Orion Rainer was tapping his foot impatiently inside the phone booth when, finally, the phone rang. He snatched it quickly with a scowl crawling across his face. “Smith here, what’s takin’ you so long?” he snapped.

“Your cab was… Delayed due to unforeseen circumstances, let’s say. You’ll learn more when it arrives,” the voice on the phone responded.

“I don’t have all day. The pizza’s gonna get there in like… 15 minutes.” The pizza was, in fact, not a pizza. Rainer had earlier planted a ticking time bomb in the building just outside, which his vigilante team had determined weeks prior to be the headquarters of one of the largest gangs in the city, the Viper Organization. 

“Your cab will be there in five, don’t fuss. They’ll take maybe ten minutes to realize there’s a delivery on the way,” the fuzzy voice said.

“God, I hate waitin’. Worst part,” Rainer scorned. Before the phone could respond, he hung up. Better to spend as little time as possible in conversation—who knows who might be listening in.

All Rainer had to listen to now were the patters of the rain on the roof of the booth and the whispers of his own thoughts. It was so dark, he thought, someone could be right outside and he wouldn’t notice. Despite his doubts, he believed in Benson. He’d said the Vipers wouldn’t detect the bomb before he’d be far away, and Rainer knew Benson’s calculations were never off. 

Finally, Rainer saw headlights reflecting off of building windows in the dark distance. As the radiant shine enveloped the booth, Rainer could see there was nobody but him around. The sleek car’s deep black tires skidded to a halt, and Rainer burst out of the booth, ran across the pavement and slid himself into the car as quickly as possible. The clock was ticking down now, and they couldn’t afford a wasted second. 

“Well,” said Hunter, the driver, as the car sped away along the city streets, “now we wait for that bomb to go off. It’s one of my baddest girls yet—I’m 100% sure they’re not gonna defuse it in time. You made sure to grab the important documents, right?”

“Don’t doubt my abilities, Hunter,” Rainer scolded in response. “‘Course I did.”

“Hey, you know I don’t mean to. Anyways, I guess you’re wondering what the holdup was?” Hunter asked. Rainer merely nodded in response, glaring like a hawk.

“Well, see, we found a tracker on the car before we took off,” Hunter stated calmly. Though he noticed Rainer doing everything he could not to explode, he went on: “It was also a bomb. Nothing I couldn’t handle, though. After we removed it, I had Terry start analyzing the data. When we get back, he’ll tell us all about it. Ain’t no reason to worry, eh?”

Rainer took a deep breath in a feeble attempt to calm himself. “And how in the world did the tracker find itself there in the first…” He took another deep breath, lest he donate another dime to the swear jar. “Place?”

“Terry’ll know,” Hunter replied casually. Certainly, he wasn’t taking the situation as seriously as he needed to, at least from Rainer’s perspective. 

“Uh, guys?” Benson finally spoke from the back seat. “The pizza is about to detonate.” Just then, a deafening crash sounded far in the distance. “Yeah, that’s for certain on the news tomorrow,” Benson remarked.

Underneath their apartment, Rainer and crew idled as their secret elevator took them down. As soon as the doors opened, Rainer stomped over to the lab, where he found Terry. 

Terry continued typing on his computer, his blond hair all that was visible to Rainer. “Could you have been any quieter? I’m trying to focus,” he said indifferently. 

Rainer breathed in deep again, trying to contain his overwhelming fear masked as rage. “Do you have anything for us?” he asked, eyeing the tracker in pieces on Terry’s desk, its parts all hooked up to Terry’s computer.

Terry nodded and said, “You bet. I know exactly where, when, what, how about this tracker. You want it in that order?”

“Just give it to me,” Rainer snapped.

“Okay, sheesh,” Terry said, turning back around. “Alright, so, this tracker. It got planted as we drove through the intersection by the Viper Organization’s HQ on our way back yesterday. It’s a pretty well-built one—it’s not one of those commercial pieces of scrap. The gang would never pay that much, so it’s probably someone else. It was thrown on by a passing vehicle, so they clearly anticipated that we were going to be driving through at that time.”

“Do we know who actually planted it?” Rainer asked.

Terry clapped his hands together. “Luckily for us, the tracker had been silently gathering data for as long as it was on, which it had been for a while before attaching to our car. What I’m doing now is gathering that data and applying it to a map. Actually,” Terry said as he turned around, “it’s just finished.” He pulled up the map his program generated and rotated his laptop, showing the glowing screen to Rainer. “That blue line going from the intersection to the apartment building shows the tracker’s position while it was ‘active,’ sending location information to whoever put it down. The red line from the intersection to… Ah, Yurimoto Inc. That’s the data the tracker gathered before it hit our car.”

Rainer leaned in to get a closer look. “Why was it trackin’ before?”

Terry zoomed in on just the red portion of the path. “It was probably outsourced by some third party company. They’re probably after Yurimoto, so we don’t have to worry about them for now.”

“Yurimoto, huh.” Rainer spun around, beginning to pace around the lab. “Where have I seen that name?”

Just then, Benson strode in with a file in his hand, his curly brown hair bobbing. “Probably in here,” he said, holding the file up. Rainer walked over, and Benson opened the file for him. “This one is about Yurimoto’s partnership with the Vipers. It seems like the gang is doing their dirty work for them, and they get paid really well in return. Look, their latest collaboration—placing that tracker on our vehicle.”

Rainer nodded, placing his fist in his palm. “Alright. We need to sabotage whatever information Yurimoto has on us and get whatever we can from them. I’m sure this tracker is only the beginnin’.”

“Alright. I can construct a 3D diagram of their building, and we can go from there,” Benson said. “My scouts have probably already seen whatever there is to see in there.”

Benson’s antlike scout robots had been a huge help in their recent missions. A couple months before, Benson had released a wave of them, and eventually he’d gathered data on all the infrastructure in the city.

“Sounds like a plan, Benson,” Rainer said, and he, Terry and Benson shook hands on it.

Later, Benson called the three other team members to the mission control room. He pulled up his flickering green holographic diagram atop the central display table for all of them to see.

“The top three floors aren’t all that interesting. That’s where they do their normal business. But see, their basement floor is massive, like, giant.” Rainer observed it was about three times as large as the other floors. “There’s few vulnerabilities in their security, but those vulnerabilities exist, and that’s all we need, right Rainer?” 

Rainer nodded. “I can work with anythin’. But what are these vulnerabilities you’re talkin’ about?”

Benson zoomed in on the lower part of the hologram. “I think the most promising is here,” he said, pointing to one of the entrances to a room with rows upon rows of file cabinets. “I think this is where they store most of their information. This entrance is usually guarded, but during a shift change, there’s a solid 20 minutes this door doesn’t have anybody nearby. Plus, 15 minutes earlier, the person in charge of making sure people going in and out of the basement are where they’re supposed to be, she takes her lunch break. Now, she usually has this key that she uses to prevent the single elevator that goes to the basement from going, but sometimes she forgets. If we’re lucky, the stars will align and you can get into that room, grab what you need, and get out. Terry can figure out which files you need and where to get them, and Hunter can tailor an exact copy of the normal guard’s uniform.”

Terry and Hunter nodded as Rainer glanced at each of them. “Alright,” Rainer said. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

Rainer took in a nervous breath, as deep as he could, as Hunter pulled up to Yurimoto Inc. Currently, he looked like a regular Yurimoto employee clocking in for work, but when he got on the elevator, he’d change into his guard’s outfit.

“Alright Rainer, it’s up to you now,” Benson said. Rainer got out of the car, and as it drove off, he heard Benson’s voice speaking in his ear. “Everything is lining up. It’ll go perfectly.”

Rainer walked into the building with a confident appearance. On the surface, everything seemed normal. Bright lights gazed down from the high ceiling, reflecting off of glass barriers. The design was sleek and professional, yet indifferent and sterile. As Rainer passed the front desk on his way to the right elevator, he heard the clerk say, “You’re late.” Rainer ignored him, pressing the lone button on the side of the elevator’s entrance. As long as he didn’t give himself away, there wouldn’t be any problems, he reassured himself. 

After Rainer changed, Benson’s voice chimed again: “She’s left the elevator unlocked. You’re good to go.” Rainer silently sighed in relief. The elevator chimed and the doors opened, revealing nothing but an empty desk in front of an empty corridor. All Rainer had to do was follow the path he had memorized, and there’d be nothing to worry about. 

Step by step, Rainer marched along his ‘patrol.’ Occasionally he noticed another guard, but if they noticed him, they did nothing. Eventually, Rainer arrived at the entrance to the file room. There was no guard outside, just as planned. He tried the door, no luck. He’d have to pick the lock.

Before he got out his lockpick, Benson piped up. “Ten minutes, Rainer. Be quick.” Rainer nodded and huffed, pulling the pick from his pocket and inserting it into the knob. It took him a minute, but eventually he heard a click. In his prime, Rainer could have done this in seconds—why was it taking so long now? No time for that. He quickly closed the door behind him. The first file he was looking for was in the cabinet in the third row and fourth column, right? He combed through it without finding it. It was the fourth column and third row, damnit. It took him too long to get over to the cabinet and find the one he was looking for. He still needed three more. It was in the second column somewhere… He wished Benson would tell him, but he wasn’t talking—there must have been some complication. Seems like this mission won’t go so smoothly after all, Rainer thought.

Finally, after sifting through what must’ve been scores of folders, he found the second file. But it was too late. There were footsteps outside—if he continued rummaging, he’d be discovered. The ceilings weren’t high enough for him to hide, so he just had to hope nobody would find him. Deep breaths, Rainer. But be quiet. Just stay calm.

Meanwhile, Benson was panicking, pacing the mission control floor. He’d lost connection to Rainer’s earpiece, but he knew Rainer was trapped. What was Rainer doing? How could he have taken so long? 

“Calm down, Benson,” Hunter assured. “Rainer’s competent enough to get out of this situation fine. Tomorrow, the same shift will happen, and Rainer’ll be fine.”

“Shut up, Hunter,” Benson lashed through a clenched jaw. After a period of silence, Benson straightened. “We have to get him out of there. I can do it. I’ll sneak in there and knock out that guard. Patrol is sparse, they won’t notice until it’s too late.”

Terry shook his head. “That’s too risky, Benson. If Rainer’s spotted, he’ll be able to get out of it. He’s always able to.”

Benson placed his face in his palm. “Terry, he’s never in these situations in the first place. I’m not saying he couldn’t get out of it, but we’re his team. We can’t just sit around.”

Then Benson felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Hunter. “You know what, man, you’re right. Let’s get ourselves together. Terry, you know it’s the right thing to do, yeah?”

Terry glanced away, unsure of himself. Ultimately, he nodded hesitantly.

“That’s the spirit,” Hunter encouraged. 

Benson went on to outline their plan. Terry would stay back outside of the building to make sure their retreat went smoothly, and Hunter alongside Benson would take the maintenance entrance to the bottom floor. Benson would sneak past the patrolling guards and get Rainer out during the shift change, and then they’d practically be home free.

The next day, about ten minutes prior to the guards’ shift change, Benson, Hunter and Terry parked in front of the Yurimoto Inc. building. They held fast onto their faith Rainer hadn’t yet been found. Hunter and Benson went around the right side of the building, finding their entrance. Benson swiftly picked the lock, and they were in. Most people didn’t see this cold, dull part of the building. As the sound of his shoes tapping down the steps bounced off the walls of the stairwell, Hunter asked Benson, “Why didn’t Rainer go this way in the first place? It’s a lot more convenient…”

“There’s an alarm that triggers if the door opens without a key being inserted and read, so even with a pick, Rainer couldn’t go this way. I finally figured out how it works, though, and so now I can easily fool the door. But you stay back by it just in case, remember?” Benson explained.

“Yeah, ‘course,” Hunter replied. “I’ll make sure there’s no problem.”

Benson nodded and stuck his device in the keyhole and key reader combination. “Good. See you in a bit,” he said, slipping out into the basement hallways.

Rainer heard footsteps growing distant outside the doorway. Finally, he could relax. Why had he gotten himself into this situation in the first place? He was so fatigued… At last, he had the opportunity to collect the remaining files. Simultaneously fighting off the urge to succumb to sleep, it took him a solid five minutes to figure out which cabinets to look in and an additional couple of minutes to locate the right documents. Just as he had, he heard quiet footsteps nearing.

Oh… crud. The guard wasn’t supposed to be back for another ten minutes—was somebody actually coming in for the files? Rainer crouched among the maze of file cabinets, but he was sure it wouldn’t be enough.

The lock was more complicated than he expected it to be, but Benson managed to pick it with ease. Peering in, he glanced around the room before silently calling out. “Rainer?”

He saw someone stand up. “Benson? Is that you?” he heard Rainer’s voice ask.

“Yeah, it’s me. C’mon, we gotta get out of here,” Benson urged. 

Quickly, they navigated through the basement around the patrols, managing to find their way back to the maintenance entrance. Hunter had held the door open just barely, allowing Benson and Rainer to slip through when they returned. 

“I’m sorry, I let you guys down,” Rainer said as the three of them ascended the concrete stairs, the air as cold as he felt. “I ain’t as reliable as I used to be.”

“Don’t be,” Benson responded. “You got what we needed. Let’s get back to base.”

              Terry, of course, was ready to take off as they approached the parking lot. They hopped in the car, the air tense.

Finally, Hunter broke the silence. “You know, Rainer, we all make mistakes. We’re here to help you with situations like this,” he said.

Rainer turned to look at him from the front seat. “It was a huge blunder. My memory failed me. If I were a few years younger, the same thing wouldn’t ‘ave happened. I’m ownin’ up to it.”

Benson shook his head, disappointed. He was frustrated seeing Rainer feeling so guilty. “Rainer, it’s not your fault things change over the years. I don’t care that this might not have happened if you were like you used to be. I care that you’re alright now. You can rely on us, you know.”

Rainer turned back to face the road, silent. “Yeah, you’re right,” he finally conceded. “We’re in this together, you’re right. Thanks, man.”

The car slowed to a halt as Terry parked in front of the apartment. “Alright,” he said, dropping out from the driver’s seat onto the pavement, “let’s take some time to relax and chill. I think we all need it,” he said. A chorus of agreement echoed from the other three as the automatic apartment doors closed behind them.