Morning all. I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. Mine was nice and restful, which is sort of what I needed. We have a few weeks of quiet left and then insanity starts back again in late September early October so I am taking what few weekends of quiet I can. But now that I am refreshed, let’s see what comes out of my brain for the morning prompt. Hopefully something fun will come out of yours as well. So timer’s set and off we go.
This feels like the calm before the storm as though something in this plan is about to go pear shaped and Ivan is going to have to deal with it. Or he will be set up like a scape goat. Not sure yet. Could be fun to figure out.
Monday, August 28th: Ivan tried to look as though he knew what all of the equipment did.
Ivan tried to look as though he knew what all of the equipment did. It wasn’t easy. Most of the machinery he passed was encased in a solid dust proof casing. It was designed to prevent any debris getting into the delicate mechanisms, but it also prevented him from seeing the inner workings. Even the meters and dials were covered up by paneled boxes. Keys were needed to open them if one wanted to look at the readings.
While Ivan was given a set of keys because all of the technicians carried a set of keys, he doubted any of his actually worked. Not for the first time he mentally cursed his brother, his cousins and for good measure his uncle. Their plans involved him making his way through the system dressed as a technician.
‘No one will spot you,’ he mentally repeated the phrase the other’s used. It was said with jeering tones and meant as both an insult and a comfort. He looked like one of the technicians. None of them would pass. They were large and clearly worked in the fields. His pursuits were more bookish, less manly in their eyes and there for less. He was told repeatedly that he should be proud to be a part of their grand scheme, proud to play a role.
He didn’t want to play a role. He didn’t want to be involved in any way. While they could claim whatever high and lofty ideals they wanted, the truth was this was about easy money. Ivan knew once they got it, there might be a token donation to a cause, but most of the benefit to the cause would be the stories they told of how they cheated the corporations out of money. The money would be spent on little luxuries that would make their lives more pleasant for the short term. Then when it was gone, a new scheme would be hatched.
Ivan had been involved in many of their schemes over the years and they gave him a token payment for his involvement. He was always terrified someone would notice his extra cash and so he slowly filtered it into his bank account. He would take out money from his accounts and pay his bills. He would take out a little bit more than he needed and then filter some of his payments into his bank account that way as extra left over at the end of the month.
It generally took him about six months to slowly add the funds back into his account. And usually the money spent was the cash his family gave him. Along with getting caught, he was terrified that the currency would be fake and the banks would catch it. He managed to launder his own money making sure it was all legit and untraceable back to the crime by the time it went into his bank account. Every so often he would transfer the excess from checking into savings.
A few months ago, he transferred the account overseas. He hadn’t planning to leave, he was just concerned by the more reckless nature of his families activities and recently there had been questions. Most of the questions were polite enough. Idle curiosity about what he spent his funds on. But they were becoming pointed and he didn’t want any preliminary investigations to turn up anything he didn’t want to share.
‘Focus,’ he reminded himself.
Ten til Midnight 