24 Hours

I’m on duty again tonight. I was going to take a break, but after I went outside, just after 1am, I look over to the other parking lot where my car is only to see two military police vehicles parked behind it with their lights shining on it. I walk over to see what’s up and I get the whole flashlight-in-the-face, cautious-approach-with hands-on-pistols, ready-to-draw business.

“Can I help you?”

They want to know who I am, and if I have my ID card. I take it out and hand it to the nearest soldier. I did notice they got twitchy as I bent down to my bootleg pocket on my flight suit, so I moved r-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-w. Once I got my identity establised (kinda, they call it in to be verified by their dispatch) they almost relax and want to know why I didn’t hear them knocking on doors and windows trying to get my attention. At the same time, I want to know why they didn’t see my very nicely, handwritten note taped to the main entrance to the hangar, explaining that if anybody desires entry they need to call one of two specific numbers in order to get a hold of me, since my office is on the second floor. I give them their explanation but get blank looks in answer to my questions (it’s okay, I post here on Xn. I’m used to it )

Anyways, it seems the problem is that a secure room used to store weapons systems for the aircraft was left “unsecured” since about closing time this afternoon. I check my watch, it’s about 1:10am and the thought runs through my head, ‘And you’re getting around to checking it now?’ Discretion being the better part of valor, because they have guns, I leave it unsaid and offer to take them into the building so they can see that I’m not lying and trying to steal any government equipment.

They’re nice kids. Just doing their job, even if they’re a little excitable. I open the other set of doors so that they can get back and forth to their squad cars easier, and so I can show them my note, right where I said it was with the information I said it had. Then I take the ring leader…err, I mean the shift supervisor into the hangar to show them the place where the evil, unsecured Arms Room is. As we walk back to wait for the real man of the hour, the Sergeant with the passkey to make the alarm annunciator shut up back at military police headquarters, the soldier I’m with mentions that they’re glad I walked out of the building, since they were just getting ready to send the K9 (dog) in.

I tell him how grateful I am, too. Especially since I hadn’t brought a spare uniform to change into after I’d have soiled the one I was wearing had that dog surprised me in my office. He thinks that was a funny thought, and I’m thinking that those military police are telepathic somehow because the other soldiers in the hallway were laughing about the same exact thing as we round the corner.

Finally, the Sergeant arrives and resets the alarm. I find out that I’m free to go. I get this impression that a couple of them want to say, “but we’re keeping an eye on you, Mister!” You know, big bad cop talk. But I’ve been a nice guy and I outrank them and even though they appreciate the break from the monotony of the night, this little adventure is more than their nerves can handle.

Yeah, mine too. Especially every time I think about that dog…