“You okay?!” Giuseppe asks, still catching his breath from his own desperate escape.
“Yeah.” You reply distractedly as you squint, gazing into the dust. “Noah?” No answer. You thought he was just behind you. “Noah?” Your heart sinks. You saved him for nothing. Then you see eddies within the dust cloud, a figure emerging from amongst the fine particles. Noah, covered from head to toe in dust, but smiling, the dagger now free of the bundle and gripped firmly in his hand.
“You stupid son of a bitch!” You yell at him though feeling a strong sense of relief.
“We’re not out of the woods yet, sweetheart.” Giuseppe drawls, nodding towards the peak of the mountain. You follow his gaze, your eyes widening as you see the orangey red glow and the thick clouds of ash. Tendrils of lava are already snaking down the mountainside towards you and you know you have only minutes until they reach you.
“How far is your plane?” You ask him.
“Close enough... if we hurry.” He replies. As the mountain rumbles angrily, you follow Giuseppe down the mountainside, picking your way through the jagged black rocks and trying not to think of the agonizing death that awaits you if the lava reaches you before you can escape. Glancing back at Noah, you realize with a start that he has stopped a few paces back and is slowly running the razor sharp edge of the dagger blade across his palm, cutting into his flesh.
“Must become one with the dagger.” He mutters.
“What the hell are you doing?!” You shout back at him. He glances up at you and the look in his eyes chills you to the core. His expression is emotionless while his eyes are glassy and cold.
“Join me.” He murmurs. “You shall be my acolyte, my disciple.”
“Leave him.” Giuseppe calls out. “Your pal’s lost his goddamn mind. Nothin’ we can do for him now.”
“You can’t leave.” Noah tells Giuseppe, his voice flat as he advances towards him.
“Just watch me.” Giuseppe snaps back, reaching into his jacket for the pistol in his shoulder holster. Before he can draw it, Noah springs towards him, the dagger flashing in his hand. As both men tumble to the ground, you watch in stunned amazement as the two of them grapple, Noah trying to force the glinting blade into Giuseppe’s chest, while the mobster does his best to throw him off.
“Giuseppe!” You call out, watching helplessly.
“Get out of here!” He grunts. “Go, while you still can!”
Run for the plane
Try to help Giuseppe
You’re not about to leave an old friend to die, so you move across and savagely kick Noah in the side. He grunts and flinches, but remains undeterred in his efforts to kill Giuseppe. You kick him again and again before using all your strength to shove him off the mobster. He loses his advantage for just a moment, but it is long enough for Giuseppe to make the most of the opening. He rolls away and springs to his feet, drawing his pistol from his shoulder holster.
“That’s enough, pal.” He growls in warning as Noah climbs back to his feet. “Don’t think I won’t shoot you!” Undeterred, Noah advances towards him, the knife glinting in his grasp. Giuseppe aims steadily at him but Noah doesn’t even pause.
Stop Giuseppe from shooting him
Noah’s crazy. You have no choice
“No!” You shout, reaching out and pulling Giuseppe’s gun arm to one side just as he pulls the trigger. The gunshot makes your ears ring and then everything seems to happen in slow motion. The bullet whistles wide of its target. Noah, the blade glinting in his hand, launches himself at Giuseppe, his teeth bared and a murderous look in his eye. Giuseppe shoves you away and tries to bring the gun back to bear on his crazed attacker, but it’s too late. Noah plunges the knife deep into his chest. You watch in horror as Giuseppe falls back, gazing down in disbelief at the dagger before his eyes roll back in his head. Noah, falling on top of him with his hand still gripping the hilt of the blade, turns his murderous gaze on you. Your eyes widen and you snatch the pistol from Giuseppe’s dead fingers. With a cry of anger, you smash the butt into the side of Noah’s head just as he pulls the bloodied blade from Giuseppe’s chest. The dagger drops from his fingers and he moans, clutching his head. You quickly kick the dagger away and turn the gun on him as he gets groggily back to his feet. Seeing the gun, he blinks in surprise as if waking from a trace. He glances at Giuseppe’s corpse before recoiling in horror.
“My God, what have I done?” He moans before looking up at you. “I’m so sorry. I… I… I didn’t mean any of this to happen.”
“He’s dead!” You spit in disgust. “Give me a reason not to put you down right next to him.”
“It’s probably what I deserve.” He replies. “I was under the influence of the dagger, but it was still my choice to wield it in the first place. But I promise you, I am myself again and if you can find mercy in your heart, I will do my best to seek redemption for my actions.”
Shoot him
Forgive him
“You’ll have to seek forgiveness from a higher power than me.” You growl before pulling the trigger. Noah’s body is snatched back by the impact of the bullet and he drops to the floor, lying still. You spit in disgust before turning away and hurrying down the slopes of the volcano. As you reach the beach, you can see the silhouette of Giuseppe’s seaplane and hurry towards it. You climb into the cockpit and fire up the engines, gritting your teeth as the airplane slowly slides off the black sand and into the sea. You ease the throttle forward, the engines roaring as you speed across the waves. Pulling back on the yoke, you take to the sky and head away from the cursed island as quickly as you can.
A couple of days later, you are back in the familiar beach bar in the Caribbean. You try to read the label on the empty bottle of rum on the bar before you before glancing up at the bartender.
“Time to go home.” You slur before climbing unsteadily to your feet. Leaving the bar, you walk up the beach and make your way to your apartment. With the familiar sights, sounds and smells of the island, it feels like you’ve never been away. You reach your door, turning the key in the lock and stepping into the darkened room. You fumble with the light switch and as the bulb glows you jump at the sight of a man sitting across from you.
“Who the hell are you?” You snarl at the mysterious figure, snatching up a lamp off a nearby side table as a makeshift weapon.
“Please, Miss Blake, there is no need for violence.” He tells you. He is a thin faced middle aged man. His silver hair is immaculately combed and with his expensive suit and dour expression, looks like a lawyer or bank manager and oddly out of place in the tropics. “I mean you no harm.” He continues, rising stiffly from the chair. “Quite the opposite in fact. My colleagues and I have watched from afar these past few weeks and we are very impressed with how you have conducted yourself throughout your dealings with our renegade member, Noah Wheatley.”
“You’re Illuminati?” You ask him. He nods solemnly. “So what do you want with me?”
“We want you to join us.” He smiles thinly. “The late Mr Wheatley has left us with an opening and you have proven yourself equal to the position. Needless to say, most would see this offer as a considerable honor.” He pauses, his lips twisting into a grimace of distaste. “There would also be a generous financial incentive.”
Accept
Decline
“Nice of you to ask, mac,” You reply, “But all the same, I’m going to have to say no.” His face remains unmoved, his only reaction, a slight arching of his right eyebrow. He’d make a good poker player.
“If you don’t mind me saying, Miss Blake, you are making a mistake.” He tells you as he climbs to his feet.
“I’ve made plenty before.” You shrug, swinging open the door. “Now if you’ll excuse me...” He nods somberly before stepping through the door.
“Goodnight, Miss Blake.” He murmurs before disappearing into the moonless night.
A few weeks later and life has pretty much returned to normal. You’re back doing freelance
work, flying from island to island. Different plane of course, but other than that, you’re glad to put the whole sorry affair behind you. After a few drinks in the bar, you make your way back to your room. Your head feels a little woozy and you take a few attempts to slide the key into the keyhole before staggering through the door. Your eyes widen as you see a beautiful dark haired woman standing before you, flanked by two gun toting goons.
“Gonna have to change the locks.” You slur. While the woman is a few years older than when you last saw her, you recognize her immediately. “What can I do for you Valentina?”
“Elyse.” She replies, smiling thinly, her eyes cold. “It’s been a while. I have a few questions, mainly about the whereabouts of my brother Giuseppe and why exactly you’re flying his plane.” You gulp as the two heavies step forward and drag you into the room, closing the door behind you.
THE END
You sigh and lower your weapon.
“There’s been enough death today.” You growl. “Killing you won’t bring any of them back.”
“Thank you, thank you!” Noah replies, his relief palpable.
“C’mon, let’s go before we’re both burned alive.” You tell him, glancing at the tendrils of glowing lava drawing ever closer. He nods and you both scramble down the slopes of the mountain. As you reach the beach, you are relieved to see the silhouette of Giuseppe’s seaplane. You clamber into the cockpit and fire up the engines. They roar to life and you feel the plane move forward, sliding off the beach and into the sea. The plane skips across the waves as you pick up speed before you pull back on the yoke and take to the sky. Glad to leave the ash swathed volcano behind you, you head west.
“Where are we going?” Noah asks you.
“Back to Rio.” You reply.
“Rio, huh?” He murmurs. “You know, I’ve heard of a mysterious artifact that is supposed to be buried beneath the ruins of a temple just a few miles north of the city…”
“Don’t make me regret not killing you.” You growl. Noah falls silent for a few minutes before glancing across at you again.
“So how about we try to put all this behind us? Start over.” He grins. “I found this little bar a few streets back, away from the tourists...”
“There’s no putting this behind us.” You snarl savagely. “You killed Giuseppe! Once we land, I never want to see you again.” Noah looks crestfallen and slumps back in his seat.
“No, of course you don’t.” He replies. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about your friend.” He again falls silent, turning away and gazing out of the window. You hunch over the controls and as your temper cools, you wonder if you have been a little harsh on Noah. He was under the influence of the dagger when he killed Giuseppe after all, so can you really blame him for that? Besides, there was definitely a connection between Noah and yourself before. Maybe just friendship, maybe something deeper than that. Either way, it’s worth exploring.
“This bar serve gin?” You growl. Noah blinks in surprise.
“Uh, I think so.” He replies.
“Just a couple of drinks.” You tell him. “And you’re buying. You still owe me a thousand bucks after all.” Noah nods, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. As you turn back to the instruments, you feel your own lips curl into a smile too.
THE END
You watch helplessly as Noah lets out a shrill battle cry and launches himself at Giuseppe with the blade flashing in his hand. Two gunshots echo off the mountainside and Noah clutches his chest, staring down in disbelief before the dagger drops from his fingers and he collapses to the floor, lying still.
“Goddamn it, Noah.” You sigh, standing over his corpse.
“He didn’t give us much choice.” Giuseppe tells you sadly. You nod before noticing the light glinting off the dagger next to Noah’s body.
“Beautiful.” You murmur, the jeweled hilt seeming to sparkle.
“Don’t touch it, Elyse.” Giuseppe growls. “You’ve seen what it did to Noah. Don’t make the same mistake.”
Leave the dagger
Pick up the dagger
“We’ve come so far for this.” You tell Giuseppe. “We can’t just leave it!”
“You can and you will.” Giuseppe growls, the pistol in his hand twitching towards you.
“If we don’t take it, the lava will consume it.” You implore him. “It will be lost forever.”
“Then let it be lost.” He shrugs. “How many have died for it already today?”
Leave the dagger
Take the dagger
“You wouldn’t shoot me.” You smile at him. “I remember the way you used to look at me in Chicago and I see it there still.”
“Don’t test me!” Giuseppe replies, his eyes narrowing as he deliberately points the pistol at you.
“I’m sorry, Giuseppe.” You smile, stooping and picking up the dagger.
“Goddamn it, Elyse!” He moans helplessly. You smile, relieved that you have correctly called his bluff. Glancing at the dagger in your hand, you admire its beauty. You can feel a strong bond with the blade, as if you were always meant to possess it, as if you were somehow incomplete without it. Wrapping your free hand around the blade, you draw it back, wincing as the sharp edge cuts into your flesh. As blood trickles down your arm, you watch the amber sphere in the hilt cloud with crimson as it absorbs your blood, the bond complete.
“Elyse!” Giuseppe calls out. Giuseppe. You’d almost forgotten he was still here. He can’t be trusted. No, the dagger is too important. You flick your wrist and the blade flies from your hand, whistling through the air and imbedding itself deep into his chest. He gazes down in disbelief at the jeweled hilt protruding from his body before glancing up at you, his lips moving silently as he tries and fails to speak. Then he topples onto his back and lies still. You stoop over his corpse and draw the dagger from him, wiping the blade clean on his clothes. Standing up, you can see the shape of Giuseppe’s seaplane through the fog down on the beach. You smile. With the power of the dagger, you will be unstoppable. You are immortal and all powerful. The nations of the world, so hell-bent on a course of self-destruction will now kneel before you. You will save them from themselves and reshape the world as you see fit. A better, brighter future... under your firm but benevolent rule. Yes, the dagger was meant to be yours, though as you reach the seaplane, you suddenly struggle to recall who you are exactly. You shake your head. It’s not important, not compared to the magnificent destiny that awaits.
THE END
“You’re right.” You sigh, reluctantly stepping away from the dagger. Giuseppe smiles and nods.
“You had me worried for a moment there, sweetheart.” He grins, his relief palpable. You both glance at the advancing lava, the glowing streams reaching for you like long talons.
“Shit.” You mutter.
“C’mon, we can still make it.” He tells you. You both set off down the mountainside. The fog still shrouds the lower slopes, but as you descend, you can see the beach on which you landed. The dinghy has gone and you guess the sailors have taken one look at the erupting volcano and headed back to the Herkules. If her captain has any sense, he too will have left the island. As a deep rumble fills the sky, you can feel the heat rising with each passing moment. Glancing over your shoulder, the lava continues to advance towards you.
“We’re running out of time.” You call out to Giuseppe.
“Not far now.” He replies. “This way.” Through the fog, you can make out the hazy silhouette of a seaplane on the beach below. You breathe a sigh of relief and quickly make your way down the last few yards of the rocky slope and down onto the black sands of the beach. You reach the plane and climb on board, following Giuseppe into the cockpit. Throwing himself into his seat, his fires up the engines which splutter to life and the plane slides off the beach and into the water.
“Since when are you a pilot?” You ask, raising your voice over the roar of the engines as the plane cuts through the ocean, picking up speed.
“Since our old pilot quit to go sun herself on a beach and drink rum.” He grins, pulling back on the yoke. The nose lifts, the rolling gray waves of the ocean dropping away as you take to the sky.
“Less of the old.” You chuckle, feeling a palpable sense of relief now you have left the erupting volcano behind you. Spotting the Herkules far below, steaming away from the island, you are glad that her captain and crew have escaped Helga’s fate. Finally allowing yourself to relax, you suddenly feel very weary as the events of the past few hours catch up with you. You shift in your seat and yawn before closing your eyes and drifting off to sleep.
You awake with a start, your ears popping. The labored whining of the engines makes you sit up straight in your seat. You are low in the sky and Giuseppe is clearly preparing to land, but there’s nothing but ocean ahead of you.
“Uh, slight miscalculation with the fuel.” He grimaces, casting you a rueful smile. “Stronger headwinds than I expected. Sorry sweetheart, but we ain’t makin’ it back to Rio. I’m gonna have to put us down in the ocean. I’ve radioed in our position and help will be on its way.”
“Goddamn it, Giuseppe.” You groan, feeling a sense of déjà vu as you remember your crash landing in the Amazon. The endless expanse of ocean comes rushing up to meet you and the hull skips on the waves, water splashing over the cockpit windows. As you slow down, Giuseppe kills the engines, the plane bobbing gently on the waves.
Adventures of the Aviatrix Page 30
