The Summoner Series - Book One - DUALITY

Chapter 19: Cain - And So It Begins

The days passed and we reviewed the plan countless time. We each knew what the other had to do, and we all knew the stakes that rested on this night. Jazzy managed to obtain a large van that in the day prior I loaded with equipment to survey the whole ordeal. I was needed to make sure that everyone got into the event unnoticed and unscathed. Plus, none of the tuxedos that Jazzy found fit me properly, so I was very keen on staying in the van. I had a few screens to survey the grounds through the cameras on the property, but everything was black currently. I couldn't get any eyes until Jazzy planted a device on one of the cameras near the gate. The easy part was getting to the camera, the hard part was getting there unseen.

"Jazzy, are you there?" I said into my ear piece.

"I hear you loud and clear." She replied. "Jack, you there?"

"Roger that, Jazzy. I'm with Bruce and Cece right now, waiting for your cue."

"Great, I'm on standby with Nocturnus, waiting to plant the bug."

"Ok," I said, slightly nervous. "It's showtime." I activated the bug, and I heard Jazzy start to move. I was waiting in anticipation, not wanting to disturb her work. She had to quietly climb a gate far from the entrance where people were starting to file in. Cece, Jack, and Bruce were a block away, waiting to walk up to the front entrance. In order for everyone to get in and get it done, we needed Jazzy to do possibly the second most dangerous task.

We were all waiting with baited breath. "Ok, I'm about to climb." There was radio silence for a few moments while we were all waiting for Jazzy. I heard her start to climb, barely making a sound, and then nothing. For a few seconds that felt like hours, we were waiting for her to tell us if she successfully bugged the camera or got caught and was being hauled away.

I heard a sudden grunt as Jazzy jumped from the top of the gate. "I got it. The plan is a go." We all let out an audible sigh of relief. "Nocturnus and I will get to the roof. Bruce, Jack, and Cece, start moving to the entrance. Cain, keep an eye out for us, will ya?"

"You got it." I hit a few keys on my keyboard and the screens in the van lit up. First, it was just the single camera, but after I furiously typed and tried to access the camera wavelength and see every other camera, each screen was filled with a couple camera frames. "Just like magic."I took a couple seconds from the cameras leading up to the roof and started to loop them. The screen then split into what the cameras showed the security staff and what actually was happening. I saw as Jazzy and Nocturnus helped each other scale the side of the gate, up the side of the building, and into the roof. I saw as they lifted a small skylight in a small building connected to the much larger building that was hosting the gala. Hopefully they knew how to get around in there without my help. I would have to be focused more on the other three.

I saw Bruce, Jack, and Cece round the corner and make their way to the front gates of the gala. Everyone was presenting an invitation that proved that they were invited. Jack would have to talk his way in since there wasn't enough time to produce a compelling copy. Luckily, just like Jack can talk his way out of anything, I was hoping he could talk his way into this.

The three of them finally got to the front of the line, and they tried to walk in without showing their invitation that they didn't have. One of the guards threw his arm out to stop the three of them. People were moving to the side of them so they could get in. "Invitation, please." Said the guard. Each guard was as well dressed as the guest, with the distinct difference of a wired earpiece. I could see everything going on from the screen, and luckily I could hear the conversation being picked up from the ear pieces the three of them wore.

"Excuse me?" Jack responded, offended. "I'm not sure you realize who you're talking to." He spoke directly to the guard while Cece held her chin high, not making eye contact with anyone. Bruce stood stoically behind both of them, arms crossed, staring at the guard as well through his wrap around sunglasses. Jack and Bruce were both dressed well in their tuxedos, but Cece was wearing a fabulous, strapless red dress with shimmering sparkles, accenting the red with glints of silver. "I am the Archduke of Uzbekistan, and this is the crown jewel of our glorious country, Anora Tashkent, the Singing Diamond of our glorious country. And you dare oppose us?"

"Sir, I'm sorry, but I need to see your invitation." The guard stood stern and didn't move a single muscle besides the ones needed to speak. Bruce let out a huff to try and intimidate the guards, but even the guards looked a match for Bruce.

Jack scoffed at this. "How dare you! I shall report this to my father, who will not hesitate to pull our generous funding to this disgusting organization. And we shall be taking any artifacts we have generously donated to whoever owns this decrepit house." At this point, people were stopping and staring. Other guards were starting to look over at the commotion. I hope Jack knew what he was doing. I could tell that Cece and Bruce were starting to get nervous, but they kept their composure well. "We shall leave this poor place and take our shining star with it. May you never hear her beautiful voice and be cursed with the agony of never letting her angelic songs grace your poor ears." He started to turn on his heel and Cece and Bruce started to turn as well.

Cece whispered, "What are you doing? We needed to get in there."

"Shh." Jack replied. "Three, two one..."

"Wait!" The guard shouted. "Sorry for the confusion, Archduke, you and your entourage may enter the gala."

All three turned around and slowly walked back to the gates. "Thank you, kind sir, that was very wise of you." All three walked in and let out a collective sigh of relief.

"How did you know that would work?" Bruce asked.

"I didn't, it was a gamble."

"What? You gambled our entire operation on you being an archduke of some foreign country and that Cece can sing?"

"Yep. Whew, it's been a while since I had a high like that. It's exhilarating, isn't it?"

"Next time, make a plan before you decide to gamble our lives away."

"Next time, you can try and talk your way into a gala you weren't invited to."

To cut the tension, Cece asked, "How did you come up with my name?"

"My great aunt's name is Anora, and Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan." He turned to Bruce. "See, I had an idea, I just did a tad of improv."

"I still don't like the idea of going in without a plan."

"You need to live more, Bruce. Life is full of unexpected moments, you might as well lean into it."

I leaned back in my chair and had a sigh of relief myself. I didn't know how they would get in. But now the hard part was getting the artifact and getting out. I watched as the three of them entered the main gala and dispersed, looking for the man running the gala, E. Wages. He was one of the richest fat cats in all of Velvet Isle and normally threw galas, but this one was special. The artifact was the main centerpiece for the entire event, so we would need to be extremely careful while stealing it.

I also made sure that Jazzy and Nocturnus went unnoticed while they were getting into position, looping camera footage and deactivating some security clearances. Everything was out of my hands now, and all I had to do is wait.

"Hello, Cay, it's been a while." I heard a female voice through my earpiece. "Whatcha doing here at the gala? Perhaps the same thing as me?

Dammit. How did she get this frequency? "Hello, Kristy. It certainly has been a while."