Setting the Stage
Kira and Lynn both exchanged uncertain glances as we clung to the shadows of the buildings as the Transportcraft headed towards the upper city.
"What's the plan now?" I asked Kyle, who was still leaning against the wall.
I pulled the tablet from my chest holster and handed it to him.
He sighed as he pushed himself off the wall and took a glance at it.
"I hope I'm overthinking it, but the camera gives me the creeps," Kyle said, looking at the tablet as if it had secrets which eluded either of us.
"None of the facilities need active surveillance unless the Technocrats think we're messing with their equipment. But then the cameras would be in theyre control room or over the equipment."
"Quite…" Kyle said, heading for the stairs.
As always, I fell in step behind him.
Like Specters, we descended the stairs soundlessly; neither of our boots clicked and echoed as we made our way two stories down.
"How come here aren't any Cameras..." Kyle said, looking around as we reached the door.
"Chirss took them off this staircase. I thought that you chose this instead of the other," I whisper back.
"Quite…" Kyle muttered, handing me back my tablet, he drew his Pistol. Slowly, as he cracked open the door.
Kyle strode forward, and I fell in step behind him. That's how it always was. That's how it always would be
"These cameras are probably tracked. They'll come looking for this one and wonder why it's here instead of at Operations Headquarters."
The Broken Camera was tossed towards me.
I didn't have to reach out my hand far, it was falling further apart. I turned it around so the Hardware wouldn't fall out.
Kyle was already working on a door to our right. It clicked open, and he slid his knife back into his oversized jacket.
"It still amazes me how you do that."
"Only physics majors would know such arcane arts." He chuckled.
It was a striped room, the walls and Carpeted floor and a bed. The Drawers were picked empty and anything else making such a place hospitable.
I laid the Camera on the bed and removed my backpack.
I tried to relax my shoulders and gave them a swirl, but they still felt sore.
"Why do I always have to carry it?" I groaned as my shoulders edged their way back into place.
"Jackie is not here, and she hates carrying it. Lynn is our muscle. Sinne is a Medier, making her an extension of our command squad but not part of it. And for what we're doing here. It's only you and me. And I already face check each door and corridor."
I heard him rummaging through the backpack before he was done speaking.
He took out a strip with eight small boxes on them. Small Cameras hard wired to both my Tablet and wrist screen.
"I guess they're still good to go?"
I tapped on my screen twice. And switched channels. Eight wired Cameras sprang into view and many more for possible hijacking…
"Yup, all accounted for..."
I looked at Kyle with concern.
He nodded back.
Kyle slung the backpack over his shoulder and started to work on something beside the door.
I walked past him into the hallway, training my rifle both ways..
"Noticed something in particular?" Kyle asked as he closed the door behind him.
"The Place is picked clean?"
"Yes, that means those cameras are wired to some instead of being part of a security network."
Kyle crossed the hallway and started tinkering with an open power socket—probably once a light switch before someone scavenged the plastic casing.
I brought my wrist screen up to bears and saw Kyle fiddle around the camera with his gloves until he gave it a satisfied nod with his obscured face.
We proceeded to spread the remaining out across the floor and gathered up at another door Kyle was forcing up.
It clicked open just before I reached him. "Guess now we wait for someone to show up," Kyle said as he was getting inside.
He laid the backpack against the wall before slumping down next to it.
"Mind if I rest a bit?" He leaned back against the wall and backpack and went out like a light.