Eye Contact by Heron Djenne Canvasback

Chapter Three: Access Denied

(E-mail conversation, week three)

Cade: "Delete afterwards."

Selene: "I know how these things go."

Cade: "I have a connection."

Selene: "How soon?"

Cade: "At the social."

Selene: "How much?"

Cade. "How much money do you have?"

Selene: "I stole a hundred from the cash register."

Cade: "You won't get much with that."

Selene: "I can't afford to steal more."

Cade: "Then you'll get less."

Selene: "I'll take what I can get."

Cade: "Why do you want it so badly?"

Selene: "For relief

Cade: "Won't something else do?"

Selene: "Nothing else works on me, okay. Do we have a deal?"

(a e-mail conversation)

Octavius: "I've got an associate."

Ado: "Is he nearby?"

Octavius: "He's far enough."

Ado: "How are we supposed to get to him?"

Octavius: "I've paid somebody off to pick us up and then drop us off."

Ado: "How did you manage that?"

Octavius: "Money talks."

Ado: "Won't that money add up?"

Octavius: "It should keep him quiet."

Octavius: "Won't somebody notice?"

Octavius: "Look, I'll send you a list of blind spots."

Ado: "From the camera?"

Octavius: "There are a lot of them. The security is also depending on our supervisors, but they're only human."

Ado: "We can't bribe them."

Octavius: "No, we'll sneak past them."

Ado: "What if we get caught?"

Octavius: "Trust me. I don't want to be busted either."

Ado: "What do you get out of this?"

Octavius: "I got to get my hands dirty again. I've secured two motorcycles."

Ado: "Are they hot rides?"

Octavius: "They'll do for now."

Ado: "Did you find other racers?"

Octavius: "That was a no-brainer. Worry about beating them."

(E-mail conversation)

Khan: "I found one."

Chanel: "For both of us?"

Khan: "Yep, just don't give us away."

Chanel: "The only fight that I lost was the one that I was busted for."

Khan: "That's already bad luck."

Chanel: "That won't happen again."

Khan: "Don't make any promises."

Chanel: "I said that I'll win."

Khan: "At what cost?"

Chanel: "I won't fight the champions until I get the weaklings first. That's how it goes."