As Thick As Thieves

It was the silence at the apex of the night that aroused the adrenaline that now began to surge through her body like a pulsing wave, feeding hyperactive energy into her bloodstream as it raced through her veins. She breathed it in deeply as she took a few moments to relish the ever so familiar feeling she always felt before pulling off her latest heist. Tonight was so calm and serene that she felt she could simply stand atop this rooftop for hours on end just listening to the sounds of life carry on below her. The breeze was gentle, but not so gentle that it didn't fling the bottom hem of her onyx trench coat behind her in soft ruffles. She could hear the rolling of vehicle tires as they slid across the pavement and the soft murmur of voices from the people that passed by on the sidewalk directly below her. There wasn't much activity tonight, which was exactly how she preferred it. The less people there were, the easier it would be for her to complete this heist.

Ryarya had been casing a nearby museum in London for quite some time now. It was a small, locally owned museum that specialized in historical artifacts. It was even rumored to be carrying a few small pieces of alien technology that would be compatible for a few of the projects she'd been working on at home. She wasn't yet sure if the artifacts were genuine, but a quick scan would answer that question. If not, it would be elementary for her to make a quick and silent escape. According to recent police intelligence, the owner was suspected of dealing on the Black Market, a fact that didn't surprise her at all. She scoffed at the thought. Local big wigs always started off making a significant profit from Black Market dealings that were showcased in a sophisticated manner like museums. This one was no different. Through several recon nights, she scoped out the museum's entire layout including its security detail. The security cameras and outside guards wouldn't be much of a problem; it was the inside that would be slightly trickier to infiltrate, but that was part of the fun. Stealing from ordinary folks just wasn't as much of an adventure as stealing from another thief.

Each piece of technology she was looking to...re-home...were currently located in the museum's repair room. It was a small, secure sector of the building where the maintenance crew opened up the casing that housed the object and changed the security sensors when they were malfunctioning. There weren't any guards inside the room. It was a free area, but getting past all the night shift guards roaming the halls was going to be the difficult task. Luckily, the museum was known to have a few issues with its ventilation. It used the large, metal shafts that were currently shut down for repair until the next morning. For now, they were empty. It was an easy entry point.

She cast her gaze down to the street below, watching a couple stroll by. Their conversation was too low to hear, but she didn't care. She waited until they had vanished from her line of sight before she carefully hopped off the edge of the rooftop and onto a thin flagpole a short distance away. She landed on the pole's tip with her heels resting against each other to balance herself on the small surface. Her body naturally shifted slightly to the right, but she managed to correct it with a few slight twists of her feet. The coast was clear.

Carefully assessing the distance first, she leapt towards a fire escape, pulling her body into a frontwards flip in midair to gain her some extra distance. She landed swiftly on it with one knee barely touching the metal and a soft clink upon the landing. She began making her way down the steps. Her boots barely made a sound with every feather light step she took, her coat flying behind her like a cape. Everything she wore was black, so she was practically invisible in the darkness of the night that she used for cover. Halfway down the fire escape, she stopped and turned to face the inside of the alley it fed into. There was a long, rusty pipe running up the side of the building opposite the one she was at now. The distance from the fire escape to the small ledge next to the pipe wasn't that long. The alley was very narrow. She could easily jump to it. Placing her hands on the railing, she stepped up onto it as if she were about to vault over it. Her feet had to be kept shoulder width apart for her to keep her balance, but she managed with a minimal amount of difficulty. She jumped again, this time grabbing hold of the ledge next to the pipe with both hands. It gave out a little, causing a tiny yelp to escape from her throat, but it held long enough for her to shift over to the pipe.

Nearly plummeting to the earth via broken ledges, check, she thought with a deep sigh as she watched the ledge crash to the ground. The collision was rather loud, but she didn't want to sit around and wait to see if anyone had heard it. She had a job to do.

Ary scaled the pipe with ease, pushing her body up into a handstand as she reached the top and allowing gravity to pull her back down to her feet. The museum was on the other side of this building, so she took off at a sprint towards the far side of the roof, careful to avoid any areas that looked like they might give away her position. The walls of this roof were high enough for her duck behind for better cover, which is exactly what she did. She pulled herself into a slide that ended at the wall.

"Time to see what I'm up against tonight," she whispered almost silently as she peered over the ledge.

Triumphant roaring and groans from the infamous time machine echoed throughout the damp pavement streets and concrete covered sidewalks. The blue lights shone from the top light and through the double windows of the doors, growing brighter with each groan until a final thrust marked its landing. For several seconds, the blue phone box just stood there, gazing out of the empty alley way and out to the busy moon lit filled London street.

Out in front, the entrance to the esteemed local museum stared back at the blue phone box, welcoming it and reaching for its door handle with the light that shone through the museums first level windows doors. In front stood giant supporting pillars, those of which called homage to the long dead Roman empire and the amazing structures they were able to build. Leading up to them, lined a long platform of stone steps, welcoming each guest to the automatic doors. Doors that were currently locked and secured by a top of the line security system.

Suddenly the doors of the blue phone box creaked open, revealing the form of a brown, blue pin striped suited man. His hair messy at the top and side burns long and strong on the sides of his face. With an arched eyebrow, The Doctor stepped fully out, sniffing as he glanced around at the surrounding building walls to both his left and right. Suddenly he realized the lack of warmth around his shoulders and quickly fell back into his time machine. When he stepped out, he sported his favorite brown trench coat and a new flashing grin.

Sauntering out towards the street, The Doctor placed both hands nonchalantly into his pockets and stepped into view of the museum and it's glaring windows and doors. Looking both ways before crossing, The Doctor quickly roared up the steps and stood in front of a service door on the side of the building. Looking at the doors for a moment before sniffing and peering back behind and around him. Once sure he wasn't being watched, The Doctor flipped out his sonic screwdriver, positioned it over the handle and entered once the sound of the lock unlocking echoed to his ears. Closing it quickly behind him, The Doctor tucked his screwdriver away and flipped on the light, his eyes gazing over the janitorial accessories and tools around him, then finally on the door that lead out into the museum and it's highly secured hallways and objects.

He inhaled deeply, breathing in the sudden surge of energy that flowed through his veins like a wild ocean wave as the night guard slipped from his grasp and crumpled into a motionless heap on the slippery tiled floor. The slight dizziness and colored dots that had been swarming in his vision faded out and vanished. He didn't feel nearly as weak as he had been when he had stepped foot inside the museum. He closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh, tilting his head back. His strength was returning and he felt the power that swarmed around his body in a super charged aura build him up once again. A quick glance around the empty room reminded him of just how careless he had been lately on recharging himself. There were five lifeless guards lying on the ground, all drained of energy until the point of death. Their life force now ran through him, and he had to admit, the bitter after taste of the energy transfer didn't bother him as much as it usually did. All five of the guards had been younger, not much older than he appeared to be. They were bursting with energy.

Each one had skin that had turned a sickly shade of grey during the transfer. Their veins could clearly be seen through their skin and their eyes were wide open, the same terrified expressions they had given him permanently glued to their features. Wrinkles that one would normally find on an older individual plagued their skin and had even split apart in some places on the neck and face. Their hair lay plastered to their heads in lanky strings, much like that of decaying corpse. Dhrazier briefly tried to find it within himself to feel guilty about their murders, but the feeling was nonexistent, and he wouldn't mean the apology even if he said it. He adjusted the collar of his crimson satin shirt to fit over the collar of his long coat, silently thanking the guards for their generous contribution. It was time to get to work.

It wasn't often that he was assigned to a solo recruitment mission, but his uncle had insisted that this one was important. It was mostly an observation mission, but he had no intention of just sitting idly by and watching from a distance. The best trick to observations like this was to be proactive and test the target. All he needed to do now was wait until they arrived. Dhrazier sighed again, examining some of the artifacts on this floor. Some had been removed and brought into storage or into maintenance for sensor replacement. Everything was, undoubtedly, worth quite a fortune. He was sure a few pieces were illegally obtained, but they brought a nice touch to the theme of the museum itself.

For now, it was quiet, and he cherished that silence for however long it was to last. He'd spent so much time around his uncle that he felt as though he may actually reach the point of insanity though most psychologists would argue that he had already reached that point given that he enjoyed the suffering of others. He briefly wondered if he'd get a chance to test that part of the mission out tonight as well. He smirked as he looked at a statue dating back to the early Roman empire. Tonight was going to be enjoyable.

The standard lock gave a squeaky protest as it clicked open, and she jerked it apart, removing it from the grate that blocked the entrance to the ventilation shaft. Ryarya paused for a brief moment and looked around her, making sure she hadn't been found out just yet. So far, the coast was clear. Staring into the shaft, she realized her progress would be quicker than she had anticipated. The size of the shaft was big enough for her to crouch down in as she moved. She knew better than to assume that it was that easy though; she'd been in this game long enough to know that thieves were notorious for covering their tracks, and even better at making you let your guard down. There was more to this than there appeared to be. She took out a small spray bottle from a small pouch attached to her belt and released two squirts into the shaft. Just as she had anticipated, red security lasers ran along the length of the shaft. Even the slightest touch would trip the alarm and calling the authorities faster than she would be able to collect the goods and get out again.

She blinked, then half laughed. What was life without a few mishaps? She tapped the screen of her wrist watch, making it blink into life at her touch. She brought up the digital combination encryption application she used to shut off security systems without being anywhere near them. This was a handy little tool that she had found very useful in a successful infiltration operation. It was a good thing she placed a bug on the code lock a few days ago too. Always good to have a back-up plan. She let the application run its course until it finally beeped to signal that the code had been cracked, and the lasers disappeared from view. Only the security on the east wing of the building had been temporarily disabled. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to keep the system down for as long as she liked. A malfunction lasting longer than ten minutes would trip the alarm in the other sectors, sealing off every access point. Once she was through the shaft, she'd had to reactivate the sensors.

She moved slowly into the shaft, careful not to make any noise with her footsteps. The metal was exceptionally thin and wobbled with her every step. Her breath hitched in her throat as she silently prayed that the panels would hold until she reached her exit point. These shafts were notorious for their instability, which made her wonder why they were used in the first place. The museum had such high levels of security, but they used dull ventilation shafts? It was rather unusual, but for now, she wasn't complaining as it was one of the more simple means of breaking and entering. Still, her keen sense of danger kept warning her to be careful. Things were a little too simple right now. She just focused on making her way through the maze that was the shaft. There were sudden sharp turns every now and then that almost threw her off course, but she kept her digital map projection running that followed her progress like a little GPS. She released a shaky breath. It was humid inside there; she understood why they had been taken down for maintenance. It felt as though she were on fire. The sooner she got to her destination, the better. Another glance at her map told her that her exit point wasn't too far from her current location.

Ryarya found the grate easily, and slowly lifted it out of its frame, placing it on the opposite side of the hole with practiced ease. She peered down into the room below. The lights were off and the security lasers were still down as planned. There weren't any guards walking about either. Strange, she thought as she scanned the room a second time, There should be someone here at all times. Where is everyone? Her guard was on high alert now.

As quietly as she could manage, she removed her coat and turned it inside out. It's reflective fabric made it virtually invisible as she slipped it back on and pulled the hood up over her head. There was a shelf directly below her that she could land on if she hopped out of the shaft. That was good enough for her. She lifted the grate over her head and hopped down, ensuring that the shaft cover was firmly in place before she let go. Her feet hit the case with an ungraceful thud that was much louder than she would have liked. If anyone was around, the sound definitely would attract attention. She needed to find a hiding place quick. Swiftly, she hopped down to the ground and slipped between two large cases resting up against the wall, crouching down as low as she could. A quick adjustment of her coat's hem ensured that her entire body was completely invisible as she waited to see if it was clear to continue.

The Doctor lowered his body as low as he could, peering through the crack at the bottom of the door with one eye as his hand wiggled into his coat and flipped out his sonic screwdriver. Scanning the outside room, the reading came back with a positive result for security system detection; then suddenly it changed. An erratic buzzing emitted from the sonic before shifting to it's normal sound then a finishing zing. Pulling his trusty device back, The Doctor stood up and read over the scans with a baffled facial expression, "How could it have shut off?" he asked mostly himself before turning his attention to the door.

Forgetting all about his stealth entrance plan, The Doctor whipped open the door and peered around him. Security cameras leans' leaning downward to the ground, the laser emitters showing a small blinking red dot. "Disabled" The Doctor mumbled, "But..ho-". Before he could finish a loud thud echoed up to his ears. Immediately his attention shifted towards the direction he thought he heard it. A line of crates swiftly met his gaze as he shifted over towards them; their bulking square forms lining the edge of the entrance leading into the next room. Walking over to them, and weaving past a few small display cases, The Doctor glanced over them, until looking up and noticing the open shaft. "Oo..." He mumbled, looking back down and around him, "Looks like...we've got a visitor..".

His mind jumped to why he was at this museum and he quickly rushed out of the room, his trench coat billowing behind him as he turned his attention away from the crates. Moving into the main lobby room, The Doctor peered up to the signs directing to certain show cases until finally he stopped at the entrance of the Egyptian room. His eyes danced over the display cases until coming up on one Baghdad battery boxed case. A sigh of relief escaping his lips as he walked over to it and peered down at it through the glass box, "Right then...if they didn't come for this..what did they come for" he mumbled.

Ryarya had to keep as still as possible as she waited, knowing that there was, undoubtedly, going to be someone to enter this room upon the loud entrance she'd made. She mentally cursed herself for thinking she could make that jump so easily without attracting attention. The top of the display case had been a good foot from the entrance to the shaft. She paused, a thought occurring. The shaft! Her gaze flashed up at it, and it took all she had not to groan at her own clumsiness. The grate had shifted when she released it, knocking it ajar. Lovely. Her only hope now was that no one would notice it, and she'd be free to move about again.

Her eyes narrowed as she heard footsteps approaching followed by a shadow drawing near. She could see the man, but knew he couldn't see her while her coat blanketed her entire body if she could keep still. Her arm was twitching with nerves though she tried to suppress the feeling. Her gaze followed him as he scanned the room, eventually noticing the gap in the ventilation shaft. Strange. She had seen most of the people in this city having been stealing from some and using the others for temporary escapes. This man was someone she didn't recognize, but she got the feeling that he wasn't supposed to be here either. She smiled internally, wondering if he was after the same things she was. She could use a little healthy competition. As she watched him race from the room, she rose to her feet and moved towards the entrance to the room. Her fingertip traced over a small blue button on her watch and it blinked twice before it gave that familiar beep to signal that the security in the east wing had been restored.

The maintenance room was on the opposite end of the building behind all the Greek displays. She turned in that direction, give the hallway a quick once over before taking off at a slightly increased pace while keeping as close to the walls as possible. There were security lasers moving in an assortment of patterns across the room, most of which she had to maneuver around. Near the end of the hallway was a set that was moving in a synchronized fashion. She had to do a few fancy twists to by-pass it yet managed with only one close call of the laser nearly scraping the hem of her hood.

Ryarya stopped when she came upon the entrance to the Egyptian artifacts. The Greek room was just beyond it on the other side. That man, he was there too. Part of her just wanted to knock him unconscious for this. She already had to deal with an advanced security system, and she really didn't want to deal with another intruder who may or may not be looking to acquire her new favorite toys. Should she? It was a tempting thought, but incapacitating a strange man right in the middle of the Egyptian room seemed like a bad plan. She'd have to make her way around him without raising attention.

Swiftly as a cat, she hopped up on top of the nearest display case with a wooden top without so much as a sound. Her gaze was fixed on the man as she slowly crossed to the edge of the case. Another was a short distance away, so she repeated the process, leaping over to it and grabbing hold of the edge with her hands. She pulled herself up in the traditional manner to ensure that her invisibility act was still working. Case by case, she made her way to the other end of the room. She was doing just fine until she slid herself down from the display closest to the entrance to the Greek room. The sides were made of glass, which cracked slightly under the tension from her hands. She stepped around to the other side of the wall and crouched down, holding her breath. Whether or not the man had heard her was uncertain, but she wasn't about to take any chances. She was so close.

Arching his eyebrow, The Doctor turned his attention back to the display case behind him and with a quick whisk of his sonic screwdriver, popped the lid to the case open. Reaching in, The Doctor quickly grabbed the one inside and tucked it into his trench coat pocket. The bigger on the inside pockets concealing the large object inside of them as he placed the top back onto the case.

Then just as he finished, a noise. The sound of glass that called his attention back once more.

This time the noise not only caused The Doctor to turn his attention to it, but also rethink his thoughts on the open shaft. Suddenly a buzzing sound from his sonic screwdriver shifted his attention once more. The screwdrivers diode lit up then dimly went back down, only to lit up again and exert a small buzzing noise. It's picking up on something The Doctor thought, maneuvering his screwdriver around the room, slowly walking where it began to buzz louder and moving away from spots it hardly made any noise. Holding his trusty device in both hands, The Doctor found himself walking towards the archway leading into the hallway, the buzzing growing louder and louder as he turned the corner then dinged at the wall nearest his right hand side.

"What could you be? Hmm.." The Doctor commented out loud as his attention moved from his sonic screwdriver, to the wall in front of him. Tucking his screwdriver away, The Doctor reached out towards the wall, stopping as he felt something on the edge of his finger tips; then pulled back. "Oh...now that's brilliant" He said in a breathless exaggeration, widened eyes and a slowly materializing grin marked the moment where his mind finally connected the dots, "Let me guess..crawl in through the ventilation, then use it to pop back out when your done nabbing the goodies. But how do you get around without being detected...cloak...suit?". Just as The Doctor stopped, the lasers shot down to the floor, a maze of lasers covered various spots of the hallway in a blaze of red lights. The Doctor's form standing in between two of the lasers, just inches from detection. Peering around, The Doctor released a sigh, "Oh...well..that mixes things up doesn't it" he mumbled.

Ryarya held her breath, ignoring her lungs' burning sensation in response to their need for oxygen. She could hear the faint buzzing from whatever the man the carrying on him. She recognized the noise. It was recognizing her watch's technology, which surprised her. Her watch was adapted from a little alien technology. Everything with alien tech built in reacted to it. The fact that it was happening now was astounding. Who was this man and how did he get hold of such technology?

She heard him approaching, but didn't react until she felt his fingers grasp the fabric of her hood. She was moving before she could stop herself; it was a ln innate reaction. She was a fighter. She jerked her head back as she dipped lower to ground, swiveling herself in a full circle with her foot aimed to pull his feet out from under him just as the security beams in this area of the museum resumed their normal rotation. That was a little bit late, but better late than never.

The sudden movement removed her head, letting it fall behind her head again. Her emerald eyes were full of a mixture of curiosity and annoyance. Her long hair tumbled over her shoulders in long waves. She stared at the man, daring him to try and make a move.

The Doctor stared out at the woman, revealing herself from a stealth hood, her eyes glaring him down from the other side of the lasers that divided them. Quickly he rose up from the floor, "I was right!" he proclaimed, "Well...half right..i said suit..more like...coat. Speaking of which, where'd you manage to get that? That's far from technology on Earth at least for another three hundred years..no..hang on sorry. You came here for something..and guessing from that look your giving me, you still haven't got it. Which means you're planning to steal....and being the man i am, i can't let you do that. And you have no idea how ironic that is for me to say that out of all people..still...i can't let you leave this place with anything from those display cases".

Raising his hand, The Doctor pointed his index finger out in front of him, tripping the laser and activating the alarm. Sirens roared out through the night, emitting from the speakers in the corners of the wall and roof. Tires screeching across the wet pavement could be heard echoing through the street as police were called to the scene. Without another word or gesture to the woman, The Doctor turned away from her and bolted back to the service door, his coat billowing in behind him.

The outside of the museum sat peacefully in the night, seemingly unscathed from the action taking place inside of it. That was until the service door burst open; the trench coat of The Doctor chasing after his fleeting form as it rushed into the cover of the nearby alleyways of the surrounding buildings. His run didn't stop until the protective glow from the TARDIS shone upon him from the back of the alley way; his eyes peering over his shoulder to the police who just now arrived and kicked open the doors. "Search everywhere!" Roared a voice off in the distance as The Doctor strode to his time machine, opened the creaking door and slipped through. Safe....

Ryarya swore under her breath as the man tripped the alarm and took off. She knew how quickly the authorities would arrive, and she knew that her entrance method wouldn't serve as her escape route. She was going to have to use the front door. It was the closest entrance to her and would be the quickest way back to where she had parked her motorcycle. She wasn't leaving empty handed, however. That man had underestimated her skills as a thief. She could move pretty quick without getting caught.

Strangely enough, she had spotted something on her way into the Egyptian room. One of her targets had been moved back to its display case, which was in the front lobby. She wouldn't have time for anything else. She'd have to come back for those.

Racing back to the foyer, she knelt down behind the display case and turned a dial on her watch to reveal a tiny screwdriver. She inserted the tip into the bolt, and one by one, removed them all. Her speed was incredible and the product of years of practice. She pulled the cover off and swiled a small cube-like object from the shelf. It was old and had intricate designs cut into it. It was a power cell that normally lit up when charged. This one needed a good jump. She slipped it into a small pack hidden beneath her coat and replaced the case cover after leaving a standard note for the public that the object had been removed for curatorial purposes. It would be months before anyone checked and realized that no one had it.

She stood up and headed for the door, tapping a small green button on her watch to activate her illusion manipulator. Her clothes shimmered dimly and appeared to change to a police uniform though she was still wearing the same clothes. Stepping outside, she began indicating to the police chief where the "thief" had been, then maneuvered around all the squadron cars and into the alley across the street. She disabled her illusion manipulator, changing her clothes back to their normal appearance. As she was turning her coat back to its usual black fabric appearance, she noticed the blue police box.

She quirked an eyebrow. "Bit of an odd place for you, isn't it?" She wondered mostly to herself as she tapped the outside with her knuckle. "Bit out of time as well, I see. Where did you come from?" The fading adrenaline in her body allowed her to relax a little, bringing out the American purr of her voice.

She made a mental note to investigate the box later, and grabbed hold of the pipe running up the side of the building. She scaled it quickly, pulling her body up into a handstand when she reached the top that she flipped over onto her feet. Without a second glance, she took off across the rooftop and into the nigh without noticing the small digital encryption de-coder disc that fell from the pouch on her belt into the alleyway. All the while, she found herself wondering who that man was and why he had been there. More importantly, how was he aware that her tools were not entirely of Earthian design?

Flipping off his trench coat and pulling out the Baghdad battery from one of its pockets, The Doctor shifted his attention to the center control console where he expected Emma to be. Instead he was greeted solely by the familiar hum of the engines and a hair brush in the center of the console. With a roll of his eyes, The Doctor picked up the brush and set it down on the seat behind him, "Emma! Get up and come look!" he called down the stairs.

Setting the battery on the controls, The Doctor flipped on his glasses and went to grab the battery before he heard a faint knock at the doors. "Emma?" He asked out loud, jogging down the ramp and opening the doors and popping his head out. Nothing The Doctor arched his eyebrow and moved back into the safety of his time machine, closing the door behind him as he turned his attention back to the controls and the battery. Upon reaching the controls, he paused for a moment then yanked over the scanner, "Display all life forms currently inside" he told his time machine. In a quick two seconds, the scanner displayed a heat signature for his body before the number one flashed onto the center. "That can't be right....Emma?" He called out once more, "Oh, i tell them. I do i swear. I tell them never to wonder off!" he grunted.

Racing down the ramp, The Doctor roared out of the doors and only stopped when he stood at the edge of the alley way and the sidewalk. Looking around the street and buildings around him, his eyes finally landed once more on the museum. The lights from the torches of the police waved through the windows of the building as they continued their search; the alarms now settled down to nothing. "Please don't be in there".

Ryarya was setting down her treasure in her lab when her cell phone began vibrating in her pocket. She smiled knowingly, happy she was able to make it home to drop off her loot before needing to head out again. She pulled out the rectangular device, swiped her finger horizontally across the screen, and placed it to her ear. "Black residence," she said, feigning sleepiness. "Lady Ryarya speaking." The panicked voice of the police chief sounded on the other line explaining that someone had broken into the British museum and had disabled her security system in the east wing for a short period of time. He asked if she could join him at the crime scene. She almost laughed, but suppressed it as she said, "That's not possible. I'll be right there."

She swiped her regular trench coat without the camouflage lining and hopped on her motorcycle. The museum was only a few miles from her mansion, and was easy to get to. She was slightly bothered, however. The.police chief had mentioned that they might have a suspect in custody, but to her knowledge, the man she had seen had left before her. Unless he had returned, they must have found someone else lurking inside. She had a strict personal rule against allowing others to take the fall for her deeds. Her life was already hectic, but she didn't want to be responsible for ruining someone else's. She couldn't imagine them just letting the suspect go though. A little persuasion might be in order, and she groaned when thinking of how much of an effect it was going to have on her. She decided to only use it if she absolutely had to.

Upon reaching the museum, she was greeted by the usual swarm of officers wondering if she'd made it there alright and if she saw any suspicious activity. She answered them calmly as she asked to be led to the police chief and the control room so she could take a look at the security system. They allowed her inside and she laughed internally. It couldn't have been the perfect set up and cover. No one would ever suspect that she'd crack her own security algorithm and steal from the museum. She was a little surprised to find the officers documenting a case different from the one she'd stolen from, but it worked to her advantage. She added another thing to her list to investigate. Could they all have something to do with that man she saw?

More and more sounds began to emit from the building of the museum as tape was wrapped around the entrance and investigators began to appear. Cars upon cars parked in the parking lot, majority of them were the vehicles of the investigators but some were nosy reporters who begged and prodded for a look inside of the museum in front of the steps but were thwarted by a line of police officers. The sound of a motorcycle engine snapped The Doctor out of his gaze, his eyes now moving towards the front of the building along with his legs.

Feeling for his psychic paper, The Doctor flipped it out as he passed over the street leading to the side of the museum. A pair of officers immediately met him before he was able to get to the front doors, "Stop! This area is of-" roared an officer but was quickly cut off by the image of the psychic paper being flashed in his face. "John Smith" The Doctor quickly proclaimed, shifting the pamphlet from officer to officer to let them both read, "Private investigator sent from your office to help out" he told them before walking past them.

Both of the officers looked at each other before chasing after The Doctor, catching up to him as he passed under the tape. Immediately one of the captains of the investigation turned around and laid eyes on the new suited man and his officers trailing him. With a roll of his eyes, the captain walked up to The Doctor , stopped him and gestured his officers to go back. "Sorry, i told my officers to keep everyone out. Now i am going to have to ask you to leave" The captain ordered; The Doctor already handing the psychic paper to him as he looked around the museum, "Hang on...these are brand new sensor equipped cameras and laser equipment. The only thing that should be able to get passed them is the authorization code which can only be given by-", "The creator. We know...that's why we have her here helping us out. From the looks of things we could use your help detective, i'll set you up with meeting the woman we found snooping around in here and speak with our team" the captain interrupted, handing The Doctor back his psychic paper and nodding over to the investigation team station in the corner of the room.

Looking at them for a moment, The Doctors attention quickly shifted over to a younger woman speaking with some of the investigation team, "And that's her over there?" he asked the captain, "Yep. Child genius they call her" he replied, The Doctor chuckled, "You'd be who child geniuses really are when you're not looking". "Hold on, you said someone was arrested here last night?" The Doctor asked the captain, this time turning his full body over to him, "Yeah. Some woman why?" he replied, "I'd like to see her as soon as possible..you know..to get more information", "I'll call it in". The captain left with a nod as he turned towards a nearby desk with a phone, leaving The Doctor and his eyes to wonder back up to the security cameras and laser ports.

Walking up to one of the tables set up, The Doctor picked up a camera that had been dissected for inspection, his eyes running over all the components he could see through his glasses. Holding it up to, The Doctor squinted and focused in on the intitials inscribed on the outer shell, "BI" he mumbled, lowering it back down, his right hand holding the camera up to view while his left rested comfortably in his pocket.

The captain in charge of the investgation was watching her like a hawk when he entered the room to gather reports from his teams. He stood behind her. "Any news, my Lady?" he asked, sounding slightly desperate. She assumed they hadn't turned up any forensic evidence. They wouldn't find any of hers, that was for certain. She sighed theatrically, turning to face him and showing him the computer's analysis of the security shut down. "Please tell me you didn't call me in for merely this, Captain. I must say you are mistaken. See this analysis? The security sector in east wing was simply shut down for an automatic repair operation. It hasn't been tampered with at all. Just a routine maintenance. They are, however, quite faulty. Brand new sensors shouldn't have this much strain on them and the quality is poor. The installation crew was lacking in their duties, it would seem." The captain let out a slow breath. "Just maintenance. That's a relief, but it doesn't explain the suspect we have in custody." Ryarya nodded her agreement. "Indeed it does not. Might I have a moment with them, please? I have a few questions regarding the so-called security breach." He smiled as he said, "Of course. I'll call it in. We'll try to get you in before the new detective. Bit of an odd duck, that John Smith. Hold on."

She didn't get a chance to question him further before he walked away. She shook her head and headed over to a table where they were dissecting her equipment. She knew a digital scan would turn up the same analysis because that was exactly what she had done. Her encryption disc had merely forced an automatic repair on the system. It was completely natural in all new security systems. It was the perfect cover. She was surprised to find the same man from before examining the cameras though. He must have been the one the captain had been referring to. It appeared she wasn't the only one pulling a double agent act. She ignored him, however, as she ran her digital scanner across the devices on the table. Her watch beeped and ran the data up her screen. She narrowed her eyes at it to seem interested even though it was giving her the same analysis as before, as expected.

"Lady Black?" inquired an officer at her shoulder. He seemed a bit shy. "The captains have given you approval to speak with the suspect. You'll have to go with the new detective, however. No sense in risking your safety, my Lady." She nodded though she wanted to slap the captains for that decision. Lovely.

"Detective Smith" The captain tapped on The Doctor's shoulder, trying to pry his attention away from the camera and over to him as he spoke, "Your all clear to speak with the suspect. But you'l have to go with Lady Black..she wants to speak with her too. We umm..we have a car waiting for you outside to take you two to the station. Best head out before she gets upset". Turning away, the captain went to walk back to his men before a tight grip from The Doctor on his shoulder immediately stopped his movement, "Captain. One last thing before i leave" The Doctor insisted, wrapping his arm around the captains shoulder and handing him the camera, "These cameras have an auto repair mechanism. It scans its matrix on a set time to make sure nothing is wrong..good software but a bit clunky. Tell your analysis to send a temporal feedback loop through the camera from the computer. You will be able to see when the camera is set to for the repair then match it up with the time they were shut down...might be an answer or at the very least..spice up your investigation".

Patting the captains shoulder, The Doctor turned and began to walk out of the building, "Whose giving orders? You or me?" the captain called out to him, "It's worth a look! Trust me!" The Doctor replied. Jogging down the steps, The Doctor quickly spotted the black sedan model car and jumped in the passenger seat, the driver immediately flashing an astonished expression his way. "Umm...Lady Black sits up front" The driver told him, The Doctor glanced over to him, "Sorry?" he asked, "Lady Black..the owner of that system. She demands front seat...sorry. We usually don't ask...well..we don't get to i should say". The Doctor rolled his eyes and climbed in the back seat, "Didn't know we were taking dibs. For the record, i have dibs on a lime soda at the office if you've got some" he told the driver as he got comfortable in the back seat, "If she doesn't want it first that is" the driver chuckled.

Ryarya was still examining her own tech when the car arrived. She spoke briefly with another captain and gained approval to take one of the devices with her. She had noticed something in her scan that wasn't supposed to be there, she just couldn't quite put her finger on it yet. There was a matrix code showing up every few bars that she was certain she had removed when she had put together that system. Her tacks were covered no matter what, but what she found meant thag the system had been tampered wifh at some point, just not by her. That was, indeed, strange. Could someone have gotten through the encryption codes? She was more curious now than anything.

She slipped into the front seat and crossed her ankles as she set the camera on her lap. She.scanned it two more times, growing slighgly more frustrated with fhe analysis. Her watch beeped softly, telling her it found something when she cross referenced it with the routine schedule. Thefe was a routine maintenance code that had started on time, which had been her encruption disc doing its job. Nothing unusual there. There was, however, a gap in between the time she left and returned for the investigation. How unusual. Someone was messing wifh system, but who?

The officer had noticed just how deep in thought she was as they drove towards fhe police station. "Problem, my Lady?" She didn't answer him for a long time, her eyes glued to her data screen. She simply shook her head in response and began typing furiouslh on her digital keyboard. She was trying fo ignore the fact that another thief was sitting in the back. Something about him had her on edge. The device he had on him had reacted to her watch before. She hoped it wouldn't happen again.

She could already tell that her powers of persuasion had faken quite a toll on her. It had become routine now for her to speak with any suspects regarding crime where her technology was concerned. Her systems were uncrackable, for the most part. There were still a few kinks here and there. The police normally wouldn't allow a civilian inside, buf she was sure fhey had all fallen victim to her at least once. Having used only a little before, she could feel fhe pounding migraine building behind her eyes, throbbing constantly. All fhe healthy parlor in her face had drained to pale white and her hands shook a little. She breathed deeply to calm herself and kept her eyes fixated on the road ahead. It was going to be a long night.

((ooc: I don't feel like I can post anything that wouldn't be pointless, for this round, so I'm skipping.))

The car pulled up to the station, positioning Lady Blacks side of the car towards the doors, the driver giving The Doctor a glance as he parked the car. Scooting over to the opposite side of the car, The Doctor opened the door and stepped out, shutting the door behind him as he turned his attention and sights on the police station in front of him. In his mind, he worked over what could happen while inside of the interrogation room; he couldn't just speak to Emma as he normally would. He had to convince this woman of his identity as a detective and yet somehow get Emma out of the station at the same time. Hopefully he could get back to the TARDIS with Emma and do what he had planned to in the first place but the introduction of this woman and this thief he encountered made things at least interesting but all the more frustrating.

What was she doing there? What was she after? More to the point, who is this Lady Black and her security system? The Doctor thought, peering over his shoulder back to Lady Black i the passenger side of the car, Something tells me i'm looking at more than one person. The doors of the station opened with the appearance of a police officer, "You must be the detective the captain called ahead about, the suspect is in interrogation room three" he told The Doctor, his eyes trailing over to Lady Black in the car, "But as you know, we can't let you go in there without her sir. So you'l have to wait". The Doctor rolled his eyes, walking past the officer and began to make his way through the station until finding himself at the door of the interrogation room.

Every single ounce of him wanted to open that door and break Emma out right now, but he knew that the pesky Lady Black would appear at any moment. Complain about him entering the room without her and probably raise enough doubt in the minds of the officers to arrest him somehow or bump him off the case. Instead, he opened the door and turned to wait for Lady Black to enter first. Couldn't help but popping his head in first and giving Emma a grin before popping it back out as quick as he had looked in.

Ryarya stepped out of the vehicle and quickly headed up the steps to the station, her coat trailing behind her like a cape. She was curious now, but she also knew that the police had, naturally, arrested the wrong suspect. For all they knew, the good "detective" was the one that should be behind bars. She knew he had left before her, but he had had more time to steal something. As far as he knew, she hadn't had any time to grab her loot and get out without being spotted. Still for now, she pushed that to the back of her mind. She needed to get the innocent now waiting in the interrogation room out safely without raising any suspicion. Her influence on the force gave her enough room to decide whether the prisoner should be set free. That was about it. The rest was up to the detective.

She pondered that title for a moment as she entered the police station with the driver in tow. He didn't look like your run of the mill gumshoe. Something was a bit off about him other than he was inside the museum with her, and he tripped the alarm in a futile attempt at bringing her to justice. That was a joke and a half. She'd been doing this for a few years now, and had learned a variety of ways to get herself out of sticky situations. Perhaps a scan would tell her exactly what she wanted to know though that would have to be placed on the shelf until a later time. The interrogation was her top priority. Several officers, she knew, found her presence to be a bit annoying. They'd been through this process with her a few times already, which of course, would be completely unnecessary if they would stop arresting everyone they found near the crime scene. One day, she would end up regretting not allowing others to take the fall for her crimes.

The officer at the desk smiled a knowing smile at her as she flashed him the inspector's badge she had earned by working so closely with the force. That was probably one of very few things she managed to earn the proper way. She stepped past the detective waiting for her outside the interrogation room and walked inside. She'd have to make this a quick interrogation. As she shut the door behind her and the detective, she made a quick note that all the recording devices were working properly. That was the key here. She gestured to the detective to take a seat if he wished, but she leaned her back against the dark tinted glass on the side facing the young woman sitting at the table.

"So," she began smoothly, her tone even and warm, "You, obviously, know why you were brought here, so I see no reason to prolong this ordeal by asking redundant questions. I am Inspector Ryarya Black, and I only have a few questions for you." she tapped the screen on her watch, bringing up a digital map of the museum, which she then picked up in her palm and tossed to the middle of the room, just above the table. It expanded at her command, making it large enough to see each individual hallway within the building. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Would you, please, kindly explain what you were doing in there? This museum has a top notch security system that appears to have been tampered with yet the only codes for such tampering can only be provided and broken by the inventor of said system. With a system like that, how did you manage to slip inside undetected?"

At this point, Ryarya was only attempting to figure out what the woman had been doing in there when the police arrived. She could tell, just by looking, that this young woman wouldn't have been able to crack her system that easily. It would take an ordinary person years in the future to figure out her algorithm pattern. She had to make it look like a real interrogation, however. It was orders. She sighed internally.

The Doctor smirked but quickly kept it down as best he could, trying not to allow the camera see him give any facial expressions that would cause suspicion. Much less suspicion by the woman standing behind him overlooking both himself and Emma. Shoving off the feeling of happiness and child like joy from seeing his companion again, The Doctor leaned back and kicked up his shoes onto the table, crossed his arms and released a sniff.

"Alright then, let's use a bit of deductive reasoning shall we miss Black?" The Doctor rhetorically called back to Lady Black, sitting up and leaning over his crossed arms, "By the looks of things you make minimum wage. Probably live in a flat and make enough to make ends meet. Average intelligence with just a hint of curiosity. I'm guessing you'd know nothing about security system specifications. A UBM hud for the cameras with an infused central automatic repairing matrix conveniently synced to a time switch lined the main panel.". The Doctor only stopped to lean back and glance a Lady Black, "That was brilliant by the way. But there's a bit of a time fluctuation resulting in a slight spark in the copper wiring, it leaves your devices open to sonic impairment".

Looking back to Emma, The Doctor finally caught himself before continuing any further in his ramble, "Oh..sorry..yes. All that basically means..." he paused then continued, "She's innocent. I think we just caught a straggler who stumbled onto a thicker plot to rob that museum. Best just drop this one off at home..or..some place safe. What do you think miss Lady Black?".

If she could have laughed without drawing any sort of suspicion onto herself, she would have, and heartily. She had, clearly, made the mistake of thinking this man had recognized her from the heist, but judging by his words, the exact opposite had happened. He was playing right into her hands! Everything he had noticed would have taken the police ages to figure out, but it was all exactly as she had planned. She had to suppress the urge to smile. That little device of his had caught her attention since the moment she saw it resonating to the technology in her watch. This night was turning out to be even more eventful than she had hoped. She listened to him speak, keeping her expression unfathomable until he finished his rant.

"How extraordinary," she said with mock impressiveness as she rolled her eyes. "You seem to have just picked apart my system so easily, sir." At this point, her tone had involuntarily reached a highly sarcastic nature. It was a habit she had picked up from her mother. "I do suppose there is room for error. It is the nature of us humans," she added, putting particular emphasis on the last word. She wasn't quite as thick as he pegged her to be. She was so much smarter than that. In fact, she'd been running a biological scan on him since they'd met in the museum. She wouldn't have believed the results if he weren't sitting right here in front of her discussing sonic impairment on her security nodes. Careful not to spend too much time on him, she turned her attention back to the young woman. "I must also agree with the conclusion. It seems you were merely in the wrong place at the wrong time."

A visible tremor passed through her arm; a vein pulsed in her temple. She held back a controlled hiss of agony. No, not now...

She made her way over to the door, opening it just a crack. Her vision suddenly went hazy and all the color drained from her skin. She swore under her breath for the second time that evening, so low that, hopefully, no one could hear her. Her body felt weak, like Jello. She grasped the door handle in a death grip so tight that her knuckles turned white. Taking a deep breath, she moved to exit the room, speaking softly over her shoulder. "I'll take care of the release orders. You're free to go." Black dots danced in her vision as she attempted to walk normally to the desk. She politely asked for the release papers, holding onto the desk for additional support. Most of the officers never took notice to this sort of thing, most never cared. They were too preoccupied with getting her out of the station as quickly as possible. At the moment, she couldn't have agreed more.