A familiar thrill coursed through Gabriel. It had been too long.
The heist was a masterpiece of precision. The only moment of friction had been with Williams. He'd practiced Green's voice, but his real fear wasn't a bad imitation. It was that Williams, his old friend, would recognize the voice underneath.
Gabriel was a high-ranking Cadet, Warden of the only Prison in Silicon Canyon, and Chief Security Officer of Tekkins Telecommunications—a member of the elite Crew Eight.
He was also a ghost from a darker past. He was famous. He was a specialist in breaking high-value prisoners out of jail. He'd been caught, jailed, and escaped multiple times, often with other prisoners in tow. He was a mercenary of freedom, sometimes breaking out CIA assets, other times delivering bounties to syndicates.
One delivery had gone wrong. A Criminal syndicate employed him to release a CIA official that was planted withing. The Syndicate extracted intelligence from the CIA official, then executed him. The leaked data led to the massacre of thirty-six officials on a plane. Gabriel was sentenced to death as an accomplice.
Dr. Elara Vex had pulled the strings that saved him.
He had sworn to repent, to climb the ranks legitimately. But the old hunger never died. Today, he had fed it.
He sighed, remembering the way he treated Green. Green was stubborn, he tried to resist, so the others held him while he choked him till he was unconscious.
"I had to do it for the sake of the group." He muttered quietly.
His thoughts came to a stop, as the vehicle stopped. They had parked in the garage of a building and switched to a Military Rover that was waiting. The people who came with him sprang into action, breaking the Cetus Rovers into smaller parts.
"Don." He turned to the Cetus Driver. "Make sure you go back to Ironwood Prison within the next three hours."
"How much longer?" he asked the Military driver. The Military Rover tore through the Yellow Zone's underbelly.
"Twenty-three minutes."
They arrived at Barracks Thirty-One in twenty-five minutes. The place was a hive of controlled chaos. Military vehicles rolled in and out. Militants drilled. Others loaded and unloaded supplies. A makeshift gym buzzed with activity near the gate.
A soldier directed them to park. "Follow me. Marshal Costain is expecting you."
Gabriel carried the square device containing Orpheus into Costain's office. Fourteen stern-faced individuals sat around the Marshal.
A call flashed on his B-Wax. He rejected it and silenced his B.Wax, his eyes fixed on Costain.
"Calm down," Costain, a light-skinned, athletic man assured him. "They are in."
"Okay." Gabriel placed the device on the desk. "You can go. She will wire your funds. We must reach the Green Zone and await the scientists who will begin testing it."
He walked back to a Cadet Rover that had been kept for him and drove straight to Silicon Canyon. He couldn't be absent for long, especially now.
Five hours later, Gabriel strolled into his home. He dragged his legs across the floor, too tired to lift them. The work at Silicon Canyon had been overwhelming. The Cadets were busy organizing everything while simultaneously investigating the heist. Their investigations led nowhere, and after five hours, they were finally sent on leave.
Exhausted, he lay down on the bed without removing his cadet uniform or shoes. He turned on his B.Wax and saw thirty missed calls from an unknown number. He decided to call the number back.
"Who the hell is this?" he snapped.
"It's Peter!" The voice was giddy with excitement. "Man, you're legendary! You tricked them all! You stole from the most secure place on Mars!"
"Why the unknown number?" Gabriel's voice was stern. "Dump the ancient phones. Get a B-Wax. How do I know I'm not talking to the UBI?"
"Okay, whatever." Peter sigh then lowered his tone, as he made a classified pledge. "Guided by the Unseen Hand."
"May we impeach Tyranny," Gabriel whispered in response. With the pledge done, he now relaxed. "You know I couldn't have done it without her."
"Yeah. She's a great asset."
"She's calling me now." Another call was beeping through on Gabriel's B.Wax. "I have to go."
"Be careful, Gabriel. The more errands you run for her, the deeper you get. I don't want her asking for something that hurts the group. Don't cut me off, put me on hold. I want to hear your conversations."
"I'm careful." Gabriel switched to the incoming call. "Hello, Ma."
Elara Vex's voice was calm, measured. "Did you succeed?"
"Yes. I delivered it to Costain as you ordered."
"Good. Thank you. You have done a great service for me."
"No, Elara, you are the one who has done everything. If not for you, I wouldn't be alive."
"I will call you later, I need to visit Bryce." The call ended.
"Bryce supremacy has gotten into his head. He is too reckless these days." Peter resumed their conversation.
"Speaking of supremacy, I just got news that he has been released and the crowd isn't taking it."
"I wonder how Costain will take it. I think I should invite him again."
"Peter." Gabriel's voice turned serious. "Be careful with him, he has the prototype. I don't want things to go sideways all because of his emotions."
"Don't worry. I will handle him." The call ended. Gabriel stared outside the windows, lost in thought.