“This is where the anomaly attacked you?” Vera had his pen poised, not looking up from the paper at all as Sergio had been talking.
“I didn’t see it…” Sergio admitted with some form of regret. “But it did something to Marco. She said she heard music, and she collapsed. When she recovered, we went the rest of the way to Polis.”
Vera nodded slowly as he finished writing down what Sergio had reported.
For a minute, Sergio debated whether or not he should tell the Colonel about Marco’ mention of her plans to go to Emerald City, about her father and her supposed vision of Sacco. He had felt so special to be trusted with her ‘true mission’ but he wasn’t sure if she had mentioned it to Vera or not and didn’t want to betray that trust by selling her out. He decided, for now, to keep it a secret just between the two of them.
“Where is Marco now?” Sergio spoke tentatively, as Vera had finished writing but hadn’t looked up.
“I sent her with Anna for a tour and to the women’s barracks for some rest. I was going to have her in sniper training with Anna and Katya after an evaluation.” Vera paused and put a hand to his scruffy chin thoughtfully. “It seems that Sacco taught her more than I might have guessed, unless the Realm gives military training to all their citizens. I’m not sure precisely what his interest in her was but, at least, it seems that it remained mostly innocent.”
Innocent? Sergio didn’t want to explore the question. He recalled the night at Kuznetsky Most when both he and Marco had told some of their deeper secrets and stories; she had said she was in love with Sacco, but didn’t make it sound as if anything was official. Still, it didn’t answer Sacco’s side of the equation and Vera had a point. Could it have been that Sacco was also in love with her and just never said so? Maybe he’d been afraid to be open with her for fear that someone would hurt her while he was away. Sergio could identify with such reasoning.
“Can I speak to her again?” Sergio dared, hoping the Colonel wouldn’t read anything into his request. Even he wasn’t sure at that moment precisely what he wanted to speak with her about – just that he wanted to see her again before anything happened.
“You’ll see her around.” Vera gave the same knowing grin that Maro had given him earlier. “As it is, I haven’t anything for you to do yet. Have yourself something to eat and then come by the armory. We’re going to start testing some of the equipment we found.”
“Yes, sir.” Sergio stood and turned to leave, but something forced him to turn back. “About the cartridges again… do you still have the one I brought?”
Vera said nothing in reply, but began to rummage in the top drawer of his desk. After a moment, he pulled the dulled brass casing from the compartment, still attached to the black string that had hung around Sergio’s neck for so long. He held it out to him, and Sergio accepted it with reverence, clutching it tightly in his fist and then examining it closely.
“Am I to find my own replacement, too?” Sergio didn’t immediately realize that he’d spoken his thoughts aloud.
“There is no replacement for you, so don’t go giving it to anyone else.” Vera stood up and came around in front of Sergio. Putting both of his large calloused hands on his shoulders, the old Stalker gave a warm but sympathetic smile. “No Hunter is more dear to our cause than our Savior.”
Sergio nodded his head, but only because it was expected of him at times when his detested title was mentioned. In any case, Vera was proud of him for carrying out the despicable attack against the Dark Ones and he could at the very least enjoy the benefits that afforded him before the commander recognized his utter worthlessness. Though he didn’t think Vera actually thought of him as this prophetic savior, just that it was useful propaganda and bolstered morale for everyone. Turning around stiffly, trapped in his thoughts, he managed to leave the room.
Chapter 16: Part of the Family
Sergio returned to his room in Sector Б3, it was one of the smaller divisions of the bunker in which there was an existing row of barracks rooms. The room he had been assigned was a small single-person room on the bottom level of a two-story enclosure. He stood in the doorway for a few moments, looking over his organized but cluttered space. His favorite pair of black combat boots was still drying on the radiator in the corner, and all his postcards and photos were hung on the back wall above his bed. All but one – the one of the large green statue with the pointy crown that Sacco had given him. That card rested on one of the shelves that hung above his desk, and now, he had another of the Hunter’s tokens to add to it.
He took a step further inside and turned on the desk lamp, it had a dim yellow bulb but Sergio was of course grateful for such a luxury. Holding up the prized cartridge in his palm, he suddenly wondered if the small scrap of paper was still inside – the very message that Sacco had asked him to deliver to Vera. Had the Colonel disposed of it after reading its contents?
Sinking down onto his narrow military cot, he scrutinized the cap of the cartridge and found that it unscrewed from the rest of the casing. Carefully winding it around so as not to drop the pieces once it separated, he opened the capsule and saw the paper inside. He drew in a deep breath, subconsciously holding in his anticipation as he wiggled it out into his hand. The slim strip of paper was folded lengthwise and rolled up to fit inside the cartridge. Sergio flattened it out carefully, knowing that the precious words inscribed upon it may have been the last ones that the noble Sacco had ever written.
“Colonel, I am to contend with the ‘Dark Ones’ at the Botanical Gardens alone. If I do not return, you know what to do. Take care of the kid who brings this to you – you will need him. – Sacco.”
Sergio re-read the note several times, one reason being that the hasty scribbling was hard to make out but also because he was trying to determine exactly what Sacco had meant when saying that Vera would need him. Did Sacco know something about Sergio’s mental link with the Dark Ones or that it would serve some kind of purpose in the mission to destroy them? In Sergio’s mind, all it had done was confuse him and make every step of that expedition more difficult, as he was always second guessing his reasoning. Had this been Sacco’s way of saying that Sergio was to be his replacement? He was ashamed to admit that he didn’t know the legendary Hunter as well as he thought he did – not well enough to understand the subtle meanings behind his short and cryptic sentences.
Letting out the held breath in a long exasperated sigh, he fell backwards onto the cot and closed his eyes. Without looking down at his hands he managed to stuff the note back inside and seal the capsule, tucking it into his breast pocket. Perhaps he might show it to Maro later as see if he could determine any further meaning from it. Or, if he was able to see Marco again, she might be willing to compare her note with his own. Besides the signatures, he wondered if there were any similar sayings written in her capsule. Had Vera allowed her to keep it?
He sat up suddenly, wondering where she might be at this time and how long it had actually been since they had parted ways. What time was it now? He checked his watch; twenty minutes to midnight. It had been a lot longer than he thought it had been, since they had arrived at D6 just before five o’clock. Feeling his stomach rumble, he next understood that he hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast at Kuznetsky Most. He recognized that he had quite the bad habit of getting caught up in arbitrary chaos for hours and days without a proper meal in between. Vera had been right when he told him to get some food. He had almost a fatherly bearing over Sergio, and although the line between caring mentor and stern commander was blurred at times, he was appreciative of the concern.