The Not so Secret Agent Ch. 13

Arthur pressed his forehead down on the aluminum tabletop still wet with the girl's tears. Half way through the punishment several criminals were crying out but he was still holding on. His tormentor looked uncomfortable as the American criminal remained silent.

She struck her hardest, intent on breaking his silence. Criminal # 88588 groaned and pulled at the restraints but even after the fiftieth blow he did not cry out as she wanted. Arthur got himself off the platform, quickly wiped away his tears and stood defiant once again.

The August sun made his punished skin burn even hotter; though it wasn't the same severity of his usual beating it was still an excruciating walk back to his cot. The pain would soon fade and he wouldn't have to worry about another switching until November. It wasn't much but that was the only positive thing Arthur could think of right then.

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The sun sets about two minutes earlier every day in August and September. Geese and ducks stopped to pick through the farmer's fields in October before migrating further south.

Other than stuff like that it was difficult for Arthur to distinguish one day from the next. It really didn't matter; the work was the same grueling struggle that left a person hungry, dirty and exhausted at the day's end.

Cold weather slowed work but didn't stop it; it was normally just the top few inches of soil that froze at night, and the metal claws of an excavator or dozer ripped through it reasonably well so the project could continue. Keeping on schedule was about the only thing that mattered to Public Works; in November they even issued real cold weather gear so criminals could work longer shifts and thick sleeping bags so they could endure the bitter nights. Even judicial punishments were moved indoors, though that was more for the guard's convenience than the criminal's comfort.

The frozen winter transitioned into a wet miserable spring, with the camp mired in a swamp of sticky red mud. It covered everything; workers wore the mud on skin and work clothes, and slept in muddy tents on muddy cots. Work continued regardless, even with irrigation ditches half full of floodwater and roads so sloppy that supply trucks had to be pulled by bulldozer.

By the end of March the Ministry of Public Works was already crowing about their tremendous accomplishment; completing over two hundred kilometers of irrigation canals before the summer growing season.

Arthur had to admit; it was impressive what a few pieces of heavy equipment and three thousand laborers could accomplish in nine months, but he didn't care much for the celebration that a handful of government officials held on the last week of the project. Arthur just wanted to leave the muddy fields behind and go back to Rika Chorna and Samantha.

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Samantha pushed a wheeled cart down the central isle of a long hospital ward, two rows of narrow beds set to her left and right. This was the children's section of the Rika Chorna Medical Center. Criminal # 88634 was near the end of her ten-hour shift; just a few more lunch platters to hand out. She wore a light old timey nurse's hat with pink stripes and matching canvas shoes that marked her as hospital staff, a position that translated to 'junior nurse' in English.

Though the hat and shoes were technically clothing, the Ministry of Justice was sometimes practical when it came to employment. Bare from ankle to forehead, Samantha still felt naked enough. Much of the staff working the more menial jobs at the hospital were criminals, including about three quarters of the other junior nurses, a euphemistic title for a job that was mostly cleaning, delivering meals and medicine to patients.

She stopped by the foot of the last bed. "Lyetta? Lyetta... are you still sleepy?"

The five-year old girl struggled to wake up. She made a small fist, and rolled her head on the pillow. The girl was too weak to sit up on her own; Samantha slipped a hand under her back and lifted her thin body forward so she could place a couple pillows behind her. Samantha set a tray on her lap and sat on the side of the bed not obstructed by the IV line.

"Want to eat a little? I brought you applesauce!" Samantha scooped up a spoonful and did the universal airplane trick to get the child to eat. She got three spoonfuls of food down before Lyetta refused more and quickly fell back to sleep.

Samantha put away the tray and picked up the clipboard hanging on the foot of the bed to report how much the young patient had eaten. Less than yesterday... three weeks and the child had gotten steadily worse. Samantha caught herself looking at Lyetta's chest to see if she was still breathing.

Samantha stopped by the nurse's break room and talked to some of her co-workers who were just beginning their shifts. All her friends were employees at the hospital, mostly young women serving criminal sentences but some free people too. She fit in well enough, besides the foreign accent and the lighter complexion, the American was just one of the couple hundred criminals on staff that did the hard work that kept the hospital running smoothly.

She was on good terms with her superiors too. They appreciated how hard she worked, her attention to detail, and her willingness to work late or come in early if asked. A couple of the registered nurses had even encouraged her to pursue a nursing career. Spokesman Ralkliv liked the idea. She was still thinking it over and concentrating on her work. Criminal number 88634 was a model employee. Her usefulness kept her in Rika Chorna and out of the labor camps.

Samantha's shift ended at four in the afternoon so she had plenty of time to go over to the spokesperson's offices and pick up her mail. A secretary was at the outer office, she looked through the cabinets and handed Samantha a bundle of letters. Samantha left the oppressive Police Headquarters building quickly.

The park to the north was inviting. It was a warm pleasant April afternoon; the crabapple trees were in bloom, countless honeybees hummed, working the blossoms overhead. Samantha sat in the soft grass and opened the bundle.

One letter from Arthur... she smiled and cringed, it was always something unexpected from him. Mothers should warn their daughters to never date a spy. She tore open the envelope and read. Samantha started breathing again when she realized he wasn't injured or in bad trouble again, just ordinary trouble. He was so infuriating sometimes but also daring and wild.

Samantha blushed and covered her mouth with a hand as she read. So sneaky! Such a bad boy! He could say the filthiest things in ways that the government sensors that scanned his mail could never figure out. So many clever metaphors! It was a game to him, a secret they shared. If Danubians only knew Criminal # 88588 like she did they would execute him on the spot! For the time being her spy was safe, slaving away far to the east on the big public works project, perhaps another couple weeks and they would be together.

One letter was from her older brother and one from her parents. Samantha didn't particularly want to open them. Relations with her family had been strained over the past few months. It all began when she telephoned her mother in August to tell her about her engagement to Arthur. Samantha remembered the silence.

"Mom?"

She heard her mother start crying: "Samantha... don't do this..."

She expected to be congratulated, instead, her mother cried and her father took the phone and tried to talk some sense into his daughter, encouraged her to break it off.

"Think of your future," he said. "When you get released next year we want you to come back home. You need to move on, I mean, I know you're close to Arthur but he won't be released for another 27 years, most of your life will be gone; think about this." He urged. "I know you've been through a lot Sammie..."

"No!" She had screamed into the phone. "No you don't know what I've been through, what Arthur's been through! He helped me, he held me when I was alone and scared, he suffered because he stood up for me! Now you want me to just throw him away! It's... dishonorable! I... I don't want to talk to you anymore!" Samantha had slammed the phone down, so mad she was shaking.

Several weeks later after many rebuffed attempts of her family to talk to her, Spokesman Ralkliv called her to his office and insisted that she contact her family. She made the phone call ready for a fight, but this time her parents were measured and cautious in their words. Though there was obvious reluctance, they accepted her decision, and there was an unspoken agreement that they just wouldn't talk about it again.

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Samantha waited anxiously at the train station. She had requested the day off when she received news that Arthur was returning. Airbrakes hissed, the metal on metal screech ceased and the crowd murmured as the doors to the passenger cars opened. Free people exited first then some male criminals started out the door carrying luggage for women and older passengers.

The men's shaved heads were tanned as the rest of their bronze skin. Samantha recognized Arthur's mischievous face among the crowd; he hauled two bags at the direction of an old woman. He spotted her too and winked. Samantha stayed back until he finished loading the woman's luggage in the back of a passenger van; in Danubia free people always came first.

Samantha squealed as Arthur scooped her up off the floor like a caveman, she noticed he had gained probably twenty pounds of muscle since she saw him last... he didn't look so skinny anymore. "Put me down!" She cried out in English. "Everyone's looking at us!"

"Well of course they are!" Arthur let go but still held her close. "We're pretty damn hot! I mean between your butt and my rugged good looks..."

"And my perky tits?" Samantha giggled.

"Perkiest tits I've ever seen, and who could blame these people for staring at my chiseled abs..."

"And our modesty, they've got to be impressed by that!" Samantha added with a kiss.

"Yeah, we're way more modest than any of these jerks!"

Samantha leaned forward and whispered in Arthur's ear: "Um I don't think that guard over there likes us much... I think we should go now."

Arthur glanced at the guard. "Jealousy is such an ugly trait."

"Isn't it though." Samantha held his hand as they left the station. "So... where to?"

"I've got to go check in," Arthur gestured to the collar. "Scan me in and all that. Then I need to see Spokesman Ralkliv if he's around, I bet I got some mail."

"How many days off did they give you?"

"A bunch... we worked like 90 days in a row, so everybody's got free days coming. Can't take them all at once, but we're still technically working for Public Works until next Monday. Which means that I've got the Whole Damned Week Off!"

"Really?"

"Yep, probably should go see Mr. Jakt next." Arthur groaned. "I bet he hasn't even mowed the yard since I've been gone! And I need to go to the Church; I'll go to the Sunrise service in the morning. Hopefully my priestess won't be too rough on me, I've been studying as much as I can stand to but Danubian religious texts are some pretty dry reading."

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The next afternoon Arthur came to see Samantha during her break at the hospital. He sat down at a lunch table and ecstatically exclaimed: "I'm in!"

"In what?"

Arthur gestured wildly. "The Church, I'm in!"

"No way!"

"Yeah, see last night I found a note on Mr. Jakt's front door. It was from my priestess. The note told me to come to church this morning an hour earlier than usual. When I got there she was waiting for me. I started to ask questions but she told me to be quiet and follow her. She led me down into this torch lit chamber in the basement with a pool of water in the floor. And uh, she gave me a bath."

Samantha's eyes widened. "She gave you a bath?"

"Yeah... I mean, not like a bubble bath or anything. It was all ritualized she would use a big bronze pitcher to pour water on me and chant verses from the religious texts. Then she dried me off and had me follow her into the Church. There were probably four hundred worshipers waiting for the service to start. She took me up front and introduced me as a full member of the Danubian Church! Can you believe it?"

"Damn. I can't believe it finally worked." Samantha eyes widened. "Still, that's a lot of trouble to go to; I mean you don't know that a judge will reward you for converting... I mean all the others are in the Church too."

"Well... it's not like that... not anymore. Okay," he admitted, "it did start out as one of my schemes but my priestess really helped me out a lot. I mean... she didn't have to but she made sure I learned to read and write Danubian- you should have seen all the workbooks she sent me when I was working up in the park.

Other things too; she even got me to reconcile with my mother and Mr. Andreis. I think it did me some good; not a bad religion really, I could get used to it. You ought to give it a try," Arthur shrugged. "It comes with a free bath."

Samantha took a sip of coffee. "Um, no thanks... I think I'll stick with Jesus."

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Samantha rested on Arthur's chest, breathing heavy; the sheen of sweat made hot skin sticky. She placed her head on his shoulder; felt his quick breaths and heartbeat. Samantha smiled, kissing her lover playfully and then she rose off his hips and rolled by his side. The mat of spongy green mosses softened the moist forest floor to an almost be bed-like consistency. Cool shade from a grove of conifers kept their secluded hideaway nice and comfortable.

"Ooh," Arthur reached underneath himself. "So that's what that was!"

"You sat on a pinecone!" Samantha snickered: Why... why didn't you say something?"

"I don't know," Arthur grinned. "I was busy at the time."

Samantha pushed on his hip. "Turn over... let me look... you've got." She shook with laughter. "Pinecone... impression," she cackled. "On... your butt!"

"Damn!" Arthur threw the smashed pinecone in the water. "Next time you get the bottom." He cringed. "Oh great! I have to go see Ralkliv in the morning... and a judge! Man! I hope it goes away. I really don't want to explain this!"

Eventually the humor of the situation was exhausted and they lay back down, with Samantha's head resting on Arthur's shoulder. They enjoyed the moment; pine needles made a gentle swishing sound in a slight breeze, several yellow and brown warblers competed for nesting sites twenty meters up.

Arthur thought of something. "So... wanna come over and see Mr. Jakt's house tomorrow... I finished it this morning. Today's the eighth of May; I've been here for three years and just now got that house painted."

"You know," Arthur continued. "I had it all ready about three weeks after my arrest, had the paint scraped and everything and it rained. The next week," Arthur laughed. "I got sent to that labor camp, and then they sent me up to the lake and when I came back it was winter. But it's done now; looks pretty sharp too. Mr. Jakt's real proud of his yellow house with green trim; he even wants to cook a supper for us. Just give me a few hours, wanna come over about five?"

"Sure... right after work." Samantha studied Arthur's face. "You don't even seem nervous about tomorrow... I was always a mess."

"I guess I've mellowed out... I mean, I still dread it, but I just don't think about it much until its time... it's just a part of life I've got to deal with... got no choice really."

Arthur grimaced. "I mean... Mr. Jakt thinks he's a good cook, thinks it's a big treat when he cooks for me, but the last special meal he made had me outside vomiting half the night. God," Arthur clutched his stomach. "It feels like he's trying to preserve me from the inside out!"

"Actually," Samantha rolled her eyes but played along: "I was referring to the beating."

"Oh... that... yeah I am a little nervous about that but not nearly as much as I used to be. You know, I haven't even seen Officer Stashak in a year- not that I miss her- but I thought it was strange that she didn't come out to the camp in August, November or February."

"Maybe she quit the force or moved." Samantha said.

"No, Ralkliv mentioned her, she's still here..." Arthur took a sharp breath. "Hmm... maybe Mr. Andreis talked to her."

Samantha shrugged. "Maybe she'll go easy on you."

Arthur and Samantha looked at one another. "Yeah, Right!"

"Let's see." Arthur started figuring. "May has thirty one days, and today's the eighth, that's thirty one days until June eighth. Just think, next month you'll have one of those weird white rings around your neck. And it's too hot to wear a scarf, boy are you going to look strange."

Arthur stroked her cheek sadly. "Poor Samantha ... she'll have to start buying clothes again."

Samantha groaned. "How on Earth did I end up with you?"

Arthur started recounting the sequence. "Boy meets girl, girl gets arrested, boy and girl get sent to hard labor camp... girl's fault by the way... then you seduced me."

"I seduced you?"

"Yep," Arthur said. "I was completely innocent."

Samantha scoffed. "I think you're confusing innocent and stupid. The fa..." Then Samantha yelped out and scrambled to her feet as a water snake swam across the pond. "Aaii... it's... sn...Sna!"

Arthur looked around with surprise. "A Sna? Where? I haven't seen a Sna in years! Wait..." Arthur turned to the snake and shrugged. "Girls." Then he took off after Samantha.

He struggled through the thick barrier of evergreens; Samantha had been extra dramatic and ran all the way back to the trail. Arthur was having a good time enjoying her terror over a little snake.

Arthur shouted: "Heck, I didn't know you could run like that..."

Samantha didn't even look at him, she stood in the trail; and then Arthur heard a man's voice. Arthur walked out beside her. A couple police officers were approaching.

Arthur's pulse pounded; he recognized the policewoman as one of the cops who used to harass him every day after work. Samantha knelt down; Arthur stepped beside her and did the same.

The officers stopped a couple meters from them. The young policeman deferred to his older partner.

"Stand up." The policewoman ordered. Arthur and Samantha stood facing the police partners.

"You are aware," she said. "That there are strict rules against lewd and indecent behavior in Danubian public parks?"

"Yes officer." Samantha and Arthur answered nervously; it was obvious what they had been up to.

The policewoman sternly continued. "Such an act in a public place is a criminal offense. We expect all persons, especially convicted criminals, to be respectful of the law. Do you understand this?"

"Yes officer," Both Samantha and Arthur felt sick; she was so close to her scheduled release date.

The police woman looked at Arthur. She glanced down, then raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. "If either of you should see any such offensive behavior, be sure and report it to the proper authorities. Is that clear?"

"Yes officer," Arthur started breathing again. "We will... um... be sure to keep our eyes open."

The police partners continued on. Arthur and Samantha looked at one another, breathing heavy. If the policewoman meant to scare them, it worked.

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The eighth of June was a special day, Samantha and twelve other criminals made a rare happy trip up the courtroom steps, Arthur walked by her side. Her three-year sentence was going to be over in a matter of minutes.

Samantha's nervous goofy smile made Arthur laugh. "I'm wondering how many guards it's going to take to wrestle your head into the collar machine- what was it last time four or five?"

Samantha rolled her eyes. "Arthur, your totally messing up the dignified nature of this moment- and it was only three guards."