Moonlight Mission

I dream that I'm on a mission with a team of anonymous others…
The dreamer and the other team members wear tan fatigues, combat boots, balaclavas and respirator masks. The team assembles outside at night in a rural, grassy field.

The team members communicate silently in the moonlight — hand signals are used to indicate plans and movements. Several people point up with one finger then make a circular gesture and the team forms a circle. A large, glow-in-the-dark print of building schematics is unrolled in the center of the circle. Tools are distributed including flashlights, tactical gear, explosives, and other items. The team members crouch down with flashlights to review the schematics. More hand gestures are exchanged between people, clarifying different aspects of the plan. Team members assist one another, double checking and adjusting gear.

When we are finished with preparations and ready to move, each team member raises a hand, bent at the elbow, with one finger pointing up, signaling readiness. When each person signals readiness, we point in the direction we intend to move. Several members of the team point down with their hands in a circular gesture, indicating that they will remain in the grassy field and lie on their bellies with long scope rifles to watch from afar. The dreamer and the other team members point toward a destination in the distance. We stealthily walk in a single-file line through the grass until a building is within view. As we approach the building, artificial light replaces moonlight and feint whirring sounds replace the natural nighttime sounds. The dreamer and several others hold up a fist, indicating a pause.

We crouch down to watch as two people move ahead and silently cover a light shining toward a door with an opaque covering. The dreamer and the remainder of the team gesture toward the building with one finger pointing in the direction of a door. Two people crouch near the door and unlock it using a small electronic device. When the door is unlocked, the people near the door signal with two fingers up then point forward. Two people enter through the door ahead of the dreamer and clear the areas to the left and right inside of the door. The dreamer enters the building with another team member after seeing the signal — two fingers pointing ahead.

Inside the facility, the dreamer and the other team members check the areas. The whirring sound is loud inside the building. We find no people or organic life. There are dozens of rows of large data storage infrastructure. The team members move in pairs of two, assembling explosive devices and placing them strategically near the equipment.

When the team has placed the explosive devices around the building, we leave through the door where we entered. Small, hand-held devices are used to start a timer for the explosives. We walk back to the waiting team members where we gather and watch as the building explodes.

Later, the team is assembled indoors, wearing the same fatigues, balaclavas and masks. We sit in chairs facing a projector screen and receive a report indicating the remote human deaths that have resulted from the destruction at the data storage infrastructure. This news is received as if expected with no discernible reactions from the team members.

~ Anonymous