Dropping off Elasticman

I got off the car reminding myself of how much we needed Elasticman.

- ``He is reckless! He is a nerd with no notion of danger, driven by conspiracy theories!'' - Bleach eyes cried out the moment I suggested him for the team.

- ``Do you know a better hacker? One we could use? And that is such a stereotype! '' - Though later when we contacted him he did reacted like a jailed mama's boy, a rebel in a geek's body with an amazing imagination to rule. - ``He is the best I know and the best you know works with elite squad you don't want to involve! And the best my father knew is outdated and retired.''

``Even our driver, couldn't we get on of your father's...?''

``Sonya is reliable and it is a simple job. He needs all hands on for his side of it, you know that. She is the wheels we got to keep this simple, and as far from the elite's radar as possible.''

He hmphed and looked at the Dark Knight for a reminder of why I was in the team, the response was a full ``chill-out'' smile.

- ``He won't even be physically engaged, just turning out some lights from a fair distance!'' - I continued.

Though the moment I saw him in the wide open clear street, pretending he was in calm control of this surreal situation, I wished I had more than one backup plan.

- ``Where is mine?'' - The Elasticman pointed at my collar as he squeezed himself in between the two batmen on the back seat. His knees reached as high as the neck of mine and Sonya's seats, which were already fully recoiled forward, bending his never-ending legs back to the car's middle floor. It was like trapping a daddy long-legs spider in a drinking glass.

- ``You don't need one!'' - Bleach eyes looked over these legs and into the endless arms that folded next to him with indifferent violence. - ``Weren't you supposed to be inconspicuous? I think that was the word we agreed upon!'' - A flashback of the night he met us to be introduced to the plan, when he played with the accuracy of the words used to describe what he called the ``holly Grail'' of crime.

- ``Please give him one. We will need to sign him his moment.'' - I intervened, sick of testosterone struggle.

- ``I don't have more. These were the ones I could get, plus the one for your babysitter. I am, however, certain you have a mobile phone with charge as I asked you for!'' - I frowned at the nickname he found for Akita which was indecent yet indeed fitted. For someone that kept his cool under pressure and never increased his volume Bleach eyes seemed to have an edge of acid in his words. Something told me he didn't have a lot of patience for amateurs.

The Elasticman just opened his dark blue jacket showing a computer brand logo t-shirt and on the jacket's inside four protuberances in the shape of mobile phones pronounced always in contact by any operator. - ``Here are the numbers!'' - He looked forward at my seat and half stretched his arm, turning between the front seats so a small piece of paper was hanging from his long fingers in front of me.

It was a square printed paper, with a logo and an inscription - ``cyberhowl - hacking into your mainframe soon.'' - , several phone numbers and an email address. - ``Did it last night! What do you think?''.

``It looks amazingly professional, for something you did last night, but I am not sure this is the type of thing to advertise. Not sure you are aiming at the right public.''

- ``Sure you do!'' - He replied with an adolescent smile, one part sass to one part revolution.

One look was all it took, for the bleach eyes to silence the teenager's argument and build the pressure that would drop us square in this night's reality. I just wish we survive alright and that no one ends up with their life ruined because we decided we can save our world! What were we thinking? barely licensed to drive, barely adults.

Ten minutes later as we heard the too-synthetic voice pronounce ``we have reached the destination''. I turned the gps off as quick as I could, as to keep it from sealing its conclusion and to keep this crossroad from being where it will all start. I breathed deep and skimmed the right road for a familiar face. I could find a blue old small car, which recognition brought an indulging calm to my pounding heart. - ``There they are!'' - I pointed at the dark car five meters away from the cross road, far from the street lamp and with its lights off but engaged in a smooth rocking that revealed its occupancy. I wouldn't see his face, not this far from the car, but the knowledge that he was there, probably looking straight right at me, gave me the swift sweetness to endure my destiny. I got out and pulling the bench forward allowed the Elasticman to slide over my Dark Knight in a clumsy impossible fitting movement.

- ``There is the coffee shop, is that OK for you?''

- ``As shown on maps, of course, relax woman. Haven't I told you I could do it? Do you think I am crazy enough to play with such a serious thing?''

Our hearts started racing, I could hear them all and even feel the hammering against the bone structure. Except for Bleach Eyes' smooth honest humming, whose professional posture over-flew us, soothing the atmosphere into barely bearable.

- ``Sonya? Once you let us out on the next cross road drive for ten minutes and please come back to pick him up.''

- ``OK. No problem.''

- ``He will send you an sms if he needs to delay his pick up.''

- ``He's got my number?'' - She started the complaint but realizing that in all we were doing we weren't really impressed with the abuse and remembering that we were about to... what ever it was we were about to, which was not legal... she sobbed in silence and nodded.

- ``Thank you.'' - I really have to pay her back some way. While I was looking at Sonya apologetically, the Dark Knight got out of the car and disappeared in the dark. - ``Good luck! Be careful!'' - A silent ``humhum!'' let me know he heard me, ridiculous as it might be to wish luck in such a case. My heart grew heavier. He was an elite, but he is actually facing some dangerous, of all of us. I couldn't underestimate his training but neither the risk and I did care for him more and more. Suddenly I realized that his presence this year has been dearest and more structuring than I could cared to admit. I could never let my heart follow his, because there would be no turning from there. He had never openly shown interest and I wouldn't allow the space for it, but I could feel his poking of my defenses. It would just be too deep a dive, contrary to Akita that was a safe impossible balcony for my untamed heart sun bathe. I should avoid any digressions from there. I was just not strong enough to follow him into the deep, where his smart would make me doubt mine, where his heart would be bare and kind to mine, where his natural presence would consume me and I would lose myself to us.