Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, I don't pretend to. Well, I do pretend, but hey, isn't that what fanfiction is all about?
Chapter 2
The Peregrine Stone
Heero Yuy stared blankly outside of the skyscraper office in ComCor. He was waiting for his partner, Trowa Barton, to get back with their coffee and the information picked up from their informants. It had been four years since he'd joined the Precious Jewels and Artifacts Department of the FBI, and a successful four years at that. The last person they'd caught had almost gotten away with the stone, but Trowa's last minute laser system idea had worked like a charm. Heero loved the view from the office that he and Trowa shared, from this angle he could see all of New York City and it's strangeness. He didn't understand how people couldn't just love this city.
"Yo! Sleeping Beauty, quit daydreaming, I got your coffee and some interesting news," Trowa spouted, bursting through the door with a manila folder under his arm and two large cups of hot piping coffee in his hands. Trowa handed Heero his coffee and plopped into his rolling chair, gracefully sliding over to Heero with the manila folder.
"What's this?" Heero asked as Trowa handed him a folder full of documents and pictures.
"That is our new suspect/target. Quatre Raberba Winner…" Trowa said taking a sip of hot coffee and slightly burning his tongue, but not seeming to feel the pain.
"The multi-billionaire, network owner. What the hell? Why would he be our next suspect for the stealing of the Peregrine?"
"Well, our sources told Wufei that Winner was in France last week trying to drum up the culprits of the King's Jewels heist. Word is he couldn't find anyone, but he's still looking. I'm just saying he's a suspect not saying that he's going to try anything drastic, considering that no one will help him," Trowa countered.
"Damn, that France heist was tragic, all they did was shoot the guards with tranquilizer darts."
"Not tragic, but very strange. Whoever did that job has a very unorthodox style. Most thieves prefer that the guards not know that they're there. These people just looked like they came in like gangbusters, shot the security guards and took the stone. It's almost crude," Trowa said, again sipping his too-hot coffee. Heero leafed through the pictures of Winner some more finding nothing interesting. He sat the stack down next to his coffee, exchange their place for his coffee on his desk and took a sip of mocha goodness.
"I don't quite understand it, why would winner, a multi-billion dollar god, want the stone?" Heero asked haphazardly.
"You know those rich type, once they get something they want, they can't help but want more. The Peregrine Stone is a highly wanted artifact, mainly because the news keeps hyping it up and also because people just want to be able to pull the wool over out eyes. It's like a game and it doesn't seem as if he can find someone that wants to play," Trowa said smiling at Heero and sipping his coffee.
****
She wasn't really accustomed to sleeping with men that quickly or that easily, but he was too handsome to pass up. She especially hated sleeping with married men; it was really the only time that her conscience bugged her. Sighing inwardly and rolling swiftly from the bed, Roddy grabbed her things, underwear included, and headed from Quatre Winner's cabin and securely to her own. She'd taken extra precaution after leaving her own cabin to make sure that the scepter and tiara were safe; she locked them in her cabin lock storage, a place to which she only held the key. As soon as she entered the tiny room she unlocked the storage to make sure her wealth was still there. Smiling joyously, no one had swiftly taken advantage of her little jaunt with Quatre Winner. She closed the lock-box and cuddled on the divan in the front room. She hated beds, they always seemed so impersonal to her. A couch was the same thing, only more comfortable and a smaller fit. She popped her neck and fell easily to sleep.
The next morning she woke early, waiting to the here her first stop in Lucerne. She packed swiftly and cleaned out her cabin, later entering the front passenger cabins so she could wait to de-board. Holding the rainbow Luis Vuitton like it were a precious child, she got off the train, leaving a not with the kind attendant for Quatre, thanking him for everything.
Switzerland felt nice this time of year. Where Paris was sometimes muggy and humid, Lucerne felt almost dry and airy with a crisp mountain breeze. At night it would feel a little cooler than usual, but she'd come prepared for that. She probably wouldn't even be staying the night in Lucerne just as long as she made it to their contact early enough. There was a train plane leaving later that day if she wanted to hurry up and get to Venice, which she was quickly feeling like doing.
She stepped out of the Lucerne terminal onto the street. Gracefully throwing her hand up, she caught a cab and told him to take her to the Swavowsky shop in the middle of the Lucerne shopping square. Her contact would be wearing a large, beige trench coat that's how she would know the pickup. The cab dropped her off in the square, she paid him and walked towards the spot where she knew she would probably be able to be spotted by her contact and where they're exchange could be incognito. A small crystal dragonfly caught her eye as something she could give to Jina for her birthday that was coming up. She studied the small creature and decided that as soon as the exchange was complete she'd have the store worker packaged up the trinket.
"I've always loved the way crystal shines from the fluorescent lights," she heard a nondescript male voice say from behind her. She knew it had to be the contact; those were the exact words chosen for the sign/countersign pass code.
"Crystal shines lovely under any light," she said back not turning to look at her contact, only noticing the beige trenchcoat. He leaned in and whispered something to her, but to the naked eye it didn't look as if they were conversing at all.
"Just slide me the merchandise; we've already settled your accounts by placing the money in there ourselves," he whispered. Roddy, being slight of hand reached into her duffel and pulled out two pieces of expensive stolen artifacts but to the naked eye it looked as if they were only rolled up pieces of French newspaper. The man quickly grabbed them, put them into a small black bag and scurried off. Roddy sighed, thankful that she was finally rid of this dirty business, it would be so good to make it down to Venice and relax with a nice little nest egg. Grabbing the attention of the store clerk, she purchased the crystal dragonfly and had it wrapped in beautiful silver wrapping for Jina. Tonight when she got to Venice, it would be a time for joyous celebration.
****
"What do you mean we only got a quarter of a million for the last job? That bastard promised me $2million," Roddy said furiously, running her fingers through her hair. Jina looked at her. The dark-haired woman had met Roddy at the door as soon as she'd gotten in from the airport with the news; they'd been stiffed. The Lucerne contact had milked them for their services and only paid them $250,000 for their trouble. They had to split that amongst themselves leaving them with approximately $83,000 a piece. Roddy cursed to the high heaven and quickly got on the phone to her contact. She was talking rather nondescript as Jina and Duo listened intently to her end of the conversation.
"Alright, yes, okay. Thank you," Roddy said hanging up the phone. They could tell that she wasn't happy.
"What did they say?" Duo asked.
"That the scepter and the tiara, since they have become so hot have gone down in price on the black market. He said that since it was harder for him to sell to his Arabic traders that it is extremely hard for him to give us $2million when he can only get a small sum. The most he can give us is $250,000," Roddy said, obviously annoyed.
"WHAT!?" Duo said, "but he promised."
"That's the problem with being this low on the criminal food chain, we get the raw shit deals," Jina said plopping down on the sofa in a huff.
"Well, there goes the villa in Barcelona. Goodbye young women with small supple curves just waiting to ride in my Aston Martin," Duo said a bit crestfallen sitting at the front table.
"We still have enough money to retire just not enough to live as lavishly as we'd like," Roddy said as she quickly pulled out a calculator and tabulated the figures for each of them, "After we pay for this job's expenses we should each have close to $4million, which is enough to be happy but live a modest spoiled life."
"I suppose," Jina said, flailing her arm across the edge of the sofa in a pout. Roddy continued to tabulate figures then looked around at her crew only paying Jina a bit of attention, "but wouldn't it be nice to live like a movie star for once, instead of the average citizen that just won the state-sponsored lottery?"
"Four million dollars is nothing to sniff at Jina. There are people everyday that will never get to see that kind of money," Roddy countered, knowing exactly what she was getting at.
"But don't you want more, Rod, doesn't your blood burn to live a bit more extravagantly than usual. I mean, we all know that you love to dress and dine well, with this measly fee you'll have to be put on a budget." Duo said. Roddy thought about this; she was looking at a rather expensive top of the line BMW and she did want to be able to purchase the entire Dolce and Gabbana fall line. Swallowing painfully she resisted.
"I got you this, Jina, happy birthday," Roddy said, choosing to ignore peer pressure rather than fall under it. Jina took it and unwrapped the gift seeing the most beautiful crystal dragonfly. She smiled at Roddy and gave her a hug.
"Thanks, you remembered."
"How could I forget?" Roddy said still tabulating figures before she went to sleep for the night. Duo had presently given up on his dreams of a villa in Barcelona and had resigned to watching the Food Channel instead. Iron Chef was on; he loved that show. Jina walked over to the counter and poured she and Roddy an excellent cup of Venetian coffee and came and watched her work with the figures.
"So, this is it, huh?" Jina asked
"Yeah, I suppose this is the last time I'll sit here and tabulate money for all of us. It's sad really. After four years of thieving and seventeen successful jobs it almost feels like an end of an era," Roddy said taking a sip of her coffee.
"Do you think that we'll ever have a reunion? Go around stealing for old time sake?" Jina asked, making Roddy laugh.
"I just wish this last heist would have worked out a bit more in our favor, but I guess there is no such things as a happy ending," Roddy said as she finished separating the funds.
"So, how was the Lucerne visit? Couldn't have been that rushed considering you had time to shop… and fuck," Jina added slyly, smiling evilly at a shocked Roddy.
"How is it that you always know?"
"Don't know, maybe it's the tremor to your voice or the change in your gait, but something always triggers me. So, tell me all about him," Jina said sounding like an eager schoolgirl. She was always like this with Roddy's many conquests. Jina usually enjoyed hearing detail about the man's sexual prowess as well as a description of his no doubt smoldering good looks.
"Well," Roddy started in a low whisper so that Duo wouldn't feel embarrassed, "he was blonde, turquoise eyes, pale soft skin, and a wicked tongue. There was instant chemistry, but he is married."
"You just love going after unavailable men, don't you?" Jina asked loudly, making Duo more aware of what the ladies had been whispering about.
"You bagged someone on the way to Lucerne Rod, or was it back on the plane in the small ass bathroom?" Duo joked, not turning away from the TV. A notepad came flying at his head.
"It doesn't matter if he's married or not, he'll always be off limits. A man that much in the limelight could be detrimental to a chosen profession like mine." Roddy said returning her attention back to the figures on the page.
"In the limelight? You had sex with a celebrity? Who? Come on Rod you're holding out on me," Jina said, making Roddy make eye contact. Roddy rolled her eyes and resided to telling them the whole story. Jina and Duo watched wide-eyed as Roddy told of her encounter with the blonde and how he tried to seduce her with the job of the century. Then they listened to every detail of how she'd seduced him into her bed. Removing her glasses from her face, cleaning them, then replacing them, she returned her attention back to the figures on the page.
" I can't believe you weren't going to tell us about the Peregrine job?" Duo said, after the story was finished.
"We said that we were going legit, so I figured…"
"Well you didn't figure in that we would get stiffed by our Lucerne guy either," Jina said, looking as outraged as Duo.
"Guys, think about what you're saying. The Peregrine Stone is a unicorn; as much as we'd love to think that we could get away with this heist, there is no way. We'd end up embarrassed and in jail," Roddy for the first time in her life tried to speak reason.
"Not necessarily," Duo said, his fingers firing furiously over his keyboard, "I've actually been doing some research of my own. It seems that every person that has even gotten close to getting the stone has always seemed to make contact with it, but getting out is the problem. As a matter of fact, it's like Yuy and Barton see it as a game. From the descriptions that I've picked up it's like a series of Indiana Jones obstacle tests. If you so happen to break into the Smithsonian and get close enough to touch the stone a laser system is activated. If you happen to make it pass the laser system, they have a drop safe method for the stone to drop into the archives caged Tillion 5000 safe, two sets of vertical and horizontal dropping walls to block the stone in from you view and that's just the beginning. It's also said that the one guy that actually got passed all this didn't even have the true Peregrine Stone. It seems as if they have a replica that they put in periodically. So, even if you do get passed all of that you just have to be sure you know the difference between the replica and the real stone. It doesn't sound that difficult," Duo said a lopsided smile on his face.
"Are you crazy, that sounds nuts. Let's say that we do happen to pass that whole trial and error, how do we get out of the archivist caves and from behind the two sets of vertical and horizontal steel walls? Not to mention that there would probably be close to fifty guards waiting for us when we finally get out of the Smithsonian. A unicorn, Duo, beautiful yet unattainable, I refuse to go down as the 54th person that tried to steel the Peregrine Stone."
"How much did Winner offer?" Jina asked.
"He said that on the black market he could get double the price of the stone but he didn't really name the price. He just said anything."
"Anything?" Both Jina and Duo spat out.
"Yeah, anything."
"How much is Quatre Winner's net worth?" Jina asked Duo.
"$7.2billion and rising. Shit Roddy, we should do this," Duo said.
"The payoff is better than the punishment," Jina chimed in.
"You say that because none of us have ever spent time in a prison. I'm not going to jail, I refuse to be like my father."
"Rod, you won't be like your father, you'll make your father proud by stealing the biggest unicorn the world has ever seen. Come one Rod, you know it's calling to you. If there was ever a masterminded thief in your blood then you know the temptation is way too great," Duo said looking at her shaking her shoulders for affect. There was dead silence as Roddy contemplated. She looked down at her notepad then reached into her Louis Vuitton Rainbow duffel and pulled out her small black book of phone numbers. She picked up the phone and dialed a sequence.
"Hello Mr. Winner, we accept the proposition."
