Tusk Grombar's Arc

Chapter 3 of 2

Tusk crouched in a dark alley two streets over. His earpiece crackled with Skitter's breathing. On the rooftop above the bank, his newest recruit was trapped. Below stood Bruno Thudson, the huge guard who had spotted him. Tusk had no way up and no way to reach his crewmember before the guard forced him to talk. "Cipher," Tusk whispered into the earpiece. "I need a way out for Skitter. Now." Cipher Sprint answered from the hideout. The old hacking robot had worked for Tusk longer than most men had been alive. His voice came flat and dry. "Guard block runs on old wiring. Nobody patched it in years. Neglect is a door." A pause. "I can kill the streetlights on his block. One minute. That's all." "Do it." Above, Skitter pressed flat against the roof tiles. Bruno stared up at him, boots planted, buttons straining over his gut. "Come down," Bruno called. "Two of my men went missing on this block. You're going to tell me where." His voice was slow and blunt. He wanted the answer before word climbed to his commander. Skitter said nothing. He was fast and quiet, but the guard blocked the only fire escape. He had counted the doors and marked a low window. All of it was worthless if he could not get down. The streetlights died. The whole block dropped into black. Bruno froze, hands out, blind in the sudden dark. "Hey! Who cut the lights?" Skitter moved. He gripped the roof edge with clawed fingers and swung down the stone wall, silent as water. He passed the huge guard within arm's reach. Bruno swiped at the sound and hit only air. Skitter hit the ground running and slipped into the alley. He reached Tusk breathing hard. "Doors. Guards. All of it. Right here." He tapped his own skull. "I got out clean." Tusk gripped his shoulder. "You did the job. Nobody else could've." It was the first time he had touched the recruit like crew, not hired help. Skitter held the look a moment. He had wanted a seat inside the gang. Now he felt one open. Then the lights came back. Above, Bruno stood on the empty roof. He stared at the black wall where his prisoner had vanished. His face went red. Two guards gone. Now a rooftop thief gone too. He could not hide it any longer. Bruno keyed his radio. "Captain Thornwall. It's Thudson." His voice shook. "Something's wrong on my block. I need you here." In the alley, Tusk's earpiece caught the transmission. He heard the name Thornwall and went still. His crew had escaped with the map. But the one man who knew his face was now coming to the vault district himself. The heist had a plan again. It also had a hunter.