As soon as 'Mike' had left the supermarket, he went straight to the waiting van by the exit. They sped to down the road, to the highway, and to the airport. 'Mike' couldn't wait to check if the operation was successful that he told the IT person to confirm if everything was all set.
In a few seconds the light turned green on the screen.
"Does that mean that it's already okay?" he asked.
"Yes."
'Mike' finally took a breath—which felt like the first one in a few minutes. When he entered that scene with Feng Xuan, it was as if he had stopped breathing. He had been worried about the other girl in the picture but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Coming in to 'save' Feng Xuan was a better opening than just simply bumping into her. It was not even a crowded supermarket and everything was spaced out. When he got there, he realized how impossible for that to happen.
He tapped the old man at the floor of the van. "Hey, we're almost at the airport."
The Badger's body shook with shock. "Are you done already?"
"Yes," answered The Fox. "I told you it would be quick."
"You know," The Badger began as he got up with effort. "I realized the flaw in your plan the moment you got inside."
"And that is?"
"You placed the tracker in her bag, right? But she's a girl! She changes bags everyday. She probably has a whole room full of them. How are we going to be sure that she's going to use that bag until tomorrow?"
"Relax," The Fox answered and he slumped against the wall of the car. "I put the tracker in her groceries, then we're going to move it."
"Move it?"
"Our team came through last night, just before we left. It was a prototype but that's the best we can do for now. We could only pray that it would work."
The Badger sighed disappointingly but he knew there was no other way. They had to get inside that house. They had to know what was happening. They were acting like they were the predators then the next moment they were the preys. They could not have that.
The Fox looked at his senior. "I told you, you didn't have to come with tonight. This trip is just tiring you out."
The Badger had finally successfully landed his bottom on a seat. "You're my partner. Why would I let you go alone?"
"Because I can do it on my own?"
The Badger shook his head. "You know, kid. Being in this line of business, I don't get to have that much people around me. You're still young. I hope you don't make the same mistake that I did by staying in The Zoo for too long. If you will, you're going to end up a monkey like me."
To be honest, The Fox did not have that much of an outlook in life. He was the kind of person who lived in the present. He was always thankful for every waking moment and for every meal that he got. Thinking about the future somehow suffocates him. It was not something he could imagine happening. Maybe, one of the reasons why, was because he had always known he was going to die young.
"I guess," he began but didn't know how he should finish his sentence, so he ended with, "I'll think long and hard about it."
Finally, car stopped and when the door opened, they were already on the runway, a plane waiting for them to get on board.
"But for now, we have some people to kill."
**
While waiting for their second plane, The Fox was already pestering their IT person. He had to make sure that they had done the right thing so he could try to fix it while they were still just half-way home. The IT person took out a small remote and connected it with his bulky laptop. A small bar of a few lights lit with green one by one.
"We're good," the IT person said and passed the remote to The Fox.
The tracker that he had put on the grocery was a flat disk, the size of the smallest penny. It would turn into something like a spider once activated. The laptop screen showed a very limited view of where they were going. It was just dark at first until it caught a little light at one corner.
The Fox followed the light and they came to an opening. The view was of feet—many feet so he knew they were in the right place. One of the things that could not be changed was the angle of the camera. They didn't get to that part of the experiment yet (much to The Fox's dismay).
"Wait, wait!" said The Badger. "Are you sure we're going to place it there?! What if that's not the right room?"
"I'm pretty sure that's a leg," said The Fox and pointed to something that was denim and a shoe on the screen. "People are on the floor because there are too many on the seats already. That's their working place. We can get all the information right here."
"I'm just making sure that you're sure with your decision."
They could only move the tracker ONCE. So it was vital that they get it on the first try. "What's the worst that could happen?" he asked, but he also felt nervous.
Carefully, and inch by inch, he walked the tracker to something dark. He saw thick post and figured it was a stand on a couch. Finally, he pressed the blue button and implanted the tracker under it. With the camera off, the microphone was turned on—it was to ensure that the battery would last. Give or take it could last for a week or two. Again, it was not the most advanced thing.
"And we're live. Let's go."