Prologue.
Snowflakes fall lightly in the cross-breeze, carpeting the ground in multiple white layers of crunchy snow. In the dead of night, they lie in peace, with only the stars as company. The air is silent; children eagerly wait for the passing of a certain man dressed in red, but the few that have defied their parents and took a peek out the window have been sourly disappointed, as the snow is left undisturbed on the pavement. The rumble of a 4x4 with tinted windows breaks the precious silence, the off road tyres destroy the perfect carpet of snow on the road.
The engine is turned off, a man in thick soled walking boots and a backpack slung over his shoulder exits the vehicle and sneaks up to one of the houses on the street. His face is covered by a ski mask, which helps on this particularly chilly night. He carefully opens the side gate, which has no padlock to stop him on his round, and it opens with ease. Next, he had to tackle entering the property; another man tonight may have gone down the chimney, but he does not have the resources for that. He'll have to make do with a thin piece of wire, a lock pick and a handy piece of equipment which hushed the alarm system. From previous intelligence, plus access to the building plan, he would have no trouble finding the control panel; it is all too easy for him to get in, take what it is he came for and leave without a trace. The snow doesn't help, but at the rate it is now falling, his tracks will be covered within an hour or so. It takes a few seconds for him to jimmy the lock open and a few more to turn the alarm off – the small interceptor dealt with that perfectly. He takes the backpack off and opens it, taking out a bottle of chloroform and gas mask before setting the bag down beside the back door. Now it's time to put his plan into action. The bedroom is down a narrow corridor, the second door on the left. It sweeps open noiselessly, revealing two silhouettes on the double bed up against the rear wall. He slips on the mask before opening the bottle of chloroform and rolling it towards the bed, it momentarily snags on the duvet hanging over the edge, but it carries on its path underneath the bed. And now he waits.
After 10 minutes of so, the man warily crosses the bedroom and taps the shoulder of one of the silhouettes, it doesn't stir, neither does his partner. Now it is time to go. Smiling, the intruder gently picks up the woman before making his exit. Not having much time, he races to the back door, removes the device from the wall and picks up the bag. It is like a blizzard outside, which helps to mask him as he returns to his car; laying his prize on the back seats before driving away into the night.