THE FERALS Part 8
Silvy waited in the coffee shop for Pat to show. She didn’t know what to expect. Only in movies did things like this happen and she was sure real life didn’t work that way. How were they going to get into one of the most secure buildings in the city? Come to think of it, why would a broadcast station be kept so secure?
A tap on her should nearly caused Silvy to scream but she held it in. When she looked who it was, she wasn’t surprised to see Pat standing there with a wide grin. “Hey girl, did I scare you?”
“I nearly peed myself. What the hell?” Silvy couldn’t help but smile, too.
Pat laughed. “Sorry, not sorry. Imma grab a coffee and then we can head out.”
When Pat returned, they both headed out of the warm coffee shop. It was getting cold outside, winter seemed to be coming early. Silvy worried about the Ferals and how they would handle it. Some of the families didn’t have heat in their small homes.
Just outside, they approached Pat’s car. It was your typical vehicle. The usual gray like everyone else. Just another floating bubble shape among other floating bubbles. Silvy guessed that was the whole point. To blend in. She had left her scooter back at home, choosing to walk to the café. It could have raised suspicion if her scooter was outside the café for a long time.
Pat turned on the heat as soon as they closed the car doors. Silvy sighed in relief. She never liked the cold. Soaking in the warm sun was more her style. A beanie slapped her in the face, bringing her focus back. “Hey!”
“Pay attention. Cover your hair with the beanie. There’s a black hoodie in the back seat. Put that on.” Pat took out her phone. “Show me your phone.”
Silvy took hers out of her back pocket. Pat lightly tapped hers on top of Silvy’s. “There. Now you have my number. We both go in but when I am in the hub, I will need you to be my eyes. Send me a message if someone is coming.”
“Got it.” Silvy tried to put on a brave face, but she was terrified. “Oh, Tom mentioned a stun gun?”
“Glove box, but don’t engage unless we have no choice.”
Silvy pulled out the two guns. They looked like regular guns but at the end of the barrel, there were two prongs protruding from it. “So, these work up close?”
“No, they shoot out the prongs. When your opponent is down, you push that blue button on the side, and it will release the wires and push forward more prongs.” Pat kept her eyes on the road while she talked. Silvy couldn’t understand how she could be so relaxed.
“Have you done things like this before?” Silvy tried to read Pat’s face.
She shook her head. “I’m a tech. The most I have done is hack into stuff, but this can’t be done that way. This time, we have to physically go in. This is my first field mission.”
“What?” Silvy’s mouth hung open. “This is your first?”
“Don’t worry. We’ve got this, girl.” Pat winked at Silvy. “This place is usually empty at night. Only guards are outside the fence. As soon as we get in, we’ll be fine.”
“What about security cameras? They’ll see us and then come shoot us or something.”
“I already took care of that. I hacked in and put them on a loop. All anyone will see are empty hallways.”
Silvy tried to control her breathing. This was insane. They were going to die and never get to help the Ferals.
Pat put her hand on Silvy’s leg. “Calm down, girl. You’ll pass out if you keep breathing like that.” Her eyes widened. “Oh, look. We’re here.”
They drove past the fenced in building and parked at the movie theater. Pat grabbed her bag containing her laptop and they went to buy tickets. It didn’t matter what movie they bought them for. They wouldn’t be watching it.
Both Pat and Silvy entered the building and walked into the theater their tickets told them to. Previews of upcoming movies flew by while Silvy nervously tapped her foot. As soon as the movie started, Pat nudged Silvy’s shoulder and they both stood to leave.
They left the theater and walked to a back door. Above it said, “Emergency Exit Only”. Silvy placed a hand on Pat’s arm. “Won’t an alarm sound when we open it?”
Pat simply smiled and pushed the door open. Silvy braced for the noise, but it never happened. So, Silvy slumped her shoulders and followed Pat outside. Now for the hard part.
