“O well that is a relief the food here is terrible—”

“It is, but that is of the nature of such truck stops for the world’s elite, they pay for exclusivity not substance. In fact I recently had excellent ajiaco in its native setting. It was delicious but one cannot have it every day. It has an adverse effect on the body mass index.”

“Straight on the hips I guess.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“So I’m going to rob a bank for you Mr. Client.”

“Yes. If we can come to an agreement.”

“So what bank?”

“It is a very particular bank.”

“Okay.”

“It cannot be robbed.”

“Cool.”

“I wish you to rob it.”

“So you said.”

“It is the Kircheisen Festung.”

“Which branch?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Obviously there is only one of those and I am kidding, that is bank felony humor.”

“Oh. Is it.”

“Yep.”

“I will leave that part to you.”

“…Okay.”

“I am happy to say I possess physical plans for the Kircheisen Festung Mr. Price.”

“O you do?”

“Yes. They are—let us say they are probably accurate but not complete. They are four years old and you know what security people are. They tinker. They tinker endlessly and month by month like hoarder ants until their tunnels are thick with the wax of their obsession.”

“…That is a colorful way of putting it Mr. Client.”

“I had not noticed. I will provide you with the plans and I will pay you to provide me with specific items from within the vault. That payment will be substantial Mr. Price although I suspect you will find it is the ancillary aspects from which you derive the most profit.”

“And what is this item exactly Mr. Client?”

“Ten metal suitcases weighing approximately thirty-two kilograms each. Three hundred and twenty kilograms in total. For these cases and their contents unharmed I will give you three hundred million euros. But the rest of the vault—I do not care. And Mr. Price the contents will be delightful. All the secrets and treasures of the world. Nonetheless I would not have you concerned as to the profitability of the enterprise so I offer you a share in the value of my part of this. And I very specifically do not want anyone else to have those cases.”

“So the cases—”

“Are of uncertain value Mr. Price. In brute terms they approach a notional yield of one billion dollars but there are complications. I say this only for orientation, obviously you would not be so crass as to double-cross me before we have even shaken hands.”

“I would not double-cross you at all Mr. Client I just like to know what everyone gets out of the deal. It saves misunderstandings later regarding value given especially if prioritization is necessary during an operation.”

“…That is fair.”