Radcon's yell could probably be heard on the other side of the city. As it was, Tres had very little trouble hearing him right in front of him.
"Yes Colonel?" he said, saluting.
"How dare you lie to me?" Radcon said, spit flying out his mouth in all directions.
"The meaning of your utterance is unclear." Tres said
"You told me that Gyula wished to see me. So I walk in to see Gyula and announce that I am there at his request and do you know what he says." Radcon yelled inches from Tres face. He felt it better not to respond to the question. "He said 'Why would I send for you? Shouldn't you be out patrolling?'"
"I would appear the transmission I received was not from Count Gyula." Tres said, before turning to leave.
"Iqus, you won't get away with this. You've been avoiding me the last couple of days. Now you'll pay." Radcon said grabbing his rifle and delivering a blow to Tres face. Tres knew that it was smarter to fall down, because the Colonel would do less damage to his systems. The second blow would have sent any normal man flying so Tres fell.
And the Colonel kept hitting him.
I was on my way back from picking up some eggs for Jess. I kept my eyes on the road and hurried forward. At the first sight of any member of the City Police I leapt out of the way and hid in the crowds. Unfortunately my path took me right past the City Police Barracks. As I walked past the looming mass of the building I nearly cried as I spotted Radcon just inside the barracks.
It appeared that he was talking with a troop of the City Police, so I took advantage of his distraction and quickly hurried past and down a nearby alley way that was a short cut to 'The Third Eye'. I had just reached the end of the alley way, all my attention focused behind me that I didn't see him til I collided with him. I stumbled and fell to the ground, felling as though I had just run into a metal wall.
"Submit status report."
"I'm fine… I think." I said rubbing my forehead, feeling a lump already beginning to form. Then I realised who it was I had ran into.
"Oh! Major, I am so sorry. I was so careless." I began babbling.
"Negative, there is no need to apologise."
It was then I realised that he had several cuts and gashes on his body, and a trickle of blood was running from his mouth.
"Oh my god, Major! You really need to get back to the barracks, or-"
"Negative." He said. He appeared to be oblivious to his current state, which was a little unnerving, in that he looked as though he should have been barely clinging to life.
"You have to let me help then." I said.
"Your help is not necessary." he said.
"I insist Major." I said, hardly believing how bold I had become.
"All systems are still functioning properly. There is no need for repair." he said
I tilted my head to one side in an attempt to comprehend what he was trying to say to me. He was really quite foreign. I took the opportunity to examine him more closely. He looked like so many foreigners, a lot less paler then I think most Hungarians looked, although the people of Istvan were rarely healthy enough to provide a descent comparison.
Then there was something about his blood that was now trickling down his chin. It was… darker and much more viscous then I knew blood to be. I found myself watching the drip as it formed a droplet on his chin.
"Um… are you sure? You could at least let me wash away the blood." I said, a bit more timidly then I had been earlier. The droplet fell and splashed on the pavement.
He seemed to consider the statement. "It is not necessary."
"But… but I think it's necessary after what you did for me." I said bowing. I hoped that I hadn't jumped to any conclusions about his involvement in the instance a week ago.
"I will escort you to your place of residence." He said. His voice was the same as always but for a second I could have sworn I saw something flash in his eyes, if only for a moment.
I nodded and stood waiting for him to lead. He didn't move. It then occurred to me he probably didn't know where to go.
"Ah… this way…" I said, walking around him and heading towards home. He followed behind me and I could clearly make out his footsteps each time he took a step. They seemed perfectly timed, as though their were the exact same amount of time between each step.
I was so caught up in listening to his steps I nearly walked past 'The Third Eye'. I stopped myself suddenly and braced for the impact as he came to a stop behind me but he stopped quick enough to avoid me. I sighed and turned and went down the side way into the kitchen.
Jessica was in the middle of chopping vegetables for dinner when I entered followed by the Major. She looked up. She smiled. She looked down. Her head snapped back up again and her eyes nearly came right out of her head.
"Ah Major!" She said, bowing and hitting her head on the bench. "Ow!"
I fought to restrain a giggle at her antics.
"Submit status report." The Major said to Jess.
"I'm alright." she insisted. It was about then she noticed his injuries. "What happened to you?"
"Colonel Radcon punished me for assisting Miss Szendrey." The Major said.
Now I felt really horrible. Not only did he save me, but he had punished for doing so. If I had known this earlier I would have been more adamant about assisting him. At least he had accepted my help.
"Jess, could you get some cloths." I said, heading to a cupboard and pulling out a basin. I put a pot of water over the fire to boil and half filled the basin with cold water. The Major simply stood and watched as I did so.
I walked back over to him and examined his wounds from a distance. In all truth I was afraid to touch him still. He may have helped me, but look where that got him. How did I know he wasn't silently regretting that?
I noticed his uniform was ripped in several places and he was scratched beneath.
"Your uniform has been ripped." I remarked. He nodded and undid his holster on which his two guns hung. I could see the word 'Gunslinger' etched on both of them and I wondered if that was the brand name.
It took me a second to realise he was unbuttoning his jacket and pulling it off. As a precaution I took a step back. He lifted the jacket and examined it carefully. He placed the article neatly next to the two guns.
He then took off the shirt underneath, again pausing to examine the damage. I was occupied with other things. He had hundreds of scars of all shaped and sizes etched in his torso. It was odd because his face and other visible areas of skin were completely smooth.
He put the shirt with his jacket and pulled off his gloves, also examining the rips in them.
"We can mend those if you like." I said, motioning to the articles of clothing, "It would only take a few moments."
"Affirmative."
I frowned, his foreign term throwing me slightly. I assumed because he nodded as well that he meant 'Yes'.
Jess returned with the clean, white clothes in her hand. She almost dropped them when she saw the half naked Major standing in front of me.
Once again I found myself tempted to laugh, purely because of the look on her face. However, again I chose to contain myself, unsure how the Major would react.
"Want to get the hot water off the stove, Jess?" I asked.
Her mouth snapped shut and she nodded putting the clothes on the table and heading over to the stove. I watched as she added the hot water to the cold water already on the bench next to the Major and I.
I motioned for him to sit down and he did so. I picked up a cloth and dipped it in the water. I lifted it, wrung it out then turned at looked at the Major. He was watching me, unblinking. It was making me a little uneasy how he never blinked.
I carefully inched forward and desided to start by wiping away the line of blood running from his mouth to his chin. It had now stopped bleeding and was beginning to dry. I carefully wiped it until there was nothing there.
I dipped the cloth back in the water and continued.
"Jess, do you think you can mend the holes in the uniform while I do this?" I said. She nodded and quickly trotted off to get her sewing kit.
And so it was that Jessica and I cleaned and mended for the Major. It seemed such a small gesture when compared to what he had done for me, but really, I couldn't do any more at this stage. Though, I did promise myself that next time I could help him, I wouldn't hesitate.
Unfortunately, it is a lot easier to say things like that then to actually do them.
I didn't see the Major at all for the next few weeks and I felt a little relieved. However, I also felt anxious about his well-being. I didn't want him to end up dead because of me.
Jess told me he had probably just gone with Gyula on one of his business trips, and it was true the city police were much rowdier, as they usually became when Gyula was gone.
On the other hand, I saw the Colonel repetitively. So far though, he hadn't seen me. For this I was glad, I didn't want a repeat of our previous encounter without the Major nearby to assist.
In some ways that thought was almost humorous. I seemed to assume that the Major would always save me if he could, but what did he have to gain from such a thing? If anything, he stood to lose something. Radcon would probably beat him up again, and I would begin a whole new cycle of self-hate.
Aside from avoiding Radcon those weeks were fairly uneventful. We went about life as we always had, earning our little bit of money in the cruel world.
Business was as good as usual. So many people in Istvan came into the bar to drink themselves into oblivion. I wanted to tell them that this wouldn't help them or their families. It's cruel but their pain was my living. So I kept my mouth shut.
We managed to get enough money to turn the gas back on. It was good because it was coming on to winter and we needed the gas for the heating system.
While the down stairs business thrived, the girls upstairs where seeing less and less people. The extra income from our 'extra service' was dwindling and it was becoming difficult to buy enough food to support us all.
I was on my way to the market, my mind focused on the issues of 'The Third Eye', when I next saw him. I saw the dark blue of the uniform and I instantly threw myself in amongst a nearby group of other Hungarians like myself, fearing it was Radcon.
It took me a second but I quickly realised it wasn't Radcon, and was in fact the Major. I allowed myself to fall away from the crowd and he soon drew level with me.
"Major Iqus." I said. He turned and looked at me.
"Miss Szendrey." he said with a nod and walked on past me. For some reason I felt rejected by his brisk attitude. I sighed to myself and kept walking.
Considering how wrapped up I had been in the well-being of myself and the girls only moments ago, it was strange to suddenly find myself thinking about the Major so adamantly now. I shook my head and tried to concentrate on the produce now before me.
It was stupid but I really wished the Major had made better conversation with me. It was as though he were too busy to care. What was I thinking? Of course he didn't care, I was more trouble then I was worth.
Suddenly I felt the cold shiver run down my spine again. I didn't feel comfortable at all and I felt it important to keep my head down.
"Well, look at what I found!"
There was no mistaking that voice.
Colonel Radcon had found me again.