Chapter Text
Wind whistling in his ears, Tobey stands atop the tallest building in Fair City, excitement rushing through his veins. That thrill that comes with each heist hits him hard as he prepares, loose strands of hair blowing into his vision. He pulls white gloves over his hands, buttons his matching suit up, straightens his pitch-black tie—all a routine he’s fallen into very easily by this point.
His navy cloak billows in the wind behind him as he bends down to open the black case at his feet, pulling up the top to check on its contents. He takes great care creating his complex robots just for this purpose, and being sure none will malfunction is crucial to the heist going successfully.
Taking a deep breath, Tobey stands back up. He silently slips a white cat mask over his eyes and nose to conceal his identity, finishing his disguise by tying up his hair. He really should consider getting it cut; it’s grown out awfully long, already falling past his shoulders. But that’s something he can worry about another time.
Ready to go and briefcase in hand, Tobey takes a step off the edge of the building.
“Kid, this is absolutely ridiculous.”
Two hours earlier, Tobey was sitting beside his friend/roommate, Dr. Two Brains, on his couch. The blond had frowned at the man, anger evident in his tone as he replied, “And I’m sure you could come up with something sooo much better.”
Snorting, Two Brains had taken a long swig of the nacho cheese he’d been drinking from one of Tobey’s favorite wine glasses. (Seriously, the man had a weird obsession with cheese that Tobey would never hope to understand.) “If I were ten years younger, maybe,” he said, swirling the orange, processed filth around in the glass. Tobey grimaced. He’d never be able to drink out of that glass again, knowing what had been in it. “But, you know me. My days of front lining are far behind me. I much prefer the background stuff.”
“You still shoplift that fancy gouda from the grocery,” Tobey replied flatly.
Pointing at him, Two Brains said, “Those prices are the real crime, I’m tellin’ ya. Fifteen bucks just for the block? Yeesh, I’m really doing the world a favor.”
“And you call consequently driving up that cheese’s price a ‘favor’?” Tobey had shook his head. His friend really was a nutjob. “You don’t understand a thing about economics.”
Two Brains had just shrugged. “Hey, what can I say? I’m more of a biology kinda guy.” Then he pursed his lips, setting down his glass. “Seriously though, kid, are you crazy? Well, heh, obviously you are, you learned from the greatest mad scientist of all time! But really? Not even I was stupid enough to steal right from under the Best’s noses like this. They’re gonna have your head.”
Groaning, Tobey had rolled his eyes, his head falling back against the couch. “Listen, old man, if I needed someone to tell me my idea was reckless I would have called my therapist.”
Two brains raised an eyebrow. “You have one of those?”
“Not the point.” Tobey leveled him with an unimpressed look. “The point is, a lot of my plans are a little stupid. Hell, most of them are. I’m not telling you so you can be my worrying father about it, I’m telling you to help me perfect it.” Crossing his arms across his chest, he let out a huff. “Now, you can do that, or I’ll go call Granny May to assist me instead.”
Incredibly dramatic as always, Two Brains had put his hand to his chest and let out a gasp. “You would replace me?” he asked in disbelief.
“In a heartbeat,” Tobey said without a moment of hesitance, lowering his eyes at him. “Now are you helping or not?”
Two Brains had blinked at him for a moment, seeming to contemplate it, before he let out a sigh and grabbed the marker from off of the coffee table in front of them, scribbling something down on the whiteboard Tobey had written his plans down on.
“See right here?” he asked, pointing to a certain spot on the board. “Don’t send the robots there, that’s a surefire way to get caught. It’ll be swarming with security and they will be seen. Really, kid, what kind of rookie mistake is that? What are you, ten?”
Snatching the marker from the man, Tobey huffed. “I’m twenty-four, thank you very much,” he grumbled, erasing his apparent rookie mistake. “So what do you suppose I do then, wise guy?”
“The robots should go through here,” he responds as he takes back the marker. “Should be less security so you’ll have enough Microbots to take them out instead of trying to sneak past.”
“Oh,” Tobey said dumbly, staring at where Two Brains had made the adjustment to the board. “That…makes a lot more sense.”
Two Brains hummed. “You’re welcome. Now, you don’t have long until the party starts, yeah?”
That was true. Tobey had already spent more time than he should’ve chatting. “Yes, right, thanks,” he said hurriedly, jumping off the couch and heading to his room to prepare for tonight’s heist.
“Go get ‘em, tiger!” the doctor called after him.
Tobey had just snorted before disappearing. “Thanks, Dad.”
It was go time.
Now plummeting to the ground, Tobey grips his briefcase with both hands and presses a button on the side. Immediately, a parachute shoots out of its confines and expands out in the air. Tobey feels the tug at his arms as his descent is halted, allowing him to safely float downward to his destination. He doesn’t have time to think about earlier, he has to keep his attention focused on what he’s doing.
The moment his feet hit the ground he’s off, taking down the street with his things in tow. He hits a button on the palm of his glove as his feet slam against the pavement, throwing the case off behind him before skidding to a halt behind the front gate of the Best household. The case, with a low mechanical hum, opens up in midair and out flies three robots, ready for Tobey’s command, which he inputs into the remote built into his glove. The robots buzz off towards the house.
A small static screech in his ear makes him wince. He hears Dr. Two Brains speaking through the headset. “Alright, you remember where to send them?”
With a scoff, Tobey types out another command. “Of course I do. I’m much more well versed at stealth than you are.”
“Yeah, and I don’t have a crippling cheese addiction.”
Poking his head out to survey his surroundings, Tobey replies, “You don’t. You’re just really bad at self discipline.”
“It’s the mouse brain, I’m tellin’ ya!” Two Brains exclaims with a groan on the other end of the line, and Tobey smiles to himself. So far, so good. If everything goes according to plan, this could be one of the biggest heists he’s pulled off yet. All he has to do is sneak past the security and get inside the house, then that painting is as good as his.
See, everyone who lives in Fair city knows about the Best family. They’re practically famous here, one of the richest families in the state with piles of money to waste. And tonight, they’re holding a makeshift art show for their most recent useless purchase: the Midnight Aconite. It’s quite a pretty painting, Tobey will admit, beautifully crafted to look just like a real purple aconite flower bathing in the moonlight, but that’s beside the point. Something like that belongs in a museum, not being flaunted by a stuck-up rich white family.
Which is why Tobey is taking it. He might be a thief, but he has morals. Call him an anti-hero, if you will.
Watching from his hiding spot, Tobey instructs his robots to quickly fly around the perimeter of the house, checking the back. Of course, as anyone would expect, there’s a security guard posted there, intently observing the facility to make sure that no one like the infamous Icaroid—AKA Tobey—is trying to break in.
Not that that’s any problem for Tobey. A quick dart shooting out of his robot and into the arm of the man is enough to knock him out cold. (Filled only with a homemade, fast-working sleeping solution. Tobey isn’t the kind of person to hurt anyone unless he absolutely has to.) That’s his cue to pop up from behind the gate and maneuver around the mansion’s exterior, careful to not be spotted by any guests through the window before approaching the back door.
The puny padlock isn’t enough to stop him either. He melts it off with a zap from the laser built into his glove and slips inside the house. His dark cloak easily allows him to fade into the shadows, passing by party-goers with practiced ease and not a sound.
He’s no idiot, now. He knows exactly where to go, exactly what to do. Everything has been planned out to a tee, all to be sure he has no chance of being in danger. It’s easy for him to rush up the large staircase without a single person being alerted of his presence.
At least, so he thinks.
“Okay, kid,” Two Brain’s voice says again, and Tobey can hear distant typing in the background. “Target’s straight ahead. It’ll be hard to mess this up, those Microbots do most of the work for ya.”
“Got it,” Tobey replies, stalking down the hallway towards the painting.
This painting, of course, is much more securely guarded, surrounded by multiple security guards at the very end of the hall and protected inside a glass case. Like that’s going to stop Tobey.
With the click of his thumb to his palm, another one of his drone robots comes out of hiding, silently floating right past the guards. Tobey watches with satisfaction as the bottom panel opens and many miniature robots, no bigger than a bumble bee, fly over to each guard and drop down, injecting the same sleeping antidote into each’s neck. Two Brains definitely made the right call on using them.
But Tobey knows his time is limited the moment the guards hit the ground. The noise will surely be enough to draw the attention of someone, so he has to act fast. Dashing forward into the room that contains the priceless painting, he reaches out and very steadily lifts the glass case, careful not to bring any additional attention to himself.
“Better be quick,” his assistant warns. “One of the guests is alerting a guard.”
As soon as the glass is lifted he inputs one more command and his robots rush forward, reaching out with careful claws to grip the edges of the painting, taking it off of its pedestal. Tobey is lucky that there isn’t any remaining security, things definitely could have gotten messy here.
Now in the clear, he takes off across the mansion towards the second-floor balcony, dropping the case, along with his signature calling card, a little metal rose, and lets the glass shatter against the floor. It doesn’t matter. By the time anyone arrives to investigate the noise, Tobey will already be gone.
“Oh no.”
Tobey’s eyebrows furrow as he yanks open the doors to the balcony, his robots right behind him with the painting in tow. Slightly worried, he asks, “Two Brains? Something wrong?” He clicks another button on his glove, instructing his getaway robot to his location, when he hears a loud bang from behind him.
“Stop right there, Icaroid!”
Jolting, Tobey whirls around, hand already at his belt and reaching for his taser. His heart beats heavily in his chest, fear striking a chord inside of him as he sees a girl who can’t be any older than him. She’s glaring daggers at him despite the fact that she’s very clearly winded.
But that’s not what shocks Tobey. It’s that she’s there in the first place that comes as such a surprise. No one has ever caught up to him before. He’s in entirely uncharted waters.
Beginning to panic, Tobey has to think fast. His getaway should have been here by now; what on earth is taking that damn robot so long? He’d love to ask Two Brains, but he can’t risk letting this girl know he has an accomplice.
“Well hello there,” he says in his best British accent, tipping his head to her. He’s never had to speak to anyone before as Icaroid, but a lightning-fast thought tells him it’s best to at least attempt to conceal his authentic voice.
“Oh, for the love of– Hang on kid, the robot’s not taking the command properly, I’m trying to send it to you,” Two Brains tells him hurriedly.
The girl blows a strand of dark hair out of her face, taking a step forward onto the balcony. “I’ve finally caught up to you,” she says, victory evident in her tone.
Tobey hums in agreement, nervously eyeing the ground below him. Could he survive that fall, if he really had to jump to escape? How long is Two Brains going to need to get the robot here? “That you did,” he agrees, putting his hands behind his back to secretly input the getaway’s code again. Perhaps it’ll work this time.
“Your days of crime are over, Icaroid,” the girl declares, her hands reaching towards him. “I won’t let you get away.”
He takes a breath, ducking as she makes a grab for him. He needs to stall for time, and quickly. “Woah!” he says, taking a step back. “Have you no manners? I’d at least like a name before going home with you.”
She scoffs at his joke, yet still answers with, “It’s Botsford. Detective Botsford.” But as she speaks, she’s reaching for something on her belt. Instantly, Tobey recognizes it as a walkie-talkie; she’s trying to call for backup.
Without leaving himself another second to think, Tobey lunges forward. The detective startles at the sudden movement, thrown off-guard by how close Tobey puts himself to her.
“Well then, Detective,” he says lowly, crowding her space, “It’s quite the pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
Then, before she can register what he’s doing, he swipes the walkie-talkie and drops it to the floor, crushing it beneath his heel. It might be a dirty trick, but he should consider himself lucky that she fell for it so easily.
“Wh—“ Botsford sputters, shaking her head in confusion. “Hey! Why would you—?”
Alright, change of plans. Tobey doesn’t have time to sit around here and wait. “Oops,” he muses, spinning around her and away from the balcony. “My bad!” And with that, he takes off down the hallway in the opposite direction, weaving around guests and towards the next staircase that he knows leads up to the roof. He presses a series of buttons on his glove, praying the robot will be able to meet him up there in time.
“Kid? What happened, I lost eyes on you–!”
“New plan!” he shouts into his headset at the doctor, throwing his head over his shoulder to see the detective chasing after him, right on his tail. “Have the getaway meet me on the roof!” He sprints up the stairs, shoving his way past an oblivious security guard. Cloak flapping behind him, Tobey slams open the roof doors, not daring to look behind him as he rushes towards the edge of the building.
“Try not to get yourself killed.”
Taking a deep breath, he turns back to face Detective Botsford, who stands before him, trying to catch her breath as she stays completely still, eyeing the ledge behind him warily.
“Icaroid,” she says slowly, holding her hand out. “Listen, if you come with me now, I— I can’t promise anything but I can vouch to reduce your sentence. The moment my boss gets here he won’t be so kind, so if you’ll just—“
Forcing out a snicker behind his hand, Tobey presses one last button on his glove. “My, my, Detective, such a generous offer,” he says, pulling up the hood of his cloak. “But I’m afraid I’ll have to decline. Besides, your superior won’t be seeing me today.”
Grimacing, Botsford replies, “Don’t be imprudent. This is the best offer you’re going to receive.”
“Oh, imprudent. Someone’s studied their vocabulary. I’d love to chat more about it, but alas,” Tobey says, taking a step backward that has the detective’s eyes widening, “I’m afraid this conversation is over.”
Realizing what he’s doing, Botsford begins rushing forward. “Don’t you dare,” she says, looking more worried than angry.
“Tobey I swear–”
Tobey just grins at her, ignoring Two Brains. “Au revoir, Miss Detective,” he says, giving her a small salute as he begins to lean back. “I’m sure we’ll meet again.”
He can hear her shout after him as he falls over the edge, the ground rushing up to meet him. But as quickly as he descends, he’s caught by his trusty robot, landing right on his feet on top of the hoverboard-like machine. He lets out a victorious laugh as it lifts him up above the building.
Winking at the detective that stares at him, dumbfounded, Tobey zips away, meeting up with his robots that are already carrying the painting off. There are sirens whirring below him but they hardly matter; he’s already gotten away.
“You really are stupid,” Two Brains’ voice comes in, sounding completely exhausted by his antics. “Remind me never to help you on one of these heists of yours again. You could’ve given me a heart attack!”
“I had it under control,” Tobey tells him, stretching out his arms as the commotion below him begins to fade. “I wouldn’t have jumped if I didn’t know that old Ferri was here. Besides, you’d have a heart attack if someone sneezed at you, old man.”
“I swear you trust that robot more than me. This is the thanks I get for helping you out? Wonderful, really great, kid.”
Tobey laughs at his friend’s agitation, but for the entirety of the ride back to his “secret hideout” (see: his apartment), his mind is plagued with questions about that damn detective. How on earth was she able to catch up to him? Who does that rookie think she is, huh?
Though there’s one daunting thought that he’s entirely sure of: that is definitely not going to be the last time they cross paths.