The Remote Seduction (10 page)

“At the moment, we are all pawns,” he
says, his voice soothing, seductive - even loving. “By night's end it all will
become very clear to you and you will see the serendipity of this crazy
situation.”

“That’s the second time you used that
word,” Katrina points out.

“It’s applicable.
 
When you retrieve the remote, and I
have every bit of confidence that you will, please note the location.
 
It was chosen in honor of someone who
is cherished above all else,” he says with great feeling.

She stands.
 
“I better get going.”
 
Felix stands.
 
He so wants
to take her in his arms and kiss her, but he doesn’t want to do anything to
avert her focus, it is going to be tough getting the remote.
 
So instead he tenderly touches her
cheek.
 
Out of instinct and desire,
she moves into his touch as his finger strokes her cheek.
 
She closes her eyes relishing the
feeling and the moment.

Moments later…

Outside of the manor, Katrina walks down
the driveway.
 
This time instead of
climbing over the gate, she just opens it and walks through.
 
Katrina approaches the SUV and gets in.

Inside the SUV…

Richard looks at Katrina. “How did it
go?”

“Easier than I anticipated,” Katrina
responds trying not to sound flushed.

“Where to next?” He asks anxiously.

“To the Museum of International Art,”
Katrina tells him.
 

*****

The two SUVs drive past the museum - a
fairly modern building in the heart of the city - and turn the corner.
 
The vehicles park in a quiet alley
behind the museum.
 

Inside the SUV…

Richard looks at the back of the museum.
“You're fucking kidding me.
 
The
remote is hidden somewhere inside that museum?”

“On the third floor in the Edward
Harkness wing,” Katrina informs Richard.

“So we have to break into a museum to
retrieve the remote?” Sully asks.

“I do, yes. Which can be done, but not
easily. Felix designed the security system for this museum.
 
Each section of the museum has its own
security system.
 
I will have to
hack into each system, deactivate it and move on to the next system.
 
The problem will be that each system
reactivates itself after two minutes.
 
If I haven't successfully made it to the next security system before the
current security system reactivates itself, the whole place locks down and you
can expect to see the arrival of law enforcement officials.”
 
Katrina relates.

“Why don’t we just wait until the museum
is open and get the damn thing in the morning,” Richard figures.

“Because Felix has rigged the remote to
burn up if it’s not removed from its hiding spot by 4:00am,” Katrina tells
Richard.

“Since this is a federal building it will
be a federal crime,” Sully realizes.
 
He looks at Katrina. “I'm going with you. You're not doing this alone,
and you’re certainly not going down for this if it doesn’t work out.”

“It’s going to work out,” Katrina states
with the utmost confidence.

Sully and Katrina get out of their
SUV.
 
They approach the back
entrance of the museum.
 
Katrina
takes the index cards from her handheld case still hung over her shoulder.
 

She flips through her cheat sheet cards,
which are floor plans to the museum.
 
She reviews the cards and then puts them back into the case.
 
She removes her handheld and a short
cord with a magnetic power square on the end of it.

“We have four systems to hack through
giving us sixteen minutes to get in, get the remote, get back out,” Katrina
tells Sully.

“Let's do it,” Sully encourages.

“You keep the time,” Katrina instructs
Sully.

Katrina sticks the power magnet at the
end of the cord onto the security panel next to the back door.
 
Time starts ticking.
  
Holding the handheld in one hand,
she types away with her right-hand, attempting to access this security system
and deactivating its alarm.

“One minute to go.”

Katrina's fingers fly over the small
keys.
 
The lights on the panel go
from red to green.
 
Deactivation
complete. The door opens automatically.
 
Sully and Katrina hurry in.

Inside the museum…

Sully and Katrina run to the security
panel next to the door leading into the heart of the museum. Katrina sticks the
magnet onto the panel and types quickly.
 
Sully keeps an eye on his watch. “Thirty seconds to go.”

The lights on the panel go from red to
green.
 
Deactivation complete.

Katrina and Sully sprint through the
lobby and the first floor exhibit. This is a big area so the trek is eating up
time.
 
Sully and Katrina make it to
the entrance to the stairway.

Katrina sticks the magnet on the security
panel next to the door.

“We only have twenty seconds,” Sully
tells Katrina trying not to sound nervous.

Katrina remains calm while her typing
speed increases.

“Five seconds!”

The lights on the panel go from red to
green.
 
Deactivation complete.

Katrina and Sully fly up two flights to
the third floor.
 
Katrina sticks
the magnet on the security panel next to the door. She types away on her
handheld.
 
Sully tries not to look
stressed and impatient. “Thirty seconds.”

The lights on the panel go from red to
green.
 
Deactivation complete.

“Katrina and Sully book it to the
Harkness wing, which luckily isn't too far from the stairway.
 
This wing features a traveling exhibition
of Italian art.

Once they enter the wing Katrina
approaches a stand in the middle of the room.
 
On top of the stand is a beautiful vase inside a glass case.

“Don't tell me the remote is inside the
vase,” Sully groans.

“Yuup,” Katrina places the magnet on the
tiny security button on the case, types on her handheld and within seconds
deactivates the case lock.
 
Sully
removes the case and Katrina retrieves the remote from inside the vase. Sully
puts the case back on.

There's a post-it on the back of the
remote. The note on the post-it reads: "Turn around, Francesca."

Katrina turns around and sees...the
original Paolo Francesca painting hanging on the wall.
 
She only has a second, but that is all
it takes for her to feel the enormity of the moment and the realization that
Felix is Paolo.

“Come on, come on, come on!!
 
We're not going to make it!” Sully
hollers.

They sprint to the stairway and with only
one second to spare make it out of the third floor before the security system
reactivates.

Sully and Katrina make it back through
the levels of security systems and hurry out of the museum.
 
They approach the SUVs.

Sully and Katrina open the car door to
their SUV to find the agent has been shot dead and Richard is gagged with duct
tape and handcuffed to the SUV’s steering wheel.

With their guns drawn, Walter and his two
agents surround Sully and Katrina.

“What the hell, Walter?” Sully gasps,
incredulously.

“Give me the remote,” Walter demands.

Katrina hands the remote, minus the
post-it, to Walter without any defiance or resistance.

“You three are about to witness how well
this remote works. I've placed a bomb on the bottom of the SUV. Take a look,”
Walter smirks.

Sully bends down, he sees the bomb
secured to the undercarriage of the car.

“I will activate the bomb with the remote
once we're a safe distance away.”

“You friggin' traitor,” Sully scowls.

Walter shrugs. “I love money more than
country. And I hate Richard more than anything.”

Walter handcuffs Sully and Katrina
together. “Now get in the SUV,” Walter hollers.
 
Sully and Katrina follow his orders.

“You are quite serene, Miss Brice, given
the circumstances,” Walter notices.

“Your actions don't surprise me in the
least,” Katrina states calmly.

With another set of handcuffs, Walter
cuffs Katrina’s free hand to the handgrip inside the back of the SUV so she has
one hand cuffed to Sully and one cuffed to the grip.

“See you around,” Walter smirks, “in
pieces in the alley in a few short moments.”
 
Walter shuts the door trapping Sully, Katrina, Richard and
the dead agent inside the vehicle.

Walter and his two agents head back to
their SUV.

Inside Sully and Katrina’s SUV…

Katrina motions to her handheld case.
“There's a paper clip in there.
 
How good are you at picking locks?” She asks Sully.

Using his free hand Sully finds the clip,
straightens it out and starts to pick the handcuff lock.

In the alleyway…

Walter and the two agents get in their
SUV.
 
That SUV backs down the
alleyway.

Inside Sully and Katrina’s SUV…

Sully has successfully picked the lock on
his handcuff and is now picking the other handcuff to free Katrina from the
handgrip.
 
Richard groans and
mumbles "hurry" through the duct tape as he stresses out in the front
seat.

Inside Walter’s SUV…

Walter, seated in front, holds the remote
pointed at the other SUV.
 
He looks
at the agents.
 
“How long should we
make them suffer with anticipation?” Walter shit-eaten grins.

Inside Sully and Katrina’s SUV…

Sully has successfully picked Katrina's
handcuff.
 
He immediately starts on
Richard's handcuff.
 
Sully looks at
Katrina, if this is it he wants her to know how he feels. “I love you now get
out now car!!”

“No.
 
We need to all open our doors at the same time.
 
As soon as Walter sees one door open,
he'll detonate the bomb,” she points out.

Inside Walter’s SUV…

Walter watches the SUV, relishing the
moment, knowing that he's making Richard, Sully and Katrina suffer. Then he
sees the three doors open at the same time on the SUV.

Walter quickly clicks on the remote to
detonate the bomb.

Outside of Sully and Katrina’s SUV…

Sully, Katrina and Richard are in the
process of jumping out of the car when…

In Walter’s SUV…

Walter activates the remote. “Sayonara,
Dick!”
 
Walter calls out.

As he presses the button on the remote
the SUV blows up.
 
Walter's SUV!

Outside of Sully and Katrina’s SUV…

Sully, Katrina and Richard watch Walter's
SUV explode.

Katrina smiles, thinking to herself
‘thank you, Felix,’ remembering when he said he was four moves ahead of his
bosses.

Richard violently kicks the SUV and
curses.

“You're alive, Richard. What's with the
hissy fit?”
 
Sully asks as he
glares at Richard.

“The remote is gone,” Katrina points out.

Sully bends down and deactivates and
removes the bomb under the vehicle.
 

“Come on, we better get out of here,”
Richard orders.
 
The three of them
hop back into the SUV.

*****

The SUV pulls up to the front of the
Chick Lit Bookstore.

Katrina gets out.
 
Sully hops out as well, hoping to talk
with her, plead with her, just be with her.

Katrina looks at Sully and at Richard who
is in the driver's seat.
 
“Remember, I'm done.”

“Katrina!” Sully pleads.

“Good-bye,” she says with a cordial smile
and then turns her back on Sully.
 
Katrina enters the store and locks the door behind her. Sully watches,
helpless.
 
He turns to
Richard.
 
“You go on, I'm going to
take a walk.”

“There will be a debriefing at oh eight
hundred,” Richard informs Sully.

Sully slams the SUV door and heads down
the sidewalk.