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.
Caleb watched as Anna exited the tall building. From Caleb's perch, he seated his index finger against the trigger and lined up his shots against the stream of special forces pouring in through the compromised office space. As certainly as Anna fell to earth, Caleb popped off his rifle.
The first shot hit the trooper square in the chest, cleanly piercing his armor and sending him reeling back into his compatriots. The confusion that ensued gave Caleb enough time to clean out several other targets as they swarmed the room and made their way around the Cat Eye pedestal and to the window. Although Caleb's assault was evident, the troopers gathered at the window and rained fire down around Anna as she continued to fall.
Four, five, six. Caleb counted off the shots as he downed the aggressors one by one, some flailing to the ground of the office space while others fell from the window toward the city. As quickly as the troopers had taken over the small space, the remaining withdrew to cover within the office, unsure from where their assassin was attacking.
Caleb held his breath as he watched Anna continue to fall, until what seemed at the last possible moment, she reached behind her and deployed her parachute.
Anna felt the sudden jolt of the chute slow her as it unfurled its blackness against the night sky. Caleb did have her back, Anna thought. She hadn't died, but the pain at her side was undeniable. Looking down, Anna saw the ripped fabric of her suit at her hip pierced clean through by gunshot. So much for no collateral. She'd need stitches, and soon.
Anna pulled deftly on the parachute cordage as she navigated her way between the high-rises on her controlled descent into the city. Ahead, the dark patch of a dimly-lit park came into view while she crested her final approach. With the softness of a bird of prey, she glided into the green space and touched down on the grass of the rendezvous point.
Around her, the sparsely populated space, filled mainly with the random dog-walker and party-goer, gawked at their airborne intruder. As fast as she landed, Anna disengaged her parachute. Touching the pouch with the ruby one last time, Anna did her best to conceal herself in the darkness and surrounding foliage. Taking a hand, she touched her side and brought a thin film of blood away. Could be worse, she thought, adrenaline coursing through her taxed body. Somewhere in the distance, police sirens fired up as Anna peered at her watch for Caleb's location.
As quickly as Caleb had dispatched Anna's pursuers, he packed his gear and exited his rooftop position. In the service elevator, he changed his clothes and slung his pack across his shoulder. At the parking garage, he casually strolled to the issued black Mercedes and tossed his gear in the trunk. It wasn't until he was clear of the automatic gate that he floored the accelerator and gunned the car toward the blip on his wristwatch.
Anna winced with pain and hobbled through the bushes toward the street. The police sirens, while impossible to pin their location, sounded to Anna like they were winding through the city, getting ever closer to her vulnerable position.
"Come on Caleb," Anna gritted between clenched teeth. Seconds ticked by as she considered the readout on her watch. Anna peered down the road toward the bustling city life and the encroaching sound of sirens.
If there was one thing to be certain, the Jurisdiction knew virtually all of the happenings within its limits. The constant city surveillance made it extremely difficult to go undetected, regardless the activity, legal or otherwise. Anna thought back to the glass case she had just worked on. She may has well not be surprised, she figured, at setting off the alarm system. Her and Caleb's line of work often came with its share of unexpected consequences. Unfortunately, Anna wasn't thrilled when those unexpected consequences included the errant gunshot wound.
The wailing of tires broke Anna out of her thoughts and she looked up toward the road to see the black Mercedes screeching in its drifting trajectory around the corner and beelining toward her position. Caleb was one of the best drivers in the Agency, Anna thought. Tonight was no exception.
As fast as Caleb had appeared, he slammed the brakes and brought the Mercedes to a screeching halt. Anna clenched her hip and hurried to the passenger side, throwing herself into the car and closing the door behind her in a singular motion. Without a word, Caleb floored the accelerator and, like sharks hunting in the midnight hour, he and Anna disappeared into the night toward their safehouse deep in the city.
"Try to be still." Caleb steadied the needle and surgical thread in his hand as Anna lay on the kitchen countertop closing her eyes against the bright lights.
