Uncharted: The Price of Revenge[ Old Version]

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

I pulled into the Manors long driveway. I'd dropped Sam and Rafe off aa ways back, they would be waiting for my signal. I stepped from my car, slinking to the front door- taking a deep breath then knocking. One of the Maids opened the door, she smiled and waved me in. Calling to her boss. He walked out of one of the side rooms, the ballroom was cleaned spotless no evidence of the party remained. "Oh. Alaya." He said. "I wondered where you went. Those thieves got away, I thought perhaps you where after them." He said. I nodded. "I actually was, they had lockpicks- the asshatsmanged to get to their private plane before I could stop them, sorry for not coming back sooner. I thought I could track them down. Unfortunately I was wrong." I said. Vincent walked over to me, his body smooth and gliding over the marble stone. His dark eyes growing darker by the second. "Oh, well. They have something... much more valuable then that stupid airloom. Something that I will do anything to get back." He said, his face coming within centimeters of mine. "What would that be?" I asked, straining to try and not shake. "a coin... It was made of solid gold. I foolishly had left it out, and those assholes stole it- I didn't even notice until tomorrow. It is essential to my, research."

I raised an eyebrow, I'd never taken Manuel to be a scholar type. "What research." I asked. "I'm looking for Henry Avery, and his treasure. I bought that coin for over two million euro... and those... swine, stole it- I was so close. So, very close." He said. "... and now I have nothing, nothing!" he snarled. I took a step back. "Look- I tried, I'm sorry. There is nothing we can do."Vincents brow furrowed. "You know, Alaya... I didn't want to belive that you would betray me. After all- you know where I stand about you." I felt the intercom in my back pocket grow heaver as my body sank. Sam didn't need to hear what was about to come out Manuels mouth. "...After all, I was going to propose to you on the day of the party but you. Magically vanished." He said. I felt my heart sink. I didn't want to tell Sam that, part of the reason I'd left with them was to avoid that- I didn't want to marry him, I had no sexual attraction towards him and he was almost ten years older than me.

"Look... I'm sorry, but- I don't want to marry you. Its my father that wants me to, I just..." I sighed quietly. Manuel shrugged. "I don't care what you want, I want a trophy wife. You fit the bill, by law your indetted to me." He said, he was referring to my fathers loans. So this is how they decided to close the deal. "I'm not property." I snarled, pushing him away from me. "I cannot be bought and sold, I will not be youre prize." He grabbed my wrist. "Yes you will, there is no one here to help you-" and almost on que the door burst open. Sam, holding a pistol and Rafe at his side. "Release her." Sam snarled, his face twisted with rage and hatred. "You..." Manuels voice dropped, he shoved me away and pulled a gun from his back. He fired at them, it was three versus one. This would be easy. I removed the tiny pistol I'd hid in- of all places- my bra. I shot at Manuel, but he dodged. Approaching Sam, he lifted the American and punted him at the wall. Rafe shot at his chest- but it appeared he had prepared for this... he had a bullet proof vest on. "Filthy street rats." He yelled, kicking Sam in the stomach. I shot at him again, hitting his left leg this time.

The man spun on me, leaving Sam and running at me full speed. He pushed me backwards off the small set of stairs that led into the ballroom. I skidded across the marble floor, my gun getting away from me. "Shit- shit" I jumped up, dodging the rows of bullets Vincent was firing at me. "You're an ungreatful bitch. Any woman would jump at the chance to be with me! You would have your life handed to you on a golden platter." I dipped behind one of the marble pillars holding the roof up. "Fuck you, I don't date guys because they have money." I heard Sam shout in agreement in the background.

I fired a couple shots at him, hitting his left arm and left leg again. He panted, wincing- lowering his gun for a few seconds. "I'll give all of you a chance to retreat, give me back my pendent and Alaya you agree to marry me- I will let you live." He said, blood staining the white marble around his feet. I paused watching Sam get up and creep towards him. Stall him he mouthed. I edged towards the edge of the pillar, glaring past it at a bloody Manuel. "How about I don't marry you." I said. He laughed. "No I-" he began but Sams shout cut him off "Fuck you!" he yelled as his gun handle came down on Manuels head. He went down, smashing his face into the marble.

I let out a sigh of relief. Moving over to Sam, he seemed relaved- but also angry. "Oh, right... about that." I began. "Just, save it- We shouldn't talk about that sort of thing at a Crime scene." He said, I nodded in agreement looking down at Manuel. "Is he dead...?" I asked, poking his body with my foot. Rafe placed his fingers on the unconsciousmans neck. "We got a heart beat, who knows how long he will be out though. We need to find and take everything he had on Avery. He will be a powerful enemy if we don't." Rafe said. I nodded, taking his keys from his pocket. "I say we split up, I'll check locked doors and you two can check unlocked doors and rooms." I said.

They nodded and we all split up, I took the bedroom wing and began unlocking doors. Most where bedrooms, with strange trophies lining the walls of quiet a few. One had a picture of me, I shivered in disgust. How creepy. I scoured the whole bedroom wing and found nothing from Avery. We met in the ballroom, both men came back empty handed. "nothing." I muttered. "There where a few locked rooms in the right wing." Rafe said, I nodded tossing him the keys. "Have fun buddy." Sam said. Turning back to me as Rafe left. "Alaya, I didn't know that you and Manuel... where together? Well- at least in his mind you where." Sam said. I rolled my shoulders letting out a low sigh, his voice echoed like the notes of a piano through the empty marble hall. "Well... yeah. My father, borrowed a lot of money from Vincent when he was investing in a Oil well- it came up empty... but they came to an agreement. Me." I muttered. "When you're the half blood daughter of a rich Frenchman you don't get a say. Honestly, I was planning to murder him if we got married." I chuckled.

Sam shrugged his shoulders glancing over at the man. "Good thing I met you when I did." He said. "The asshat doesn't know it but I saved him from a dagger in the back" he said. As I began to walk around the ballroom looking for any clues that could lead to perhaps a secret room or something. The marble design on the floor swirled towards the middle, in the very center there was a half moon and a sun. Inside the sun there was a small gem, I approached it. Running my hand along the smooth surface. I pushed it, and suddenly the ground began to move. Spreading outward with me trapped in the middle. A set of stairs appeared below the moving floor. "Shit." Sam whispered. I didn't bother waiting for Rafe, I began to walk down the steps. At the bottom a small room sat, decorated in pictures with red and yellow wire connecting them. Writing painted the white walls with black. Pictures of Henry Avery and his ship hung from the ceiling. "He was obsessed..." I whispered. Walking to a desk at the far wall. On the desk sat another coin. "He had two, why did he need this one back" Sam whispered. I took the other one, It didn't have the engraved numbers on it. "Is it possible that it wasn't the man we found that had inscribed on this coin but Vincent?" I asked him. The american shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "We can evaluate this later, we should get out of here." He said, carefully taking down each of the photos.

I followed, once we had all we needed I shut the room. Rafe reappeared. "I didn't find anything, but I found rope." He said. Shaking the wad of brown cord in his hand. He tied up Vincent while Sam and I moved the clues out of the house and into my car. "Not the way I wanted to do this, but... it worked. He will probably inform my father of what happened, I might have to leave Paris." I muttered. Sam nodded. "Its okay, your with us now. Nothing will happen." He reassured me. I nodded. "Yeah."Rafe reappeared. Shutting the door to the manor behind him. "Lets go." We all slipped into the car and headed back to my apartment.

Once there Sam and Rafe began to set up the pictures like we had seen them, I set both coins on the counter. "I'm surprised you two are willing to share this all with me." I said. Rafe glanced over at me. "A seasoned thief of your talents could be very useful." He said. I nodded, still. Something about Rafe... Just. I don't know, I never fully trusted him. I did trust Sam though, he was a good guy. Just trying to get a better life, even if that evolved killing a few guys- I respected him. "So, this Avery. What was he like." I asked. Sam shrugged. "There isn't much on his personality, but I would guess he was very confident in his abilities. He looted and stole from so many people, not once was he caught. I believe that he staged that he ship sunk to get the British Empire off his back." He said. "...Also, there are theories about Libertalia." He said. "A pirate paradise, a colony of sorts. Unfortunately for us, there is no hard evidence of such a thing. Only rumors." He said. I nodded. "Do you think that you guys and Vincent are the only ones after him?" I asked. Sam shrugged. "Unlikely, but most people believe that he died and his treasure was taken by the British empire... Like your friend Vincent I'm sure there are others who are willing to dig a little to find the truth- but we are the only ones with-" he pulled a small white journal out of his duffle bag. "This."