Kite spent the rest of the meet listening quietly and carefully as the Johnson provided details on what they were to do and answered some questions. Once bnc’s curiousity was satisfied, the group broke up to go collect their things and meet back at the new safehouse. Kite ducked her way past the weirdly-tense conversation between Anna and bnc to thank Schmitt for the meal, then slipped out to climb into her Jeep and head home. Safely tucked into the driver-side rigger cocoon, jumped into the souped-up Trailblazer, she was able to take a moment and relax. She drove casually and let her mind wander over the details of the meet. She was experienced as a rigger and as a smuggler, but this was her first true Shadowrun, and a heist was unfamiliar territory for her. Reviewing the information she had so far helped her to feel more comfortable with it. Like taking an engine apart and putting it back together. Over and over and over again.
A call came in from Brian, snapping her out of her trance. Kite realized she’d been driving long, slow circles around downtown Seattle for over an hour. She kicked herself mentally and picked up the call.
“So? How’d it go?” Brian asked, unwilling to hide his excitement for his protégé.
“It was good,” Kite smiled in return. “but I can’t talk about it. Very top secret stuff, you know.”
Brian seemed to take a moment, maybe surprised that she was unwilling to tell even him any details. He seemed to remember, though, that she was a professional and so was he. His grin returned and he put his index finger against the side of his nose, winking in an overtly cheesy secret gesture. “Ahh…of course, of course. Just tell me what you need.”
“I’m coming by the hangar to get some things. Can you box up my tools? And maybe clean Tonto up?”
“You’re taking that old thing?”
“We will be away for a while. A month at least. You never know.”
Tonto was Kite’s nickname for her Evo Proletarian, the little mechanic’s-assistant drone she’s had for years.
After swinging by her apartment to pick up some clothes and various odds and ends, she pulled up back at the hangar where Brian was waiting. She hopped out of the Jeep and gave him a warm hug, like a daughter greets a father.
“You don’t need the plane?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Dunno. I can come get it if I do. Best to keep it here for now. Now stop asking questions,” she said with a playful smile. Brian smiled in return and ran an invisible zipper across his lips. Together they packed the rest of her things into the Jeep. After another hug, she climbed back in and was on her way.