Lights Out


"Anna. We have a problem," Elsa's voice crackled in Anna's earpiece.

"What sort of problem?" Anna asked worriedly as she paused, pressing one finger to her ear. She had been crawling through a ventilation duct that she had used to gain entry into the main breaker room.

"It's Weselton. He's here," Elsa replied.

They were speaking on a private channel, shared only between them so the sisters could converse without Kristoff knowing of their true identities.

"Weselton? You mean mom and dad's old rival?"

"Yes, and he recognized me. He threatened me, telling me to stay away. I think he knows about the reliquary."

"Threatened you? Are you okay?"

"Just fine, don't worry. But, if he knows about me, then it's a safe bet he knows about you too."

"Ah crap. Of course, this is just what we need right now!."

"That's not all. Hans Westguard is here too, and I think they've partnered up."

"Westguard… that's the guy who runs that private military company."

"That's the one. If they're working together… well, it can't be good, Anna."

"I know that, but we can't stop now."

"So what do we do?"

"Same plan, we steal it when it gets to the stage. Weselton is definitely going to try and buy it so we have to get it and get out of here before he can do that. I'm close to the breakers now."

"Alright, I'll radio Kristoff. And, Anna?"

"Yeah?"

"Just be careful."

"You too."

... ... ...

Elsa briefed Kristoff on the situation, but made sure not to mention Weselton's connection to her and Anna. As they spoke discreetly over their earpieces, Kristoff picked up a tray of drinks and held them aloft at the foot of the stage. Nobody took much notice of him.

On the stage, a woman in a well-pressed suit clinked a glass, calling everyone's attention. A few seconds later, the crowds fell into a hush as they all focused their attention on the stage. Some distance away, Elsa could see Hans and Weselton standing side by side, awaiting the beginning of the auction.

The auctioneer then leaned forward to speak into a microphone. "We will now begin the bidding. The first item on the lot; a fourteenth century reliquary box, with gold and silver inlay. We will start the bidding at one hundred thousand euros."

"Bidding has started," Elsa whispered. "Anna, are you by the breakers?"

"Shit… I'm here but it's locked," Anna replied as she jiggled a heavy padlock. "I'm going to have to pick it," she said as she reached into her satchel to retrieve her lock-picking kit.

From the other end of the room, Weselton raised his bidding paddle.

The auctioneer nodded to him, then turned to address the room. "Thank you, we have one hundred thousand euros in the room. Do we have other bids?"

Another gentleman raised his paddle, buying Anna some more time.

"Well, you better hurry, Anna," Kristoff cut in. "If we don't get it now, this Weselton guy is walking out of here with our prize."

Weselton and the other gentleman that he was bidding against continued their back and forth, giving Anna a few more precious seconds that she needed.

"I know! I know! Just buy me some time!" Anna exclaimed frantically. She was manipulating the tumblers of the lock as fast as she could.

"The bidding is now one hundred and fifty thousand euros, do we have any more bids?" The auctioneer questioned.

The gentleman that Weselton had been competing with did not raise his paddle again. Weselton nodded smugly, then turned back to the stage.

"One hundred and sixty thousand euros. Thank you," the auctioneer said.

Weselton whipped around and spotted Elsa with her paddle raised. She returned his gaze with a hard look of her own. Hans glanced over as well as he narrowed his brows in suspicion.

"Anna, any day now," Elsa muttered.

"I'm on it!" Anna said. "God, come on!"

Frantic minutes passed by as Elsa and Weselton struggled to outbid each other. While Elsa was certain that Weselton would be able to afford whatever price the reliquary was driven up to, she herself had no such intentions of actually paying for the thing. On and on their little bidding war went and at this point, they had drawn on quite a few curious onlookers.

"We now have two hundred thousand euros in the room," the auctioneer said. "Does the lady wish to bid again?"

Elsa nodded and raised her paddle.

"Come on, Anna," Kristoff hissed. "Starting to sweat bullets here."

"A ha!" Anna exclaimed as she unlocked the padlock and tossed it aside. She wrenched the gate open and went up to the main breaker switch. "Got it! I'm in, I'm at the switch. Are you guys ready?" she asked.

"Ready and waiting," Kristoff replied.

"Five hundred thousand!" Weselton cried out, wringing his hands impatiently. "Let's wrap this up!" he turned to Elsa and stared at her challengingly.

Elsa met his gaze, then held up her hands in surrender as she smiled graciously.

"You worried me, Ms. Drake!" Weselton pointed at her and grinned. "I was afraid I might have to kill you!"

The crowd around him gave a polite chuckle, not realizing the joke he had played was actually a serious threat.

Elsa turned to the side and scowled. "Let's ruin this asshole's evening."

"Very well," the auctioneer nodded and raised her gavel. "If there are no more bids. Going once… going twice…"

The lights suddenly went out, plunging the entire room into darkness. The crowd gathered before the stage gasped, stunned into silence and temporary blindness. A few seconds later, the emergency power came on, bathing the room in a cool blue glow.

"It's gone!" someone shouted from the crowd.

The auctioneer turned to her right and the pedestal on which sat the reliquary box was now empty. Weselton bristled in fury and threw his gaze around the room, spotting Elsa as she slipped out a side door.

"Stop her!" Weselton cried out, pushing his way through the crowd. As he approached the door, a guard stepped in the way, blocking his path.

"Halt!" the guard called out in German.

"What in the hell are you doing?" Weselton gestured towards the door. "She's getting away!" he shouted furiously.

"Davon gehen," the guard took aim with his gun and gestured away.

"Alright! Alright," Weselton snapped and walked away. "Goddamn it all to hell," he cursed under his breath and tossed away his paddle.

... ... ...

Anna poked her head out of the air duct and scanned her surroundings. Once she knew it was clear, she climbed out and dropped down to the cool grass. At the moment, the entire estate was blaring with alarms as flashing red lights on the exterior contrasted with the emergency blue lights in the interior of the castle.

"Alright, Kristoff has the reliquary, Elsa is on her way out. Time to make my exit," Anna muttered to herself as she brushed off her hands.

Just then, a pair of guards approached Anna's position. She quickly ducked behind a nearby shrub as they passed.

"Überprüfen sie die unterbrecher!" a guard ordered.

"Jawohl," another guard replied as he swiped a key card through an electronic lock and entered the breaker room that Anna had just left.

Anna left her cover from behind the brush, creeping to a nearby building and scaling it to the rooftop. From her position, she could see guards patrolling all over the estate grounds. She still had a considerable distance to cover between there and the main castle, and further still towards the section of wall where she had made ingress into the estate.

Anna pressed a finger to her ear and crouched. "Guys? What's our escape plan?" she asked.

"Working on it. Head towards the front entra- oh shit," Kristoff said before he was cut off by sudden shouting.

"Kristoff?! Talk to me!" Anna exclaimed. "Shit, Elsa? Are you there?"

Inside the castle, a string of gunfire rang out, echoing throughout the property. Outside, guards snapped to attention, running in the direction of the ballroom.

"Ah crap!" Anna cursed. "They're in trouble!"

... ... ...

"Whoa, you've got the wrong guy! I'm just a waiter!" Kristoff said. "Ah, damn. That was in English," he muttered to himself.

Three guards were approaching him with submachine guns leveled at his chest.

"Auf deinen knien!" a guard shouted, gesturing with his other hand for Kristoff to get down on his knees.

"This has to be some kind of mistake, fellas. Oh, screw it," Kristoff tried to explain, before deciding it wasn't worth the effort.

In a flash, he turned to his left, grabbing hold of the swan ice sculpture and toppling it over onto the first guard. As the other pair opened fire, Kristoff leapt over the table, landing in a heap behind it and knocking it on its side to use as cover. Automatic fire continued to rip through the table as he crawled to the far end.

"Aw, nuts. I thought that would work!" Kristoff said, shielding his head from the splintering wood around him.

"Hey, over here!" Elsa shouted from behind the pair of guards shooting at Kristoff.

They both turned around and Elsa swung back and brought the scepter she had found crashing down on the head of one of the guards. He fell into a crumpled heap and before the other could react, Elsa swung hard again and knocked the gun out of the second guard's grasp.

It fell to the ground with a clatter and slid some distance away. Elsa prepared to swing again, but the guard was ready, catching her arms as she did and wrenching the scepter out of her hands. Stunned, Elsa was caught off balance and wasn't prepared for the fist that struck her cheek and knocked her to the ground. .

Behind him, Kristoff had noticed the scuffle and charged forward, roaring. The guard spun around and before he could react, Kristoff dipped low and tackled into his midsection, raising him up in the air before forcing him down to the ground with all of his weight. Rising before the guard could, Kristoff grabbed the nearby scepter and whacked him across the face with it, knocking him out.

"Thanks," Elsa said, rubbing her cheek.

Kristoff stood up and helped Elsa to her feet. "Come on. We've really kicked the hornet's nest now," he said as he bent to retrieve one of the fallen guns. He tossed it to Elsa, and then tossed her a spare magazine from one of the unconscious guards.

She caught them easily, pulling the bolt open to inspect it for ammunition before closing it and slipping the spare magazine into the loop of her stockings at her thigh. Kristoff did the same with his own weapon, ensuring it was loaded and pocketing some extra ammunition before the sound of rushing footsteps forced the pair to relocate.

... ... ...

Anna stepped up to the edge of the roof, inspecting the distance between her position and the walls of the castle before her. She paced back to the opposite end of the rooftop, settling into position before surging forward, sprinting as fast as she could. As she reached the edge, she leapt forward, flying through the air and slamming into the castle wall.

Anna caught the edges of the masonry easily and began her ascent. "Just hold on, Elsa," she panted. "I'm coming."

Inside, the gunfire raged on, which Anna took as an encouraging sign that Elsa or Kristoff had yet to be apprehended.

Anna climbed upwards, nearing a balcony that stood out just above her to her right. She reached it, then slid over the edge and found herself in front of a set of glass double doors. Anna tried the handle, jiggling it once and as it opened, she quietly slipped inside.

She was inside a large library, with tall bookshelves arranged in orderly rows all around her. Anna spotted another set of wooden double doors which she surmised to be the entry and proceeded towards it. As she laid her hands on the knobs to open the doors, something else pushed it back towards Anna as an auburn haired man in a white tuxedo stepped in.

Anna backed up a few paces, taking in the appearance of the man. Those are ridiculous sideburns, Jesus, what year did you just crawl out of? 1840? she mused to herself.

"Oh, excus- wait," the man eyed Anna's attire in suspicion. "You don't belong here."

"Oh! You mean this isn't… the cosplay convention?" Anna feigned ignorance and began making her way to the exit. "Crap, I must have the wrong castle. I'll just head out, don't mind me."

"I don't think so," the man said, placing an arm in front of the door, barring Anna's way. He closed it behind him and took a menacing step forward. "I know you have it. Hand it over."

"Have… what? I don't know what you're talking about," Anna chuckled, trying to defuse the situation.

She looked around, searching for an escape route when the man suddenly rushed forward, pinning Anna against a bookshelf with one arm across her chest.

"Please. I would rather not take it from you. Just give me the artifact," the man hissed.

Anna rolled her eyes. Lying wasn't working and whoever this man was, he clearly knew what Anna's game was. Distantly, she recalled that Weselton was working with Hans Westguard and she deduced that this must be him.

"You know how many artifacts I've stolen?" Anna quipped as she abandoned her pretense. "You're going to have to be a lot more specific."

Hans chuckled dryly. "I know who you are, Ms. Croft. I've already met your lovely sister. But I'm afraid if neither of you give up, I will have to do something I really don't want to," he said in a suggestive tone as his other hand came up to Anna's midriff and drifted down a little too slowly and hovered a little too long over her buttocks for her liking as he searched her.

A staccato burst of gunfire erupted down the hallway, distracting Hans for a moment as he turned to the doors. Anna seized the opportunity to drive her knee up into Hans's crotch hard.

"Hands off, dickshitter!" Anna spat as Hans grunted and keeled over in pain, releasing his grasp on Anna.

She stepped aside and grabbed the closest and thickest book from the bookshelf she could find and brought it crashing down onto the back of his head. Hans crumpled to the floor in a heap and did not rise.

Tossing the book aside, Anna raced towards the doorway, shouting over her shoulder as she ran out. "You look like an idiot with those sideburns!"

... ... ...

Elsa and Kristoff were cornered in the entry foyer, hiding behind two pillars as gunfire shattered the marble flooring and ripped holes in the walls. A squad of five guards were barring their way from their exit at the front doors of the castle, taking cover behind upturned tables or pillars.

Kristoff fired blindly around the corner with his submachine gun, forcing the two nearest guards to duck their heads in cover. Using the temporary pause in shooting, Elsa peered around the side of her pillar and shot one dead as he peeked up. Renewed gunfire shredded the edge of the pillar as Elsa ducked back behind cover. Trapped as she was, Elsa used the time to reload her weapon. Pulling back the bolt and removing the magazine, Elsa reached down to her thigh where she had stashed the spare and slotted it into the magazine well, then slapped the bolt back into place to chamber a fresh a round.

As the shooting paused again, Kristoff charged forward at the nearest guard reloading his weapon behind a thick overturned table. He slid into a crouch next to it, and as the guard raised his weapon to fire again, Kristoff grabbed it by the barrel and pulled it down. With his other hand, he punched the guard across the jaw then grasped the back of his head and slammed it down on the edge of the table. Dazed, the guard did not resist when Kristoff ripped his gun free from his hands and stuck him in the forehead with the stock, knocking him out.

With three guards remaining, Elsa left her position behind the pillar and joined Kristoff. Automatic gunfire tore through the around them as the trio of guards rained down suppressing fire.

... ... ...

Anna ran towards the sound of fighting, sliding on her feet around a corner then turning into the entry foyer. She was by the landing of the upper floor where the two staircases joined. From her viewpoint, she spotted Elsa and Kristoff taking cover behind a table as three guards assaulted their position. Two of them remained in cover, while one advanced forward, firing his weapon.

Acting on impulse, Anna sprinted towards the landing, leaping up onto the banister and jumping towards the crystal chandelier. She held on to its edge, but the sudden addition of her weight wrenched the chandelier loose from its mooring in the ceiling and it dropped downwards, swinging in an arc towards the lone guard.

"Elsaaaaa!" Anna cried out as her momentum propelled her forwards.

As the chandelier dipped to the bottom of its arc and began to swing upwards, she released her grip, flying through the air towards the guard. Anna adjusted the angle of her approach so that as she landed on top of him, she struck him in the chest with all of her weight and momentum. Anna landed in a crouch on top of him as the guard collapsed to the floor unconscious.

Above them, the chandelier snapped off the chain connecting it to the ceiling and barreled towards the two remaining guards. Neither could evade it in time as the chandelier careened into them with a resounding crash of broken glass and marble.

"Jesus Christ! Anna?!" Kristoff exclaimed, flinching from the explosion of glass, marble, and metal.

Elsa peeked out from cover and then gazed at Anna in awe. "Anna, that was... amazing."

"Good… because I don't think I can do that again," Anna replied, panting. "I believe we were leaving?"

"Right, let's get the hell out of here before more company shows up," Kristoff said, pacing towards the door.

Anna caught her breath and shrugged sheepishly at Elsa as they followed along.

From the other end of the foyer, rapid footsteps and shouting was approaching their location.

"Come on, run!" Elsa shouted.

On the way out, Kristoff grabbed his car keys from the now abandoned valet stand. The trio made their way to the exterior of the castle, then turned sharply towards the parking lot where their car was kept. As they ran and ducked among rows of cars, glass shattered around them as the guards opened fire once more.

"Okay! Get in!" Kristoff yelled as they approached their car.

He slid into the driver seat while behind him, Elsa crawled into the back and Anna jumped in on top of her. Throwing the car in reverse, Kristoff slammed into a car parked opposite from them, then peeled away in a cloud of dust and burning rubber.

"Heh, we have to stop meeting like this," Anna teased as she pushed herself off Elsa, who looked up at her and flushed red.

A barrage of gunfire erupted around them and Elsa pulled Anna sharply back down and shielded her younger sister with her body.

As they sped down the road and the Rahn Estate disappeared behind them, Elsa loosened her grip on Anna and pulled away first. With no signs of pursuit, they allowed themselves to finally catch their breath. For a moment, Anna sorely missed the contact before they both sat upright, glanced at each other, and chuckled.

"Whoo!" Anna pumped her fist as she shuffled away from Elsa and into her seat. "We did it! Yes!" she laughed in delight.

Kristoff glanced in the rear view mirror to look for any pursuers. "Not out of the woods yet," he said. "Let's save the celebration until we're home free."

"No signs of pursuit," Elsa peered out the shattered back window and set down her submachine gun. "How much further until we reach out second getaway car?"

"Not far," Kristoff replied. "We'll dump this one, then make a clean break."

After a few more minutes of driving in silence and after most of their adrenaline had passed, it looked like the little heist they had just pulled was successful.

"So," Anna leaned back in her seat and sighed pleasantly. "How was the auction?"