Sergio

5 years Ago...

'She escaped, again', Morello gave me an out-of-breath update. For months I had kept my eyes on this girl, but like a mouse slipping from a cat's paws, she always escaped.

A teenage thief. 

According to a security guard from the National Heritage Museum she was unsuspected, but to me, on stealth mode. Pink hair with a fringe, dyed, thigh-high socks, Timberlands, khaki hooded jacket... and a choker; she blended with the visitors making it more difficult for my detectives to spot her out in the footage. 

Like mine, her natural hair was mahogany brown. Chameleon was her dress code.

Trained to the tee. 

No teenage girl I knew successfully out-smarted three floors of 48 staff and 24 experienced security staff by deactivating all biometric scanners, firewalls, and vault lasers all to steal the museum's most precious, non-displaying jewel, the heart of Bluebridge Heritage museum: 'Amelia'. 

Named after the baby princess Amelia, who was abruptly kidnaped from the Bluebridge kingdom 14 years ago, the jewel was irreplaceable. As a gift of remembrance, the Queen gave that jewel to the museum, and it only came on display during special occasions.

The girl made one mistake: camera 001. 

She'd somehow managed to revert all cameras except the hidden camera in the heart of the vault. As she hovered her pale fingers over the jewel, it began to shimmer and glow, as if it were containing light. 

Equipped with a nuanced black-market tool, she cut through the glass, and using her index finger and thumb, delicately grabbed the jewel. 

Finally, after attaching the jewel to her choker, her eyes stumbled upon camera 001. Shoot. She disabled it.

Immediately as the girl walked out, the museum's exit detectors went off, and as soon as she saw a familiar face... she ran. 

Morello, a 34-year-old stocky Italian American, curt and fast-spoken, arrived at the museum five minutes after camera 001 was cut, with his partner Kai, 29-year-old Nigerian-American, taller and skinnier

'She went east', Morello blurted over the phone, 'behind the building. She's heading to the main road'. 

Bolting her agile body across the wide road, she was almost hit by an oncoming car, 40mph. Hands up in futile defence, she stopped right in front of it, then was collected by a car moving the opposite direction. Her accomplice.

'The driver – what does the driver look like?!' I blurted over the phone.

'Its... another young woman, urm – curly hair... they're gone. They took off'.

'Did you get the number plate?' I asked, while I heard mumbling in the background. 'where are they heading? No answer. Nothing. Useless people. I had no choice but to get down to the museum and figure it all out for myself.

'Sergio'.

'Chief?' Lao had been chief over the Specialised Investigation unit in the Bluebridge Police Department since the disappearance of Amelia. 

The theft of that 900-carat diamond became a personal offence to the Queen, meaning this case just became something the government cared about. Lao was contacted by his authorities, particularly the governor, to make sure this imperative asset was restored.

'I need you to stay in the office. There's a new detective on her way that I was supposed to brief.' 

Great. 

It was the third time this week I was summoned to babysit for Lao while he decimated my plans. Kai, Morello, and I were often made the greatest of fools every time this juvenile thief and her driver friend outsmarted us with the mastery of their craftiness. 

'She was trained in another branch but is being transferred today and doesn't know her way around'.

'Why didn't she arrive during the briefing?' I asked.

'She's late'. Lao grabbed his phone, threw on his jacket and patted me on the back 'I knew I could count on you'...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for coming this far! 

Please don't continue WITHOUT feedback! 

Anime Adaption coming soon...