Tuesday, October 17th - 8:40 am - SDB HQ parking lot
Edmund had gotten a call from John an hour ago. Now his 560 SEC rolled into the SDB HQ engine still purring hot. He saw John stand beside a sleek dark blue '89 Chevrolet Corvette. Luke leaned against the railing nearby, his jaguar parked a few meters off, already smoking a cigarette.
"You're not gonna believe what this madman did this time." Luke said meeting Edmund halfway with a grin.
Without another word, they stepped inside. The moment Edmund stepped into the meeting room a dozen eyes snapped to him. "Mr Hale," Dorian said dryly, sliding a letter across the table "This one's addressed to you."
Edmund checked the letter and read out aloud. "I shall steal the Emperor's Tear from the Royal Exhibition Hall on October 18th 9:00 pm.
A twist, a tick, a turn unseen - but still the queen departs her throne
Shall we see phantom, whose mask breaks first?
The curtains have risen, your move.
- Aeries"
Silence wrapped the room like a shroud.
Luke snorted, breaking the silence. "Really? The Emperor's Tear? Guy's got some brass. What next, Big Ben's minute hand?"
Edmund didn't respond.
He turned the letter over and paused.
The masquerade mask was not on the front of the paper, as it always had been.
It was stamped on the back.
Backwards. Hidden. Out of place.
"...That's odd," John murmured.
Edmund stared at the letter. "He wants us to think it's fake."
Luke raised a brow. "Right? Symbol's on the back. It is fake."
"No," Edmund said. "That's exactly why it's probably real."
He placed the letter flat on the desk.
SDB - Meeting Room
One hour later
Monitors blinked with camera feeds of the Royal Exhibition. Blueprints lit up on the projector. Guards' positions rotated on a digital map.
Dorian Chris stood in front of the digital blueprint, his tone proud, almost smug.
"Six-layered security. We're talking: Pressure-sensitive glass, industrial grade. Infrared tripwires every meter. Analog CCTV on a locked 30-second loop. Armed guards rotating every hour. Magnetic-lock pedestal synced to dual-access keycards."
He turned to face Edmund directly.
"And yes — biometric override. Fingerprint pad tied to the exhibition curator and the vault supervisor. If anyone else so much as breathes on the glass, we get a lockdown. He's not walking in there."
Dorian smirked. "This is a fortress."
"Have you checked for any tricks, visitors and verified the necklace." Edmund asked folding his hands
"All verified" Dorian said with a hint of pride
"If we increase security, we create chaos. Chaos that helps him.
If we ease off security, he walks in freely. Regardless of the way… we react. And the moment we do, we're following his choreography. It's a trap made out of logic." Edmund muttered
Luke leaned back in his chair. "So… what? We just throw the necklace in front of him and call it a day?"
"Yes" Edmund said without hesitating
"...."
"You are insane" Luke said
"It's not entirely giving him the necklace, we just move the real one to the replica section and the replica to the real one."
Soon the room calmed down
"You just gave me a mini heart attack" Dorian said as he wiped his sweat
John frowned. "What if he notices the fake?"
"Then we know how deep the game is."
"Also this is a media magnet. International spotlight. Journalists, critics, security experts all watching. Which means… failure = public humiliation." Dorian said with a trace of anxiety
"Don't worry Dorian." Edmund consoled "Also refer to me as the phantom in public places even the exhibition hall. We can't know where Aeries might be hiding."
...
Same day : 6:32 pm Royal Exhibition Hall
The lights hummed. The pedestal gleamed. The Emperor's Tear floated midair in a mag-lev casing, spinning gently.
A man walked slowly beneath the glass skylight of the vault level, dressed in a finely tailored coat, gloves on both hands. His eyes didn't scan the gem first, they scanned the room. The bolts. The light fixtures. The seams between tiles.
He approached the display with reverence, but his posture lacked awe. It was the calm of someone measuring.
"The Emperor's Tear....." he said softly.
A curator stood behind him said. "Mr. Langley, We've just recalibrated the sensors, per your earlier request."
"Good. I've no patience for variables."
He peered into the crystal casing. His gaze not only moved across the gem but the frame, the hinges, the bolts.
He stepped back.
Then, just as softly:
"It's a shame really. Trapping something so exquisite."
No one asked for his ID. No one questioned his right to be there.
Why would they? He was the owner of the necklace.
Suddenly a voice called from the stairwell behind "Mr Langley"
He turned, calmly. "Ah if it isn't the proprietor himself, Sir Vincent Davenmore."
Sir Vincent approached with a warm smile accompanied by four distinguished gentlemen.
"These gentlemen," Davenmore announced, "Are the officers entrusted with protecting our dear gem."
Langley turned slightly, his gaze sliding over the group. His words came softly.
"I must extend my profound gratitude, gentlemen, for your unwavering support is most reassuring."
Sir Vincent gestured slightly with his gloved hand.
"May I present, Mr Langley Hedrovich
owner of The Emperor's Tear
Then to the men "Dorian Chris, Luke Anthony, John Dennis and...?"
He glanced at the last man, face obscured by a black mask.
"The Phantom" Edmund said simply
Sir Vincent gave a small amused smile
"Ah. A theatrical moniker. Fitting, I suppose."
There was a faint pause.
The greetings were exchanged. Small courtesies shared.
Langley departed soon after - his footsteps echoing slowly behind him.
And from that moment onward, the SDB held full authority over The Royal Exhibition Hall.
The Royal Exhibition Hall - 8:03 pm
The replica had been placed.
Edmund leaned over the decoy, a near-perfect replica. The fake gem rotated with mathematical precision. The lighting was copied. The reflections. The pedestal spin speed. Even the pressure had been fine-tuned to within 0.01 Newtons of the original.
He watched it turn slowly under the museum lights, a glass butterfly pretending to be a diamond dragon.
"You think it'll fool him?" Luke joined him, holding two mugs.
Edmund nodded, took it without looking. "No chance of that happening," Edmund answered flatly. "But it'll buy us time."
Luke gave a long exhale. "So... this is what losing slowly feels like?"
"Not losing," Edmund said, still watching the gem.
"Learning how he thinks. Watching his hands. The more we know the better."
"He doesn't take what's unguarded.
He takes what we think is safe."
John stepped in, scanning the setup. "Everything's in place?"
"Yes," Edmund said. "But keep the fallback protocols ready."
Luke tilted his head. "You think he'll actually show up this time?"
Edmund didn't respond.
His reflection stared back at him through the glass.
"I don't know if he'll be there.
But the performance has already started."
Luke sipped. "God, you're fun at parties."
Edmund laughed slightly. A faint smile appearing on his face
He stared through the vault glass.
"The moment he sent that letter, we were already inside the performance."
A few moments later, a voice called out from behind
"Mr Dennis
John turned to see Sir Vincent approaching, flanked by the distinguished figure of Mr Langley.
The two had arrived for a final inspection of the security arrangements
"Ah so this is the replica." Langley said his tone poised, as he approached the replica levitating inside the mag - lev display.
"Even I might have been deceived, had I not of this substitute beforehand."
"It looks flawless," Sir Vincent remarked with admiration, observing the display.
Langley offered a quiet chuckle "Ludicrous, isn't it? A replica placed to protect the real one...
But in the end, which is the real treasure? The one that dazzles, or the one that deceives the world?"
He glanced sideways at John.
"And the real one?"
"This way" John said, leading them toward the replica section
Inside, the real Emperor's Tear lay obscured in a far less remarkable casing. A modest glass container atop a simple pedestal, surrounded by a scattering of markers and decoy artefacts to discourage attention.
Langley leaned closer towards the display, his eyes watering a bit and a tiny expression of sadness appearing in his face. His gaze softened as he looked at the gem.
"I must say.... it pains me somewhat to see the Emperor's Tear presented thus. But I understand. Caution is not without merit." His voice carried the weight of sentiment, yet there was a touch too much elegance
"Mr Langley is quite attached to the necklace." Sir Vincent offered, smiling politely at the group
"Perfectly understandable" John replied, hands in his coat pockets
Langley lingered by the display, his gaze softening. For a moment his eyes seemed to glisten. His body language, micro expressions and tone were all steeped in melancholy. Nobody else noticed except for Edmund. He didn't interrupt. Just observed. He could somewhat guess what he would say from this.
Langley adjusted his wrist watch with practised grace and took a piece of cloth from his pocket.
"If I may," He asked in a quiet yet resonant voice "Would it be terribly improper for me to clean the casing.... and the gem itself? It would ease my conscience somewhat."
Edmund and Luke exchanged brief glances but said nothing. With Dorian having returned home for the evening, John now held primary authority.
John hesitated a moment. His eyes blinked. He didn't buy the sadness, not entirely, but the risk of denying the owner now might cause more damage than allowing a controlled moment of sentiment. And so he nodded and said "Go ahead"
Langley delicately removed the case's glass lid and began polishing the gem in slow, precise motions.
As he worked, he spoke - voice raised slightly but still with rich refinement.
"Do you know why they call it the Emperor's Tear," he said gently wiping the pedestal's base, "and not merely a jewel or stone?"
The officers remained silent
Langley gave a wistful smile as he continued
"They say that emperor's do not weep, but oh how wrong they are. Power weeps in silence. A tear unwept is merely a blade not drawn. All Crowns have hidden cracks, this -" he gestured to the necklace - "is proof of that sorrow. Thus the name."
There was a faint crackle in his voice.
When he had finished Langley carefully replaced the casing and stepped back.
"I'm grateful to you for allowing me this indulgence." He said with a courteous bow of the head
"No trouble at all." John replied with a nod.
Sir Vincent examined the pedestal and smiled. "Well cleaned indeed, Mr Langley. Quite the craftsman's touch."
Langley responded with a gracious smile
"Shall we take our leave, then?"
"Of course," Vincent said "Let us Depart."
The two exited, their footsteps echoing faintly down the corridor.
A few minutes later, the trio of officers followed suit.
....
Same Day - 9:48 pm - Somewhere in London
A glass of wine tilted under soft jazz.
A man reclined in his chair and looked toward the city skyline.
On the TV, a reporter spoke:
"Security tightens ahead at Royal Exhibition Hall following the threatened heist on the Emperor's Tear — authorities remain on high alert..."
He smiled.