Hello again folks! It's me, Lowland Warrior with the next- 'Signal lost'
Hey guys, Applauze here! So I want to say thank you to everyone who's been reading the story so far and supporting us in terms of reviews and favorites. Now Warrior has allowed me to step onto center stage and do a chapter by myself, to indicate that I'm not just a person in the shadows. I contribute a lot behind the scenes like planning, suggesting, and even trying to help organize how the story goes. I know you all want to see the first heist, but you have to be a bit more patient since we're trying to build up the hype for you guys.
In addition, this won't be the last chapter I do myself. I don't know many I'll end up doing, but I do know that there will be one from me down the road that's a bit artistic in it's take, but that's the only hint I'm giving for now.
Now, I should stop the author's note here for now and let you all start reading. The rest is, as usual, at the bottom of the page.
Oh Christ, I hope this turns out good.
I really need to stop taking now…
Chapter 4: Preparations
Duncan felt weird being at a coffee shop early in the morning. Normally he'd be sleeping in until late afternoon after staying out all night, but when he got the text from Noah asking him to meet Geoff at the coffee shop, he figured that a one day change wouldn't hurt him.
But it was Geoff, and considering they had a falling out a few years prior, he didn't know what was going to happen.
He had to remember that this was Noah's idea. Noah insisted that they spend some time out in public so to mend a broken bond if not then to not look suspicious by remaining indoors all day. The idea of revenge was appeasing to Duncan, but he didn't expect himself to find the opportunity through what he called "the island of misfit toys." There was Noah, the arrogant one. Cody, the wimpy one. Scarlett, the deceiving one. Geoff, the bandwagon and then there was Gwen.
When confronted with the fact that he'd be working with his ex didn't brought good news to him right way. He still remembered when they broke up and she told him that she hoped he'd die a horrible death. It might've been a bit extreme at the time, but he didn't know if she thought that way or no.
At the same time, he couldn't let his head be filled with emotional doubts. He had a job to do, and he was glad that he was part of a team that was going to eventually get revenge on Chris and Duncan couldn't wait. He had some unfinished business with the host ever since he sent him to jail.
It didn't take long for Geoff to arrive, and order two coffees. He came over to the table and handed Duncan one.
"I normally don't drink this stuff, but I can't say much if you bought it." Duncan said.
"Eh, I just figured that since we're working together again that we could be semi-friendly toward each other." Geoff replied.
"Well since we've not seen each other in a while, I figured that we catch up." Duncan added. "How's your life been?"
"If we're going to be honest with each other, bro, it's not been great." Geoff responded while seemingly being reluctant to talk, but since they were in this heist conspiracy together and there would be more jobs to come, he had to be decent toward his former best friend.
"I know that Geoff. My life's not been great either, but we're in this together. We can either open up and at least be somewhat pals again or be awkward around each other, which will make the whole thing fall apart. It's up to you."
"I guess we can open up-"
"And I'll let you start." Duncan offered as he leaned back.
Geoff heaved a bitter sigh before beginning. "If we're being honest bro, my life's not been great. I mean, the fame was wonderful, and I felt like I was on top of the world, but I started losing my grip on reality. In my endless search for partying and fun, I turned to the bottle and before I knew it, I was drinking almost non-stop. I wanted to quit for Bridge's sake, but I just couldn't. Every time I tried to, I ended up drinking more and more until the point that things between us started falling apart. It didn't help that I took up gambling to help cope with the drinking problem I developed. Before long, not only did I gamble all of my money, but Bridge's too.''
"It all came down on me one morning when I woke up to find that she was was gone. I searched all around the apartment but her stuff was gone and she didn't leave any clues as to where she went. That was when I knew that I lost her. The world became a dark place for me. My grades plummeted and before I knew it was kicked out of college. I sunk into a deep state of depression. I was so depressed that I wanted to end it all, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. My mind was so foggy, to the point that I didn't know what was real anymore. That was when I realized that I needed help.''
"So I did the right thing. I checked myself into rehab for both alcoholism and gambling. I spent about a year and half getting cleaned up and learning how to move on from the past. After getting out, I wanted to get away from the past so I became a truck driver for a logging company, and while I've enjoyed being on the open road a lot, a part of me still wishes I could find Bridgette and ask for her forgiveness. She's out there somewhere, man, but I don't know where. Until I can find her, the burden will always remain on my heart. But it's buried underneath the present since I don't want it to destroy me again. I still have heartaches at the last, but it's not as severe as it was."
The whole time that Geoff was talking, Duncan couldn't believe what he was hearing. Geoff did had a rough life, a little bit more rougher than what he thought. He knew that Geoff had fell off of the bandwagon, but not as hard as Geoff mentioned.
He didn't know who had it worse, him or Geoff. But they were about to find out.
"Man, I'm sorry." Duncan finally replied after hearing Geoff speak. "I didn't know what happened to you. It made me kinda wish I had been there for you."
"Me too. But there are somethings you have to fight alone." Geoff added.
"Well I'm guessing that it's my turn now. So here goes nothing. As you know, I was sent to prison for blowing up Chris's mansion. At first, I thought it was worth it and that the sentence wouldn't be that bad, but little did I know what Chris had in store. He had me sent to about the worst prison in Canada. I mean, this place was home of the worst kind of criminals. The treatment there was so horrible that you can't begin to imagine it. So, being desperate, I escaped.''
"It wasn't easy to escape, but when I finally did, I got the hell away from that place. I became a fugitive on the run. I knew that I needed to keep a low profile, but being the criminal that I am, that was all but impossible. I started going all over the county, doing armed robberies and thefts. I always got out of there and managed to keep myself one step ahead of the law, but I was stupid enough to arm a armed car full of cash and was finally caught.
"Needless to say, I made headlines all over the county and my trial were somewhat of celebrity status. They wanted the maximum, which is life, but the jury was deadlocked. Instead, they gave me a five year sentence, with the possibility of parole, and I got out about nineteen months later for good behavior. Ever since, I kept a low profile and avoided anyone from my past, until now, when I got the message from Noah about joining this heist. At first, I was a bit hesitant about returning to the past ways, but the offer he made was too good to pass up. So here I am now, back with you, and trying to figure out if we're going to make it or if we're going to face a firing squad."
"Well, I guess we've both had pretty bad lives since the show, but we're not the only ones. I heard Scott's became a meth addict and Izzy committed suicide by filling her pockets with stones and drowning." Geoff pointed out, perhaps a little numbed by Duncan's backstory. [1]
"Sounds like we've all had pretty shitty lives."
"Tell me about it." Geoff replied, cocking his head slightly.
"But while I wouldn't mind hearing about how bad everyone else has it, we have a job to do Geoff. Noah sent us out to find a van. The only way I can think of getting one for our heist is that we have to steal one." Duncan stated before he rose from his seat.
"Why can't we just rent one bro?" Geoff asked with a confused glare as he followed suit.
"Because, renting one can trace it back to us, and Noah specifically said that we'd be killed if we do that." Duncan explained in a hushed tone while they headed for the exit. ''On top of that, I have a feeling the van needs to be sprayed over with the company's logo, so go explain that to a renting company when you return it.''
"So how are we going to find one?" Geoff asked.
"It needs to be a simple van that can be transformed in a quick period, and owned by an idiot who won't know that it's missing." Duncan commented. "I'm sure that there's one near by."
"There could be." Geoff replied. "We need to go looking for one."
So after throwing their coffees away, the two guys left the coffee shop and started walking the streets, casually looking for a van they could casually borrow and not return. But Vancouver didn't offer them much options since most vans were either the wrong kind or they couldn't be transformed in a short amount of time.
Eventually, after a few hours, which was in stark contrast to their expectations, they found a van that matched what Noah was looking for. It was a donut van and it was located inside an ally. Both of them snuck up to it and checked it out, and it could be transformed quickly, and the idea of free donuts for all of them seemed perfect.
Except, there was a problem. The van had no gas. And there were no gas stations nearby, so the two guys tried to figure out how to take the van without looking suspicious.
After a while, Duncan had an idea pop into his head. "I got an idea, and this is how we're going to do it."
"I can't believe that we've gotten ourselves involved in this."
"Believe me Scarlett, I'm not on board with this either."
While Geoff and Duncan were attempting to get a van, Gwen and Scarlett were on the other side of town at a department store shopping in the men's section. They were trying to casually pick out the outfits that caters would wear at parties, without sticking out and exposing their cover. Luckily for them, Cody had informed them what the uniforms looked like and where they came from so it made their work much easier.
Of course, the girls received some strange looks while being in the men's department, but no one bothered to asked since everyone's seen weirder things than two women feeling the elastic of undergarments.
"You think we'd be able to pull it off?" Gwen asked Scarlett.
"Define 'pull it off'. The phrase itself can go lots of ways." Scarlett wryly replied.
"I mean by do you think we'll be successful in terms of this heist?"
"I conclude so. If not, we'll be caught, swiftly tried, and executed while that meaningless Chris never gets what's coming to him. Oh, wait until the moment comes that I get to taste his blood!" She venomously growled, squeezing her hand into a fist. [2]
Gwen couldn't help but look at Scarlett with uncertainty. This was the partner that she was stuck with, an intelligent brainiac who claimed to be a former psychopath, but had rather dark and madding thoughts. It took a simple "Uh, Scarlett…" to snap her back into reality.
"Allow to apologize for my rather cabalistic thoughts moments ago, Gwendolyn. You see, we share a lot in common. We've both been wronged by Chris, and we both want revenge. However, despite our surprisingly common theme of revenge and being wronged by the same man, our motives are different." Scarlett formally stated, almost as if to make up for her demonic attitude.
"Well, it shouldn't be much of a shocker. I've been cheated out of a million bucks." Gwen sarcastically mentioned. "What he has done to you? Besides the fact that he locked you up." She continued, tempted to say that she belonged there.
"I'll more than gladly tell you. It may even change your perspective of me, but I highly doubt that.'' Scarlett noted, to which Gwen shot her a surprised look.
"As you may know, Chris had me locked up for attempting to blow up the island and you know the fact that I was in prison for a few years and the fact that after I was released, no major university would accept me based on the incident. Not to be defeated, I took online courses, while working on the sidelines, to get a degree in art history. I ended up with a masters and was considering a doctorate when an unexpected opportunity came from the least likely of all people, Chris.''
"Chris had managed to track me down and knew that I was a certified art historian. He wanted me to acquire various pieces of arts for his private collection, in return for a hefty commission and the promise of having my records deleted. I didn't know it was him at the time, he remained anonymous and contacted me through E-mail. I should have known better, but at the time, I was looking to reestablish myself as an intellectual who had been cured of her case of Hyde and Jekyll, so I agreed.''
''I don't know he constantly does. It's probably his way with words.'' Gwen casually remarked, which was in contrast to how
"I traveled all over the world, going to auction houses, estate sales, art galleries, and black market meetings to acquire what he wanted. Soon, as a result of my work, Chris had built up one of the finest collections of private art, but he had it all hidden somewhere in the Rocky Mountains since a good majority of the paintings and sculptures had either been stolen, been missing for decades, or had been presumed to be destroyed. Of course, he also acquired thousands of items to decorate his mansion as well, but in a more legal way.''
"After my work was completed, he promised me that I'd receive my commission in three months and that my charges would be dropped around the same time. Well, three months went and no payment, nor had my charges been dropped. So I started digging around and I discovered everything! That he was secret employer, and that he used me! He used me again! It was bad enough that he used me back on the island, but he used me to acquire works of art that had been missing for decades, even centuries, and most of it being tied with the Nazis! I was furious. I left him messages that were never answered, only to be billed with a bill for the amount he promised to pay me and a restraining order banning me from having any contact with him.''
"So don't you see why I want revenge? I want to not only wrong a right with him, but wrong a right with history itself. If that art was returned to the public, it would restore the missing gaps of our culture and would finish the legacy that the monuments men started."
Gwen didn't know what to believe. Scarlett's story seemed to be far fetched and out of this world, but there was a high chance that it could also be real. From the tone she picked up, Scarlett wasn't lying, but she had to be sure that this wasn't one of her games. "Is there any truth to this?" Gwen finally asked, being the only thing she could ask to verify Scarlett's story.
"Of course there is truth!" Scarlett replied, sounding insulted. "After we get this first heist over, I'll show you the collection of documents I snuck out of Chris's files for my own use. It may help you see that I'm not much of a deceiver as many think I ought to be."
"Is your plan to eventually retreat the art?"
"I hope so, but with Noah as our ringleader, I don't know if he'd approach the opportunity or reject it. I'm surprised that he knows what he's doing."
"Sounds like you hate Noah."
"The correct terminology is dislike, but that itself is a strong word. I hate the fact that he seems to know everything about Chris, but he doesn't know that I have a lot of information, like the location of the bunker full of art and his private mansion."
"Maybe he sees a different value in you." Gwen suggested.
"Maybe. But I wish I had more power in our group beyond playing a pretend receptionist! It would allow these operations to be more smoother." Scarlett complainingly responded.
''That wasn't nothing against you. Your formal-sounding voice was just the most suitable for the situation.'' Gwen pointed out. "Remember Scarlett, this is a trial run. You have to prove yourself worthy in leading up to robbing Chris. It's not like you done this before."
"Well, about that…"
Being fired off by Chris was the most humiliating experience for Scarlett. One would think that she would forgive him and move on while trying to figure out what to do next.
Or so they thought. No one messed with Scarlett and got away with it. Hence why she headed for one of his homes and wanted to break in before she was caught. In there, she was smashing busts of Chris with a mallet provided by her reluctant assistant, Max. Who only joined along with her in lack of a better option.
"He can't get rid of me that easily." Scarlett commented as she walked back and forth across the room. "Who does that little worm think he is? Does he-"
She noticed that the bust she was going to smash was a bit off. "A little to the left." She told Max as he nudge it far enough for her to smash it. "Does he have any idea of who he's dealing with?! How could he do this to me? Why I practically made him wealthy off of this rotten show."
"You think that he'd thank you you know." Max replied as she smashed another bust.
"Yeah, go figure."
"Well, at least you're taking your anger out on these busts instead of the real Chris."
Max's words was a lightbulb moment for Scarlett. She hadn't thought of getting rid of Chris personally, but Max's suggestion was brilliant! So brilliant that it seemed too good to pass up. "That's it! That's it!" Scarlett cried as she grabbed of Max. "I'll get rid of Chris! Brilliant!"
"You mean the real Chris, Scarlett?"
"Of course I mean the real Chris! There's no time to lose Max. To the secret lab!"
Scarlett and Max went to a statue that had two levers. One which lead to the lab, and one which lead to a pool of alligators. "Pull the lever, Max!"
Max gleefully pulled the level, not knowing he pulled the wrong one until Scarlett fell and screamed, "Wrong lever!"
''Oh.'' Max gulped as he looked down the hole she fell in. [3]
"Needless to say, that experience didn't go well."
''Did that really happen?'' Gwen asked with a raised eyebrow, being undecided on whether to believe her.
''Yes...'' Scarlett briefly answered, realizing she may've not illustrated it properly. ''But it was a lot more serious than I made it out to be.''
"Well, I've certainly heard it all now."
After finishing up the conversation, the ladies realized they had spent enough time shopping and that they should head back to the apartment. After paying for their purchases in cash, so that a trail wouldn't lead back to any of them, Gwen and Scarlett headed out into the Vancouver afternoon, ready to forget about the long day they had, their mutual arrangement, and to prepare for their first challenge to come.
The trip brought on conflicted feelings to Gwen. At one hand, she got a closer look of what Scarlett was capable of when sufficiently wronged and that she most likely wouldn't hold back if someone did anger her, even after all these years. Yet, Gwen also felt like Scarlett would be a pretty decent person if she wasn't subjected to the humiliation and the trickery she had endured, her willful attempt to kill people that preceded it aside. And on top of that, Gwen was pleasantly surprised to hear about her degree in art history and her interaction with several exceptional pieces of art and was curious to learn more about them, or maybe even willing to visit a gallery together sooner or later.
"So how does it feel to be working with your ex?" Scarlett randomly asked as they left the department store, pulling Gwen back out of her thoughts.
"It feels weird. I told Duncan last time that I hoped he died and I never wanted to see him again." Gwen unsurely answered.
"Seems like you two have a schoolbook example of a love-hate relationship."
"Kinda. I mean, we've not talked much since our meeting the other night and I highly doubt we'll be saying much, despite being on the same team. I'm not looking to get back into a relationship. Two bad relationships is enough for a lifetime." Gwen morosely explained as she shook her head.
"I agree. I've never experienced a crush or a relationship. I just can't get over the fact that it's merely hormones at work and not some otherworldly feeling. But that's okay, I don't want one either."
"Not even with the fact that Cody's probably been eyeing you?" Gwen asked after a quick deduction of Cody's recent behavior.
"Whatever love fantasy he has, he can forget it." Scarlett flatly replied. "I have no interest in him."
"Well he probably does. He even handpicked you to be the last member of the team."
"He did?"
"Yep. He managed to convince Noah to see your potential, and outvoted me in the process. He definitely sees something in you that the rest of us don't, and we can't figure it out."
Scarlett couldn't help but smile. Cody was the sole reason she got this chance and she was sort of grateful for that, but it still didn't mean that she'd date. She'd accept him as more of a asset, or maybe a friend who needed guidance every now and then.
As they were walking down the street, they saw what looked like a donut van heading toward them. The closer it got to them, the more they could see the drivers. "Is that who I think it is-"
Before the question could completely come out, the van pulled out and opened it's doors to reveal Geoff and Duncan in the front seats. "Well what are you dudes waiting for? Hope on." Geoff commented.
So the girls entered the van and it head off to the apartment.
"And just how did you acquire this van?" Gwen asked.
"It was such an easy job. The idiot left the key in, but no gas. So me and Geoff went to a restaurant and got French Fry grease and it started it up. Who knew that fast food grease can be a substitute for gasoline." Duncan replied.
"I actually knew that since they both share common properties- and I better shut up." Scarlett added.
Gwen couldn't help but release a little smile. Who knew that a donut van would make her actually feel happy for the first time since this has begun. "So what are we going to do with all of these donuts?"
"Store them in Noah's apartment." Duncan replied.
"Well, I'm sure he won't mind." Geoff added.
"Well, since we have so many, I'll just have one now." Gwen commented as she reached for a jelly filled one.
"Ah why not." Scarlett said as she too reached for a donut.
Needless to say, Noah did mind. While he was impressed with the fact that Geoff and Duncan did get a van, he wasn't impressed with the fact that his apartment smelt more like a bakery. "There's more donuts here than what an average person eats in their lifetime!" Noah complained, stretching his hand out to the boxes of donuts on his kitchen counters.
"Come on Noah, don't be dramatic! You don't see me complaining." Cody remarked with a mouthful of donut.
"That's because you have a sweet tooth, Cody. You like anything that's sweet." Noah countered. Cody couldn't answer since he had a little blush creeping up on him. ''Okay, let me give you an address. There is a garage somewhere in town we can use to hide the van and everything else away!'' Noah stated as he handed Geoff a key before he turned to Gwen and handed her a photo. ''Gwen, can you get some paint and spray the logo onto both sides of the van?'' He requested.
''Hmm, I think I can. Give me an evening.'' She answered while inspecting the photograph.
''Good! Here's your spare key to the garage!'' Noah contently replied as he handed Gwen another key. ''Me and Cody will take care of the last few things. Do not come back here until we give you the heads-up. When the time's there, it's going down!'' Noah concluded before everyone took it as sign that they could leave, but not before taking a few donuts along with them, or a whole box in Geoff's case.
Everything was going to plan. It would be a matter of a few days until the first heist would go off without a hitch. Noah couldn't help but grin a little. This would be the beginning of a massive wave of revenge that no one saw coming, and would leave a trail of scorched earth behind.
[1]This is a reference to the famous English writer Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) who was modernist writer of the 1920's- 1930's and who wrote some of the most noted works of modern literature, such as Mrs. Dalloway, Jacob's Room, The Waves, and To the Lighthouse. The way Izzy's death is mentioned is the same way Woolf committed suicide, although her body wasn't found until five weeks later.
[2] Part of this quote comes from one of the earliest episodes of The Golden Girls to where Dorothy wants to kill her husband Stan on the day of her daughter's wedding. I felt like this connected to Scarlett in someway.
[3] Of course, I had to put a little humor in this so I used the part in The Emperor's New Groove to where Yzma and Kronk talks about getting rid of Kuzco. In this scene, Scarlett is Yzma, Max is Kronk, and Chris is Kuzco.
So there you all have it! I hope this chapter turned out pretty good for you all! Next time, Warrior will be back front and center for the next chapter and hopefully, we can get the story going from here.
Until next time!
-Applause and Warrior.
Postscript: Please read, review, favor, alert, and spread the world. (Give me a break. I hadn't used that in a few years so it seemed like a good way to end my chapter. Which should happen about no-)
'Signal returning'
And we're back! Now, enjoy this chap- Oh hey! Applause had written it already! Well shoot!
Oh well, Like Applause said; See you next time!