Jefferson’s house:
Later that night, Martha was packing a bag for her husband with a very troubled expression on her face. Until now, her husband had been after a thief, but now he was chasing a dangerous murderer who possessed the guts to kill two people on live television. The fact that she was the wife of an FBI agent and a journalist herself did not mean that she wasn’t concerned for her husband’s safety. On the contrary, being a reporter meant that she was very well aware of the risk involved in pursuing a dangerous lead. Nearly every week, she heard about a source, a reporter or a lawman who had been injured due to a story or case they were working on. Her mind was constantly thinking about ways to talk her husband out of going on the cruise when the man himself entered the room.
Jefferson looked at his wife and said, ‘What’s the matter, Martha? You look very tense.”
“That is because I am,” replied his wife shortly, while packing her husband’s bag at the same time.
“And may I know why?”
“Do I have to tell you? The man you are following has proved today that he is neither afraid nor hesitant to commit a murder.”
Jefferson sat down beside his wife and placing a hand on her knee, he said, “Martha you know the risks involved in my job better than anyone.”
“I know, but this time it is different, it’s personal, and the man is trying his best to…” Martha faltered.
Her husband looked at her with concerned eyes. He knew that what he was doing involved considerable risk, and that would make convincing his wife even more difficult. As it is, he was under pressure from the bureau. Oliver had committed an act of terrorism, and such acts were not tolerable. If he had not argued strongly against the matter, the case would have been in the hands of the anti-terrorism unit by now. But Jefferson had assured his superiors that the problem would be resolved at the earliest possible and based on his stellar record, they had agreed to let him continue to work on the case.
Jefferson looked at his wife and said, “Look, Martha, it is my job to put thieves behind bars, and I know how to take care of myself. Besides, as you said, he is the one who has made it personal.”
“It is not wise to knowingly venture into dangerous territory while unaware of the plans of your opponent,” said Martha.
Jefferson smiled and said, “While I agree that quote would look quite attractive on a T-shirt, I must inform you that I am aware of the plans of my opponent.”
“And how is that?”
Jefferson explained his theory to his wife. He told her how and why he suspected that Oliver would be commuting on the cruise. The worry lines never left Martha’s forehead, but her eyes conveyed the message that her brain was constantly computing the information and keeping up with what her husband was telling her.
“So, this is your best chance,” she concluded.
“Our best and possibly the last chance to catch him, we cannot make any mistakes.”
Michael’s apartment:
Michael was done with his arrangements for leaving. His bags were packed with a lot of time to spare but Michael was one of the people who hated rushing things, he preferred to plan everything and then complete the task with precision. He was sitting in a chair with a can of soda in his hand, and his eyes were trained on the schematics of the cruise ship, which were displayed on his laptop screen. He had borrowed these schematics from Sam with the intention of studying the battlefield before the action began.
The vessel that the three agents were scheduled to board was equipped with all the modern equipment for traveling and navigating along with the best services and amenities for the guests. The security was top-notch, but to ensure the privacy of the guests, the number of cameras and surveillance devices had been kept as low as possible. While the cameras would be covering all the areas of common access, but due to their sparse number, there were some angles and certain specific places which would be left out. Michael had groaned when he realized this, and the reason was obvious. Fewer cameras meant more blind spots and more blind spots meant more places where they would have to personally keep an eye.
The three of them were boarding the craft under aliases. While the captain and certain key crew members would be aware of their true identities, the larger part of the passengers and crew would think of them as ordinary citizens on a pleasure trip. Their cover story was simple. They were three friends who had been awarded the cruise from their company as a reward for their hard work. It was an all-expenses paid trip, one on which the three of them were supposed to enjoy themselves. But the truth was that not even one of the agents had the thought of relaxing in their minds. Every one of them had their reasons for being passionate about the mission, and Michael’s was his future. He was aware that this was his last chance, his last chance to prove himself, to achieve what he wanted, to live the life that he wanted.
He had clearly displayed his dislike for the thieves but what he had seen on the television, the murder, was enough to appeal to his sense of justice and his heart full of compassion. Brandon and Olivia were thieves, but they did not deserve to die. That was something wrong, and Michael had every intention of righting the wrongs that had been committed.
There was no way that the thief would not recognize them the moment they stepped on that ship, but he would not dare to do anything as that would risk exposing his identity, and that included trying to get away. This was the final act, their last chance, everything had to be factored in and nothing could go wrong.
Michael remembered his childhood, how he had always wanted to work for the FBI, he remembered how he had gotten to know about the successes of Jefferson Brown. The first time he had made up his mind to join the FBI was when he had learned about the cases which had been brought to a successful conclusion by Jefferson Brown. He was just thirteen years old then, but he had his work cut out for him. He had studied hard and trained, and the extent of his motivation was such that he had ended up being one of the youngest FBI special agents. His dream of working with Jefferson had come true and now was his test. This would be the very first time that they would be in close proximity of their adversary, they would not know who he was, but he would know, and he would keep a close eye on them.
Suddenly, Michael heard his doorbell ring, assuming it to be the pizza which he had ordered, Michael walked briskly up to the door and opened it to realize his deduction was right. After he had taken and placed the pizza box on the table, he got another can of soda from the fridge, opened it and then, while taking a swig from the can in his hand, he opened the box of pizza, after which he promptly choked on the soda. The reason for Michael’s reaction was that sitting in the middle of the pizza, among the tomatoes and cheese, there was a single chit of paper with four words printed across it – How are you, Michael?
A hotel in NYC:
Oliver was packing his bags with enthusiasm. The entirety of Oliver’s luggage comprised of just two bags, one for his clothes and the other one for his electronic appliances. Everyone needed a good holiday, even thieves, but when that holiday also showed prospects of being largely rewarding, the wait was unbearable. After he was satisfied that he had packed everything that he needed, Oliver stashed his bags in the corner of the room and set to work. When you are a thief, certain things become a reflex. Checking and noting the exits of any place one visited, not attracting any unwanted attention, trying to blend in with the crowd, not giving your real name to anyone and of course, securing your wallets and other possessions to make sure that the other people who were in the same profession did not end up making you their target. All of this was natural, but the most important thing, which is the first lesson that a thief learns and the first habit which they acquire, is not to leave tracks.
Oliver opened a bottle of alcohol, took some of it on a cotton pad and began his exercise. He wiped each and every surface of the room, as anything he had touched could prove to be his mistake and a clue for the cops. After thoroughly wiping the room, he felt tired and sweaty. It was hard work, especially when you had to do it all without the aid of any machine. Oliver wiped his forehead, immediately, he looked at his hand and his eyes widened, he ran to the washroom and locked the door behind him.
Sam’s Apartment:
Sam had just come back from the departmental store. He had packed his bags, but he was missing one very important thing – extra batteries. Whenever Sam went on a trip, he made sure to not only pack a torch but also pack some extra batteries. It was something that he had done since he was a child. Although there had been only a few times when he had actually used the torch, it was good knowing that it was in his possession. One could not always rely only on the flashlight of their smartphone.
Sam’s mind was constantly thinking about what would happen in the next few days of his life, there were infinite possibilities of the events which might occur but what he hoped for was the best version, the too-good-to-be-true version. After he was done with his packing, his mind wandered to the one thing which he did not want to think about – Olivia and Brandon. While they were alive, Sam always saw them as offenders of the law, nothing more, but now he felt as though he had lost friends. Without realizing it, he had begun to see Olivia and Brandon as friends and the feelings he had for them were those that one had for teammates. In his mind, Sam was sure of one thing, he would do whatever it took to get Oliver.
Aurum Regium 