don’t get too confident. Never know what might happen.” Wirenut pressed the talk button on his vest. “We’re in.”
“Lookout copy,” answered TL.
Wirenut took his fiber-lit goggles from his vest. “Let’s do this.”
In the southwest corner of the one-room museum sat a small wood table. A vault underneath stored the crown at night. According to our research, the crown was pretty much the only thing the museum had. People came from all over the country of Rissala to see it.
We fitted the goggles over our eyes, illuminating the skin-sizzling, yellow lasers.
From my vest I got out the small bottles of chemicals, then flipped open my mini-laptop and keyed the scrambler sequence.
YOU’RE IN, typed Chapling.
HI, I typed back.
From my spot at the back door, I watched Wirenut complete the steps to breaking the Rayver System: leaned at seventy-degreeangle, spied tunnel, engaged remote-control expander, wire snaked out and into vault’s lock, lasers flicked off, squirted control panel with nitrox, ripped out diversionary wires, red lasers flicked on, found opening tunnel, snipped remaining white one, vault popped open.
Wow, he’s quick.
He squatted down, reached inside the vault, and brought out—
A yellow ribbon? What the…?
A ribbon tied around a ruby and a piece of paper. No crown. The burglar had already been here.
Fisting the ruby and paper, Wirenut reared back to slam the vault shut.
“Shhh,” I reminded him.
He paused, closed it softly instead, grabbed his tools, and raced back across the tile. The yellow lasers flicked on behind him.
I threw the yellow ribbon aside and took the ruby. “See what the paper says.”
Quickly, Wirenut unfolded it. “My boss said to leave this gem behind.”
“Is it typed or handwritten?”
“Typed.”
“We’ll worry about it later.” Opening the bottle of barium gentrea, I squeezed out one drop. It glided over the gem. Holding it close, I scrutinized it, studying the chemically bonded numbers as they became visible. Five sets, separated by fivespaces with raised edges on every fifth number. Different than the last encrypted message.
“It might disappear on you,” Wirenut reminded me.
Like I would forget such a thing. I quickly began keying in the numbers.
“Hurry.”
My fingers raced over the keys as I noticed the numbers beginning to disappear.
“Hurry.”
My fingers dashed lightning quick to keep up.
“Hurry.”
“Got it.” I pressed save and made sure Chapling had everything.
The gem went back to normal, appearing as if it hadn’t even been touched.
I closed my laptop. “Please don’t ever tell me to hurry again. It makes me nervous.”
“Sorry.”
“That’s all right. Let’s get out of here.”
He did the tape/wire thing to the door, deactivated it, and we slipped out.
Wirenut flung the yellow ribbon and note on the hotel bed. “I can’t believe he got there before me. I can’t believe he penetrated the water pulse system.” He jabbed his chest.
“ I’m the one who cracks new systems. Not other people. I’m the Ghost.”
I didn’t think it’d be wise to remind him that technically he was no longer the Ghost. He’d left that behind with his old life when he joined the Specialists.
TL picked up the ribbon. “Sounds like your ego’s talking.”
Wirenut flopped down on the bed and slung his arm over his eyes. “Leave me alone.”
In the months I’d known Wirenut, he’d always maintained a calm, cool demeanor with a spice of humor. I’d seen him irritated and upset more in the past week than I had since first meeting him. It worried me.
This mission was pushing at him from all angles: horrid memories resurfacing about his family, the burglar impersonating him, his meeting Katarina.
All I could do was be a friend, be there for him.
TL picked up the paper. “His boss? He has to be working for Zorba. How else would he know to leave that gem?” TL motioned me to the desk. “Let’s see what Chapling’s
“Lookout copy,” answered TL.
Wirenut took his fiber-lit goggles from his vest. “Let’s do this.”
In the southwest corner of the one-room museum sat a small wood table. A vault underneath stored the crown at night. According to our research, the crown was pretty much the only thing the museum had. People came from all over the country of Rissala to see it.
We fitted the goggles over our eyes, illuminating the skin-sizzling, yellow lasers.
From my vest I got out the small bottles of chemicals, then flipped open my mini-laptop and keyed the scrambler sequence.
YOU’RE IN, typed Chapling.
HI, I typed back.
From my spot at the back door, I watched Wirenut complete the steps to breaking the Rayver System: leaned at seventy-degreeangle, spied tunnel, engaged remote-control expander, wire snaked out and into vault’s lock, lasers flicked off, squirted control panel with nitrox, ripped out diversionary wires, red lasers flicked on, found opening tunnel, snipped remaining white one, vault popped open.
Wow, he’s quick.
He squatted down, reached inside the vault, and brought out—
A yellow ribbon? What the…?
A ribbon tied around a ruby and a piece of paper. No crown. The burglar had already been here.
Fisting the ruby and paper, Wirenut reared back to slam the vault shut.
“Shhh,” I reminded him.
He paused, closed it softly instead, grabbed his tools, and raced back across the tile. The yellow lasers flicked on behind him.
I threw the yellow ribbon aside and took the ruby. “See what the paper says.”
Quickly, Wirenut unfolded it. “My boss said to leave this gem behind.”
“Is it typed or handwritten?”
“Typed.”
“We’ll worry about it later.” Opening the bottle of barium gentrea, I squeezed out one drop. It glided over the gem. Holding it close, I scrutinized it, studying the chemically bonded numbers as they became visible. Five sets, separated by fivespaces with raised edges on every fifth number. Different than the last encrypted message.
“It might disappear on you,” Wirenut reminded me.
Like I would forget such a thing. I quickly began keying in the numbers.
“Hurry.”
My fingers raced over the keys as I noticed the numbers beginning to disappear.
“Hurry.”
My fingers dashed lightning quick to keep up.
“Hurry.”
“Got it.” I pressed save and made sure Chapling had everything.
The gem went back to normal, appearing as if it hadn’t even been touched.
I closed my laptop. “Please don’t ever tell me to hurry again. It makes me nervous.”
“Sorry.”
“That’s all right. Let’s get out of here.”
He did the tape/wire thing to the door, deactivated it, and we slipped out.
Wirenut flung the yellow ribbon and note on the hotel bed. “I can’t believe he got there before me. I can’t believe he penetrated the water pulse system.” He jabbed his chest.
“ I’m the one who cracks new systems. Not other people. I’m the Ghost.”
I didn’t think it’d be wise to remind him that technically he was no longer the Ghost. He’d left that behind with his old life when he joined the Specialists.
TL picked up the ribbon. “Sounds like your ego’s talking.”
Wirenut flopped down on the bed and slung his arm over his eyes. “Leave me alone.”
In the months I’d known Wirenut, he’d always maintained a calm, cool demeanor with a spice of humor. I’d seen him irritated and upset more in the past week than I had since first meeting him. It worried me.
This mission was pushing at him from all angles: horrid memories resurfacing about his family, the burglar impersonating him, his meeting Katarina.
All I could do was be a friend, be there for him.
TL picked up the paper. “His boss? He has to be working for Zorba. How else would he know to leave that gem?” TL motioned me to the desk. “Let’s see what Chapling’s
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