Chasing Gold

CHAPTER THREE

Terri had been uncomfortable for two days. The act of getting in to the Smithsonian was easy. The exploit of sneaking behind private doors was well planned and well executed, though not exactly stress-free. It had taken the acquisition of more than just a security guard’s key fob; it had taken fingerprints too. Luckily, Terri and Cutler were as experienced as anyone in their field could be, and had acquired the set without incident in just one night.

Then, it was a matter of squeezing into the museum’s air vents for two full days.

Waiting, listening. They had done it before. They would probably do it again. Nobody expected the thieves to be inside the building, breaking out. When word reached their employers that there was a leak, and the banner would have to be retrieved quickly or not at all, it was Cutler that had come up with the plan. They moved speedily, instantly.

And then lay in discomfort for two days.

Perhaps they should have waited longer, but there was a strange pressure coming from their employers. Something the duo had never encountered before. They were utterly professional, and worked only for professionals, so always merited and expected specialist contacts with which to work.

“This new bunch are a little off,” Cutler whispered during the first long night as they lay prone in the dark high above the floor inside the large, eerie museum.

“You vetted them?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course. But these ain’t the guys I vetted. I don’t like it.”

Terri stared at the rigid metal three feet in front of her eyes. “It’s kind of late to mention that now.”

“I guess I assumed we could slip away, like we usually do. You game?”

“Always. I trust your instincts as much as I trust my own.”

“All right. We do the job, then get gone as soon as we can. Even if we have to dump the goods.”

“You’ve got me wondering now. I didn’t notice anything wrong at the meet.”

Cutler half-turned. “The guys at the meet were the ones I vetted. They were fine. But the guys we just met weren’t — though they do know everything down to the last detail. People that say ‘we’ll cover your escape’ don’t hold a place in my heart. They were pushy. Condescending. I sensed malice. I was close to pulling the plug right then.”

“So why didn’t you?”

Cutler grinned in the dark. “I’m in love with the job. Aren’t you?”

“It is sexy,” Terri admitted. “And incredibly well planned.”

“Why thank you.”

“I meant my part.”

Cutler laughed quietly, and then fell silent for a while. The hours were mostly spent in contemplation, focusing on the job ahead rather than the mind-numbing expanse of time in between. When the time came to act, neither Terri nor Cutler had any idea who or what might be lying in wait outside.

“Stick to the plan,” were Cutler’s last words. “Split when we can.”

Stealing down through the darkness like museum ghosts, they landed quietly on the polished wooden floor. After careful research they had deduced that this museum’s security had been designed to keep people out after hours, rather than in. Thus there were no room sensors; the museum instead preferred to employ extra guards that wandered the halls in seemingly random patterns.

Terri crouched in the semi-dark, soon joined by Cutler. She had already lost count of the number of jobs they had executed together, but each one had been harder and more dangerous than the last — thus earning them a fearsome reputation.

The Star-Spangled Banner hung to the left, a wall-length piece of material that had captured the American people’s hearts in more ways than one.

It sat behind a glass cabinet, but every cabinet had to be opened and this one was no exception. Cutler used a custom-built device that mated microprocessors and fed back the most often used numbers, in sequence. It was always a restless ten minutes, waiting for them to be collected, but the upside was that they could leave it working in situ, and find the deepest shadows to wait in.

Then came the almost impossible act of reaching the highest part of the banner. But whoever designed the cabinet didn’t count on Terri’s ingenuity. Lithe, light and dexterous, she could balance with one foot on Cutler’s shoulder whilst unhooking the banner with her hands. Cutler caught it as it fell; Terri jumped down and then helped haul it out of the cabinet.

They had come equipped with shoulder braces — knowing the part of the rolled-up flag they needed would be heavy. They had practiced running in tandem night after night until they could achieve it with an almost sensory perception. Once outside, they would activate a dedicated comms system to help, meaning they would not have to be close to each other.

Cutler checked his watch. “The video loop’s good for another ten minutes.”

Terri crouched down, allowing Cutler to latch the back of the rolled flag to her shoulder before watching him attach the front to his own. The video loop was the least of their problems now.

“This is it,” Cutler said. “We don’t know how they’re getting us away to safety. Just wait for the signal and hoof it to Independence.”

“I still question that. It’s a long way.”

“Risk is worth the pay off,” Cutler said. “Now, let’s go.”

It wasn’t his usual saying, nor his usual caution.

The security guards were hard at work, watching the perimeter of the building. Terri and Cutler pushed through the museum’s innards, corridor by corridor, until they reached their exit point — a service door close to the museum’s rear entrance. The moment they opened this door, alarms would sound. Cutler had offered to find a way to bypass the system, but their employers had said it wouldn’t matter at that point — they had been eager to lay down some kind of alternative escape strategy.

And time had been an issue, they said.

Cutler agreed against his better judgment, convincing Terri that the pay-day would see them comfortable for almost three years. It felt bad, it felt wrong, but Cutler was a thief. Money talked.

When the shooting began, their hearts leapt into their mouths and they almost gave up. Only self-preservation and, from what they could see of the gunfire, they agreed it was being aimed high, kept them going. Terri saw pursuers and urged Cutler on.

Independence offered no way out. The van wasn’t there. Again, they balked. The banner was heavy; their employers had managed to monumentally ruin the entire escape plan.

“Drop the banner,” Cutler said.

“I can’t take the time. They’re too close behind.”

“Then use your gun.”

“No way! I’m not hurting anyone.”

“Don’t aim at them. Aim at the buildings. The shots will be enough.”

Terri felt the tears prick her eyes as she fired high and saw her pursuers dive for cover. This was sheer hell. In just a few seconds everything had changed. Still, they ran. Still, they fired, now gaining some distance. Sirens split the air and now even helicopters flew overhead. Whatever happened, if they were caught, their excuses wouldn’t matter. They’d never see the light of day again.

“Keep going.” Even Cutler sounded desperate through the comms, a sound she’d never heard before.

“A bit further,” she said. “And we’ll lose the banner. Make a dash for it.”

“Well, I—”

More men appeared around a corner up ahead, leveling guns at them. Cutler threw his hands in the air and immediately slowed; Terri did the same. Both of them recognized the man in front.

Their employer.

“You follow us,” he said. “We keep you safe.”

“We didn’t sign up for guns. Shooting,” Cutler breathed. “Nobody mentioned this kind of shit. We’re out. Take your damn prize and go.”

Seven guns leveled at their chests. “We will kill you now, or later,” the main man said. “But you will not speak to me that way again.”

Terri suppressed the fear as it threatened to engulf her entire body. In the next moment she fell to her knees, screaming, as the men opened fire. But they were only firing above their heads now, aiming at those that gave chase.

“Please,” Cutler tried. “Just take the damn banner and go. You have nothing to fear from us.”

Laughter met the comment. “Fear? I fear nothing anymore. The Americans saw to that, long ago. Get them.”

His men leapt forward, grabbing Cutler and Terri under the arms and urging them forward, still with the banner intact over their shoulders. It was painful going, and awkward, but their employers-come-captors gave no quarter, now aiming handguns at their heads.

“You follow orders and you might survive this,” the leader told them. “But every time you question me I will shoot one of your limbs. Is that clear?”

Cutler nodded at the same time as Terri. Suddenly, their lives had changed into a horrific nightmare ride. All the years that had passed between them now came rushing back to her. How could I let this happen?

Life hadn’t turned out as her parents wished and, for the first time ever, she was glad that neither of them had lived to see her like this.