Legacy // H.S

5.

'Tastes like gold'

*

Working from home is quite relaxing these days. I can roll out of bed and go straight into the office, researching and practising whatever tasks Harry needs me to do. Since the warehouse burned down, it's been our only choice, the rest of us feeling unsafe at the prospect of scouting another place that will be destroyed.

That's something we've realised these past few weeks: how fragile everything is. You could be completely secure one day, but everything could be fractured the next. It's hard to remain optimistic when these realisations become so glaringly apparent. But we don't have a choice. We either move on, or we give up. And giving up seems to be the same as giving in.

Claude has agreed to locate a space for the team, probably in a different area, away from where we used to find ourselves but much safer than what we were used to. He's promised security, technology, manpower; everything we need in this war. A war that none of us signed up for but find ourselves preparing for every day. Soldiers that never wanted to fight.

He's also been made aware of the potential second mole in the team, perhaps the only person, other than Louis, that we can trust with it. Even if Louis were the person working with Hugo, he's completely removed himself from anything to do with the heist or Hugo. He's lost his will to live, why would he bother fighting to survive?

I've tried contacting him a few times, phone calls and messages and even getting Harry to drop by his house again, but it's only been met with silence once more. Grief effects everyone differently, but some people struggle more than others. It's not even about pushing past the sadness and pain towards something lighter. It's about learning to live with it, accepting that this will always be a part of you and allowing yourself to grow alongside it. Those shattered pieces, no matter how sharp and jagged, become a part of you. They can cause more discomfort, more scars, and you'll grieve every mark they leave behind, but eventually, you realise that those are just as important as remembering the joy of the person you lost.

So, for now, we must allow him as much time as he needs to process the loss of George. It could take days, weeks, months, or years. It could happen long after this heist is done. But we'll be there waiting for him whenever he's ready to return.

In the meantime, Claude has assembled a team to start rebuilding the structures that were destroyed in the fire. Babz has been helping them until Zayn is ready, Niall joining every now and again, too. Once they're done, we can resume practicing our techniques to get in and out of the Tower in a decent time, which Claude wants us excelling in within a few months. He thinks we could have these jewels stolen before Christmas, and I'm inclined to agree.

Zayn is finally home from the hospital, spending time with Harry and me today while Babz continues working with the new team. He's almost out of a wheelchair, working on crutches for most of the day, but sometimes he's still too tired to move from one room to another.

For the past hour or so, we've been going over the plans for the art heist. Zayn has been kept informed while he's been away, fully on board with helping once he's healed. It shouldn't take to long for him to return to the shape he was once in, going to physical therapy a few days a week to get some use in his leg back after it back shot. There's still some pain there, aching too much if he stands for longer than 15 minutes, but each day seems to be another milestone for him. And he seems to be the most excited to go ahead with these two robberies out of everyone.

Though there have been a few thefts over the past 20 years or so, the security at the National Portrait Gallery isn't any more impressive than that of most other museums. During opening hours most of the security personnel on the main floors aren't actually fully trained guards. Some are volunteers, simply watching over the exhibits, others only have basic training and privileges. The main team are based in a back room, observing the museum through countless security cameras through an interface that was only installed a few years back.