A timid, self-doubting trainee responsible for guarding a critical Armory becomes the unlikely protagonist amid a farcical, high-stakes sabotage. Struggling with his own inadequacies, he is ridiculed by his superior during routine training exercises, his nervous responses to hypothetical bomb scenarios exposing his lack of confidence. Yet when enemy saboteurs attempt to infiltrate the Armory during a nationwide practice blackout, the stage is set for an unexpected transformation. In the darkness of the Armory—a facility laden with volatile munitions and explosive supplies that, if mishandled, could devastate nearby vital institutions—the trainee encounters a mysterious, silent intruder carrying a bag of an unusual, potent powder. This substance, later revealed to be an anaesthetic dust capable of inducing deep sleep, represents a novel and dangerous weapon devised by enemy agents. As the intruder silently overcomes the unsuspecting guards with his lethal powder, the trainee’s internal battle intensifies with his oscillation between cowardice and daydreamed heroism. The intruder, who introduces himself with grandiose, contradictory names and claims divine or mythic origins, is a saboteur connected to a clandestine organization that manipulates the realm of dreams. As he taunts and cajoles, his presence exposes the vulnerability of the Armory and the incompetence of those who guard it. At the same time, a group of organized Nazi saboteurs makes their entrance, intent on triggering a catastrophic explosion that would eradicate the Armory and its strategic assets. Their methodical, fanatical approach contrasts sharply with the surreal antics of the lone saboteur and the internal world of the trainee. Spurred by desperation and a sudden surge of self-confidence—a heroic alter ego emerging from years of suppressed ambition—the trainee seizes control of the situation. Clad with an added sense of authority and outfitted with symbolic accessories that bolster his self-image (including special glasses and a hastily donned gas mask), he challenges the enemy. In a frenetic, banterless confrontation, he overpowers the Nazi agents in a display of misplaced yet genuine valor, inadvertently releasing the anaesthetic sands into the environment. This chaotic act, equal parts comic and tragic, propels him into a physical collapse even as his inner transformation reaches a critical climax. The narrative oscillates between the surreal inner world of dreams and the absurdity of military life during a crisis. The trainee’s personal metamorphosis—from a meek, forgotten cog in a vast bureaucratic machine to a figure whose impulsive, courageous action averts impending disaster—serves as both a satire of wartime incompetence and a parable about the unpredictable emergence of heroism. His brief bout with the weaponized dream-dust, which incapacitates him as it once affected his foes, underscores the irony of his situation: the very tool intended for sabotage becomes the instrument of his own downfall. In the aftermath, as order is tenuously restored and the immediate threat diminishes, the trainee is unexpectedly lauded by his superiors. His daring, though reckless, prevents a calamity and earns him commendations, even as the chaos of the night leaves lingering questions about the nature of valor and the thin line between dream and reality. The work ultimately portrays a world where flawed individuals, caught in the absurd machinery of war and sabotage, may rise to perform heroic deeds despite—or perhaps because of—their inherent weaknesses.
By Nelson S. Bond · First published 1951 · Genre: Fantasy, War Fiction, Satire