A Rogue's Tale

The Heist: Part 2

Rogue led them through a series of hallways until they reached a small room at the end of the corridor.

"In here," Rogue turned to Mercy and said.

"Are you sure?" Mercy asked, but Rogue looked not only determined but certain.

They opened the door to find nothing, just an empty room. Rogue entered not looking one bit disappointed.

"What do we do now?" Mercy asked, while looking around. "Dere's nothing in here."

"Only a secret panel," Rogue said and a devilish smile came to her face. "Julian told me."

"How did he do dat when ya knocked him out?" Mercy asked as Rogue approached the long-paneled wall.

"Ah'll explain later," Rogue said and felt all around the drab wood paneling in search of something. After about a minute she found it. Mercy looked in awe as the wall moved on its own sliding to the side and revealing an opening.

"Rogue, you were right," Mercy said. "What do we do now?"

"We walk through, but be careful," she said and took the first step. There were motion sensors, but she knew where they were located, thanks to Julien's memories still flowing through her mind.

She tried to solely concentrate on his knowledge of the old so-called haunted mansion, which she knew was nothing but a lie. Some made up story these asshole Assassins came up with to keep people away. Even if it was true, it would not have scared her away from this place.

"Stay here," she told Mercy. The older woman nodded in compliance as Rogue stayed against the wall moving slowly. She could see in her mind where she could step and where she couldn't. She took two steps forward and one step to the left. Then three steps toward the center.

Mercy studied the path she took as Rogue reached the center of the room. Then a hatch opened up and Rogue disappeared. The blond woman wanted to scream her name, but she kept her cool and followed Rogue's path. Whatever happened to Rogue would be her fate too, even if that meant they both died.

As she reached the center of the room, she stood up being very still, waiting and then it happened. She fell through the floor and let out an involuntary yelp.

She landed on a cushioned floor which absorbed some of the impact, but she still bruised her leg in her crash down.

"Mercy, are ya alright?" Rogue asked.

"Yeah, nothin' broken at least," Mercy said and looked around. There on the far side of the room laid a glass case with a shiny green gem.

"That's what they here for," Rogue said and pointed to the gem.

"An emerald?" Mercy said. "Ah knew Henri and Remy's pere was greedy, but they risk their lives for dis, some silly bobble?"

"It ain't a silly bobble, Mercy," Rogue said staring at the thing. "It's some kind of energy crystal."

"Dis is over my head, Rogue," Mercy said.

"Mine too, Mercy," Rogue said, "but ah can feel its power and there ain't no way ah'm gonna let those murderin' fools have it."

Just then the two women heard a noise. Rogue grabbed Mercy and ducked behind some furniture. They waited to see who it was, and Rogue saw someone familiar. Those glowing red eyes told her it was good news.

"Someone's here," he said and activated the card that was in his hand. He threw it in their direction and the two women ducked out of the way of the explosion.

Rogue looked over and saw the horror on Remy's face. He raced over to her where she was on the floor trying to get up.

"Chere, you alright?" he asked and grabbed a hold of her so she wouldn't fall to the floor again.

"Ah'm fine, but please don't throw any more of these cards at me." He embraced her and helped her to her feet.

"Remy, you damned idiot, you almost killed us," Mercy scolded him as she rose slowly to her feet.

"Well, neither of you are supposed to be here," he said and gave Mercy a look like you blew it.

"Don't be sore at Mercy," Rogue said, trying to defend her friend. "I insisted on comin'."

"Dis is dangerous, Anna, an' I don't want you getting' hurt."

"Well, ah don't want you hurt either," she said and pulled out the map. "Ya forgot this."

He took it and then looked over to the ceiling. That's when she saw Remy's brother coming down the rope that hung off a skylight.

"An' he told me not to screw up," he said just as Henri jumped down.

"What's goin' on?" Henri asked when he looked over and saw Mercy. "What are you doin' here?" He ran over to confront the pretty blonde.

"Looks like savin' your tail," she said with her hands on her hips. "Seems to me you boys can't even do a simple job right... not without help."

"Stop arguin'," Rogue practically growled at them. "Motion sensors will be activated in a few minutes, so if you still want that shiny crystal, now is the time to get it."

Remy nodded and turned to see their prize sitting in that glass case. One wrong move and it was all over. He had a plan of his own. The best way for there to be no retaliation and still get what they wanted was to make them think nothing was ever stolen to begin with.

There was a key panel on the back of the stand that the gem was sitting on. It was a five-digit code and he had three of the digits: G24. All he had to do was figure out the rest of the code.

"Ya need help there, swamp rat?" Rogue asked and Remy looked over at her and wondered why she would give him that nickname. She was smirking, and he knew that she knew something that he didn't.

"Want to tell me somethin', chere?" he asked.

"No, just the code to open that case," she said. "G24L7."

He tried it and it opened. He slipped the gem out of the case. "Hold onto dis for me, chere," he said and tossed the gem to Rogue. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a decoy. It was an emerald he stashed away from his last heist. His instincts told him he would have need for the little trinket.

As he was closing up the case, Rogue felt strange as she held onto the energy crystal. She couldn't say what it was, but she didn't feel much like herself. She put the gem in her inside pocket as the boys were preparing to leave.

"Remy, I'll get Mercy out through the skylight and you take the south exit. If they catch us at least you and the gem will get away." He was talking more than just about the shiny stone they just lifted.

"Alright," Remy said. "We'll meet down in the sewer under my apartment building."

Henri gave him a thumbs up and grabbed Mercy. "Don't ya dare drop me?" Mercy said in a scolding tone. "Or no more free meals."

He gave her a smirk and a quick kiss before hoisting them up the rope. Remy led Rogue through another secret door that led down a spiral staircase made of stone leading down to the lower levels. They entered a large room that looked very much like a dungeon and wondered if they ever used this area for torturing and killing. She never wanted to find out for sure.

Remy led her to a sewer grate and they disappeared through it as if they were never even there.

To Be Continued...

There is something unusual about the crystal and Rogue and Remy are going to find out what in the next part.