Scott smirked at Brick’s words and scanned the room, taking in every detail he could. Ewan had just exited the control room leaving two men sitting at a console. Scott crept towards an unmanned computer panel and slid a pair of goggles over his head and eyes. A press of a button on the goggles activates image magnification, and he removes a bag from his pocket that contains microscopic cameras provided by Yumi. Using a pair of tweezers, Scott gingerly removed a camera, attached its magnet bottom to the panel, and navigates the room placing cameras 10 to 12 inches apart. Scott flashes back to his childhood, playing the board game Operation as he gingerly used the tweezers to avoid touching the console. Anything Scott touches with his bare skin while he is invisible also becomes invisible, and the entire computer console disappearing would be noticed. No stranger to being cautious with that aspect of his powers, it still adds to the stress. After completing the camera drops, he opened his phone and ran an app Yumi gave him, activating all the cameras.
“Cameras are on, Scott. I now have eyes in the room.” Yumi spoke into his ear. “Give me one minute to look around, and I’ll tell you where you need to attach the access module to the control panel.”
Scott took a seat in the corner of the room. A few feet from Scott’s corner, the two guards, had strayed from work-related conversations and began debating how old comic heroes would fare in a fight against each other. While not being a huge comic book fan, Scott knew the significant characters and found the guard with the name tag that read McNair had some pretty sound logic for Wolverine beating Batman in a fight. The guard labeled Jackson wasn’t hearing any of it and kept naming gadgets Batman could use to win a battle. Scott found himself engrossed in the argument and was weighing points and counterpoints in his mind. Yumi’s voice snapped him back to reality.
“Scott, I am going to need you to place the module into the bottom of the console right in-between where the two guards are sitting. The slot is about 6 inches from the bottom of the cabinet, and I need you to stick the module there.”
Scott vigilantly moved from his corner until he was standing next to McNair. He gingerly removed a large coin from his pocket and launched it across the room as hard as possible. It rattled as it struck the wall, and the two men seated next to him swiveled their chairs in unison.
“What the...?” Jackson asked
“No clue, I don’t see anyone else in here,” McNair answered
“Go check.” Jackson pointed to the back of the room where the noise originated
“You go and check.” McNair shot back
“Sorry, man, I got seniority, and that means that you have to check it out. I hate to play that card, but it is what it is,” Jackson demanded
“I am getting tired of this seniority crap.” McNair stood and walked towards the back of the room. Jackson gazed at him intently. McNair stood and walked towards the back of the room. The second McNair moved from his post, Scott knelt and looked for the slot Yumi described. He quickly identified the slot, slide the module in, and stealthily moved from the console. Scott was careful to remain silent and not draw scrutiny from Jackson. Jackson’s focus never wavered from McNair’s quest to identify the sound.
“I don’t’ see anything,” McNair spoke from across the room.
“You sure?” Jackson stretched his neck, trying to get a view. Scott had moved across the room and was standing maybe 3 feet away from McNair.
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"I'm sure," McNair replied.
Scott watched as McNair bent over, picked up the coin he had thrown, and placed it in his pocket. He gave the area one more inspection and returned to his seat.
"I am into their computer system now, Scott. That is everything I need on this end. Get out of there safely and quickly if you can." Yumi's voice softly spoke into Scott's ear.
Scott made his way to the stairs and climbed up, taking one stair at a time and pausing to ensure he hadn’t drawn the guard’s attention. He placed his hand on the door handle and turned it. The doorknob turned a full rotation, turning invisible in Scott’s hand, and he started to open it when he heard something on the other side. Footsteps thundered towards him, and he tried to slowly let the handle go and not draw the attention of whoever was on the other side. The door swung open forcefully and caught Scott’s upper body, and bounced back. Scott sprinted downstairs as Ewan stumbled through the door with the grace of rollerblading grizzly bear, losing his battle with gravity and skidding down the stairs on his backside. Scott jumped to the side, just missing Ewan’s landing on the floor. Gasps and similar noises were coming from a group of four guards trailing Ewan. McNair and Jackson quickly spun their chairs, and Scott saw their eyes open wide, as big as saucers from the shock of the burly man lifting himself off the ground rubbing his rear end.
The guards accompanying Ewan rushed down the stairs to ensure he was alright. In the commotion, Scott used the opportunity to move up the stairs and catch the door just before it closed and squeezed through. As the door closed, Scott heard a loud eruption of sound from behind it.
"What in the hell is wrong with at the door! Fix it!" Ewan's voiced raged with anger. The voices responding were much more muted, but Scott could identify the sound of subordinates apologizing and making promises of swift action.
Scott knew a closer inspection of the door was imminent, so he exited the kitchen without haste. The remaining escape was drama-less. The only delay was waiting for someone to exit the front door, so he could slip out unnoticed. Scott left the building and walked down the driveway, and turned on the street heading into town. He paused on a section of the street with no one around.
"Guy's, I'm out." He said softly
"Aww Yeah, now I can slide out of this hole! That's what she said!" Bricks barked over the communication channel.
"Umm, ok." Yumi's voice sounded a little put off by the Bricks joke. In honesty, Bricks was so excited to hear his friend was out of danger that he had forgotten Yumi was on the line. No problem, though. In his mind, it was nothing that a double dose of southern charm couldn't smooth over.
"I'll call a cab, and Vanessa can ride it into town and pick you up," Yumi announced
"No need Yumi. Thanks, but I need to stretch my legs a little. I'm going to stroll through town and then probably jog the rest of the way." Scott replied, "I am going to turn off my earpiece until I get back. I will see you guys in a little bit." And with that, the line went dead.
Everyone but Yumi knew to expect this. Prolonged powers use was hard for any Dynamic, but holding invisibility for long stretches was particularly draining for Scott. Time alone to decompress was one of the nuances of working with Scott that you learned over time. Scott walked a few blocks from the Town Hall, turned down an alley, and leaned against a wall. A few extra glances around to ensure no one was watching, and he dropped his invisibility and took a deep sigh in. He was out of practice with prolonged usage of his power, and he felt the effects stronger than he remembered. When pressed to describe the feeling, he would compare it to someone quitting smoking and the first couple of days filled with a cloudy head and slight headaches, and you know that one cigarette will fix that for you. Except, in this case, there was no cigarette to ease the feeling. The only sure-fire cure that Scott knew of was time and peace.
Scott leaned against the wall and gathered his thoughts for a few minutes. He missed his family and thought how he hadn’t been away from them since his release from prison. His mind flashed to Jeanie and Walker playing together on the floor, laughing and having fun, and the thought brought a smile to his face. This situation that the group was in needed to end quickly to get back to them and never leave again. His father would have called him soft for thinking that, but Scott was just fine with that.
The temperature outside was not cold, but the air was crisp. The cool brisk air had a calming effect on Scott. He straightened up, took another deep breath, and began the trek back to the campsite.