It was not as terrible as Nate expected when he first jumped the proverbial ship and slipped some keys off a ring of some rich person at the bar. He already was onto his regular hunts just more in the shadows this time. And gosh really so many of those city people are just bunch of teens.
It always irks him when they leave their stuff around and simply forget about it and get so drunk they can't even walk. Then it just becomes golden hour of guys like him that glowers about and wait for their moment. And yeah, it is roughly sixty seconds to get the small passenger fast cruisers to unlock and boot up. Luckily Nate was very tech friendly so he could basically charm the thing to work without a key.
But it was simply more easier to grab the card or chip from lock table and sneak up to the vehicle and buzz it's protection calibration to moon and reboot the wires.
Sixty seconds and he's out in the sky. Just the way Nate loved. And best thing was nobody ever tried to get those things back.
Tonight was a new and fresh for the job. Not his usual type but it works for times of dire needs. And Nate was desperate for some coin. Yet he hoped for a card one day but those came along very complicated and hard. Cards were next level for street wolves like him. He's done that though. Long ago. But the money on the card is tricky to treat and often leaves trace as long as Earth's equator. Bad for business and useless for anything than fast jobs.
He will leave them be tonight. It was time for just the fly-things and by the morning there was hope to line up nicely.
He badly needed nicely.
For the past two days Nathaniel has been in pain he usually wasn't used to. Not that his latest fall did any good to the guy but it wasn't like getting electrocuted by his own clumsiness.
It was running sort of deeper and irked the holy crackers and drove him bonkers more than anything else.
But there was no time for that now.
First was the delicate spotting. One truly had to work charm on scouting the target area well before anything. Caution was highly respected and ultimately very important if one wanted to get away with it.
Then you had to find the right target and keep scouting and observing. They usually had constant day rhythm however there suddenly could happen some unexpected occasion and then you're all fucked and doomed.
Nate rarely made those mistakes but once in a blue moon you could slip. And then it will become truly regrettable.
The most difficult part was to keep yourself unidentified and invisible to the target and everybody else nearby. Because hills have eyes and the rest of the song. Nobody ever wants to make that mistake and become imprisoned for life.
Definitely not Nate. He already had enough troubles to worry about and days usually didn't get longer to annoy him. -
Planning was something he did as thoroughly as he could. It always paid off to pay attention to details and plan for every book and cranny that could trip you the worst way.
It was a theft after all so why risk it.
Knowing target's moves and possible reactions was golden rule because they could get unpredictable in more ways than one and why take such risk unnecessarily.
Nate also pointed out where the other people in the place could be located. Because even if you get out of the room somebody could block you elsewhere and then where's the point in escaping.
Another part was location and all the routes. Police scanner was useful thing but not always they came uniformed. It was undercover ops that tend to hit you from behind or shoot in the face.
So taking it all into consideration the job had to be smooth and shiny.
The prep was done about a day before initial stint. He spent morning on lookout making notes of the places and buildings that were good for escape. Also he observed any surveillance option and possibility just to be sure. Luckily most drown out places lacked fancy stuff so they just put up fakes in hope to avoid attention from thieves.
And finding the best possible building wasn't that easy because there were lots of considerations to include. Like entrances and exits. Possible backdoors and inner yard spaces. Even underground rooms and maintenance tunnels.
After that it was important to address the heights and roof situation. Sometimes they parked on rooftops and not always that space had hoverboard spots. Crafts could also take up various spaces and they came in equally various sizes and shapes. Because if the geniuses got their craft up the roof but building has narrow space between next one and upside gets locked up there was absolutely no way to get out. So that was one thing to expect in prep step.
And roofs could also bring danger. Like his tumble once proved. Sometimes there were weird contraptions for some shit that normal thief couldn't get off the thing and then it's better to just leave. And even escape had to be planned because if not there came high chance of becoming frayed piece of meat or even chopped off limbs or beheadings. None was okay to experience.
Then if possible the neighboring buildings all around better be windowless on the side where the craft was parked. Because that usually made easier for getaway. And less stressful. Besides hitting blind wall was better than a window. Less messy.
Escape routes consisted of first location then the route itself. Location made route either perfect of shit. If location was remote enough route possibly turned out fine or if craft was bad state fucked it all up.
There was another point about state of craft. Those depend on owner and their ability to keep clean. Most of them had it new and relatively fresh so issues with either engine or flying mechs were rare. However caution over motion.
Another aspect many thieves ignored or brushed over was the route coverage. It depend on aforementioned parts of the planning stages. Because having vastly covered route was slightly better than canned fish way. And usually with crowds came cops so yes, remote is the best and if you got one really sporty you could easily fit through a dense forest.
Nate was in this long enough to consider his targets with grain of salt and caution. He liked to check tightly all his targets and if all hell broke loose leave an option for escape by lesser means open just in case. Because getaway had to be doubled. Otherwise counting on getting away one way could not work when that plan goes to hell.
Usually he planned for all transportation getaway options. That leads to location knowledge once again.
After knowing the target and the location it was time to just observe the location's dynamics. Traffic, passerbys, locals, security, surveillance, animals, bird-flow and way how lighting goes along the day. It was important to know how all the details will affect the escape.
Currently Nate was scouting a building across the plane that had pretty high build compared to ones on both sides. It was wide plane with a row of weird trees in the middle that offered decent cover from the old tavern type of which he chose to lounge about. His spot had everything rundown screaming louder than wild pig before falling into trap. But it worked for him.
Another point for such missions was to take others accounted for. Because nobody wanted to get snitched off.
He knew his kind well enough to expect knife in his back any moment actually so it was good to just be aware.
The location could've been better but was decent enough for Nate's taste. Bar on two floors and wide rooftop that actually looked made for parking small crafts. Sidewalls were windowless and not much taller than that. Other floors did look hotel-way more but nothing random sleep-in-a-corner place couldn't offer.
It seemed fitting the whole area in this random town.
He also took a peak at the cop station nearby and calculated their efforts day before.
For a shithole like this it was okay.
Taking his time for flow observation Nate spotted two more of his fellows but made no motion about it. Their policy was to keep discreet and bug no nosey. Which was his direct intention.
It took roughly sunrise to sunset of all the prep on location. And then some while he trekked his way back. He also multitasked all escape routes and transportation for chance failure just in case. And with that he packed up having paid for the room in advance.
Next step that was left was to get some sleep and finish prep and get going.
Nate was lucky when he woke up to overcast sky. It gave him loads of options for planning. He truly believed in weather conditions playing big role in success.
For him personally overcast meant less heat and visual issues. But still allowed room for shades since it was the night type of overcast sky that promised no rain or sun throughout the day.
It was mildly windy breeze and it was okay. He knew his limits and crossed fingers for weather to keep.
Sun was always causing issues during day because of reflection and random flares from windows and cars on the ground and also made it hard to look up even with shades on.
Overcast meant no glints and he could easily look up without squinting.
And lessened heat.
Heat was something Nathan hated more than snoring. Heat made his body tire so much easier and faster, it gave him terrible headaches and dizziness. And if he stayed in the sun for too long he got truly wonky. So he preferred nights and the three moons and quiet and cool air and more calm he could remember especially by the ocean.
But he couldn't do water. Water always was out of equation and for that one there was a story he rarely let out.
Rain was mortal enemy because of thunder and bathtubs and pools had too much blood in his memory. Open waters were fine only when he was just on the shore and watching moonlight or sunset dancing across the surface. He never saw sunrise.
With all the gear ready and prepped Nate slipped over the side of the roof onto the parking platform installed onto rooftop.
From the looks it was sturdy enough and quite few were already there.
So far the craft park wasn't most glorious but it would pay well anyway.
Several sports models cluttered side across from the thief and he spotted few truly spectacular ones.
Soft swooshing sound made him duck and roll aside as more patrons arrived.
Slipping off to street side he already notices fellow guns getting for spot.
Well, that'd do it.
He waited for night lights pick up the pace and like string of fairy lights drop the whole thing in a soft cast RGB themed glow that together made it look just mildly multicolored.
Not bad, he sighed to himself partly relieved tonight's lighting theme was gentle and considerate like that. Strong colors usually blinded Nate because he struggled to tell colors in dark and sometimes he could miss things that had same color as light.
Just white or RGB tri-tone was perfect and he hoped it stayed.
He went over his routine and swept over the parked crafts. Only few random jewels and nothing fancy. He so wanted to try getting alignment for two at once, however risky.
Having two at once would give him more credit and selling opportunities. He owned it to Samara and Narcho.
Then he had to shake his head because Narcho in his mind during a heist was such a bad idea. Especially now that he had come clean and wasn't in the family anymore.
Still even thinking about the man was distracting Nate so he got ahold of his brain and pulled it in. No time for shit.
Finding all he needed about the two crafts he'd eyed and crossing fingers for easy getaway he slipped off the side and hid among shadows.
Getting to the bar was quiet. It was moderately stuffed and already cozy enough. Judging from the faces he'd hit day before weekend and he knew that if this day hit hard it must be season.
Season meant the local companies were getting ready to some major tax accounting event and smaller firms were often most pressed.
Then people usually took their hard liquor before weekend so they could spend last workday pulling late into night. Also, the night was still young. Regular times called them to a bar only a day later and way further into the night. Which meant he had to be right. They came in bright and early because the next day they had to be back in. It also meant not all of them will get that poofed and get out sooner.
That led to Nate looking at the watch and calculating how much time he was left with.
He really had to make those sixty seconds even faster.
If the owner of his two targets were rich bastards it could mean few things to him.
One was that they most likely will stay longer. However it did make possible another way for others getting off earlier and more sober.
Sober wasn't his friend any day.
It used to be that he was druggie and Narcho was drinkie. Then it turned around and Nate became drinkie and Narcho druggie. At this point though, they were probably both.
Nate sighed and stalked over to the key ring chart. Immediately picking out his targets and lining up a possible profile he rounded towards bar and discreetly dissipated into shadows. He liked dark and moody. It not only gave edge but also became a great assist in blending in.
Taking notes and picking up loose conversation threads he deduced he was indeed correct about their work and all the tax jazz. And yes, there also were few above the range and those usually twirled around only because they were noobs.
That also check the shadowy guy made the next careful move. Using his obsolete internal system he made a scan over and picked out his possible targets. By pinpointing approximate direction Nate calculated his next move.
This he had to do with lots patience.
Having all the time in the world he made his spot in the darkest corner facing whole room possible. And the wait was on...
Two hours later his wait begun paying off. One by one the buffs started to stagger over and some barely even lifted their heads up from the table.
It meant the time was there and he had to make his move.
So he did. After careful slipping along shadows he aimed and grabbed the two keys for his targets and skidded outside of the room. Then Nate made a long and deliberate way around the straight path and sneaked up along the wall until he reached the rooftop.
Carefully scanning the park zone and crafts he made sure nobody stayed out longer. Then he counted off and went on to make most out of his sixty seconds.
All it needed was a touch and a wire along with soft movements and a tablet pad ready with data to upload. He made a sync and uplinked the root and scanned both cards. Then just with the touch Nate synched up both crafts and uplinked them into a server and turned off the pad. Swiftly making his last look at the surroundings thief jammed the key card into the sweep and pushed in the key. It buzzed softly and second later Nate connected both linked crafts and took quiet lead. The other craft followed simply by wireless commands like a drone. They both were small and sporty- exact size and shape for a getaway.
Without lights and attention he backed outside and lifted up gently all the while surveying his surroundings and routes. Once above rooftops Nate filed into an empty airstream lineup and headed outside the city limits and still wished for that cop scanner. Better safe than sorry.
However job was not done yet and he'll relax only after getting paid and outside this city.
Keeping all uplinks synchronized and up in his head instead portable screen he opted for forest route and laid lower. He had a spot on mind for landing and he hoped nobody was there.
About an hour later the thief paralel-connected into his log and left urgent message for the buyer. Usually it was the same old guy, farmer long ago. He knew his cattle just as well as his mechs. And he could be trusted. Or so Nate believed.
It took more of waiting than stealing actual things. But after an hour of waiting and roughly three packs of cigarettes smashed in his bag he finally handed over the crafts and received full price for each and a bonus for effort of getting two simultaneously.
When he walked away the wad of cash felt pleasantly inside his bag. And with that and a smile he made the last leg of the elaborate plan.
Forests were always good. Not just getaways and meet points. They also carried secrets.
So he found small cave and plotted a fire until he burned all his cigarette butt filled packs and wiped ash into ground and wet it with water.
Samara had been best of all. She taught him prepping and planning out. She showed the ropes for all parts of a plan.
And importantly- never leave a trace.
Nate smiled at the memory and kept moving while night was a friend. Soon he'll be getting first moon pushing through cloud cover. He knew the route and knew exactly where it led. This time he will be back home longer. And he needed to apologize.