Chapter 5 - Day 5 Part 1
"Treville says he's sent a few people to the van already to keep a look out." Porthos said, joining Aramis as he was gearing up.
The two of them had arrived at the station early, helping Treville with the cadets and ensuring that everyone knew what they were doing.
It wasn't the best timing, having a grand-scale festival and major op happen on the same day. There was never enough police presence on days like this and normally this wasn't too much of an issue, violent outbreaks successfully being kept at a minimum. But with two big jobs going on at the same time, even they had to admit they were feeling a little stretched.
Aramis looked over at the cadets who were preparing to join the officers already out on the streets.
Despite not having all of the details, they all had a rough idea of what was going on with the Vadim situation and knew that, depending on how things went, they might be short-staffed on the streets and have to deal with any problems that arose themselves.
He still remembered his first time on patrol at a festival. The doubts that had been running through his head, what if there's too many people, what if I can't control the crowds, what if someone gets hurt, but looking at the cadets now, he was proud to see their little determined faces.
"Surely Vadim won't try it for another couple of hours right?" Aramis spoke up.
"Yeah he'll probably want the crowd to grow a bit first." Porthos added, practically reading his mind.
"After today we'll finally have him behind bars." Aramis nodded to himself, glad that the whole stupid job would soon be over. D'Artagnan had only been with Vadim for a few days but it already felt like this whole thing had started a lifetime ago.
"Yeah, that's if we actually manage to catch him this time." Porthos commented, watching as more officers left to join their colleagues.
"Don't jinx it! Anyway, isn't all this maybe a bit much? I mean Vadim's only one guy and all he's doing is trying to steal a painting, it's not like he's planning mass murder or anything."
Porthos replied, not looking up as he concentrated on securing his vest. "Now who's jinxing it? There's a reason we've been after Vadim for this long. We might think we know his whole plan, but I guarantee you he's got some added surprise up his sleeve. He's a sneaky little bastard. Plus it's never just him. He might be the lead, but he's got his whole wormy crew to back him up."
"You know, next time I need some reassurance that everything's going to be okay, I'm definitely not coming to you." Aramis said, deadpan.
Porthos laughed before quietly adding, "He's gonna be okay. Whatever goes down today, our boy's gonna be okay."
. . . . . .
The festival was in full swing by the time Athos had returned from dropping off the equipment for d'Artagnan.
D'Artagnan hadn't given them a time of when Vadim's plan was going to take place, so they knew they had to be ready at any time.
Weaving his way past the festival go-ers, Athos spotted his friends talking to a small group of teenagers sporting some very brightly coloured attire. The young girls of the group seemed very eager to give the officers the flower crowns they had been wearing on their heads.
As Athos approached he could hear them giggling.
"See, a bit of colour can't hurt!" a sweet looking brunette laughed as she got down from her friend's back - the extra height having helped her fulfil her mission.
"It can when they're on duty…" Athos commented.
The young girl turned to face him, appearing quite nervous all of a sudden.
Athos hated when that happened. Where the others were always able to make the public feel comfortable enough to have a laugh with them, he always seemed to make people anxious. Maybe it was the commanding tone of his that he could never shake off.
"Athos, leave them alone, they're not doing any harm," Aramis smiled at him.
"I know," Athos smiled back before turning to the girl, "thank you for the flowers, I'm sure it'll give the boys back at the station something to laugh about."
The girl gave him a wide grin before finding herself being pulled away down the street by her friends who were already eager to get on.
"Did it go okay?" Aramis asked, taking the flower crown off his head, but keeping hold of it.
"Yeah," Athos replied simply, before leading them down the road.
They smiled at many of the passers by as they were walking.
They were waved at by a stall owner they had helped out last month.
They bumped into Brujon and Marcel, glad to see they were handling everything okay.
They spotted Marguerite at one of the stalls but were quickly shepherded away by Aramis before she caught a glimpse of them.
They didn't see Vadim.
Or his followers.
Or d'Artagnan.
. . . . . .
Positioned down a side road next to the museum was a black van, seemingly inconspicuous alongside other cars that had been parked nearby. Yet what couldn't be seen inside were the three police officers frivolously keeping tabs on nearby activity for any hints that Vadim's plan had begun.
Porthos opened the back door and ushered the others inside.
"Vadim's on the move, they left about ten minutes ago, haven't got much more than that at the moment," Elodie informed them as they entered, nodding to the waveform on the monitor in front of her.
The lack of activity on the screen supported what she was saying and some low murmurings on top of a slight crackling was all that could be heard from one of the speakers.
At least d'Artagnan's microphone was working.
"Has there been any problems yet? Any unrest outside the museum?" Athos asked, surveying the aerial maps of the town that had been brought up on another screen.
"Not as of yet, as far as we know they all left the library at the same time," Dominic replied.
"And there's some officers already stationed inside for when they do show up." Annabelle added, looking up from her screen.
"So now we wait…" Porthos said, looking over at Aramis.
The two of them always hated waiting. Despite their admired ability to put off doing any ounce of work in the office, they were the types of people who found themselves getting restless and irritable very easily if they didn't have something to do (or something they should be doing), especially out in the field.
So much so that Athos had activity refused to be partnered with either of them in the past if they were ever required for a stake-out.
But this time it was different. Both of them could sense in the other that something about that had shifted slightly. This time they weren't just eager to get the job sorted, they were eager to get their boy home. And the longer that took, the more possibilities there were for anything to happen.
Suddenly, Vadim's voice could be heard through the speakers making them all alert.
The beginning of the end had begun.
. . . . . .
D'Artagnan had awoken early that morning, feeling jittery and quite eager to get the day over with. A feeling, he realised, he'd been having a lot lately.
He discreetly fitted the earpiece and microphone that Athos had dropped off for him before heading out the door
By the time he reached the library, Vadim was ready to go. The other guys were hanging around the place as well, but he could see that they were all ready to leave as soon as Vadim said the word.
When Vadim spotted him standing in the doorway he gave him a simple nod before calling Felix over and whispering something in his ear.
D'Artagnan eyed them suspiciously but chose to think nothing of it, knowing that whatever was going on, he was probably never going to find out anyway.
Vadim then called the others over before walking straight past d'Artagnan, out through the front door.
Little was said during the short journey to the festival. D'Artagnan stayed at the back of their small group, Lucie keeping close to his right. He noticed how strangely quiet she was being, nerves keeping her from rambling on as she had often done, and realised for the first time since meeting her just how young she really was and how the outgoing and outspoken personality of hers was so easily reversed.
The group slowed as they reached the point where they would separate.
Ahead, the festival could be seen in full swing.
Vadim stepped closer to Felix, intensely looking him in the eyes as if trying to determine one last time whether he could be trusted or not, "You know what to do."
Felix nodded in response before leading his group towards the growing mass of people.
"Christophe, with me." Vadim didn't spare a glance in his direction as he walked away.
As they were heading their separate ways, Lucie looked back to give him a little thumbs up, mouthing good luck, and d'Artagnan couldn't help but smile.
Whatever happened to Vadim after today, he really hoped that Lucie would be okay. In the short time he had known her, he deeply believed that she was a good person. A good person given a bad hand in life. If caught, he knew that she would have to be tried according to the crimes she was committing, but really, she didn't deserve to lumped with criminals like Vadim.
"What we are about to accomplish will go down in history forever," Vadim suddenly spoke up.
Bit overdramatic, but sure, if that's what Vadim thought.
D'Artagnan followed behind him as he was talking. He had briefly seen the route that Vadim planned to take them but he wasn't too sure of the exact roads that led them to the back entrance of the museum. He was more than happy to let Vadim lead the way.
Observing the names of the streets they were passing he realised just how strange it was to see the streets so empty. He could hear the echo-y cheers erupting from the festival and thought about just how unaware those people were about what was going on. He hoped they were all having fun.
Before he could ponder on it more, Vadim turned a corner and brought d'Artagnan out of his thoughts. He hadn't been listening to a word Vadim was saying.
"-has been an honour to include you in this d'Artagnan."
Vadim really thought it was an honour? He hadn't even been working with him for that long.
"Wow, this guy talks more than me."
D'Artagnan had to stifle a laugh. Dear god, Aramis please stop or I'll blow my cover.
Vadim turned down a left road.
"Is he there yet? D'Artagnan, are you there yet?"
"Porthos stop putting him off. Keep going d'Artagnan."
D'Artagnan fought with the urge to fiddle with his earpiece. He forgot how off-putting it was to have people talking to you through those things when you were trying to concentrate.
His friends were nervous. He knew it was because they cared about him and wanted him to be safe, but right now they were really starting to make him feel uneasy.
"You see d'Artagnan, I'm very proud of this trick. To fool this many people, it's something I never thought I would be able to accomplish."
D'Artagnan couldn't see his face, but he could tell that he was smirking.
He couldn't wait for Vadim to just get caught already. The criminal thought he was so smart and that nothing could go wrong for him. D'Artagnan wanted to finally wipe the smug look off his face.
D'Artagnan was starting to pay less attention to what Vadim was saying and was focusing more on his surroundings. He wasn't quite sure where they were but he was certain they weren't following the planned route. In fact, weren't they heading in the complete opposite direction to the museum?
Before he could ask if they were going the right way, Vadim noticed him faltering.
"This way, d'Artagnan."
Turning the corner, d'Artagnan wondered if, actually, all of his hard work undercover had just led him down a dead end. Literally. There was no painting, no back entrance to the museum, just an alley way blocked off by a brick wall.
The earpiece crackled again before Porthos' worried voice came through loud and clear. "D'Artagnan, how does Vadim know your name?"
D'Artagnan froze, realisation washing over him.
Vadim knew.
"Give it to me."
D'Artagnan looked up to see that Vadim had stopped.
"Take them out and give them to me now!"
He could hear that Athos was still talking to him but he was too focused on the man in front of him to notice what was being said. He knew he had to comply with Vadim. He pulled the earpiece out of his ear from under his hair and unclipped the microphone, handing them both over. Vadim quickly snatched them out of his hand and threw them to the floor before smashing them completely with his heavy boot.
D'Artagnan lifted his chin and defiantly made eye contact with the man in front of him. "It doesn't matter what you do to me Vadim, you've already failed. I told them everything," he spoke up confidently.
"Well it's a shame you sent them to the wrong place then, isn't it?"
D'Artagnan's face fell. "What?"
"I saw right through you the moment you introduced yourself to me. You've told the Musketeers exactly what I wanted you to tell them."
"No…" d'Artagnan whispered in disbelief.
"I've been playing you d'Artagnan." Vadim taunted, smirking ever so slightly. "It's just a shame you weren't paying attention. The secret to a good trick?"
"Make people look the wrong way," d'Artagnan whispered to himself, puzzle pieces finally clicking into place. "This was your plan right from the start. You never intended to steal the painting."
Vadim gave him a surprised looked. "Obviously not. I'm a little insulted you and your friends even bought that story. A painting? Seriously? No, you see, the real plan was put into action weeks ago and in one hour's time I will finally get what I've always wanted."
"And what's that?" D'Artagnan asked. But Vadim didn't answer his question. Only smiled.
"The others - Felix, Lucie - they're probably all at the museum by now, distracting your stupid little friends."
"They'll figure out what you're doing," D'Artagnan told him, unwilling to give up.
"Maybe, but when your precious Musketeers finally work out what's going on they'll have a choice to make won't they? Stop me, or save you."
"Save me?" d'Artagnan questioned before spotting the shiny glint of metal being concealed in Vadim's palm.
Suddenly d'Artagnan knew he was going to have a fight on his hands. This was his moment, his moment to prove that he was going to complete his mission and take down the target.
Vadim slowly stalked towards him, gripping the knife upright, allowing d'Artagnan to see just how big the weapon was. "You didn't actually think I was just going to let you go did you?"
Taking a breath and poising himself, d'Artagnan was the first to make a move. He kicked high, aiming for Vadim's hand, but Vadim had anticipated this move as he quickly threw the knife from his right hand to his left and before d'Artagnan could balance himself again, Vadim had kicked him in the side, knocking him to the floor.
Luckily D'Artagnan had managed to get his hands to the ground before his head hit the floor and he was able to push himself to his feet in a matter of seconds.
Lowering his body slightly and holding his fists up to guard his face, d'Artagnan prepared himself again. He could practically hear Athos' voice in his head, no more of this impulsive behaviour of yours. Your recklessness could mean the failure of this assignment. He had to focus.
Taking in his mentor's wise words, d'Artagnan took a second to confirm to himself his strategy.
As Vadim went to make another move, d'Artagnan kicked again, this time aiming for the other man's knee cap and he was rewarded with a loud yelp from Vadim before he fell back, gripping his knee.
Without a second thought d'Artagnan jumped straight onto Vadim, grabbing his left wrist and whacking it on the ground beside his head several times before the knife fell out of his grip.
Realising that he was losing, Vadim retaliated. Head butting the boy forcefully left d'Artagnan dazed for a few seconds and gave Vadim the opportunity to reach for the knife again. His fingers were so close they were practically touching the metal, but as he couldn't reach he instead chose to grip d'Artagnan's shoulders and tried to push him off.
Still disorientated from the blow to his head, d'Artagnan was slow to react. Vadim shoved the boy onto his side and reached towards the knife once more.
D'Artagnan's eyes squeezed shut involuntarily as his vision swam slightly, his head pounding all of a sudden, but he knew he couldn't stop now. He quickly jumped up and attempted to regain his footing.
But it was too late.
As d'Artagnan turned to face Vadim and deliver his next blow he felt a burning white hot pain in his side.
Unaware of what had happened he looked down to find the source of his pain and there it was. Embedded in his right side just above his hip was the knife he had been fighting to reach.
Still gripping the handle of the knife, Vadim was also staring at what he had just done. Obviously pleased with the outcome he smirked in amazement at the boy before pulling the knife out with a hard tug.
D'Artagnan thought the pain beforehand was bad, but as the knife exited his body he could feel even more skin being broken, more of his insides being sliced, and his warm, red life-force was now free to pour out from inside of him.
His hand shakily found its way to his side as he stumbled back, colliding with the wall behind him.
His knees gave out from under him and he slowly slid down the wall until he was on the floor.
Vadim, knowing that the man in front of him would not be getting up again to stop him, felt happy to leave his victim where he was and get away before he was caught.
He adjusted his grip on the knife and turned back down the alley way, shuffling along as his newly acquired injuries made themselves very aware to him.
. . . . . .
The surveillance van they were sitting in wasn't as big as Athos had once remembered so he was quite glad when Dominic had left to take his position outside.
D'Artagnan hadn't said much on his way to the festival but it wasn't long before they heard the group split up.
"Right, they should reach the museum soon. Is everyone ready?" Elodie inquired, still hunched over her laptop.
They all murmured that they were as Annabelle leaned over Porthos' shoulder to turn the microphone on and increase the volume of the speaker.
They could hear Vadim's voice at a slight distance and noticed that d'Artagnan wasn't saying a word.
"I truly trust everyone who has been a part of this, they've come a long way with me, and I know you haven't been with us for long, but I must say, it has been an honour to include you in this d'Artagnan."
Aramis started tapping his fingers on the table."Wow, this guy talks more than me."
Athos rolled his eyes at Aramis' comment as Porthos leaned towards the microphone.
"Is he there yet? D'Artagnan, are you there yet?"
Athos hit him lightly on the shoulder, "Porthos stop putting him off. Keep going d'Artagnan."
Porthos leaned back in his chair as his gaze wandered to Aramis raising his eyebrows as they both shared a smile.
"You see d'Artagnan, I'm very proud of this trick. To fool this many people, it's something I never thought I would be able to accomplish."
Aramis scoffed as he swivelled back and forth a little on his chair.
"This way, d'Artagnan."
Porthos chuckled at Aramis' complete disinterest of Vadim's ramblings but then his face fell as he had finally realised something.He had been getting the feeling that something was off, but only now had it come to him, "D'Artagnan, how does Vadim know your name?"
Athos and Aramis turned to look at him and Porthos could see the second where it clicked for them too.
Athos leant forward and grabbed hold of the microphone, "d'Artagnan get away from him now!" He could feel his chest tightening. "How long has he known, we were so careful about everything!"
"Give it to me…Take them out and give them to me now!"
"No, no d'Artagnan, don't give it to him, just run," Aramis whispered, his eyes not leaving the screen as the waves spiked from the mic being handled. Static unexpectedly erupted through the speakers and the waveform flatlined.
"What the hell just happened?" Porthos asked, eyes not leaving the screen. Nobody had an answer.
One more day and it was all supposed to be over. D'Artagnan was supposed to be back home with them.
But Vadim had known. Had he known the entire time? Was this entire thing actually a trap for them? And if so, what did Vadim really have planned?
Athos was trembling, the small surveillance van feeling even smaller.
Aramis thought back to the young girls with the flower crowns, were they safe? Was anyone at the festival safe? They had underestimated Vadim. Again.
Now anyone could be hurt because of them.
D'Artagnan could be hurt because of them.
Athos got up without a word, grabbed one of the standard issue guns that was on the side and forced open the doors.
Aramis and Porthos didn't need to be told to follow him.
. . . . . .
Vadim staggered down the street, blood still dripping down the knife clutched in his hand. He didn't care that people were staring at him as he passed, watching with fear in their eyes. He had done what he had to do.
He had almost reached the town square where they'd never be able to find him amongst all the people there. A few more steps and he'd be free forever.
He should have walked quicker.
Feeling the cool metal of a pistol pressed against the back of his head made him stop walking and hearing the pistol cock made him freeze completely.
"Turn around." Athos' gruff voice gave the instruction that Vadim knew he should follow.
He turned to face the trio, putting his hands up slowly to show that he was no threat.
How he momentarily forgot about the knife in his hand he'll never know.
He knew in that split second that he wasn't going to get out of it easily now, so he might as well turn the situation around to his advantage.
He swung the knife down towards Athos, ready to cut down anything in his path.
Athos was fully prepared to take Vadim down there and then, but seeing that the knife was covered in blood made him think otherwise. He jumped back, out of the way of the impending sharp object, before recovering quickly and bringing his gun up to aim at Vadim's head once more.
Fixated on the red dripping off the blade, Athos knew he should be doing something, asking questions, but he couldn't find his voice, a thousand scenarios running around his brain of what could have happened. All of them involving d'Artagnan being hurt.
Needing answers, Porthos stepped forward, his gun also pointed at Vadim, "What did you do Vadim?" he demanded.
"What I should have done days ago." He replied, causing Porthos and Aramis to share a worried look out of the corner of their eyes.
Hearing this, however, spurred Athos into action. He pushed Vadim into the brick wall behind him, pinning his hands to the side of his head, knocking the knife from his grasp. "Where is d'Artagnan, Vadim? What have you done to him?"
To anyone walking past Athos' whispered question would not have seemed threatening at all, but Vadim could see the fury in his eyes, could see that this man was prepared to do anything to get his brother back.