Color Ch. 02

The high-way was a marvel. It snaked through the sky of Central City. An invisible leviathan that was 500 meters thick and swallowed a flock of shimmering flying cars. Cars Tawny used to call fire birds as a kid. Even in his mid twenties he never missed watching them every evening.

Tawny lay on the flat roof of the Apartment complex. An e-cigarette at one hand and a flash bang clenched on the other. He huffed on the cigarette, the fluid inside bubbled. He puffed out a lime cloud of smoke.

"Um, Tawny, what are you doing. We have wasted enough time today, it's evening now. Shouldn't we be going to the hotel by now?" questioned Indigo.

She stood on the balcony, arms folded as she frantically tapped her heel on the floor.

"Would love to. Dat isn't possible at de moment. Am not in good standin' with those nerds."

"Wow, can't imagine why someone wouldn't like you?" Indigo sarcastically said.

Tawny chuckled. "I know, baby girl. Need to find another way."

"Come on, you go there all the time," she uttered.

Tawny sat up, he gazed at the trash filled roof. He pitched the flash bang 13 meters away. It hit the roof with a clank that echoed. It bounced twice more then rolled half a meter. It settled near an old computer headset. Tawny closed his eyes and covered his ears.

"Indigo, ya may want to cover youse ears," said Tawny.

"What--"

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZiiiitttt

Indigo was baffled, her ears ringed. "Jesus, Tawny!!!"

He tittered. "Sorry 'bout that," he paused as the flash bag rolled back to him. "Promise I won't do it again, just missed messin' with ya."

"Argh, you really should grow up. Anyway, what will we do now?"

"Ever heard of Back-enders?"

"A little, though that seems to be a market that is very native to Central City," said Indigo.

"Correct, a boomin' venture. Many in the industry sing it's praise but none say a word about Underground Back-enders."

"Underground Back-enders?"

"Lemme say ya own a website. Ya hold a gold mine of user data. Of course ya can't sell it. That's illegal. Let's say ya estimate the data itself 's worth millions of BITS. Now how would ya go about sellin' it?"

"Wait, what does this have to do with Back-enders. Don't they just manage data infrastructure and also analyse it?"

"Yah, though ya glossed over the fact that Back-enders in all de sub fields in the tech industry they are by far have the most pool of hackers. Dis means ya need to do is contact a group of Back-enders. Ya pay them half up front, then pay them the rest after they have hacked and stolen the data from your company.

"Of course dis will raise eye brows, but ya can feign ignorance. Not like the Government can arrest ya for gettin' hacked. Will your website security come into question? Yah, but people forget and it helps if your website 's good. Now not only have you played the system, you also got away with it and millions of BITS richer."

"Whoa, companies do this?" asked Indigo.

"All de time, and the Underground Back-enders in the love hotel are one of many in dis city. Dis 's why we need to think. Dey have a private room, de door uses finger print identification to open. Likely for us they don't have security there."

"You sure know a lot about this place for someone who has been there for a handful of times."

Tawny smirked. "Well, it's more than a handful I guess. Not like I was keepin' count."

"When do they usually work?"

"Can't say, though can't say I ever saw nobody get in nor out during the weekends."

"Hmm, that is interesting?"

Tawny shrugged. "Not really. During the weekend the hotel gets packed with couples. Would find it hard to work with all dat moanin' and shit."

Indigo felt her cheeks flushed. "Um, so people really love those kind of places here? So they probably don't work there when it is packed. So they only work during weekdays," said Indigo.

"That 's great, now what about the door?"

Indigo huffed, her shoulders felt stiff. She rolled them as she paced back and forth the balcony. Tawny just scanned the darkened sky. His mind drew blank. All he did was keep on smoking.

"Tawny, isn't there anything you can think off?"

Tawny giggled, eyes half closed and his body felt light. "Dammit, think am too high to think."

Indigo shook her head. "God, I shouldn't have let you smoke."

Tawny's giggles turned to bellows. "'Ey, baby girl,,, hahah!... remember that 21st century movie- haha- of that guy that dresses as a nurse to sneak into a lab?"

"Okay, that's enough smoking," she nagged.

"Listen... yoh... why don't we do that?"

"Dress as nurses? I don't think that will work."

"No, I mean like how he waits for de scientists to unlock de door by themselves then like forces his way in."

Indigo arched his rows. "Wait, that could probably work, though I doubt it, after all it's from a bad 21st century action movie."

"Oh, come on. Lethal is a great movie. The main character looks hot as me," boasted Tawny.

"Okay, whatever... guess we will have to do it tomorrow. Where is the car port here?"

Tawny got up and stretched his arms. "Um, back of the apartment complex."

"Thanks, guess I should get going," said Indigo as she glanced at her wrist atomic watch.

"Good, 'cause I need to take a shit. Want me to show ya de way?" implored Tawny.

"Sure, you don't know how long it took me to get here. The street planning in this city is awful," said Indigo.

He leaped onto the balcony. They made their way to the car port. A taxi descended for Indigo.

She turned, her gaze on Tawny. "Thanks again, Tawny. Really wouldn't have known where to start if you didn't help."

He dropped his gaze, and sheepishly ruffled his hair. "Nothin' really, not like I was dat of use. Kind of owe ya a lot."

She nestled him. Tawny's mind was diffused for a while then he rested his head on her shoulder.

"Bye, gonna enjoy lookin' at your ass when ya get in the car," he whispered.

Indigo prodded him. "God, you just ruin everything."

Tawny chuckled. "Just appreciating one of de 103 wonders of the world."

She gave him a warm smile. She opened the car door and got inside. The car levitated and got swallowed by the high-way.

Tawny lumbered back the hotel. He didn't know where Red was. All he hoped for was that he didn't do anything stupid.