Uncharted: The Price of Revenge[ Old Version]

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

Morning rolled around, I was laying in the big bed by myself smothered in white sheets. I wasn't used to this. Sullivan and I rarely stayed somewhere of this caliber, it was often dusty motels in third would countries or tents on the savanna. This chaste, made me feel small and inadequate. I couldn't imagine how lonely Alaya must have been, with all these empty rooms and blank halls. I rolled out of the bed, rubbing my head with my hands. It had felt good to shower, but I would be thankful to find my brother and go back to my two-bit life. I was getting older, though. I couldn't do what I was doing at the age of eighty. I would have to think about retirement options. Getting old sucks. I thought before walking from the empty room and towards the kitchen. Cassie, Sullivan and Alaya where already awake and arguing. "No, I will not allow it" Sullivan said. "This is far to dangerous, whoever is after us whats us all dead." He said. "I cannot allow you to risk your life, Cassandra- you need to learn to defend yourself before you can join the fight." The old man said. Cassies face was twisted In anger. "I need to help!" she barked. Alaya shifted on her feet. "Victor is right, you need to learn to defend yourself before you can fully join us."

Cas shot a look of plea at me and I shook my head. "I agree with them, you'll be safer if you can atleast learn to fire a gun." I said. She sighed, obviously outmatched. "Fine, I guess it couldn't hurt." Alaya shifted her shoulders. "Until then, I'll go to the bank with the coin- I'm sure there is another clue there for us." I stepped in front of her as she moved to leave. "Not by yourself you wont." I said. "This isn't your mess, this is my brother they took- I'm going with you."

"You sure that's a good idea, Sam?" Victor said. "I don't like the idea of you two alone together, we don't need a dead Drake-"

"I said I wouldn't kill him until this is finished." she said to Victor. "I don't break promises." I moved back to let her pass. "We'll be back, in the mean time teach the girl to fire a gun." The Frenchwoman ordered. We left in her two seater car, driving down the hill towards Paris. She speeded most of the way, being in a small space with me probably made her uncomfortable. We arrived at the Paris First National bank, parking and walking in. In her left hand the coin sat, she thumbed it nervously. I watched her, she seemed more uneasy than usual. Was this all from being near me? I'd never seen her break a sweat before, but there she was- this iron woman- tapping her foot and moving around anxiously. "Whats wrong?" I asked her quietly. She inhaled sharply, I'd spooked her. "Oh- nothing... I just- Don't worry about it." We got up to the counter and she showed the coin to the woman behind the counter.

She glanced at us, confusion in her eyes- the two spoke French quietly and the woman took the coin vanishing into the back room. She returned, with shaking hands she gave Alaya a paper. The redhead didn't get a chance to open it, because the doors where flung open and heavily armed men raced in. They began shooting at the crowd, killing innocent bystanders. She grabbed me and ducked behind a chair. "Holy shit." I whispered as the mercenaries stalked towards us. As one neared us, Alaya jumped up and grabbed him swinging him over the chair and punching him in the jaw- she took his gun. She muttered something in French then jumped over the chair, shooting the men. One of them was placing something on the ground, he'd set it already when she shot him- a bomb. She gasped in surprise, her slender hand wrapped around my arm and tossed me out the door. She narrowly escaped the fiery explosion.

Alaya stared at the burning building, fear in her green eyes. "Holy... shit..." I whispered we didn't even get a few seconds before the sound of screeching tires on pavement grabbed our attention. A huge armored truck barreled down the road towards us. Alaya bolted down the street, reaching a building with a small green canopy and jumped up it she scaled the side of the building and jumped onto the roof. I followed close behind. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath. The burning building and the sound of police sirens behind us. The sound of helicopter blades grabbed my attention and I turned my head, to see a huge armored chopper flying above the buildings. It turned on us. "Oh for fucks sake..." I muttered as we both took off running across the buildings. "We cant outrun a fucking helicopter!" I yelled over the firing guns.

Alaya jumped over pipes and slid under tubes. Launching her body across gaps the size of three men. "Up here-" she yelled back at me "don't jump, just fall!"

"What!? Are you insane?"

"Trust me!" the end of the building was fast approaching, I watched her vanish over the side of the building. I reached it and let myself fall, I opened my eyes to see the ground but I didn't hit it, I hit something and laid there for a second. It was a soft fabric. I laid there for a second before I hand grabbed me and I was yanked inside. I rolled into a small apartment, Alaya standing against the wall, the helicopter flew overhead as she shut the window. A woman stood in the room with her, smirking at the red headed woman. "You're always in some sort of trouble, Ms." She said. "Charlotte, you don't know how glad I am you live here." She said letting out a low sigh. "I heard the explosion, what happened?" the woman asked. "Someone is trying to kill us, and in the process they blew up a bank filled with innocent people." She said.

She sat down on one of the chairs. "We wont be safe here long, they'll keep looking for us." She said, her voice was getting shaky. "This wasn't supposed to happen, no one should have died- innocent people." For the first time since I'd met her I saw her full of fear, she was terrified- on the verge of fear. She was so tough sometimes I forgot she was a person. "Its not your fault." I said, moving towards her. She looked up at me. "It is, my job is to protect those people- they are dead now... someone is without a father, a son... a mother, a daughter." She muttered, sinking her head into her hands. I wanted to comfort her, I moved towards her and to my surprise she welcomed me. She stood and buried herself in my arms. Her quiet sobbing was the only sound besides the quiet sirens outside. I wrapped my arms around her small body, she seemed so fragile all of a sudden. "Its okay." I said as she cried softly into my jacket.

This was the woman who wanted to gut me alive, the woman who was all powerful- smart and beautiful. Crying into my arms about the death of people she didn't know, I didn't know why she continued to blame herself. It was hardly her fault, it was the monster who was after us that had ordered that attack. She inhaled sharply after a few minutes, I was enjoying holding her. She was soft, and warm- I missed the embrace of a woman. Especially this one.

She pushed herself away from me, wiping her eyes with her hands. "I'm okay- I'm okay." She muttered. Shaking her head and taking a deep breath. "Now is not the time to morn over the dead." She said. "we need to leave, god forbid they might have found Cassandra and Victor." She said, then she was back- the iron woman.