11.
Ariadne.
Found what your friend lost.
Safe and on the mends.
Have not found what you lost yet.
Will keep looking.
Regards.
~ Ariadne read and re-read the telegram over and over. When the youth knocked on her door and presented her with a telegram, she was certain it contained news about Arthur's death. No good news arrived in telegrams. That was the strong belief. Whenever a telegram boy arrived, at work, at home, people in the building and other rooms all fell silent and respectful for the one who's hand had to touch the paper. Who had to open it and say a prayer before reading it.
But now, hope. Colonel Cobb was alive! He was alive and in London. The Matron had found Cobb and had written her this strange telegram to tell her. She must have been afraid to give any details about Cobb. The war office saying Cobb and Arthur were apart of a top secret mission.
Such information going out over a telegraph, might get the Matron into serious trouble. So she had chosen her words carefully. No mention of names or husbands. For all anyone knew, some anonymous person had found a pair of lost gloves for them.
Ariadne smiled and held the telegram close. If Cobb was alive, perhaps Arthur was to.
~ Arthur felt hope drain out of him. He was kept separated from his men and allowed to stay in the house where he was warm and dry. He slept on the floor as the bitter wind howled against the window. By afternoon, he was brought a small ration of bread and cheese again. No coffee this time or fruit.
'Little Prick' would talk to him for hours. Arthur, always refusing to sit with him. Choosing instead to stand. The height difference making him feel better as he towered over the man who held him.
"My men?" Arthur asked. Little Prick sighed.
"Just like you Major, I care about my own men. I want them out of this dieing world and safely in a warm, dry place. Australia perhaps or South America. This, your people can arrange for us." He said. "For this, we give you and your men back."
"That's not what I asked you." Arthur said with a growl. "I asked if my men were alright. You can't get anything if my men are hurt in anyway. Are they being fed?"
"Alas, winter is never kind." Was all Little Prick said as the two thugs marched into the room after Arthur had finished eating.
He was beaten again. His barely healed cuts re-opening. Little Prick standing over him as finally, the guards left him bleeding on the floor and gasping for air.
"I enjoyed my time with your wife's photo last night." The Nazi said in a slanderous tone. "Ariadne is it? Beautiful name. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl, yes?"
Arthur said nothing. He was fairly sure his rib was broken and he clutched it in pain.
"Tell me, when you come limping home, will she still want you? Your child, a boy lets say, what will he think of you? Will he be proud of the man he sees? A broken man? A hobbled man? A man, who's wife can barely stand the sight of?"
Arthur spat out more blood and tried to ignore Little Prick.
"Oh, I have no doubt your wife will remarry. Even with a child in tow. She is lovely. She will find some nice man. A whole man. One who will keep her bed warm. I imagined her last night. Doing all kinds of wicked things to me. She may look sweet and innocent in pictures, but I can tell she loves to do dirty things with men." He said lighting a cigarette. "I kept myself very pleased thinking of all she would do to me."
Arthur ignored the sharp, protesting pain in his rib and found the strength to attack the Nazi officer. What he had said hurt him. Wounded him worse then any blow.
The Major was quick and nimble and easily took down the clumsy Nazi. He was on him then, hitting him repeatedly while the officer tried to shout for help.
Blood was flowing from the Nazi's face when a riffle butt hit Arthur in the head. His world going black again.
~ Arthur paid dearly for his revenge. He was locked in a room with no windows and barely enough space to lay down in. He was given no mattress and had to sleep on the ice cold floor. The only other object in the room was a bucket for when nature called.
"Major, I believe you have broken my nose." The Little Prick said holding Ariadne's white handkerchief to his bleeding face. Another item stolen from Arthur.
"I think it suits you." Arthur said callously.
The Nazi glared back at the Major through blacked eyes and a red, swollen, disfigured nose.
"Your men, will pay the price for your savagery, Major." Little Prick said. "And I will make certain they know who is responsible."
The heavy door slammed shut and Arthur was alone in the dark.
~ Snow was falling over the trees. The sky was cloudy and empty of life. A bitter cold was seeping into a hungry body.
Ariadne had taken to walking every mornings in Central Park. It was freezing cold and Mal told her it was snowing too hard to be out. But her cast was finally off and her leg needed the work out after being idle so long. She walked the paths of the park until she was numb with cold.
She wanted the cold. Needed to feel how awful the bleakness of it was. She knew, deep down in her bones that Arthur was freezing to. She knew he was cold and hungry and she wanted to feel what he felt. As if his suffering would be eased if she suffered to.
She didn't want to eat. She wanted to be hungry like she was certain he was.
The telegram had depressed her more then cheered her. It had been another week and still no news. Why hadn't Arthur been with Cobb? What was taking so long? She had telegraphed the Matron and thanked her. Mal was so happy. The War Department, ever slow, had not told Mal yet that Cobb was alive. The Matron saying he was up and walking around the hospital. She had used the code name 'elephant' to say he missed Mal and would be home soon. His injury was sever enough to get him out of the war.
Nothing could be said over the wires about what had happened to them. So the women waited. Waited and prayed.
"Ma'am? Do you need help?" Came a voice. Ariadne turned and looked through the heavy snowfall. A tall, well groomed young man was approaching her.
Her first instincts were of panic. Beth and Mal had both told her to be weary of strangers in the city.
"I'm fine." She said warningly as he reached her. He was very good looking and covered warmly in a richly tailored wool coat.
"I'm sorry, um. With the cane and all... I guess I thought you were an old lady." He laughed.
She sighed and looked down at herself. She was bundled tightly against the freezing cold and the snow. Her coat was layered with two scarfs and a wool cap. She could see how it was easy for him to think that.
"I had a broken leg." She explained feeling the snow fall on her eye lashes. She hoped slightly on her cane as her leg started to hurt from the cold.
"You had a broken leg and your out in this mess?" He asked. His breath coming on in delicate puffs. He was a pleasant looking man. His eyes were very blue and he smiled at her warmly. He wasn't condescending when he spoke to her as she hobbled along the path.
"Ma'am. It's too cold out. Let me walk you to a cab." He said.
"I'm fine." She said.
"Ma'am, it's too cold." He insisted. "Please, lets go to this dinner and get something hot to eat." He said. The snow was falling in a torrent now and she could feel the weight of it through her clothes, past her skin and into her bones. Her still healing leg ached and the idea of a hot bowl of soup made her remember she was starving and made her think of her baby.
"Alright." She said at last. The well groomed man walked with her as if he were afraid she would fall at any moment.
"I can walk just fine." She said with a laugh. She spoke to soon as she slipped on an icy patch of side walk and the well groomed man neatly caught her before she hit the ground.
"I have no doubt you can walk." He said with a chuckle. "What's you name?" He asked helping her to right herself.
"Ariadne." She said. Her legs unsteady and she didn't relish a fall that would re-break her leg.
"My names Robert." He said. "Robert Fischer."
~ "I have never met so many fucking little pricks, as I have in this war!" The gruff officer fumed. He was chewing on a cigar again. Command had refused his request to go back for the remaining men that were being held. The gruff officer had just seen the wounded off on a plane to London. Colonel Cobb was not looking well. The Colonel was sweating and coughing and the medic had said something about blood poisoning. Eames had begged the medic not to amputate the leg that had turned black around the wound. Instead giving him a shot of antibiotics. The gruff officer doubted he would make it.
Eames was standing close by and waiting to find out what would happen next.
"What do we do now, Sir?" Eames asked.
"Your not in this man's Army, Son." The gruff officer said. "You go back to your own people."
"Sir, these are my people. These my friends." Eames said. "You promised Arthur you would come back for him and I want to help. I ran away and left them. I have to help." Eames said. His face almost manic.
"You did the right thing." The gruff officer said looking at Eames. "If you hadn't have found help, we never would have been able to find them. Still, it won't do any good because I can't get orders for a rescue." The gruff officer said.
"I say 'fuck that'." Eames said liking the casual swearing of the American.
The gruff officer looked at Eames in surprise.
"That's the attitude I need." He said. "You talked me into it. But if we get caught, I'm going to say it was all your idea."
"Fair enough." Eames said.