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Trance's Gift - Chapter 7
Time: CY 10088 May 5166 – Day 6Location: Bathsheba spaceport Highport district
"No, I'll have nothing to do with your scheme. It's unethical if not illegal. I could loose my job if I cooperated. "
The speaker was the manager of one of the larger banks that serviced the spaceport. Harper, Asagawo and another police officer who Asagawo had introduced as Sub-Inspector Ellgren were in the manager's office explaining why he needed to let Harper have access to the bank's computer system.
"You could loose more than you job if you don't cooperate," said Asagawo looking at the picture of a very young and attractive woman that was placed on the banker's desk.
"What do you mean?" asked the banker nervously as he noticed where Asagawo was looking.
"I don't think your wife would take it very well if she found out about your mistress," said Asagawo. "What is she, seventeen? That makes her about a third of your wife's age. I expect the divorce could be quite messy, especially since she's the one with the family money."
'"I'd be more concerned about your mistress finding out about her competition and the other way around," put in Harper. "You know what they say about a woman scorned. You'd have two or most likely three all determined to make your life hell."
The banker's defiance left him and he deflated like a balloon that had its air released. His collapse was so sudden that Ellgren stepped forward to catch the man should he faint. "Do what you need to do" he said listlessly. "Just make sure that I don't get involved if your little scheme backfires."
"I wouldn't worry about that, sir," said Asagawo. "When this is over the police department will ensure that you get proper credit for bringing a criminal to justice. With luck you might get a promotion and be able to afford three mistresses. Mr Harper, Sub-Inspector, the computer is yours"
Harper had been reaching for his data port cable but stopped when Asagawo mentioned the Sub-Inspector. "Why's the Sub-Inspector going in with me?' he asked "Don't you trust me?"
"Would you trust you if you were me, Professor?" asked Asagawo using the name that very few outside the underworld or law enforcement knew Harper by. "The Sub-Inspector's the department's best computer forensic specialist. I had him check our computer system after you left the station. He noticed your little excursion. He'll be going along with you to ensure that you don't yield to temptation."
Harper nodded in understanding. "No, I guess if I were in your position I wouldn't trust me either. Let's do it Ellgren. I want to finish this up so I can see how Beka is doing with her part of the job."
Time: CY 10088 May 5166 – Day 6
Location: Bathsheba spaceport
Beka pulled her borrowed hat down a little lower over her face, checked to make sure her hair was tucked up under it, and then slid a little lower down in the transporter's cab. She wasn’t particularly concerned about being identified but it never hurt to take precautions.
It had been ridiculously easy to hack into the port shipping and transfer accounts and create falsified transfer requests. Harper's disparaging comment after he had done so was that Trance could have done a better job of securing the system. Beka suspected that when this doctor finished his investigation Fagin and Sikes wouldn't be the only ones being used as experimental subjects in an FTA laboratory. Whoever was in charge of the FTA's computer security here in the spaceport would probably be with them.
Beka’s concern was at the other end of the transfer. Asagawo had insisted that the FTA be able to recover their property at the end of the operation. Unfortunately he didn't have enough people he could trust to run the transfer by themselves and still carry out the other parts of the job. Which meant they would have to use outsiders who could quite possibly recognize any of his men or women if they were part of the transfer team. And since Harper was occupied at one of the local banks that left Beka flying solo in charge of that portion of the operation.
Harper had offered to help with recruiting a crew and and named a few names which had caused both Bailey and Asagawo to look at him curiously. Harper's contacts were as villainous a crew as Beka could remember seeing outside of a jail. They seemed to know what they were doing however which made her suspect that this wasn't the first time they had looted a warehouse. She spent a brief moment wondering if these were the ones that had been stealing from the FTA in the first place. Her musings were interrupted by a knock on the door of the transporter. It was one of the warehouse clerks with a flexie in his hand
"That's the last of the shipment, Ma'am. If you'll sign here you'll be free to go. Someone must have some pretty special contacts to get this stuff released. The orders were that nothing was supposed to be transferred till after the inspection."
"Not my job to worry about that," said Beka as she reached for the flexie. "Nor is it yours. I get paid to move the stuff. You get paid to give it to me."
She signed the flexie using the name Nancy Bianca and handed the flexie back to the clerk telling him to tell her men to get aboard the transporter. As soon as the rest of her crew was aboard Beka put the vehicle in motion. She hoped she wouldn't have an accident on the way to her destination. In her mind compared to transiting the slipstream this sort of transportation was positively dangerous. Hopefully the crew wouldn't decide they had more need of the equipment they were moving than the FTA did. She didn't want to have to tell Harper she had had to shoot some of his friends. She wondered if Bailey was having an easier time collecting Jenni and Concepcion.
Time: CY 10088 May 5166 – Day 6
Location: Bathsheba spaceport Lowport district
Jenni tried to ignore the feeling of nausea that was washing over her. She hoped that Concepcion was feeling better than she was. She badly needed her fix and if she didn’t get it soon she would be too busy puking her guts up to work the streets and she needed to be working. So far they had had only two customers and after they paid Fagin his due and gave the receptionist at the hotel his cut they wouldn’t have enough to pay for a meal let alone some more flash.
She took a a couple of deep breaths to try and settle her stomach and tried to focus her attention on something more pleasant. It was good to know that Grape was doing well. She hoped that she had enough sense to stay aboard her vessel. What was it’s name the Eeka something. No that wasn’t right. Never mind As long as she stayed aboard she should be safe from Fagin and Sikes. But if she left she would probably end up on the streets like her and Concepcion. Provided Fagin didn’t just simply kill her.
"Smile, Jenni," said Concepcion. "There’s someone coming our way." It was good to be working with Concepcion. Working in pairs was always better than working solo. A John might try to rough up a single girl but they were much less likely to try and get rough with a pair. And sometimes they go could get the customer to pay a bonus for a threesome.
The man approaching didn’t look much older than Grape's husband. He looked vaguely familiar, Jenni guessed that she must have seen him working in the spaceport area. He looked too clean clean cut to be a common laborer and didn’t look old enough to be a manager. Probably a clerk in one of the offices. She put on a smile and tried to look seductive.
"You ladies look lonely," said the man. "You looking for company?"
"Both of us or just one of us?" asked Jenni. "And just what sort of company are you looking for?"
"Both of you of course," answered the man with a smile that was almost sincere. "And as for what sort of company, why don’t we discuss it in my hotel room."
Jenni felt Concepcion give her a slight kick in the ankle, It was a warning signal they had worked out. She was warning her not to take up the offer of going to the man's hotel room. "We have a room of our own nearby," answered Jenni. "Why don’t we discuss things over there instead."
"I hope you didn’t pay to much for the room ladies," said the man, his smile was gone. "Because you’re not going to be using it."
"What do you mean?" asked Jenni.
The man reached into his back pocket and Jenni’s heart skipped a beat but instead of a weapon he produced a badge. "Spaceport police ladies. Your last customer claims you stole his credit stick. You’re both under arrest." He turned his head slightly to speak into what was undoubtedly a concealed microphone " Bailey, bring the car over."
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