Chapter 3: When They Meet The Baker
Ara decided to accept the offer, looking at those poor little kids made her think about the letter.
"If the General could possibly save these children from this place, this might be the opportunity I needed. Also, I will no longer marry some random guy." She let out a big sigh.
Ara called the number indicated at the letter and told the guy on the other line to pick her up at the same place. The General's men show up as quickly as she could ever imagine knowing that a fair travel by car takes up to an hour or so from the military facility to her place.
"Ara, we've come to pick you up. The General can't wait to see you." Said a familiar face she once choked up almost to death.
"I wonder how come you've arrived in just less that half an hour. Are you all even human?" As Ara let out a small laugh, seeing the faces of these three men made her think about what she said. "Wait a minute, aren't you humans?".
All of them laugh at what Ara just said. They just shrug it of by leading her inside the car. Before she left with them, she slid a small note on one of the kids pocket and bid her goodbye.
As soon as they reach the military facility where General Buhaden is staying, they hurried to his office and left Ara alone with the General.
"How amazing, so what they said was true. You truly are not what they said you were at first look."
"Excuse me General but you're confusing me. What did they tell you about me?"
"Just a enough to make me feel a lot more curious about you. Knocking down a brute guy, I mean a big one with just that physique. You are one of a kind."
"I came here not to be complimented ot anything. I'm here because of the letter and for the assurance that those four kids could live a better life."
"I would do as I say, no need to worry about them. I will personaly take them in my care. So you need not to worry about them. Now, all you need to think of is the trials I prepared to test you mentally and physically. Also if you are emotionally capable of the upcoming trials you need to face."
"I know that I need to undergo some test but I didn't expect it to be thay serious. I mean, I am not applying to be a soldier or anything. . . . You know what, I think you made a mistake about picking me General. I can take care of myself back at home. So, I gotta go and ....." As Ara turned her back to the General, one of his men grabbed her and covered her nose with a handkerchief with sleeping potion in it. Ara then drop on the floor unconscious.
General Buhaden immediately call at the facility to inform the scientist about his specimen. Delighted to hear about it, they all rush to prepare the necessary things needed for the mutuation.
*France
A fine bakeshop was established just right beside the Eiffel tower. Paris is known to be the city of Love, but for this young man, Love wasn't made for him. Taking on the family business, his family relied on the success of every bakeshop. Young Diego Franchòi is the next predecessor of their family business. His father is too old to help and his mother died a few years back. Being the only child makes it more harder for him to follow his own path.
Even though he wanted to decide for himself, but as his father's health is at stake he can't do anything else than to follow his father's decisions. Until one tragic event happened where he was accused for food poisoning. He left without saying anything to his father. Being accused of such crime that he didn't even commit left him with no choice than to escape.
That unfortunate day, his cousin begged him to hire him as a baker. He was left with no choice than to hire him for he's the only one who can help him with the bakeshop. He doesn't hate being inside the bakeshop but he prefered to be somewhere else. Without any knowledge on his cousin's motives, he trusted him. He didn't know that he had made a huge mistake hiring him. Just when he thought he can be at peace when he had someone else to rely on with the bakeshop, a group of people suddenly gathered in front of his bakeshop.
"Franchòi!!"
"Do you intend to kill us??!!" As the people tried to force the bakeshop open, Diego's cousin rushed to calm the people down by putting all the blame on Diego.
"Luca where's Diego? The bread we bought seemed to be inedible. What happened to all the delicious bread we buy here everyday?" Asked an old lady who starts to panic.
"All of you calm down, it seems like Diego wants to ruin his father's well-known bakeshop. All his father's efforts are put to waste because of his irresponsible actions. Those who bought the bread today please return them at once so that I can check whatever poison that punk added to the ingredients. I'll assure you that I will compensate any damages that this may result to each and everyone's health."
"Luca you are very kind, hope you can bring back the delicious bread we always look forward to."
"No worries, I will do my very best to manage the bakeshop as for Diego is on the loose escaping his crime."
"Hope he will get caught immediately so thay he won't be able to harm anyone anymore." All the people then resume to their daily activities after hearing Luca's promises. As for Diego, he still tries to find a safe place where he can hide away from all the cops after him. He went to a friend's house just to get rejected. All those years he's been kind to them are now paid by rejections. No one even dared to ask him about the truth, the friends he thought was real are now judging him without giving out his own reason.
As Diego wanders on the street, he notices a few strange men following him. He's been on the streets for the past four days after the incident. He slept together with some kind homeless people whom at first he never imagined that they exist in Paris. They were kind to him even though it's the first time they met him. He won't forget the kindness of those people, even if they had nothing they still offered him the little food they had.
"Who are these men? They've been following me around since yesterday. They can't be cops, but still I need to be careful they might do something unexpected if I let my guard down." Diego desperately tries to distract the unknown men. On the other hand, the men in suits notices that Diego knew that he's been followed. So the leader decided to take action before he disappear from their sight.
"Men, we need to get to him as soon as possible."
"Yes Captain!"
Diego realizes that the men following him are getting closer to him. This time they're very open whether he notices it or not. Two men behind him ready to catch him if given a chance, yet he doesn't know that the Captain of the group is already in front of him. Grabbing his wrists and dragging him into an empty corner. Diego's heartbeat pounds very fast as he's getting nervous on whatever these men are after. Gasping, he tries to calm down and negotiate.
"May I know what you want from me? You don't looke like someone from the police department." with a trembling voice he tries to gain firmness on his words.
"You're smart enough yet you decided to flee than to defend yourself from your cousin's frame ups. You're quite confusing don't you know that." the Captain's voice makes anyone know that he has authority.
"Hearing you talking about it makes me feel like you know everything about me."
"Yes and no. There's one thing left to know."
"What do you mean?"
"Everything is confidential, but all details will be explained to you if you agree on working for the government. We can clear your name and also,.." the Captain pauses for a minute studying Diego's gestures. "We can make sure that your father will be sent to the most capable hospital in the world. And we can assure you that we can cure his illness if you agree to our proposition."
"My father's gonna be cured? But the doctors said his illness is incurable." confused, but still lights a hope in his heart. His father is all that's left. He will do everything to help his father live a longer a life.
"We will leave you a number, call us whenever your ready. Just so you know, we don't accept no as an answer." the Captain handed Diego a sealed envelope.
"What's the use of giving me time when you won't even let me decide for myself?!"
"Oh that? I am not letting you decide for an answer. I'm giving you time to visit your father. When you get there you need not to worry about the bakeshop incident. We settled it the moment you left. Don't make us wait that long or were gonna take back our deal about your father."
"Now your threatening me? This is non sense!"
"If you don't go back now, it might be too late for your father's life." The Captain and his men then left the area, leaving the confused Diego alone. Even so, his father's life is more precious than him. It's the only way he can show his father how he loved him. Tired and hungry, Diego went back to his home. As the Captain said, no one even dared to talk about the incident. The people seem to forget about it or they're just good at pretending.
When he reached his home, his father was laying in his bed having difficulty of breathing. He immediately opened the envelope revealing invitation to enter the army in the name of serving the government of France. Looking at his father broken hearted, he dialed up the number and ask them to rush his father to the hospital. Not long, a group of men wearing black suits arrived with some doctors and an anbulance. They took his father and he was left alone for a moment gathering some stuff to pack. After a few minutes he was then blindfolded and taken somewhere he never know.
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