The Spies face one of their most unusual missions, when one of their old foes, Dash Dawson, steals a magic lamp that can grant wishes. But when Trent unwittingly gets hold of the lamp and befriends the genie trapped inside, Dawson schemes to recover...
This story was partially inspired by the Disney film 'Aladdin', as well as episodes from the 70s TV shows 'The Persuaders' and 'Time Express'.
Many thanks to jettmanas, who kindly did various illustrations for this story.
******
It was midnight in the city of Los Angeles, and all was quiet, with most of the people there fast asleep in their beds. But at that moment, one particular individual was very much wide awake, in the middle of a nefarious heist. Dressed in a smart black tuxedo and crimson cape, the infamous thief, Dash Dawson, was scaling up one of the tall glass office buildings of L.A, thanks to the reliable suction cups placed on his hand palms and knees. It had taken him a good couple of hours to scale up this building, because, frustratingly, the goal of his latest caper was sitting in an office right at the top, and the sophisticated security measures that the building used meant that he could not simply land on the roof of the building and abseil down to his target.
But if there was one thing Dash Dawson loved, it was a challenge. So, he opted to climb his way up from the bottom, keeping to the shadows so that he would not be spotted. Panting a little from the exertion of the climb, he relentlessly pressed on, until he was almost at the top. After checking that this was the right level, he began moving along the side, carefully checking each window he passed as he did so.
Finally, he reached the window for the room which contained the object of his pursuit. Peering through, he could see the inside of a basic office, with comfy chairs, an expensive-looking desk, and potted plants. In one side of the room was a safe, which would be the normal target of any average criminal. But Dawson was no ordinary crook, and he was after much bigger game. As he looked about the room, his eyes settled on a gold oil lamp of Arabic design, sitting on top of a filing cabinet.
Dawson grinned to himself, as he saw that this part of the heist was going to be easier than he thought. Clearly, the lamp's current owner did not realise the significance of his possession. But Dawson had done his homework, and he knew that there was more to this lantern than meets the eye.
Moving cautiously, Dawson removed one of his diamond cufflinks, before using its sharp tip to cut a small hole in the glass of the window. Once he removed the glass from the gap he had made, he then took out an extendable pole which had a grabbing claw at the end. Inserting the claw end through the hole, Dawson began extending the pole until it reached the oil lamp. Then, he closed the grab claws around the object, whereupon he retracted the pole, the lamp carried along in its grasp. Once the lamp was through the gap and out of the building, Dawson quickly pocketed the metal object in the side bag attached about his waist.
Satisfied that his prize was secure, he activated the metal poles built into his cloak, which enable the garment to assume the form of a large wing on his back. With an elated cry of triumph, Dawson dismounted from the suction cups and leapt off the side of the building, his wing-cape enabling him to glide through the air like a bird over the city below him.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Yes!" he exclaimed in victory, as he began to swiftly fly away from the city, towards his pick-up point. "A perfect heist, with no troublesome spies to get in the way. Nothing can possibly go wrong now."
Famous last words. So elated was he in his success, Dawson had become overconfident. And an overconfident thief is a careless thief.
As his flight path took him over Malibu, Dawson was still grinning to himself, when a stray pigeon chose that moment to fly across his path, colliding right into his face. With a cry of surprise, Dawson frantically shoved the bird out of his way and tried to regain his momentum. Luckily, he was able to regain control of the wing and carry on his way. However, in the few seconds he had been trying to get rid of the bird, his side bag had worked its way open, and the lamp fell out, without Dawson noticing. As the talented thief continued on his way, the lamp tumbled down towards the dorm area of Mali-U. It was saved from being damaged, as it had landed on top of an old soft mattress, which had been previously placed next to the rubbish bins. As the lamp lay there, it seemed to glow softly, while high above, the man who had purloined it flew away, unaware that his prize was being left far behind...
******
Morning soon came, and the students of Mali-U went by their normal business, none of them aware of the dramatic events that had taken place last night. Up in the dorms, Trent was making his way to the rubbish bins, a large bag of old clothes in his hands. His employer, Mandy, had recently done a clear out of outfits that she deemed to be 'too dated', and had thus instructed her reluctant intern to dispose of them immediately, in order to make room for a new line of outfits she had ordered to show off to the campus. Trent had tried suggesting donating the clothes to some charity shops, but Mandy firmly said "NO!", as she did not want any of her belongings landing in the hands of anyone who could possibly rival her in terms of popularity.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"It wouldn't have been that much of a hassle to get this lot donated," Trent muttered to himself, as he heaved the large black bag into the trash container, thinking what a waste it was to throw away all these decent clothes away just like that. "Honestly, sometimes I wonder why I put up with all this."
As he paused to catch his breath, Trent noticed something glinting in the corner of his eye. Turning around, he spotted an old lamp lying on top of an old mattress, its gold plating glistening in the bright sunlight. Curiosity entering his mind, Trent picked the lamp up and looked it over. The object looked in rather good condition, and with a bit of polish to spruce it up, it might be worth something to an antique's dealer.
"Well, you certainly don't look ready to be trashed yet," commented Trent, as he pocketed the object and began to make his way back to the dorm, not noticing the strange glow coming from the lamp in his pocket...
