by Nina Hall
The only good thing about this plan of having the cube in the bank was how little time there would be for anybody to plan and carry out an attack.
“How’s the baby coming along?” Jackson asked.
“Good, this last week is going to be crazy.” Anderson said. “The doctor said the contractions can start anytime now.”
At that, Anderson reached into his pocket and retrieved his cell phone. He checked if he had missed any call from Mary and made sure it had network. The one thing that Mary would never forgive him was if he missed the birth of their first child.
“I wouldn’t want to be you.” Jackson said and laughed wildly.
Anderson winked, “Me neither, but don’t tell that to Mary. She doesn’t understand the pressure I’m under.”
“Women don’t. They figure at the end of the day, you should leave your job behind and pick up where you left off.” Jackson said.
“It doesn’t work like that.” Anderson said. “I wish it did. Like this job. It’s giving me sleepless nights.”
“Me too” Clark said.
Anderson’s worries doubled. If Clark was having sleepless nights too, then there was a problem there. Clark was the calmest of the three of them. Nothing rattled him.
“What’s worrying you?” Anderson said.
“The fact that we’re leaving something so important and valuable to be secured by a bank, what do they know about security?”
“Boys, this may come as a surprise, but they do know quite a lot. They secure the most valuable of all human possessions—money.”
“Chill” Jackson said, his tone bored.
They made their way back to the front seat and to the entrance of the bank. They passed by the two armed guards and found themselves in the banking hall. There were seven tellers in all, and the queues were already long. A regular day at the bank. A man in a dark suit and a walkie-talkie approached them. Anderson scanned a tag hanging on his chest. He was the head of security and his name was Jones.
“You’re the guys from the bureau?” He asked.
Anderson and his team nodded and introduced themselves.
“What was it you wanted to see?” Jones asked his tone professional but not exactly friendly.
“The vault would be a good start.” Anderson said.
Jones led them away from the banking hall to a heavy door at the corner of the room. He opened it using a security code and held the door for them to enter.
“What’s the police response time when an alarm goes off?” Anderson asked.
“Three minutes.” Jones said without breaking a step.
“How many exits are there?” Clark said, speaking for the first time.
“Two, the main entrance where you came through and a fire exit at the back, which is very secure and never used.”
“How many employees work at night?” Anderson asked.
“None.” Jones said. “The cleaning staff are employed by the bank as full time staff so there are no outsiders who can access the bank.”
They walked along a short hallway and then turned left. The door to the vault room was accessed using voice recognition. The vault door was twenty ton, bomb proof and the lock intricate. Looking at it, Anderson knew that their cube would be safe here.
Jones took them through all the security measures of the room, a tinge of pride evident in his voice. He had every reason to be proud, Anderson thought, their security was top notch. When they left the bank, it was with a light step for Anderson. His light mood didn’t last long. His phone bleeped from his pocket and when he saw Mary’s number, his blood went cold.
“Mary, is everything OK?” Anderson said.
“I’m having a lot of cramp like pains.” Mary said from the other end.
“Hold tight, I’m coming to get you.” Anderson said.
Turning to his team, he said, “Its Mary, I need to take her to hospital. The baby might be coming.”
The trio sprinted to their car. Anderson cursed the decision to park so far from the bank. They jumped into the car and Jackson took off. He drove like a mad man, hooting at every driver who crossed his path. They made it in less than fifteen minutes, and before the car screeched to a halt, Anderson was already out. He ran to the entrance, fumbled with the front door key and finally got it in.
“Mary!” Anderson called racing through all the rooms downstairs, before running up the stairs. She was sprawled out on their bed, writhing in pain.
“Mary I’m here.” Anderson said.
She was a petite woman, barely over 5 feet. He gathered her in her arms and carried her down the stairs and into the waiting car. They took off again, nobody speaking in the car. After several minutes, the pain seemed to abate and like someone with a split personality, Mary sat up greeted Clark and Jackson at the front. The pains came again just as they were entering the hospital and then just as fast, they disappeared.
“We’ll grab a cab back; you guys go on to the bureau.” Anderson said, helping Mary out of the car.
Mary was examined and to Anderson’s disappointment the contractions turned out to be false alarms.
“Labor is imminent, but not today.” The doctor said, a kindly middle aged Indian.
“I don’t know if I can go through that again. It felt so real.” Mary said, also disappointed.
“Most likely the next time it happens, it’ll be the real thing.” The doctor said. “Was it painful or uncomfortable?”
Mary thought about it. “I’m not really sure. Sometimes they were.”
“When it’s labor, believe me, you’ll know. The pain will increase with time, not decrease. OK?”
They both nodded. Anderson took his wife back home, and using the same cab he was dropped in the office. His cell phone went off again just before he entered the bureau. He listened intently and then disconnected the call.
His face had paled. He went in and located his partners in the open plan office. They saw him approaching and looked astonished to see him back that soon.
“It was a false alarm.” He said before they could ask.
He sat on the desk and sighed.
“Boys I just got a call. It looks bad. Apparently word is out on the streets that something big is going down at Diamond bank. They know. The mob knows. They are planning a raid.”
Jackson clicked his mouth. Clark’s shoulders fell.
“Obviously they know what’s in the cube?” Clark said.
Anderson nodded. “The night of June the second will be very long.” he said.”Exactly one week from now.”
“I have to see Harris.” Anderson said and crossed the room to Harris’s office.
He knocked and a voice bellowed for him to enter. Harris waved at him to sit down which Anderson did. He wondered how Harris would react to the news. So much for believing that the mob would not know. Harris had a habit of underestimating those criminals, Anderson thought. Perhaps after this, he would finally believe Anderson and lobby to increase funding for fighting organized crime in the city.
Harris finished his call. He had aged in the five years he had been in this office. Anderson could see wrinkles around his eyes and face which had not been there before. He wore a harassed look all the time. Anderson did not envy him; neither did he have any ambition to run this office.
“What is it Anderson? Today is not a good day, so make it fast.”
Every day was a bad day for Harris, but Anderson resisted pointing that out to him. What he was about to tell him would make it ten times worse.
“I just got word from my sources. They know. The mob know about the cube and they are planning a raid on the night it’ll be at the bank.”
“Oh shit! Goddamit!” Harris let out a stream of expletives. “How did it get out, we’ve been so quiet and careful.”
“Does it have to come to the bank?” Anderson asked.
“Yes. Politics.” Harris said and sighed.
For a moment Anderson felt sorry for his boss. He seemed to have aged by ten years. Anders
on had survived the last few weeks by not thinking deeply about the repercussions of the cube being in the wrong hands. With a shiver, Anderson acknowledged if the cube got into the wrong hands it would be a very strong bargaining chip. Even worse, the mob could decide to sell it to the highest bidder. That meant years and years of research gone down the drain.
The cube had to stay safe.
“We’ll do everything in our power to ensure the cube is safe.” Anderson said.
“Of course they know what is in there?” Harris said.
“Yeah, they know.”
“Can you imagine the power they’d have if they got a hold of it?” Harris said.
“And the damage they would do?” Anderson said, feeling his blood start to boil. “It’s a potential disaster, yet those fools have no idea. To them it’s a bargaining chip.”
“It’s a strong bargaining chip. Jesus, if they had it, we’d do anything for them just to get it back.”
“If opened in an uncontrolled environment the explosion could destroy several blocks.” Anderson said softly.
Harris paled. He hadn’t considered what damage inexperienced hands could cause with the cube. He covered his face with his hands. He reached for the phone.
Anderson listened to the call. Harris was talking to his bosses to let them know of the new development. Harris assured whomever he was speaking to that everything was in control. They could handle having the cube in the bank overnight. The fact was, they could secure the cube. More so if they were allowed into the bank overnight. That was the only way Anderson could guarantee the safety of the cube.
“Do you think they can let us into the bank overnight, to guard the cube?” Anderson asked Harris when he finished speaking on the phone.
“I’ll try and convince those egocentric folk over at the bank. They seem to think that we’re too big for our boots.” Harris said. “The headquarters people don’t see what the fuss is all about. Sure it’s bad that word had leaked, but they feel confident we can handle it. And so do I. Anderson, I trust you a hundred percent to ensure this goes well. If it doesn’t, we’ll have this hanging over our heads like a shadow, for as long as we’re in the bureau.”
Anderson’s biggest problem was not his future reputation. People forgot fast. There were new scandals every day. And even if they didn’t forget, he could live with that. With the mob involved, the chances of losing the cube were very high. A simple operation of securing a box overnight, gone wrong, could lead to the loss of an important technology.
His resolve hardened.
“They won’t get hold of it. It’s not an option. You have my word boss. I’ll do everything in my power to ensure the success of this operation.” Anderson said.
He stood up and stretched a hand to Harris, who stood up also. They gripped hands tightly. For once they were not arguing about anything. They were on the same side, fighting the same enemy. Anderson felt glad that Harris had understood immediately the danger they now faced. The mafia was not your regular criminals. These were highly organized people with better and more sophisticated equipment than the police and the bureau put together.
If they were to succeed, they needed to work together.
“I’ll have as many men as I can guard that bank.” Harris said.
Anderson’s brow creased. “Boss, I don’t know if that’s a good idea. The more people there are, the more confusion there will be.”
“What do you suggest then?” Harris said.
“The fewer the better. The coordination will be smooth and we’ll work together easily. Just two more boys in addition to myself, Clark and Jackson.”
“OK Anderson. I’m putting all my trust in you for this one.” Harris said.
CHAPTER SEVEN
We’ve become like an old married couple, Lisa thought as she slid into Harper’s car.
“Morning” Lisa said.
“Morning” Harper mumbled back.
Lisa looked at him closely. His eyes were blood shot and he looked as if he had not had enough sleep.
“Long night?” Lisa said.
Harper navigated the car into the main road before answering her.
“You could say that.” He finally said.
Lisa swallowed her irritation. She hated this habit of Harper’s. He treated every piece of information like it was a state top secret. What did it matter if you volunteered personal information?
Then to her surprise, he went on to explain.
“I’ve been having a rough time accessing the bank’s servers. For seven days now, I’ve been at it and nothing. Our mission’s success depends on it.”
“Were you able to?” Lisa asked, holding her breathe.
Harper turned to her with a huge grin. “Yes. This morning I finally got through. You see, most banks have a two factor authentication system, which is very difficult to access. Our Bank is no different. However, I got a break through because one of their servers had a one way verification system and I was able to hack into it.”
Lisa was not very good at IT stuff and she was struggling to understand what Harper was talking about.
“So what does all that mean?”
“It means that I can see their security, I can see the bank layout, and I have access to their security cameras.” Harper said. “I’ll show you when we get to my apartment. By the way, that’s where we’re working today.”
“Oh, OK.” Lisa said.
Harper’s apartment was neat and tidy, the curtains and window open to let in clean smelling air.
“Want some coffee?” Harper said.
“Sure.” Lisa said and followed him into the kitchen.
Like his living room, the kitchen was clean, with everything stashed away where it should be.
“You’re very neat.” Lisa said in awe.
“Yap, I hate living in a messy environment. It interferes with my thinking.” Harper said, putting water in a pot to boil.
When the coffee was ready, Harper carried both mugs towards the living room, and into the hallway. Lisa followed him passed his bedroom. She paused to take a quick peek at his room. It held a double bed, of course neatly made, and a small bedside table with a lamp and a couple of books on it. She caught up with Harper as he entered another bedroom.
Stepping in, Lisa saw that it was not a bedroom at all. It had at least three computers and the window was sealed so that the only light came from a bulb hanging from the ceiling. There were other equipment that Lisa had never seen, as well as a projector and a screen. It felt like stepping into another world. The lack of proper lighting made it eerie, and Lisa felt a bolt of excitement run through her, similar to how she felt when she was on a job.
Harper put the coffee on a long office desk which held the computers and invited Lisa to sit down.
“This is interesting.” Lisa said.
“It’s my office. It has everything I need.” Harper said, pushing Lisa’s coffee towards her.
The coffee was hot and sweet in her mouth, and she wrapped her hands round it for warmth. It was chilly in the room. On one corner she noticed a fan, quietly circulating cold air.
“Are you cold?” Harper said.
“No, I’m fine.” Lisa said, although she could feel goose pimples on her skin.
Harper got up and when he returned he had a brown suede jacket with him. He walked round Lisa’s chair and placed the jacket on her bare arms. His fingers touched her bare skin. Lisa gasped. She closed her eyes and willed her heart to slow down. Slowly Harper ran his fingertips up and down the nape f her neck. Lisa’s legs grew weak. Blood raced through her body like greyhounds. She gave no sign of it, instead concentrating on remaining still.
She could hear Harper’s heavy breathing. All she had to do was turn. Before she could, he tightened the jacket around her shoulders. He sighed and stepped away from her.
Why had he not tried to kiss her, Lisa wondered in frustration. What was holding Harper back? She picked up her mug of hot coffee and concentrated on the taste of the
coffee. They didn’t speak for a while. Harper turned off one of the computers. Lisa marveled at the silence in the room. The building was right off a main road, yet you couldn’t hear hoots or any noises coming from outside.
“Come round I want to show you something.” Harper said, his voice sounding like a stranger’s.
It was hoarse, as if in the last few minutes he had contracted a throat infection.
Lisa went round with her mug of coffee and stood behind Harper. He smelt strongly of clean soap and light cologne. She looked at the screen and immediately forgot the demands of her body.
“That’s how the bank looks inside.” Harper said.
On the monitor was a live shot of the banking hall. Lisa could see customers in the queue and others at the counter. Harper pressed a key and the camera switched to a back room.
“This is the vault room. See how secure the door is. The vault room was empty until the door swung open and a man, a bank employee, walked in. Lisa held her breath, as if the man could sense that they were watching him.
He wore a name tag but the camera was too far to see his name. He went to the vault door and entered a combination and then stepped back.
“I have it. I have the vault door combination.” Harper said.
His voice was loud to Lisa’s ears and she almost shushed him. The vault door was a heavy door, metallic grey and circular in shape. It swung to one side to reveal another metal door which resembled a prison cell. The bank employee disappeared inside. They could only see his figure but not what he was doing.
“I couldn’t access the camera inside the vault.” Harper said. He’s probably getting a safety deposit box for a customer.”
Harper was right. A few minutes later the man left, taking care to close the metal door and the huge vault door. When the door to the room closed behind him, Lisa felt her muscles relax and her heart beat slowing down.
Harper turned and looked at her face. He laughed.
