CHAPTER 5
MR. ARKLYT' S VILLA - YHITA
Their plan was, in theory, relatively easy: get in, mingle for a while, shut down the power, steal the book, get out. In practice, they had only a vague idea of the complete layout of the place, and no certain knowledge of where the relic would be while it waited to be auctioned. That was the reason why they had to mingle; people loved to talk and tell everyone everything they knew if it meant boasting their knowledge over someone else's ignorance. With a little push here and there, there were pretty high chances they would find out what they needed with little to no hustle. They also had a cover to keep them safe, and she made sure to remind the two men about it as Xander drove them through the traffic and towards the Villa.
Eyien was going in as herself, as she was quite known for her freelance work and it wouldn't be suspicious of her to be there; she would partake in the auction on behalf of an imaginary client, biding their time as Kraglin, who was to be her plus one, would try to slip out unnoticed to the maintenance room and cut the power. Yondu was the muscles, obviously. He would be introduced as her personal bodyguard, and he would be the one to steal the book once the lights were down; hence the glasses he was wearing. They all were also wearing earpieces, Xander as well, so that they could communicate easily throughout the whole thing.
When the car passed through the gates, Eyien was momentarily stunned at the sight of the Villa; not many remained from so long ago, having been replaced by sky high building all made out of glass and steel, and the few that still stood were either museums or abandoned. It was her first time setting foot in one, and she imagined that it must have been the same for her two companions. When she turned to them, as the car gently rolled in the driveway, she saw her own same expression mirrored on Kraglin's face. He was from Xandar, too, and she knew for a fact that there was not one building like this one on the whole planet. What surprised her, though, was the expressionless features on Yondu's face. He seemed almost bored with the magnificent architecture, the rich details and the grandeur of the gardens that surrounded them, as if it was a view he had seen a million times before.
The car stopped at the front entrance before she could comment on it, and so she filed the information away to be examined later. Once her heeled feet touched the gravel, she wasn't just Eyien anymore, she was Eyien Vlitch, the tracer, freeloader extraordinaire. Her whole demeanor shifted from wide-eyed ex-citement, to cool professionalism, and when she walked past the entrance, flanked by the two men, her whole being exuded confidence and competence. She was there to succeed, no other outcome would be accepted.
Her design shoes ticked on the marble floor as she approached the man dressed in black standing in front of the main hall double doors.
He eyed her and her companions behind his visor, taking a few seconds to make sure they were on the guest list, and then nodded, opening the door for them.
Eyien strolled confidently in the room, definitely fashionably late if the stares she received were anything to go by. She smirked at the crowd that welcomed them, her eyes already scanning for familiar faces; she recognized a few here and there, and she made a mental note to engage them before the end of the night. Just because she was there for Yondu didn't mean she couldn't work on her own investigation in the meantime.
A cute Kylorean waiter walking in front of her caught her attention for a moment, and she waved at him to retrieve three chalices from his trail before he disappeared in the crowd again.
"Let's toast gentlemen, to a job well done" she prompted, smiling as she twirled around to them. She handed them the chalices with a smile, raising hers when her hands where free.
"We haven't even started, why we toastin'?" Yondu replied skeptically, raising his glass nonetheless to meet hers halfway.
"Because I'm the Tracer, of course" she said matter-of-factly, clinking her glass with Kraglin's, who just chuckled while shaking his head. He remembered this tradition of hers, had partaken in it on more than one occasion, and true to her words, she had never failed one job.
"We'll see lassie. I'll celebrate once you got ma' book" the mercenary shrugged her off, downing whatever bubbling drink she had snatched from the waiter. The liquid went down his throat like it was water, and already his distaste grew louder. It wasn't enough that he had to be dressed like a fuckin' prostitute, the place had to be a bloody villa so similar to the ones his masters used to have…
Bitterness was the only thing he could feel at the moment, his hands itching at the prospect of the many hours that he had to still endure before it was all done.
"Should we get started? I feel like a walk around the room will give us an idea of how many guards are in this place" she proposed after finishing her own drink.
Kraglin offered her his arm in reply, and she happily hooked her own through his, resting her hand in the crook of his elbow. Yondu trailed behind them, his look threatening enough to keep away the most annoying of the people.
They moved towards the center of the room, and immediately his eyes picked off three clearly armed guards standing in front of the pompous staircase leading to the upper floor. Eyien noticed them too, but also recognized a couple faces that were clearly guards despite their attire. It should have been a given that there would be some mixed with the guests, but she was confident she'd have all picked out before an hour could pass.
"Eyien Vlitch, you incredibly filthy bitch, is that you?" a voice popped up from their right, and three heads turned to watch a clearly Astran man strode towards them with purpose guiding his steps.
Eyien eyes lit in recognition, and she stepped forward to meet him with a glowing smile on her painted lips.
"Jazz! You son of a whore! What the hell are you doing here?!" she laughed, draping her arms around her friend in a hug.
Jazz squeezed her back with eagerness, his face openly and pleasantly surprised.
"I could ask you the same question, you rascal! Last time I saw you, you disappeared without saying good-bye! And now the first thing I hear after years, is about that massive bounty on your head!"
Eyien huffed a laughter at his bewilderment, patting his shoulder amicably.
"Yeah, I know, I know. I've had some pretty shitty luck lately" she said, throwing a side glance at both Yondu and Kraglin, who were still standing a way back where she had left them.
"I wouldn't call those bad luck, if you know what I mean" he offered suggestively, basically leering at both men.
"They're certainly something" she chuckled, her eyes trailing over Yondu's frame almost involuntarily.
"Aaaah, I see. Fancy yourself a rugged man, do you now?" her friend teased her, elbowing her gently. When she whipped her head to him with a glare, he simply wiggled his perfectly drawn eyebrows at her.
"Yeah, no. Not gonna happen" she scowled.
"Mmmh c'mon, he certainly looks tasty" he went on, his eyes ranking over Yondu in an almost predatory way that made Yin shiver.
Jazz was always so forward with everything, and somehow she had forgotten just how crude he could be if left unchecked.
"Drop it Jazz, please" she begged him, trying hard not to let her façade slip with so many eyes trained on her. She had no time to think how well that suite hugged Yondu's body, she had to focus on gathering in-formation as quickly as she could.
"All right, but if you don't have anything in contrary, I'm calling dips on the pale one" he shrugged, nodding his head towards Kraglin, who noticed the movement and smiled to back politely.
"You have my blessing, now can we talk of something else? I'm in need of some info" she cut it short, making sure to have his undivided attention before he slipped away.
"Ah, I knew you weren't here purely for pleasure. Ask me, and I shall tell you what I know" Jazz offered, dipping his head at her. He was always a reliable source when it came to this sort of things; in fact Yin had met him exactly while digging around in search of some information. Since that day, she hadn't relied on any other broker, if she could.
"Do you know where they are keeping the items before auctioning them? There is a certain something I have to retrieve before it gets sold out" she explained, keeping her words as vague as she could in hope not to give too much away to any wandering ear.
Jazz hummed low, amusement lacing his voice.
"Up the stairs, first door on the left. Not an easy fit you're trying to accomplish, my dear. There is quite a bit of security present, you won't be able to just waltz in there" he mused, his eyes trailing over the three armed guards she had already spotted before.
"I know, but I'm not going to just waltz in, I actually have a plan, and it's going to work. It has to" Eyien stressed, but offered no further explanation to the astran man.
"Well, I wish you luck Eyien. Just try not stain the marble if you can, it would be a pity" Jazz chuckled drily as he took off, but not before sparing a nod and a sultry look to both Yondu and Kraglin when he passed them.
Eyien followed his example, and moved back to her companions for the night.
"Got anything useful?" Kraglin asked, and she noticed he was still looking at the retreating back of Jazz. "Yes, actually. If Jazz's information are reliable, and they usually are, the items are kept in the first room on the left of the upper floor. There is a lot of security going on, but I'm sure we can handle that once the power is out. The device that I gave you should give us about five minutes before the back-up generator goes online, I trust you can take care of the guards?" she asked Yondu, who did not interrupt his brooding to give her his assent. "Good, the auction should start any minute now, I will remain in the room to avoid any suspicions, but if there's anything, feel free to contact me" she said, pointing at the ear piece they were all wearing.
"Should we get the party starting?" Kraglin asked with a smile, his every fiber ready and eager to get to work once more with Eyien. He was as excited as a kid receiving his first hooverboard, and it showed.
"By all means" Eyien replied, already moving towards a table where some more glasses had been placed for the guests. She picked one up, returned to Kraglin, and promptly threw the contents in his face.
"Get out of my sight, you filth! Next time I catch you making dealings behind my back, I'll smear the floor with your blood" Eyien hissed at him, voice loud enough to be heard through the hall. Both men blinked in confusion at her sudden burst, reacting perfectly to the scene, landing the whole charade some more credibility.
"What the-" Kraglin choked out, shock and confusion dancing all over his face.
"I think the Lady wants you to leave, boy" Yondu deadpanned, side stepping in front of her. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, his muscles rippling under the fancy fabric of the jacket as he did so. His subordinate glanced quickly between the two, both wearing impassive and unreadable expression, and caught the sparkle in Yin's eyes. He followed her cue, storming off the hall in his best impression of indignation. His feet carried him past one of the bodyguards, right in a secondary room that was appropriately empty.
After the display, murmurs started to bubble all over the hall, making Yin smirk, pleased with her work. She let go of a huff, dismissing the whole thing, and turned on her heels towards the room that would host the auction. Yondu followed closely behind, that scowl still in place over his blue features.
"Scowl a little more, and I'm sure we could intimidate the host in giving us the book without much fuss" Eyien chuckled, bending a bit towards him as they walked, taking care not to fall back next to him.
"You could always try to throw a glass in his face, too" Yondu bit back with some snark, taking her by sur-prise. She was about to reply in kind when her earpiece buzzed on, Kraglin's voice coming through loud and clear.
So, I'm not appreciating the sticky situation you put me in, but I gotta say it was well executed he pointed out, and from the way his voice was bouncing, she knew he was already getting in to position.
"Why thank you. It was my pleasure" she laughed back.
I'm making my way down right now. Shouldn't be long before I get on point. Has the auction started yet? he asked, right before the voice of the host, Mr. Arklyt, rang clearly in his ear.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my pleasure to welcome you all in my humble abode. With no further ado, I'm ecstatic to present you the selection for this year!"
Eyien observed as behind the man appeared a series of holograms, each displaying the items that were going to be auctioned. Sure enough, her attention was soon captured by the 3D representation of the Sacred Texts, floating towards the front of the line; if that was the presentation order, then it meant that their book would be the third item to be put up.
"Would you look at that book! There, the third of the row. It looks absolutely intriguing!" she exclaimed out loud, seemingly to Yondu, but clearly talking to Kraglin.
Got it. Getting close! I'll give you the all clear once the device is ready to go he replied, sprinting down the ominous hallway.
If he wasn't mistaken, he had to take another bend left and…there! At the end of the corridor stood the door he was looking for.
He didn't bother knocking, he just kicked the door in like a badass, and delivered his line before any of the three guards could react:
"Sorry fellas, party's over!" he yelled, promptly dropping a gas grenade at his feet. The surprise effect was enough for him to activate his mask before the grenade went off, successfully stunning the three. Kraglin then methodically proceeded to pick them off one by one with the gun he had strapped under his armpit. The guards fell to the ground with a satisfying thud just as the gas dispersed through the air ducts.
It took him a solid minute to find the control panel he needed, letting out a victorious little cry when he finally found it.
"Alright, I'm ready to go on your mark" he said through his ear piece, taking the device Eyien had given him out of his pocket.
Do it now, we are in position she whispered back.
Kraglin positioned the little metallic box over the power controls, and immediately it started beeping, flashing red three times before it turned green. Once the color switched, she heard the distinctive sound of the power going down.
He had done his part, now it was up to Eyien and Yondu to do the rest.
The lights went off suddenly, and a wave of satisfaction washed through her as panicked screams started to spread through the salon. She quickly turned on her visor, spinning back towards Yondu.
"Here's your change Mr. Captain, don't screw it up. First door on the left up the stairs, go!" she hurried him, but he was already moving before she could finish the sentence.
A whistle resonated in the air, and Yin could clearly see the hot red trail of Yondu's arrow pirouetting deadly through the room. She took a deep breath and hoped for the best.
She couldn't afford to flunk this, she needed him to have his relic, so that she could flee when his guard was at its lowest.
Yondu, on his part, did not like to lose time. Before the girl had even finished talking, he had rushed out of the auction room, straight in to the main hall where the stairs were. Through his glasses, cleverly adapted to see in the dark, he spotted a cluster of guards all standing tensely at the mouth of the stairwell, and his cheeks instinctively hollowed, whistling low. His arrow swiftly flew out of his right sleeve where he had hidden it, and at the change of pitch, quickly changed direction, plunging directly in the first guards heart, closely followed by the second, and then the third. All of them were dead before they even realized what was going on. Necessary, useless, casualties.
He rushed up the stairs as quickly as his outfit allowed, and turned left once he was on top. Only one door stood at the end of the corridor. Another quick whistle had his yaka arrow cut through the lock as if it were made of butter, opening it right up for him.
Yondu walked inside the room with relative calm, conscious that he still had over three minutes to get the book and get the hell out.
"I'm in, I see the book. It's behind a containment field, but I can take care of it" he announced once he was in, his eyes immediately closing in on the relic. It was floating inside a blue sphere of energy, but he knew it was no match for his arrow.
Good. I'm right behind you for cover, but get it done fast Eyien replied, and he could clearly hear the sound of her heels ticking on the marble stairs.
Another whistle left his parted lips, and before he could reach the book, the shield it was contained in was already down. It fell gently to the floor, and Yondu hurried to retrieve it.
The moment his hands touched its tattered cover, and his eyes took in the details of the golden decorations sawn in to it, his mind was already far gone.
Suddenly, he was but a boy again, his hands blistered and cuffed, his back bleeding from the cuts made by the flogs, his every bone aching with such an intense pain he thought he could die at any minute.
He remembered it all, the pain, the fatigue, the misery, the torture, the abuse, the terrible works they made him do…and then the glittering houses of the Masters, all laughing and spitting on him, all believing themselves so much better than he was, a filthy slave!
Rage was boiling his blood, blinding him to everything and everyone!
He saw himself standing on top of his Masters bodies, bleeding and battered but still on his feet, victorious. He was alive, and they were not.
The book he was holding had been the catalyst to his rebellion, to his liberation.
He had stolen it during one of the rare visits to one of his Masters' houses, and when he had been con-fronted for it, when he was going to be taught a lesson for his insolence, that's when he had done it, slaughtered everyone of them with the very same arrow he still owned to this day.
"What the hell are you doing! Hurry up!" a voice yelled from somewhere at the edge of his consciousness, a voice he did not recognize. But the words did something to him, triggered something deep down, and before he was aware of what he was doing, a high pitched whistle rang in the air, the arrow responding to it with just as much violence, piercing right through Eyien's abdomen.
Yin's eyes bulged out of her orbits the second she realized what was happening.
First came the shock, then the searing pain as the arrow entered and exited her body through her stomach, and then she felt the hot trail of blood cascading down her dress, staining it a shade of purplish-red.
"Yon- du!" she managed to chortled out before her knees gave out under her and she fell with a dull thud to the ground.
The sound of his name seemed to force him out of his daze, and he watched in horror as Eyien's body touched the floor, her dress all stained with her blood.
Panic was the first thing that run through his veins at the sight.
What had he done?!
Captain! I'm out, is everything alright? The five minutes are almost down! he heard Kraglin say though the ear piece, and immediately he sprung into action.
"Bring the car 'round, quickly! Eyien is—she's down, we need to get her out of here!" he screamed back, at that point uncaring of attracting attention to himself.
If Kraglin replied to him, his words were lost on him as he hurried to put away the book before bending down to scoop the lassie up in his arms. Warm blood seeped through his fingers as he hoisted her up better, but he couldn't stop to care. He whistled for his arrow as he broke in a mad run down the stairs and through the hall, cutting down any resistance that was blocking his path.
Yondu kicked the front door open, bursting out in the cool air of the night. He spotted the car not five me-ters in front of him, and dashed towards it, jumping in as carefully as he could once the door popped open for him.
"Go, go, go!" he screamed at the driver, who barely spared a glance at them before hitting the gas hard.
The trip from the villa back to the city was a blur, the only thing he was able to concentrate on was pressing down on the wound on Eyien's abdomen, praying for the first time in decades that she would survive.