The Royal Resistance

Chapter 7 - The Awakening

Why was James here in Lisbon? With some asian-irish fighter and an RAF nun? No, it must have been a trick of the light, he probably just looked like James... he wasn't actually him... right?

The elevator doors opened in front of her and she walked out of the building, her thoughts clouded. The door clunk shut behind her, as she continued to mull over James's appearance, like a ghost appearing out of thin air. It seemed too real... She shook her head and pinched herself, no. What was she even doing? She should be at the embassy going to sleep and preparing for another day of royal duties, not here.

Maria turned around and started walking back, but the darkness of night had surrounded her and she was lost. Her heart started to beat faster, sprinting like a wild horse and she felt something tugging at her gut - a feeling. She swiveled back towards the door. Something was wrong and Maria intended to find out what.

Her steps echoed in the water of the puddles as she moved back to the door and knocked on it. She waited five, ten minutes. Nothing. Frustrated, she pushed and pulled at the door; placed her hand against the wall, moving it up and down hoping to open it, but it remained locked. She looked up, there was a single window high up. Whatever was going on, was downstairs. She paced exasperatedly in front of the dark green entrance.

A glint from the corner of her eye caught her attention, it was the streetlight shining on the marble of the corner of the building. She walked towards it and came face to face with a small descending alley, its right side was clean, but on the left two large trash cans were propped against the wall of the building. Following the left wall, she walked down the 15 meters until the end of the road, then up running her eyes over every nook in the wall, searching for a door or window, with no results. She walked down and up again, and then a third time, until she saw a small flicker of light from the bottom of one of the garbage bins. The flicker turned into a glow as she came close to it. Holding her breath, Maria pushed at the bin, but it stayed stationery. She walked to its side and pulled, the weight straining her arms. The cart moved slightly, as she turned around and heaved with all her might, causing it to move a little more until she saw a small gap in the wall, an air vent. She approached it cautiously, tip-toeing over the trash.

Harsh voices filtered through to Maria's ears. "I'm telling you the girl knows too much!" The general.

"Well who's fault is that?! Weren't you the one who was supposed to take care of her? You know, I'd hate for you to lose that promotion of yours because of a little royal," the word drawled out, a southern accent. Carlotta.

"You'd love nothing more than-"

"Enough." A female voice cut in, not loud but stern, making even Maria snap to attention. The argument stopped immediately leading the royal to believe the owner of this voice was clearly superior and respected. "It does not matter what the girl knows or does not, she simply cares about her brother and is therefore paying interest to you in order to get some dope on her brother." The nun.

"She's a smart one, you mustn't underestimate her Monsieur." The "international" accent she had grown up listening to spoke and the bubble returned. "She doesn't know it yet, but I do, I know that she's capable of doing anything." He quickly amended, "ImeanIthink." Maria saw the words became blurry, her brain refusing to process what was happening. "Especially to save her brother." Her back fell against the wall, as James' words pierced the bubble surrounding her. Save her brother?! She calmed herself down, lowering her breath to try and hear the rest of the conversation.

"I don't doubt that Junior [...] must not know. If Maria Amelia finds out that [...] been captured [...] she has the key to stop them [...] she will run away [...] ruin the doomsday operation." She lowered herself onto the ground. The realization that she was right about Jacob being in trouble giving her no satisfaction.

The gears in her head turned, slowly clicking into place as she understood the last week of her life. The general; the nun; the symbols; Carlotta. They were not just ordinary people, they were in Maria's life for a reason. For the key that she supposedly had to save her brother, - she remembered the conversation she had overheard earlier that day - and for the codes. She did not understand what was meant by doomsday, but she did understand that she had been betrayed. These people had created false relationships and made-up characters in order to extract information out of her. Yet they refused to give her any other information when she asked, even though she was clearly entitled to it. They believed they were taking care of her, as if she were a child - the helpless Lady Maria who couldn't do anything for herself - but what they failed to realise was that unknowingly they had given her all she needed. Maria didn't need to know the specifics.

For as James' voice wafted through the air, "that's exactly what I'm afraid of, she won't run away," Maria knew she was going to save her brother, one way or another.

~

Five pairs of eyes starred back at her, wide in disbelief. She looked at four of them, ignoring James. "Come again?" The general said, standing in the doorway.

"I. Want. In." Maria repeated.

"In the door?" He looked quickly to either side of her, "Well come in then." He stepped aside, but Maria didn't budge.

"No. Not in the door, into the...well whatever your group is."

He seemed to step out of his trance, "Oh, I'm afraid the education for change meeting has just finished. But never mind that, My lady, you really must not be wandering these streets at night, it's quite dangerous. You should come in," he reached out to her, but she stepped back.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me how you plan on saving my brother."

The general smiled, "I'm sorry my lady I don't seem to understand."

"I don't want to get into an argy-bargy over it, so I'll make it clearer. You obviously all belong to some part of the RAF for you all have the target," her eyes narrowed as they landed on where she had seen each member's respective designs, on all except James'. To her, he wasn't there. "You also all know that my brother has been captured and that unless you don't want the key, you're going to get him back."

The general stepped forward towering over her, rage and amusement in his eyes, "You don't know your onions."

Maria gulped, "actually," she whispered, voice shaking "I know exactly what I'm talking about. How you need the codes." He raised an eyebrow, smirking at her. Her quivering voice became louder, "how you need me to get them," John chuckled seeming to enjoy her futile attempts, her face hardened in response, voice becoming steady "and I know you wouldn't want me to ruin the doomsday operation," His smirk vanished.

She knew she had the upper advantage then. For after they had stopped talking about her, the meeting had moved on to plans of doomsday. The details she had understood were vague, but it seemed to be an intricate plan for allied success in the war through some kind of distraction - no, not distraction... deception.

Martha Rose stepped out from behind the general, "you should come in."

Maria hesitated, "not until I have your word, that I am in. He's my brother and I'm entitled to know everything about what's going on."

Martha Rose looked behind Maria and then to the sides. "All right. Come in, but deary, this is a one-off."

She stopped halfway in, her voice trembling as she realized what she was about to do, "all or nothing. I'm-I am pretty sure you'd rather a little royal tag on, then she tell the whole world about the allied plans."

A small smile tugged on corner of the fake-nun's mouth, diminishing her stern façade for just a second, "come in." Maria raised her eyebrow, "we'll discuss inside."