A thing a week - 46
We’d only been in the building for thirty seconds or so when security passed through the hallway. Rook started bitching immediately. “What the fuck, man, you’re making me haul around fifty pounds of tools to break in and you just swipe a fucking card?”
Bishop covered his filthy mouth with a gloved hand. “It’s not my card, asshole, I lifted it from Knight while we were at Zio’s. Now shut up before you get us caught.”
We were unbolting the cage off the front of the data rack when Rook got back into it. “Wait, if the logs show he was here at this time, won’t he figure out you lifted it when they ask him about his access times?”
“Not if the logs have been erased, now shut up and let me think.” Bishop drew out a cable and connected it to one of the blades. “This little guy gets me into the building security trunk so I can kill specific logs. We have to be careful when we open the door next because it’s going to look for a specific period of time to clear the next log. Has to be within the minutes that the guards go through the same door, otherwise their missing logs will let them know something’s up.”
“What if we don’t make it in that amount of time?” Rook was bouncing from one foot to the other.
“Would you stop menopausing all over my shit and just watch the window? Jesus. What the fuck is wrong with you now?”
Rook held his hands over his jewels. “I’ve gotta take a nervous piss or something.”
“Well, don’t, because it’s not gonna go anywhere.”
“How long until the next log clears?” Rook tried to minimize his dancing.
“I gave us thirteen minutes, that puts us in the right patrol window.”
“Thirteen? Jesus, Bish, I gotta go.”
Bishop unplugged himself from the blade and wrapped the cable around Rook’s neck. “I don’t care if you have to piss in your hands and drink it! We’re in here until I’m done.”
A white dot bounced around the edge of the window. We hit the floor at almost the same time, Rook’s dumb ass falling on a wrench in his front pocket. He groaned about something. “I think I’m gonna piss myself.”
“I swear, if you get any on me, I’m gonna make you drown in it.”
“Does that mean I get to just go?” Rook asked seriously.
Bishop scoffed at him. “No! It doesn’t mean you can go. Shh!”
They waited as the guard passed the door and continued down the hall. As Bishop climbed to his feet he saw how Rook was laying. “Did you seriously sit there the whole time with your feet out in the aisle like that?”
Rook began to stand. “What? He kept going.”
Bishop slugged him in the chest. “That’s not the point! I told you that when you hide you have to keep the rack between you and the door in case they do look in here. Now, can you chill for eight more minutes?”
Rook nodded. “Yeah, I’m OK.”
“Good.”
“My chest kinda hurts.”
“I don’t care.”
“Why are you being so mean?”
“I’m not being mean, you’re being a bitch! Now shut up and watch the window.” Bishop was plugged into another blade and his fingers clicked away on a tiny keyboard.
Rook spoke up. “What if his light’s off?”
Bishop didn’t respond.
“Bish?”
Still nothing.
“Bish?”
“Shut up.”
“What if he’s got his light off?”
“Shut up, Rook.”
“But if his light’s off, then I can’t see-“
“God! Shut the fuck up! Shut up! Jesus…all I need is four more minutes.”
Rook held his dumb mouth shut. We worked in silence for another moment. The tools on him started to jingle as he began bouncing up and down again.
Bishop dropped his computer in his bag on the floor quick, stepped over to the table along the wall and picked up a stray coffee cup. He shoved it into Rook’s hands.
“What do I do with it when I’m done?”
“Drink it for all I care, just shut up!”
“This isn’t going to be big enough.”
“Oh. My fucking. God. Could you please, for two minutes, not say or do anything?” Bishop made a few more keystrokes. “You were just supposed to watch the fucking window while I did this, and all you can give me is, ‘I gotta go to the little boys’ room!’” He heard a soft sound, and recognized it when it finished. Rook had unzipped himself and was about to unload. “No! Stop it! We’re done! You can piss when we get outside!”
“I’m not gonna make it that far!”
“You’ll have to!” Bishop had already closed the cage and pulled Rook to the door.
“What do I do with this cup?”
“Take it with you, I don’t care!”
“But I leave it here in case I need it.”
“Shut up!” We were already in the hall before Rook could speak again.
Just then something squeaked loudly behind us. Something splashed, like water dribbled onto the floor. Rook slipped and fell into a puddle of whatever he’d drank that day. The cup in his hands broke against the floor. “Bish! Bish, help me up!”
Bishop didn’t speak at first. He ran his hands up through his mask and into his hair. “Are you fucking kidding me?” he said finally. He rolled Rook onto his side and grabbed the wrench from his chest. The wet metal nearly slid out of his hand. He threw an ID card down at Rook. “You had one job and you had to be a baby about it. Fend for yourself.”
Bishop ran down to the end of the corridor and smashed through a glass door. The alarms in the hall blared and Rook sobbed to himself while trying to crawl out of his puddle.