Click, Click, Boom - Chapter 1 (Patreon)

Are you ready? I'm not XD But this story is starting anyway!

In case you've forgotten, this is the same universe as Flashing Lights. You probably noticed how little Yang appeared in Flashing Lights, and Blake's complete absence. Well, no longer. Let's begin...

***

Vale Credit Union…a middling name for a middling bank.  While the likes of Vale Bank & Trust, Bank of Vale, and the prestigious Sapphire Bank occupied every other corner, Vale Credit Union had only a handful of locations sprinkled across the city.  What they lacked in convenience, however, they made up for with exceptional service and modestly above-average products.

The commercials would love for everyone to believe that, at least.  In reality, only the color scheme, interior design, and ‘hometown feel’ separated Vale Credit Union from any other financial institution on this side of Remnant.  

The relaxed atmosphere had drawn Blake in for the second time that week.  Waiting in line, she let her gaze roam from the glass front doors to the small group of cubicles and then to the teller stations in front of her.  This particular branch occupied one of Vale’s historical buildings, lending a rustic tone to the thin layer of polish put on top.  Computers, security cameras, and cell phones coexisted with exposed brick walls, wood-framed doors, and an archaic vent system that rattled as it pumped cold air into the room.

“Next?” one of the tellers called out, partially raising his hand for her attention.  Putting on a polite smile, she walked over to the young man, whose light gray name tag said that his name was Jeffrey.   “What can I help with?” he asked while she set a plain manilla folder on the counter and resituated her glasses. 

“I’d like to set up a safe deposit box.”  

“Do you have an account here?”

“I don't.  Do I need one?”

“You do, but you only have to put five dollars in it.”  Jeffrey’s smile assured her that this happened all the time.  “It doesn’t take long.  Want to do that?”

“Sure.”

While he searched through the trays of forms beside him, she nudged her glasses up the bridge of her nose before silently reminding herself not to touch them again.  Clasping her hands together, she took a better look at the area behind him.  

Unlike larger banks, Vale Credit Union hadn’t installed the thick, bulletproof glass between their tellers and the rest of the world.  Of course, that probably seemed unnecessary when nothing of obvious value sat on the desks and file cabinets in the staff space.  A few bill counters, plenty of paperwork, copy machines…

“Here we go.”  Her gaze snapped back to Jeffrey as he slid an account application across the counter.  “Just fill out the highlighted fields and I’ll get the box started for you.”

He set a pen on top of the application before tapping information into his computer.  She filled out the forms quickly, jotting down information she’d memorized so long ago that it hardly distracted her from noticing another Vale Credit Union oddity.

“They aren’t watching you all day?”  Once she had Jeffrey’s attention, she nodded to the empty space high up on the wall behind him.  He turned around and then shook his head.

“They’re all about trust here.  Besides, it’s not like there’s much to steal.  We only have a few hundred bucks.  Our manager handles anything bigger.”  

His wry smile and gesture over one shoulder suggested that security mattered less to him than the numbers on his paycheck.  Blake glanced in the direction he pointed, to a thick door separating the lobby from the inner workings of the bank.  This door had two security cameras pointed at it, but the dead light on one suggested it was either offline or broken.  Faintly scoffing, she signed the application and slid it back to him.

“So I can’t just withdraw thousands of dollars on a whim?”

“Oh, you can.  It’s in the safe, locked up tight.”

Blake nodded but remained silent as he checked her application.  He then re-entered that information into the computer, collected the initial deposit - she was fortunate to have twenty dollars on her to cover it - and waved one of his colleagues over.

“This is Brandon.  He’ll take you to the deposit boxes.”

“Thank you.”  Blake turned her attention to Brandon, whose name tag identified him as the branch manager.  Despite the ‘lofty’ title, he looked only a few years older than her.  

“Safe deposit box?” he asked and, once she held up the manilla folder, motioned her away from the tellers.  

Her gaze moved from side to side as they made their way out of the lobby.  They had to pass through a sturdy locked door first, which Brandon unlocked using a set of keys attached to his belt by a retractable cord.  As soon as she saw the giant metal vault door on the other side, she paused.  It was closed at the moment, looking like nothing more than an impressive steel wall with a wheel, keyhole, and number dial on the front.

“Wow, that’s…sturdy.”

“The door’s a foot thick,” he bragged while walking up to it.  “You need a ten-digit combo and a special key to unlock it.”  

Proving his importance, he held up the long gold key on his key ring.  He then stuck the key into the door and spun the dial through a series of numbers that Blake politely pretended not to see.  Once the lock clicked, he spun the wheel to the right.  The pins slid out of place with the unique sound of metal scraping across metal, and he opened the vault.

The room beyond was nothing more than a moderately sized square with the left and right walls covered in floor-to-ceiling gold boxes.  Each box had a number etched into it, two keyholes, and gleamed as if just polished.  Her gaze, however, locked onto the wall in front of her.  Another metal door took up that side of the room.  Its dark gray-green color looked dull in comparison to the gold boxes, but it drew her closer.

“That’s where you keep all the cash then?”  When Brandon tilted his head, she motioned to the lobby.  “He said the tellers only have a few hundred bucks.”

“Oh, yeah.  Everything else is locked in the safe.” 

Blake’s eyes swept across the front, finding a keyhole and a simple number dial.  

“Another ten-digit combination?”

“Only five, actually.”  When her brow furrowed, he chuckled and shrugged.  “Yeah, beats me, too.”

She bobbed her head before turning away.

“All that money in one place must look pretty crazy.”

“It’s awesome.  Kind of makes you feel like robbing a bank.”  

Blake thinly smiled at the facetious comment and glanced around the rest of the room, looking at every corner, while he searched for something.  She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and then glanced the young man’s way.  Fortunately, he was too busy scanning rows of deposit boxes to notice.

“So this is where the rich hide their diamonds,” she commented while he searched.  

“Pretty much…”  His gaze scanned another row before he brightened.  “Here it is.”  He tapped one of the slim boxes before holding up a small silver key.  “This is your copy, so don’t lose it.  You put it right here.”  He slid it into the leftmost keyhole to demonstrate.  “And mine goes here, then…bingo.”  

He turned both at once, the door popped open, and he stepped back with a light flourish of his hands.  

“Take however long you want, but I have to wait with you.”  When Blake’s brow rose, he gave her a sheepish smile.  “Sorry, it’s a new policy.  The bosses are a little on edge after what happened at Vale Savings.”

“What happened at Vale Savings?”

“You didn’t hear?”  When Blake frowned and shook her head, his eyes widened.  “It’s all over the news - they got robbed.  Someone broke in and cleared out the vault.  All the cash, just gone.”

“Oh, wow…”  She reached up but tucked her hair behind her ear instead of touching her glasses.  “I didn’t hear that.  Do they know who did it?”

“Nope.”  He shook his head then glanced around and lowered his voice.  “They think it was the White Fang.  Which, if it was, good for them.  ‘Bout time someone knocked the bigwigs down a step or two.”  While Blake politely smiled, he leaned away and shrugged.  “But that means they’re making us take extra precautions now.”

“Totally understand.  Don’t worry.  I’ve only got this to throw in there anyway.”  She held up the folder, drawing his attention to it before he nodded and moved over to the door to wait.

While he supervised without overtly watching, she carefully slid the folder into the deposit box while taking another good look at the safe.  With a simple dial and five-digit combination, it represented an even lower hurdle than the vault door.  Clearly, Vale Credit Union’s bosses counted on keeping anyone out of the main vault rather than doubly securing the deposit boxes and the cash safe.

The vault door would be the larger challenge.  The door was actually ten inches thick, not twelve, made of solid steel with ten massive bolts holding it in place, and, unlike the rest of the building, was not a relic of a bygone era.  The bank had splurged on the key and combination dial but opted to forgo a timer.

Once a silent countdown went off in her mind, she shut the deposit box and removed her key.

“All done,” she called out to Brandon.  “Thanks,” she added while he reclaimed the master key.

“No problem.  Come back anytime - just remember to bring your key.” 

He held up his copy before leading her back the way they’d come.  The vault door shut with a convincing thump and the deadbolts smoothly slid into place, leaving them on the outside looking in.  From there, it was only a few seconds to the lobby, where he left her with a wave and, “Have a good day!” before returning to his other responsibilities.  Blake, meanwhile, glanced around one last time before counting her steps to the exit.

Once outside, she removed her glasses and slipped them into her back pocket.  Freed of the nuisance, she made her way to the nearest train station, lost in thought.

The robbery at Vale Savings had spooked the other banks but, besides lack of privacy in the vault room, she hadn’t noticed any other overt security upgrades.  Maybe those would come in time, or maybe it would blow over without any substantial changes.

Half a block from the train station, the towering main branch of Sapphire Bank caught her attention for at least the thousandth time.  It occupied an equally historic building, yet its stone facade looked impenetrable.  The most glaring contrast from Vale Credit Union’s welcoming aura were the two guards standing on either side of the entrance.

With the fallout from the Vale Savings robbery still on her mind, she glanced at the time before altering her path.  She bobbed her head to the security guards while passing through the doors.  Inside, she paused, looked up, and counted three sets of cameras pointed at the front entrance and windows.  Another guard chatted with the customers waiting in line.  The tellers sat behind thick, bulletproof glass.  A heavy metal gate blocked anyone from moving further into the bank. 

Oppressively secure, she thought while idly making her way to the line.  But there didn’t seem to be anything new added since the last time she was here.

“Excuse me.  I think you dropped this.”

Surprised, Blake turned around and found a gorgeous young woman holding out a slip of paper to her.  Long, wavy blonde hair, vibrant lilac eyes, and an enviable physique would have caught Blake’s interest under ordinary circumstances, but it was the young woman’s posture - turned slightly away as if hiding a piece of herself - that drew Blake’s attention to the hand not clutching the paper.  Metal fingers - a prosthetic hand - disappeared underneath a fitted long-sleeve shirt, remaining a mystery.  

Not wanting to stare, Blake glanced at what appeared to be a receipt and quickly said, “That’s not mine.”

“You’re right.”  A sheepish smile slipped onto the girl’s lips as she stuck the receipt into her back pocket.  “I just couldn't think of another way to start a conversation.”  

Blake’s brow rose at the admission, and a refreshing warmth spread through her veins when the girl lightly cleared her throat and added, “Intimidating, isn’t it?” 

That metal hand gestured to the grand bank, dragging Blake’s gaze along with it until returning to the young woman’s side.  Under ordinary circumstances, random conversation wasn’t something she indulged in.  The arm piqued her curiosity though.  And it had been a while since she’d entertained such eye-pleasing company.

“They must be trying to keep the crooks away,” she replied.  The young woman scoffed.

“Fat lot of help that’ll do.  They might as well hang a sign out front that says, ‘Rob us - we dare you.’”

Blake bit back a smile, resorting to a muted nod instead.

“People see all this and think they’re safe,” the girl continued, looking around the lobby before sneaking a glance Blake’s way.  “More importantly, they think their money is safe.”

“Spoken like someone with banking experience.”

“I know a thing or two.”  Light laughter accompanied the response before that fascinating hand extended to Blake.  “Yang, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you.”  

Blake shook Yang’s hand, making sure not to hold on too long to the strangely firm fingers.  Yang’s smile grew. 

“You know, this is usually when someone offers their name in return.”

“Is it?”  

Yang’s nose scrunched up, her eyes crinkling at the corners, as joyous laughter filled the air.  The sound was so lighthearted and endearing that a smile slipped onto Blake’s lips.

“Alright, I’ll come up with one then,” Yang said, grinning now.  “How’s ‘Brunette Beauty’ sound?”

“Isn’t ‘beauty’ stepping on your toes a bit?” Blake teased.

“You’d think so, but I’ll be Blonde Bombshell.”

Blake laughed despite herself, both at the ridiculous monikers and the facetious ego.  Yang was undoubtedly beautiful yet lacked the pompous, self-centered aura of someone who knew how attractive they were.  Yang was attractive - Blake’s skin tingled at her proximity - yet she didn’t act like she believed it.  Was it the arm…?  

“So, Beauty,” Yang continued, crossing her arms over her chest and adding a heart-melting smile.  “What brings you in today?”

“I’m auditioning banks.”  

Yang’s expression lit up, the corners of her eyes again crinkling with impending laughter.  “‘Auditioning banks?’” she repeated while Blake resolutely nodded.

“Deciding who gets the honor of holding my meager pile of cash.  My mattress isn’t cutting it anymore.”

“How’s this one doing so far?”

“The lobby’s nice.  Very…blue.” 

Yang’s eyes sparkled now, and this time Blake smiled along with Yang’s laughter.  Her gaze only strayed when a couple passed nearby, and it was only then that her senses tingled with uncertainty.  The more she focused on it, the more the sound in the rest of the bank felt…off.  She could hear Yang fine, but everything beyond their small bubble of privacy, like the bankers working at nearby desks, seemed muffled.  She tilted her ear toward the nearest banker, but she couldn't pull even a fragment from his conversation.

“Sound masking,” Yang explained, somehow picking up on Blake’s concern and pointing at a small black box on the ceiling.  “Pretty trippy, right?”

“How’d you know that?”

“I know things,” Yang replied with another gorgeous smile.  “You could probably call me a bank expert.”

“Oh, really?”  Blake arched a brow and held back a smirk at the self-proclaimed title.  “Can you prove that?”

“I always back up my words.”  Yang winked - Blake’s heart stuttered without permission - and turned toward the greater part of the bank.  “Alright, let’s see…they have monitored CCTV, so we’ve been watched ever since we crossed the sidewalk out front.  Two guards out there, two in here, plus one in plain clothes.  Thermal cameras paired with normal cameras, and infrared sensors at every doorway.”

Blake’s brow rose with every subsequent detail, her gaze flitting around the building to confirm that Yang was right.  Most people would notice the armed guards and cameras but nothing more - and that was the point.  Blatant security made subtle security much more effective.

“That’s…pretty good,” Blake admitted.

“‘Pretty good??’” Yang repeated in playful disbelief.  “Alright.  Why don’t you show me what you’ve got?”

The last thing Blake expected to do today was share notes with a beautiful stranger, but she pursed her lips and scanned the room for something interesting.

“They arranged the furniture so that if someone decided to drive through the front door, they’d run into a mess of heavy desks and horrible office chairs.”

Yang’s eyes widened as she stared at the room’s layout.  

“Holy shit, you’re right.  How’d you know that?”

“I read a lot of crime novels.”

“Apparently, I need to pick up a few of those.”

“Only if you want to know more than me one day.”  

Blake shrugged but, this time, couldn't help but smile at Yang’s infectious laughter.

“I’ll keep trying,” Yang agreed, ending her chuckle with an amused shake of her head.  “Next time we meet, I’ll have some facts that’ll blow those crime novels out of the water.”

“I’ll let you believe that.”  

Again, Blake’s response defied her expectations.  She couldn't remember the last time she’d struck up such an easy and enjoyable conversation with a stranger, but she also couldn't argue that Yang’s outsized yet approachable demeanor struck a chord in her.

“Maybe I can try my luck again this weekend?” Yang asked, this time with a shy, hopeful smile.  “Over dinner?  My treat.”

“Oh.”  Blake’s heart jumped into overdrive, fluttering and cartwheeling through her chest, but her mind flashed through all of the reasons she shouldn’t and couldn't accept.  “Sorry,” she found herself saying despite the little jolts of electricity shooting through her veins.  “But I’m not really looking for a relationship.”

“Neither was I until you walked through the door.”

Another smile threatened to appear on Blake’s lips.  This time, Yang noticed and smiled right back.  And, in that moment, dinner didn’t sound so bad.  Just an evening, maybe a night, and then they could go their separate ways - none the wiser but with a good time shared.

“Tell you what -”  A muffled radio interrupted Yang mid-sentence.  She reached into her jacket, revealing a radio attached to her waistband and a shiny gold badge that Blake instinctively recoiled from.  “Sorry,” Yang said while turning the dial to silence the noise.  “They have great timing.”

“...you’re a cop?”

Yang’s brow furrowed until she looked down and noticed her badge.  

“Oh.  Detective, actually.”  

When Yang pulled the badge off her belt and held it up for Blake to see, Blake’s heart came to a full stop.

“‘Detective Xiao Long?’”

“That’s me.”

Yang grinned while Blake fumbled for words like a goldfish gasping for air.

“Wow, I -”  Blake’s skin prickled with heat while Yang returned her badge to her waist.  “I wouldn't have expected that.”

“Too young and beautiful, right?” Yang teased.  Blake bobbed her head without thinking.  “I guess you could say it runs in the family.  My mom was a cop.  My dad was a cop.  My uncle’s kind of a cop.  My sister’s a cop.”

“That’s…a lot of cops…” 

“Which makes you feel safe and secure, right?”

“...sure.”

Blake couldn't think of a better response nor could she stop staring at Yang, mind racing through every comment they’d shared and how Yang might have interpreted it.  Had she believed the crime novel explanation?  What had she thought about Blake’s ‘auditioning banks’ joke?

“Tell you what,” Yang continued as if she hadn’t just dropped a bomb on Blake’s world.  “How about I give you my number and if you’re ever hungry, bored, or just want to look at something pretty, you give me a call?”

Blake could never call Yang - they would hopefully never even see each other again - but she didn’t want to draw more suspicion than she already had.  “I’ll think about it,” she got out instead.  Fortunately, that was good enough for Yang, who grabbed one of the pre-printed deposit slips and scrawled her number across it.

“What’s the chance I can at least get your name?” Yang asked while Blake stuck the paper in her pocket.

“You’re a detective.  Can’t you figure it out?”

“Not without breaking some laws and violating your rights.”

“You make it sound like you wouldn't do that,” Blake replied, raising one brow but holding back the scoff that wanted to slip out.

“I wouldn't.  Not my style.”  

Yang’s wink sent Blake’s heart into another tizzy and, somehow, Blake believed that Yang wouldn't use her police credentials to track down unoffered information.  How Blake believed that, she didn’t know.

“Then I’ll tell you if I call,” she offered.

“Brunette Beauty it is.”  Yang beamed but, shortly after, found a serious expression that was somehow even more attractive than her smile.  “I hope you do though,” she added sincerely.  “I know everyone has their opinions on the police, but…I like proving people wrong.”  

Yang flashed a smile before motioning to the line and adding, “I’ll let you finish that audition now.”

“I actually don’t think this place will make the cut,” Blake quickly replied.  “Too pretentious.”

“The guards aren’t exactly warm and fuzzy…” Yang agreed, squinting at one of the men standing across the room.  “I told them they should be subtle, but they decided on the heavy-handed approach.  Whatever helps business, right?”

Blake stared in disbelief while Yang shook her head.

“Have a good day then,” Yang offered before pointing to Blake’s pocket.  “And don’t forget that.  Call me anytime - hopefully sooner rather than later so I’m not answering random calls for the rest of my life.”

Again, Yang smiled.  Again, Blake’s heart experienced more tumult than it had in years.

“I’ll think about it,” she repeated before hurrying out of the building.  She told herself not to look back, but she glanced over her shoulder while opening the door and caught one last smile.

The temperature had dropped over the course of that adventure, but the cold air was a blessing for the heat rising from her cheeks.  She silently scolded herself for stopping at Sapphire Bank to begin with even though she could never have expected such a chance encounter.  

Just across the street from the train station, Yang’s name caught her attention for the second-most jarring time that day.  She stopped and bought a copy of the newspaper featuring an article on the detective who she just had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting before ducking onto the next train headed out of downtown.  She settled into a seat and glanced at the newspaper lying across her lap before shaking her head and staring out the window.

In another universe, she would call Yang.  They could flirt and banter over glasses of wine and good food.  They could talk about their work and their personal lives.  Yang was the type who Blake would willingly go home with, especially if she proved to be as magnetic over dinner as she was in just a short conversation.  It would probably be an incredible night, or nights, and possibly more.  They could have something, even if only for a short period of time.  

But that universe was far removed from this one.

Several stops later, she hopped off the train and headed to the many office buildings in this part of Vale.  Skyscrapers didn’t cast their shadows here, yet plenty of businesses and apartment buildings could be found.  During the warmer months, tourists and long-time Vale residents flocked to the area to enjoy the smoothest sections of the river cutting through the city.  As the temperature dropped, so too did the crowds packing the sidewalks and cars snarling traffic.  

Near the train station and several laidback restaurants, an unassuming office park held her gaze.  The single-story building looked like the rest of the cookie-cutter construction surrounding it, but this particular building won her over due to the separate entrances offered to each suite.

The suite in the back corner of the building, farthest from the street, read “Cash Flow Consultants” in black letters across the glass door.  The door led into a small, comfortable lobby with a frosted glass wall separating the lobby from the rest of the suite.  A young girl with a long brown ponytail and more freckles than could be counted sat behind a reception desk.

“Hey, Ilia,” Blake said, drawing the girl’s attention away from her phone.

“Blake!”  Ilia hopped up to greet Blake near the door leading further into the office.  She was hardly taller standing than she was sitting, and a good foot shorter than Blake.  “How’d it go?”

Blake’s thoughts immediately returned to the conversation with Yang, but she forced her mind to Vale Credit Union and said, “Good.  Pretty much what I expected.”

“Doable then?”

“Of course.  But anything’s doable if you have enough time, patience, and the right resources.”

“Even Sapphire Bank?”

Yang’s bright eyes and warm smile returned to the forefront of Blake’s mind, and she found herself smiling before she caught herself and shook her head.  “We aren’t there yet.  But maybe one day.”

“Adam talks about it all the time.  Says it’d be a huge statement.”

“Adam’s getting ahead of himself.”  Blake resisted the urge to roll her eyes and spell out just how far ahead of himself he was getting.  She nodded to a set of combination locks lying on the reception desk instead.  “How’s it going?” 

Ilia glanced that way and sighed. 

“It’s harder than it looks.”

“It gets easier.  Just keep practicing.  We can do another lesson if you want.”

“That’d be great, actually.  Thanks, Blake.”  Ilia’s smile fell slightly, and she held her elbow in one hand while looking at the floor.  “I just…really want to help somehow.”

“I might have a job for you this time if you think you’re up for it.”

“Really?”  When Ilia looked up, her eyes sparkled with almost childlike excitement.  “What is it?  I mean, not that it matters.  I’ll do whatever you ask me to.”

“Let me get a plan together first,” Blake said, chuckling at Ilia’s zeal and patting the glasses in her back pocket.  “I should get everything downloaded while it’s still fresh in my head.  Anyone else here?”  

“Just Emerald.”

Blake made a face, which Ilia mirrored before returning to the reception desk and picking up one of the locks.  Blake, meanwhile, blew out a breath and let herself through the interior door.  Just beyond the frosted glass walls was a medium-sized space that alternatively served as a meeting room or break area.  

Two sofas sat around a large coffee table covered in magazines, newspapers, and open soda cans.  Emerald currently occupied one of the sofas, her feet propped up on the table while watching the television in front of her.  A small kitchen with a full-size refrigerator occupied the nearby corner.  A meeting table surrounded by mismatched chairs took up the other half of the room - this table covered in more soda cans, scraps of paper, and someone’s laptop.  Another locked door led further into the building, but Blake joined Emerald near the television.

“I see offloading’s going well,” she remarked while sitting down and pulling her tired feet up onto the sofa.

“I’m not offloading shit.  That’s Mercury’s job.”

Blake rolled her eyes but expected nothing less from Emerald, the consummate ‘I’ll do my job and nothing more’ colleague.  Rather than get on Emerald’s case about it, which would accomplish nothing other than fueling her exasperation, Blake tossed the newspaper onto the coffee table and said, “You’ll never guess who gave me her number today.”

Emerald’s red gaze flicked to Blake, who nodded to the newspaper’s headline.  In large, bold letters, it read: “White Fang Strikes Again” and, below that, “Detective Xiao Long promises arrests to come.”

“No fucking way.”  Emerald grabbed the newspaper.  “You met her?”

“She was at Sapphire Bank.”

“And she asked you out?”

Emerald laughed as if that was the funniest thing she’d ever heard, but Blake scrunched up her nose and muttered, “She told me to call her sometime.”  The response renewed Emerald’s laughter, so Blake leaned back and idly watched the television, hoping to forget her chance encounter with Yang immediately after Emerald stopped laughing about it.  Emerald was right to laugh though - even imagining a date with Yang was laughable.

Blake shrugged off her vague disappointment and glanced to the side as a tall young man with spiky red and brown hair entered the room.  Her pulse spiked just seeing his imposing stature, emphasized by the grisly scar running across his eye and the permanent scowl on his lips.

“Adam!” Emerald called out, waving him over.  “You’ll never guess who’s got the hots for Blake.”  His brow furrowed as he joined them near the sofa.  Before he could ask, however, Emerald held up the newspaper and pointed at Yang’s name.  “Detective ‘wants us all in jail.’” 

Adam’s frown deepened, but Emerald tossed the paper aside and smirked at Blake.  “What’d you tell her?  ‘Sorry, I prefer handcuffs in the bedroom only’?”

“I told her I’m not interested in seeing anyone right now,” Blake mumbled while picking a piece of lint off of her sleeve.  

“‘Right now.’  As in maybe you’ll change your mind?  Maybe when she’s arresting you?”

“She’s not arresting anyone,” Blake snapped before standing up and going to the counter for a bottle of water.  Emerald’s laughter always got under her skin.  Probably because Emerald had a dark, sadistic sense of humor - the only things that made her laugh were at the expense of others.

A young man with silver hair and enough arrogance for a crowd strode into the break room then, capturing their interest in a heartbeat.

“The prodigal son returns,” Emerald crowed while he dropped his messenger bag on the sofa.

“Mercury,” Adam said, dipping his chin.  “How’d it go?”

“Piece of cake.”  Mercury unzipped his bag and pulled out a stack of weathered bills held together by a dirty rubber band.  Emerald snatched the money from his hands, held it up to her nose, and took a deep breath.

“God, I love that smell,” she breathed out before flipping through the bills.  “Not as good as the new ones, but I’ll take it.”

“No one will take it.”  Blake grabbed the money, much to Emerald’s annoyance, and tossed it on top of Mercury’s bag.  “How much is left?”

“Fifteen, twenty grand?”  Mercury shrugged then picked up his bag.  “Let’s check.”

Ignoring Emerald, who grumbled something about being underpaid, Blake followed Mercury and Adam into the back room.  Unlike the general meeting area, this area was more of a ‘workspace.’  Diagram-covered whiteboards lined the walls.  Various pieces of equipment had been haphazardly placed on whatever free space could be found, including two heavy metal safes that a forklift had moved through the loading bay door.  

The smaller, older safe drew them over, and Mercury patiently waited for Adam to spin the combination into the dial.  Blake’s gaze instinctively darted to his hands, mentally noting the numbers, until she clicked her tongue and reminded herself that she already knew the combination.  Her heart still jumped when Adam tugged open the door, revealing stacks upon stacks of money.  Most of the bills were used and in small denominations, but several columns of pristine, paper-banded hundreds sat in front.

“How long will it take?” Adam asked while Mercury started replacing the used bills in his bag with new money.

“Couple of days, tops.  I got a few guys who should have capacity.  Just gotta get in touch and set up a drop.”  After removing the remainder of the new bills, Mercury zipped his bag closed and turned to them.  “This would be a lot easier if we ran our own shell.”

“No,” Blake said at the same time Adam said, “We’re thinking about it.”

Mercury’s brow rose while Blake sent Adam a disbelieving look, but Adam brushed past the moment.

“If you only need a couple days, then we can start planning our next target.”

“Already on it.”  Blake gave Adam another narrow-eyed look before pulling out her glasses.  “Vale Credit Union.  Their security’s still from the dark ages.”

Adam pursed his lips, but Mercury glanced between them before shrugging his bag over one shoulder.

“Sounds good.  I’ll let you know when I’m done.”

“Good work,” Adam said while Mercury headed out, but his stern gaze quickly returned to Blake.  Knowing the look, she sighed and went over to her laptop.  “Vale Credit Union?” he prodded, following.  “Why aren’t you looking at Vale Bank & Trust?  Or Sapphire Bank.”

“We don’t have the right team to take on a job like that.”

“So we keep hitting little mom-and-pop places?”

“I wouldn't call Vale Credit Union ‘mom-and-pop’ -”

“I would.”  Blake rolled her eyes while connecting the glasses to the laptop, but Adam moved to her side and leaned closer.  “You need to think bigger, Blake.  This isn’t some small operation anymore.”

“And you need to think safer, Adam.”  He scowled when she spun toward him.  “My job is to keep us out of prison, remember?  Well, this keeps us out of prison.”  

She gestured to the screen, where her video from Vale Credit Union sat in freeze frame.  His jaw clenched - he wanted to argue - but he thought about it long and hard before tilting his chin down a fraction of an inch.  

“How long?” he grumbled.

“A month.  Maybe two.  The safe should be easy.”  Now that they were on the same page, she started transferring files to the computer.  “If we move fast enough, we can beat any fallout from the Savings job.  Something tells me they aren’t going to splash out a bunch of money for a new vault door.” 

“You have a plan?”

“The beginning of one, yeah.”  Blake turned back to the screen as her mind whirred to life.  Getting in, getting out, how long it would take at the vault door and safe door, how many people they needed - all of those considerations and more pressed to the forefront of her thoughts.  Before she got lost in those plans, however, the door opened again.

A woman with wavy brunette hair, an eyepatch covering one eye, and impractical black stilettos strode into the workshop as if she owned the entire city.  Blake automatically scowled, but that flash of annoyance morphed into confusion when a young man with short brown hair and a goatee trailed the brunette, who led him straight over to Adam.

“Cinder,” Adam greeted her, standing up to his full imposing height.

“Adam,” Cinder replied, her low, husky tone prompting Blake’s eyeroll.  “This is Yuma.  He’s the one I told you about.”

Adam and Yuma exchanged firm handshakes before Cinder acknowledged Blake.

“And this is Bl-”

“Shroud,” Blake interrupted, glaring at Cinder before shaking Yuma’s hand.  A smirk crept onto Cinder’s lips while Yuma dipped his chin.

“The infamous Shroud, huh?” he replied, flashing a charming smile.  “I heard you got into an Ironheart Vault in a minute.”

“Thirty seconds,” Blake replied in a clipped tone, frowning as he let out a soft whistle.

“Yuma’s ready to get his hands dirty,” Cinder proclaimed while Blake crossed her arms over her chest.  

From appearances alone, Yuma gave no indication of having any particular skill set that they could utilize.  The underlying sense of danger surrounding him, however, prevented Blake from extending her trust.  Adam, on the other hand, nodded and said, “I’m looking forward to seeing what you can do.”

“Looking forward to showing you,” Yuma replied.  His arrogant smile turned Blake even further off, but Cinder and Adam thought nothing of it.

“I’ll show you around,” Cinder said before leading Yuma away.  As soon as they were out of earshot, Blake spun towards Adam.

“Who is he and why is he here?”

“New recruit.”

“...and?” Blake pressed, her skin prickling as Yuma inspected the large, shiny safe across the room.  “Who is he?  Can we trust him?”

“Cinder vouched for him.”

“Oh, great.  Cinder vouched for him.”  When Adam frowned, she lowered her voice and said, “I think we should slow down recruiting.  We’ve got a lot of heat right now -”

“That’s the new normal.  We have to deal with it.”

Blake sighed but pressed her hands together in front of her as if holding onto her last shred of patience.

“What I’m saying is…if we don’t know these people, how do we know they’re committed?  Do they even care about our mission?”

“Not everyone needs to care about the mission.  They just need to do their jobs.”  Blake scoffed at the answer, but Adam added, “And don’t worry about Yuma - I’ll be the one working with him.”

Patience gone, she dropped her arms to her sides and shook her head.

“That’s not what we agreed -”

“But I think you’ll agree that things have changed,” Adam interrupted.  “You just said yourself that we don’t have the team to go after the bigger banks.  We need to recruit more people.”

“That increases the risks -”

“Taking risks is the only reason we’re where we are today.”

Jaw clenched, she crossed her arms tightly across her chest and silently stewed at his obstinance.  He sighed and set a hand on her shoulder, which she immediately shrugged off.

“You worry too much,” he told her, baring his teeth at her rebuff.  “Just work on the Credit Union and let me take care of personnel.”

It wasn’t a choice.  He left her standing there, grinding her jaw back and forth, in favor of joining Cinder and Yuma on the far side of the room.  Watching them plot together, she clenched her teeth so hard that they might crack under the sheer force of frustration.  Rather than scream or shove over the nearest table, she grabbed the stethoscope lying beside the laptop and claimed the stool in front of the brand-new safe.

After fixing the earpieces in her ears and pressing the bell to the cold, smooth metal door, she took a deep breath and slowly spun the dial.  The steady click, click, click of the tumbler took a needle to the balloon of irritation in her chest, prompting her to close her eyes and focus solely on the comforting sound combined with the miniscule vibrations under her fingertips.

As soon as she felt and heard a click unlike the others, she stopped and noted the number on the pad of paper beside her.  She felt Yuma’s gaze but quickly moved on, searching for the next number in the combination.  Once the sequence revealed itself, she spun it into place and felt a burst of satisfaction when the last pin slid into the door.

That satisfaction dimmed when she opened the safe and found nothing inside, but she shook her head, reset the combination to a group of random numbers, and re-locked the door.  She then closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and started again.  

The reliable clicking gave her heart something to mirror.  A steady, methodical rhythm that calmed her.  After the turmoil of the last few weeks, she had hoped that life would slow down.  Give her a breather.  Instead, more chaos had been thrown into the mix.

She wouldn't worry about the things beyond her control though.  Right now, she controlled the soft metallic clicking and her heart along with it.  There might not be any money inside, but there would be soon enough - along with the adrenaline of working under a tight timeframe with the punishment for failure being the inside of a prison cell for the rest of her life.

She could already imagine being surrounded by those gleaming safe deposit boxes…her attention glued to the safe, searching for the five-digit combination…knowing that those five numbers were all that stood between her and another small fortune.  Vale Credit Union’s depositors wouldn't lose a dime, but the shareholders would.  They could just consider it a…generous donation to the betterment of Vale.

The pins slid out of place a second time and a smile slipped onto her lips.