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[zargeb]

Athens‌:

   Time was passing too quickly. Weeks had slipped away and Clary was feeling every single one of them whenever she thought about Kiev. Weeks where he must be wondering if he’d been left there, wherever he was, and if anyone was ever going to come and get him. It didn’t change the fact that in order to get him back, they had to stay focused on the heist. The first day at the new location was evenly divided between supporting Rome wherever possible with Riga, and figuring out what sort of people they would now be working with. As it turned out, the concerns she and Zagreb had expressed to one another about Riga and men didn’t look to be a problem just yet, since she and Jakarta got along very well so far. Instead, the primary concern was transferred to Rome, who obviously hadn’t been sleeping well on the boat and looked like she was struggling. They needed her to hold it together, and that meant keeping her occupied and lending a shoulder where needed.

   When Clary had gone back to the room that she shared with Zagreb at their new location, it became evident she’d beaten him back. Knowing he was still most likely at the target range with Cairo and Bern where he’d been earlier, she sat on the edge of the bed, proceeding braid her hair back from her face. That was where he found her when he arrived back, just done with braiding, towel hung outside to dry out. It was all too easy to kiss him back and wrap him close, curl into his arms in return. “Me too,” she admitted, looked at him and ran fingers gently through his still-damp hair, a soothing thing. “But the thing we both need to remember is that she made the choice on her own to stop Lorenzo from shooting Kiev before. She’s done some surprising things under insane pressure inside the Mint, so we shouldn’t underestimate her. You chose her for a reason and I don’t think you made a bad judgement call.”

   Despite that, Clary exhaled a little, because having your own life at risk was very different to knowing that someone Rome loved was being tortured illegally. “But she doesn’t seem to be sleeping enough, and she’s picking at her food unless Riga and I eat with her. Then she forgets and eats properly. I don’t think she or Kiev were made for this kind of life. Not when they have their son to think about as well.” In a way, it was doubly unfair that it was Kiev that had been caught, because the money they had was enough to give them the out they’d needed. He never had to commit another crime. They could have lived in peace for the rest of their days. That was what made Clary angry about it. “I think the best we can do for Rome is support her as much as possible and make sure she isn’t alone.” Then, more quietly, “I think when she’s alone and has nothing to distract her, Kiev is all she can think about. You know?” That was the risk of loving someone who had actively chosen to be part of a heist. They would know, after all, wouldn’t they? “You sound like you’re finding it hard seeing her go through it.”

  The entire situation made Jace want to kiss Athens, and kiss her again, and never stop kissing her. But that was part of the problem: Rome didn’t get to do that because she didn’t have her Athens by her side, and by agreeing to the heist they were risking what they had as well. A selfish part of Jace wished that they’d never agreed to do it, because what he had wasn’t something he wanted to risk. He had what he thought he could and would never have and he was giving others the chance to take it from him. The deal was one heist and nothing more. But Kiev had agreed to that deal as well and was now being tortured. Nothing about this situation was okay, and it meant he had to put his own feelings aside.    He didn’t think he was underestimating Rome. He thought that he was drawing conclusions from what he was seeing. The Professor, whilst a brilliant mind, wasn’t good with people and didn’t recognize what Rome needed in order to help them pull off the brilliant plan at all. “We’re not doing enough,” he said. “We have each other. Riga has Beirut. The Professor has Meliorn - or Cairo, whatever. And the new ones all stick together. She’s alone in her room right now, I bet overthinking and feeling absolutely terrible.” He wanted to get up and pace. Frankly, he wanted to shoot some more things. He settled for letting go of Athens and sitting up, crossing his legs. “I can’t feel anything about this,” he pointed out with the kind of distance he felt like he didn’t have. “But I am, and it’s so annoying. I can’t be worried about you and about us every time I have to make a call, but I am.” It wasn’t like that last time. It was fun last time. Until it wasn’t, sure, but they had fun. Jace wasn’t having fun.   “We need to throw a party,” he said after a short silence. “Right now, Rome feels like she’s not a part of anything. She know she’s not a criminal like any of us. She has no criminal record nor experience with it. We’re Kiev’s friends in her eyes. She needs to build memories with us.” And they needed to let loose and have some fun because if he, arguably one of the least emotional members of the group, was feeling like that the others were doing worse and they needed an outlet. They’d been stuck at the ship for weeks and went right into heist planning once they got to Parma with two classes to attend. “And I need hair dye,” he added. “I don’t have enough distance from this. Last time the dye helped.”

the girlfriend

[zargeb]

the girlfriend

  During their first day in the house right outside of Parma, Jace had been watching Rome closely. They met the new additions to their group: Bern, who would be staying outside of the bank to keep the police occupied with the phone signal, Jakarta, who would have a similar role to Beirut’s, and Pristina, who would be working alongside Riga. His first impressions of the three were good, but his gaze had never stayed at them long and always strayed back to Rome. He found himself worried, not only about Rome but also about Kiev. It had taken them weeks by boat to get to Portugal and the real heist planning was only starting that day. Even if Rome had contacted the Professor the moment that she knew Kiev had been arrested, a lot of time had passed and even more time was going to pass them by.   He took his worries out on some targets during target practice alongside Meliorn, who they were meant to refer to as Cairo now, and Bern, the latter complimenting him on his aim. They had two more planned target practices later that week, but that would mostly involve him instructing Riga, Athens and Pristina. Once he got back he took a shower and headed into the room he shared with Athens, to find that she was already there. He kissed her and sat down on his side of the bed. “Come and lay with me?” he asked softly.   When Athens had joined him and they curled up on the bed together, he did something that was very uncharacteristic of him: he shared how he was feelings. “I’m worried about Rome,” he said. “I can’t imagine the kind of pressure she’s under. That’s the kind you crack under and don’t come back from. She’s not a criminal like any of us. She’s the wrong time, wrong moment girl that ended up with a criminal.” He paused to kiss Athens and sighed then, closing his eyes. “She’s a criminal’s girlfriend. The type that sees him leave the home and says a prayer that he’ll come back to her, aware that there’s nothing she can do. And now she has to. What if she’s not cut out for this, like she seems to think? We can’t have that on our hands in the bank.”

[zargeb]

Athens‌:

   Hearing that anyone new might have problems with a woman in charge made Clary’s lips quirk humourlessly. “They’re in for a shock when they meet the Professor, then, aren’t they?” Because whether they approved of a woman in charge of not, they would be listening to the Professor and following her plan, and that was pretty much the end of it. With that said, tensions could run high once locked in with people somewhere, and that meant that Zagreb’s remark about keeping an eye on the new intake was smart. “Anything from the Professor on who’s going to be joining us yet?”

   Once they moved on to discussing Beirut, Clary listened carefully. “He may have some issues being in a space that reminds him of the Mint again, given what happened with Monaco,” she said, considering it. “He had to make a hard call there and I think that contributes to why he doesn’t like being the one to make the decisions. He has to live with the consequences.” Pausing before she continued, Clary shifted in her seat. “He may feel conflicted about whose orders to follow due to that attachment to Riga, if the two of you ever disagree on how to approach something. He does best in a structured environment because of his background, and things may not stay structured if something goes wrong. Because of his previous exposure to combat, we don’t know what he went through or might act as a trigger.” Ending there, she exhaled. “Last but never least, Rome?”

 To Jace, the Professor was a different matter altogether. Firstly, anyone who even thought they were more clever than the Professor was in for a rude awakening. And secondly, the Professor wasn’t coming into the bank building with them. She was going to tell them what to do from outside of it, and thus there was no direct idea of whether she was a woman or a man. Since it’d be Jace carrying out the orders firsthand, it would be a man in charge regardless. “Nothing yet, but I think she wants us to meet them directly and make up our minds instead of telling us about them first.” That was probably the best way to go about it, he felt. No judgment beforehand.   Beirut was a soldier before anything else, Jace thought, but if they ever ended up in a situation where Beirut had to hurt Riga for one reason or the other that may be the only time that he wouldn’t follow orders. The solution was simple: make sure it never came to that. Beirut already had to deal with Monaco, and as long as he communicated well Jace would take that burden off his shoulders. He wrote down as much for him to get back to later. That left Rome, and that made him pause. “We don’t know her that well,” he said. “Weak points, other than the fact that she’s never been involved in a heist before, probably touched a gun only once and doesn’t have the preparation from last time? Two. Kiev and her own insecurities.” And that was something they were going to have to work on and fast. She needed to get some distance and learn that she was in fact capable of doing what they were going to.  It was with a sigh that Jace closed the journal and studied Athens then. “We got our work cut out for us,” he said. “Thankfully, we’re good at what we do.”

the hacker

[zargeb]

Athens‌:

   Being corrected on the city name was enough to make Clary realise she needed to get that into her head. She couldn’t chance slipping up. “Rome,” she confirmed, knowing that the acceptance was clear. On hearing that she should teach them both, Clary’s brow furrowed as she considered whether three was too many people aware of how their security worked. Then again, if they get even one of us, we’ve got bigger problems on our hands. “I’ll get started as soon as possible. Let me know when you want me to do it and I will.” She trusted Zagreb’s judgement, and he clearly wasn’t taking any chances.

   Clary hadn’t liked bringing up the dissociation at all, but she wasn’t going to say anything further on it. The point of the exercise was to identify risk factors, maybe to figure out who would work best with who, and that was crucial to the operation. When Zagreb proceeded to point out that she was too reliant on tech, that was a point that she definitely had to concede, because it was what she knew and she leaned on it. The mention of her mother inspired an altogether different reaction, a grimace of disgust. “I guess we get to find out whether she learned,” she said after a moment. Her last conversation with her mother had hammered home a few things, but Clary wasn’t going to hang hope on it. Once Zagreb moved onto Riga, Clary pursed her lips and considered it. “I think she’ll listen to you, but if we throw another man into the equation we might have a clash there dependent upon personality types involved. In general, she does not like men telling her what to do,” she said, tilting her head at him. They’d seen that much with her reactions to some of Warsaw’s orders. “She likes things done a specific way once she’s overseeing her part of an operation, and doesn’t appreciate any deviation from her instructions, so not very flexible there. She may need some more firearm training, and she’s very protective of Beirut.” That was when she paused and asked, “Speaking of which. Beirut’s weak points?”

  The crash course in hacking was going to have to get done as soon as possible, but they also needed tech for it and right now they didn’t have enough of it. It meant that it was going to have to be done as soon as they arrived in Parma. Similarly, both Athens and him had some work to do. He was going to have to teach her some martial arts and she was going to teach him how to work with tech. Adding to that, Jace also intended to attempt to rewire her brain a little to think without tech, but that they could do on the boat and start right away on if they wanted to. They were going to have to discuss about potential dissociation issues as well, but Jace had to keep that for later because once he started going down that road he may be useless for a good night and day and he needed himself sharp right now. They were only going to be adding to the list of things, since they were going over the others as well.   Riga’s feminism was a point to concern. While it wasn’t a bad thing and while Jace considered himself a feminist, he too had noticed that Riga sometimes had been none too eager to listen to Warsaw. “Riga’s already my right hand, but I think I’ll have to stick to asking her things instead of telling her what to do, how I would go about it with Beirut,” he said. “She’ll be in charge of the harvest to begin with and I expect her to handle the others. The new ones may have issues with a woman in charge as well, so that’s something to keep an eye on too.” That idea made him very tired, but they had to move on. Inflexible, indeed, more training with firearms (they were going to have to do a few drills, Jace concluded) and Beirut. That was a list, too, and Beirut was likely to have one as well. “He’s too inclined to follow instructions,” Jace said. “He doesn’t have an inquisitive bone in his body. That makes him easy to manipulate. He tends to go for drastic measures too easily and has some sort of emotional connection to Riga in return.” He wrote all of those down as well before he looked up at Athens. “What else?”

the hacker

[zargeb]

Athens‌:

   Hearing that Zagreb was making plans based on hypothetical what if scenarios made Clary feel steadier, for simple fact that he was trying to cover as many eventualities as possible. “Makes sense to me,” she said. It was like if she were to run a system update: she would always back up the original data first in case something went wrong. The difference was that in this instance, the back-up would be human. “I can make a case for both of them too,” Clary said with a faint sigh. “Beirut follows orders to the letter, so instructions will be no issue to him. He’ll be able to memorise different sets of instructions in sequence, and because he’s used to dangerous situations, he should retain it under pressure as well. What he won’t be able to do is improvise on the spot, since it’s not his usual, and he might need to.” Pressing her lips together, she considered their next candidate. “Maureen was working as a director’s assistant in the Royal Mint of Spain, and she definitely didn’t get to that level by coincidence. She’ll know computers well already, and she’ll pick it up quickly. We’ve got evidence that she also copes under pressure far better than any average civilian. With her, my question is whether it’s safe to hand her information that valuable when it’s a possible bargaining chip to get Kiev back from the police.” It was a harsh conclusion, but it was the same that she would have given on anyone else in the same situation, and it was clear from her expression that she didn’t like asking the question at all.

   Clary wasn’t expecting to be asked straight out what Zagreb’s weaknesses were, may have stared at him for a few seconds after he listed some. All were accurate in one way or another, and Clary distanced herself to view the situation objectively. “You’re unpredictable when it comes to reacting to a hostile situation, which might unnerve the new people more than the old crowd,” she began, a very vivid incident with a machine gun in mind that he’d pulled off like a miracle. “There’s a possibility you could be triggered into dissociating and there’s no certainty of what might cause it, and you could do with getting more familiar with tech.” Tilting her head, she added, “I think you covered the key ones.” 

   Pulling a face, Clary sat up a little. “My turn. I’m physically slighter than anyone else on the team and I don’t have enough combat training to do damage without a gun, so maybe more easily overpowered. I have issues with authority, the less I sleep the worse my focus gets, I’m married to the leader of the heist who will be law enforcement’s primary target…” That one meant she needed a breather, it was difficult to deal with and she knew it showed. “If anything happens to said leader, previous evidence shows that my mental health suffers considerably. I’m also emotionally compromised because I care about every single member of the team.” Then she added, reluctantly, “And I have some problems with being locked into a contained space and being unable to get out, albeit the situation likely to trigger that issue is quite specific.” Solitary confinement had that effect. “What did I miss?”

  It was interesting to hear Athens’ version of whether Beirut or Rome was a better fit for learning the basics of hacking. “Rome,” he corrected Athens softly when she called Maureen by that name aloud instead of her city name. There was time to get used to it, but they were going to have to be as consistent as possible about it. Maureen wasn’t Maureen any more. He agreed that Rome was more of a liability than Beirut was, but Jace found himself doubting that she would use the information she got her hands on. Beirut, on the other hand, he was sure would thrive in conditions where he needed to follow instructions to the latter. “I stand by my earlier conclusions,” he said. “Teach them both, and the others can make the call about who is more suitable in the situation to work with the tech.” If they already had Kiev back, it would most likely be Rome. But if they didn’t, it would be Beirut. Jace didn’t like to chance it.   Jace didn’t do so much as look up at Athens when she continued the list of his weaknesses, focusing on writing them down so he could assess them on his own later and see what he could still work on in the time before the heist started. He grimaced briefly when she mentioned the dissociating, but didn’t comment, and in a contrast chuckled briefly when she mentioned tech. When Athens moved on so did he, starting to write down what she said about her weaknesses in a quick pace, nodding alone at one or two points, and he looked up at her briefly when she made her remark about the heist leader. ‘When she asked him, he paused briefly and looked up at her. “You’re too reliant on tech,” he said. “It limits your thinking. And you have your mom, which I’m sure the Madrid police enforcement would love to use against you again.” He penned both of those down without comment.   They had to move on to the more difficult ones, now. “Riga is volatile,” he said. “She’s too goal-oriented. She wants to get something done even when she’s told not to. She’s a pacifist.” He didn’t know Riga as well as Athens did, though, so he looked over at her. 

the hacker

[zargeb]

Athens‌:

   Clary hadn’t talked to the Professor this much in quite a while; that the other woman had seemingly relaxed a few degrees with a few years of no heists and Meliorn by her side was evident. However, it didn’t change the fact that she’d lost none of her edge, and Clary took note of that as she leaned back in her chair. “Seems like our resident ex-inspector has done you good, Professor,” she said with a bit of a grin on her face. It was by far preferable to tease the other woman a bit about Meliorn, make things lighter, than to discuss Kiev (the main person on all of their minds) or, for that matter, Warsaw, whose absence by the Professor’s side was still unnerving. The Professor chuckled slightly this time, less apt to react to the teasing after a few days of it. “He’ll be useful in the coming days, I think,” she said. “He knows how the other side thinks, and he has just about every law in the book and their loopholes memorised.” Clary shook her head. “Guess I never thought he’d be using it to our benefit. Things really do change.” That was the moment that Zagreb called her over, and Clary excused herself.

   Upon arriving at their cabin and the door being closed behind them, Clary studied her husband with an enquiring expression at first, but it was one that quickly cleared as he got straight to business. Stretching her legs out in her chair as Zagreb pointed his pen at her, Clary nodded in agreement as he outlined the problem he’d identified. “I’ve been thinking about that too,” she said, pressing her lips together. “As much as I used to like a lack of competition back in the day, this isn’t a normal operation. We need to make sure that we still have a shot if for some reason I can’t get it done.” Or, well, if I get shot, more accurately. Studying him, Clary proceeded to pull a hair tie from around her wrist and pull her hair up into a ponytail. “The way I see it, it can’t be you because you’ll be the primary target as leader. Riga needs to be able to step in immediately if something happens to you and handle the money side, so she’s out. That leaves Maureen or Beirut, who both have skills to recommend them. Who would you choose?”

  Apparently, Athens had been thinking the same thing as he had. Since they had as little time as they did, Jace wasn’t going to run everything past the Professor. The Professor’s job was to focus on the plan and made sure it was working and running accordingly. His plan was to take care of his people, and that was exactly what he was doing. “For the record: I’m not counting on you not getting it done,” he said. “But we need to rule out everything. I have a second in command, but you should have one too.” In fact, everyone should have a person that could take over their job if something went down, but currently Athens, Riga and him were the most important pawns in this game of chess due to their specific skills. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to pick Maureen or Beirut, since Athens was right: they were both suitable. “Both,” he said in the end. “I don’t have a preference. Do you have a preference?”   That wasn’t all that needed to be fixed and done, though. “I want to discuss every person in the group to figure out what their weaknesses are,” he said as he started to write down every person’s name. “We can start with me, because I hope that makes it less uncomfortable.” He didn’t like discussing the other’s weaknesses at all, but it may be easier after pointing out his own. “Let’s see. I can’t follow rules, I can’t stand authority figures, I’m a bit trigger happy, my grandmother is on the police force, my wife is the hacker on the case and I force down emotions which probably makes me less bearable by the day. What have you got?”

the hacker

[zargeb]

the hacker

  A couple of days into their voyage back to Europe, Beirut approached him. He was, as ever, just reading a book with his feet up on the edge of the boat and a glass of water beside him. When the other man sat down in front of him Jace lowered his book slowly. For some reason he doubted that Beirut was going to ask him for the sex talk like the last time he was disturbed while reading on this ship. As it turned out, he was correct about that. Beirut wanted to make sure there was no bad blood between the two of them because he aided Warsaw in throwing Jace out of the Mint. Jace was fast to reassure him that there was not, that Beirut was only following orders and that this was his duty, before he realized something. “Beirut, you wonderful man, I could kiss you,” he declared. The Serb laughed, which got people to look at them curiously. “I am beyond serious,” Jace told him. “You just pointed out something really important. I trust that you got my back, always, just like you can trust I got yours.” He settled for a soft pat on the other’s back as he got up. “Thank you,” he told the other before looking to see where Athens was. She was talking to the Professor. “Ath!” he called over. “I need you for something.”

  The both of them headed towards the cabin and Jace made sure the door was closed before he turned to look at her. “Have a seat,” he told her formally, nodding towards the two chairs standing in their cabin on both sides of a small table. He got an empty journal from his bag and a pen from his nightstand before sitting down on the other chair. “We have to discuss something. I want to assess everyone’s weaknesses so we know what we can fix before going into the next heist. I already did some with Rome and Beirut, but there’s so much more to tackle still. Starting with - ” Instead of finishing the sentence, he pointed at her with the pen. “You. Not your weaknesses, but your skill set. You’re the only one of us that can hack, and that’s a problem.”

[zargeb]

z to a (2): karaoke in parma & madrid

irony so thick you can almost touch it.

teenage dirtbag - wheatus / stop - spice girls / freedom - wham! / heart of glass - blondie / suspicious minds - elvis presley / summer of ‘69 - bryan adams / smells like teen spirit - nirvana / chained to the rhythm - katy perry, skip marley / live and let die - wings / rich girl - hall & oates / bang bang - jessie j, ariana grande, nicki minaj / bang bang - cher / the name of the game - abba / 9 to 5 - dolly parton / never gonna give you up - rick astley / save the world - swedish house mafia / feel it still - portugal. the man / homeward bound - simon & garfunkel / the road to mandalay - robbie williams / shiny happy people - r.e.m. / every breath you take - the police / all night long (all night) - lionel richie / we don’t need another hero - tina turner / complicated - avril lavigne / all ‘bout the money - meja

[zargeb]

rise up

The nights on the ship were warmer in comparison to September, but Jace found himself laying close to his wife regardless. It wasn’t for the heat. He said the words to her that he never thought he would say a couple of hours prior and found himself more terrified than ever. What had he been thinking? He hadn’t been thinking, that had to be the issue. Regardless of that feeling, and hearing Valentine in the back of his head - you’re weak, Jonathan, I’m ashamed for you, you should know better than to use ‘love’ as an excuse for anything - every time he looked at Athens he felt the same thing over and over again: love, there was no other word for it any more.    He concluded that he’d really rather run a heist than love a woman, but as it turned out he was doing both at the same time. If he was equipped to handle that was not a question he should be asking himself right then and there. He agreed with the Professor that he would lead the heist, and he told Clary he loved her, and that was what he was going to have to deal with. He wasn’t Valentine. He didn’t think love was a bad thing, because Athens proved time and time again that Valentine was wrong. Love had gotten them a private island together. Love had her encourage him to attempt to reach out to Imogen. Love was them falling asleep together every night.

 Not this night, though. Athens was long asleep, exhausted due to the long day they had and the reunion that was at the end of it, one arm draped over his body. He closed his eyes and tried sleeping, but the thoughts in his head were still running overtime despite of telling himself that he was wrong. That left him with one solution: move, find something to drink and hope his mind benefited from the change of location. 

  Jace should have seen it coming that someone else was up at that hour. He saw there was a light on in the living room the moment he opened the door of the cabin. He closed the door behind him softly after one last look at Athens and made his way through the hallway of cabin doors on his way to the living room. Dressed in black sweatpants and a light blue shirt, he was surprised to come across Maureen still in the same clothes she had been wearing when he’d seen her arrive at the ship shortly before 8 pm.    “Hey,” he greeted her softly as he passed by where she was sitting at the table. He moved past her to get into the kitchen, only to pause in the doorway and turn around to face her again. “I’m making tea. Do you want a cup as well?”   Maureen looked up at him and smiled a little. It wasn’t until Jace met her eyes that he could see how bad she looked in comparison to when he last saw her, when she left the ship. She looked more like the woman she’d been in the Mint, but only much worse. “That would be lovely,” she said. “Thank you, Zagreb.”   Without another word Jace disappeared back into the kitchen and poured some water in the kettle to heat up. He found the tea in the same cupboard it had been when they left the ship, but a quick look told him it wasn’t the same tea. After he put the teabags in the cups, he leaned backwards to be able to look at Maureen. She was still sitting at the table and seemed to be staring towards nothing, something that Jace recognized as brooding. It took an expert to recognize it, and he was an expert.    When the tea was done, Jace brought the cups over to the table and put Maureen’s cup down in front of her. He put his own tea right across from hers and sat down at the chair that she’d been staring towards for the past couple of minutes and possibly much longer. Maureen looked up at him briefly. “Thank you for the tea.”

  That was when it occurred to Zagreb that he’d hardly ever spoken to Maureen. Nothing besides pleasantries, the type you exchanged when you shared a living space, such as Good morning, did you sleep well?, Do you want this meatball? and Please tell Kiev to get his act together because I can’t be around him when he’s acting like that. What was he supposed to say? Maureen was feeling things and that was exactly what he wasn’t good at. He was going to be an effective heist leader because he was capable of crushing his feelings, not acting on them.   He took a deep breath. “You know, my father always told me that love was useless, that it wouldn’t get anyone anywhere in life. Well, he’s dead now. Shot by the orders of a woman who did love his son.” He ignored the way Maureen’s eyes widened at those words. “I’m going to level with you, Maureen. You have no experience in a heist. You hardly have any experience shooting a gun. I don’t know if you have the stomach for this.”   Maureen wanted to reply, but Jace raised his hand to indicate to her that he wasn’t done yet. “The Professor decided to make me heist leader. She asked me to pick two people that I would work with best. My right hand and my left hand, if you like. My right hand would be overseeing the money aspect of the heist. That would be Riga, of course. And my left hand would help me oversee the hostages. That would be you.”   The confusion was evident on Maureen’s face. Jace was still calm. When he didn’t explain and even took a slow sip of his tea to indicate that he was in fact done talking, Maureen asked the question that was written all over her face. “Why did you pick me to help you oversee the hostages? You just said you weren’t sure if I had the stomach for a heist.”   “I know what I said,” he replied dryly. “But I’m saying what you’re thinking. What I said wasn’t news to you. I picked you for the job because I, unlike you, am convinced that you’ll do really well during the heist.” He paused to give her a chance to respond, and when she didn’t he continued. “In heists, everyone has a job to do. It’s their part. My job is to boss people around and make sure everything is running smoothly. Athens’ job is to do the hacking, take care of everything tech-related and make sure we stay in touch with the Professor. Beirut’s job is to act as a guard and do some dirty jobs. We exploit the good traits and skillsets of each individual.”   This time, he didn’t give Maureen a chance to ask. “And that is why I choose you. I didn’t have to brood about it or wonder if I made the right decision. The hostages need someone by their side who is compassionate, but also someone who will hold them to the rules set. And I need someone with enough guts to set me straight if I need it, but not overrule me.”   Maureen sighed softly. “But why are you so sure that I can do that?”   He wasn’t. But that didn’t matter. “Because of your determination,” he said. “I wasn’t there for what you did for Kiev in the Mint, but I heard about it. And I thought: well damn, she’s got some balls. You could do anything that you set your mind to. I’m completely convinced of that. Whether that’s going against your boss and the biological father of your unborn child, deciding to join the efforts of a heist team or being a part of a new heist doesn’t matter, because you can do it all. You did it all and you’re going to do it all. So, are you ready for your first part?”   Maureen took a sip of her cup of tea as well and studied him briefly. “What’s my first part?” she asked then. “We’re at a ship, Zagreb. There’s nothing I can do.”   “Yes, there is,” he replied in his argumentative undertone. “You don’t have a nickname yet. I want you to pick one, and I want you to announce it over breakfast next morning. We’re not calling you Maureen any more. You get a city name, and we stick to it.”   Maureen and him both knew what the city name implied. Once she choose the name of a city as her own, she was a part of the heist team and there was no going back. It was her choice, and she got to make it now. She was in or out. She was going to believe in herself or not. Jace could talk to her, he could teach her, but couldn’t make this choice for her.   “Rome,” she said after a long silence, clearly having thought it through. “Rome isn’t taken, right? I’ve always wanted to go. Learn about the history.”   She should talk to Athens sometime, Jace thought. He didn’t enjoy history all that much, but Athens very much did and apparently Rome did too. It may be a good idea to nudge both Athens and Riga in Maureen’s direction, he figured, if they needed any nudging at all. Probably not.   “Rome it is, then,” Jace said. “I like it. It suits you.”   She smiled. “Thank. And thank you for -”She paused briefly. “This. You’re a good leader, Zagreb.” She took another sip of her tea before she brought it up again to empty. “You called it really well,” she said as she put down the cup. “Anything I can talk to you about to return the favor? What has you up?”   Jace reached up to touch the ring on the chain around his neck. “Today, I told my wife of two years that I love her for the first time,” he declared. “I have issues. I can’t sleep over the fact. But that’s nothing new and has nothing to do with the heist. I’ll be fine.”  Rome got up from her chair and smiled a little at him. She wanted to head towards the kitchen, presumably to rinse out the cup and head to her cabin then, but paused and turned back around. “Who was the woman from your story?” she asked.   “It doesn’t matter,” Jace said. “Rule number one from heist, from our dearest Professor who is currently possibly having sex with the inspector on the case of the Mint: no relationships. We’re no allowed to share anything personal.”   “You got married to the hacker on the Mint case,” Rome pointed out dryly.   “I told you I had issues,” Jace deadpanned. Rome chuckled a little.    “I’m going to try and get some sleep,” Rome said. She reached out to touch one of his hands that were still wrapped around the cup. “I hope you do too. I hope you find some peace, Zagreb.” With that, she left for the kitchen and passed by him to get back to the cabins a little later. “Good night, Zagreb.”   “Good night,” he echoed.   By the time he got back to the cabin he shared with Athens, Athens was very much awake. He made his way towards the bed, taking off his shirt all the while, and dropped it on his pile of day clothes. He got underneath the blankets and wrapped his arms around her then. “That thing I said earlier today?” he told her. “I meant that. And I’m going to sleep on it, now.”   And eventually, he did.

[zargeb]

Athens‌:

   The reminder that Zagreb had issues with authority figures meant that it was twice as important that he chose someone he trusted. When Warsaw was mentioned, Clary nodded in silent agreement, because they’d both had their run-ins with Warsaw, but had gone back to get him regardless in the end. Now that he wasn’t here any more, Clary understood why the Professor had looked to Zagreb as the next option. When he confirmed Riga, she visibly relaxed. “Better, no, but good, yes,” she agreed. It wasn’t that she thought Riga would go easy, but she trusted the other woman’s judgement under pressure. “I don’t doubt you, Zagreb. Or the fact that you can lead and the rest of us will follow, which is even more important than it was last time. If anyone can keep us together, it’s you.”

   Hearing Riga and Maureen as Zagreb’s choices was further proof that he’d already thought this through, especially after he gave the reasons why. “It’s good that Maureen will have something specific to focus on as a task.” Because thinking about what Kiev might be going through could motivate or break a person, and they needed it to be motivation. Thoughtfully, Clary pursed her lips, and it was the mention of involving new people that she was concerned about. It was the thing that had been troubling her since their arrival. “I’ll be interested to see who the Professor brings in, because they’ll have to fall in line. But your planning is solid, and we’re all doing what we should be. I trust you and your calls,” she said. “The only thing I really don’t like is that it has the potential to make you more of a target.” That was when Clary folded her arms around herself, because it was a piece of vulnerability laid out on show. “But no matter what, I’ve got your back until the end of the line. Promise me you’ll remember that?”

  Jace needed for Athens to see the same things that he was seeing in this situation. They agreed they weren’t going to let the puppy suffer any more than he according to the Spain law enforcement had to, and the group that was going to help the puppy needed a leader. He would be the first one to agree that Riga was suitable as well, but they only had very little time to prepare for the heist this time and it had become clear that the Professor wanted Riga to busy herself with other things that leading the heist, so that left him. “You have more faith in my abilities than I do,” he observed softly. “I just think I have the most experience with heists in this group, perhaps other than Beirut.” But Beirut wasn’t cut out to lead. The other man would probably agree with that as a fact. “And I think that Beirut, Riga, Maureen and yourself would accept me, which is just as important.”   Athens’ words about Maureen made him nod a little. He picked her for her skillset and not to give her something to do, but he liked that she saw it that way. “I may have to go talk to her later,” he said. “Riga will agree and say something like ‘but of course, darling, I got your back’ and then go on drinking wine, but with Maureen it may be a conversation.” He felt that if he was going to be the leader, he may well start the moment it was announced. Not obnoxiously so, but subtly, in a way to let the others know he practiced what he preached. “The Professor knows what she’s doing, and we’ll have time to get to know the others,” he observed before making his way over to Athens, right when she wrapped her arms around herself uncomfortably. He pulled her into his arms instead. “I promise,” he told her softly. “For better or for worse. You’ll have to promise me something else, soon.” Soon but not yet. “Do you promise you won’t forget that -” He swallowed then, well aware he was going to say something he never had, “that I love you, even if I’m not showing it, even if I’m being an asshole?” The heist was absolutely going to bring out his worst side, and it wouldn’t do to let Athens forget. 

the heist leader

[zargeb]

Athens‌:

   Clary had noticed when Zagreb was called away. Of course she had, even without the wink before he disappeared, the type of attention she paid when in the company of those from the heist was at a higher level. Even while talking to Riga, she’d been aware of his absence, but when he emerged again and wrapped arms around her waist, the other woman had shaken her head. “So married,” she said with a put-upon sigh, laughed immediately afterwards. “I’ll go and have a talk with Maureen while you’re gone, Athens, the Professor provided wine and it’s going to get drank. Zagreb.” She acknowledged him with a nod and a grin before they left, heading for the upper deck.

   Once they got there, Clary studied him curiously, right up until the moment that Zagreb mentioned what the Professor had asked of him. It isn’t just my decision. It was yet another thing that they had to process, and more burden upon Zagreb, enough to make Clary lift a hand to press at her temples, a gesture of unmistakable stress. She kept distance between them, because this was too serious for anything else to get tangled up in it right now. “Can you think of anyone who would do the job better than you can, who you would actually follow orders from?” Bringing in someone new and placing them in charge of the established crew could only end in disaster, and Zagreb had been Warsaw’s second for a good part of the heist last time. Evidently, the Professor had considered her options before asking.

   What came next was the rundown of how Zagreb saw the operation, and Clary listened carefully. Hearing that it was important she not be burdened with anything in addition to her hacking responsibilities made her consider him in confusion, but she got it as he proceeded to outline the fact that he had to choose his right and left hand people. It was very clear that she wasn’t going to be either one. “I don’t disagree with your reasoning,” she said, tilting her head at him. “We’ve all got our specific skillsets and I need to be watching our security and maintaining our connection to the Professor, amongst other things. They have an idea of what to look for this time, so our approach will need to change.” Then, her lips twisted wryly. “I assume you have your people in mind?” Because the Professor clearly wasn’t the only one who had considered their options.

  The first question that came out of Athens’ mouth made Jace shake his head at her, albeit briefly. He felt like that wasn’t fair to him, because he was a very specific person and this wasn’t just about him. This was about Kiev first and all of the other heist members second and not just him. “You can’t ask me that,” he said. “I have issues following orders. I could only listen to Warsaw until a certain point either.” Warsaw had been a good leader, but also an asshole, and Jace with his issues with authority figures was going to turn on him sometime. The only reason he listened to the Professor most of the time was because she saved him two times and had proven she was reliable. “Not better than me. But similarly to me, maybe Riga?” he offered. Riga and him would have different leadership styles, that was for sure, but Jace believed that Riga could be every bit as effective as him.    Jace didn’t like the wry face expression on Athens when she asked who he had in mind, but he didn’t comment on the fact. Instead, he pressed his lips together briefly, studied her face and sighed then before replying. “Riga, as my second in command,” he said then. “From what I got from the Professor, we’ll also need her helping to get our loot out, so it’d be like in the Mint where she was responsible for the presses. It’s good to have people in charge in different places. And since I’ll mostly be minding the hostages, my left hand would be Maureen. She’s kinder than I am.” Than most of them were, for that matter of fact. People took to Maureen. Beirut was a soldier and Athens a hacker, so Maureen was most suitable. “Whatever new people we’ll have coming in doesn’t change it, because we don’t know them as well. What do you think?”

the heist leader

[zargeb]

the heist leader

  Shortly after they all agreed to do a new heist just to get Kiev back, the Professor called him aside. Athens and Riga were talking, so he merely winked at her before following the Professor into the kitchen. She closed the door behind him after checking if anyone followed them there and stood still against the door then to stop anyone from coming in. She studied him up and down, eyebrows raising as though she saw something she couldn’t interpret, and spoke at last. “I have a proposition for you,” she said. “The heist needs a leader on the inside, and since the core group of heist members is going to be this group, it has to be someone from all of you. You’re the most experienced in heists and the least likely to fall for any of the police’s ploys.” No, because the police had absolutely nothing to use against him and they already knew it from last time. “What do you say?”

  What did he say, indeed. They stayed inside of the kitchen for ten minutes longer, discussing details, before Jace returned to the others with some more snacks and the Professors stayed, apparently to be a good host and make even more food. He put the plate with snacks on the table and made his way over to Athens. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and pressed a kiss to her cheek from there. “Can we talk?” he asked softly.

This time, Jace chose the deck of the ship as location to talk to, since all the others were still talking to each other inside. He sat down and looked over the sea briefly before he turned to look at Athens. “The Professor asked me if I wanted to run the heist,” he said. “And I’m not saying ‘yes’ until you agree, because it isn’t just my decision.”  He wanted to touch her, to hold her, and he wasn’t going to let himself, because they needed to have this conversation first.   “The way I see it, we would all have very specific tasks within this operation. You already have one. You’re the hacker. It’s so important that you shouldn’t be burdened with much else. Beirut, for another example, is a soldier. We leave the dirtier jobs to him, because that’s what he’s good at.” Beirut could follow others in a way that none of them could, after all. “The Professor also asked me to appoint a right and a left hand man if I took the job. I want us both to do what we’re good at, and what you’re good at is hacking. It’d be a complete waste if I let you take on leadership responsibilities, with that in mind.”

[zargeb]

Athens‌:

   Watching Zagreb pace up and down, Clary just about checked herself from doing the same, because his movements captured perfectly how she felt. That they were both angry and upset was obvious, there in both of their reactions for the other to see, and neither of them were hiding it well. On the remark that most people have blind faith in them, Clary inhaled sharply, because it reminded her more of her mother than she wanted it to. “The average person won’t want to imagine it, because it upends their ordered, safe little world into something that they don’t recognise,” she said, feeling unbelievably tired by the thought. “If this gets out, it won’t just be a Spanish incident. It’ll be international because it concerns the rights of prisoners to fair treatment under international law. The Professor will be putting Spain’s government right under the microscope, and they’ll have to handle that and us at the same time.” Shaking her head, she considered something else. “What do you think the Professor has in mind to get Kiev back? Do you trust Meliorn to be on our side?” Zagreb’s judgement was incredibly important to her, and he was the only one present who had actually met the man in person before.

   On hearing her husband point out that it could have just as easily been either of them, Clary nodded in agreement. “I would want the same for you. I couldn’t and wouldn’t leave you there. I understand why Maureen must have contacted the Professor.” That Maureen had also left their son behind with Wellington, who was in no condition to do another heist, was something they’d found out afterwards as well. When she had confirmation that Zagreb couldn’t say no, Clary met his eyes. “If you’re in, I’m in,” she said simply. “We get him back, and we make them rue the day they took our puppy. The only one who gets to give him shit is you, and this is so far beyond the limit my mind can’t even fully wrap around it.” Reaching out for Zagreb, Clary touched fingertips gently to his cheek. “It comes to something when we’re the lesser evil, doesn’t it?” Letting her hand fall, she thought it through, knowing that there were further conversations they would need to have the closer they got to the new heist, but not now. “Current problem is that we’re down four people. Do you think the Professor’s got that covered yet?”

  Athens was absolutely right. If the Professor got the news out that Spain, as a country, was torturing a prisoner and ignoring all of his rights, that concerned the entire world. Jace guessed it was no coincidence that the Professor specifically mentioned the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As far as Jace knew that document was important, not just to Spain but to the entire world, and breaking it was an entire mess they shouldn’t want to get into but were going to. “However this ends up, if we go through with it it’s not going to look good for our country,” Jace simply said. He didn’t care. He couldn’t care. His country, or more specifically the people working in law enforcement, had always failed him and a human life was much more important than the reputation of a country. The mention of Meliorn made him wrinkle his nose. “If the Professor trusts him, I do too,” he said. “I don’t like it, but I can deal with it. The Professor must have her reasons for believing him.”   Jace couldn’t imagine how Maureen was feeling, he was sure of that. She sort of accidentally joined the heist members in the Mint because she was in love with Kiev and now they took him from her to be tortured. “If you’re in, we’re in,” he agreed simply. “They can’t have him. I’m not going to stand for it.” No one, realistically, should stand for anyone being tortured, but it seemed that a bunch of people were somehow fine with it. That it made them the lesser evil was a remark that made him sigh. He leaned in to kiss Athens briefly, only to shrug his shoulders and look over his shoulder towards the door. “You do realize this is the Professor we’re dealing with, right? I bet she already has a plan, a location and a crew, and just needed us to say ‘yes.’ That’s probably also why she came with the ship.” They could leave right away if they wanted.   “We should go tell them,” he concluded with another gaze backwards. “See how the others feel. Without Riga or Beirut, this still isn’t happening.” With that, he made his way towards the door of the cabin, sighing all the while. 

the puppy

[zargeb]

Athens‌:

   Walking in on the Professor kissing anyone hadn’t particularly been on Clary’s to do list when they arrived at the ship in Guanabara Bay, but that was exactly what they’d walked in on. When Zagreb declared his disgust, she lifted an eyebrow at him in amusement and added with a wrinkled nose, “Seconding that opinion. Please tell me we weren’t that gross and obvious.” It wasn’t until the Professor got up and Clary got a glimpse of exactly who she’d been kissing that she narrowed her eyes and took a slight step back. Talk about sleeping with the enemy. “Something you’d like to fill us in on, Professor?” she asked, corners of her lips quirking up as she proceeded to hug the other woman hello. “I didn’t realise you were on such friendly terms with local law enforcement.” Isabelle Lightwood at least had the grace to look a little embarrassed, even if they’d shown up earlier than expected. “Later, when the others have arrived,” she said, but Clary couldn’t resist smirking at her just a little. Now who was breaking the rules?

   As everyone arrived, Clary couldn’t conceal the fact that it was good to see everyone again. Riga had grinned the moment she saw her. “How’s domestic bliss suiting you, sugar?” had been the playful question, and Clary rolled her eyes. “Hug now, girl talk later. Missed you too.” She proceeded to do exactly that, grinned back at the other woman, proceeded to do the same with Maureen and Beirut both. As it got far closer to eight, though, the absences were glaring, and an exchanged glance with her husband told her that she wasn’t the only one who had noticed. What’s going on?

   The news that followed was like a punch to the gut, and it showed in the sudden silence of the group as they registered the shock. The only one who didn’t look like that was Maureen, who had obviously been the first to know. If the Spanish government was ignoring human rights conventions to torture Kiev, it had gone beyond the limits of the law, and the Professor wanted to fight fire with fire to get him back. 

   The complete lack of emotion on Zagreb’s face told her that there needed to be a conversation, and upon disappearing to their old cabin, the one they’d spent a month in previously, Clary watched the way he fell back on the bed. “I can’t believe it either,” she said, voice subdued. “Except I can. Law enforcement only uphold the law when it suits them.” It had always been a corrupt system, and now Kiev was at the mercy of it. The thought of their smiling, always upbeat Kiev imprisoned and in pain left Clary furious, but it was cold and clear like ice. “They’ll kill him if he’s of no value after they torture him. For all we know they’re using him as bait to draw us out. He’ll disappear and no one will ever know besides us. He deserves better, and if they can do it to him, they can do it to anyone,” she said after a long pause, meeting his eyes. It wouldn’t be the first time they’d taken a massive risk, but it was bigger this time. “It’s not about what I want. Can we do this again and come out the other side?” That they wouldn’t come out the same was a given, and they had to be prepared to risk that too. “He’s one of us. What do you think our chances are of pulling this off a second time?”

  This, precisely this, was the information that people like Jocelyn Fray were missing when it came to law enforcement. Firstly, the law only counted when it was useful to those working in law enforcement, which was often. But second, the law didn’t count when those in law enforcement were the one to break it. They would sweep it under the rug and no one would find out. People may said that they broke the law first, but there were degrees of breaking the law and whoever was torturing Kiev was taking a step that they never had. They attempted to treat their hostages the best they could, with the exception of those that didn’t listen (also known as Lorenzo). They didn’t kill any of the men that tried to get into the Mint, even if they were probably shooting to kill. Now it was official: the heist members were the better part of the equation, and it was terrible.   Jace didn’t make the remark that he wanted to: that he would have loved to see Jocelyn Fray’s face if they lied to her and told her it was Clary that had been arrested and was being tortured. They could have done it with anyone of them, after all. But it was the puppy they arrested, and he was the most harmless out of all of them. “They can do it to anyone,” Jace pointed out. “They’re the law. Most people have blind faith in them, and even those who don’t couldn’t imagine this is what they do.” He got up from the bed then, pushing himself up with his arms, and started to pace up and down the cabin, passing by Athens.   He disagreed that it wasn’t about what Athens wanted. It was, because if she didn’t want to it wasn’t going to happen. But on the other hand: did they have a choice? “It could have been either one of us just as easily,” he pointed out. “We went to see Imogen and video called your mother. If we’d been any less thorough it would have been us. And I would want the Professor to pull this off for you, as well. I would want the others to start a heist to get you out. So based on that, I can’t say no to this.” Pacing back, he eventually stood still to face her. “We did it once. It’ll be easier the second time. But what do you think?” 

the puppy

[zargeb]

the puppy

  Athens and him arrived at Guanabara Bay too early. The Professor had asked them to be there at precisely 20.00 hours, but they weren’t the kind of people who would go to a destination once at the established time and not check it out beforehand. They’d checked the Bay a day prior and there was no sight of the Professor or the boat, so they left early for the next day. It had just passed seven pm when they passed through the entrance, and soon enough they spotted the boat, the same one that they arrived at two and a half years ago. Jace got on the ship, helped Athens up there as well and made their way inside, only to walk in at the scene of the Professor and Meliorn making out in the living room.

  Jace looked aside at Athens. “That’s disgusting,” he declared at the top of his voice. Athens agreed.

  It was enough to get the Professor’s attention. “You’re early!” she proclaimed, hastily checking her watch. “I see the two of you have gotten the message, at least.” That was when she had the common courtesy to get up and greet them. Jace greeted her with a hug and turned to look at Meliorn then, eyebrows raising as he offered to shake hands. He didn’t say much. He shouldn’t, Jace thought.

  As the clock got towards eight pm more of the former heist members started coming in. Maureen first, who seemed oddly at ease at the ship, then Riga and Beirut. It was easy to identify who were missing: Warsaw, who must have died years ago, Wellington and Kiev. The absence of the latter two was odd to Jace, seeing as Maureen was around. They all sat down around the table and the Professor got out some drinks and snacks. Just as Jace felt like he settled in for the evening and was ready for a reunion, the Professor stood at the end of the table and cleared her throat.

  “As happy as I am to see you all back and in good health at that, I’m afraid this isn’t a meeting to celebrate our earlier successes and catch up.” She cut right through the chase the way they were used to from her. “Kiev has been arrested. The Spanish government is currently unlawfully torturing him somewhere. My suspicions are that he’s been taken to Northern Africa. He didn’t get a lawyer or a trial and they are ignoring the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” She paused then, as though waiting to see the impact of the news on the group. Jace didn’t show any sign of emotion on his face. He merely looked aside at Athens briefly, who was sitting next to him.

  “Since they won’t let him have a lawyer or a trial, there’s only one thing I can think to do for him,” the Professor continued. “Set up another heist, bring out the news and force the Madrid police force to release Kiev and give him back to us. But I can’t do this alone, which is why I called you here.”   The group had been quiet since then, and Jace had been fast to retreat to an empty cabin with Athens. Their cabin, to be precise, where he’d once attempted to give Kiev the sex talk. He let himself fall down on the bed on his back and closed his eyes, hands coming up to touch his face. “That explains everything,” he said. “I can’t believe it. They’re torturing our puppy.” Actually, he could believe it, because that sounded exactly like something the Spanish police force would do: torture someone that was a part of the biggest heist in history for information he didn’t have. “What do you want to do?” he asked as he looked aside to look at Athens.

[zargeb]

Athens‌:

   Annoying was definitely an appropriate description for the way that the Professor had opted to go about communicating. “I see she’s as trusting as ever,” Clary said, arching an eyebrow at Zagreb. “Apparently three years don’t change that.” What it did change, though, was that Warsaw was more than likely no longer with her, and she didn’t have someone to watch her back any more. The thought was a sobering one, and it meant that Clary took a moment to consider it. “Not in trouble, maybe, but she wants us for something, and if she’s sent a similar message to the others, we won’t be the only ones around. She wouldn’t risk making targets of us all, she was the one who advised caution and no contact.” There was absolutely no way for them to figure out exactly what the Professor’s deal was from a distance, though. “Maybe she thought curiosity would help motivate us to meet her as well?” After all, the first time any of them had been in communication with the Professor, she’d either been saving their asses, offering the job of a lifetime, or both. Difficult, if not impossible to refuse. It wasn’t that way any more.

   Neither of them thought that it was just about a reunion, that much was clear, and Clary nodded briefly in response. “I don’t want to leave either,” she said, perhaps a little relieved that he’d voiced the same thought. “But I agree. I don’t want to be working blind.” Taking a deep breath, watching the familiar posture of folded arms, Clary could almost feel their mindsets shifting even as they considered it. It was like waking a sleeping tiger: potentially dangerous, and they’d thrived on that challenge until the heist. “We go, we hear the Professor out. If we don’t like what we’re hearing, we walk and stay off the grid the way we have been. If it risks what we’ve built, we discuss it. Whatever is decided, I’ll have your back, okay?” Pausing, she tilted her head at him. “Are we going armed, in case?” Because from her point of view, cosy reunion like a nineties sitcom or not? Never hurt to be prepared, and her discomfort with handling a gun was long since gone.

  Jace doubted that the Professor had change in her at this point. For the six months that they’d known her, she hadn’t changed a thing. Jace had called her awkward, even weird, when he first spoke to Athens about her and he stuck by it. There was a story there, he’d been sure then and was still sure now, but it was not a story they would ever get to know. He knew Athens’ and she knew his and that was all they needed, just like all they needed was to trust the Professor and that they always had. “Curiosity is not a motivator for me,” Jace commented. “For some others like Kiev and Riga, maybe, but not for me.” And neither would it interest Beirut, Jace wanted to bet, who like the Professor had been incredibly consistent in his behaviour and would show up because he was called on, but for no other reason. “But I do agree. We should hear her out, see what she wants and if we can help, and go from there.”   And this time, together was a key word. They would arrive at  Guanabara Bay together and if they decided they weren’t interested, they would also leave together. If Clary didn’t want to but he did, it wasn’t going to happen regardless, and he assumed that she would act the same way. “And I’ll have your back,” he agreed. “We always discuss it first.” When she asked if they was going in armed, he chuckled despite of the seriousness. “I remember when you were scared of a gun,” he teased her gently. “Of course we’re going in armed. Never a good idea to meet a bunch of criminals without a gun, even if they’re your own gang.” They had their case filled with guns, so she should pick a few.   After that, their next priority was packing. April seventh would arrive soon.

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[zargeb]

Athens‌:

   Things on Olympus continued at a surprisingly steady pace; it was incredible that a heist expert and a hacker for hire had managed to find anything like marital bliss, but that was what had happened. It hadn’t necessarily been an easy road to reaching it, but more than worthwhile, confirmed in how Clary and Zagreb shared and wove in and out of one another’s days like a pattern of code, connecting in all the right places. One thing no one ever mentioned about living on an island, however, was the practicalities of handling a tropical storm or indeed, a standard storm. Zagreb had gone to check the boat, but the minute he reappeared and said a boat was approaching, Clary got out of his way so he could get the gun case out. It wasn’t until he returned that her tense posture eased, only to frown at the words he spoke. “From the Professor?” Then she paused, sighed. “Of course, who else would have known where to send someone to find us?” 

   Apparently, the Professor’s habit of knowing everything that most people didn’t hadn’t changed with time. By the tone of the letter, neither had her incredibly healthy sense of paranoia. “She definitely said nothing about that, only for us to contact the details she left if there was an emergency,” Clary confirmed, brows knit together. “The handwriting is definitely hers, and so is the style. Bare minimum information, time and place in case it was tracked.” Pressing her lips together, she studied her husband. “Do you think the Professor might be in trouble?” It seemed unlikely, given the composed nature of the words in the letter. It was the air of someone who was making a plan, and that they’d seen before. “It doesn’t make sense, she’s never asked for anything before. Why now?” But the letter had no more secrets to divulge, nothing hidden about it. “Are we going to show?” It seemed unlikely that it was a trap, the proof in the letter, but they hadn’t evaded imprisonment this long by being careless. Against the odds, they’d managed to build a life together, and it showed in the use of we rather than you.

  The letter was, incredibly clearly, from the Professor. Jace imagined that she had handwritten the letter at whatever place she was with the utmost care and handed it off to the first messenger, who reached the second messenger, and he didn’t know how much more hands the letter went through before it got to Panama City and subsequently to their island. Regardless of how she went about it, though, Jace was confused and he wasn’t the only one. Beside him, Athens wasn’t doing much better guessing what was going on. “So does that also mean she would contact us if there was an emergency?” he questioned, his eyebrows frowning. “There’s nothing in the letter. Which, you’re right, is true to her style, but it also very annoying.” The Professor was not the type of person to get in trouble, and even if she was in trouble she wouldn’t be asking them for anything. She probably knew she had asked too much of them already with the first heist, something that Jace agreed with completely.   That left one question, and it was a question that Athens asked aloud. Last time, it was a decision the both of them had to make separately, both on the run from the cops and with nowhere else to go. Now they had a home and a family. They had money aplenty and no real reason to help the Professor again, if help was what she wanted at all. “I’m assuming this isn’t just a fun reunion,” he said after a short silence. “I like it here. I don’t want to leave. But we should at least show up to see what’s going on. If we don’t like, we can always leave. What do you think, Ath?” He turned to look at her, arms folding over each other.

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