PART 1: THE BERGMA EXPRESS JOB -- Preparation
My capers typically begin with a mark brought to my attention by a potential client, not the other way around. So, in that respect, Narcissa proved an anomaly from the outset. How she drew my gaze, an open challenge she released via The Observer on New Year’s Day, only served to compound this job’s peculiarities.
The challenge went as such:
“I – the GLORIOUS MADAME RICHMOND – declare here and now that I will defeat and unveil the face of THE GRANDMASTER OF THEFT to the world! That is, of course, if she doesn’t back down from a challenge. Listen up, Grandmaster: If you aren’t a GUTLESS FOOL who is unworthy of that PRETENTIOUS TITLE like I think you are, come to The People’s Plaza this Ducidi! I shall board The Bergma Grand Express at noon and ride to Mount Bergma in a private carriage. One of my greatest treasures will be with me: THE MAKER’S TEAR! If you are ‘The Grandmaster’ of Theft, robbing me while I’m on the train should be a breeze.”
Upon reading her challenge, I couldn’t help but stare at my smartphone, mouth slightly ajar, while wondering if she was daft.
The answer, by the way, is yes, though not for the reasons you might imagine.
The challenge, for instance, was not one of those reasons. Or at least it wasn’t in and of itself.
A brief online search revealed that the stunt generated the publicity she desired. Reporters unsuccessfully sought her, blogs chatted about the upcoming event, and underworld gamblers wagered on the outcome. The leading question among them all was whether I would surface.
After reading Narcissa's challenge, I sat at my desk and debated how to answer.
I’ve got a great deal to do as is, I considered as my thoughts turned to The Sowing Tomorrow Gala, a yearly event my family hosts. The festivities would occur on The Nineteenth, and I'd host in their stead since my parents were abroad on business, so I had to concentrate on readying myself and overseeing preparations.
I’ll have two weeks to spare, a part of me said, since Narcissa’s challenge landed on the fifth. Besides, if The Grandmaster fails to show, that could reflect poorly on THAT brand.
I chomped my inner cheek. Although it might seem inconsequential, my reputation as a thief serves numerous functions. For starters, it inspires confidence in me when interacting with clientele. What’s more, it draws attention to me and away from them. Third, and most imperative, my reputation provokes fear. There have been instances where I’ve relied on intimidation to neutralize lesser adversaries. The fear of me keeps some proper as well. My power slips if those individuals no longer consider me a threat.
That answers if the job can wait, I realized.
I wasn’t going to rush in, however. There were other questions I must address before embracing an operation. For instance, I had to learn more about The Maker’s Tear since Narcissa failed to qualify as a mark on her own merit. She annoyed me, but annoying wasn’t a sufficient reason.
I scoured the net for around an hour, researching its history. Narcissa’s antics with it brought a scowl to my face, but it failed to convince me that stealing it for you was a worthwhile goal. She acted distastefully, but I wouldn’t steal it if the conditions which led to her acquiring the relic were fair.
You don’t need me to tell you they were not.
I couldn’t help but wonder how I had never heard of everything once I learned of The Purge. I suppose it’s understandable, given the sheer volume of information worldwide. But, nevertheless, I should’ve already recovered them all. Or at least I should’ve been hunting for them.
I decided against embracing the challenge still, however. Of course, I would steal The Maker’s Tear from her no matter what, but targeting her afterward struck me as the more prudent approach. Or at least it was if stealing The Maker’s Tear was my sole objective. If I humiliate Narcissa, I thought, my reputation would be bolstered tenfold…
I crossed my arms and decided there was little harm in considering how to conquer her challenge.
I’ll need to address the public backdrop first, I assessed. Placing our battle in the public’s eye granted her many witnesses – mechanical and organic, citizen and formal – who could detect my presence. Boarding the train would require us to dupe the authorities. Compound that with the fact they'd be vigilant, and I had a tall task before me.
If I did bypass them, I next had to uncover a means of entry into Narcissa’s room. I conceived of two: the door and the window.
The door was obviously out of the question – all sorts would be patrolling or present. As for the window, well, I pray I needn’t explain how hazardous traveling along the exterior of a moving train is.
No matter how I gained access to the room, I’d have to square off against Narcissa herself, who’d be awaiting my arrival.
Even if I circumvented everything and secured The Maker’s Tear, the job was still far from over. The acquisition is only half of a successful caper; the other is the getaway. What’s the point of pilfering a priceless portrait from a museum if you’re caught a week later? That’s borrowing, at best.
So, not only would I have to return to wherever I established our base on the train without compromising my identity, but I’d also have to contend with the inevitable search.
Finally, the greatest obstacle was that none of the work guaranteed The Maker’s Tear’s retrieval. If I were in her position, I wouldn’t bring The Maker’s Tear to the battlefield. Instead, I’d entrust it with someone, conceal it somewhere safe, and carry a forgery. Then, if I came up short, I’d save face on the grounds The Grandmaster failed to make off with the actual necklace.
I soon found myself pacing my bedroom, puzzling out my approach. Attacking directly might be too hazardous, I thought as I considered my grandfather’s advice for when the opposition was more substantial. He taught me to steer clear of strengths and target weaknesses. In this case, I had to dismiss the train. It was a distraction. After all, as previously stated, even if I could trump every obstacle, none of it mattered if Narcissa decided against bringing The Maker’s Tear. I had to convince her to willingly yield it.
Of course, the approach begged the question of how. What could I do which would sway Narcissa?
The best method for contending with aggressors is to keep them from attacking you in the first place.
My grandfather’s words echoed in my mind. It was almost as if I was a kid again, listening as we played games.
To stop someone from targeting you, you must make them think twice. Reverse the threat. Most people only go after those who they consider easy prey. So, don’t be easy prey. Scare them into thinking messing with you isn’t worth it.
My eyes bulged. What I had to do was all too clear: extort Narcissa! Instead of playing her game, I’d start my own! No, wait! I thought as my pulse quickened. Simply extorting her wouldn’t suffice; I had to turn it into a demonstration! It’s what my reputation demanded!
Of course, outfoxing her and the public at large was easier said than done.
Fortunately, I associate with a fixer here in Himitus who can bridge the gap between vision and reality.
Let the heist preparations begin!
I - the GLORIOUS PROCTOR - declare here and now that I will read this book and occasionally demand more at INCONVENIENT TIMES. I shall board the Hype Train Express at noon and heckle you for more until further notice.
TFTC, btw.
Cassidy is the star, of course. I love her because she’s intelligent, reasonable, beautiful, and all kinds of amazing things as a protagonist and I love how she uses her brain and thinks of long-term schemes and future-term thinking in her plans. But I have to put an aside honorable mention for Narcissa Richmond’s appearance here, who serves as the catalyst that interrupts the peaceful world that Cassidy has known and forces her into action. Though really, Cassidy was active at the beginning, having in the first chapter returned the precious religious relic to Gerard at the beginning of the chapter and we’re having a narrative frame where we get to delve into the caper itself—how she stole the Diamond from Narcissa Richmond. Curious about curiosities here. But the dialogue for Narcissa Richmond was the best, and even though she’s rather bit*hy and horrible, I just loved her dialogue and found her so totally ham and funny that I can’t absolutely hate her. Yes, I’m rooting for her downfall, but she has a sense of showmanship and it shows that she’s a diva for drama and wants to draw in crowds, as Cassidy mentions, to get publicity as a celebrity. I love how Cassidy is taking advantage of the moment to support her own charity causes with her company and holding the gala to gain publicity and help those who have been disadvantaged and disenfranchised by Narcissa. I loved Cassidy’s comment about Narcissa being daft—and not for the reasons that we might imagine. LOL. But Cassidy explains her reasoning about why Narcissa has her holes in issuing the challenge and threatening Cassidy to begin with, and it’s because that Narcissa is poking at a sleeping tiger that she will awaken a dragon that will catch her in its giant maw. Though of course, Narcissa isn’t an unworthy opponent by any means, it’s just that Cassidy has things under control and it’s really interesting to see how she pieces things together and follows her thought processes as she’s working out the challenge that was issued to her by diva queen Narcissa. Another conflict added to the mix is the fact that she had a gala to attend for her parents and her parents are absent, so Cassidy has to do that while going in a double disguise as the Grandmaster of Theft to steal the Diamond from Narcissa. A curious situation indeed! What’s more, Cassidy is pressured by the environment, such as people being around, and of course, the security team and technological security crew that are probably spying everywhere for suspicious activity. I like this world’s sense of worldbuilding, which seems to be in modern times in another universe somewhere in a parallel universe or something, but it still has solid foundations to which the world is being run, with rules that are consistent with an Earth-like world.
And the psychology and planning of characters with agendas are just plain fantastic. Narcissa is indeed poking a stick at a sleeping tiger or dragon, but Cassidy has a wise plan of trying to make an aggressor take their attention off of you—by making them fear you. And extorting Narcissa seems to be the way to go, and I think following Cass’s logic was a wonderful ride that had many rollercoaster ups and downs as the mechanisms of her mind whirled and dervishes at frantic speed to calculate everything. As Cass could say… CALCULATED. But then she is preparing for a heist, and extorting is something that Cass runs through and dismisses and knows that she will need resources and help to be able to achieve the goals that she wishes to do. I love how Cassidy, though she really is a strong and independent woman who can do a lot on her own, from her reputation to her hard work ethic and her sharp intelligence, she knows the importance of help and she’s going to gather her crew, so to speak, at the end of this chapter. I’m curious to know who that might be ;) (wink wink). Anyway, we had a chapter where a lot of planning and calculating was involved, but seeing those plans and possibilities being flipped through and dismissed and weighed pros and cons was interesting and something that I could apply more of in my life. This goes to show the testament to how hard you’ve worked at your craft and applied the knowledge that you’ve synthesized like a master alchemist and formed something like the Philosopher’s Stone—you’ve achieved a true golden vision that is beautiful and wonderful and I hope more people read this story BECAUSE IT’S GOOD AND I SAY SO.