Lights Out

by Stopforth, W. J.

  Lily continued. “Stealing the money and getting the money out is not a problem. It’s getting past all of the security and into the vault, and that’s where you come in.”

  “We have the first door which requires a swipe card, then the second door to the vault entrance, requiring the same key card access but with additional key code, then there’s the main vault entrance. This is where we’ll need your palm imprint and key code. Once we are inside, then we only require your key code to gain entrance to the gate to the holding room, and once we have that, then our men will do all of the loading.” Lily finished.

  “You still haven’t told me how you plan to get the money out once you have it?” Ryan asked.

  “You’re right. I haven’t.” Lily said. “You don’t need to know everything at this stage.”

  “Once we get out, we will be long gone before the bank even realizes that they have been robbed.”

  “And you think you can achieve this all in eight minutes?” Ryan said, not sure if he could even believe this himself.

  “Yes, I know we can.” She said, confident in her reply, “We’re ready”.

  Lily took the dossier from the table and closed it, then slipped it back inside her bag.

  Ryan was impressed with her confidence and knowledge. She had thought of everything it seemed, but he still doubted that they could pull it off in that timeframe, even if they did manage to get through all of the security, there were still so many things that could go wrong.

  Ryan looked across at Ghost Face. He had stopped watching them a while ago, allowing Lily to explain the plan to Ryan without interruption from him. He now sat sideways with his legs crossed, casually looking out of the main window towards the 7 Eleven store across the street.

  “So what now?” Ryan said to Lily.

  Ghost Face turned himself back towards them.

  “ You leave after me, in five minutes. When you get back to your apartment go through your wardrobe and pull out anything black. You need to be covered from head to toe. Your shoes need to be soft soled, nothing too noisy on the marble floor. We’ll provide the headwear. We will come and collect you when it’s time, then you will simply do as we tell you.” He said.

  Without another word, Ghost Face stood up and walked out of the café without looking back.

  Ryan turned to face Lily. Ignoring Ryan, she raised her hand and waved towards one of the waiters. Once she grabbed his attention she made the ‘bill’ signal with her hand and dug her hand into her bag to find her purse.

  “So that’s it?” Ryan said, feeling deflated and out of control.

  “That’s it Ryan.” Lily replied simply.

  “What do you want me to say Ryan? At the end of the day there are some things that you just have to do. For me, this is one of them.” She then threw two crumpled hundred-dollar bills onto the coffee table to cover the drinks.

  “You’d better go now”, Lily said looking at her watch.

  Ryan stood up from his chair, and started towards the door, then turned again to look at Lily.

  Before he could say anything, Lily said; “I know you’ll do the right thing, that’s why I chose you.”

  With nothing left to say, Ryan turned towards the door. As he stepped into the street, the entire hustle bustle surrounding him disappeared. All that he could think about was the night ahead. He didn’t know how he was going to get through this. But he knew he had to. Rob was relying on him, and he had to save his friend. Ryan made the short journey back to his apartment to prepare himself.

  Chapter 14

  AUGUST 8: 7:40pm

  Ryan looked impatiently at his wristwatch. It was 7:40pm. They had to be here soon, Ryan thought.

  Not able to stay still in one place, he finally switched on his TV and a live news feed promptly came up on the screen.

  Ryan watched as the bubbly local female news reporter stood in the central business district surrounded by thousands of people waiting to witness the lights of the city go out. She was commentating on the event, talking to the camera, giving out facts about the Lights Out campaign and the history of some of the buildings that now acted as a dramatic backdrop. The camera panned out so that Ryan had a clear view of the masses. The sheer number of people was astonishing. People stood shoulder-to-shoulder, adults and children squashed together. He could make out the odd Police Officer in the crowd, but it would be impossible for them to monitor everyone tonight.

  The camera zoomed in again to the reporter who now had her hand on her earpiece and was pressing it hard against the side of her head, struggling to hear herself think as the sound of thousands of voices and jostling crowds began to get the better of her.

  Suddenly the image flicked back live to the news studio and Ryan switched off the TV.

  No sooner had the TV been silenced, then Ryan felt the faint buzz of his phone vibrating in his pocket, followed immediately by his familiar ring tone. It suddenly sounded so inappropriate, the happy little tune. He quickly pressed the call button to silence the sound and placed the phone to his ear. Finally Ryan listened to the voice that he had been dreading all evening.

  “I’m at your front door and we need to leave now.”

  Ryan clicked off his phone and made his way to the front door.

  This is it, he thought to himself. I can do this. He told himself as he shook his limbs, from his hands to his feet like a boxer might do before a fight, in an attempt to give himself some much needed confidence.

  Ryan took in a deep breath and opened the door to be confronted with the pale cold face of his fate. His skin looked even more ethereal than it had that afternoon and almost glowed under the hallway light. Ghost Face looked Harper up and down.

  “Do you have everything you need?” he asked. Ryan nodded and patted his pants pocket indicating the security pass and raised his hands to show his fingertips in an attempt to lighten the mood. Saying nothing more, Ghost Face motioned for Ryan to follow him.

  They quickly descended the back stairs to the ground floor and stepped into the quiet car park. It was completely empty, unusually so, with the exception of the black Mercedes with it’s engine quietly running. At first Ryan thought that perhaps everyone had gone down to see the lights go out in person, but as Ryan sat back in the leather upholstered seat, and tried to make himself comfortable, he realized what was wrong. As the car pulled away, leaving the building lit up behind them, he looked back to where Mr Wu, the caretaker, normally sat and for the first time since he had lived there, his seat was empty. Fearing the worst, Ryan sat immobile, with only the turmoil in his head to keep him company, as the true realization of what he was involved with finally dawned upon him.

  Less than ten minutes later the car stopped two blocks from the World Asia Bank. It was as close as they could get. The streets were packed with thousands of people, all waiting to see Hong Kong plummet into darkness for the first time in history. People were laughing and chatting, children perched high up on their parents’ shoulders squealing and pointing, couples arm in arm, waving at the hosts of TV cameras now set up.

  Ghost Face walked quickly and with purpose, pushing Ryan slightly ahead of him so that he could keep him close. When they got within twenty meters of the bank entrance, Ghost Face guided Ryan off to one side as they slid unnoticed behind a pillar and waited. People were pushing past them, Ryan felt elbows and shoulders brush past him as they jostled and shoved to find a better place to observe. Ryan started scanning the crowd. He suddenly became aware of several other people wearing dark clothes around him and wondered if they were part of the team. He couldn’t see Lily yet, but he knew she’d be here soon. He noticed several uniformed police officers slowly moving around groups of people, occasionally talking on their radios to each other. His thoughts quickly wondered what his chances would be if he now made a run for it. But then as soon as the thought entered his mind, he dismissed it immediately. Images of Rob’s beaten face vividly pushed their way into Ryan’s head. He wouldn’t let him down. What if it ha
d been him? Ryan mused. Rob would have done the same for him, of that he was certain.

  Appearing out of nowhere Lily gracefully arrived wearing the same head to toe black as he and Ghost Face. She tiptoed in her flat black shoes and lightly kissed Ryan on the cheek, as though in some other life they were still a normal couple. Ryan flinched slightly and Lily looked at him apologetically. “How are you holding up?” She asked.

  “I’ve been better.” Ryan stated truthfully.

  “Are you sure about this?” He asked one last time, in case by some slim chance they could simply walk away.

  She smiled her dazzling smile at Ryan, but this time it was lost on him. Her magic no longer worked. He had been so blinded by her in the beginning, but now it was plain and clear to him. Here he was, standing at the entrance of the Asia World Bank, waiting for the city lights to go out so that he could help these people, whoever they really were, steal $20 million US dollars, so that he could save his friend. His normal life as he knew it was well and truly over.

  Ryan leaned in to Lily.

  “I need to ask you something.” He said.

  “Anything.” Lily responded.

  “Are you involved with the Triads?”

  Lily smiled a crooked half smile to Ryan.

  “Sort of.” She replied. “One day I’ll explain it all to you. For now, let’s just get this done.”

  Ghost Face moved in closer to Ryan and Lily and tapped the glass face of his watch with his finger. “It’s almost time”, he said. The three of them, led by Ghost Face began to weave themselves between the throngs of excited people toward the banks entrance.

  Lily paused to speak to Ryan. “As soon as the lights go out, I’m giving you a mask to wear. Put it on straight away and follow me, stay close”. She said turning back and working her way through the last few onlookers.

  They arrived at the entrance, still surrounded by people. Ryan looked around him, his eyes still scanning the crowds for policemen or security guards to make sure that they hadn’t been noticed. It was unlikely, he concluded. There were too many people for them to watch. Ryan looked at Lily’s all-black attire and noticed that she was wearing black cotton gloves. He leaned in and tapped her on the shoulder. “Where are my gloves?” he whispered into her ear.

  “Oh”, Lily smiled nervously. “You noticed that. Look I’m sorry Ryan; it’s part of the plan. We can’t afford to leave any fingerprints behind. But for you, well, we need your fingerprints to get us through to the vault. It’s unavoidable. Which means that you can’t wear gloves.” Lily said, her tone quite matter-of fact.

  Ryan’s pulse was now racing. He could feel the thud of his heart and thought that at that moment it may actually burst out of his chest. He hissed in to Lily’s ear; “This was NOT part of the plan. I’m already doing everything you have asked. When this is over everything will point directly toward me!” Before Ryan could wait for an answer from Lily, he suddenly felt a hand push him in the small of his back. He turned to see Ghost Face behind him, pushing him gently, but with enough force to direct him closer to the bank entrance.

  “Enough talking” Ghost Face told them both, “We are counting down, fifty seconds”, He spoke into an earpiece that Ryan had only just noticed. “Everyone get into position. Harper, you stay with me.” Ghost Face said.

  Ryan shook his head to try to remain focused on the job at hand, he tried to push all other thoughts and questions to the back of his mind, but the panic still managed to seep in, as the realization of what they were about to attempt finally dawned on him. A cold shiver ran through him as he looked at the main door of the bank. This is it, he thought.

  Everyone else surrounding Ryan was now a blur, he just looked at Lily and waited.

  “Thirty seconds” Ghost Face said quietly so that no one next to him could hear him talking.

  “Twenty seconds”, he spoke again to the invisible team.

  Lily spoke into her mobile phone to another invisible person. “Ready to switch the camera’s in ten, nine, eight….”, she continued the count down, all the time looking for a signal from Ghost Face.

  “Five, four, three, two, now.” She flicked off her phone immediately and zipped it securely in her top pocket.

  People around them started to become noisier and more excited, slight pushing and movement started around them as people strained to see the big screens around them, or to get a better view of the buildings. In the distance Ryan could still just make out the bubbly Chinese news presenter getting ready for the big countdown, the cameraman was poised waiting to film the event. Everyone now gazed up at Hong Kong’s famous city lights.

  Then suddenly the countdown began. People all around Ryan were chanting as loud as they could, the noise was deafening; “Ten, nine, eight, seven “. Ryan felt Ghost Face push him once again in the small of the back and guided him swiftly through the remainder of the crowds until they were almost at the door. He could see the security guard at the entrance, also transfixed and chanting like everyone else.

  “Four, three, two, one. “

  Ryan blocked out the sounds around him and counted the final few seconds in his head. He was as ready as he would ever be.

  Suddenly Hong Kong sank into total darkness, every single light was off, every street light, ceiling light, wall light, signage, building light, all gone.

  Pulling on the balaclava that Lily had given him, it took Ryan a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the pitch dark. To his left he noticed four other people slip in silently behind him. The invisible team that Ghost Face had been talking to, Ryan assumed.

  Leaving behind the roar of the cheering crowds, seven people dressed from head to toe in black, walked inside the Bank’s public entrance moving past the guard unnoticed. Everyone blended into the black background. Only the green fluorescent emergency exit signs could be seen flickering above doorways, letting off a dull green glow around them.

  Quickly everyone moved towards the first locked entrance. Ghost Face guided Ryan to the door. Ryan had his card already at hand and he quickly swiped his card through in silence. Immediately the door swung opened, giving them access to the next area. The door closed behind with a small click as the door locked itself again.

  With Ryan now at the front, they made their way to the next door, which would lead them to the main vault entrance. Ryan could hear his breathing inside the balaclava, it sounded loud to him. He began to feel trapped inside the fabric and was desperate to pull it off. It was making his face hot with his own rapid breathing. He was sure that everyone else could hear him. He took a few slow breaths and gathered himself. They’d got this far.

  They arrived at the second door. This time it required both the card and a code. Ryan punched in the familiar code on to the keypad and swiped his card through again. A tiny green light flashed and the door sounded with a click, telling them that it was open. All seven people filtered through and the door closed silently behind them.

  Ghost Face tapped his watch and motioned with his hand that they had only seven minutes left. They all nodded in unison, no one making a sound. Now they were in a much larger space with a modern vaulted ceiling that rose impressively high above their heads. The dull green glow from the exit signs, mixed with the blackness made it feel eerie to Ryan, like visiting a church in the middle of the night.

  Directly ahead of them was the entrance to the actual vault. Ryan had been here so many times. He knew that once this door was open that his job was almost done, and then the invisible team would start their work. Ryan quickly walked to the security pad next to the vault entrance. This time the access was more complicated. It involved Ryan punching in a code onto the unlit flat pad that bore no numbers, the sequence and position was all from memory, followed by the final hand scan, all on the same blank pad. This, Ryan knew, would all be logged into the main security network. There would be no doubt, when John McIntyre would later investigate the security breech, that he would find that it was Ryan Harper that had entered the Bank’s secure
vault on this night. Ryan tried not to think about it as he quickly and quietly did his part. Once the access was confirmed he simply stood back a waited. A second later they all heard the giant steel reinforced vault door clunk and click as it slowly opened before them. Once the vault door was fully open, they were greeted by a narrow escalator that dropped down deep into the main belly of the bank. As soon as Ryan placed his foot on the first metal step, the escalator started to move. Soon all seven of them had stepped onto the escalator and following Ryan’s lead, walked swiftly to the bottom.

  At the foot of the escalator they were greeted by two, closed, metal gates. The right gate led them into a safety deposit room, and the left, straight into where the money, bonds and gold bullion lay.

  For the last time that night, Ryan punched in a six-digit number on the left hand gate keypad, and the gate swung open effortlessly, welcoming them in.

  Ghost Face nodded at the four men and held up 1 finger, indicating that they had one minute. They nodded and set to work. Lily pulled Ryan back out of the way, and they watched in silence as the men set to work.

  Ryan watched in amazement at the speed of which the men were moving around. It was clear that they had trained for this. Each man had a duty and they worked together as a team, quickly, silently and without falter. One man swiftly removed a black backpack and pulled out five oversize duffle bags, the zips were already open and he lay them carefully out on the floor, opening the mouth of the bags whilst the other three men were lifting and carrying the plastic wrapped stacks of notes to and from the bags. As each bag became full, the zip was closed and each bag was swiftly carried out of the vault and to the bottom of the escalator.

  In less than one minute all five duffle bags were full and ready. Ghost Face nodded again and motioned with his fingers that they had just four minutes remaining. Each man helped the other to load the duffle bags onto their backs. The final bag went onto Ryan’s back. The sudden weight of the bag took Ryan by surprise and he had to steady himself to keep his balance forwards. One of the men made an “OK” sign with his hand, and Ryan nodded and replied with another ‘OK’. Lily guided Ryan towards the escalator and they started to ascend. They were slower this time. They had to rely on the escalators speed to get them to the top. Behind them Ghost Face closed the vault gate and quickly caught them up, taking two steps at a time until he was directly behind his men.