Chapter 23
Henry Swan was finally having the adventure of his dreams!
He had always known he was born for greatness. Not only was he was about to be involved in the most daring heist in history, he was playing one of the most important roles! He had proven his worth to Mr. Gold and he wasn't about to let him down now.
Tucked snugly into the cramped box, he read his comic book by flashlight while awaiting his cue. The oxygen tank was pressing up awkwardly against his legs, but he was grateful to have it. As much as he hated to admit it, it was getting uncomfortably hot in there and a little bit difficult to breathe.
But every Superhero has a weakness of some kind; breathing just happened to be his.
"Henry?" said Neal's staticky voice over the walkie-talkie. "Come in, buddy."
Henry shone his light around his feet until he found the bulky radio and pressed the call button. "Is the eagle in its nest?" he asked promptly.
There was a slight pause before Emma responded. "We left the code book at home, kid. How about…the package is secure."
"Huh?"
"Your inside the vault, buddy," added Neal. "It's safe to come out of the cart."
Henry tentatively pushed up on the lid of the golden cash cart and peeked through the narrow slit to make sure the coast really was clear. He could see metal walls and a metal ceiling with metal shelves overflowing with stacks of boring bound bills.
It was a bit of a letdown, to be honest. He had been really hoping the vault would be like Scrooge McDuck's; filled with gold coins and priceless treasures that he could go swimming in! But reality was rarely so wondrous.
Life is just far more interesting inside my head, he thought wisely.
He stood up in the cart and gave his arms and back a quick stretch. Being smuggled past armed guards had been incredibly exciting but he was glad that that part of the task was over. It had been getting a bit cramped in there.
Henry looked around the ceiling until he found the familiar round black camera. He quickly spotted it at the opposite end of the doors and enthusiastically waved for his mother to see.
"We see you, kid," Emma said promptly over the radio. "You don't have much time, okay? Do you remember where the explosives go?"
He nodded vigorously and jumped down to the floor. Picking up the briefcase very carefully, he opened it up to reveal the fake emeralds. Leroy had formed them out of highly volatile chemicals and his job was to attach them to the door.
It was time for him to a hero!
He and Mr. Gold had practiced on the fake vault doors so that he knew exactly where to stick them. Standing in the very center, using the crease as a guide, he reached up as far as his short arms could reach and attached some of the sticky playdough that he had transported in the cart with him. He then pressed the fake jewel deep into the tacky substance and waited with bated breath.
It stayed put.
He then reached his arm out to the right to measure the distance for the next one, just like Mr. Gold had taught him, and stretched up again to attach the second explosive. He repeated the gesture on the left of the first one, then once more in the center at his eye level.
Perfect!
He turned around to face the camera and gave his mother two thumbs up.
Operation Cobra was a success! Now it was all up to Archie.
~8~8~8~
"Don't forget the codes," warned Mr. Gold. "This whole plan will fall apart if you forget to take them with us."
Archie turned slightly pink as he picked up his discarded suit jacket and searched the pockets for the small piece of paper he had pilfered from Regina. True, there were only six numbers to remember, but once adrenaline kicked in and his heart started to beat like mad, it would become very difficult to concentrate. One wrong entry and they would be surrounded by armed guards within moments.
"Are you sure these things will hold us?" asked Archie nervously as he once again tested the harness's restraints by tugging at them firmly.
"We'll know soon enough if they don't," he replied, smirking slightly. He gestured to the metal beam over the long descent. "After you."
Archie's arms were now visibly shaking as he stretched them out as far as they would reach and hooked the clip around the narrow steel beam. He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and walked off the edge of the elevator's ceiling.
"Excellent," said Gold approvingly once the younger man did not fall. "Now that I know it can support your wait, there's no question it will support mine. Slide over."
Gold had of course known without a doubt that it would support a full grown man, but it was certainly entertaining to see the shocked look on Hopper's face. He could be such a pushover at times!
He attached his clip with far more ease and slid out to the center where Archie hung silently, his arms holding the thin wire in a death grip. He looked down curiously at the two hundred foot drop and noticed the dozens of red lazers that crisscrossed the entire length of the tunnel, the closest one being only a yard away from his feet. If they were to drop early it would spell disaster for them.
Once they were both securely in position, he carefully brought his wrist up to his mouth and spoke into the sleeve. "Son? We're a go."
"Papa? Is that you?" came the garbled reply in his ear piece. "Leroy bet me a thousand dollars that you'd take the wrong air vent and end up in the ladies locker room. Looks like I won."
"Then you had best tell Jefferson to work his magic because the only way Leroy can pay you is if we succeed tonight. It's a long way down, son. We have zero room for error."
~8~8~8~
Jefferson was sweating profusely in the back of the white cube van as he re-checked all of the connections to the Pinch. In the end, it had taken close to a dozen car batteries and just as many jumper cables to get the required electrical output.
It should work. At least, it should work in theory.
He wiped the perspiration from his forehead and looked over his shoulder for trouble. He would have felt safer being as far away from the Casino as possible but he was unsure how far the effects would reach. So not only was he trying to jump-start a nuclear fission device without the proper equipment, he was doing it in a darkened corner of the building's parking lot. If a nosy tourist or over-eager security guard were to stumble across him, he was dead meat!
"Jefferson?" called Emma's voice over his ear piece. "We're ready for you. It's now or never."
"Understood," he replied. Here goes nothing.
He jogged several yards away and fleetingly wished for a street lamp or another vehicle for cover. He wasn't exactly sure what would happen once the device was activated; it might do nothing or it might explode into a million pieces! Covering his private parts protectively with his hand (Grace may want to have a sibling someday), he held out the makeshift remote and pressed the button.
The connections at the terminals immediately began to spark dangerously as power was being drained from the batteries. The green liquid inside the large cylindrical tube bubbled and churned like something out of an old Frankenstein movie.
"It's alive," whispered Jefferson.
The van slowly began to shake as the Pinch vibrated from the chemical reactions taking place inside the conduits. Sparks now flew from almost every connection and the droning of the device grew deafening.
One of the batteries exploded in a gush of hot acid and Jefferson instinctively shielded his face from the platter. When he opened his eyes, it was to complete darkness.
His first reaction was that he had been blinded by the explosion but he quickly realized he felt no pain. After a just a few seconds, his eyes adjusted to the lack of light and he could make out the stars in the clear skies.
He had done it. The Pinch had worked.
Storybrooke was now completely enshrouded in darkness for the next thirty seconds.
~8~8~8~
"Ms. Mills! Can I get shot of you in front of the boxing ring for People Magazine?"
"I'm from The New York Times, Ms. Mills! Can I get a quote for tomorrow's paper?"
"Ms. Mills, I'm from O Magazine! As a former Super Model turned world renowned businesswoman, we need to know: what's your secret for flawless skin?"
Belle was unceremoniously shoved aside as more reporters crammed around her now-celebrated employer. Regina, it seemed, was in her element, hob-knobbing with the rich and famous, answering the rapid-fire questions like a pro and flashing her million dollar smile in every direction.
She sat down in her assigned seat and self-consciously smoothed the knee length dress over her legs. While she wasn't the focus of the hundreds of photographs being snapped by the minute, she would no doubt be seen in the background of some of them. She plastered a friendly smile on her face while furtively checking herself to make sure she would find no surprises when she opened the local newspaper in the morning. The last thing she wanted was a picture of herself with her bra showing or underwear peeking out!
If only she could have brought a book with her to pass the time, but Regina had forbidden it. She didn't even have her cell phone to go online. Sighing resignedly, she picked up the souvenir pamphlet that someone had thrust into her hands. It may not have been Shakespeare but it was something she could read while she waited for Regina to finish her little press tour.
The boxers tonight were supposed to be among the best in the world but she could not see the appeal of beating another person senseless for money. The Champ, Frederick, and his opponent, Peter, would have both been highly attractive young men if their noses hadn't been broken and teeth hadn't been knocked out. Poor Peter even had a bite taken out of his ear from a previous adversary!
Cheers from thousands of eager spectators drew her mind back to ring as the two athletes entered through separate entries. Frederick held the golden belt high over his head while Peter smiled roguishly at the ladies.
"History is about to made, Belle," cried Regina over the roar of the crowd. "Everyone across the world will be talking about my Casino and what happened here tonight!"
Frederick wore gold shorts, no doubt to match his Championship belt, while Peter wore red. The two men jumped in the ring and danced around the ropes to the delight of the thousands of spectators. Four TV personalities sat at a raised table with microphones, ready to announce the grand event for the benefit of those watching on HBO.
Everyone was ready and eager for the fight to begin. Regina smiled and waved then paused for a photograph before ringing the iconic bell.
Ding! Ding!
Frederick raised his fists and launched himself at Peter.
And then the world went dark.
~8~8~8~
The low lights within the elevator shaft were suddenly extinguished and the glowing red security lazer beams became inactive. Jefferson had assured them that they should get at least thirty seconds but as Gold had learned the hard way, there were no guarantees in life.
"Crack them," he ordered.
Beside him, Archie bent several glow sticks until he heard the distinctive snap. The chemicals inside immediately combined to create a neon green light within the plastic tube. Once he dropped them down into the abyss, they twirled and circled each other, becoming a swirling green vortex to the very bottom.
When they were certain their light source had landed, he gave the order. "Let's go!"
Gold pressed the release switch on his rappelling gear and immediately descended the length of the shaft. Archie lagged only a second behind, but due to their difference in heights, reached the floor at the same time.
And not a second too soon! The instant they cut their lines, the lights and lazer beams re-ignited.
"Thirty seconds, my ass!" Gold growled quietly, wincing at the pain shooting up his knee. The landing had been harder than he had been expecting.
Archie was already crouched low in front of the outer elevator doors and nodded silently to his partner. Together, they slowly and carefully pulled the doors apart a couple of inches and peered out into the brightly lit metal hall. Two armed guards were conversing tensely, no doubt on edge due to the sudden power outage. Fortunately, neither man had their hands on their weapons.
Gold removed a small metallic device from his shoe and motioned for Archie to hold his breath. He pulled open a tiny lever and immediately slid the instrument into the hall towards the guards. He briefly waited to ensure the purple smoke was indeed being pumped out of it, then quickly pushed the elevator doors closed again.
They waited a count of thirty before opening the doors once more.
The two guards were on the floor, unconscious, their radios still hooked to their belts. They hadn't had a chance to call for help or warn the others. If Emma had been successful in switching the camera feeds, they were now invisible to everyone.
He limped heavily down the short hall, supporting himself with the wall.
"What was that purple smoke?" asked Archie as he checked one of the guards for a pulse.
Gold searched his pockets for the plastic tie-downs he had brought with him and immediately got to work binding the guard's hands and feet. "Oh, just a mild sleeping gas. Don't worry about them. They may experience some frightening nightmares while they're under but they will wake up without any ill effects."
Archie retrieved the codes from his pocket and studied the panel carefully before punching in the first number. One wrong entry and the entire system would lock down. After re-checking each number twice, he finally pushed the enter key and stood back.
The heavy metal doors quickly parted to reveal a second set of equally strong doors. Gold approached them carefully and reverently ran his hand over the smooth metal.
"Behind this door is a hundred and twenty million dollars and my grandson," he said quietly.
"Grandson?" exclaimed Hopper. He ran his hand through his red hair and smiled. "I think it's time to get them out then."
"Indeed."
Gold roughly pounded on the door three times. After a short pause, they heard a faint knock from the other side four times. If memory served him, that was Henry's code to signify that the explosives were all in place and that he was ready to go. He pounded on the door twice more to acknowledge, then got to work himself.
This was the most elaborate, most unbreakable vault ever created. Nevertheless, the designers had failed to account for its one fatal flaw. There was no possible way the door could be blown open to get people in. They had never considered the possibility, however, that someone would want to blow it from the inside to get someone out.
He and Henry had practiced several times on the fake vault's doors so that they could synchronize their placements perfectly. He used his own body to measure the distances that Henry could reach and placed the chargers in the exact same spots that the young lad had stuck the explosives.
Once completed, he pounded on the door four times more to signal that he was done. They then gave the boy until the count of thirty to seek cover. "Emma? Is he clear?"
"He's covered," she replied nervously in his ear piece.
"Papa?" called Neal. "Try not to kill my son, okay?"
My son, he called him.
So Emma had finally told him. It was about bloody time too!
Smiling happily to himself, he pressed the button and set off the charges.
The door split open with a resounding crack that made his ears ring. Dark gray smoke billowed through the jagged gap, filling their lungs with burning hot air. His eyes stung painfully against the heat yet he forced his way through the opening. "Henry?" he called out desperately. "Henry! Are you all right?"
"Over there," coughed Archie, his eyes watering from the smoke.
Gold searched through the dust clouds until he finally spotted a small, dark shadow emerge from a cash cart in the corner.
"Holy Shit that was cool!" cried Henry excitedly. "Can we do it again?"
Gold breathed a sigh of relief then quickly coughed up the smoke. "We should never have let you hang out around Leroy."
~8~8~8~
Emma twitched nervously on the couch and wished that she was down in that vault with her son. Gold and Archie were even now piling a mountain of bound bills into the center of the room while Henry sat watching them. He was so observant, absorbing everything he saw and heard. While getting involved in a life of crime was the last thing she had ever wanted for her child, she had to admit that she was so very proud of him for what he did today.
Her son was loyal, brave and a faithful friend. He was smarter and more courageous than most of the grown men she had known in her life. Speaking of grown men in her life…
"Neal?" she called into the radio. He had remained long enough to see for himself that Henry was safe, then left to prepare for the next task. She hadn't wanted to remain in the hotel room by herself while the others were converging at the cannery, but it couldn't be helped. Someone had to stay behind to man the computers. "You're up. Good luck."
~8~8~8~
"Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm!" Regina shouted desperately, trying to maintain order.
It was of no use. The crowd was revolting no matter how she tried to reason with them. What the hell had caused that power outage anyway? Someone's head would roll for this, that was for damn sure!
The lights had been out for less than thirty seconds and all hell had broken loose. When they had returned, the thousands of spectators who had paid five hundred dollars or more per ticket had discovered, to their horror, that the match was over.
Peter lay on the mat in the ring, unconscious, while paramedics worked furiously over him. Frederick, in the meantime, looked dazed and confused as his coach wiped the blood from his face. No one knew what had happened in the darkness, only that Peter was out of the match and they were out of a show.
It was a complete disaster!
Regina quickly ducked as someone threw a metal fold out chair at her head. It missed her completely, hitting instead the representatives from HBO and the American Boxing Association. All around her, customers were throwing snacks, beverages and punches at her security personnel.
There was a war brewing. A war she knew she could not win.
"Get your purse!" she screamed at Belle, who was helping an elderly man to his feet. "We're getting out of here!"
Mr. Dove, her giant of a bodyguard, quickly reached her side and guided them safely through the horde. Regina knew what would happen if she didn't get out immediately; they would be out for her blood! No matter who was really responsible, it was all going to come back to her.
She had been made a fool on international television!
Hopefully her reputation was merely tarnished and not completely destroyed. She could find a way around this. She always did.
But not with that incessant shrill ringing in her ears!
"Are you going to answer that damn phone or not?" she demanded, sending Belle a scathing look.
"Why are you talking about?" asked Belle. "I didn't bring my cell phone."
The ringing continued and Belle looked around in confusion. Finally, she dipped her hand in her purse and withdrew the source of the noise. "This phone's not mine. I've never seen it before."
"See who it is."
Belle brought the cell to her ear and pressed the receive button. "Hello?"
Her eyebrows creased in consternation as she listened to what was being said on the other end, then held out the phone to Regina. "It's for you."
Regina's nostrils flared as she snatched the mysterious phone from her caretaker. "Who the hell is this?"
"The person who's robbing you."