The house was very old. It was also very large. It towered above the rest, for it was a four story complex. The neighborhood around the house was a relatively rich one, but this one house outstripped them all. Its owner was Quentin Kaymar, a very rich man. He had twenty billion dollars in the bank and was overall worth about thirty billion dollars. The simple fact that he
owned the house showed that he was very rich indeed. The house was surrounded by a large outer wall, which was bristling with hidden cameras. Not one square inch of the wall wasn't being surveyed. In effect, it was
impossible to breach the wall without being seen.

Then, after a few meters of courtyard there was a second, inner gate. This one was not particularly thick, but a wooden balcony had been built upon
the house side of the wall and this balcony was bristling with security
guards which patrolled along the wall, which in turn meant that not one piece of the courtyard was left unsupervised for over two minutes. In fact, it was exactly every two minutes that any piece of land was left unguarded. The guards were very precise. Of course, with all these security measures, one expected there to be something incredibly valuable hidden within the house. And one would be completely right. For hidden within the house was the world's largest cut diamond. It was the slightly smaller than a bowling ball. And this single item was worth one billion dollars. This huge diamond
was the sole reason for the plentiful security reasons.

But along with incredible riches came a great amount of trouble. And so it was that a police car stopped before the first gate, and one of the many
guards opened it for the policemen. They had been called for alleged reports of gunshots being heard in the vicinity of the house, and they were here to check whether any weapons had been fired, and if so, whether they were legal weapons or not. They where slightly nervous about entering the house of this most rich man. The policemen then drove towards the second gate and they stopped. It was at that precise moment 12 O'clock, and the boot of the cop car silently opened, allowing a blackly clad man to leap out. He silently closed the back of the car and dashed for the second wall,
without guard or policemen noticing him. This man was known as James Hawkeye. He seemed to be forty but already had gray hair and a thin, gray
moustache.

He was, as I had already before mention, clad completely in black, also
wearing a black wool beanie that covered his hair and a pair of black
gloves. He was tall and lanky and had a large backpack upon his back, filled entirely with items he needed for his venture. He was a genius, and he also happened to be a near legendary criminal. He was one of the best burglars in the business. He sprinted towards the wall and crouched down,
after which he fished a large, glass syringe from his back. He had precisely one minute and fifty seconds before the guard turned the corner and spotted the would-be thief. He had received this information from one
of the guards who he had drugged with a truth serum in a bar. The
unfortunate man had awoken the next day without any recollection of the nights events. He had assumed he had simply gotten drunk and then staggered
home.

The syringe James held contained Hydrochloric acid which he then began to dribble on the mortar of the first brick. After carefully dissolving the mortar he removed the brick and set to work on the next one. One minute and
forty seconds later he realized he had less than ten seconds to remove another three bricks. It was impossible. Fortunately he had a back up plan. From his back pack he withdrew a small remote control with two buttons upon it. He pressed one of them once and a second or two later, over the wall, in the park upon the other side of the road, cleverly hidden within one of the bushes, a machine shot a tennis ball clearly over the wall and into the courtyard beyond, in full view of the startled guard who was about to turn
around the corner and thus spot James as he dismantled the brick wall.
James had pinched the machine from a tennis court and had built in the
remote control only a few nights ago.

The security guard reached for his radio and spoke into it just as James removed another brick. "A tennis ball just bounced into the courtyard. What should I do?" The radio was only supposed to be used in emergencies, but
for all the guard knew, it could be one. The head of security answered crossly "Investigate it, it might be a bomb or a hidden camera." James had
removed the second last brick as the guard descended the stairs and examined the ball. It seemed to be a normal tennis ball. And it was, for
James hadn't deemed a tennis ball bomb or camera necessary for this
particular venture.

The guard then told the head of security that there was no problems. By
this time James had removed the last brick and had pushed his back pack through the small hole in the wall. He himself then crawled through, after which he rapidly placed the bricks back into the wall just as the security
guard rounded the corner. James Hawkeye sighed. He was past the second
wall. He heard the footsteps of the guard as he passed above on the
balcony. From now on, there were no cameras, for the owner of the house deemed it unnecessary. The first wall was impossible to pass without being seen. The only way to get in was if you were invited in through the gate.
And only Quentin Kaymar himself, or several of his closest friends were invited in. And of course the police. His friends could be trusted, and he doubted the police would attempt to steal his famous diamond. So Quentin had decided to build the second wall, should someone pass the first, which
was impossible.

Meanwhile, the police had passed the second gate where two of the several security guards had accompanied them up to the office of Quentin Kaymar, after the police had stated that they wished to speak to him. After they
had gone the car was thoroughly searched by the remaining henchmen, the precise reason James hadn't stayed within the car as they passed the second
gate. Once the car was deemed safe, the security guards assumed their
normal positions and waited.

James put the remote control back in his back alongside the now empty syringe. He pulled out a strange hook gun which could fire a coil of rope attached to a hook which would then hook onto something, after which the
person wielding the gun could haul themselves up. The next stage of the operation was tricky. A day before he had fired a firework rocket straight
through the attic window. It had shattered, and the security guards had blamed local hooligans for the stunt. A man had been called to fix it and would arrive tomorrow. The smashed window provided a silent route into the house, provided, of course, he could haul himself up. This next phase of the plan was one of the most complicated and difficult ones. At precisely the right time he fired the hook gun and it landed perfectly in the broken window, snagging on the sill. But James couldn't just climb the wall, one of the guards was bound to notice. So he needed a distraction. Something that would give him the three minutes it would take to climb the building. He drew out the remote control from the backpack and he pushed the other button. He then crammed the remote control into his backpack and began to
climb.

A guard was patrolling the second wall when he heard a strange whistling noise. He looked to the first wall and he gave a shout. Several guards on different locations on the wall came running. He shouted once more and drew his weapon. Flying at high speeds across the wall, was a continued stream of tennis balls. They flew randomly, some barely passing the wall, others
striking the second wall with dull thuds. The other guards arrived with weapons in their hands, and they each gave a surprised gasp. The barrage
seemed to never end, when finally, all forty nine balls had cleared the wall, and it ceased. The guards seemed uncertain how to act. This could be some dumb prank of the local hooligans, or it could be something much more
sinister. One of the guards picked up his radio. "Umm, sir, we have a crisis here." Then he continued. "There are tennis balls everywhere, they
all come from over the wall." There was a stunned silence and then the radio crackled. "What?" The head of security asked in a dubious tone. "All
these tennis ball where just flying over the wall and-" Began the guard
once more when the commander interrupted. "Are they hostile?" He roared into the piece and the guard jumped slightly. "They don't seem to be, sir." The commander then shouted "Well check them for traps!" Then the security
guards all scrambled for the gate. If there was a grenade amongst the
tennis balls, and they didn't find it, there would be hell to pay.

As the guards investigated the tennis balls, James had almost finished his
big climb. And at the same time, the police arrived at the office of Quentin Kaymar. One of the guards knocked and was bid to enter. He opened the door and the two policemen entered the room. Quentin was sitting upon a
large black leather swivel chair and as the police entered he eyed them suspiciously. He was a young man, and had gained much of his riches through the untimely death of his parents. He was thirty five years old, had short blond hair and wore glasses. He was the CEO of a large mining company in Africa, through which he had also become owner of the world's largest cut diamond. "Hello, Mr. Kaymar, I am called Officer Brown and this here." He said gesturing to his comrade, "Is Officer Benson. We have had some reports of weapons being fired within the vicinity of this house. And considering the large amount of guards you have stationed here, we decided to look into it." The police officer leaned closer. "Have any shots been fired in the
vicinity of this house to your knowledge?" he asked.

Quentin Kaymar shook his head. "There have been none. May I inquire as to who has reported these gun shots?" The policemen shook their head. Officer Brown said "That is classified information, Mr. Kaymar. Now does everyone in your guard have a gun license?" Quentin nodded and pulled out several papers he had prepared for the policemen. "Here they are." He said and he handed them the paper. The policeman consulted the papers until he finally said "So you deny the firing of any weapons in this house?" Officer Brown asked. Mr. Kaymar nodded. "Yes, that's exactly what I am saying. Now if you
don't mind, I am a busy man." The policemen nodded. "I am sorry for any inconvenience we may have caused." Then they got up and left the office.

James had of course made the call, and had then hid in the trunk of the
policemen in order to pass the first wall. He hoisted himself into the
room, careful to avoid the sharp remains of the window. He unhooked the
hook gun and put it back in his pack. He looked around. There was junk everywhere. He was in the attic. He had stolen the plans of the house from the city hall and had memorized them. There were no cameras in the attic,
but there would most likely be some in the other parts of the house. He
crept along the attic, careful not to make any noises. He spotted a
trapdoor on the floor and he noiselessly opened it. He listened for a moment and then he peeped through. He was in a hallway. It was deserted.

He silently lowered himself down and then he closed the trapdoor. He snuck down the hallway till he reached a door to his left. He quietly opened it slightly and he peered inside. He saw nobody. He didn't hear a thing. He quickly slipped inside the room and he closed the door behind him and then
locked it. He looked around and he saw that he was in Quentin Kaymar's bedroom. A large king sized water bed stood in the middle of it. It looked
very comfortable. James promised himself to buy himself one once he was
rich. He crossed the bedroom to the large window. This part of the
operation was based completely on luck rather than skill. If he was unlucky, he would be seen. If he was lucky, he wouldn't. For in the room
beside this one was the safe room.

But two guards stood before the door at all times. He wouldn't be able to go in through the door. So he would go another way. James then pulled two
things from his bag. One, a suction cup. The other, a glass cutter. He
placed the cup firmly on the window, and then he cut a large round hole
around it. Then, he pulled the cut glass pane from the window using the suction cup, and placed it gently on the bed. He then put the glass cutter between his teeth and the suction cup back in his bag. Now came the tricky part. He stepped through the hole in the window, onto the narrow step just below the window. It was no wider than his hand. He then looked down and his stomach twisted into a knot. There, four stories below, he spotted the walls and the men guarding them. If even one of them looked up for just a
moment, all would be lost.

James cleared his mind and placed one foot before the other, and he slowly began to edge his way along the wall. Sweat broke out on his brow. It was
something entirely different to imagine something, and then to actually experience it. After five terrifying minutes he reached the other window and he slowly took the glass cutter from his teeth and he cut a round hole
into the glass. He pushed it and it fell with a light thump onto the carpet. No need for the suction cups. He stepped into the safe room. On one
side of the room was a huge thick metal door that protected the safe. A
small keypad with 10 numbers on it was glued the wall. Beside it, on a small desk, was a computer. Kaymar's personal computer. And aiming directly at it, was a camera. At the moment, he was invisible, but if he tried to approach the safe, he would be caught. Time for some action. He silently approached the camera from its blind side, and then, once he was directly below it, he leapt up and stabbed straight into the lens of the camera with his glass cutter. The screen cracked and the glass cutter was embedded in it. He quickly went to work. Soon they would notice the broken camera, and
then they would want to know what the problem was. He approached the
computer and turned it on.

Five minutes later he began to search for the code for the safe. It took
him less than two minutes. He was gifted with computers. His hands
trembling as he typed in the nine digit password and then he opened the safe. There was a small green light on the keypad and a section of the wall beside the safe swung around to reveal an imprint of a hand. It needed the identical hand of Quentin Kaymar to open the safe. James Hawkeye opened his bag and brought out a black case. He opened it and took the plaster hand that lay inside it. A month or two ago, Quentin had stayed at a hotel and James had impersonated one of the waiters and had drugged his coffee. Once
the multi billionaire was asleep, James had proceeded to create an identical plaster of Kaymar's hand. He put the plaster hand into the hand print groove and a green light flashed below it. The safe door gave a small
click. James swung it open.

And there, within the dark safe, lay the largest cut diamond in the world, upon a cushion which rested upon a pedestal. Suddenly doubt gnawed at his insides. What if something went wrong? Then he told himself that he could not back out now, and he stepped forwards into the safe room. Suddenly an alarm went off, sounding throughout the whole house. It seems he had broken a beam of light that he should have stepped over. He expertly grabbed the diamond and lifted it gently off the pillow. He turned and ran. He took no more than three steps when two large guards burst into the room and pointed
two very mean looking guns straight at his head. He raised his hands.
"Well, what have we here?" One of the guards said, smiling.

Quentin Kaymar sat in his office. The thief, James Hawkeye had been apprehended. He smiled. He had never thought that anyone could breach his elite security system. The thief might not have stolen the diamond, but he had taught Quentin a valuable lesson. He would have to beef up the security
quite a bit. The thief had been put into jail until his trial. Then he would stay there permanently. Kaymar smiled. His security system had still
held against one of the most brilliant criminal minds.

James sat in silence in his cell and waited for the guard to walk past. He had, after several hours of testing, managed to create a silicon in his lab
that would disintegrate after exactly seventy two hours of it being applied. He had snuck into the prison and sawed through the bars of several of the empty cells. He had replaced the bars with his silicon and then ran.
His plan had worked. It was precisely seventy two hours after he had applied them. Once the jailor was out of ear shot, he ran up to the bars
and ripped them out of the window. He put them on the floor and then climbed out, a grin on his face. His plan had worked! Outside, he quietly
ran to the spot where he had buried one of his special back packs. He
hurriedly dug and then uncovered his bag. He opened it and pulled out a remote control. He pushed one button on it and simultaneously twenty tear
grenades exploded all over the prison.

Police officers instantly ran to find out what the commotion was, and to quell any uprisings. It took them no less than ten minutes to figure out that no one was attacking the jail. The brighter ones then realized that the occasion might be used to escape. But by that time James was already long gone. He ran to the weak spot in the brick wall that he had made only a few days ago and he quickly removed the bricks and crawled through. He was free. His plan had worked! Although he had not stolen the diamond, his plan had succeeded. For you see, that was part of the plan. The theft of the diamond was only a decoy. He knew that he would never escape the house
by stealth. So he had been caught for trying to steal the largest cut
diamond in the world. In actual fact he had stolen something much more
valuable.

Quentin was looking at his money that had been stored in the bank when he suddenly realized something was wrong. He had ten different bank account to hold his money, and each held approximately two billion dollars. But one
bank account was two billion short. It was empty. He gave a shout as he realized that it was the account that was only accessible by his computer
upstairs! His mind instantly made the link. The thief. He had only pretended to steal the diamond so that he could steal two billion in the confusion! He grabbed the phone in order to call the police, when it rang instead. He picked it up. It was the police. "Hello, this is Officer Brown.
Is this Mr. Kaymar?" Kaymar answered and then Brown asked "Did James Hawkeye attempt to steal one of your possessions?" Kaymar answered "Yes." Once more then Officer Brown sighed. "I'm afraid to inform you that James
Hawkeye had escaped from his cell."