Elise rushed into the lobby, panting heavily. "I got the blueprints," she grinned excitedly. "Let's get back to your room."

Amelia gave her a slow clap. "Congratulations. I managed to ward off the Secret Intelligence official. You didn't tell me there would be so many employees I had to distract."

"It wasn't my fault—the officials said they would come to the boardroom to hold a meeting today," Elise retorted. "Anyway, it's important that we analyze this information as soon as possible."

Amelia didn't have any time to protest. She allowed herself to be dragged up the stairs and across corridors at an alarming rate. She marveled at how fast Elise was moving—she probably had much time to explore the residence when cooped up at home.

In a few minutes, Elise tapped out the code to Amelia's room and unlocked it. She shoved Amelia inside, but the young woman stumbled on her platform heels.

Amelia glared menacingly at Elise. "Try that again, and I'll step on your toes."

Elise put her hands up defensively. "Do you want to catch my father or not?"

Darling was waiting for the two young women in Amelia's room. "I can't wait to hear both of your exciting stories. While you both were away, I managed to hack into Governor Lau's email and got details about the Secret Intelligence's status report. They're issuing a reward for anyone who finds you, so I think we'll keep you hidden for a while longer until the excitement fades out.

"I couldn't hack into the Intelligence system, but I overheard some officials talking about a secret room on the governor's floor. That might be where he keeps the stolen artifacts."

"Great investigation." Elise gave Darling a soft smile and a pat on the back. She laid a large sheet of paper on the desk and rubbed her hands together in anticipation.

"These are the blueprints for my father's floor. I found it in his study while he was napping just now. There was a ring of keys on his desk, so I tried every single drawer until I discovered one with a safe. Father doesn't do exceptionally well at security—that's why we have bodyguards and the Secret Intelligence—so his passwords are all the same: his birthday. Long story short, the code worked; I took the blueprints from the safe, returned everything to normal, and here we are."

"I commend your efforts." Amelia nodded at Elise. "Any issues with surveillance cameras or other security measures?"

"Did you download code G793?" Elise looked at Darling. "That should have turned off all the cameras."

Darling nodded confidently. "I got that covered for you when you were busy investigating."

"Thanks." Elise gave Darling an appreciative smile. "Now, let's take a look at the blueprints."

Distinct white lines were etched on the cerulean sheets of paper, detailing each nook and cranny of Governor Lau's room. The king-sized bed stood majestically in the center of the chamber, with small tables surrounding it. There was a desk for Lau and another for his wife. Floor-to-ceiling windows gave the governor and his wife a view of the outside world, which Amelia couldn't set foot in—yet. A door on the left led to the bathroom, in which resided two bathtubs and five different mirrors.

It wasn't in the walk-in closet, either. The ostentatious door stood next to the bathrooms and opened to a space covering almost a third of the floor. Governor Lau and Mrs. Lau had much room to keep their things in...and possibly hide a secret door.

The women scrutinized every single corner of the blueprints, trying to determine the secret room's whereabouts. Darling shone an LED light over the piece of paper, earning her questioning looks from Elise and Amelia. "The room can be hidden in the prints with invisible ink," she explained defensively.

Darling was partially correct. A small bauhinia symbol on the upper right corner revealed its position. Elise had to look at the legend on the back of the blueprints several times to confirm the truth.

The details of the room, however, were illustrated in invisible ink. Darling, Elise, and Amelia frowned confusedly at a square-shaped space with nothing inside it. A tiny window (marked 'stained glass—remove?') rested on the top wall. The three women noticed a tiny, almost illegible scrawl that spelled 'antiques' at the bottom left corner of the square.

"That isn't my father's handwriting—he must have had accomplices." Elise raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"I've never seen my dad's handwriting," Darling remarked casually.

"Neither have I," Amelia shrugged. "Who knows? He and Governor Lau could have been accomplices."

"Look!" Darling pointed to a space near the secret room. "I think this is a secret passage leading to the second floor. We can access the room from his office!"

"Great plan." Amelia nodded.

"My dad locks his office at night with an old key. He always keeps it with him, so it would be a hassle to go and steal the key before going up the passageway," Elise interjected. "Let's just start from the armory and use the corridors on the first, second and third floor. It'll be easier to dismantle the security cameras and erase the evidence than risk being caught, anyway."

Amelia shrugged. "That works. It's best to retrieve the items at night, around two or three in the morning, when the governor and his wife are in a deep sleep. That way, they won't be easily disturbed, and we can get the artifacts out efficiently."

"I see," Darling mused. "We can get some bodysuits from the closet. On Elise's birthday last year, we played laser tag in the residence, and her dad got us some customized suits for the event. They're matte black, so we can use those to sneak in and out of the building stealthily."

"Good idea." Elise gave her friend a small smile. "We just need to find the codes to get onto my father's floor—"

"I'll take care of that. You worry about the action, and I'll manage the technology." Darling spoke confidently and quickly.

"What are your qualifications?" Amelia teased. "How do we know you're capable of protecting us?"

"We met in elementary school because Darling was recognized for her technology skills. She could take apart and rebuild a digital clock at seven years old! She studied computer science in university, and now she can hack into almost every website on the internet," Elise bragged on behalf of Darling.

Amelia raised an eyebrow. "Alright, we'll put your skills to the test. I suppose you'll do fine since you've already dismantled the security cameras in Governor Lau's study."

"Lovely," Darling smirked. "Give me a day or two, then we can carry out the rest of the plan—literally."

***

"Is your earpiece working?" Amelia tapped the wireless headphone to activate the mic.

"Check from the control room, Amelia," Darling responded promptly. "I sneaked in through a secret passageway, and it's locked from the inside."

"I can hear you loud and clear." Elise gave Amelia a thumbs-up.

The two women were clad in all-black uniforms and sleek boots. These were the ones Darling had mentioned a few days ago, and they had proved to be beneficial for the mission. When they tested the suits a few days ago, Darling switched off the training room's lights. Elise and Amelia had noiselessly sneaked around in the dark, and Darling tried—but failed—to locate the two.

Now, the duo was in the armory, equipping themselves with weapons. The heist was about to begin.

"Hey, Amelia," Elise spoke into her earpiece. "Have you ever failed on a mission before?"

"Only once." Amelia paced around the room, inspecting the weapons. "I swore I'd never make that kind of mistake again."

***

Amelia couldn't complete her task.

She just couldn't—it was a sweet, innocent bunny. It didn't deserve to be killed. She pleaded her case to Ah Ba, sitting timidly behind his large wooden desk and the bookshelves that seemed to loom ominously over her.

The fourteen-year-old girl's hands shook, barely able to hold onto the small black pistol.

"Insolent girl," Ah Ba spat, looking at young Amelia condescendingly. "When you are ordered to go on a mission, you will complete your assignment."

"Ba—" Amelia interjected, "it's just a small, helpless animal. I can't do that! Lady Tian's daughter would be miserable if her bunny died. She always carries her pet in her arms on television."

"We were hired to bring misery to the Tians when they arrived in Cantonesia. One of the elites in our society paid us a considerable sum of money to hurt the wealthiest family in China, both mentally and physically. One of us has taken Lady Tian hostage already. You're taking care of her five-year-old daughter's happiness, Ah Kei. A bunny dying won't matter much in the grand scheme of things. When the Bauhinias have been ordered to carry out a task, we complete it dutifully. You should as well."

"If killing Cindy Tian's bunny won't matter much, then I shouldn't bother doing it, right?" Amelia had attained a burst of confidence, and she frowned at her father indignantly.

Ah Ba's cheeks grew redder. You could almost see smoke bursting out of his ears. "You will do as you are told. Such is the way of the Bauhinias. If you are truly my daughter, you will listen to me."

"It is wrong to kill a bunny." Tears threatened to spill out of Amelia's eyes, and she silently reprimanded herself for her immature behavior.

Ah Ba's eyes narrowed menacingly. "You will try again, Tze Kei. You're a young lady now."

"No!" Tears cascaded down the teen's cheeks. She stood up to leave, forcefully scraping the chair on the polished wooden floor.

"Mind you, Yeung Tze Kei, there will be consequences," Ah Ba snarled, and Amelia slammed the door shut in response, refusing to look back.

The next day, Amelia was horrified to see that all her clothes had been replaced with dirty scrubs. She was ordered to clean the toilets and the many stairs of the Bauhinias' headquarters for the rest of the month.

All because she'd failed. All because she didn't kill that stupid little bunny.

***

Word Count: 1693

(A/N: Here's an early update and a buffer chapter. Be prepared for some intense action in the next!)