TCB: Part 2/48 - Chapter 1

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This is part 2 of The City Beneath. If you didn't read part one, click the link above for a little background before jumping in.

Chapter 1: 35 years after the revolution, a Monday

Higgs followed the safecracker through the newly excavated hole in the wall. The explosion was bigger than expected and Higgs was worried that they’d drawn attention. It was a miracle that this careless brute hadn’t been caught before. Higgs was tempted to call the whole thing off and get out of the building before things escalated. He grabbed the other man’s sleeve and whispered urgently, “Hey, what’s the deal back there? You’re gonna get us caught making that kind of a blast.”

The tall and thick man turned slowly, not bothering to whisper his response. “You wanted to get into the vault. I’m getting you into the vault. Are you going to micromanage me or let me do my job?”

Higgs shook his head. He spun his counterpart around and pushed him toward the vault door ahead. He was too far into it at this point to back down. He didn’t hear any alarm bells or whistles going off. The bank was surely equipped with seismic bottles. If the blast broke one of those, they’d definitely have heard it by now. He reached into his bag, pulling out a small kerosene flashlight. He clicked the piezo igniter and the flame sprung to life.

He shined the beam around the room. It was a typical bank vault. Lockboxes lined the walls, holding the valuables of the city’s wealthy residents. A collection of filing cabinets in the center of the room served as a table for clients to admire their wealth in complete discretion. Higgs didn’t begrudge anybody their fortune. He just wished they weren’t so smug about it. The self-satisfied Vickies loved to parade their opulence everywhere they went.

Even here in the vault, each box was labeled with a name. Throwing anonymity to the wind, they preferred their peers to know that they too had something of value to store here. This room was a “who’s who” of the post-war gentry. The largest box, of course, belonged to Montgomery Lester, scion of the legendary Traditionalist war hero and profiteer Alistair Lester. To the victor go the spoils, as they say, and the spoils created quite the nest egg for Montgomery.

The boxes weren’t the target, despite the ease of cracking open the flimsy doors. The valuables inside these boxes would prove difficult to convert into cash. How do you sell a one-of-a-kind necklace that’s just been reported stolen? It wasn’t worth the risk for Higgs. His target was the gold inside the steel vault at the end of the room. With out of control post-war inflation, gold and silver had become the de-facto currency.

He glanced over to the vault door and saw that the safecracker was already working on it. He’d marked the door for the key points of weakness. A few key blasts in those points would disable the pins that keep the door closed. He reached into his bag, pulling out an old-model portable electric drill. Higgs’s face lit up red as he rushed over to the other man.

“What are you, nuts? You get caught with that thing, and you’re looking at more than just a few years behind bars.”

“Back off, buddy. You know I can’t drill this door with a hand crank.”

“Yeah, but electric tools earn you the Technologist label. You know what a Vickie does to a Digit, don’t you? You’ll be put in one of their gulags. You’ll never see the light of day. I hired you for theft, not treason.”

“Fine. I’ll put the drill away, but then we’re going to have to blast more.”

Higgs thought about it for a moment. This was not going as planned. He should’ve done more research on his team before starting this thing. No turning back now. He’d rather have to face a theft charge than risk being labeled a Digit. “Blast it. You’re not using that drill.”

“Whatever you say, boss.”

The safecracker pulled a bottle of clear liquid from his bag. With a small brush, he began to carefully paint the hinges of the door with the explosive fluid. He painted the fluid on the lock mechanism in the center of the door as well. He grabbed a box out of his bag, opening it to reveal four small clockwork devices. In the center of each device was a small glass vial filled with a red fluid. A spring timer on each was attached to a small hammer, poised to shatter the vial. He stuck the four devices to the door above the hinges and lock, setting the timer on each.

“Ok, I’d recommend taking cover.” He said in a too-loud whisper.

Higgs took cover behind the bank of file cabinets. He sat silently, wondering if this was the right choice. Another large blast meant another chance to set off the seismic alarms. He listened to the timers as they clicked steadily. He wasn’t sure how long he would need to wait. He covered his ears and continued waiting.

Finally, he heard each timer click into its final position. The spring-loaded hammers struck their targets, spilling the red chemical onto the painted fluid. The chemicals mixed in four loud and violent blasts split seconds apart. He heard the door drop from its hinges before toppling and slamming into the bank of cabinets, throwing Higgs across the room.

He scrambled to his feet, expecting the alarms to start, but it was silent. He rushed into the vault and began loading the gold coins into his bag. The safecracker calmly walked into the room and began to load his bag. The man looked at Higgs with a cocky smile on his face. “Well, it worked, didn’t it?”

Higgs looked up, ready to give the guy credit for pulling it off. Behind the safecracker, he saw a seismic bottle in the wall. It had cracks running through the entire glass. “Hey, watch out behind you, that bottle’s about ready to break.”

“What? I can’t hear your whispers, speak up.” The safecracker stood up to see what Higgs was pointing at. He spun around and his bag smashed into the bottle, sending shards of glass flying, and setting alarms ringing all around the pair.

“Out! Now. Go!” Higgs shouted, leading the other man out of the room. As he ran, he started thinking about whether he’d grabbed enough coins to make this whole hassle worthwhile. He should’ve done his research on his team. He couldn’t afford the rates that the top people charged. Crime was big business, and it seems you get what you pay for. He grumbled to himself as he rushed through the safe deposit room and toward the large hole in the wall.

They leaped back through the hole into the basement of the building next door. Scrambling up the stairs to the alley behind the buildings, Higgs hoped that the driver was waiting for them. As they emerged into the alley, he found that the driver was, indeed waiting for them. One look at the vehicle, and Higgs knew they didn’t stand a chance. It was a monstrous steel steamer car. You could practically hear the thing a mile away.

He shouted up to the driver, “What on earth is this? I’m surprised you could fit it in this alley.”

“It’s fast, don’t complain.”

Higgs threw his bag into the back seat of the car next to the waiting safecracker. He shut the door. “You go. I’ll meet you at the rendezvous point."

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