Just as they had the score secured and everyone was seated on the escape boat, they heard someone call out to them from the end of the dock.<\/p>\n
\u201cWait! Wait!\u201d a man\u2019s voice shouted to them. He ran towards them and everyone pointed their guns at him. He either didn\u2019t see or didn\u2019t care. He approached anyway, stopping at the edge of the dock. He doubled over, hands on his knees, and panted. After he caught his breath, he stood upright again.<\/p>\n
His tie, mask, and gloves marked him as Syndicate agent too.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease,\u201d he huffed, putting his hands up to show he was not planning to pull anything, \u201clet me come with you. My crew\u2019s all been arrested. I\u2019ve been running from cops since 9:00.\u201d It was now 11:35.<\/p>\n
They had room on the boat; it wouldn\u2019t have been a problem to let him board. Yet none of them lowered their weapons. Cleo, Dixie, and Melrose all looked to Dauphin. He was lead on this job so it was up to him if he wanted to take the risk.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do we know you\u2019re not an undercover cop trying to get us all arrested too?\u201d he asked.
\n
\n\u201cI\u2019m not!\u201d the man on the dock said. Panic rose up in his face. How could he disprove that?<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re a Syndicate agent,\u201d Cleo said, \u201cshow us your profile.\u201d<\/p>\n
Relief swept over his face. He reached into his back pocket and whipped out his phone. Unlocking it and swiping around for a moment, he turned the screen\u2019s bright face to show them.<\/p>\n
His codename was Vermouth. He had a 2.2 rating and he looked a lot less sweaty and harried in his profile picture.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you think, Dauphin?\u201d Melrose asked. Cleo and Dixie had lowered their weapons, but Melrose steadfastly pointed his shotgun at Vermouth.<\/p>\n
Dauphin regarded the profile on the phone\u2019s screen. It wasn\u2019t that he didn\u2019t believe Vermouth exactly. If he could make a decision without answering to anyone, he would\u2019ve already let the poor guy on the boat. It was more that it was still possible for the police to fabricate a fake Syndicate profile and even if this guy was legit, Dauphin didn\u2019t want to be known for taking risks with other agents\u2019 freedom. The peer review system made the work so much more political than it needed to be.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s the codeword?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
Vermouth scowled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere isn\u2019t any codeword! Man, if you\u2019re gonna leave me to go fuck myself, just say so already.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right, get in,\u201d Dauphin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fuck was that about?\u201d Dixie asked, leaning over so Vermouth could climb over her into the boat.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he was a cop, he probably would have tried to guess the codeword or say he forgot it,\u201d Dauphin explained. \u201cBut since he\u2019s an agent, he knows there isn\u2019t one.\u201d There was still a remote possibility that Vermouth was a cop and just had a lucky guess, but Dauphin wouldn\u2019t be getting any bad reviews for not attempting to check. Worst case scenario, if Vermouth did turn out to be an undercover cop after all of this, they could kill him and throw his body overboard.<\/p>\n
\u201cClever,\u201d Cleo said.<\/p>\n
Vermouth flopped down in a seat next to Dixie and let out a heavy groan of relief. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes as the boat gently pulled away from the dock.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you just take your mask and gloves off?\u201d Dixie asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you just take your mask off, dude? The cops caint be hasslin\u2019 everyone in a gray suit. That\u2019s why they make us wear them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can take the mask off?\u201d Vermouth said, bolting upright. \u201cI didn\u2019t know I could do that!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re supposed to do that,\u201d Dixie said. \u201cGod, does no one read the fuckin\u2019 manual?\u201d Cleo snorted, amused at Dixie\u2019s exasperation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I wasn\u2019t supposed to take off the mask. It\u2019s part of the uniform.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSure, not during the robbery, but afterward?\u201d Dixie said. \u201cI mean, this ain\u2019t The fuckin\u2019 Warriors, dude. You don\u2019t have to wear your colors when you\u2019re trying to hide.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thankfully for Vermouth\u2019s pride, they were now leaving the marina. The boat increased speed and the water was choppy enough that everyone had to focus on staying seated rather than berating him for his inattention to protocol.<\/p>\n
This story was part of my 2019 TRL event.<\/p>\n
Cleo and Dixie are running to the escape boat (yeah, switching it up a bit) with their crew for the day. However, as the last guy\u2019s getting in, some other Syndicate guy is running up begging them to let him in. For one reason or another, his crew left him behind, and now he\u2019s gotta bum a ride or get arrested.<\/p>\n
\u2013 Paupers Run<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Just as they had the score secured and everyone was seated on the escape boat, they heard someone call out to them from the end of the dock. \u201cWait! Wait!\u201d a man\u2019s voice shouted to them. He ran towards them and everyone pointed their guns at him. He either didn\u2019t see or didn\u2019t care. He approached anyway, stopping at the edge of the dock. He doubled over, hands on his knees, and panted. After he caught his breath, he stood upright again. His tie, mask, and gloves marked him as Syndicate agent too. \u201cPlease,\u201d he huffed, putting his hands up to show he was not planning to pull anything, \u201clet me come with you. My crew\u2019s all been arrested. I\u2019ve been running from cops since 9:00.\u201d It was now 11:35. They had room on the boat; it wouldn\u2019t have been a problem to let him board. Yet none of them […]<\/p>\n