Chapter 11: Scouting Vangelico
Yang walked upstairs and into Michael's room. She walked to the closet and changed her clothes. She puts on a gray suit since Lester asked that she should wear something nice. She goes downstairs and gets in the car outside. She drove off to were Lester is. On her way there, a red dot appears in the map. She stopped the car and the red dot is right next to her. She looked right and saw a thief pointing a gun at a women. Yang stopped the car and slowly approach him.
Thief: Gimme your fucking money, now!
Women: Don't shoot, I'm just a lowly agent!
Thief: I ain't playin' here. Hand it over!
Yang slowly approached the thief and knocked him out. The women ran away. "Yeah, your welcome!" Yang yelled. She picked up his gun and took whatever cash he had, which was $15. She got back into the car and rove off to Lester's.
"Stealing from the thief?" Weiss asked.
"Hey, he had it coming," Yang replied.
Casing the Jewel Store
She stopped the car in front of the warehouse and walks into the building. She walked upstairs with Lester waiting on top.
Michael: The hell is this place?
"It's a warehouse, Lester told you what it was like five minutes," said Ruby.
Lester: A garment factory. I needed a job that didn't require me to do anything apart from, uh, paying taxes.
"I can see why, with your condition," Blake said. Yang looked around and see people working on a sewing machine.
"I thought it would be something had to do with computers, like web designing or programming," Weiss said. Yang followed Lester into his office.
Michael: Hey, listen...
Lester: Shh-shh-shh.
"What's with the shushing?" Weiss asked.
"So maybe the employees won't hear," Blake replied.
Michael: What have you got?
Lester: The Holy Grail, the Union Depository.
"Is that like a super bank?" Ruby asked.
"I think it is. I thought we start somewhere smaller like in a regular bank," Blake said.
Lester: Now, they say it cannot be hit. Hasn't been yet.
"I have a feeling we're going to rob that later," Yang said.
Michael: Look, I just owe a Mexican hood a couple of million bucks 'cause I wrecked his girlfriend's house. I don't need to go crazy here.
Lester: Which Mexican?
Michael: Martin Madrazo.
Lester: He's not suppose to be very nice.
"Oh really. He runs a gang and knocked Michael with a baseball bat," Blake said.
Michael: Oh, when I met him he was charming. (Lester: (Chuckles)). So what do you think?
Lester: Oh, erm, let's see, either we hit a bank in the sticks, or we do a store.
"Sounds legit," Yang said.
"Wait, can't we do stock trade? I heard that gives out a lot of money," Weiss said.
Lester: Which do you like?
Michael: Well... a store's usually easier, but I gotta make a big take.
Lester: Well, gems it is then.
"So a jewelry store?" Ruby wondered.
"Yeah, that should make us a lot of money," said Yang.
Lester: Let's go to Vangelico, buy ourselves an engagement ring.
"Some hell of a way to get revenge on your wife for cheating on you. Leaving her and have gay wedding," Blake said.
"Dude, he's only joking. We're robbing a jewelry store," Yang said.
"Oh..."
"You think wrong at times."
Michael: And we're going to need a crew. I can round up some of the old guys?
Lester: There are no old guys. Moses, ironically, he found Jesus.
"I don't find it ironic," Weiss said.
"It's because we don't understand their religion. Jesus is the figure of a religion called Christianity and Moses is a figure in Judiasm," Ruby explained, as she was going through the Foriegn country's website, wikipedia, doing research on the countries and their religion.
Lester: All those Irish crazies, they mostly disappeared.
"Irish people are from a an island called Ireland in the country known as England," Ruby said.
Lester: The crew from the South, they all went down. There was a Eastern European guy making moves in Linerty City, but... nah, he went quiet.
"Wonder if we're going to know who that European guy is," Weiss wondered. "And what's a European?"
"A person from the continent of Europe," Ruby replied.
Michael: Alright, well we're going to need a crew. You got any contacts in LS or not?
Lester: I've been working for someone but they're too unpredictable. I'll have to reach out to some other guys. (Gets in the car). The shop's in Little Portola.
Yang drives off to Vangelico, the place they're going to rob.
Lester: Your FIB buddies, they, uh, know your back in business?
"What's the FIB?" Yang asked. Ruby quickly searched then up.
"It's a law enforcement agency in America, based on the real FBI," Ruby explained.
Michael: FIB buddies? What're you talking about?
Lester: I checked out the WPP thing. It doesn't look like any WitSec program I'm aware of. Well for starters, they don't witnesses up in multimillion dollar mansions in Rockford Hills.
"Michael is a witness? What did he witness, he's the guy that kills people that the witnesses see," Weiss said.
"I thought he made that money from the robbery he did like nine years ago. Usually witnesses end up in low-end apartments," Blake added.
"Well at least this explains how he survived," said Yang.
Michael: Maybe they thought it was the best cover.
"Yeah, because why rob when you have everything," Weiss said.
Lester: And most witnesses don't transfer five figure sums into a particular FIB agent's bank account every month. Of course the money gets moved around and washed through a number of fronts, but the trail is there. Deposits and withdrawals. The same sum, every month. Agent Dave Norton, white middle-aged divorcee.
"Man, you really went into their database, have you?" Blake asked.
Lester: Unremarkable career except for one incident: The shooting of a notorious stick ip man, Michael Townley.
"I'm guessing that's Michael's past identity before the witness program," Yang said.
Michael: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah alright. Lester, I'm impressed.
"Yeah, you found all that information about Michael being in a witness program. Damn, I never knew hackers that actually did that," Blake said.
Lester: look, we can talk about this another time. Take these glasses.
Michael: My eyesight's fine.
Lester: They're fitted with a camera and a radio relay. I'm going to run the operation in the car, while you're in the store, getting what we need.
"Nice, takes perfect planning to rob a expensive place like a jewelry store. Unlike me, who went guns blazing on a train," Blake commented. Everyone looks at Blake. "Stop looking at me whenever I comment about something illegal. I mean you all should know!"
Yang drove up on the side of the road and parked the car. She gets out of the car and heads to the store.
Lester: Okay, let's get this done. (Michael walks towards the store). You reading me?
Michael: Mmhmm.
Lester: Okay, we need shots of the security features- alarm systems, ventilation, and cameras.
Yang walks in the store with the guard opening the door for her. "Wow, I guess some people act like a gentlemen here," Yang said.
Guard: Sir.
Michael: Thank you.
Lester: The alarm keypad is on the left after you come in. On the wall, besides the side door.
Looks around for pit and went in first person, she takes a picture of a camera and vent.
Lester: What we got here? Surveillance and ventilation. Now all I'm after are the alarms.
Yang pressed the button that goes in first person and looks to the left, where there is a keypad near the door. She takes a picture of it and Lester looks at it.
Lester: Shot's come through. Camera: check. Alarm: check. Vents: Check. Good work, now speak to the assistant, and see if there's anything else we need to know.
Yang walks up to the assistant and Michael started to talk to her.
Michael: Hey, beautiful. I need to pick up a little something for the women in my life. Well one of 'em.
Assistant: Sir, I'm sure we can help you. Tell me about her, what's her taste?
Michael: Cheap. Thank god. This ain't my wife we're talking about.
"It's for the crazy Mexican that wants my head if I don't repay him," Blake said.
Michael: I don't know. I don't want to spend too much. I'm thinking maybe... tens grand?
Assistant: Our rings start at eight. Our pendants start at twelve.
Michael: Alright. These things built to last, or am I just paying for the Vangelico logo here?
Assistant: Ah, no, no, no, no. We use perfectly clarity jewels, eighteen carat gold, nine fifty platinum. Nothing but the best.
Michael: Alright, I think you just made a sale. I'm going to take a look around, think about, come back to you, baby. Don't go anywhere. (Starts walking away).
"I might have a gun in my hand next time we see each other," Yang said.
Assistant: I understand.
Lester: Come back to me.
The guard opens the door and Yang walked back to Lester.
Guard: Have a wonderful day.
Michael: So we good?
Lester: Almost, I need to get eyes on the roof of the building. See where the ventilation comes out.
"I guess we going to try to use it as an advantage," Blake said. Yang gets in the car and started to drive.
Lester: Drive around the block and look for a way up the roof.
Yang drove around the block, looking for a way inside. She turned right and went. She then turned another right and saw some construction going around at the end of the street.
Lester: Look there. Some construction.
Michael: Ah, of they're gutting the place, I might be able to get on the roof.
"I'm not sure if the construction workers would allow you to go through," Ruby said.
"I'm sure Michael has ways," Yang said.
"Yeah, violent ones," Weiss added. Yang gets off and walks inside the building. She runs up the stairs of the building.
Michael: So, do you keep up with the old crew?
Lester: Well after you death slash disappearance, there wasn't much holding us together.
Michael: Yeah. You see him at all? After the incident?
"He's probably referring to Trevor," said Ruby. Yang finally made it upstairs. She walked around a bit and came across a ladder.
Lester: I saw a ladder. Climb up it and see if you can get into the roof.
"Wow, the workers left this place unguarded," Blake said. Yang started to climb up the ladder.
Lester: I kept tabs on him for a while. Needed to know that he didn't blame me.
"Blame you for what? Michael's 'death.' Makes me wonder what happened to the other guy though, you know, the first one to get shot" Yang said. Yang climbed the ladders and reached the roof.
Michael: I'm on the roof.
Lester: I need to know where the air coming out of those vents in Vangelico originates. There should be a unit above the store.
"Alright, run around the roofs till I see the Vangelico vents, got it," Yang said. She started to run through the roofs looking for a high place to take some pictures of the vents.
Michael: Yeah, where'd he go?
Lester: North, South, East, West. Whatever there were liquor stores to turn over, and hitchhikers to disappears.
"Yikes, remind me never to get lost in America," Weiss said.
Michael: Where did they bury him?
Lester: They buried him? Not as far as I know.
Michael: He's probably at John Doe then, right? What do you think? OD? Shootout? Car crash, right? Anonymous, charred with remains on the highway. If they only knew what a sick puppy they had their hands on... Hey, I see the vents.
Lester: Yeah, I'm looking at the relay. Can you get any higher? I pulled up a satillite image. It looks like the highest point is on the north-west side.
"Why do you want me to take pictures of the vents when you can just look it up on the Internet?" Yan climed up the ladder to get to higher vents seemed to be sealed off with walls but the top is exposed. She got up on higher grounds and took a picture of the vents.
"Seriously, this is unnecessary because you already have a picture of the place," Weiss said,
Lester: We've got our shot of the Vangelico unit. Looks good. Okay, that'll do. Come back to me before someone spots you up there.
"Someone should've spot us already," Blake said.
"I'm guessing the workers are on break?" Ruby wondered. Yang went downstairs and into Michael's car. She drove back to the warehouse.
Michael: Here, take your glasses back.
Lester: Let's go back to the garment factory. I called ahead and told them to start setting up the information.
Michael: So, what did you see?
Lester: Nothing that'll cause undue complications.
"The guard in the front could be armed, so there is that," Ruby said.
Michael: It looked like a simple set up: cameras broadcasting to a remote server. We might be able to wipe them remotely. Security guard on the door: he won't want to die for rich assholes who run his nose on it.
"Yeah, I guess he'll easily surrender," Yang said.
Lester: Good. The alarm system's link to the door lock. We'll get a good window if someone talented hacks it.
"So you then, since you managed to get good data about Michael from a law enforcement agency," Weiss said.
"And reads people's emails," Ruby added.
Michael: Anything else?
Lester: Well, the, uhh, more valuable merchandise is in the cabinets in the center of the store, by the register. So start from there umm...
"So we should steal those first because if the cops come early, we need to leave," Blake suggested.
Lester: Glass in the cabinets wasn't bulletproof. Means you can smash 'em easy enough. But the stones'll be in the safe at night.
Michael: So, we go in when it's open then?
Lester: Right. Once we melt down the gold, re-cut the rocks, that's an okay score.
Michael: Yeah... Shame we can't go in after hours, man, those vents looked promising.
"But aren't they sealed off with walls?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah, they are," Weiss replied.
Lester: Might be able to flip that around.
Michael: I'm listening.
Lester: Wait till we get back.
Michael: About the crew...
Lester: Yeah.
Michael: There's this kid who's been helping me. Maybe we could cut him in.
"Franklin?" Yang wondered.
"Of course, he's good with a gun," Ruby replied
Lester: I don't work with amateurs.
Michael: He ain't an amateur, or if he is, he's a gifted amateur, about to turn pro. He's a good kid Lester.
"Unless your late in your car payments, then he'll steal it," Weiss said.
"I don't think Lester drives," Blake said.
Lester: You know what they say, it's your funeral. One of them, at least.
"Jeez calm down, Michael just wanted Franklin to be part of it," Yang said. Yang stopped in front of the garment factory, and Michael and Lester walks inside. A women sitting was holding a handful of photos. She handed it to Lester.
Women: Here are your photos.
"Won't she suspicious about the photos?" Ruby wondered.
"Yeah, that is if she looked at them. Once we pull the off heist, she'll know," Weiss said. Lester and Michael walk into the office.
Lester: My workers have their uses. Okay. Let me set this up.
Lester walked up to a board and started to add pictures to it.
Michael: Nice to see the methods haven't changed.
Lester: Well... We gotta figure out what we're doing somehow. All the crews, the roles, prep work, don't want to leave any evidence behind a hard drive. So yeah, the er... methods don't change.
"I wonder if we get to pick our own crew and how we do it," Yang wondered.
Michael: Right, not for a pro.
Lester: Well, mapping out the options, and showing all the angles, that's my area of professional expertise. But making descisions, that is your domain my friend. Here.
"Oh goodie," Yang said happily.
Lester: There's two way I see of doing this - we go in smart or we go in loud and dumb.
"I say go in smart, don't know what it is, but it's better not to attract the attention of police," Blake said.
"As a thrill seeker, I would want loud, but it's dumb. So yeah, I'll do it smartly," Yang said.
Lester: Remeber the vents? If we're gonna be smart, we pump a little knock out gas through the air systems, then hit the cabinets while everyone's out. You'll have to source the gas of course, but crowd control won't slow you down, and that might improve the take.
"Huh, that's one way of using the vents to your advantage," Weiss said.
"Better then crawling through it, making noise and attracting attention to any night guards. All they need is some gas masks," Blake said.
Lester: The cover is pest control, so no one will look twice when you're wearing gas masks. That means getting a pest van though.
"Have Franklin or Lamar repo it," Ruby said.
"They have to be behind pay for Franklin and Lamar to do it though," Weiss said,
Lester: You go in dumb and you'll need your famous way with people and two carbon rifles. We can't buy them and risked them getting traced. No, no, no, we've got to find some circulation. It's awkward, it's real awkward, but this is a gun favored by LSPD tactical teams, so one of their vans is probably a good place to look.
"So it's either face some exterminators or armed police tactical teams, I say go the smart way and steal from the exterminator," Weiss suggested.
Lester: A hacker can disable the cameras. The length and time depends on their ability.
"So we need the best hacker for good window to take it all," Blake said.
Lester: The alarm will be operating on the same window. The exit strategy is more or less the same for both options. The driver you pick will, of course, source the bikes - you come out of the store, and make your way through the new subway tunnel they're digging off the Del Perro freeway. You lose the cops there, and meet a truck in the LS river.
Michael: I want my guy, Franklin, to be on the getaway. He can handle a bike.
Lester: Alright, if you vouch for him, I'll take the risk. So how do you wanna do this? Run in the front door, or play it smart?
"I wanna do it loud so I can have the thrill of a action packed heist, but requirements require me to handle an armed tactical team that is trained to killed so..." Yang clicked on smart.
Lester: You've grown wise and cautious in your old age. Okay. Select personnel with that in mind. As ever, the better they are, the bigger the cut. Now, the driver. They'll source the bikes and lead you through the tunnels.
There were two drivers available, Eddie Toh and Karim Denz. Eddie wants 14% of the cut while Karim wanted 8%. Yang wanted to be safe about it and picked Eddie.
Lester: Eddie Toh. Well you can count on him to get you out of a spot. Guns. We're hoping to keep quiet, so these guys shouldn't make a difference.
"Get the cheapest one, we ain't going to go guns blazing," Weiss said.
"Who knows, we're looking for guy who can pull the trigger at the right moment. Pick Gus," Blake suggested. Yang agrees and picked Gustavo Mota, who wants 14% of the cut.
Lester: Gus Mota. He's a pro, not much to say. Hacker. Back office, but this is the person who will determine how long you'll get inside.
Yang didn't took long to decide. She picked a girl named Paige Harris, who wants 15% of the cut.
"We needed a female in the crew. It's not only guys that rob stores," Weiss said.
Lester: Harris. Feminine touch. She'll be able to find any back doors they got. That look good to you? Are you sure?
Yang pressed yes.
Lester: Great, I'll do some research on a pest control van and the knockout gas and I'll be in touch. Ah yes. (Michael: Huh). Good... good. I'll call you when everything's ready. You'll need to pitch it to the guys.
Michael: Woah, what? My rep don't count for nothing no more?
"Pretty much, your past identity is dead," Blake said.
Lester: You're a deadman Michael. I'll call you.
Michael walked out of the garment factory and the mission is done.
Mission Passed!
Silver
"Alright, going to use the bathroom. I'll be right back," Yang said as she paused the game. She left the room.
Author's Note:
Here's the second chapter of the week, like I promised. Next one will be up on Tuesday or Wednesday. Stay tune for more, leave a review, and favorite and follow for upcoming chapters.