The Big Tip

When all was said and done, no matter how complicated things had gotten, there was always a vast separation between loyalties in the backstreets of Riverview. You were either with Them, or with Us. Cops and robbers, the police and the criminals -- no matter what you called them, even in hard times, it was always the case to side with your competing thugs first before the law. It was taboo, to turn in your fellow bully or thief -- everyone was in it together.

But the Company had changed all that.

The rules were being rewritten. It was either their way, or the highway.

With a record number of detectives and patrol officers in their pockets, the Company was ready to start putting it's best and brightest back out to "heavy work" again... Jebidiah was itching for the adrenaline rush of the hunt. As things would have it, these days, luck was on his side.

Now that rival gangs were either packing their bags or being absorbed into the Company, Skip Broke had decided it was time to put a lid on his career. It had been long and thrilling, but as old as he had become, it was no longer his "time". Easing into a comfortable retirement, he had one last wish -- to see his dream be fulfilled.

Skip Broke, the father of Jeb's friend Chandra, had been the leader of one of the Company's top rivals -- the Crows (infamous for kicking over pink flamingos and garbage cans city-wide) -- and had one prize jewel of information (pun not intended) that he knew he'd never be able to take care of himself... So he offered the tip to the boy he'd steered onto the path of crime: Jebidiah.

Deep within the mansion of the Strummer family, a recent inheritance had taken it's place under high-security surveillance. It was a gem... Just one, but the value of the jewel was more than Jebidiah's Company could hope to make on a years-worth of other jobs combined. It's delivery -- and existence -- had been top secret for good reason, but Skip was lucky enough to have been a long time family "friend" of Carl Strummer, and was one of the select few privy to the secret.

Now the dream that had been been Skip's was passed on to Jeb: the jewel of all jewels, the steal of all steals. "It's trickier than any security system I've ever encountered," Skip was quick to admit to the younger thief. "But I've got confidence in you. I'll help you at as much as I can, but for both our sakes, we'll have to keep the connection a secret." When Jeb asked how much of the cut he wanted, Skip only said, "Just to see it done flawlessly will be enough for this old man."

After a few weeks, a packet arrived in the mail for Jeb: floor plans, security layouts, a list of contacts to be bribed, and an email address that Jeb should use to get ahold of Skip should anything happen. In the letter, he warmly named Jeb the heir to his legacy, and wished him the best of luck.

The Leader was just as please as Jebidiah... Within days, the plan for the biggest Job the Company had ever taken was beginning to take shape... For better or for worse.