It's not something I tell too many people, but I'm a bit of a hoarder. I collect things that strike me as odd, peculiar, or just interesting. Usually that means shiny things like metals, glass, and kitchen gadgets, but occasionally, my eye catches other things, like printed material. It started with brochures and flyers, but has grown to include single pages or even paragraphs printed from web sites and emails.
I've been interested in what I call "social-lateral" information for a long time. You know, things you're not normally supposed to see or see only if someone wants you to see them. Pop-up messages, warnings, disclaimers, you know, that kind of stuff. And, of course, plans, schematics, and details of secret or government stuff. Although I've never done anything about it beyond just other collecting, it has been important to me to be able to do something with it all once I've collected it.
My latest find was a business card. It was given to me while I was on an elevator, and I didn't even notice it. It was clutched in the hand of a man I had never seen before. I'm not sure he saw me, either. He got on at some floor below where I worked, and I didn't notice until he got off during the next stop. I recognized the outfit from my floor and thought I might have seen him deliver something before. His strange behavior drew my curiosity, and I dug into my pocket and discovered the card.
To my surprise, it was an invitation to an underground gathering. The card just had the address and the cryptic inscription "Rainword."
The whole thing seemed odd. For one thing, the gathering was secret, and was to be held on a Friday at 19:00. That seemed odd, too, since most people I know don't even have cell phones or credit cards on the weekend.
But there was something else that piqued my interest. The card was fully printed, not just punched out into a pre-existing document. So either the printing was new, or someone was trying to keep it a secret. I thought about it for a few days, and then signed up for the meetup on the website.
Elaine was my contact. I had met her briefly during a trip to Washington at a Congress protest, but we hadn't spoken since then. That was the last time I'd been near Washington. I was invited to attend a Washington Mardi Gras by another member of our group. Elaine made sure that we got passes to get in and parked.
"We're going to need pliers. No, scissors. No, Swiss Army knife. Here's a slotted metal tool of some kind. It looks like one of those old style nail cutters. Look, it has a blade and a metal rod with a thumb-operated lever. I don't think it's any use for sharp objects. Here's a phone stand, but poorly designed. It's too easily unbalanced. It will be more useful for a flashlight."
"Ellie, I have pliers. You have scissors. We need to work on our presentation and timing to be sure we get to the point. We leave in two minutes."
"We don't have two minutes."
"Gad, that sounds like the kind of thing I'd be rambling on about, letting you wait."
"Then you're right. We don't have two minutes, Boss."
"I'm not anyone's boss, and you know it. Just wait and see what it is. I'll wire the thing together for you. Just get ready."
"Alright, Boss. This may be a lot easier with my hands free. My restraints aren't helping. Here's the bag."
"Yes, and I am not your boss, either. It's true that I do get to air a lot of my technical information that you and Leo don't know much about, but remember that we're on the same team. We need to be aware of what's going on all over that team. We don't all need to know everything, but we do all need to know some things. You've done great so far, and I appreciate your input. We should get going."
"I agree with that, evidently."
When we finished unloading, I walked Elaine the short distance to the meeting point.
"Huh, you make the meeting point look old. Of course, I knew it was an old Italian church. Not the Rome, or even the large southern Italian churches."
"Leo? I've been looking forward to this, and I don't want to get my hopes up. They don't allow live phones here."
"Nonsense. Almost every meeting point has one at this time of year. We're not only meeting a sewing circle, but several government agents. We have to exchange cards. If the organizers feel we're following their one simple rule, they'll give us easier access next time."
She laughed, and I sighed.
"I guess you're right. I just realized in hindsight that it was a bad idea to let you do the meeting; you've been in action all summer. I guess Leo has been holding down the fort. You two have been busy."
"We are busy. The war has been raging for over five years, and we have been working."
"But you're not home, and I understand your longing for a hot bath or a nice plate of food. Not to mention your wife and children. But that's enough. Let's go meet the others."
"Oh, so you're entering your own personal things?"
"I can be. Although I have to admit, when I first went through the doors, I was a little surprised at what they had the right to take. I signed the log myself on the way in."
"But you didn't read it? They could have forbidden anything. Why would you do it?"
"Leo has a long history of trying to do my work for me. Going in without reading wasn't going to happen. I knew better than to try it."
"I guess I tried to get you to work. I respect you, Boss, I really do, and I respect Leo too. I think even Leo respects that."
"Us? You mean use the word respect. I think we're all somewhere closer to the family, but I'd be happy if we could move closer."
We were early, and we took a seat in one of the pews. A few minutes later, people started to pile into the place. It was a large church, and they were expecting us. I recognized a few faces and could tell they had to be government people. They were careful not to let their presence be known, but I knew they were there.
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