HSH: Hero Heist Chap 19-20
Chapter 19
Hero Heist
12:45
“I can’t do this,” I said for the fifth time Monday afternoon. This time, I words were uttered as we climbed the steps of Turin Cathedral. I rubbed the skull pendant, knowing at least if I got into trouble, my friends were nearby—even if they would have Abby and the rest of the M.H.D.A. with them.
“Shut up,” Johnny said. It hadn’t taken him long to forget the events of the other night.
The warm Italian air cooled instantly as we stepped through the large cathedral doors. Even with the lower temperature, my skin still felt hot. My heart was definitely pumping twice as fast as normal as the time drew closer. Looking at my watch, I saw my time lessen by one minute.
12:46
I took my designated spot in the pews nearest the shroud. It was the easiest part of the mission. After this, we’d be moving, to quote Ethan, “at light speed.”
Klaus stood in the exact center of the cathedral, chewing gum. If someone was watching him, they would think he was studying the architecture. He was really looking and locating each of the cameras. In a few minutes, he was going to disable them all.
Gina stood off to one side, carrying a giant purse way too big for her small frame. She was a remarkable actress though, because she made it look perfectly natural over her shoulder.
12:47
Johnny and Jayson disappeared into the back of the cathedral. The next time they emerged, Jayson should be dressed in the blue and yellow colors of the Vatican guards.
12:48
Gina took a spot in the lengthy line of people waiting to see the shroud. She tried to keep the “package” in her purse from being seen by any prying eyes. This was such a bad idea.
12:49
I sat and waited.
12:50
I waited some more.
12:51
More waiting.
12:52
My nerves were getting the better of me. My hands trembled and my breathing grew rapid. My heart felt like it was ready to explode.
12:53
I connected to Klaus. His thoughts were so calm. It was like he did something like this every day.
Klaus?
12:54
Vhat do you need? Even his thoughts had an accent. How strange is that?
Are we doing the right thing? I mean, look at all these people. What are they doing to do when they find out we stole it?
It is not our place to question, he responded. Vee are soldiers, vee follow orders.
You can’t always follow orders, you know. Sometimes you have to think for yourself.
12:55
Vee have job to do, Klaus explained. Let us do it.
I cut the connection. With only a few minutes remaining, I had to connect my mind to everyone in the room—no easy task, even for me. So, one by one, I reached out mental tendrils, and formed a vast network of minds, with me at the center.
12:56
The priests came out of the back and made their way over to the confession booths, like they’d done every day the previous week.
12:57
The priests entered the booths, disappearing from site—for a few minutes, at least. I made sure both of their minds were linked into the network.
12:58
I had a strong connection to everyone in the cathedral. Once the pair of guards stepped out, in less than two minutes, things were going to get ugly.
12:59
Half-closing my eyes, I did deep breathing. The clean air went in and the bad air went out. Unfortunately, I couldn’t exhale all of my doubts along with it. This was really going to happen. I was really going to steal the Shroud of Turin.
1:00
The bells in the cathedral chimed, ringing in the new hour.
Here we go.
Right on time, the two guards stepped through the doors from the rear of the cathedral and marched toward the shroud. The second guard, was Jayson in disguise. He’d morphed himself into the man, whom Johnny was supposed to have detained in the back.
I had to admit, Jayson did have a cool ability. Who wouldn’t want to be able to turn themselves into someone else? Jayson could literally be anyone he wanted and all he had to do was think about it. What I wouldn’t give to be able to change into someone else for one day.
1:01
Jayson and the other guard reached the shroud and relieved the two guards from the morning. As the four brightly colored men switched positions, I knew it was time to act.
1:02
I’d been holding tight to the minds of everyone in the room for nearly five minutes. Now, I pushed, giving everyone a single, simple suggestion.
Screams broke out and people started for the exits.
“Fire!” someone shouted as he dove over the rows of pews to get ahead of the crowds.
It took less than ten seconds for a scrum to form at every exit. The panicked people couldn’t get out of the room fast enough. Someone was going to get hurt, and it would be all my fault.
Klaus acted quickly, pulling the big wad of gum from his mouth and tearing tiny pieces from it. He flicked the wet, sticky wads of gum at each and every camera in the room, hitting each lens dead center. Within only a few seconds, all the cameras were effectively blind.
1:03
The priests tried in vain to calmly direct everyone out of the cathedral, but their voices could barely be heard among the yells and screams of the terrified tourists.
With all the commotion, all three guards and Jayson had taken positions around the shroud. They actually drew their swords and stood before the glass, as if to protect it. Jayson stood behind one of the blue and yellow clad men. When the time was right, Jayson bashed the man on the back of the head with the hilt of his sword.
The other two Vatican Guards took notice of this and advanced on Jayson. I was about to give them the suggestion the imposter was actually the man Jayson had taken down, but as it turned out, I didn’t have to.
Three copies of Johnny suddenly appeared in front of the guards, blocking their path. They attacked, swinging their swords at the fake Johnnys, but every time they hit one of them, he disappeared and another popped up in his place.
One of the Johnny copies pulled the sword from one of the guards hands and hit him with the hilt as well. The man fell, sprawled on the ground. Then the other two Johnnys grabbed hold of the last guard’s arms and disarmed him, while the Johnny holding the sword approached the man, the weapon held high as if he were going to stab him.
I couldn’t let that happen. So, I lifted one of the pews and sent it flying in their direction. It struck all three Johnny copies, causing them to disappear and the sword to clatter on the marble floor. The guard was confused long enough for Gina to thwack him on the head with her very heavy purse—which was a bad idea in and of itself.
1:04
The last of the frightened people scrambled through the doors to escape the fire I’d created in their minds. Taking one last look around, I saw that my team of six and the three guards, unconscious on the floor, were the only ones left in the building.
1:05
Klaus clapped me on the arm as he ran passed me on his way to the glass enclosed sarcophagus. “Come on,” he said in a heavier German accent than usual.
I followed him and we were joined by Johnny, the real one this time, as he stepped out of the back room, dragging the fourth guard behind him.
“Why’d you stop me from hurting that guy? He’d have done the same to us,” he shouted.
“Because the man was only doing his job. No matter how you look at it, we’re the bad guys right now. I’m not going to let you skewer some guard because it was his turn to protect the shroud.”
Jayson’s skin rippled and his clothes changed color. In a few seconds he was back to his original appearance. “What now?” he asked.
“Gina, do jou have the bomb?”
And this is why I think Gina was insane to whack the guy on the head with her purse. From inside, she pulled out a good half-pound gray brick of C-4, rigged with a very simple detonator. It looked like a piece of Play-Doh, only a great deal more dangerous.
Gina handed the explosive over to Klaus, who attached it to the plate glass.
“Step back,” he instructed us all.
1:06
Klaus hit a button on it and the digital readout on the front of the bomb started counting down from fifteen seconds.
We ran away from the bomb and hid among the pews for protection. I hoped we were far enough away, otherwise this would end badly for all of us.
I couldn’t see the timer from where I crouched, and the anticipation of the inevitable explosion was worse than any anxiety I felt leading up to this moment. My hands were actually shaking with the thrill of the impending bang. At the last second, I threw my arms over my head and ducked even lower behind the wooden bench.
BOOM!
A brief flash of light, and a concussive wave that felt like someone had punched me in my chest, and the glass was broken. Shards flew in all directions. One of these pieces cut Jayson’s cheek and another Gina’s hand. Both of them were extremely lucky, because an inch in either direction would have meant disfigurement or death for them.
I waited a count of ten before lifting my head. Smoke filled the area where the glass had been, and strangely, I didn’t smell any smoke or fire. I figured I would at least have the smell of gunpowder—you know that same smell you get on Fourth of July after all the fireworks have been shot off—but there was almost no odor at all.
This part was all me, not because Quinn had assigned it to me, but because I was the only one I trusted to retrieve the shroud. Klaus had everyone else hang back as I crept over the pool of shiny broken glass. Each piece crackled beneath my feet as I crushed them under my weight.
1:07
As I neared the sarcophagus, the wailing of sirens filled the air outside. It had only taken five minutes for the authorities to arrive. We only had a couple of minutes before they burst in. Hopefully they’d send in the firemen first, so we wouldn’t all be arrested immediately.
I pushed the dried bramble of thorns off the coffin with my mind, not wanting to touch them. Then I pulled the red, cross embroidered sheet off the top and flung it aside. Every fiber in every muscle of my body begged me to stop. It felt like I was desecrating a tomb, even though I knew there wasn’t really a body inside. I grabbed the white sheet now, and pulled it off as well, revealing the stone sarcophagus for us all to gaze upon.
It was pure marble, and had a lid that looked like it weighed at least a half-ton.
Looking over my shoulder, I stared directly into Klaus’ eyes. Without having to connect to his mind, I sent a very clear message. There has to be another way.
He simply motioned with his hand for me to continue. He was so much better at this spy thing than I was.
More sirens joined the others outside, and now shouting bellowed through the open door. It was a fireman wondering why there was no smoke coming from the building if there was such a large fire inside. Thankfully, the anomaly made him cautious and he didn’t step through the door.
1:08
I turned back to the marble coffin and grabbed hold of the lid. With my mind, I nudged it. The grating sound of stone on stone filled the room and the unmistakable scent of old dust filled my nostrils. I opened it just enough to be able to stick a hand inside.
The sarcophagus was deep, much deeper than I expected. I was almost shoulder deep before my hand hit the cold bottom. I reached around, feeling for the shroud. It took a few seconds, but finally I gripped what felt like an old, brittle, dried out piece of cloth. It was folded neatly into a square.
The worst part was, as soon as my hand met with the cloth, I knew something was wrong.
1:09
I glanced over at the rest of my team, waiting at the edge of the broken glass pool as if stepping on it would set off some unseen booby trap. They looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to pull out the prize. The problem was, it wasn’t the prize.
I lifted the skull pendant to my lips and whispered as softly as I possibly could. “Do not move in. I repeat, do not move in. The shroud is a fake. I’ll explain later.”
Then I pulled the cloth out and without any ceremony, floated over the field of glass, back to my team. They wanted to be happy. They wanted to cheer. But the look on my face told the whole story.
I landed next to Gina. “Give me the bag,” I ordered.
“But I’m—”
I grabbed the bag off her shoulder and yanked it away. “Give it to me!”
I thrust the cloth into the bag and then pulled the strap over my arm and head so it rested across my chest. That way Gina couldn’t take it away from me.
“What’s the matter?” Jayson asked.
“Later,” I said. Then I turned toward the door. Long shadows spread across the marble floor. Several men were ascending the stairs and about to come in. “Right now, we need to get out of here.”
1:10
Joining hands, our group formed a long chain with Klaus at the front. When Gina locked hands with her brother, all five of us instantly became invisible.
We crept along the wall as the firemen came inside, and slipped through the doorway, unseen, after they had all entered. I allowed myself a sigh of relief as our group made our way across the courtyard to the gathered crowd of tourists, being kept in check by a few Italian policemen.
We wound our way through the crowd, keeping a good grip on each other’s hands. If even one of us broke off, we’d become visible. None of us wanted to explain how we’d suddenly appeared in the middle of a gawking mass of people.
A few times I felt my grip slip from Klaus’, but every time I thought I was going to lose him, he tightened his fist around my hand. He held hard enough to make my knuckles grind together, but at least this time I knew he was hurting me for the right reason.
Getting through the crowd proved to be easier than I thought it would be. We were soon a block away from the onlookers. Only then did we break our grips and reappear to the world.
1:13
“Okay, Christine,” Johnny said. He tapped the bag which concealed the old cloth. “Tell us what’s up wit’ this thing.”
“It’s a fake.”
Several emotions filled my team at that moment. Gina was surprised. Johnny was angry. Jayson was upset. And Klaus was amused.
“The question is,” I said, “what do we tell Quinn?”
Chapter 20
Heading to Rome
It went against my wishes, but the group decided we should tell Quinn the truth. Johnny and Gina were the most vocal of my opposition, insisting they would never get paid, handing over a fake artifact.
The only reason why I ended up going along with it was that once Quinn held the crusty cloth he would probably figure out it wasn’t authentic anyway.
Before I could tell Quinn, however, I needed to inform my team—my real team. My phone was in my hand in an instant and I rushed through a text to Ethan.
Meet… NOW!!! U-Peter-Savanah. No Abby. Café Mordillo.
I tucked the phone back in my pocket and turned back to the others. “We can’t go directly back to the room. We need to split up for a while. Meet back at the hotel in two hours.”
I received no objection from Jayson, Johnny or Gina. We said our goodbyes and they walked off. Klaus on the other hand, stayed behind.
“I vill speak vith Kommandeur Dresner,” he said. “How do you know it is fake?”
“It’s kind of hard to explain,” I said. “Let’s just say, I’ve come across objects like the shroud before, and I’ve been able to feel them—especially after I’ve come into contact with them. And this,” I patted the outside of the bag, “is just a piece of cloth.”
He nodded, but I could tell he was still confused.
“The objects speak to me. This one doesn’t. So it can’t be real.”
“I understand,” he said even though we both knew he didn’t. “I vill zee you in two hours.”
“Yup. See you then.”
Klaus strode off in one direction, and I tromped off in the other. If my friends really were in a position to help me, they would be close by. So, it wouldn’t take them long to come and find me.
Passing the Hotel Chelsea, I walked to the fake McDonald’s. Once inside, I simply sat at a table, not ordering anything to eat. I wasn’t very hungry anyway. There was too much on my mind. First and foremost, I’d made myself a criminal, even though I hadn’t even stolen anything of any real value.
I also had to think as to why the artifact in the bag slung across my chest was a fake. It didn’t make any sense. Why go through all the trouble of displaying and protecting a supposed holy relic, if it wasn’t even real to begin with?
One unlikely response came to mind. It was possible the church actually didn’t know it was a fraud. That couldn’t be true, because the shroud had been kept under lock and key for hundreds of years. If someone had taken and replaced it, they would have had to have done so centuries ago. Plus, if the shroud was as powerful as people claimed, then someone would have used it by now.
No. The church knew what I possessed wasn’t the real shroud. But then the question still remained—why the charade? Why let people believe it was the authentic artifact?
Another question popped into my head then. Where was the real Shroud of Turin? It didn’t disappear, and with all the people still looking for it, no one had managed to steal it.
I really had to think about it. I had to clear my head and let the answer come to me. I concentrated, trying to empty all the extra baggage I had in my mind. I threw each and every thought out until I could only focus on one thing.
“Hey, Chris,” came a voice I hadn’t heard in a couple of weeks. He sat in the chair across from me, looking at me from under his woolen hat.
“Pete,” I said, a little startled. I’d been trying so hard to think I didn’t notice anyone come up. “Where’s everyone…?”
I cut myself off as Ethan and Savanah sat at the table with me. I stifled both a gasp and a groan as a fourth person pulled a chair up to our table.
I didn’t even look up at the unwanted guest, and instead turned to Ethan and said through clenched teeth. “I thought I said no Abby in my text.”
“Relax, Chris,” Ethan said, backing off in case I tried to hit him—like he needed the extra space to evade one of my swings. “She knows everything.”
And that statement stunned me into silence. My lips moved to form words in what I’m sure could have been a really good protest, but my vocal chords refused to work. He’d gone behind my back and told Abby everything, even after everything I told him—even after I asked him not to.
“Christine, believe it or not, I’m not your enemy. Please stop treating me like one.” She stopped me from saying anything with a simple a glance. “I don’t know what Smith is up to. I can tell you his actions the other night you witnessed, were in no way sanctioned by our agency. He was working on this alone.”
“How can I believe you? You could be telling me what I want to hear.”
“Oh, Chris,” Ethan said, rubbing his forehead.
“You don’t,” Abby responded, over Ethan’s words. “What you need to do, however, Christine, is get over these trust issues of yours and put faith in someone other than yourself. Your friends all trust me. And I think I’ve proven time and again I am on your side. So, I think it’s time you—”
“Okay, fine, I believe you” I said. “Please don’t try and give me anymore speeches. You sound like my mother.”
Peter and Ethan chuckled at that. Abby didn’t look at all amused.
“So, tell me how you know it’s a fake,” Abby prodded.
I pulled the bag over my head and plopped it on the table. I opened it and revealed the relic to them. I didn’t think it was best to actually take it out of the bag. By now the police had to know the “shroud” had been stolen and would be looking for it.
“The Spear of Destiny was at Camp Hero,” I explained. “When I grabbed it, I felt… something. It was almost like the spear itself was alive and I could hear its thoughts like I can hear anyone’s. When I touched the Holy Grail in Quinn’s classroom a month ago, it was the same thing. The objects have a mental presence. I touch this,” I put my hand on the cloth and patted it several times, “and nothing.”
“But then… where is the shroud now?” Ethan asked.
“I don’t know,” I neglected to mention I’d been wondering that myself.
“I think I might know,” Peter said. We all waited in anticipation for Peter to complete his sentence, but it appeared that was where he planned to stop.
Savanah prompted him to continue by saying, “Are we supposed to guess, or something?”
“I figured Chris would read my mind.”
“And what about the rest of us, huh?”
“Savanah, drop it,” I interrupted. “Pete, where is it?”
He seemed to shrink back in his seat. He never did feel comfortable talking to us all. So, I wasn’t surprised when he spoke, his voice was very hoarse. “Well… ummm… you know how you said those Vatican Guards were watching over the shroud?”
“Yeah, that’s their job.”
Peter shook his head. “Not exactly. When my parents took me and my brother to Rome two years ago, we did a tour of Vatican City. On the tour they said—”
“Wait a sec! You’ve been here before?” asked Ethan. “Don’t you think that might be something useful to tell us?”
“Ethan, back off!” I shouted. If I let him continue, Peter might shut down totally. And I really didn’t feel like violating his brain for the info. “What did they tell you on the tour?”
Peter turned his body so he was only facing me, making it as if he and I were the only two sitting at the table. “They said the Vatican Guard only has jurist diction within the walls of Vatican City. They aren’t supposed to be here in Turin.”
“So, why were they here then?” I asked.
“It’s a decoy,” Abby said, more to herself than the rest of us. Her head was bowed for another ten seconds, as if she were going through massive amounts of data in her head. Then she leaned in and began talking in a conspiratorial tone. “Don’t you see? Our friend, Quinn, was caught in an attempt to steal the shroud several weeks ago. The Vatican probably feared another theft, so without telling anyone, they replaced the artifact—probably in the middle of the night—and set up the guards so anyone watching would think the shroud was still here in Turin. But it was moved to the only place they’d trust to keep it safe.”
“Vatican City,” Ethan, Savanah and I said at the same time.
Savanah then smiled, and almost jumped from her seat. Her voice squeaked as she asked, “So, we’re going to Rome?”
***********
“Rome,” said Quinn when I told him what we figured out. As usual the disappointment he felt at the failure didn’t resonate on his face. He simply stood, back totally straight, watching the five of us as if we were little children. “Vatican City is one of the most protected places in all of Europe. Thousands of tourists visit Turin Cathedral everyday, but tens of thousands visit Vatican City everyday. They also have their own private police and army force, along with a group that is something akin to the Secret Service in the United States. There are literally miles of tunnels running beneath it and it could be kept in any one of them, though I suspect the shroud is in the secret vaults. If the shroud has been taken there, I’m afraid we can never get our hands on it.”
It was a total reversal. I figured he was so obsessed he would stop at nothing until he took possession of the shroud. As it turned out, there was one thing that could stop him: fear.
Quinn was too afraid to go after the shroud. If the idea of going up against the Vatican frightened him, then the shroud had to be safe. Mission accomplished. I could go home early and enjoy the rest of my summer vacation like a normal teenager.
Except…
“Vee still get paid?”
“Yeah, whatabout our money?” Johnny agreed. “We got your stupid crust cloth.”
If possible, Quinn got taller, looming over the five of us like an angry giant. A dark shadow spread across his face. I realized then Quinn had never truly showed his dark side to me, but there it was leering at us. A chill ran through me. I was glad I could keep my dark-side from showing itself.
“Do not presume to make demands of me. You failed to retrieve what we came for and now the item is out of reach. You will get nothing. You should be thankful I’m even going to pay for your plane ticket home.”
Of all people to continue arguing for money, Klaus was the last one I expected. He should have been as happy as I was this whole foolish crusade was over. But instead, he seemed to get angry. I say “seemed” because I didn’t feel an ounce of negative emotion from the boy. And if I felt it, Quinn felt it too.
“I vant my payment. You owe it to us.”
“You want your money? Fine.” Quinn began rummaging through a bag he’d left on the bed. He pulled out a wad of hundred dollar bills. He counted them out and then handed us each five hundred dollars. “Just enough for each of you to get home. Now get out of my sight. I don’t want to see your faces ever again!”
He shoved the remaining money back into the bag and turned to the window. It was like he was daring one of us to reach into the bag and take the rest of the money. None of us moved.
“This is not what you promised me,” Jayson said softly. I’m not even sure Quinn heard him. But with every word he spoke, he grew bolder and his voice got louder. “I’m not leaving until I have enough to take home to my mom. I’m going to take care of her for a change, and you’re going to make that happen.”
The strangest thing happened then as well. Jayson’s arm began to ripple—just his arm. First it turned a blue-green color and then his skin became hard, like a shell. Then his arm grew fat and wide, until it resembled something more like a crab-claw. I jumped back, and so did Johnny, Gina and Klaus. None of us realized he could do that. I, at least, was sure he could only perform human transformations.
Quinn didn’t turn around. I wasn’t sure if it was because he didn’t notice Jayson’s morphing or if it he didn’t perceive the boy as a threat. I was willing to bet on the second option.
“Reach back into your bag and give me what you promised.” Jayson’s voice was firm, but there was no hint of a threat in it. It seemed now that it was time to act, Jayson no longer had the will to do anything.
Johnny and Gina, now following Jayson’s lead, both appeared ready to attack if the situation presented itself. Klaus and I both glanced at each other, both of us knowing this was going south and in a hurry.
As I reached into the three minds and attempted to calm them all down, Klaus tried a different tactic. “Vhat must vee do? You still vant the shroud. Vee can get it.”
Quinn looked over his shoulder and smiled. It was what he’d been hoping one of us would volunteer to do from the beginning.
I simply rubbed my head. This German guy was going to be the death of me—if, of course, I didn’t kill him first. He must have had a reason for continuing this idiotic quest. So, instead of arguing, I figured I’d go with it.
“The train for Rome leaves in two hours,” Quinn said. “Pack your things. We need to be on it.”
Like what you’ve read? Well this isn’t the end of the story for Christine and her friends. New chapters will be coming soon! Stay with us and enjoy the fun!
Check out more High School Heroes stuff at our website!
Also, if you like the content above, we have plenty more for you! We will always post stuff you can access for free, but we also have premium content for our premium subscribers. Want to access this content and see what it’s all about? You can be hitting that Subscribe Now button below and starting a 7-day free trial!
Thanks all!
STAY AWESOME!!!