Chapter Two - A Conspiracy

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TW/CW: This chapter contains mild gore and implications of kidnapping


19th June, 2100 - Western Kronespeak Territories, East Europe

Treasure and Jacob were seated in the office of the army general, Alston Dread. After they'd returned from finding the mushrooms, Treasure had told another apprentice, and the story had gotten around the army. Treasure sat in Alston's office nervous. She'd never intended Alston to find out. That was likely to get her into more trouble than she was already in.

Alston then entered the room, looking stern. Treasure held her breath, afraid. 

"I heard through the grapevine..." Alston said. "That you two...you meddling kids...found proof that Project A-" He cut himself off. 

"What's Project A?" Treasure asked. Jacob looked to her, about to tell her to be quiet, but then looked back to Alston, realising that something wasn't right. 

Alston sat speechless for a while. Treasure was getting suspicious of him. 

"I..." Alston begun, but the door flung open and Molly Brown, the army's secretary, burst in. 

"General Dread..." she said, out of breath. "Something's happened..."

Alston shot Treasure and Jacob a nasty glare. 

"I'll deal with you two kids later", he said, before he left the room. 

"What's going on?" Jacob said, peeking through the blinds. "Where is everybody?"

Treasure sat, staring at her feet. For once, she didn't want to know what was happening. 

"Something's not right", Jacob shook his head. "I'm going to check things out." He looked round the doorframe. "No one's about. Let's go."

"But won't we get into trouble?" Treasure asked, worried. 

"Ahh, who cares?" Jacob said, turning back to face her. "If something's happened out there, they're not gonna be worried about us!"

Treasure thought. "Okay, she nodded, and she followed him. 

The two sprinted down the spiral stairs out to the perimeter. Alston and a few of the other Badge-Holders were standing around a cloud of smoke. One of the apprentices flanking Marilyn nodded, and Alston bent down and picked something up off the ground. Treasure and Jacob pushed through the crowd of soldiers and scientists, desperate to see what was going on. Before they could reach the front, Bernard held his arm out to stop them getting any closer. 

"What's happening?" Treasure asked him. 

"Shh", he whispered, and put his finger to his lips. "Be quiet."

Alston tore something from what he was holding. Paper. A note? 

"What does it say?" she asked Jacob. "I can't see!"

"I don't know", Jacob responded. "I can't see either." 

Alston gasped quietly, and stuffed the note in his pocket. Judging by the looks on everyone else's faces, Treasure could tell not many people had noticed that he had it to begin with. Alston turned around and began to walk back indoors, whispering something in Bernard's ear as he passed him. 

"What did he say?" Treasure pestered him. "What does he want? Did he ask you something? Did he tell you something?"

Bernard didn't respond. He looked past the perimeter, into the hills that marked the enemy territory. Treasure was surprised to see his eyes wide with fear. 

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