Into the Pharmacy.
...
"It's a heist, chica!" Octavio hopped out of the hover car, strapping his goggles around his face. He'd forgotten his leather cap so he could imagine how his hair looked sticking out on top. He'd noticed the green tinge in it years ago. He was sure it was nothing to worry about even if Ajay insisted he should be worried about it.
Ajay didn't say anything as she climbed down, setting her bag inside the car and beckoning DOC over. Obi followed behind, doing his stupid elegant walking thing that always had a way of making Octavio angry for some reason.
"I'll lead, you follow, Silva." Ajay glared at him, making sure he understood her.
"I hear ya, Che." Octavio waved his hand in the air in acceptance.
Ajay undid and removed the cap on the tunnel they had gone down years ago. It was still just as pristine, no signs of aging, no rusting, nothing, as if it was used recently. Or frequently, both ideas unsettled him but also excited him a bit.
She peered down for a moment before grabbing onto DOC and starting to float down ward. Obi's face twisted in confusion. Octavio looked up at him and shrugged before launching himself down after her. He flew past her, plummeting to the metallic floor below. He already knew how to land, tucking himself as he struck the floor and rolling. He had no idea how it worked and doubted that it should but surely, there he was, standing in the hallway of his grandfathers big mega building thing.
Ajay landed much softer, Obi balancing on top of DOC and looking relieved as he stumbled off of the bot. "Still got it, chica?" He said as he searched for this vent system she had spoken about.
"Of course, it's not here." She cursed as she spun around, searching for it as well. "I told ya we didn't know for sure."
"So we can just improvise, eh?" Octavio asked impatiently, ready to rush through this place. Hopefully he'd find an excuse to tear it all down. Do something in a way of revenge. Which was not typical, he'd admit. He wasn't a very revengeful person, he never tried to get revenge on Torres before, more just avoided him. Although that might have sprouted from his childhood, not to do that to his father.
"We're gon have to, but we do it my way." She said sternly, flipping through her phone.
"We should locate the security network, they may already know we are here." Obi offered.
"Nah, mi papas got a big alarm system, we'd have those cucarachas up our asses already if they-"
"Looking for the security panel." Ajay interrupted him as she scanned through whatever was showing on her screen.
Obi was leaning over her shoulder, observing with her. "Can't you just use your fancy-"
"We shall take the route above us, use the floors with less value to our advantage." Obi interrupted Octavio again.
"We use DOC to take out the camera before we get in. Turn it back on when we leave."
"It will look like nothing but an outage." Obi complimented her plan.
"Okay, okay, amigos, are we done with the blah blah blah? I'm ready now!" Octavio complained.
Ajay and Obi walked passed him without a work. Obi did glare over his shoulder at him as they passed which dragged Octavio along with them.
To his surprise, this floor had little security, they rarely had to dodge cameras or anything that could detect them. He found himself going too far ahead and then turning to see that Obi and Ajay were taking forever. He was only happy that they didn't seem to be flirting. That would have been awkward. He didn't do all the lovey dovy stuff anyways. He'd had like, maybe one girlfriend. And she broke up with him. Some stupid reason like "I can't date a guy who's trying to kill himself everyday" or something. Yeah, that was a great time.
They finally reached the elevator. "This is boring." Octavio complained as DOC took out the camera.
"Would ya rather die?" Ajay asked and they stepped inside, the first time she'd acknowledged him this entire trip.
"It would be more fun than taking the elevator." Octavio crossed his arms in front of his chest. He stood spun in place, looking at the ceiling impatiently. The ding of the elevator sounded as they started to lift up to the office floor. It felt like ages before they reached it, the quiet, silent elevator room.
The elevator opened, revealing a long hallway lined with door and an awful, pristine, white color that almost blinded his eyes. "Careful, my friends." Obi stalked out of the elevator, eyes flying around, trying to sense anyone nearby. "In the room to the left." He said, cocking his head in that direction.
"Room 326 is Silva's." Ajay said, carefully following behind.
He was so done with this boringness, the following them and staying behind. He had to go right now otherwise his head would explode. "Race ya!" He jogged in place for a minute and dashed, only catching a glimpse of the sudden horror strewn across their faces.
He dashed down the hallway, arms pumping back and forth. He knew exactly what room it was, what was in there. And he knew his father wouldn't be in there right now. He skidded to a halt by the door, jiggling the lock. Only to remember the plan was for DOC to pick it.
"Octavio?" A familiar, feminine voice sounded from beside him, a little ways down the hallway. Not accusing, not aggressive. Just curious, and that was it.
He turned his gaze to her. His father's newest assistant and no doubt his side piece at the moment. "Hey, chica." Octavio waved. His father weirded him out, messing with women the age of his own son. Or grandson for that matter. "Uh- remember when padre said he'd give me anything to help him out? Here to talk about that." Awesome improvising, Octavio. He was quite proud of himself.
"He's not in office right now, honey." She said sweetly, sweeping her hair over her shoulder and gesturing to a box in her hand, no doubt filled with documents that his grandfather would go over when he got home. Octavio still didn't understand why he still used paper when everything could be done of the computer.
"Come on, amiga, mi padre probably forgot, in his old age and all." Octavio but his lip, hoping this was good enough.
"He asked me not to let you in." She said sternly, a change from her sweet tone before. She stepped forward and Octavio stepped back.
"Like I said, probably forgot."
"I'll give him a call then-"
"No-"
"Silva! What did I tell ya about-" Ajay ran up with Obi from around the corner. She skidded to a stop and turned to him and then to the assistant standing before him. Octavio shrugged in her direction, hoping his expression wasn't showing through his goggles. "Who's dis?"
The woman's jaw dropped. She clutched onto the bin as hard as she could. "I- I'm gonna have to-"
Ajay yanked DOC up beside her and marched toward the assistant who was frozen in place. She pulled one for his cables and moved it towards the woman who was leaning away, eyes filled with fear. Ajay tazed her with the long cable and dropped it away as the woman collapsed to the floor. "Silva, I told ya to stay behind us."
"Blah blah blah, I'm not a baby, Che." He crossed his arms defensively.
"Ya might be." Ajay huffed as she dragged DOC along, setting him in front of the door. "Obi, can ya move her somewhere?" She mumbled as she inspected the lock.
This all felt too easy. They had bypassed all the security systems? And how? There was way more than that? And without a good plan? They'd run into no one? It was either just plain luck, which Octavio didn't have a lot of, or something was being set up. He never thought too hard, never took things too deep but when it came to his pops, nothing was ever going the way they wanted it to.
"Open." Ajay hushed and Octavio could sense she was feeling as unsettled by this as she was.
The room was dim, lights turned low. A desk sat to the left of the doorway, near a fireplace lined with gold and made of marble. There was a couch to the right, a TV mounted agains the wall above a bookcase stacked with old literature from people he did not recognize. It smelled like a coffee shop and the air was humid yet comfortable. His papa had it greater than he thought he supposed.
Ajay was not as interested in the glam around her as she marched over to the desk, pulling the drawers open with force. "Get ta work you two." She demanded as she rummaged through the desk.
"On it!" Octavio replied as he started towards the storage chest tucked away in the corner of the room, next to the desk.
...
