Frontline Mission #12

The next morning Jackson got straight to work on the holopads. Considering the stack of electronics that were currently on his desk it would undoubtedly take some time for him to hack all of them. His criminal clients also weren’t exactly patient while they waited for the work to be completed.

Atlas was asleep at his feet as he worked on the holopads. The trainer quickly got into a focused rhythm. He’d hacked so many holopads that it was basically muscle memory to him now. Still, the work took hours with the amount of holopads that he had to go through.

Later that night Jackson and Atlas were boarding a train to Grovehart city. The trainer had spent the whole day working on the holopads but the work was finally complete. As much as he wanted to just go to bed, Jackson knew he had to deliver the holopads. His customers might even be impressed with how fast he completed their request, hopefully bringing in more business for him. Of course, Jackson wasn’t happy with his involvement with the criminal underbelly of Reignsrest, but times were tough and he had to make credits. Considering his leg injury his electronic expertise was about all he could offer. The trainer had also given a lot of thought into possibly providing the police with information, but felt it was too risky and eventually, they would stop paying.

Although it was well into the night by the time the two reached the Grovehart station the city was still relatively busy. Sure the streets weren’t as crowded, but the city was always pretty alive with activity. Jackson made his way down the street with Atlas at his side, shifting his backpack. It was heavy considering the weight of the holopads, but he didn’t want to risk bringing them in something that would bring more attention. Most trainers carried a backpack with him, so it wasn’t at all unusual to see someone walking down the street with one.

Jackson turned down an alleyway as he headed to the familiar building, Atlas trotting next to him. The same routine occurred as his identity was verified before he was allowed into the entrance way. The entrance looked like a completely normal storage room, and it wasn’t until a nearby wall slid open that he could see the actual start to the criminal base.

A guard came to walk Jackson down to a nearby room, opening the door with a keycard. As the door swung open Jackson saw stacks of other electronics all throughout the room. The guard motioned for the trainer to put his backpack onto a nearby table. Meanwhile, Atlas was sniffing around the room curiously.

“Ah, perfect. We can continue our work now that you’ve returned.” A voice said as a figure entered the room. He approached the backpack and unzipped it, taking out the holopads and briefly examining each one. Jackson shifted his feet as he waited, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

The man nodded with satisfaction as he handed Jackson’s now empty backpack back to him. “All of these look good. Although you know we’ll be in contact if we discover any issues with them.” He said, the last part of his words coming off as a bit of a threat. Jackson knew the criminal gang would have no reservations about following through with that threat.

“Of course, you shouldn’t run into any issues but if you do I’ll fix them right away.” Jackson assured the man, who didn’t really reply as he pulled out his phone.

“I’m transferring the credits to your account. You’ll see it's through our business front so as to not look suspicious.” The man explained as he tapped on his phone. Jackson could feel his phone buzz in his pocket, briefly checking to see a notification confirming the credits had been transferred.

“Thank you. Please let me know if you have any future needs.” Jackson said as he shook hands with the man. The guard then led him back out of the building and soon enough Jackson was back on the streets of Grovehart city.

He let out a relieved sigh as he gave Atlas’ head a pat. Jackson felt the credits were well worth the risk but was glad that the deal was now over. The questionable morality also tugged at him slightly, but he had long ago learned to keep his guilt in check. The world was tough, and he had to do what was necessary in order to survive.