Mark fingered his tags and felt the ring spin around the chain. He smiled in spite of himself as he thought of Harry. Somehow he would get out of here; if for no other reason than to keep his promise to Harry.
He had been here for nearly two years as far as he could guess but it felt like longer. He had used a spring from the mattress to scrape mortar from around a stone on the floor. After six months he had finally managed to lift the stone to reveal the packed dirt underneath. From then on he used the spring to loosen the dirt and then dug with his bare hands. It had taken him another year and three months but tonight was the night. He would be in the jungle and on his way to Harry by morning. He scraped away the dirt that blocked his escape to reveal... stone.
He slapped it angrily and it rang hollow. A minute later there was an answering knock. He rapped again rhythmically and the rhythm was repeated. "Who is there?" he called. "Shiro, a prisoner here like yourself."
"Captain Mark Jones, US Army. Can you lift the stone if I push it?"
There was a considering pause. "Yes."
With effort and cooperation the stone moved and Mark found himself in a cell identical to his. Its occupant was an old Asian man. He looked like the mentor in every martial arts film ever made. "What were you doing?"
"Trying to escape. I thought I had dug far enough. What's outside your window?" he said nodding at the grating high in the wall.
"A courtyard. Beyond the door is a corridor filled with Red Court Vampires. I am afraid your efforts have not brought you much success."
"Vampires? Red Court?"
Shiro looked hard at Mark. "You don't know anything do you?"
"You're the first person I've seen since January of 1996. My platoon was returning to the evac point after a raid on a drug-lords compound. We were ambushed and I woke up here. Where ever this is."
"This is the Castillo De Casaverde; home of Don Paolo Ortega, Duke of the Red Court. He uses the dungeons as a prison for those who he can neither allow to roam free nor kill. Why he should imprison you rather than kill you I don't know. Tell me about yourself."
There wasn't much to tell. Mark was an orphan, joined the Army at 17 where he met Jim Harding in base training and became best friends. Mark had risen to become a Captain in Special Ops at 25. "Then, two years four months and five days ago I met the love of my life, Harry Dresden. I was going to leave the Army to marry him after this mission. There was no reason for any one to toss me in prison."
"You were a well-placed man in the Army, you were in love, you were happy. Three reasons for many to hate you. People do not like to see others succeed where they have failed. Tell me about the investigation you mentioned?"
"There was talk that someone was smuggling drugs through the base. I know Colonel Vargessi was stressed about it but Jim said there was nothing to worry about."
"Who knew about your mission?"
"The colonel, the men on my team, Jim, who ever ordered it at the Pentagon. Oh, Archeleone probably knew too."
"Who?"
"Nicholas Archeleone. CID sent him down to the base to look into the drug running."
"Did you ever speak to him?"
"Yeah, we caught a couple of privates and a corporal in the motor pool. I was the one that overheard them. There wasn't much I could tell CID though. They mentioned the name Niccodemus and Anduriel but I didn't get any context. Archeleone and Vargessi were pretty mad I arrested them. They wanted to set up a sting but I spoiled it."
"I imagine they were. The Vargessis are a famous crime family, they have strong ties to the drug lords you were working against. As for Nicholas Archeleone, he is a 2000 year old demon; head of the Order of the Blackened Denarius. His true name is Niccodemus Archeleone and he works in partnership with the demon Anduriel. I had heard he was working with Ortega. You were set up. If anything I would say you are lucky to be alive. Ortega must have his own plans for you."
Mark blinked in shock. "No, Jim would have known if something was going on."
"I would say he's working with them. Even if he wasn't he's in love with you."
"I would have noticed." Mark said desperately.
"As you noticed the drugs passing through the base? You were head over heels in love. You wouldn't have noticed a circus setting up camp at the gates unless it stopped you seeing Harry." Mark nodded wryly. "Everything you have described about him says that he was in love with you and consumed with jealousy towards Harry. Ortega and Vargessi were channeling drugs through your base; Niccodemus went to the base to provide a pretense at an investigation; and probably to get his claws into Vargessi. You stumbled upon an expendable link in their organization but if you mentioned what you heard to a real investigator it could expose them all. You had to be disposed of. Three powerful men needing you gone to continue their trade in peace and the only man who might stumble upon the truth hating you for rejecting his love."
Mark snarled and Shiro nodded. "I can see that you want revenge. That can be good. Take that energy and channel it for yourself. You don't know anything about the world your enemies work in. I can teach you and together we can escape."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
Fill: The Gentleman of Chicago 2/?
Date: 2011-03-18 04:06 am (UTC)He had been here for nearly two years as far as he could guess but it felt like longer. He had used a spring from the mattress to scrape mortar from around a stone on the floor. After six months he had finally managed to lift the stone to reveal the packed dirt underneath. From then on he used the spring to loosen the dirt and then dug with his bare hands. It had taken him another year and three months but tonight was the night. He would be in the jungle and on his way to Harry by morning. He scraped away the dirt that blocked his escape to reveal... stone.
He slapped it angrily and it rang hollow. A minute later there was an answering knock. He rapped again rhythmically and the rhythm was repeated. "Who is there?" he called. "Shiro, a prisoner here like yourself."
"Captain Mark Jones, US Army. Can you lift the stone if I push it?"
There was a considering pause. "Yes."
With effort and cooperation the stone moved and Mark found himself in a cell identical to his. Its occupant was an old Asian man. He looked like the mentor in every martial arts film ever made. "What were you doing?"
"Trying to escape. I thought I had dug far enough. What's outside your window?" he said nodding at the grating high in the wall.
"A courtyard. Beyond the door is a corridor filled with Red Court Vampires. I am afraid your efforts have not brought you much success."
"Vampires? Red Court?"
Shiro looked hard at Mark. "You don't know anything do you?"
"You're the first person I've seen since January of 1996. My platoon was returning to the evac point after a raid on a drug-lords compound. We were ambushed and I woke up here. Where ever this is."
"This is the Castillo De Casaverde; home of Don Paolo Ortega, Duke of the Red Court. He uses the dungeons as a prison for those who he can neither allow to roam free nor kill. Why he should imprison you rather than kill you I don't know. Tell me about yourself."
There wasn't much to tell. Mark was an orphan, joined the Army at 17 where he met Jim Harding in base training and became best friends. Mark had risen to become a Captain in Special Ops at 25. "Then, two years four months and five days ago I met the love of my life, Harry Dresden. I was going to leave the Army to marry him after this mission. There was no reason for any one to toss me in prison."
"You were a well-placed man in the Army, you were in love, you were happy. Three reasons for many to hate you. People do not like to see others succeed where they have failed. Tell me about the investigation you mentioned?"
"There was talk that someone was smuggling drugs through the base. I know Colonel Vargessi was stressed about it but Jim said there was nothing to worry about."
"Who knew about your mission?"
"The colonel, the men on my team, Jim, who ever ordered it at the Pentagon. Oh, Archeleone probably knew too."
"Who?"
"Nicholas Archeleone. CID sent him down to the base to look into the drug running."
"Did you ever speak to him?"
"Yeah, we caught a couple of privates and a corporal in the motor pool. I was the one that overheard them. There wasn't much I could tell CID though. They mentioned the name Niccodemus and Anduriel but I didn't get any context. Archeleone and Vargessi were pretty mad I arrested them. They wanted to set up a sting but I spoiled it."
"I imagine they were. The Vargessis are a famous crime family, they have strong ties to the drug lords you were working against. As for Nicholas Archeleone, he is a 2000 year old demon; head of the Order of the Blackened Denarius. His true name is Niccodemus Archeleone and he works in partnership with the demon Anduriel. I had heard he was working with Ortega. You were set up. If anything I would say you are lucky to be alive. Ortega must have his own plans for you."
Mark blinked in shock. "No, Jim would have known if something was going on."
"I would say he's working with them. Even if he wasn't he's in love with you."
"I would have noticed." Mark said desperately.
"As you noticed the drugs passing through the base? You were head over heels in love. You wouldn't have noticed a circus setting up camp at the gates unless it stopped you seeing Harry." Mark nodded wryly. "Everything you have described about him says that he was in love with you and consumed with jealousy towards Harry. Ortega and Vargessi were channeling drugs through your base; Niccodemus went to the base to provide a pretense at an investigation; and probably to get his claws into Vargessi. You stumbled upon an expendable link in their organization but if you mentioned what you heard to a real investigator it could expose them all. You had to be disposed of. Three powerful men needing you gone to continue their trade in peace and the only man who might stumble upon the truth hating you for rejecting his love."
Mark snarled and Shiro nodded. "I can see that you want revenge. That can be good. Take that energy and channel it for yourself. You don't know anything about the world your enemies work in. I can teach you and together we can escape."