THE PLAN: Phase One

The streets of Lavington Heights were unusually quiet for a night hosting one of the city’s most exclusive auctions. High fences and uniformed guards patrolled the estate’s perimeter, their sharp eyes scanning for anything out of place. Inside, the event was filled with wealthy, elegant guests drinking champagne, dressed in expensive jewels and designers. Some of the biggest names, like Collo Blue – owner of the biggest tech company in 254. Anita stood in the security hub, her arms crossed, her sharp gaze fixed on the monitors displaying every inch of the property. She noticed everything—the way the guards adjusted their earpieces, the subtle changes in the guests’ behavior. This was her domain.

Her phone vibrated. A text. Unknown number.

I hope you’ve thought of everything. They are coming tonight.

Anita’s jaw tightened. She turned to the nearest technician. “Cycle the cameras every three minutes,” Anita ordered, her voice steady. “If someone tries to loop us, we’ll catch them in the gaps.”

She glanced at the feed showing the service entrance, where a pair of late-entry caterers wheeled in a supply trolley.

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Sifa and Brayo moved through the corridors, their catering uniforms slightly wrinkled but otherwise blending in. The trolley they pushed was just another supply cart—except its hollowed-out compartment concealed a crowbar, duct tape, and a compact jammer built from an old car remote.

As they reached the quieter maintenance corridor, Brayo leaned against the wall, keeping watch while Sifa retrieved the jammer. She flipped a hidden switch, activating it.

“We’re in,” she whispered into her phone.

“Noted,” Ali replied from his spot outside in an old sedan, parked just far enough to avoid detection by cameras. His laptop screen glowed as he piggybacked off the estate’s Wi-Fi.

“Connection secured,” Ali murmured, his fingers flying over the keyboard. “Recording visuals and looping cameras….now!”

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Near the main gate, Zuri crouched low behind a hedge, a small bundle of fireworks wrapped in black cloth in her hands. Musa knelt beside her, setting up a cheap wind-up timer they’d salvaged from a toy. Zuri gripped tightly her backback and fastened it on her shoulders.

“Two minutes,” he whispered. lighting the fuse.

Zuri gave a sharp nod after receiving a text from Ali. Musa lit the fuse, and they slipped away just as a series of crackling pops echoed through the estate.

Guards at the gate immediately snapped to attention. “Sounded like gunshots!” one shouted, reaching for his radio.

Zuri and Musa stayed hidden, watching as more guards were drawn toward the noise, their once-tight formation thinning just enough.

“Clear,” Zuri muttered, signaling JC through a burner phone.

JC’s reply was instant. “Why did we steal comms if we weren’t gonna use them?”

“Anita would expect us to,” Zuri responded as JC came to their position. “I guarantee she has scanners listening in.”

Musa reached the estate wall first making a skilled jump, his fingers gripping the rough surface as he hauled himself up. JC followed, using Musa’s leg as a foothold. Zuri came up last climbing over them, using their bodies as leverage until she reached the top.

Zuri tiptoed on top of the wall as the others jumped back down. She went through a tight small window using her flexible body to her advantage. She maneuvered through feet-first, controlling her descent landing silently on the tiled floor.

Carefully, she unlocked the side door and ushered Musa and JC in. The moment they stepped in, JC grinned.

“Good thing you’re petite,” he quipped.

But Zuri wasn’t smiling. Something felt off.

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Anita was intently watching the cameras after hearing the noises. But it wasn’t the noise that bothered her, it was the static feed

She picked up her radio.

“Report.”

A guard’s voice crackled through. “Main gate secure, no unusual activity.”

Anita turned back to the monitor displaying the entrance. The guards stood in formation, still and watchful—exactly where they should be.

But they weren’t moving, not adjusting their earpieces, not even blinking.

“A looped feed,” she thought

She snatched her radio again.

“Lock down the vault. Level one security.”

A nearby technician—one of her cyber specialists—sat at the monitoring station, fingers hovering over the keyboard.

“Refresh the feeds,” Anita ordered, her voice ice-cold. “Now!”

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Musa, JC, and Zuri pressed against the wall, moving in synchronized silence. The hallway was dim, their footsteps muffled by the thick carpet.

Zuri raised a hand, signaling them to stop.

She noticed the low hum of security cameras. They were moving, scanning almost like they were being controlled, searching for something.

She got a text from her burner phone, Brayo’s number. “We’re at the vault. Sifa’s working on the first lock.”

Zuri inhaled deeply. No turning back now.