A/N: Thank you to my first three reviewers: Caspian Raider, Emeryss Sedailia, and the Farting Menace! Happy Mother's Day to all those mothers out there. Now, on to Ch. 2.
The Schism
Chapter 2
The eleven were silent as they crossed the threshold. They arrived in a narrow hallway, about three feet wide, with various doors coming off it, and with an elevator at the end of it. They stopped at this elevator, as the person called J, who had been using the typewriter, pushed the up button. After several moments, the doors opened and everyone shuffled inside. J pushed the ground level button, the doors closed, and they began to travel up to the surface.
It had never been all that pleasant holding meetings and conducting experiments underground, but it had been necessary to ensure that the organization was not discovered. These eleven people belonged to an organization called VFD. The V stood for Volunteer, as stated in the VFD anthem, but the last two letters were classified information, only to be stated in an emergency.
The biggest emergency that the members of VFD could think of was being discovered by the outside world. For the smoothness and simplicity required conducting the VFD assignments, it was necessary to shut out most of society, which would, upon discovering VFD, immediately investigate it, publicize it, and most likely destroy everything the organization had worked for - keeping the world quiet. The members of VFD did everything possible to prevent such a dreadful circumstance as this, and so far they had succeeded.
This, of course, was only the biggest emergency they could think of - it was not, as they were to find out, the biggest possible emergency.
The elevator stopped in a narrow concrete building cleverly disguised as a rather fat lamppost. Here the Volunteers split and went their separate ways, some in pairs and others solitary, to their assignments, which were as varied as a pair of shoes would be, if the left shoe was black and the right shoe was white.
The two called O and B, though paired up, were not on assignment, having completed theirs already. They were going out to dinner at the restaurant in the nearest city, which was not so far away as the surrounding dusty landscape implied.
O was an important member of the society. He assisted in the creation of the coded videos created by a Mr. Sebald. These videos were filmed so that messages could be delivered to the members of VFD without the rest of the world knowing, or without having to make arrangements for a meeting. O was extremely respected for his job. He himself was not exactly humble about it.
B was part of the Maps Bureau, which created various maps secretly marked with rips, blemishes, or coffee stains. These imperfections aided members of VFD as to the locations of VFD headquarters, meeting places, havens, and other landmarks. These maps were helpful when a Volunteer was searched, or when one mistakenly dropped a map which was then picked up by a member of the outside world.
O and B had been engaged for the last several weeks. Marriage was not impossible between Volunteers, although, understandibly, it complicated things a bit. O and B had no immediate plans, however, but were looking toward the next year or so for a wedding date.
The next pair was L with the tan coat and J with the typewriter, who were brothers. They, like most other members of VFD, had volunteered at a very early age, and had been training for years. L and J had met with the ten others from the meeting almost a year and a half ago, and from that point the group had been driven around from headquarters to headquarters, fleeing the world's eye, until they finally opted to go underground. Underground, of course, was where they were now, and so far they had not had to move again.
L and J were currently on assignment in the same city where O and B were headed. L was going to the Daily Punctilio building there as a spy, and J was going to assist with the large shipment of sugar bowls which were arriving at the Veritable French Diner, a disguised VFD outpost.
And finally there was D. L and D had been good friends since they were both neophytes, a term which here means, "Volunteers being considered for induction into VFD." Being such good friends, D had later agreed to being L's representative in all legal, literary, and social matters, under the circumstance that L was not available, of course. D was being sent to this city to investigate the three possible neophytes I, D, and Q, who lived in the area.
These five, O, B, L, J, and D, all walked toward the city together. As stated, they weren't really all that far from the city, but merely had to climb over a medium-sized hill to get there. Once they were over, they split up, each heading toward the location of their assignment (or, in O and B's case, toward the location of their restaurant).
L made his way past the Stationery District of the city and into the Literary District, home of the Daily Punctilio office building. The rain had stopped; people were no longer relying on umbrellas and newspapers, but the sky was still a dull gray, as if the sun had fallen asleep under a large gray fleece blanket.
L located the building with relative ease and stepped inside.
It was time to find a job with the Punctilio.
* * *
Short chapter, eh? Get used to it, I am not that good with long chapters. Still no apparent plot, but that particular part of the story will reveal itself in time.
Keep reviewing! Thank you.
~ Anoriel
