"So, how did it go?" Bor asked Susanne with anticipation.
"Seems like it will work," Susanne said in an almost cryptic voice. Bor would never risk communicating online, not in something so serious.
The two were meeting in a Real World Cafe known as Old Bones. Here, just like the stickman room, Old bones catered for the underworld. Everyone was guarded, and each private room had various anti-stalking and anti-eavesdropping technology.
"What do you mean?" Bor asked while getting exasperated. She was supposed to give him the full story, not tit bits.
"Look, I am not some Accountant, I don't understand how it all works. Apparently, there's a loophole we can exploit when withdrawing the money, that way, we will not be detected." Susanne said.
She forgot to inform Bor about how she had already tried to access the account without even consulting the money man, and how she had met three agents when she was meeting the money man.
Yes, she had met the agents, and she had given up as much information as she could. However, there was just that nagging question. Someone had to take the blame. It was a high profile case, and the agents needed to show that they were cracking down hard on the smugglers.
So as to speak, Susanne had made a deal with the agents that she would go free. Unfortunately, someone had to take her place. That's how she ended up with the offer, if she could rat someone out, she would go free.
What Bor would never have expected was that she didn't even have to think about it before she snitched. Bor had always been expendable, and smuggling was not really a long term profession. She had used it to make money, but none of that was worth her freedom.
"Look, I need you to go do the withdrawals with the money man," She said, attempting to hook Bor into the situation. So far, he had done a very good job of evading and reading the situation. He was exactly the kind of criminal agents hated the most, smart, suspicious and very cautious.
"Why me, isn't handling the money your business?" Bor asked, his sixth sense waking up again.
"Here's the thing, I am kinda known in those circles, so if I go there with a strange bank account, people will wonder. You barely use your own bank account, so how about it?
"Don't you have a money man? Why must you involve me in this?" Bor was now vexed. They both had their duties, and he did his part, why did she have to involve him in hers.
"Do you want the money or not?" She asked, getting vexed too.
"I want it, but something feels off!" Bor retorted.
"What are you thinking, do you think I gave you up or something? Aren't you being a little too paranoid?" By now, her voice was over the top. "Just get your shit together. Here's the bank account details. Show up tomorrow and Aelle will take it from there."
"Who's this Aelle?"
"That's the money man. He's got all the information, so all you have to do is get into the account, withdraw the money as he shows you and we're golden."
Bor did not think this was going to be that easy, but he also trusted Susanne. The two had survived too much together, there was no way she would sell him out!
Letting out a deep sigh, he capitulated, agreeing to go to pick the money. He could still feel his sixth sense yelling at him, but he couldn't place a finger on the issue. Later on, Bor would come to berate himself for being so stupid and trusting, but for now, he was just a criminal trusting his partner.
As he went home, Bor tried to forget all that until the following day where he would show up in person at the bank. As he did, he pulled out his communicator and accessed his Morendat account. He was going to review the blueprint as he traveled.
Given the short distance from his apartment to the cafe, Bor had elected to use the subway instead of the usual shuttle, which was considerably more affordable. Unfortunately, Bor was so engrossed in his blueprint that he didn't notice the man who came and sat across from him.
Most people would either be reading in their communicators, or jacked in to various VR worlds. This man didn't even seem to have a bag or any form of luggage, let alone a communicator.
Moreover, when Bor was getting off the subway, this man also followed. That bit of movement alerted Bor, who was mostly cautious, that someone might be following him. As he walked on further, he realized that the person following did not seem to be trying to make it hard to be identified. Its as if he wanted Bor to notice him.
For a few blocks, Bor did not even know what to do. What was annoying was that when Bor took a turn away from his home, the man did not follow, choosing instead to walk in the direction of his home.
Bor couldn't be sure where he was going, maybe that was his turn, or maybe they already knew where he lived. He was not taking any chances.
After walking all over Tandroon town, he finally made his way home, only to find the man seated a few steps away from his door. He looked as if he was waiting for someone, and he'd been there a while.
The cowardly Bor would not dare confront him. He tried turning and running away but he bumped into someone just as he was turning. Apologizing and putting a lot of distance between him and the second man, he ended up bumping into a third man.
It was clear, he was surrounded. Turning to look at the man by his door, even he was looking at him, and beckoning him to come over.
Bor did not see any other choice other than to go with the man. Sighing deeply, all Bor could do was walk towards his home, although right then it felt more like a slaughter house.