“Time to wake up, Robin.” A smooth gentle prodding of a phrase
entered one ear, circled once within her head, and left unscathed.
“Nmmmmgh,” No thoughts, just impulse. And, now darkness existed.
“It’s already 11:30, and we promised Tucker we’d get there
early to help setup.” 11:30, why did that matter? Go where? Setup
for what? Now the thoughts crashed over Robin like a tsunami, and
just like with every tsunami, there was necessary cleanup before
things got better.
“Huh, what?” She asked through a yawn. She scrapped the grit
from the corner of her eyes and began to blink away the mist. She sat
up and looked around only to be immediately greeted with a plate and
glass of water.
“Morning,” She took both and gulped the water until the
sandpaper was gone. She looked down at the plate and felt nothing but
joy at the freshly microwaved bean and cheese burrito. Setting the
plate in her lap, Robin swooped up the meal and ate greedily. “You
awake now?” John had returned to his chair and began lacing up his
boots.
“Mhm” Came through before she could make a conscious decision.
Robin swallowed the mouthful and took another sip before responding
appropriately. “It’s Saturday, right? Meeting up with Tucker got
it. You find anything good while I slept for …,” She struggled
through morning fog to do the simple arithmetic “five hours.”
“Eat the burrito, that looked painful.” The smile on his face
never broke through the comment.
“Shut up and answer the question, asshole.” she chuckled a
little but continued on with the food, sound advice was sound advice.
“I got a couple of hits but nothing I can work with yet. I’ll
ask some friends in the area to do some snooping. I don’t know what
you read, but that factory might be the best find in a long time.”
Robin was on the last couple of bites so John stood and took the
plate from Robins lap and used it to stack other dishes and garbage
they had been putting off cleaning. Robin swallowed hard, wanting to
talk but refusing to chew more, nearly choking in the process.
“I saw what they made and knew we had to get a hold of it fast.
That equipment would make so many more operations viable. Besides,
we’ll probably end up against people wearing the same stuff.” She
tossed the last corner into her mouth and drained the glass before
standing and stretching.
“Great catch, I even did some digging on the patent holder. He
might be a bit of a sympathizer.” John finished loading the small
dishwasher and was about to close it when Robin pulled out the top
drawer and placed the cup within. He straightened up and closed the
door before starting it. “You should probably get changed too,”
He covered his nose in mock disgust then looked at the digital
readout on their oven. “We’ve got time, maybe a shower too.
Tucker would probably appreciate it, I know I will.” Robin sniffed
herself and couldn’t help agreeing. She wheeled around and marched
to the bathroom. John went to the couch and pulled out his phone,
from which he did some quick research. Robin, not one to waste time,
continued the conversation, shifting topic to how exactly they
planned on selling the gold. They had worked out an initial plan
before the heist but weren’t sold on its slower more methodical
approach. Selling twenty-five kilos of gold at once was off the table
but their original plan of melting them down into coins and small
bars would mean weeks if not months of driving to different pawn
shops, jewelry stores and the like to only get a fraction of the
value. They both agreed that they should instead target wealthy
individuals looking to store wealth, but a divide formed in the
methods. Robin wanted to use her family connections to sell the gold
faster, they would probably get less from it since the discount could
be leveraged for favors now or in the future. John, meanwhile, agreed
that some gold would be useful in that context, but wanted to send
the majority to international markets. It would take longer to get
the cash but they would earn far more from it. By the time Robin was
out of the shower they had compromised somewhat. Some gold would be
used to get a few important favors locally, a fair amount would be
sent globally as an investment, and the rest would be labeled “TBD”.
It would give them some grace in the future, in case they needed some
quick cash or something to barter with.
Robin dried herself and grabbed casual clothes considering the work
to be done, denim jeans, a paint stained t-shirt, and a chore coat.
She grabbed a pair of socks from her underwear drawer and joined John
on the couch while she put on her shoes, which were still where she
left them.
“You know,” John returned the phone his pocket with a concerned
look in his eye, “the missions only get more complex from here.
With you almost getting caught last night, I’m getting concerned.”
“Maybe we could have done some more research and set up more
warnings, but it wasn’t really that bad.” She finished tying her
shoes and got up. “Don’t get cold feet now, things are just about
get good.” This wiped the concern from his face as he let out a
weak chuckle.
“No way am I giving up, I just think we should do some more
espionage on the enemy before Phase One.” He stood and joined Robin
as they left the apartment.
“Fair enough, and knowing you, you wouldn’t bring this up
without having something on deck.” They began down the stairs and
out to the lot.
“We can talk about it on the way.” a devious chuckle emanated
from John’s mouth. “Out of curiosity, how well can you fold a
fitted sheet?”
“Uh, I don’t know; I’ve never had to fold one before.” They
approached John’s car and opened their respective doors. They got
in and left to meet up with Tucker.
They pulled into the Parking lot of a withering, crumbling church,
where half a dozen people were unloading boxes of food from a U-haul
and placing them in separate vans, which would go out to different
parts of the city. Both Robin and John waved at the group as they
pulled into an empty spot and got out of the sedan.
“Afternoon, everybody,” Robin got straight to helping with the
boxes, chatting happily with the others. Meanwhile, John walked off
to one of the vans where a man with a clipboard was double checking
the inventory and mumbling to himself.
“Afternoon, friar. Which van are we in today?” John placed his
hand on the man’s shoulder as he said that. Both the contact and
the words caught him off guard.
“What–,” He jumped in alarm and almost dropped the clipboard,
managing to grab it by the corner before it hit the ground. His
flustered expression soured when Tucker turned to see his assailant.
“First, if you could refrain from giving me a heart attack before
I turn forty, I would be ever so grateful. Second, do you see me in
my old habit? No. I hardly call myself a pastor given the state of my
poor church.” Tucker took a deep breath to calm himself before
answering the question at hand, “I’ll be sending you two in van A
with Alice and David. Thank you again for filling in today after
staying so long yesterday. It’s getting harder and harder to find
those with free time that don’t need my help.” Tucker was never
one to hide his expression. His concern and worry for the less
fortunate of the city washed through his mind, bringing a grim frown
with it.
“Hey now, don’t go depressing our favorite religious nut.”
Robin walked over with a box of sandwich ingredients and dropped it
in the van’s bed. The jab had been enough to bring a faint smile to
Tucker’s face. “You’re the one that’s always reminding us to
have faith that things will get better, don’t go dropping that now.
What would my mom think of me donating to a man of fallen faith?”
Robin pulled a bill from her pocket and placed it in the pastor’s
hand. He looked down and frowned.
“You two are already stretching yourselves so thin, I can’t
accept this after the check you wrote me yesterday.” He held his
hand out waiting for her to take it.
“I’m giving it to you because we can afford it. Let’s just say
your faith in us is starting to pay off even more.” She closed his
hand around the bill and walked away to help move the last boxes.
Tucker looked to John with a curious expression, who simply smiled
and nodded. Tucker knew better than to dig deeper and gratefully
pocketed the bill.
“Well, regardless, thank you again.” With that, the pair broke
to finish loading the boxes and go over the plan for where the vans
would stop today with the rest.
The crew of van A took a break at 4pm while the volunteers that met
them on site took over making sandwiches and passing them out.
David’s fiance, who was a sous chef for a fine dining restaurant in
the ritzy part of town, had packed cold pastrami sandwiches for the
group. The bread, meat, pickles, and even the mustard was homemade.
Robin had just taken her first bite and was savoring the perfect
balance of complementary flavors when one of the other volunteers, a
teenager who came with his mother, ran up to the van, out of breath
and pointing to the alley he just ran from. Robin put the sandwich
back on its paper plate and placed that on the bench she was sharing
with Alice and approached, giving the boy a second to catch his
breath.
“There’s an old man, doesn’t look good. Tried to give him food
but he pushed my arm and fell over.” John and David followed after
Robin when they noticed her sprinting toward the alley at full speed.
It took her less than a minute to spot the white paper plate, flipped
over on the ground with the ham and cheese sandwich everyone received
less than six inches away. She had to scan the area twice before she
noticed the man lying on his side in the dirt with his back against a
chain link fence. It looked like neither he nor the clothes on his
back had seen soap in months. Robin slid into a kneeling position at
the man’s torso, feeling the coarse pebbles scraping at her knees
and shins with every inch. She pulled his arm and began to feel for a
pulse when the arm pulled back and a groan escaped his mouth.
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“Hey, I’m trying to help you old man.” She grabbed him by the
shoulders and pulled him back into a sitting position. He tried to
fight this of course, but he was too weak and delirious to do much
more than squirm. He was shockingly light for his size, and his
clothes were two sizes too big. Robin looked back to call for help
when she noticed the men running up. John hadn’t waited in
sprinting after Robin, but David was not far behind, carrying a fresh
water bottle mixed with electrolyte powder and a couple of bananas.
David tossed the bottle to Robin, who caught it one handed and opened
it swiftly before pouring a little into the ragged man’s mouth. He
choked and coughed at the sudden moisture but was able to swallow the
next sip Robin gave him.
“Mghn,” Robin gave him some more water and he started opening
his eyes. “Where am I?” John was now crouched behind Robin and
David had just arrived, handing the bananas to John.
“You’re in an alley ten miles from the state capitol building.
Whats your name? Where are you from? Any family we can get into
contact with?” He shook his head weakly but didn’t respond for a
minute, trying to remember the answers to those questions.
“My name …” He coughed and Robin offered him more water, which
he sipped slowly. “Name’s Paul. I passed through DC a few weeks
ago, but I’m from Florida.” Robin looked back in surprise at John
who shared her expression. They were more than 500 miles from DC. Did
he walk the entire way? Robin certainly thought so, it would explain
his appearance. “And no, no family, not anymore.” Robin tried to
hand him the bottle, but he shook his head. “I’m not going to be
mad at you for saving me, but I’d rather just die here. Everything
I’ve worked for is gone.” If there was a shred of excess water in
Paul’s body, it would have been welling up in the corner of his
eyes, but no tears could be seen.
“I’m sorry but I wont let that happen. Nobody deserves to die
like this.” John, knowing that tone, handed her a banana, which she
took without looking away from Paul.
“I deserve it. I killed my wife and son. I deserve it.” He slid
down the fence, into the position Robin had found him in, sobbing all
the way.
“I doubt that, you don’t talk like a man who’d commit murder.”
She tried to pull him back up but he used what little strength he
could and pushed her arms away. The unexpected shove caused Robin to
fall backwards but was caught by John, the firm hand on her back
creating a wall which she could rest against temporarily.
“I KILLED THEM!” His voice was louder than anyone would expected
from a man so close to death. The consequence of this was a coughing
fit. He was no longer yelling after, but the sobs came through
between each word. “I didn’t pull the trigger, but they’re dead
because of me and my damn ego.” He was clawing at the ground and
visibly shaking now. “I couldn’t see past my own goals to see
that the men I helped put into power were working against me. They
took my job, my insurance. They gave my wife cancer from the
chemicals they poured in the water, and then they took away the
funding for our hospital. My son told me this could happen, but I
didn’t listen, I thought I knew better. I thought that they would
protect us all. That they would save us” He was still now, nothing
left to do but shake, sob, and talk, the last of which seemed to be
the only thing keeping him from breaking down entirely. “When she
died, my son tried to reach out, but I lashed out and blamed him. I
called him a filthy sinner, told him he had brought the wrath of god
on our family. I couldn’t see past my own pain to see his. By the
time I realized, it was too late.” Robin looked back at John who
understood immediately. He stood and spoke briefly with David who
walked away with a confused look on his face. They both gave him a
second to calm down while David walked out of earshot.
“I’m sorry. Truly I am. I won’t pretend you did nothing wrong
but I still think you don’t deserve to die here. You didn’t kill
your wife, so please take this water, have something to eat, and have
a conversation with me. I promise I can help.” She put a hand on
his arm but was shrugged off.
“You can’t help me. The only thing I could want know is to have
them back, and since that’s impossible, I’d rather just die, face
the punishment I deserve.” Robin took a look around at the alley,
checking once more that no one could hear what she was about to say.
“You’re right, nothing can bring them back. But I can offer the
next best thing, the opportunity to help make the world a place. One
where things like that don’t happen as much. I’d like to offer
you a chance at redemption, to fight back against the world you say
you helped create.” The sobbing faded as the man looked up at her
in shock.
“If they hear you talk like that, they’ll kill you. Please,
don’t put another death on my shoulders. Besides, I’m just a
washed out welder, not some freedom fighter.” He dropped his head
onto the dirt.
“You let me worry about my enemies and what I say.” Robin
quickly looked back at John with raised eyebrows and barely contained
excitement. “You were a welder right? What was your field?” This
tactic should hopefully get him on a subject he felt comfortable with
and off his loss. It took him a moment to regain his composure enough
to answer.
“I’ve done stick, TIG, hell I’ve even welded underwater.
Honestly, can’t think of anything welding I haven’t done.” The
sobbing had stopped but he was still wracked with the occasional
tremor.
“What about nuclear welding?”
“Never, but from what I’ve read and talked about with
colleagues, it’s not outside my expertise. Wait, why are you asking
about–,” Robin put a finger to her lips to shush him, which he
complied to. She looked back at John.
“So, Is it in the budget?” John was pacing back and forth,
muttering under his breath about figures and this or that expense.
Finally he stopped and groaned.
“Normally I’d say no, but given the circumstance …,” His
eyes moved across an invisible screen, one final check of the
spreadsheets he had memorized from the hours he spent pouring over
them, looking for the best use of every penny. “Just barely. We’ll
have to use what we just set aside this morning, and we’ll have to
cut our own discretionary spending completely for months, but yes,
it’s in the budget.” Robin smiled brightly at him.
“How would you like a job?” She asked, turning to look at Paul.
The way she looked and sounded in that moment reminded John of the
satisfied way he had seen alley cats swish their tails, having just
found a meal in a dumpster or bag of trash.
“What? Who are you people?” That question sparked a thought in
John’s head, causing him to pull out his phone and call a friend.
“Hey, think you can take one more for us?” Robin could hear the
man on the other end respond.
“What? I thought you said you were done? This has to be serious
because my family just moved in. I can’t expose them for just
anyone.” John responded calmly and with a single phrase.
“Phase One.” The other line hung silent for a moment.
“Shit man, ok. I’ll start prepping a room and get the tickets
ready. When are they getting here and when should they head out?”
“He’s here in town, I’ll send him over when we’re done,
maybe an hour or two. He’s not in good shape, take a look at him
and send me the report, we can decide from there. Probably just long
enough for him to start putting on some weight. Thanks, I’ll talk
to later” The man on the other end said goodbye and hung up. Robin
took a business card from John in the same hand as the water bottle
and tried to hand both to Paul. Robin looked at him as if to say
“Well?” He hesitated for a moment, then took them carefully, as
if they could blow up any second.
“I don’t understand, why are you giving me all this for
nothing?” Robin burst into laughter at the insinuation.
“Like I said, this is a job offer. You’re an investment I expect
will pay back ten fold. If you go to that address we’ll help, but
we’ll also make you payback every penny. Trust me, I’m no rube.”
“I don’t remember hearing about a brilliant business woman
handing out food to the poor. That’s a story I’d remember.”
Robin laughed again and fished for the ID in her pocket and showed it
to the man. At first when he read the name there was no reaction.
Then, as comprehension donned, a face of sheer horror collapsed upon
him as he stammered.
“You’re,” He was lost for words, stumbling over every
syllable. “I can’t believe it, You’re worth–,” Robin cut
him off again, and again he complied. She handed him the banana and
sat with him while he slowly ate and drank. After an hour, Paul
finally mustered the energy to stand with help. Still somewhat
confused at the whole ordeal, he shambled off in the direction they
had told him to go. Robin and John returned to the van and helped as
the supplies dwindled until there was nothing left to pass out. The
other volunteers had left and the A crew finished packing up and
returned to the church, not a question to be asked about Paul and
where he disappeared to.
Robin climbed the ladder up to the roof of their building and pulled
the rope attached to a small laundry basket loaded with the night’s
provisions. She pulled the basket over the parapet as John climbed up
and headed for the upside chairs they kept on the roof. She untied
the basket, walked over and sat upon the newly upturned chair set for
her. After unloading the basket onto her lap, she flipped it over and
set it between them to form a makeshift table where she placed the
goods. John produced from his pocket two screw topped cylinders, and
handed one to Robin. He unscrewed the top of his and let the joint
fall into his palm.
“I’ll miss this,” he pulled it between his nose and upper lip,
enjoying the scent. “but I know the sacrifice is well worth it.”
He pulled a from a shirt pocket and lit the joint, before passing the
lighter to Robin and taking a long singular toke. “Here’s to
Phase One, all the dominoes are lining up.” He was about to go
again when he noticed Robin hadn’t moved an inch. “What’s
wrong?”
“Are we moving too fast? Like you said earlier, I nearly got
caught today, and the missions are only getting more complex. We’re
out of the desperately needing money phase, but I’m worried we
haven’t been careful enough. We have dozens of agents and
informants scattered across the country, if any of them turn on us…”
She didn’t have to, nor did she want to, finish the thought.
“We’ll I don’t know about the money statement, Miss ‘I just
spent our savings’ but I’ll be honest, I think we aren’t moving
fast enough.” He didn’t look up but could tell she was looking at
him as if he had grown a second head. “Robin, I’m not worried
about what happens if someone turns on us. For one, we’re past the
point of no return; even if we stopped now, we’d be hung just for
our communications, they wouldn’t even bother looking into the
thefts and other actions we’ve taken. Second, I’m not worried
because everyone we helped has done nothing but pay it forward. We’ve
done a pretty good job vetting our ‘employees’. Speaking of
which, I just got the initial report on Paul, he didn’t lie and
other than malnutrition, hes healthy for his age.” Robin thought on
the words for a second before responding.
“What do you mean by ‘not moving fast enough’. I’m not
really sure how we can speed things up from here. We’re still
waiting for the crews to finish.”
“Phase One itself can only move so fast at this point, true, but
what about after that. Our original plan was to slow roll for a
decade or more, But you’ve seen the news Robin. Things are heating
up too fast for us to take it slowly, carefully pondering each
deliberate step, doing our best not to step on toes. Toes are already
being stepped on. The government is gearing up for something big, and
I want to be ready for when it does. The moment they have their eyes
on the enemy, east or west, I want to have enough power ready to make
our moves.” They sat in silence for a long time before Robin took a
long sigh.
“You’re right. But I still think we’re missing something,
something big. That job you told me about is a great start but I’m
not sure it’ll be enough on its on. To be honest, I think we need
to start finding some consultants, this is getting to be too much for
a couple of kids in their 20’s.”
“Hmm. That was the idea behind taking it slow after Phase One,
building up a group of allies internally and externally that could
advise us on where to go next. It’s too bad those consultants no
longer exist in this country.” Robin had cracked open her soda and
was about to take a sip she processed that final sentence. A wicked
grin spread across her face as an idea merged from within her head.
It would take months of planning and prep, but once Robin came to a
decision, she would see it through to the end. “Oh no, I don’t
like that look. What did you cook up?” despite the words, John
couldn’t help smiling her re-found optimism.
“Shut up and smoke. Tonight’s our last calm night before shit
hits the fan again. Oh, and we are definitely back in the
‘desperately needing money’ camp.”
