Chapter 10 - Small Town Heist
Thief-like beams of soft sunlight crept into the makeshift guest quarters. The room lacked the company that occupied it when I laid my head on my jacket turned pillowcase. It would have been a shared assumption that I would sleep in, I felt the passing breeze of anger proving the thought right. My morning routine would now require a descent down mount rushmore. Perhaps more rushed makes a stronger argument. It was safe to say that six minutes had passed to signal myself to the others that I was ready. Cameron caught my attention first, he stood with his back to me acting out some narrative in his head, facing the unimpressed courtyard brick wall.
CAMERON: We’re ready when you are Atmos, we have a bag of details we all need to memorize.
The size of the East Wing dwarfed in size to the mass of information presented inside of it. We all knew our part, preparing ourselves we descended from planning to commencement.
T H E M A I N E V E N T
Cameron kept his pace in line with mine from a distance of roughly twenty feet, we were both headed to our offices. At some point he would deviate from my trajectory and take the train to the last stop. Breaking every spy genre implication of how to be more like them, I looked back and smiled before he entered the more lucrative part of our op. I kept my hopes high for his performance, yet my muscles feared worse. I spent my last idle minutes of walking day dreaming of what comes after this oblivion of commitment. Lee has my hand in hers, the small hum of the boat’s engine soothing our hearts decision to get lost for a moment in the Deep Pines. Erased with urgency as I approached the entrance to Owl Architects. Peering down at my watch, I affirmed the time of 7:17. Alastor was to call the exact office precisely seven minutes ago. We had estimated a total of five minutes to gather the entire staff, including Sails. It would be conveyed with authority that he must be in attendance. The purpose of the meeting was to usher in the shear disappointment that NightLight was feeling towards Owl and that unless a new tone of seriousness was taken, trouble was to be had. I knew Alastor had it in him to convey a good show, allowing Sails to shake in his boots as he demanded much more than capable.
Most of the employees at the office would be oblivious to the trouble I was in. Anyone that did matter would hopefully be too busy to leave an office door opened at such an early arrival, common practice in our office. The first interaction happened in the lobby, the drafter who had recently started began walking towards me, at a speed noticeable for a walking crowd.
DRAFTER: Atmos, Sails is looking for you something fierce. When you see him, you tell him that I sent you.
ATMOS: I’m heading to see him now.
DRAFTER: Great to hear. He’s going to love me after this.
I proceeded past our secretary.
SECRETARY: Atmos! Sails is looking for you. I’m to tell you that you’re to go right to him.
ATMOS: Thanks for the heads up Nancy. I’m going to check my emails, please get Sails and let him know that I’m here.
The commonality of the situation promoting my exit, soon I would be at my desk waiting for Cameron’s signal.
I turned the corner of the bare white office wall and imagined my desk covered in cobwebs, a sash of dust and a dash of police tape. No such fate met my arrival. The digital display denoting time as a thumbnail on my screen declared eight minutes until the weather of the situation would turn stormy. Feverishly I logged on to our company chat to look for an outside of organization request, although Cameron was not an employee of Owl Architects, the corporation had access to our chat software. Blinking between black and cyan was a two minute old request from Tigerman. I was quick to provide momentary relief as I entered the chat. We agreed on no formalities, no talking, only the transmission of necessary links. Alastor proved quite helpful in the knowledge that my involvement in the Conifer Cove rehabilitation had upgraded my clearance. He had devised the plan that Cameron would have me remotely access his computer from my very own station at Owl. From there I could use my credentials to log into one of Cameron’s desktop data bases that NightLight set up for him. Clearly his and Alastor’s access would be shut off but much of this plan hindered on the assumption that I instead would be written off as a drunk, upgraded access in tact.
The routinely ask of inputting my login information lay complete in front of me. Sweat ponded around my index finger as it hovered over the enter bar. Seconds held hours as the page loaded our fate. I was in, relief greeting my arrival. The next step was for me to perform a filter search for the name Cleopatra, the masked name used for Carmine by the corporation. Alastor felt that it was the last scrap of information he had received before his cover had been blown. Six files came up as the result, shown in descending date.
It can’t be. I whispered to myself, noting that the date of the latest file was two days ago. My immediate double click was yielded with the request of a password. With the five other documents following suit. I had no choice but to break protocol and message Cameron.
need password
The newly written text sat there alone, time beginning to turn against us. I wrote again, panic proving strong within my fingertips. I had to assume that this form of digital silence meant something. The clock screamed two minutes left, forcing me to input a slew of attempts into the password field. My hands typed Carmine’s last name with a capital first letter as a tap landed on my shoulder.
UNKNOWN: Atmos, what are you trying to get away with this time?”
Sails stood behind me, puffing his chest that he seemed to have caught me in the act.
ATMOS: Sails. I’m uh glad you’re here. I need to talk to you. May we head somewhere private?
I knew not where the confidence to improve came from, but in the middle of the office felt more vulnerable for whatever was to come next.
SAILS: Nice try, you’re in big trouble you know that. The only place you’re going is to see Mr. Strathmore.
ATMOS: Sails, I need you to listen to me. I am in direct contact with Carmine. She’s not far, but if you don’t do this for her, she’ll know I was compromised, she’ll be gone forever.
SAILS: Damnit Atmos stop bluffing.
ATMOS: I swear I’m not. Come on Sails. Think of the promotion if you were the one who caught her.
SAILS: Atmos, you’re coming with me, enough of this desperation.
I felt defeat, every ounce of me had been used to convince my escape, my mind searched for one last door.
ATMOS: Sails, I’ll come with you, no fuss. But what if I’m right. All I’m asking is for you to enter your password onto my screen. It was the last thing I was supposed to do for her. What’s the harm if I’m done for anyway. Even if it is a slim chance, why not take it.
He stared at me with an intensity newly seen.
SAILS: No Atmos. I don’t believe you one bit.
ATMOS: I’m not asking you to, but weigh your options. Where is the risk?
SAILS: And what if I do, you’ll just hand her over just like that? The undead love of your life means nothing to you now?
His response hit hard, had I truly let go of the ghost trapped in my curtains?
ATMOS: She’s not mine anymore, Sails. She used to. She used to be the entire solar system to me, but she isn’t anymore. I can’t describe my revelation, but I feel like I’ve just opened my eyes for the first time in a long while.
SAILS: Jesus, I was expecting some sappy response from you. I can’t say I’ve ever heard you talk poorly of our dear Carmine.
He glanced at the computer then back at me.
ATMOS: You’re done for anyway, My Strathmore can assure. What the hell.
Sails pushed me aside and hesitantly typed in a password. The document opened and both of our eyes scanned its contents like spotlights. Seconds after I read the detail cast in gold, ‘target has been seen and is believed to be hiding in the glenn region. Search teams are being prepared to intercept. Sails resumed his role of captor and closed the digital file.
SAILS: Enough reading for now, let’s get this over with. I’ve done more than enough to help you. Be it now or any point along our timeline over the years. I’ve always been a better friend to you.
ATMOS: If you say so, Sails, thank you.
He stood behind me as we walked down the hallway and towards the stairwell. My nerves mirrored a boiling pot of water overflowing to the gas flames below. Minutes remained until a new, harsher reality came to greet me. Placing thought on my unwilling descent, Sails nudged me to continue my movement towards the stairs. He stood to my left as the access door placed us right between two sets of options to go down or up. Again his hand prodded my back, poking my anxious mindset to a level where the boiling pot had suddenly been knocked to the ground. His fingers were at the back of my left ribcage when I grabbed his arm with both hands and thrust every ounce of strength forward. An unexpected action for both of us, proving worse for him. I watched Sails body launch forward past the first step down to the floor below and proceed to be airborne for a shattering moment. His shoulder and upper back caught the fifth stair down and proceeded with him rolling for the rest of the flight until he smacked into the landing wall. He moaned but remained motionless.
What had I just acted on? Some form of instinct induced fear had me slightly scared of my actions. I would tell Sails sorry the next chance I would get, although I hoped we wouldn’t meet any time soon. Taking the break in the moment, I ran down the stairs and past an unconscious old friend. I continued down to the first floor, slowing my pace to blend into the bustling workplace. My face was sweaty but all that stood between myself and freedom was an unimpressive lobby. No familiar faces could be seen as I opened the staircase door.
And with an innocent smile on my face, I exited the building. We were to meet at dock nine, my increase in pace would get me there in roughly thirteen minutes.
It was during this uncertainty of life’s current cast that my thoughts circled the drain that was Sev. I accepted the truth that I did not want to think of him, his self created existence reminded me of the person I had been not long ago. He showed me that a large part of myself was unhappy, clinging to a reflection of pain that adorned his face. Consuming his open hands of blurry remedies to hope for a different ending. I wanted comradery with myself. Such comfort proved far easier than having to move forward. I found myself running for my life these days, an exhaustion that also brought warmth. In these moments to come, filled with climax and weight, I hoped to honor the time I lost my way but swore to never return. A dramatic shield to don my armor, growing into the hero I’ve needed all along.
I arrived at the empty dock to see my trusty companion Caorline. Not the greeting that we had planned, but upon closer investigation, a note lay:
“Change of plans, see you back at Sunshine Dreamers”
The handwriting was clearly Lee’s. I took one last look at the city skyline, short and polite, it held a haunting beauty laying dormant. The view disappeared with each row as the news of the other members' day would soon be upon me. They would be pleased that I had made it out alive and with a hunch of where our lovely Carmine was hiding. I looked forward, admiring the collection of evergreen trees pointing towards the sky. Their best efforts to swallow the slight rotating light that illuminated the distance from NightLight’s light house.