Unsung Requiem by C.L. Stone

A Battuta

(A return to normal tempo after a deviation)

Sang

When North and Victor finally appeared, Victor stood back while Nathan explained the plan to North.

North waited, listening. The unshaven hair on his face was a little longer, and combined with the shadows under his eyes, he was looking worn. He’d been not sleeping again.

“Then we need a welder,” North said. “I’m not trained… not that well.”

“If you need a contact,” Mr. Buble said, “I know just about everyone.”

Did he mean by heart? Even if we went to Academy camp a month or so ago, I couldn’t imagine learning everyone’s names and knowing things about them like if they could weld. We weren’t allowed to write down many Academy names in the same spot, from what I’d been told. So he had to have memorized… a lot of people.

Was there someone who knew everyone within the Academy? It made me wonder. Some individual had to know how many there were, right? Names and information?

North frowned. “Besides that, I’m not sure we’ve the favors to spare right now. Most of us are out.”

Mr. Buble said nothing. He stood straight, hands at his sides, almost a mannequin. He simply waited.

He wanted us to figure it out. Probably especially if North was going to throw roadblocks at him. Maybe North wasn’t sure about Mr. Buble.

“Does anyone have them?” I asked quietly.

It seemed to shake North up a bit when I asked. He looked to Nathan, Silas and Victor.

Nathan paled and shook his head. “I’m out.”

“Me, too,” Silas said.

Victor didn’t say anything, his lips pressed tight. I wasn’t sure if he heard and was super focused on his own thoughts or didn’t want to admit he didn’t have one either.

“Do… I have any?” I asked. “I didn’t earn any yet, but…”

“Technically, no,” Mr. Buble said. “Not officially yet. You have to pass trials to get to your starting point. But if you’d like to earn one for this, we could make a trade. It’d be an excellent lesson to share with you on how the system works.”

Nathan lifted a brow. “What, you’d give her one?”

“Generally, I can allot her favors as needed, although she has to earn it back to return it to me quickly. At least at this stage.” He focused on me. “We still have a lot to get through, but I see the necessity here to avoid further investigation, especially as you were highly involved.” He directed his last point to me.

It was weird, the way he put it, as if it wasn’t for me, he couldn’t grant the favor. Academy rules regarding favors might be more strict than I thought. I felt he was more trying to work the system to help us out.

“I’ll do what I can,” I said.

Victor snorted. “No, that doesn’t have to happen. Whatever it is, I’ll do it. It’s my car. I’m already asking a lot of Mr. Blackbourne to sacrifice his for a while. I’m not even sure we’ll get it back.”

“I’d agree,” Mr. Buble said. “Only, I don’t have a job for you right now. I happen to have one coming up soon that would require only one person. You don’t have the time to spare. Plus, applicants can be granted favors to exchange ahead of time, due to their newness and usually a need for such favors given familial circumstances. If I took a favor for you at a time when you have none, there would have to be an inquiry about the handling of favors among your team. We want you going forward, not backward.”

Silence fell among the guys. I didn’t know what to say either. Apparently at this point, it was better if I did the task than anyone else, because the favor could be granted now before I actually did any job.

“I’ll do it,” I said.

Mr. Buble raised a brow. “I just want to be clear. I haven’t told you the job yet.”

“If you believe I can do it, I believe you,” I said. I didn’t want to waste any more time. Victor’s mother would be looking for him, and we needed a welder, someone who would know how to help with this VIN issue. I wasn’t sure the wordage, but I went with what sounded right. “I agree to do a job in exchange for immediately allowing a favor that I can grant to Victor for changing the VIN on his car.”

Mr. Buble nodded his head and held out a hand. “Agreed.”

I shook it. His hand was coarser than I’d imagined. He held firm for a full second before letting go.

The instant he did, he took his phone out of his pocket and walked away. He dialed quickly, and while we couldn’t really overhear everything, it was clear he was calling a welder.

Meanwhile, North curled his fingers at us and when we got close, he pointed a broad finger at me. “I don’t like this,” he said. “No more accepting favors without asking the job.”

“We don’t have time right now,” I said. “Besides, I can figure out the job later—”

“You never know what will happen,” he hissed at me.

“You’d do it,” I said, giving him a long, hard stare to let him know I knew he’d do the exact same thing if he could.

He twisted his lips, an argument on the edge of being spoken, but he instead grumbled. I took it to mean I won this one.

“Miss Sang,” Mr. Buble called to me as he hung up the phone. “We’ll have to leave the others to it, I’m afraid.”

The guys straightened up from the huddle. “What?” Nathan asked. “You mean it? She’s leaving for the job now?”

“It’s circumstances,” Mr. Buble said. He turned to Victor. “It’s actually progressed more quickly than I realized. But I promise to have her back tonight for your event.” He motioned to the others at the BMWs. “You’ll have to take the stickers off to exchange and the engraved VIN, you’ll have to cut a wide circle around it and take it with the undamaged car to the right place. You don’t have time to wait for them to pack up the welding kit and bring it over.”

“One of us can go with her,” Silas said. It’s the first he’d spoken in a while. He normally got quiet in the group, and even more so if someone else was around. If he felt strong enough about something, then he’d talk.

“Yeah,” Nathan said. “Silas and I…”

“I can go,” Victor said.

“You’ll need to drive Mr. Blackbourne’s car and be back for your party before you’re missed,” Mr. Buble said to Victor directly and then addressed the others. “She won’t be able to earn a full favor if it’s split between two people. And the rest of you should stay together at all times. Don’t worry. I’ll bring her back safely.” It wasn’t that he was rude, but there was a definitive tone to the way he spoke. There was no more negotiating.

He motioned to me to head back toward his black town car.

I followed. There were no more excuses now. Victor had his head down, glaring at the ground.

It couldn’t be helped. He needed the favor. Mr. Buble was saving us a lot of time. We just had to trust him.

He was Academy. He was to be trusted, right?