Intervar shifted his gaze to his left, where the woman was soundly sleeping alongside him. He let out a yawn and stretched as far as his side would allow. He had no idea what time it was, but that didn't bother him because he could talk to the Chief later. But for the time being, he sat up carefully and opened the bathroom door. He locked the door and sat on the toilet in the cramped room, which had a tall shelf in the corner stocked with toiletries and hand sanitizer.
"Donn?" He called for her in hushed tones, hoping for a response. Donn reappeared shortly after. She laid down behind the toilet.
"Thank you," he responded in low tones.
It made his skin crawl and his breathing race, and the fact that Donn pressed her nose against his hand and reminded him that he needed to remove the stitches only added to his dread. He told himself that he would take them out immediately when he got home.
When he heard Dolly yawned from the next room, he stiffened and folded the letter. He froze for a moment, then relaxed when he heard nothing else. He carefully stood up and handed the papers back to Donn before instructing her to go, then thought his next move. He was in a difficult place and needed to get out of the camp as soon as possible.
He got up and left the room while thinking his strategy; the chief still wanted to speak with him, and he had no idea why. It could either be a positive or harmful thing depending on how this next meeting would go.
He grimaced as his boots thudded against the metal ladder, and he hastily checked behind him to see if Dolly had moved, but she was exactly the same as before.
He trembled as he carefully ascended the ladder in the frigid air. With a thump, he climbed out and shut the door behind him.
He came out and noticed that the prisoners had gone to bed, but the sun was only lowering, so he assumed it was just a routine, but the silence troubled him.
He made it to the Chief's bunk and carefully examined it, but there was no one else inside. The other bunks were actually crammed with luggage and other gear, while the chief sat in the same bed as before.
"Chief?" He inquired cautiously as he approached the door. The chief looked up from his book, which was not the same as before.
"Oh, it's you," the man got out of bed and strolled over to Intervar. "Come on, let's get out of the gate; I've got a trail I'd like to show you."
The chief wasted no time in grabbing his arm and almost marching him to his destination. Intervar's face was frozen in bewilderment, but he didn't question the man out loud, he didn't think it was a good idea to question the chief and allow himself to be dragged around.
He didn't believe in any god, and no one was blessing him, so this wasn't just a coincidence. The trail was quiet and, as far as he could tell, led away from the camp.
He instantly put an end to that train of thought, knowing that he'd need to be attentive and focused. He was failing otherwise, he might get information from the chief. He wouldn't remember if he wasn't concentrating.
They came to a halt, and the chief turned to face him with a blank expression. He could tell how old the man was up close. If Intervar had to guess, he was in his late fifties or early sixties, and he appeared to be considerably more exhausted than before. As if he were a feeble elderly guy rather than a combat soldier.
"I have an offer for you; I assume you've previously met Gavin Taer?" Intervar was caught off guard when the chief asked.
Even though it caught him off surprise, he didn't show it. He was perplexed as to how he came to know about Gavin. He worried if it was a set-up by the queen's guards, so he feigned to be oblivious. He didn't waste any time considering his alternative choices.
"No, I don't think so. Why?"
The chief gave a little nod, his face relaxed as if this were a routine scenario.
"Gavin Taer is a member of the Parallel organization. Gavin has been inviting you to join. I was hoping to bring you to Gavin." The man responded, almost pleading.
'This seems like a great opportunity for him, but it doesn't strike me as such. Second, why is Gavin working for a different organization?'
Intervar pondered some more; if he did join and use this to his advantage, he would undoubtedly gain additional information. Gavin, on the other hand, is still watching him, which means he could report anything to Kirk.
"I guess I'll pay Gavin a visit. This appears to be a special chance for you." He spoke with a false sense of consideration in his voice.
The man's eyes glowed brightly "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, Gavin has to make me his favorite. Let's get going now; we can go out this way."
Intervar's wrist was swiftly jerked as he was dragged to the other side of the trail, towards a massive gate guarded by a large number of troops. They were as still as statues as they walked over towards a soldier near the end of the line.
As they recognized him, they turned their heads slightly, their eyes gleaming.
"Hey, you're leaving yet again? The man chuckled deeply, his booming voice was loud in the night.
"For training purposes, I require a portal to the warehouse." Intervar was motioned towards by the chief.
"All right, Ryan, have a good night."
"You too, Monty," a portal flashed in front of them.
'Monty must work for Gavin, or night training must be a popular thing, because none of the other soldiers even gave us a second glance.'
As they stepped into the 'warehouse,' his eyes widened. There were floors and rooms all around them, with some rails linked to them and ladders leading down. He stepped over to a neighboring railing and glanced down, curious. Hundreds of people swarmed the lower level, sitting at desks and milling around. Some went up and down the steps, disappearing along unknown corridors.
More individuals were moving around and talking to each other when he peered up at the other railing and rooms. He nearly gasped as he grabbed the attention of a small group; he had seen many things before, but this was rare.
They had doll-like looks, with their eyes glossed over and their mouths not moving as they should. He takes a step back from the alarming sight, not feeling as comfortable as he had been. When he turned around, Gavin was standing close behind him.
"Ryan informs me that you accepted my offer, Intervar. That's fantastic news." His smiled planted a seed of fear in Intervar's stomach.