Selina twisted the cap of the scope until she heard it click twice, then she placed it on the windowsill, covered with fresh snow.
You better not have fucked me over, Grimes, thought Selina.
She waited along with the worms that seemed to squirm inside her stomach. The high buff of the scope rose steadily until it suddenly died. The low hum of the museum's security system disappeared. Good.
Thank you, Grimes.
Selina used her index claw to disengage the window's trip wire to enter the building. The scope seemed to have knocked out the museum's electricity as only the emergency lights were on, casting their red glares into the room.
The deal was to kill security, not electricity, Grimes. She felt her cheeks get warm.
Her eyes quickly adjusted to the dim reds. She stealthily scampered to the Baroque section of the museum, making sure her heels made no sound as they hit the floor.
Selina quickly glanced at the artifacts encased here and there until she spotted the necklace. It was a choker. Heavily ornamented in shining jewels. Although it only showcased what the red lights had to offer, the necklace could not hide its beauty from Selina's trained eye.
She cocked her head left and right, analyzing the necklace. A jingle in the key slot with two of her claws unlocked the glass casing. She lifted the unsurprisingly weighty top from the artifact and placed it carefully on the ground. Using her index claw, she peeled a jewel from the right-hand side of the choker, near the clasp. She held it to the light and smiled to herself.
Purrr-fect.
The stone in question was a diamond. It was marquise in shape, 14.00mm in length, and 3.00 carat. It was surrounded by cubic zirconia imitations on the choker, but Selina's knew better. She always knew better.
She skillfully placed the glass top back and exited the Baroque exhibit. A sudden movement from afar made Selina duck back into the carpeted room. She peered back at the main hall in time to see the silhouette of a woman outlined in the light of the moon, cast from the high glass ceiling. The figure dropped the body of what seemed to be a guard then escaped to the third floor on what seemed to be a ragged rope. Another figure pushed a second guard from the railing of where the first figure disappeared. The man lay unconscious beside the other guard. The figure duo then ran to the far side of the third floor.
A third figure emerged from the shadows near the guards. The moonlight showed two funny little spikes at the top of his head.
So the rumours are true. Selina chuckled to herself.
The "Bat-Man" checked the guards' pulses, nodded to himself, then took off after the duo. Selina playfully chased him.
The Aztec exhibit was decorated with high botanicals. Like the Bat-Man, Selina hid in the shadows of fruit trees. She had put on her heat-sensing goggles to see the show unfold itself better.
The duo emerged from the far side of the room. One was carrying a loot bag and the other, a test tube of cold liquid. They laughed among themselves.
The test tube violently shattered, spilling its contents in the manner of fireworks, turning ice-blue to orange zests. Selina looked to the Bat-Man and saw him throw a small object which slashed the bag of the other figure.
"Hey!" the figure whined. A shrill female voice. How annoying. "Who's there?"
Selina had not seen the Bat-Man move, but there he was, socking a punch square in the shrill one's jaw. Selina removed her goggles and approached the scene. The other figure emitted a low-pitched growl and forced her palms together. The room seemed to get bright.
The room was getting bright.
The Bat-Man, who was using his cape and shadows to hide and land his hits, finally came into view. He was looking confusedly around him. Somehow the plants in the room came to life. They were moving, moaning, and emitting their own light. The two figures became apparent too. The praying one had crazy bloody hair and green-tinted skin. The shrill-voiced one's makeup seemed smeared across her face and down her cheeks. She was a wreck. Selina dubbed them "Plant Bitch" and "Clown Face".
The duo tagged-teamed the Bat-Man in combat. Plant Bitch entangled him in vines and Clown Face took swings at him from a lightwood baseball bat.
Selina glanced down and saw the artifacts that had fallen from Clown Face's bag. Among them, Selina saw a tiara that reflected her own eyes' emeralds.
She assessed the situation: her distance from the others, her and their weapons, how far the assets were, everything. She darted for Plant Bitch and slashed her face with her retracted claws. Plant Bitch screamed in pain as the room lost its light. Selina then hook-kicked Clown Face's face, hoping the razor blades planted in her heels would work magic. They did but Clown Face managed to shield herself with her hands, only slicing part of her forearm.
Selina cut the Bat-Man free as the building's electricity came on. The Bat-Man grabbed her shoulder. Hard. She glared at him. He released her.
As police sirens swam through the humid air, Selina snatched the Emerald Tiara and darted for the closest exit.
Back at her apartment, Selina hung her prizes as she contemplated the night's events. There was a green-skinned woman who seemed to be able to control plants, a relentless clown girl with a drowning laugh, and a killed man dressed as a bat. What the fuck?
Selina could not help but wonder about the electricity she felt as the building's own electricity rebooted. The man had been staring at her. His eyes were blue. They seemed to project themselves into her greens.
It reminded Selina of the Earth and its Waters, and how, so many long years ago, their destinies were bound to cross.