Part 4
"This is huge. Prison… huge. You will go to prison, you know that, right?" Riley asked as they sat on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
"Yeah, probably." Ben replied.
"That would… bother most people." Riley stated.
"It bothers me." Etta said and Katie nodded furiously in agreement.
"I think it's worth looking at." Abby piped up.
"Yeah. This could be fun." Erica agreed.
"Ben, for god's sake, it's like… It's like stealing a national monument. It's like stealing him." Riley pointed at the Lincoln Memorial. "It can't be done. Not that it shouldn't be done but it can't be done." A light bulb seemed to appear over Riley's head. "Let me prove it to you." He motioned for them to follow him.
"Couldn't you just tell us?" Erica asked no one.
"Okay, pay attention. I've brought you to the Library of Congress. Why? Because it's the biggest library in the world. Over 20 million books. And they're all saying the same thing. Listen to Riley." Riley began.
"That's why we're here." Abby grinned.
"What we have here is an entire layout of the Archives. We've got builder's blueprints, construction orders, phone bills, water and sewage. It's all here. Now, when the Declaration is on display, it's surrounded by guards… and video monitors… and little families from Iowa… and little kids on their 8th grade field trips. And beneath and inch of bullet-proof glass is an army of sensors and heat monitors that go off if someone gets too close with a high fever. When it's not on display, it is lowered into a 4 foot thick, concrete, steel plated vault that happens to be equipped with an electric combination lock and biometric access and denial systems."
Erica nodded thoughtfully making Etta snort at the obvious ruse.
"Did you understand that?" Etta asked.
"Did you?" Erica shot back.
"I did if you did."
"Did you know Thomas Edison tried and failed nearly 2,000 times to develop the carbonized cotton thread filament for the incandescent light bulb? He said 'I didn't fail, I just found 2,000 ways not to make a light bulb.' But he only needed one way to make it work." Ben said.
"I feel the same way about my computer." Etta laughed.
"The preservation room." Ben continued on, "Enjoy, go ahead. Do you know what the preservation room is for?"
"Delicious jams and jellies?" Riley guessed.
"It's the National Archives, Riley, not the grocery store." Abby commented.
"That's where they clean, maintain, and repair all the documents and storage housings when they aren't on display or in the vault. Now when the case needs work…"
"They take it to the preservation room." Katie finished.
"Exactly. The best time for us, or Ian, to steal it would be during the Gala this weekend, when the guards are distracted by the VIPs upstairs." Ben said as he showed the research to Riley and the girls. "But we'll make our way to the preservation room where there's much less security." Ben concluded. Riley thumbed through the book, looking for some glitch in Ben's plan.
"Well if Ian…Preservation room…The gala… this might be possible." Riley admitted.
"It might."
"Whoo! Adventure here we come!" Erica cried.
"C'mon girls! I'm sure you look fine!" Ben called from the living room of his flat.
Erica and Abby had volunteered to go undercover surveillance while Katie and Etta "helped" Riley in the van. Erica was going to point out that the two knew nothing about computers when Etta announced that they needed dresses. The woman at the dress rental parlor was so pleased with how the dresses she gave them a generous discount.
"What is it with girls and being obsessed with their looks?" Riley asked putting a pillow over his face.
"I believe we agreed the term was passionate." Abby said, from the doorway.
Erica had gotten a strapless, full-length red dress with silver embroidery around the top and the hem. She had pulled her hair back into a bun fastened with a silver dragonfly clip. From her hair clip down to her strappy red heels, she looked the part of a wealthy socialite. Erica stared at the mirror happily, turning around to admire her dress from every angle.
Abby's dress, though also strapless, was full-length and made of dark green velveteen material with Celtic patterns stitched in gold across the top. It was cinched in at the top, flaring out gracefully down to her green suede heels. Katie had managed to smooth Abby's hair into a half plait that was fastened halfway with a golden butterfly clip. Like Erica, she was dressed to fit the part. The empire waist of her dress was great for her figure which was a little larger than the other girls. Although Katie had spouted praises of the dress, she couldn't help but feel somewhat self-conscious.
"You girls look great." Ben said nodding his approval. "Now if we could move this little party into the van, please?"
As everyone filed outside towards the van, Abby noticed that Riley was having problems with his laptop bag again.
"Here." She said, batting his hands away. She fixed the strap so it would fit him comfortably. Riley stared down at her, brows knit in concentration. "What?" she asked.
"Since when are your eyes blue?" he asked.
"Since I was born." She replied, laughing nervously.
"I never noticed… I-"
"C'mon guys!" Katie called.
"Coming!" Abby called back. "You were saying?"
"Nothing. You look nice. We'd better go before Ben freaks out." He replied.
"I heard that!"
Katie and Etta settled down in the back of the van, adjusting their headsets. Katie kept tugging at hers nervously.
"What's up Katie?" Etta asked.
"I just feel like something's going to go wrong, don't you?" she leaned over and whispered. "Like something we would know from outside the movie."
"Don't think on it too hard." She replied.
"Ok. We'll see you guys later." Abby said, eyes once more studying the screens. As she leaned across Riley to get her bag, she felt something press against her cheek. It took a moment for her to register that Riley had kissed her. She sat back on her knees and stared at him for a moment shocked before a smile broke out across her face. Erica grabbed her arm, tugging her towards the door.
"C'mon. It's show time."
"Good luck." Katie and Etta called.
"You'll need it." Katie added in softer tones.
"Ben are you sure we should do th-" Riley was cut off by the door slamming in his face.
"Apparently so." Etta laughed.
"Can you hear me?" Ben asked.
"Unfortunately, yes."
"Same here?" Abby asked.
"Testing one, two, three." Erica said.
"Gotcha both loud and clear." Etta replied.
"Where are you now, Ben?" Riley asked after a moment.
"I'm in the bathroom."
"How do you look?"
"Not bad."
"Mazel tov." Riley muttered.
Meanwhile, Abby and Erica headed to the back of the building where two guards were standing watch. Etta and Katie listened intently to their charade.
"Oh no!" Abby began, putting on a British lilt to disguise her voice.
"What?" Erica asked.
"I think I lost my invitation. And after all I went through to get it too."
"But you had mine too." There was a pause.
"Oh…hello." They heard Abby put on a flirty tone.
"Hey there." Erica said with what sounded like a smirk.
"Hello. And what are two beautiful ladies such as yourselves doing outside of the gala?" A far off voice asked,
"I'm afraid we've lost our invitations."
"Sorry, miss, but we can't let you in without an invite." The guard's voice sounded closer than before.
"That's too bad…"
"Mmh-hmm. And after we made a huge donation."
"You could go around front and check in."
"Oh my ex-boyfriend is working in the front. If he sees me I'll never get through. He's such a loser and…" Abby paused, probably to flash a flirty smile at the other guard. "He's certainly not as handsome as yourself."
"Well… if you try and stay discreet. I'm sure we could sneak you in. What do you think Jake?" the first guard said. Riley didn't like how close he sounded to the microphone hidden in her bra.
"Oh I agree." The other one said, also very close to the microphone.
"Speed it up girls." Ben's voice was short in their ears.
"Thank you." Abby said sickly sweet. "We'll be very quiet." A long pause marked their entrance into the building.
"Here we are. Of course… you don't have to go to the gala." The first guard said, his voice once again close to the microphone.
"Yeah. You ladies could always stay here."
"Oh we couldn't."
"Well…" Erica began.
"We couldn't possibly." Abby said more forcefully. "Shame though…"
"I'll say."
"A kiss then. Just one."
"Yes. What he said."
"Well, I… I…"
"No harm ever came from just one kiss." Erica said. There was a marked pause from the lines of both girls long enough for Etta and Katie to start laughing. Riley's hands fisted on his knees.
"Bye." Erica said.
"Yeah… Bye."