It wasn't as though obtaining access to the ship's cameras proved difficult and it was hardly considered 'hacking' if Isaac hadn't changed his password since I last entered his system. I observed the red-tinted scene of the bay in silence as Isaac conversed with the docking crew chief. I had to hand it to Tiffany, her work on my PERTID was phenomenal. With a single voice command, my small ear pace sprouted a holo wrap-around band with a small two by two screen that sat about three inches away from my vision. Something that came in handy when holding my laptop was an inconvenience.

Issac gestured the crew chief over to the second storage bay, something he only did when credibility was an order. It seemed like the hot mess I found myself in was serious after all. Poor Uncle Isaac, I thought with a snicker to myself.

A soft nudge pulled me from my vindictive thoughts and down to Xazix who had found me alone in the hall. He really was a remarkable creature, able to sense others almost to a fault. My heart throbbed as I patted his head.

"Sorry boy, this is a solo adventure."

My attention flitted back to my small screen as the two men disappeared into the adjacent room. With the stealth of a ninja, I slipped from the corridor I'd been stationed in and sprinted to the exit, my feet a silent whisper on the cold metal hull. My sneakers took a pregnant pause a few feet before the ramp and I stretched before continuing on my way out. A young girl running from a ship huge, huge red flag. On the other hand, a tired girl dragging herself from the deep dark depths of a ship, much more common and more importantly believable.

No one seemed to pay me much mind as I walked to the length of the platform. Each ship was assigned to a single dock, for security purposes no doubt. Great for security, not fantastic for sneaking away if the first crowd you were able to disappear into was over one-hundred yards away. I supposed that now wouldn't be a terrible time for Isaac to realize I'd left however as I reached the end of the platform Isaac and the crew chief still chatted away in the second storage bay of the Lawless.

Guess my luck hasn't run out after all.

My luck was little concern though. Now that step one had been executed without incident step two would be the focus. That meant locating my partner in crime.

Once I dropped the connection with the feed on the Lawless the real job commenced. Somewhere within this hub brimming with over a dozen races, Useless was hiding. Judging by the condition he'd been in my guess was he'd sought shelter in the parts no one wanted to venture into. I needed a position to set up my operation, one preferably that had good coffee but not a place too close to the docks or one I'd frequented in the past.

"Pull up Proxima street map," I muttered to the tiny device in my ear cavity.

In seconds my P.E.R.T.I.D. displayed a detailed map of the hub. The shadow district or so that's what they called the impoverished sector was located as far away from the docks as humanly possible. By foot, it would take about twenty minutes to reach the outskirts which meant the closer my survey point the better.

"Show me coffee around sector-3."

Once again my P.E.R.T.I.D. responded to my voice and the mini holo map zoomed in to display sector-3 along with a numbered list of shops that served my beverage of choice.

"Route to number five," I commanded mid-step. Cosmic Coffee Creations sounds right up my alley.

A thin dark line crawled through the miniature streets of the map connecting my current location to my destination. My pace quickened as I fought my default settings with vigor. I didn't want to postpone booting up my facial recognition program but doing so now would do more harm than good. If I'd previously connected to the Proxima security feed then a simple voice command would do the trick and I could allow my software to perform the initial infiltration. For this situation though, the risk far outweighed the reward. I wanted- no, I had to do this the old fashioned way, with my own two hands.

It took me ten minutes to slide into a table, expending no time as drew out my P.E.R.T.I.D. and simultaneously activating its holo screens. My fingers flew across the keys, my mind processing just as fast as my digits danced. I was balls deep in their fire-wall by the time a waitress approached my table, pen and pad in hand.

"What can I get for you today Miss?"

I didn't bother glancing up from my work as I mumbled my order through the thoughtful gap between my lips. I had more pressing matters than manners at the moment. "Your best coffee drink. You pick."

By the lack of response, I assumed I had stunned her into a mute state. 82 and counting. I never ordered the same coffee twice and whoever had the pleasure of serving me always received the privilege of selecting. It wasn't like I wouldn't enjoy whatever they brought me, coffee was coffee no matter what was added to it.

"As long as it has coffee in it I'll like it."

The girl scurried off hopefully to return back with something delicious. I could sure use a pick-me-up right about now. With several more clicks, I cleared the final wall and slumped back into my chair.

"Run facial for Useless, " I grumbled, my eyes a wary lookout as they examined the room for anything that gave me the urge to run like a bitch. It was my tell-tale sign from the universe that I needed to remove myself from wherever I was. The creepy-crawly feeling was absent though thank God.

The girl returned a moment later with a large, flowered, cup and set it next to me on the table. A soft billow of steam rose from the dark liquid bringing a much-needed smile to my lips.

"That's a fancy P.E.R.T.I.D. you got there," She commented.

Not offering a response I raised the hot liquid to my lips and took a cautious, leisurely, sip. It tasted like the coffee fairy shit in my mouth. With a small smile I glanced up at the small waitress only now taking note she wasn't entirely Terran. Her eyes were a copper, almost gold color that seemed to glitter when the light caught them just right and her skin was covered in a fine layer of pale hair. From a distance, she could easily be mistaken as Terran but up close she was clearly a Felis.

"And this is a fantastic coffee. Thank you."

She offered a nod before her eyes drifted downward toward the display of my P.E.R.T.I.D. "Are you looking for someone?"

I bobbed my head in confirmation, my lips otherwise occupied with the brim of my drink before my screen enlarged a single video feed in the center and real-time footage of Useless assaulted my eyes.

Jesus, he looked like fucking hell.

"Yep and it seems like I've located him."

words - 1115
total words - 7118
written - 03/13/2020
last edited - 05/05/2020