Chapter 7: Final Plans
Darien slowly began to regain consciousness. He had no idea where he was or who had taken him and, needless to say, was very confused. As he slowly became aware of his surroundings, Darien realized that he was tied to a chair. He also started hear voices arguing close by.
"You idiot! Why didn't you tell us he worked for the government?!"
"I didn't think it was a big deal sir. I checked up on it. He works for some cheap division of Health and Human..."
"Enough! You are right Mr. Kifton. You didn't think! Any government agency, no matter how small, is not to be involved in any way, shape, or form with this operation! Who knows, he may have already squealed to his superior about us!"
"I'm not a squealer," mumbled Darien. He was beginning to come full around.
"What did you say?" It was Mr. X, and the man he had been arguing with was Max.
"I said," spoke Darien calmly, while straightening up in the chair, "I said, I'm not a squealer. I'm also on vacation and haven't seen or spoken to my boss since last friday. Besides, if he knew anything about this he would have already flooded this place with agents."
"Oh really? Why should I believe you, Mr. Arken?"
Mr. X walked slowly to Darien and stopped right in front of him.
"Well, I've never lied to you before, have I?"
Mr. X laughed and shook his head. He began to turn around and then immediately whipped back towards Darien and punched him hard in the stomach. The chair Darien was sitting in fell on its back, taking Darien with it. For an older looking man Mr. X had a great deal of strength. Mr. X straightened his suit and walked over to Darien, placing his foot on Fawkes' chest and pressed down hard. Darien gasped for air.
"You are a clever one, aren't you?"
Mr. X pressed down harder until Darien almost passed out. Suddenly, he released his foot.
"You can stay on this assignment Mr. Arken, but only because I know you have the reputation of being an excellent thief. You will take Mr. Kifton with you wherever you go, and if he, or anyone else suspects you of crossing us, well, you won't have to worry about returning from your vacation. Understood?"
Darien nodded yes. He still was gasping for air and was unable speak any words.
"Good. You will be briefed on our current mission status and then released, with Mr. Kifton at your side. I should not have to have any contact with you until this mission is complete."
With that, Mr. X turned and left the room, without another word. The door slammed loudly behind him. Max immediately ran over to his old friend's side.
"Sorry, Darien. I didn't mean to put you in this position," Max said.
"Yeah well, could you at least help me up. I have a back condition and this 'position' isn't helping," snapped Darien.
"Alright, sorry."
Max leaned down and slowly straightened up the chair. He then pulled out a small pocket knife and cut the duct tape that was holding Darien in place.
"There, feeling better?"
"Well, as soon as those little birds stop flying around my head I think I'll be fine."
"Listen, Fawkes. I really didn't mean to get you into trouble. I didn't know that they were so concerned with Health and Human Services."
"I guess there just overly cautious," sighed Darien as he rubbed his head.
"Hey man. Cool tattoo. When did you get that?"
Darien quickly put down his arm and tugged down the sleeve on his jacket.
"Oh, just one of those times I got out of prison. It's not really that good a job anyway. Hey, aren't we supposed to go get briefed or something?"
"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Follow me."
The two men left behind the cold, cement walled room and entered a hallway. Max knew exactly where he was going. Darien followed, looking at everything he could get his eyes on. It made him look like a lost dog following some unsuspecting citizen. Darien noticed that nothing looked that high tech. The hallway was basically the inside of a warehouse, and the doors to all the rooms were very well hidden. They finally stopped and Max knocked on a panel on the wall. The door opened and the two were quickly ushered inside. It looked like a plain, government briefing room. A large round table sat in the middle of a small room. It was the only piece of furniture that Darien noticed. About seven men were standing around the table, staring at the building plans that were sprawled across it. Fawkes recognized no one. Max began introducing him.
"Gentlemen, this is Arken. He'll be our lock and alarm man. Arken, these two are Smith and Jones. They are our get-away drivers," said Max, pointing to two seemingly regularly looking men standing the closest to Darien. They nodded. Max continued.
"These men over here are our scientists for this mission: Sommers, Hauke, and Boldger. They're going to make sure our 'package' is safe and secure during the assignment."
The three men reminded Darien of The Lone Gunmen, from the X-Files, but he thought it best to keep that observation to himself.
"The last two are Scott and Barbie. They are our guard men."
"Nice to meet you," Darien said two the roughest looking men of the bunch.
"Scott and Barbie was it?" Darien asked again, trying to hold back his laughter.
"Yeah," said Barbie, in a low and gruff voice. "We make sure that if anyone sees us, they ain't gonna see nothing else, ever."
Darien nodded and moved farther away from the two "guard men".
'I feel safer already,' thought Darien.
"Right. Now that we're through with the introductions, let's begin," said Max.
Darien was quickly realizing that his old buddy was in charge of this mission, which also meant that anything that went wrong would be Max's fault.
"The building next door labeled here," Max pointed to a spot on the papers on the table, "will be our base. It's for sale right now, so there isn't much security around it. Any guards that we do find will be taken care of by Scott and Barbie."
The two men nodded.
"Arken will then proceed to the back entrance of the building where the outdoor security panel is located, as shown here. Then he's gonna do his thing. Got it?"
Darien nodded.
"Once the outside panel is disarmed he will then proceed to unlock this door here and the rest of us will enter."
"One thing," interrupted Fawkes, "once the outside panel is out we'll have about 20 minutes to get inside and for me to disarm the main security panel. Now that will take me, oh, about 15 minutes, maybe a little less. I have to put the panel on a loop so that the security station at Haeffer, where this thing is hooked up to, won't realize that there's anything wrong. So, if I'm gonna do this in enough time..."
"Those back doors shouldn't give you trouble. They're simple locks, and besides, we have keys for them."
Darien shot a confused look at Kifton.
"Don't ask. It's need to know. Anyway, the main security panel is located here on the first floor in the main office," interrupted Max. "We have an insider who is going to leave that door unlocked to save us time, but just in case it's not, the lock is your basic lock. Nothing you can't open with a pen."
"Good," thought Darien, still slightly confused about where they got the keys from. Max continued.
"Once the alarm system is under control we shouldn't have to worry about heat sensors, motion detectors, cameras, etc. The device we're after is located on the seventh floor in an isolated room located here. The Teleric locks are located on the doors to that room. Make sure you bring your good lock-picking kit with you, Arken. Once you have those doors open there is another alarm system, separate from the main one, protecting the device. Sommers, Hauke, and Boldger have been studying this system for awhile and they know how to disarm it without hurting the device. They'll do their science thing and secure the package. There is one thing we can't control and that's that once the device is missing from its position for 6 minutes an automatic phone call will be made to the CEO of the corporation. We've been trying for months to track where that phone call comes from, but without any luck. So, get your asses out of there ASAP. Head immediately back to the base location, pack up your stuff, and then Smith and Jones will drive you guys out of there. Okay that's it boys. We'll see you on New Year's Eve. The meeting location will be provided to you that morning. You're dismissed."
The men took one last look at the building plans and filed out of the room mumbling to each other. Darien also took another look at the map.
"So, Kifton, what's your job?"
"This part is my job. I'm not going with you on the thirty-first. I'm just the planner of the operation."
"Hmm, pretty important huh?"
"I guess you could say that. Now, let's get out of here. This place gives me a headache."
"I'm with you. So, Max, do you really have to follow me everywhere 'til this whole secret mission thing is over?"
"'Fraid so Fawkes, but hey. Think of it as a sleep-over! I have to clean up some stuff before we go so just head out into the hallway and wait for me there."
"Sure man."
Darien left the room, checked to see if anyone was around, and then quicksilvered. He wanted to see if Max had to have another meeting with Mr. X. He slipped back in the room. Max was there, folding up the map and tucking it under is arm. He double checked the room to see if everything was in order. Then he headed to the door and left, with Darien following quickly behind. While Max was locking the door, Darien shed the quicksilver, without being noticed. Max turned around and almost jumped.
"Geez Fawkes! Don't sneak up on people like that. You're bound to send them to an early grave."
"Sorry," Darien chuckled. "Hey let's get some food before we head back to my place."
"Sounds great, I'm starved. Any place in mind?"
"I know this little food stand my buddy from work and I always eat at. 'Wadja's Eats'. They have some killer mayonnaise."
"Whatever Fawkes. You always did have a weird taste for food."
The men then left the warehouse, in a tinted car, and were dropped off back at Haskell Park. They got their sandwiches, with green tomatoes, and then headed back to Darien's apartment to watch some movies.
Darien didn't bother to check his messages on the answering machine.
Darien slowly began to regain consciousness. He had no idea where he was or who had taken him and, needless to say, was very confused. As he slowly became aware of his surroundings, Darien realized that he was tied to a chair. He also started hear voices arguing close by.
"You idiot! Why didn't you tell us he worked for the government?!"
"I didn't think it was a big deal sir. I checked up on it. He works for some cheap division of Health and Human..."
"Enough! You are right Mr. Kifton. You didn't think! Any government agency, no matter how small, is not to be involved in any way, shape, or form with this operation! Who knows, he may have already squealed to his superior about us!"
"I'm not a squealer," mumbled Darien. He was beginning to come full around.
"What did you say?" It was Mr. X, and the man he had been arguing with was Max.
"I said," spoke Darien calmly, while straightening up in the chair, "I said, I'm not a squealer. I'm also on vacation and haven't seen or spoken to my boss since last friday. Besides, if he knew anything about this he would have already flooded this place with agents."
"Oh really? Why should I believe you, Mr. Arken?"
Mr. X walked slowly to Darien and stopped right in front of him.
"Well, I've never lied to you before, have I?"
Mr. X laughed and shook his head. He began to turn around and then immediately whipped back towards Darien and punched him hard in the stomach. The chair Darien was sitting in fell on its back, taking Darien with it. For an older looking man Mr. X had a great deal of strength. Mr. X straightened his suit and walked over to Darien, placing his foot on Fawkes' chest and pressed down hard. Darien gasped for air.
"You are a clever one, aren't you?"
Mr. X pressed down harder until Darien almost passed out. Suddenly, he released his foot.
"You can stay on this assignment Mr. Arken, but only because I know you have the reputation of being an excellent thief. You will take Mr. Kifton with you wherever you go, and if he, or anyone else suspects you of crossing us, well, you won't have to worry about returning from your vacation. Understood?"
Darien nodded yes. He still was gasping for air and was unable speak any words.
"Good. You will be briefed on our current mission status and then released, with Mr. Kifton at your side. I should not have to have any contact with you until this mission is complete."
With that, Mr. X turned and left the room, without another word. The door slammed loudly behind him. Max immediately ran over to his old friend's side.
"Sorry, Darien. I didn't mean to put you in this position," Max said.
"Yeah well, could you at least help me up. I have a back condition and this 'position' isn't helping," snapped Darien.
"Alright, sorry."
Max leaned down and slowly straightened up the chair. He then pulled out a small pocket knife and cut the duct tape that was holding Darien in place.
"There, feeling better?"
"Well, as soon as those little birds stop flying around my head I think I'll be fine."
"Listen, Fawkes. I really didn't mean to get you into trouble. I didn't know that they were so concerned with Health and Human Services."
"I guess there just overly cautious," sighed Darien as he rubbed his head.
"Hey man. Cool tattoo. When did you get that?"
Darien quickly put down his arm and tugged down the sleeve on his jacket.
"Oh, just one of those times I got out of prison. It's not really that good a job anyway. Hey, aren't we supposed to go get briefed or something?"
"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Follow me."
The two men left behind the cold, cement walled room and entered a hallway. Max knew exactly where he was going. Darien followed, looking at everything he could get his eyes on. It made him look like a lost dog following some unsuspecting citizen. Darien noticed that nothing looked that high tech. The hallway was basically the inside of a warehouse, and the doors to all the rooms were very well hidden. They finally stopped and Max knocked on a panel on the wall. The door opened and the two were quickly ushered inside. It looked like a plain, government briefing room. A large round table sat in the middle of a small room. It was the only piece of furniture that Darien noticed. About seven men were standing around the table, staring at the building plans that were sprawled across it. Fawkes recognized no one. Max began introducing him.
"Gentlemen, this is Arken. He'll be our lock and alarm man. Arken, these two are Smith and Jones. They are our get-away drivers," said Max, pointing to two seemingly regularly looking men standing the closest to Darien. They nodded. Max continued.
"These men over here are our scientists for this mission: Sommers, Hauke, and Boldger. They're going to make sure our 'package' is safe and secure during the assignment."
The three men reminded Darien of The Lone Gunmen, from the X-Files, but he thought it best to keep that observation to himself.
"The last two are Scott and Barbie. They are our guard men."
"Nice to meet you," Darien said two the roughest looking men of the bunch.
"Scott and Barbie was it?" Darien asked again, trying to hold back his laughter.
"Yeah," said Barbie, in a low and gruff voice. "We make sure that if anyone sees us, they ain't gonna see nothing else, ever."
Darien nodded and moved farther away from the two "guard men".
'I feel safer already,' thought Darien.
"Right. Now that we're through with the introductions, let's begin," said Max.
Darien was quickly realizing that his old buddy was in charge of this mission, which also meant that anything that went wrong would be Max's fault.
"The building next door labeled here," Max pointed to a spot on the papers on the table, "will be our base. It's for sale right now, so there isn't much security around it. Any guards that we do find will be taken care of by Scott and Barbie."
The two men nodded.
"Arken will then proceed to the back entrance of the building where the outdoor security panel is located, as shown here. Then he's gonna do his thing. Got it?"
Darien nodded.
"Once the outside panel is disarmed he will then proceed to unlock this door here and the rest of us will enter."
"One thing," interrupted Fawkes, "once the outside panel is out we'll have about 20 minutes to get inside and for me to disarm the main security panel. Now that will take me, oh, about 15 minutes, maybe a little less. I have to put the panel on a loop so that the security station at Haeffer, where this thing is hooked up to, won't realize that there's anything wrong. So, if I'm gonna do this in enough time..."
"Those back doors shouldn't give you trouble. They're simple locks, and besides, we have keys for them."
Darien shot a confused look at Kifton.
"Don't ask. It's need to know. Anyway, the main security panel is located here on the first floor in the main office," interrupted Max. "We have an insider who is going to leave that door unlocked to save us time, but just in case it's not, the lock is your basic lock. Nothing you can't open with a pen."
"Good," thought Darien, still slightly confused about where they got the keys from. Max continued.
"Once the alarm system is under control we shouldn't have to worry about heat sensors, motion detectors, cameras, etc. The device we're after is located on the seventh floor in an isolated room located here. The Teleric locks are located on the doors to that room. Make sure you bring your good lock-picking kit with you, Arken. Once you have those doors open there is another alarm system, separate from the main one, protecting the device. Sommers, Hauke, and Boldger have been studying this system for awhile and they know how to disarm it without hurting the device. They'll do their science thing and secure the package. There is one thing we can't control and that's that once the device is missing from its position for 6 minutes an automatic phone call will be made to the CEO of the corporation. We've been trying for months to track where that phone call comes from, but without any luck. So, get your asses out of there ASAP. Head immediately back to the base location, pack up your stuff, and then Smith and Jones will drive you guys out of there. Okay that's it boys. We'll see you on New Year's Eve. The meeting location will be provided to you that morning. You're dismissed."
The men took one last look at the building plans and filed out of the room mumbling to each other. Darien also took another look at the map.
"So, Kifton, what's your job?"
"This part is my job. I'm not going with you on the thirty-first. I'm just the planner of the operation."
"Hmm, pretty important huh?"
"I guess you could say that. Now, let's get out of here. This place gives me a headache."
"I'm with you. So, Max, do you really have to follow me everywhere 'til this whole secret mission thing is over?"
"'Fraid so Fawkes, but hey. Think of it as a sleep-over! I have to clean up some stuff before we go so just head out into the hallway and wait for me there."
"Sure man."
Darien left the room, checked to see if anyone was around, and then quicksilvered. He wanted to see if Max had to have another meeting with Mr. X. He slipped back in the room. Max was there, folding up the map and tucking it under is arm. He double checked the room to see if everything was in order. Then he headed to the door and left, with Darien following quickly behind. While Max was locking the door, Darien shed the quicksilver, without being noticed. Max turned around and almost jumped.
"Geez Fawkes! Don't sneak up on people like that. You're bound to send them to an early grave."
"Sorry," Darien chuckled. "Hey let's get some food before we head back to my place."
"Sounds great, I'm starved. Any place in mind?"
"I know this little food stand my buddy from work and I always eat at. 'Wadja's Eats'. They have some killer mayonnaise."
"Whatever Fawkes. You always did have a weird taste for food."
The men then left the warehouse, in a tinted car, and were dropped off back at Haskell Park. They got their sandwiches, with green tomatoes, and then headed back to Darien's apartment to watch some movies.
Darien didn't bother to check his messages on the answering machine.