scans_daily

#1'd been the job's pitch - the theft of $30-50 million in valuable art, in the midst of a giant monster's natural migration through Florida, where the art was.

#2 had the crew getting the opportunity they'd been waiting for in a storage shed - the kaiju Mujara, spotted one hundred miles out from Miami, had come ashore.

They opened up the shed, got on the ATVs they'd kept in the shed with them, and set out across evacuated roads.

(Mullet fish are food for some kaiju - the latter's migration patterns follow in the steps of the former.)

Marco's crew followed his gaze to a slumbering Mujara.

The crew prepared for their next step - Marco and Pierson (the crew's " babysitter ", attached to the job by its bankroller " Blackie " Mendoza) would meet up with Marco's " inside guy " while the safecracker Gina and the " equipment guy " Palmeiro handled Marco's barrels.

Then Marco switched his and Pierson's partners.

Gina protested, and Marco gave two reasons: " I'm in charge. " and " I'm fucking in charge. "

Away from those two, the other two were getting along comparatively better.

Palmeiro turned to the view outside, which he observed through binoculars.

Back at the first two, Marco was taking care of Gina, whom he'd rumbled as an imposter.

" Fuck you! I'm Gina! "

" M- Michelle. My name is Michelle. "

" And who the fuck is Michelle? "

" She's an imposter in over her head. "

" So you're telling me that what I thought was my best asset is my biggest liability? "

" I've been practicing for months. I can crack that safe! "

" Doesn't sound like it, ' kitty cat '. And what about Pierson? What happens when he catches scent that you aren't who you say you are? "

Marco ranted - he'd checked and double checked, worked against his fatal tendency to miss one detail on his grandiose capers.

" But there was no way I could have prepared for something like this! "

" What's it matter if we fail or if we die? "

" It matters, goddammit! It matters that I don't fuck this up. "

Back at Pierson and Palmeiro, the former was in the National Guard disguise he'd taken off the ATV he'd been riding - and murdering his way through the museum security team on kaiju duty, finishing up with Marco's inside man.

The latter took in the aftermath of that: " What'd you do?

" We were supposed to wait at the checkpoint. Then all of us subdue 'em peacefully and let 'em go when we were done. "

" No, you were supposed to do that. I was supposed to be in Brazil getting my dick sucked this summer. "

" What? "

" I wasn't supposed to be here until you assholes came along!

" And now I'm getting minimum wage relative to the rest of you despite my finely-shaped ass being in the same amount of danger! "

" Let me tell you something about Blackie, since I know him and you fuckin' don't.

" In his mind, there are only two real outcomes for this job..

" See, here's the thing.

" There's nothing in between. There is no scenario where Blackie gets rich, and is unhappy. No scenario where Blackie loses his money and is pleased.

" So, two dollar bill, instead of standing there complaining, you should be thanking me for making this easier. "

Pierson's rationalization and Palmeiro's attempt to comprehend it was interrupted by a shaking - a shaking that could've been a kaiju's step, were it not for the fact that Mujara wasn't moving.

Marco and Gina (Michelle) also felt the shaking - and Marco realized what that had to be, if Mujara wasn't moving.

" I thought of every detail. I anticipated everything.

" But I just realized the exact same thing that made this score possible just fucked us over. "

(Pagecount's just under 8 of 24 - issue #3 came out this week.

Writing's James Patrick, art's Rem Broo, and letters're Dave Sharpe.

Publisher's Aftershock.)