Job Four: 
Strange Young Man

    The green hair thief slipped past the last glowing laser beam. Now all he had to do was get the vase and slip back out. Of course that was easier said than done.

    It was a good thing that they did not use pressure sensors anymore, other wise Ahura Mazda would have been out of luck. Carefully he slid the rare vase through the laser designed in an intricate web of protection. As if by a miracle he slipped it past all of them, and nothing sounded. Her radioed back to his new partner.

    "Gi. I have the vase, what's my time?"

    "Four minutes and counting and would you stop calling me Gi?" Her voice was static fulled through the outdated radio. 

   " I should be out in two, I think I can cut some time out by deflecting the laser."

    "How do you intend to do that without setting off the alarms? You know mirrors don't work as well as they used to."

    "I don't need a lecture on what works and what doesn't. I'm the master thief remember?" Ahura walked over the the security panel and popped off the lid. Briefly he skimmed over the number, and with the speed of a gazelle he typed the code.

    As an added bonus, it was the correct code, and all the power shut off in the vicinity, with the exception of Ahura Mazda's crappy little radio headset.

    "What did you do?"

    "I shut off the power. I've seen the code a thousand times before. I used to regularly visit this museum, and  since they've never had a theft they never bothered to change their security code." Ahura grinned to himself as he causally walked through the dark museum to his point of origin. 

    But something was strange. It was like someone was following him, and that someone was walking over Ahura's grave. It was like one of those bad horror films.

    He turned around. No one. He looked to his right, and then his left. No one. So he continued to walk... straight into something large and stiff. Ahura hoped it was something like a bronze statue and he was very disappointed when he found out it was not.

    The security guard was an awkward alien akin to a  Doberman pincher, and not the cute harmless ones either.

    Ahura cursed, ran like the devil was at his heals, and was nearly bitten on the bum several times by the rabid security guard. Thankfully, by the stars, he made it to his rope, and screamed like bloody murder, "BRING ME UP GI!"

    The annoyed assassin hoisted the rope up while Ahura spastically batted of the dog alien. It was not fair. He had no choice but to leave the weapons and most of his clothing with Anghiari because of the lasers. It was not fair that this dog thing was trying to eat him. Why did life suck so?

    After what seemed like an eternity, he made it to the top panting, and received a rather smug look from Anghiari. "Shall we get rid of the evidence, Dear Osiris?"

    "Please..." was all he could wheeze.

    Anghiari pulled out her sword and jumped--yes, jumped--to come crashing down on her target slicing him clean in half.

    'Show off.' Ahura thought as he tried to regain his breathe. He checked the vase, good it was safe. Gi was making her way up by using her strange assassin-ninja hybrid skills. Yet... something seemed out of place? He still had the feeling that someone was walking over his grave.

    He brushed it off. They had to get back to Sindiri and find out where the buyer wanted to meet.

***

    "It sounds fishy to me, Ahura." Sindiri took off her glasses and set them on the consol. She had just found out where the buyer wanted to meet.

    "Relax. I'm not going to be there in person."

    "Well, how the heck do you intend to give him the bloody vase and get your money?" Sindiri asked him while glaring daggers at him.

    "Heh," Ahura seemed to puff up, "I am the master thief after all."

    "Who was almost eaten by a large dog security guard."

    "Shut up, Anghiari."

    "I have a sword with your name on it."

    Ahura Mazda quickly remembered something someone had told him. Women and pointy objects are a very dangerous mix leave them alone at all costs.

    It was a pity Ahura had no real common sense. "I could probably beat you anyway."

    Anghiari snorted. "Um. No. I was basically created to kill, so I could easily kick your short wussy self."

    "I'm an INCH shorter than you! Give it a rest!"

    "Well, stop acting like you're superior when you're actually inferior."

    "That's it! I'm going the tear your pixie wings off and feed them to you."

    "Bring it on little man."

    "WOULD YOU TWO KNOCK IT OFF?" Sindiri growled at both of them, and put a nice distance between the two. "You're acting like two spoiled children and you've barely known each other for a month. What is up with you Ahura Mazda? What happened in New York that has made you so damn cocky?"

    He had not told a soul about what the female scientist had said. It was not that it had made him cocky or more confident, it had in fact, made him paranoid and he was doing his best to hide it. He had never been good with emotions, since he had never grown up under normal circumstances, this situation did not help one bit. "Let's just drop it."

    "No, I'd much rather not."

    "Sin..." Ahura trailed off. What was the use? He was pitiful when it came to lying to Sindiri. She was just that kind of... person. She was probably one of the only females of usefulness--and Anghiari did not count as female.

    "You're hiding something."

    Ahura paused before he grabbed the vase and headed to the door. "I have something to deliver, if you don't mind."

***

    A man of about three feet, with dark blue hair, and long flowing clothing walked into the alleyway. His bright red eyes seemed to pierce through the night, and that would have been dramatic if he did not look like a seven year old playing dress up.

    The man stopped in front of a package that said in brightly written text "To the Wisest." He chuckled as he set down a purse he had produced from his billowing clothing. He looked around for the thief he had hired for the job, but saw no one.

    So he called out, "Kid! If you can here me, Melani gives her best wishes!"

    He had omitted the "your insane rabid fan girl," but Ahura did not mind that much. The man was the leader of one of the leading Mafia's he could do anything he wanted to. They had worked together on many occasions, and Ahura Mazda was one of the few who knew his true identity. Not even his closet friend, a "demon" with MPD called Asterix, knew the truth.

    Still, you could not put your faith in a mafia man, especially Ampersand. He had numerous spies that were loyal only to him. Many of them would want Ahura out of the way.

    Once more the man called out, "Tell your new partner she did a splendid job on the security guard. She should came and work for me!" With that Ampersand spun on his heal and left the alleyway. 

    That did not mean a single thing, so Ahura stayed where he was for at least an hour. He even made sure to check if their was a bomb in the case.

    Absolutely nothing.

    Ahura gave a sigh of relief as he retrieved the case. There was nothing wrong with it. Nothing at all, and that feeling had finally disappeared.

***

    "What the hell?"

    "I said it was a note addressed to you. I haven't the slightest idea who it's from."

    They were back at Ahura's apartment. He had made himself comfortably while counting his payment when Anghiari had decided to burst in with a note. She was also, practically wearing nothing but a baby tee-shirt and short shorts, and of course he eye patch.

    "Let me see."

    She handed him the note and he read it. He read it over and over again. "What...in the name of Saint Peter is it talking about?"

    She tilted her head to one said, "What's it say?"

    "That I have magic."

    "But there's no such thing as magic."

    "I know..." he slipped the paper between his fingers and looked it over one more time. No one had signed it, but it was obviously written by a man because of the sloppy hand writing. This person seemed insane or extremely serious and insane.

    Ahura blinked as he suddenly noticed a tiny PS, he needed to squint, but he did manage. "Unlock it."

    "Well that's pretty ominous."

    "Anghiari. I think we're stuck in some angst filled master plan."

    "I was afraid you'd say that."