Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

by Brennen Tammons

  Russell then looks down at the table, and they all sit in silence for nearly a minute. Russell starts to gather his thoughts, on how exactly he wishes to plan the heist. This was something he’s been thinking about for several days now. He’s feeling anxious, that it is now time to put all of his ideas to the test. His main objective was to get together a solid team; he was able to check that off the list. The next thing he must do in the order of business; plan out how exactly they wish to act. Careful planning is very necessary, as if they do not plan accordingly or correctly, their plans might not orchestrate the way they intended them to.

  This is a very serious venture they are about to proceed in, so it’s vital that things are done in a proper method. All of the men in the room are seeping with anxiety, feeling excited and scared to discuss these proceedings. Russell continues to silently look down at the table, preparing himself to explain how the events will flow to the other men. Kevin then takes out a bag of Cheetos he bought from the breakroom, and starts to eat them. Russell at last is able to compose himself, and then begins to speak to all of the men at the table very seriously.

  “I don’t want to waste any more time on this. I have to cut to the chase, and get right down to business. So I need all of you to listen well, and listen good to what I’m about to say.”

  The men all look at Russell with attentive expressions on their faces. Russell continues.

  “Alright men, on Friday, we do our first heist. Depending on how things go, we may do a couple more before calling it quits. Because nobody just robs one bank, they don’t. Right now, I want to get one thing out the of way first. Figuring out which one we are going to hit.”

  All of the guys look at each other with blank stares. Russell then carries on.

  “The bank we are going to hit, is “United Farmers Savings.” It’s actually not that far from here. This would be the perfect spot for out first time. I been to this bank many times before, and it’s an easy setup. Tomorrow morning before we have to work, just to be sure, we’re gonna check it out. Kevin, you can also put all the wireless tech stuff to the test as well.”

  Kevin while he’s continuing to eat his chips, nods his head towards Russell. Russell then gets up from his seat at the table, and while looking out the window, continues to speak.

  “All five of us will play some sort of role with this job. Brian and I, are going to do the hard stuff. We’re just gonna hold up the tellers, and their cash supply. We’re not gonna deal with the vault this time around. Next time we will though. Jesse and Victor are going to be the look outs. Kevin, I want you to be the getaway driver, and to be in charge of all the security and computer stuff. That’s how it will go down.”

  Brian then starts to ask Russell a question.

  “So as far as the getaway vehicle. Do you want to use the black van that we have? So Kevin’s going to drive the van the whole time, and we’re all gonna escape in it? That can work well. That way nobody gets split up during this. But just so you know, if you need me to steal any extra cars, I can. Just wanted to offer and put that out there.”

  Russell while still staring outside the window, nods. He then explains more of the plan.

  “Yeah so tomorrow morning, only to be safe, we’ll case the bank and check things out. Brian will go in wearing some glasses that have a camera attached to them, and Kevin using his computer magic will then capture the video to us, so we get an inside look inside. Kevin will also use his hacking skills, to see how the security alarm system in the bank is set up.”

  Kevin continues to eat more of his chips. He responds to Russell while he’s eating.

  “Sounds good Russ, I can handle that no problem. I’m glad I can help towards that.”

  Victor then starts to look across the room feeling nervous. He asks Russell a question.

  “I was wondering about guns and disguises and stuff. It seems like a stupid question, but we’re all gonna keep our identities hidden and be armed right? We want to look legit I suppose.”

  Brian then looks at Victor very angrily, and responds to him.

  “Of course man, we have all of that covered. You don’t have to be concerned over that.”

  Jesse starts to put his hand over his mouth, and then starts to speak.

  “When we go into the bank to do the job, me and Victor are going to be scouting the floor as backup. You and Brian are going to be collecting the money. We are not, I repeat, we are not going to even try to deal with the vault, right? Kevin will be our getaway driver and working out all the alarms, he’s not going to be in the bank. Is this right?”

  Russell continues to gaze out of the window of the board room, and nods his head. Jesse continues to have his hand over his mouth and then asks another question on his mind.

  “We are going to all leave from “Home Base” to the bank. After the job is done, we are then going to head back to “Home Base”. I think everything seems solid and understandable.”

  Jesse then nods his head and rubs his hand through his hair. Brian then starts to speak.

  “I need to remind this to everyone. Timing and speed is very important. We don’t want to be in that bank longer than a few minutes. The longer we are in the bank, the longer ugly results could happen, and we get caught. The chances of us getting caught are very slim and none if we plan smart which is what we are doing now, and act fast. I have to remind you all about this.”

  All of the men, including Russell who’s continuing to look out the window, nod their heads. Brian then while looking down at the table, continues to speak to the of the guys.

  “I’m not a professional bank robber, no. None of the guys in this room are. We have all given up on how the world operates, and every guy in here has been hurt by society. We can do this you guys. We have to believe in ourselves, and work as a team to accomplish this goal.”

  Kevin continues to eat his bag of chips and laughs. He responds out loud to the men.

  “This is some psycho shit you guys. We are actually going to rob a bank? I can’t believe any of this. This seems like one of those realistic dreams you sometimes have that you think is real life, but it’s not. Seriously, I feel safe that I’m in the group with you guys though. We make a strong force.”

  Russell then starts to return to his seat with a grin on his face, and stares at Kevin.

  “Kev, that’s the spirit man. We are all in this together, everyone in the group matters.”

  Kevin nods his head and smiles at Russell. The men continue to explain more of their game plan moving forward with the robbery. Victor then asks a very interesting question.

  “The money we get from the job, we all each get an equal share right? All five of us?”

  Brian then immediately raises his eyebrows, and responds to Victor shouting at him.

  “Well, that would be the proper thing to do. When I was with my past partner, I don’t want to bring him up because he’s an asshole, but he kept urging to me that I was only going to get twenty-five percent of the cut. I kept thinking about how unfair that was. Being involved with this group, I believe that everything should be fair, and everyone should be treated equal.”

  Russell rubs his hand under his neck. He then nods his head. The guys carry on with discussing tactics about the heist, and talk about other details. Russell feels extremely confident that he, along with the rest of the guys are ready. Knowing that there is a small chance that things could perhaps go wrong, that doesn’t worry him that much at all. Russell believes that if all the guys are able to form an established unit together, there shouldn’t be any issues to occur. Brian although he doesn’t feel that experienced, has been in three bank jobs before, and feels confident that they have a solid chance to succeed towards this. They all want to reach the same exact goal. Being ostracized by others, and wanting to rebel against the normalcy of the regular routine that society lives by. Only having a few more days until they plan to commit the heist, they take advantage of this time to make sure that their setup is properly planned ah
ead of time, to avoid any mistakes from happening.

  Russell decides to stand up again, to stare out the window of the board room. This time however, Brian walks up and looks out the window as well with him. They both observe and look at the night sky, and the other skyscrapers and buildings in the surrounding area. Many cars are driving down the downtown area, and you can see all the headlights from them, forming a very artistic view. Russell is quickly reminded of the heist which happened on his last day of working at the “Sunset Credit Union”. A day that will have a permanent place in his mind, as it was one filled with much trauma and sadness. Everything in this moment basically came into formation, because of that day. It made Russell a completely different man now, from the one from which he used to be. How that one day quickly changed his entire mind on how he views the world and other people. His interactions have never been the same since that day. Russell is well aware that one of the robbers in that heist, is standing next to him right now. He then tells himself that he needs to look at this event from another shade. Brian is not an evil guy, and Russell trusts him enough to let him start over.

  Brian then starts to feel how in this particular moment that being a member of this team, he is offering some type of compensation towards Russell. Feeling guilty on being there that day, he wants to do all he can to rectify himself from that. Brian reflects more and more on past events. He starts to flashback towards the day himself and Scott robbed the “Sunset Credit Union”. A day that both Brian and Russell won’t ever forget in their lives. How things which had no intentions of going the way they did, sadly ended in a terrible way. He is confident that this time around, things will be different. Brian has never been a violent person, but he was always caught up around the wrong people with different agendas. He turned to crime of opportunity and his intentions were never, and are never to hurt or harm anybody else. He’s thankful that Russell understands his position, and has decided not to cause any type of vendetta or any other personal issues directed at him. Brian and Russell smile at each other, almost as if they could read each their mind, and are thinking about the same exact thing. Brian stands with Russell for a few minutes more, then he returns to his seat after that.

  Kevin continues to eat his chips, as he watches Russell stand by the window. He is amazed at how brave Russell is, and can’t believe his oppression is causing him to think about dangerous ventures and ideas. Kevin is proud to have Russell as a friend, and considers himself lucky that Russell is acting as a main support towards his personality. Even though he has no direct involvement with the “Sunset Credit Union” heist, he still feels connected to everyone somehow and someway. Kevin is also wanting to rebel against the world.

  He has always been rejected by other people, and feels this is the time for him to fight back in a sense. Participating in the bank job with the other guys, gives him an ultimate rush. Kevin gets up from his seat and stands by the window where Russell is. He then looks out the window looking at the view of the city, and pats Russell on the back. Kevin then returns to his seat.

  Jesse sits in anxiety, and watches the other guys. He then begins to think to himself how did he get involved with this? Being a gay black man, he tries his best to have an open minded neutral view to different aspects on how people operate in the world. Never would he think that he’d be sitting at a table, with four guys whom are polar opposite of himself; discussing organized crime activity with them.

  He is glad of the relationship he has with Russell. Which before the bank robbery at the “Sunset Credit Union” happened, Jesse never paid him any attention at all. He always thought of him as someone he wasn’t supposed to linger and mess around towards. Understanding Russell’s pain and suffering, Jesse also being involved in the same heist that caused him to break. He offers his support to this team, and someone who has worked in a bank as well, he wants to disestablish himself from any type of professional agendas, and rebel with the rest of the men.

  Victor was originally supposed to rob the bank, and not Brian and his partner. Dealing with his own social issues, and feeling neglected with the rest of the world, he contemplated robbing the bank to make his life better. He had no idea that someone else was thinking of hitting the same bank. Victor witnessed the entire robbery happen, and stood back watching in fear. Perhaps it was the bystander effect, but Victor was frozen at the events which took place.

  He feels he’s indirectly responsible for all the events which took place, as had Victor gone inside the bank and acted as a hero, would the events which conspired happened the way which they have? These are things which he doesn’t and will not ever sadly know. Victor is now more concerned about what he can do to redeem himself. Agreeing to join the rest of the guys in the bank job, is a way for him to do that. Victor himself dealing with his own mental issues, he’s thankful that he’s being understood for once in his life. His silly quirks are being rewarded.

  All of the men continue to sit in the board room, and it creeps up closer to the time in which their work shift is over. Russell begins to stare at the other four guys in the room. Examining them, and pinpointing how each of them are the key to a successful bank heist. Russell being the inside man with his past knowledge of banks. He looks at Brian, and sees how he’s a very cool spirit, yet can get into that criminal edge when he has to. He has Jesse, who worked with him at the “Sunset Credit Union.” Jesse has a vibrant personality, and is like a sponge, and takes anything he’s presented with. Victor, who Russell sees many positive traits and aspects about him. His eccentric and weird personality, makes him very dependable when it comes to looking at scenarios outside of the box. He then finally gets to Kevin. An estranged acquaintance of his from when he was attending school, and how Russell quickly made amends with best friend in such a short time span. He is glad to be connected to him.

  The guys remain in the room, but they suspend talking about the heist for now. They decide to change the subject, and start to offer small talk to pass the time. As they are all each comfortable among each other, they develop more personal discussions. They begin to laugh and joke with each other among miscellany subjects and topics.

  This goes on for quite some time, and the mood in the room changes from an informal, to a more humorous one. Almost slightly forgetting that they are going to commit their first bank heist in a few days. This might be intentional, to sort of clean their attitudes and moods. Many of them feel ready to take on the heist, and are prepared to head into the next few days. The men then talk about their first day working, and how eventful and interesting it was. Russell takes out his phone to check the time. It is now 8:55, and almost about time for them to leave. All five of the guys then get up from the table, and look out the window of the board room one final time.

  This is truly a lovely night, and how the buildings shine through the city lights; looking at the aesthetic of Los Angeles. They are high up above, and have the perfect view to look over the area. After they gaze out the window, the men then prepare to leave the building. They tidy the room up, as if they were never there. Russell turns the lamp off, and when all of the men walk out, he locks the door behind them. Following that, they each begin to lock up all the doors, and turn out the lights. With Russell shutting off the lights and locking the doors from floors six through ten. With Brian turning the lights off and locking the doors from floors one through five. When this task is done, all the men proceed towards the parking structure.

  Brian and Victor say goodbye to Russell, Kevin and Jesse, and Brian gets in his car with Victor, heading towards “Home Base”. The other three men then get into Russell’s car, and Russell then drives out of the parking structure of the building. Russell turns the stereo in his car on, and listens to the music. He continues to drive down the road, noticing that there isn’t that many other cars on the road, finding it strange.

  As he’s steadily driving, Russell sees flashing red and blue lights in his rear view mirror. A police car is following him. The police cruiser then sounds his sir
en. Russell starts to feel nervous, as he does not like being around the police. He immediately turns off the car radio. Russell begins to feel scared, and quickly figures out that Kevin has marijuana on him. As soon as this thought occurs to him, he turns his head towards Kevin. Incidentally Kevin as well quickly notices the policeman and he starts to panic too. He then cries out to Russell very nervously.

  “Shit, Russ. That’s a cop. There’s pot in my back pocket man. Shit. Damn. That’s a cop Russ. What am I gonna do man? Damn. What am I gonna do?”

  Kevin then takes the bag of marijuana out of his pocket, and holds it in his hands, which are shaking very fast. He then looks around the car for a place to stash it. Russell turns his blinker on, signaling to the officer that he will pull over soon. Russell then opens his glove compartment, and snatches the bag of marijuana out of Kevin’s hand. He then quickly stashes the bag deep inside the glove compartment, and slams it shut. Russell then while he’s still driving and looking ahead, finding a spot to pull his car over, whispers to Kevin.

  “Kev, I want you to do one thing, and one thing only. That thing I want you to do, is to shut your fucking mouth. Kev, don’t say a motherfucking word. Please.”

  Kevin looks straight ahead out the windshield, and Russell finally is able to find a spot to pull his car over. He pulls over, and turns his ignition off. Kevin starts to shake his legs up and down repetitively, and Russell grabs his knees to get him to stop doing it. Jesse sits still in the back very quiet. Russell then locks his hands on his steering wheel. The police officer at this point starts to walk out of his car with a flashlight. The officer is a muscular bald Caucasian man. Russell rolls down his window, when the police officer walks closer to his car. The officer continues to tread towards Russell’s car, shines a flashlight on him, and then speaks.

  “Sir, can I have your license, car registration, and proof that you have insurance please.”