Bad guys

Daniel and Lee sat on the roof of the bank, waiting for a signal to come over their walkies, decked out with concealed weapons and a belt full of tools. They were part of a small team of individuals who had come together with a goal of making a better world. In order to do so, they looked into big corporations, looking for their secrets that they didn't want the public to know. Secrets about how they were cheating people out of their money. Their possessions. Their lives.

Daniel held his walkie in one hand, the other resting on the pistol on his hip. His father had died in a freak accident, or so he had been told. He had been told by Freddie, the lead of their group, that that had been a lie. By hacking into the company's database where his father had been working, Freddie showed Daniel how his father had tried to push for change in his company, and a plan had put together to have him killed under the guise of an accident. Ever since that day, Daniel had sworn to work under Freddie to prevent that from happening to anyone else.

Lee had already planted the small explosive on the lock of the ventilation system, and was waiting for his signal to blow it so that the two could make their way inside. His wife had been fired from her job shortly after being diagnosed with severe depression. Within a week she had committed suicide. Freddie had delivered him similar news.

The pair had become fast friends as they had worked together. They trusted each other, perhaps more than they trusted any of their other partners. They knew the pain of loss, and the knew the feeling of determination. They never wanted anyone to experience what they had, and they were going to do something to make that happen.

It was getting close to time for them to infiltrate. Up to that point, the two had been silent, patiently waiting for their signal. But suddenly, Daniel broke the silence.

"Do you ever think we're the bad guys?" he asked.

Lee looked at him, nothing but confusion on his face. "Are you Daniel?" he asked. "Are you my partner? Or did they send me a doppelganger that's here to try and test me?"

Daniel sighed and shook his head, as if trying to shake out his own thoughts. "I know," he said. "I know. I can't deny what happened. It's clear as day. And clearly if we don't want that to happen to other people, then we have to do something. But..."

"But what, Dan?"

"But we're breaking into a bank."

Lee laughed. He laughed long and hard. He knew he was supposed to be quiet, but he couldn't help but laugh. "You know that just because that's what the bad guys do in books doesn't mean it's always bad," he said. "We're doing this for a reason. This isn't for us. It's for everyone."

Daniel nodded. "You're right," he said. "You're right."

And the signal came, and without hesitation, Lee blew the vent.