The Great Document Heist

The queen’s treasury was rumored to hold many things.  Some claimed there were food stores.  Others, armor, made for every kind of dinosaur.  Still others, gems and gold.  And some claimed it held nothing at all.  But one particular rumor had caught Alula’s ear: a utahraptor said they’d snuck in, and had seen piles and piles of paperwork.  Documents from the time of the humans, records of Morpheus’s activities.  The thought of it set Alula’s heart aflutter.  Primary sources!  From Morpheus!  Undamaged by time and thoughtless dinosaurs!  So she’d rounded up her fellow reporters, and they were planning a heist.

The treasury was well fortified, its door sturdy, its walls tall.  But before its discovery, Atlanteans had never seen a flying dinosaur.  There were holes in the roof they had been unable to patch.  Trees and vines had been cleared in a radius around the treasury to prevent climbing, but that was no obstacle to one who could fly.  The only true challenge was reaching the place undetected.  Morrow, with her natural coloration, flew reconnaissance around the edges of the court for days, learning the rotation of the guards.  Flying at night was out of the question- none of the three fliers could see well in the dark.  But early morning, when some light was present and the guards were tired from the latest shift of keeping watch, that could be done.  It didn’t matter if they were spotted on the way out- the Atlanteans had yet to come up with an effective means of stopping fliers.  They just had to get in.

Dawn was just beginning to break when Alula, Morrow, and Chalice dropped out of the tree they were roosting in and began to soar toward the court of Atlantis.  The vegetation of the dome grew close to the ceiling, forcing the trio to weave as they flew, but it provided good cover from those who might be watching from below.  They avoided the artificial lights in the ceiling.  The lights were only just starting to brighten, but flying in front of them would cast their shadow upon the ground, revealing them.

An open area began to appear in front of them: the court itself.  And at the back, the treasury.  The trio banked, following the edge of the court, soaring just above the treetops.  Oviraptors rushed about busily below, preparing food and cleaning before the iguanodon courtesans woke, but none looked up as the two tapes and tropeo passed overhead.  And at last, they reached their target.  Alula was in front, and she slowed almost to a stall as she coasted down to where a falling panel from the dome’s ceiling had once smashed a hole through the treasury’s roof.  The gap was invisible from the ground, but a glaring opening to anyone above.  Alula landed gently next to it, followed by Morrow and then Chalice.  All three waited for a moment, listening for someone to cry alarm, but there remained only quiet activity from below.  With their approach undetected, they slipped inside.

The walls were lined with shelves, some sagging under the weight of what they carried.  Chests sat in neat rows along the floor, some open, some locked shut.  Crates overflowed, display cases showed their contents.  It was time to see if the rumors were true- or not.

Morrow flew to the door, her claws gripping onto the frame just above it.  Her job was to listen and warn the others if someone was coming in.  Meanwhile, Chalice and Alula set to work checking the treasury’s stock.  Chalice fluttered down onto the row of chests, peering at their contents, and Alula perched upon the shelves.

On the shelves were books of all sizes, and Alula squinted at the faded print on their spines.  Not many dinosaurs could read human script, but as a reporter she had considered it an important skill.  These, however, seemed to all be fantastical stories.  She hopped to the next shelf.  Poorly preserved leaflets, all falling apart.  Alula snorted in frustration.  A rustle behind her made her look up and she saw Chalice, a beaded necklace in his beak.  No- not beads, she realized, as they shone with iridescence.  Pearls!  Gently, her partner worked the necklace over her beak and crest until it hung about her neck, then stepped back to admire his work.  “Gorgeous,” he commented.  Alula preened her chest self-consciously.  Morrow snorted from her spot above the door.  Alula gave Chalice a thankful preening along the cheek, and he returned back to the chests, poking at their precious contents.

Alula returned to her reading.  Near the end of the shelf, she spotted it: an old, faded binder marked with the Morpheus logo!  “Aha!” she cried, leaping over to it.  Both Chalice and Morrow jumped at the sudden sound, then stared at her in disbelief.  Alula froze, abruptly remembering where she was.  She might’ve just given away the whole operation.  All three fliers sat still, holding their breath.

Suddenly, Morrow tilted her head, listening.  “Footsteps- I think someone heard you!” she whisper-shouted across the treasury.  Chalice and Alula burst into action, Chalice shoving as much treasure into his beak as could fit, and Alula frantically trying to work the binder out of the shelf.

The door slid open, a curious iguanodon guard poking his head in.  When he saw Alula and Chalice, still struggling to get airborne under the weight of their gains, his eyes widened and he shouted, barging into the room.  Chalice yelped, scrambling to get into the air, and Alula hesitated, about to turn back and help him.

Just then, Morrow leaped off the door frame, driving straight toward the back of the guard’s head.  She slammed into him, knocking his helmet askew and causing him to stumble.  It was just the break Chalice needed to get up and make for the hole in the ceiling.  Morrow swooped down, snatching a gem from the top of one of the chests in her claws as the guard pawed at his head, trying to remove his helmet from where it had covered his eyes.  By the time he could see again, all three were gone, winging away over the jungle with their prizes.