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Play It by Gear is a mission in Operation Indigo.
Plot[]
Starting where the previous mission left off, Tom Sheldon asks Rico where he put his gear, but the latter doesn't know, as it has been many years since he turned them in. Fortunately, Tom may have a good guess about where it could be, but they need transportation. He contacts his boss to let her know their situation, prompting her to let them use her personal helicopter. Unfortunately they have to go to the office building without the gust's aid. Out of literally nowhere, the missing associate reappears and offers them a ride, explaining that he was taken to a tropical resort in a place he has never been to before. Rico then asks how he was able to locate them, with him replying that a strange woman offered him a ride, which led him there.
The trio then head to Arlington for the pickup spot. The boss gives them the system key and warns them of the border patrol's heightened measures to keep people from illegally crossing. They fly southwest, even though South America (Tom's guess location) is slightly southeast of point A. Tom explains that they need to try to get passports in order to physically leave, as there is an invisible barrier around each country. Therefore, they have to stop in Tampa, so they land the helicopter at the Johnson heliport. Tom calls the boss to let her know where to pick it up.
The associate leaves the two to their duties, as he needs to do his job. They reach the passport agency, only to be told they need to wait two weeks for the process. This leaves them stagnant for the time being as there is no other way to leave the country. After a few days (the date is now June 14th), the men are thinking of just giving up and waiting the remainder of the two weeks. However, Rico is determined to get his gear back, so they look for any technicalities they can use to trick the system.
Luckily for them, today is monthly system maintenance, and it almost then (6pm). This version of system maintenance affects the passport system, tricking the barrier into letting people in the process of getting their passports leave early. Right as the clock strikes 6, they escape the country easily by boat. Unfortunately they have to make it to South America before dawn. This means the furthest they will be able to at 100 mph is Nicaragua.
Trivia[]
- The title references the phrase 'play it by ear' as the mission deals with situations as they come.
- This mission reveals what happened to the missing associate.