Chapter 40 – Operation: Golden Parachute
Washington D.C., United States. 12:13am local time, 9th November 2032.
"This is what you've dreamed of." Erin remarks as they prepare to jump, both wearing plastic goggles over their masks to protect their eyes from the onrushing air; waiting in the rear of the utility area by themselves for the right time to jump.
"I guess so." Alex replies. "But you don't dream of doing these things too?"
"It creeps into my mind every so often, more often than I thought." Erin answers. "Once we jump, there's no talking, no noise."
"Full on stealth." Alex remarks. "Listen, I can't tell you how much just being with me has really helped, you know. You dropped everything, university, for me and I'm grateful."
"I know exactly what my priorities are." Erin replies. "We're all we've got."
"Yeah." Alex concurs. They both listen to the familiar voice of Matt inside their heads.
"You both ready." Matt says. "I'll walk you through this."
"You know where Rasmus is exactly?" Erin asks.
"I know where he should be; sleeping in the bedroom, where there are quite a few." Matt replies. "But once you're inside, you plug me into the system and I'll be able to find him. Penelope's lowering the rear door, that means 30 seconds, good luck."
"You too." Alex replies. A red light the size of an A4 sheet of paper is lit up above the entrance. It will turn green when they have to jump. Whilst they see the illuminated city below, Alex comes across to perform one last action before they jump. He hugs Erin tightly, as yet another simple but endearing gesture of thanks, to which Erin returns. It only lasts about 5 seconds, as they are aware of time. After doing this, they stand on the edge, waiting for the clearance they need. As soon as the light turns green, they both run off the rear tailgate and leap out of the fast moving jet. Whilst in mid air at roughly 3000m, Erin turns over onto her back to see if the jet was really invisible as Penelope said; but in this darkness, she can't see anything above her so she twits herself around to aim for the target as well as focusing on where Alex is; right beside her. He gives a thumbs up that the jump is going successfully. They know that they have to open their parachutes at the last possible second so they have the least chance of being seen. Even from this height, they can tell that security has been heightened, there are several police cars parked on the street around; presumably to control the peace at this difficult time but also to protect Rasmus inside. The altitude is shown in the display inside the mask and at approximately 300 metres below the ground, they both pull on their parachutes and in only a few seconds, touch down on the roof of the building.
Erin races ahead to the skylight Penelope talked about earlier as she rips off the goggles and stuffs into her bag; it's much larger than she envisioned, made up of several glass squares bound together by wrought iron to preserve the period touch. She takes out the goo gun and squirts it around one of the glass panels. She waits for it to get into action and puts her hands around to catch it and prevent it from falling, which she does before placing the glass on the roof. Erin signals to Alex that it's his turn to go in and get control of the security inside because it requires his special abilities. Being such a secure building, security cameras would pick them out easily if they simply went inside without hiding. Alex concentrates and disappears, jumping down onto the carpeted floor below.
"Security is one floor below you in the centre of the building." Matt reminds him.
Alex moves silently along the hallway, down the wooden spiral staircase and down the next hallway before spotting an innocuous white wood door with no labelling on the outside to indicate what lies behind. Taking out the interchangeable pistol with the pale turquoise bottle attached, he bends down and pulls the trigger, sending the knockout gas underneath the door. With the coloured ultrasonic setting on his mask, he can see the orange outlines of three officers monitoring the house and all of its surveillance fall to the ground without any resistance; they have no time to call out for help. Alex waits for the gas to dissipate for a few seconds before opening the door quietly and shutting it behind him so he can reappear. He sees the 3 bodies slumped backwards in their chairs. Above that are the numerous small TV screens that show every area on the inside.
"Plug me inside." Matt reminds Alex before turning his attention to Erin. "You can come down now."
Alex takes the tiny transmitter and plugs it directly into the computer and waits for Matt to give him a signal.
"I'm in." Matt tells them, but Alex is beginning to search for Rasmus himself. Alex points up to a panel on the screen showing the husky sitting in one of the conference rooms at the head of the table.
"I see. Erin, he's alone in a conference room in the east wing, top floor." Matt instructs. She makes her way down the hallway silently towards the location.
"They've got cameras everywhere." Matt comments. "Good news is that the place is almost empty, the only other people inside are the wait staff in their quarters on the ground floor."
Erin goes up to the door and gets ready to confront Rasmus.
"Wait!" Matt interjects, realising something is happening on the inside. "Someone else is inside, ground floor and coming up the stairs. Hide."
Erin moves back one room and opens it to find a bathroom. Shutting the door, she idles inside.
"You won't believe this." Matt says. "It's the president himself! Plus 4 bodyguards."
He can see on his monitor the dark grey furred Doberman going up the stairs at a spritely pace for his age, followed by his much more able detail having gone through an underground tunnel connected directly to the White House. Alex can watch this as well inside the security room whilst Erin hides inside. The small detail follows the president up to the top floor and watches his every move as they quickly pace down the hallway.
"They're stopping outside your room!" Matt shouts anxiously to Erin. "Hide! Right now!"
"I've gotta go." The president remarks, reaching for the door handle but his detail stops him.
"Sir, we'll sweep the room first."
"Our guest does not wish to wait." The president insists, overruling his own detail and causing them to all wait outside the bathroom. He turns the lights on and walks over to the toilet to perform a number one whilst Erin hides as low as possible in the bathtub with the high copper siding giving her ample cover from sight. Naturally, she hears the sound of business being done and has an idea. Without moving her arm, reaches into her pocket with the tiny microphones with which she plans to bug the President. She takes off the backpack without a sound and silently gets up from the bathtub. Matt is holding his breath whilst being as nervous as he can be, so he sends a precautionary message to Alex only.
"If this turns ugly…" Matt whispers to Alex.
"It won't." Alex replies, more in hope than anything; failure is not an option he even wants to think about. However, Erin places the bug on the most powerful person in the country before slipping back into her hiding spot without breaking a sweat. She does this before he's finished on the toilet. He flushes the toilet, washes his hands and walks out of the room to let his detail shut it for him.
"I can't believe it." Matt remarks before thinking that monitoring the bug should be more important. "The microphone works, I'll relay the feed back to you whilst you both leave."
"…to Blair House." The President welcomes to Rasmus inside the period decorated room with a large antique wooden table that covers up most of the beige carpeted floor. The chairs are all modern leather chairs along with the subtly placed holographic projectors in the top corners of the room so it doesn't overly detract from the period feel. There is a small drinks cabinet in the back left corner was well as a set of antique cupboards no higher than a normal kitchen bench top.
"He's in the conference room." Matt whispers to Erin to clarify before changing back.
"Don't worry about the pleasantries." Rasmus replies. "Do you have my documentation?"
One of his bodyguards brings a briefcase across to the table and opens it for the President to give to the foreign national. He takes out a manila folder which he opens to reveal several things like an American passport, social security and the like.
"The state department delivered these a few minutes ago." The President explains. "They'll give you adequate protection."
"Is that all?" Rasmus enquires. The President takes out several odd bits and pieces of paper as well as one mobile phone.
"This phone goes to my personal secure number, if there's any trouble, then I can speed things along." The president promises.
"And what of the other minor details?"
"The CIA tells me that he's holed up tight inside his apartment. Anything we could do would cause a political storm, especially after what you asked us to do first." The President warns.
"But when your numbers rise in the polls when you announce this deal, you'll be able to use your political capital on this." Rasmus replies.
"I assure you, our best people are on it." The president confirms. "Now, can you finish your end of the deal?"
"Easily." Rasmus replies. "The Argentines may have long memories but this will quell their interest."
The President has a small laugh at that joke as Rasmus phones someone.
"Transfer the money." Rasmus instructs. He waits 5 seconds for confirmation before hanging up. "There… done, the world is saved; If, I presume, the Treasury doesn't screw this up."
The President's phone rings and he takes it out of his inside suit pocket. The Treasury is calling to confirm the payment of the 'hold out' bondholders in many parts of the world. The President hangs up the phone and a smile finally comes to his face.
"It's over." The President happily remarks. "On behalf of the United States Government, we are always in your debt."
"You've got enough debt to worry about." Rasmus jokes, like they're getting along so well.
"You've got a sense of humour." The President comments as he stands up to shake the hand of the husky that just saved both his countries financial position and his own political career. "Anything at all, you give me a call."
"Poet and you didn't know it." Rasmus replies as he sits comfortably in the plush leather chair.
"We're going to get along really well." The President remarks on the high of a good mood as he leaves the room along with his body guards; He knows that tomorrow morning he can announce to the world that he has solved the debt problem to keep the economy alive for a little while longer. Meanwhile, Erin has waited in the darkened bathroom for the returning set of footsteps which she believes to be the president and his body guards whilst Alex has stayed put in the surveillance room. He watches the president rush back down to where he came from and leaves the building, unaware that his entire conversation has been recorded.
"The president has left." Matt relays to Erin. "Rasmus is alone in the room all by himself. If you want to confront him, do it now."
"Get Alex up here." Erin whispers.
"Alex, Erin's on the top floor, take out the transmitter and rendezvous with her and confront Rasmus." Matt instructs as Alex gets to the topmost floor silently up the stairs. Erin is waiting outside the room she hid herself inside.
"Ready?" She whispers.
"He's going to soil himself when he sees you." Alex comments.
"I don't know, third time lucky and all that." Erin replies. "But two on one, this should be easy."
They both sneak over to the only door inside the conference room, Erin waits by the door with her hand lightly cupping the round brass door handle. She twists it slowly so it doesn't creak.
Rasmus meanwhile is still sitting down, examining his documents to ensure that he hasn't been screwed over. He notices that the door is opening slowly, perhaps because of a draft or the door being on a slight tilt; either way, he can't recall them shutting the door on the way out. But since he thinks that he's on his own, he doesn't worry. He feels a little bit safer with all of the cameras around and the full-time surveillance team that is supposed to be protecting him.
A chair positioned at the middle of the table falls back on itself as if by magic. Rasmus immediately becomes suspicious, if not a little bit fearful. He stands up out of his chair and readies himself for a fight. He will not act like a weakling in the face of such an invisible threat again.
"I know you're in here Black Shadow." Rasmus says to the room in general. His head moves around quickly, looking for any more abnormalities. A few seconds of still silence separates the next act; him being hit squarely in the chest, causing a massive pain to his ribs before he is tripped and pushed to the ground. Rasmus reacts by trying to feel for the attacker and finds the implement holding him to the ground. He holds on to it tightly and moves it away from his body, trying to pull the attacker down with him but the invisible threat resists as much as it can, resulting in an even contest with no winner. The tug of war could conceivably go on for a few more minutes if Rasmus wasn't interrupted.
"Hi there."
Rasmus twists his head and sees the light tan furred raccoon he hates so much standing over him.
"Oh, so that's your brother I'm fighting with." Rasmus deduces in a taunting way even though he is engaged in a physical battle. It somehow gives him extra strength to push the cane off his neck and onto the ground. At this point, Alex reappears.
"You don't move." Erin says, placing her own cane back where Alex's was; onto rasmus' neck.
"I don't see what you are going to achieve." Rasmus replies as he breathes in sharply. "Because you can't do anything, it is done."
"But there's still time to hurt you." Erin replies. She steps on his head and twists it to the side, putting more weight on it in the process. Rasmus desperately tries to move Erin's leg but it's a stable as a 100 year old oak tree. "You remember the money you stole from your old colleague Le Paradox, give it back."
Rasmus is silent, there's nothing he wants more now than to see the skunk die. Erin takes her foot off his head and steps back, looking up at her brother who looks very uneasy about the situation, probably because of her brutality.
"I don't care what you do, the skunk is going to die but I'd prefer if he died poor." Rasmus explains.
"Matt, find everything you have on Rasmus, find something he cares about and make him suffer." Erin instructs viciously as she takes off her backpack to find a way to torture the husky.
"Erin, you have to calm down." Alex pleas. "Let's find another way."
Erin takes out the replaceable gun and attached the red canister to the mechanism.
"You're going to burn me?" Rasmus asks as if it was a joke. "If you burn me you'll never get the money, not that you'd get it in the first place."
Erin presses the trigger once in the air, sending a brilliant fireball into the air, making Alex avert his eyes from the brightness of it.
"Last chance." Erin warns.
"Erin, don't do this." Alex begs again, stepping around Rasmus quickly to block Erin from performing this torture.
"The last time you asked me to leave Rasmus, it didn't accomplish anything. Let's finish this now." Erin replies, pointing the pistol right at Rasmus' legs.
"We're not monsters." Alex replies. "This isn't right, please, we've got time, I've got an idea, let me try this."
Erin considers it quickly.
"Okay, go for it." Erin agrees, suddenly returning to what Alex considers to be her normal demeanour being more kind, calm and in control. But she changes instantly to overflowing rage when she goes to threaten Rasmus. "But you don't move!"
She has Carmelita's genetics to thank for that.
Alex takes out his phone and looks for a certain phone number. He dials it and waits for a reply. Much to his surprise, he can hear the vibration of the receiving phone in the room; Erin can hear it too. It's coming from inside the wooden cabinet right next to the wall. Alex puts the phone down on the table and readies his cane in front of him whilst he bends down to open the door he suspects his caller is behind. He opens the door quickly to reveal a gun pointed squarely between his eyeballs.
"You can get out now, hide and seek is over." Alex replies to person hiding inside the cabinet, out comes the diminutive stature of Charlotte.
"That's your plan?" Erin asks.
"Yes." Alex replies. "Except I didn't expect this."
"He's supposed to be mine and mine alone." Charlotte replies angrily. "I sat in there all day with nothing but the inside of that cabinet to entertain myself. I waited all night to get Rasmus, but it seems that I'm going to get everyone at once; well worth the wait."
"You're not arresting us, just him." Alex replies to Charlotte.
"What happened whilst I was undercover didn't mean anything, emotional attachment doesn't carry any weight." Charlotte replies as she holds her gun to all of them.
"But incriminating evidence of corruption at the highest level will." Alex replies. "We recorded the conversation that happened in here."
"So did I."
"On your phone?" Alex replies. "You probably didn't get anything meaningful."
"I hid a bug in here, I recorded the same conversation." Charlotte replies.
"You didn't."
Alex feels like he is in full flow, like he's on top of everything; it is a wonderful feeling.
"You're bluffing." Charlotte replies, but she knows that he's correct. Alex retrieves his phone and radios Matt.
"Can you upload that recording to my phone?"
"One second, your plan's working great by the way." Matt complements, listening in to their conversations as well as watching.
"Thanks." Alex replies as he receives the audio file and plays it out loud for everyone to hear.
"Now, can you finish your end of the deal?"
"Easily, the Argentines may have long memories but this will quell their interest."
"Transfer the money. There… done, the world is saved; If, I presume, the Treasury doesn't screw this up."
The recording stops automatically. Matt only sent a sample of the full product.
"Problem?" Alex asks to Rasmus who looks clearly distressed despite his best attempts to not be. The raccoon looks back to Charlotte. "Trade; you arrest Rasmus, give us a 24 hour head start, and we give you the file you need to lock him away."
"It's not that simple." Erin replies. "Jeremy promised to stop annoying us if we gave him his money back. You also promise to give back whatever money that Rasmus stole from him if we give you this file."
"That I don't agree to." Charlotte says. "I won't allow Jeremy Le Paradox to continue his empire after what he did to me. I will do the first deal if you hand it over quickly."
"Listen." Matt advises through the mask. "If you do this, the CIA won't be able to target Jeremy. His business is profitable; he'll get through this monetarily. Take the deal and get out of there."
"Deal, send the file." Alex instructs.
"What?" Erin asks in surprise.
"I know what I'm doing, well Matt does as well." Alex replies.
"I hope so." Erin replies but has to correct her language. "I know so."
"Thanks." Alex says before giving her a hug.
"Cut with the love, it makes me want to shoot you two in the head." Charlotte remarks. "Get out of here before back up arrives."
"Let's go." Alex says to Erin before they both run around the table and go out of the conference room. Leaving Rasmus and Charlotte in the room.
"But you won't be able to arrest me." Rasmus replies as he stands up. "I have the president's direct line, I have an American passport, I will..."
He opens the manila folder on the table that is meant to be containing his documentation, but it's contents are missing. He checks his jacket pocket for the phone; also gone.
"Damn you Coopers!" Rasmus curses in frustration as he is arrested.
That beautiful sound of anger was audible from the roof as Erin climbed through the hole in the skylight and onto the roof as they quickly made their way for an escape. Both of them run across the roof towards the public street nearby, jumping down via a light pole to ground level so they can exit the scene.
"Pass me your phone." Alex asks to Erin. "I want to call Le Paradox."
Considering how well his current plan is going, Erin has no qualms about allowing him to do this. He scrolls through the recent calls and finds him, waiting for the transnational call to be completed.
"Did you succeed?" Jeremy asks.
"Listen." Alex replies. "We didn't get your money."
"Thanks for signing my death wish." Le paradox remarks. "Without the money I will be dead."
"But, how about we make a deal. Erin said you made a deal with her." Alex explains. "I don't know exactly what you promised her, but you do everything she wanted you to do if…"
Alex pauses, because he's not exactly sure what Le Paradox really needs or wants. So he passes the phone over to Erin.
"What does he want?" Alex whispers. "Offer to pay for it."
"Are you kidding?" Erin answers back. "We don't have 2 billion Euros."
"I mean, why did he need the money?" Alex asks.
"To pay off some organisations who wanted to get rid of him." Erin answers. As soon as she says that out loud, they both have the same idea. But rather than take credit for it herself, she gives the phone back to Alex.
"I don't think that you need 2 Billion Euros." Alex replies.
"Don't twist this in your favour, a deal's a deal." Jeremy rebuts.
"How much do you need to survive?" Alex asks.
"2 billion Euros."
"Put your numbers guy on, Krasic I think is his name." Alex replies.
"I won't do that, because I know what you're trying to do."
"Why do you even try to stop this? You can either die or accept our help." Alex replies. "You're desperate, and after all of the things you did to me, I offer to help you and you turn me down. You don't deserve anything."
Alex takes the phone subtly away from his ear, but he waits for the inevitable cry for reconciliation.
"Wait!" Jeremy reconsiders and Alex puts his ear back to the phone. "I need 2.8 million Euros in the next 12 hours, that's the real figure. I'm terribly sorry, I got greedy, but you have to understand I do this in your best interests."
"How?" Alex replies in angered confusion.
"It'll take too long to explain here." Jeremy asserts, feeling so much calmer than before. "But if you want to know more, maybe we can meet, perhaps for dinner?"
"You have some nerve…" Alex responds.
"One of the things that I promised to your sister is that I apologise to you about everything that I have done to you, doing it on the phone is too insincere. Come to Paris on the 10th, 7pm, I know a good place with a nice view and I will do it there; that is if you transfer the money before then." Jeremy offers. Alex takes a deep breath to consider this offer.
"Okay, but no surprises." Alex answers.
"I can't say you won't be surprised with what I have to say, but there will be nothing else, just you and me." Jeremy promises before he hangs up.
"What was that about?" Erin asks.
"I'm not really sure either. But we have to go to Switzerland to get some money."
"Actually." Matt interjects. "I still have those diamonds you gave me, we can sell those, they should be enough don't you think?"
There is one overriding thought that goes through Alex's head, where has Antonio gone?