Chapter Text
“I did not tell half of what I saw for I knew I would not be believed…” ~Marco Polo on his deathbed, 1324
First Person POV (Avery)
The first thing I felt when I regained consciousness was the stinging of the gunshot wound in my abdomen, causing me to let out a moan.
Then I felt the freezing cold wind stinging the skin on my face. I wasn’t dressed for the snow.
The third thing I noticed was that Nate and I were sitting in the seat on a derailed train, blood caking Nate’s side, his face all cut up. He groaned and regained consciousness.
“What’s going on?” Nate asked, turning towards me, then wincing.
“Lots of pain.” I tried adjusting myself in my seat, but the pain was searing.
I saw Nate look at his hands, which were also caked in blood, along with his jeans.
“That’s my blood… That’s my blood, that’s a lot of my blood…” Nate leaned back in the seat.
I looked at my hands, seeing the blood on my hands and my jeans as well.
“We’re gonna get out of here, Nate. I promise you.” I looked at Nate.
I caught a glimpse outside and thought the mountains were weird. Then a box fell down, nearly hitting Nate. We were hanging upside down, in a derailed train, in… where the hell are we again?
Then more stuff started falling out the bottom, and the seat Nate was on started breaking, so we had to jump up and grab the seat above up. But it went back, causing us to lose our grip and we fell, grabbing the railing from the train car so we didn’t plummet to our deaths. Only choice left was to climb before the whole train came down.
So, carefully, Nate and I got underneath the car, avoiding breaking rocks and rusted railing. Adrenaline started flowing through me, but I was in a lot of pain.
Luckily, Nate and I made it to an open door on the car. We climbed up, then made it to the car that was still on the ledge.
We had to walk in, but the car was shifting, and it started falling. So we ran like hell, just barely making it up the cliff. Nate and I just both lay on the ground. My memory started coming back to me.
Nate and I were sitting at a tiki bar at the beach, drinking a couple of beers. Then I heard a familiar British accent.
“Buy me a drink, sailor?” We both turned, and recognized the man as Harry Flynn.
“Harry Flynn?!” Nate was the first to notice Harry.
“Hey!” They both said as they hugged.
Then Harry came up to me.
“The hell are you doing here?” I asked Harry as we hugged.
“I’m looking for you, mates.” Harry let go of me.
“Uh-oh. Should we be flattered, or worried?” Nate asked Harry.
“Maybe a bit of both.” Harry snatched Nate’s beer as we sat at a table.
“C’mere-I’ve got a job for us.” Harry revealed as we sat down.
“Really?” Nate asked him.
Harry sat down a black square on the table.
“A client is willing to part with a huge sum of cash if we ‘acquire’ a certain object for him.” Harry explained.
I figured Nate and I could do with the cash.
“All right, I’m listening.” Nate told him.
“What do you got, Harry?” I asked.
“Now-you’re not gonna like this.” Harry told us as he laid a pamphlet for The Istanbul Palace Museum.
“You serious?” I cocked my head at Harry.
“Oh, no. No, you’re out of your mind.” Nate pushed the pamphlet back.
“Yeah, just-just hear me out for a sec-” Harry argued.
“Flynn, we both know two people who were killed trying to lift something outta this place.” Nate argued.
“And one who made it out.” Harry pointed out.
“Barely.” I reminded Harry.
Of course Harry Flynn wants us to break into the most unbreakable museum I’ve ever seen.
“I can’t do it without you, Drake. You too, Bonny. You’re the one who’s cracked it. And you know better than anyone, it’s a three-person job.” Harry pointed out.
“No, no, no-four, actually.” Nate argued.
“Right. And speak of the devil-here she comes now.” Harry then gestured to a woman, around Nate’s age, crop trop, khaki pants, long black hair in a loose ponytail.
She tossed Harry a beer and looked right at Nate.
“Wh-?” Nate seemed to recognize her as they shook hands.
“Chloe Frazer.” Chloe had a bit of an Australian accent.
“Nate. Drake. Nathan Drake.” Nate introduced himself, though I could tell he was flustered.
Then she extended her hand to me.
“Avery Bonny.” I introduced myself.
“Lovely to meet you.” She walked past Harry and had her hand on his neck.
“Hello, Harry.” Chloe sat down beside him.
“Chloe here’s one of the best drivers in the business. She’ll take good care of us.” Harry assured us.
“I bet.” Nate just kept staring Chloe down, and I just rolled my eyes.
Harry then stood between me and Nate and showed us the papers he had.
“All right, look-I’ve got it all figured out. We go in through the sewer-” Harry explained.
“Great start, Harry.” I sassed a bit, groaning.
“From here, we scale up the wall, run across the rooftops, and just drop down into the exhibit hall. Bob’s your uncle.” Harry sat back down.
Okay, maybe this plan wasn’t so bad.
“And what is worth all this trouble, I hear you ask…?” Harry asked us.
“I didn’t but go ahead.” Nate sassed and took a swig of beer.
Harry flipped the page and circled was a green Mongolian Oil Lamp. I was confused, I’m not gonna lie.
“That’s it? An oil lamp?” Nate questioned.
“Yeah.” Harry showed us another picture of it.
“Your client is willing to part with a huge sum of cash for an oil lamp? I don’t get it.” I questioned, confused.
“Neither do we. That’s why we tracked you down.” Chloe revealed.
“Well, it sounds like you’re working for a nutcase. Some collector, who’s got too much time and money on his hands. And by the way, this-is not worth any of it.” Nate threw the picture of the lamp on the table.
“But there’s more…” Harry teased.
“Course there is.” I mumbled and took a swig of beer.
“How’s your 13th-century Latin, mates?” Harry then handed the paper to Nate.
Nate showed it to me as well, and I started reading it, and translating the words.
“Where’d you get this?” Nate asked them.
“‘Borrowed’ it from the files of said nutcase.” Harry explained.
I rolled my eyes again as Nate translated the Latin.
“In Trebizond, we were set upon by thieves. Father, Maffeo, and I were robbed of our greatest treasures…” Nate read off then looked at me.
“This was written by Marco Polo.” Nate explained.
“Yes, that much we were able to work out.” Chloe explained.
“Unfortunately, the rest of it’s nonsense.” Harry explained.
I grabbed the picture from Nate.
“Wait…” I started reading it.
“So that it should not fall into the wrong hands, I concealed my great sorrow in the unlikeliest place. The light of the Great Khan shelters the fate of the thirteen.” I shared a look with Nate, realizing what this meant.
“See what I mean? It’s just gibberish.” Harry was dismissive.
Chloe then had a realization and looked at me and Nate.
“He’s talking about the lost fleet.” Chloe realized.
“Yeah…” Nate and I said as I put the picture on the table.
“Hello, someone want to fill me in?” Harry asked.
“Marco Polo leaves China with 600 passengers and fourteen ships, loaded down with treasure from Kublai Khan. Now he lands in Persia a year and a half later with only one ship left, and only 18 passengers.” Nate explained.
“He recorded every detail of the journey, but he never told anyone what happened to the other 13 ships and the 582 passengers missing.” I continued the story.
“So-so somewhere out there-there are thirteen ships, loaded with the emperor’s treasure, waiting to be found.” Chloe summed up.
“Yeah, and that is what your client is after.” Nate explained, holding up the picture of the lamp.
“Look at this lamp. It’s covered in Mongolian script-it must have been a gift from Kublai Khan.” Nate explained, giving the picture of the lamp back to Harry.
“The light of the Great Khan-” Harry started.
“Shelters the fate of the thirteen.” Harry and Chloe finished.
“Marco Polo must’ve hidden something in that lamp. Some clue to pinpoint the location of the fleet.” I grabbed the picture and showed everyone.
“So… we’re dicking this guy over, right?” Chloe asked us, and I chuckled.
“Damn straight!” Nate exclaimed.
“Absolutely!” Harry exclaimed.
“Hell yes!” I added. Harry then stood up.
“You’re in, then?” Harry looked at me and Nate, beer in hand.
Chloe was next. I stood up.
“I’ve never been one to turn down a good time.” I chuckled.
“What the hell. What could possibly go wrong?” Nate stood up as well.
We toasted and took a drink.
I regained focus, and somehow through the searing pain, and the snow stinging against my face, and my hands. It took me just now to realize I was in a long sleeve shirt, jeans, and hiking boots. I was not dressed for the freezing cold. I fight through the pain to stand up. I looked to where Nate was laying on the snow.
“Come on, Nate. We gotta keep moving.” I extended a hand.
I helped Nate up, and in front of us was the burning wreckage of the train. Still couldn’t remember where the hell we were. I was damn lucky that I survived.
I look at my locket, which survived. I looked at the face of the shaggy haired boy in the photo and let out a small smile. God, is this what it was like for you? You’d be cursing up a storm right now if you saw me, honey. But I promise you, I am getting Nate out of here.
Once I got Nate steady, we walked through the wreckage, nearly having a tree fall on us, breaking off from being burnt from the train car and the wind. We navigated the wreckage, keeping close to have a little warmth.
Each movement that involved our abdomens let out a shearing pain, which happened to be a lot. We made it inside a train car, but the door that we needed to go through was chained shut. Luckily I picked up a gun in the train car.
“Course it’s locked, it’s always locked.” Nate groaned and held the chain.
I shot the lock off and we kept going. But as we rounded the corner, there was an explosion and a goon. Luckily, I dealt with it quickly and we kept going. We dropped down at one point, which hurt like hell. The heat from the fires did help keep us warm and from shivering.
I know we’re both running on adrenaline as we climbed up a train car to get back on top. We jumped across a train car. We made our way through, then up. One of the train cars ahead of us exploded, sending us flying back inside the car. God, it hurt!
Then as we got up, the other car rammed into the one we were in, sending us tumbling in as we rolled. I blacked out.
The planning for the job wasn’t so bad. But something was up with Nate, and that something was Chloe. I’m not an idiot, I know when two people are screwing. Well, did screw. Maybe? Men, I swear. And Nate was jealous.
I knew the plan. Do the heist, find the ships, split the treasure four ways, Chloe and Nate were gonna go off and do whatever, and so was I.
I mean, I like Chloe, but I didn’t trust her one bit. I tried hinting to Nate that his fling with Chloe was gonna end badly, but he didn’t take the hint. I didn’t like it, but I’m not Nate’s parent, and I can’t baby him. He’s like my brother; my idiotic, moronic, brother. As I was soon to discover, however, my theories had some truth to them.
What the hell happened? Why the hell were we here, wherever here is? And why can’t I remember what happened fully? My eyes opened up, and I got the cold blast of air. Nate was still out like a light.
“Nate? Nate, get up, please.” I started panicking.
Luckily, Nate did wake up. I helped sit him up.
“We both need a hospital. Come on!” I helped Nate up.
We made it across by jumping the gap in the train cars. We had to climb underneath, then onto that train car. We were over the cliff. We kept going.
God, I don’t think I’ve ever been in this much pain. Then since we were in an upside down traincar, we fell through the top, landing face first in the snow.
We both groaned and got up. We kept going, trudging through the snow. Then, in the snow, was a dagger with a golden head of a man as a handle.
The pain became too much, so Nate and I leaned against a train car to catch our breath. Now it was coming back to me. Now I know why the job went wrong.
We were in Istanbul, four months before it all went to shit. We went in by boat. We weren’t armed, cause we had the guard routes mapped.
We went through the sewers. Nate’s plan B was improvising. Chloe was our getaway driver. So into the sewers me, Nate, and Harry went.
The plan was simple. Go in through the sewer, have Chloe cut the floodlights, get the lamp, get out, find the treasure, and that was it.
What I didn’t know was that someone had a different plan. A plan for screwing Nate and me over!