Chapter 2: A Gathering of Lowlife
I stood alone on the edge of the Skyway. The rain had cleared since my little meeting with Zheren yesterday, but the permanent dark gray skyline of the city endured. I sighed, staring blankly out at what was known as 'Lower Los Angeles'. It's grid like layout of buildings and roads stretched up to where I stood, almost reaching the Skyway that hovered fifty stories above the polluted concrete roadways below. The Skyway itself wasn't much better, as traffic constantly poured out onto it and stained it with filth.
It was an extensive network that spanned the entire city, a fast track for where you needed to go... so long as you can withstand heights, that is.
I watched the headlights of the cars and trucks flash by me upon the Skyway, while I stood still. Waiting.
Wherever my eyes moved, I saw nothing but cold steel and glass. Occasionally the ever present steel was splashed with colour from the huge LCD screens that beamed with promises. So long as you bought this product or believed in this policy, you would have a better life. I put my hands in my pockets and sighed.
'They're late...' I thought as I turned towards the metal railing of the Skyway, leaning against it.
Looking over the edge, I peered down into the streets of Lower LA. I saw bright lights and bustling ant like people that crawled amongst the confined streets. It always managed to amaze me how insignificant I was in the grand scheme of things... I was only one man out of the twelve million that resided in LA, not to mention the billions upon billions of people that were placed upon this Earth.
My eyes roamed upwards, spying one of the colossal concrete and metal pillars, supporting huge mighty platforms. Platforms that housed 'Upper Los Angeles'.
These massive platforms were almost cities in themselves, where the wealthy and powerful would live and forget about the problems of the world. If you didn't feel insignificant by being one in twelve million people, Upper LA would surely correct that. It was always a reminder that you were below others, that you were nothing compared to them... it was degrading.
Despite the sound of the flowing traffic that rushed through my ears, I managed to pick up the sound of a car coming to a stop by the side of the Skyway. I turned to see a glossy black van stop at least a meter from me, It's side door opening. Just beyond the weighty black door was the wide chipped smile of Zheren, the wind whistling though the gap in his teeth.
Despite the sound of the flowing traffic that rushed through my ears, I managed to pick up the sound of a car coming to a stop by the side of the Skyway. I turned to see a glossy black van park at least a meter from me, It's side door opening. Just beyond the weighty black door was the wide chipped smile of Zheren, the wind whistling through the gap in his teeth.
"Hey Lawrence, sorry to make you wait. We ran into a slight complication and had to make a detour." He said, still smiling that care free smile of his.
He was wearing darker clothing from the time I met with him at Yamoto's. However, he still wore that same dirty course linen vest. I suspected that it had stuck to his unwashed body after years of usage.
I didn't return his warm greeting, instead I quickly closed the distance between myself and Zheren, not particularly bothered by his late arrival. What was bugging me however, was that Zheren still hadn't filled me in on how he was going to obtain the software we were planning to steal. He had told me to bring a few necessities for the little escapade, which I had brought in a black messenger bag that I had strapped securely across my shoulder.
"Got everything you need?" Zheren asked offering me a hand inside.
"Yeah, I'm all set. Are you finally going to tell me this plan of yours?" I griped, before taking Zheren's hand and climbing into the van.
"Yep, I'll fill you in as we head off." Zheren explained as he shut the door of the black van with a loud clunk.
My eyes took in the spacious interior of the van. To the left of where I stood was a small work station, a couple of bright glowing monitors had been set up, with an assortment of other equipment all resting upon a fold down table top. The monitors themselves were hooked up to a couple of large PC towers, located further down the van. And in the furthest corner, was a couple of heavy metal boxes that were securely fastened to the floor. Aside from myself and Zheren, there were two other men within the van.
One was fair haired, relaxing upon a soft bench that ran along the interior. He was wearing a pair of sturdy combat pants and a dark vest. Despite his laid back appearance, his vibrant green eyes belonged to a killer... he was not someone to be taken lightly. The other was a chubby dark haired man, sitting anxiously behind the wheel of the van. He was dressed in a pair of old jeans and a heather gray sweatshirt, which he'd used to wipe his thick rimmed glasses from time to time. He smelled of BO, corn chips and self pity.
'Quite the gathering of lowlife.' I thought bitterly as Zheren turned to face me.
"Ok so, introductions. Lawrence this is Bailey, he's our mussel. He'll be helping us out should things get heated up." Zheren said smiling, gesturing to the fair haired man. Who gave a small nod of acknowledgment in response.
"And this is Trevino, our tech support. He'll be feeding us intel and generally making our life easier." He continued, pride ringing in his voice. Trevino timidly raised a hand as if to wave, but only managed to shake it slightly before dropping it altogether.
"Bailey, Trevino. This is Kraft Lawrence, our Data Miner." Zheren grinned, placing a dirty hand firmly on my shoulder.
Trevino's eyes widened behind his glasses. "A Data Miner? Aren't they illegal?" The chubby man quivered.
Zheren Chuckled, "Well we ain't exactly clean ourselves. Speaking of which, get us on the road, we've got a job to do." He instructed, while Trevino hastily nodded, before starting the engine and gripping the wheel tightly.
I cautiously took a seat beside Bailey, while Zheren sat down by the monitor. I felt the van lurch forward as we entered the high speed traffic of the Skyway. Zheren, brought up a couple of documents and visual aids upon the monitors in front of him.
"Alright, so it's about time I told you how this will be going down. It'll depend on all of us if we're going to be successful in our little operation..." Zheren explained. I kept quiet as Zheren pointed to a set of schematics on the monitors.
I leaned in to get a closer look at the images up on the monitor, observing the many corridors and entrances as Zheren started talking.
"Our objective is here, the main data processing room." He stated, pointing to a large circular room that was located in the center of the facility.
"The facility runs on a giant client/server network. All data that runs through it originates from that room. The servers are a massive stockpile of software and sensitive information. And amongst all that, is the software suite we're looking for."
"So if the software is stored on a server, why bother getting into the data processing room? We could probably access their network remotely and crack their encryption in a couple of days." I stated, waiting for Zheren's rebuttal.
"Remote access is impossible I'm afraid, Wheaten's server runs on an isolated network. Even if we decided to gain access from inside the facility, we'd run a huge risk being detected before we began to look for the main server files. Also the data room has been shielded somehow, no signals can get in or out of that room, so wireless access is a no-go. We're going to have to be within spitting distance from the main server in order to pull anything out of it."
My brow furrowed, "So in other words, we have to gain access to the facility, bypass their security systems and crack their server encryption?" I asked, skepticism ringing in my tone.
"I'm not gonna lie, Wheaten has got some pretty heavy security behind it. And the security upgrades they're got planned are gonna make getting in and out of Wheaten just that little bit more impossible. It's now or never..." Zheren paused, allowing his words to settle in.
'Yeah, I get it. It's not going to be a cake walk.' I sneered in my head.
"However, this new system Wheaten is installing is going to be our way of getting in and out. Wheaten is making massive renovations to their facility so they can incorporate the new security system, meaning they've had to compromise quite a bit, while the installation takes place..."
Zheren paused again and chuckled, "They didn't even bother with a parallel or phased implementation, they went for a direct changeover. My guess is they wanted the new system to be put in as fast as possible." He scoffed.
I raised my brow in surprise. A direct changeover to a new system was surprising. It was hardly ever done, due to the amount of things that could go wrong. Without proper testing, a newly implemented system may fail horrendously... they must be pretty desperate for the new security.
"So how does this implementation help us?" I asked.
Zheren smiled. "Well you see, Wheaten has a biometric scan network installed into their security. Meaning any personnel who weren't verified within the network could be tracked throughout the facility. We'd have no chance in hell getting anywhere near the data processing room. However, as they're installing the new security units and incorporating them into the network, they've deactivated their scanning devices. Otherwise their new toys could start shooting up the place! And the folks at Wheaten wouldn't want that..." Zheren exclaimed.
"I doubt that's the only security system Wheaten has..." I moaned incredulously.
Zheren nodded, "They've got guards, CCTV and a direct line to the nearest fed station. But that's why we've got Bailey and Trevino to keep things under control. So you can get to the server and extract the software for us." Zheren explained as he pointed a grubby index finger towards me.
I sighed, "Well how exactly are you planning on getting us in there?"
The corner of Zheren's lips creased up in a smile, "We'll be going in on foot, Trevino will hang back with the van. But you, Bailey and myself will be entering the facility via a contact I have on the inside. Once we're in, Trevino will be blocking Wheaten's calls to the feds, while we move through the facility."
"And the guards?" I asked again.
"You leave them to us..." Zheren said somewhat ominously.
I was about to press the matter, however Trevino spoke, disrupting my train of thought.
"S-sorry to interrupt, but our exit is coming up," He stammered.
Bailey stirred from his laid back posture, speaking up for the first time. His voice was low and harsh as his eyes narrowed at Trevino.
"You're not taking the eighty second are you?" He said a hint of spite in his tone.
Trevino, looked back over his shoulder for the briefest of moments before refocusing on the road.
"Yeah... why?" He asked sheepishly.
Bailey resumed his laid back posture, an unamused frown on his face.
"That exit goes right past Sector Ten. I don't know about you, but I want to avoid running into any pre-drama and risk jeopardizing this little scheme of ours, before it even starts..."
I caught sight of the sweat beads forming on the back of Trevino's neck, as he pulled out of the lane that led to the Eighty Second exit of the Skyway.
"Sector Ten is still locked down?" I asked, getting to my feet and looking out of a nearby window.
I saw the high cold metal walls that had been erected around the old residential district, the symbol of a blue winged horse embedded into the metalwork. Blinding searchlights flittered across the perimeter of the walls, scouring the darkness for any who may venture too close.
Zheren also peered out the window to get a better look at the metal containment walls.
"Yeah, it's been on lockdown for a while now. Something about a chemical leak... I heard that all the civilians were evacuated. Mind you... that's the official story." Zheren stated ominously.
I turned to face him, "You think they're hiding something in there?"
Zheren shrugged, "Everybody is hiding something and Pegasus Horizons is no different."
The van fell silent, the quiet hum of the engine droning in my ears. Eventually Zheren stood upright and sighed.
"Anyway, No sense on dwelling on it. Trevino, we can take the one hundred and first and loop back around. It's only a small detour, so it shouldn't be a problem." He stated before returning to his seat.
The remainder of the drive was relatively quiet, I didn't really want to strike a conversation with anyone around me. However, Zheren would ask me a couple of questions every now and again, forcing me to answer, before going back to typing away on the van's computer. We took the exit as Zheren instructed, leaving the rapid flow of the Skyway and descending into the filthy streets of Lower LA. I stared numbly out of the windshield, street lights and neon signs rushed past us, as we drove upon the dark road.
I was completely wrapped up in my own thoughts, so-much-so that I didn't notice when the van stopped. We had parked ourselves down a tight brick alleyway, that was just off to the side of the road. Zheren stood from his chair, his face becoming darker. I assumed it was just nerves, even I felt a on edge, nothing could ever truly prepare you for a heist.
Trevino cut the engine before waddling into the back of the van with the rest of us. He plopped down where Zheren had sat, before bringing up a couple of command terminals and a few of documents with various notes. He hammered furiously on the keyboard laid out in front of him, the light of the monitors reflecting off the surface of his glasses.
"Alright, Bailey, Think you can set the bug?" Zheren asked, handing the fair haired thug an earpiece and a small palm top computer.
"The coms node shouldn't be too far from here... Just hook it up and run Com forty two exe. You got that? Com forty two exe." Zheren ordered, his voice becoming harsher, trying to stress his point.
Bailey nodded in acknowledgment, before opening up the van's back doors and setting off onto the streets. He disappeared from sight, as the black doors slammed shut behind him. Zheren fitted his own earpiece before heading over to the metal black boxes in the corner of the van.
I watched with mild curiosity and then alarm, as Zheren undid the clasp, revealing a sleek metallic sub-machine gun with five loaded clips of live ammunition.
My eyes widened as Zheren picked up the light weight weapon in his hands, checking it over and fiddling with the LED displays on the sides.
"Ever use one of these before?" He asked flatly, not taking his eyes of the gun.
I coughed, "Well... I'm accustomed with them, never fired one though. It's Military Grade isn't it? must've cost you quite a bit..." I mused, wrapped up in speculation.
Zheren grinned that casual 'no worries' smile of his, "I pulled a couple of strings... called upon a few favors. It's how I managed to get all this sweet gear for us." he said, gesturing to the tech around him.
I raised an eyebrow, "All off the black market?"
"Yeah, you could say that..." Zheren mused, reaching into the box once again and removing a thin black silencer.
"Right..." I replied, watching him screw the silencer firmly onto the barrel.
'So we're resorting to violence, huh? Whatever, as long as we get the software, that's all that matters... eyes on the prize Lawrence. Eyes on the prize...' I thought, mentally preparing myself for what was coming.
Suddenly Zheren raised his hand up to his ear piece.
"Bailey? Did you hook us up?"
There was a moment of silence.
"What do you mean a problem?" Zheren asked, a scowl forming.
Another moment of silence.
"Have you tried turning it off and on again?" Zheren asked with a look of sheer disdain.
And after another short moment of silence Trevino perked up.
"I've got it!" he chirped.
"Great, you good to go Trevino?" Zheren asked, a fierce excitement beginning to flair in his eyes.
The blubbery man adjusted his glasses and nodded, still staring at the screen.
"Yeah, I should be able to patch myself in."
He ran his sausage like fingers up and down the keyboard, firing off lines of code like a machine gun. However, after a brief moment, a look of sheer bewilderment appeared on his face.
"I-It's not accepting any of my commands." Trevino stated, his mouth dropping open.
"I can't do anything?!"
"What?! How? That bug should've given us a backdoor into the area's coms network!" Zheren babbled, putting the machine gun down and stared at the LCD monitors with an expression that mirrored Trevino's.
"I-I don't k-know, I patched us through, b-but I can't direct or f-filter any traffic." Trevino stammered, shrugging at the lines of code on the monitor.
My eyes narrowed as I stared at the screen, before going over to stand by Trevino.
"Mind if I...?" gesturing towards the computer.
Trevino hesitated, before slowly shuffling back with the chair. A look of curiosity upon his face, leaving me standing by the keyboard and monitors. I glanced between the command windows and monitoring aplication for the bug. I leaned over and rested my fingertips on the keyboard, trying a couple of basic operating commands to test the waters. Trying bringing up the status of current traffic flow that was routing through the node. After a couple of key strokes and the hit of a button, I sent the command.
After a few short seconds, I received a message that verified the command. But, I didn't receive any status of communication flow. The input and connection was fine, we could send commands. It's our output that was lacking, we were getting no data.
My eyes narrowed in thought as I stroked my chin.
"Alright, let me see if I can just..." I thought aloud, before reaching into my bag. Shimming past the handheld computer and electronics, I searched for a particular cable that I had stuffed at the bottom. Both Zheren and Trevino watched with great interest as I pulled out something that looked like an Electrode from a Holter Monitor.
Rolling up my right sleeve, I revealed the intricate black markings that ran down the length of my right arm.
I heard a small gasp from Trevino, as he gawked at my markings. I began to feel a little uncomfortable with all the attention I was getting.
"Is that an Ink Circuit?!" Trevino asked in astonishment. "I've never seen one before."
"Of course it's an Ink Circuit, that's why he's a Data Miner." Zheren chuckled, before grinning proudly. Obviously pleased to have me on board with his little scheme.
"Pegasus Horizons would have your right arm for having that... literately." Trevino muttered in both fear and fascination.
"I don't make a habit of using it." I grumbled softly, silencing both Zheren and Trevino.
I fastened the electrode to a round black marking on the underside of my wrist, before connecting the opposite end of the cord with a nearby port. I felt a jolt of electricity run up my arm. And I balled my hand into a fist before releasing it again, checking to see if my nerve endings were unaffected by the current that ran through the markings on my arm.
Soon a new window appeared on the monitor with a title that read 'Ink-C'. The window displayed a long list of folders and files, containing an array of documents and executable files, all of which were stored within the ink's marks. I quickly browsed through the various files until I found the programs I was looking for. With a quick file transfer and running a few exe files, I brought up a status of the traffic flow in the form of a visual graph. The Graph displayed who was using the node to communicate, visualizing the data with a steadily rising and falling green line.
With a small content smile, I disconnected myself from the access port and rolled my sleeve down.
"Right, that should do it." I stated, somewhat proud in my abilities.
Trevino scrambled forward, "What was the problem?" he asked in amazement.
"Just a small issue with your output, I opened up a free port and rerouted the data to it. Easy fix." I explained, coiling up the electrode and slipping it into my pocket.
Trevino quickly shoved me out of the way, before hammering on the keyboard once again. A large goofy grin appeared on his face.
"We're in..."
And with that, Zheren rose his hand to the ear piece and called Bailey back to the van. Once the man in question returned, Zheren and Bailey began a rundown of the equipment. They had packed quite a bit of firepower, including two compact silenced sub-machine guns, three pistols, and enough ammunition to fully supply a six man squad.
I had brought my own firearm, concealed within my jacket for cautionary measures. But Zheren and Bailey were certainly going all out with their weaponry. To be fair, we were assailing a facility that would contain armed guards... And we were probably going to be fighting said armed guards. Over the next couple of hours, lives were going to be lost. That much I was sure... it was something I was more than accustomed to.
'Eyes on the prize...' I thought through gritted teeth.
"Here, you might want to put this on." Zheren said, handing me a black cloth. Both Zheren and Bailey had cloths of their own, which they wore in various styles. I guess they would be using them for protecting their identity during the raid, may as well. I took the cloth from his hands and tied it around my neck, forming a neckerchief.
The two men slid their weaponry and gear into two black sling packs, before fastening them onto their backs.
"Ok, Wheaten Laboratories is just a couple of blocks down from us, just keep moving and stay alert. I don't want to run into any trouble before we start." Zheren ordered, making sure we understood his point. Bailey nodded in acknowledgment and I added a nod of my own.
"Right, keep me updated on any coms traffic and stay on those calls to the feds, don't let any of 'em through." He enjoined, pointing a finger at Trevino.
The blubbery man in question nodded. "Right" he said, determination and nervousness warring in his voice. "I won't let you down."
Zheren grinned as he addressed us all, "Alright, let's get it done and go with the flow. When we pull this off, we'll all be rich men!" He exclaimed with zeal before wrenching the back doors open and jumping out. Bailey was next and I followed in suit.
Zheren slammed the Van door shut behind us with a "Good luck to as all!" before running ahead to take point.
I rolled my eyes, "we sure as hell need it..." I muttered under my breath. I watched Bailey and Zheren walk ahead of me and out onto the dark streets of Lower LA. I quickly checked my phone and watched the solid green line rise and fall. With a small smile of grim satisfaction I pulled my cloth closer to my face, before I quickened my steps...
Author's Note:
Hey there, hope you're liking the story so far.
I'll be trying to get new chapters out on a Bi-weekly/monthly basis, but due to various commitments I have, that might change.
I'll try not to post these Author Notes too much, as I feel they break the flow of the story.
If you go to my profile page, you can find links to my DA and Tumblr.
Feel free to ask me stuff and keep up to date with the latest developments.
Hope you have a good one.
-RRR