Novels


098: Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration, Part 2

[Introduction: Daphne Millbrook can steal anything. Egyptian artifacts? Done. Italian masterpieces? For fun. Mountains of shoes? Yes please! Nothing has ever been out of Daphne's grasp. But when a shadowy figure challenges her with a Tokyo heist, will Daphne be up to proving her mettle?]

[Caption: Shipping yards, New York City]

Daphne Narrating: Paying me to steal from a shipping container...is like hiring the stones to play prom. (She springs by a security guard) But it's all a part of the plan. If you need to move a highly sensitive military prototype without people noticing, lock it in a rusted out shipping container and mark it mp3 players. (She stops, turns a lock, and opens a bin seeing a silver briefcase.) You have no idea of the priceless objects that are shipped this way. It's usually very effective. Usually. I've been paid to break into the safe of a corporate heavyweight: Kaito Nakamura. People like Nakamura don't just throw their prized possessions under a mattress though. (She opens the briefcase, and a lighted ball pops out into the air.) So tonight I am buying myself a snitch. CRUNCH THWACK (she hears noices outside the container) Uh Oh. This hood's getting rouch. time to jet. (As she runs off, the reader sees the Haitian chasing Peter).

(Venue Change: Tokyo)

Daphne Narrating: Yoji Hayata is a high-ranking executive at Yamagato Industries. He's also stealing from Yamagato Industries. He gets me into Nakamura's safe...and I give him his toys back. Basic playground diplomacy. (She swooshes by Yoji, scattering the papers on his desk, and sits down across from him.)

Daphne: So, how screwed are you if Yamagato Industries finds out you're selling company secrets?

Yoji: Thankfully, We'll never know. You have the prototype?

Daphne: Maybe...you gonna tell me where Nakamura's safe is?

Yoji: (screaming) I'm the future head of this corporation. But I couldn't get you into the safe it I wanted to. It's genetically locked. I won't be blackmailed.

Daphne: So you brought goons. I hate goons. (Two suited men enter with tasers, as one fires at her, she runs behind him, altering the course of his shot to hit the other goon.)

Daphne Narrating: I swear I'm not much of a fighter. But they're just so slow!

Daphne: I'm a reasonalb egirl, Yoji. Where's the safe? (grabbing him by the collar)

Yoji: Only a Nakamura can get into it. The biometrics can't be faked.

Daphne: Where?!

Yoji: In Kaito's office! I don't know where.

Daphne: Was that really so hard? (zooming out of the room) Bullets. Biometric scans...Time to regroup. (They drop a security door infront of her, so she changes directions to run up the stairs, through the goons. Otta my way, short stuff!

Daphne Narrating: I've learned the hard way...(runs to the roof, and jumps to the next skyscrapers roof) ...always have an exit strategy.

[Caption: Two weeks later.]

TV News Anchor: Yamagato Industries, reeling in the loss of CEO Kaito Nakamura, is to be helmed by son Hiro Nakamura...

Daphne Narrating: ...Making it harder to crack Kaito's safe.

Daphne's Cellphone: (Text message from Yoji) Bastard left son head of company. Camera feed N734 might interest you.

Daphne Narrating: Yoji, Oh the power of the scorned.

[Caption: Harajuko Station]

Daphne Narrating: I'm a world-class theif survailing geeks aruge. I don't have much patience. What are they saying? When will they do something?

Surveillence feed: Hiro says, "私の運命を、あなたの運命を、安藤は、金庫内に ある。" This roughly translates to, "My destiny, your destiny, Ando, is inside that safe."

Daphne Narrating: Oh, these fools! I could kiss 'em! Gotta go!