Alex flowed with the crowd across the sidewalk, newly burdened with a pack of supplies for his day off. He mentally went over his checklist as the sun once more beat down on him and and the newly sprung-up stands and carts tempted him to into an unscheduled snack. Halfway through his mental checklist his thoughts were interrupted by an irritated buzzing from his uplink. He lifted the device from his pocket and turned the screen upwards. "HBMT-Dave" One of the mechanics for the I08. He removed the earpiece and slipped it on before pressing his thumb fully against the answer button. the screen flashed green, confirming his identity. He kept walking, passing people and stands as he split his focus.

"[i]Hello? Alex?[/i]" came Dave's stressed voice. "[b]I hear you. How's the NightOwl?[/b]" An unscheduled call meant an unexpected issue with the new equipment. "[i]The I08 is fine, but I need you to authorize a remote unlock. Diagnostic missed some faulty plugs because we couldn't fully energized the array with the test bench.[/i]" Alex already had his thumb hovering over the screen, but paused. "[b]Have you secured everything? I don't need to remind you of the trouble we'll be in if someone walks in because you forgot to check a door.[/b]". Dave sighed. Protocol was nothing to ignore, and that went double for secretive government contracts for military tech. "[i]I made sure. I'm in the far hangar, every bay but this one is empty, and the doors are locked.[/i]" Alex nodded to no one in particular as he pressed his thumb against the screen. "[b]You have roughly an hour before that hangar is full of military personnel again. Do what you can.[/b]" He could already hear the hydraulics of the maintenance hatch lifting the plate behind the I08's head. "[i]It'll take thirty minutes tops.[/i]" With that, the call disconnected.

Alex returned his attention to the streets around him, the volume having increased as more people filled the crowds in anticipation of the parade. He checked his watch. five minutes. He quickened his pace as he headed for the park. Smart path choice for the parade, and lots of shade and seating for the onlookers.