Karina Zelekos took in the gaudy gold casino. Its walls were golden and covered in red and black tapestries. A large chandelier hung down from from the ridiculously high ceilings, its flames making the walls gleam. People were stuffed into every space, leaning off of balconies, hunched over game tables, and wandering through the packed floors. Karina stood in the entryway for a little bit, taking in the overwhelming sights, then pushed her way through the sweaty masses toward the gravity tables. she knew that her targets were suckers for the anti-grav roulette. Lord Sang and his entourage stood by the largest table, smiling ear to ear and shouting so loud that Karina knew the results of every spin from across the crowded floor.
She grinned and pushed her way gently into the ring of people around the table. Her eyes traveled over Lord Sang's group and the others placing their bets. Her time as a soldier had honed her powers of observation; she could point out exactly where the Lord's group kept their money, and tell their jobs from their clothes. Everyone around the table was drunk and caught up in the risk of the game. Only one person looked out of place, a young seemingly human woman in a brown leather jacket, jeans a t-shirt and a purple knit cap. Her short brown hair was pulled into a ponytail, and her eyes held a spark that showed she wasn't here to bet. She was hunched over the control panel for the game, a blue and copper sonic screwdriver glowing in her hand. When the woman started to move away from the game table, Karina began to follow her. Sure, Karina was here to relieve Lord Sang of his money, but this woman looked like she could be much more interesting than a drunken lord.
The woman moved quickly, eyes darting around like she was being hunted. Karina was definitely intrigued. She was just getting ready to confront the woman when a strong hand gripped her scaly blue arm. She turned and saw Lord Sang and his thugs. "Hello Miss Zelekos," the Lord said coldly. "I believe you have something of mine."
"um… no?" Karina tried with a false smile.
The two thugs dropped to the ground suddenly, a piercing whine coming from their ear comms. Karina seized her chance. while the thugs were down and the Lord was distracted, Karina slipped into the crowd. As she headed for the other side of the casino, she thought she saw the woman, pointing her sonic screwdriver at the fallen thugs. The woman's eyes wandered over to Karina, and she smiled. Karina was frozen by her gaze for a moment. Then she saw the thugs struggling to their feet, pushed through the crowd as fast as she could. Karina paused at a bar, blending in with the crowd and standing purposelessly, watching for the thugs. She had no idea how long she was staring into space, but she snapped back to reality when three thugs noisily shoved their way through the crowds. Karina dropped everything and headed in the opposite direction. She didn't pay attention to where she was going, and by the time she finally looked around, she had wandered into probably the only deserted hallway in the entire casino.
It was an exhibit of ancient Earth artifacts, to celebrate the anniversary of the exodus of Earth. There were old cars, a television, and other odd artifacts. Karina took in the silence, finding it a refreshing change from the din of the casino. She could feel her danger sense picking up, a feeling similar to a trickle of water along her spinal ridges. But she wouldn't have needed her extra senses anyway, the thugs were making so much noise. There weren't any exits in this hall, but the earth objects looked like they could be a good hiding spot. She considered the car, but it had windows. She looked around frantically, and at the last minute she spotted a big blue box. The plaque said 1960s police box, but Karina couldn't care less. She yanked open the door slipped in and slammed it shut, the rush of adrenaline fading. She faced the door, watching the thugs silhouettes through the frosted windows as they searched the hall. After what felt like an eternity, they walked out. Karina breathed a sigh of relief and turned, leaning against the door. She shot back upright when her eyes finally took in the inside of the box.
Karina didn't know her earth history, but she was fairly sure that police boxes didn't look like this on the inside…