As I Collide, I See I Am a Paradox // White Collar

TWENTY-SIX

I'm a criminal
Of the heart

I took advantage
From the start

I cast my spell
I had you caught

I left you stranded
In thought

~

Day Four
Tuesday, March 29, 2005

"Well, it's not the least accessible system I've seen, but it's close." Said the voice of Mozzie.

Kira called him the day before for his help and he hopped on a plane with no questions asked. He sat in Neal and Jayson's hotel room and on Neal's bed. He looked at Kira, "I don't suppose there's a closed-circuit I can tap into?"

"No."

"Then, it's definitely a black bag job." Mozzie glances at Neal when he walks past him, "They employ an in-house technician?"

"Two." Neal answers, "And one of them is lonely."

Neal managed to acquire the technician's I.D. badge from a stripper he paid off, which would come in useful for Mozzie later on. "So," Kira said briskly, putting her empty plate down, "We're on for tomorrow night. Okay, Moz?" She smiled. "Neal already got you an ID that will work, I just have to acquire a uniform. It'll be your show."

"Right-Right...I can take a portable transmitter and loop it into the main block of cables. If I can pick up the feed from the relays and send it in through a signal filter that can wipe out the noise and clean up any moiré, it'll boost the images and...it'll be perfect." Eyes alight, he looked up at Kira and his smile was wide then he buried his nose in a box of gadgets at his feet. "No-No...maybe..."

Neal caught her eye.

Lifting a technician's uniform in Mozzie's size from housekeeping the next morning was simple and she even managed to get a clean and pressed version, pre-empting Mozzie's first question about how hygienic this part of the operation was going to be.

She ordered the balloons in person from a party store and arranged to collect them later. "Different colors," Kira specified, "and lots of them."

"Ooh, who's the lucky man?" The shop assistant trilled and Kira was badly tempted to tell her he was named Jonathan, but she just dimpled back at her.

"Fiancé. It's his birthday."

"He's going to love you."

"Let's hope." She said brightly. Something caught her eye and she smiled to herself. Some things you just had to do.

Kira handed the party store goods over to Matthew and made sure he knew exactly which slot machine to be in line with when the balloons went up. She opened the door to Mozzie's room in time to hear Neal busy with reassurance.

"You'll be fine."

Kira clipped the ID to him, then watched him walk out the door. Neal and Kira watched him go, then Neal poured two drinks, handed her one, and they sat wordlessly on the couch. They stared at the blank screens in front of them for a while sipping their drinks, neither of them wanting to voice their joint thought that this job could be over before it began. It was all counting on Mozzie.