Chapter 188 - Who Will Be Next?

"Did you ask for information on Nolan Iselin? How is he now?" Captain Yelena asked Lt. Morris who was sitting on the right. 

After chatting with the Deputy Commander, she went straight to her office where the Lieutenant awaited her. Then they started their discussion right away.

"I talked with his family last night. They said Nolan Iselin is getting better now. Maybe he might be able to tell us the truth if we meet him but... he rarely spoke. I think it's the trauma." Morris replied.

The Captain fell silent for a while before she said, "If that's the case, I think the idea I had in mind might work."

"Idea?"

Yelena nodded. "Now that Lt. Gen. Haric and his supporters have targeted us, we can't go to meet Nolan Iselin. We will only be exposing him to the enemies. That's why... we need the Deputy Commander's help."

"Captain, those who are close to him know how much the Deputy Commander respects the Lt. General. He is even dating Lt. Gen. Haric's daughter. Are you sure he won't waver?" Morris cautiously asked.

"I know it's hard, Morris." Yelena calmly said. "However, Colonel Arias McLean is an upright man. I trust him and even if you don't trust him, I hope you can trust me."

Morris thought for a few seconds and said, "Alright, Captain. I never doubt you. What will the Deputy Commander do?"

"He is on the same batch as Nolan Iselin. He will be able to meet him. Who knows, he might even manage to make him talk but we should also be careful. The enemies shouldn't know that the Deputy Commander is helping us. I will also stop meeting him unless it's about work." Yelena said.

"I understand. Then I will work on that meeting. We are yet to find out the identity of the other two persons. The enemies know us and if we don't, we are at a disadvantage." Morris rose from his seat, saluted the Captain and left.

After sitting alone for a few minutes with a fully occupied mind, Yelena takes out her phone and tried calling Ella. However, the phone was still off and she let out a sigh. "Where are you, Ella?"

* * *

The sun was about to set in Silveren. With a face devoid of any expression, Colonel Arias was making his way to a small villa which was on the countryside.

The villa belonged to the Arista family. When Major General Ethan Arista realized about Nolan Iselin, he bought the villa by using a friend's name and Nolan Iselin was transferred there and they hired a doctor to look after him in the villa. So far, it seemed like the enemies weren't aware of Nolan Iselin which opened a chance for Yelena and the others.

When Yelena asked him to meet Nolan Iselin, the Deputy Commander agreed right away and now, he finds himself standing at the door of the exact villa.

The doctor and nurse, along with a middle-aged woman who was hired to look after the villa welcomed him. When he entered the room where Nolan Iselin was, he noticed that the other Iselin's were also there.

Yelena already informed the Iselin's about this visit and the Iselin's understood right away. Then they walked out of the room, giving some time to Colonel Arias.

When Arias gaze landed on his batchmate who disappeared many years ago, he felt a stinging pain in his heart. What happened to the once carefree Nolan?

They weren't friends but... training together and going through many tough things for 4 years, all the cadets were pretty close to each other. As such, Arias had many memories of this young man.

Nolan Iselin was always the mood maker back then in their training days but now... he resembled a living corpse. If Arias had seen him elsewhere, he won't be able to identify him as the Nolan Iselin in his memory!

He slowly walked towards his former batchmate who was sitting on the chair, glancing at a photo in his hand. When Nolan Iselin felt his presence, he slowly lifted his head to look at him, then the former eyes flickered.

Arias glanced down at the photo which was on Nolan's hand. He heard from Yelena that ever since Nolan Iselin recovered, he spent most of his time glancing at the exact photo. It was the photo of the three friends which Yelena showed to him the first time she came to meet him.

"Do you miss Marvin Arista and Eric Flavian?" Arias said as he sat on another chair beside Nolan. "I can tell that you still remember me, Nolan. It's been 6 years."

Nolan Iselin didn't say anything and only shifted his gaze back to the photo.

"I know everything now," Arias said. "You know Yelena Arista, right? You often went to Marvin's house when we had a leave during our training days. You might often meet his little sister during those times. She told me everything about Major General Haric. No, he's promoted to a Lt. General now. Do you know that he is the strongest candidate to become the next General?"

In Arias's last sentence, Nolan Iselin's eyes grew wide and he darted his eyes to the Colonel. Suddenly, his eyes were filled with rage.

Arias understood what Nolan Iselin had in mind. "I'm not that Arias McLean who take Major General Haric as his hero anymore. I've changed."

The way Nolan stared at him, it's clear that he didn't buy his words. Then Arias said, "Think about it, Nolan. If I'm on Lt. General Haric's side, do you think Yelena Arista will ask me to come here? She is not a fool. Instead, she is intelligent and capable, just like Marvin Arista."

Nolan Iselin seemed to waver a bit but still... he didn't say anything.

Arias understood that he must try harder. After all, his batchmates were the ones who know the best that he had a close bond with Lt. Gen. Haric Geraci.

"Do you still remember Maverick Yaris? He was my best friend during our training days." He started. "More than a month ago, I find out he knows everything about Lt. Gen. Haric and even the death of Marvin Arista. I was - "

Nolan Iselin turned to him and suddenly grabbed him on the collar, glaring at him with rage but... Arias showed the pain behind it. Maybe it was because he talked about the death of Marvin Arista!

"I understand how you feel, Nolan." Arias promptly said but what happened next made his eyes widened!

"Shut up. You know nothing." 

Nolan Iselin... spoke? He really spoke up!

"Nolan!" The Colonel's reaction was a mixture of gratitude and disbelief. However, he realized right away that he should lose no time.

"I understand because... Lt. Gen. Haric killed Maverick when he finds out that Maverick was planning to expose him!" The Deputy Commander promptly said, looking at Nolan Iselin's face.

Hearing about Maverick Yaris death, Nolan Iselin froze until... his hands slipped from Arias collar as if he suddenly lost all his energy!

"Please trust me, Nolan. I know how it feels to lose a friend. That's why I will never forgive Lt. Gen. Haric." Arias firmly said.

"He killed Maverick?" Nolan muttered.

"This is the proof," Arias said as he takes out his phone and played the recording which Yelena sent to him last night.

When he heard the high ranking officers discussed Marvin and Maverick's death without any guilt, Nolan Iselin tightly clenched his fist. He used to live in fear after being roughly suppressed by the powers of those superiors but... recalling his two friends death made him boiled in anger. Now, it's Maverick. Who will be next?!

"If you don't help us and tell us what you saw, Lt. Gen. Haric and his followers won't spare us. Do you know who their next target is?" Arias said and Nolan turned to him. "It's Captain Yelena Arista, Marvin's younger sister."

"They know that she is investigating them. Do you think they will just sit back and watch her while she is busy trying to expose them?" Arias firmly added.

Nolan Iselin recalled his late friend who was crazy about his younger sister. A brother who loved his sister more than anything else. He still remembered how Marvin refused to give in to Lt. Gen. Haric the day he tortured them. He didn't give in to such a brutal and cruel torture but... when his sister's life was concerned, he gave in and break his principles. Since then, his genuine smile was gone. He cherished his sister more than his life but...

Now, the ones who took his life were also targeting the younger sister? He finds it totally unacceptable! For the sake of his deceased best friend, he would never allow the enemies to hurt her!

Once again, he glanced at the photo which was on the table. "Please call Marvin's sister for me. I have something to tell her." He finally said to Colonel Arias McLean.....