Enhance 2: Chapter 25

No matter the casino, whether it be some local suburban place or a high class one like The One Flip, they are all loud. Loud with colorful lights and images. From the slot machines, to the craps tables to the card table where people either won big or lost it all in the blink of an eye.

The seven thieves were dropped off at the front of the casino after having joined a line of many other cars and limousines. They entered the front door and had to sit in the lobby for a few minutes. They realized quickly that Echo’s pick for their garb was spot on because not only did they look the part, they looked better than most other people coming and going. Though they were a small subset of people of color.

But that just made the smug smirk of Yumi that much broader when she flashed her invite along with the rest of their team. The man looked over the cards slowly and though he didn’t scowl or frown his eyes did arch slightly as he looked at each of them. A sign rested just behind his head marking a dress code. He lingered on Rogue but decided to not call him out for wearing jeans. But all of the invites were real and they were allowed into the casino proper.

The carpet was velvety soft and the pattern itself was like directions along the floor. The first thing they saw was a trio of men and women at counter. The trio were grim faced and didn’t really react to them however, some people came up handing over black cards. The cards were taken, scanned and then handed another card, gold or silver.

The casino then opened up into a wide circular square of a room so big they could barely see the other side of the room. In the center of the room was a massive bar like an oval. It had its own glow of lights to it as drinks were spread about, made, challenged, shotted, and more. One corner had a large party of kids no younger than them, loud and raucous. The rest were people scattered, talking privately or watching games or news on the TV.

The far left of the room, spaced out enough to get at least two to three people at one machine while still allowing traffic to pass were. From pirates, to robots, to classic fruits to images a little more risqué there were dozens. If you wanted a slot you could most likely cram your butt on a stool and lose your money in a few minutes. There was an assortment of clanging bells, spinning wheels, whammy noises and alarms blaring success.  

Spaced around the slot machines and the bar though were the comically large wheels and booths. Things where you gambled for the spectacle of it all, not necessarily because you wanted to win big. One of the machines was a souped up strongman hammer situation you’d see in a carnival. Spaced carefully in the middle of all of this was a fountain with shooting water and comfortable places to sit and talk.

But the real attraction was the other half of the room. Green velvet tables with five to six chair around one half and piled with chips and cards. One dealer, many players and many more onlookers. Craps, poker, black jack, roulette and more. Whatever your favorite way to scratch your gambling itch, there was a table for you and chips to be lost. Not a t-shirt in sight.

But it was above them that things really looked. The second floor was hard to see but the lights were dazzling. Dark blue spotlights, plants that hung over the edge to add atmosphere, and more. There were a few signs marking elevators and stairs to get up there. Loosely marked along the second floor were roman numerals for the room numbers. Some rooms were dark and mood lit while another was blasting music that couldn’t be heard but the vibrations could be felt.

“Is this what the big time looks like?” Yumi asked. “Cause if so, I’m definitely sticking with it. Can we never become poor leader?”

“That’s usually the plan,” Phase folded his arms and laughed. “And if tonight goes well we’ll be that much richer across the board.”

“When does the function start?” Rogue glanced at him and then Darren. “Also where’s Ace and his team.”

Phase checked his invite quickly and nodded, “Function starts in about twenty minutes. We got here in good time.”

“Ace’s team is already here,” Darren looked up from their phone and motioned around the casino. “Noel is at the bar, Ace is already upstairs and Joker is on the slots.” They said that last part with some level of disdain. “But they’re in position. I’m tuning your badges and ear pieces so that they’ll share the frequency with theirs. Channel 1 is the G team, Channel 2 is the money team and Channel 3 is the look out team. You just have to press on it to cycle through channels.”

“Alright everyone. You know your teams and you know your jobs. Split up, good luck, and let’s go to work.

Phase and Darren peeled away from the team and walked toward the stairs, ignoring the elevator. Darren shoved their phone back into their pocket and looked up, keeping an eye out for anyone who may know either of them. Darren glanced back at Phase and then shook their head. “Confident as always.”

Phase threw a smirk back their way, “I’m in my element. How can I not?”

Darren chuckled and nodded, “Right. How can I forget that?”

The second floor’s atmosphere was miles different than the party below. Somehow much of the noise below them was muted, likely by the way that the floor was constructed. The floor was wide, giving space for people to gather on either side and talk in private. There was a man leaning against the glass barrier on his phone and a group of women at one of the doors laughing shrilly.

The pair of them continued down the floor until Darren pointed toward a pillar with a few tall ferns growing abound. Ace was standing behind the pillar, arms folded and a drink balanced between his fingers. They joined him and he tipped his chin up in greeting. He was wearing a black suit, black shirt, and red tie. Something about the look and material screamed designer.

“Cleaned up good huh?” Ace said motioning toward them.

“Sometimes we have to dress the part,” Phase replied. “Any action so far?”

“Nothing that I’ve seen. Some big faces have come and gone inside but no trouble yet.”

“Good,” Darren looked past them along the other side of Ace and down the floor. “I’m guessing no one has recognized you yet?”

“A few girls but nothing serious,” he finished his drink and set it down on the pot of the fern.

“No G yet?” Phase asked.

“G’s not going to be on this side of things,” Darren told him. “He’s already inside, behind the scenes going over logistics with his security team.”

“More of the robots?”

“Robots and the guards stationed here.”

“Whoa wait,” Ace put up a hand. “Robots.”

“G calls them enforcers but yes, they’re robots,” Phase grinned. “As annoying to put down as you could imagine. Then again you may be better at doing it than we are.”

“I guess I’ll have to find out. So are we safe to go in then?”

“G doesn’t know Phase’s face and I doubt he’d recognize mine. As for you Ace, you’re prolific but nothing special. My guess is yes.”

“Nothing special? I take offense to that.”

Darren rolled his eyes, “You know exactly what I mean.”

“Let’s just get inside team,” Phase said motioning with his hand to the door.

“You’re the boss.”

They moved together going to the doors. There were two standing in front of the door, one man in a suit who looked done with this entire arrangement. But the other was a taller bald man with sunglasses across the eyes. The nonrobot held up his hand and motioned for their invitations. They flashed them and were allowed inside. Phase did his best not to look at the robot and flip it off.

The tables inside were about as they expected, dark table cloth, neon blue lighting along the walls and a stage set up along the opposite wall. A piano and a drum set along with several microphones were setup and some players were already tuning their instruments. There were about two dozen tables, silverware crossed along napkins, and decorative blue flowers or candles. Each table looked like they wanted to seat about four or five people.

A few tables were occupied, an older couple here, a trio of men there, some just by solitary people. They chose a table toward the far right of the room at Darren’s discretion. They sat in such a way that their backs were to the walls and they could see the rest of the room without any issues.

Darren pulled out their phone immediately typing away. Ace looked at them and then over at Phase, “Do you ever wonder what they’re doing on those things?”

“Never. Between Darren and Feint I just know, they’re smarter than me and I just gotta do what I’m told.”

“At least your tech wizards aren’t pains in the ass.”

“Oh no. They are. They’re just better at doing it,” he said laughing. “Though where’d you pick her up. She’s a kid right?”

“Yeah she is and I didn’t. Noel did. She was busy getting caught stealing from a Best Buy and Noel took pity on her and paid for it. Noel talked her into helping us out. No idea what about Noel makes that little brat behave but she does when he says something. We had a run of a few good jobs and she said she wanted to tag along while we were leaving. And now I’m stuck with her. The real question is how does she know Darren.”

“We were taught by the same person,” Darren said not looking up. “Long time ago while I was still being trained be a bishop so was she. We never got along even back then but she was smart. She dropped out after a few months. I stuck around.”

“Wait for that to make sense she’d had to have been what? A middle schooler back then?”

Darren nodded, “She’s smart.”

Phase whistled impressed. “Glad we have her on our side.”

“Mmhm,” Darren continued using their phone and looked at the room. People were starting to fill into the tables and some of the lights at the stage were shifting to focus more on the podium. Of the two dozen tables about three fourths of them had been filled.

“What’s our plan for isolating G?” Ace asked.

Phase glanced back at Darren who raised their head, “During the presentation Ace will cause a bit of an accident. During the commotion we’re going to go back stage. I’ve already sent G a note that we’d like a private word with him. And then we get what we need from this.”

“They make it sound so simple,” Ace said toward Phase.

“If Darren’s that confident then it just might be,” He stated to say more but the music started playing and they all turned back toward the stage. A jazzy beat between the drums and piano. A woman started singing as well and for a short few minutes they could ignore that they were there for a job and just enjoy the music.

After the first set of music was done they clapped for a well done performance. As they geared up for the second set that’s when G walked up, garbed in a bright white suit. He spread his arms smiling at all the assembled guest. “How was that music huh? They’re pretty good? I hope so, they cost me a small fortune.”

The crowd laughed and G looked pleased with himself. “Thank you, my assembled guest, for coming today. A response to the tragedy that took place a few weeks ago. We and our employees are recovering from that attack but as this event may imply we would accept any help from our assorted friends in rebuilding. And to enjoy some quality entertainment and food. Remember for tonight only, drinks are on the house.”

That brought a round of applause much louder and he chuckled. He spread his arms and left as the music started again. Servers came from the door with note pads making their way through and taking drink orders. It wasn’t until they got their first round of drinks and the salads came through that Darren turned toward Ace.

“Alright,” they sipped from the wine they ordered. “Now’s the time to cause a distraction.”

“Oh come on seriously? I actually wanted to have my shitty dry chicken,” Ace tipped his vodka back and sipped until the ice touched his lips. Making a sour face at it he set it down on the table and leaned back in his chair. “Have you come up with something that’s actually worthwhile?”

“You mean you don’t have any ideas of how to cause a loud disruption in a public place?” Darren asked raising their eyebrow.

“I don’t like what you’re insinuating there Darren.”

“I’m only looking at your track record Ace. And I know for a fact that you have a reputation for causing trouble.”

Phase sipped on his drink looking at the two of them. “I’m inclined to believe Darren.”

Ace rolled his eyes and stared at the stage. His eyes traced over the tables as people stared captivated at the musicians playing. His eyes focused on one of the candles. He picked up his glass again and held it against his lips and then pushed with one of his fingers.

It was all the way across the room that he narrowed his eyes and focused on it. A candle wobbled on a table for a second and he flicked his finger harder. He meant to do something gentler, just tip the candle over. Instead it flew off the side of table and into the ground.

The effect was the same though. The tablecloth caught fire in a few seconds. The man and woman at the table shouted and the waiter dropped their tray of drinks. Everyone’s eyes were on the fire though the music didn’t stop. They were professionals in that regard.

The three of them got up in one motion and worked their way toward the stage. Though they didn’t move quickly, that would catch too much extra attention. Phase took both of their hands once they were near and they walked through the wall going back stage. A few steps more and they were on the other side.

It wasn’t anything special, a few mirrors with chairs set up. Make up, lights, clothes, all sorts. The lights were on dim at the moment but even muted they could hear the echo of the commotion outside. Darren took the lead taking them forward and toward the door. They paused holding their hand out to halt their progress once they hit the door.

“What is it?” Ace whispered and Darren held a finger to their face quickly. They held their phone up and it showed an image through a shitty camera but it was moving outside of them. It was focused on one of the guards and G moving around through the hallway. He was talking to it but they couldn’t hear him.

G walked straight toward the door grabbing the handle. Darren only had a few seconds to look at the two of them before he was inside. “What kind of idiot bimbo did James bring that would knock over a candle? Fire damage like that is going to cost a fucking fortune to repair. Has anything else gone amiss?”

He walked into the dressing room and the enforcer came with him but it didn’t reply. “Of course, you can’t talk. Why am I talking to you like you’ll respond?” He shook his head and walked to one of the far seats and sat down in one of the chairs. “At least the donations have come through. I’ll be able to have five of those buildings built.”

Before he could say anything more the enforcer made a sputtering noise and then collapsed to its knee. It was shoved to the side and Phase stood over it holding a fizzling piece of machinery. He dropped it to the ground and shook his hand out. He grabbed the door and shoved it closed behind him but made sure to close it lightly. “Glad I learned how to do that.”

G was lifted off the ground and thrown across the room. Pinned he struggled against the wall. He started to say something but his mouth wouldn’t open up. His eyes bulged in their sockets and Ace wagged one finger back and forth as he looked at him. “No no. Can’t have that.”

Darren walked up and balanced their phone in their hands. “Hello G. I’ve been wanting to meet you for a long time now. Let’s have a talk.”