23 - Unforseen Designs

23 - Unforseen Designs

Callie paced across her living room for the umpteenth time, wondering where Ian was. He had been late before but never by this much, never nearly an hour. Logically she knew that that he was probably just detained by Irons, but some part of her had begun to panic. When the phone rang, she scrambled to it. Hoping it was Ian. "Hello?"

"Onica? It's me." Dovidi was surprised at how eager her voice had sounded. Wondering who exactly she had been expecting to call. "I was wondering if you had any plane." She hesitated, without replying, not sure how to take that, Dovidi simply continued "I was going to go river rafting with a few of the VP's but one of them canceled. I figured that since it was a company excursion, you might want to come."

Callie/Onica had trouble hiding her surprised, and silently thanked god that the telephone was not visual. Onica knew as well as anyone else who worked at Excelsior that one weekend every month the higharcy of the company mixed business and pleasure and went on a mini working vacation. Last month they had gone on a Yacht ride from Half Moon Bay to Dunedin and further to Omaru then all the way back. For a moment she contemplated, if she went it might possibly be useful not only to her career but to finding out how exactly her father was connected to Excelsior, but if Ian came and she was gone? Weighing her options she made a split second decision. "I'd love to."

"Great!" Dovidi smiled blissfully that she'd assented so readily. He had been expecting some opposition, and the lack of one threw him off slightly. "We'll be going to the main island so we'll be there over night. Hotel arrangements etc. have already been taken care of. I'll be pick you up in an hour if that's suitable?" Onica nodded, then remembered he couldn't see and assented vocally. "Great, see you then." Hanging up Dovidi immediately began packing up his suitcase, when he cleared his desk he saw that he'd left some photographs out. Namely photographs of Onica his valet had taken the previous night. Too lazy to mind them he quickly placed them in his desk drawer, and left. Completely oblivious to the trouble that they would soon cause.

***

Luka felt the shadow's presence before he saw whom it belonged to. Silently he made a movement for his sidearm, but found himself stopped almost immediately. "Don't." at first he couldn't place the voice, it had too long since he heard it. But after a moment, it came back to him, it had been on that last horrible night, the last time he'd seen Callie.

"Ian." The statement was made bluntly, no surprise, no guilt, and no shock. Similarly the other confirmed him with no more then silence.

"There are eyes everywhere Luka, eyes that see all, and be sure that you were seen this morning. Just be glad that those eye's weren't Callie's." For a moment Luka's head reeled with confusion? What the heck did he mean? "Don't break her heart Luka, or I'll see to it that you're life is forfeit, and as to Sarah… Watch out of her, but don't you dare hurt her." Luka stood shock still, letting the cryptic words sink in, and at last he understood: Callie was here, in New Zealand, his heart leapt, then hardened with determination. He would find her he had to. And never in his mind, did he wonder about Ian's other words… or just how Callie would receive him.

***

In the pool hall where Sarah waited for Luka, she had already gained some small amount of infamy, it seemed that the men in New Zealand did not take losing very gracefully. At last, after she'd been there for some time, Luka arrived. Quickly he handed her a bag filled with clothing that she took silently and immediately took. Going to the bathroom she changed, then left the bag with the clothes she'd been previously wearing there. Returning she finally spoke. "Thanks, if there were any bugs in my clothing we shouldn't need to worry about them anymore." Luka nodded, waiting for her to relate the information that he'd come to collect. "I scoped out the security system at Excelsior this morning. It's pretty damn modern. They have everything from pressure activated panels to laser webs. If we want to get it… It's gonna be tough."

Luka nodded, and considered, racking up the balls while he was at it. "I assumed it would be. I have limited security disarming training, but it may not be enough…but if you're willing to take a risk then so am I."

Sarah assented as she broke, easily sinking both a solid and a stripe. She herself knew a thing or two about disarming security systems, she'd seen enough of them programmed to work backwards – or so she hoped. "I'll do it. As to Irons, his safe is behind a painting in his study… La Belle Dame Sans Merci. The painting is copy of one done by Sir Frances Dicksee, based on a poem by John Keats." So saying she moved around the table and sunk two more stripes. When Luka didn't say anything she turned to look at him and found that the color had drained from his face.

"That was Callie's favorite painting… I never knew that she'd seen it in her fathers house." Now it was Sarah's turn to freeze. Callie had been drawn to it as well? Was there something about the painting that drew the welders to it? Troubled Sarah suddenly lost interest in the pool game.

"Let's go." Luka was confused for a second then realized that she meant Excelsior.

"You want to pull the job tonight?" He sounded incredulous, but she didn't blink, she knew what she wanted, and she knew she would get it.

"No time like the present remember?" Rolling his eyes Luka followed her to her car.

"Driving a Ferrari to break into a multi billion dollar company? Are you trying to Ironic? Or are you trying to make us easier to spot?" Giving him a sidelong glance Sarah made a quick retort.

"Would you rather drive your Porsche? Because I doubt it would blend in any better." Silenced, Luka made a mock salute. "Just get in the car.

***

Half an hour later found the two of them at Excelsior. The building was dark and mostly abandoned save for the rare security guard. The two had parked a few blocks away and traveled the distance using New Zealand's Sewer system, something that Sarah hoped she would never have to repeat. Entering in the basement, Luka found that the security system was not as tamper proof as Sarah had at first assumed. In fact if he could cause a power surge, that would give them enough time to get from the basement to Luka's Tenth story office. From there, he could deactivate the security in that office, and then send another surge through a power outlet using some gadget he just happened to have thought to bring.

Sarah found two faults with his plan, the first being that two power surges would surely alert security to their presence. Not only that, but even if they were successful there was no telling how soon the back up generator would kick in, or if they would run into security on their way up the stairs. Finally Luka came up with an alternate plan, he'd short wire the electricity to the entire neighborhood while Sarah sabotaged the Back up generator and they'd play it by ear from there. Not once did the matter of Sarah's occupation come up in their planning. After all, she was out of her jurisdiction.

As Luka worked diligently with the many wires running through the basement Sarah regarded the back up generator, wondering what would happen if she just ran the Witchblade through it. At last she decided to remove one of the panels. When her Swiss army knife didn't do the trick, she transformed the blade, using it to pry the panel open, then sliced as many wires as she could find before returning the panel to its place and changing the Witchblade back to its dormant form. It was a crude way to do things, but also extremely effective. Behind her Luka signaled that he was ready, giving him the signal, he shorted out the power, at which time the two made a mad dash for the stairs. Running up the stairs they reached Luka's office without bumping into any security. As Sarah opened the door to the office, Luka made to go forward stopped by her hand on his shoulder. Pointing she made a motion indication a laser in the doorframe, and pressure activated panels spanning a foot afterwards. Unsure what to do, Luka looked at her. Motioning him aside, she stepped back, then ran and flipped over the wire, landing a hairsbreadth away from the panels ended. For a moment he feared she would lose her balance, but surprising she didn't. Quickly she moved to the security panel located within the office and turned the laser off. Nodding for Luka to come forward. Leaping the panels he did so, then turned to close the door.

Quickly the two made an expert assessment of the office, Sarah working her way through the file cabinet while Luka looked through his desk. When at last he came to the top drawer he recoiled in shock. Inside lay photographs of a cheery, beautiful woman, recently taken photographs or Calliope DeLancie.