Fools of us All - Chapter 49

CAZ

It was absurdly easy to break into the base. The M.E.R.C. troops were well trained, but not overly observant, and having two extra soldiers wasn’t noticed by anyone. As soon as we were inside the base, we snuck away from the soldiers. The darkness provided many shadows in which to hide. I had never been here before, but the basic layout of the bases was pretty standard.

We paused at the corner of a building. “There’s no cover here,” I whispered. “We need to get to that building over there.”

“Let me guess,” came Spin’s reply. “We are going to casually walk across the open space and hope no one stops us.”

“You have a better idea?”

“Sadly, no.”

I knew the best way to get away with any deception, and that was to act like you belonged. So I strode with confidence as though I had done this many times before and knew exactly where I was going. By the time we reached the other building, my heart was pounding so hard it almost hurt. But we had made it.

Just then, the door opened and out stepped a man, an unlit cigarette dangling from him mouth. “Do you have a light, soldier?” he asked.

“No sir,” replied Spin, patting his pockets as though looking for matches or a lighter.

“That’s okay,” replied the highly decorated officer as he wandered away.

I was glad that Spin had answered because my heart had crawled into my throat and cowered in fear. Coming face to face with the general’s aide had almost been more than I could take.