“Thanks for the life story, it was so enthralling.” Ty said. Artimus looked away, back to Jerry.

“Really man, it was touching.” Jerry smiled, greeting Artimus’s face. Artimus let out a little smile, but stretched it back to a frown, on the inside he felt like a social loser. Fuck them, they aren’t even half the man I am. This bullshit better end soon. I don’t even care about the code any more, I’ll just shoot them both in the head. Men like them don’t deserve to get away. I swear on my father’s grave neither one of them will be walking out of here with that duffel bag of money.

“Attention all units we have a robbery in progress at the Green Kingdom bank on 17th street.” The voice was clear enough through the static on the radio for Artimus to pick up on it without delay. Five blocks away from the biggest crisis he had ever faced on the job. Twelve years of training had prepared him for this day, but it wasn’t just the training. He had a natural skill for pressured situations. They need me. No time to back down now. I want to be the hero, now and forever.

“Heh, looks like it’s gonna be an exciting day, huh Arty?” Dan said riding shotgun. “I haven’t seen anything close to action since that redneck woman called us to get her cat out of the tree.”

“Hopefully this guy robbing the bank has some common sense not to make any dangerous moves.” Artimus sighed, pressing down on the gas a little more. Sirens to the police car sang their symphony as he floured his way through traffic.

Until he was in view of the bank, Artimus had no idea what he was up against. Three cop cars were already parked out front and there was a rapid-fire fight between an unknown amount of men in the bank pinning the cops down behind their vehicles. The war zone image before him was a terrifying image of hell on earth.

“Arty I take back what I said about this being an exciting day. This is gonna be a freaking nightmare!” Extreme anxiety was in Dan’s trembling voice as he spoke. Seeing his partner and best friend quiver in fear at the situation filled Artimus with an overwhelming power to protect him along with all the other innocents who were in danger. They need me. No time to back down now. I want to be the hero, now and forever. He thought as he raced his car right into the heart of the battle.

Artimus drove his car up onto the sidewalk and skidded to a stop right in front of the bank. His and Dan’s reaction to getting out of the car and on the safe side was instantaneous. The placement of this new car gave needed shelter and ground for the police. As Artimus and Dan prepped themselves to begin firing they sat with their backs to the car, feeling it get shot to pieces on the other side, and exchanged their last words together.

“Hey Arty if we don’t make it, you owe me a free dinner up in heaven.” Dan said trying to cheer himself up.

“Don’t worry man, we’ll make it. Everything is free up in heaven anyway.” Artimus felt the need to continue the joke, but then it became time to get serious. The two men turned and fired over top of the car, leading the rest of the county’s police force in an all out retaliation effort. Weapons wise they were outmatched. Standard police handguns were never meant to be a decent effort against sub-machine guns. They even had a small supply of hand grenades, which had taken several cops off guard already and got the best of them.

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