Chapter 3: Crown and Scepter

Selenna’s whip crackled through the air as she swung through the dark alleyways of Glotham on her approach to their destination. She had chosen to take nothing to chance and had performed a second reconnaissance, making double-sure of everything. Evie was already in place and was waiting for the signal.

“Claws in position.” She said, whispering and tapping her ear as she landed silently atop the roof. She had her binoculars out.

“Thorn in position.” Came a voice in her ear, as moments later, she saw the shadowy figure of Evie from across the rooftop.

Minutes later, they both rendezvoused at the corner of the building that housed the central air unit. Selenna had already unscrewed and bypassed the electrical system to temporarily reverse the airflow by the time Evie caught up.

“Ready?” She said, checking her watch. They were slightly off their schedule.

Evie nodded and delicately withdrew a phial from within her clothing and handed it to Selenna. “Whatever you do, don’t let it touch your skin or inhale it. Or else you’ll be passed out for hours.” She whispered as Selenna unstoppered the cork. Holding her breath, she pulled the ventilation duct back and tossed the little glass phial inside. She heard it smash and hit the airflow button, sending the vapor inward, inside the building.

She gave Evie the thumbs up and they both crept over to an overhead skylight and watched as a faint purple-blue haze began to leak out from the ventilation system. They watched as a few security guards who were on duty look up at the vents, sniffing the air. Then, comically, they pitched forward and lay sprawled out where they had fallen.

“Give it another few minutes.” Said Evie, who crept over to another skylight across the rooftop and looking down.

Selenna was getting nervous. They were already a few minutes late and she knew that there would be a guard rotational shift swap coming up soon. That meant that, even though they had the cameras already hacked and the guards knocked out. The second shift would not yet be exposed to the gas, leaving them vulnerable to capture.

“Evie, what the fuck? This is taking too long.” She said through her comms and looking at the other woman from across the rooftop.

“Be patient. We don’t want mistakes. I have no interest in going to Bluegate Penitentiary, do you?”

Selenna clucked her tongue impatiently, but waited.

“Okay, that’s enough time. Reverse the airflow and we can go inside.” She said, making her way back across the rooftop to where Selenna was.

Selenna flicked the switch and held her breath once more as the giant machine kicked over to reverse the airflow. She saw the purple-blue haze drift lazily out of the accessory flue and into the air where it would dissipate and become harmless.

She felt a tap of pressure on her shoulder from Evie and the two made their way to the rooftop emergency exit. Selenna spied the camera with its blinking redlight and stepped in front of it. Where there should have been a silent alarm triggered, there was none.

She smiled and skipped over to the lock and removed from within the confines of her leather attire a lockpicking kit and set to work.

“We’re in.” She called over to Evie and the two criminals descended the stairs.

Silently opening one door, they trespassed down a vacant hallway, stepping over two guards in the process. Selenna took one of the guards’ keycards for good measure as well as unclipped the two-way radio affixed to his belt.

“You never know, right?” Said Selenna.

“Where do we go from here?” She added, looking to Evie, who was a few paces up ahead and peering around a corner.

“According to the schematic of the building, we need to go down one more floor and through two sets of corridors before we reach our prize. Then, we get to the room with the laser security system, and I get to watch in action all your acrobatic moves—I hear you move quite well.”

Selenna nodded, suppressing a grin. Her mind was travelling to all the lavish things she would be buying when she cashed in on her share of the loot.

“Coming?” Said Evie, waiving a hand and disappearing around the corner and down the hall.

They took turns, covering each other as they passed along the floor and took a new set of stairs that led one floor down. Selenna kept the radio in her hand, which remained silent. Something didn’t feel quite right, but she couldn’t place it.

They approached the first of two corridors and stopped dead in their tracks. Two guards were slumped against the wall, crimson emanating from their chests.

“My concoction couldn’t do that.” Said Evie sidestepping the two inert figures and peering through the set of double doors which were standing ajar.

Selenna nodded grimly and unfurled her whip. Experience told her she might be needing it.

They pushed along and down the corridor which doglegged into the second. Here, too, the door stood ajar; another security guard lay victim against the wall, discarded like a broken toy soldier.

“Evie, this doesn’t look good.”

“No shit. You didn’t tell anyone about this gig, did you?” She turned towards Selenna, her eyes turning a poisonous shade of green.

Selenna held up her hands, “You think I’m that stupid?”

“Well, someone’s thinking along the same lines as we are. Let’s hope we’re not too late.”

Pushing open the door with infinite care, they were now in the large expansive room that led towards the prize they had come for. The laser security system had been deactivated already, that much was clear. The criminals let their eyes gaze towards the center of the room – their prize was not there.


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In the center of the room where there should have been a lavish display case with a crown and scepter sat perched on purple pillows lay instead a vacant tomb. The glass that protected them had been blown out.

The jewels were missing.

“Fuck, double-fuck!” said Evie, clinching a fist so hard that vines shot out reflexively.

“Easy with that temper. Let’s use our heads.” Selenna approached the scene of the crime that should have been their own and sniffed the air. “This explosion smells fresh. And here, look—fresh tracks.” She had knelt and crouched along the side of the display case and to its side. Footprints were clearly visible and were leading in an alternate direction. Someone had left in a hurry. And that someone would surely pay dearly.

“We can’t be more than a few minutes behind them. And there’s no way they could have known about your poisonous knock out gas. If we hurry, maybe we can intercept them. Maybe they’re passed out just down the hallway or something. Should be like taking candy from overgrown ugly babies.” Said Selenna, who stood up. She looked over at her shoulder at Evie who seemed to contemplate their circumstances.

“Hey, Flower Girl – why am I the one pushing us to do this? This was your caper. Don’t you want your share of the pie?”

Evie stood there, thinking. “Sorry—I was thinking. What if…what if Harley wasn’t as busy as she said she was…what if—she decided to let Mr. J in on the plan and take the whole thing for herself. To get back in his good books?” Her plaintive face went from thoughtful to snarl.

“Well, if she did. Then chances are whoever beat us to it, might be more prepared than we gave them credit for.” Said Selenna.

“Oh, if she double-crossed me..” Said Evie, who shot out a hand in frustration. A vine-like tendril shot out of her hand and skewered a painting on the far wall, piercing its canvas.

“That was a Rembrandt, you know.” Said Selenna with a smirk.

“Who?”

“Never mind. Let’s get ‘em.”

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