Chapter 365. Operation: Fatman (7/10)
“It’s the sort of stuff you see straight out of movies. But… now that I think about it. Doesn’t all this setup seem more appropriate for a bigger heist? To think all of this is being done just to get-”
“Fat suits,” I grumbled.
“Yeah… that. Haha. It sounds pretty ridiculous. Why not just buy one? It would probably work out to be cheaper, wouldn’t it?”
“Rosa, how much have we spent on this?”
“Absolutely nothing. We either got everything we needed for free or already had everything else we needed to do this. We’re the bare minimum budget bandits.”
“Is the effort you’ve put into this really worth the little money you’re saving by not having to buy one?”
“What are you talking about? It’s not about the prize, it’s about the experience, the process, the friends we made along the way. The loot we get out of this comes secondary.”
“Rosa, enough with the crappy jokes. You’re enjoying this way too much,” I retorted.
“Of course I am. It’s been a while since I’ve done something so fun. It’s the best type of date, definitely my kind of date.”
“D-Date? Rosa, you consider this a date?” Izora hesitantly sought clarification.
“Yeah, and you’re on this date with us. You’re a fellow partner in crime along with my boyfriend tonight.”
“Sorry to intrude on your date.”
“It’s no problem. The success of this date greatly depends on you. You’re responsible for securing the loot in a timely fashion. Your role in this little operation is a vital one that cannot be understated as it determines whether we succeed or fail. As long as you dutifully act out the role you’ve been cast for as you would when you’re up on stage or in front of a camera, everything will go smoothly. If you want, you can consider this the first major acting gig you’ve ever specifically been scouted for.”
“I’ll do my best not to hold you back, I won’t let you down.”
“Don’t worry about holding me back. I’ll cover for any little mistakes you may make. You can count on me.”
“That being said. Should we try to rob a bank together in the future? The thrill would be substantially higher.” Rosa asked with sparkly puppy dog eyes.
“Hell no, that’s never going to happen,” I immediately shot her down.
“Never say never,” Rosa countered back.
“Haaaaah. I still can’t get over the fact that this meticulously crafted plan is to acquire two fat suits. If the police or school can’t figure out what we took, what will they think? They’ll just see us enter the theater room with a duffle bag, right? Then a mysterious disappearing act.” Izora posed a rather interesting question I hadn’t considered.
“Hmm… that’s true, what would they think?” I couldn’t help but agree.
“Since we’re only entering the theater room, they probably won’t be able to imagine us taking anything of substantial value. If that’s the case, won’t they probably think we broke in to leave something behind? With that train of thought, what if they think of the worst-case scenario, something along the lines of us hiding a bomb inside the theatre room or something?”
“Ah.” When Izora finished Rosa and I let out a short sound as our eyes locked.
“Hey… Rosa… that’d be pretty bad if they get the wrong idea,” I voiced my genuine concerns.
“You’re right… but what can we really do about that?”
“We could leave a calling card or something. Sort of like a phantom thief. Something that lets them know we didn’t leave anything but did take something.”
“Oh, good idea! How about we leave behind a note saying, ‘The Bare Minimum Budget Bandits were here.’” Rosa suggested.
“Pfft hahahaha! Yeah, yeah. That’s not bad, do that. At least that will let them know we’re really just some bastards not after expensive valuables, but rather, some cheap garbage nobody would even notice is gone.”
“While Izora is securing the loot I’ll find a pen and some paper inside to write it out. It’d be better to not use anything that belongs to us.”
“Yeah, good idea. That was a good catch, Izora. If you weren’t here, we might have caused quite a commotion.” I had no choice but to praise her for spotting our oversight. We were too focused on it being done flawlessly that we didn’t consider the potential aftermath.
“It’s no big deal. It’s something small that probably wouldn’t even turn into anything. You two are the impressive ones here.”
“No, one small change can result in a butterfly effect that completely changes the future. You should underestimate minor little details like this.”
“Ran’s right. Credit where credit’s due.”
Izora, seemingly caught off guard, had a blank expression on her face.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“Huh? No. I just realized I have a lot of fun being around you two.”
“Haha, we should hang out more Izora. I always thought you were a bore before. Just some girl trying to be Alicia’s clone. But it turns out I was wrong. Alicia isn’t the type to go along with this sort of thing so easily. She’d feel guilty about doing this type of thing and has a strong sense of justice. I don’t dislike that side of hers, but it’s fun finding someone who finds this sort of thing fun.”
“If you’re doing this kind of thing again in the future and have room for one more, definitely invite me.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Hey, don’t go making that sort of promise. I’d rather not get into trouble like this often. I want a peaceful, quiet life.”
“Yeah, yeah. You always say that but wind up getting yourself into these situations all the time.”
“I don’t get into these situations all the time. Don’t slander my good name.”
Rosa rolled her eyes and gave a dismissive response, “Whatever you say. Debriefing session over. Let’s get down to business. Izora, put on this pair of gloves. We’re going in. Operation Fatman is a go.”
When I got out of the car Rosa passed me the drone and controller through the window. I entered the bush and knelt down low between the bushes as I awaited her signal.
A few minutes later, I received a transmission over the radio, “Control Tower, this is Alpha One testing the line. Over.”
“Alpha One…”
“Control Tower, what was that? Over.”
“Are we really doing this?”
“I can’t hear you. Over.”
“Alpha One, are we really doing this?... Over.”
“Control Tower, coming in loud and clear. Yes. Of course we’re doing this~ Over.”
“Alpha One… haaaaaah, fine, I get it. I’ll play along. Over.”
“Control Tower, good. We’re in position. I’ve got the entrance unlocked. Open your eyes in the sky. Awaiting permission to breach. Over.”
I turned the drone on and sent it up into the air and scanned the streets around the school from high up in the air.
“Alpha One, no threats in sight. Permission to breach granted. Over.”
“Control Tower, roger that. Commencing Operation Fatman. Over.”
Haaaah. This was seriously embarrassing. But it was better to not use real names over the radio. Plus if we did this and someone somehow was listening in, they would just think we’re some weird kids playing around.”
“Control Tower, we’re in. Moving to Tango now. Over.” Tango for theater club? How low-effort and unoriginal.
“Alpha One, you’re still in the clear, no threats yet. Over.”
“Control Tower, roger that. Over.”
A minute later another transmission came through.
“Control Tower, arrived at Tango. Beginning infiltration. Over.”
I diligently scanned the streets, refusing to miss the moment they appeared.
“Alpha One, roger that. Five minutes down. Still no threats detected. Over.”
Naturally, she didn’t immediately respond. She was working on picking the lock. Two minutes later I received a response.
“Control Tower, this is... A-Alpha Two. O-Over.” Izora stuttered over the radio.
“Alpha Two, did something happen? Over?”
“Control Tower, Alpha One is still infiltrating Tango, she said if I wanted to try it I could. Over.”
“Alpha Two… you sound like you’re enjoying this too much. Over.”
“Control Tower, I am. It’s a little scary how much fun this is. I might get addicted. Over.”
“Ah. That’s right, I forgot. Control Tower, any update? Over.”
“Alpha Two, still nothing. Over.”
“Control Tower, roger that. Over.”
Two minutes later.
“Alpha One here. Control Tower, we’re in. Alpha Two is searching as we speak. Over.”
“Alpha One, roger that. Over.”
Three minutes later Rosa radioed in again.
“Control Tower, calling card is in place. Alpha Two is still searching. Over.”
“Alpha One, roger that, please hurry. They could show any time now. Over.”
“Control Tower, we’re working on it. Over.”
Two minutes later and finally, there was movement. A cruiser was coming in hot from down the road.
“Alpha One, visual on one threat incoming. Eight hundred meters, closing in fast. One minute until arrival. You have at most two minutes until they reach the entrance.”
I waited for a response back, but nothing came in. They’d suddenly gone dark on me.
“Alpha One, counting down. Five hundred meters… four hundred… three hundred… two hundred… one hundred…”
“Alpha One, the threat pulled into the back entrance and is currently stopped. I repeat, they have pulled into the back entrance and are currently stopped. They may be circling the block. Over.”
Nothing came back and I was starting to get nervous. Had something gone wrong? A few beads of sweat accumulated on my forehead as I kept an eye out for more. Had they predicted our escape plan out the back and they were waiting to see if there was any movement?
Chapter 365. Operation: Fatman (7/10)
“It’s the sort of stuff you see straight out of movies. But… now that I think about it. Doesn’t all this setup seem more appropriate for a bigger heist? To think all of this is being done just to get-”
“Fat suits,” I grumbled.
“Yeah… that. Haha. It sounds pretty ridiculous. Why not just buy one? It would probably work out to be cheaper, wouldn’t it?”
“Rosa, how much have we spent on this?”
“Absolutely nothing. We either got everything we needed for free or already had everything else we needed to do this. We’re the bare minimum budget bandits.”
“Is the effort you’ve put into this really worth the little money you’re saving by not having to buy one?”
“What are you talking about? It’s not about the prize, it’s about the experience, the process, the friends we made along the way. The loot we get out of this comes secondary.”
“Rosa, enough with the crappy jokes. You’re enjoying this way too much,” I retorted.
“Of course I am. It’s been a while since I’ve done something so fun. It’s the best type of date, definitely my kind of date.”
“D-Date? Rosa, you consider this a date?” Izora hesitantly sought clarification.
“Yeah, and you’re on this date with us. You’re a fellow partner in crime along with my boyfriend tonight.”
“Sorry to intrude on your date.”
“It’s no problem. The success of this date greatly depends on you. You’re responsible for securing the loot in a timely fashion. Your role in this little operation is a vital one that cannot be understated as it determines whether we succeed or fail. As long as you dutifully act out the role you’ve been cast for as you would when you’re up on stage or in front of a camera, everything will go smoothly. If you want, you can consider this the first major acting gig you’ve ever specifically been scouted for.”
“I’ll do my best not to hold you back, I won’t let you down.”
“Don’t worry about holding me back. I’ll cover for any little mistakes you may make. You can count on me.”
“That being said. Should we try to rob a bank together in the future? The thrill would be substantially higher.” Rosa asked with sparkly puppy dog eyes.
“Hell no, that’s never going to happen,” I immediately shot her down.
“Never say never,” Rosa countered back.
“Haaaaah. I still can’t get over the fact that this meticulously crafted plan is to acquire two fat suits. If the police or school can’t figure out what we took, what will they think? They’ll just see us enter the theater room with a duffle bag, right? Then a mysterious disappearing act.” Izora posed a rather interesting question I hadn’t considered.
“Hmm… that’s true, what would they think?” I couldn’t help but agree.
“Since we’re only entering the theater room, they probably won’t be able to imagine us taking anything of substantial value. If that’s the case, won’t they probably think we broke in to leave something behind? With that train of thought, what if they think of the worst-case scenario, something along the lines of us hiding a bomb inside the theatre room or something?”
“Ah.” When Izora finished Rosa and I let out a short sound as our eyes locked.
“Hey… Rosa… that’d be pretty bad if they get the wrong idea,” I voiced my genuine concerns.
“You’re right… but what can we really do about that?”
“We could leave a calling card or something. Sort of like a phantom thief. Something that lets them know we didn’t leave anything but did take something.”
“Oh, good idea! How about we leave behind a note saying, ‘The Bare Minimum Budget Bandits were here.’” Rosa suggested.
“Pfft hahahaha! Yeah, yeah. That’s not bad, do that. At least that will let them know we’re really just some bastards not after expensive valuables, but rather, some cheap garbage nobody would even notice is gone.”
“While Izora is securing the loot I’ll find a pen and some paper inside to write it out. It’d be better to not use anything that belongs to us.”
“Yeah, good idea. That was a good catch, Izora. If you weren’t here, we might have caused quite a commotion.” I had no choice but to praise her for spotting our oversight. We were too focused on it being done flawlessly that we didn’t consider the potential aftermath.
“It’s no big deal. It’s something small that probably wouldn’t even turn into anything. You two are the impressive ones here.”
“No, one small change can result in a butterfly effect that completely changes the future. You should underestimate minor little details like this.”
“Ran’s right. Credit where credit’s due.”
Izora, seemingly caught off guard, had a blank expression on her face.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“Huh? No. I just realized I have a lot of fun being around you two.”
“Haha, we should hang out more Izora. I always thought you were a bore before. Just some girl trying to be Alicia’s clone. But it turns out I was wrong. Alicia isn’t the type to go along with this sort of thing so easily. She’d feel guilty about doing this type of thing and has a strong sense of justice. I don’t dislike that side of hers, but it’s fun finding someone who finds this sort of thing fun.”
“If you’re doing this kind of thing again in the future and have room for one more, definitely invite me.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Hey, don’t go making that sort of promise. I’d rather not get into trouble like this often. I want a peaceful, quiet life.”
“Yeah, yeah. You always say that but wind up getting yourself into these situations all the time.”
“I don’t get into these situations all the time. Don’t slander my good name.”
Rosa rolled her eyes and gave a dismissive response, “Whatever you say. Debriefing session over. Let’s get down to business. Izora, put on this pair of gloves. We’re going in. Operation Fatman is a go.”
When I got out of the car Rosa passed me the drone and controller through the window. I entered the bush and knelt down low between the bushes as I awaited her signal.
A few minutes later, I received a transmission over the radio, “Control Tower, this is Alpha One testing the line. Over.”
“Alpha One…”
“Control Tower, what was that? Over.”
“Are we really doing this?”
“I can’t hear you. Over.”
“Alpha One, are we really doing this?... Over.”
“Control Tower, coming in loud and clear. Yes. Of course we’re doing this~ Over.”
“Alpha One… haaaaaah, fine, I get it. I’ll play along. Over.”
“Control Tower, good. We’re in position. I’ve got the entrance unlocked. Open your eyes in the sky. Awaiting permission to breach. Over.”
I turned the drone on and sent it up into the air and scanned the streets around the school from high up in the air.
“Alpha One, no threats in sight. Permission to breach granted. Over.”
“Control Tower, roger that. Commencing Operation Fatman. Over.”
Haaaah. This was seriously embarrassing. But it was better to not use real names over the radio. Plus if we did this and someone somehow was listening in, they would just think we’re some weird kids playing around.”
“Control Tower, we’re in. Moving to Tango now. Over.” Tango for theater club? How low-effort and unoriginal.
“Alpha One, you’re still in the clear, no threats yet. Over.”
“Control Tower, roger that. Over.”
A minute later another transmission came through.
“Control Tower, arrived at Tango. Beginning infiltration. Over.”
I diligently scanned the streets, refusing to miss the moment they appeared.
“Alpha One, roger that. Five minutes down. Still no threats detected. Over.”
Naturally, she didn’t immediately respond. She was working on picking the lock. Two minutes later I received a response.
“Control Tower, this is... A-Alpha Two. O-Over.” Izora stuttered over the radio.
“Alpha Two, did something happen? Over?”
“Control Tower, Alpha One is still infiltrating Tango, she said if I wanted to try it I could. Over.”
“Alpha Two… you sound like you’re enjoying this too much. Over.”
“Control Tower, I am. It’s a little scary how much fun this is. I might get addicted. Over.”
“Ah. That’s right, I forgot. Control Tower, any update? Over.”
“Alpha Two, still nothing. Over.”
“Control Tower, roger that. Over.”
Two minutes later.
“Alpha One here. Control Tower, we’re in. Alpha Two is searching as we speak. Over.”
“Alpha One, roger that. Over.”
Three minutes later Rosa radioed in again.
“Control Tower, calling card is in place. Alpha Two is still searching. Over.”
“Alpha One, roger that, please hurry. They could show any time now. Over.”
“Control Tower, we’re working on it. Over.”
Two minutes later and finally, there was movement. A cruiser was coming in hot from down the road.
“Alpha One, visual on one threat incoming. Eight hundred meters, closing in fast. One minute until arrival. You have at most two minutes until they reach the entrance.”
I waited for a response back, but nothing came in. They’d suddenly gone dark on me.
“Alpha One, counting down. Five hundred meters… four hundred… three hundred… two hundred… one hundred…”
“Alpha One, the threat pulled into the back entrance and is currently stopped. I repeat, they have pulled into the back entrance and are currently stopped. They may be circling the block. Over.”
Nothing came back and I was starting to get nervous. Had something gone wrong? A few beads of sweat accumulated on my forehead as I kept an eye out for more. Had they predicted our escape plan out the back and they were waiting to see if there was any movement?
