Anna focused as she pointed the laser cutting tool firmly against the glass case before her. In a slow, circular motion, she traced the laser across the cube's clear surface. In the red beam's wake, molten glass dripped as it gave way, carving a circle in the pristine material. Within the glass housing, a sizeable ruby sat protected on its pressure sensitive pedestal.
"How's it coming?" Caleb's voice crackled through Anna's earpiece.
"Right on schedule," Anna offered, knowing full well Caleb was aware of her progress. A small camera mounted over Anna's ear, just above her earpiece, gave Caleb a clear view of Anna's work. "Just another minute."
Anna knew to move diligently. If not, both she and Caleb would invariably be subject to the whim of the Jurisdiction's special forces nestled just a few floors below. That was the risk for stealing one of the world's most valuable precious gems.
But Anna and Caleb hadn't taken the assignment lightly. In fact, it hadn't been their decision at all. Instead, the prospect of a compromised colleague, a friend who had been taken against his will and now held for ransom, was enough to motivate Anna to action without a second thought. The Cat Eye - a ruby of historic proportions, purportedly handed down as a blood tithe through the lineage of the Jurisdiction's leadership - was the only payment demanded for the exchange of the familiar and unwilling prisoner.
Caleb, on the other hand, had been obstinate, at first, to take the assignment. With Anna's and the Agency's strongarming, he had finally capitulated. Again, the two didn't have a choice. Anna and Caleb were beholden to the Agency. As field agents, they went where they were dictated and, similar to now, often without question. But Anna had balked at Caleb's rebuff of the assignment. John was a friend and close compatriot, so Anna was confused at Caleb's initial cold shoulder. The three of them - Anna, Caleb, and John - had been deployed together on a number of excursions for the Agency. And Anna could remember at least a few instances in which she and Caleb owed John their lives.
"Almost there," Anna whispered under her breath as she watched the red laser cut with surgical precision against the glass.
"I've got your back," Caleb whispered in return. Perched on an adjacent rooftop, several hundred meters away, Caleb watched both Anna's video feed and the view through the scope on his sniper rifle. At the moment, Anna was obscured by curtains draping the small office room she found herself in. If Anna needed the help, Caleb was at the ready to squeeze off as many shots as needed to neutralize threats that may make themselves known. Of course, Caleb's sniper rifle was an option of last resort. Ideally, Anna would carve up the glass case holding the Cat Eye, circumvent the pressure plate on which the ruby sat, retrieve the gem, and leave the same way she entered by parachuting out an open window with little trace to a predetermined pick up spot somewhere in the city far below.
Caleb took a deep breath and settled in. Anna was one of the best field agents he had ever worked with. Both were seasoned veterans of the Agency and their reputations had preceded them when they first began working together. Now, years later, they had an intuitive working relationship. This was key considering their current directive was to pose as husband and wife in the Jurisdiction while carrying out their clandestine operations.
Once the Cat Eye was secured, Anna and Caleb were to attend a high-profile soiree where the ruby would be transferred to an as-yet unknown contact. Upon successful transfer, John would be released elsewhere within the city, awaiting extraction.
Anna caught the glass as it fell away from her cutting tool. "Alright Caleb, let's jam this bitch."
Caleb reached down to the small screen where he could see Anna's camera feed. With a gloved hand, he punched the predetermined sequence on the touchscreen.
Anna watched as the red status LED's on the pedestal switched over to green.
"You're good," Caleb's static-y voice trailed over the comms.
Anna took a breath and holstered her cutting tool. "Here it goes."
Anna gently breached the hole in the glass with her hand, careful not to touch anything in the case and reaching only for the glimmering, blood-colored gem. Holding the ruby between her thumb and middle finger, Anna flipped the massive stone into the palm of her hand. The weight of the object surprised her as she slowly retrieved the Cat Eye from its perch and back out through the glass.
"Wait!" Caleb's message echoed through Anna's earpiece moments too late. Without warning, a high-pitched alarm pierced the still night as the dim lights in the small office turned to amber. Just as Anna's hand passed through the opening in the case, the broken glass housing recessed and disappeared into the pedestal below.
"What the fuck!" Anna yelled, breaking her composure for a brief second before regaining her senses. An unknown security protocol!?
"It looks like a backup relay," Caleb called through the earpiece. "It wasn't disclosed in the briefing. We've been compromised Anna."
"No shit. Buy me some time." Anna shoved the ruby into a pocket at the breast of her tactical suit. By her calculations, she had about half a minute before the office was breached and she'd be face to face with an unknown number of henchman out for one thing, her head.
Caleb seated his rifle against his shoulder and buckled down on his scope. The floating crosshairs wavered against the draped windows. "Move the curtains, I need a shot."
Anna rushed to the windows, where she had entered, and threw the curtains aside. From beyond the perimeter of the locked door to the office, she could hear the sound of heavy footsteps and shouting.
"Troops are here," Anna stifled her breath as she did a cursory check of her equipment, ensuring the small, singular parachute at her back was secured and ready.
"Get out," Caleb hurried as the view of the exposed amber-lit office shone through his scope. "I'll see you at the rendezvous."
Anna stepped to the open window. The night breeze whipped against her goggled face as she peered at the bustling city far below. Behind her, the heavy impact of boots pounded against the office door. Then, gunfire rang out as it compromised the lock and the door swung wide open.
Anna jumped. For a moment, her body sat suspended in the chilled night air, then plummeted as surely as gravity pulled down around her. Above, Anna could hear distant shouting as she arced toward the city lights below.
