Gold collar necklaces in glass display cases, black basalt statues with "Do not touch" signs, and, with nothing to mark them apart from the jewelry they were displayed with, a pair of lapis-lazuli earrings.
A black-haired woman exited a supply closet fifteen minutes after the museum closed, pulling an eccentric pistol from her reticule. She was dressed like a working girl, though the reticule seemed more expensive.
It seemed empty. She didn't lighten her step, allowing the sound of boot steps to echo through the room. This seemed routine enough. When the woman reached the display case, she pulled a black knife with a jeweled handle from her reticule. With practiced precision, she ran the knife along the edge of the glass, causing it to glow black and detach. She gently lowered it to the floor and reached into her reticule a third time, removing a small glass jar of a purple substance.
A man walked along the halls in a distinctive blue coat when he heard the sound of boot steps. Reaching for his handgun, he quietly continued along his way.
There, in the room he was headed for. She was taking the earrings and— this looked potentially explosive.
"Stop," he said firmly and loudly, pointing the pistol. She turned. Pretty.
"And why should I?" she asked calmly. The man was American and handsome.
"Because you have no idea what you're holding."
"Hatshepsut's earrings. They make people see you as you wish to be seen." The woman cocked her head.
"OK," the man admitted, "You do have an idea what you're holding."
"I suggest you leave now. You're far too pretty to die." She slowly moved the earrings toward the jar.
"Do you know how those things work?" The man cocked his gun. "Stop, or I'll shoot... and I hate shooting beautiful people."
"Thank you for the compliment." The woman smiled. "I haven't properly introduced myself, have I? Helena Wells."
"Captain Jack Harkness, Torchwood. Pleased to meet you, Helena Wells." He smiled flirtatiously.
"Oh, the pleasure is all mine," she said with an equally flirtatious smile. Torchwood, eh? "Now. Why don't you put down the gun, and I'll put down the earrings, and we'll talk about this like civilized people?"
"You go first." Jack smirked. "As a show of faith."
Helena Wells put the earrings on the edge of the display case. Jack Harkness holstered his gun. And with a mocking smile, Helena swiftly retrieved her eccentric pistol and sent an electric pulse into Jack's chest. He was out like a light.
With a sly smile, she finally placed the earrings in the jar.
Nothing happened.
Helena raised an eyebrow.
Jack Harkness woke up with a business card on his chest. He picked it up.
It gave an address, and on the back was written 'I may have something for Torchwood after all. Meet me here and we can discuss it over tea.'
"Sounds like a plan, Helena Wells," he said, standing up with a smile.