Phoenix Heart (Legion of Thieves)

The Legion of Thieves 

Phoenix Heart

Maximilian Martell 

"Twenty-one o'clock, we're right on schedule Myriah." I shouted over the sound of the wind whistling in my ears. Myriah let out a loud caw as she descended into Osbourne Garden. From this height I could clearly see the Brooklyn Museum lit up like a torch for a charity gala. Myriah dropped me off on a trail near the parking lot.

Despite being no bigger than an eagle Myriah was able to quickly and effortlessly carry me through the air. Her flame colored feathers glowed faintly in the darkness. Having a pet phoenix certainly had its advantages. She gently set me on the ground and removed her talons from my shoulders, careful not to poke holes in my black tuxedo.

The gala was invite only, and thanks to an "accidental" mix up in the mail, Dr. Scott Johnson wouldn't be making it tonight. Not that he would've gone anyways. From what I had heard the man was a monster. He was a psychic medium who lured his patients into a free public reading, then he would charge ridiculous amounts of money so the poor victims were drained of their money. The idea of giving money to a charitable cause probably would've made the man break out in hives.

I dusted myself off and ran my fingers through my wind-blown hair. "Alright Myriah, remember meet me on the roof in two hours. If I'm not there you know what to do." I said stroking her neck. She cooed like a pigeon then soared into the air. I held up a single feather I had plucked from her neck and tucked it in my jacket pocket.

I leisurely strolled down the path to the parking lot. People would park their car then continue to the front entrance. I could see men in tuxedos and women in long elegant dresses. I spotted a teenage girl in a long black dress. I winked at her and she looked around wildly like I wasn't supposed to see her. Then she fixed her hair and continued through the front door of the museum.

"Well that was weird." I muttered to myself. I walked up the front steps and was stopped by a large security guard with a nasty looking scar over his left eye.

"May I see your Invitation, sir?" He asked holding out his hand. I retrieved the invitation from my inside pocket and presented it with a flourish. I handed it to the guard and waited as he verified my name.

"Welcome Dr. Johnson, have a pleasant evening." He said returning my invitation. I gave him my thanks and strolled inside. It was pure luck that Dr. Johnson and I looked alike. All I had to do was let my mustache grow out and allow my hair to naturally darken. No one who didn't know the real Dr. Johnson that well, wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

The gala was being held in the Great Hall on the first floor in the East Wing. I decided to spend a few minutes at the gala and blow some of Dr. Johnson's "hard earned" money. I grabbed a glass of champagne and walked about chatting up several people, minor celebrities, artists, doctors and business tycoons. I participated in several silent auctions and spent a good chunk of Dr. Johnson's cash.

I checked my watch at 22:00 and decided it was time to get to work. See I wasn't here just to decrease Dr. Johnson's bank account. Three flights up was my target, a ruby of immense size and value; Louis XIV's Phoenix Heart. The invitation was my way in to the museum. With the gala going on down here the security on the upper levels would be relaxed.

I grabbed a pig-in-a-blanket off a passing serving tray and headed for the back of the Hall. As I was about to pass the bathroom when this kid leaped out of now where with a deck of cards in his hand.

"Hey mister you wanna see a trick?" He asked shuffling his deck. I chuckled, he must've been one of the entertainers for the event. "Alright kid, but it better be something I haven't seen before."

"Alright pick a card." He said fanning out the deck. I realized they were tarot cards. I picked one out, The Sun. I then placed it back in and he reshuffled the deck. "Okay now," He continued placing the deck in his back pocket. "Nothing up my sleeves," He reached behind my ear and when he pulled his hand back a card had appeared. "Ta-Da!" The card he had was The Sun. I gave him a small applause as he took a bow.

"Very good, now, give me back my wallet." I demanded holding out my hand. The kid looked startled.

"W-what!?" He stammered.

"Come on kid, oldest trick in the book. Now, hand it over before I call security." I ordered. The kid looked down at his shoes and pulled my wallet out of his breast pocket. "Thank you, try the brunette in the blue dress at the bar. She's been slamming martinis since she got here." We both laughed and he walked back to the party.

I continued on to the elevators. They had been turned off for the night but with some concentration I was able to send a surge of electricity through the system and get the elevator to go up two floors. The doors opened and I stepped out. I needed to move quickly, security would be sending someone up to check on the elevator moving on it's own. I had scoped out the museum earlier this week and noted all the security measures. I closed my eyes and snapped my fingers. The light waves around me began to bend, turning me completely invisible. Even though the lights had been turned out I could see clearly in the dark.

I then processed to the Beaux-Arts Court. In the middle of the court, on a raised dais, sat the Phoenix Heart. I cautiously walked to the edge and knelt down next to one of the pillars they had set up. These pillars were not just decorations. I could see a laser grid had been set up between the pillars, rigged to an alarm system that would alert security and the local police. I placed my fingers together then slowly spread them apart. The lasers reacted to my movements and began moving out of the way. I worked my way to the Phoenix Heart which was sitting under 2" thick bullet proof glass.

With the lasers out of the way I held out my index finger and it glowed with a white-hot light. I pointed at the case and a small beam of light shot from my finger tip with laser-like precision. I cut a six inch hole in the glass and the popped out the perfect circle. My fingers closed around the ruby and I pulled it out of the case. I admired the gem up close for the first time. It was slightly bigger than my hand and cut into the shape of a heart. The center of the ruby was lighter than the rest of the gem, like the white core of a flame. It was going to look beautiful sitting on my mantle at home.

''Ding! ''The sound of the elevator arriving brought me out of my day dream. I pocketed the gem and replaced it with Myriah's feather. I popped the piece of glass back into place and resealed the cut. Lastly, I waved my hand and a mirage appeared around the feather making it look like the  I turned around waiting for the guards to come bursting in. The only person who entered was the girl I saw when I first arrived. She had traded her sleek black dress for a skin tight jump-suit.

"Now that is weird." I thought as she approached the pillar. She walked into the room with no fear of the security cameras so she must've been using some type of device or magic to conceal herself. Like me she knelt down next to the pillars. Unlike me she started pulling out mirrors and placing them near the lasers. Once she had an opening she skillfully entered through and stood in front of the case, on the opposite side of me.

She placed her hand to her ear. "Xaro I'm at the case, target is in site." She must've been working with others. Probably someone on security detail, otherwise guards would've already swarmed the place. She pulled out a small drill began working on the case.

I calmly turned around and worked my way out of the lasers. I stood by the nearest window and watched as the girl reached into the case. Even from twenty feet away I could see the look of shock and horror when she grabbed Myriah's feather.

"Xaro! Abbiamo un problema! The rubies gone!" There was a pause and I noticed she had a thick accent, Greek? Spanish? I couldn't tell. "I don't know all that's here is a maledizione feather!"

"Looking for this?" I asked holding up the Phoenix Heart. My invisibility fell away causing the girl to jump and pull out a wicked looking curved knife. I reached into my pocket and pulled out Dr. Johnson's invitation. "Catch!" I shouted whipping the card through the laser beam. A siren started wailing and the room was bathed in a red light.

"See ya in jail!" I shouted and jumped out the window, glass shattering as I plummeting to the side walk. "Didn't really think this through." I thought as the sidewalk came closer into view. Just before impact something grabbed me. I looked up and found Myriah looking down at me disapprovingly.

WIP