Catch me as I fall
Say you're here and it's all over now
Speaking to the atmosphere
No one's here and I fall into myself
This truth drives me
Into madness
I know I can stop the pain
If I will it all away
If I will it all away
As more and more people joined the event it was also getting crowded. Luckily lights stayed the same low levels so he avoided being noticed just fine.
It also was a sign to slip into next mode of operation- observation. So far Nate has spent few hours sorting through many pockets and then some of the crafts up on the roof. Shadows made him invisible and sleek. But it wasn't why he was there either.
And for the real goal he'll had to wait out longer.
However, Roland, the gang boss, was getting pretty much nit picky over Nate's plan of action and so made the whole thing harder.
Whilst the gang was infiltrated for real Nate had the freedom and knowledge that made him easy to change his mind. Which he didn't plan on, until the Fleet and Federation higher ups started to arrive. It that one moment he saw him that kinda left his gut churning and full of butterflies flapping about.
Noel….
Don't turn away
(Don't give in to the pain)
Don't try to hide
(Though they're screaming your name)
Don't close your eyes
(God knows what lies behind them)
Don't turn out the light
(Never sleep never die)
If his heart could beat anymore faster it'd make electricity, Nate was sure. Immediately his hands started to shake and his already faltering breath got stuck in his chest.
The only person in the whole world that could change his mind just about anything was here and he still had to be able to do his assignment and run off like nothing happened. His fear spiked and barely holding up the man fled to the dark room he used to hide in.
His suit was all prepped and everything was set. He just hoped suddenly someone wouldn't occupy it.
With his heart still beating crazier than ever, but maybe just as much as it once did, he pushed the emotion away and connected more crafts into his grid.
With his mind Nate created gridlock for each and all crafts he intended to take away and locked them into a synchronized command pattern he controlled through his mind. Like a remote control at the flick of a switch. And so far he managed to squeak the keycards too.
But one he couldn't get touch. It was still being used as the man in question handled his own operations and let the helpers sweep by. He knew Noel was a proud man and valued his independence. He often went out for crazy shit and return worse for wear but still mentally strong. Which had been key for many years.
All too strong and all too close was their last meeting and since then their contact kinda got lost, each fearing of the proverbial other shoe to drop. It hadn't so far, and Nate intended for it to keep hanging as long as possible. For both of their sake.
It'd started with Serenity and River, then Samara, and later another of their gang, Mara - one from Psy-Op unit, doing crazy shit. Then the escape from that camp and loss of the girls. He even thought there was another boy hanging more with River and between what happened to Serenity, River's sister, he'd seen the boy attached to Rain - another possible treat from the Psy-Op unit - as well. And like that he was gone as well. Like a wind.
Which led some speculations run among their tiny friend group. Not that Psy-Op was bad, they just liked mind games a bit more. Their girls had been some wild flowers. Not that they blamed anyone for anything. But occasionally he paused thinking what happened to the other girl, Rain, who was so much like River in one way but also more like Samara. After the boy was gone it took a while for Nate to realise she was gone as well. Just like a wind.
But they kinda got poofed with all their dreams the moment they went free and only Samara and Mara- who's actual name was Marena - followed the duo. So that's how they needed up being just four of them and later two and then alone...
And for the love of air in his lungs Nate prayed that Operation Genesis will stay forever under wraps, otherwise the whole universe wouldn't be able to save them. So they each made a sacrifice to never be together again. And not just in a besties kinda way. Because somehow there came deeper feelings between Nate and Noel. Something they called love. That kind of love that sometimes hurt too much to breathe, while other times burnt hotter than a fire.
Yes, they did love each other brotherly too. It was the safe place in public. But for just the two of them it was so much more than that.
Nate took a deep breath and tried not to choke on the air. His lungs acted up and he knew it. It was stress and his emotional state that made things harder. And his magic was being slightly more energy drinking than usual.
Which meant his plan was starting to crumble, and it was close for plan B.
And he made sure he's also prepped for plan C just in case.
But one thing the young thief didn't still know was another young man, just outside, still on his knees, catching his breath after laughing so hard. And that was something Noel didn't know yet too. He didn't expect to see the man again, not here at least, so neither could tell what cards the fate will pull for them.
I'm frightened by what I see
But somehow I know
That there's much more to come
Immobilized by my fear
And soon to be
Blinded by tears
I can stop the pain
If I will it all away
If I will it all away
Nate's beeper made tiny haptic knock on his skin underneath the sleeve of his suit. It was time.
Using shadows as guides and lanes of the road the young thief sneaked all the way down to the basement. There was impressive wine cellar. And, holy shit, Roland was indeed packing some of it from the back into the cases they took with them.
"Yo, man I thought we had an agreement!" He called out softly.
"In fact we did. This is not a part of it!" The angry growl indicating that he wasn't the only planner of their own shit. "Did you made it all working? We may need few extras as well, cargo may be a bit more than you told us, birdie." The glint in Roland's eye made Nate squirmish. He sensed the guy didn't appreciate not being told about the humongous tree in the middle which looked worth more than any lung transplant.
"I don't suppose you're talking about the huge decoration on the main deck, otherwise I'd be thinking you're going after something." Nate shot back, "Or maybe are you?"
The other man glared at him with hard, dark eyes, "This is why I hate taking extras. They keep things out, master their own plans, don't do as told." The threat was loud and clear.
"And I usually don't do side jobs that may hinder my own plans. I usually leave all the nuisances in the wind." He but back. Mostly this type of conversation ended right there as both sides felt done expressing their opinions.
"I'd watch for every shadow here, kid." The older man growl-whispered into Nate's ear and left the man standing. His commands hushed down the aisle and reverberated against the maintenance tubes across the ceiling and walls. He felt the threat hanging in the air and desperation seeped in.
But he didn't wallow any longer than that. His plan Z flew off the roof and there was more things he wanted to do during the night.
One being the ball itself. He wished to kidnap his love for a second and few words as well as do one last twirl on the dance floor. And preferably right underneath the tree thing.
The tree thing…..
Yes, it indeed turned out to be a part of the exhibition. Kinda.
It turned out that the thing was actually alive, and Nate went down underneath to see proof. They'd in all honesty had taken out three lower levels and filled a humongous tank with special soil and placed the tree inside while also secured the trunk so it's standing. The half of trunk was still being held by stabilizing entrapment but the rest was covered in decorative blanket that resembled its origins and stood tall way over three floors up.
And it wasn't just a weird alien tree.
It was actually saved from some planet after humans decided to destroy it while mining some mineral the whole planet was based of.
But then it turned out to be feeding off of the energy that came from the core of this planet and the whole system. Somehow the tree held some special bonding magic that awakened the energy within the planet which in return fed the trees with some energy too.
This was all that was left- few trees held prisoners for showcasing and eye boggling - and the approximate worth in black market even for a small piece was mind blowing quite literally, not even mentioning more than just one whole tree.
Only problem there was that even a tiniest of pieces cut wrong could cause great deal of tragedy - either for the tree alone or the whole planet or even just the people nearby. It was one hell of a risk to go for. And not for just a piece...
But that definitely wasn't what Nate had in mind. He wasn't interested into that mostly because he believed some things just couldn't be touched. And he had some pretty high standards. He deemed the thing sacred as it wasn't just a décor. If it was just some made up art piece that consisted of billions of diamonds and crystals he'd possibly would go after it. But not now that he knew for sure it was indeed a living tree from some planet and it was last of its kind and it pretty much held value to someone and also resembled a whole lot of emotions Nate felt. They shared that understanding of being the last of its kind after an apocalypse so it went without saying he'd do whatever he could to keep the tree alive.
Besides he heard someone saying it also could connect with ones spirit and it can also talk to someone. Some natives had called it tree of spirits and it became that one.
But he also knew Roland possibly believed it was just a piece of jewelry so it was important to keep him away from it.
Especially since they came for something else. And that was in the other hall. A whole rare collection of some Earth artwork he'd predicted would pay greatly. Maybe enough for the man to let off, while the other thing was him being deemed too good to let off the hook.
Because Roland knew Nate was throughout and precise in scouting places and held a whole lot of mystery in getting inside places and out and also not being ever detected. They just knew the guy was excellent and had no intention of letting him go.
It had to change today. Because he planned to break it to Roland that he's getting out and away and possibly will never return to his criminal ways. And this was supposed to be his last heist ever.
He simply wanted to tell the gang man that he's dying but it wouldn't bode well. There was a possibility he'd concoct a scheme to keep Nate forever tethered by actually paying for some medical shitload so he'd stay forever. So he just said he's retiring and planned to keep that plan.
However this was his night. Only chance to achieve his plan and move on. Maybe even find his dearest friend and escape this life, even for a moment, and for once just be in the moment.
At least he hoped so. He knew the man will be present for the event and while he really wanted to see him, he knew better not to. It could entirely derail his plan and he really didn't want for Roland to suddenly start the very visible part of the crime- pop the guns. Nate hates guns with a passion. Yes, he's trained all the weaponry knowledge and yada yada. That didn't mean he enjoyed any of it.
Deep inside his gut was poking at something else and he dreaded that moment.
Because he really liked the tree and felt bad for his race being so greedy to destroy something sacred that belonged to another race. It was very bad manners first, but also it was tragedy to folks that lost everything. And he felt sure Federation will have a long list of upgrades in future to their systems for resources keeping and also bunch of lectures for academies to stuff into students heads. They were, after all, the future of the whole thing and teaching to do things the right way was not only a law but also responsibility.
So he just kept his inner fingers crossed and moved on to the next stop. Security and surveillance.
Fallen angels at my feet
Whispered voices at my ear
Death before my eyes
Lying next to me I fear
She beckons me shall I give in
Upon my end shall I begin
Forsaking all I've fallen for
I rise to meet the end
The extra men force piled in among the other guests and particularly VIPs. First Fleet cadets and Academy spilled inside as their representative crafts joined the lot. Nate already sensed their ships humming. Their computers being a bit more sophisticated but it was never Nate's problem. Wiring always spoke to him so he knew the tech was not a problem. The issue always was people.
Like the regular guards and secret agents and all the others in between.
Federation usually set their own men but knowing there also were nosy cadets one could never be sure.
Nate hoped this was not a day for them to show how off their grades. Besides it looked the newly acquired Earth population will also get some acknowledgement. A bunch of what he could only describe as FBI agents filled the corner at the further side of him and he recognized the man whose wife was one of the organizers. He'd seen the man few times now and also the lady. Something in their appearance and behavior signaled coming from the planet Nate once called home. So they must be the ones that came here last.
And to add to his point the woman joined him just as Nate was about to take some steps into shadows.
However they spoke too intimately for Nate to pick up but whatever they discussed it brought giggles to her and the man also looked close to laughter.
Nate moves on to different side and picked up few important event notes. At this point he just wanted to have ability to have super hearing. He could sometimes zoom in to certain directions and pick up more sounds but he'd still need to stand relatively close. His vision was indeed slightly enhanced as well which helped a lot more on most situations since he could lip read but he wasn't gifted that way specifically. There had been groups from other projects decades before that held animal DNA so they could indeed do those things among many others.
He came from a different generation though.
But what the young thief did pick up was that the event will hold two memorials. One for Earth, other for the planet that the tree came from. Also an educational speech with a smidge of propaganda about not wasting resources and what damage can be caused if greed fuzzed ones mind. Then the annual list of achievements and acknowledgments. There will also be some honorable mentions medals included.
And the usual examples showcasing. Some speeches about annual thematic and charity talks. Finally Federation will announce their proudest achievements and goals for the next season and many tank-yous from government and the main charity ball will open. The rest will become the partly official feast which like always will turn into unofficial part that included the booze.
Nate wanted to stick for the official part until booze gets going and he'll be back to his shenanigans.
It was time to dress up…