The Heist
(Chapter 5)

September 5^th, 1:10am PDT
1913 Rotunda Building, Natural History Museum,
Los Angeles, California

Fox Parker placed his index finger against his right ear and whispered, "Almost there." Suspended by his ankles, Fox continued to lower on the cable. "Nine feet to go; don’t drop me on that big ass disco ball, please.  I don’t think the three muses would be very happy." His descent slowed and he lowered several more feet. "Okay, Paz. I'm good. You can join me now."

A sound reverberated off the inside of the museum. Topaz Parker slid down the line feet first and came to a stop once her soles met her brother's heels. In unison they leaned to the west then swayed to the east. After a moment of swinging back and forth, Fox reached out and caught the railing of the top floor. Topaz stepped over him and dropped to the tiled floor then turned about and took her brother's wrists. She helped him over the railing then unfastened the cable from his ankles and tethered it to the metallic rail overlooking the hollow center of the large building.

Fox stood up then peered over the side to the ground floor, beneath them. "Not a fan of the donut building with layers. Not a fan of the rotunda entrance, either. You good?"

Topaz adjusted the Velcro fastening of her left glove with a nod. "Yeah, hon. I forgot how much fun it is to work together." She lifted her left wrist and touched the screen of the phone secured horizontally to her forearm. Her capacitive-fingered gloves manipulated the icon on the screen, sliding a blue icon block to the left. Her Bluetooth earpiece offered a hiss of static then the channel changed over. She could hear breathing over the line. "Daddy, we're in. What do you see on your side?" She waved at a security camera above her.

A warm voice came over the line. "I see you, sweetheart. The firewall breach will last about thirty minutes. Maybe forty-five if we're lucky but let's lowball it for safety sake. Head into the hallway ahead of you and make a left when you see the sign that says, 'Closed wing – exhibit coming soon.' You're looking for a gold tablet with an effigy similar to constellations. It's thin, about eight inches long by six inches."

Fox put his finger back to his ear and pushed his earpiece inward. "What's it do, dad?"

"Well, kids, a device similar to the Antikythera mechanism, and nearly as old, will be able to read that plate using the groves in the surface. It becomes a map. Bring it back and remember what you've learned. Do you have the hair and partial print?"

Topaz answered before her brother, saying, "I have both, daddy." She turned to the metal railing and took out a compact mirror. She opened the small plastic compact and removed a piece of scotch tape with a fingerprint on the adhesive side. Topaz pressed the tape to the metal rail then removed the tape and put it back into the compact. "Okay. Stand by." Topaz turned to her brother and asked, "Ready?"

"Ladies first," he said.

The twins headed into the hallway and made their way past the cordoned area. Construction and scaffolding lined the walls. At the end of the hall, the room opened up into a large section. Several displays were already set up with artifacts and trinkets housed within. The twins approached a glass case with a gold plate inside. She reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a business card wallet. Topaz nodded to her brother and withdrew a single hair within the container.

Fox knelt beside the base of the display case and opened a maintenance hatch on the left side. He unsecured a small toolkit fastened to his chest and opened it then stripped one of the wires inside the display base. "Just a second. Almost got it." He continued to tinker for another moment then said, "Okay, Paz."

She opened the display, removed the gold plate and placed the hair halfway into the case, then closed the display so that it purposely caught the hair in the latch. She pocketed the plate then zipped the pocket shut and touched her earpiece with her palm. "Daddy, we're ready. Starting our extraction." She turned to her brother and added, "Reminds me of the old days. We made a good team, Fox."

He closed the maintenance hatch on the base then packed his toolkit and stood up. "Paz, I hope you'll reconsider coming home."

"Time and place," she scolded softly. "We're on a job, Fox."

"I miss you." He secured his small toolkit to his chest, clipping each corner to his utility outfit. "We make a good team. It's just… weird with you out of the house."

"I just need to live on my own. Every time I'm in that house, I still remember when I was a teen. It's just… Everything was so complicated. I'm doing really well right now. I need this for myself." She double-checked the zippered pocket then reached over and checked the fastenings on his small toolkit. Her hands lifted and she fixed the right side of his collar. "These one-piece suits really didn't need collars. Kinda' dumb if you ask me." She brought her hand back to her ear and pressed in on the Bluetooth earpiece. "Daddy? Okay, sorry. Just double-checking everything. We're coming out now."

"I hear you, Pumpkin. You guys are fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. I'm impressed over here."

"Thanks." She released the talkback button on the earpiece then patted Fox's cheek. "I'm not saying it was bad. You're still my hero for rescuing me. But I was fifteen years old. We're twenty-four, now, Fox. How many people our age still live at home with their parents? I'm happy to be out on my own. I might even join Aunt Nicky. Her offer to join the DEA is extended to you, too."

They began walking back up the hallway together. "Paz, I've spent my whole life training to follow in the family footsteps. We're thieves, not drug cops. Dad's too old to do this stuff anymore. We're needed. Why would you want a day job when you'll never need a paycheck?"

"Fox… I haven't made a decision yet. I just like the thought of having a normal life. A normal job. What is normal about stealing artifacts for the Government, or stealing stolen crap from lesser thieves to prove some sort of stupid point…? I'm not sure I want to be Robin Hood. If I do, I want to make that choice for myself – I don't want to be told what to do with my life." She stepped over the cordon rope and walked alongside her twin back to the main section where the line was still anchored to the rail. "Do you ever think about that drama, from when we were kids?"

"I should have hunted that creep down," he murmured. "Like you said, it was nine years ago, but it was still unforgivable. I felt compelled to protect you because I love you. You finish my sentences, for Chri’sake."

"Sometimes I feel like I'm emotionally broken," said Topaz. She unfastened the line from the rail and knelt beside her brother. She attached the harness to his ankles and nodded. "You're ready. Look, for what it's worth, I appreciate that you took care of me. I've come to terms with it. I've come to terms with how I acted like an emotionally confused person. I've even come to terms with that stupid thing I did when I got drunk on our eighteenth birthday. It wasn't my most crowning moment but I'm not ashamed of my actions. You handled my stupidity very maturely. I'm the basket case lesbian rape victim. Look, living on my own has been therapeutic. Now. Let's talk about this later. You ready?"

"Paz, I don't judge you, and you’re not a basket case.  I think you act one way when I'm around and another way when you're without me." With his sister's help, he climbed over the rail then held onto it, putting his legs out over the side. He jerked his feet down, giving a firm tug on the line to test it. "Okay, go on up."

Topaz hopped up onto the railing then stepped on his legs and clipped herself to the cable. "Fox, look… you're right. I feel safe when you're around. I open up to strangers and smile but only when you're nearby. Without you, I act untrusting and I act cynical and I'm a totally different person. I know I'm screwed up in the head. I've treated you like a security blanket. I took advantage of you just because I felt safe knowing you were around. You’re not some bodyguard that goes on dates with me; I need to get over what happened to me. I need to learn how to act normal without you."

"I don't understand it," said Fox. He released the railing and the two swung out into the center of the large museum. His voice became strained from having the blood rush to his head. "Paz, you could beat the crap out of just about anyone now that you've had training. You're even better than I am. You don't need me to protect you anymore. We're not teenagers."

"I know," she replied, starting to hoist herself up the cable. "Fox, it's psychological. My personality relaxes when you're around. But I can't just ask you to drop your whole life and hang out with me all the time. We're not teenagers anymore. Okay, give me a minute." She increased the pace of her ascension until reaching a second cable, halfway up. She clipped it to a harness on her one-piece suit then touched the screen on her left forearm again. An electric winch whirred to life, lifting her to the rotunda. She pulled herself up through the open panel then switched on another electric motor, hoisting her brother up.

Fox pulled himself up through the maintenance access panel and began bundling the cord around his elbow. He eased down the rotunda, put his feet on a block of sculpted concrete and leaned against the slope of the dome. "Paz, if you ever need someone to talk to… y'know… call me more often. We're more than just family. People could never understand what we have; we're twins for God's sake."

Topaz put the glass panel back into place then folded up the small electric motor and stuffed it into her pack. She shouldered it and attached the horizontal chest strap that linked the two shoulder straps, clicking the plastic buckle into place over her stomach. "Fox, do you hear yourself? I'm still angry for not being able to handle my past."

"That didn't bother me," Fox replied. "Paz, you felt safer with me around and I respect that."

"No," she snapped. "Fox, can't you see how screwed up I am? Jesus Christ, Fox. Seriously."

"Okay, look, Paz… You were traumatized as a teenager. I've never complained about playing 'bodyguard' when you went on dates."

"But I wasn't being fair to you," she interrupted. "Fox, I need to learn how to have a normal relationship without having a safety blanket nearby. You're right, I'm very confident with my training in self-defense. You're right; I'm better than you – no offense. But I still get weird with people when you're not around. I have that ridiculous social thing. I treat others poorly and act totally defensive and untrusting when you're not around. And I need to be on my own if I ever want to beat this. I need to get away from my security blanket, Fox. I need to take off my training wheels or I'll never learn how to ride without help."

"I… I understand. I do. Just… call me more often. I miss you. I know that sounds totally lame and weak, but we're twins, Paz. You're my other half. Okay. I'll stop being soppy and clingy. You'll get over this crap from your past. I believe in you."

She offered a smile then leaned to kiss the side of his face. Fox inadvertently turned to the left, causing his lips to brush against hers. Both paused then drew back from one another. Both cleared their throats and chuckled nervously in unison. Topaz shook her head. "Awkward... And I'm gay anyhow. That was an accident. Now, you remember the extraction plan?"

Fox nodded, licked his lips then glanced at his watch. "We still have two more minutes before the security computer cycles and reboots. What, uh, what're your plans after this?"

"After I drop off my gear with daddy, I'm going to Michelle’s place to make her breakfast in bed. We've had three fights this week and I want to try and make things right. If we break up, I'm going to stay single for a while… but I want to try and make things work between us. I don't like the idea of giving up on my relationship. After all, it's my fault."

"How so?"

She lowered her gaze to the rappelling lines. "I act distrusting. Like I said, I need to learn how to tap into my old personality and be relaxed with her. That's why Meryl left me. When you weren't around, I acted like a total bitch to her."

"I liked Meryl," Fox mused. "She always complimented you. It was a little awkward, though, when she asked to have a threeway. I'd certainly not want to lose my virginity to a girl I'm not even dating, let alone in a one-night-stand, let alone with a girl dating my sister."

"Yeah, I was a little weirded out when she asked about that. But, uh, she was really drunk that night, Fox. Christ, that was like two or three years ago. Meryl and I broke up ten months ago. I've not heard from her since she moved to New York. And Michelle is much better about putting up with my mood swings. Time?"

"Twenty-five seconds," he said, adding, "I've never seen you have a mood swing and I've known you my whole life."

Topaz smirked. "I only have them when you're not around, which is the whole point of this conversation."

"Hey, who is that?"

Topaz blinked. "Huh?"

Fox pointed to three men in black suits down on the street. "Those guys who just got out of the van. They'll see us."

"Fox, we only have one minute while the security servers reboot and reinstate the firewall. Whether they see us or not, we have to go down or we lose our window. Time?"

"Get ready. Set…" Fox passed her one of the two black lines that trailed down the side of the large museum building. "Now." He wrapped the line around his waist, took hold with both hands then began running straight down the side of the building.

Topaz ran alongside of him. Seconds later they hit the ground. The twins turned around together and jerked the cable up and to the left. The clamps dropped away from roof. They worked together to stow the lines then sprinted to the fence and helped one another over the concrete wall. Topaz turned to her brother and took both coiled lines and put them into his backpack. "Okay. Did those guys from the van see us?"

Fox glanced up then frowned. "Not only did they see us, they're coming over here."

"Wait, what?" She zipped his pack up then came alongside of him and frowned. She brought her hand to her earpiece and touched the button. "Daddy, are you still able to see through the security cameras?"

"No, hon. I'm not in the system anymore. Did you guys get out okay?"

"Yes, daddy, but we have three guys in black gear walking towards us. They may have seen us leaving the museum. Their van is parked on Exposition Boulevard and… Jesus, they have guns."

         “Can you get into the Rose Garden Park?  You can take cover there.”

         “No, daddy, they’ve got us blocked from getting over there.”

"I'm on my way," said Jon Parker over the line.

Topaz released the button on the earpiece then asked her brother, "How's your Krav Maga?"

"I still practice my self-defense lessons, Paz. Let's try talking our way out of this."

"Dammit," she groused. "He's pulling his gun from his holster. I hope our father has a plan."

"He trained us for this sort of thing," Fox replied in a calm voice. "Just relax and…"

"Hey!" shouted one of the three men. "Which one of you brats has the gold thing? Hand it over and no one gets shot."

"Whoa, hold up," Fox said, lifting his hands outwards slowly. "I'm unarmed. We both are. What's going on?"

The leader of the mercenary trio pointed his gun at Fox Parker and said, "I know you two were hired to break in and steal that gold plate thing. Well I was hired to steal it from you two. So hand it over or else I'll kill your asses." He put his gun against Fox's forehead.

Parker lowered his hands to his sides, still calm. "Okay, that's cool. You got us; you win. We haven't finished the job yet. They don't have that thing on display yet," he lied. "You obviously need us to get it for you. So why don't we work out a deal, okay? The artifact must be in a vault. There's no reason we can't just combine forces. Money – that's a language you speak right? How much cash you want to help us do the job? I'm sure I can pay you more than your other employer, and having a third man would help a lot."

"Nice try, kid. But money isn't all that's involved, here. I'm going to have to call my employer and see what he wants us to do with you two. First thing's first, get those hands up, boy."

Fox exchanged a glance with his sister then started to lift his hands. Once his hands were in motion, he brought them upwards, past his shoulders, then quickly snatched the barrel of the weapon. He pushed forward, causing the slide to ease back on the gun. All in one solid motion, he redirected the weapon by pulling it downwards. Once he had control of the pistol, he brought his knee up into the mercenary's groin. Fox brought his other hand behind the gun then flipped it, as if turning it over on a table. The sudden move caused the mercenary's index finger to break in the trigger guard.

The man cried out. Fox controlled the weapon back over, dislodging it from the crooked, broken finger. He stepped back, cocked the weapon then pointed it at the first and third soldier. "Okay, back up guys. We don't have time for these games." He glanced over at his sister then blinked.

The second mercenary moved into position behind her and placed his left arm around her neck from behind. Using her as a hostage, the man brought his pistol against the side of her head. "You shoot my guys, kid, and I'll waste your partner."

Topaz brought her hands up to the attacker's left forearm, ready for anything. "Okay, you got me," she told him. "You've got your gun to my head. You win. Just keep yourself calm. Don't accidentally pull the trigger. We can all still walk away and go home tonight."

"Shut up, bitch," he hissed against the backside of her head. "I will splatter your brains all over the place, so don't test me."

Topaz kept her hands resting on the attacker's forearm. She relaxed her body for a moment then tensed her right arm and, in one smooth motion, snatched the barrel of the pistol and pointed it forward. The attacker, nervous and excited, squeezed the trigger.

The gun, now redirected forward, discharged. The bullet hit the third mercenary in his left eye. Topaz brought her left hand over to her right shoulder, took the weapon in both hands then doubled over. She forced the gun forward while jutting her backside towards the attacker, which hyper-extended his arms.

With a grunt, Topaz continued to double over. She rolled forward, throwing the attacker over her shoulder, still holding his gun. He landed on his back in front of her.  She put the barrel to his head, fired the weapon then brought the pistol up, facing the man in front of her brother.

"Whoa, wait, wait!"

Fox smirked. "Who’s your employer?"

"His name is Aris Falcon! I'll work for you two! We were going to hide you in our van.  I'll even tell you that there's a bomb underneath it, and we were going to rig it to blow up when Jon Parker opened the rear doors to rescue the two of you. See? I can help you!"

Topaz blinked. "You were going to try and kill the whole family? Oh hell no." She fired the weapon a third time. The last mercenary dropped to the ground. She turned back to her brother. "Cops will find these guys and see the hair and print we left. They'll think these guys were working for Edward Martinez, and that he killed his team to keep the gold for himself. We should trigger that bomb on the van then the cops'll go after that asshole, Martinez, and we'll be Scott-free."

Fox sighed and threw his pistol on the ground by one of the bodies. "You didn't even flinch when you shot them. I've never seen you this callous. Did something happen to you that you haven't told me?"

"We can talk about that later. We did our job, we stole the plate, we framed Martinez and now we know to look out for some… new asshole that apparently wanted to kill our father. What'd he say the name was? Aris Falcon?"

"Yeah, that was the name," Fox replied.  “It’s the second time I’ve heard the name in the past week.” He squinted at a pair of incoming headlights in the distance then perked, hearing a voice over his earpiece.

"Kids, I'm here. Where're the attackers?"

Topaz put her finger to her right ear. "We took'em down, daddy. They said they planned on killing all three of us for some joker named Aris Falcon. There's a van across the street rigged to explode. You were supposed to rescue us from it, and cause it to detonate. Let's blow it up and get the hell out of here.  I’m officially tired of Los Angeles."

"Falcon, huh?" said Jon Parker over the line. "That's new news… Okay, I'll pop the trunk. One of you get a grenade out of the back and toss it over at the van then get in."

"I've got it," Paz said to Fox. "Get in, I'll finish the job."

Jon Parker's Bentley rolled to a stop by the twins. Fox hopped in the back seat. Topaz went to the trunk, which popped up when she neared it. She reached in, opened a panel that lead to the spare tire and pulled a grenade from a metal prong that held several in place. She closed the trunk and came around to the front door of the car and hopped in. She pulled the pin and tossed the grenade beneath the nearby van.

Jon Parker eased into the accelerator, hard enough to pull away quickly but without peeling out. The passenger door shut itself from the wind drag. Topaz dropped the pin into the cup holder then pulled the lap belt over herself. The Bentley turned at the next intersection just as the grenade went off. The detonation triggered the bomb beneath the van, causing a double explosion. Jon cleared his throat and said, "Okay, strip out of the sneaking suits and your gear."

Topaz began unfastening the one-piece suit. "Daddy, why did you have collars attached to these things?"

Jon chuckled as he turned left at the next intersection. "So if you wore a vest or something else overtop, it would look like a collared shirt under the vest. If you need to wear your gear and disguise it with normal clothes, you can do it more easily. Hand your gear to Fox. Fox, pull down the armrest back there. There's a little door that opens – it leads to the trunk. Push everything into the back and put the armrest back up."

Topaz continued to pull off the gear suit and her backpack. She took out the gold plate and handed it to her father then started passing her pack and suit back to her brother. She fixed the wrinkles in the t-shirt and shorts she wore then readjusted the lay of the seatbelt.  “Even after three gunshots, I didn’t see a single security guard or cop.  That’s a little weird, don’t you think?”

         “Yeah, Pumpkin.  Let’s assume those guys did something to keep the authorities away.”

Fox took her gear and stuffed it into the trunk then put his own into the little opening. He shut the plastic door with a click then put the armrest up and adjusted his shorts and plain white t-shirt. "Dad, why would this guy, Aris Falcon, want to kill us… let alone you?"

"Don't worry yourself with all that nonsense. Just a little past drama. Just… think of it as competition. I knew the guy years ago. You two did really good work tonight. How about ice cream on me?"

Topaz snorted with amusement. "We just robbed a museum, killed three people and blew up a van. Sure… ice cream. Why not? After that, can you drop me off in Haight Ashbury? " She took her Bluetooth earpiece out of her ear and put it into the cup holder next to the little metal pin. "And are you sure you're going to be okay? I've never known someone to try and kill you."

Jon smiled at his daughter then shifted his weight in the driver seat. "Listen, Princess… I've known Falcon for ages. Killing all of us would have been a matter of convenience because if he stole the plate from you, I'd track him down and steal it back. Don't sweat it. It's not like he'd attack the house or anything. He knows I don't take my stolen objects back to the house, anyhow. He's nothing more than a competitor thief so far as I'm concerned." Parker looked over the gold plate then handed it back to Topaz. "Put this thing in the glove compartment."

She opened the glove box, shoved in the gold plate then shut it. "Fox was real smooth tonight. He snatched the gun right out of the guy's hand… not to mention he made quick work of the security system on that display pedestal. That's why we were ahead of schedule. He managed to bypass the trigger switch in a mere minute."

Jon grinned at his son in the rearview mirror. "Nice work, kiddo. You've really got a knack for technology. Your program worked on the laptop.  It backdoor'ed the firewall just like you said it would. You're a tech-wizard, Fox. Impressive stuff, m'man." He glanced to his daughter then his eyes returned to the road. "So, who is the boy, Topaz?"

"Pardon?"

"You want me to drop you off at someone’s house in the Haight, Pumpkin.  We won’t even get there until after seven in the morning; must be a special guy that you want to show up on his doorstep that early. What's his name?"

"Oh c'mon, daddy. I'm living on my own, now."

"I just want to know the name of your boyfriend. Is that too much to ask? Is it too much for a father to ask his daughter?"

She sighed then chuckled with a shake of her head. "Mitchel, daddy. It's Mitchel." She pulled down the sun visor and opened the vanity mirror. Two small lights on either side of the mirror illuminated her face. She glanced in the reflection at the silhouette of her brother in the back seat and gave him 'the look' to make sure he'd stay quiet about her lie. "Fox has met him, so stop worrying."

"Yeah…" Fox changed the subject. "I still can't believe you took down all three of those guys without batting a lash."

She replied with a shrug then closed the vanity mirror cover and put the sun visor back up. "They were committed to killing us, Fox. I honestly don't think I'd have been able to sleep tonight if I didn't shoot them like that. It's self-defense. I… I know I went too far. But you remember that job a year and a half ago? Those guys were hired to steal that money on the same night we pulled the heist… and then the three of them attacked me because I'm a female…"

Fox winced at the old memory. "You snapped the first guy's neck, took his gun then shot the other two guys, and, afterwards, you were upset about it."

She turned around in the seat and looked back at her brother. "Upset? I freaked out. I froze up and stared at those bodies and the fourth guy pulled his boot knife, lifted it up from behind me… and you shot him and saved my life. That's the second time you've saved my life, Fox."

"Second time?" asked Jon Parker. "Honey, something you haven't told me?"

She glanced at her father and offered an awkward smile. "Figure of speech, daddy. When, uh, when I was fifteen, Fox was there for me when I was going through an emotional time during my first break up.  Fox came into my room to tell me that dinner was ready and his timing was impeccable. He was there for me when I was having an emotional breakdown. I just… I felt like he saved me that day. Not from dying or anything… I just needed rescuing and Foxie was there for me."

Jon eyed her for a second then returned his gaze to the road. "Fair enough. I know this is the part where I mind my business. I'm glad you two have a history of sticking up for one another. You really do work well as a team. You don't need rehearsals; you don't need to practice for a job… I mean… it's been eighteen months since you two pulled a heist together, then tonight you geared up and ran the job flawlessly."

"Thanks, Daddy. But I only helped you tonight because you said it was seriously important. I'm not sure what I want to do with my life right now, so I'd rather go back to my hiatus from doing heists."

Jon glanced in the rearview mirror at his son then sighed. "Topaz, we're a family of highly skilled thieves. We've been doing this for as far back as the family line goes. All four surname branches have worked as elite thieves as far back as we can trace. You know the family stories passed down from our ancestors. We stole for the Pharaohs. We stole back the Spear of Destiny for the Pope a hundred years before the first Crusade. We're the good guys, here, Topaz. And you're part of this family team."

"Daddy… I just need to feel normal for a while. That's all." She panned her eyes towards the passenger window and looked out into the night sky. "It's a thrill every time I do it. But then I killed three people and locked up. And I was lucky that Fox didn't hesitate to kill that fourth guy or I'd be dead. That freaked me out. This is the first job I've done since that night. And, gee, what do ya know? I had to kill three more people."

Fox leaned forward and put his hands on the headrests of the front seats then said, "Paz, you didn't hesitate tonight."

"I've had a year and a half to psyche myself up emotionally for killing someone. That way, if I ever had to do it again… I wouldn't freak out or lock up. I did what I had to do. I had eighteen months to ready myself for doing it again. Still... maybe this line of work is, well, getting out of line. I don't know."

"You did well. You were fast, accurate and smooth. They didn't even get the chance to react. Plus, you didn't freak out afterwards."

"Yeah." She fidgeted for a moment then said, "I don't feel remorse this time. I guess I did a good job conditioning myself. Still, I need a little time to process this. Do I really want to lead a life of stealing and defending myself against gunmen?"

Fox leaned back in the leather cushions with a sigh. "I've done several heists between then and tonight. Those are the only two times I've ever had to worry about someone with a weapon directly in my face. It's extremely rare. Hell, usually no one ever even sees me."

"Still. I need time to digest this stuff," she told them. "Actually, I think it bothers me more that I don't feel anything. I just shot three men and I don't feel anything. THAT bothers me."

Jon reached over and patted his daughter's knee. "Topaz, it's okay to be emotional after shooting someone. That's normal."

"No, daddy, you don't understand… I'm feeling emotional because killing them doesn't bother me. What bothers me is that I don't feel anything about what I just did."

"Pumpkin, whether you feel something for shooting them or whether you feel something for how you're responding to it… the fact remains, you're still feeling an emotional response. And that's still something. See? You're still human, after all." He flipped on a blinker and pulled up to the ice cream parlor. He looked over at the clock on the top corner of the in-dash navigation screen then said, "I love how everything is twenty-four hours in this city."

She sighed and turned her gaze to the right, glaring out the window. 

Jon Parker stepped out of the car and walked into the ice cream parlor.  He approached a woman at a table in the back and sat down adjacent to her.  “Hey, stranger.” 

         The girl looked to be nearly the same age as the twins out in the car.  He leaned forward and kissed the side of her face.  “Job was a success.” 

         “Yeah, I here ya’, Jon.”  The young woman leaned back in her chair and shrugged.  “So?  Were you right?  Did he show up?” 

         “Yeah.  Falcon showed just as soon as the kids finished the job.  You should be proud of your niece and nephew – they were held at gunpoint and took down all the attackers without breaking a sweat.” 

         Nichole Parker shook her head and sighed.  “How do you know the attackers were working for Falcon?” 

         “Because Topaz got the information out of a guy at gunpoint.  I heard the whole thing over the phone.  Falcon told these goons to kill all of us.  You’d better catch that prick.” 

         “What I don’t understand is why he wants artifacts and why he wants to kill you.” 

         Jon Parker put his hand atop of his little sister’s hands and gave a reassuring squeeze.  “I used to work with him.  Then he became obsessed with some new breakthroughs in science and he left the team.  Maybe stealing artifacts has something to do with interests he had back then.  I don’t know. What I don’t understand is why he’s got the DEA on his ass?” 

         Nicky smirked.  “I’m chasing him down because he created a brand new drug and he’s flooding the streets of San Fran with it.  Obviously it’s a moneymaking operation to fund his other interests.  Of course, now that some guy told the twins he was working for Falcon, I finally have a good lead to follow.”

         Jon frowned and looked away from his sister.  “Well, uh, do me a favor and don’t tell the DEA what I’m telling you about this stuff.” 

         “Why not? I need evidence against Falcon.”

         “Topaz shot the guy.  She didn’t have any choice.”

         Nichole groaned and brought her hand to her forehead.  “That girl shows so much promise, then she goes and kills someone with information?  What’s gotten into her?  She knows better.”

         “I don’t know.  She’s been pushing away from me.  She’s hiding the fact that she’s in a relationship with another girl.  Hell, she’s still hiding the rape from nine years ago.  She goes out of her way to bottle everything that happens to her.  She refuses to let me help her.  If she catches a cold, she tells me she’s ‘just tired’ and to leave her alone.  Topaz goes out of her way to keep me out of the loop on things.”

         “So why spy on her?  Do you think her acting out has anything to do with her mother dying of cancer, maybe?”

         Jon shrugged.  “I guess.  I think I blocked out all the details of that whole thing.  I mean, I can’t even remember my wife’s face.  Is that bad?”

         “Like you said, you’re probably blocking it out.  Obviously it was painful for everyone and you all handle the loss differently.  Come to think of it, I can’t remember what she looked like, either. So, now what?”

         “I drive six hours home.  By the way, we planted the print and the hair at the museum.  Martinez has been properly framed.  You’re sure his alibi won’t hold up for tonight?”

         Nicky smirked.  “That scumbag is on film doing a drug deal in the parking lot of the Coliseum, across the street, at twelve thirty.  Now you’ve got him at the museum half an hour later.  I can finally get that prick off the streets.” 

         “This family looks out for one another,” Jon said.  “I’m going to get some ice cream for the kids then we’re going to hit the road.  It’s a long drive back to San Francisco.  How’s your boyfriend, the cop?” 

         Nicky grinned.  “Reno’s good.” 

         “Yeah.  Homicide department – the only cops I like are the ones that leave me alone and solve murders.  Seriously, though, he’s a good guy.  He treats you good.  I like’em, badge and all.” 

         Nicky laughed softly and stood up.  “I better get down to the museum.  I’ll tell’em that an anonymous tip came in that Martinez was spotted shooting his team; I’m going to go kick in his door and drag’em out of his condo.  Thanks, Jonny.” 

         “Anything for my kid sister.  You want to say hi to the kids out in the car?”

         “I can’t let anyone else know I’m in the area.  It’s a long story.  Besides, I’d go off on Topaz if I saw her tonight.  She knows better than to get emotional while holding a weapon.  I’m headed home after we get Martinez.  Reno was promoted and he promised to take me out for the weekend to celebrate.  I’m thinking I can have him start the weekend a little early.” 

         “Take care of yourself.”  Jon stood up and stretched.  “Stay out of trouble.”

         The siblings exchanged a hug then Nichole sat back down at the table in the corner.  “I’ll wait until you leave with the kids.  If I see them, I’m going to want to slap Topaz upside her head for shooting an informant that would have led me to Falcon.  Sorry.” 

         “Fox infiltrated a group of guys who hit the Granite Lady the other day.  They were reporting to my old student, Rick Peterson.  The guy talking to Peterson apparently mentioned ‘The Doctor.’  We think Falcon had several other museums hit as well.  Not sure why yet, but if Fox’s contact can lead us back to Falcon, you’ll be the first to know for sure, I promise.”

         “Okay, okay.  Thanks, Jonny.” 

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