Alone in a Busy World

Chapter Ten

I wipe a tear from my eyes. The wind may be making my eyes want to water but I already miss the pack. It's mostly dark down there. I see a little fire light in the distance from the camp. It will take a while but it would be good to follow them because of directions.

I swoop down and duck inside the food tent. I take a swig of coffee and grab a few food items from the bags nearby. The coffee runs down my throat giving a pleasant burning feel. I scoot out and into another tent to have a nose around. I can hear the men calling out names in the forest. They're probably all looking for the men that I scared off the other day.

Shame that they didn't leave a guard; it means I can run around and snoop as much as I please. I'm quite conveniently near where I finished off the other day. I'll start there for snooping.

I waltz into the command tent and start casually looking through everything. I feel like I own the place the way I'm looking around. I find a small chest with a lock on. Unfortunately for them I know how to pick a lock. I find a few boringly important letters on top, nothing of interest. Underneath, however, is the real treasure.

After making a pile on the floor of the letters I look closer at the contents of the box. I find an unused iWatch and a device similar to an iPhone but smaller. The small device is unlike anything I've read about, it's undoubtedly a new invention that the company have kept to themselves. There is so much money around that I don't think they'll mind me borrowing this; I'll probably get another somewhere else. Anyway, the commander of the camp here has one of these blatantly lying around so they can't be too difficult to access.

I sit on the floor, I know I don't have much time, but I have to wait until the commander is back. To occupy my mind I think through the new memories flooding my brain from my past. This will help me for when I arrive, to track down where I need to go.

I hear a lot of crunching outside as the campers arrive back. I'm soon staring at a dumbfounded commander standing in the doorway of the tent. I tell him to sit down; this time I allow him to sit in his place of honour and authority. I apologise a little for my behaviour at our last meeting and explain my plight. I wouldn't want to share my story with him, but I have to have him on my side.

After my long explanation he sighs and I see the sympathy wash through his eyes. I gently search his mind; I don't want to invade his personal space for fear that he will take offense at my intrusion. I have a short conversation with him. He basically explains how sorry he is and that he will help me in whatever way possible.

I see in his mind that he regrets the actions of some of the campers who are harsh and don't cherish life in animals or humans. He agrees to let me keep the watch and the device; he calls it a map-pad. He briefly explains how each item works and (because of the voice activator) commands each device to answer to the command of my voice instead.

This man is kind and transfers all the information I need onto it; I presume he also gives me a lot more too. I understand from my innocent probing that he wishes that they could be dismissed, but he knows that some campers wouldn't just take it that easily. I just give him a cunning wink and request a short meeting with the rest of the campers.

I don't lie to them, I wouldn't dream of it, I just tell them the truth. I'm fairly surprised that they take it in the way that I expect them to. I inform them that I have come to dismiss them from their posts and that they will still get paid but that they are safer here because of an expected attack upon the company.