Page 8 of Seamus: Unconventional
“We always get objective. I’m just the messenger and a net if you need me.” He’s clearly not happy about it so I don’t ask him more.
I throw the objective through the chip to Light and smile as he hits his new watch on. He’ll keep Prometheus in the loop.
Mase shakes his head and turns toward the engineer asking about a plane or jet. I tune him out and read the information Light has from IT. My eyes are on the door but I’m seeing a board scrolling in my head. I stop it at schematics and tag a door in the back, then send ‘gas’, and ‘evacuate all but owner’ getting two chuffs back. I’m surprised but not really, I guess. Light has always been good with the chip so the watch must be a breeze. That reminds me. “The girls done?”
Light sends me training stats so I scroll to Izzy and Fairy, then nod. “They’re back this week?”
Two shows with an X on two calendar days. “That’s good. We shouldn’t need to pull from elite K-9s if they’re ready.”
I get a thumbs up and smiling face back. “You do keep me smiling, Light.”
He bumps my arm with his nose then gives my coat a long lick up the arm. “Bloody beast.” I push is head away giving it a cranial scratch watching that smile show on his furry face.
Mase laughs drawing my attention. “He’s more playful than Shadow.”
I like the smiling Mase better but shake my head. “No. Shadow has been going easy on me, but he’s our jester. Light is big Brother always laughing at us.”
He huffs, but they call it chuff here and hits his watch, putting up ‘shameless, cheeky, unruly children’ making me laugh with my fist out for a bump. He’s right, we’re barely adolescents when we’re not working andhuffwould correctly point out his haughty step above our shamelessness. Mase laughs when Prometheus chuffs.
I shrug. “It’s true. White Light here is our conscience, voice of reason and stickler for fair. He’s got too much funny in him for it to make him a stick in the mud.”
This happy Mase is more like it. I smile when he laughs and nod once when he throws me chin. He’s over whatever. We chat about the K-9s until I feel us lowering.
“Say my name if you need me to step in,” Mase says standing by the door.
My partners are alert and ready. “Will do, Boss. Attention, locate, infiltrate, stealth. Only the owner in. I got the kitchen, vent and two charges.”
Light chuffs sending a similar plan we carried out overseas to Prometheus. It’s a good plan so I look for the red patch vaguely indicating a sniffer K-9 in one of his pouches. “Prometheus will be more effective.”
Light pushes my hand with his nose. He agrees so I stick the patch on Prometheus’ shoulder plate getting a chuff from him. Light shows him a moving plan that leaves room for him to assess and react to real time. He’s so good about not locking our partners into a set plan that may cause them to falter over time or civilian responses. A gunner holds powder and I point to the door so we’re all not tinted grimy. For Light, it stops the glowing white coat from getting noticed. For me, it would just look like newly homeless that was ripped off and thrown out of the security company that issued the good uniforms and boots.
We hop down and move away from each other, the chopper and the park that starts at the next block. Really, I move fast before I’m hit with black powder from the blades spinning. Within ten I throw tracking up and see my partners already close to the bar. Light is in the back and Prometheus follows from the opposite direction. They’re good at this. A good minute goes by before I see anything show on Light’s feed so I know he’s got gas already building from below.
At the corner of the building, I grab plastic from the dumpster and climb up, amazed that I can and my body remembers how to work without me thinking about every movement. Setting the first charge above the pipes and utility wires entering the building takes seconds. My plastic goes in the vent on the roof. It’s not a perfect seal but I need it that way. The force of the blast will dislodge it, but it will serve as a cork for now.
I’m impressed with the recon intel, the schematics are perfect. We didn’t always get current or correct information. Hell, sometimes we didn’t get anything but pictures, an address and one word like ‘black or fire’ which means wipe out the enemy completely or leave no trace.
Light puts a counter up. I see Prometheus’ feed and slide in the back with my Robogrips at the ready. I’m glad the chopper is stocked for everything but today we just needed the pliers and my multi-tooled pocket knife. With gas flowing and electric exposed, I send Light a thumbs up getting a low chuff. The counter starts moving faster showing we have just over eight minutes. Getting to the basement, that’s pitch black, I set the charge, then slide out of the bar’s back door only to walk around so I can enter through the front.
Prometheus is in stealth in the bar, meaning he’s like a ghost, but I see his feed and know few patrons are in. One is in the bathroom and all are male. Three men at the front are dressed casually in different grades of quality but all look tired and determined. The thing with tired, liquor and determined is the who, what and why tends to become confused and convoluted. The smallest man nods to me and helpfully opens the door. “I’ll be right in.”
I nod but don’t answer. The accents here aren’t easy. They have every region and too many dialects in small areas. Texas was easy with at least a majority with the central twang. Badass is like a free for all with the states and Clubs mixing people from everywhere. I smile sitting at the empty side of the bar. It gives me a view of the door and just to the side of me is the door to the kitchen.
My counter says we have four minutes.
At a little over one minute on the counter, the three men from the front move into the bar. “Take care of the customers. The bitch will show.” The biggest guy says, then looks around. “It smells funny in here, is that bleach?”
The other two mumble in the negative. I point to a beer pull and look around. “Smells like gas.” I use a Spanish accent drawing big guy’s narrowed eyes my way.
At fifty seconds, Light barks from the kitchen and Prometheus darts out barking once loud. It’s a command that everyone but the big guy follows. I can’t believe how many people don’t find the K-9s inside odd.
“It’s gas.” The bartender forgets my beer and starts to corral the patrons out.
The big guy knows as much as he’s ever going to learn and proves it hitting the kitchen door hard as he pushes through. “It ain’t gas. How’d a dog get in here?”
“Dogs out, Hector.” The bartender pushes an older man out while answering his boss. I take the older guy’s arm and walk slower knowing we got the time to make it. The charge in the back will go first causing the people in front to move. Prometheus is herding anyone outside away from the building with growls or intimidating looks.
Light meets me at the front door but only to trot away after a kid crossing the road. I smile leading the older guy to a bench.
