Chapter Twenty Seven
Bank Heist
ELSA
"Ready?" Elsa glanced at Jade and Will.
They both nodded, their bodies poised in anticipation.
"The moment the weapons are knocked out of their hands, get ready to move." Ivon said, his body prone on the ground and the rifle propped up on the ground in front of him with a bag. His weapon's barrel and pan had already been filled with black powder, the lead ball and the ramrod having also been shoved home in preparation for the shooting. "I'll take them down from here, but in the case that I miss, you guys better already be on the other side of the bridge."
Elsa felt a little hesitant. "How long will it take you to…"
"Kill them?" Ivon asked casually. "A minute, give or take. I need time to repeat the process of loading two more times after I fire the first round."
She was uneasy about the fact that this mission could spell death for some of the insurgents and Exonians alike, but what they were doing was supposedly for the greater good, so arguably the ends should justify the means. Right? She shook her head and tried not to think about it.
Elsa crouched, her hands gripping the parapet of the rooftop tightly in nervousness. "Now."
Will nodded and narrowed his eyes. At first it was nothing more than a gentle inconsistent breeze. And then it grew to a steady gale, which swept in the direction of the three armed guards who were patrolling the rooftop of the Merchant's Bank.
As the wind approached the guards, Will rotated his palms slowly as though he were turning on a tap, tensing them as he did, and the gale grew exponentially to become a storm, swirling round with a density large enough to attract the attentions of the three guards. Within seconds, the wind became unbearably strong, and the three guards were trying to stand their ground against the storm which had seemingly come out of nowhere.
Elsa glanced at Jade and the girl nodded in acknowledgement. She raised her hands, her fingers loose and wiggling with a musical like rhythm. Lightning began to spark at the edges of the storm, which grew just like the wind had. The guards, as far as Elsa could tell, were utterly stunned and at a loss for what to do other than to dig their heels into the ground for fear of being blown away by the supernatural storm.
Electricity shot out in long, rapid tendrils, lashing at the soldiers' weapons. As soon as the muskets had been knocked out of the hands of the guards, Ivon pulled the trigger on his cocked weapon, and a loud crack filled the air.
That's the cue. Elsa jammed her hands against the parapet of the wall and ice began to form, sticking to the side of the rooftop and growing outwards, moving rapidly towards the roof of the Merchant's Bank. As the ice began to form a bridge, Elsa tensed her hands a little more and the ice began to expand, growing thicker and ensuring the sturdiness of the structure.
"Go, go, go!" Elsa hissed urgently, and the insurgents who were with them led the way, climbing over the parapet and onto the crystal-clear bridge, hastily moving down it at three abreast.
"Move!" Ivon growled as he hurriedly filled the pan with primer and slammed shut the frizzen. He was shrouded by the smoke from his previous shot, but Elsa could hear the weapon being cocked again.
She hurriedly got onto her own bridge and joined the rest of the insurgents who were already halfway across, overlooking the yawning drop to death below. Jade and Deirdre followed closely behind, and Elsa started slightly when she heard the crack of the rifle, and watched as another man went down as the storm began to subside.
"No, no, no…" Elsa muttered as the third guard smartly dove for cover behind the parapet on the bank's rooftop. Safe and snug behind the parapet where Ivon could not hit him, the man had turned his attention to those on the bridge, and was beginning to fumble with his own rifle.
"Someone's gonna get shot!" Will warned.
Another crack of the rifle from the rooftop where they had come from echoed through the early morning air, but it hit the stone edge of the rooftop and fell away, doing no harm to the man who was hidden behind the parapet. And now that Ivon had fired his shot and would take another fifteen seconds to load, the guard emerged from his cover and aimed his rifle squarely at the thickest crowd of the insurgents, who had bunched up while crossing the bridge in fear of falling off.
"We have to do something!" Jade's voice echoed distantly in her ear as Elsa racked her brains in the split second she had.
She reached out her hand towards the man and a stream of ice flowed furiously towards him. Before he could react, the ice struck him chest first and bowled him away from the parapet.
"Move!" Jade hollered at the front of the column, where the first row of insurgents had just disembarked from the bridge and had touched down onto the rooftop of the bank.
Elsa held her hand up, pointed at the man warily in case he got up to mount another attack at the crossing party. Thankfully, he did not, having been knocked into a daze by the sudden surge of ice.
Before long, Ivon joined them on the other side of the bridge, rifle still in hand.
"I can't believe that worked." He mused aloud.
One of the insurgents raised their own pistol at the last remaining guard, and pulled the trigger before Elsa had the time to react.
"Why did you do that?" Elsa said indignantly. "He was already down! There was no reason to kill him."
"Of cuz there's a reason." The insurgent said calmly and turned away.
"They're the enemy. We kill them when we get the chance." Another added.
Elsa turned to Ivon sharply. "How could you allow your guys to do something like that?"
"This is war, Blondie." Ivon said gruffly, rifle in one hand. "If you don't have the stomach for it, you should probably sit this one out because there's going to be a lot more killing before this is over." He called out to the rest in a loud, authoritative voice. "We need to move now, before more of them show up!"
Elsa shook her head. Was he right? This was war they were in, when all was said and done. There were bound to be animosity between men from opposite sides, but cold-blooded killing?
"Come on." Jade took her arm urgently. "We need to get inside."
Disturbed, Elsa nodded and allowed herself to be led by Jade and Will into the stairwell of the building, following closely behind Ivon and the rest of the insurgents.
The stairwell was surprisingly unguarded, but the second floor of the bank was an entirely different story.
"Get down!" Elsa heard from the front rank of the insurgents, followed by a volley of musketry which crashed in unison. The piercing screams of some of the men in front of her could be heard which felt like a knife to her gut.
The rest in front of her who hadn't been hit dove for cover away from the door leading to the landing of the stairwell, forcing Elsa and her two companions to flush themselves against the wall as well.
"They already know we're here." Ivon grimaced, rifle pressed close to his chest.
"I…have an idea." Will spoke up.
"What?" Ivon looked over at him.
"What do you have in mind?" Elsa asked.
"I can draw their fire, use my powers to fend off their shots for a bit." Will said, the uncertainty in his voice clearly evident. "When I have their attention on the other side of the room, you can lead a charge or something."
"That's…" Ivon thought for a moment. "Not a bad idea."
Jade glanced at Will. "Are you sure about this?"
"No." He sucked in a deep breath. "But what other choice do we have?"
"He's right." Ivon said. "If we don't do this, we're never getting through that door. We've lost a few men trying already, and I'm not eager to lose any more."
Elsa caught Will's eye, and he gave her a quick nod of acknowledgement. She opened her mouth to say something, but didn't know what. But by the time she figured out something to say, the boy had already positioned himself beside the door, ready to burst through it.
"On my command, we charge." Ivon said in a low voice to one of the insurgents beside him. "Pass the message."
Elsa felt her chest tighten as she watched Will leave the room. Could he really keep himself alive and emerge intact?
The boy answered that question rather quickly. He darted through the door leading into the second floor of the building, and was immediately met by shouts from the First Imperials waiting for the intruders to rear their heads. They were obviously not expecting anyone to walk right into their traps, but that was exactly what the teenage boy had done.
As muskets cracked in unison and the lead balls whined towards Will, an invisible aura of air formed and swirled around him, knocking the shots out of their trajectory and sucking them into his funnel of wind. After each lead ball orbited a couple of times, they were spat out of the protective aura and dropped to the ground with little clicks as they hit the tiled floor.
The musketry descended from an organized volley into inconsistent cracks overlapping one another as the soldiers began to lose their discipline and panicked at the refusal of the boy to accept a musket wound.
The moment the shots began to sound like they had been aimed and fired in a different trajectory and shouts could be heard further away from the door, Ivon sharply raised one hand in the air and pointed forward towards the door.
Without a word, the insurgents silently got up with pistols primed and ready, rushing through the door like a swarm of bees flying through an open window and into someone's bedroom. Before the First Imperials could turn their attention back to the insurgents, many of them were promptly shot and spun away lifelessly upon impact.
The others who hadn't been hit sprang for the other end of the room where there was an internal staircase leading down to the first story. No doubt they knew that as survivors of the first volley, they didn't stand much chance against the insurgents who would surely gun them down the second time.
Elsa spotted Will at the side of the room, having been backed into a wall, and ran over to him.
"Are you alright?" she asked anxiously, scanning the boy for any wounds. "Were you hit?"
"I thought I was going to die." Will said quietly, sounding breathless. "They had all their muskets trained on me, and I was sure that at least one or two stray balls would spin out of the wind and hit me."
"But you didn't." Jade came up and clapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, it's not over yet."
A close shave, Elsa thought to herself. What if they hadn't charged at the right time? Then he would've been dead by now. She shook the thought out of her head and hurried over to join the rest in the centre of the room.
"-and stash as much as you can into the sacks." Ivon finished saying. "The moment we're clear of this place, we're releasing the money into the streets to the people."
As the insurgents nodded and moved out to different parts of the room to ransack it of the money the Empire had confiscated and accumulated from the citizens, Ivon turned to Elsa and the rest.
"You guys can take a few others and clean out the first level." He said. "Hold off the First Imperials as long as you can. By now they know we're in here, and have probably drawn fresh soldiers from the weapons depository opposite, giving Bravo Team the window to slip in."
"We'll do that. Just…hurry." Elsa felt uneasy. Maybe it really was because she had been away from the adventures with the Warriors for too long, or maybe this was something else.
The Warriors and a rag-tag bunch of five insurgents headed for the staircase at the other end of the room which led down to the first floor. The insurgents took the lead, walking cautiously down the steps. When all of them had reached the first level, everything seemed quiet and there was no sign of any soldiers hiding anywhere.
"Too quiet." Elsa heard Jade mumble uncomfortably under her breath.
"We should comb this place." One of the insurgents suggested. "In case there are other entry points we don't know about."
"Yes." Elsa agreed. "But we need to stick together."
"We'll stand guard here." Another said to the Warriors. "You guys can check out the rest of the bank to be sure."
Elsa nodded and took Jade and Will with her to move further into the bank's first level to make sure they weren't going to be ambushed by any remaining soldiers…or fresh ones.
They hadn't made it far into the building when they heard the distant cries of the insurgents they had left behind to guard the entrance as well as the crack of musketry.
"That doesn't sound good." Jade said.
"No it doesn't." Elsa grimaced as she cautiously led them back. They stuck to the walls and inched around the corners slowly, back the way they came.
When the Warriors arrived back at the entrance, they were greeted by the sight of First Imperial soldiers bayoneting the remaining live bodies of the insurgents. It was a horrible sight, with smoke filling the air and the soldiers pouring through the entrance and into the bank.
"No kill shots! Shoot to cripple!" A nasty sounding voice rang out throughout the room. "I want them all rounded up for judgement after what they've tried to do here."
Crouching, Elsa watched from behind the corner as the man who had given the command stepped through the smoke and the soldiers behind him fanned out, clambering over the dead bodies of the insurgents and up the stairs towards the second floor where the rest were still busy ransacking the place.
"We got to stop them. Taper off the soldiers going up." Will said urgently. "That way our guys will at least stand a chance against those numbers."
"Let's see how they like the taste of lightning." Before Elsa could stop her, Jade got out from behind the pillar and stood in full view of the First Imperials.
Two long tendrils formed in Jade's hands, and they glowed with electricity jumping off their tips. Slashing at the soldiers wildly, they broke formation and a great number of them fell back, leaving the staircase vacant and empty for a moment. As she whipped the tendrils at them, moving with the grace of an amateur dancer, Elsa could hear the shouts from behind the smoke and the sounds of muskets being loaded and cocked.
"Jade! Get back!" Elsa leapt out from behind her hiding spot and pulled Jade back behind the safety of the pillar.
Just in time too, as the roar of musketry suddenly filled the room, lead balls zipping just inches past the Warriors.
"And now they know we're here." Elsa scowled at Jade.
"I think that was kind of the point." Jade smiled.
"They're going to be coming this way now that they know we're here," Will said, urging the two girls to stop locking horns and get up. "We should get to a better space where we can at least put up a fight."
Keeping their heads down, the three Warriors ran further into the bank as the soldiers were reloading their muskets. With her heart beating sporadically in her chest, Elsa thanked the heavens that the soldiers had been ordered to fire in a unified volley, for if they had fired at will, the Warriors wouldn't have had that window of opportunity to duck down the hallway under the cover of musket smoke and make it to the next room before the next volley crashed out.
"That was close." Jade panted as she sprawled on the floor.
"Yes," The adrenaline was still coursing through Elsa's veins, setting her icy biology on fire. "We should find cover."
From outside the room, she could hear the boots slowly approaching the room they were in.
"The Captain is on his way. I want them all bagged by the time he gets here! Let's show this foreigner what we're made of." The nasty voice sneered, nearing the room where they were hidden.
The Captain? Janus had mentioned that the Empress had hired him to be the Captain of the First Imperial Guard. Elsa's heart sank. Oh, god. That meant that he would have to confront her under the watchful eyes of the Guard. Could things possibly get any more dire?
She dropped out of sight just as the first soldier entered the room, musket raised. The rest poured in after him, fanning out through the room. There was no fighting it. Before long, the First Imperials had rounded up the three Warriors. Thankfully, Jade and Will had enough sense not to engage the numerous soldiers who had weapons pointed in their faces.
Elsa had been afraid that Jade or Will would have struck out with their powers, setting off some trigger-happy soldiers. They both had recognized that there was no fighting their way out too, and Elsa was relieved in that aspect, if nothing else. She narrowed her eyes and looked at the soldier with the nasty voice who was obviously in charge. The bars on his shoulders indicated that he was a lieutenant, standing in for Janus until he arrived.
"Didn't put up much of a fight, I see." The lieutenant's lips curled. "What a shame. I was hoping that we'd be forced to shoot you."
"Sir," A soldier popped into view at the doorway of the room and saluted, and the lieutenant turned his attention away from Elsa. "The Captain is here."
Hooded and in his trademark mask and cloak, Janus strode into the room, unarmed except for his usual recurve bow in hand.
The lieutenant gave him a sloppy salute. "Sir. Have you been informed of the situation?"
"Situation?" Janus glanced round, and Elsa could have sworn he bristled a little when he saw that Elsa was in the room. His gaze lingered on her a little longer as if to chide her for showing up and forcing his hand. "You mean the massacre you committed outside?"
"A necessary measure to breach the facility, Sir."
"You know that the orders are to round up any traitors alive, don't you, Dolan?" Janus' voice sounded menacing behind the mask, but not that it seemed to faze the lieutenant.
Dolan scoffed. "There wasn't any other way into the building."
"I will deal with you later." Janus turned to look at Elsa, Jade and Will again. "You three," he said impassively. "You know what happens to traitors?"
"These aren't just ordinary traitors, Sir." Dolan said. "From what the men and I saw, this one," he jabbed his finger in Jade's direction. "Is a witch of some sort. And I'm willing to bet that the other two are as well. They don't look like normal militants or mercenaries."
"And you're telling me this, why?" Janus shot an icy glance at Dolan.
"What I'm saying is," Dolan matched his gaze. "We should get rid of them right here and now. If we round them up with the rest of the insurgents, there's no telling if they'll break out somehow and free the rest with them."
"No," For a moment, Elsa heard a tiny hint of panic in Janus' voice. "General Kane wants them all alive."
"He doesn't know about these supernatural ones." Dolan hissed. "I say we just kill them here and say they refused capture."
"Stand down, Dolan, that's an order." Janus' deep and mechanical voice somehow managed to sound sharp.
"Your judgement is skewered, Sir." Dolan spat and gestured at the soldier beside him, who immediately raised his musket, aiming it straight at Elsa.
In a split second, Janus had his arrow nocked and bowstring drawn back, aimed straight at the chest of the soldier.
"Stand down," He growled. "I'm warning you."
Dolan made a clicking sound with his tongue, looking amused. "Do it."
Before the soldier had the chance to move his finger to the trigger, Janus released the arrow, striking through the man's heart. He collapsed silently, his weapon clattering loudly on the tiled floor.
"I knew it," Dolan tutted. "A traitor in our midst."
Half of the soldiers trained their weapons on their captain, while the other half kept theirs aimed at the three Warriors.
"Mutiny." Janus muttered under his breath.
"You're one to talk." Dolan sneered. "Though I have to admit, most of us knew there was something fishy about you, but we could never put our finger on it until now. You're a traitor, just like the rest of them."
"Stand down. Final warning." Janus growled.
"You're in no position to be giving commands anymore, Captain." Dolan snarled. "Seize his bow and sword."
One of the soldiers stepped forward and snatched the weapons out of Janus' possession.
"I ought to have you shot right here." Dolan regarded him with a lofty look.
"No!" Elsa shouted.
"A grateful damsel, I see." Dolan turned his attention to her. "Don't worry, I won't kill him. I'll want him to suffer. And I've changed my mind about you lot. You'll suffer too." He then called out in a loud voice. "Get them out into the streets with the rest of their rebel friends."
As the Warriors and Janus were forced outside, Elsa turned to Janus.
"Why did you do that?"
"They were going to kill you." Janus said quietly.
"And now they're going to kill all of us." Elsa glanced round at the soldiers escorting them.
"Don't worry, they won't." Janus reassured her. "Dolan is all talk. We'll be brought to a sentencing hearing. We have time to figure something out."
When they were forced out of the Merchant's Bank and into the streets, they were met by the sight of the remaining First Imperials formed up in wait. A sergeant stepped forward and saluted as Dolan approached.
"Sir," Elsa heard the sergeant say in Exonite. "The attackers managed to escape with a lot of the money. We gunned a few down, but most of them-"
"Never mind," Dolan cut him off impatiently. He grinned nastily at Elsa and her friends. "We have all that we need. Let's go."