Chapter 1: No Loose Ends
Nine Years Later. . .
The sun was burning high, not a single cloud hanging over the bustle of Ninjago City. Car horns blared in the tight traffic that sprawled through the downtown area. Citizens meandered along the streets to and from the many retail stores and companies harbored within the city. Ninjago City was thriving and peaceful, despite the many odd occurrences that always threatened to disturb, thanks to the guardians that protected the land.
Deep within the city, in a small skyscraper, an unknown blast broke a large window and sent a shower of tempered glass to the streets below. Two individuals dressed in dark clothes with clown masks stared at the low building across from them and set down the device they'd used to break the glass. One of the men grabbed a new gadget with a hooked end and rested it on his shoulder, pressed the trigger and fired the tethered grappling hook across the street. It attached itself to its intended target. They secured their gear to the line and the two zip-lined above the busy streets.
On the street, another individual stood on the street corner with a duffle bag on his back and a clown mask hanging from his hip. The sound of tires screeching alerted him to a van rushing down the street. He quickly met it and climbed inside to join the others inside.
Back on the roof top, the two that had zip-lined safely landed and detached themselves, and their bag, before they rushed to the roof access door. They stopped at a locked box and pried it open with a crowbar, snipping two wires inside. "You think the ninja are going to stop us quicker than the cops?" one of them asked, slinging the bag over his shoulder.
"After disabling the security system and cameras," the other said, "doubt it. There's no way the cops or the ninja will catch us before the job is done." He stowed his tools away before opening the access door and descending down the stairs. "Hurry up. We got sixty seconds."
In the van, five masked men gazed at one another as they sped down the road. Some were checking their guns and ensuring they were loaded. One checked his watch and nodded. "We got sixty seconds. By now Alpha and Beta have disarmed the security," he informed the others. "No cops or ninja will be able to stop us."
A small guy, shorter than the others, stared at his watch nervously and took a deep breath. The job was going to be intense. "So. . . why do they call him Joker?" he wondered, trying to break the ice. "Surely there has to be a reason, right?"
"I heard it's because of the make-up he wears," Delta answered.
"Make up?" Helix inquired. "Sounds dumb."
"No, no, no. He wears it to make himself intimidating. Like how old rockstars would wear it for entertainment."
"I heard from some other people that he's called that because of the jokes he makes," Charlie added. "Only his jokes don't really make anyone laugh except himself. . . while he's beating the crap out of people."
The small man's eyes widened and he gulped. He really didn't like the sound of that, and he didn't want to ruin the job and make the boss mad. The passenger, Helix, gazed at his watch and nodded. "Fifteen seconds, Foxtrot. Rendezvous back here in twenty minutes," he informed the driver, getting his gun ready. He didn't wait for a reply as they pulled up to the bank. Four men climbed out and headed up the stairs while the driver sped away.
Inside the bank, Alpha and Beta finally reached their objective and set their bag down. In front of them stood a large bank vault, magnetic locks and hand cranked valves keeping it shut. Alpha reached into the bag and pulled out a drill with a magnetic attachment. He pressed it against the metal door and activated it, listening as it slowly drilled. "This will take ten minutes," he informed his partner. "Make sure no one intervenes or we're screwed."
Beta nodded and took up post at the vault entryway, his gun armed and ready.
The small man, Echo, followed his partners closely as they waited outside of the lobby. His heart raced. The objective was closer and his nerves grew more and more. He carefully peeked around the corner and saw that the lobby wasn't very crowded: about seven tellers and sixteen civilians. Echo turned back to see Helix and the others checking their equipment one last time before they barged in.
Citizens and tellers walked back and forth across the quiet lobby, but the sound of gunfire startled everyone as four masked men stomped in. "Everyone get down on the ground!" the leader, Helix, demanded. He fired his gun at the ceiling. "Come on, move it!"
Everyone in the lobby immediately dropped to the marble floor. Helix turned to Delta and Charlie and pointed at the tellers behind the counters. "You two, make sure they don't do anything funny. Everyone else, stay here and secure the area."
Echo watched as Delta and Charlie moved behind the desks to keep the tellers in place, all the while keeping his weapon trained on the people in front of him. His heart was pounding against his ribs and he took collective breaths to try and calm his nerves. How much longer did they have wait before they could leave?
The drill finally stopped. Alpha and Beta quickly unscrewed the large valve and pulled. The thick, armor plated door swung open. Both of their jaws dropped at the sight of the money stacked high on tables in the middle of the vault. They hit the jackpot. Without hesitation, the two grabbed several duffle bags and started stuffing the money into them until they were full, and then they filled more. "Go and get one of the others to help us bring these up," Alpha demanded.
Echo turned his head to the sound of heavy footfall in the quiet, tense lobby. One of the others was racing down the hall across from him. It looked like he was being rushed. Beta ran over to the leader and whispered something. "Echo," the leader said, nodding, "follow Beta and help bring the loot here. The driver will be here soon. Now go!"
Nodding, the small man followed his burly comrade to the vault. His jaw dropped at the number of bags piled outside of it. Ten full bags. Enough money to do almost anything. Echo watched Alpha and Beta each grab two bags and sling them over their shoulders. He holstered his weapon and followed suit. The trio made two trips, carrying the bags to the lobby. Helix motioned for them to gather while still targeting the civilians. "We've got less than five minutes before Foxtrot gets here," he said. "Until then, keep these people down." He lifted his eyes in time to see Echo wander away. "Echo, get back here!"
A small snicker escaped the masked man as he let out a deranged, cheerful laugh. His comrades looked at each other. What had gotten into him all of a sudden? "Oh boy. . . oh boy. . ." Echo chuckled. He turned his small, automatic weapon around and fired at his comrades' legs. They dropped to the floor as the civilians kept their heads down.
Pain radiated across Helix's leg and he groaned against the burning wave. He kept pressure on his right leg and watched blood escape the wound. His comrades whimpered in pain and he was growing increasingly worried. Echo danced happily and Helix glowered at him. "What the hell, man!?" he bellowed. "We're in this together! We don't go rogue! Who do you think you are!?"
Echo stopped his dancing and casually walked over towards his injured comrades. He could feel their hatred through their masks. "Do you know what you need to do to complete a job? What you need to do?" he mused. "You have to plan out everything strategically. How many people you need to bring, the equipment you need to carry. . ."
"Killing your partners in the end!?" Delta hissed.
Chuckling, Echo shook his head. "Oh no, no, no. . . The only person I had to kill was a bus driver."
"Bus driver?" Charlie inquired.
At that moment, the glass doors of the bank shattered as a yellow school bus crashed through it. The civilians shielded themselves against the shards of glass. The back door of the bus swing open to reveal the driver, Foxtrot. He hopped out and headed for the bags, but stopped as he caught sight of his partners on the floor. "What happened to them!?"
Echo didn't reply as he shot Foxtrot in the leg and began to load the bus.
After the final bag was loaded, Echo wandered back to Helix and knelt down beside him. "Now, where was I? The planning, the number of people, the equipment. . . oh yes. The most important thing about completing a job is to ensure that there are no loose ends." He removed his mask, revealing a pale face and slicked back bright green hair. His partners looked on in awe. It was the man they had been talking about earlier: their boss, Joker. "By the way, some of you were very close when guessing how I got my name. But you'll never really find out." He stood up and headed for the bus. "I bid thee farewell." He disappeared inside it.
The bus shuttered as it rode over the rubble, but slowly and surely it broke free from the bank. Echo-Joker laughed to himself and he drove down the stairs, clouds of debris following right behind him. Soon he merged behind a caravan of school buses that were driving into the city. Sirens wailed past the buses as they raced towards the bank. The man laughed even more. It was all according to plan: a job well done with no loose ends. Nothing could stop him, even if they died trying.