1st Shot - Less Than Perfect

"Curses! I just missed him... AGAIN!!!"

The speaker viciously kicked at the nearest piece of debris, her words still echoing faintly off the cavernous room's walls. A number of people lifted their eyes from their work to identify the source of this disturbance. She glared back at them. "Quit staring, will ya. Haven't you ever seen a girl get angry before?"

One by one they settled back into their assignments, leaving the girl to fume in peace.

I hate working with the locals... but I don't have much of a choice, do I?

"Well I'll be... Is that you, Lara?" A familiar southern drawl floated to her ears, and a large man with a bulbous nose and bushy brown mustache eagerly crossed the room to greet her. He reached out a large hand and placed it on her shoulder. "So you got my message."

The girl's green eyes flashed threateningly in his direction and the hand withdrew. "A lot of good it did me -- he's already gone!" she snapped.

The man smiled apologetically. "Bad mood, huh?"

She chose to ignore this. "So what'd he take this time, Bourbon?"

He pulled out a small notepad and flipped through the pages till he found the right one. "The Angel's Prayer -- or, to be specific, the coronet that it was wearing." He gestured to a large sculpture of an angel behind him. Lara approached the vandalized cherub and began her inspection.

She doesn't appear to have been damaged...

"Do you have a photo of the sculpture before the theft?"

Bourbon smiled. "Thought you'd want that. I've got one right here." Lara compared the two images thoroughly. Her initial analysis had been correct -- the coronet had been removed with great precision and no harm had come to the original work. Bourbon scratched his chin as he reasoned. "What I don't understand is why the crown? From what I've heard, the staff in the statue's hands is much more valuable..."

Lara considered his comment for a moment then jumped up onto the Angel's pedestal. She gently attempted to slide the staff from within Her grip, but the shaft was too long: it was blocked by Her other arm. "In order to steal the staff, he would have been forced to break the Angel's hand."

Bourbon stared at her questioningly. "Why should that stop him?" Lara glared at him, her annoyance showing clearly. Whenever he said things like that it made her want desperately to smack that balding head of his. Instead, she snatched the notepad out of his hands and poured all her concentration into squinting at the scribbles which were Bourbon's notes on the case.

Bourbon smiled as she mumbled to herself. She often thought out loud while working. He considered it a rare pivilege to watch Lara at work. Although only sixteen, she was considered to be the best in her field. For the past three years, she had been shaming all those who had once prided themselves as being the best. Now there was no doubt in anyone's mind -- Lara was the greatest bounty hunter.

Her secret? Desire. Most common criminals had low morals and were easily attracted to an innocent and defenseless beauty. Such easy prey... All that she needed to do was turn those emerald green eyes, peering out from behind her shaggy bangs, at them or toss her thick golden hair, which was usually worn in a ponytail high on her head, carelessly over her shoulder, and they were putty in her hands. Lara was quite attractive -- and she had no problem with using this gift to her advantage.

She typically wore brown leather boots which climbed about half way up her calves and a form fitting black skirt whose hem was three or four inches above her knee with a two-inch slit on the right. A white t-shirt could be seen beneath a pink vest which appeared to be nothing more than two pieces of cloth which crossed in the front and back with laces holding them together in those places. Also, a shimmery grey cloth which resembled half a skirt hung to her knees in the back and was attached to her belt. A silver chain with two solid silver pieces hanging off of it like a tassle -- her most treasured possession -- glittered around her neck; it had been a gift from her father for her tenth birthday. The clothes, however, only complimented her natural beauty. She was of a slender build: not too skinny, but not too curvy, either.

Of course, she wasn't perfect, but close enough to lure in her quarry every time.

In fact, her looks were the reason why among the thieving community she was known as the Silver Siren. A befitting moniker, more so than they knew.

"It says here that the thief got in through there," she motioned towards a gaping hole in the outer wall, "and then was seen fleeing the way he came seventy minutes later. Now, you can't honestly expect me to believe that the guards didn't notice that being made."

Bourbon's round face flushed nervously. "Umm... that's a one, not a seven."

"Oh really? Could've fooled me." Bourbon removed the notepad from her grasp and placed it back in his pocket. Lara gave him an 'I'm only teasing' smile before continuing. "Ten minutes... That still seems too long. Why didn't security get up here sooner? And what was that about a green light?"

"Oh, some witnesses who were on the street below reported seein' a bright green light just before the wall exploded. As for security, apparently the thief had set up a trap in the stairwell just outside here. That kept 'em occupied for at least five. They even said that when they did get in here he was waiting for 'em."

"Heh, why am I not surprised." Lara said this more to herslf than to her companion. She began to absentmindedly comb her fingers through her hair. "Hey, you mind if I hang on to the photo?"

Bourbon shrugged. "I only had it 'cause I figured you'd want one... Think you'll catch him this time?" She didn't answer. Instead she walked to the edge of the demolished wall and stared out at the fiery orb dipping below the horizen. Her hands balled into fists as she watched.

Just wait... I will be the one to capture you. I don't care how long it takes. Your bounty is mine, legendary Bandit King!

So, what did you think? This isn't the first fan fic I've written, but it is the first that I've posted. Please review, even if it's just to tell me you hated it (but if that's the case, please try to be nice)!