When planning a robbery, what's the first thing one would normally think of? "How are we going to avoid security?" Is probably a good start, but there is definitely one factor that is kinda important.
"How the hell am I going to get in?" I ask myself, looking up at the towering skyscraper with complete cluelessness; because I really did not think this through.
I had no climbing gear, no magnet-hands or whatever; hell, I didn't even have the classic toilet-plunger shit. How the hell was I going to do this?
Calm it, Ichigo, think; observe the building. You got your hands and feet, that's all ya' need. With a deep breath of air, I observe the building in a new light.
There were ledges placed every couple feet, as well as window sills; and there were cracks between the window panes that I might be able to squeeze my fingers into. There were no real footholds, meaning I had to rely solely on my upper-body and arm strength to pull me up.
Glancing at the side of the building showed no scaffolding I could use, and no air ducts or outward plumbing I could scale. I sighed, turning to face the building head on.
"What floor, Shiro?" I whisper, awaiting the green text in the upper left corner of the screen.
FLOOR 47, 5TH FROM THE TOP.
I nod, counting down from the top until I had the correct floor.
"Which window? And gimme a map if you can manage." I pull on a pair of black, fingerless gloves; smirking when a detailed map popped up on the right of the screen.
14TH WINDOW FROM THE RIGHT. MAP SHOWS GUARD PATTERNS, CAMERA SCOPES, AND THE RED DOT IS THE SHOWCASE. FEEL FREE TO GRAB ANYTHING YOU CAN; THE BAG'S GOT ROOM FOR JUST ABOUT ANYTHING YOU CAN SHOVE IN IT.
I nod, and align myself under the correct window. With a deep breath, I dig my fingers into the first-of-many window panes.
"Here I go, tell my dad I got shot at the bar if I end up dead." I mutter, pulling myself up to the first ledge.
YOU GOT IT, KING. DON'T DIE ON ME.
I smile, hopping up another couple feet using my tip toes; grasping another window pane and pulling myself up with a little bit more confidence.
"You got it, Horse."
Time seems to fly as I grew more confident; quickly finding a pattern between the wedging, pulling, jumping, and catching. After about the 5th floor, I was scaling up the side of the building like a spider-monkey. I found that despite going without breaks, my muscles and arms weren't getting tired at all.
I finally reached the 47th floor, and with adrenaline still pumping, I wait for the guard to pass on my map before I quietly broke the window. The opening was a little too high for me to pull myself through.
I think for a moment, before I get an idea. I plant my feet on the window, pushing with my legs letting go with my hands; rocketing me upwards. My legs than acted like extra arms, snagging the window sill and holding me upside down. I could see the pavement below me, and if I squinted I could almost make out Shiro's terrified face. I laugh happily, waving at him before rolling inside. I took a deep breath, the sound of my heart pumping in my ears making me almost giddy.
"I'm in." I giggle, inspecting the wall to see if it was possible to scale them as well. While it was just bare plaster, the hall was narrow enough that I could lift myself to the ceiling between them.
YOU NEARLY GAVE ME A BLOODY HEART ATTACK!
"You get an adrenaline rush from driving like a maniac; and I learned I happen to get an adrenaline rush from nearly plummeting to my death. The more you know, right?" I chuckle, planting my hands and feet on the adjacent wall and scaling upwards to the tiled ceiling. I dig my fingers into the slits, heart pumping from the weight of gravity pulling down on me.
PLEASE DON'T TELL ME YOUR TRYING TO SPIDER-MAN YOUR WAY DOWN THE HALL USING THE CEILING.
"I could, but that would be lying. Now shush, a guard is coming." I mutter, crawling across the ceiling as a middle-aged man walked down the hall below me; conveniently not seeing the broken window in the corner.
"Man, I don't know why they have us watchin' the halls. Ain't nobody gonna come and steal the damn ruby. This place hasn't had a robbery in years." The guard grumbles, sweeping his flashlight across the hall.
I was careful to stay behind the man; because if I fell I had a better chance to knock him out from behind before he realized what was going on. I crept along the ceiling precariously, slowly but surely getting a feel for the slim edges on the ceiling that I was using to crawl upside down.
I glance at the map, scanning for the white dot that represented me. I needed to take a left, then a right; and I'd be at the show room. Another good ½ mile of upside-down spider-manning. Yay.
The guard turned right at the fork, and I parted ways with him quietly as I continued to scale the ceiling above the ground.
"How're ya' holding' up, Shiro?" I mumble, holding still long enough to take a breath before continuing forward.
GOOD, NONE OF THE SECURITY GUARDS HAVE NOTICED SHIT ABOUT THE CAMERAS. JUST DON'T FALL AND YOU'LL BE COOL, KING.
I nod, glancing at the map before cursing quietly. There were several guards surrounding the showcase; I wouldn't be able to get in without one seeing me.
"Shiro, there's several around the ruby; I won't be able to just drop in and grab it," I grumble, spotting a vent on the ceiling. "and give me a map of the ventilation real quick."
Another map pops up on the screen, taking its place under the first one. I sigh, pulling myself through the vent and closing it up again. I rubbed my aching hands, surveying the ventilation maps. It looked like the vent I was in would lead right above the ruby's case, but I'd still have to deal with the guards.
LET THE MASK DEAL WITH IT; JUST TELL IT TO ACTIVATE THE PEACEFUL WEAPONS SYSTEM.
I nod, turning to crawl down the cramped ventilation shaft. It was a nice break from wedging my sore fingers between tight cracks so I wasn't complaining. I finally make it above the ruby, and I quietly pull the vent cover up from its place; setting it to the side. I reach down, grabbing a small ledge and pulling myself through; perching myself at an awkward angel as I faced the ground.
I glanced around the room, my eyes finding the showcase with the ruby in it. There were many other showcases in the room, each holding its fair share of priceless diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires inside. They would definitely be worth snagging as well.
"I'm here, get the van ready." I mutter, analyzing the guards. None of them had seen me yet; well enough, I wouldn't have been able to plan if they had spotted me right off the bat.
"Activate Peaceful Weapons System." I mutter, holding back a yelp as the mask suddenly went into a near-fluid state; the white material sliding down my arms and hardening into a flexible plastic, the fingers slightly clawed.
PEACEFUL WEAPONS SYSTEM ACTIVATED
OFFENSIVE ITEMS INCLUDE:
-SLEEP DARTS
-TEAR GAS
-FLASH GRENADES
OFFENSIVE WEAPONS SYSTEM WILL BE ACTIVATED IF DEEMED NECCESARY
"Oh, this is awesome!" I yell, alerting the guards. I feel my claws change to dart guns, the pressure sensitive triggers pressed against my finger-tips.
"Who the hell are you?!" a guard yells, pointing his flashlight at me. I smile, aiming my claw at him.
I FUCKING DARE YOU.
I smirk, understanding immeaditly what my partner wanted.
"Why, I'm the King." A dart launched from my finger, lodging itself perfectly in the guard's neck. Within a second, the large man dropped.
"Nice!" I quickly take out another guard, dropping from my position on the ceiling to land on top of another one; taking him down to the ground with me. His head slams through the glass showcase; but the alarm system didn't go off.
"Oh, he's gonna feel that one tomorrow. Let him know I said sorry, will ya?" I fire off another dart, nailing the last guard in the chest. He drops, and I quickly unsling my bag from my back. I pry the ruby from its stand, shoving it in. I look around the room, unceremoniously shoving other valuable jewels into the bag as well; noticing that despite the amount of heavy gems, the bag didn't get any heavier.
"I'm coming back, Shiro; hope you got everything set up." I laugh, busting out of the room and running down the hall. Despite how light the bag was; it was still too much weight to lug along with me upside down on the ceiling. Stealth was no longer a priority.
YOU GOT IT KING. JUST GET OUT THROUGH WHATEVER WINDOW YOU REACH FIRST; I'LL POSITION MYSELF TO GET TO YOU. DON'T GET SHOT.
I smirk, my eyes landing on the row of windows at the end of the hall. With little disregard to my surroundings, I dove out of the first one I reached; breaking through the glass loudly.
"YAHOOOOO!" I yell, plummeting towards the ground at breakneck speed; the air shooting past me at a breathtaking pace. I spot a ledge, twisting myself to land on it on my tip toes. I tilt slightly over the edge, watching for the van. I wasn't able to hold back my grin when I saw it peel around the corner, tires squealing, and the van's back doors opening to show Shiro.
"Get yer suicidal-ass down here and let's go!" he shouts, and I nod. I size up the rest of the fall, and jump again. I could hear Shiro's yelp of surprise and horror, and I let out a giddy peal of laughter as I twist to hit the ground in a graceful crouch.
"That was AWESOME!" I yell out, diving through the back doors and closing them. I drop the bag on the bed, securing it with bungees before buckling into the front seat. Shiro was glaring at me.
"Dude, ya call leap-o-faithin' from the top of a 52-story-buildin' fun?" Shiro grumbles exasperatedly, slamming his foot down on the gas and shooting us forward. I let out a frightened yelp, grasping on to the seat as we shoot down the streets.
"And yet yer scared by my drivin'? Ya' make no sense, King." Shiro chuckles, jerking the wheel to the right as the hit the highway. I glare over at him, pulling the mask off my face, letting my orange hair fall into my face.
"Yeah, well, it's just part of my charm, Horse."
I decided to just ignore Shiro's wide grin in retort.