Happy What Day is This! Glad you could happen to be here! Today I’m going to throw a quick story at you. Got to keep the variety going. Ya? Hopefully my short stories are as much fun as fortune cookies. –A surprise in each one. Enjoy!
On the second floor of the Austerian embassy, two figures move with the stealth and alertness of jungle felines down an unlighted hallway. The two figures are covered from head to toe in black ninja clothing and wearing back packs. If not for their eyes being covered up by sophisticated night vision goggles, their fear of getting caught would show. Walking almost shoulder to shoulder they move towards the office at the end of the hall.
They are not in the Austerian embassy by accident. They are on a mission to steal on behalf of their government. The chances of their succeeding are not as good as their chances of being caught.
Eight paces from the office at the end of the hall, the taller of the two burglars, in the dark, whispers. “Keep it on your mind Stetson, we won’t have much time to get out of this Embassy if we don’t open the safe on the first try. Okay, we’re here. The office door lock is all yours.” “I’m on it Williams,” Turner Stetson whispers.
Only an inch shorter than his tall partner, but every bit as well muscled, Stetson reaches into the chest pocket on his stealth suit and produces an electronic device. He applies it to the door’s electronic reader and turns it on. Within six seconds both men hear a buzz and a click. Without hesitation Stetson pushes the door open and they both go in.
Stetson closes the door while Desmond Williams walks quickly over to a mini bar. In only seconds Stetson joins him there. Williams is already reaching around to the back of the mini bar feeling for a button he knows is there. Stetson checks his infrared chrono. It is three minutes past midnight. Under his mask, he smiles. They were still good on time.
Williams finds the button he’s looking for in less time than it takes to clap three times. The mini bar immediately sinks into the floor and a light gray safe slides down out of an overhead cabinet to take its place.
The safe has no buttons or a dial. Just a small four inch LCD display screen with the same size speaker underneath. Stetson turns his smile into a frown as he stands studying the safe. Williams notices his partner’s hesitation and prompts him to speak. “Well? You having a coronary or what? Let’s go Stetson. We ain’t got a millennium you know.”
Stetson’s eye goggles lift up from the safe to look at Williams. “Man, this is a newer version of the ZRB51, Voice Command, Sonic Safe. It has an improvement that’s going to cause us trouble,” Stetson gripes out loud. “A newer ZRB51 huh?” Williams replies semi-calmly. “Stetson, I swear, those Intel guys are going to be the death of me one of these days,” he whispers fiercely. But without missing a beat he shrugs his shoulders and says, “We don’t have time to sit here and Google our way out of this mess. Go ahead and try opening the little pain in the seat cushion, and get ready to run for it.” “I copy you Williams. Let me the get my micro recorder out of my back pack. Either this recording of Baron Von Grueden’s voice will open this gadget safe or it won’t. And by the way, those guards we left downstairs with those anesthesia darts in them… They just might be early risers you know.”
“Roger that Stetson. But don’t worry, we’ve got more darts. However, tell me again what’s supposed to happen with a voice command safe,” Williams asks, feeling sweat dribble down his back. “Okay, Williams, real quick. We play Von Grueden’s voice, saying that he wants to access the safe, then the safe asks him a prearranged question. We use the micro recorder’s voice synthesizer feature, synthesizing my voice to sound like the exact match of Von Grueden’s to answer it, and wa-la! The safe door is supposed to whoosh open, like the door at your local supermarket.”
“So then what’s the hold up? Play the thing already. I don’t see a problem,” Williams whispers aggressively. “The problem, my good co-agent, is that the ZRB series safe usually asks the same question every time you attempt to open it. Which is no problem. I have the verification answer on the micro recorder. But the problem with this latest model is that it asks a legal question for user verification. So you see, I would have to guess the answer,” Stetson informs.
All of a second goes by before Williams says, “Stetson. I see your point. But man, let’s get with it! We got to open this silly safe!”
“Keep your voice down you idiot!” Stetson whispers loud enough to be heard outside the office. “Williams are you trying to tug on my patience? You can’t be serious.” “As serious as a felon trying to avoid the police after he commits a felony, “Williams confirms.
“We gotta take a shot at getting the plans Von Grueden has in this safe. Because either we get the plans in this safe, or the Austerian government uses these plans to build a machine that can cause a coast to coast blackout in the US. So let er rip.” Stetson takes a deep breath, lets it out, and nods. “Let’s do it.” He presses the play button on the micro recorder. It whirs to life, and in Baron Von Grueden’s voice it says VON GRUEDEN, ALPHA 2-1-5-7, DELTA EPSILON.”
*BARON VON GRUEDEN VOICE MATCH CONFIRMED* the safe announces in a robot voice, and then asks. *WHAT IS THE STATUE OF LIMITATIONS ON A BURGLARY FELONY IN AUSTERIA? YOU HAVE THIRTY SECONDS TO COMPLY.* “Stetson! Why you just standing there with that stupid look on under your mask?! Man do something!” “Didn’t I tell you to keep your voice down? Let me think, let me think! Uhhh…” Stetson vocalizes. *Doot! Doot! Doot! Doot…!* “Stetson, what’s that? That’s not what I think it is, is it?” Williams asks. “Yeah, I’m afraid it is. That’s the count down to our getting locked into this room, if I don’t come up with the right answer, in Von Grueden’s own voice, before the last doot!” “Now who’s raising his voice?” “Will you shut it?!!!! This ain’t funny, super spy!” Stetson grouches.
Williams catches his breath, then says out loud. “Hey Stetson, that music the safe is playing, isn’t that the music from the Jeopardy game show?” “Yeah it is. And I just wasted another three seconds listening to you telling me about it. NOW WILL YOU SHUT UP AND LET ME THINK!” “Okay, go ahead and think. But you better come up with something in a hurry. Anything! Just don’t expect me to be here for the last doot, ten seconds from now.” Stetson slaps his partner on the shoulder. “In that case I think we better run for it Williams!”
Right as both men turn towards the office door, to start running for their lives, Stetson turns to look at the safe, and says, “You stupid safe.” Out of the micro recorder comes the same words, bringing about an immediate response. The safe opens and says *ACCESS GRANTED* Stetson freezes in his tracks and signals to Williams.
“Pssst. Hey Williams, hold it. Come back here a minute will you. Guess what?”
I’m glad you could stop by today. Thanks for reading. And may God bless you with everything you need.