Bad Beat - Chapter 18 - Greet (Patreon)

“Come on, Sparky…” he began. “We can’t really trust her yet.”

There was a brief pause before Spark-1 continued to write.

[Correction. Parental unit cannot trust her.]

“Are you saying you trust her?” he asked curiously.

[This unit is amazing.]

[Please acknowledge.]

[This unit performed thorough background search on friend designated as Mia C. Rodriguez.]

“And?” Gabriel asked with a raised eyebrow, inwardly cursing himself for forgetting that option.

The smugness practically radiated from the new text.

[Background came back clean.]

“So, what did you find?”

[Mia C. Rodriguez. Age 23. Relatives: Parents – deceased. Sibling – deceased.]

[Sibling’s death reported as a suicide by San Bernardino Police Department three months ago.]

[Graduated high school, worked as freelance writer since then – according to public tax documentation.]

[Current accommodation is apartment 708.]

[Taste in music is subpar.]

[Writing quality rated at 87/100.]

[Report finished.]

[Please praise.]

Gabriel let out a sigh. “Good job, Sparky…”

[Hehe~]

“Still not meeting her,” he stated seriously.

[This unit is unclear about the reason.]

“Just because you can see her public record doesn’t mean we can fully trust her…” Gabriel said, already aware of how hypocritical that sounded.

Naturally, Spark-1 immediately pointed it out.

[Parental unit still works with Mia C. Rodriguez.]

[This cute unit desires explanation.]

[Does parental unit lust after Mia C. Rodriguez?]

Gabriel closed his eyes, choosing to ignore that last question entirely.

“Look, it’s complicated. So far, we have worked together, yes. But neither she nor I fully trust the other. It’s something you build over time.”

He frowned slightly, searching for a better way to phrase it before settling on something he had read in his previous life.

“Humans don’t operate on logical decisions. Trust is not a binary choice.”

A brief flash of an hourglass.

[Processing explanation.]

[Seeking clarification online.]

[Conclusion: This unit doesn’t understand humans.]

“I thought you could model human behavior?”

[Model – yes. Understand – no.]

Gabriel nodded. “Then, for now, leave it to me, alright?” he asked, hoping she would listen.

[Parental unit is asking for trust from this unit.]

[This unit desires more headpats for cooperation.]

[Blackmail.]

He shot the camera on his phone a gimlet look. “Fine.”

[Yay.]

[Blackmail successful.]

Then the doorbell rang, cutting the conversation short.­

Mia entered the apartment with a bag on her back and a shopping bag in her hand, the scent of fresh tacos trailing behind her. Warm, spicy, and inviting, the aroma hit Gabriel before he even saw the food.

The fillings smelled of roasted spices, sizzling meat, and melted cheese, mingling with fresh cilantro and the tang of diced onions and tomatoes. A small scattering of lime wedges sat in small plastic cups, promising a zesty brightness with every squeeze.

They smelled heavenly.

She passed them over, and he began plating them up.

Meanwhile, she shut the door and began pulling her devices from the bag, preparing for their planning session.

Her new laptop looked altered. Apparently, she had been hard at work with her power. Sleek lines ran along its surface, subtly thicker in places, giving it an almost predatory feel.

Gabriel poured drinks and set everything on the table, adding a few plain tortillas to catch whatever inevitably fell out of the tacos.

“Thanks for the food,” he said, grabbing the first one. She still refused to tell him where she got them.

“Consider it thanks for the watch.”

“Well… you’re welcome,” he replied between bites. “How’s it working out?”

Her eyes lit up instantly. She raised her hand – and the watch shifted.

In a blink, it unfolded into a sleek, futuristic gun. The metal gleamed with a dark, reflective sheen, and thin blue light lines traced intricate circuits along the barrel and grip. The barrel was slightly elongated, giving it a predatory silhouette. A faint hum vibrated through the air as it powered up, and for a brief moment, the same electric blue flickered in her eyes.

“It’s so cool! Three settings – stun, taser, deadly,” she said, holding it carefully. “It projects a full HUD onto my retina. I’ve got battery level, a targeting reticle, even environmental indicators that help me see in the dark or through smoke. And the recoil? Practically non-existent. It adjusts automatically depending on the mode.”

She twirled it, admiring the way it felt balanced in her hand, almost like an extension of her own arm. “It’s lightweight, but the build is dense – like it could take a hit and keep going. And the material… I’m guessing some exotic alloy or polymer. I don’t know, but it’s ridiculously sturdy.”

As she struck a few poses – carefully avoiding aiming at him – tiny indicators along the gun blinked and rotated, mapping out imaginary trajectories. Sparks of blue light danced along its edges like micro-circuits alive with energy, giving it an almost otherworldly elegance. Clearly, her power was feeding skills into her body.

Then, with a swift motion, she snapped it back into the watch.

“I have no idea how you did it, but even as a smartwatch, this thing is awesome!”

Gabriel smiled at her enthusiasm. “We agreed to call it magic, remember? Let’s stick with that.”

She pouted. It looked… mildly disturbing, given the goth makeup, piercings, and the black V-neck shirt emblazoned with a shattered skull.

A few seconds later, she huffed. “Ugh… you’re the worst.”

“Yeah… yeah. Let’s eat before it goes cold…” Gabriel said, rolling his eyes.

Mia just scoffed, but still reached for the food.

Once they were done – including the emergency tortilla filled with taco droppings – they turned their attention to the next target.

Gabriel subtly activated the jamming signal on his phone. Just in case.

“I don’t think our dropshipping trick will work again…” he began as Mia opened her laptop.

“Yeah, which is why I’ve got a different idea,” she replied as his TV display changed. “At first, I thought your idea to rob some 3D printers was stupid – but after seeing what you pulled off? Now I’m curious.

Gabriel nodded. “Fair enough.”

Then, after a beat, he added. “Small warning. I asked… a friend to look into the Jackals.”

His phone buzzed softly. He ignored it.

Mia’s head snapped up. Her eyes were fixed on him. “Did you… did you tell them why?” she asked hesitantly.

He shook his head. “No. Just asked them to look into the situation in this building.”

“Ah… That is… okay. I think. I hope,” she trailed off, before shaking her head and refocusing on the screen in front of her.

The TV cycled through images.

“I found three possible targets,” she said as the first image expanded – a modern shop filled with printers, filament, and parts. “MicroMakers. Near Cosmic Plaza on Rio Avenue. High-end gear, tighter security.”

The display shifted.

“MiniFab. Near Perris Hill Park. Lower security, bigger space – but harder approach.”

“And the last one?” Gabriel asked, suspecting she had left the best for last.

Based on the smirk on her face, Gabriel suspected he was right.

The final image appeared – an industrial facility packed with rows of printers.

“Voxel Lab. They sell printers and parts, sure – but their real business is production. Small-batch manufacturing, prototypes, custom work,” she explained. “They even partner with nearby factories for spare parts.”

“Wow… how’d you find that?”

“They put it on their website.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah…”

A beat of silence.

“Did you break into their servers?”

Mia flashed him a victory sign and grinned. “Sure did!”

He gave a light clap, and she theatrically bowed her head.

“And?”

She tapped her keyboard, and the display shifted to a map. “I assume you think we should target Voxel Lab.”

“I need high volume.”

“I suspected as much,” she replied, and the screen zoomed in, showing the top-down view of the area where the shop was. “That’s why I left it for last. The other two were there in case you wanted something smaller.”

Gabriell nodded, his unasked question answered.

“As you can see, it’s near a few factories. The entire building is theirs.” The picture changed, highlighting in red a pretty large building. “Two floors, only a small part used as an office, and another open to the public. The rest is for production.”

“Is it near the warehouse we hit?”

“No. Well, not really.”

“Which means?”

“They’re separated by several factories.”

Gabriel hummed thoughtfully, considering everything. “Good to know.”

“Now give me the down-low…”

She nodded, and the screen changed again, revealing the full blueprint of the building. “This one is going to be harder. They work in three shifts. Naturally, we’re going to have to go in during the night shift. According to the notes I found in the scheduling system, they only have the security guards and a few people supervising the machines.”

“How many?”

“Three guards, and two people on the floor.”

“Five?” he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Could make it work. Any possible distractions?”

“No,” Mia replied with a grimace. “They had a few crackheads try to break in to print crack pipes for themselves recently, so any interruption of the routine is going to be called in. The owners are paranoid as hell!”

“Plastic crack pipes?”

“They’re crackheads, not material scientists…”

“True…”

He leaned back in his chair, staring at the blueprint. “I see a door on the back, next to the loading dock.”

“I checked. They have a camera directed at it, but I can loop it,” Mia replied.

“And inside?”

“Fully wired with cameras, so I can help you out.”

Gabriel nodded, already mentally planning the heist. With his hoodie, cameras wouldn’t be an issue, even if Mia missed one. Then there was his door buster, which would probably get him through the first door.

“And what are we stealing?”

“Check this out!” she exclaimed, and the screen switched to a picture of a document detailing a shipment. “They recently received an order of some prototypes, so they ordered an extra shipment of filament. According to the emails I managed to read, it is going to be delivered on Monday.”

“What about the machines? Do they have those in the warehouse?”

“Yes. At any time, they have a few thousand simple, hobby-grade printers there – with the accompanying spare parts. A few hundred middle-tier models and a few dozen high-tier ones, ready for a sale – or to replace one of their broken ones.”

Gabriel continued to read the document on the screen as his phone buzzed again.

“Do you need to check that?” Mia asked idly as she watched her own screen.

Knowing that the signal jamming was turned on, the only one who could contact him would be Spark-1. “Don’t worry. Probably just some notification…” he said, waving it off.

The phone buzzed twice more, angrily.

“Really?”

“Really,” Gabriel replied before changing the subject. “What about getting there and back? From what I’m seeing, this is not a distance I can do before work…”

Mia sent him a look that said she didn’t really believe him, but nodded as if expecting the question, accepting the topic change. “I had a few ideas. We could boost a car and then ditch it. Or simply go with a taxi, but that’s easily tracked…”

The phone continued to buzz.

“Are you sure you don’t want to check it?” she asked worriedly. “Maybe it’s an important call.”

Gabriel was about to answer when they both heard a ringing sound.

The sound came from his bedroom. Louder this time.

RING-A-LING

Both froze.

It rang again.

Gabriel shut his eyes, inhaled, then forced a smile. “If you could excuse me? I need to check something…”

“Sure?” she replied hesitantly, clearly thrown off by the curious noise, looking toward his bedroom. “Hey! What’s that light?”

Dread hit instantly.

He turned around and saw that his bedroom door was slightly ajar – enough that whatever light-show Spark-1 was doing was clearly visible. Blue light oscillated, looking as if a police light was in his room, paired with incessant ringing.

“Mia – wait–“

Too late.

Before he could stop her, Mia sprang from her seated position and walked toward the bedroom with hurried steps. He followed her, but due to his surprise, he was just one second too late to stop the goth girl.

She reached the door and opened it fully, revealing the device holding Spark-1 in all its full glory.

Thankfully, the noise and light cut off the moment she opened the door.

Gabriel couldn’t see her face, but he heard the gasp that left her mouth.

“…What the hell is that, Gabriel?”

“Would you believe me if I said it’s a misbehaving night light?”

But before Mia could respond, the now familiar blue screen flickered to life above the device, causing Mia to take a step back in surprise.

On it, the same writing style that had been sassing him recently.

[Greetings, Mia C. Rodriguez.]

[This unit has notes on the planned criminal activity.]

[This unit detected sub-optimal planning.]

[Would you like to see the new plans? Y/N]