Valeria Torres and the Midas Vault

Chapter 26: Respect Is The Ultimate Currency

Valeria's stomach growled as the smell of chinese food wafted into her nostrils. She took a large swath of noodles on her fork and devoured them like a ravenous bird. She juggled the fork in one hand, the bag of ice in the other. It stung like hell, but she could handle it.

"Ooh," Frank said, pointing at the television screen. "Inside Man, huh?"

With her mouth full, Jada nodded. Valeria turned away from her and inspected the movie title and its description on the screen.

Inside Man. (2006)
Denzel Washington.
Clive Owen.
Jodie Foster.
Directed by Spike Lee.

"Isn't Inside Man was one of your favorite movies?" Valeria asked, recalling one of their conversations from long ago.

"Yeah," Jada said, her lips pulling back into a smile. "This movie and the original Aladdin are two of my favorites."

Hearing this a second time, Valeria made a mental note. Back at the detention center, she had unlocked guard's wifi passwords with this type of information. She could use it to unlock Jada's laptop, or better yet - this information could help with her Midas Vault research. She watched the movie like a cyclops; one eye remained closed as she balanced the icepack across her face.

Inside Man depicted a complex bank heist orchestrated by Clive Owen's character. While things seemed out of his control,  the main character retained a calm, collected demeanor, and kept  reassuring the audience that, "he had executed the perfect bank robbery."

She enjoyed the movie's plot, pacing, and dialogue, and paid attention with relative interest. But her attentiveness spiked as he recited a familiar quote. "I did it for the  money," he narrated to the audience. "But it's not worth much if you can't face yourself in the mirror. Respect is the ultimate currency."

The icepack hit the floor with a thud. She froze, staring at the screen with her mouth ajar. Respect is the ultimate currency, she repeated in her mind. She knew this phrase; the same line was repeated verbatim in the clue at the Midas Vault. She didn't have her notes readily available, but Valeria remembered the vague summary of the clue.

A man inside will help you? Something about his number?

This had to be it. She looked over at Jada, trying to conceal her excitement. She was unknowingly about to give away the secret to unlocking the Midas Vault. She didn't know Valeria had found the entrance. She couldn't have known, right?

Valeria decided to ignore her thoughts and focused on the movie. At the climax, Clive Owen reveals his ulterior motive for the bank heist - revenge - which rests in vault 392. The three digit number flashed across the entire screen multiple times throughout the movie, leaving her speechless. She couldn't be a hundred percent sure that was the code, but what else could it be? She remained calm as the movie finished and the credits rolled.

Turning to her, Frank asked, "What'd ya think?"

"It was pretty good, I guess."

Laughing, Frank continued with, "It's one of the best modern heist movies. I still prefer the older ones though."

Jada kissed his cheek. "That's cause you're old school. It's what I love most about you."

"Alright," Valeria said, rolling her eyes. "I'm going upstairs if you two are gonna be all lovey-dovey." She ascended the stairs, ignoring Jada's command to 'finish her homework.' She entered her bedroom and sat at the computer, her hands trembling with excitement. She might know the code to the Midas Vault, but there was another thing she wanted to check.