City Towers: The Heist
I can remember
the escape like yesterday. The mad crazy dash p a few flights of stairs,
emerging on the roof, then standing on the edge and just falling… Then being
yanked back by the parachute and floating down like a feather. I remember us
all going our separate ways and agreeing to never to get into contact with each
other.
We all said
that we had enough money to set up us up for the rest of our lives. But I had a
feeling David wanted more. A few months after the mile-high bank job, I was
back in the shit hole of a back water town I call home, Warrington. To be
honest I wish I was back doing it. Then I got a phone call one day that said
‘anonymous’. I was curious to who it was, so I answered. “Is that Michael?”
said a man who sounded like he sang a screamo rock band. I recognised the
voice, it was David’s. “David? Yes, what’s happened?” I said wondering if it
was him at all or just a wrong number, “Is this a secure line?” he said
concerned like someone was watching me or listening in. “Yes, it should be” I
said, “Good because I’ve got another job for us since you were so good last
time” he said exaggerating the ‘so’, “good it was all sure dumb luck far as I’m
concerned.” “I laughed”, “Dum luck my laddo, no I think not you’ve got a knack
for this type of trade, what say you wanna join my crew, it’s a dangerous life
I should know and I understand if you say no…” he said northerner in his voice.
“Yes!” I said cutting him off half way through his recruitment speech.
“Good” David
said enthusiastically, “so then, where is it this time?” I said intrigued by my
comrades new crazy scheme, “New York City, my friend” he said trying not to
giggle, “Are you for fucking real David, Jesus Christ almighty there isn’t a
chance in hell you’re going to pull this off you know, the phrase comes to mind
‘when pigs fly’ we’re going to pull this off” I said angrily and sarcasm in my
tone of voice. “Calm down dearest keep your nickers on, Christ” he said
jokingly, “not the same building is it?” I said, “god no, it’s the building near
the chemist company, you know the FCB the guys who are looking into a cure for
cancer” he said, “oh yeah I heard about that said they were really close just
the last piece of the puzzle they said and it’s done, ok then”, “you know what
I say ZOMBIE APOCLYPSE here we come” David said making zombie noises down the
phone. “Where we meeting?” I asked, “You remember the black van we had, just
tap on the side as you walk past” he said, “Ok, then” I said concerned but glad
for what’s to come, hope I don’t end up like all the other British guys who
come back from overseas, dead.
So after my
call with David I got a plane ticket over to New York, one way. As the flight
was long I thought about who left behind and I forgot that a girl well…not just
any girl, a girl I loved, my first love in fact moved here with her job she
came here to take her promotion as a cop on the NYPD. Later that night I met up
with David and some familiar faces, some not so, the new guy Luke, full name
Lucifer but he preferred to be called Luke. The crew and I walked in during the
day and decided to hide in closets and out of sight places till after closing.
The pc specialist and hacker got rid of the cameras and downed the security
system for a couple hours. We moved around like snakes in tall blades of grass
it was adrenaline rushing. You could smell the coffee from the staff rooms as
you walked past.
We got to the
vault it was smaller than the last one and usually that means it stuffed with
more dollars and coin for the taking you could smell the freshly made money
like fresh bread that’s just come out of the oven. One of the guys said “god,
this vault is tight as a little girl…OWWW what the fuck was that for?”, “stop
fucking about and unload the vault the more you can carry downstairs the bigger
your share.” David said commanding. I said to David concerned “does this seem
too easy to you? Or was it the last one we did was hard as nails?” he pondered
“this does seem a bit odd that there was no guards built like Russian soldiers
with Russian Alsatians in toe”. Suspiciously David and I looked around for
anything that could halt our heisting days and probably lock us behind and in a
vault like prison that we could never get out. I found the cameras on the walls
were bugged and told David and the rest, we covered then unplugged then smashed
them all. I went round did all the safety deposit boxes and found a few handguns
and rounds enough for all of us. “Here!” I shouted and threw a handgun to David
“For protection”, “WOHHH!” “watch where you’re throwing that thing it coul...”
BANG! The bullet bounced of the bullet proof that covered the entire room and
round the room off the vault door into the vault bouncing round like a rubber
ball at 100 mph, then out the door all I heard was “AHHHHHH what the fucking
hell do you think your fucking playing at you fucking bastards all of you..” “Who
was that?” asking David “Me you fucking retard!” in came Luke limping and
holding his arm in agony blood oozing out through his fingers. “Better get that
bandaged up or it might fall of and walk out the door” said one of the crew
guys “Fucking smart arse” said Luke grumbling and mumbling under his breath.
“What was that Luke?” asked David, “Nothing”, “Right, back to work the lot of
you we’ve only got a couple more hours left” said David commanding the rest of
them “Sorry it went off Luke” said David concerned “It’s fine, only a flesh
wound” said Luke arrogantly.
One by one the
sports bags to carry the loot out got bulgier and fatter like roast pigs on a
dining table waiting to be cleaved of their meat or in our case money, all we
needed was the apple to go in all our pigs pie wholes of mouths or the icing to
go on our massive cake, the crown jewel of the vault. At the back of the vault
sat THE most famous painting in the world, (because of where it had been taken
New York it was bound for someone to steal it, so 4 fakes where made with one
the real, all then sealed in vaults round the city completely random with only
the curator knowing where it really is). The Mona Lisa. “What did you say about
pigs flying Michael?”
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Continued
The Mona Lisa
hung on the wall like it had just come out of Leonardo da Vinci’s workshop. All
their eyes widened at how real it looked but possibility it’s just another
fake. “What are you all doing standing their gawping at it, it’s not going to
take itself out of the frame and roll itself up and place itself inside the
tube is it, I don’t see legs on it do you?” said David like a drill sergeant. I
and the rest emptied the vault and I bee-lined straight for Da Vinci’s master
piece. I examined it and just looked at in amazement and awe, I took the
painting down of the wall and beforehand placing gloves on. I carefully took
the painting out of its frame, checked if it’s the real deal; I beamed grinning
like a Cheshire cat, rolled it up and placed it inside a cylinder tube. “Come
on Michael, I wanna be in and out of here before the NYPD popo realised we have
arrived” said David jokingly and commanding “Do want them to know who stole it,
well then, that is why I’m taking my time” said Michael barking back at him.
“Luke can you
drive” said David “yeah sure” “get down to the van and man the wheel then, is
everything loaded up and everyone accounted for?” I said “yeah should be, I got
her clinging to my back saying ‘don’t leave me’”, then from down the stairs I
heard hush voices and quite creeping footsteps. “What’s up Michael?” David
looked at me to say why the fuck aren’t you paying attention to me, I gestured
out the door and down, one of the guys went out to check. PING! The sound of a
silenced bullet hitting the railings of the staircase. “God fucking dam it I
knew this was too easy” I said cursing even coming back to the city that never
sleeps. David gestured like a clown playing Simon says with 5 year olds
counting down from 3 to 1 he said whispering “on one we make a mad crazy dash for
the roof, ok” “just like last time” I said “just like last time” David said
both grinning. The NYPD cops heading up the floors making their way to the
vault, quickly fast walking up the stairs. David gestured 3, BOOM! They kicked
a door in downstairs in the security room, then 2, BOOM! The door to room
before the vault, because we were smart we locked it. Then 1, by the time they
were in the centre of the vault the thing itself was empty and we were near the
roof.
Running and
running fast as I could felt like Flash from DC comics, scrambling up rubbing
shoulders, gun shots being fired up the staircase rick a shading of the
bannister, BOOM! We burst through the fire escape door, all gasping for air, “always..bring..a..parachute”
said David trying to catch his breath. Everyone else jumped off like flying
squirrels, and then left standing was David and I, “You ready!” David shouted
to me, “You go first!” I said shouting back, “fuck that, you go!”, I pushed
David off the building. She came bursting through the door gun in hand with a
squad behind her, her face could have painted a picture a better one than Mona
at that she was still as beautiful as god created her, she must’ve been first
in line when they handed out the bodies. She was perfection in my eyes she
always will be.
“So Michael,
why are standing on the edge of a skyscraper with a Leonardo da Vince
masterpiece on your back?” she said in a questionable tone. My first thought
was dumbstruck love, then anger, now rage but mellowed like a volcano ready to
burst. “Why is one of my old good friends pointing a magnum at my head?” I said
questioning her back. “Don’t play riddles with me Michael” she said in a
calming tone. “Best say it now seems from now on we’re going to be on the
opposite ends of the spectrum” I said calm but nervous, “say what?” she said
moving closer to him, “I like you, like I wanna be your boyfriend like you, you
know” I said nervous and reverting back to my old high school self probably THE
worst years of my life but Aimee was always there. “That’s cute but I’m engaged
now, sorry Michael” she said sadden in her voice but I didn’t care my brain and
heart worked as one the volcano had blown and I pulled the gun and shot in the
air, BANG!, Aims did the same but aiming just in front of me as warning shot
“GIVE..THE…PAINTING…NOW MICHAEL!” Aimee said demanding and asserting her
authority over me. “As long as you let me go” I said demanding my terms “never”
she barked back, I pulled a lighter and hovered it over the bottom of the Mona
Lisa, “now LET.ME.GO”. “fine” she said like she was giving up but looking back
ordered her men to shoot my legs when the transfer was made. I rolled the
painting in its cylinder container over to her, she picked it up and said “how
are going to get out?” she asked me “where there’s a will there’s a way” I
stepped back and fell, falling, falling wind passing my hair like water, you
could hear her from the top “nooooooo” she screamed. Her men checked the
cylinder, it was empty. “Err…mam it’s not their” they said dumbfounded “what do
you mean it’s not their?” she looked it was empty as a black whole. As I heard
coming down on the TV news “Today scientists have found the cure for cancer
thanks to FCB medical company, and in other news there has been rumoured that
scientists were experimenting with eagle genes and pigs genes and that they
have fully created a pig with wings and that one of their subjects have escaped
from the facility. Well I guess pigs really do fly. I’ve been Cathy Weathers
for New York news. For the date of 21st December 2012.
Carpe Diem.
Fin...
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