Scene Concept: Pulling of the heist: how to steal a focus-stone

Introduction:

This scene concept introduces one of the major key-points in the first part of the novel. In this scene various important concepts and motifs are introduced for the first time, like Damian transforming into his angel form or the lethal power a focus-stone has when touched by anybody except a knight of Gaia. Also this scene marks the end of chapter one and therefore has to be memorable and stunning.  
This scene is split in two major parts: Stealing the focus and escaping with the treasure.  ;)
The second part is far more action-packed then the first one, peaking in an action spike that creates a great ending for the first chapter, while leaving the events stay in the readers mind throughout the second chapter.

Background:

The first part of this scene takes place in a high security laboratory for advanced weaponry research run by a corporation named “Tetra” (name subject to change; WIP) that’s closely linked to the British military. It is situated at the 40st Floor of One Canada Square, the tallest building in London.  The reason the focus-stone is there is simple: In 1948 a British expedition leading deep into the Egyptian dessert discovered the stone in an unknown temple. But as said before, the focus kills the unworthy by mere touching it. Five workers died before somebody realized something was wrong here. The stone was then extracted by a specialist team of the British military and became classified as top secret.  Because research of the focus, although interesting through his lethal capabilities, was highly problematic and risky, the stone was stored for nearly 50 years. It was then taken to the “advanced weaponry research laboratory” (WIP) after its completion in 1991. But even though nearly 20 years have passed since research was initiated there’s no clue to how the focus kills or if and how this power could be harnessed.
The holding chamber for the focus is constructed of materials enabling it to withstand a direct hit by an RPG. All of its systems, from energy supply to locking mechanism, are highly redundant. To unlock the chamber and extract the focus via a robot arm build into it, 4 locks have to be activated simultaneously. The focus is then extracted automatically and placed into a transportation device built of multiple layered steel.
The claw extracting the focus encloses it completely. The reason is that if alarm is activated, all machinery deemed as hazardous within the lab is deactivated. So the claw shields the focus from extraction in case of emergency.

The plan: how to steal the focus

One important fact to know about One Canada Square is that it has no 13th floor. This fact gives me the opportunity to make the lab hidden from the public. This basically means that there’s no way to enter the floor the lab is on if you don’t have clearance. Access via the elevator is thumb-print secured meaning a person with clearance has to press the blank button for the 13th floor for the elevator to stop at the 40th. But there’s one small security breach: The ventilation shafts leading both to the lift shaft and to the outside of the building are secured by a steel gate that can be opened automatically from the guard booth at the entrance of the lab. The interesting fact is that once a year this gate has to be tested for functionality. So If you know time and date of the test, some daring person could enter the shaft system through the outside of the building. Ever seen Entrapment with Catherine Zeta Jones and Sean Connery? The part where she rappels from the roof using an automated rope pulley? That’s exactly what I’m talking about. ;)
The rest is simple: Enter the shaft, stun the guards from within the shaft, hack into the security console, open the second gate leading to the lift shaft, rest of the team enters via lift shaft, enter the focus lab, unlock the focus-chamber with four people, take the focus, leave via roof access and get extracted via helicopter.  At least that’s the plan ;)

Constructing the scene:

Part one: the heist

The scene starts at the operation base in a warehouse situated near the Thames.  The operator sits in front of a big screen that shows video feeds from every member of the team as well as mission critical information. He then starts to radio every member asking for clearance to commence the mission. Two specialists tasked with entering the lab through the outside of the building landed with parachutes on the top floor of the building 10 minutes ago.  I took them 5 minutes to set up the automated robe pulleys and another five to get them ready for descend. The second part of the team, consisting of Damian and 2 mercenaries, are waiting in a van in front of the skyscraper.  Every member of the squad then gives the mission a go. The operator starts countdown for the roof team, because descend has to be timed exactly as the vent shaft is only open for about 10 seconds. After the countdown reaches zero the roof team just jumps head forward from the roof, knowing the automated pulleys will stop the fall exactly as programmed. They reach the shaft just in time and enter it. The operator then remotely activates the pulleys to prevent the ropes from being spotted.  The roof team works their way forward through the ventilation system until they are directly over the guard both. Two well-aimed stun-darts send the guards sleeping.  They then quickly enter the booth and connect a laptop to the security console that one of them uses to hack into the system. After they’ve breached security they signal Damian’s team to get moving. The second team then heads directly for the elevators and move up to the 40th floor. While the elevator moves up they quickly change clothes. The mercenaries also holster their weapons while Damian just has brought a commando sword as he’s not fond of firearms. Then, just when the elevator has passed the 39th floor, they hit stop.  Damian gives one of the mercenaries a boost to help him open a latch at the top of the elevator-cabin. They then use this latch to get on top of the cabin.  From there they use the emergency ladders to climb up to the ventilation shaft the other team has opened for them. One minute later they are united with the other team. While the hacker-guy stays behind to monitor the situation, Damian and the three other mercenaries enter the focus lab. No time to lose they quickly start the key sequence to unlock the chamber. Everything runs smoothly, and another 3 minutes later the robot arm is starting to extract the focus-stone. The extraction sequence takes 30 seconds to complete. But Half-way through the sequence shit hits the fan.
First the operator notices some odd movement on the security-camera in the lobby. Ten people clad in bulletproof vests armed to the teeth storm the lobby. One of the guards at the reception desk confronts them but is killed by a bullet between the eyes. The other guard is able to sound the alarm before meeting the same fate. The last thing the camera shows is one of the unknown soldiers directly facing it before firing a bullet into it.
Back in the lab things look grim. Because of the alarm the extraction sequence has stopped. But by chance power was cut just as the robot arm started to release the focus, meaning that it could now be extracted by hand. If that wouldn’t kill you.
Meanwhile Damian is at the edge of panicking. After all he was no soldier, and everything going wrong was too much for him to take. Out of sheer despair and without thinking much of the consequences, Damian takes the focus with his bare hands out of the claw. As soon as his hand touches the stone, world turns black around him.

He wakes up what feels like hours later but which couldn’t have been more than a minute on the floor of the lab with one of the mercenaries kneeling over him. His head is swimming with visions he can’t understand and he is feeling dizzy. But he’s alive. What he doesn’t know is that impact of the focus weakened the angel’s prison inside him…. Now things really started to get hectic. Somehow the unknown soldiers are able to use the elevator to head directly to the laboratory and they would have already reached the team if the hacker-guy wouldn’t have used the security-system to close the blast-doors. So now they are more or less cut off from the entrance. One mercenary helps Damian who was still quite dizzy and who is carrying the focus-stone to walk while the others were following behind to guard their retreat. Without any trouble they reached the stairs leading to the roof where the helicopter should extract them. Few minutes later Damian was stepping out to the roof. And he was looking at the muzzle of an assault rifle. It seems one guard has been waiting here for them. All Damian can do is put his hands up and kneel down like the guard is ordering them to. But then something moves inside him. His fear and panic widened the crack in the angel’s prison. Damian starts to tremble as being hit by a seizure. The guard is irritated by his behavior. Slowly he approaches Damian, poking him with the muzzle. That was his demise. Damian’s had bounces up, his eyes completely white. But before the guard can react Damian grabs the rifle and pulls it up away from his head. A swift blow with the other hand brakes the guard’s right arm like a straw. Another strike to the guard’s chest sends him flying over the edge. But he is dead the instant he was propelled backwards, his neck broken by the force. With a slight grin to his face Damian watches the body as it falls, his eyes still white like that of a corpse. Then they suddenly turn green again and Damian vomits his breakfast on the floor before being engulfed by darkness a second time.

Part Two: The escape
 
Damian wakes up inside the escape helicopter. He is feeling groggy and nauseous, his head hurting like having a major hangover. When he starts to recollect what has happened he realizes the awful truth… He has killed a man, killed him with his bare hands. And he was smiling when he did it.  Remembering this turns his stomach again, but there was nothing left to vomit. So he kneeled on the floor, clenching his hands so hard his knuckles turned white. After coughing up nothing more than stomach acid and air, he sits down again, feeling ill. The other mercenaries are concerned that the contact to the focus is causing these symptoms, but Damian dismissed that quickly. Somehow he has the feeling his body is not only rebelling against the memory of his murder, but also against something alien, something inside him…
His thoughts are interrupted when the helicopter lands in front of Mission-HQ to extract half of the people who stayed behind. A second helicopter is waiting to take the other half. Dr. Stone and his daughter were planned to be rescued first, but they get separated during the hectic departure. So Stone boards the first vessel, while Angela stays behind and waits for the second.
The second helicopter just landed, most of the mercenaries standing by to board it, when all of a sudden a wheezing noise cuts through the air. Half a second later the helicopter explodes in a giant fireball, killing five people and knocking Angela unconscious. Dr. Stone and Damian watch in horror as a Harrier rises behind a building not far away, the muzzle still smoking from firing the rocket. It seems the military was faster than they anticipated.  The jet is still rising fast, planning to get at the same height as the first helicopter to finish it off. While slowly ascending it is firing at the survivors on the ground, some of them trying to flee. When one salvo misses Angela by mere inches, Damian loses it. Grapping his normal, 2-handed sword Dr. Stone took with him when he fled the HQ, Damian catapults himself out of the helicopter, 100 feet above ground. The shouts of the people in the helicopter are dying away as Damian falls head-forward, the wind howling in his ears.
But something happens with Damian. The moment he jumps out of the vessel his subconscious takes over. The crack in his soul made by the focus becomes a rift. From one moment to the other Damian’s self is lost and the angel is in control. This time the transformation is much more complete than before. A white haze engulfs Damian, and a single white wing spreads behind him, lucent in the dawning sun. His long dark hair turns white just as are his eyes. Sparks of pure energy follow Damian’s fall and caress the blade as he unsheathes it. He then turns around, the tip of the blade between his feet, facing down - facing directly at the head of the pilot controlling the jet.
The blade penetrates the glass of the cockpit like a hot knife through butter. After that the head of the pilot isn’t posing a challenge. The power of Damian’s impact upon the plan sends cracks wandering over the glass. One second he stands there, kneeling on the plane, frozen in time. Then the hand of the pilot slowly slides from the joystick, the plane tilting to the side as a result. Damian just pulls the sword out of the pilot’s head, sheaths the blade and jumps somersaulting from the plane. Without a sound he lands on the ground while the jet crashes behind him. The resulting fireball sends Damian’s hair flying, and the light of the fire paints the scenery red. Like a statue he is standing there, lit by ever changing lights. He didn’t move a muscle when all of a sudden 10 soldiers were surrounding him, cocking their guns threateningly.
Slowly he raises his head, smiling into the face of the soldier in front of him. His white eyes show no emotion and the soldier wrought up by this hollow gaze is swallowing nervously. With a motion as fast as hummingbird’s wing beat Damian cuts the soldier in front of him in half. Before the other soldiers can react he jumps over them, using their proximity as a shield. He then starts cutting stabbing and dismembering until all of his enemies are reduced to a bleeding mass. His hands and face colored red by their blood he falls to his knees , suddenly struck by weakness. He starts hyperventilating violently, his whole appearance shifting back fast. As he turns into his former self again, a violent scream erupts from his throat, only stopping as darkness swallows him once more.
 

end of chapter I