“Are you hurt?” He managed to ask as he came up beside her, looking over her but not seeing any blood.
“My leg is stuck… and my mask is broken.” Marco reported in between short wincing breaths. “See if you can move it.”
Sergio shifted over and wordlessly began pushing at the slab to no avail, looking over at Marco in horror. The alarm bell still ringing drowned out any ideas he could come up with as he looked at her helplessly.
“They’re coming,” he managed to squeak out, as if she didn’t already understand the fact.
“Sergio, you have to run… You have to go, quickly!” She clutched at her left side and took in a sharp breath, and didn’t look him in the eyes.
“But what about—” Sergio whispered fearfully, only beginning to gesture in the direction of the outpost before she cut him off.
“There’s no time for me anymore, listen. Fuck, there’s no… Take this, please.” Marco slipped off her cracked gas mask and took in a raspy breath, seeming to not be bothered by the air itself but by her injuries. Maybe she just wanted her voice to be clearer while she handed him her weapon and pulled at her collar. She managed to find the string of her pendant and pull it from her neck, gripping it tightly to her chest and displaying a pained face before sticking her arm straight out to him. “Please, don’t let them get these.”
“Marco you’re not…” Sergio couldn’t even think of the unspeakable possibility.
“Yes, they are going to find me. I can’t get my leg out from here, and even if I could there’s no way you could carry me back to Verona in time. You have to go, don’t let them get you too. You have to get back and tell Vera—” Marco was beginning to hyperventilate.
“B-but what about… the Nationalists, they’ll kill you!” Sergio tried not to raise his voice but he could barely hear himself over the ringing in his ears.
“They won’t kill me… at least they won’t leave me here to die. But I need you to tell the Colonel. Sergio please, listen to me.” Tears began to clear away the dust in crooked lines down her face and she was trying not to look him in the eyes, gazing out towards the street and her dawning fate. “What I didn’t say to Vera back there… only Sacco knew the truth. I should have told you, I need you to know in case—”
“What? Don’t talk like I’ll never see you again, you’re with the Order! W-we will come back and rescue you!” Sergio clutched at her shoulder reassuringly.
“Sergio, when you get back, you have to tell the Colonel… warn him… don’t go to the Council about this. The Führer is my stepfather!” She grabbed onto his hand and pulled it away from her, as if she felt she didn’t deserve the comfort, as if she didn’t want to infect him with her dark secrecy.
Sergio had no words, no thoughts at all beyond the echo of her revelation playing over and over in his mind. Time only stood still for him as he stared back at her with fearful eyes.
“I’m sorry I never told you but I couldn’t, diplomatic immunity. That’s why Sacco- It’s been my secret every single day since… that’s why I ran from them in the first place. They won’t kill me Sergio, but you have to go. Now. Please!” Her revelations and desperate pleas flowed out between her sharp breaths and sobs, and Sergio knew she couldn’t be hiding anything else. At least she seemed certain that the Nationalists wouldn’t immediately execute her or leave her trapped here to die from her injuries – but maybe being left alive and captured by them was an even worse fate. He didn’t have any other choice but to comply.
“I’ll… tell him. We’ll come back for you.” Sergio breathed out the promise breathlessly as he squeezed her hand tight and lowered his visor again, taking the cartridge and the Vintorez as he fought every muscle in his body to move away from her. Everything he didn’t want to happen was coming to pass right in front of his eyes, the absolute worst-case scenario. Everything was completely out of control. He scrambled across the empty hall of the building to the courtyard above the dome, finding a small alcove to hide in just as a group of heavy footsteps thundered up the stairs. He pushed himself against the wall and could only hear faint echoes as the Nationalist squad approached Marco’ position. Would they recognize her? Would Sokolov give her away, if he was even here at all? Could he save her from his comrades?
“Well, well… What do we have here? The Order? Trying to spy on us again?!” Someone roared with a heavy inflection.
“Look, Sturmbannführer, doesn’t she look like?” The voice of the squad leader from the tavern sounded off anxiously.
“Get Sokolov over here, now!” A third voice called loudly, a radio blipped.
“Shouldn’t we call the Gestapo to figure it out?” The first man asked angrily.
“Shut up!” barked the third voice, apparently someone of higher rank than the squad leader – whatever a Sturmbannführer was supposed to be, and Sergio heard the safety switch on his weapon click into another position. “Identify yourself, Hunter.”
“Go fuck yourself, Varnayev.” Marco growled in a low voice and then squeaked uncomfortably. Sergio leaned forward as if it would help him to hear better. So after all this time she could recognize these men, too?
“Ohh so it is you!” The Sturmbannführer cackled with delight and sarcasm. “I’m surprised the old man let a useless cunt like you into the Order, or did you steal that uniform from one of them you small—?”
“Don’t touch me you bastard!” Marco yelled with a huff as if she had swung her fist at the man. Sergio’s stomach tightened and it took every ounce of strength to not take aim at the Nationalist commander with the Vintorez. Maybe it would be better to just shoot as many of them as he could right now and then try to get Marco out of there. Before he could even fully shoulder the weapon, two more men came barrelling up the staircase.
“Get back!” A deep voice boomed as the group of footsteps halted. Was it finally Sokolov? Sergio held his breath, wanting to peek around the corner again but fighting to stay still.
“Well, what do you think Petrikov?” Spoke the ruthless officer after a long pause.
Marco coughed and drew in her next breath with a ragged moan as she was being judged. Was she in pain or was she just scared? She had tried so hard to not let her fear infect him, but Sergio could only imagine the panic she was feeling right now.
“Get her out of there and into the truck. I’m taking her in.” It was definitely Sokolov’s deep and calm tone, he even sounded disappointed somehow.
“I’m going with you then,” the officer growled, “In case you two try to pull another fucking stunt like the first time. Führer might have forgiven you, but I haven’t forgotten your betrayal to the state, Oberscharführer.”
“Understood, sir.” Sokolov growled back dully, and then crackling and grunting was heard as it was assumed the men were trying to free Marco from the rubble.
Sergio took his opportunity in their loud activity to run down the curved staircase and back towards Verona, but once he had gotten fifty meters away he slowed down again. Was that where he was supposed to go? Could he even get back into Verona from the outside after letting the door close? Where else could he go from here? It would be too far to walk towards Polis or the Circle line over the surface. He only had one spare filter left in his bag, not to mention it would be completely dark soon. He began to fumble for the small scrap of paper that showed where the Subway 2 passages came out at, maybe he could get back to D6 from that police station they were supposed to have come out from? He wandered a bit along the open street as he studied the blueprint, turning around a few times and trying to judge the cardinal directions. Going back to Verona was likely useless at this point, and if he alerted the residents to let him in they would find the dead sentry if they hadn’t already.