all god's orphans

Grey had found a spot from which he could see the general’s trailer. There were two guards posted outside and he could tell from their stature and posture that they were not part of the general’s retinue. Perfect. That’s what he’d been waiting for. He had seen the general enter a while ago and as soon as he left, Grey would put his plan into action. It would require the utmost control of his nerves and he wasn’t entirely sure that he could pull it off, but it was the only way he’d been able to think of that might actually work.

He was careful not to be too conspicuous now that he was no longer dressed in the camouflage uniform. Carla had washed and dried his white shirt and dress slacks that he was now wondering why he had not bothered to change them since leaving Alexandria. They were wildly impractical, but since they were the only clothes in the world to which he could lay claim, he didn’t want to simply cast them aside. After all, they were the only elements of his personality he had left, or so he believed.

Grey had become accustomed to the rhythm of the camp. By standing back and watching it all from a relative distance, he had become aware of an imperceptible cadence to its daily march of duties. It was not a choreographed movement, but when it changed suddenly, he could see it like when a flock of birds suddenly flows in another direction all at once. There was suddenly a murmur threading itself through everything, as if a great whisper had caught everyone’s ear. As he stood puzzling at what this might mean, he heard the door of the trailer burst open and an obviously excited general exit in a hurry, his face suppressing a wide smile. Several others followed behind him as he made his way to the center of the camp. As he disappeared around one of the tents, Grey knew this was his moment. He had to be fast. He had to be sure of himself and he had to be fearless.

He let a few minutes go by as he listened to a rising commotion near the scaffolding. When enough time had passed, he composed himself, straightened his spine and marched up to the two guards at the general’s trailer, trying to look like he was in a hurry. He didn’t even look at them until they were directly in front of him, not getting out of his way. They had scared him at first, but now he was glad that almost everyone wore those balaclavas. Otherwise, these men would almost certainly have recognized him had they ever seen his face before. Even through their balaclavas he was sure he knew who they were. He was relying on the shock factor to save him. He stopped at the foot of the stairs that they were blocking with their bodies. He finally looked them both in the eye.

“Move.” He demanded in a tone painted more with annoyance than anger. These were just gnats in his way. They looked at each other, unsure whether they should challenge him.

“Wh..what’s the password?” One of them finally stammered. Grey stared that man down as though his life depended on it.

“The password is you can explain to the general why he doesn’t have the papers he asked for.” The two guards exchanged worried glances again. “Get out of the way.” Grey said it as though it were the obvious solution to this situation and they agreed. Silently, they stepped aside and let him pass. He walked up the few steps as normally as he could and stepped inside the trailer, hoping no one had stayed behind.

He was relieved to find it empty and he immediately set about searching for the letter. The image of it had burned itself into his mind over the past few days and when he saw it amongst some other documents in an open briefcase, he recognized it instantly. Inside the briefcase were other materials and as he considered taking them as well, a voice boomed through the speakers.

“Attention! Attention! All personnel report to the main muster area. All personnel are to report to the main muster area!” This was almost too good to be true, Grey thought. It so emboldened him that he opened the door and addressed the two guards outside.

“He doesn’t mean me. You guys go ahead.” They didn’t have to be told twice and bounded off to the center of the camp. Grey relaxed for a moment. He wanted to make sure that he wasn’t blowing an opportunity and decided that he should take everything that looked important. He gathered up documents and maps and anything else that seemed noteworthy and crammed it into the briefcase. He took one last look around the place and then slipped out quietly towards his bunk tent. As he made his way quickly through the camp, he could hear the general voice flying above the camp.

“Brothers and sisters!” He began. “I’ve just received word that the mission has succeeded beyond our wildest dreams. What we thought was a shipment of medical supplies has turned out to be a shipment of stolen gold bars! Millions of dollars worth!” With that a mighty cheer erupted from the crowd, though Grey had no idea what they were cheering.

As the general continued, Grey undressed himself and got back into the Army uniform, complete with black balaclava. He was just another unrecognizable cog again. He took a backpack and tossed the briefcase into it before securing it to his back. When that was done, he ambled out of the tent and rejoined the dissipating throng as they talked excitedly amongst themselves about gold. He kept his eyes to the ground and only every so often looked up into the trees to find that the sentries had come down to join in the fun. Everyone’s mind seemed to have turned to gold at the expense of all else and when the trucks arrived a few minutes later, Grey was forced by the movement of the crowd to follow them.

They pushed up against the vehicles and marveled at the contents. Grey stood near the back, waiting for the right moment to steal away and slip through the fence. He felt good about his chances and decided it was best to take his time and do it right. No hurry.

He leaned against one of the tent supports, keeping an eye on his escape route when the alarm began to wail. As a new flurry of activity rose up and the swarming began, he realized he might have waited too long.