LA PAMPA ARGENTINIA
68 DAYS UNTIL D-DAY
Venice
"Urgh, I'm so exhausted, I could fall asleep right here," I mutter wearily, dragging myself up the last steps to our apartment. "Remind me to wear flats next time, Robi."
"I will, but if you don't stop me next time, I'll hit you with these heels," she replies, holding up her shoes in her hands. "But it was fun, right?" she asks tentatively, and I can hear the caution in her voice, almost feel the concerned gaze of the two of them on me.
"Yeah, yeah, it was. Although I feel like that guy stepped on my toes one too many times. I bet they'll fall off soon," I try to lighten the mood. Since Berlin died, the two of them have become extra careful around me. Who can blame them? I was in a terrible state. For six months, they had to force me to eat, get out of the house, and stop drowning my sorrows in alcohol. But can they blame me in turn? You finally find someone after years who did you good, or at least as good as it gets, and then he sacrifices himself to save you. For two years now, I've felt like a part of me is missing. A part I can't describe. I know Berlin filled a small part of it, but looking back, I don't think Berlin would have filled that huge gap. It may sound cold or stupid and naive... but after many nights talking and processing with Nairobi and often with Helsinki about what happened, I realized that while Berlin was exactly what I needed at that moment, he wasn't what would fulfill me for the rest of my life. Of course, that doesn't make the experience any less traumatic. I loved him, and not a little... but apparently, everything I love dies in front of my eyes or leaves me. The loss of Rio's closeness didn't help my mental state either.
"Yeah, as often as you flinched," Helsinki laughs, patting me on the shoulder before heading into the apartment. I look to Nairobi, who watches him with a hopeful but also sad look.
"Hey... shall we meet on the rooftop again?"
"Yeah..." she nods gratefully. The rooftop of our building has become synonymous with us, a place where we can speak freely, have girl talk, or just unwind. Smiling, I walk past her into the apartment but stop when Helsinki holds his arm in front of me and signals us to be quiet.
"Someone's here," he whispers. Slowly, we continue into the apartment, passing our small open kitchen, from which I quickly grab a knife, just in case.
We see a silhouette sitting on the couch, and I turn on the light. Sitting before us is a middle-aged man with a bald head and an outfit that looks like he's playing Safari Sam.
"Who are you?" Helsinki asks suspiciously.
"I'm your transporter. The Professor wants you to come to him. Here." With that, he hands Helsinki a note with the phone number we had to remember.
PORTUGAL'S MARITIME BORDER THREE YEARS UNTIL D-DAY
Under the cover of night, all the remaining robbers sit on the deck of a boat, waiting to finally leave Spanish territory. The mood is tense, as everyone knows it's not over until they reach international waters and travel to their positions from there. The Professor stands facing the water, checking his watch before turning to the group.
"Everyone. Two hundred nautical miles. We just entered international waters."
Upon hearing this, Venice and Nairobi lean forward in relief before standing up and starting to scream with joy and pump their fists in the air. The others immediately join in, hugging each other and popping open a bottle of champagne that someone had organized beforehand.
"We did it!" The Professor watches the group with a sad smile before his eyes meet Venice's. They smile at each other before Venice runs to him and hugs him. "Thank you," she whispers in his ear and kisses his cheek before joining the others. Rio and Venice embrace, and the younger one lifts his sister up and spins around. "We did it! Yes!" They let go, and Tokyo pulls Venice into a bear hug before both grab a bottle of champagne and spray the others with it, like Formula 1 winners do. The captain of the ship looks down from his balcony, grinning at the group and the Professor, clearly taken with the exuberant mood and joy. He salutes the Professor and then returns to the helm. The Professor takes in the scene for a brief moment longer before becoming serious again and returning to his role as leader. He claps his hands to get the group's attention before speaking.
"Finish the champagne. We have some new concepts to look at."
"Professor..." Denver tries to dissuade him.
"Come on," he replies, turning to head towards the stairs leading below deck.
"We have ten fucking billion now. You think I'm gonna go back to class?" Denver calls after him.
But the deed is done. After a few minutes, the group sits in a small room below deck, scattered on crates and on the floor.
"We've escaped, but now comes the most difficult part." He picks up a small pile of red folders and holds them up. "Managing to survive. Don't open them yet. Wait until you're alone." He stands up and begins distributing the folders.
"What's this?" Nairobi asks after the Professor hands her the folder.
"Safe houses. Every couple has their own. But there will be a trio. I gather you, Helsinki, and Venice will stay together."
She looks at it and turns to Helsinki and then to Venice. The two of them grin at her, and she turns back to the Professor with a grin. "Why the hell not," she laughs.
"Great," the Professor replies and continues distributing the folders. "You'll be safe, under protection and surveillance. Interpol won't be able to do anything. Denver, not now." As if the Professor had eyes in the back of his head, he admonishes Denver, who quickly closes his folder.
"What did I do?" he defends himself.
"I said open them when you're on your own. I'm the only one who should know where you are at every moment."
Rio points. "What are those numbers?" and gestures to a whiteboard behind the Professor with AUSTRALIA, AFRICA, ASIA, and LATIN AMERICA written on it.
"Each number corresponds to a continent. A continent where you could go in case you need help. So memorize them." The group stares at him blankly, and he rolls his eyes briefly. "Now," he tells them, like a father to his five-year-old son.
I look at the two of them and then back to the man. "Why?"
"I don't know, Seniora Venice. It is my mission to safely bring you three to the Professor's location, and I will do so. So if you would prepare for the journey, I want to leave here before sunrise."
"I'm not a Seniora," I grumble. He stares blankly at me, and we nod, then get to work packing the essentials.
***
THAILAND
It took us 10 days to reach the location our transporter was supposed to bring us to. After an oil tanker, two cargo planes, and who knows how many buses... one thing's for sure: I hate bus rides. Among all the sweaty people, etc. Not that we were any better, but it definitely puts a damper on the mood. Luckily, I have my two angels with me who made the journey much more enjoyable. The anticipation of seeing my family again after over 2 years makes it all worth it though. The Professor, Denver, Monica, mini Monica, Tokyo, and Rio... Rio... I've missed Anibal immensely, but knowing that he's enjoying his life to the fullest on a tropical island reassures me greatly. The thought of seeing them all again makes me unable to suppress a grin...
My body hums with excitement as our transporter explains that we should continue the journey with a moped with a bench seat at the back to a small pier where the Professor will be waiting for us. Done and done, Helsinki plants himself on the moped dressed in a colourful shirt, sunglasses, and a sun hat, while Nairobi, clad in a black summer dress with red flowers, sunglasses, and expensive jewellery, sits on the bench behind. I settle in beside her, excitedly patting Helsinki on the shoulders. I myself wear a long airy orange/yellow skirt and a denim blue crop top, reminiscent in cut of a bikini. Because it's so hot, I've tried my curls into a long braid and secured it with a headband. Sunglasses perch on my nose, and like Nairobi, I also wear expensive jewellery.
As we approach the pier, we see a boat just about to leave.
"Professor!" Helsinki calls after the boat. "Professor!" Several heads on the boat turn towards us. Nairobi and I both laugh in excitement until we notice that Helsinki has no intention of stopping.
"Slow down, Helsinki!" Nairobi shouts. We both hold onto a crossbar and stand up to see how long the pier is.
"Slow down! What are you, nuts?" I also yell. We head straight for a pile of baskets stacked at the end of the pier.
"Helsinki!" Before we know it, we fly over the end of the pier, and to avoid landing on the cart, Nairobi and I push off and fly through the air before falling into the water. I swim up and resurface, laughing, and high-five both of them. "You fucking idiot!" we laugh.
Arriving at the ladder of the boat, Nairobi climbs out of the water first. "Oh my dress!" she complains, laughing, and accepts Denver's helping hand. I see her embrace Tokyo before I climb the ladder as well. Denver grabs my arm and pulls me into the boat before lifting me up and shaking me back and forth, laughing. Laughing, I pat him on the back. "I missed you too." He lets me go to help Helsinki, and I turn around and face Tokyo, who looks at me thoughtfully.
"What's up?" I ask her, gesturing to myself. "You gonna hug me or what?" She pulls me towards her, and I rest my head on her shoulder while she rests hers on my head. I go to Monica and hug her, kissing her on the cheek before turning to the little boy in her arms. "Hi baby! I'm your Aunt Venice! Forget the other idiots, I'm the coolest aunt you'll have." I tell him as I take him from Monica's arms and put him on my hip. "But don't tell Nairobi, she'll spank my butt." I wink, whispering, and play with him for a moment before someone clears their throat behind me. I turn around grinning, give Monica her son back before squealing with joy and jumping into the Professor's arms. "I've never been so happy to see someone again!" He laughs and squeezes me back. I let him go and look around for Rio, but I can't find him. My smile fades a bit. Hmm maybe he's already at our destination... Tokyo did say they've been with the Professor for a bit longer... But he could have at least come along.
My thoughts are interrupted by Helsinki, who throws an arm around my shoulder and laughs as he talks to Denver.
***
We all sit at the table, smiling as we exchange laughter and stories. I sit on one side of the table with Helsinki and Nairobi, with Nairobi in the middle. Tokyo sits next to me at one end of the table. Across from me on the other side sits Denver with Monica. Tokyo sits across from the Professor. No Rio...
"Cheers to the baby."
"Be quiet or the baby will wake up."
"Say it with an Argentinian accent."
"Che, boludo. Congratulations," Helsinki says mischievously at Nairobi's prompting, causing everyone to laugh.
I turn to Tokyo with a serious look. "Where's Rio?"
"Rio isn't coming," she says. I furrow my eyebrows. The table falls silent. "He was arrested." Shocked, I lean back, feeling Nairobi take my hand under the table and Helsinki's hand on my shoulder. He has his arm over our chair backs.
"When?" he asks.
"17 days ago on an island in the Caribbean," she replies. I close my eyes, knowing what that means. 17 days... the police are authorized to hold someone for 72 hours for questioning, then the person must receive a fair trial... if that had happened, the news would already be full of it. Snatching one of us up is a fucking headline the world is waiting for... it can only mean one thing... They threw him in a hole and threw away the damn key, and in that hole, only one thing awaits him. Torture. They're trying to get to us through him.
I put my hands on my head and try to breathe deeply. "It hasn't been made public yet."
She looks at me and shrugs briefly. "He is in some shit hole being tortured."
"How did they find him?" I demand to know, and she looks at me hesitantly. "He was using a satellite phone." I rest both elbows on the table and bury my head in my hands.
"Was he in trouble?" I ask, stretching my hands, which still support my head, inquisitively.
"No," the Professor answers for her.
I hear Nairobi exhale loudly next to me. "there were rules. No Europe. No access to phones."
"What the fuck are we doing here?" Denver asks.
"You're here for safety reasons."
"What safety reasons? Rio didn't know where we were."
"Guys..." Tokyo interjects again, "we have to help him."
"Why couldn't you do it?" I ask her with forced calmness.
"It was a damned island, where was he supposed to go?"
"It was an island, but you were with him, weren't you? And you escaped. So why not him?" I continue calmly, but I can feel anger rising within me.
"Venice -" the professor tries to interrupt.
"No," I say firmly, turning my body to face her now, sitting askew in the chair. "Come on, Tokyo, do you think I'm stupid? Why didn't you help him? Because you couldn't?" She nods. "And why couldn't you help him? Because he was alone on the island, am I right? Let me guess, he only used that damned phone because you left the island to party and because life with my little brother got too boring for you, right?" I'm getting louder. "Why? Why couldn't you two just follow the damn rules, huh?"
"Rio's idea was to use the phones, not mine."
"And is that supposed to make it better?" I ask angrily, jumping up, but Nairobi pulls me back into my chair and tells me to take deep breaths. I look forward to Denver, and we exchange a brief glance before he turns to the professor.
"Come on, come on, come on. What the fuck are we doing here? Are you actually thinking we're gonna rescue Rio?"
"Yes, Denver."
"And how are we supposed to do that?" I ask the professor. "Denver's right to doubt the whole thing. We don't know what hellhole he's stuck in, or if he's not being held and tortured by Interpol on some damn plane. And even if he is, it's unlikely we'll get in there. Don't get me wrong, I'll do everything to get my little brother out, but I still don't understand where you're going with this."
"You'll see. Yes, Denver. That's what I'm thinking." There's a brief silence before Denver suddenly slams his fist on the table and stands up.
"Mother fucker. You made me cross the world with a small baby to tell me this shit? Are you smoking opium, Professor? What do you think this is? A video game? You're not my fucking boss! You owe me this fucking life! Do you understand that?! You owe me all of this. That fucking backyard. Even the fucking sea because you can't bring my father back. Do you get that?" A short silence. "I have a son. I fucking swear I'm not gonna let him suffer as much as I did. Go and ask him if he wants his father's body to be full of bullets. Ask him."
Tokyo interrupts him by slamming her hand on the table and standing up too. "Denver. They have him in a bathtub with a bag over his head. Do you understand?"
"I am sorry, but that's his problem," he replies, leaning forward toward her so their faces are only inches apart.
"That face you're looking at right now is the same face your dad was looking at while you were trying to open the tunnel," the professor interrupts calmly. "She didn't leave his side for a second. Tokyo was there." Both of them sit down, and I take a deep breath. "As was Venice." He looks around at everyone. "Rio made a mistake." He turns to Denver. "You also made mistakes. You took your father up to the roof. You two could have been killed. But the gang was there." He looks to our side. "Helsinki, you took the car to the scrapyard, but didn't crush it. We fixed it. The gang was there. You were late to stop the machines, Nairobi. And the police came in. You escaped through the tunnel because Berlin..." He turns to me. "Stayed there to hold them back. He gave us the seconds we needed. The gang was there. The one who isn't here... is Berlin... and Oslo... and Moscow."
Suddenly, someone enters wearing white linen pants and a black top. My gaze shifts upward, and my heart skips a beat. WTF, Raquel fucking Morillo...
"What the fuck?" Robi and I ask simultaneously. She stands next to the professor and takes his hand. I turn to Tokyo questioningly.
"She is one of us," I say, feeling disturbed, leaning back, and looking at Nairobi, who has the same look on her face.
"I made a mistake," the professor continues. "I lost control. The gang was there."
"That explains a lot," I mutter to Nairobi and Tokyo beside me, who both start giggling despite the tense situation and mood. Raquel sits on the hanging chair behind the professor.
"Now Rio's made a mistake like the rest of us. I can't ask you to feel what I feel, but... But I really feel responsible that some son of a bitch is giving him electric shocks as he hangs from his ankles." Seeing the others still hesitating, I speak up.
"Fuck it. I've always felt responsible for the idiot, and that won't change. We're talking about my little brother here, and even though I want to punch him in the face more often than not... I love that idiot." I pause briefly before starting to grin. "Plus, you need my genius to plan this shit." Tokyo snorts amusedly beside me, taking my hand, which is currently playing with a knife on the table, and squeezing it once. "Thanks."
"My darling, that's my brother. I'd break into the dirtiest hole in the world for him too," Nairobi breathes out, then looks at me and Tokyo with raised eyebrows and a slight smile.
"I'm going too!" Helsinki stands up and holds our hands, which we were just about to clink before saying, "Not alone, Venice, Nairobi. Because if you're going, I'm going too," he nods to the professor and gives us both a kiss on the cheek.
"Here we fucking go," Denver confirms after silently communicating with Monica. We all look at the professor, who waits briefly and then nods.
***
It feels like the beginning of the end as I stand between the cliffs on the beach, facing the sunset. The vibrant gold-orange hue that tinges the few wisps of clouds in the sky lends something beautiful yet ominous to the atmosphere. The setting sun is like the end. The end of life. Yet, there's the certainty that there will surely be another sunrise. After all, without light, there's no life. Still, the feeling persists that this thing won't go as smoothly as the first. I look to the professor, who stands on the beach before me, also gazing out at the sunset, and join him.
"The end."
"What?" He turns to me, perplexed.
"A sunset represents the end. Mostly the end of life. A frightening thought, isn't it? Considering what we're about to do. One might think it's a sign from the universe that we won't come out of this well." I tilt my head slightly. "But it also has something beautiful about it."
"How so?"
"Well... after every sunset, there's also a sunrise, representing the beginning of a new life. So, no matter what happens, something new will emerge from it," I smile lightly. "So, don't worry too much, Professor. Whatever comes, we won't disappoint you, and certainly not Rio."
He nods briefly, indicating he understands, and we both turn silently back toward the sky until I break the pleasant silence after a few minutes.
"How will we rescue Rio?"
"With a robbery. That's what we're good at."
"Rescue him with a robbery?"
"We will begin with a robbery."
"But..."
"But actually, we're gonna defy the establishment. This time, we won't be those guys who take hostages to make their own money."
"What are we then?"
"We'll be the ones who take a stand," he turns to me, looking down at me with a slight knowing smile. "I ask you, Julia..." he grins knowingly. "What does appropriate revenge sound like to you? for what they've done?"
I can't help but grin. "Damn good."
"Not just for Rio. I think you should have the chance to deal with what happened in your own way."
"And what's my way?"
"With a bang." He places his hand on my shoulder. "We'll be the ones who take a stand. The ones who say 'Enough is enough.' As you always say so beautifully. We're a family, and family helps each other. What they're doing to Rio and what they did to you is a declaration of war. And we're the resistance. No?"
I grin at him. "What are we gonna rob?"
"The gold."
"Gold?"
"Not just gold," he shakes his head. "The gold. The only gold that matters. The National Reserve of the Bank of Spain."
"Isn't that gonna be a big mess?"
"Never been a bigger one."
"And you just thought of this now, while watching the sunset?" He shakes his head and turns back forward.
"No, it's not my plan."
"Your father's?"
"No, not my father's. Berlin's." I turn to him.
"We'll need more people for this. Don't get me wrong, his plan was great... but the Bank of Spain is huge... and this time, they won't let us get away with as much."
"Don't worry about that... I'll take care of it."