Lonely Thieves

Act I, Part V

Norah's Side (April 7, 8:45 pm)

Norah kicked off her heels and ran after the old man in her bare feet. Edgar, who could just barely register what was happening, sped after her with a troubled expression.

"What's going on? Why are we running after this old man?"

"Just a hunch," Norah replied. "The Innocenti and Hayasaka aren't friendly in any definition of the word, so what's an Innocenti ex-assassin doing here? And as a Hayasaka security guard? Something's fishy!"

"That's why you think he's also after the emerald necklace?"

"I'm almost certain of it! Plus, look at how much of a rush he's in! He definitely knows something about the necklace, otherwise he'd still be around snooping for it!"

"Are you sure? That seems like a leap in logic!"

"Hmph! Well, it's our best bet yet!" Norah stopped running and crouched behind a corner. Edgar slowed down and caught his breath while Norah glanced around the corner. The old man was surrounded by three security guards wielding Hayasaka Security's signature stun batons. Two of them lunged at him at once, but he easily dodged their attacks and took them out with his silenced pistol. However, he failed to account for the third guard, who snuck up behind him and was about to strike him on the head with his stun baton. However, his weapon never found its mark, and the security guard slumped to the ground from a strike with the butt of Norah's pistol.

The old man sighed and put away his pistol. "Getting old is the worst. You can't move like you used to."

"You're the Stalker, aren't you?" Norah asked warily, not letting go of her gun. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't call me that," the old man growled in a low tone. "I don't work for the Innocenti anymore. If you must address me, call me Kolya."

Norah gripped her pistol tighter. "If you're not Innocenti, then why are you here? You aren't thinking of tendering an application to Hayasaka Security, are you?"

"Please. I think you know why both of us are here. Well, you're too late. It's been stolen already."

"Already?" Norah wasn't able to hide her shock. "That can't be!"

"It was a young Asian girl," Kolya said without a hint of worry. "I was chasing her down, but I think she's gotten away by this point."

"Damn it!" Norah clicked her teeth in frustration. "So you're saying this whole thing was a bust."

"Let's just calm down, Norah," Edgar said with worry. "If the necklace has already been stolen, then that's that. Let's cut our losses and leave already."

"That might be easier said than done," Kolya remarked. "Look up at the sky."

Norah and Edgar looked up at the sky to find a strange translucent white bubble covering the entirety of the mansion. "No!" Norah exclaimed. "A security barrier!"

"Overman make," Kolya remarked dispassionately. "Not only does it incapacitate immediately on contact, but anyone crossing the barrier will be instantly marked and identified by a computer system that cross-references with the government's census log. It's strong enough to defeat even the most capable anti-surveillance implants."

"Why did the barrier go up?" Norah asked. "Did something happen?"

"I don't know. Someone must have put security on alert."

"What now?" Edgar began panicking visibly. "When they realize that we've snuck our way into the party, we'll get hell for it!"

Norah thought to herself for a bit. Right now, they were in a bad situation, but that didn't mean that they couldn't make the best of it. After all, the thief who had taken the necklace should also be stuck behind the barrier as well, right?

In other words, there were still opportunities to take advantage of. Norah put away her gun and extended a hand towards Kolya. "Let's work together."

"Work together?" Kolya seemed unconvinced.

"Why not? The necklace may have been stolen, but the thief is most likely still stuck behind the barrier. And even if she gets out, you've seen her face, right? I can use my connections to track her down. It's a good deal, if you ask me."

Kolya grunted, but he didn't refuse. He grumbled to himself for a bit and finally let out a sigh of reluctance.

"Fine. I suppose I can't deny the benefits. Very well, let's work together. But it's no good to try anything now. We should focus on getting out."

"What do you mean?"

"The barrier going up means they sense that something is wrong. In other words, even if we steal the necklace, we'll be in trouble if they try to search us. It'll be to our advantage if the thief manages to get out of the mansion."

"W-What are you saying?! If the thief gets out, she'll get away with the necklace! What'll we do, then?!"

"I remember her face. You say you have connections, right? We'll use those to find her and take the necklace that way."

"You're forgetting that there's a barrier over the entire mansion!" Norah was nearly at her wits' end. "What if she gets caught here?"

"Then we'll just have to make sure she escapes." Kolya cocked his gun and tossed Norah a business card. "Go blend back in with the crowd. When you get out, call me with that number."

Norah glanced down and saw Kolya's phone number scrawled on the card in pen. When she looked up, the man had already disappeared into the darkness. Slightly frustrated at having basically being given no choice, Norah put the card into her bag and stomped back to the eastern courtyard.

"Are you gonna do what he said?" Edgar asked, following behind her. "What's the plan?"

"First things first," Norah said as she sighed, "I need to pick up my heels."