Chapter 20 – RTS
Near Oxford, London, England. 6:40am, 6th November 2032.
Alex's reaction is as far away as can be from what Erin expected. Instead of some further questioning or even a sense of betrayal, Alex moves forward and in one motion, hugs her. Erin is taken back by the gesture, firstly by it's sheer unlikeliness and then once she realises why he's doing this, puts her arms around him, although not as tightly as Alex is. It's is a massive sense of release for Alex to hear this, not that all of her stuff is stolen; but now that he knows of her part time occupation, he thinks that together they can finally beat back the menace and bullying of Le Paradox. Alex lets go after collects himself and steps back with a big smile on his face.
"Why are you so happy?" Erin asks out of confusion.
"It's just… I don't feel alone." Alex says through the immersive happiness.
"What about your gang?" Erin asks out of even more confusion.
Alex doesn't have an immediate answer; perhaps it's because the answer he wants to give is self centred. He prevents himself from doing that and instead walks away into the bedroom area only a few metres away. It's hard to get away in such a cramped space.
"Don't you trust them?" Erin continues on.
"I do, but…"
"It's difficult, isn't it?" Erin replies. "The jump's too high, one moment you were traveling around the world scrapping pennies and the next you have millions with some guy prodding you to get to the top fast. I would like to say we need to have a rest, but all of my stuff's been stolen and I'm not tolerating that happening for one second. You should call that Antonio guy to see if he knows anything."
"Good thinking." Alex answers as he takes out his phone to dial.
"Listen, I need to know where Le Paradox is hiding or he's going to tear me down." Alex demands, but Antonio is more focused on something else.
"About the paintings, I'm sorry it didn't work out for you."
"Can you find me his location?" Alex asks.
"I don't have the knowledge to do what you are asking, and if I did, you can't find him. In my experience he will find you before you find him." Antonio says. "Also, your 'diamond merchant' has informed me that the diamonds you gave to him have helped him immensely. They have been placed into the biggest and most secure diamonds vault of which he knows the location, the contents of the vault is what you will be stealing."
"When will I have to do this?" Alex asks.
"I'll inform you of the details at a later date." Antonio answers.
Someone knocks at the door, causing Alex to terminate the call abruptly. Erin turns around to look and turns back to Alex and signals him to keep quiet. She turns around and picks up Alex's cane in the process and sneaks over to the door to look through the little peephole in the door.
"Alex, it's me, Matt." He says through the door. Erin quickly unlocks the door as Alex moves over to the door to greet his friend. Erin opens the door to see the rat she hasn't seen for about 10 years, it's a massive reunion for him, they such a good time that day.
"Have you seen the news?" Matt asks. To which Alex nods. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah, sure. Haven't seen you in a while." Erin replies.
"I know. I guess you've read that book cover to cover now." Matt asks.
"Enough times." Erin answers.
"Right." Matt replies before looking at the open kitchen cupboards, wondering why they are all opened up.
"We got robbed." Erin answers, pre-empting the question from Matt.
"I'm sorry for us to drag you into this Erin, it's not what we hoped for." Matt apologises.
"It's okay." She replies.
"No, It's not okay, we're going to get everything back." Matt promises. "What exactly was stolen?"
"Matt." Alex interjects. "She's a thief too."
"Really? I thought you said…"
"Have a guess what was stolen." Alex adds.
"I get it." Matt answers before giving a smile to Erin. "That means you can both help." Getting back to business and putting down his backpack on the coffee table.
"With what?" Alex asks.
"Getting back at Jeremy and steal back your stuff of course." Matt replies with enthusiasm as he sets out his laptop and turns it on. "You remember how he said that he made ThiefNet again?"
"Yeah." Alex answers.
"ThiefNet exists? I thought…" Erin asks.
"It does." Matt answers, showing her the front page. "Alex is the hottest property on here."
"I didn't ask for anyone in the first place, besides we don't need anyone anymore because we have Erin now." Alex replies.
"Are you in?" Matt asks for confirmation.
"Yeah, I'm in."
"Cool, so I ran a reverse trace on the website's IP and found where it's running off. It's in a server farm in northern Finland where the sub-arctic temperatures can keep them cool." Matt explains.
"So is that where we're going now?" Alex asks.
"Yeah, but it's a legitimate business which I'm sure he doesn't own. He must be secretly hogging some of the server space. Anyway, if we want to find out where he is… we have to go to Finland." Matt explains.
"Do you have a plan?" asks Erin.
"I'm ahead of you on that one." Matt answers as he types away at his keyboard. Alex starts thinking of the bigger picture.
"Hey, where's Tyson and Jess?"
"They're taken care of." Matt says.
"Where are they?" Alex asks.
"A safehouse, trust me, I've got everything under control here. Now," Matt begins to further explain the details of his plan, he uses Erin's projector to display it on the wall to her dismay.
"You hacked into my projector." Erin complains.
"This is the place." Matt begins to explain, it looks mostly like a rolling green grass hill from the aerial shot matt has displayed. The only way they can tell that it's not just a picture of nature is the road that leads up to it and the small outbuildings that look like guard outposts.
"A highly secure server farm with an electrified razor wire fence that's 4 metres high. The only entrance is along the road and that's always manned by at least two armed guards and always watched by security cameras 24 hours a day, that way is not going to work. Now, I've found a way to get in but it's very difficult and highly dangerous but it's the quickest way in. You see, the downside of every server farm is the power usage, this one is completely sustainable from the nearby wind turbines, this is how we get in." Matt explains.
"By destroying them to cut the power?" Alex asks more in hope than anything. Erin thinks she knows what the answer is; Matt switches to a new slide.
"These turbines are 85 metres high from the centre and they are located 2 kilometres away from the building." Matt explains. "You two are going to parachute in over the fence and land inside undetected."
"You're insane." Erin replies. "That's insane."
"The glide ratio on the parachutes is 30 to 1. You'll easily make it over the fence." Matt explains. "Now, once you land you have to make it to this emergency chute to get inside for they find you, next you'll go along the shaft which leads straight into the server room. When you get inside, you'll plug in this USB into one of the towers which will allow me to run a trace on the location of where Jeremy uploaded the web site from and most likely, where he hides."
"Then how to we get out?" Alex asks, the same question rides on Erin's mind as well.
"That part is a little trickier. Assuming that you're still undetected once the operation is complete, you'll go out the way you came and cut your way out of the fence and run right back to the wind turbine where you'll be picked up before heading off to find where Le Paradox is hiding, your stuff should be back before the weekend is done." Matt answers.
"What if we're are detected?" Erin asks.
"Let's not worry about that, okay, it's simple." Matt says.
"You expect us to cut through the electrified fence?" Alex asks hesitantly.
"Yeah, while wearing rubber gloves." Matt answers whilst getting something else out of his backpack, it's another backpack, it's the one he had made for Alex. "You'll need this."
Matt gives the backpack to Alex, Erin feels a little bit jealous about this very elegant piece of kit.
"Nice, did you make that for him?" Erin asks.
"I did the design but I didn't make it, I would have got another one made for you but I haven't heard from my supplier for the last 8 hours, I can't get a hold of him." Matt explains. "Anyway, if we want to Finland before tonight, we've got to catch a flight that leaves in a couple of hours."
"Sounds great Matt, that's why I need you around. Because you keep on working even when everyone else is not." Alex remarks.
"I'm not working, this is my dream to do this, even to see you was enough." Matt complements.
"Before you guys start making out, we should leave." Erin reminds them both before starting to pack a few things.
"Make sure you pack some dark clothing." Matt adds.
"I know." Erin answers.
"Hey Matt." Alex whispers. "Are you sure we can travel on a plane with our canes?"
"I've got that covered as well." Matt adds.
"You are a star." Alex complements again. Matt moves to power down and pack up his computer in anticipation of leaving. Once Erin has stuffed her belongings inside a slightly larger backpack than Alex's technologically advanced one, they three of them make their way down stairs. When they are in the lobby floor, Erin sees the luxury sedan waiting outside for them with the chauffer standing by, ready to open the door for them.
"Matt, you're outdoing yourself." Erin praises; her spirits are lifting.
"Just come on." Matt says, they both follow him to the car, he opens the trunk of the sedan and it shows both Alex's large backpack that he's travelled around the world with and the empty carry case for his cane. Some cheap yellowy foam, the type that's used in fold out mattresses, replaces the dark grey foam insert that he's used to seeing inside.
"It's the only thing I could do on short notice." Matt explains. "I'll put them inside."
They both willingly hand them over to allow for Matt to fit them inside the single case so they can both be protected and hidden, it's a tight fit but it's no trouble for Matt to do. He carefully shuts and locks the case before being the last passenger to get into the backseat of the car with Alex being the unfortunate one being stuck in the middle. He doesn't mind it, he's been stuck in more cramped positions for longer amount so time; none of them being confined in such luxury. He's also taken comfort from the fact that the three of them are together, soon that 3 will turn into five and if Erin's group is located, it'll be nine.
12:46pm, 10,400m above the Baltic Sea.
Air travel is a much different experience to that which it was 20 years ago. It's become a much more relaxed service than it used to be during the 2000's. Mobile phone calls are permitted on flights and every aircraft has free Wi-Fi, making it a more attractive option for business customers as they try to compete with the cheaper intercontinental railway networks. However, the allowance of mobile phone use gave rise to a new problem which was dealt with in a typically old fashioned solution. Much like with smoking before it was outlawed, there is a 'quiet section' where talking and other noise inducing acts are not encouraged apart from the relentless whirring of the jet engines muffled partially by the fuselage. This section where they are not seated in on this flight, thanks to the lateness of the booking.
Matt is working away on his computer with his headphones on in the aisle seat, oblivious to anything around him being only focused on the computer screen. Erin sits in the middle, reading the in flight magazine after having exhausted the in flight entertainment system. Alex, on the other hand, is not gorging himself on the offered stimuli; instead he's more satisfied with the natural sight of seeing things from a great height outside the tiny porthole window. He thinks about what parachuting is going to be like, he's never tried it before despite knowing roughly what to do. It's well documented about how his father's use of a parachute made it easier to get from roof to roof aided for both a silent entrance and getaway in the Thievius Raccoonus. It even contained printed diagrams of how it operated and how it worked. The only problem is the first jump jitters, the nervousness that presents itself before anything is done the first time.
He feels his thigh vibrating, not from the movements of the plane, but from his phone. He takes it out and answers it whilst still staring out into the vista.
"Hello?"
"Are you on an aeroplane?" Antonio asks, hearing the background jet engine noise.
"Yes, so?" Alex answers.
"I just want to see how things are going for you. Are you preparing for the diamond heist?" Antonio asks with a sense of anticipation.
"I'm putting that on hold. I want to get Le Paradox off my back before I do anything else." Alex affirms. "How I do that is something that's out of my reach right now."
"How are you going to start?" Antonio asks.
"Find out where he is, there's a place in Finland which may be able to reveal his location, a server farm, but I don't expect you to know what that is." Alex answers.
"That doesn't concern me, what does matter is that this lead exists and as long as it remains a possibility; you have a chance. The very best can make the biggest of gains from the tiniest of chances." Antonio advises.
"That makes sense, anyway, can you try to find where Le Paradox is hiding. I assume you don't do much during the day." Alex asks.
"Like I said, I don't know how much help I can give you but I can try and get someone else onto it."
"Thanks, bye." Alex concludes.
'Wait!" Antonio intervenes. "One last thing, make sure you have something warm with you, Finland's not the warmest climate in the world."
"I have that covered." Alex answers.
"Take care." Antonio concludes.
"Bye." Alex answers. She puts the phone back into his pocket and turns his head to look at the others. Erin looks like she hasn't moved at all since he last saw her, but she's heard the whole thing and wonder secretly who this outsider is dealing with her brother.
"Who was that?" She asks.
"Someone who wants me to succeed." Alex answers.
"Why?" Because you're the infamous Sly Cooper's son." Erin responds quietly so they don't expose themselves in the confined space of the aeroplane. "What does he get out of it, seeing you… succeed?"
"I think he said that it gives him pleasure." Alex responds. "Are you going to tell me something to the contrary?"
"It's an investment." Erin responds.
"Investment?" Alex wonders. "There's no money involved yet. He hasn't asked me to do anything for me except do some heists."
"What's this person is gaining is your trust; you follow his orders. Soon you'll be his lap dog, doing his bidding because he can't." Erin reminds him. "Unless that's what you want."
"What do you want?" Alex asks back, he really values his sister's advice. She can sense this, so she gives it a little bit of time to think about it before returning an answer.
"Use this guy to your advantage then leave before you get locked down by anything. Then, work for yourself." Erin answers.
"That doesn't work out well for me, going by myself." Alex adds.
"You've got Matt, he's practically saving you right now." Erin replies. "You've got Tyson and Jess to help you out when we arrive. It's not going to just you any more, you've got people now, a gang. Dad would be proud."
"I guess." Alex says. It's not that noteworthy in his eyes. It's not some grand heist were the takings can't be quantified. This isn't what he dreamed about all those years ago. Then again this is much better than what he dreamed about only a year ago. It's all in the perspective.