Aurum Regium

Agent Michael Adams was running towards the gate of the federal building. The casual onlooker would have seen a young man who was six feet tall, had a fit physique with jet-black hair and eyes such a dark shade of brown that they appeared black, along with a beard which was a sign of avoiding the blade for more than thirty-six hours. The man looked tired, and his skin was even paler than usual, but it was his eyes that indicated his alert state of mind. Once inside, he flashed his badge at the security guard and ran towards the elevator. He knew that he was late for work, and this was not unusual now. The past year had been difficult. He didn’t even remember the last time he had reached work on time. Just as he reached the cubicle and dumped his bag on the desk, he realized that he was extremely sleepy. He needed to get some caffeine to keep himself awake. He walked to the coffee machine, there was another agent there, but she looked at Michael once, then turned her gaze away and left. Michael did not react, by now he was used to such cold behavior on his colleagues’ part. There was a time when he had a lot of friends, and everyone was helpful, but now, he felt as though he was alone.
Michael did not even despise the others for the way they behaved with him. This was because he knew that he was the one to be blamed for what had happened, it was due to his own mistakes, his own lack of control, that he had lost not one but multiple chances to achieve success in life. Now, he knew that everyone thought of him as a lost cause.
Michael was sipping his coffee when Sam came into his field of vision. It appeared he had just had a talk with Agent Brown after which he hurried out of the bullpen and was soon out of sight. Michael shook his head and sat down on his chair. He opened a file and tried to focus on work. After two minutes he closed the file with a sigh. The will to work seemed to have vanished from Michael’s life. Whenever he began working, a single thought made him lose all desire to proceed and the thought was that no matter how hard he worked, he would never be able to achieve the success which had been previously easy for him. This conclusion of his was the result of the realization that no one in the entire bureau trusted his capabilities anymore. Instead of being someone they could rely on, he was now perceived as a liability for the entire unit.
Opening a book of sudoku puzzles, Michael settled comfortably in his chair and spent a happy fifteen minutes playing with the numbers. At the end of this period, however, he had to leave the puzzle as he realized that Sam was back in his cubicle. Try as we might, there is an incessant desire of humans to know what others have been up to. It is an almost irrepressible part of the human nature, and it was to follow this very urge that Michael got up from his seat and went into Sam’s cubicle.
Sam looked at Michael and his expression changed at once. He looked as though he did not want to talk to Michael, but he was finding it difficult to find a way to make him go away.
Michael said, “Hello Sam.”
“Hello, Michael.”
Further troubled by Sam’s unenthusiastic response, Michael said, “I just saw that you had a word with Agent Jefferson, I was just wondering what you talked about.”
“Nothing much,” said Sam, although his tone made it feel like he wanted to say – ‘None of your business’.
“Please Sam, I’m just curious,” said Michael with a strained voice. “Nobody ever tells me anything anymore.”
These words convinced Sam to loosen his tongue. He had an exceedingly kind heart and could not bear to look at someone in trouble or in distress.
He said, “We received an anonymous tip this morning, a claim that Les morceaux de lumière will be stolen soon.”
Now it was Michael’s turn to look surprised, and excited. “You aren’t telling me you believed that?”
“That is sort of what I did but Agent Jefferson was convinced that it was a hoax until…”
“Until what?”
“Until he received a package and inside lay a single chit of paper.” Saying this Sam handed Michael the crumpled piece of paper which he had received from Agent Jefferson.
Michael read it once and then read it again, then he looked at Sam and said, “So what has Jefferson decided to do now?”
“Well, first of all, we are going to visit David Wood’s place to check the security of the diamonds,” replied Sam.
Now, an idea came into Michael’s head, an idea which seemed to have little chances of being successful but if it was, then there might still be a future for him at the FBI. He thanked Sam, almost ran out of the cubicle and knocked on the door of Agent Jefferson’s office. After receiving the permission to enter, he walked in and closed the door behind him, making sure that the voices of the people within the room could not escape to the outside.
Agent Jefferson was staring at Michael as though he had seen him for the first time. Over the last year, Michael had become isolated to the extent that sometimes the agent did not see him for days on end. Agent Jefferson believed that this was because Michael was ashamed of what had happened and thus, he did not want to face his colleagues. The senior agent still remembered how Michael used to be, lively, focused and quite extraordinary. He had the gift of linking seemingly unrelated pieces of evidence, which in turn enabled him to direct his investigation in the right direction. He had achieved a few early successes in his career, and consequently, he had been labelled as one of the most promising agents in the bureau.
Everything had been on the perfect track for the young agent but then, after spending just two years as an FBI agent, his struggle with alcohol addiction had begun. It started with just a glass of wine in the evening to relax himself, but soon it proceeded to an entire bottle and even further. In no time at all, Michael had started showing signs of alcohol addicts, he had lost focus and due to the same, he had failed miserably in some cases. Over time, his steep descends had made him land at the rock bottom and that was where he was now, considered to be utterly useless and devoid of potential. But the most disturbing part was that Michael still believed that he did not need any external help to conquer his addiction and so far, he had failed. Every glass was filled with the promise of being the last, but the promise was broken as soon as the container was drained.
Michael said, “Good morning, Jefferson.”
“Good morning.”
“I was just talking to Sam and…” Michael’s voice trailed off.
“And what?”
“And he told me that you had received a tip that the Les morceaux de lumière will be stolen.”
“Yes, but the authenticity of that tip is quite questionable.”
“But you are still going to check on the security arrangements, aren’t you?”
Jefferson shifted in his seat a little and said, “I am just going to warn the owner.”
Michael sat down on one of the chairs, an act which received a raised eyebrow from Jefferson.
“I just wanted to say that I would like to be a part of the case.”
Michael’s direct approach was unexpected and thus, Jefferson took a moment before replying.
“Michael, I would be very frank with you. I don’t think that’s a promising idea.”
“Look, I know what you all think of me. You think I am a worthless drunk, but I deserve a second chance!”
Jefferson looked up sharply and said, “As I recall Agent, you received quite a lot of these second chances.”
“I know, but I need another one, I need it to prove that I am not done yet, that I still have potential!”
Jefferson was silent. He knew what Michael was going through, but he did not want to take a risk by allowing Michael to collaborate with him. He believed that alcohol addiction made a person untrustworthy, and that was not a characteristic of a good partner. Agent Jefferson decided to go for the subtle approach.
“Agent Reed is already working on the case with me, if I need further assistance, I will surely call upon you.”
Michael was still not satisfied. He was constantly twisting his hands which was a sign of his excessive nervousness.
“Please, I am requesting you, I need another chance. I swear I’ll prove my worth to you! I know my next mistake would be my last one, but I assure you that I would not commit one!”
Now Agent Jefferson was annoyed. He had tried the tactical and gentle approach, but perhaps what Michael needed was the hard truth. “Michael, I cannot work with someone who is under the control of the bottle.”
Michael was taken aback. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but no sound escaped his lips. He swallowed but was still having trouble speaking. Agent Jefferson took this as a sign that the conversation was over, he turned his attention towards his computer and pretended to forget that Michael was in the office.
After a moment, a voice reached his ears. “What if I told you that I would leave it?”
Now agent Jefferson looked at Michael with new interest.
“Leave what?”
“Leave drinking. Forever. I would not even touch the bottle again if you give me another chance,” said Michael, with such conviction that Agent Jefferson was moved.
There was silence for an entire minute after these words were spoken. Varied thoughts were going through the men’s minds. Agent Jefferson was aware that if Michael kept the promise he had just made then he could still make a career for himself, however, he was not entirely sure if Michael could manage to be successful in his battle against alcohol. He knew stronger men who had tried and failed. On the other hand, Michael was not sure if he could stay true to what he had just said, but one thing was clear in Michael’s mind, He would try his best.
Finally, Agent Jefferson said, “Very well Michael, one chance. But remember, if you mess up, I will have to ask you to leave.”
“Thank you so much!” said Michael and sprang up to his feet. Even if he tried, he could not explain what he was feeling, it was joy, excitement so intense that he could feel his skin tingling. He felt as if he finally had a chance to achieve what he had always wanted.
After Michael had exited the office, Agent Jefferson interlaced his fingers and fell into deep thought. Les morceaux de lumière were extremely precious diamonds with the best security arrangements. It would be extremely hard to steal them but then, as Sam had said, someone had come remarkably close once. In fact, the diamonds had been stolen and it was Agent Jefferson himself who had recovered them. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but Agent Jefferson still remembered the details of that case as though it was yesterday. Two thieves, the best of their time, had successfully stolen the diamonds, they had even murdered the owner in the process but that was the accident, or so they claimed, but for some reason, Jefferson had believed them. He had caught the thieves and recovered the diamonds within 72 hours and that was the case that had earned him fame in the bureau. The diamonds had been returned to the original owner’s son and that was where they were presently.
Jefferson came out of the office after some time and was met by Sam. The former said, “Sam! Did you arrange a meeting for us?”
“Yep, I was just coming to your office, we are due there in the late afternoon,” said the young agent.
“Good. There is something else, I have asked Michael…”
Sam cut in and said, “I know, he told me himself. He is too happy for words, I don’t even remember the last time I saw him like this.”
Agent Jefferson did not say anything, but he hoped that everything went well.

After travelling a considerable distance, at precisely 4 PM that day, three FBI agents rang the doorbell of David Wood’s house. To call the residence of David Wood a house was the same as calling a football field a park. It was wrong, simply wrong. David Wood owned a mansion which was surrounded by a beautiful lawn. The mansion was built to provide the residents with utmost comfort and the Wood family would have settled for nothing less than the best.
David Wood was the son of the late Robert Wood, who was a business tycoon. His son had followed in his father’s footsteps and had taken his business to greater heights and now it appeared, his daughter was also following the same path as she was greatly interested in business as well. David had never forgotten what Agent Jefferson had done for his family and thus, he looked upon him as a great friend. The FBI had been involved in the case initially because the thieves who had attempted to steal Les morceaux de lumière were internationally famous for committing near impossible robberies. They always left behind the same sign, two interlaced silver rings of unequal sizes. This was the same sign which had drawn the attention of Agent Jefferson towards the original case.
Now, as the agents were let into the villa by a butler, they could not help but admire the rich taste in which the accommodations of the billionaire had been constructed and furnished. The man himself was seated on a beautiful armchair in the sitting room. The first impression which anyone formed about David Wood was that of a man about the same age as agent Jefferson and who had an expensive taste in clothes and watches. He had brown eyes and black hair in which streaks of grey were clearly visible. The overall manner of the man was smart and one that left a lasting impression in everyone’s mind.
Just as David saw Agent Jefferson, he stood up and extending his hand, he said, “Jefferson! A pleasure as always!”
Agent Jefferson grasped the hand and giving it a brief shake, he said, “I am not quite sure you would hold on to that statement once we tell you why we are here.”
Everyone sat down once the introductions were made. Michael kept the bag he was carrying beside him and comfortably settled on the sofa. Although physically present in the room, Michael’s mind was elsewhere. He was trying to assess and calculate the standards of the security of the villa based on what he had seen so far. There had been armed guards at the main gate and the entire property was protected with alarm equipped electrical fences. Although that was quite good, Michael had already figured out a few ways to beat that. While one involved bribing the guard in the control room, another one did not involve any other person at all, the thief would just require some gadgets and he would be in.
Next were the CCTV cameras. Although he was not told, but Michael was sure that they ran in a closed-circuit network and thus hacking them would not be easy, unless you did it from within the network. During the time of the shift change there was a window of five to seven minutes in the evening when there was no one monitoring the cameras. A thief in peak physical conditions could manage to get over the fence and then put the video feed of the cameras on a loop within that interval of time. He had thought this far when Michael saw that Agent Jefferson was explaining the situation to David.
Agent Jefferson said, “David, I would not hide anything from you. We are here because we have received a tip that someone will try to steal Les morceaux de lumière.”
“But that is not easy, Jefferson. You know it as well as I do, there is not one flaw in the security,” replied David with some pride as he sipped the whisky in his hand.
Jefferson was about to reply when Michael spoke up. “I’m afraid that’s not true.”
All heads turned towards Michael instantly.
“Care to elaborate?” said David, with a hint of sarcasm.
“Certainly…” replied Michael and he went on to shed light on the security flaws which he had discovered so far, “… and that, I am sure, is not all.”
Now the confidence of the billionaire seemed to have gone down a notch. Initially he had been taking the matter lightly, but now there was slight worry in his voice when he said, “So what do you suggest we do?”
Michael looked at Jefferson, but the latter remained silent and stared back. The meaning of this refusal to speak was evident, Michael had laid forth the problems and he was the one who was expected to have the solutions.
Michael cleared his throat and said, “I believe the easiest way to deal with the problems would be to solve the latter one. If there would be a guard monitoring the CCTV cameras and the security footage at all times, then there would be no chance of anyone even getting over the fence. The simplest way to achieve this is to hire at least one more guard whose sole job would be to watch over the CCTV cameras at odd times such as late night, early morning or during shift changes.”
Jefferson was impressed. He said, “That’s a good suggestion. Simple and effective.”
David also agreed to the same and the conversation soon shifted to the security of the room where the diamonds were stored. The owner of the estate took the agents to the location in question, and everyone was momentarily stunned by the sight of the sparkling diamonds. They indeed appeared to radiate light rather than reflect it.
The room could only be opened by a special key card which was possessed only by one of Mr. Wood’s most trusted guards who was stationed outside the door of the room for the greater part of the day. At night, another equally trustworthy guard would take over and these two were the only ones, apart from the Wood family, who had access to the room. Their behavior and actions were strictly monitored by the CCTV camera right overhead and thus, even if they wanted to, they could not take any menacing action. The room itself was completely sealed and ventilation and temperature control were managed by small air ducts. The diamonds were encased in a bulletproof glass case that was pressure sensitive.
Overall, there seemed to be no major security flaws and stating the same in an informal manner Sam said, “I’m sure this place is a thief’s nightmare.”
Mr. Wood gave a small smile at this appreciative remark. Even Jefferson expressed his satisfaction with the security and Michael followed suit. With nothing left to do, the agents took their leave and left behind a worried business tycoon.
Once inside the car, Sam said, “The security of that place is top notch, I don’t think we need to arrange for extra security?”
“Are you saying he should not hire another guard?” asked Jefferson.
“Oh, that was not what I meant, I was talking about federal security. There is no need to make any arrangements, is there?”
“Not at the moment, After all, all we have to go on is a single chit of paper.”
Until now, Michael had been silent, but now he looked up and said, “But what if the claim is true? We might need extra security then, as a single extra guard won’t suffice.”
Jefferson said, “Well, I think that at the moment, the diamonds are quite secure.”
“Speaking of the chit, did they try to find out who had left the package for you?” asked Sam
“They tried, but the thing is that the package was hand delivered, so there is not much to investigate,” replied Jefferson.
“What about the CCTV footage?” asked Sam.
“We do have someone, just a hooded figure, they can’t even tell the gender of the suspect through that recording.”
“So, what do we do next?” asked Michael.
Jefferson was silent for a moment, then he said, “All we can do is wait.”