The Shadow Job | Leverage : Redemption

The Great Train Job (Part 3)

~Cafe car~

"... I'm fond of German filmmakers, especially those forced to flee for political reasons. This, if you can believe it, is the famous Sheppard's har and stone axe of the brave Gypsy villager from Leni Riefenstajl's Tiefland" Whitcomb gushed about his many trophies on the wall.

"Ugh, Sophie, swipe left. Yikes" Breanna groaned at Whitcomb's behavior, while Sa-i made gagging gestures.

_______

~Private Train car~

"Ahh! You are a fan of his early work, I see" Sophie turns away from him, moving towards the painting safe. "I have to confess I am a novice at the visual arts. That was a gift from mother," He said, moving closer to her and grasping her waist.

"To Mother!" Sophie laughed, smoothly pulling away from him. "Ah! Und this is the battery" She points at the glowing battery like item on the coffee table.

"You're going to learn all my secrets, aren't you? This is an energy-dense battery that achieves 600 Watt-kilograms per hour, enough to fly across the country" He said.

Sophie bent down to look closer when he stopped her, grasping her hand and bringing it to his lips. "It is a prototype, proprietary. You'll see it in action when we get to Detroit"

"Und this is how you're going to change the world...The world! that has been flying for a century!"

He chuckled, gesturing towards the couch. "Now, you don't change the world with an invention. You change it with power... too many people, too many obstacles, to many blah blah blah. But, my Battery...oh my battery is going to make me and my investors billions. And with that, oh, we're going to put the world back in order"

"Back in order!" Sophie chuckled, mildly alarmed.

"Yes. There are those of us, it's in our blood to be on top. Everyone else...doesn't...count" He whispered, leaning in, trapping her against the sofa.

*Thump thump thump* The subtle sound of Parker's footsteps on the roof, signaled Sophie to change the subject.

"Time to come clean" Sophie said, gently maneuvering the CEO away from her. "The European Union is going to announce a goal of all electric air travel on the continent in the next 10 years. I want to be ahead of the curve, and return Europe to her former glory" She said, pulling him just a little bit closer. "I think you and I could get along famously"

Whitcomb gazed at her with lustful eyes, leaning in to kiss her. Sophie turned her face so his lips landed on her cheek, her lips curling in disgust.

"Ahh, sealed. Gratulations an uns beide" He said, leaning in once more for a kiss.

"But first! Let us rejoin the party" She dodged, standing up to avoid anymore of his advances "I want to see my competition for your most fervent backer" chuckling as they moved out the room. "Oh!" She exclaimed, feigning surprise as she went back for her fur shawl.

"I think we now know why he has white supremist bodyguards, nicht war?" She whispered, smiling innocently as Whitcomb opened the door for her.

Just as the door slammed shut, Parker dropped down into the room. "Yah! Whoo! Whoo! Yes!" She exclaimed as she excitedly cartwheeled towards the long awaited safe.

"Ugh, worse in person" Parker huffed at the painting on the safe. "At last...i thought you were a myth but...here you are. Here we are" she whispered, turning the knobs of the safe as she proceeded to crack it.

"What?! It's empty!" She exclaimed in disbelief once the safe creaked open "Blasphemy!"

"Wait..." she whispered as the train wobbled. "This train car is off balance. Whatever this guy's hiding it's not in the safe, it's in the walls. And it's not blueprints, unless blueprints are made of metal"