eric, you may be the first people to arrive here in a long time but I always knew that somehow, someone wasn't going to find us by accident. Well, you found us by accident but not by pure accident. After all, you came here for the Fountain of Youth. I always believed that if someone were to be in this cave, it would be to look for the Fountain of Youth."
"So you carved out the location for the Fountain of Youth so you had a bargaining chip."
"Exactly."
"How can I trust you?"
Berjeau gestures to the spring. "Read the symbols on the spring."
Eric turns back to the spring and does his best to read the Latin and symbols on the spring. Realizing the symbols make a map, he takes out three pieces of paper and begins rubbing off the globe, even on the globe symbol carved out. After rubbing the three symbols on the three papers, he holds the light up to it.
Seeing the longitude and latitude arrows along with a map of Florida with an obscure near the bottom of Florida, Eric's eyes widen.
"Ahh, I remember doing that when I first saw the spring," Berjeau smiles nostalgically.
"If I get you and your crew out of here, will you give me the location of the Fountain of Youth?"
"Why? What is it you desire with the fountain? Immorality, power?"
"Money," Eric says simply.
"Money for what, a revolution?"
"Is that why you're here? Were you part of some kind of revolution and sentenced here?" Eric narrows his eyes. "By any chance, were you involved in the War of 1812."
Berjeau says nothing.
"You said that you were the first mate of Aregnaudeau yet I don't see him down here, which leads me to believe that you were sent here in this cave for some reason. Aregnaudeau left you down here."
Berjeau flinches before laughing. "Smart, I'll give you that. Yeah, we told a lie here and there but for the most part, it is true." Berjeau leans against the wall. "Berjeau knew about the Fountain of Old Age from the beginning. I had no idea how maybe Ponce de Leon told him about it, maybe he found a map, but regardless of the reason, he knew there were two springs but he couldn't be sure which one was which. He led us here on board the Duc de Dantzig and had us crawl through tight spaces and gasps to find the spring. He followed behind us before telling us to drink from the spring. When he didn't see anything going on, he ordered us to drink from the spring yet again. Soon enough, we began to age. First, it was gray hair, then wrinkles, and finally, loss of stamina. He told us he would pull us out of the cave but first, we had to make a rubbing of the map on the spring. We followed his orders and when we handed it to him... he just left. He left us alone with the spring of old age." Berjeau closes his eyes. "We served that man with the utmost respect, loyalty, and admiration, and he just left us here to die. No, even worse, he left us here so we couldn't die. He was like a father to us and then he threw us out."
"Unloved, unwanted," Eric whispers to himself. Without thinking, he grabs Berjeau's hand. "There is no worse feeling in the world than feeling unloved and unwanted by a parent figure."
Berejau looks down at his hand. "I thought you didn't want me touching you."
"You deserve to feel physical affection. You've never felt another human's flesh for 200 years. You were just doing what your captain was saying and he left you here because it was convenient. Come on." He drags Berjeau away. "Coe on, we're getting you and your crew out of this cave right now."
Berjeau chuckles as he follows after Eric. "What about the spring?"
"Forget it. We're getting you to hf here and that is final."
Berjeau laughs. "Really?"
Without saying another word, Eric leads them back to the others. Seeing them continue to hold the pirate crew at gunpoint, Eric calls to the Overlord soldiers. "Soldiers, stand down. Get more rope; we're getting these people out of here."
"Did you find the fountain?" Alexa asks.
"I'll tell you all about it when we get these pirates out. Come on, let's get some rope and help these people out!"
When he yells at the top of his lungs, the soldiers up top quickly get more rope and help everyone in the caves climb up safely. When it is all over and done and the pirates are out of the cave with the modern soldiers following after them, they carefully take them to the entrance of the cave.
Berjeau steps forward and shields his eyes from the glaring sun. 215 years without seeing the sun required that he take at least thirty minutes for his eyes to adjust but he opened his eyes regardless because...
"I'm out," he gasps. "We're out."
The pirates exiting the cave look up toward the blue sky, gasping loudly as they gaze upon the clouds for the first time in a long time. One of the pirates wearing an eyepatch over their left eye cries a bit as he touches the ground before him.
"We're free!" Berjeau exclaims.
"YEAH!" the pirates cheer.
Smiling at the sight of them, Eric stands off to the side with his teammates and allows the pirates to bask in their freedom for as long as they wish. While they're waiting, he brings them up to speed about the Fountain of Old Age and explains the story of Aregnaudeau to them.
"We have a new objective," Eric tells them. "We gotta get these guys the Fountain of Youth. I've been thinking that, since they aged and are somewhat immortal or undead because of the fountain, then maybe the Fountain of Youth will restore them."
"I don't believe it," Vasily says, staring at the pirates with wide eyes. "There's no way in hell that those are people from 1812. No, it's gotta be a lie. It has to be a be. There is no way in hell that immortality exists."
Eric laughs. "The Lord works in mysterious ways."
Even Alexa's mind is having a hard time comprehending the information given the frozen look of horror on her face. "There's no way the supernatural is real. It must be something in the water, some undiscovered element. Yeah, a natural element in the earth keeping them alive in the water they drank. Yeah, that has to be it."
Eric smiles. "Yeah, I was at a loss but... I'm more than inclined to believe God works in mysterious ways."
"Supernatural ways?" Vasily questions.
"I believe in the supernatural." Eric looks toward them. "We're going to find the Fountain of Youth and we're going to help them get their youth back."
If I couldn't save Vito and Mira from death, I could at least save these people from living a fate worse than death.
XXXX
2042
Maui
"Well, Cassie," her lawyer begins, "I have more than enough evidence to help you in your court cast." Her lawyer shows her several documents. "Self-defense. We're going for self-defense and I have all the evidence to prove it." Her lawyer shows her statements made by the doctor. "The doctor who patched you up after your Lost City of Z adventure can confirm that you suffered from a gunshot wound from a pistol Marcus Cote purchased before the adventure. And I managed to get phone records from several companies to prove Marcus Cote was not at your house when he called 911 to claim you 'attacked him'."
Cassie sobs silently before looking at the lawyer in the visitor's center. "Thank you."
"You're going to go home, Cassie." Her lawyer looks at his watch. "Oh, and you'll be happy to know that a date for your trial has been established. December 12th. I have informed all witnesses that they need to be present in court and to give their testimonies."
"Thank you so much." She grabs his hand. "I just want to go home to Derek and Evan."
"And you will, Cassie, I promise."
"Thank you so much."
Chapter 4: Out to Sea
2027
Miami
Even though it was time-consuming and not really necessary, Eric took the others, including the semi-immortal pirates on a boat ride around the Miami Bay. Eric drives the boat at such speed that it shakes. Berjeau and the other pirates scream with joy as they sail on the water for the first time in a long time. Berjeau climbs to the front of the boat and yells at the top of his lungs. "YES!" he screams, crying a bit before water splashes on his face.
After calming down, Berjeau heads back to his seat, where Antonio sits beside him.
"Man, I have so many questions, pirate captain," Antonio says. "Do you drink rum? Have you sailed the seven seas? Is Davy Jones Locker real? Do you know George Washington? Have you ever met Captain Jack Sparrow?"
Berejau looks at him. "If I answer these questions, will you answer my questions about modern times, rambunctious one?"
"Si."
Berjeau cocks his head. "I don't speak Spanish."
"It means 'yes'."
Berjeau sighs. "Okay, to answer your questions, no, no, I don't believe, yes, and I have no idea who Captain Jack Sparrow is. Is he a historical pirate who came after me?"
"Exactly," Antonio smiles.
"George Washington, I knew him but I never met him. Don't forget, I'm from France." His eyes widen. "Man, I can't wait to get home to France. If my daughter has descendants, I wish to find out about them when I look human."
"I understand."
Frida sits down next to Antonio. "You'll have to forgive my brother, he can be a little eccentric at times. And by 'at times', I mean 'all the time'."
Antonio looks at her. "But you love me for it."
Berjeau looks at the boat. "When did they make these kind of speed boats? Are pirates still a thing? Does 'Russia' still have a Tsar? When did the 'War of 1812' end? Are there other wars?"
"You'll have to ask Eric about that one," Frida says, "he's kinda the expert when it comes to history."
"We'll get you up to speed later," Eric says. "For now, let's just enjoy this trip."
"Okay."
Berjeau sits back against his seat and closes his eyes. Turning to the other crew members, he looks out to sea before reaching over and dipping his hand into the water, feeling the ocean and feeling a chill run down his spine.
After about an hour on the boat, they park the boat and step onto dry land.
Making it to the pier, they pass several people who gasp at the sight of the skeletal pirates.
Berjeau waves to them. "Uhh... bonjour."
"We're going to a convention," Eric tells the civilians. "You know, like an anime convention. One Piece pirates."
Berjeau looks over. "Yeah. One Piece pirates."
The wife gasps. "Your costume looks so real." She touches his hand. "Wow, amazing. Hey, can I get the address of where you got your costume from?"
"Uhh, address? It's umm.."
"He made it himself," Eric answers.
"Nice. Can I get your number?"
"My number?"
"Your phone number."
Berjeau stares at her, dumbfounded. "I don't..."
"He doesn't have a phone because he thinks those phone contracts are a complete ripoff," Eric answers again. "But, I'll give you a card to reach me so I can reach him." He pulls out a business card. "Here you go."
The wife takes it. "Thank you. And.. I'll see you around for the next One Piece convention."
Eric waves to her.
Berjeau looks at him. "Phone? Like a housephone?"
"Well, something like that." Eric pulls out his cell phone. "With this device, you can call anyone around the world with just the press of a few buttons. You can send text messages, look up information, record things around you, hell, you can even use it as a GPS." He hands the private the phone. "This is truly the peak of human technology, this beautiful cellphone device right here."
Berjeau takes the phone. "The world sure is different from the last time I saw it."
"it is."
"What is the most powerful ship known to man?"
Eric laughs. "A battleship. And the most dangerous weapon known to man is a bomb known as aAtomic Bomb. Or a nuke as we lovingly refer to them."
"What's a nuke?"
"A nuke is a bomb that can destroy an entire city with a single explosion and leave it riddled with radiation for years."
"Radiation/"
"Radiation, it like dangerous stuff. I'm slipping on some words but it's like contaminated it around you, covering you, causing one to live with cancer."
"Oh, cancer is still a thing. I thought with all this super technology, cancer would have a cure."
"No, there is cancer treatment but I'm not so sure about a cure."
"And what is this One Piece you speak about?"
"Oh, you mean the anime with over a thousand episodes?" Eric puts his arm around his shoulder. "You see, humanity has reached a time where we don't need gladiators to keep us entertained because we have a special thing called movies. A movie is a compilation of moving pictures on a screen that tell a visual story. One Piece is an anime, which is a Japanese cartoon. A cartoon is moving drawings of weird-looking characters designed to tell a visual story." Eric pats him on the back. "When we find the Fountain of Youth, I'm going to show you all the movies I can."
"How many movies are there?"
"More than anyone can watch in a lifetime. Seriously, you could start watching movies from the moment you're convicted to the time you die and you still wouldn't even come close to watching every single movie ever made. That also applies to TV shows and episodes."
"Wow, a lot of movies. What is one movie you like?"
"Oh, there's so many. And..." his eyes widen. "You're going to love video games. Video games, they're like movies but you get to play as the character and you can control what the character does. There's a Pirates of the Caribbean game though I prefer the movies. There's... uhm, Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings, Tomb Raider 2013, there's... Call of Duty. Man, you gotta love Call of Duty. And... jeez, Far Cry. Man, I love Far Cry, especially the third game. I never played the first game but who cares. And..." He snaps his fingers. Spider-Man and Batman: Arkham. Those are some of the best superhero games."
"Wow. I..." Berjeau loses his will to speak.
"You gotta tell me where the Fountain of Youth is. Vito, Mira, I want nothing more than to save you so you gotta tell me where the Fountain of Youth is."
Berjeau looks a him. "Who is Vito and Mira?"
He flinches. "Berjeau, I said Berjeau."
Alexa and Vasily pull Eric to the side.
"Are you okay, Eric?" Alexa asks. "Because... I couldn't help but notice that you're slipping a bit. Like, in the hallway when you saw Vito and Mira in the hallway back at our room or when we heard you calling Vito and Mira's name in the cave. And then you just called Berjeau Vito and Mira like two seconds ago."
"I'm slipping," Eric admits, " I admit it, I'm slipping and... I'm not liking it. I can't stand this feeling in my gut. I hate this feeling in my gut. I just..."
"Is that why you're so desperate to save Berjeau?" Vasily questions. "Are you hoping that it'll help ease the pain?"
"Eric." Alexa grabs his hand. "This pain that you're feeling, it won't ever go away. The pain we have from all the murders that ere committed, it doesn't go away with us."
"You guys seem okay."
"On the outside, we are, but we're barely holding it together. The only death I don't feel guilty for is the death of Pastor Castle."
"Pastor Bastard Castle," Vasily hisses.
"So what," Eric scoffs, "so what if I'm doing this to try and get away from the pain of Vito and Mira? I'm still saving Berjeau. And honestly, I'm offended that you guys are questioning me. I just want to save someone's life; isn't that Overlord's goal?"
"Eric," Alexa reaches out.
Eric shoves her back. "Get away from me." He heads back to Berjeau where he stops before him. "Where is the Fountain of Youth? We're going to go there, now, ASAP." He turns to Frida and Antonio. "I want you two to go get food; I'm sure they'll be hungry once they return to human form."
Frida nods. "Aye-aye, captain."
Berjeau looks at him. "I caught some of that conversation. Who is Vito and Mira?"
Eric closes his eyes. "I don't want to talk about it."
'Hey, I shared my life storywith ye, so ye better tell me."
"They're some I loved and lost too quickly," he says hastily, "that's it. That's all I'll say."
Berjeau tilts his head. "I'm willing to bet that you feel guilty for their deaths and that is why you're insistent on helping me out." Berjeau puts a hand on his shoulder. "So, even in this day and age, humans still experience loss. It seems like you need to save me just as much as I need to save myself and my crew." He nods. "Take out the rubbing."
Eric obeys his orders and shows him the papers.
"Now then, let's finish up." Berjeau uses one of his crewmate's back to write on. "This curve, this arrow, right about here." He draws a circle. "This is the Fountain of Youth."
Eric takes the map. "It's right in Miami."
"In another cave," Berjeau nods.
"Then let's go right now." He turns to his soldiers. "Everyone pack up, we're heading for the Fountain of Youth right now." Withotu wasting anymore time, he climbs into the boat and waits for the others to climb in. He starts up the boat and drives off in the direction of the map.
Half an hour later, they come up to another cliffside a few miles off the shore from the most populated beach. After parking the boat, they climb onto the sand and look to the right to see the trucks with the other Overlord soldiers pulling up.
2042
Maui
"Is this your last mission?" Cassie wonders aloud to her cellmate, Isabel. "Or are you planning something else afterward involving Overlord?"
Isabel smiles. "I don't want to be part of Overlord anymore. When I last made contact with the Overlord leader, I begged for this to be my last mission so me and Dwighty can retire for good. I don't want to be a terrorist anymore."
"And I don't want to be a treasure hunter."
"Your trial is coming up in December. My husband will see that you survive until then. Once you're on trial, I'll leave this so-called 'jailhouse' and run away with Dwight. I'll never see you again, Cassie."
"And I hope to never see you as part of Overlord." Cassie stands up. "It's almost Thanksgiving. This is going to be the first Thanksgiving I'll miss with my family because I'm in here."
"I'm sure it will work out," Isabel tries to reassure. "It's almost Christmas. And, who knows, maybe your family will come to visit on Thanksgiving."
"I'm hoping to win this case so badly."
"You're not going to be a treasure hunter anymore. Got any plans?"
Cassie shrugs. "I don't know. But I'll figure it out."
"I'm rooting for you to have a happy ending, Cassie."
Cassie looks at her. "Thank you. I'm also hoping that the leader of Overlord, whoever he is, I just want him to drop dead already."
Chapter 5: Knowing Only Pain
2027
Cave, Florida
Wasting no more time, one by one, the treasure hunters climb into the cave. The pirates lead in front with Eric directly behind them. Pausing momentarily to catch his breath and looking around, trying to see if he could find Vito and Mira, he closes his eyes.
They're not here, he reminds himself again. They're gone. Focus on Berjeau now.
"'They're gone, focus on Berjeau now,'" Vito's voice comes through.
"Does this mean you're going to forget about us?" Mira's voice speaks.
"No," Eric says suddenly.
Berjeau pauses and looks behind him. "What was that?"
Eric looks at him. "Nothing."
Berjeau narrows his eyes. "If you say so. Come on, we got a spring of youth to seek."
The pirates continue marching forward through the cave. They watch their head for falling debris and they decide to throw caution to the wind. If they're immortal then they can do stuff mortal humans can't do. As Eric sits back and watches the pirates explore the cave, he can't help but notice that the pirates are taking their time exploring the cave. They're taking their time to do tests on falling rocks and debris because they know their immortality will keep them alive. For the first time in a long time, Berjeau and his pirate comrades were having a fun time. Specifically, a fun time with their immortal powers. For the longest time, their immortality is a curse to keep them alive and now, they can use it to test the waters no matter what.
"Are we almost there?" Vasily asks, standing behind Eric. "Mom, Dad, are we there yet?"
Berjeau smiles. "Hold on, we're almost there. We will... be there shortly. Hold on."
Eric follows close behind them. "Take your time," Eric says with a smile. "Take as much time as you need."
Berjeau pauses before looking at his skeletal hands. "Not too much time."
"There will be water," Eric assures them. "After all, there was water when you first arrived. And..."
"If our traitorous captain found the Fountain of Youth and there's no more water, we're as good as dead." Berjeau gulps. "Damn it."
"That's why I'm saying you should take your time," Eric reasons. "If no water is left in the spring, then you're stuck as immortal beings. I that happens, I just wanted you to make the most of your abilities, you know, try and find a way to have fun."
Berjeau suddenly loses his smile. Clenching his knuckles, he pushes his pirate companion ahead of his aside so he can march forward. "No, I swear to god, if there is no water, I will find a way to kill myself then I will follow our traitorous captain to the afterlife and torture him in Hell." A beat later. "Hell, even if I become normal once more, I'm still going to torture him in the afterlife once I die."
Eric follows after him. "What if your captain is among the humans still alive in the world? What if..."
"I hope not. I sincerely hope not, because it would mean no spring water. But... it means I get to see my old captain and give him a piece of my mind."
"Then let's find the spring now."
Without hesitating, Berjeau runs forward, Eric quickly following after him. As they make a run for it, Eric nearly slips into a cavern but Berjeau manages to grab hold of him. Eric looks at him with wide eyes. "You're strong."
"For a skeleton."
Eric laughs. "Yeah, you are."
Berjeau pulls Eric behind. "I'll go forward, you stay behind me, got it."
"Sure thing."
Berjeau continues to move forward, looking around for any other hazards that could cost Eric his mortal life. Whey came up to a ravine and as Berjeau was going to walk in the other direction, a distinct splashing sound caches his skeletal 'ear'. Looking down into the ravine, he narrows his eyes, trying to get a glimpse of the source of the sound.
Eric pulls on his night vision goggles. "Holy crap." He gasps before taking off his goggles. "Look at this." He hands Berjeau the goggles.
Berjeau grabs the night vision goggles. "What is this thing?"
"This is a mask that you wear to help you see in the dark."
"Is it?"
"It is. Here, put it on, try it."
Reluctantly, Berjeau puts on the night vision goggles and flinches at the green sight before him. He looks at Eric and gasps, the level of detail he can see Eric in the dark makes him gasp. "Incredible. This is such incredible technology."
Eric smiles. "Now look down in the ravine."
Berjeau looks down the ravine where the source of the noise came from. He gasps as his eyes land on the device of the noise source.
A spring, with a small obelisk leading to the ceiling, stands at the bottom of the ravine, which appears to be around twelve feet in diameter. Icing on the cake, the obelisk leaks water but the spring doesn't appear to be full to the brim like an infinity pool.
"I'm going down there!" Berjeau yells. He leaps off the ravine and smacks down on the ground but his skeletal body remains intact though ht night vision goggles come apart. Picking himself up, he looks to see Eric climbing down a grappling hook with a spare pair of night vision goggles on him. Eric makes it to the bottom and lands flat on solid ground.
At least I didn't land on my ass this time.
"It's here!" Berjeau smiles. He sprints to the spring, removing his night vision goggles. Stopping at the spring, he runs his hands over the spring and smiles widely. "Eric..."
"Aren't you going to drink?" Eric removes his goggles and shines a light on the spring, revealing the Fountain of Youth to be yellow.
"No," Berjeau says. "I need my teammates here. My crew, my pirates. I refuse to drink the water without them. What if I drink all the water and they get none? I refuse to do that to my companions."
Eric smiles. "Now that's loyalty right there." Eric pulls out his radio. "Alexa, Vasily, we found the spring, it's near a ravine. Be very, very careful when getting here." Eric pulls out a flare and lights it up. "I've lit up a flare for you to follow. Also, Berjeau refuses to drink from the fountain without the rest of his crew."
"We're on our way," Alexa says. "Oh, and I wanted to say I'm sorry if I offended you earlier with... Vito and Mira. We didn't mean it. We're so sorry."
"We are," Vasily's voice comes through. "We're sorry. We didn't mean it."
Eric gulps. "I forgive you. I... I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings and made you feel... I'm sorry."
Eric sits down on a boulder and looks at the spring. "How much water is it going to take for you to return to normal?"
"We drank a lot of water to get to this state," Berjeau says, "We're probably going to need a lot of water to turn back to normal."
Eric takes a picture of the spring. "I can't believe it. The legendary Fountain of Youth is real?" He stands. "Can the fountain be used to bring dead people back to life?"
"Like Vito and Mira?" Berjeau looks at him. "Are these two people the ones you want to bring back?"
Eric looks ahead.
"The Fountain of Youth can de-age someone, not bring them back to life. Even so, would you want to bring them back to life?"
Eric charges Berjeau and shoves him to the ground, climbing on top of him. "I don't like the implication that Vito and Mira should stay dead. You disrespect them one more time, I swear to God, I will kill you."
Berjeau gulps. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Berjeau looks to his right and spots something that makes his head turn. "What the hell? Eric, I think I see something."
Eric looks to the left and sees what looks like a skeleton lying under a boulder with the lower half crushed duner the big rock. Eric picks himself up and helps Berjeau to his feet. Moving over to the boulder, Berjeau gasps.
Berjeau smiles before laughing. "Captain Aregnaudeau, a pleasure to see you again."
Eric's eyes widen. "That's Captain Aregnaudeau?"
Berjeau kneels and removes a satchel from the skeleton's holster. "Only one person used this satchel." He opens the satchel and removes a map. Looking it over, he smiles. "Man, I remember this map fondly. The map Captain Aregnaudeau used for navigation. Such good memories. Made even better by the fact that Captain Aregnaudeauis is dead."
Eric looks at the map. "I'm sorry you didn't get your revenge."
"No, this is better. He betrayed us, left us to die, and now he dies alone in a cave with no crew. He left us behind to live a fate worse than death but in the end, we're the ones who get the Fountain of Youth and have our lives restored. And we get to live in a new century."
"Karma at its finest," Eric smiles. "Once your youth is restored, what are you going to do?"
"You got some kind of operation," Berjeau points out. "Am I correct?"
"Yeah, uh, Overlord. That's the name of our group. We're kinda international but we're still trying to gain some kind of traction. We're uhh... trying to rid the world of corruption and injustice."
"Are you?"
"Yeah, we are."
"My crew has nothing. Our wives and children are all dead. We may have grandkids but we don't know where they are in the world." Berjeau looks to Eric. "Any chance, you guys have some spot open for me and my men?"
Eric looks at him. "We do."
"Are you the leader?"
"I guess I am."
"You're going to want someone with our kind of experience. You will." As Berjeau smiles, the rest of his crew makes it down the ravine, where they quickly rush to the fountain.
One by one, the pirates take a step toward the spring and use their hands to scoop up the water and hold it to their mouth, drinking it like a chalice.
Berjeau gasps loudly, his eyes widening as he tastes water for the first time in a long time. Freshwater.
After the first several sips of water, Berjeau feels cold suddenly. Shivering, he runs his hands up and down his arms before feeling something he hasn't felt in a long time.
Flesh, he realizes. It's working.
He dives into the found, the other pirates jumping in after him, and they bathe in the water, drinking with all their might like ravenous madmen.
Alexa and Vasily watch with horror as they see flesh starting to form on the limbs of the immortal pirates. Seeing the hair return from their bald skeletal bodies, Alexa and Vasily hyperventilate, the other soldiers stepping back.
"No," Alexa says. "this can't be."
"The supernatural can't be real," Vasily gulps. "It can't be real."
"No, it has to be something in the water," Alexa reasons. "Something in the water."
After a few minutes, the skeletal pirates were skeletons no more, they stood in the Fountain of Youth, now empty of water, their flesh now back where it belonged and they returned to pure human beings. No more undead, immortal pirates, but living pirates who were over two hundred years old in the bodies of twenties and thirties.
"I'm 35 again," Berjeau smiles. "I'm back to my 35 year old self."
"You're 250," Eric points out. "I hope to reach your age." Eric's eyes land on the now-mortal Berjeau once more.
"How old are you?"
"38," Eric answers. "I'm a 38-year-old man."
Berjeau looks to the spring. "I'm sorry that there is no more water in the fountain."
"It doesn't matter. I'm just glad... I got to save you." Eric's lip quivers.
"But you couldn't save us, Eric," Vito's voice comes through again.
"I tried to save you," Eric whispers.
"It's okay," Mira assures him. "It wasn't your fault."
"It was my fault," Eric continues whispering. "It was my fault."
Eric closes his eyes. No matter how many people I save, none of it will ever make up for Vito and Mira's death.
XXXX
Thanksgiving 2042
Maui
"Mommy," Evan screeches as he runs up to his mother.
"My little prince." Cassie scoops up her son and holds him tight. "Oh my god, I missed you so much. What are you doing here? Where's daddy?"
"Right here," Derek answers. "We got here just in time."
"In time for what?"
"Thanksgiving." Derek smiles before moving out of the way as more people enter the visitor's center.
Nathan Drake, Elena Fisher, Samuel Drake, Aunt Magna Drake, Cassie's three cousins, Erica Lowell, Richard Lowell, Niko, Omaria, The Priest, Bethany, Erkin, Joshua, Simon, and Angie step through the doors.
"Oh my god," Cassie gasps. "It's you." Cassie runs to hug each of her family members and friends. "You're all here."
"We wanted to make sure you still celebrated Thanksgiving," Derek says.
"Thank you so much," Cassie sobs. He looks to Bethany. "Wow, Bethany, you're growing up. It feels like three years ago, you were 13."
Bethany laughs. "Well, I was 13 four years ago."
"They grow up so fast," the Priest snarks. "If only we can force them to shrink back to 13-year-olds, right?"
"We brought Thanksgiving turkey," Nate said, "and I didn't burn it this time."
Cassie laughs. "Did you have Mom make it? It's okay, you can tell me."
"No, he cooked it," Elena assures, "for the most part."
Cassie laughs. "Oh, and... good news: my trial is on December 12th. My lawyer's got enough evidence to rule this as self-defense. I'm going to out of here." She pauses. "Also, there's a certain someone I wish to invite to Thanksgiving. This cellmate kinda grew on me. Her and her husband." Isabel and Dwight deserve a Thanksgiving as well.
As Cassie smiles, her hand subconsciously moves to her stomach and the thought of Marcus Cote crosses her mind.
That son of a bitch. You killed my daughter. I can't forgive you... I won't ever forgive you. You stole a life from me. You...
Even with the Thanksgiving dinner she shares with her family (along with Isabel and Dwight), the thought of her lost daughter still rings in her mind and when they say grace and what they're grateful for, Cassie can't answer as her thoughts stift continuously to her daughter.
The End of Chapter 24
