First Draft

You are a construction worker. You have been working for the same company for almost a decade. (link:"This company")[Construction S.L.] is owned by an extremely wealthy man named [[Matt]]. Working in construction was never your [[first option]], but you got the job the summer you finished school and needed the money. You thought you'd be working there for a few months, but those months turned into years, and, eventually, you got promoted. Then, you got married, and could not risk leaving your job. [[Next|crisis]]

Matt is one of those people whose appearance screams //I have more money under my pillow than you'll ever have in your life.// He does not know half of his employees, in fact, he rarely knows what's going on in Construction S.L. or any of the other companies he owns. But you have been working there for long enough for him to learn your last name. [[Back|Intro]]

You studied Geology and History in a way too expensive school and still have to pay some of your student debt. Your dream was to become an archaeologist, and you know a lot about fossils, dinosaurs, and antiques. You didn't listen to those who warned you about the scarce job opportunities in the industry, and now you've got to do what you've got to do. But you still have some time to study and keep learning about dinosaurs and all that cool stuff that you are passionate about. [[Back|Intro]]

MONDAY You've been fired. You just got home and don't know what to tell your partner. Both of you wanted to start a family, but without your main income, it will have to wait. The doorbell rings and before you can even open the door completely, [[Sawyer1]] bursts into the room. She's fuming. "I just got fired!" She begins to rant againts (link:"everything")[Matt, Construction S.L., other coworkers, the wage... At this point, you even start to think that she should be glad she got fired]. "I couldn't sleep last night thinking about my children. I had a panic attack," she says. "But I have a [[plan|plan 2]].

FRIDAY Rumors of imminent layoffs have been swirling around the company for weeks, and you can feel the tension increasing everyday. It's Friday. You usually go out with your colleagues and have a few beers. But today, Matt has invited you over to his house to discuss some business. You have mixed feelings about this, as you don't want to be judged by your coworkers... You could: [[Accept the invitation and go over to his house.]] [[Decline it, and go out with your colleagues.]]

Matt lives in the wealthiest area of the city. His [[house]] is incredibly big, and you just stand there awkwardly while he introduces you to his wife. He now takes you to the basement, where he has a huge art collection. He has a collection of ancient jewelry that inmediately catches your attention. It's worth thousands of dollars. Maybe millions. "I've heard you know a bit about antiques," Matt says. He pours himself some whiskey and offers you a drink. [[Next|You drink some whiskey too.]]

You would hate to be the new //Boss's pet//, as the other workers called those who got too close to him. Therefore, you tell him you're busy on a Friday night, which he understands, and you go out with your work friends. [[Next|despido]]

Matt finishes his drink before you have time to take a sip of yours, and pours himself a second one. Before you realize, you've had three drinks too, and the conversation flows easily. Matt is an ambitious man, and has multiple projects. He wants you to work close to him and take up more responsilities. You could even become his personal art dealer. It'd be a dream come true. But as the conversation goes on, he confesses to you that the rumors are true, and eight workers will be fired next week, including your best friend [[Sawyer]]. "I need determined people to carry on my next project. I need cold blood," he says. "I've been informed that these other people are insubordinate, but that you have been complying well, haven't you you?" You nod. But you've drank too much and you can already feel your heart beating faster than normal and you cannot think clearly. You keep repeating his words in your head: "Cold blood." Is that you? For what? What's coming next? Is he going to ask you to cut down a forest to build a hotel? This is starting to feel like an ambush. Your face is readable like a book. "Is there any problem?" he asks. [["No. Not at all."]] [["I'm not the right person for this" you scream with a mix of fear and relieve.|"I cannot do this!" you scream with a mix of fear and relieve.]]

Sawyer graduated with you and joined the company at the same time as you. She has always worked by your side. You two share the same passions, but also the same frustrations. Sawyer has strong beliefs that have gotten her in trouble more than once, but you have always managed to fix the (link:"situation.")[situation, like that one time you had to take her place in the demolition of a library because she refused to do it.] She has always been one of your closest friends, and you would trust her with your life. [[Back|You drink some whiskey too.]]

MONDAY You've been fired. You just got home and don't know what to tell your partner. Both of you wanted to start a family, but without your main income, it will have to wait. The doorbell rings and before you can even open the door completely, Sawyer bursts into the room. She's fuming. "I just got fired!" She begins to rant against (link:"everything")[Matt, Construction S.L., other coworkers, the wage... At this point, you even start to think that she should be glad she got fired, but you don't say anything, of course]. You wonder if you should [[tell her what happened last Friday]], or [[keep that to yourself]].

Eventhough you feel guilty, you cannot risk losing your job, and won't do it. Not even for Sawyer. Furthermore, this new promotion is a new opportunity to work in what you really love. And I'd be good for you and your partner to make some more money. [[You accept the job.]]

"As you probably know, Matt owns a big art collection. We have been planning this for months. A few weeks ago, [[Abby]] was offered a promotion, which she didn't accept. Matt hold the meeting in his house, and showed her the collection. We are going to steal it." You're in disbelief. That sounds exactly like what he did with you. "We need you. You know about art. And we need you to dig a tunnel." [[You inmediately refuse to take part.]] [[You want to know more before making a decision.]]

You explain everything that happened. "I can't believe you didn't fight for us! I don't care if you had a drink, I would have done it for you! I have a family! I have kids!" "We'll find something better. I'm sure we will," you said. . Sawyer looks extremely disappointed. You try to reassure her, but your feeling of guilt grows with every word you say. When she leaves, you are hopeless. [[Next|Sawyer comes back]]

It's probably better not to tell her. She's already pissed, and you don't want her to be mad at you. Plus you know she has children and just thinking of how badly she's going to struggle makes you sick. "It's not looking good for us," she says. "But I've been thinking a lot. And I have a [[plan]].

"As you probably know, Matt owns a big art collection," Sawyer says, "A few months ago, [[Abby|Abby 2]] was offered a promotion, which she didn't accept. Matt hold the meeting in his house, and showed her the collection. We have been talking about this for months, but I have finally found the way to do it: we are going to steal the collection." You're in disbelief. "We need you. You're the most experience worker, and we need you to dig a tunnel." [[You inmediately refuse to take part.]] [[You want to know more before making a decision.]]

NEXT MONDAY You're in your kitchen. Sawyer sits in front of you. You haven't talked to her in more than a week and the feeling of guilt is killing you. Last week, after she left, you applied to different jobs. You have a good CV, and a lot of experience, but haven't heard back from any of the jobs. You haven't told your family either, and you have been pretending to leave for work everyday for a week now, and feel pathetic. Before you can apologize, she says: "I have a [[plan]]."

Abby is one of your coworkers. You've only known her for a few months. She inmediately got close to Sawyer and joined you whenever you go out after work. Every time she has a drink, she repeats that she is going through a some financial problems since her father was diagnosed with a rare disease. Although you know it is true, it sometimes bothers you how she always uses this as an excuse whenever is her turn to pay for a round of drinks. When Sawyer tells you that Abby had refused to accept the promotion, eventhough she had financial problems, you can't hide your surprise. [[Back|plan]]

Abby is one of your coworkers. You've only known her for a few months. She inmediately got close to Sawyer and joined you whenever you go out after work. Every time she has a drink, she repeats that she is going through a some financial problems since her father, who was just diagnosed with a rare disease. Although you know it is true, it sometimes bothers you how she always uses this as an excuse whenever is her turn to pay for a round of drinks. When Sawyer tells you that she had refused to accept the promotion eventhough she had financial problems. you are both surprised and disappointed that hse [[Back|plan 2]]

You can see the disappointment in Sawyer's face, but you cannot risk your entire future. However, now that you've been informed, you know that you will have to make a decision and either [[warn Matt]] or [[pretend that you don't know]].

"The plan is simple. Matt has been invited to a gala on Sunday next week. We have six days to dig a tunnel that goes from the sewerage system to his basement. The nearest sewer to his house is about 660 feet away." "How would we do that?" you ask. "We can only use electric machinery for the first 500 feet. Then, we'll continue by hand, because we don't want him to hear us. On Sunday night, we'll break into the basement wall and replace the original art works with imitations, and seal the wall as we leave. He'll never know." [[Next|Decision]]

TWO MONTHS LATER You have been working in your new position for a while now. Sawyer and seven more workers were fired three days after your meeting with Matt, and you still feel guilty. But you're making more money, and you don't have to dig tunnels or tear down buildings anymore, you just give the orders now. Although it is morally reprehensible, you don't have to get your hands dirty. [[Next|Conflict]]

You keep asking questions, and Sawyer has an answer for everything. You learn that you already have a buyer: an art enthusiastic on the other side of the Atlantic. "A real art lover," she says, "not like Matt, who won't even notice that what he keeps in his basement are imitations." Matt is an unscrupulous man, and you know that. All of you are in this situation because he fired workers that refused to destroy community buildings to build an hotel or an apartment complex, but you don't know if that is enough to commit a crime. You would like to have some time to think, but there is a tunnel to dig and no time to lose. Sawyer needs an answer now. [[You are in.]] [[You can't do it.|You inmediately refuse to take part.]]

TUESDAY It's early in the morning. When you arrive to the address that Sawyer told you yesterday, you are surprised to see that there's already a lot going on. You meet [[Rebekah]], who has an important roll in Constructions S.L., but that has agreed to help you. Through her, Construction S.L. got an official bulding permit and the entire street is closed to traffic. Anyone that sees you working would think you're doing routinary work. It is good that Matt never checks personally what's going on in the company. You realize how crazy this is: nine construction workers (eight of them unemployed, one working undercover), will pretend to be carrying on an authorized work and dig a tunnel to your ex-boss's house. You tell yourself that everyone has a [[function]] and everything is planned in detail. [[Next|Four days later ]]

SATURDAY The excavation goes smoothly. You have been reaching your daily objectives and you and four more workers have dug a 500 feet tunnel. It is time now to stop using machinery. You haven't seen Sawyer since the first day, as she is in charge of the imitations. But she is constantly giving instructions by radio. Until now, you were just giving directions, but it is now time for you to go down the sewer and lead the most complicated part of the operation. The interior of the sewer is disgusting. In some places, water covers up to your knees and the smell is hedious. You walk through the newly excavated tunnel until you reach a wall. You grab the beak and start (text-style:"shudder")[digging]. [[Next|Robbery]]

Rebekah joined the business before you did. She works close to Matt and holds an important position not only in Construction S.L., but also in many of the other businesses that make up Matt's holding company. She's been doing the dirty job for Matt for many years. She knows everything that happens in Construction S.L. A few years ago, there were rumors that she and Matt had a romantic relationship, and that she was actually the person in charge of making the important decisions. However, a few months later, Matt got married to a different woman, and no one ever dared to ask Rebekah if those rumors were true. The fact that someone this close to Matt is willing to betray him reassures you. She is in charge of sealing the wall from the interior of the house after the robbery. [[Back|You are in.]]

SUNDAY After digging for more than eight hours, your beak hits something harder than the soil. You finally made it to the foundations of the house. Your radio beeps and Rebekah tells you that Matt has left the house. It is time. You give the signal and you and two more people start to open a hole in the wall. [[You slip through the hole.]]

You are in the basement. Everything looks exactly the same as last time. You would like to spend some time just looking around, but a voice at the other side of the hole urges you to hurry up. You start grabing antiques and passing them to the human chain set inside the tunnel, at the same time, they hand you the imitations and you carefully place them in the same spot as the originals. All of the sudden, you realize that there is one new piece. Matt must have gotten it just one or two days ago. You inform the rest of your team by radio, and Sawyer's inmediate response is to forget about it. However, you know it is more valuable than any of the other pieces. [[You do what Sawyer said.]] [[You make an executive decision and grab it.]]

You'll be the head of the digging crew. Sawyer has a contact that will provide the imitations. Rebekah is working undercover, she has visited the basement in multiple occasions and provided Sawyer with pictures and information. She'll enter the house through the front door, seal the wall, and exit through the same door. Everything will be caught on camera. Abby will be the driver. [[Back|You are in.]]

YOU'VE BEEN ARRESTED. You decided to run away, leaving a mess behind you, and, although Rebekah managed to disconnect the alarm, she didn't have time to seal the wall when the police got there, and they discovered the tunnel. Rebekah managed to get away saying that she was just checking if everything was fine while Matt was gone, but the police found the tunnel in the basement and that easily lead them to you, Sawyer, Abby, and the rest of your team. Who were you trying to kid? You're not a professional thief!

A WEEK LATER You're watching the news and suddenly you see Abby and Sawyer's face all over the TV. They got arrested. Matt had waited for them to try to break into his house and set them up. That same morning, someone slips a note under your door. It reads "Snitch." THE END

A FEW WEEKS LATER You receive a phone call from an unknown number. When you answer, you hear Sawyer's voice. "It's done. You won't see me again. Just know that it was done and that we succeed." During the next few days, you pay a lot of attention to the TV and newspapers, but there are no news about a robbery. You spend the next few months looking for a job until you fing something that you don't love but that pays. You're back to the routine, and will never forget the time when you said //no// to a million-dollar opportunity. THE END.

THE NEXT MORNING You haven't slept at all. First, the adrenaline kept you up, then, the fear of being discovered. Like every morning, you go to work. Matt has just gotten back from his trip and doesn't even make eye contact with you. Everything feels normal. Two days later, you receive a text from Sawyer saying that the antiques has been sold sucesfully, and, eventhough you kept one of them, you get to keep part of the benefits. It is a lot of money. Not enough to stop working, but enough to quit this job for and spend a few months trying to find something you really like. The End.

Instead of following the [[original plan]], you decide to grab the new piece of the collection. To your surprise, an alarm goes off. "You were not supposed to make the alarm go off yet!" Sawyer shouts by radio. You panic. There weren't supposed to be any alarms in the basement. You hear the door upstairs bang open. It is probably Rebekah. All the alarms in the house go off. You could [[wait to see if Rebekah is able to disconnect the alarms]] or [[run away.]]

However, you are starting to feel stuck in your position. You haven't seen the works of art again, and, although you thought Matt would now know who you are, he doesn't look at you twice when you walk pass him. During lunch break, you hear from one of the workers that Matt wants to hire a security guard for his art collection. Later at night, you research a bit more about the position and find out that the wage offered is lower than your current wage. It'd be a downgrade, but you'd be closer to finally doing what you like. [[You decide to apply, anyway.]] [[You decide not to apply, as you'd rather make more money even if it's in a job you don't like]].

Your new job has costed you a big argument with your partner, but every day that passes, you're closer to finally doing what you like. You are now like a museum worker, except for the fact that it is a private collection that rarely receives any visits. Oh, and you are in a basement, not in a museum. When you stop and think about it, it frustrates you that no one can enjoy these antiques except for its selfish owner. One afternoon, you receive a call from Sawyer asking to meet up soon. Things are a bit awkward between you two since she got fired and you didn't. [[You make up an excuse.]] [[You agree to meet after work.]]

You decide not to apply. Although this could get you closer to your beloved antiques, you won't sacrifice your wage for it. One afternoon, you receive a call from Sawyer asking to meet up soon. Things are a bit awkward between you two since she got fired and you didn't. [[Next|You agree to meet after work.]]

You are too busy and already have too many problems to put yourself through an awkward conversation with Sawyer (that could even lead to an argument). Besides, you never told her that you knew she would get fired. Sawyer tries to contact you a few more times over the next two weeks, but you are (or pretend to be) busy. [[Next|Noche del robo]]

Sawyer comes to your house after work. It is awkward. She doesn't want to hear your apologies. "I haven't found a job yet. I cannot be in this situation for longer. You don't know how expensive everything gets once you have kinds... Anyway, I came here to discuss business. I have a [[plan.|plan 2]]"

It's a Monday night. Matt has left for a business trip and is paying you extra to keep a eye on his property while he's gone. You are in the basement, happy that you got to spend some time down there, and drinking some fancy alcohol you found in Mat's cellar (he has a cellar, of course), and know that he won't notice it's gone. You would get fired if he saw you right now, and you know that, but you feel a mix of excitement and empowerment doing this. This is in part born from your frustration, which is starting to turn into hate towards your boss. There's a noise in the background you cannot identify. It is like a rhythmic hitting. [[You decide to investigate it.]] [[You decide to ignore the noise.]]

The noise comes from behind one of the walls. You step closer and rest your ear against the wall, trying to figure out what's the origin of that sound. The sound gets closer, and closer... and closer. The wall shakes, but you have been drinking too much and react too late. The wall collapses on top of you YOU DIE. There's a robbery going on: Sawyer and the rest of your ex-coworkers have been planning this for months. She tried to made you aware of it but you kept avoiding her and making up excuses. She didn't know you were working tonight. You were in the wrong place, in the wrong time. Bad luck!

You admire the antiques around you and notice there is one piece you had never seen before. It is probably the most valuable piece in the entire collection. The sound keeps getting louder and louder. It looks like it's getting closer. Suddenly, you realize there is a crack in the wall, and before you can count to three, there is a hole in the wall and someone is breaking through it. But you're even more surprised when you realize it's one of your ex-coworkers. You are in shock, and so is the other person when he sees you. You are about to call the police, but he begs you to wait and listen. "Wait," he shouts, "we can explain this. I'm working with Sawyer." He goes on explaining how Matt has ruined everyone's life, and they are stealing their art collection and replacing it with imitations. He says that Matt will never know. "We´ll split the money with you," he says to convince you. "Or you could keep one of the antiques. Please, you know how he's been treating all of us. Please." You inmediately think of that new piece you were looking at before. [[However, you decide to call the police.]] [[You decide to collaborate with the robbers.]]

You take your phone out of your pocket. You have to call the police. But before you can unlock you phone, your ex-coworker hits you in the head with a shovel. YOU DIE INMEDIATELY.

You decide to collaborate with the robbers and take one of the antiques with you. You follow their plan and help them replace all the pieces from the collection. It takes you a few hours to get everything done. Then, one of the [[robbers]] seals the wall from inside and you both leave the house together. [[Next|End 5]]

After contemplating your options you finally decide to do what you think is the right thing, and you tell Matt. His reaction surprises you, as he doesn't do anything at all. You are now sure that you did the right thing and forget about it. [[Next|end 3]]

You finally decide that it is not your problem: you won't participate, but you won't prevent it from happening either. In fact, you don't really believe that it will actually happen and hope that Sawyer will come to reason and forget about it. [[Next|End 4]]

It would be too risky to steal the new piece, as you don't have an imitation to replace it with. After you make sure you've taken evertyhting you wanted to take, you walk upstairs and make the alarm go off. In less than three minutes, Rebekah will enter through the front door, disconect the alarm, and call Matt to tell him that everything was fine. Then, she'll seal the wall, exit the house, get in her own car, and leave empty handed. At the same time, the rest of the team will hide the antiques in Abbys car, parked in the end of the tunnel, 600 feet away from the house, and where the construction work had started a few days earlier. [[Follow the plan.]]

You've been up all night. Everything went as planned. The antiques are still in Abby's car, hidden in a storage unit. At noon, you receive the long-awaited phone call informing you that the antiques have been sold, and that you are now a few hundred thousand dollars richer. THE END.

The original plan was to take only those antiques that could be replaced by imitations. Then, you would go upstairs and make the alarm go off. Rebekah, that had keys to the house, would enter throught the front door and disconnect the alarm. She would then call Matt and let him know that the alarm went off, but that she went to his house to check that everything was safe. Then, she'd seal the basement wall, and exit the house through the front door, empty handed, and caught by the surveillance cameras. Meanwhile, the rest of the team would carry the antiques through the tunnel to Abby's car, parked in the end of the tunnel, 600 feet away from Matt's house, where the construction work had started a few days earlier. [[Back|You make an executive decision and grab it.]]

The plan must go on, you tell to yourself. You tell your team to keep working and keep carrying the antiques to Abby's car. The alarms go louder and louder everytime and you can hear the police sirens getting closer. Suddenly Sawyer tells you by radio: "Rebekah just left! Get out of there!" You try to run away, but the police is already there. YOU ARE ARRESTED.

You slip through the hole into the tunnel and shout "Let's go!" With the antique in your hands, you follow the rest of your team and run throug the tunnel. Abby is waiting on the other side, with the car ready to go. You can hear the police sirens in the distance. [[Next morning.]]

You've been up all night. The antiques are in Abby's car, hidden in a storage unit. Sawyer was supposed to call you this morning, but she didn't. Someone knocks on the door... (live:4s)[Two cops stand in front of you. [[Next|End 2]]]

This is Rebekah, Matt's right hand. You are surprised to find out that she went behind his back and took advantage of their "friendship" and her important role in the business. [[Back|You decide to collaborate with the robbers.]]

Matt lives in the wealthies area of the city. His driveway alone is bigger than your entire appartment. The house is a three storey building with a big front yard and a bigger backyard. When you go inside, you are astonished when you see the big white balaustrade that leads to the second floor, reminding you of a Victoria house. You wouldn't be surprised if a butler appeared and guided you to Matt's office. But that doesn't happen. [[Back|Accept the invitation and go over to his house.]]

(text-size: 2) [''THE HEIST''] by Victoria Asuar Aznárez [[Start|Intro]]