Grand Theft Auto – Burk Edition
Chapter 10 – The Stage Is Set
Hiccup sat in the lounge of the Mount Chilliad Base Motel relaxing before the big heist. The entire crew was chillin' on couches in a room off the lobby that was secluded from the rest of the motel, which wasn't all of that busy in the first place. The whole crew had gotten rooms after the long trip to the northern end of the island, Hiccup and Snotlout just a little scratched up from practicing their boarding strategy. Although they had both had a hard time learning how to jump onto the train, Hiccup and Snotlout were both confident in their ability to board at speed.
"Alright." Said Astrid from her set in a chair. "Let's go over the plan, one last time while there is no one around."
"M'kay, Hiccup and I start it off on the east side of Paleto Bay by boarding the train as it comes through town, and work our way up to the engine and take out the engineer, bring the train to a stop inside one of the tunnels." Stated Snotlout.
"And that's where we take over." Said Toothless. "The twins and us" He gestured to gold team "drive into the tunnel behind the train. The twins cover the back door while Fishlegs, Astrid, and I unload the gold into the modified Dubsta, then we go out the front end of the tunnel and through Sandy Shores to the highway, blending in with the traffic. With the boxes we have in the Dubsta pickup bed, we should be able to get out without too much trouble."
Astrid held out a bag, "Inside are some earpieces so we can keep in contact throughout the job. And keep your eyes peeled for anything unusual."
Everyone grabbed an earpiece from Astrid's bag and left the lounge and walked towards their respective rooms. It was pushing on midnight and the train is scheduled to be pulling through Paleto Bay at about seven in the morning, they were all going to need a good night's rest.
"Hiccup." Came Astrid's voice from inside the lounge. Hiccup turned around and saw Toothless leave the lounge, giving him a nod before walking down the hall.
Hiccup stuck his head back into the lounge where Astrid now sat alone. "What's up?"
"Keep an eye on your cousin tomorrow. He, ahh, historically has not handled pressure well. He's not bad or a liability," She said after seeing Hiccups look. "He just makes a few more mistakes than usual when there's a big take, so I need you to be a reliable backup for him."
"Will do. He is my cousin after all." Hiccup nodded and turned to leave.
"And Hiccup?"
He looked over his shoulder. Astrid's face was unreadable. "Yeah?"
"You be careful tomorrow too."
He grinned, "No promises."
Hiccup held a hand above his eyes and squinted at the train tracks to the east, right underneath the rising sun. He and Snotlout had been straddling their Sanchezes waiting for the train for the past thirty minutes staring at empty track.
"Why the hell did we need to be so far ahead of schedule? Is the boss worried that the train is running forty five minutes ahead of when it's supposed to be?" Grumbled Snotlout.
"Careful," Commented Hiccup. "You're wearing an earpiece that she can hear you from."
"Relax, you have to press the button on the side to transmit sound."
"She might still be able to hear us without us hitting the button." Hiccup replied conspiratorially. "You never know."
"Dude, you need to chillax." Laughed Snotlout. "Some questions to pass the time. Would you give it to the boss?"
Hiccup turned away from the track to look his cousin right in the eye. "Really? She might be listening to us and the first thing you ask is would I sleep with her? Are you serious right now?" She is kinda hot…
"It's a question I ask everyone. Would you fuck your boss? The reaction is usually a good way to judge a person's morals. I didn't really mean that you should actually try to bang her." Lout laughed. "Although she does have a nice ass…"
A loud horn blared from behind them and they started, remembering what they were doing out in the middle of a field. Snapping around, Hiccup spotted the train round the bend. "Astrid, we have eyes on the train, we're beginning our approach. Standby."
"We only have one shot at this – make it count." Came the voice of Astrid over the headset.
"Here we go!" Called Snotlout as the two kick started their bikes and gunned it toward the track. The train was still going slightly faster than blue team and as they pulled alongside, the engine had already gone by. Letting the first two cars pass them as well, they sped up to patch the speed of the train as they came alongside a flatbed car. Pulling up into a wheelie, Hiccup ran over a large rock alongside the track and popped up into the air, getting a nice look at the top of the box car right in front of him before beginning to fall back down. Landing hard in the flatbed, the bike shot out from underneath him sending Hiccup roughly into the floor. Getting up, Hiccup saw his cousin miss the flatbed and land back on the ground next to the car. Nursing his left wrist, he yelled "Come on! Get up here!"
"I missed it!" Lout screamed. He sounded panicked. "There's nothing left to jump from! FUCK!"
"Jesus Lout." Sighed Hiccup as he reached out of the car to grab the handlebar of his cousin's bike. Taking control of it, he said "Just climb in, bro."
Snotlout awkwardly climbed into the car and grabbed the back end of his bike, helping Hiccup pull it into the train. The two exchanged a look before Lout said, "You don't mention that, and I won't mention rent. Deal?"
"Deal. Astrid," Hiccup said after pushing his earpiece, "We're on the train and leaving Paleto Bay. We'll be passing your location soon. Be ready."
"We're ready. Get that train stopped."
Hiccup and Snotlout climbed up onto the box car and began running toward the front of the train. Taking care to jump the gap between the two box cars before the engine, Hiccup looked up just in time to see an overhead train signal racing towards them. "SHIT, DUCK!" He screamed as he hit the deck, Lout following suit a second later. The signal whizzed over their heads as Lout sighed in relief.
"Good eye. Let's keep moving." They both got back up and ran to the end of the car before jumping down onto the walkway on the engine. Shimming along the walkway, Hiccup spotted the lumber mill that the rest of the crew was waiting at in the distance.
"We need to hurry up. The tunnel is just up ahead." He muttered. Snotlout nodded before kicking the door to the engine open and running in with his combat pistol up. Hiccup ran in behind him to see Lout slam the butt of his pistol into the head of the engineer. As Snotlout pulled the senseless man from the chair, Hiccup pressed the earpiece. "We have control of the train, the engineer is out."
"We see you, go! Go! Go!" Astrid called through the earpiece. Hiccup spotted a light green Dubsta six wheel pickup and an armored Mammoth Patriot pull out of the saw mill and drive up to the track before disappearing behind the train. The train rushed into the first tunnel as Snotlout pulled on the brake.
"I don't think I can stop her in the first tunnel, but I can have her stopped in the second, after the bridge!" He said into the earpiece.
"Alright, red team, you need to get into the second tunnel before setting up your road block. Call out anything you see." Came the calm voice of Astrid.
The brakes screeched as the train began to slow down. Light filled the cab of the engine as the train burst out of the first tunnel and onto the bridge spanning two mountains. Hiccup looked out toward the Alamo Sea and locked onto one single irregularity.
"Uhh, Astrid? There's a helicopter just kinda hanging out by the bridge. No markings on it."
"Shit. If it gets aggressive, take it out. Otherwise let it be. The less attention we draw the better."
The train, now moving much slower, pulled into the second tunnel. Snotlout reached down and pulled another lever marked 'parking brake' and the train jerked from the deceleration. This tunnel was shorter than the first one, and Hiccup could already see the end. The train finally came to a jerky stop about three hundred feet from the end of the tunnel. Looking back, Hiccup saw the Dubsta come to a stop by the boxcar behind the flatbed the bikes were in. Gold team jumped out and opened the boxcar, beginning to unload the gold as fast as they could. Hiccup turned back to the front, pulling out his newly purchased carbine rifle, and looked through the scope mounted on it. For the moment, the end of the tunnel was clear.
The earpiece crackled "The helicopter is right above the bridge." Came the voice of Ruffnut. "Is that aggressive enough for yo- OH SHIT, THEY'RE ARMED!"
Gunfire echoed down the tunnel. Within twenty seconds, it had stopped. "The chopper flew out of sight, but I still hear it. We took out a few guys, but definitely not all of them. Hiccup, Snotlout! They may be heading to your end!" Called Tuffnut.
"We just need a few minutes!" Yelled Toothless. "Keep them out!"
Hiccup was about to respond when a dark red Canis Mesa drove up into the tunnel ahead of the train, with four armed guys in it. The carbine in Hiccup's hands popped up and he squeezed the trigger, the first burst of bullets nailing the driver in the chest causing him to veer to the left. The Mesa slammed into the tunnel wall, with the driver's side facing the train. To Hiccup's left, Snotlout emptied his pistol into the seat behind the driver, being rewarded with a blood splatter on the window for his efforts.
"Shit! The helicopter is back on our side!" Yelled Tuffnut.
The two remaining gunners got out of the Mesa, one firing over the hood, the other firing from behind the back bumper. Hiccup and Snotlout both ducked behind the train console as the remaining glass in the windows shattered around them. Snotlout put his hand up to his earpiece, "We got a red Mesa with gunners in it. I didn't get a good look, but I think I saw the Red Death's symbol on the door."
"Red is really not their color." Commented Hiccup as he fired a burst of bullets at the guy behind the hood, only hitting the tunnel wall and the hood itself. "Maybe they could try a beige."
Hiccup could feel the glare of the boss from halfway down the train. Next to him, his cousin chuckled as he fired at the Mesa. A sudden explosion echoed from the far end of the tunnel. "YEAH!" came the voice of Ruffnut. "The dumbass crashed right into the bridge! Hahaha!"
"Someone had better call the county inspector," Laughed Tuffnut. "Cause that bridge is not passing code!"
And just like that, Hiccup felt the glare leave him.
"Nice to see that you guys are taking this so seriously." Astrid growled.
"We're serious! But on a more serious note we are seriously not getting out over that bridge." Giggled Tuffnut.
"The next person to say 'serious' is going to get my foot up their ass." Toothless growled.
"I'd ask 'why so serious?' but you'd actually put your foot up my ass right now if I did." Said Fishlegs with a laugh.
"Jesus. We're done moving the gold. Red team, move up to us, help cover our escape. Blue team, is the tunnel clear?" Snapped Astrid.
"No, there are two guys behind the Mesa on our end." Replied Snotlout. "We can't get a clear shot on them."
"We'll go on the left side of the train so we can get past the Dubsta, and help give you a clear shot." Called Ruffnut.
Twenty seconds later, the Mammoth Patriot drove past clipping the back bumper of the Mesa, causing it to spin slightly. Hiccup and Snotlout fired on the now exposed gunner at the hood of the Mesa. The man took several bullets before collapsing in a puddle of blood. The last gunner ran from his cover firing his assault rifle at the Patriot. He emptied half a clip before Hiccup and Snotlout took him down too.
"You guys good?" Asked Hiccup.
"Ow! Ow! I am hurt, I am very much hurt!" Yelled Tuffnut.
"Oh, you big baby. That bullet when clean through your arm. Suck it up, bitch!" Laughed Ruffnut.
"The tunnel is clear, Astrid. Snotlout and I are going back for our bikes. We'll cover your six out of here. Be careful, we don't know what's outside the tunnel."
"Alright. We're strapping the boxes down and covering them. We'll be rolling in thirty seconds. Don't get left behind." Astrid said.
Hiccup lept from the train, and ran down the track to the flatbed. He vaulted into the train car as Fishlegs drove the Dubsta past, loaded down with several boxes concealed under a black tarp. Hiccup grabbed both bikes and lifted them off the flatbed before jumping off again. As he mounted his bike, the train jerked forward, beginning to move again. Hiccup drove his bike up to the engine, pulling his cousin's bike with him, to see Snotlout leap from the engine, fall into a roll, and jump onto his bike without stopping. Starting it, he drove after the two armored vehicles in the convoy. Hiccup followed to see the Patriot smash through a red Mesa blocking the road down below the track.
"Change of plans," Yelled Astrid. "We're going through Raton Canyon to the Great Ocean Highway, not through Sandy Shores. We need to lose the Red Death's men before we pick up police attention!"
"We'll stay on point." Called Ruffnut. "We've got the super armored SUV."
"Blue team, stay behind us and pick off the targets that you can!" Yelled Toothless.
Hiccup pulled out his pistol and fired at the Mesa that had been knocked to the side of the road, nailing both of the passenger side tires causing the jeep to spin out again. Hiccup could see Tuffnut standing out of the sun roof on the Patriot with a machine gun having an intense shootout with another Mesa in the front. Astrid and Toothless were leaning out of their windows with advanced rifles, taking shots at the same mesa up front. Snotlout twisted in his seat and began firing over his shoulder. Twisting around as well, Hiccup saw two red Mesas following the convoy. Bringing his pistol up to aim, he almost didn't notice the road begin to curve to the left. Yelping, he turned back to face the road and leaned hard to avoid driving into the ditch. Very quickly that ditch turned into a steep cliff down to a river. This just got real dangerous real fast.
"Watch yourself! That drop looks real bad!" Yelled Toothless from the Dubsta.
"Give us a hand!" Yelled Snotlout. "We can't take our eyes off the road long enough to hit the guys behind us!"
Toothless and Astrid spun around and fired several quick bursts behind the two bikers. Looking in his mirror, Hiccup watched the front jeep swerve into the mountainside and the second veer around and off the cliff. Several seconds passed with the sound of the Mesa bouncing down the cliff before an explosion echoed from the bottom of the valley. Going through a hairpin right turn, Hiccup passed the jeep that the twins had been shooting at. Sitting against a tree, the Mesa was covered in bullet holes and burning, all four gunners inside were slumped over in their seats. He holstered his pistol and focused on the road.
"I don't see any more. You think we're clear?" Asked Tuffnut.
"We aren't clear 'till gold team gets to Lester's warehouse." Said Astrid. "Don't let your guard down."
"Like the Red Death can afford to throw any more men at us." Snorted Tuffnut.
"Anyone else hear something?" Asked Ruffnut.
A loud chopping noise could be heard echoing up the canyon as an annihilator helicopter came flying around the mountain.
"I had to open my god damn mouth." Groaned Tuffnut.
The chopper open fired with the dual mounted machine guns onto the convoy. Several bullets pinged off the two armored cars in front of Hiccup and Snotlout drove right in between the two lines of bullets, but as Hiccup drove through, two rounds tore through the engine housing on his bike. The Sanchez spluttered and caught fire, only seconds from exploding. Well. This is bad. Hiccup leapt from the bike, sending it tumbling off the cliff, before landing hard on the dirt road. Intending to slide to a stop, Hiccup planted his feet on the ground, only to fall down roughly and tumble several feet. Seeing double, Hiccup slowly got up to see another red Mesa tear down the road. A trickle of blood ran down the side of his face. He held his hand up to his earpiece to call for help, finding it missing. Stumbling onto the road, he checked for his pistol, which by some miracle was still in its holster, and his combat knife, sheathed in his jacket pocket. What the hell do I do now? Hearing a motor, he quickly got behind some rocks on the uphill side of the road. Keeping his hand on his pistol, he watched a middle aged man on a four wheeler drive around the bend. That's my ride. Hiccup stepped out from behind the rocks, turning so his holster was out of the man's sight and called out.
"Hey!"
The man came to a stop, pulling out a micro smg and leveling it at Hiccup. "Don't move, or I'll shoot."
"Whoa, whoa!" Yelled Hiccup. I need to distract him. "I'm injured, I need an ambulance. Do you have a phone?"
The man squinted at Hiccup before lowering his gun and going into his pants pocket with his trigger hand. "Yeah, I got one here. You're making the call yourself, though."
While the man was talking, Hiccup closed the distance to him and pulled out his pistol. Unfortunate. As the man looked back up pulling is phone out of his pocket, Hiccup slammed the butt of his pistol hard into the man's temple, knocking him out. He climbed onto the four wheeler and gunned it down the dirt road.
Gotta catch back up.
Holy shit, 3165 words in one chapter! I fought with this one for a while before I was happy with it.
To answer a few people who have asked, yes. This will be a Hicctrid story. Eventually. I think. I don't have the story planned that far, but that's my goal. Will try to get the next chapter out sooner than this one, but no promises! -OMOB