“Ugh… that dream again?”
Swipe rolled out of bed with a stretch and a yawn, her fluffy tail flicking behind her. Swipe was a young woman, around eighteen years old, with long white hair and deep purple eyes. Most notable among her features were the two fluffy triangular cat ears on her head, and the slim, yet somewhat poofy tail behind her. She had always had them, and planned to keep it that way. Going through her usual morning routine, Swipe showered, brushed her teeth, and got dressed. It was a pretty typical outfit for her, an open black leather jacket over a purple tee shirt and a pair of skinny jeans. Ready to roll for the day, Swipe ventured past her room.
The living room was pretty standard, although a bit larger than normal. A group of two couches and a recliner all faced a coffee table and a wall mounted television, which was currently on the news, showing a press conference from the newly elected sheriff, Richard Wood, explaining that after his daughter’s disappearance, he was determined to make sure that no family ever suffered the same pain as him. Huntress, now in her early thirties, was sitting on the couch going over some finances and the day’s plans. Beside her, with one arm wrapped around the very dangerous woman, was her husband, Kraken. Kraken was a tall, bald, dark skinned man with a short black beard and blue eyes. For most people, seeing the two leaders of the Rogue Five in their living room would be terrifying. But for Swipe, this was life as usual. The only thing that scared her at this point would be Blaze in the kitchen.
Deciding to get some breakfast, Swipe headed to the kitchen, and to her horror, found Blaze there. Blaze was a massive man, his skin an ashy gray thanks to his fire powers. He had bright amber eyes, which almost seemed to flicker with an undying flame. Kind of like the flame that was almost always burning on his head. Wearing a thin red jacket with a thick collar over his plain gray shirt and cargo shorts, he looked the part of the group’s tough guy. He was watching his bacon cook to “perfection” with a smirk on his face. Seeing this, Swipe walked over and shoved him out of the way, taking the bacon off the burner.
“You’re burning it, ya fuckin’ dunce!”
“You know it’s better that way!”
Blaze butted back in, putting his bacon back onto the burner. The two stopped bickering when they heard Huntress’s voice coming from the living room.
“Kids, would you cut it out already? Swipe, you know he’s an idiot. Just let him have his bacon ashes.”
“THANK you- wait.”
Swipe couldn’t help but bust out laughing as Blaze realized he was, in fact, an idiot. As Swipe and Blaze continued their bickering, Zap walked in. He was the metaphorical middle child of the Rogue Five, being a very recent addition to the team, only joining about a month before Swipe. Swipe, however, had the advantage of already living with Huntress. Zap was only a couple of years older than Swipe, with scruffy brown hair and heterochromatic eyes. One was brown, while the other was gray. Slinking around Swipe and Blaze in his custom made steel armor, Zap shuffled over to the pantry to get some cereal. Spotting him, Swipe smirked and snuck up behind him, grabbing him from behind a little roughly, although she wasn’t trying to actually hurt him.
“Mornin’ rookie!”
Zap nearly jumped out of his skin, turning back to look at Swipe and Blaze while they laughed at him. Before he could even respond, Huntress did it for him.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
“Swipe, Blaze, could you let the guy go five minutes without trying to give him a heart attack? I’d prefer to keep our healer alive and not mad at us, thanks.”
Following breakfast, Swipe, Blaze, and Zap all returned to the living room. Blaze and Zap sat on the opposite couch from Huntress and Kraken, while Swipe sat next to Huntress and flopped into her lap. Huntress rolled her eyes, but didn’t hesitate to start scratching behind Swipe’s ears, knowing she loved that. This, of course, caused a big goofy grin to spread across Swipe’s face as a giggle escaped her.
“Heh. What’s the plans for today, mama?”
Taking the remote from the coffee table, Huntress turned off the news to instead display her planned target. Dilstone Trust, the biggest bank in the city.
“We’ll be striking at Dilstone Trust. This place is no joke. We’ll need to be on our A-game at all times. Security cameras all over the building, outside and in, armed security guards at every junction, and a vault that alerts every hero in the city if it’s opened without clearance. We have our work cut out for us today.”
Raising an eyebrow at the notion of robbing Dilstone Trust, Kraken leaned forward and rested his chin in his palm.
“If I may ask, love, why strike there? If it’s such a difficult job, why not just play it safe and pull one of our usual heists at a smaller bank?”
There were murmurs of agreement from Blaze and Zap, with even Swipe questioning why in the world they would pull such a risky heist. Understanding the concern, Huntress explained.
“I’ve been going over our finances. We’re remarkably close to what we need in order to leave this life behind. If we strike at Dilstone Trust, we’ll have exactly what we need in order to disappear into the night. Live comfortably for the rest of our lives without having to budget for food and bills. No more heists. We’ll finally be free.”
That certainly got their attention. Huntress had a point. If they went for the smaller banks like they normally did, it would take at least a few more jobs. But if they could pull off the Dilstone Trust heist, everything would be over. Huntress gave everyone a moment to think about it before leaning back in her seat.
“Well? What do you say? Are you with me?”
Kraken was the first to speak up, nodding his head in the affirmative.
“I’ll follow you anywhere, love.”
“Simp.”
Swipe chuckled at her own joke, her tail flicking before she sat up.
“I’m with ya, mama.”
Blaze rolled his eyes.
“Suckup. Me and the rookie are in too, boss.”
“It’s settled then. We rob Dilstone Trust today and drop off the radar tomorrow.”
Pulling up the schematics of the bank, Huntress pinpointed every security camera and guard checkpoint, as well as the rotations of the guards and how long that would take. The plan was starting to come together. It just needed a few finishing touches to make it solid.
“Here’s the plan. I’ll take care of the cameras as we go. Me, Kraken, Blaze, and Zap are going in the front. Swipe, your job is to get into the wiring and disconnect that alarm. Blaze and Zap will take care of the guards without burning any of them.”
Huntress shot a quick glare at Blaze while he just chuckled.
“He was fine, just don’t have no hair anymore. He looks better bald anyways.”
Huntress rolled her eyes and continued her plan.
“Once you’ve taken the guards down, stand watch. We need to know if anyone shows up. Me and Kraken will get the safe open. We grab a few carts to haul the money, get it out to the car, and we’re out of there. High tail it to our new home, ride off into the sunset as the greatest villains who ever lived.”
The rest of the Rogue Five seemed to be in pretty high spirits about this operation, especially Swipe. She could already picture it. A grand, opulent manor with a large yard out front, fountains and everything. Oh, and it was right on the beach! She could go stand out on the back deck, breathing in the salty air and watching the waves. It was perfect. Everything she’d ever wanted. Sure, pulling a heist at Dilstone Trust sounded crazy, but if that’s what it took to get the life she’d always dreamed of, then she would do it. All she had to do was get into the wiring and make the alarm break. That couldn’t be too hard. Right?
Content to cross that bridge when she came to it, Swipe nestled into Huntress’s lap, relaxing completely as her fluffy ears were scratched and petted by her leader.
“You’re a genius, mama…”