Love In The Time Of Pandemic

Chapter 11

Oh, if only I could have recorded Judy's reaction to my wink. It was absolute perfection. I wanted to laugh out loud at it, but of course, I was playing the role of the big, bad military commander right now. I put my hand on my face, as if I was extremely perturbed, and walked away from her.

It wasn't that I didn't trust her. And it wasn't that she didn't trust me. But we all had to assume that every inch of this camp was bugged somehow, and there were spies everywhere. It was a dangerous position to be in, and if we all wanted to support Gordon in his deception, then we had to play along with him, as best as we could.

I didn't know where to go. I had to stay away from the office for now, as we would all be pretending as if we didn't support Gordon. I couldn't be going in there, to check up on maps of the Capitol or strategize upon our future plans, if I hated Gordon, now could I?

I decided to make my way to the chef's tent. That's where all the juicy gossip was to be had, and as a military commander, it's more about keeping an eye on the pulse of the crowd, rather than giving out useless commands.

For some reason, everyone imagined that I always had brilliant ideas to share with them, because I was able to guide them to do their best in every battle. But my thing really was information. I was always the best-informed person in any scenario. I never let information be one of my weaknesses. It was always one of my foremost strengths. And right now, I would need it to be one of my strengths even more.

The tent where all of the cooking happened, in and out of it, was bustling with activity. Not only was the mealtime over, and cleanup taking place, but the buzz of what had happened at lunch was taking over their imagination and conversation. I had come at the right time, I thought to myself, gleefully. I loved this part of the recon mission - when I walked into their midst and gained information through stealth and a slight bit of questioning.

As soon as I lifted up the folds of the door, and waltzed in, I was inundated by a hundred questions.

"Has Gordon lost his mind?"

"Why would he consort with the devil like that?"

"Does he have a fever or is he sick?"

"Did our Gordon get replaced by some robot who is making Gordon do his every bidding?"

All solid questions, I thought to myself. They would make good soldiers, if they ever chose that pathway.

I touched my face as if I were unsure how much information to share with them. It was private, my body language said. I don't know how much I can really share with you, my facial expression conveyed.

But they were persistent. Eventually, I gave in, seeming reluctant.

I waved for attention. They all silenced themselves, shushing excessively. "Alright, I know you all have heard of the news. The terrible news. It is dire news indeed. Gordon has decided, in opposition to our wishes I must add, to partner with Genevieve and attack the Capitol." The news was too much for some to bear. They had to be escorted to seats, and waved at, with fans, and metal plates. I commiserated with them, and said, "Maybe this news is too much for all of you to take in at once. I shall come back and..." My words were drowned in a cacophony of 'no' and 'tell us more.'

I grinned inwardly. This was fun.

"Well, there's nothing more to tell, except all of his executive team member, especially Judy, has protested vehemently against his decision, and Judy was ordered to be placed in the gallows." That news especially inflamed all of them. It's true all of them didn't like Judy much. She was actually quite intimidating at times. But they liked Genevieve even less. All of them had stories of family members or distant relatives who had died, due to some decision Genevieve had made. She treated people like they were dispensable, and everyone recognized this quality in her.