“Nope, can’t see a thing.” Jimmy shrugged, shaking his head. “You find a shop for your stealth stuff yet?”
Lips pursed, Kurt shook his head. “Haven’t looked, but I’m betting Gadot would know. She’s a sneaky one.”
He typed up a message asking Gadot for advice as they gathered up all their new gear and headed back out to the parking lot. Jimmy stopped at the doors, peering around before stepping out and moving to the car, shotgun at the ready. As they sat down in the car, Kurt received a text from Gadot including a map location for him to use. He swiped it up onto the windshield and Jimmy began driving while Kurt checked in on his skills.
His disguise skill had gone up by a surprising two levels since he last checked it, and a new skill caught his attention.
Primary
Armor Rank 1. (Combat)
A knight in shining armor is a man who has never had his mettle truly tested – Unknown
Wearing armor can help mitigate those annoying things in life like being shot. 1% improvement in damage reduction, 1% reduction in armor repair and replacement cost.
Narrowing his eyes in thought, Kurt turned to Jimmy. “What’s your armor skill at?”
“What, the primary? That’s maxed at 25. Took a while, and I had to get shot a lot, but it’s pretty worth it.” Jimmy looked pleased with himself. “Of course, I stack it with a few other skills, but that’s pretty much how the skill system works. You make your combos and get powerful in certain areas.”
They followed the route to the store Gadot had recommended for them, delving back into the heart of the Downtown Cluster. Jimmy kept looking out the windows nervously, but no players approached or attacked them as they parked at the curb in front of a very strange looking shop.
The dull concrete of the wall facing them was pitted and pocked by age and abuse, and the door to enter the store was a simple chunk of steel with no handle. Next to the door was a dented and scuffed intercom with a dingy faded red button. Kurt shrugged as he stepped up to it and pressed the button, causing a loud buzz to emanate from inside the shop. The door emitted a heavy clunk and swung slightly open, allowing them to enter what was basically a hallway encased by bulletproof glass.
The door locked closed behind them as Kurt started looking around at his options. Firearms and their accessories dominated much of the right side of the hallway, with outfits and clothing options spread out along their left.
Jimmy looked uncomfortable. “What the hell is this place?”
Moving down the hallway with a small smile, Kurt peered behind the glass at items on display. “I guess us sneaky types are not to be trusted.”
“Yeah, I’m starting to see that.” He peered behind the glass at an item. “You really think you can pull off your part of this job? It sounds…intense.” Jimmy leaned against the door, having decided there was nothing of interest in the shop for him.
Kurt stopped and frowned for a moment, turning to face Jimmy. “I don’t really know. You think we should back out?”
Jimmy’s head shook instantly, a scowl pressing onto his lips. “Hell no. GoonStorm has an ass kicking coming, and I’m happy to be wearing the boots. Plus, Gadot is the real deal. She’s probably the best driver in the entire game, I’m not passing up the chance to run with her.”
Nodding in agreement, Kurt returned to browsing his options. Large sections of the shop were empty, leading him to assume he had a lot of work to do with his skills before he could purchase all the fun toys that were involved in a stealth and dishonesty based class. He eventually found what he was looking for and motioned for the NPC shopkeeper to approach.
The NPC was a tired looking middle-aged woman smoking a cigarette, who approached and raised an eyebrow at Kurt without saying anything.
Pointing at what he wanted, Kurt fished out some cash from the duffle bag. “Three hundred rounds of subsonic 9mm hollow point please.”
Perking up, Jimmy approached to inspect the box of ammo as it was passed through a rotating tube in the wall. “Damn, that IS some good stealth stuff.”
The subsonic 9mm hollow point ammunition offered a bonus to stealth that stacked with Kurt’s suppressed firearm, as well as a major damage bonus if attacking from stealth. It had the standard armor warning in place as well, as it seemed hollow point ammunition was something easily countered by even basic armor in the game.
Kurt smiled as he slid the box of rounds into his pocket, retracting the new magazine for his Maxim 9. It had a deep purple band of paint at the base of the magazine, which disappeared into the bottom of the gun as he loaded it, keeping his special ammo choices from being seen by all. Transferring the new ammunition to his rear holster, he buttoned his coat happily as they left the shop. Kurt made sure to bookmark the location on his map for later use before getting in the car with Jimmy.
“Ok, so where to now?” Kurt spoke while browsing through his phones contacts list.
Jimmy flicked his wrist and threw a map onto the windshield, a waypoint already set. “Now I go get my shotgun modified and get ready for this insane thing we’re doing later today. You should go get ready to impersonate a bank manager. Here, take what’s left of your cut, you’ll need it.” He dug out a stack of bills from the bag and dumped them in Kurt’s lap. “I’ll give Gadot hers.”
Scowling in annoyance, Kurt started tucking wads of bills into his various pockets, noting with satisfaction that they became single bills as he did so. Inventory management was much simpler without massive quantities of ammunition and cash being actually carried on one’s person.
Getting out of the car with a shrug, Kurt tipped Jimmy a nod as he pulled away from the curb. Pulling up his vague contact information for the Lace, Kurt hit the button to call them. After a single ring, the phone clicked to life in his ear, but nothing was said.
“Hello?” Kurt looked around, a bit confused.
A moment passed in silence before a rather annoyed voice spoke. “State your location and request.”
“Oh, uhh…I need hair and makeup work done. I think. And my location is…43rd and state?” He did a quick assessment of the street sign on the nearest corner to confirm his statement.
“Your request is authorized, but this service is only performed in a safe house. Call back when you have access to one.” The phone connection was unceremoniously cut, leaving Kurt to scratch his head in dismay. Deciding he could at least solve one problem, he flagged down a passing yellow cab. Directing the driver to a nearby men’s clothing store, he pulled up Gadot in his contacts page and wrote her a quick text asking to use her safe house.
She replied before he had arrived at the clothing store, giving him a map location and a set of instructions on how to find the door. Kurt was unsurprised to discover that her safe house was well hidden. His visit to the suit shop was quick and productive. He simply pulled up the image of the bank manager on his phone and described what he needed, buying the outfit and beginning the quick journey to Gadot’s safe house. Kurt wasn’t thrilled that he was forced to trade in his other suit, but without a safehouse of his own for storage, he could only have one extra outfit at a time.
Exiting the cab at the waypoint, he looked around for a moment, following her instructions to a nearby subway entrance. Once he was down in the passenger loading area, he slipped into the supply closet Gadot had told him to enter and pressed a button on the rear wall. It swung inward and he entered a small paradise.
Gadot’s safe house was a hidden bunker, complete with a concrete hallway as an entrance. Kurt noticed several murder holes set into the angled grey wall at regular intervals as he approached the heavy steel door at the end. It opened onto a luxurious foyer, appointed with marble busts and potted plants next to thick leather loveseats. Another steel door opened as he approached, revealing what appeared to be a bar placed in the center of an armory.
Weaponry sat on racks against the walls, surrounding a small brass and oak bar with several backlit bottles on glass shelves. A man in a tuxedo stood at atten
tion behind the bar, smiling politely as Kurt entered.
“Good afternoon sir. May I offer you refreshment?” The NPC deferentially lowed his head a little as he addressed Kurt.
“Oh, uh, sure. Coffee please.” Kurt sat down at the bar and called his contact in The Lace, giving his location and requesting a makeup artist once more. This time the voice on the other line simply gave consent and told him to expect the makeup artist soon, hanging up after speaking.
The NPC bartender set down a porcelain cup brimming with steaming black liquid in front of Kurt with a smile and a nod, before walking to the back of the bar area. Before Kurt had finished his virtual beverage, an electronic chirping sounded and the NPC moved to open a small wooden cabinet set into his bar. He checked what appeared to be an old black and white security monitor before pressing a button underneath the bar to open the doors.
A young woman with short jet black hair and a matching outfit walked in, holding a bulky silver case at her side. “Mr. Kurtis?”
Slipping out of his seat, Kurt stood and nodded. “Yeah, that’s me.” He quickly swiped through his heist setup and found the picture of the bank manager for her to work from, tipping his wrist to touch hers as she approached.
Raising an eyebrow at him, she pulled a small black rectangle of plastic from her pocket and pushed a button on its side. It lit up into a phone screen interface to Kurt’s surprise, and he took a moment to recognize it as a cellular phone from his vast memories of old films. The woman tapped her phone to his wrist and pulled up the picture he shared with her.
Tilting her head to one side, she squinted as she looked between the image and Kurt for a moment. “Well, it won’t be perfect, I can’t actually age you. But with some dye in the hair and a little makeup, you should more or less pass for this guy.”
With that, she began working. She led him to the bathroom and quickly washed his hair before adding dye to the temples and working in some grey. Following that, she sat him down in a chair and set up a bright light in front of him, before sitting down on a stool to work on the makeup. Within half an hour, she stood and wiped her hands on a towel from her kit, nodding at her handiwork. Holding up a mirror, she turned it as he appraised the makeup job.
“Well, I am impressed. That should work nicely for my purposes, thank you.” Kurt removed the makeup catch cloth from around his neck and moved to stand.
“Keep your thanks, I’ll take payment now. Ninety-eight thousand is the rate.” She began packing up her equipment as she spoke.
Kurt had to repress his shock at the price, remembering again what Jimmy had told him about the economy in the game. If it was useful, it was expensive. Biting back complaint, he reached into his pocket and produced two stacks of bills with tape around them declaring each stack to be worth a hundred thousand. After he handed the money over, she tucked it away and unceremoniously left the bunker.
Drawing in a deep breath, Kurt released it in a sigh. “This better work.”
8. The GoonStorm Heist
Chapter 8
The GoonStorm Heist
Within an hour, Kurt stood in the lobby of the First and Central Bank, searching for his target. The lobby was quite spacious, with high ceilings and hanging light fixtures illuminating the large open building. Directly to the left of the entrance was the teller’s area, a long wooden counter broken up into several cubicles tucked away behind a wall of bulletproof glass. To the right was a customer lounge and several loan officer desks. Against the back wall was the bank manager’s office, its large glass wall giving a fine view of the entire lobby.
Kurt stepped quickly, attempting to avoid the NPCs tucked away behind desks as he moved towards the back wall. He hid from any NPCs he thought might be employees who could recognize him, using a convoluted path to reach the rear of the bank, and simply hiding several times as someone would pass him. Frustration at how long it took him to get through the lobby set in quickly, but he played it safe and sneaky, glancing at his map to stay out of view. The manager was not in his office, so Kurt simply entered, moving towards the rear of the office into a private washroom. While waiting, he brought up Jimmy’s page on his friends list and thumbed the call button.
As he entered the call, the loud whirring chatter of heavy machinery could be heard in the background and Jimmy had to shout to be heard. “You in place?!”
Wincing at the sound, Kurt peeked out of the bathroom. “Yes, but I don’t have the manager yet. I’m hiding in his bathroom.”
A burst of laughter over rode the sound of what Kurt assumed was the machine they were using to cut through the wall downstairs. “Yeah, he’s in there. Hiding in the bathroom, yeah. Hang on…no, just join the call, would you?”
A moment later, Gadot’s voice sounded in his ear. “GoonStorm breaches in ten minutes. You better find the manager before then.”
“Well…I mean yeah. I really didn’t have a plan for if he wasn’t in here. Can’t just go wandering around…oh here he comes.” Kurt closed the door and waited as the sounds of his call with Jimmy and Gadot faded to the background.
“Thank you, Francine, that will be all.” The manager spoke from his desk, before turning and moving towards the bathroom. Kurt smiled, before scrambling to get to one side of the door as it began to swing open.
A light whack to the back of the head with the butt of his handgun sprawled the manager out on the floor of the bathroom, leaving Kurt standing in the doorway peeking across the lobby. No one seemed to have noticed the minor commotion, to his relief, and he began the process of zip-tying his temporary prisoner’s hands and feet. After rummaging through the manager’s pockets for his keyring, Kurt dragged the man into the only stall in the tiny restroom, leaving the door closed and moving back out into the office to sit behind the desk.
Murmuring to avoid anyone over-hearing him, Kurt scanned the lobby. “I have him knocked out in the bathroom. If GoonStorm doesn’t go delving, they should miss him. How long does a knockout like that usually last?”
“Uhh…variable. Should be fine.” Jimmy shouted in his ear to be heard over the constant equipment noise in the background. “We’re almost done here, we’ll be in the basement and waiting when you hit the vault.”
Gadot broke in, her own voice raised to be heard. “Keep this line open, we need to hear everything. If you screw up, this op is blown, so be convincing.” She paused for a moment, before adding in a slightly snide tone; “No pressure.”
Kurt sat behind the managers desk and watched his operational timer tick down, nerves growing thinner as the time slipped away. He felt compelled to just run more than once, but kept his calm by reminding himself that it was only a game. Getting shot would hurt, but letting Jimmy and Gadot down because of a little fear was a vastly more unpleasant thought.
As the last ten seconds of his timer slid away, the machine noise in his ear died abruptly, being replaced by Gadot’s voice. “Good luck Kurt.”
Managing to keep his nerves out of his voice, Kurt replied cheerfully. “You too.” He took a deep breath and blew it out of his cheeks as the timer reached zero. “Yeah…it’s gonna be fun.”
Nothing happened. He scowled, surveying the lobby yet again. Tellers were busy helping customers as loan officers smiled and shook hands, offering clients seats and assuring those waiting that it wouldn’t be long. Just when Kurt began to doubt the GoonStorm crew, a scream sounded from outside and the ground began to rumble slightly underfoot.
Kurt stood and buttoned his suit jacket, his eyes going wide as an M60A3 tank burst through the opposite wall into the lobby, sending rubble and shattered glass skidding across the room. In the half second before the screaming began in earnest, the tanks turret slid calmly to the side and belched fire, blasting a hole in the bulletproof glass wall separating the lobby from the tellers.
As the ensuing chaos broke out, Kurt paid close attention to the NPCs, noting what they did and said. GoonStorm players and NPCs began to pour through the still crumbling hole in the entrance w
all, recognizable because of their uniform helmets. The majority of them wore light blue and grey digital camouflage outfits, with tactical pants and armored vests. They were armed with military rifles, an assortment of shotguns, and various handguns, all shouting and pointing at civilian NPCs as they stormed into the lobby.
A high-pitched roar sounded as a squad of GoonStorm soldiers on blue digital camouflage 2008 Honda CRF dirt bikes entered the lobby, bouncing down the handful of steps and spreading out, pointing various handguns and small SMGs while shouting at the NPCs. Shoving their way through their underlings, a four-man squad marched directly towards Kurt, pointing weapons and shouting at civilian NPCs and GoonStorm players alike. They wore the standard GoonStorm outfits, but each had unique weapons on them. As they approached, Kurt stepped forward and made a show of locking his door with shaking hands and wide eyes.
A man wielding two matte black Glock handguns stepped up to Kurt’s office door and calmly tapped on the glass. “Really??” His face was obscured by a black tactical balaclava, but the amusement in his voice was obvious. Kurt backed away, his hands in the air above his head. He didn’t have to do much acting to nail the terrified expression expected of him.
“Open. The. Door.” The man with the dual handguns spoke calmly, but with an almost bored malice in his voice as his team-mates spread out around him and took up defensive postures. One of them carried a monstrous light machine gun with lime green spray paint splatters along its frame and box magazine. He turned to spray the door with automatic fire, causing it to shatter and fall to pieces. Shouldering past the leader of the group, he fired a burst into the ceiling above Kurt, causing white dust and broken ceiling tiles to rain down all around him.
Kurt dropped to his knees with a small scream, looking firmly at the carpet in front of himself as the leader of the four-man squad approached him. Jimmy snickered in his ear before wisely muting himself.
“Please! Just don’t hurt anyone!” Kurt shouted in a shaking voice, hoping he was convincing them. He needn’t have worried, as the leader simply grabbed him by the elbow and dragged him to his feet.
The Life- Illusion Page 10