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THE
SECOND
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CHAPTER
FOUR
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THE
TIT FOR
TAT
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[[ MAX. ]]
The last of my cigarette burnt, as I winced slightly, flicking it outside the window by my side. Vera sat across me on the floor, legs crossed as she leaned back onto the mattress.
"So are you sure this'll work?" She muttered, her foot nudging my ankle for my attention as I glanced over at her in a cigarette haze.
"Well, you see, I incorporated this HTML coding, that resembles this protective layer that keeps all our devices either on an anonymous number that's been idled, or just blocked completely to an unknown ID, and that should keep us cloaked for texts, for phone calls, all of it. That HTML coding's been uploaded and tethered to everyone's phones and stuff, including the tracking system itself, tethered by this alternate HTML that's just slightly different." I explained to her, motioning my hands as I leaned back my head onto the wall.
"I think that means we're hidden. Off the map, correct?" Vera mused, tucking a strand of her black hair behind her ear.
"It should stay this time around." I exhaled. "I'm certain it should."
"You did it. You totally fucking mimicked the cloaking code to cloak the concealment coding itself." She said, chuckling as she smirked at me. "You've talked about it before, in the library, frazzled. So frazzled."
"Harry wasn't the only one who anticipated it then, that inevitable loophole we'd all get caught up in. You remembered?"
"Of course I did, Maxwell." She sighed.
"Well, like, we were just friends then." I chuckled, reaching my hand over to hers as she intertwined our fingers. I pulled her closer as she scooted over to nuzzle into my chest. "You know, I honestly felt like you never really paid that kind of attention to me that way." I'm pulled into thought.
"Well have you ever thought you'd just be looking away when I'd be gazing at you?"
I tilted her chin towards me, kissing her tenderly, and in that moment it felt like time stopped. That all these tracking systems paused, cops on the chase, on dirty streets of Brooklyn froze in place, and the soft conversations from the room beside us faded out into white noise.
We're both interrupted by pounds on the open door, Ace pointing at both of us as he cocked his head towards the living room. "We're going to need the both of you in the room for this too. Now can we save the sappy smooches for fucking later?"
"Do I want to know what that means? No. Am I going to take my girl's hand and walk into that fucking living room? Yes. So this better be good."
"It's going to take every single one of us for this. Harry agrees too."
Vera sighed, glaring at Ace as her fingers traced down my neck and lingers onto my chest. She looked back at me, my eyes trailing on her pursed lips.
"Come on." She finally said, taking my hand as she lead me into the living room with the others.
I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, both of us plopping onto the couch adjacent from Carmen, Harry and Dixie.
"Clementine! Hey, Turner!" Ace hollered into a small corridor that lead to another bedroom.
"How's it take this girl this fucking long to find a cord?" Carmen spoke in a hushed tone.
"I'll take my sweet ass time, sweetheart. Best believe." Clementine glowered.
I glanced over at Vera silently, both of communicating knowledge shared. There had to be something going on between them.
[[ DIXIE. ]]
According to Ace and Carmen, troubled waters awaited. As for Harry, he had been on his toes since Starlight Security came to light again with a pleading danger.
"Hey, Dix? Let me just say something alright." Max voiced, exhaling as he motioned a hand.
"If you're going to say what I think you're going to say, please don't. Look, it was no one's fault."
"I could've done something." He said. "Seriously."
"It was the matter of seconds. None of us knew. It isn't your fault."
"I'm still sorry. I hope you know we all felt something missing sailing off on that boat that night, and it was you."
"Yeah, Dixie. Look I'm sorry too, alright. But under pressure like that, with the fucking bullets, the fucking cops, Jesus Christ. I said a lot of things I didn't mean." Ace said, as Clementine glanced over at me. "I hope you know I wanted to save you that night, just as much as the others did."
"Same. Same. Look it fucking haunted me for weeks alright? Waking up in cold sweats, in terror, remembering what happened to you that night." Carmen confessed, bouncing her knee anxiously.
"What am I missing here?" Clem asked, looking over at each and every one of us briefly as she had connected her HDMI cord to the television hung on the tv and into his blue laptop.
"Dixie couldn't get onto the boat with us by getaway night. She was gunned down by one of those cops, and when we find out who, it's not going to be fucking pretty." Vera, with a stare as cold as ice spoke, leaning back in her seat.
"Who cares about who fucking shot her. Every single one of them, they're the same. Like roaches on the fucking crevices of the ceramic walls." Ace said.
"It's on." Clementine motioned at the tv. "That sounds absolutely fucking brutal. I'm whipping up some guava juice sake for anyone who wants some, feel free to grab a cup." She floated into the kitchen slightly skipping, residually drunken.
"This girl's a fucking alcoholic I swear." Carmen uttered again, and pretty soon, before any of us could fathom, Clementine hurdled over the couch, shrilling as she pulled at the root of Carmen's hair, taking her down to the carpet floor.
"I've just about fucking had it with you and your big mouth!" She yelled, gripping the girl by her shirt and slamming her to the carpet.
"Psycho!" Carmen had smacked her in the face, both of them rolling over as they began to throw hands silly.
"Shit." I cursed, looking around the room at everyone who stared in shock at the showdown that happened within the blink of an eye.
"Hey! Hey the both of you! Break it the fuck up. Are you fucking serious?!" Ace yelled, as both him and Max had went over to carry the feisty girls off each other. "Not my fucking laptop. Hey!" He warned as Clementine kicked angrily without looking once.
"I cannot stand this bitch." Carmen spoke through gritted teeth as she blew a strand of hair away from her eye line. She glared coldly at her as Max had carried her over his shoulder, Clementine being dragged by the top with Ace's grip.
"Come at me then bitch!" Clementine snickered, a mixture of a wail and a shout leaving her lips as she held her arms out boastfully.
"Hey, look. Look, I'll fucking down this sake my fucking self. Will that shut you both up? Because we have important things to fucking attend to!" Vera yelled, storming into the kitchen as she had swung the japanese designed ceramic bottle of sake to her lips, downing it.
Carmen and Clementine finally went silent, all of us now watching as Vera took big gulps from the bottle as she rose a fist highly as she swayed slightly. She stumbled back, slamming the bottle down.
"Well, save me some." Clementine said, and without another glance back at Carmen, she went to the kitchen with Vera. I walked over to her, taking her hand as I helped heave her up.
"I can't believe she fucking body slammed me." She spoke lowly, shaking her head as she ran her fingers through her hair. She began to recollect herself, taking a deep breath as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"Vera, now's not the time." Harry sighed. "Ladies, can we just settle down please." He flatly said, glancing at Carmen. He floated over to the dining area, holding his hands up forewarningly.
Everyone had bustled around the room, except for me. My curiosity emitted from within, one that couldn't be silenced.
"So what is it? What's going on?" I asked, setting a hand on my hip as I slightly got to my tippy toes to see what Ace had pulled up on Youtube.
"Apparently, Starlight Security's gone viral in the matter of twenty four hours since their commercial went up on their official account." The boy with dark hair pushed back replied in a tone of whim.
In confounded dismay, the crease between my eyebrows began to ache from holding such a scrunched face for quite a moment. "Since when did they gain that publicity exactly? Fuck. Everyone needs to stop the fucking peanut gallery commentary right now. Harry?" I called, as he had glanced over at me, holding the bottle of sake over his head so Clementine couldn't reach it.
"Right. Couch, everyone now." Harry agreed, raising his voice over the sound of multiple conversations happening simultaneously.
Everyone then piled into the living room, Vera giggling as she had been heaved by Max over his shoulder onto the cushion. She playfully kicked her feet, groaning as she then looked over at me. "Back to work? Already? Come on Dixie." She joked.
She shrugged, plopping back onto the couch as Harry sat in her lap jokingly.
"This. This is no laughing matter. Shield your eyes if you must, but we've got big fish here. Big fucking fish." Ace said as I nodded once, wrapping my arms around Harry's waist.
"Hit the lights." Carmen motioned.
"Got it." Max chimed in, flipping the lights off before he jumped over the couch to sit down with us.
Soon, a video of a commercial was pulled up, Ace exhaling. "This came on. On our fucking flight."
Harry then rolled off my lap, sitting beside me as he leaned forward on his knees in full focus. He furrowed his eyebrows, my gaze wandering from his eyes to the slight pout on his lips.
As the commercial came to a close, Harry cursed, getting up to his feet as he began to pace the room. "Location? Or locations?"
"Umm." Ace had scrolled on his laptop.
"Hold on. Hold on, they've got a news segment on their building at the corner." Vera pointed, frowning.
"Spooky fucking shit." Carmen said unapologetically.
"Yeah." I breathed out, trying to collect what I had just watched. The room was filled with this silent tension that brimmed gradually, though there had been no telling to what could amount.
"What is everyone thinking right now? Motive. What is the motive?" Harry asked, glancing at everyone briefly around the room.
"The motive stands as it is. We hijack a Starlight van, get to the bottom of it, get the dirt on this confidential shit and expose them." Vera said. "My baby can. I know he can."
"As it was in the bank, it is out there. Unfortunately, fortunately." Carmen cocked her head, crossing her legs. "It's certain that it runs as effective or not at all."
"Just as long as the ends on this code are locked, all of them, even underneath Starlight software algorithm then it will. We just need to figure out how the hell we can get in and out, most importantly how you guys can get me in there without being seen. As for surveillance it's assured, but if they've got employees running amock then it'll be the challenge." Max reassured, though his eyebrows were furrowed in deep contemplation.
"Well things change. We can't just sit still hoping that we'll dodge the bullets." Harry exhaled. "I know that was initially the plan heading into the bank, and it had worked. It worked until Dixie got caught aflame. Therefore, things have to change. We have to get in there assertively, secretly; or not at all."
"Well according to their website here, if you all see... They've got a date on a launch party at their new building site. Tomorrow night at 9."
"They've got to have ID's, those shiny laminated cards that dangle on the elastic string, right?"
"We can't know for sure."
"If they've got agents—"
"Clementine shut up about it already." Vera, in utter annoyance had rolled her eyes sassily. "You're lucky you're not fucking involved in this shit. You're fucking lucky." She said, glancing over her shoulder at the girl who leaned on the wall, sipping the sake.
"I'm aware." She smiled just as sassily. "But if I get even remotely involved, it's over for me. It's fucking over."
"It'll be fucking over for us all. Don't you think?" Carmen said sarcastically, somewhat condescendingly at the aloof girl.
"As far as coke goes, you'd probably have a shorter sentence." Ace shrugged.
"I'm not going to talk about this." Vera pointed, intervening as she rose her voice. " If Clementine accepts she's just as much involved as us at this point, we quit wasting fucking time and get into the objectives." Vera said.
"Roof access? Possibly. Knock a few of they're employees out and we've got something to wear." I glanced at Harry.
"Clementine? As promised, you stay here at home and keep it warm for us if we need somewhere to go, and I'll cover all the expenses and delivery duties for your flower shop. Abide or you drown."
"Got it. Deal." She reluctantly said, quite quickly for a drunkard.
"Alright, those who head in, say I for me, last person who says I on my count is the one who sticks around to help Clementine with things around the shop." Harry announced. "Three, two, one."
A chorus of I's circled the room and a "Wait what?" from Carmen had sounded.
"Carmen." Harry calmly said.
"No." She replied to Harry in protest. "I thought there was a fucking zero coming! I'm not staying here. Re-do. I want a re-do."
"Fair and square." Harry replied, shaking his head. "You're staying. And besides, from what Ace told us earlier it seems like you need to sit this one out on the bench for a little while to recharge."
"Are you implying I'm going to be irrational?"
"The last thing we need is for you to cause a scene because you can't hold your tongue." Ace shrugged. "Nothing personal, Carmen; but you know it's true."
"Oh I'll keep the roof warm too honey, no worries." Clementine smirked, huffing as she swayed back into the kitchen.
"Whatever." Carmen uttered. "Fine. But if this girl fucking wants me sleeping on the roof, oh you best know my tongue will do whatever the fuck it may please."
"Settled." Harry simply said. "Be nice." He quickly added, leaning over to tell her.
"No promises." She exhaled. "You sure you don't want to swap with me Dix?" She quickly added.
"I've got to be there for him." I shook my head. "With Harry. Sorry. Good luck with flower duty."
"Flower power." Vera chided, scrunching her nose as she giggled softly.
"No comment." She curtly said. "Anyway, just as long as we have the phones concealed, I'm reachable. So let me listen in on this plan you guys've got."
Max cursed, tripping over colorful wires on his way back in from the bedroom, plopping onto the couch. "Roof access. Focusing on roof access, we're going to have to pinpoint the location. Ace?"
"On it, bud."
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