Shades of Grey: Book Two of the Alexis Stanton Chronicles

by Phelps, J. C.

  Dinner that evening was pleasant with everyone at the table. White was his old self and seemed to not take any notice of me other than one of the guys. This threw me for a loop, but I adjusted and figured it was for the best anyway. Blue informed everyone at the table that I had completed my training with flying colors and he was handing me over to Green. Mr. Green gave me a sly grin that made me a bit nervous. I still had no idea what he was going to train me in.

  *****

  Chapter Eleven

  The next morning I was up bright and early. I found Green and Black at the kitchen table talking quietly and sipping their morning coffee. I poured myself a cup and sat at the table next to them.

  “So what are we doing today?” I asked when there was a lull in the conversation.

  “You and I will be spending the majority of the day in the library, Ms. Grey. Then tonight we get to go play with some cool toys.”

  The library sounded fine with me. I actually enjoyed studying and the mention of cool toys had my interest piqued. There still was no hint of what I was going to be learning though.

  About an hour later Mr. Green led me to the library and pointed to a table with blue prints and other papers scattered all about. There was some order to it and the mess actually consisted of four separate piles.

  I went to the table and started flipping through the materials. Along with four separate sets of blueprints I saw pictures of buildings, inside and out, and what looked like detailed reports of some kind.

  “We aren’t ready for that yet. Take a seat.” He gestured to the chair across the table from himself.

  He began by telling me what I was going to be doing for the day.

  “We’re going to work on planning missions from beginning to end. However, these missions will be the type in which you cannot be detected. Similar to the one you and Mr. Black did in The Lion Job. These are a bit more sensitive however.” I nodded my understanding.

  “Some of this information is right and true and some of it is fabricated. You don’t need to know which is which, just that you are not to speak of anything you see here outside of the company. Granted, in some situations it may not matter, but you are not in a position to know if it will or won’t matter.”

  He handed me a note pad and pencil and encouraged me to take notes. Green went on to explain all the equipment I would have at my disposal in planning for these missions. We went through the first pile of documentation together.

  He pulled out the paperwork that looked like a report and handed it to me.

  “Read this to me please.”

  I started to read the stapled pieces of paper and realized that it was a set of orders of what needed to be accomplished. As I was reading this, Green was separating the rest of the material in the pertinent pile. He had laid out the blueprints and placed the photos of the building around the blueprint in the appropriate places.

  I finished with the list of orders or goals of the mission and found that the next part of the report was a detailed list of the buildings’ security.

  Mr. Green interrupted me, “Now, keep in mind you will not be provided with this information all of the time. What you’re reading now you would normally have to gather on your own. Remember to pay attention so when you start the gathering of your own info you don’t miss a thing.”

  The report had all the details about the security I would need. There were details about the guards and the floor plan was all written down.

  “Have you ever read blueprints before?”

  “No.”

  “Well, we’ll go over this together and I will explain it as well as I can. When we’re done with this you’ll need to study up on blueprints yourself and I will give you a list of security systems that you will need to know backwards and forwards. You and I will do a lot together but you will be doing most of it alone.” He explained.

  We spent quite some time on the first mission. I got the crucial points down and Green set me off on my own with the second batch of paperwork. I worked up the job and presented my solution within a few hours. I had made a few mistakes and he corrected me by asking, “What’s wrong with what you’ve done here?”

  I would have to deduce why my solution wouldn’t work and offer an alternative. I learned quickly to think of every possibility before committing to any single plan. I found that the majority of the problems I was having were a result of not knowing enough information about the particulars of each security system.

  After Green had walked me through the second scenario he said we would leave the other two for tomorrow. I needed to do a little studying. I spent the rest of the day in the library on the computer doing research and doing my best to learn as quickly as I could.

  It was long after dinner when Green came up to tell me to get something to eat, we were going out.

  “You’ll find your equipment in your room. Be ready in fifteen minutes.”

  I had been getting tired sitting in front of the computer and was looking forward to the “cool toys” he had mentioned earlier that day.

  I went to the kitchen and quickly made myself a sandwich. The men were strewn throughout the house, each doing their own thing. I guess it was time for a quiet evening.

  I took my sandwich to my room and found a solid black outfit lying on my bed waiting to be donned. Instead of the heavy “combat” boots I found soft sneakers and a nice black beanie to put my hair up into. On top of this sneaky outfit I found a little can of camouflage paint and a picture of a man in the exact getup with his face painted with a myriad of dark colors. There was a sticky note attached to it that told me to get as close to the picture as I could.

  I did as I was instructed and walked out of the room eating the last of my sandwich, which had somehow become covered with the goop I had put on my face. The taste wasn’t all that appealing, but I was hungry.

  Green was standing by the door holding a small backpack. He and I were dressed the same except he wasn’t wearing the tight beanie on his head. He opened the door and followed me outside. We stood together on the porch and he started removing items from the pack. He handed me the GPS watch that I had worn on several occasions.

  “I’m sorry I went through your things but this is essential,” He apologized.

  He then began to hand me each item one at a time telling me the name of each of them whether I knew what it was or not, like he was calling off a check list.

  “Knife, essential at ALL times. Night vision goggles, a must have if practical, the cool toy I mentioned earlier. Binoculars, also with night vision. Water, self explanatory.” He handed over a canteen. The last thing he pulled from the pack was a black strip of cloth. This he held in his hands as he looked over my attire.

  “You did a decent job on the camouflage.”

  “I guess women just know how to get gussied up.” I wasn’t sure on how he would take this since I didn’t know him well. I was hoping it wouldn’t be considered out of place humor. I got a soft smile telling me that it was accepted for what it was, but maybe should be enough for now.

  “Why aren’t you wearing a hat?” I questioned.

  “I will be putting mine on shortly. You need to make sure your hair remains tucked tightly inside. You may want to consider cutting some of the length off. Your hair could be your downfall. If it gets in the way it could cost you your life.”

  I had never considered cutting my hair. It was almost like my trademark. I could see how it could be a problem in some situations though, but I didn’t want to think about it right now.

  Green went on to explain what I had in store for me. The cloth he held in his hand was a blindfold I was to wear. He would lead me some distance from the cabin and leave me. I was to search the area for my instructions and follow them.

  It wasn’t easy following Green while I was blindfolded. We stayed on an even path, or so it seemed, yet I stumbled every few feet and was very cautious. I was uncomfortable walking around the woods blind. Although we walked for quite some time, I didn
’t imagine we were very far from the cabin.

  Green had not touched me the entire trek to where ever it was we were at now so I jumped at the feel of his hand on my wrist.

  “I’m setting your watch alarm for twenty minutes. You are not to take your blindfold off until you hear it beep. Once it does you’re free to start your test. Be careful when removing the cloth so you don’t wipe off your camo.” He dropped my arm as he finished his statement and I heard nothing more than forest sounds for the next twenty minutes.

  I jumped at the sound of the beeping and gladly removed the cloth and stuck it in my pocket. I had expected to see Green still standing next to me because I hadn’t heard him leave twenty minutes ago. I didn’t remember it being this dark up here before. There seemed to always be a moon in the sky to light my way.

  I put my night vision goggles on and immediately found a small white slip of paper at my feet, but no Green anywhere nearby. I reached down and picked up the paper. My instructions were simple. I was to find my way to a particular GPS location, set up surveillance making mental note of all the particulars I could remember and rendezvous with Green back at my current position in the morning. Oh, and of course, don’t get caught.

  I instantly took note of my current GPS location and headed off in the direction of the surveillance area. The second location was some distance away but it didn’t take me long to get there. I was to stake out the cabin. I hadn’t realized we had covered that much distance in my blindfold.

  When the cabin came into view I slowed my pace and crept as close as I dared. I took off my night vision and crouched down to watch the activity. I hadn’t been there long when I thought I should scout the area to find a good spot to spend the night.

  I stood up and started to move around trying to remember if there might be a good place to hide when the front door opened. Mr. Black stepped out on the deck and took a seat. I was too close to the cabin to make a move. If he were on watch I was in trouble. I would be stuck here until he went inside.

  I stood perfectly still trying to think, then I was knocked flat on my face and my arms were held behind my back as I was pulled to my feet and marched toward the cabin.

  Black shook his head as I was shoved toward him. He stood and opened the door and let my captor and I pass. He followed us in and went to sit at the table. Blue announced in a loud voice rousing the entire house, “Look what I found!”

  All the men came to see Blue’s prize. I was mortified at being scrutinized like this. Green came up to me and brought me back outside.

  “The blindfold?” He held out his hand and I pulled it out of my pocket and gave it to him. He replaced it around my eyes and led me away from the cabin once more.

  When we finally stopped he informed me that the instructions were the same as before except the rendezvous would not be until tomorrow night at this time and this location. Again he set my watch for twenty minutes and was gone without a sound.

  I stood there in the quiet darkness and felt sorry for myself. I didn’t normally feel sorry for myself, but I had been terribly embarrassed in front of all the men. I don’t even know where the heck Blue came from! My sorrow changed to anger with myself and then to awe for Blue and then to calculating strategy, all within that short twenty minutes.

  This time I didn’t jump at the sound of the beep. I removed the blindfold, put it back into my pocket and switched to the night vision. Before I moved in any direction I checked my surroundings to make sure Green wasn’t still around watching me. I made a note to even look in the trees because that could have easily been where Blue had been hiding.

  Luckily I checked my GPS before I began my trek back to the cabin. Green had brought me to a different location than before but I was a bit closer to the cabin this time.

  With Blue coming up behind me so quickly and quietly I was a bit paranoid, so before I made any moves I scanned everything around me. It took me more time to travel the shorter distance but I didn’t want to get caught again. If I get caught again, I thought, I’d be out here until next week.

  Finally the cabin came into view. I stopped and listened and searched the area for anything and everything. I still wasn’t close enough to see any details inside or near the cabin. I remembered my binoculars though and decided to keep my distance.

  I stood next to a tree so if someone happened to look my direction I would hopefully be mistaken for part of the trunk in the darkness. I remained there for a long time just thinking on what I was going to do to get through the night and the next day. I would have to hide in daylight when there was more activity and less cover. This was going to be hard. I wished I had my Ghillie suit I had made.

  My last thought helped me to make up my mind on how I was to get through this. I’d make myself another suit throughout the night while I sat and waited. I would have to be extra careful though because I would have to remove my clothes to add the natural accents to my shirt and pants to help conceal me during the day. It was either that or I would have to hike a long distance away and keep my eyes glued to my binoculars. I decided to see how a suit would go together out here with what I had available and if I hadn’t come far enough when it got closer to dawn, I would start hiking away from the cabin.

  I removed my shirt and was surprised at how much I “glowed” in the dark. I had always had a fair complexion but didn’t realize how much I would show up in the dark. Quickly I put my shirt back on and checked the area to see if I had given myself away.

  I saw Black in his seat on the deck but there was no movement between the cabin and me. I turned to check both sides and behind me. All was still. I sat and tried to think of something to do to fix my problem. I thought about making mud and pasting it to myself, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to cover my back entirely and that could be a problem. After many minutes and several checks on the cabin I decided to turn my shirt around and try to make the suit with me still inside my clothes. At least I would be able to see what I was doing. The suit didn’t have to be perfect; it just had to last until tomorrow night.

  I sat and worked on my suit, hoping it would work because if it didn’t I really didn’t know what I was supposed to do. They just threw me into this without much training. Chief Slade had talked to me of concealment, but other than the normal sneaking around a person does to steal a cookie when they are still children, I didn’t have much experience.

  I can’t believe I got caught right away, I thought to myself. I should have known better, I’m getting sloppy. I was letting all the praise I was receiving go to my head. I needed a reality check on my abilities. That could be why they’ve done this to me. I thought I had grown enough to realize that I wasn’t the best at everything I did. It’s just that I really wanted to be the best.

  I can do this! I snuck up on a deer when we were out here before. I just have to be more cautious. These guys know I’m out here and that puts me at a disadvantage. I would love it if I could get into the house somehow but that was out of the question.

  Thoughts like these played around in my mind throughout the night. Mr. Black sat on the deck for a few hours and was relieved by White. I took mental note of the exact time of the switch and of other things that went on in and around the house. The kitchen light went off, certain bedroom lights came on and went off. Brown had brought Black some coffee. Each of these actions and their timing was stored in my brain and I hoped I could still remember all of it by tomorrow night.

  After White came out onto the deck my thoughts went in a different direction. I didn’t know what I was going to do with him. When I told Black that I wasn’t ready for White it was a bit of an understatement. I most definitely wasn’t ready for White but more importantly; I wasn’t ready for any man. I had only had experience with a boy, never a real man. I was far out of my league.

  Mr. Brown came to relieve White after a few hours. I marked the time and continued to think of White and I as a couple and why it wouldn’t work out. It could be a real inconvenience for everyone. He had be
en pouting since the day we arrived here. If we ever had a real fight things might get very unpleasant for the entire company, not just for him and I. Besides, if he’s going to be such a big baby, maybe I didn’t want anything to do with him romantically.

  I worked myself up into thinking, at least for the moment, that he would be more trouble than he’s worth. All this time I had been working on my suit and it was coming along real well. I had been using the fishing line and hook that was located in the top of my knife and sewing on pieces of nature. My shirt had been finished some time ago and I was working on the pants. It was tremendously uncomfortable to sit and sew on my pants with them on backwards.

  Along with my thoughts of shame at being caught and confusion about White, I had also been trying to remember the terrain as well as I could. Even with this suit, I couldn’t hang out where I was, the ground was too flat and the possibility of being noticed was too high for my liking. I could go to the back of the cabin because there was less traffic out there, but my job was to observe the traffic and it would do me no good to stay concealed if I didn’t get the information I needed.

  I considered climbing a tree, however a pile of odds and ends from the forest floor up in a tree would be a bit conspicuous. If it came down to it, I would climb up as high as I could get and hopefully they just wouldn’t look up that high. However, I’d probably have better luck down on the ground, exactly where I was.

  I was scrutinizing the area when it occurred to me that I could climb a tree right now and get a better look of the area. I looked to the cabin and it looked as if Mr. Brown were napping, so I took the chance and moved as quickly as I could to a climbable tree. I got into the tree quicker than I thought I could and still managed to be nearly silent. I had moved considerably closer to the cabin and was bursting with adrenaline.