COOL night air slipped into the room rustling the curtains and Cargo looked up from his typing preparing to shut the open vent. The pajamas he was wearing did little to fight of the oncoming cold.

His skin prickled and Cargo shivered as his bare feet touched the wood floor.

“What the-” He gasped out as someone grabbed him.

“Shhh.” The man pressed a hand to his mouth. “They are watching.”

Cargo stilled in his grasp all too aware of who They were. Mistaking the cease in his struggling for compliance the man removed his hand from his mouth only to grab him again and force Cargo away from the window. Rough hands pushed him down towards the couch. He was able to observe his attacker or at this point, accomplice.

“They should be blind here.” He whispered words furious eyes flicking to where his laptop rested on the table. “Don’t say Their name.”

“Throw the Signal.” The blond demanded. He had to know how much trouble this would be for Cargo if he was found out. Throwing the Signal would do a bit more than divert people. Cargo did his best to keep suprise off his face when he took in the man's appearance.

Why was Alexei’s top man in his apartment asking that he throw the very people he worked for off his tail? Cargo couldn’t be hearing this right. It must be another test.

“Should doesn't mean are.” The blond, James if Cargo recalled correctly, informed him.

“You breaking in through my window is going to help us both look less suspicious?” He drawled shifting his weight to see if he could break the man's hold.

No good, his attacker turned possible accomplice was skilled. He hadn’t hurt Cargo in the interim therefore was unlikely to now. James seemed the steadfast, single minded sort of killing machine, if the way he was eyeing Cargo’s computer was anything to go by.

Don’t show all your cards in the first round. No need to be anything but a marginally talented hacker Cargo decided.

“Us?” The man snorted finishing his look around of the apartment.

“Oh no sweetheart, there is no us, I not you are the ones to draw Their eye in this case.” I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Was Cargo’s first thought, closely followed by: He doesn’t know.

“Really you being here implies a certain amount of involvement!” Cargo hissed in reply tiring of this roundabout. His continued existence was at stake here! Information held more value than money.

The blond grinned like dog caught taking food from someone at the table.

“Clever, that's good one of us needs to be the brain,” The blond prattled on. “ James by the way,” He grinned wolfishly. “Nice work you did in the alley there.”

“You saw me. . . saw what happened.”

“Yes.” James admitted zeroing in on the laptop. “Need you to bounce a signal.” Because I’m the only one you can think of to do it? With recent Zoning rules most citizens had a form of ingrained ID stamped on the skin that would register on electronic waves, cluing others in to their location. A way to keep people ‘safe’ within the walls.

Helpfully allowing you to purchase things without card or cash, otherwise tracking your every move. If you didn’t find someone to bounce the Signal or intercept it properly adaptations could be made. You didn't have to get ‘stamped’ but being ‘stamped’ could also register as the perfect albi depending.

“We've only just met!” Cargo claimed incredulous he didn’t have to have met the blond man to know of him. James wasn’t someone easily forgotten. Cargo had seen him serving Alexei in passing. Options were running through his head calculations, happening rapid fast as he weighed and considered every outcome.

“Nah.” The blond ran a hand through his hair expression sheepish. “Been tailing you all week that's gotta count for something?” James nodded to himself and grabbed the computer placing it in Cargos shaking hands.

He stared, unbelievable. The audacity alone rankled he came into Cargo’s space, broke into his home assaulted him, and started demanding things of him. Presently James claimed the first test was more than that. . that waste of spaces death.

“Well?” The blond demanded.

Cargo was tempted to brain him with the device. However, it would be a waste of machinery.

Thrown off guard he opened the laptop and settled on the couch. You can’t cure crazy but you can humor it. Living with Uncle Benny and Aunt V. had taught him that much.

This was hardly the strangest thing to occur if the most nerve wracking. He’d played checkers with Aunt V. before.

A trash can clattered to the ground in the alley below. The hunter catches up to his game. He couldn’t dilly dally, they were an equal adversary Cargo had witnessed the brown eyed man in action through grainy security feed before.

“Don't overthink it, just code,” The infuriating blond spoke drawing him from his thoughts. “You're interesting and owe me one.” Owe him what?

Whatever, if the blond survived whatever waited outside, and so did Cargo they could debate semantics. Till then he was hardly going to deny a hand up. If that hand tried to choke him later he was more than capable of dealing with it. Homefront advantage. James was in the know or appeared to be in the know, either could prove useful.

His fingers flew over the keys sure and final. Devastation waited beyond each keystroke. James said type not trust. In this realm of code Cargo is god and none would take his crown. At least not today. Thump. Both of them looked up to the roof.

James bit his lip calculation in his eyes.

"How long is that going to take?" The man peered over Cargo’s shoulder into the murky darkness of the evening.

"Not much longer if you stop pacing and let me work!" He growled multiple files open.The blond had nearly worn a hole in the carpet and it was distracting. Usually he didn’t had a witness to his work.

"Fine geesh no need to get snappish you take care of this and I'll handle the trash."

"Fine." Cargo reluctantly acquiesced too busy with typing to tear his eyes from the screen.

Typing didn't always require his full focus. He'd long ago learned the position of the keys but this particularly adversary demanded complete concentration. He might not be able to defeat the syndicate but he certainly could fool them.