"Ex Memoria"
24. The Hit
Chicago, Illinois – in the year 2021
The wait had become harder and harder to manage as time went on, which would at times lead to any one of them cooped up in the darkened room to momentarily pull off their glasses before they remembered why they were wearing them in the first place and quickly slip them back on.
They had agreed to wait two hours at the least once the museum had closed for the night. Having already been waiting several hours, those last few hadn't felt nearly as much like a breeze as they might have hoped that they might. Instead, it left them fighting their own instincts, stir crazy as they were.
"Right," the Doctor sprang from his seat, shaking out frustrated limbs. "The museum has been closed for two hours, fourteen minutes. It's time, wouldn't you say?"
"Oh, I'd say," Amy gladly stood.
They had had more than enough time to figure out how best to execute their plan, but there was still a brief instance of nerves, knowing they were about to really do what they were about to do. The Doctor opened the door.
Scaling their way from Gillian's old hiding room, up to the exhibit floor where the painting waited, fully minding the presence of any number of security guards, measures, and cameras all along their path. All it would take would be a single misstep on their part and they'd be done. Their number was problematic when they were only five, but then there came a sixth.
They had been turning into the stairs when they opened the door and found Gillian Moran Fiorentino hiding in wait. There were several hands sent to cover shocked mouths, several strangled shrieks.
"What are you doing here?" Amy whispered.
"I couldn't do it. I couldn't sit out there and do nothing. Banks or no, this is my exhibit," she whispered back.
"Gillian, you are still susceptible," the Doctor warned her. "More than anyone here…"
"I understand," she assured him. "I still want to help." The Doctor breathed out, then he nodded.
"We must keep on moving."
Now six strong, the group continued its cautious advance. In whispers, Gillian had inquired about the glasses they all wore, and they had only just explained it to her that it dawned on them they had no extras, which meant she wouldn't have a pair of her own.
They couldn't go back, and they didn't. They were going to make do with what they had. The Doctor wanted to give her his pair, but she wouldn't have it. She could be as stubborn as he was.
The argument had been ended when they had come just shy of being caught by one of the night guards. They only managed to scramble for cover, and once they were certain that the guard had gone the Doctor made it very clear if he'd only managed to find one of his perception filters they could have done away with this sneaking around. But he hadn't found anything. As heists went, he was not impressed with his performance.
All things considered though, they came to the painting before long, exactly when they had needed to, exactly when they had needed to, after the guards had made their rounds here. Gillian had to be kept away, so she wouldn't be ensnared all over again.
There were some rampant concerns over whether the glasses would end up failing or slipping from their faces. As an extra precaution, they had gloves. They had never physically touched it and they weren't anxious to change that.
The removal of the frame from the wall was the most stressful point of their plan. They had to mind the infection, however it was generated, and they also had alarms to keep from tripping. Gillian, Amy, Tina, and Mike spread out to keep an eye on guards or cameras, while the Doctor recruited Rory to assist him.
It wasn't nearly as hard as they'd thought it would be, which they guessed would make sense. If anyone unprotected could only come to stand there, frozen by the infection, then there was little concern that anyone would get close enough to touch it. Even then, they didn't let themselves get too at ease. There could still be something they weren't seeing.
Even there, they would later come to the conclusion that maybe they had let themselves get too comfortable. It was going to be another hurdle for them to exit the museum instead of hide inside it, but then they'd already gotten the painting…
They heard hurried footsteps first, then a rush of voices, and then they knew that, although they had not been caught – yet – the guards were aware of an intruding presence and they would come to find it before long.
Soon it was frenzy, and not one of them could say they really knew what happened until it was all done.
Somehow Tina had received the painting, and now both she and Gillian landed in a somewhat secure hiding place. Just how much time it would afford them was left to be seen, but for the time being it had simply come off as the thing to do.
Rory found himself tagging the Doctor as he ran, and it wasn't until they came upon a way out that, much to his dismay, he realized Amy wasn't behind him like he'd thought she was. He wanted to go back for her, but the Doctor forced him out, promising they would get her.
For now, the only getting that came to pass was when the security guards cornered Amy and Mike. The pair had quickly presented their hands, showing themselves unarmed in the hopes of being equally unharmed. The guards hadn't hurt them except maybe with the slight force involved when pairs of cuffs were stuck around their wrists. In the struggle their glasses slipped and fell. Rather than drawing attention to them, in case it led to more questions, Amy and Mike relented themselves not to say anything as they were led out to where they might be handed over to the police. Now their hopes were passed on to the rest of their group. They still had work to do.
TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)