Paul was sitting on the low wall at the side of the road. He had just made himself as comfortable as he could when the van pulled up. Tom leaned out of the driver's window. "Oy!" He hammered on the side of the van to attract Paul's attention. "Get up, ya lazy git!"
"Don't make such a racket," Paul said with a sigh. He picked up the blue canvas bag at his feet and stood up. "I have to live here."
Tom laughed and revved the vehicle's engine, sending a blue-white cloud of noxious exhaust into the gutter. "Well, get a move on!"
Paul pulled open the van's rear door and hauled himself into the cargo bed. There were three other people in the back of the vehicle - all dressed in identical blue overalls, with identical blue canvas bags next to them. Paul nodded a greeting. "Morning." Then he closed the door behind him and wedged himself into a corner. "All aboard!"
There was a defiant squeal of rubber on asphalt, and the van pulled away. There were cries of protest as the sudden acceleration threw everything - and everyone - to the back of the van. Paul found himself crushed beneath John.
"Sorry," John said, then pulled himself back towards the front of the vehicle. He leaned over the passenger seat and glared at Tom. "You're a prick. A right, bloody - !"
"Serves you right." Tom threw the van around a sharp corner, sending John sideways and into the bulkhead. "We can't be late for this job."
"What do you mean 'late'?" Jackie called out. "It's only six in the morning!"
"Not my fault. Talk to Mike. He's the one with the plan."
Mike looked up and shrugged. "If we don't make the deadline, then we don't get paid. It's a tight one. Speaking of which." He glanced down at his watch. "Everyone better get ready."
There were protests and complaints as the occupants of the van opened their bags and pulled out the contents. Masks, helmets, guns: all clattered onto the dirty floor of the cargo bed. The tight confines of the van made it hard to move without bumping into someone or something, but they were used to this. Even so, they only had enough time to make ready before Tom called back from the driver's seat, "Almost there! I can see the van!"
Mike stood up and braced himself against the ceiling of the van. "Right. We all know what to do. Get this right, and we go home with the money." He glanced behind him. "Hold tight!"
There was a screech of brakes, and the van came to an abrupt halt. There was the sound of an angry horn. Paul pulled his mask down over his face, concealing his features behind a blank layer of white plastic. "Let's go to work!"
