Sidekicks and Criminals

Prologue: The Shadow

Shadows pressed in on the alleyway at the back of the bank. One of night security was pacing the atrium, keeping his eyes on the front doors while his partner was in the toilet. They'd already been there four hours, and they were counting down the minutes until someone finally came to relieve them of their duty.

The guard was whistling softly, trying to keep the silence at bay. He could vaguely hear the traffic outside, the first few cat calls of drunkards outside as the bars kicked them out, but it wasn't enough. His footsteps were soft, muffled by the carpet. The song was one that his daughter's television show had been playing just before she went to bed. Some blasted children's cartoon that it would take days to finally leave his mind.

'Are you sure you've got this?' a man outside whispered to his daughter, frowning at her as she shifted her mask over her eyes.

She sighed, knowing that he was trying to be helpful. 'Dad, I've got this. I'll be in and out before they even know it, and then I'll go see the boys.'

Her father nodded, his attention slipping towards the rest of his gang. 'Remind me again why I needed Flirty with me?' There was no hiding the disdain behind his voice.

His daughter chuckled slightly, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. 'She's a pain but she's all right,' she told him, a smile slipping onto her face as she moved to whisper to him, adding. 'But keep Hacker close. He's still shaken about the last one... Oh, and don't let Beefy spook him.'

She moved away again, watching as her father nodded. His eyes narrowed at the large man taking up most of the small space in the alleyway. His face was riddled with scars, and there was an evil little smirk on his face as he watched the young man beside him.

'Anyway,' her father said, shaking his head slightly and turning to look at his daughter once more, 'go on, I'm sure you don't want to keep the boys waiting.'

She shrugged, in all honesty she really didn't care if she was late for her older brother; Junior had sorted out the best three times for them to use, if they missed the first it wouldn't matter all that much. Anyway, her elder brother needed to learn some patience.

Nonetheless she nodded before closing her eyes, picturing the inside of the bank. She imagined the grey walls on the other side of the backdoor, the way the picture had shown the rubbish collecting there because no one could be bothered to put it out. She made sure that her mind was clear of anything else, keeping focused on the need to move alone. She took a deep breath before the familiar tingling that came with teleportation rushed around her. It only took a few seconds before she felt the ground disappear and return with a slight jolt.

She opened her eyes quickly, scanning the darkness for signs of movement. The last thing she wanted was to deal with guards. She preferred the jobs where they were in and out in less than an hour. No fuss. No hassle. Just a clean job which brought a smile to her face.

But there was nothing, other than the blinking light above the lock on the door. Hacker had assured her it was purely decorative, and up close she was certain of it. She smiled, never understanding why some of the smaller banks disregarded protecting their backdoors as well as the front. The guards only checked it out once every hour, and even then she was sure that Hacker had realised it was a fleeting glance at best.

She moved slowly towards the lock, picking a hairclip out of her hair. She fiddled with the thing for a few moments, getting another clip to flick the mechanism inside. A familiar little click reached her ears and brought a small smile to her face. She pushed the door open.

'And voila,' she said as all attention in the alley turned towards her.

'Nice one, Shadow,' muttered Beefy, flexing his muscles slightly. He looked far too cramped in the small space and forced himself past Hacker to get closer to the door. He lingered behind her father.