Vector || An Ryeji Adventure

Mission IV: Arbiter

"How is that even possible?"

Radius leaned back on the bench. "The gold reserves are constantly in motion, so to speak. Gold is brought in and brought out based on the needs of the Italian banking system. Someone has pulled a man-in-the-middle operation, replacing it as it moves back and forth. Whoever is doing it has swapped the gold with a cheap, highly sophisticated alloy of common brass, and the alloy contains trace amounts of radium. Unless chemical tests are run, the alloy is virtually indistinguishable from real gold. The radiation emitted by the radium is what's affecting cell phones, but it's at a low enough level that it isn't a serious danger. The Italians have asked us to stage a fake robbery. If people find out that the country's gold reserves are counterfeit, there could be runs on the banks and a complete economic meltdown. And the meltdown would quickly spread around the world. Furthermore, imagine what would happen if word gets out that the Italian government robbed their own bank."

"So let's say all goes as planned," Yeji said, "They'll end up with an empty vault. How does that happen?"

"Britain and the US have offered to act as a backstop until the gold is found. I have other operators handling that part of it. They're looking over satellite images and analyzing thousands of pages of import-export documents as well as asset manifests. I can't waste your talents doing mundane stuff like that, Vector."

Radius continued. "Your job is to get that gold out of there, and then outside Rome, to a pre-arranged rendezvous point. You have permission to use any means any way any time to get this done. But there's one catch: you're probably going to get the attention of the police or federal forces. But you can't kill them. The Italians are demanding it."

Yeji furrowed her brow. "How much gold are we talking?"

"About two tons."

Yeji whistled. "Yikes. I'm not going to fit that in a backpack, for sure. I think I can figure out how to get face-to-face with the gold, but I'm going to need help getting it loaded. I don't suppose you have any other operators for this? How about Archangel?"

"She's on another assignment. You'll be working with two other experienced operators, Calliope and Jumper. You'll meet up with them at Campo de' Fiori, at the statue of the astronomer Giordano Bruno."

"Do I need any training on handling the fake gold, since it's radioactive?"

"Yes, you'll need training, and no, we don't have time to arrange it. Just remember that in short amounts of time, say two to three hours, it isn't harmful, but it could affect your communications."

Yeji grinned. "I'm ready. Let's go rob a bank."

. . . . .

Yeji exited the airport carrying only a backpack stuffed with a few changes of clothes. The job had taught her that she could get by with a lot less. Laundry could be done in a sink with a bar of soap or some shampoo. She'd also learned that a microwave could dry clothes a lot faster than a regular drier.*

It was a beautiful summer day in Rome, and for a moment, she forgot that she was on a dangerous secret mission. The sky was a vibrant blue, and the streets were packed with cars hurrying back and forth and absolute swarms of crazy scooter drivers. She wasn't sure who risked their life more: her, or the scooter drivers.

Rather than take a cab, she decided to take a long walk to the rendezvous at Campo de' Fiori. As in Berlin, she realized how insulated Itzy was when they toured. Rarely did they have time to enjoy the sites. But even if they could, the ever-present possibility of being recognized was there. But maybe it was worth it?

Finally she made her way through a crowded marketplace until she was looking up at the statue of Bruno. Yeji had read a bit about him. He was a 16th century astronomer who took the position that not only were there other beings in the universe besides humans, but that God loved them just as much. His reward was to spend years in a dungeon and then he was burned at the stake. The statue stood on the site of the execution. It made Yeji emotional to think about the courage it took to hold his beliefs when everyone else thought he was crazy and persecuted him. Maybe he was really the brave one, she thought.