Mines

Chapter Nine

"Useless information."
"I know, but that's all he told me."
"You couldn't get anything else out of him?"
"He didn't really want to talk to me in the first place... also I'm not sure if he knows much about Hamilton."
"Well then, this has been a gigantic waste of time. Do you know anyone else you could question?"
"Hamilton only arrived about... roughly a month ago. No one here knows him."
"You better find someone to talk to and fast, or else I'll-"
"You'll what?" a new voice booms over the silence of the camp. Lee jumps and turns around, only to see Washington glaring at him, which must have felt strange since Washington almost never glared. Peggy stood triumphantly next to Washington, arms crossed.
"Sir! I didn't see you there." Lee smiles, trying to act as though he wasn't doing anything suspicious.
"Clearly not. You know, young Peggy here just told me the most interesting story." Washington states.
"I'm not that young," Peggy whispers, but no one hears her. "I'm eighteen." she says this more to herself than anyone else.
"Really? About unicorns and rainbows I imagine?" Lee sneers.
"Wha- hey! That's sexist! Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I like unicorns and rainbows! Or the color pink! That's Angelica's favorite color! I prefer yellow." Peggy shouts at Lee. Lee however, ignores her. And so does Washington, although he's sighing slightly.
"No, it wasn't fantasies. She told me that you have conversations on your... phone every night when everyone else is asleep. A cell phone! Really? This is probably how the British found us out in our old base, you fool!" Washington barks, and it was Peggy's turn to smirk. "And furthermore! She informed me that you were talking with none other than Aaron Burr, who is currently presumed dead. I'd naturally like to think that my troops would inform me if one of my allies was in fact, not. Dead."
"Ah, sir, I'm sorry but I don't think I'm to blame in this situation." Lee says, smiling slightly.
"What? Of course you are! You were talking with Burr, and I bet that's who you were just on the phone with!" Peggy screams, pointing an accusatory finger at him.
"No, you see, Schuyler, Burr asked me to keep up the story that he was still deceased. I was only doing a favor for a friend, although the act together was indeed strange." Lee shrugs.
"I still would have reported him, if I was in this situation," Washington says, shaking his head. "Also, the phone calls Peggy reports that you had with Burr sounded like you blackmailing him into giving you information about certain slaves of the British. Alexander Hamilton for example?" Lee sputters, but no words came out of his lips. He was cornered and he knew it. "I would have thought that if you had access to information about our allies in the British camps you would let me know right away."
"Sir, he didn't care about all fallen allies. Did you forget Lafayette? I didn't hear him ask any questions about him." Peggy informs Washington.
"You're an old fool Washington," Lee says suddenly. "I was never really working for you, I just needed someone strong to cover for me so I could hide from the British! And if you want to know how I escaped then you can just ask Burr because he's been a double agent leading up to his 'death'. You really should find more trusting allies."
"W-well you can't get out of this one! No matter what you say!" Peggy exclaims.
"Well, about that. See, I've been thinking, and I think it's about time for me to come out of hiding and join the British. Naturally, after from escaping them once, simply providing them with information about the rebels wasn't enough, because they already know your every. Move. So then I thought, well, there is something I can tell them about you." Lee smirks.
"Which is?" Washington and Peggy growl together.
"Your base camp location," Lee smiles. There was a stunned silence where nobody talked, expect when Lee started to laugh. "And when I tell them to come, they'll arrive in five minutes, and I'll be welcomed back in with open arms for providing them with Washington!"
"But we won't tell you!" Peggy screams.
"There's nothing you can do you stupid Schuyler!" Lee says, and then, clutching his phone, he runs into the forest, while screaming: "Come! Come now!"

Twenty hours later...

   "More bad news?" Laf asks the gloomy cave at large.
   "Pass." Alex and Herc say together. Alex is bundled up in one of the corners of the cave, and hasn't moved for a day. Herc on the other hand, hasn't been able to stop moving. He's pacing up and down the width of the small cave, and it's driving Lafayette insane.
     "Let me rephrase that. More bad but important news?" Laf asks again. He's just come from a Wednesday in the mines, while Alex and a Herc got off work early since they were working with the tailor and nurse.
     "Important?" Alex says, but like he's on another planet, speaking to a person who doesn't understand English. Laf sits on his bed, and watches Herc's pacing with his eyes.
     "I saw activity in the Captain's base today." Laf answers Alex.
     "Activity. What does that mean?" Alex's muffled voice asks, his head buried in his arms.
     "Means new slaves." Herc replies.
     "Oui, and that's what I saw but, there was... well more than usual? Usual meaning a new slave." Laf says hesitantly.
     "You say that like it's a question." Alex notes.
     "Well it is. I'm questioning what was happening." Laf retorts.
     "Okay, well, what did you see?" Here asks.
     "I saw... huge trucks, and when the doors opened about twenty people came outside. There was about... ten trucks." Lafayette answers.
      "New soldiers?" Alex asks.
      "New slaves?" Herc says at the same time. They stare at each other for a moment.
      "New slaves." Laf answers gloomy.
      "Ten trucks... twenty people in each... two hundred people." Alex whispers frantically to himself, with an aura of one figuring something out. "We're a in the desert... so no one's around. About fifteen hours from..." he suddenly gasps and covers his head with his arms.
     "What's wrong?" Laf asks frantically, kneeling beside Alex.
     "The rebels." he croaks.
      "What about them?" Herc demands.
      "The rebels... have been captured."