Five years ago...

Sorry for the delay, people. College is being bitchier than usual.

"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts.

Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts.

Listen to the never-haves, then listen close to me…

Anything can happen, child. Anything can be

Shel Silverstein.

You never wanted to do it...

But the one thing Reality does best was pushing one into doing the very thing they detest in the first place.

Even as you readjusted the black ski mask that rendered you incognito, a nagging voice at the back of your head kept chanting, this is a very bad idea. And it truly was. You and your partners in crime were all just a bunch of fifteen to sixteen year old kids who had no idea of the fuck you were getting into. The Cops, or worse, Batman could arrive to piss in your cornflakes at any freaking moment... And yet, here you are, still a nobody trying to be somebody, still trying to make a living off of doing the dirty work that no one else has the guts to do.

You drew strength from the thought that you are doing it for yourself and your sister. She doesn't deserve the harsh truth of the hellhole that is Gotham, so if this is what you needed to do to prolong her innocence for just a while more, then so be it.

The distinctive pop of fireworks startled you out of your reverie. Looking away from the lit sky, you glanced around at your three similarly attired, silent companions in the shitty van that Heep had undoubtedly stolen, somehow. They aren't your friends, they barely even know you, neither did you know them or wanted to. But they're here for the same purpose as you, to do the same job. That was enough to lug you in with them for the time being.

Heep brought about all of this when he suddenly came calling about this new job he got out of nowhere. Normally, this was the part where you started asking questions owing to the fact that gigs like this don't fall from the sky, but Heep brushed off your concerns and said it was a quick and simple can opener. A robbery with zero percent of endangerment and only needing five people to work with. Plus it was worth a lot of green. You had stopped further inquiries after the word 'green'. The same promise had hitched the other three on to your bandwagon of juvenile thievery. Your little group was completed; the brain, the getaway driver, the scout, and two couriers.

Another round of fireworks brightened the night sky... Number two... You idly thought.

Heep the brain, picked the perfect night, when the fireworks would serve as expedient to trigger the mission. As other Gothamites celebrate some old but still valid tradition, you and the three others are readied in the van, staking out the warehouse, just seated there... waiting to be robbed.

Sure enough, the third set of fireworks went off... And so did the cue to start earning your pay.

The warehouse guards were apparently not expecting any sort of bump whatsoever, since they were taken out and gagged rather too easily. Then came the next part, breaking an entry. The lock was a specially made integrated algorithm, one that the four of you put together, would never be able crack in a million years, but luckily, you had an inside man. As if aware of your mission, lights flickered out, and the air went very still. A quiet hiss penetrated through from the other side of the warehouse, originating from behind the steel door. The stainless steel knob slowly grew bright red before turning orange as the hissing sound climbed up louder and louder. The entire locking mechanism slowly melted apart as the metal door was gingerly pried open, making as little noise as possible. The creaking of molten metal being bent replaced the hissing as the door slowly cracked open, with the prongs of a crowbar poking out from the other side, leveraging against the doorframe to slowly but surely push the door open. With a slight heave, the door swung wide and the innards of the locking mechanism fall apart. Molten bolts and screws fell onto the floor as the large door opened, revealing a grinning Heep in a patrol guard uniform. Hushed greetings were hurriedly exchanged before you all fall into your designated positions, with the scout manning the entrance while you and the other courier followed Heep to where the lootables were located.

Wooden crate after wooden crate stacked upon one another litter the shelves and floor of the large room. Each, with his own crowbar, started working on the crates, prying the head off to bewray its contents. Brand new technological gadgets, car batteries, expensive chemicals and other black market valued goods were neatly nestled inside the boxes. A quick celebration of high fives and you promptly began to cart the prizes off to your awaiting vehicle.

A little while later, when you felt the gang had gotten enough, you reasoned that taking any more would be avaricious, but Heep prevaricated, said he still had one present to open, and when he did, the gift inside was what none of you ever expected. A raw diamond gem... bigger than your head was the treasure laid within... It was a booty that could set you all straight for the rest of your lives. It was like your beginner's luck snowballed into a jackpot level tonight. You were all driven into a paroxysm of excitement as you talked about your future plans when you profited from this gig. In that moment, you all felt indestructible. But then again, it wasn't long before Reality repeated what it was known for doing; throwing sand into cereals. If only you had taken into consideration that you were not the only gang after the warehouse...

BANG! BANG!! BANG!!! BANG!!!!

If only you had known that the ruthless crime lord, Black Mask, was also coming for the diamond.

If only you had known even opening that case was like unleashing the throes of Pandora on yourselves.

In the end, it all came down to, 'had you know?"

The sound of bullets chilled you to your bones. Per his job, your scout was urged to go ahead to check, only to return and confirmed the Black Mask gang were packed outside and approaching the building. Just before BANG! BANG!! A bullet took off the side of his head along with his mask. From what you could glimpse from the remains of his face, he was young, too young to die at least. And sure enough, henchmen dressed in the Black Mask's motif flooded the room right after.

As if that wasn't scary, then came the voice of the Mask himself, "you think you can waltz in here and steal my diamond, huh? Well boys, let's greet 'em for their efforts." Then came the cocking and the reloading.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Someone cussed among you, but you disagreed, shit cannot even begin to qualify what your situation had devolved into. And then came the shooting.

The deafening sound of bullets rented the air, the harbinger of more hell to come as it started drilling the crates you were all huddled behind. Your hands covered your ears to block the noise. A groan suddenly came from behind you, when you turned, it was the other courier trying to keep still while he held on to the left side of his stomach, which seemed to be oozing out blood. You watched as he grunted before tearing off his mask to reveal a face barely older than yours, and through a mouthful of blood, he managed, "run..." and slumped over.

The harsh truth hit your remaining twosome. You are going to die if you didn't get a move on. Over the din, you yelled at Heep to get to the backdoor. Frantically but somehow still clutching the box, Heep quickly scrambled to another section, you followed closely with bullets tracing your footsteps. That renewed your vigor as you gathered more speed in order to reach your destination. The backdoor was labelled for emergencies only, but what greater emergency was there than having merciless gun wielders seeking to use your body as a bullet dump. It took three to four sharp kicks for the door to creak open, enough for the two of you plunge through. You didn't take into account that a door was a two-way bitch, one had no knowledge of what to expect on the other side. And as such, you and Heep just walked into a room full of the Black Mask's henchmen. Then Heep started sobbing and you realized, there was no other way out, not with their weapons fully trained on you, all you could do was to slowly close your eyes and await the inevitable.

It never came...

It was the first time you had ever seen him, the Batman, in all his black and grim grandeur, cutting through your assailants like a cutlass through wild weeds. Halfway done, he turned to face you, pointy cowl and all, and yelled, "Run." It was an order you both followed with terrified fervor. You had never ran faster in your life, which made you a little surprised when Heep matched your pace with his pudgy, unathletic body. When you stopped, it was in the middle of an unfamiliar neighborhood. As you catch up on breathing, you noticed that Heep was no longer holding the box, it had fallen from his hand during the fray. In the end, your entire heist was a total bust, most of your gang are dead and there was no way you are going back for the van. But also in the end, you still escaped with your life and that day, you swore to never do this kind of shit again.

Turning over the body with kick, Black Mask's face contorted into a sneer. His henchmen stealthily backed away from him, lest they suffer his wrath. "This – this is unacceptable." He spoke, his voice this time, a deadly calm. "A bunch of hobbits in preschool stole my friggin' diamond."

The gathered men said nothing, partly due to the stench of shit and blood slowly encompassing the room, and partly due to the smoking, double-barreled shotgun still in the hands of the crime boss. The room continued to reign in deadly silence. No one moved. No one spoke. Until a man broke the peace by rushing into the room and handed over a plastic ID card to the mastermind.

The Mask observed the item before giving a dry laugh, "Heep Templeton huh... Nice name for a mini crook."

He then started to pace back and forth, absentmindedly kicking at bits of debris.

"But we can't go after him now, we barely got through with the Bat today. He would be on to us after this whole baloney, waiting for us to slip up. First we lie low, we recruit, and then, we hunt. And I'll get my stone soon or later."

Sorry Guys, even I know this chapter's a stinker. Let me know what you think of it.