Tommy's Ultra-Important Keychain

Chapter 32: Giving back by taking away

Wilbur surprised Tommy that day by picking him up from school. For the past week, Craft & Co had been swamped with work. Phil, Techno, and Wilbur were stuck pulling overtime in the office more often than not. They left their apprentice an extra key, and he assured them he was fine to ride the bus for a few days. Bullies hadn't been a problem in a while, and Tubbo was waiting for him during the school hours.

That was why, by Friday afternoon, he wasn't expecting Wilbur to be leaning on his expensive sports car in the parking lot. As they did every time a member of the Craft family showed up, Tommy's peers crowded around to stare in awe. It filled him with immense dread to trudge over and get in, knowing full well that he was being watched.

Luckily, Wilbur made it up to him by letting him stop by his apartment to grab his disguise. "We're patrolling today," he said. "I have an idea of where your next big heist should be, and I want to scope it out with you."

Tommy took the luxury of grabbing a few of his own clothes, a little tired of wearing Wil's hand-me-downs, before returning to his mentor. The drive wasn't long, and they paused to get changed. Tommy had gotten pretty good at switching out of his civilian disguise quickly.

Once they were fully dressed in costume, Wil stored the car somewhere safe and they were off. They roamed the back alleys, twisting and turning to stay out of sight, until Wilbur found what he had been looking for. The alleyways opened into a gigantic dead space of concrete and cars.

At the other end of the lot, Tommy saw a looming stadium. He recognized it as the place where almost any large-scale sports event was held.

"There's a major football tournament coming up," Wilbur explained, adjusting his coat. "As I'm sure you know, the athletes are egregiously overpaid already. This time, they've decided to give the award in straight cash."

Tommy hummed, understanding right away where this was headed. It didn't look to have intensive security, and in a city teeming with villains, that was quite a bold choice. Cocky bastards those sports executives were.

"Is there anyone you can think of that might deserve that money a little more than those big leagues," his mentor continued.

"Didn't Techno say he was donating a dollhouse to some daycare?" Tommy leaned against the wall. Icarus' face broke out into a wicked grin. "Sure would be a miracle if that thing was filled to the brim with bills when they got it."

And like that, it was decided.

The parking lot was difficult to traverse in full costume, especially since they were trying not to attract attention for the first time in Hyperion's career. Without a game or event going on in the stadium, there was nowhere to take cover. The few cars that were visible likely belonged to custodians, according to Icarus.

"They'll be easy to avoid once we're inside," his mentor assured. "They're usually too old to visit locations twice, so as long as we avoid wherever they're actively cleaning, it'll be fine."

He wasn't wrong. They scaled the side of the stadium to get easy access, and descended in through the nosebleeds. Tommy was never one for sports, so it was quite a sight to see from that height. He could feel the second-hand adrenaline leftover from excited fans. The janitors hadn't made it up there yet, judging by the bits of confetti and empty cups that were scattered around.

Icarus didn't pay attention to the little details. He led them down through the rows and out into the halls. Tommy willed himself to focus, to listen. He needed to be aware on his first patrol. They were aiming to find the room where the cash prize might be hidden, as well as the easiest path there. Icarus pointed out every security camera and metal detector they passed. He had an eye for them that Tommy lacked in his amateur nature.