Big Mike lived up to his name. He stood at six and a half feet tall and weighed well over three hundred pounds. He had a bushy graying beard on his face and wore a stocking cap that made him look like a very large version of Santa Claus, most likely one from a European country. Overall, Big Mike looked the way lumberjacks ought to look, Vitus thought to himself as he pulled the truck up to the front of the manor.
The trucker clapped his hands and laughed loudly as Philip sprung from the truck to meet him. They shook hands, but Philip's appeared to be lost in the enormous fists of Big Mike--fists that more closely resembled Christmas hams than any feature on an average human body.
"Good to see you're still in piece, son," said Big Mike. "Where's the old bastard?"
"He's in the back," said Philip, gesturing behind him with a thumb.
Big Mike sauntered up to the moving truck, pressed the side of his face against the outer metal shell and yelled as loudly as he could. "HAYES!"
"What?" yelled back Hayes from inside.
"Screw you!"
At that, Vitus heard a clatter and imagined Hayes tripping and shuffling over his own bags as he hurried to get outside. The back door opened, and Hayes hopped out and ran to Big Mike. The two then started exchanging obscenities and insults as if they were pleasantries. Jenn, meanwhile, emerged from the back of the truck with a startled look on her face.
"Okay," she said, "who's that?"
"Apparently, that's Big Mike," said Vitus.
"Wow, he definitely lives up to the name."
"Yeah, I think someone already said that."
"Big Mike, believe me, we're happy to see you, but what are you doing here?" Philip asked.
"I heard about what happened, and I had to go to Costa Verde to see for myself. Didn't see nobody but a couple of Little Mike's men dead on the ground and knew you two had to have been there. I've had some of my own men looking for you, but they hadn't had any luck," said Big Mike. "Who are the new crewmates?"
"Big Mike, this is Vitus and Jenn. They're helping us out until we can track down Malcolm Ivanovich," said Philip. Vitus and Jenn waved timidly.
"Ivanovich? What the hell you want with him?" asked Big Mike.
"He's the one that did the job at Costa Verde."
Big Mike nodded. "What can I do to help?" he asked.
"Actually, we're hitting one of his warehouses tonight, and we could use a little help moving some merchandise," said Philip.
"I got ya," said Big Mike. "That reminds me, I've got something for you first." The crew followed Big Mike to his truck, where the very large something waited beneath the tarp. The trucker loosened several straps around the length of the truck and pulled the tarp away with a single tug, and on the back of his truck sat a boat named Bess.
"I found her on the docks of Costa Verde and knew that with a name like Bess tattooed across her hull, it could only belong to one old man," said Big Mike.
At that very moment, Hayes was so happy he could cry.
When night fell, the truck named Bess was returned to a nearby rental location, where Jenn was happily reunited with her security deposit. Knowing her crewmates, she imagined it would have been lost immediately, along with a good portion of the truck, yet there it was in one solid piece. So the truck named Bess was replaced by the boat named Bess, which was lowered into the waters of Mobile Bay. Philip and Vitus stashed the settee away somewhere where it would be safe and sound and then started collecting supplies for the night's raid.
"What do we need most?" Vitus asked.
"Guns, mostly," said Philip, "but a few explosives wouldn't hurt."
Vitus and Jenn both realized that they hadn't had time to shower or change their clothes in ages, so they individually embraced the idea to freshen up a bit. Philip had found them all appropriate heist gear that properly fit and had them laid out in plastic bags with their names written on them. When Vitus and Jenn emerged from their hot showers, which they enjoyed just a bit more than usual, they found each other wearing tight black sweaters and black trousers, almost an exact duplicate of the outfit Philip himself and worn the entire trip.
"I liked the dress better," said Vitus.
"So did I, but I suppose it isn't very practical for shooting people," Jenn replied, and Vitus was inclined to agree.
Then Vitus set to work on his own task. He began making call after call to all of his contacts in an attempt to locate the current telephone number of one Augustus Bezoar, a black market antique-dealer and admitted devotee to the teachings of Aleister Crowley. Finally, after several hours of searching and attempting to jump the constant hurdles of small talk,Vitus had made his connection. Bezoar spoke slowly and with a grating nasally voice due to a deviated septum, so when he cackled madly at Vitus' proposition, it sounded rather like the night screams of a cat in heat. Vitus successfully set up a meeting for the following day and informed Bezoar that he would be represented by a burly gentleman by the name of Big Mike. Bezoar agreed and promptly hung up the phone.
So with all their other tasks complete, the crew of the boat named Bess, which still lacked a team name due to Jenn and Hayes' inability to agree, boarded their vessel and set off into the night to seek revenge against Malcolm Ivanovich.
The trucker clapped his hands and laughed loudly as Philip sprung from the truck to meet him. They shook hands, but Philip's appeared to be lost in the enormous fists of Big Mike--fists that more closely resembled Christmas hams than any feature on an average human body.
"Good to see you're still in piece, son," said Big Mike. "Where's the old bastard?"
"He's in the back," said Philip, gesturing behind him with a thumb.
Big Mike sauntered up to the moving truck, pressed the side of his face against the outer metal shell and yelled as loudly as he could. "HAYES!"
"What?" yelled back Hayes from inside.
"Screw you!"
At that, Vitus heard a clatter and imagined Hayes tripping and shuffling over his own bags as he hurried to get outside. The back door opened, and Hayes hopped out and ran to Big Mike. The two then started exchanging obscenities and insults as if they were pleasantries. Jenn, meanwhile, emerged from the back of the truck with a startled look on her face.
"Okay," she said, "who's that?"
"Apparently, that's Big Mike," said Vitus.
"Wow, he definitely lives up to the name."
"Yeah, I think someone already said that."
"Big Mike, believe me, we're happy to see you, but what are you doing here?" Philip asked.
"I heard about what happened, and I had to go to Costa Verde to see for myself. Didn't see nobody but a couple of Little Mike's men dead on the ground and knew you two had to have been there. I've had some of my own men looking for you, but they hadn't had any luck," said Big Mike. "Who are the new crewmates?"
"Big Mike, this is Vitus and Jenn. They're helping us out until we can track down Malcolm Ivanovich," said Philip. Vitus and Jenn waved timidly.
"Ivanovich? What the hell you want with him?" asked Big Mike.
"He's the one that did the job at Costa Verde."
Big Mike nodded. "What can I do to help?" he asked.
"Actually, we're hitting one of his warehouses tonight, and we could use a little help moving some merchandise," said Philip.
"I got ya," said Big Mike. "That reminds me, I've got something for you first." The crew followed Big Mike to his truck, where the very large something waited beneath the tarp. The trucker loosened several straps around the length of the truck and pulled the tarp away with a single tug, and on the back of his truck sat a boat named Bess.
"I found her on the docks of Costa Verde and knew that with a name like Bess tattooed across her hull, it could only belong to one old man," said Big Mike.
At that very moment, Hayes was so happy he could cry.
***
When night fell, the truck named Bess was returned to a nearby rental location, where Jenn was happily reunited with her security deposit. Knowing her crewmates, she imagined it would have been lost immediately, along with a good portion of the truck, yet there it was in one solid piece. So the truck named Bess was replaced by the boat named Bess, which was lowered into the waters of Mobile Bay. Philip and Vitus stashed the settee away somewhere where it would be safe and sound and then started collecting supplies for the night's raid.
"What do we need most?" Vitus asked.
"Guns, mostly," said Philip, "but a few explosives wouldn't hurt."
Vitus and Jenn both realized that they hadn't had time to shower or change their clothes in ages, so they individually embraced the idea to freshen up a bit. Philip had found them all appropriate heist gear that properly fit and had them laid out in plastic bags with their names written on them. When Vitus and Jenn emerged from their hot showers, which they enjoyed just a bit more than usual, they found each other wearing tight black sweaters and black trousers, almost an exact duplicate of the outfit Philip himself and worn the entire trip.
"I liked the dress better," said Vitus.
"So did I, but I suppose it isn't very practical for shooting people," Jenn replied, and Vitus was inclined to agree.
Then Vitus set to work on his own task. He began making call after call to all of his contacts in an attempt to locate the current telephone number of one Augustus Bezoar, a black market antique-dealer and admitted devotee to the teachings of Aleister Crowley. Finally, after several hours of searching and attempting to jump the constant hurdles of small talk,Vitus had made his connection. Bezoar spoke slowly and with a grating nasally voice due to a deviated septum, so when he cackled madly at Vitus' proposition, it sounded rather like the night screams of a cat in heat. Vitus successfully set up a meeting for the following day and informed Bezoar that he would be represented by a burly gentleman by the name of Big Mike. Bezoar agreed and promptly hung up the phone.
So with all their other tasks complete, the crew of the boat named Bess, which still lacked a team name due to Jenn and Hayes' inability to agree, boarded their vessel and set off into the night to seek revenge against Malcolm Ivanovich.
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