The evening was as relaxing as watching the sunset while sitting on a bench located at a perfect spot near the ocean as the sun reflected on the waters and the cool ocean breeze soothes the soul.
The bar was extremely calm a few hours to the evening rush when most people tend to get off work or start rounding up the day's work, Tom cleaned the tables and took care of the empty bottles while taking orders from customers who were present already.
He walked over to a table for two so he could take their orders when something caught his eye, a blueprint laying on the table as they studied it. After taking their orders, Tom glanced at the blueprints then mutters to himself.
'Never did I think it was possible for a building with such tight security to have so many blind spots, well it's none of my business though.'
Tom murmured that as he walked over to the counter to prepare the drinks ordered by those gentlemen with the prints.
Before long, both men were already present and stood at the other side of the counter.
"Shoot! I just couldn't keep my mouth shut, hopefully I'm not in any trouble that could get me fired. I really like my job here and don't want to lose it and start hunting for another one." He thought to himself.
"Hey kid, can we borrow you for a sec?"
"Sorry for the minor delay gentlemen, I almost have your drinks ready and will serve them in no time." Tom said in a polite tone as he prepared their drinks.
They stared at Tom like they wanted to ask him something but didn't know the right approach to take, they needed to ask him about his remark concerning the blueprints but didn't want to raise any suspicion.
Tom served them their drinks with ice in it, then proceeded to prepare the drinks other customers had placed an order for.
They each took a sip and relished in the soothing feeling for a second. Before long, the one with the most curious look on his face turned to him and asked.
"Hey kid, you got a glimpse of these blueprints of ours right?"
Tom nodded slowly in response to the question.
"What did you mean by blind spots around the building, mind telling us gents how you found that out?"
"Oh, sorry about that I didn't mean to intrude and poke my nose where it does not belong, but I wasn't aware that I was audible enough for you to hear." Tom said with a polite and apologetic tone.
"It's alright kid, as you can see these blueprints right here are for a building we are working on and are trying to make it completely immune to intruders and cover all loopholes."
He explained to Tom like he was getting at something and Tom just waited patiently for him to finish, after all it was his job as a bartender.
"Canyou show us the blind spots you mentioned earlier and how an intruder would maneuver his way into the building, successfully escaping the sight of both the security guards and cameras. So we could fill in the gaps and turn that building into an impenetrable one just like we were paid to do."
This sounded suspicious as hell but who was he to judge a man's work.
Tom pointed out some specific areas with security cameras and no guards at those locations but the cameras could be timed and bypassed before it does a whole rotational sweep around that spot.
Then he showed them corners where cameras should be planted, fixed on subtlety locations without the rotational time gap.
"Thank you kid, you have been a great help to this project of ours." The man said with a smile on both faces as they took the last sip of their drinks, gave him an handshake in appreciation before walking out the bar.
"That was… weird." Tom shrugged off the suspicious feeling crawling up his spine and continued his job as he attended to other customers.
…
[THE CUSTOMER'S POV]
My partner and I had arrived at our hideout where we intended to perfect the plans for the much anticipated operation.
We confronted our boss regarding the ideas the bartender had suggested to us without his knowledge of our true intent.
Our boss is a man of standard, a man with principles and would kill any crew member who went against them. His name was Leonard Snart, but he's popularly known as 'Captain Cold.
'
"Sir there was this bartender who was able to help us point out blind spots on the blueprints of that private museum, he was able to decipher possible entry and exit points." I tried drawing his attention and presenting the suggestions the bartender gave us as counter measures against intruders but reversing those ideas would give us a huge advantage on this operation.
"Did you say blind spots?" His calm and relaxed voice permeated the air as everyone suddenly became quiet on hearing it.
"Yes sir, we were going through the blueprints when a young bartender spotted it and gave a remarkable insight on visible loop holes."
"Fools! How dare you go through the plans for an operation at a bar of all places, a public place where someone might have recognized the building." He scolded them as he pointed his cold gun at both men but still didn't loose his cool.
"We are sorry sir, we didn't think of it that way and just wanted to review the prints while clearing our heads." They lowered their heads as they seeked his forgiveness for their foolish mistake that might have cost them the operation.
"Let's put that aside, I will listen to what you have to say but if it is complete garbage or turns out it backfires at us due to the kid who saw the blue prints then I will ensure that the both of you pay dearly for it." He calmly spoke, his tone cold as he slowly emphasized every word while staring down at them with an equally icy expression.
"I promise you would not be disappointed sir." He responded in a shaky tone.
"Go ahead," was his reply as he gestured with his cold gun for them to proceed.
We presented the ideas and suggestions the kid had given to us at the bar, in hopes of it intriguing him.
"Interesting… Did you say a kid who was barely an adult gave these to you?"
"Yes sir, and he was completely unaware of the aim behind it."
"Amazing, this is a really nice plan and it just might work but if things goes south then we switch up to plan B. Like I always say…Make the plan, execute the plan, expect the plan to go off the rails… Throw away the plan." He turned his back to the crew and stared into an empty space as if pondering on a thought.
"This operation will commence in three days time at exactly twenty-two hundred, prepare yourselves."
Yes sir! The crew members shouted in acknowledgement to his leadership skills.
[Captain Cold's POV]
I had a plan concerning the operation but what worried me the most was how my team and I would pull this off without alarming the security guards who were placed in potential exit routes and how we would avoid the cameras too.
I pondered on this thought for days, plotting and scheming, reviewing the blueprints in search of loopholes, blind spots that would not draw the attention of any guard or be in sight of any camera.
Then all of a sudden, two minions of mine walked in and gave me suggestions a kid who was barely an adult cooked up just after seeing the plans for less than a minute.
I have to admit it was a foolproof plan, but I have to be prepared for it to fail which was why I had plan B.
If the plan my crew and I made from the suggestions given to us by that kid works out nicely, then I would have to pay him a visit myself because such talented minds need to be nurtured and groomed to achieve its potential. I would want him to be a part of my crew 'cause that way our operations will be more proficient and proceed with ease, avoiding flaws which might come our way. 'Time… Time... All in due time I guess.'
Tom's daily routine had turned into a pattern, on few mornings of the week he would go to the gym and give his body the required workout it needed. On others he would laze around till it was time to go to class. His powers kicks in more often and subconsciously too, when he was done with his shower with just a thought he's towel headed directly to him.
He had started growing accustomed to his newly acquired powers, casually using it for mundane activities around the house. He walked into the living room after breakfast and slouched into the couch, upon realizing that the remote was a little bit distant from him, a mental command was all that was needed.
Using his telekinesis, exactly what he wanted happened as the remote floated into his hands and the next thought he had in mind instantly was, 'Having telekinesis is so convenient and helps avoid unnecessary stress.'
It was the 20th of September and it just so happened to be on a Monday of all days, the most burn out day of the week for either students and workers, turned out Tom was both a student and a part time worker. Looking at the time, Tom realized he had to get to class in less than an hour so he took care of everything which needed his attention in the house that morning and did them elegantly.
He was always relaxed and never in haste when heading to class, he had a spot around the middle section of the class where he could get an executive view of what is being thought by the lecturer or take a little nap if he wanted to without tipping off the lecturer.
His class had every groupie you could imagine; the backpack kids, the stunner kids, the goth kids, the nerds, the too pretty for school girls, the sensitive kids and so on. Tom chose solitary rather than having to be in a social group, although there was a student named 'Patrick' who always wanted to start a conversation with Tom but usually finds a way of escaping friendlies.
Lectures that day were as boring as it could get but he paid no mind because all he needed to do in order to pass that course was get a good percentage of attendance then get a pass mark on his assessments and exams.
Immediately after he was done with lectures for the day, Tom headed home to freshen up before he proceeded to his part time job as a bartender. A job he had grown acclimated to over the past few months, his boss Gary was a free minded and easy going man who did not care about Tom's personal life. The only request was for him to keep doing a good job.
As he prepared to leave the house for his work place, a breaking news popped up on the TV screen. There was news about a 'Khandaq Diamond' which was apparently stolen from a private museum where it was being held as part of a private collection a few days back, but no further information had been released for the public.
Something about the news just didn't sit right with Tom but anyways it wasn't his problem, all he could think about was getting to work on time so he doesn't get Linda or Gary mad at him for being tardy. The workers at the bar all lived like a small family, they treated each other with respect and joked most of the time.
…
[Gary's POV]
Few months ago I got a call from Linda who was a worker of mine. She called me concerning a kid who wanted a job at my bar. This bar wasn't a place for kids or people without a backbone, it was a place where dangerous people come to drink and clear their messy heads.
A person who easily gets intimidated by the customers would become a prey to most and they might get rubbed on their way home from work. But this boy 'Tom' there was something about him that just seemed different from other kids who had wandered into my bar seeking a part time job.
I liked his guts so I hired him and over time he kept on impressing me, from how fast he learnt the names of so many drinks to how fast he learnt how to mix so many drinks.
He even had his own special mixture of drinks which tasted like Tennessee Whiskey and would definitely put some hair on your chest. The customers loved his mixture to the point they started calling it a Tom's Special, he doesn't know how popular he'd become in the bar lately. It seems like he's always stuck in his head, like he was usually thinking about something else even while attending to another that needed his focus. But still he wasn't spacey and was proficient in his job, I can't shake the feeling that there was something more to Tom that I wasn't aware of.
Only that I do not care about my workers personal lives, I just want them to keep doing a good job and not getting into any trouble.
…
[Tom Hendricks POV]
I had gotten to work that evening and was greeted by both Gary and Linda who seemed to be having a discussion behind the counter. The bar wasn't as busy as it usually was but it was brimming with wasted folks who were willing to spend every dime they had on them on more and more drinks.
I had resumed my duties and started taking more others, picking up from where Linda had left off. Cleaning the messy tables filled with empty bottles was such a bother but hey, it is part of my job after all.
I returned behind the counter so I could continue doing what bartenders do, when a calm but soothing voice called to me.
I lifted my head to see the person who was ringing the bell and calling out to me while I was literally just in front of him.
The thought that came to mind the moment I set eyes on the person responsible for the minor disturbance was, 'What the hell is Michael Scofield from Prison Break doing in the DC verse?'
I swallowed that thought, acting like he wasn't a familiar face to me as I turned and asked. "What drink would you like for the evening, good sir?"
"I heard you had a special combo which tastes as good as Tennessee whisky, I would like a glass of that." His response was completely unexpected for Tom.
"Right away sir, one house special coming up." As I prepared the drink mixing different alcohols in order to achieve my main goal, he asked another unexpected question.
"Do you remember two men with a blueprint whom you gave solutions to their security issues?"
The question seemed tacky as hell and I was sure this guy meant another thing completely. Call it my spider tingle if you will, but I was half inclined to believe that blueprint was a prison security layout.
But then again, it had nothing to do with me if Scofield escaped again, after all I was just giving my honest thought so I decided to do the same to his question.
"Yes I was the one who provided solutions to their security problems, they asked for my help as it had been a pain in the ass issue to them."
"They were colleagues of mine and referred you to me, how would you like to work for me? We could put that brain of yours into good use." He takes a sip from his drink then stares directly at me while waiting for my answer.
"There's nothing special about my brain. I'm just a little bit smarter than most people, and it was just basic knowledge anyone with a good eye could figure out. Also I don't even know who you are and you expect me to quit my job and come work for you?"
"It would be worth it, trust me. What's your name kid?"
"Basic manners." I looked him straight in the eyes, not budging an inch against the stare of the possible criminal in front of me. "Hahaha! I like you kid, you've got spunk. The name's Leonard, but my friends call me Leo."
"Leonard it is then, I do not intend on becoming a friend of yours. And my name is Tom, a simple bartender who doesn't want any trouble."
He chuckled a bit then said. "Nice meeting you Tom, he extended a ln handshake to him" I shook his hand and responded in kind "Itwasn't a pleasure."
With a smile on his lips he took the last sip of the drink in his glass before he waved farewell to me. "See you around kid."
I cocked up an eyebrow and responded with, "Hopefully not."
Upon hearing my response he laughed as he walked out the bar. I knew the missing diamond and the men with the blueprints along with Michael Scofield who was now called Leonard in the DC verse, are all connected. Normally I wouldn't want to be in the middle of this mess, hopefully I won't see him again but I can't shake the feeling that he'll be watching me from a distance.
…
How exciting.