What's the difference between a VILE Agent and a common burglar? - Joe

What's the difference between a VILE Agent and a common burglar? Dear journal, What's the difference between a VILE Agent and a common burglar? One works outside the law while the other lurks outside the wall. Hyuck hyuck! I have always thought of us VILE Agents as criminals of a higher standing, crooks with class as it were. We are labelled criminals merely because we operate outside of the confines of the law but unlike our other ‘peers' we do not cause malicious harm to anyone. Neither do we do what we do simply for personal and selfish gain. Our ‘crimes' are always part of ‘the great game' that has existed for as long as a cat and mouse has. The heists we pull are usually to taunt ACME and goad them as part of the game; they also serve to educate the public on the historical and cultural significance of what we steal. The boss has therefore strongly advised us to steer away from stealing personal effects lest we take the taunting too far. Maybe I should have heeded that warning. It's been a few days since I've returned to Headquarters. The chaos that first surrounded the place has died down considerably, although the tension and worry is still there. Since landing here, I have been preoccupied with keeping morale up and just giving some general direction to the henchmen so that they don't run off and do something stupid - although it would be quite difficult to just ‘run off' given where we are. There has been no real news from Sarah yet regarding Vic. All we know is what the press releases are, and frankly I don't believe a word of it; not after what I heard went down with the tower. Speaking of which, after a long time I finally get a chance to sit down with my new ‘prize' and reflect on everything that has occurred. With Carmen's theft of the tower, I had thought it would be fun to compound Chase's problems and give him the worse day ever by purloining his prized Porsche as well. At the time, it seemed like a good plan - make fools out of ACME by once again hitting them where they least expect, San Francisco. I thought things had gone well; the swap for Allie, the car chase, the slightly botched ending to said car chase, and of course the removal of the GPS chip. However after hearing about the destruction of the ACME tower, I have to wonder if I have contributed to pushing ACME, and Chase Devineaux in particular, over the edge. Maybe the grand theft auto was the straw that broke the camel's back; maybe Chase really was more human than most of us gave him credit for. Whatever the case may be, what's done cannot be undone. I certainly can't just give the car back just like that.   Thinking of the tower also reminds me of Kidman. I remember out chat fondly. I wonder if she is in better spirits; probably not. She is probably brooding in a corner somewhere. At least, I hope she stayed indoors. As I look at the henchmen preparing polyester patches to wear in honour of Vic (what can I say, some of them are pessimists), I can't help but think about the plane crash. In times past, ACME press releases were fairly reliable. Neither side lied to the other in the past; we were cryptic but never blatantly deceitful. Now, I'm not so sure. Given what happened at the tower and how they've reported it, I have a feeling the game may be changing, and not necessarily for the better. I wouldn't be surprised if ACME is learning to play the grey areas now, they're no longer just white knights. That makes things difficult and potential more hazardous. Glancing out the window, I notice the weather is cleared up a bit. That's good. We need good weather for planes to land and lift off. I know the henchmen are hoping she returns soon, and I can't blame them. If anyone knows how to react to the changes in the game, it's her. It has always been hers to control in the past, and now that ACME is trying to wrestle control away, it's anybody's guess how she'll react. All I know is that when she returns, she'll do so with a plan. I'm not sure she'll be too thrilled about the Caymen theft but that's probably the least of our concerns right now. To summarize, I think the analogy of a chess game would be appropriate. We've made our moves and the opponent has retaliated in response. Now, the world awaits the next move, and it belongs to the Queen.