On the anniversary of the first meeting, Mia arranged another. As she walked into the Red Lion, she found her comrades already present. Alice and Hendrika just went about their work as usual. Dalziel, with a determined expression, leaned against the counter, his arms folded in front of him. Caoimhe sat gracefully on the floor, her legs crossed, emanating a calm aura. Devara leaned back in a chair, feet casually resting on a table, exuding an air of nonchalance. Meanwhile, Susan sat at the same table, her legs crossed, leisurely sipping on a cup of tea.
"Welcome!" Mia announced. "My plan is that we'll be going after the Royal Family. Of course, we'll be needing to be cautious. That's why we'll be going for less infiltration in favor of a good, old-fashioned, hit-and-run approach."
"Still seems awfully risky," said Caoimhe.
"My mother did a fine job at it," said Dalziel. "Granted, they were mostly minor members of the family, but still, we can do it, too. And we can finish the job."
"Well, I don't know about finishing. I mean, you're part of the family, and so is Mia's friend."
"Fortunately, there aren't too many of those Princes, Princesses, Dukes, and Duchesses left, and they mostly reside in relatively few locations," said Mia. "We strike the Royal households, and we strike hard. The Royals themselves are the main targets, of course, but their castles and palaces also serve as symbols of their status. Obviously, these are Royal households we'll be attacking, and they have tight security. These operations will take time to plan. We'll not be rushing."
"So," said Devara, "how are we going to do this?"
"The same way we do everything," Mia proclaimed confidently. "We bomb the hell out of them."
"That's not a real plan and you know it."
"It was the extent of my strategy, and it worked out pretty well for a while," Alice commented.
"Seriously?"
"I'm no military strategist; I'm just skilled with a gun and charismatic enough to rally people to the cause."
"And now you run a pub," said Susan. "That's putting your skills to use."
"Well, it's a different set of skills. I'm also a good cook, and so is Hendrika."
"But you're letting your leadership and combat skills go to waste."
"My combat skills are still useful for defense. And I'm putting what leadership skills I have to use throwing ideas at all of you."
"Do you by any chance still have contact with any of your old comrades?" asked Mia.
"A few," said Alice. "The British rounded up most of the Nigerian People's Liberation Army and executed them. Few survived, and fewer still want anything more to do with me. Why?"
"Do you think you'd be able to rally them to the cause again? Sooner or later, the people will rise up again. That's inevitable. I just hope we can accelerate the process."
"It's possible. I just wouldn't count on it. I'll see what I can do. But really, most of the few who even know that I survived resent me. Because I abandoned them. And I have to live with that knowledge," Alice admitted, a hint of regret in her voice.
"Now, on to the real reason I called all of you here today," Mia nervously declared. "'Tis becoming increasingly difficult to cover costs. I've been sinking my personal wealth into this just to keep it going."
"How are you doing on that?"
"Almost completely broke," Mia confessed, feeling vulnerable.
"I'm not going to tell you how to spend your money," said Dalziel, trying to be understanding. "But how is that even possible?"
"I'm seven," Mia stated bluntly.
Dalziel smirked slightly and sighed. "I don't know why I expected anything else."
"It doesn't matter that much. Money is just a tool."
"You say that, and yet you called us here to discuss money?"
"Your father's a Prince. Surely, you must be rich."
"Not particularly. When my father renounced his royalty, privileges relating to it were revoked."
"What if we steal the Crown Jewels?" asked Caoimhe.
"That actually just might work," said Mia. "If we can pull it off, we can hold them for ransom. The King will pay anything to get them back."
"Using taxpayer money, of course," said Dalziel.
"It's a means to an end."
"But what if he refuses?"
"They're still worth billions on the black market. Either way, we win."
"And either way, it can't be done," said Dalziel. "They're locked up in the Tower of London, under constant guard."
"Twenty-two soldiers, thirty-eight Beefeaters, twenty wardens, a castle, and a vault. That's all that stands between us and hundreds of priceless artifacts."
"You make it sound so easy."
"It can't be all that difficult. Here's what I know. The Crown Jewels haven't been displayed to the public since the King's Coronation. He closed off general access to the Tower, but thanks to Royal connections, I have been inside and personally seen the Crown Jewels. They're kept locked in shatter-proof glass cases behind solid steel doors. The soldiers include one commissioned officer and six non-commissioned officers, plus fifteen others. They're armed with standard-issue assault rifles tipped with bayonets. The Beefeaters are not armed, but are still professionally trained veteran soldiers who don't need weapons to kill."
"You're even killing my enthusiasm, but I've still got an idea of questionable viability," said Caoimhe. "Someone tell me, what is the shortest distance between two points?"
"A straight line," said Dalziel.
"Wrong answer."
"It's no distance at all," said Devara.
"I don't get it," said Mia.
"Distorting space is easy enough," said Caoimhe. "For this, though, we've got to actually make a hole through it across extra dimensions. It's manageable on a microscopic scale for the purpose of transmitting information, but anything with positive mass presents a serious problem. It's got to be large enough and stable enough to traverse."
"Is there an alternative?" asked Mia.
"There's teleportation," said Devara. "Seraphim does it all the time. But it's an extremely complicated process, and unless you can precisely calculate and configure quantum information at a moment's notice, you'll just die."
"What do you mean?"
"Both you and your destination are moving through space, and you don't just need to move yourself, but also the air occupying the space you are moving to, and this must be done simultaneously. Otherwise, the heat resulting from the vacuum created at your point of origin being filled and the instant displacement at your destination will cause you, your point of origin, and your destination to all catch fire."
"Why don't we ask Seraphim to do it, then?"
"You don't request things of Seraphim unless she asks you to do so," said Susan. "But when she makes a request, you don't refuse. That's just how it is."
"Seraphim could cover all of our costs for everything without putting a dent in her wealth," said Devara. "But she won't. Because she doesn't care about the cause. What she cares about is making a profit, never mind her countless other sources of far greater income. She values profit above all but power, and the most profitable war is a war without end. The thing is, she desires to control Earth's money simply on the principle of its perceived value; it's of no actual use to her. What she truly seeks is the power associated with it."
"So why not subtly entice her with the value of the Crown Jewels?" asked Alice. "Aside from their intrinsic value, they have tremendous religious, political, and cultural significance to one of the most powerful nations on the planet."
"I always forget you're here," said Susan. "If we took that approach, she'd probably just end up keeping them for herself."
"You're probably right. It was just an idea."
"So we're back to the wormhole plan. The Intergalactic Trading Corporation has access to such technology. But we don't."
"This really might be more trouble than it's worth," said Caoimhe. "I was on board with it at first, but the effort required seems like too much. I say if we do it at all, we just go with a conventional assault on the Tower."
"Fine," said Dalziel. "I second the motion."
"I think it's a terrible idea," said Devara. "But I think I might know how to make it work. I'm in."
"Whatever," said Susan. "Let's do this."
"I guess that settles it," said Mia. "Now, how are we going to do this?"
"You'll probably want to cut off routes the military can use to send reinforcements," said Alice. "It won't stop them, but it might slow them down."
"Like blowing up Tower Bridge," said Hendrika.
"Good idea," said Mia. "It would also make an excellent diversion."
"I don't care about any of that. I just hate that bridge."
"But you're not really a part of this."
"Please let me blow up the bridge."
"I think that should be left to a professional," said Caoimhe.
"Now that the idea has entered my mind, I'm going to blow up the bridge either way. I'll find a way. You'd just better hope the timing is right."
"Fine," said Mia. "You can blow up the bridge. But under professional supervision with quality explosives."
"Fair enough."
"The recently reconstructed Wall of London would also restrict additional land support," said Alice.
"Right," said Mia. "But 'twill also limit our escape routes. So, we might want to wait until right after escaping to blow up the bridge."
"And don't forget. There's still air support to worry about."
"Oh. That's right. There's a third dimension."
"There is," said Dalziel. "There's a third dimension. And a fourth that we also need to consider."
"You mean time?"
"I do mean time. This operation requires planning in four dimensions. No more, no less."
"Mia, your friend's brother is in charge of the weather, isn't he?" asked Devara.
"Yeah. Why?"
"Do you think you can access the controls?"
"Can't you just hack the mainframe or something?"
"I'm going to ignore that comment because it's clear you don't know shit about computers."
"That's not true. I know how to use a computer just fine."
"I know. But that's not the same as understanding how they function. Yeah, I could probably access it remotely, but it would really be a lot easier if you could just access it directly. Can you do it?"
"All I've got to do is ask Nanette, and she can persuade Lloyd," said Mia. "Why?"
"We need really bad weather on the day we carry this out. Weather unsuitable for conventional air travel."
"He just might agree to that. He is weird like that."
"And if he doesn't?"
"I can steal the controls. They're kept in a suitcase. He rarely uses them. I could probably take the controls and change the settings without him noticing. I've done it before. There are advanced settings I don't really understand, but the basic elements are so simple a child can work it."
"You are a child," said Devara.
"I know, and I can do it," said Mia. "He only adjusts the controls when there's weather considered to be potentially hazardous, which is of course what we need, and which we can have. Otherwise, he doesn't pay attention. He'll fix it when he notices something wrong, but it doesn't change instantly. We've got a window of opportunity, but only as long as he is sufficiently distracted."
"This just might be possible," said Dalziel. "Of course we'll need a lot of explosives and bullets."
"That won't be a problem," said Susan.
"It would be much easier, though, if we were just going to blow it up," said Caoimhe. "Breaking in and safely securing the Crown Jewels will certainly be a challenge. But we can do it."
"Still, I can't help but feel that this is basically just a suicide mission," said Dalziel. "It doesn't seem right to risk lives for money."
"'Tis the best way to get this amount of funding versus the level of effort and time required," said Caoimhe. "'Twould ultimately save lives."
"I guess that's true," said Dalziel. "That's how we've applied ourselves up to this point. And it works."
"It does," said Mia. "Now, let's figure out how we're going to do this."
"Well, what we've established so far is that we're going to create a storm and blow up a bridge," said Devara. "We've got to do better than that. We need to think about transportation."
"We need to be able to keep the Crown Jewels safe. Many of the items are fragile and need to be handled with care."
"Why does that matter as long as we get them?" asked Dalziel.
"We've got to think about resale value. If we damage them, the King might not want to bother with paying the ransom, and if the King doesn't pay the ransom, we'll be needing to find buyers, and they won't be as valuable if they're damaged."
"If they're damaged, we can get them fixed," said Susan. "We'll be able to afford it. The main concern needs to be getting in, getting the items, and getting out."
"Hold on," said Caoimhe. "What if we got an armored car?"
"Great idea," said Mia. "We'll need to get one."
"I can provide it," said Susan. "I have one that'll fit in my spaceship, so why don't we have it driven right in after the deed is done and fly away?"
"Can it fly in a storm?"
"It's extremely resilient. That won't be an issue."
"Of course, we should keep the ship a safe distance away during the operation," said Dalziel. "Otherwise, we risk suspicion."
"We can have it standing by across the bridge. As soon as the car clears the bridge, we blow up the bridge, drive the car into the ship, and fly away."
"Great," said Mia. "Now, how do we decide how high of a ransom to ask for?"
"Let's forget about money and demand something far more valuable."
"Like what?" asked Mia.
"The British government keeps enormous stockpiles of antimatter. Of course, civilian possession is illegal because of its destructive power. Unlike Earth money, antimatter is readily accepted almost universally because it's very useful as a power source."
"They keep it under even tighter security than the Crown Jewels," said Devara. "However, I think the King just might be foolish enough to give up some of it to get them back."
"Is anyone going to order?" asked Alice. "You make us close early whenever you have these meetings. We need the money to keep this place open."
"Iced coffee with almond milk. Apply sugar liberally," Devara requested. "Out of curiosity, how do you keep this place running with only two people?"
"We don't get a lot of customers," Alice replied. "Despite the troubles, though, life has overall been treating me fairly well."
"How so?" Mia inquired.
"I recently started dating a lady of the night," Alice said, a playful glimmer in her eye.
Mia's eyes widened with fascination. "Like a vampire?"
Alice chuckled, shaking her head, "No, not quite like that. She's an alien, actually."
"What's she like?"
"She has the softest, fluffiest tail," replied Alice. "She's apparently been having quite a rough time since her husband's death a few years ago. Still, she's committed to doing whatever she must to provide for her young, disabled daughter, and I find her determination admirable. Also, the services she provides are truly out of this world, but I don't think that's really an appropriate topic to discuss here."
Mia furrowed her brow, clearly puzzled. "I don't get it."
Alice chuckled. "Don't worry about it," she replied with a grin.
"I just realized that we barely know you," said Caoimhe.
"You all sort of treat me like furniture, so I'm not surprised."
The day before the heist was scheduled, everyone involved readied themselves and their necessary equipment, while Mia planned a sleepover with Evangeline, Iminathi, Pwalvaserk, and Nanette at Clarence House. As Mia and Evangeline walked together down the street, Mia was clearly nervous. With a gentle touch, Evangeline took off her headphones and turned to Mia, concern evident in her eyes. "What's wrong?" she asked in a soft and understanding tone.
Mia hesitated for a moment before finally admitting, "I've just got a lot on my mind."
Evangeline nodded. "Like what?" she inquired gently.
Mia took a deep breath, her anxiety palpable. "Have you ever had the lives of several people depend on your ability to accomplish a simple task?"
"Not that I know of, although I suppose it's possible," Evangeline replied thoughtfully.
Mia continued to unload her worries, needing someone to confide in. "Well, have you ever had to think about how your ability to accomplish a single task may affect the balance of power in the world?"
Evangeline pondered the question for a moment. "I don't believe so."
"Then I don't think there's much you can do to help," Mia admitted, her voice tinged with uncertainty.
Evangeline gently offered, "Would you like a hug?"
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt."
Evangeline gave Mia a hug. "Did that help?"
"A little bit, I guess," Mia answered. "So, did you find out if Pwalvaserk and Iminathi will be joining us for the sleepover?"
"Joining us for the sleepover. They said they'd go if Nanette cleared things up with the guards."
"And you made sure Nanette cleared things up with the guards?"
"With the guards. Yes."
"I'll be needing to access the weather controls to make a storm tomorrow morning," said Mia. "When that happens, I may require your help in ensuring that the storm persists during a critical time window."
"Make a storm. If it's really important, I guess I could try. But why?"
"The fate of the world depends on it."
"Fate of the world. How?" Evangeline asked. "It would help if you could explain yourself."
"Its success depends on it being known only to those who need to know. Do you trust me?"
Evangeline hesitated for a moment before speaking with heartfelt sincerity. "No," she said, her voice soft but unwavering. "You're very dear to me. I care about you. But no, I don't trust you."
Mia's shoulders slumped in acceptance. "Well, thank you for your honesty," she replied, appreciating Evangeline's integrity.
"Always glad to help. Maybe you should try being honest with me," Evangeline gently prodded, seeking the same openness she offered.
Mia sighed and replied earnestly, "When the time is right, I will explain everything to you. 'Tis for a good cause. I promise you that. Can you trust that much?"
"Trust that much. Yes," Evangeline answered, her voice filled with determination and understanding.
Along the way, they were met by Pwalvaserk and Iminathi. They exchanged pleasantries and resumed walking together, meeting Nanette just down the street from her house.
"Your brother will be home tomorrow morning, right?" asked Mia.
"Yes," said Nanette. "Why?"
"Where does he usually keep the weather controls?"
"If you want to mess around with the weather, just ask him. He's usually fine with it when I ask, and if you have any trouble, I can persuade him easily. What are you planning?"
"Don't worry about it."
"Did you let the guards know we're not a threat?" asked Pwalvaserk.
"Yes," said Nanette. "But to be clear, they shoot at a lot of people. Don't take it personally."
"So, how is everyone?" Mia asked.
"I'm excited for our time together," said Nanette.
"I've been in a pretty good mood," said Pwalvaserk. "My mother just started dating again. Losing my father was painful for her, but I'm glad she's starting to move on. Apparently, she has a stable girlfriend. I hope things work out for them."
"That sounds lovely," said Iminathi. "I've just been focused on staying alive, while hoping to find more to motivate and inspire me."
"Let's get going now," said Nanette.
The five girls arrived at Clarence House, where Lloyd was outside waiting to invite them in.
"Mia wants to use the weather controls tomorrow morning," said Nanette.
"That's fine with me," said Lloyd. "I don't really care."
"He's much too relaxed about this," said Mia.
"Just be thankful," said Nanette.
"Right. Thank you."
"No problem," said Lloyd.
Mia would still have to stay alert, but the key variable she needed to focus on was handled, so she could relax a bit and play with her friends. They all stayed up late, but they did eventually get tired. Nanette stayed in her own bedroom, while Iminathi and Pwalvaserk were given separate rooms, and Mia chose to share a room with Evangeline. Mia woke up early in the morning to adjust the weather controls with sufficient time for it to take effect. She put the weather control system under the bed for security. With that handled, she had fulfilled her part of the plan and only needed to ensure that the storm was sustained until the job was done. With plenty of time left before then, she decided to crawl back in bed with Evangeline.
Evangeline squirmed around for a few moments, then turned over. She was now facing Mia, but still asleep. Mia gently moved her fingers through Evangeline's hair and petted her head. Curling up beside Evangeline, she soon fell asleep. However, they were both woken by a loud sound, which they initially thought to be an explosion. Mia checked the time. It was still too early for the operation to begin, but perhaps it was an unrelated incident. The noise repeated. Mia looked outside. There was pouring rain and lightning. The sound repeated. It was just thunder. She returned to the bed, where Evangeline was hiding under the covers.
"Don't be worrying," said Mia. "'Tis only thunder."
"Only thunder. It's still scary," said Evangeline.
"You'll be fine." Mia got back in bed and hugged Evangeline, who was trembling.
"Thank you. But didn't you make this storm?"
"Some friends needed it. I'm just sorry it scared you."
Meanwhile, near the Tower of London, preparations were underway. Dalziel and Caoimhe both wore a balaclava to cover their faces and prevent identification. They were in an armored car, going over the plan for the final time. Visibility was low, but sufficient. The thunder and lightning would make their activities less obvious and thus slow response time. The winds were too strong for most ordinary aircraft, but not too strong as to make driving on the ground or flying a spaceship impractical. The final step before moving in was a communications check. Caoimhe called Mia. The ringing woke up Mia and Evangeline.
"I should answer that," said Mia.
"Why would anyone call this early?" asked Evangeline.
"Must be something important." Mia activated her earpiece and put it on. "Hello?"
"We're about to start," said Caoimhe.
"All clear on this end. Good luck."
"I love you."
"I love you, too. See you later."
Caoimhe ended the call. Meanwhile, Dalziel called Hendrika, who was standing by with a remote detonator.
"We're ready," said Dalziel. "Are you?"
"I was up all night setting up," said Hendrika. "I've been waiting weeks for this. Of course I'm ready."
"Good." Dalziel then called Devara.
"Everything is set," said Devara. "Ready when you are."
"We're going in."
Mia heard a series of explosions, but she knew not what they were. She knew that she would not be receiving any messages to inform her of whether or not the operation was a success. If it was a failure, they might not be able to tell her, and if it was a success, they wouldn't have time to tell her. She would find out soon enough. There was little sense in letting it worry her, so for the time being, she just held Evangeline in loving embrace and savored their time together. However, soon after, there was a knock at the door. Mia got up to answer it. Lloyd was standing there, seeming mildly annoyed, but not angry. He had his usual smirk on his face, and his eyes seemed more intrigued than anything.
"Give it back," said Lloyd.
"Of course." She retrieved the suitcase holding the weather controls and handed it to Lloyd.
"Thank you."
"No problem."
"Unusual weather you chose. Many children would be scared by it. Still, a lovely storm, and I do appreciate it. Unfortunately, the military has ordered its dissipation."
"Why do they care?"
"Apparently, some of the Crown Jewels were stolen. The weather impeded the military's attempts to respond, and the thieves got away."
"Oh. You won't tell them I made the storm, will you? I don't want to get in trouble."
"Don't worry. I assume full responsibility. I'm the adult here, and I should have known better."
"Sorry for all the trouble."
"My weather control privileges are being revoked. It's no real loss, though. No worries."
Lloyd left, and Mia closed the door. She initially planned on returning to bed with Evangeline, but she decided that she should take a bath instead. As she did so, she thought about the others. She didn't know if they all made it out alive. She didn't know how much they had managed to take. The ransom was up to them, and she trusted their judgment. If all went well, they would change ships at Beilufa before returning to Earth and making ransom demands. If the King agreed, then the exchange would be made by remote control to avoid any direct contact. Considering how reckless and egotistical he was, it was a safe bet that he would pay no matter the cost. After her bath, Mia met Evangeline, who was just waking up. Dawn was breaking and the sky was clearing. As Evangeline very slowly went through the motions of preparing to actually get up, Mia went to find Lloyd.
"So, any news about the heist?" asked Mia.
"Apparently, they've demanded large quantities of antimatter as a ransom," said Lloyd. "It's utterly absurd if you ask me, but the King intends to meet their demands."
"Any idea who's behind it?"
"It's an ongoing investigation, and details are unclear at this time."
"Well, thanks for the information," said Mia. "Let me know if you hear more."
"No problem. But why are you so interested?"
"Just curious about current events."
"If you say so." Lloyd was most definitely fascinated.
With her worst fears out of the way, Mia could relax. The others would handle the rest, so she could enjoy her time with her friends. Although she was a child, it was all too rare that she really had the opportunity to set aside her responsibilities and actually be a child.