I couldn't think of any answer other than the truth, so I simply nodded. Right then, one of the Suits pointed at me. I was a made man.
In a panic, I looked down at Stevie's phone. The Fusion meter had raced from 12% to 44% and then to 77% in a matter of seconds. What had happened? I looked around in confusion until my eyes fell on the old man's glasses. They were swinging back and forth in his hand, coming between the viewfinder of the phone and the sun. The power level had rocketed up every time the glasses swung in front of it.
So I grabbed the glasses and held them directly between the power stream. Within a second, we were at 99%. But it was too late.
The tall Suit and a shorter, stout one were now standing five feet away with those weird laser-like beams drawn. People were fascinated but took a few steps back, cautiously hanging around to see what would happen next. The old man stayed remarkably calm. He had covered my trembling hand that held Stevie's phone with his newspaper.
The tall Suit motioned for me to put my hands up and said sternly in perfect English, "Give us the Ching and no one will get hurt."
The old man just sat there, as if he were watching an action movie. I put my hands up but left the phone under the paper. Barely moving my mouth, I whispered to the old man, "Do you know what a selfie is?"
I saw him nod out of the corner of my eye.
"Take it," I said quietly.
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