STR Gazer Chapter 6

Xavier pulls up in front of Alashie's building and shuts off the engine to his souped up Viper hover transport.

"Where's Lashie?" He asks Xalissa as he walks up.

"Getting her stuff." Xalissa answers as Alashie comes stumbling through the front door of the building.

"Clumsy ass." Xavier says under his breath to no one in particular. "Come on ya'll. We fixing to be late. You know how Aries is."

They fly over to the warehouse listening to blaring techno the whole way. Xavier and Xalissa share a blunt and repeatedly offer Alashie hits.

"You know I don't touch that shit and ya'll need to be more clearheaded too." Alashie screams over the music.

"Piānzhí" The twins say in unison and burst out laughing.

As they pull up to the roll up door of the warehouse Xalissa attempts to pass the weed to Alashie again. Alashie takes the blunt and tosses it out of the window. "Someone has to be pianz or whatever. Keeps ya'll Rican asses out of jail and the morgue."

"Listen Lashie. We not 8 no more. I don't need you to swoop in with a homade tazer to save me from Jeriel Lewis no more. Calmate mami... buena diosa." Xalissa yells leaning over the front seat. "You owe me 40 credits for that"

A few minutes later everyone is gathering around a card table with a holographic projector on it. Alashie loads three toolbelts at a nearby workstation.

"I've been looking at these plans all day. This is how we smash." Aries says gesturing to the hologram of the police substation. His finger made a distortion in the hologram as he ran it along the perimeter of the structure. "We park here. After security is down we'll go in here. The officers patrol in twos and there are two groups plus one officer in the control room. We wait until the patrols are here and here. Alashie does her magic on the cameras and Xalissa; you go straight for the control room. Xavier and Jelun take group A roundabout here and I'll get group B here. The weapons lockers are here right next to the cargo storage. The garage bay is down the hall here. Alashie. This is where you'll set up. Alashie? You listening?"

"Yeah yeah. Just making a shopping list in my head" Alashie says sounding far away in her own thoughts.

"Shield generators. Rail guns. Electromag disruptors are the targets. Everything else is lǔ ok? We doing this like regular ok? Alashie pops the parts off. We load them up along with anything else we can carry. Xavier the evidence locker is here but it has an added layer of security." Aries says in his matter of fact tone.

"No worry on that papa. Y'all get that big smash shit I'll take care of the 'extra security'." Xalissa says throwing up air quotes as she says "extra security". "Ario I just love how you get all official voiced before a smash. This hēirén even be calling us by our full names and shit."

"You know I don't like being called that Xalissa. Let's get our head in the game. Hey Alashie. Where you going?"

Aries follows Alashie up the stairs towards the roof as rest continue to prepare. Xavier double checks all the weapons. Jelun checks the old ground transport they'll be using. Xalissa reapplys her lip gloss. "Hey. Why the hell he don't like Ario." Jelun asks nobody in particular.

"He's your damn brother. You can't figure the shit out?" Xavier chuckles.

Jelun stands there looking confused until Xalissa sighs. "Damn it shit aint funny when you gotta explain it. Ya'll was born on the moon where ya moms from right but ya dad from Earth right? Oreos still got that swirl in the middle right? Oreo Ario. Si?" Jelun looks just as confused. "Oh my God eres Bèn"

On the roof Alashie stares out over the Detroit river. When she hear movement behind her she starts fiddling with a small antennae. "Hey Alashie you ok?" Aries asks

"Yeah I'm good. It's just. This is no normal smash. I can't help thinking...."

"Hépíng Lash". Aries says taking Alashie by the shoulders. "We've smashed plenty hard spots before. C'mon. With me planning and you being the virtuoso you are we're platinum."

"Virtuoso." Alashie says softly. "You always make everything sound so..."

"Accurate. I call it like I see it. You're 16 and you're the smartest person I know. By far. Stop stressing. Those eyes are too pretty to have worry behind them and too strong to have fear." Alashie smiles and blushes as Aries continues. "There's nobody I trust more to do this with. Not for you none of this would be happening. You understand?'

"Yes." Alashie says trying not to studder. " I just. Idunno."

" I know for both of us then. Look at me." Alashie locks eyes with him. " I have more confidence in you than I have in even myself most times. I'd never let anything happen to you. Never. I love you..." As Aries leans in Alashie closes her eyes and slightly purses her lips"......like my own blood" he says as he hugs her.

"Aint that a bitch." Alashie says under her breath as she watches Aries go down the stairs