Uncharted: The Price of Revenge[ Old Version]

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-seven

Sullivan and I arrived in france the next day, we rented a cheap motel and prepared to search the catacombs. After our encounter in NYC, more sightings of creatures similar had started happening more and more. All over the world, even a couple in Mexico. I'd called Nathan when we landed, he said they had found a way into the old jail. The jail that I had been in for fifteen years had been shut down a couple years ago and the inmates had been moved to a new building in a more secure part of mexico. They said they hadnt found anything yet, but they would keep looking.

Sullivan and I were walking from the bus stop to the catacombs, it was a cold day in Paris. April showers had been off and on today, I had my jacket hood above my head protecting me from the sprinkles. "This is fucking bullshit." I spat. "Rafe is alive, and he's making mercs into superhumans by using exoskeletons." I'd done some research on the flight over, what that woman had been wearing was known as an exoskeleton. It was a skeleton designed to go over the outside of the body and enhance a human's body functions. The military used them, and sometimes the richest disabled people could also use them. These exoskeletons were different, they were sleeker than the military grade ones. Rafe had probably paid top dollar for them, he probably had one of the best scientists on his side. Whoever had designed his arm was likely the one making the exoskeletons. "This is some sci-fi type shit, I feel like Im trapped in a bad hollywood movie." I grumbled to Aimi. She patted my arm. "We'll get to the bottom of this." I was still amazed that she wanted to come with at all, that she still insisted on loving me- even after I'd been lying all this time. Either she was desperate, stupid or both. I didnt know what Aimi's game was, but I didnt have time to worry about it right now.

As we got closer to the catacombs I got the sinking feeling I was being watched. I looked around at the surrounding buildings and the crowds of french people going about their daily business. They didn't notice or care about the two americans and Japanese woman walking around in the rain. I still felt like I was being stared at. We neered the Catacombs and the sound of clicking gears caught my attention, I whipped around and the sound was gone. I glared, taking a step back keeping my eyes behind me I hit something hard and cold. I jumped and turned around. Another one of those mercenaries. They were different from the others, instead of being cloaked in back they were decorated in white and gold. A metal mask covered their lower face and steampunk goggles covered their eyes.

She touched the side of her head. "Target acquired." it was a female, her voice was mixed with robotic tones as it came out of the metal mask covering her lower face. She pushed her coat of her head and reached for me. Her hair was shaved at the sides, it was auburn red scars covering the shaved part of her skull. I landed a punch on her face, my hand stung as it came in contact with the metal surrounding her face. She went to punch me in the gut but Aimis hand stopped her. She turned on Aimi, red glowing from behind the goggles. She tossed her coat aside, metal ran along the length of her body, connecting with her skin at her shoulders. She wore a white tank top, black jeans and black boots. Each article of clothing had decorations of gold to match the bronze metal reaching across her body. Gold plating similar to the solid mask she wore over her mouth covered her weak spots, shoulders, knees, back of her feet, around her neck. It was armor as well an exoskeleton.

She landed a swift kick on Aimis chest, knocking her back into Sully. I put my fists up, landing a punch on her goggles cracking the glass above her eyes. The red glow enhanced. "You fucking metal freak." I snarled. She ignored me and attacked again, her fist connecting with my chin. I fell back and hit my head on the cement. "Orders." the voice asked the earpiece in her left ear. I glared at her, even her ears had gold plating. "Understood." she said after a few moments, stepping over me she grabbed Aimi. Who screamed in surprise. The robot tossed the woman over her shoulder then scaled the closest building. I forced myself up and followed them, climbing the french architecture brought back memories of Alaya and I doing the same thing, almost thirty years ago- except we were running from a damn helicopter. I raced across the buildings after the woman. Aimi was kicking and screaming trying to beat the woman who was carrying her. "Aimi!" I shouted, jumping across a gap as they slowly got farther and farther from me. That exoskeleton gave her an unfair advantage. Abruptly the buildings ended and the robot jumped down, shoving Aimi into a car. I climbed down as Sullivan swerved around the corner in a small car. I jumped in and Victor hit the gas racing after the white car the woman had jumped in. I gripped the sides of the seats. "Were did you get this car!?" I yelled after him. Victor turned the wheel hard and I almost was chucked out the window."I borrowed it!" he laughed. "I sure as hell missed this!" the white car sped away from up and turned left out of the city. We followed, getting as close as we could. Honking the horn as we raced passed people and cars. We followed the white car up a hill and into the french countryside outside of the city. The road was becoming increasingly familiar as we continued to climb. The car zipped through a set of golden gates, ripping open the lock as it went. It skidded up to the front of a house, the house's windows had been boarded up and some graffiti covered the once white walls. The creature emerged with a screaming Aimi, racing over the top of the house and vanishing above the roof. I stood at the doors, looking at the once beautiful palace.

This was Alaya's old house, from the looks of it no one had been in it since she died. I went to the door, removing the boarding and stepping inside. Dust and cobwebs had collected, the once golden polish of the place had turned bronze. Most everything was the same, a few items here and there were missing. Looters, of course. I didnt want to think about the house, or all Alaya's things- still sitting upstairs in her room gathering dust. I didnt want to think about the last time I'd been here, and the last time I'd seen her alive. She'd sworn to protect me, and she had done so- but in doing so... i'd lost something more important to me then my life.

Sullivan walked inside, stopping beside me. "Sam, we cant stay here- we have to find Aimi."he gently pushed me into the house. I wished that this was somewhere else, that I wasnt standing in her house. I walked forward and under the great arches that reached towards the bedrooms. Across the kitchen and past her office. Streaks of gray light cut through the wooden planks nailed over the once glorious windows.

The dustly light danced as I walked through its streams and towards the back door. I placed my hand on the dirty wood, preparing to rip it off and face whatever was waiting for me. I looked around the house, the dirt and spiderwebs that hung from everything she owned. I removed the wood and stepped outside. The creature stood with Aimi on the ground, its metal fist above her face. It looked up at me, light flashing across its goggles- the rain had gotten heavier now. It pelted down, covering the woman. She stood up slightly, her shoulders relaxing then she rolled her neck and placed her finger on her earpiece. "Is she ready?" she asked. She waited for a few seconds. "Understood."

She backed away from Aimi and began to run across the yard towards the cliff at the end of it. "Stop her" i shouted, running after the woman. The sound of a helicopter stopped me in my tracks and the metal-woman jumped across the gap landing on top of a helicopter of similar design. It spun around and cut away from us. I watched it vanish into the paris rain, standing helpless in the backyard of Alaya's house. Aimi rolled up and ran towards me, her small arms wrapping around my waist as she shivered in fear. "Who was that." she whispered to me, her dark brown eyes hazy. "They are friends with someone who wants to end me... painfully." I muttered to her, touching her shoulder to move her away from me. Being here, being so close to Alaya's things... made it hard to look at Aimi at all. We returned to the house, and Victor called up Nathan. Aimi wandered around the place, vanishing into Alaya's office at one point. I followed her in silence as she picked up a photo from the oak desk. Almost all of the guns that had been mounted on the walls were missing. Aimi walked over slowly to me, holding one of the framed photos. It was a picture of Alaya, taken a long time ago. It was vintage, the color fading from the pixels. Her red hair and green eyes somehow remained vibrant even against the test of time. "Who is this?" she asked me, I had a feeling she already knew the answer. "Alaya." I said, ripping my eyes from the photo to look at Aimi. "You never told me how she died."she said to me. I sighed quietly.

"Rafe, he.. Um, drowned her." I choked out, it hurt me physically to say that, memories of the last time I saw her- being dragged down into the darkness. Nathan grabbing me to prevent me from jumping down after them- watching her green eyes vanish over the side of the cliff and into the nothingness one last time.

Aimi touched my face. "Its not your fault, you know." I sighed quietly, that was the same sentence everyone had been saying to me. 'Its not your fault' 'It was never your fault' maybe not, but there were no words that would bring her back to me. She was dead, and there was nothing I could do about it.