Summary: Cops do not know how to climb ladders and Gavin can't drive.
Chapter 24
Jack thought he was the first one to arrive at Michael's apartment since it was a full hour before they were supposed to be there. He parked outside and made his way up the stairs into the lobby and saw a familiar back in front of the elevators. Not first after all. Good, he was hoping Ryan would beat him there.
"Ryan," he greeted walking up to join the other man just as the elevator opened.
"Hey Jack," Ryan said cheerfully as they got in. He pushed the button and the doors slid shut as the elevator took them upward. They had barely started moving when Jack spoke.
"I'm glad I caught you early, there is something I need to discuss with you," Jacks said quickly.
"I gathered as much when you texted us all to get here before Geoff," Ryan said dryly.
"Yeah but you in particular," Jack said. "I'm gonna be blunt: we need to decide right now what happens if we fail. We need to prioritize who lives and who dies."
Ryan looked at Jack in shock evident under the face paint and mask. "What the fuck makes you think I care about getting anyone out other than myself?"
"Even Ray?" Jack threw the name at Ryan viciously, satisfied when Ryan scowled. "What is it with him? Why do you defend him so much anyway?"
"He's too young to get caught up in this crap forever," Ryan said after a brief pause. "And he's too good for it. I'm hoping to either get him out or give him the skills to survive."
"Gavin and Michael are just as young," Jack pointed out.
"Michael was born violent and Gavin's an idiot," Ryan replied. "Besides I have heard rumors that Gavin was caught up in MI6 and that's partly why Burnie recruited him. The Crew keeps him safe from that mess. Just like it keeps Geoff safe from whatever the hell Australia has."
"Fair," Jack said as the elevator slowed. He had heard the same rumors. "Look just hear me out: I think if things go wrong we should focus on getting Geoff out first."
"Agreed," Michael's voice said from the other side of the door.
The elevator door slid open and Michael was standing on the other side, looking determined. "Jack is right, Geoff should be our priority." Jack raised an eyebrow at Michael. "Your voices carry."
They shrugged and followed Michael into his apartment. Gavin was already there since he did live in the building, and he was steadily drinking a glass of red wine and looking a little rumpled.
"Jack and Ryan!" he crowed, toasting them with the glass. "Team Same Voice. Good name that. Can't tell you apart anyway when you're talking."
Jack looked around at Michael who looked both angry and a little amused at Gavin's behavior. "Yeah…he may have also decided to keep Geoff alive and is drinking to his own death."
"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves," Jack said. "We agree to get Geoff out. That does not mean we are going to die."
"Why would we focus on Geoff?" Ryan asked grumpily.
"He's the man!" Gavin shouted. "He's the…the boss man. The OG."
"Michael, do something about that," Jack said. Michael nodded and took the wine from Gavin, handing him water and a banana instead and practically forcing both down the Brits throat.
"We focus on Geoff because he believed in us," Jack explained to Ryan. He put his faith in us and it dragged him down with us. We owe him for the trust he put in us. You in particular. The rest of us would never have trusted you if Geoff hadn't given you a chance."
Ryan reluctantly nodded in agreement. Geoff had trusted him. He had done his damnedest to hold this motley group together. He was facing execution because of that trust. Ryan may not be much, but he was a man who paid his debts.
"All right, fine," Ryan said. "Geoff is our priority. If things go bad, we make sure he gets out."
"Agreed," Michael said.
"Aye aye, Captain!" Gavin slurred.
"Done," Jack said.
There was a knock on the door and Michael opened it to reveal Ray, who was looking nervous.
"We need to save Geoff!" Ray blurted out.
"Yeah we know," Ryan said wearily.
"Let me fill you in," Jack said.
"X RAY!" Gavin yelled excitedly before falling off his stool and knocking himself unconscious.
"All right, you guys ready?" Geoff asked his assembled Crew, who nodded. Geoff remained oblivious to their conversation earlier, having no idea that the Crew was going to try their hardest to save Geoff if their plan failed. For his part, Geoff had carefully shed his anxiety and was prepared to approach this heist with enthusiastic optimism.
"All right, let's go get rich!" he said excitedly. And hopefully avoid getting whacked.
"Ugh," said a sobering-up Gavin. "Ugh I have had a few too many," he groaned, slumping and teetering his way towards the door.
"Michael, you want to get the vehicle?" Geoff said as they stepped outside.
"Want me to get the usual or…?" Michael asked starting for the garage.
"Get the new one," Geoff said, tossing Michael a headset as he passed them out to the others. Michael walked off toward the garage as Gavin tumbled u tint the street.
"You ok Gavin?" Ray asked warily as Gavin weaved in the street.
"I'm queasy," Gavin replied, swallowing hard. "Ugh I'm stumbling." He started slapping himself in the face, trying to shed the alcohol haze. "Sober up, sober up."
"That looks like my bike," Ryan said suddenly, walking up to a lime green motorcycle currently occupied by Jack. He glared at Jack. "Is that my bike?"
Jack looked down at the bike. "I don't know." He grinned at Ryan. It was too easy and too fun to mess with Ryan.
Catching on to Jack's tomfoolery, Geoff walked over and jumped on the bike behind Jack, who laughed. His laughter was short lived however as a pair of hands wrapped themselves into his shirt front and levered him off the bike. Jack hit the pavement and rolled, laughing as he went.
The sound of breaking glass made everyone look up. Gavin was climbing inside a car and jump starting it. Geoff made to protest, but Gavin was off, weaving crazily down the road.
"Woah I am drunk," Gavin said surprised as he took out a streetlight. "I can't drive straight!"
Michael pulled up in a Dubsta painted AH Crew lime green and black. He grumbled about the logo being missing but thought it was probably better to remain inconspicuous. The Crew headed into the vehicle, everyone except Ryan getting into the car. Ryan jumped in the back and Gavin screeched to a halt in front of the Dubsta. He was starting to sober up finally and he suddenly realized that the car he had stolen had a familiar alarm in it. It was one of Simeon's, which meant that the cops would be in bound. Might be a good time to get into the Dubsta.
Gavin jumped in the back and Michael groaned as a cop car came around the corner gunning for them. Michael sped off but was then shocked to see two more cops fall in line behind them.
"Ryan, did you shoot at the cops?" Michael asked angrily.
"No," Ryan said, offended. "I'm on a murder break!"
"All right let me lose them," Michael said wearily.
"Great start," Geoff added sarcastically.
Luckily it only took a few minutes to lose them and Gavin was well on his way to sober by the time they cleared the cops. Part of that may be attributed to the fact that in their escape, Michael had dumped Gavin and Ryan out of the back by accident.
"So remember," Geoff said. "All red suits, then we do masks to protect our identities, then Michael you get your tank, Gavin you start working on the trucks, Jack get a cargobob and the two random vehicles, and we'll be good." A flash of red caught Geoff's eye as they passed a large red Cola truck. "Oh, that truck right there is perfect!"
"I'll get it!" Gavin said excitedly, standing up and flinging himself out of the still moving car. He hit the asphalt and rolled to a stop, successfully stopping the truck so he could jack it.
"There's another one right behind it!" Ryan called after Gavin as Michael stopped the car. "Get the one behind it!"
Geoff popped his door and got off just as Michael said. "Oh, there's one right in front of us, get that one." He accelerated and Geoff, who was mid exit, got knocked off his feet as the Dubsta moved away from him.
"Ow!" Geoff grumbled. Still he got to his feet and decided to ignore the delivery truck that Michael had indicated. Instead he ran to the Suburban clothing store behind them and Ryan stole the delivery truck while Gavin stole the white truck behind the red one because it had a dollar sign on it.
"Remember guys," Geoff said as the Crew fanned out through the store. "All red."
"I look like a young Santa," Gavin said looking down at his red sweats and red jacket hanging open over his bare chest.
Geoff rolled his eyes as he straightened his lightish red waistcoat. "You look good."
"I am very red," Jack said, showing off his eye-smarting red pants, shirt, and shoes. Michael was wearing a red varsity jacket and baggy red pants with a red bandana, and Ryan ran out in a light red suit.
"I don't know if this is really red," Ryan said doubtfully.
"It's light red," Michael assured him.
"You know what," Ray said exiting the store in a completely red version of his usual outfit. "They already have a color for light red."
"You know what it's called?" Gavin said excitedly, catching the reference. "Pink!"
Geoff and Jack both went for their guns at the same time but Ryan got there first. He swung his gun at Gavin's skull, clubbing him and knocking him unconscious. "No RvB quotes!" he snapped.
"Ryan!" Michael yelled. "You nearly killed him! What happened to your murder break?"
Ryan's annoyance died down and he blinked down at Gavin's unconscious body. "Oh…" He put his gun back and sighed heavily. "Sorry! My bad!"
"This is why it's so hard to trust you!" Michael said.
Gavin groaned and sat up. "Ray started it…" he grumbled.
The Crew got in the trucks, Michael and Jack riding in the Dubsta while Ray and Geoff and Gavin and Ryan took the box trucks in pairs. They set off for the mask store, listening to Ryan shout at Gavin for his crappy driving.
"Gavin, you have managed to hit everything!" Ryan shouted.
"I forgot you were riding with me," Gavin explained. "Sorry!"
The others laughed and almost immediately broke off as Gavin and Ryan started screaming.
"GAVIN!" Ryan shouted
"AHHHHHHH!" Gavin squawked.
Gavin had executed a sharp turn in the box truck and had severely underestimated how top heavy the vehicle was. Ryan and Gavin both cried out as the truck tipped on to two wheels and lurched sideways as it screeched around the corner. At the last second they slammed into a surprisingly sturdy telephone pole and crunched to a stop. The truck balance on two wheels for a moment before jerking to the side and clunking down back onto all four wheels.
"We're good!" Gavin said cheerfully.
Ryan slapped Gavin upside the head.
The Crew pulled up to the mask store and Geoff browsed the newest masks available. The theme was America so they needed an American mask.
What was more American than a bald eagle?
"White eagle!" he instructed the Crew, pulling on the giant bald eagle mask.
"Yup that's it," Michael agreed instantly. "Geoff you look fucking good!"
"Oh God!" Ryan said as Gavin drove at the mask store full speed. The Crew didn't even notice as the giant truck plowed towards them only to be stopped with a crunch by the awning of the mask store.
Michael turned around after paying for his mask and saw the truck behind him. Gavin had come in close without causing mass destruction. "Gavin nice park job," he said appreciatively before sauntering back to the Dubsta.
Ryan shakily jumped down from the box truck. "Guys, I want you to know that that awning saved your life."
"To look left or right, you have to whip your head back and forth," Jack observed, maneuvering his head around with the heavy mask.
"I whip my head back and forth," sang the entire Crew.
"Fuck," Jack sighed.
The Crew then split up to do their jobs, delayed slightly when someone attempted to steal Gavin's truck and again when Ray nearly got run over by the other truck. Eventually, after brutally beating the truck thief to death they were on their way to get their shit together.
Hopefully.
"This tank flies really well," Jack announced sometime later. He had managed to hook the tank and get it airborne. Surprisingly it lifted easier than an armored truck. (What the fuck are in armored trucks?)
"How do you think it normally gets into battle? Ryan asked.
"Yeah it doesn't drive across the ocean," Geoff added.
Michael grinned inside the tank. "If they have a ship that's big enough to carry a tank…" he began to quote.
"No," Geoff cut him off, so forcefully that Michael cringed.
Gavin and Ryan drove the trucks into position, Gavin having to go quite a ways around when they realized the truck would fit under the gate at the mouth of the alley. Eventually the trucks were set, Ryan had joined Ray and Geoff in the Dubsta to be ready for their half of the job, and Michael had unhooked his tank, leaving it on the roof.
They reconvened in the parking lot below the tank where several cars stood unattended, ready to be turned into bombs. Ryan nabbed one, grateful that he saw no trace of a Simeon tracker. He pulled it out for Gavin and Michael to use and ran back for another.
He missed the tracker this time.
"Uh-oh," he said as sirens split the air almost immediately. "This may have been a Simeon vehicle."
"Are the two vehicles different colors?" Jack asked as he lowered to the ground and let Michael out of the chopper.
"They are not," Ryan asked as he jogged away from the traced car. "Hey wait a minute," he said, stopping in his tracks. He looked across the street at an alley and down a few doors to a convenience store. He knew this area. He knew it well.
"I feel like I almost died horribly right here," Ryan said.
"No, why would you think that," Ray said bitterly.
"For some reason this place makes me think about sad music," Ryan muttered, unsure why he had that particular thought. "Uh-oh," he said as a cop car came gunning into the parking lot. He ran for the ladder to the roof and began to climb. "There are some police in the area."
"Don't mind me and my C4, officer," Michael said nonchalantly as a cop went flying by him. Some police officers had gotten out of their car and had followed Ryan up the ladder much to everyone's surprise. Michael carefully sauntered over to watch the spectacle when suddenly he heard a high pitched scream.
A black blur rushed past him and he heard a sickening crunch as the scream died immediately. He blinked down at a uniformed body at his feet, the legs and back twisted and the eyes open and unseeing.
"What the fuck was that?" Jack asked.
"Oh shit!" Michael yelled as it dawned on him. "One just fucking fell off!"
"Did he die?" Gavin asked, jogging around the corner to Michael's position.
"Yeah. Look."
"Oh he snapped his back in half!" Gavin yelled, partially disgusted at the cops twisted body.
"Why is no one coming back for him?" Ryan wondered as the cops charged away from their fallen comrade.
"I don't know," Michael said. He reached down and grabbed the cop's wallet that had bounced free as he fell.
After a random shoot-out between the parking attendant who appeared out of nowhere and the cops, the cops cleared off, interestingly still leaving their dead colleague. After much deliberation and some goofing off, Michael and Gavin had managed to plant C4 on their respective cars and Jack lifted them onto the roof.
"I hate to say it," Geoff said nervously as the shenanigans died down. "But I have kind of a good feeling about this one."
"Do you?" Michael asked while Ryan groaned, "Don't say that." Jack and Ray just groaned.
"You know we have to get in a Titan, right?" Gavin asked dubiously.
"And then Gavin is flying it," Ryan added.
"He says he's trustworthy," Geoff said, forcing a confidence he wasn't entirely sure he actually felt. He was trying though.
The Crew stopped off at Ammunation, ironically one of the stores they were going to rob. They loaded up and Jack returned in the chopper to the roof to drop Michael at the tank and then hovered with the first car bomb. Ryan, Ray, and Geoff took their posts in the Dubsta and Gavin hopped into his truck to block the alley
Geoff pulled to a stop in front of the first target. "Ryan, Ray, and I are in position," he said to the others.
"They'll never suspect a bald eagle in a barber shop," Ryan said as he crossed the street for the barber shop they were planning to rob.
"Is Team Jack ready?" Geoff asked.
"I am position," Gavin replied.
"We're good," Jack said.
Geoff took a deep breath and unconsciously held it, his palms sweating profusely as the moment came upon them. Could they do this? Did they have a choice? Tremulously, Geoff nodded to Ryan.
Ryan opened the door to the shop. The clerk, a pretty woman in a purple sweater called a greeting, looking confused at the masked man. Ryan held up a finger and raised his phone to his ear. He pretended to take a call while holding the door partially open. His hands shook a little but at least he trusted Ray not to blow his head off. They couldn't mess this one up. No do-overs.
Ray across the street looked down the scope of his sniper rifle and trained the crosshairs in the lady's forehead. He gripped the gun and steadied his hand and breathing. They just had to do this last job and maybe they'd be free. He had to hold on to that hope. Regardless, there was no room for mistakes
Up on the roof, Michael strapped into the tank and positioned the monitors so he had a good view of where to aim when he was picked up. He gripped the seat so hard his bones creaked. This had to work. They had to do this.
Jack concentrated on the whir of the chopper and the creak of the rope from which one of the car
Bombs swung. The rhythmic noise helped settle his nerves so he could lock his courage in place. They would not fail. Not this time.
"Bird in a van," Gavin sang. "I'm a bird in a van. Look, I have paperwork." That was Gavin. He had to focus on anything but the tension and the danger or he would be useless.
"Alright," Geoff said into the moment of silence. "On your mark…get set…heist!" he shouted and almost immediately, Ray pulled the trigger.