EPISODE III - DUBAI

16 days before the job

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The flight was very uneventful. Except for once when this woman asked for peanuts and when she got peanuts she had an allergic reaction and threatened to sue the flight attendant.

The other passengers volunteered as witnesses and the stupid woman calmed down.

Rey slept on my right shoulder the whole time while I slept on Dharuna's. Yuri, Kai and Elara were seated behind Dhara, Rey and me and they chattered non-stop about the times in Chicago, mostly in code because the other passengers are nosy as all hell.

Blaise, Pandora and Ariadne sat in front of us, Ariadne continued to make this crochet top she had started working on, while Pandora watched some makeup tutorials on my iPad.

Blaise said she was hacking some multinational corporation because they are dumb. I let her do whatever as long as she doesn't endanger us.

Alby, Cassandra and Monique were seated at the opposite column of seats and Monique checked on all of us once in while, to make sure all of us were doing okay.

We had a layover at Kuala Lumpur before coming to Dubai, so it took us a lot more than my fourteen miscalculated hours and everyone was not happy about that. Except for Yuri and Kai, they sleep through everything.

As soon as we board off and get through customs, with our fake IDs of course, I call two taxis and we head to the main city of marvellous Dubai. There are speed limits, where you can't go at speeds lower than the given limit. So there are fancy cars zooming pass me as if we're on a highway.

The city is so full of light. The cars, the buildings, the attractions. It's so crowded but at the same time so orderly.

Being in the taxi, looking up at the flashing lights reminds me of Tokyo and Beijing and Mumbai and Rio De Janeiro all together. All these cities with their busy population and lights always make me feel like I'm part of something huge.

Minnie is staring out the window next to me, the lights are reflected in her eyes which are in themselves filled with wonder. Such cities have that effect on you.

Yuri is snoring on my shoulder on the other hand, completely unbothered about the city. I look at her peaceful face with her mouth slightly open and I see that SHE DROOLED ON ME!

I like this hoodie.

Blaise is in the passenger's seat, playing flappy bird. She is casually listening to music in her headphones. I peer at her screen and I am shocked beyond belief. She is at nine-hundred. 

I can't even get a score of eight.

As I am trying to lean back, the taxi hits a speed bump and...Blaise loses the game. At nine-ninety-six.

"MOTHERFU-", I clap my hand over her mouth before the taxi driver decides to kick us out.

And oh she loses her mind. Her eyes go wide behind her blue lens glasses and she gives a glare to the taxi driver. I don't think he cares that he is now considered dead to Blaise as he continues to drive in absolute peace.

I wish to have this attitude. We stan the driver. 

We reach the tall building where our rented penthouse is and I hop out to admire the structure of the building while Minnie pays the cabbie. Yuri drudges along sleepily. It's just early evening here, but everyone is way too tired to even go out for some food.

I call our landlord, who is this kind middle-aged Indian man who gives us the keys to the penthouse, and some very useful tips to clean the stove tops and the bathrooms. He tells me that he is a chartered accountant living his best life in this pretty city, and he hopes that our group gets to experience the greatness as well.

It was a wonderful change after the creepy lady we had in Chicago. Dharuna and the man then had a long conversation in Hindi, while I caught some bits and pieces of it, while we waited for the second car to roll up. 

Blaise sits on the ground and starts a second intense round of flappy bird, and I don't think anyone is going to make an effort to get her up from the position because none of us, except for Monique or Dharuna maybe, are as chill as the cabbie.

Our landlord handed us a box of fresh homemade sweets made by his lovely wife and Minji continuously bows to thank him for the courtesy just as the second car pulls up.

Pandora hops out, complains about the lights, snatches the key, and walks right into the building, all in a matter of sixty seconds.

Our landlord just looks at her back with a troubled expression. I assure him she is with us and that she is very well-behaved. Hopefully. Very hopefully.

We all make our way upwards as well. Oh well except for Blaise, no one wants to interrupt her new intense game of flappy bird, none of us want to lose a finger or our entire bank balance.

The elevator opens at the fifteenth floor as Allie, Cassandra and Ariadne walk with me to the door of the apartment that Pandora graciously left open.

We walk in and I marvel at the clean, chic apartment in front of us. It has a high roof, and a set of stairs leading to the upper floors of the penthouse in the back. To the left, there is a huge couch, a massive bookshelf with a tv set built in the middle, with a gigantic TV installed on it. Then to the right is the kitchen area, which is marvellously spacious on its own accord, and a dining table for eight people next to it.

Right in front is a couple of chairs and bean bags on either side of the balcony doors, which I bet has the most amazing view of this lively city.

On the left and right there are entrances to corridors for the room, two on the left, two on the right and two rooms in the penthouse section.

Pandora struts out from one of the upper rooms, and points to the one on the far right, "This one is mine, and I'm sharing it with Aria. None of you should have any problems with that, understood?"

We gave her our affirmations.

I turn towards Alby and Cassandra, "You two take the room right next to them. Ariadne always has a problem with Rey and Yuri, and Pandora can't stand Blaise, so I think it would be best for the two of you."

Alby gives me a salute and Cassandra grabs both their bags and they make their way up the stairs.

I make my way to the left corridor and set my bag down in the first room I see. Very spacious room with a queen sized bed and a decent sized closet.

I smile at the room, I made a good choice with this apartment. We can be comfortable here for the week.

Minnie bursts into the room and claims the side of the bed near the window because of her claustrophobia. We both set our stuff up and I send her to the bathroom to clean up while I check on others.

Pandora and Ariadne already got cleaned up, and Ariadne set up her little studio in the storage space which was meant to be a pantry.

Pandora is watching a gory TV show on the huge flatscreen and she, for some reason, invited Cassandra and Elara to watch it with her and currently the two poor things are holding on to each other for dear life while watching the blood spilling out of the actors open skull.

Monique already claimed one of the chairs at the back near a lamp and is reading a book, and I can bet my life's earnings it is a work of science fiction.

Rey is in the kitchen with Dharuna and they are playing Hacky Sack with a rolled up ball of multiple layers of tin foil. Dharuna is doing pretty well, she bounced it off her knee a couple time, her shoulder, once off her head, even her nose, and finally the foot.

Rey sucks. That's all I have to say.

Cassandra passed out as soon as her head hit the pillows and I had to do the mom task of tucking her into a blanket.

Blaise is still sitting outside on the ground playing flappy bird. If you are wondering, I'm not going to pick her up. Let her stay there all night. It's not very cold out here.

Kai is sitting on top of the kitchen cabinets, like spiderman, eating a cup of vanilla yogurt. Discern that however you want to.

As for Yuri, she tried to cut an onion but now is sitting and crying in a corner because she rubbed those hands over her eyes. Idiot.

"Gather around, children!" I call out to everyone while seating myself at the head of the dining table. Nobody moves an inch.

"Get your asses here if you wanna know what we're gonna do!" Minji calls out.

Rey and Dharuna stop playing and join us, Pandora pauses the movie, Monique gets up from her chair, Yuri tries to get up but falls back down because of her impaired vision, Kai doesn't get up and I hear a snore from Cassandra's bedroom. Great.

"Next auction is being held at the famous Munir Hotel at the South of the Palm Jumera. The artefact is worth about one point two million dollars, but the security is extremely tight," I begin, "Alby and Cassandra will have to work their asses off to get us into that place. As for Blaise... "

"Yes?" I hear Blaise's voice from the beside the fridge. When did she get here?

"The security system is the most advanced one we have encountered and it is almost impossible to crack," Minji continues for me.

"I can try figuring out a way but we don't have much time," Blaise looks uncertain for the first time in her life.

I smile, "Don't worry I contacted some help, they get here tomorrow."

Blaise narrows her eyes, and behind the glasses they look even more threatening, "Who is this 'help'?"

"Meet them tomorrow. For now let's all get some rest," Minji tells her.

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I hope you liked this one!