Blue Valley Underground - Part 15 - Note
Passin' ninja notes!
Blue Valley Underground - Part 15 - Note
The church was Isaac's first stop. He could hear the choir practicing from outside the door. Inside, women in blue robes were lined up on ascending steps to nowhere, their hymns echoing off the high stone walls. Fellow sons and daughters of The Halo eyeballed Isaac as he rushed by. He spotted Chaplain Kohl near the podium, chanting quietly as he sprinkled water on an infant. A blessing ritual, Isaac recognized, and grunted in frustration. Blessing rituals took time--time he didn't have. Fidgeting impatiently for the next fifteen minutes, Isaac ran up to the Chaplain seconds after the couple and their baby walked away.
"Chaplain Kohl! Do you know where Clara is?"
The old man looked startled,
"Oh, Isaac! Hello! Just a second!" he tapped the boy on the arm and led him through the back door. Once it closed, the loud choir was reduced to a hum.
"I'm sorry, what did you need?"
"Clara," Isaac blurted, "She came to the barracks and had a fight with Evan, then she ran off. Is she here?"
Chaplain Kohl let out a long, ragged sigh and shook his head disapprovingly,
"My apologies, Isaac. She had no self-control and became a danger to others. I had no choice but to make her leave."
"What happened?" Isaac asked with a pitiful expression.
The chaplain explained dolefully,
"Chaplain Sanford was in charge of overseeing her progress. He claims she was cruel and abusive towards him, called him vile names and such. Well, this morning she finally struck him, and he has the bloodied lip to prove it."
Isaac didn't want to believe it. He was silent for a moment, thinking it over in his head. If she was willing to assault a marshal, why not a priest? He murmured regretfully,
"Yeah...Sounds like her."
"My apologies, Isaac. We cannot help her if she's not willing to be helped."
"I understand. Do you know where she is now?"
The old man shook his head,
"I haven't seen her since she left about an hour ago." He paused, then placed a hand on Isaac's shoulder,
"There is nothing you can do for her. I suspect she suffers a severe case of hysteria. It's common among women, especially around her age. I'd advise you to stay away, lest you become part of her troubles."
Isaac frowned,
"Thank you. I gotta go." He hurried off down the road. Chaplain Kohl waved, hanging his head as he returned to the church. He knew his "grandson" well enough. The boy never listened.
It was just before noon. At ten minutes passed his given hour, Isaac knew he was pressing his luck and finally returned to the barracks. Clara was not in the tavern, boutique, library, or brothel. She wasn't in the town square, by the docks, or in jail. All her suspected whereabouts turned up blank, and for all he knew, she could have boarded the train and left town. Terrible possibilities raced through his head for the rest of the day. Clara could have been tied up in someone's basement while he was eating lunch. She was being tortured while he studied with Lukas. She was being murdered while he was sitting down for dinner. He wondered if they were burying her as he settled into bed and lay awake for hour after hour.
Isaac had fallen asleep at some point, but not for very long. He felt someone jostling him and whispering urgently,
"Isaac! Isaac!"
The young soldier sprang up, quickly rubbing the blur of fatigue from his eyes,
"W-what?" he groaned. Glen was standing on the ladder of his bunk bed, waving an envelope around.
"You got a secret letter! Probably from your girlfriend!" Glen jabbed gleefully. Lukas and Nathaniel were sitting up in their bunks, just barely visible in the darkness. Lukas got up and turned on the lantern, lighting the room with a warm glow. Isaac took the envelope and yawned,
"What time is it?"
"Early," Nathaniel replied quickly, "Open the fuckin' letter! Read it out loud!"
Isaac turned the envelope over in his hands. "For Isaac" was scrawled on one side in black ink. It was otherwise blank. As he carefully tore it open he asked,
"Where did this come from?"
"Someone tucked it in the window," replied Glen, "They kept tapping on the glass 'till I woke up 'n grabbed it. I just saw a shadow dash away real quick. Think it was your girl?"
"Let's see..." Isaac retrieved the folded parchment from inside and cleared his throat before reading,
"It says...
'We have your friend. Report to the Tears of Eros brothel in Newell UNARMED and ALONE.'"
Isaac's voice faltered. He swallowed and continued,
"'Should you dis...disu...disregard this note, your friend will suffer.
-Eyes of the Underground'"
Struck silent, Isaac slowly lowered the note. Glen took it from him and quickly skimmed over it, turning it this way and that.
"Isaac..." The blonde man gasped, "Did you piss off the B.V.U?"
Still dumbfounded, Isaac slowly shook his head,
"I don't...I don't know. T-They have Clara!" he suddenly looked frenzied and swung his legs over the side of his bed,
"God, no! They really did it--they have her!" He jumped to the floor with a loud thump and staggered, falling against Glen's bunk. Scrambling to his feet, he bolted for the door when Lukas seized him by the arms and pulled him back,
"Hold on!"
"They're gonna kill her--!"
"Isaac, sit down!" Lukas shoved the boy back on to Glen's bunk, his voice grave as he said, "I don't know what you did, but you will not go fuckin' with the Blue Valley Underground."
"They have Clara!" exclaimed Isaac. His hands were trembling, his eyes darting madly, "The agents were stalking her--I knew it! I knew they were gonna get her and I wasn't there! I wasn't fucking there for her! I have to go--" he rose up and Lukas immediately shoved him back down.
"No!" Lukas scowled, "I saw her swing at Evan yesterday. She's trash, Isaac! I'm sorry, but she's not worth it."
"She's not trash! Move!" The younger soldier rammed into Lukas and sent him reeling against the wall. Glen grabbed the boy's arm and yanked him to his chest, trapping him in a tight squeeze.
"Get off!" Isaac squirmed pathetically in the enormous arms of his friend.
"You're being stupid, Isaac!" the blonde man grunted, "You can't just rush in there, you gotta have a plan first!"
At this, Isaac froze. Glen was right. He was being impulsive again. The larger man finally loosened his grip.
"Uh, he's not rushing in there at all!" said Lukas, "Isaac, they're going to kill you! Can't you see this is a trap? You have no idea what you're getting into. This isn't some small-time gang, this is a huge organized crime ring!"
Isaac turned to him and growled,
"Who else is going to help her? You?"
"She doesn't deserve help!" shouted Lukas, "She was involved with the gang; she did this to herself! You don't need to be part of it!"
Glen picked up the letter and suggested,
"We should probably show this to Evan, huh?"
"No!" Isaac snatched it from him, "He can't know about this!"
Glen shrugged,
"He's gonna notice when he takes attendance tomorrow and you're in fuckin' Newell."
"He's not going!" Lukas insisted and plucked the letter from Isaac's hands,
"And yes, Evan should see this immediately."
With that, Lukas stormed out the door. Isaac, Glen and Nathaniel followed. Isaac clutched Lukas' cotton shirt and begged,
"Please don't! Lukas, please! She's going to die! Please, please, please don't!" his cries were frantic and desperate, tears welling in his eyes. His stomach was churning wildly, until he doubled over and vomited. Lukas kept moving, down the corridor and through the main hall.
"Please don't, Lukas! Stop, please...!" Isaac blathered as he clutched his stomach and stumbled after him. Just before he reached the staircase, Isaac jumped on his back and pulled him to the ground. The older man hit the floor with a grunt as Isaac pinned him down and continued to plead.
"Isaac! God damn, almost broke my arm!" Lukas hollered and angrily shoved him away. He got to his feet and glowered down at the young soldier,
"This is for your own good! I wish we could trust you, but we can't, because you're always doing stupid shit!"
Isaac sat silently on the floor with a hollow feeling in his chest. Lukas turned and stomped his way up the stairs. Nathaniel followed close behind without a word. After a moment, Glen helped Isaac to his feet and gave him a gentle pat on the back. They reluctantly went up to the second floor, also known as the "marshals' floor". Marshals had a separate and slightly nicer dining hall than the soldiers below them. They all lived at the barracks, each with their own two-room domiciles where they could live comfortably with wives and children. The second floor was like a separate barracks in itself; a cleaner, quieter one.
Lukas led the others far down the corridor, took a couple turns, and finally stopped at a white door. "9B-Volk" was painted in gold letters across the top.
"Lukas, please..." Isaac whispered on deaf ears. Lukas raised his fist to knock on the door, when suddenly it swung open. He jumped back, equally as startled as the young man behind it.
"Marshal Julian!" Glen blurted, then promptly covered his mouth. The man was tall and tan-skinned, his usual neat brown hair disheveled. He was dressed down in a standard-issue blue robe.
"Good ni--uh--Morning. Excuse me." Julian stammered and closed the door, hurrying passed them with his head down. The soldiers watched him round a corner, then exchanged looks of confusion. Glen looked rather smug as he elbowed Lukas.
"Maybe we should wait." Suggested Isaac.
"No way!" Glen snickered and rapidly knocked on the door, "I told you, Lukas! I told you...!" he hissed with unbridled delight. Lukas just rolled his eyes,
"I doubt it's what you th--"
The door swung open again. Despite being dressed down in their under-armor, the soldiers straightened their posture as their marshal stood before them. He was wearing nothing but underwear and a surprised look on his face.
"Oh, uh...It's you guys. Sorry." Evan hid behind the door slightly. Glen blabbed,
"Were you expecting your boyfriend...Marshal Julian?" he grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. Evan's face flushed and he murmured,
"Funny, Glen. He just needed to borrow something. What do you want?"
"He needed to borrow your dick!" The blonde soldier guffawed and slapped his knee. Evan whispered harshly,
"Hey, that's enough! There's women and kids up here for God's sake..." he cleared his throat and addressed the group,
"Anyway, this better be important."
"It is," said Lukas. He passed the note to his marshal and explained, "This note was stuck in our window. Isaac's hell-bent on saving his little girlfriend and we thought you could knock some sense into him."
Evan examined the note. His looked more concerned with each word he read, and horrified by the end.
"Isaac," the marshal took a deep breath as he folded the note. There was a forced, jittery calmness in his voice as he said,
"You will not pursuit her. You will not set foot outside this barracks for the next thirty days. You will not speak of this to anyone else. Clear?"
Isaac trembled,
"They're going to torture her, Sir. She needs me. She's going to suffer and it'll be my fault." Tears welled in his eyes, finally rolling down his face when he blinked.
All was quiet for a moment. A baby's muffled cry echoed from down the hall. Evan opened his door wider and told Isaac,
"Come in," then he turned to the others, "The rest of you, report back to your room. This conversation and this note never existed." He crumpled the paper in his hand.
"Yes, Sir." The trio said in unison, and slowly shuffled off. Isaac stepped inside, Evan closing and locking the door behind him.
"Excuse me for a second..." The marshal muttered, then disappeared into another room.
Isaac stood awkwardly by the door, his gaze drifting curiously around his marshal's home. He'd never been in here before and didn't know what he expected from it exactly, but all of the furniture was lined up symmetrically, everything equally-spaced as if on a grid. This extended to small items like bowls and vases, every surface spotless, nothing cluttered or out of place. There were multiple paintings of black labradors hanging on the walls as well as glass figurines on the shelves like the ones in his office. No actual dog in sight, however.
Evan returned, now covered in a blue robe. He sat in a soft chair and said,
"Sit down." His voice was suddenly weary. Isaac sat in the identical chair placed across from his. There was a long pause between them. Evan was clearly in thought and Isaac waited for him to speak, bouncing his feet anxiously. Finally the marshal spoke, his gaze still on the floor,
"I'm at a loss. I don't know how to get through to you, Isaac." He looked up at the boy, who refused to look back, "I could give you the longest, most heartfelt speech in the world. I could yell at you and threaten you for hours. I could give you a thousand logical reasons why I don't want you to get involved with this Underground business." He sighed and shrugged hopelessly, "But you're going to do it anyway. You're going to disregard everything I say and just do what you feel is right, aren't you?"
Isaac took a moment to respond, chewing his lip. Eventually he answered,
"Most likely, Sir."
Evan slowly nodded, resting his chin in his hand. His notorious stare pierced Isaac's mental armor--not that it was strong to begin with--making the young soldier shift uncomfortably.
"May I ask why?" Evan asked, "Is this in the name of love, for money, or...? What's your motivation for plunging into an obvious trap for a sickly, nasty little wench? Because you and I both know you're not coming out of this alive, Isaac. Why die for her?"
His eyes were so awful, so terribly intense. Isaac shuddered, forcing himself to look directly into them as he replied,
"I'm the son of a sinner. My mother worked in a brothel while she was carrying me, so I was born...Wrong. That's why I don't listen and why I mess up so much. That's why I don't know anyone's names, why my stomach is so bad, and why I'm worried all the time." He broke eye-contact and looked down at his bare feet, curled around eachother on the wood floor,
"Chaplain Kohl said if I always do the right thing, I can still be a good person. I promised Clara I'd protect her. I have to at least try, because leaving her to suffer isn't the right thing to do." He frowned, "At least, as far as I know. I'm not very smart either."
Evan furrowed his brow, lowering his hand from his face,
"Chaplain Kohl told you all this? About the...W-what is this nonsense about your mother? That she sinned, and that makes you defective?"
"Well," Isaac fidgeted, "The farmer told me that. He had a daughter who was older than me, but she still acted like a child because her mother sinned." He glanced up at his marshal, "You said I was immature. I'm defective, like her."
Evan's neck flushed red and he growled,
"I knew that fuckin' geezer was filling your head with shit! Letting you attend church was a mistake...Isaac," he leaned forward and calmed his voice,
"None of that is true, okay? It's horse shit. All of it. Everything those priests tell you is lunacy. Your mother's mistakes are not your mistakes, and your problems aren't because of her." He pointed at the young soldier and told him sternly,
"They're because of you. You don't pay attention and you choose to disobey me. Gods and devils have nothing to do with your behavior. Part of being an adult is accepting responsibility for your actions, and in that respect, yes: You're very immature."
Isaac sank into his seat, wishing he could disappear. He replied sheepishly,
"When I was initiated, you told me the most important part of being a soldier was protecting my people. You said that one day, I would die for them."
Evan almost spoke, then found that he had nothing to say. His mouth hung open for a moment, then he closed it and let him continue,
"Clara's my friend," said Isaac, "And she's no less a piece of garbage than me or you. If I didn't die for her, I'd be dying for someone else in the future. She needs me now."
Evan was quiet, wearing an analytical expression. A silent moment passed, except for the ticking of the clock on the wall.
Evan scrubbed at his eyes and mumbled,
"God damn you..." after a long sigh, he continued thoughtfully,
"You know, I looked in the mirror the other night and discovered some grey hairs in my beard. I'm thirty-four years old, by the way. You're wearing me out, Isaac. Hell, you've almost been the death of me twice in one mission. I've tried to get through to you countless times and it never sticks. You're one of the worst soldiers I've ever had to train."
Isaac cringed. He couldn't sink any further into his seat if he tried. Evan's tone softened as he continued,
"You're also the best soldier I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. You're honest, you keep your promises, and you're really serious about dying for your people, no matter their worth. You have the courage to defy what the queen tells you is right, and do what you know is right. You're the real thing, aren't you?"
Isaac was stunned. He found it hard to speak, but managed a weak,
"But it's all very selfish. I'm doing it for me, so I don't have to feel bad about being a sinful, terrible person."
Evan's mouth stretched into a tired smile and he chuckled quietly,
"It doesn't matter why, you're still willing to do it. I'm the selfish one here. I don't want you to go because I know you won't come back, and I'm sure going to miss you. You have terrible foresight, but I do admire your disobedience in a way. You have the courage I only dream of having." His smile was somber, "If every soldier were like you, this slavery bullshit would have never began. Queen Evangeline would have been overthrown, relations with other kingdoms wouldn't be so sour, and I believe this kingdom wouldn't need so many goddamn soldiers in the first place."
Isaac couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was his marshal so exhausted that he was speaking nonsense? Or was Isaac still asleep, and this was all a strange dream?
"Thank you." The young man said breathlessly, "That's a hell of a compliment, Sir..."
"Come with me," Evan stood up and headed for the door, "We'll see what we can do for that lady of yours."