14 CHAPTER 14
The truck from Keystone City, transporting an experimental project from Ivo Laboratories, was just a few minutes away from reaching the borders of Central City.
Central City had no security at the borders separating it from Keystone City, so the only window of opportunity for Captain Cold and his crew to intercept the truck and execute their plan was to strike it at a well-calculated distance, less than three minutes away from the border. Cold and his crew were in position and ready, waiting for the approaching target.
Tom watched the operation from the top of a tall building located at a reasonable distance from the heist.He peered through the binoculars in his hands, excited to watch it all unfold.
Cold and his crew crouched on motorcycles behind a row of abandoned cars on the outskirts of Central City. They had been planning this ambush for days and were now only minutes away from executing their plan. They waited in anticipation, waiting for the truck and for their captain to give them the 'GO' signal.
Cold held up his hand, signaling for his crew to be quiet and stay low. In the distance, they could hear the sound of the transport truck approaching. He peered over the hood of an old sedan and saw the truck, it was the exact same one in the information he got and it was getting closer.
He activated the timer on his watch, then pulled out a walkie-talkie and whispered into it, "Team one, take positions." A four-man team wearing black ski masks and carrying assault rifles emerged from behind a nearby structure with their black dirt bikes as they chased beside the truck, taking on a diamond formation with the truck in the middle.
Why dirt bikes? You might ask… that is because they are fast, versatile, and durable, allowing for easy maneuvering in remote areas. They wear the perfect vehicle for such a heist.
The team then each threw a portable E.M.P. devices which were all round in shape and they immediately attached to the body of the truck, disabling it. Two team members approached the driver's side while the other two approached the passenger's side, opening the doors and pointing their weapons at the drivers, who quickly put their hands up and stepped out of the truck.
Captain Cold waited for the signal and when he received it, he and his two-man team emerged from their hiding spots, weapons at the ready.
They quickly secured the driver's walkie-talkie as the voice of a man from the back of the truck vibrated from it, inquiring as to why the truck had stopped. They proceeded into positions to loot the truck's cargo, trying to work quickly to avoid detection by the police. However, the issue of the extra security at the back of the truck needed to be dealt with swiftly, as they were constantly losing time and had to make the best of it.
Any of the men at the back of the truck could have contacted the police for backup at that moment, but one of the crew members answered the walkie-talkie and assumed the driver's identity as he responded with. "All clear, nothing to worry about. The road is being worked on and a couple of construction workers are clearing a path for us on the road."
Immediately he gave a reply, they implanted a small explosive on the truck's locks and the explosion alarmed the guards.
Before they could react to the sudden situation while still being disoriented from the explosion, they instantly had guns pointing at each of their heads. They slowly raised their hands up in the air in surrender because any sudden movement would lead to an eminent end.
Yes they were covered in bulletproof vests and well protected but their faces were only protected by visors and a shot to the face would be an immediate game over.
Overpowering them, they knocked each guard down delivering heavy blows to their heads with assault rifles and immediately went for the main objective, which was the project they needed to steal but it was inside a big metal safe and had a an iris scan lock for security meaning that it would only open when it scans the retina of a specific personnel.
Cold thought to himself as he shrugged off his curiosity about what exactly the experiment entailed. He felt that the person who had gone through a lot of trouble to protect the project had failed and that it was now fair game for him to steal it.
Looking like they had hit a stump along the way of the mission, their captain smiled and encouraged them to keep their cool as they were about to lose their composure and deliberated on how they would carry the oversized metal safe.
Considering the fact that Cold skipped on using lasers for the truck's locks and just blew up the locks instead, now it was time to put the laser into use.
Captain Cold cut a rational size on the front wall of the metal safe before hitting it and then extracted its content.
It was a briefcase sealed shot and required a special key to open it but it wasn't his problem because his job was to get the briefcase which housed the objective.
Looking at his timer, it became evident that they had barely two minutes left before he suddenly gave an order. "Alright boys, let's move out." He instructed them before realizing the cops were already approaching, a minute shy of the well calculated time frame.
It appears that one of the guards had triggered a panic button during the commotion when the locks of the truck were blown open using controlled explosives. That was an unprecedented development which anyone was yet to notice.
As they loaded the stolen goods onto their own vehicle, The sound of sirens filled the air as the robbers placidly looked around for the escape route. They had just robbed the truck and were making their getaway when they saw the flashing blue and red lights of the approaching police cars.
"This is the exact reason why I always tell you guys to make the plan, execute the plan, expect the plan to go off the rails and throw away the plan. Now it is time for a contingency plan." Cold addressed his crew as he signaled for them to split up and try to lose the police in the maze of streets and alleys, then rendezvous at one of their hideouts located within the City.
Captain Cold couldn't help but feel a rush of adrenaline. This was what he lived for, the thrill of the heist, the rush of blood from the police chase.
Tom was completely impressed by their efficiency and ability to adapt to unexpected changes in the plan. He recognized that this was what it meant to be skilled at one's job, and exemplified professionalism. After leaving the scene, he headed home, anticipating the success of the heist and the deposit of a substantial sum of cash in an offshore bank account under an assumed name, which had been arranged by Cold.
…
Captain Cold walked into the private hanger, his coat swirling behind him as he strode confidently towards the waiting client. The hanger was dimly lit, with only a few flickering fluorescent lights overhead. Cold could see the silhouette of the client, a shadowy figure shrouded in darkness.
Without a word, Cold pulled a large duffel bag from his shoulder and placed it on the ground in front of the client. The client stepped forward, reached into the bag, and pulled out the briefcase. Cold watched as the client examined the case, his face expressionless.
"Is everything in order?" Cold asked, his voice low and steady.
The client nodded, still examining the briefcase. "It looks like you've delivered exactly what I asked for. My people will take it from here."
Cold nodded, satisfied. He had no need to take a look at the insides of the merchandise, he knew that it was top-notch and would fetch a high price on the black market but money doesn't seem to be their issue so they definitely have a different purpose for the experiment he had stolen.
"I'll be on my way then," Cold said, turning to leave.
"Wait," the client said, holding up a hand. "I have another job for you but it would be within a year's time period, if you're interested."
Cold raised an eyebrow. "I'm always interested in a good job. What do you have in mind?"
The client smiled, and Cold knew that he was in for another profitable heist. Being that it stretched for a years time period, it might be that they want to get every necessity ready before contacting him to steal the last requirement.
He left the hanger excited for the next job. The chill of the air outside doing nothing to dampen his spirits.
