Chase the Stars

It was such a nice day out, Charlie felt almost disappointed that he had plans for the rest of the day. Almost. Once this was over and done with, he would have plenty of nice days in his future. He’d be set for life. He casually strolled down the street, hands tucked into the pocket of his coat and an easy smile on his face. The National Museum wasn’t the most popular destination for a fun day anymore, but that’s where Charlie was headed. He didn’t mind, really. He wasn’t much a fan of crowds.

He went up to the ticket vender, setting some money down on the booth and giving the old man a bright smile. The vendor was probably as old as the outdated museum, squinting at Charlie as if he was surprised that anyone was there.

“Just one ticket, please,” Charlie said.

“Adult or child?” the old man asked.

Charlie furrowed his brow, looking around and gesturing to his surroundings to show that he was the only one there. The old man still didn’t seem to understand.

“Adult,” he clarified.

The old man squinted at him again, then grunted and took the money.

“You should grow a mustache,” he remarked. “Your face is too smooth for a grown man.”

Charlie didn’t say anything, just snatching his ticket.

“Are the Archives open to the public, today?” Charlie asked.

“Only by special appointment for notable scholars,” the old man said. “So for you, no. I’m not sure you even finished school.”

“Thank you for your time, sir,” Charlie muttered, turning to head into the museum.

The place was mostly empty, other than a few dull-looking people wandering around to observe the exhibits. He strolled past an exhibit about prehistoric humans, with wax statues of what the cavemen were believed to look like. Charlie tilted his head to the side, leaning over the railing to get a better look. The statues were so eerily realistic, they were terrifying to look at. He reached out to poke at one and flinched when a voice snapped at him.

“No touching!” an elderly museum guide snapped at him.

He held his hands up in surrender, taking a step back and away from the exhibit. She didn’t move her eyes away from him until he continued walking again. He turned a corner down a hall that led him into another, even less populated room. There was a young woman with a notebook by an exhibit of stuffed lions, scribbling into the notebook. She didn’t look all too exciting either, but she did look intelligent and pretty with her red hair tied up in a bun and her glasses resting on the tip of her nose.

“So you like animals?” Charlie asked her.

She looked up at him from her notes, scanned him for a moment, then looked back down, seemingly unimpressed with him.

“I’m writing a book on them,” she said plainly.

“About lions?”

“Yes.”

Charlie just nodded, moving to stand right beside her. “That’s nice. I saw a lion at a circus once.”

The woman just rolled her eyes, snapping the notebook shut and tucking it under her arm

“So do you have a pretty name to go with that pretty face?” Charlie asked her.

“I’m only interested in lions,” she told him.

“I can be a lion,” Charlie shrugged. “Don’t be fooled by my suit. This time tomorrow, I’m going to be a very rich man. I could buy you this entire museum, if you want.”

“I have a doctorate in zoology,” she said. “I am a professor at the university. If you think I’m going to fall for a lie as stupid as that, then you’re dead wrong.”

“But it’s the truth,” Charlie said.

“Good luck with your money, then. The museum is closing soon. Don’t try touching any more statues. The last thing this place needs is someone like you destroying it.”

Charlie rolled his eyes as she left the room.

“Zoology is a dumb thing to have a doctorate in, anyways,” he mumbled.

He waited until the sound of footsteps disappeared completely down the hall before moving to where the woman had been standing, right by a door. He calmly moved to the door and tested the handle, finding that it was locked. He checked once more to make sure he was alone before reaching into his pocket and taking out a homemade lock-picking device. The door clicked open and Charlie silently slipped inside.

There was a long, dark hallway, and Charlie didn’t bother trying to turn any lights on. He stayed as quiet and casual as possible as he made his way down. He wasn’t completely sure where he was or how to get where he was going, but he found that winging it usually worked for him. He stopped when the lights turned on, listening to his surroundings. The museum must have closed, and the halls must have been used by the night security to get around quickly. Charlie found another door and turned into a different room, finding that it was some sort of employee rest area. He shed his coat and looked around as he put it up on a hook. No one was there, but there was a plate of cookies. He helped himself and nibbled on it as he rolled up his sleeves and straightened his tie, beginning to snoop around the drawers and the tables. He found a simple map under some papers and folders, studying it for a moment.

“Archives, archives,” he mumbled to himself as he studied the map. “A left, go straight, and then a right. Oh, that’s simple.”

He took a set of guard’s keys off a hook and snatched another cookie before heading out again, leaving the coat behind so people wouldn’t recognize him as a museum guest from earlier. He wandered calmly down the path he’d seen on the map, hearing footsteps approaching him from the other end. He stayed calm, even when the night guard saw him. At first, the guard didn’t even seem to notice that he was out of place. He walked past Charlie with a slight nod, then stopped and spun around.

“Hey!” he called. “What are you doing in here?”

“Me?” Charlie frowned. “I’m just walking. The ticket vendor told me that the Archives are open to the public today.”

“The museum is closed,” the security guard said. “You need to leave.”

“It is?” Charlie said, feigning shock. “My apologies, sir, I will be right on my way out, then. Have a lovely evening.”

He gave a respectful bow before walking off, confusing the security guard. He ducked into the next door that was near him before the guard knew what was happening, locking the door so the guard couldn’t follow him in. There was shouting and banging on the door as Charlie walked away from it, trying to remember which way he was going.

He finally maneuvered his way to the door that let into the Archives, messing with the lock and letting himself in. He was greeted by a the barrel of a gun pointed at his face. His eyes widened and he held his hands up, eyeing the person behind the firearm. A young woman dressed in an ill-fitting guard’s uniform, glaring at him like he’d intruded at a sensitive moment.

“You’re not very convincing as a guard,” he told her. “You could’ve at least tried to find a smaller guard to steal clothes from.”

“Who are you?” she demanded.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “I’ll be out of your pretty hair in a minute. Just grabbing something for someone.”

He glanced past her at the locked up emerald, and she lowered her weapon, staring at him in surprise.

“You’re here for the emerald?”

“For a friend.”

“Come here. There’s something you need to know about it…”

Charlie took a step closer when she gestured for him to come. She seemed nervous, chewing on her lip. He leaned in, and suddenly her expression changed back to a glare. She grabbed him by a handful of hair on the back of his head and brought her knee up into his stomach, spinning around to grab the jewel first. Charlie quickly realized they were after the same thing and grabbed her ankle, yanking her back so she fell over. She growled and rolled over on him, punching him square in the jaw. For such a small thing, her punch sure did hurt. She suddenly stood and gasped, eyes widening. Once Charlie’s vision adjusted again, he saw that the emerald was gone, and a smug looking figure was escaping from an opening in the ceiling.

“Mr. Crawforde would like to thank you both for the sacrifice you’ve made,” the third mystery thief said, before disappearing into the opening in the ceiling.

The girl attempted to catch him, but clearly, it had been well planned out and the opening was sealed again. An alarm went off, and the plan became painfully obvious.

“Who’s your employer?” the girl snapped at him, yelling over the sound of the alarm.

“Crawforde,” Charlie yelled back. “Who the hell do you think it was?”

“But he can’t be your employer, he’s my employer!”

“Can’t you see he just used us to take the blame?!”

The girl looked around, pursing her lips into a tight line. “I have to get back to my ship before I get caught. They most likely already know my face. And your face. They’ll pin us together.”

“You have an airship?” Charlie said.

She tried to run off out the door that would’ve led exactly where the guards would catch her. Charlie thought about letting her get caught, but grabbed her by the wrist before she went.

“I know these halls,” he told her. “I can get you out fast, but you have to promise you’ll let me onto the ship.”

She hesitated, clearly distrustful of him. The alarms blared all around him, and shouting could be heard nearing them. She yanked her wrist out of his grip, but she nodded, agreeing to follow him out.