II. Off-Track

Book II: Double-Dealing

*

The sound of an alarm hit Ivory's ears; she jolted up and looked around, remembering where she was and everything that had taken place. She groaned and dismissed her alarm.

Ivory scanned her new room, remembering that Viper had Roxie drive her to the police to expose the Blue Dragons. Swindle H, Birdie, Oak, and Leech had created a fake "mental health" file for Viper, claiming that she was a Schizophrenic and made everything up; Viper then pleaded guilty during her trial. Since Viper's sentencing, Blue downgraded Ivory's position from a hacker to the base housekeeper (she was supposed to take care of what the personal servants couldn't do), and relocated to Staten Island, where the city police would never find the gang.

Ivory got ready for work and headed down the dimly lit hallway. Ivory held her cell phone, which had the bases' directions in a PDF file. Ivory carefully read the directions and eyed the base's sketch as she slowly reached the end of the hallway. Ivory saw the two blue double doors and gently walked through, seeing a spiral staircase; she quickly ran down the stairs as she felt odd energy. When Ivory reached the first floor, she saw yellow double doors and walked through, seeing 'The Servants Headquarters,' at the top.

Ivory found her way to the custodian closet, where she grabbed the cart of cleaning supplies and got right to work. Blue had sent Ivory specific instructions on her Monday-Thursday schedule, her job, and where and when she'd clean. Ivory didn't think it would take too long, as Blue's bases weren't massive. Ivory always pictured mafia gangs to live in huge mansions. Still, the base was three levels with a basement. She'd spend Monday cleaning the first floor, Tuesday at an unspecified location (Ivory figured that the place was the basement), Wednesday on the second floor, and Thursday on the top floor. Ivory was instructed to sweep, mop, and vacuum the floors, and then wipe down the mirrors and the windows. The personal servants were supposed to cook for their owners, do their laundry, and clean their space. Personal servants would also run errands and do simple tasks.

Ivory's job was easy but time-consuming, which was why 5-hour shifts made the member happy. Ivory made her way to the first floor and began her duties. The Servants' Headquarters always seemed to be on the first floor; she wasn't too sure if the maids had conjoined rooms with their owners like they did at the original base.

Ivory heard footsteps in the kitchen and slowly made her way over to see a familiar maid.

"Oh, hello, Ivory," Lauren greeted, setting a carton of eggs onto the counter.

"Hello, Lauren."

"I heard what happened. I'm sorry that Blue downgraded your position all because Viper wanted to sneak around."

"I appreciate that. Honestly, I'm not too sure if he's angry with me, but I sense that he's trying to make me mad."

"Oh, Hawks and I agree. Hawks told me that Blue's been acting differently around you."

"What do you mean?"

"He's nicer."

"Why would he be nicer?"

"I have no idea, but I advise that you stay away from Blue. Trying to find out his intentions will only give you a headache."

Ivory nodded.

Lauren then started Hawks' and her breakfast as Ivory swept the hallway floors.

"I remember that Viper would always do that," Lauren said.

"What was Viper like? Was she nice to you?"

"No, she was always so rude," Lauren sighed. "Well, look where her attitude and actions got her."

Ivory nodded and continued sweeping the long, wide hallway. Ivory wondered if Blue would let her listen to music. She'd have to inquire about that.

"Ivory, Ivory, come here!" Lauren yelled frantically.

Ivory ran over to see that Lauren had the kitchen T.V. turned on and saw in bright red words, "A convict has gone missing."

Ivory saw that Viper's mugshot took over the screen, and the news reporter said that the jail's system got hacked, the lights went out, and then Viper's piercing screams were heard from her cell. When the police and the detectives got to her jail cell, she was gone. The news reporter then said that if anyone saw her, call the police immediately.

Lauren turned the T.V. off and sent Ivory an apologetic look. Ivory began shaking, wondering how that could have happened. Ivory wasn't sure if her shaking was caused by her morning nerves or Viper's escape. Ivory couldn't figure out where Viper would escape, but she had a feeling that Viper was trying to find Blue.

Suddenly, Hawks ran into the room, "Did you two see the news?"

The girls nodded.

Hawks hugged Ivory, "Ivory, this isn't your fault. Don't blame yourself."

"I know, I just don't understand how she escaped."

"She didn't," Lauren began, "if you ask me, the whole thing's a setup."

"I agree," Hawks said. "The police are probably making it seem like she ran away so that they could dump her in a mental hospital. God forbid the press gets there; they needed a cover-up."

"I didn't know that the police did that," Ivory said.

"The police commit a bunch of crazy schemes," Hawks said. "The press will be on their case, so acting like she escaped is a cover-up for them getting rid of her. If people believe that she's crazy, they won't care enough to look for her. Escaped convicts that suffer from mental illnesses never make it that long anyway."

"That's odd," Ivory said.

"Eh, people will believe anything," Hawks shrugged as Lauren handed him his breakfast. "Thank you."

"Anytime," Lauren smiled. "Ivory, here," she handed Ivory a plate with eggs and sausage.

"Thank you."

"Let's go and sit, okay?" Hawks said, and the three sat down silently.

***

Blue, Red, and Harley were in Blue's room, playing poker while the news played in the background. Harley laughed while placing two blue chips in a pile.

"I guess Ivory is all alone now," Harley said.

Red nodded silently. The second in command was concentrating on his poker chips. Finally, Red then said, "Ivory's better off."

"Now that Viper's gone, she won't be an issue anymore," Harley said. "Things will be back to normal, but some good changes will take place."

"That's a great way to look at it," Red said, "But Ivory no longer cares about Viper; Viper's disappearance won't be questioned."

Blue stayed silent and smirked at Red's comment. The three then focused on their poker game, ignoring the T.V.

***

Katrina, Lucky's maid, ran down the hallway and into Lucky's room. Lucky awoke to her, shaking him frantically.

"Katrina, what's wrong?" Lucky asked, concerned. The maids weren't allowed to wake anyone up unless the situation was urgent.

Katrina inquired Lucky about the news and Viper's escape. Lucky gasped but listened quietly while shaking his head. Lucky didn't think that the flight was intentional; Lucky believed that the police were setting Viper up so that they could secretly place her in a mental hospital.

When Lucky told Katrina his thoughts, she agreed.

"Wait, wouldn't people look for Viper?"

"Not particularly. People think that Viper's a nut job; if she ran away, she won't last more than a few days before dying of starvation; or hypothermia."

"I see your point," Katrina said, picking up Lucky's breakfast from a food cart. "I made your favorite; I'll go to the post office right now and send that letter you told me needs to be mailed today. After, I'll help you finish unpacking."

"Thank you," Lucky said as his maid nodded and quickly walked off.

Lucky sat at this desk, eating his breakfast, and looking through his files. Lucky saw the time and had a few hours to kill, so he decided to watch a movie while eating. As Lucky started laughing at the movie's content, a weird noise echoed from the vents.