Chapter XVI
A Fool's Errand
The morning after Codsworth had come to the group with news about The Iron Company, Dmitri and Charlie walk into an empty storage room, it was the property of Wolfrick Co, but for years had been kept off the books so there was no chance of them being disturbed.
“What is this then?” Dmitri asked looking around the warehouse.
“Unfortunately, this mission is going to be a lot harder than the Mayor’s office. We need somewhere to practice, and this was the most secure place I could find.” Charlie said looking around the unit, it wasn’t perfect but was the most private place that she knew about, and the cave at Wolfrick Manor wasn’t yet big enough to practice in at the present time. Her thoughts were cut short however by Jimmy, the young intern who had tried on numerous occasions to come onto her walked into the room. with a box in his hand. Dmitri turns to face the newcomer.
“Who the fuck are you.” Dmitri said making to put a hand on the gun at his side but was stopped with a look from Charlie.
“Trust me he's a friend. Or as close to one as we have right now.” Charlie said before turning towards Jimmy, who looked terrified to be here. “You get what I asked for?” Charlie asked of the scared teenager.
“Erm, yeah... yeah. Erm, here.” Jimmy stuttered as he puts the box onto a pedestal in the middle of the deserted room. “You, erm, may want to step out.” He said as he pressed a button on the top of the box. The three of them step out of the storage unit whilst blue beams of light move around the room. Jimmy checks his watch. “And three... two... one. Right, its done.” Jimmy said as a wall appeared out of thin air behind him, more walls and doors appeared as well, creating a maze inside the warehouse.
“Thank you.” Charlie said making to pat Jimmy on the shoulder, but he took a few paces back at this.
“Just, please, don't hurt me again.” Jimmy said before pelting it out of the warehouse, trying to put as much distance between himself and Charlie, remembering their last encounter, and wanting to retain his vision this time around. At these words Dmitri turns to Charlie with a look of bemusement on his face.
“Wait, again?” Dmitri said with a smirk on his face. As they walk out of the warehouse to allow the machine to finish its work.
“What, he was following me, had to do something.” Charlie said with an innocent look in her eyes. At this the two of them walk back into the warehouse. Where maze wall has been raised.
“Ok, What the fuck is this?” Dmitri said, looking around his mouth slightly open, the empty room was gone, having been replaced by a maze of corridors and rooms that had not been there two minutes before.
“Welcome to the Imperial Nation Museum vault. Or at least what we think it looks like.” Charlie said shrugging.
“Think?” Dmitri said, being brought back to reality by that simple word.
“Well, the only people that know exactly are the people that work there. So, this is the closest we can get, using old plans from the old man's archives.” Charlie said as Dmitri walks towards the one the 'walls' and puts his hand on it, the fake wall flickers slightly but remains solid. “Completely solid, it will certainly hold your weight. Which is useful as when we do the real thing. you won't be walking on the floor.” Charlie continued, as Dmitri put on his gauntlets and tested the fake walls to see if they could take his weight finding to his surprise that they could.
“Not walking on the floor. Let me guess the floor is mined or something like that?” Dmitri said, more as a joke than anything else.
“Erm, from our limited intel, yes. So, you'll be using these.” Charlie said as she holds out a pair of gloves. Dmitri stares at them simply before reluctantly removing his gauntlets.
“Great, I'm most likely going to die, but at least I'll have some new mittens.” Dmitri said as he put on the gloves, they were more comfortable than his gauntlets and a lot lighter, but he was convinced how useful they would be if he had to fight his way out of this place.
“These should keep your hands stuck to wall. Now, if you can stop moaning like a little bitch, we get to work.” Charlie said, so bluntly that it took him off guard. After a few hours little progress had been made apart from Dmitri punching a real wall instead of a fake one in frustration, with the only result being him breaking several of his knuckles. At this they had decided to call a halt to the training and had packed up all of their gear and left.
Later that day, when Dmitri and Charlie had returned from the warehouse, with Dmitri battered and bruised from his many falls as well as his hand wrapped up over his bloody hand, they, along with Alan are sitting still discussing things when Vernon walks up to them holding a briefcase.
“Sir, I have found something that may be of interest to you.” Vernon said placing the briefcase on the table, displaces several pieces of paper in the process.
“Well, what is it?” Alan said, he had never even seen the case before in his life and was curious why Vernon had thought it was so important to show him. The butler opens up the case to reveal a simple computer, even now dated, compared to some of the computers that Jack had in his room.
“It belonged to your brother sir.” Vernon said looking almost gleeful.
“So, it's an old family heirloom.” Dmitri said, he had been expecting something a bit more considering the fact that Vernon had made the effort to come down here to show them.
“I don't think so. If it was it wouldn't be encrypted.” Vernon said as he opens the computer up and all that is on is a box to put a password in with the only thing in the background is lots of green lines.
“Are you thinking what I'm thinking Vernon?” Alan said catching on to why his butler had brought the old computer down here.
“Absolutely sir, your brother was looking into the company before his death. Which means that whatever he found is most likely behind this encryption.” Vernon said looking at the screen which still showed the green lines moving across the screen. Alan also looked at the screen, thinking about all the answers that were locked behind it. However, Dmitri’s next statement brought him back down to earth hard.
“I hate to burst your bubble here guys but do any of us know how to decrypt a computer. Because I don't.” Dmitri said, he had never been great with computers as a kid, most likely because he had never owned one.
“Me neither.” Charlie said. Alan takes the computer and plugs it into the much bigger one they have down in the cave and begins to start tapping buttons but to know effect the screen remains resolutely locked against them. Alan sighs and returns to the table.
“We'll leave it down here for now. In the meantime, you two have your assignments.” Alan said. “How goes the training.” He asked, and Dmitri sighed.
“Not good, I’m still dying a dozen times, and that’s before I make it to the vaults.” Dmitri said, he had thought himself a good thief however these vaults had un-nerved him to the extent that he was starting to doubt his ability. It wasn’t just the traps that were killing him in the simulations, and more than likely when it came to do it for real. It was the shear size of the labyrinth of tunnels that made up the vault at the national museum, and unlike other maze like systems, where there had been a system to finding your way through, there was no such planning with this labyrinth. It seemed that every trick in the book that Dmitri had learnt was no use. As he would often find himself reaching dead ends, or being spun around in the criss-crossing paths. This would be compounded during the real heist by the fact that he would be unable to use a compass, as the whole maze was rumoured to be surrounded by a magnetic field that rendered any form of directional device completely useless.
“Keep trying, we need what’s inside those vaults.” Alan said as Vernon walked out of the room, thinking that Alan’s narrow focus on getting what he wanted would someday get one of them killed.
