"Shit's lit, eh? Gonna bag the big one b'fore ya do, scrub."
Notices you fall into the vent, eyeing the top bounties board seeing yours and your name nearby.
I crawl through the vents, silently getting closer to musefall. "Psst... Hey, musefall, over here."
Agh! What the…?! Sees axel blaze in the vent, shocked.
"Surprised little mousey? Bet you didn't expect me to find ya." I smile mischievously.
How did you-?? Nevermind. What’s the hurry about someone ‘bagging the big one’?? I only hear 1 person bagging the big one
"Oh, yeaaa, that 'big one.' You're absolutely right, mousey. There's only one person who can bag that one. Me." I grin smugly.
So what do you want from me..?? You see me working near the bounties board so i might know something
"Oh, you got that right, mousey. I wanna know who's the rat who leaked my bounty. Spill it."
What rat?? I haven’t heard anything about your bounty.. It’s been too quite around here so far. Not to mention most of us guards either don’t like you or are scared of you… I rattle my cage door.
"Oh, you think you're clever, don't ya, mousey? Well, let's see if you're as smart as you think you are." I hand musefall a photo.
Uhh…?? Where did you even get this from??? That person isn’t even from our facility let alone this sector. Why would I know anything about their bounty???
"Oh, I got this pic from a friend who owes me a favor. See that little mole on their neck? That's what gives 'em away. Now spill, mousey.
That’s not a mole it’s just discoloration. How the heck would I know about that person anyway?? We never even come close to moving any contraband across sectors, we’re not even equipped to! Why would they want to kill you??
"You might be a clueless little mousey, but I've got a few ideas." I narrow my eyes. "Now spill. Who leaked my bounty?"
Look, I don’t know anything about the person you’re after and definitely not anyone who would leak information about you. We’re just a simple group of prisoners and most of us are here because of petty crimes. You know what, everyone here is only guilty of being justifiably angry at one thing or another.. maybe even you.. I rattle my cage door again.
"You think you're funny, don't ya, mousey? Well, let's see how you handle being on the receiving end of my humor." I walk closer to musefall.
If you’re going to end me, let me tell you, if anything should happen to me, it’s because of Joseph Harwood and his dumb “no fun” rule. He’s been acting “strange” the last few days i have talked to him.. he’s been acting more aggressive… which makes the guards more aggressive aswell.. anyway, all that just to say, do what you gotta do, kill or capture me, whatever your goal was. I doubt it has anything to do with me though..
"You think Joseph Harwood's the problem, mousey? Well, guess what?" I grin sinisterly. "He ain't got nothing on me."
Huh? What do you mean..??
"What I mean, mousey, is that I'm the real problem. I'm the reason Harwood's been acting strange, and I'm the reason you're in this mess." I smile wickedly. "So, here's what we're gonna do."
Wait wait wait.. YOU are the reason he’s been acting strange?? He hates when the prisoners do what we do but it’s his job to keep up order, he’s trained, built, and paid for it! Why would YOU cause trouble?? Not that I don’t want trouble myself, I’m asking why YOU specifically.. You’ve made yourself very aware about who’s good and bad here, whoever made you mad I don’t know, but I know good when I see it, so… I’ll just keep doing my thing hoping the suss peaks my interest and gives me some profit.. oh wait, I remember now… you wanted to find out who leaked YOUR bounty…
"That's right, mousey." I chuckle. "And guess what? You're going to help me find out who did it."
First of all, how would a rat like me get ANY information??? My whole purpose is to get caught so I can scavenge whatever’s in the compartment, if anything, then get tossed, hanged, etc. I look at the door my cage is attached to. Second of all, why would I help YOU?? You haven’t given me any reason to trust you..
"You're right, mousey. Trust must be earned. But how about this? If you help me catch the rat who leaked my bounty, I'll owe you a favor. A big one."
We both know I’d be dead before I could get my reward, and we both know it wouldn’t be enough, even if it were possible… not to mention there’s no benefit to me living either way. Speaking of, I don’t think you realized yet but the fun has already started.. you just missed the first couple of minutes.. What do you think you’re doing here anyways?? This facility, specifically floor 17, is one of THE MOST heavily guarded places in this entire system! Not to mention how many cameras, tracking beacons, and who knows what else is tracking you…
"You're right, mousey." I grin. "But don't worry, I've dealt with worse. Besides, the thrill of breaking into a highly guarded facility is what gets my blood pumping." I walk towards the exit. "And besides, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve."
I don’t doubt you, but I doubt me helping you. Look, if you need to get inside, fine, it’s not like you would need me for that. All of us prisoners have the appropriate data packets uploaded into our neural implants to access restricted areas… however, that comes with a cost. The data packets “forget” to inform us about the specific area’s security systems… let’s just say you’d better watch out for pressure sensors, turrets, lasers, etc. For someone like you, I’m sure you already have a plan for dealing with those, nonetheless, once the data packet updates, the security system won’t target you… as long as you aren’t actually touching anything.. Why do you need my help to begin with?? You seem like you could do everything yourself..
"Well, mousey, the truth is, I'm not just here to catch the rat who leaked my bounty. I've got something much bigger in mind." I grin mischievously. "And you're right, I could probably do everything myself. But where's the fun in that?"
Of course I’m not going to believe something so vague, now, before whatever you’re planning starts, let me at least experience freedom for a bit longer! I haven’t felt real earth beneath my paws in years, let me see this grand facility everyone talks about. I’ll even agree to help, on one condition..
"Fine, mousey." I hold out my hand. "Deal. Freedom for a while longer, and your help in exchange for a favor later. Just don't slow me down."
Sounds fair, let’s shake on it. We shook hands, which actually meant we touched fists since we’re from different species.. didn’t really matter tho.
"Now, mousey, let's see what kind of trouble we can stir up." I grin wickedly. "We'll start by getting access to the security cameras. After that, we'll make our way to the upper floors and take out any guards that get in our way."
Wait wait wait. Let me just see something.. Takes a small device out of the pocket in their sleeve. See this? It’s a data thief, allows me to view what ever monitor i want within range. Now don’t worry, I can filter out everything except security cameras.. Activates the device and takes control of the nearest camera. Reroutes it to a screen they pull from their same pocket. Do you have any questions??
"Not really, mousey." I smile confidently. "Just make sure you stay close and don't get caught. Now, let's see what kind of trouble we can stir up."