Clock Breakers

Rule 2: You're Not You Beyond HQ

    "Press the third button from the left," Jaysk said, sounding closer in my ear. "That's private channel press-and-hold, it's how we talk without being heard by the crowd." I pressed down the button.

    "Why didn't they care to explain that?"

    "Forgetful idiots. For now we can chat just by buttons, but once they get past the first metal detector, the signal gets fuzzy so we'll have to actually use callsigns."

    "There jammers in there?"

    "Not supposed to be. First floor is lower high-end, second is high high-end. Closer to the door, the more in-and-out the operators."

    "So they're looking towards the back of the building for this guy."

    "Scientific smuggler with a schedule, bingo. He'll be in the back, but to keep a low profile he'll be on the ground."

    "Why would he want a low profile? Everyone knows who he is, and I'm decently confident Nash and Cooper are not the only businessmen who want to chat about his recent successes."

    "Because you still have to look for him. And, if he's on the ground and someone chooses to drop a bomb on the place or break into the first floor from an adjacent building, he can slip out."

    "Penguin type?"

    "Not in the least. Younger, trust-fund baby. Average looking and able to blend into a crowd, or at least he would be if he could keep his wallet and his mouth shut. He's the most obvious invisible man I've ever seen."

    "Well, both sides have their perks," I mumbled. "I don't have eyes."

    "That's normal," Jaysk said, as I watched the static screens die to black. "The outer door has a frequency to disable cameras. We can get around it, but it's easier to let them die."

    "Why bother having them if we're just going to lose them?"

    "By the characters Cooper and Nash are playing, it would be more suspicious to be cam-less."

    "I thought they were playing businessmen."

    "You read the mission wrong then, over." The channel was starting to pick up static.

    "What are they playing, then, over?"

    "Club runners. They're on their typical shift, which just so happens to coincide with Smuggler's use of the scene, over."

    "How did that happen, over?"

    "They picked from a character they each have at every shift. This is one of our stations, Freeze, take it easy. He's in our territory without even knowing, out."

    "Alright, boys," Cooper said quietly into the radio, "thank you for listening in to Air Cooper, we'll be gaining a bit of static, but so far should be no jams, over."

    "Read you Cooper. Where's Nash, over?"

    "This is Nash, reading loud and clear, switch back to private and let us do our thing, over."

    "Roger, switching back, out."

    "Signal's getting fuzzy, but trackers are currently reading second depth section of first floor," Jaysk said. "Both are splitting towards opposite bars to start the shift, should be smooth from here, over."

    "Why don't I get tracker screens, over?"

    "Because you don't deserve them. Out." I sighed and leaned back. He was less of an asshole, but not by much. I looked out the window at the neon sign. I could see the high-ends through the glass roof, sipping champagne and taking far too long to make any deals. They shared smoke as they laughed, and I suddenly felt my gut shift.