Disclaimer: I do not own either of the Mission: Impossible series or any of the characters therein. I receive no compensation or any other tangible benefit from this story. I am just a fan who enjoys taking the team out for an adventure every now and then. 🙂
From the small square aluminum tunnel, Grant peered down through the air vent and watched Marley turn off the lights and leave the safe room, with Wilson following closely behind. As soon as they were gone, Grant put on a circular headpiece, equipped with a small infrared lens. He lowered the lens and watched the tiny red lasers dart randomly around the room. Carefully, he took off the air vent cover and laid it to the side, then leaned down slightly and lowered his lens again. Once he spotted the source of the darting lasers, he swallowed hard, then took off his headpiece and extracted a small monitor and video recorder from his blue and white duffel bag.
Grant cautiously trained the recorder squarely on the safe door. He recorded several seconds, then stopped. Taking out a silver auxiliary cable, he connected the device to the monitor, smiling slightly as he plugged it in. After he set the plugs into place, he clicked on his communicator.
“Jim, do you read?”
“Yeah, we hear you,” came the reply.
“I’ve recorded the room,” Grant advised, “and I’m tapping into the security monitor ten seconds from….” Grant paused and looked at his watch. “…now.”
Immediately, Nicholas picked up the receiver next to him, pushed a couple of buttons, and was connected to the security area. When the phone rang, the guard slid his feet off the small table where they were propped and leaned forward to answer it.
“Chuck here.”
“Chuck,” smiled Nicholas, in Marley’s voice, “I left a small notebook down there. Could you see if it’s on your desk somewhere?”
“Sure,” replied Chuck, “I’ll take a look, sir.”
As Chuck was riffling through the stack of papers and other items on the corner of his table, he never saw the brief disturbance that rippled across the monitor when Grant pushed play. Realizing that the allotted time had passed, Nicholas spoke again. “Chuck, I think I must have left it somewhere else. Thanks.”
Nicholas hung up the phone, and Jim nodded in satisfaction. Likewise, the guard also hung up, propped his feet back up on the table, and stared back at the monitor, which appeared to show the same image of the safe door as it had before the call.
*****
Grant knew that his teammates had done their job. He anchored the mounting rod into place, twisting the wing nut till it was tight. Then he cautiously maneuvered the telescopic mirror, with all of its extensions, through the opening in the ceiling and down into the safe room.
His lips tightened into a thin line as he anchored the mirror onto the mounting rod and secured it firmly. Then he reached for his headpiece and put it on. Lowering the infrared camera and leaning down into the room, he maneuvered the telescopic mirror in front of the laser mount until the glass refracted the tiny red beams of light and projected them harmlessly away from Grant.
He started to take off his headset, then thought better of it and slid it back into place again. He reached for his blue and white bag and lowered it to the floor by its attached string. Careful not to jostle the mirror, Grant put his right leg down, then his left, then his entire body. Finally, he let go of the opening and landed on the table near the safe. He jumped to the floor and turned on the light.
Grant raised the camera and unzipped the duffel bag. He swiftly extracted a small black device. He unwound the earphones and put them in, then attached the other two black wires to the lighted keypad on the safe door. As he turned the knob, the numbers on the keypad lit up in sequence. When the last number lit up, Grant heard the safe door unlatch. He turned the knob and opened it. He set the black listening device down and reached for one of the money bags on the bottom shelf of the safe.
Grant set the money bag on the table and fished for the correct pick to open the lock. As he worked, he failed to notice that the anchor was slipping and the telescopic mirror had begun to tremble. The mirror trembled more and more until suddenly, just as Grant slid out the lock pick, the anchor slipped completely.
The Black agent heard a telltale clicking sound as the mirror fell away from the laser mount. He looked up, eyes wide, and a split second later dove face down to the floor. Instantly, he rolled onto his back and slid the infrared camera into place. He could see the red lasers darting dangerously around him. He exhaled forcefully and frantically dug out his communicator.
“Jim,” he panted. “Do you read? I’m in some trouble here. Big trouble, man.”
*****
Nicholas was laying a cloth on top of the Marley mask as the call came in from Grant. Instinctively, they knew it was a problem with the lasers. “Let’s move,” Jim urged him. The elder agent got to his feet and headed for the door, and his dark-haired companion followed closely behind. The two men sprinted to the breaker room.
Grant lay still, breathing hard, watching the deadly red beams of light drawing nearer and nearer. “Come on, Jim,” he urged nervously. “This thing’s getting awfully close.”
After an eternity, Grant finally heard Jim’s voice. “We’re at the casino’s main breaker now,” he reported, as Nicholas opened the door to the breaker box. “You know you’re only going to have about five seconds before their emergency generator cuts in,” Jim warned.
“It’s gonna have to do,” Grant replied. The lack of confidence in his friend’s voice made Nicholas’ stomach churn.
“Stand by.” Jim pointed toward Nicholas, who pulled the breaker. Instantly, the casino was plunged into darkness.
Grant wasted no time leaping to his feet and up onto the table. He reached above him and slid the mirror into place just as the lights came back on again. For a moment, he was caught in a somewhat unnatural position – leaning sideways on his left foot with his arms outstretched. He held onto the mirror with his left hand and quickly tightened it securely into place with his right. Gingerly, he let go with one hand, then the other, making sure it was steady. Satisfied, he hopped back off the table. He slid the headpiece off and put it into the duffel bag, then resumed his work.
*****
Nicholas clicked the main breaker back into the “on” position as soon as the generators kicked on. Then he and Jim left the room as quickly as they’d come, just in case anyone came to investigate the power glitch.
As the two men headed back toward the houseboat that was serving as their headquarters, Nicholas had a sickening feeling in his gut. It certainly hadn’t seemed like five seconds that the casino had been in darkness; it couldn’t have been more than a second or two. And Grant hadn’t said anything more. Had he been successful, or had the lasers found their mark?
Nicholas nodded pointedly toward the communicator in Jim’s shirt pocket. “Do you think he had enough time?” he asked Jim nervously.
Jim’s expression was calm. “I’m sure Grant’s just fine.” He is Barney’s son, after all, Jim thought fondly.
“Should we check on him?”
Jim half-smiled at the anxiety in the younger man’s voice. “He’ll check in when he’s finished his work,” Jim answered confidently. He unlocked the houseboat and went inside. The dark-haired agent followed him in. He peeled back the cloth and turned his attention back to the mask of Fred Marley, hoping it would distract him from the knot in his stomach.
It did not.
As Nicholas studied the mask from all angles, looking for things that needed tweaking, his mind went back to the team’s previous mission – their first mission together – when Grant had barely escaped being blown up by the assassin Matthew Drake. Nicholas had been only two doors down when the explosion had happened. He shuddered slightly as he remembered how unnerved he was, and how quickly he’d run to Grant’s side to make sure he was all right. Even though he’d only known the others for a very short time, Nicholas could already feel a strong bond forming among them. They all knew the risks that came along with the job; regardless, the thought of something happening to any of them was extremely troubling.
Suddenly, after what couldn’t have been more than five or six minutes but felt like an eternity, Nicholas’ thoughts were interrupted.
“Jim, Nicholas, I’m all finished here.”
Thank God. Nicholas let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
“I’m on my way back.”
“Okay, Grant,” the dark-haired agent replied.
Jim gave his teammate a look that seemed a little like I told you so, then sighed. “I guess it’s time for me to pay Fred Marley a visit.” Then he disappeared into his bedroom to get ready.
*****
By the time Grant made it back to the houseboat, Jim was already gone. Casey had not yet returned from her trip to the casino, so it was only Nicholas whom Grant found upon his return.
“Well, there’ll be an extra $25K in the bag when Jim and Marley do the recount,” the Black agent remarked in satisfaction, as he laid his equipment down and took a seat at one end of the table.
Nicholas merely nodded in response, his eyes fixed on the mask in front of him. Grant noticed the silence but didn’t think anything of it at first. There was something else on his mind.
“Hey, thanks for saving my skin back there,” he said sincerely. “I thought I was toast. The anchor didn’t hold very well at first, and the mirror slipped.”
Nicholas winced internally. There was something he wanted to say, but he wasn’t quite sure how to do it. Instead, he looked up at Grant wordlessly, then lowered his head and continued his distraction.
This time, the lack of response was too much for Grant to bear. He sighed heavily.
“Nicholas.”
The dark-haired agent looked up at his teammate once again.
“You haven’t said a word to me since I got back,” he observed. “What’s up with you, man?”
It was a few moments before Nicholas spoke. When he finally did, his voice was quiet, and his eyes remained downcast. “Back at the safe room. The lasers.” He paused. “It took you long enough to let us know you were okay.” Suddenly, Nicholas looked up, and his gaze locked with Grant’s. “Scared the bloody hell out of me.”
Grant was touched at Nicholas’ overt admission; however, he was not surprised. He had already watched the dark-haired actor and drama teacher evolve into the unofficial “mother hen” of the group – always fussing over the other team members. Grant, too, recalled how Nicholas had been so concerned about him after what happened on the last mission. He could definitely understand how today would have rattled him.
“You could have buzzed me,” Grant reminded him gently.
“You were busy,” Nicholas shrugged. “I didn’t want to….” His voice trailed off for a moment, then he continued. “…mess up anything.”
Grant stared at his teammate, puzzled at first at his response. But slowly, it dawned on him – Jim, their stoic team leader, had probably dismissed Nicholas’ concerns. All at once, Grant felt remorseful for causing his friend such distress.
“You’re right, man,” he admitted. “I should have let you know. I’m sorry.”
The apology took Nicholas by surprise, and in response he threw a forgiving smile at Grant. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
Grant smiled back. Next time, try not to worry so much, he started to say, but the words died on his lips. The Black agent had a feeling that worrying was something Nicholas was very good at. Then the conversation ended as the door opened and Casey stepped inside.
The End.
(c) 2022
Create Your Own Website With Webador