Dance in the vampire bund: The turtle doves of the vampire bund
By Nikolao
Chapter 8: Codename
Pitch blackness and a feeling of being in a state of utter despair and loneliness, all that followed by a mixture of disembodied voices that echoes inside the mind of Jack Matters, a young private caught in a war he should have never fought.
„... ... whatever to save him" A young female voice
„Are...your turtle doves mister?" Female voice asks
„your turtle doves mister?" the voice repeats itself again
„turtle doves mister?" the voice repeats again but in a deep female voice
„your turtle doves mister?" Again but this time the voice was so deep it sounds almost demonic
All that is mixed with sounds of loud banging, fighting, shouting, even some gunshots in the distance, followed by a familiar sound of an Huey helicopter closing by.
„Just hold on soldier, we will make sure that you give them to her personally" That female voice again.
Jack knew that the girl that voice belongs to had to be very young...probably a private or a girl stuck in the jungle, but there were other voices as well, unknown voices, that echoes in pitch blackness.
...
„Who are you?" Jack murmured those words a couple of times, and then right in the center of that pitch blackness was a faint source of light that was partially blocked by a shadow of a little girl. Jack reached his hands out to that shadow in the distance.
„Little girl?" Jack tries to call her over, to lead her to safety, but the problem is...can Jack even find safety himself?
Eventualy that light and the shadow were getting closer and closer to Jack, he was about to able to touch the shadow but suddenly the shadow dissapears and that light hits Jack in his eyes, but only for a brief moment, because it started to fade and Jack could start to see other figures, lines, curves, a face, a face of a young girl...dressed up in a medical uniform.
„He's waking up" the girl says while turning to an another figure standing above Jack, but this figure was of a familiar young man, black hair, wearing shade glasses and a black covert ops uniform, that man was his friend Malcolm.
Jack looks at Malcolm for a moment and then he looks around the room, he was in a army medical hospital ward which was empty, he was the only patient inside, Jack takes a look at the window...it was night outside.
„Hey there buddy, you got us worried there, you were out for a whole day" Malcolm breakes the ice while gently sitting alongside the bed
„M...Malcolm...Wha?" Before Jack could say anything Malcolm cuts him off
„Don't say anything...I heard all about the accident at the training yard...I mean...friendly fire...it happens buddy, no need to feel bad for it" Malcolm says while smiling
„Ma...Malcolm...what? Training? What happened to Lucious?" Jack asks
Malcolm looks at Jack with a surprised look on his face, then he turns to the nurse.
„Excuse me, could you please give us five minutes?" The nurse nodded at the request and then left the ward...its now that Jack has finnaly noticed that the whole ward was empty.
„Hey Jack...look at me" Malcolm says in a serious tone, Jack turns back to Malcolm
„Jack...tell me...what happened out there?" Malcolm asks
Jack gives Malcolm the short version of the report, leaving no bits untold, even the part about the little girl voice. Malcolm was surprised, but not because of the attack, but because of what happened after.
„Wait...so you're telling me they mentioned something like a amnesia injection and a antidote?" Malcolm asked
„Yeah, but clearly I remember everything" Jack says, then he realised something
„Wait...you told me I was wounded in a training mission" Jack says
Malcolm was going to say something but suddenly the door of the ward opens, it's the nurse.
„Excuse me...sorry for interrupting you but there is a FBI agent outside waiting to interrogate private Matters" The nurse says
„Oh...shit, tell them to wait a couple of minutes" Malcolm instructed the nurse who leaves them alone again.
Malcolm gets of the bed, comes close to Jack, he leans forward, turning his back to the window, brings his face close to jack and starts to whisper.
„Listen. They are probably listening to every word we say" Malcolm says
„Who? The Feds? Why would they interrogate a soldier wounded in a middle of a training mission?" Jack was confused by everything right about now
„There lies the problem Jack...you were not wounded in a training mission" Malcolm says
Jack looks at Malcom with a serious face, waits a few seconds and then he whispers
„You know something...don't you?"
„Yes...I do know what happened but I don't have the time and this is not the right place, all that you need to know that those agents are not to be trusted...don't reveal anything...tell them it was a..." Malcolm was interrupted by a sound of the ward door opening.
A tall female FBI agent entered the ward, she has black hair tied in a ponytail style and shade glasses, typical office agent, while she was approaching the bed Jack notices a file in her hands, she approaches the duo and takes a FBI ID from her pocket while saying
„Hello boys...my name is Vera Veratos...I'm from the FBI, I've been sent here to debrief mister Matters on his...accident" She made a brief pause before saying that last word accident and then gave Jack a strict look.
„Vera Veratos...that sure is an unique name...is it a codename?" Malcolm asks
„Actually...yes...it is...you know how it is...we gotta protect our identity the best we can" Vera answers.
„Ok...got it" Malcolm says with a grin on his face
„Is something funny? Agent?" She asks Malcolm back
„No...no...everything is in order" Malcolm says bringing this serious face back
„Good...I''m going to need to talk to private Matters now"
Malcolm extends his hands to Jack giving Vera the „He's right here, go ahead" sign
„Privately..." Vera finishes
„Oh..." Malcolm realises what was Vera trying to say here and then turns back and starts to walk out of the room, before he closes the door he looks back to Jack once more, smiles for a second and then closes the door. Vera turns to Jack, opens up the file and starts reading..
„Private Matters, born in january 22. 1956. Age 18, serving in the military for 2 months, unexperienced in combat, currently stationed in Mau Lou" She stops reading for a brief moment and takes a good look at Jack.
„Hehe...guilty as charged" He says while containing his laughter
„And somehow you got to be friends with some very influentual people" she points at the door, clearly pointing out to Malcolm.
„We are friends from childhood, he is my mentor and a dear friend, why are we even talking about my relationship with agent Malcolm?" Jack turns the table
„Yes, you're right...I was...curious" she says in a carefull tone, Jack was confused
Vera pulled up a chair closer to the bed and sat down next to the bed
„Tell me about yesterday...what happened?" She starts with a direct question
„I was on the training field, we were doing a proning exercise with live rounds...I was careless and got hit in the hand" Jack answers directly
„Okay...but what about your blackout?" Vera continues with the questions
„Ummm...I have a bit of anaemia" Jack got out of it
„Strange...your medical files dont have that information" Vera gets him
„Ummm...look...can I be honest with you?" Jack says
„It would be unwise if you are lying anyway" Vera says
„I love my country okay, but the thing I love more is..." Jack realised that he forgot about the turtle doves, he turns his head to the small cabinet besides the bed and he sees the 2 turtle doves...in one peace. Vera noticed that his attention was on the turtle doves.
„What's that?" Vera asks
„I found them yesterday...they were lying on the ground" He turns to Vera „Can you imagine that something that symbolizes peace and love can be found in a place filled with war, hatred, death?"
„It is miraculous...yes...you can always find light in the darkest room, a glimer of hope in a world of despair, or..." She stops for a moment, Jack notices that „or...some goodnes in those that wear evil as they're mask to shelter they're true nature" Jack looked confused at first but then he nodded in approval.
„My girlfriend... Millie... is back home...waiting for me to return...I believe those turtle doves saved my life and when I return back home I intent to propose the person I love and fight for" Jack says in a calm tone.
They stare at each other in silence for some time.
„So...do you remember anything else after getting shot yesterday? Vera brakes the silence
„Nope...should I remember something?" Jack returns with a trick question
„Only that you were in a shocked state and you passed out" Vera replies
Vera closed the case file and sighs
„Well looks like you will be up on your legs soon and maybe on your way home" Vera says that while taking the shade glasses off
„What do you mean? I was only shot in a hand, I think I'm going to be able to fight" Jack asks nervously
„Orders from up top" Vera answers bluntly
„Ummm..." Jack tried to say something but he realised it would be in vain to say anything more
Vera stood up while saying
„You look like a good guy...and in this war good guys are the ones that die first...let's just say...that someone from above want's you to go home...and make your girlfriend into the happiest wife in the world...a wife with a husband by her side. „ Jack smiles on that thought
„Yeah...that would be nice" Jack says
Suddenly Vera puts her hand on Jack's and wrapps her fingures around his
„You are a good man...I'm sorry we couldn't have meet under some different circumstances, If we have...I think our talks would be very interesting" Vera says
„Who knows...maybe we'l meet again and grab a cup of coffee...one day" Jack replies
„I seriously doubt that mister Matters" Vera says that with a sad expression on her face
Vera let's go of his hand and starts to walk towards the exit, then she stops halfway there, turns her head to the side and says
„That Millie is a very lucky girl" She turns her head forward and continues to the door, she opens the door, gets out and closes it.
Jack was watching Vera leave and soon as she left he took the two turtle doves from the cabinet with his good right hand, pressed the doves on his chest and says while smiling
„No...I think I'm the lucky one"
Outside the ward Vera closed the door and first thing she sees is Malcolm finishing a phone call on the other side of the waiting room.
„Yes...I understand...It will be done"
He noticed Vera while setting the phone down, then he approached Vera but didnt say anything, he just looks at her while she moves sideways to let him go back to the ward, Vera goes on, makes a few steps forward but gets stopped by Malcolm's voice...
„Oh...and another thing Ms. Veratos"
Vera turns to him with a serious expression on her face
„FBI agents never use codenames" Malcolm says with a smirk on his face
There was a 5 second pause, then Malcolm opens the ward door and Vera continues walking forward with a troubled expression on her face...she has been made.
Malcolm enters the ward, Jack lifts his head from the turtle doves on his chest, he looks at Malcolm and says
„You and I need to talk"
„Yes...we will...but after you meet the old man" Malcolm says
...
Outside the hospital Vera waits for her ride out of there, suddenly a black limo stops beside her, she opens the door and gets inside, as soon as she closed the door the black limo goes away from the hospital. Inside the limo she is not alone.
„Is he going to be alright?" a gentle female voice asks Vera
„Yes...he doesn't remember anything and there are no signs of the transformation" Vera replies
„Good...it was the least we could have done for him, I want him to live out the rest of his life peacefully, not knowing what horrors exist in this world" the female voice says
Vera smiles and looks out in the window...she watches outside the window for a few seconds...and says in a quieter tone
„He is going to be alright"
Author's note: So here I am...still alive, sorry for this huge delay with this chapter, please understand it was summer and I was on a trip and a lot happened, even got a job but I still had time to write...:)
Also this will be the last (how do they call it) past happening chapter...the rest of the story will be happening in 2010. The present...but. I've decided to start writing a spin-off story that will take place between this chapter and the chapters that are happening in 2010. It will be a dance in the vampire bund related story but sadly with fewer easter eggs for the fans, the story will be about Jack and his training and path of becoming the infamous Red Plaque assassin that kill vampires, the story will include characters that will appear in the Dance in the vampire bund: Turtle doves of the vampire bund series later on...some of them you already seen, this will also cover they're origin stories and how they met Jack. You don't need to read it if you don't want to...but the story will have impact on the series later so if you want to be immersed in the story completely you are going to want to read it...but it's all your choice...the purpose of this spin-off is to lower the number of chapters on this series so I can jump start the story a bit, and also I might start posting chapters soon or maybe after this series is done...don't know yet, don't wana mix the stories too soon and maybe spoil something unitentionally.
Once again a big shout out to my friend princessAppleline0011 here on fanfiction webpage...she was a great help for me when starting this series...go and check out her amazing stories.
Have a nice day and see you soon.