Without its previous golden-lit driveway and crystal chandeliers visible from the windows, the Vaugn Mansion wasn't the same. It no longer had the rich atmosphere of busyness, nor did it indicate that it had hosted a grand gathering of two hundred the previous night. A golden owl called from the low branch of a silhouetted oak tree and the cricket's song rung in the silence of the deserted land. Chris Vaugn had, as they knew, left for France in the morning for a scheduled meeting. He would be back the next night, supplying them with ample time to infiltrate the mansion, get to the case and retrieve it. The question as to whether Vaugn was responsible for the case's storage there or he wasn't aware that his house was being used to store an illegal package had been left undecided.
"The van should be safe here. See those dim lights inside the mansion?" Rene said and pointed from their distance of half a kilometre. "There are night guards on patrol, guarding the hall, at least two on every floor. One on each wing. You wouldn't want to run into them." Rene gave them a cautionary look.
"Well I suppose we have Deathblade and Storm here if things get desperate," Jacqueline mused with a smirk, indicating with a slight jerk of her head to Veronica's three-and-a-half inch long switchblade and her own trusty Beretta M9 handgun, gleaming through the opening of her bag.
Veronica smiled. That was one thing she had in common with Jacqueline. Both of them had the Vikings' mindset, naming their weapons to give it a sense of individuality.
Rene shut off the mini-van, parking it down a smooth slope beside a hedge of white roses. The mansion was visible at the top of the slope, about 50 yards away, silhouetted against the full moon.
"Okay guys, this is it. Confirm communication please," Camilla said, handing everyone their respective communication earpieces.
"Leopard. Reporting," Veronica confirmed.
"Go for Tiger," Rene said.
"Go for Cougar," Camilla stated, nodding.
"Jaguar. Loud and clear," Jacqueline finished, fastening her wristband.
"Your wristbands have the tracking pin in them, remember. So I'll be able to track you here from the van and I'll lead you guys to the case from here," Rene informed. She pointed to her laptop's screen where three green dots had appeared against an outline map of the plot.
"Alright then," Veronica replied with a nod, tightening the black band around her wrist. She picked up her backpack and threw Jacqueline and Camilla their lightweight duffel bags. "Good luck, agents. We regroup here by 2300 hours, leaving us two hours to bring our asset." Camilla glanced at her watch. "Let's go."
The three agents separated, blending into the quiet scenery as silent shadows. Rene saw Jacqueline's green dot loom closer and closer to the mansion. "Okay, Cougar. Three metres towards your left should be a small trail leading north. Take the trail and you'll find the power control room. Over," Rene instructed.
"Copy." Jacqueline put on her night vision goggles to make out an outline of the trail, lest she missed it. Not that she needed the goggles though; the moonlight streamed in between wispy clouds and the dim streetlamps aided her vision too.
It was decided that Jacqueline's role in the power control room was actually pretty important. At a particular phase of the plan, cutting out the electricity throughout the mansion was crucial. Besides, if by some chance, one bit of the data needed to open the safe box i.e, either the voice sample, retinal scan or password wasn't accepted, cutting out the main power supply would help in hanging the system, helping them to open the box.
Jaqueline stealthily slid over the cobblestones of the trail. A small movement ahead in the trail caused her to whirl to the right and crouch behind a low shrub of purple-flowering Duranta, dropping her bag beside her. Two people were exchanging conversation outside the door of what Jacqueline saw was the power control room. They were talking in low voices, their words merely a whisper in the blowing wind.
Jacqueline strained her eyes to see if the guards were blocking her entry into the room or if she could make it in undetected. The nightguards' conversation lasted hardly a minute, after which the taller man nodded and headed in the opposite side towards the mansion. Jacqueline waited with bated breath and winced as she saw his figure approach the trail. She turned her head to see if she could slip away from around the hedge, but it wasn't possible. He would see her crouching figure behind the shrub the moment he passed.
She shook her head. There was no alternative. She reached into an inside pocket of her jacket and slid out a needle from its case. She drew in a deep breath as his footsteps grew louder. He took a step past her hiding place and frowned as though he missed something. He turned around and in a split second, Jacqueline swung to the right and grabbed his neck, injecting the Dormic serum in the needle. Dormic was a level higher than Vertiner and while Vertiner lasted an hour and a half at the most, Dormic knocked the victim out for at least three hours, unless of course, they were given a reviving serum.
The guard barely had enough time to cry out in surprise. A dull thud accompanied his fall on the wet grass and Jacqueline quickly dragged him towards a pile of dry leaves. "There. A nap under the sky," she laughed to herself at her own lame humour.
At the sound in the hedge, the second nightguard stopped midway as he was about to enter the power control room. Hesitating for a few seconds, he finally went in, closing the door behind him. Jacqueline let out a sigh of relief. One down.
She made her way towards the power control room, stepping cautiously to avoid dry leaves and twigs, her bag slung over her shoulder. She reached the door after five quick steps. How many more guards would there be inside?
She took in a sharp breath and in a second, burst into the room, taking its occupant by surprise. The room was inhabited by only the guard Jacqueline had seen earlier. His face was still contorted with shock. A second later, he jerked his hand towards the table and picked up a revolver. Jacqueline ducked before he could shoot and dropping her bag on the ground, kicked out to trip him. His legs buckled, causing him to falter with the weapon. She spun around, bringing the taser in contact. Guard two was out of the way. She dragged him aside and propped him against the back wall. The door was secured with a strong pile of wood. Jacqueline regained her breath as she brought her hand to her earpiece.
"Cougar here. I'm in the powers supply room. Over."
"Copy. Any... obstacles?" Rene's voice came over.
"Affirmative. Two nightguards down. Both are safe and away from disturbance."
"Copy that. Standby."
YOU ARE READING
Vespian Emeralds - Chasing Secrets ✔️
Action[FEATURED BY @antiheroesgalore, and by @action as Book of the Month, September 2023] The black spandex suits and cat-eye masks were made obsolete in the last decade. The Super Villain community has no distinguishing feature that tells them apart fro...
