Chapter 1 – The Procurement of Pride

A thief's point of view

I put the finishing touches to my attire and looked into the mirror critically. I surveyed myself in the reflective glass in a similar manner to a teenage girl before she goes out on a date. And I did have a date tonight – with a very pretty thing. Buttoning up my waistcoat, I double checked the blue prints and then proceeded to burn them with my lighter. My blue eyes stared at the mirror once more and I nodded. I was ready.

I left the room and stalked down the corridor. I climbed the stairs to the main deck and moved through the crowd. Music was blaring through the speakers and people were dancing.

"Waiter, I'd like a Margarita," a woman asked me in a voice which told me I was invisible to her. She didn't even look at me.

I almost laughed at the irony of the situation but instead I replied, "Right away, ma'am." I moved to the bar as if to get the drink but I had more important things to think about than some snob's need to satisfy her alcoholic tendencies. I slipped behind the bar and into the employee lounge which was through the swinging double doors. I pushed through them and saw that the lounge was empty. I knew it would be. On a busy night like this, the waiters and waitresses would be flat out being at the beck and call of the 'Beautiful People' who were aboard this mammoth boat. I walked to the coffee table and heaved it out of the way. I flipped over the rug and came face to face with the hole that I had prepared last night. I discarded the waistcoat and stripped down to the sleek, black body suit I had been wearing underneath my disguise. I brought out my lighter again and set light to the clothes. I placed them in a corner of the room and dispersed them so that the fire would spread slowly and provide the perfect distraction later on. I lowered myself through the hole and into the ventilation shaft that lay between me and the floor below. I moved the rug back into place and sank into the darkness.

Moving through the shaft, I recited the directions in my mind like some sort of song. I crawled swiftly using my elbows to provide me with momentum. The darkness was disconcerting but I repeated the directions like a mantra. I had to stay focussed. I neared my destination and pulled my mask from my pocket. I couldn't let them see me but a I couldn't wear a balaclava – my vanity wouldn't allow it. I had it specially made and, as it moulded to the contours of my head, I felt that familiar rush of excitement. Sometimes I think that's why I do it. Other times I know: it's just what I do. I am a thief.

As I came to the end of my road in the shaft, I peered through the grille below me. Four guards came into view and my mind calculated a plan of action. I loosened the screws on the grille and slowly displaced it, making virtually no noise. I dropped to the floor and landed on my hands and knees like a cat. I pounced on the nearest guard and disarmed him implementing my finely tuned method of using pressure points to render the victim unconscious. The other guards spun around and immediately went for their guns.

"Get him," one of them shouted. I couldn't let them gain the upper hand so I launched into an attack. I delivered a series of blows, punches and kicks. I received a few too but my adrenaline didn't allow me to register the pain. But it would come later – I had no doubt. I had three guards down by this point and there was one left. He got in a punch and I felt the coppery taste of blood fill my mouth. Now that pissed me off a bit. I pulled my leg back and then kicked him hard in the knees and I definitely heard a bone or two crack. The guard screamed in pain. I lowered him to the ground and put him into unconsciousness, predominantly to stop him alerting others to my presence, but also out of mercy. I reached for their guns and strapped them to the legs of my suit. They would make good additions to my already brimming arsenal. I then turned my attention to the vault door. I was ready for the things I had to contend with. I slipped a small black box from the belt around my waist. I took out the piece of wax and arranged it over my right index finger. This print had been hard to get but I finally managed to obtain it through my brief stint as a waiter. I placed my finger onto the scanner and light passed over it. One of the two lights on the panel at the door turned green. One left – the pass code. It wasn't going to be your average 4-digit PIN number which was so easy to guess because people usually used the birthday of their pet puppy or something like that. This was a 10 character code with a mixture of letters, numbers and punctuation and I only had one attempt. It was a good thing I had the code otherwise I'd be well and truly screwed.

19:d7!pk4/

The second light turned green and the vault door slid open; I allowed myself a small smile. But there was still work to do. I took out the glasses and put them on. Immediately the vault was bathed in a green glow and stark beams revolved in the room. They were infra-red beams and they would set off an alarm if they were broken. I looked at my prize. It was calling to me. But I knew if I touched it – even for second – electric pulses would spit out of pillars and find me waking up in the hospital wing of a prison sometime next week. And I did not want that to happen. I could have gone in there and attempted to negotiate the continually moving infra-red beams but I didn't know whether I could do it. I knew my limits and wasn't about to leave this to chance. Alternatively, I got out Bobby. Bobby was a small robot, the size of a bug which could actually fly. I also took out the joystick which enabled me to control it. I inhaled deeply. The moment I had been practising a month for had come. I moved the joystick and Bobby sprang into life. Angling the joystick, hesitantly at first, Bobby entered the room and I concentrated. Through the glasses I saw the dangerous beams which I had to guide Bobby through. Bobby moved slowly and I was painfully aware of the time this was taking. My thoughts drifted back to the fire. What if the fire had already been found and I was trapped.

After what seemed like an eternity Bobby was hovering above the piece I had come for. I pressed a button on the joystick and three arms sprouted from Bobby. An image popped into my head of those stupid machines in arcades which invite you to manipulate an arm to try and get a teddy bear but they always drop the bear. I pushed the thought from my mind as I only had a few seconds to do this. I lowered Bobby and the arms enclosed my loot. I saw the electricity shoot out and hit Bobby and my breath caught in my throat. He buzzed back into life and I exhaled and immediately brought Bobby back to me. I tucked my treasure into the black box while taking out one last thing. I slipped the card in between the vault door and then ran. Using a different route, I soon appeared on the main deck with the alarm's noise lessening with every step I took. However, there was a commotion on the deck as well. My fire had filled the employee lounge and was causing pandemonium. People were running everywhere, just how I wanted it to be. I ran down to one of the lower decks where my transport was waiting.

A small powerboat gleamed as I climbed in. I was nearly there. I lowered the boat down to the ocean below. Waves lapped at the sides of the boat like beggars. I turned the motor on and sped off. Looking back at the scene I laughed with pride. I had caused that. My grin widened as I thought of the souvenir I had taken. I let the sea breeze whip my face, not affected since I still had my mask on. The boat tore through the rough waters of the Atlantic Ocean. I drove for half an hour until I noticed the welcoming sight of a yacht. I docked it and climbed aboard. I walked across the deck and down to the interior of the yacht.

"Kane," I called.

"In here," a voice was heard from within. I entered his room and saw him at his desk working on Billy - a newer version of Bobby. He wheeled his chair over to me.

"Is it done?" he asked expectantly and I nodded.

"Well, put it in its place then," he instructed. I walked over to a silver briefcase and deftly clicked open the locks. I pulled out the sparkling, navy jewel from the black box and added it to my collection. I mentally ticked them off.

Sloth – the yellow citrine

Gluttony – the violet amethyst

Lust – the pink rose quartz

Wrath – the red ruby

Envy – the green emerald

Pride – the blue sapphire

The empty space taunted me. My array of stones was missing one vital piece.

"Tell me what happened," Kane said eagerly and pity coursed through me so I obliged. Later I yawned and Kane sent me to my room, after the appropriate congratulations. I took my mask off and ran a hand through my hair. There were a few cuts on my faces and I cleaned those up. I changed out of my body suit into something looser. I brushed my teeth. Looking in the mirror for the umpteenth time that day, I saw the best disguise of all, looking straight back at me.

A 15 year old teenage girl

"Night, Kane," I said.

"Night, Alyssa," my big brother replied and I soon fell into a deep sleep dreaming of my next cache.

Six down and one to go.