The Asshole App

21. OFFICE RECONNAISSANCE

"How are we going to pull off this hat trick?" Vince stood with his hands on his hips. "Free Sinclair's buddy Lear, get the second ICARUS chip, and then make a clean getaway."

"We'll go in tonight after the regular staff has left for the day," Evie said. "I know a lot of the guards on the night shift. I used to go in and work on projects during the evening."

"I agree." Raymond pointed to the building schematics. There's a custodial staff, security, and whatever Jamison and Casper have blocked off for their headquarters."

"Here, the fiftieth floor. That's where they're probably holding Lear." Satoshi pointed to her computer screens with a lacquered nail. A 3D grid of the building in glowing green showed the floor plan.

"How do you know that's where we'll find Mr. Lear?" Evie asked.

"They've restricted the area. There's no access for janitorial or security services on that floor. All the elevators are locked." Satoshi rapidly tapped computer keys, her long fingernails clacking as she brought up a running log of who had last accessed the fiftieth floor. She turned to Raymond. "Can you override the security firewall and get Evelyn and Vincent onto that floor?"

He made a look of contempt. "That's my building! I can get them in from the stairwell."

"All right, let's get them geared up and briefed. Once they're in, their lives are going to be in your hands," Satoshi warned.

"That's the way I like it," Evie said. "I trust Ray."

"Me too!" Vince added. He handed CENTIEN's surprised CEO a slice of pizza.

~~~~~~~~~~~

CENTIEN Corp. was a modern fortress of steel and wireless security, but the interloping management had been careless about vetting the maintenance company. Like all bureaucratic operations, they sacrificed quality to squeeze profits.

At five pm sharp, a generic-looking navy van pulled up to the CENTIEN's loading dock bay. Vince was dressed in charcoal cleaning scrubs and was equipped with a mop, a bucket, and an AK-47 stowed in his cleaning cart. Evie was dressed all in black, with a leather briefcase and a three-by-five brown paper package.

Both operatives wore two-way wireless IP communication and camera gear so they could parlay with Raymond and Satoshi. Vince pressed the button on his headset. "Evie, double check your connectivity. This is our main lifeline to outside help if things go south."

Twenty minutes later, Vince and Evie drove up to CENTIEN's employee parking access gate. Satoshi and Ray watched on their computer screens as Evie used her parking pass to enter CENTIEN's garage. In reserved parking she saw expensive vehicles she didn't recognize. She pointed to the last parking spot. "Look! There's Raymond's SUV."

"You mean Deedee's Tesla."

"Darrow's already here." Ray exclaimed in their headsets. "You'd better hurry!"

Vince and Evie exited the van and entered the loading dock area. Inside, they spotted a night guard using a vending machine. "That's Jason." Evie told Vince as the guard approached. "He likes me. This should be easy."

Hearing them approach, the young guard turned to face them, a cellophane-wrapped burrito in his hand. "Oh, hey Miss Simmons. I haven't seen you around for a while." The young guard had a smooth face with a hint of baby fat and a shock of red hair. Freckles splattered his face. He gave Evie a puppyish smile. 

"I was visiting my aunt Josephine in Reno," she said conversationally. "She's been under the weather these last few weeks."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope she's feeling better." Enamored by being in such close proximity to Evie, the guard forgot to have them pass through the metal detector.

Evie smiled brightly, "It's amazing what a little homemade soup and company did to perk up aunt Jo."

Ray's voice buzzed into their ear. "This guy's an idiot. I can't believe he works security. He didn't even ask for Vince's ID."

"Shaddup!" Vince mouthed into his microphone.

"Alright, Miss Simmons. You can both go in." Jason unlocked the entrance into the office building.

"Wait." They both turned around and faced the security guard, holding their breath. "Why didn't you use the main entrance?"

Evie held up the wrapped package. "Gary here's going to help me hang this picture in my cubicle. He said it would be easier if I met him at the dock. It's a present from my aunt."

"Oh, I see. Have a good night, Miss Simmons." The guard turned, anxious to get back to his porn while Evie's face was still fresh in his mind.

After they were out of earshot, Vince laughed. "He's so green behind the ears, I could grow corn back there."

"Stay on point." Ray buzzed in their ears. "Take the north elevator to the forty ninth floor. Once you're there, I'll unlock the stairs so you can get up to the next floor."

"Roger that, dumbass." Vince responded.