FORT KNOX: THE PERFECT HEIST

CHAPTER 3

                                                                              THE PLAN
     The roughnecks and roustabouts were told to trip out the string and reload with new pipe, fit certain slugs and drills, trip back in down-hole and start drilling. Of course, all this took time, and, secrecy is paramount. The crews did as they were required and it would all seemed to them to be business as normal. Only the company-man knew what, where, when and why. All is normal, shipshape and Bristol fashion, as my British friends would often point out when things were going as planned. However, the plan is not yet complete. Raza had drilled similar holes before, and, as luck had it, he kept all that raw data on data sticks, including video, in case anything untoward happened.

    Raza loaded all this data onto his spare laptop computer, changed a few parameters and started to send the data down the phone lines to headquarters.

The rock formation data is changed to that of this well and strata,just the depth would need to be adjusted to conform, and this our erstwhile genius did with ease. Our betters would be none the wiser.

    The mudder and mud-logger were brought in to chat with me. All their logging is to be as normal, but to expect unusual formation changes. This is normal procedure, especially when such wildcat holes were being drilled. As luck is with us, neither had seen the geological plan, but again, this is to be a secret, and, again, as with some sites secrecy is paramount within the company; the men knew this well enough. Alas, as well I knew, you cannot keep a secret from the mudder and mud-logger. I called them back and asked them to join me in a drink. Bill, Ben, Raza and I had hurriedly discussed the matter, and, as we had known and worked with these two reprobates for nearly thirty years, it would be unfair to have them miss out on our stupid, but grand finale.

    "Frank and Mudder, we have something to tell you," I said, with a slight sigh. I told them how the company had planned to set us all up, how we had been duped, promised wads of cash, when in reality, all the money is going to a select few, and once the job is ready for production, we were all to be fired, thrown to the wolves.

    "The plan stops or carries on from here. If you both bow out, we'll understand. None of us wants to spend the rest of our lives behind bars. However, we know you well enough not to run to the FBI, but to retire sick, seriously ill, and we'll look after you, don't worry about that. Any-ways, you need to discuss it amongst yourselves, so go get yourselves a beer." Frank gazed across at Mudder, who, in turn, returned his gaze.

     "Even split?" asked Mudder. We all nodded our agreement to Frank's question.

     "Y'all kinna drill wiout us, un y'all not gonna drill nothun." Both beamed the broadest smiles I'd seen since UT beat the shits out of those northern Yankees college boys.

    "Weeel," said Raza, spreading the information across the long table. Weees sposed ta git down ta seventeeen kay, and our goal is jist teen kay. Be my reconnin, if y'all can git the dirt we need sposin what tha fomshun shud be lookin leik stored and sent to company orafice, theen thems y'all down thers ain't gonna be any tha wiser un evenchilly calls thems holes dry." Another tobacco juice rocket flew in the spittoon's direction.

    "Is?" says, Muds, "Kin we duh tha wiout rousin suspicions?"

     "Sure kin, Frank. Un ens ways, I knows a beautiful meeture lady in tha acid company, and she'll doctor some peeper work for a neecy few truck loadsa thems acids y'all need. Jeeeze kin shee kiss."

     I had the feeling all is going to work out well. I'd no niggles and full confidence in my co-management team is at an all time high.

     Bill is the director, that is, he would keep the drill on course, and, with pin-point accuracy, guide the drill to within ten millimetre of our goal. I would order the slugs needed to weight the cutter to the precise angles to bring us gently horizontal, then, at the right moment, bias the cutter up to vertical and into the target. We were safe as houses, but I'm still unsure of how we could reconstitute the gold from the acid.