Chapter #2

10:56 p.m.

A half hour ago the police had been called, thanks to a kind neighbor peering out her second floor window across the electric plant, toward the giant mansion on the other side. She had been wishing to go, but had to stay home because her health wasn’t dealing so well. 

That’s when Marié Verdón saw the large, black van drive up, and six men in black exited into the mansion. She immediately called the cops and waited for anything to happen. She had just returned from changing the bulb in her disco lamp, when she saw one of the men in black walk out and head into the electric plant next door. 

At this point, Marié was extremely tired and was having trouble staying awake. She finally faded off in a deep sleep with her lamp shining different colors upon her face…

~

10:56 p.m.

The first patrol car pulled up a black away. Detective Donovan Cedar, sitting in the passenger seat, looked around through his binoculars.

“I’m not seeing much, Guilzini,” he adjusted the visual on the binoculars.

“Eh, could’ve been just another prank call or something,” Cedar’s partner, Draco Guilzini, shrugged and continued twirling his handgun.

“Will you be careful with that!” Donovan scolded before turning back to his binoculars.

“Eh, don’t worry ‘bout it,” as the gun suddenly flew off his left hand. Luckily he quickly caught it with his right hand before Donovan noticed anything.

~

10:56 p.m.

Roger Verlin was a man of too many words, for his presentation to the Board was lasting for a more then a half hour already. He was a scientist, strong in computers and electronics. He had been working on a new device that allowed a human to fully project their appearance up to forty feet away. Many scientists had doubted his theory long before he finished his invention and still said it won’t work after he had completed it. But Roger was about to prove them wrong.

“So, if you watch closely gentlemen,” he pointed to the straps that seemed to cover his entire body, “You see that these straps represent certain parts that will allow me to move in my projection.” 

A couple of snorts and rolling of eyes came from the Board, “Laugh all you want gents. Once I flip this switch, history shall…be…made…” he flipped the switch up. Out of the blue, a grayish form of Roger Verlin appeared a couple of feet to his left. With exact features, it was an exact copy of Verlin.

Roger sighed from holding in his breath. All the men of the Board stared in awe.

Verlin smiled brightly, “You see? Good things come i-,” the projection suddenly flickered and vanished.

Roger couldn’t believe his eyes. What’s happening?! Suddenly a small zap of electricity flashed upon the projection box. Roger’s eyes grew wide in fear.

Within seconds, the entire room was engulfed in flames. The whole museum building exploded in fire and ruble…

~

10:56 p.m.

The second police car pulled up behind the mansion. Tracey Gantz looked around nervously as she stepped out of the car.

“Take it easy, Tracey, or you’re gonna fire someone’s head off by accident,” Leslie Plume got out of the car calmly.

Tracey gave her a nasty glare and then they moved in closer to the mansion.

“Hey, wait a minute, who are they?” Tracey pointed up ahead where a man seemed to be holding another man down on the ground.

I don’t know, but it doesn’t-,” Leslie began. But suddenly the building next to them exploded in a bright ray of light. The wind from the blast knocked Tracey straight off her feet as Leslie ducked and dodged the ruble falling all around them…

~

10:56 p.m.

Harold had finally made it underneath one of the staircases. Quick, where to go from here? He thought nervously. He was, so far, the only chance they had at contacting the police. He looked behind him to see the cafeteria doors leading into the kitchen. That’s it! There was a back door to the outside in the kitchen!

Harold quickly got on his hands and knees and crawled slowly to the swinging doors. Once he was in the kitchen, he darted for the back door. As he dashed outside, as arm shot out of nowhere and close lined  him down onto the icy ground. Next thing Maxwell knew was looking at a large jackknife, two inches away from his throat, held by Luey Mencelli, one of the men in black. 

“Well, well, well. Sneaky little guy, ain’t ya?” he sneered in a thick Italian accent.

Harold gulped, sweat pouring down his forehead. But before he could react, a huge explosion sounded from every which way…

~

10:56 p.m.

Jerry Ranzford climbed the metal stairs leading up to the second floor of the electric plant. Valves and pipes covered the entire area, and catwalks were placed everywhere. He was trying to find where he saw the flash from back inside the mansion. So far, though, he wasn’t finding anything.

Suddenly noises could be heard a few feet away. He looked ahead and saw light flickering behind a corner. Jerry crept closer to it, listening as the noise grew louder.

“…you really sure about this?”

“Yeah, Kenny. I’m positive. Me and Catherine are leaving tomorrow.”

“Are you really sure about this?”

“Yes, Kenny. I’m sorry you’re not really thrilled about Catherine, but she can’t leave her home out in Vermont. And I’m NOT going to leave her!”

“It’s not her, John, it’s just-,” Jerry had accidentally clanked his gun against one of the pipes. Both voices stopped.

“Who’s there?” one voice shouted.

Jerry quickly turned around the corned, gun held at eye level to the two men, shovels in hand, next to the heater stove.

“So…who the hell are you guys?” Jerry demanded.

“Whoa pal! We work here! That’s all. Take it easy, man! I told you John, we shouldn’t have worked overtime,” Kenneth Allsworth glared at his older brother as they held up their hands.

Jerry had to think fast. Now that they saw him, he couldn’t just let them go…

He adjusted his hand on the handgun, “Look, mates, I can’t have you walking around anymore. You know too much already.”

“Hey, wait a minute, man!” Johnathan Allsworth stepped in front of his brother, “We don’t know anything!” Jerry couldn’t see Kenny disappear behind John.

“I cant take that chance,” Jerry began twitching his right eye.

“Look just-,” John began. Suddenly Kenny sprung from behind John, shovel raised high, racing toward Jerry.

Jerry panicked at the sight.

BAM!!

Kenny stumbled slightly, shovel still raised high. Blood began dripping off his right arm, as he looked down to see a large hole in his right shoulder.

He looked over at his brother before stumbling back and falling over. He fell into the burner, a blank expression across his face.

“Nooo!” John yelled, rushing toward the burner.

Jerry aimed again for John, but with a small twitch, his right foot slipped on the catwalk.

“Uhk…S**t!” he yelled as he slipped backwards off the catwalk. A large metal boiler pit was placed underneath the burner, and Jerry fell straight into it. The plasma heated liquid burned quickly to his skin as he screamed in agony. His handgun melted into his hand in the intense heat.

Meanwhile, John dug hopelessly in the burning stove to pull his brother out, giving both of them unimaginable burns. John, with tears rolling down his cheeks, yelled hopelessly for a response from his brother. Nothing came…

~

10:56 p.m.

“So is ANYONE going to tell me where this money is? Or do I just shoot more of you?” Seth hissed at the crowd.

One of the men grabbed Seth’s shoulder violently, “Hey. What the hell do you think you’re doing? I thought you said no one was going to get hurt!”

“Plans have changed a little, Rick!” Zarian shoved the man into a plant standing near them, where he fell onto the floor, plant dirt scattering all over him.

Another one of the black clothed men, fiddling with magnets in his hand, went over to Rick Grundman’s unconscious form, “Well that’s nice. You knocked him out cold.”

“Just leave him Hugo,” Seth sneered angrily. He was a bit worried that Jerry hadn’t returned yet.

Meanwhile, off to the side, Henry, Aaron, Martin and Clare stood together, thinking of anything they could do. Henry looked down at his camera. That’s it!

Well, not really helpful, but maybe give the police an idea of who they’re dealing with. If only I got a snapshot of them…

He quickly muffled out the sound of his camera turning on. Once it was done loading, Henry quickly positioned it so it was aiming right at Zarian. 3…2…1…

But just as he pressed the button, the camera powered down. DAMN! The batteries are dead! He realized. He quickly pulled out the batteries and began switching them…

Martin also had that idea, with his giant broadcasting camera in his hand. He tried to reach for the power button, but before he could, the man with the magnets, Hugo Harriman, grabbed the camera. 

“Hey, hey! We ain’t lookin’ to be famous right now!” he shoved Martin down onto the floor viciously. Martin’s head hit the ground hard as he skidded under the shadows of the staircase, unconscious…

“Enough!” yelled a man from the crowd, just as Seth began raising his gun to another person’s head, “Let these people go. It’s me you want!”

Seth smirked, lowering his hand and turning to the outspoken man, “Why would I need you?”

“I’m the only one who knows where the vault is,” the man said firmly, “I’m Mr. Maxwell’s personal accountant.”

Zarian’s eyes widened nervously. But as soon as he did, he recollected himself. He grinned and brought his handgun up to the man’s forehead, “Excellent. Now YOU can just tell us where it is, open it, and we’ll be on our way without anymore intrusion.”

“I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that,” the man smirked, “I’m the only man who can get you there. And I’m not going to help you. Instead, I think I’ll just go call the cops.”

Shocks sprang out of everyone in the mansion. Flanders, who was stuffing himself at the buffet table, spat out his food at the sudden attack.

Seth turned pale, but kept calm. Chuckling, he readjusted his hand on the gun, “That’s not quite an option.”

“Oh, I beg to differ. Kill me now, and you can’t get the money. Kill another innocent bystander, and it will just rack up more time in jail,” the man began slowly walking toward the door.

“Heh, you would put other lives on the lines just to save a little green?” Zarian chuckled lightly, “Hey! Stop movin’!!”

“I’m truly sorry, but that money is for children. You are not getting it. I, Jason Kransky, am turning you in,” he stopped in front of the window, staring down Seth before planning to continue to the door.

Seth was panicking, and it was showing now. He had to think fast and there was only one way out of this…

Zarian gave one last gulp and a long sigh before looking back up at Jason, still standing in front of the window. 

Seth raised his handgun one last time, “I’m not…going…to jail.”

BAM!!

The bullet zoomed through the air, driving through Kransky’s chest and exited through the window, shattering glass all around Clare, who had been standing only feet away. Clare’s reflection shimmered all around her, as Aaron, standing next to her, jumped  about two feet in the air from the sound of the gunshot. Henry, standing next to Broider, still continued to change the batteries, which would end up being futile, while Martin still lay unconscious in the shadows. 

The bullet continued. It flew through the air, over forty feet, straight into the electric plant, passing by John only by inches, and lodging into an electric pipe. It sparked. Suddenly, a bright light ignited throughout the entire West Street block, buildings began to crumble away, the ice, snow and grass were incinerated from the heat. As soon as the bright light had flashed, it disappeared…

~