The Cons

Despite everything I've been through, I can say that waiting was still the worst part of this gig. Every inch we drew closer to our goal, my breath became tighter than atoms. The only thing keeping me from calling it off altogether was the shoddy black cape on my back holding me in place.

However, my thoughts got interrupted as I sucked in a giant whiff of smoke right in front of me. Rage replaced any tension as I looked towards my "ally." Unlike me, the burly bearded olive-skinned man was cool as ice while casually smoking his e-cigarette until the entire back of the van stunk to high heaven.

"Ricochet, I told you before to stop smoking in the car! Just because we call it the Hovercrap doesn't mean it has to smell like it! And put your mask on already; it's time," I said while aggressively barking orders through watering eyes.

"Fine, Eternus, but something tells me you might need this more than me," the man said as he casually disposed of his e-cig away while putting on his ski mask.

"I'll stay calm once we get the cash, Scott free. We can't afford mistakes, not even a-."

At that moment, the van shook with violent turbulence that ended seconds after it started—leaving just enough awkward time for a new challenger.

"Bump in the road?" said our humorous pink-haired driver.

"Not funny, Gum!" I said in anger.

"Excuse me for trying to lighten up the mood boss, all your ranting is doing is freaking Frag out. But, unlike you, I think we can do this," she said with confidence.

From the back of the craft, I saw that she was right as the small, skinny kid in the buzz cut sat quietly, staring intensely, more tensed up than a lion going straight for the kill.

"Damn right, it can't fail. It took me months to get the right items for this—plenty of time for even your dumbasses to think of everything. You idiots better not break them," Port said rudely from shotgun as she kept her hands on the only real blaster amongst us while dressed with spiky short blonde hair.

At that same instant, my Holo pad got a notification. Getting antsy, I took the bait and saw that at least Fury had done her job right.

"Signal Jammer ready to fire Eternus, just say the word!" she said in a calm and orderly tone.

From there, a devilish chuckle escaped my breath as my composure finally started to settle.

"You're right. Talk is cheap. Let's see if this job will be worth the action ourselves. Gum, Port, get ready to cut it."

Wordlessly the two responded, pressing buttons and steering wheels as soon enough, our slow glide ebbs into a fast descent, blitzing past the other hovercrafts as we climbed further down to our destination. As the speed picked up, the vehicle started to show its original colors as the former van from a bygone era had its beaten-in hull shook in turbulence, its thrusters and fans working in complete overtime.

Gravity started to put my body through a belly flop as through the day-lit window; I could see the neon hologram-filled cityscape blur with skyscrapers so high they touched the sky. Then, just when I thought it would be too much, we managed to enter a jarring turn to our back. Amid deceleration, Port filled the fatal switch firing off two powerful projectiles that tore through concrete with ease upon our landing.

And the second we did, everyone but me burst out from the back, fake rifles ready and silent. For a good half-minute, all I heard was the panic and shrieking of the civies. And once that panic reached its peak, that same devilish chuckle came back once more, filling me with the certainty I desired.

So with all the confidence in the world, I played my best bluff, walking out of the smoky rubble as my tattered black cape gave all the attention it needed. The panicked populace looked at me as I said the words far too common in Krimo.

"Heads down, hands up, and don't move; this is a robbery! No one has to get hurt!"

In an instant, the crowd followed my command, knowing a long time ago that any resistance was futile in a city where this escapade was as common as breathing. Because in this century, filled with superpowers and superhumans, society deemed that we were the worst of the worst, destined to be forever another piece of trash in a sea of it. This means that we'll happily be the worst because we are villains, or should I say in this instance, The Cons. We may not have the fancy costumes or snazzy powers, but we were still more than happy to play the part.