I walk down the streets of Paris, one of the first cities of humankind. It was these times that humans truly thrived to explore more than colonizing it, a sad truth. The ancient monument of the Eiffel tower stands left to me, overtaken by the countless skyscrapers blotting the landscape much like most of the planet.

It was, after all, humanity’s first planet, when we had no idea of terraforming or the like. That came later when we colonized an entire galaxy and had too much spare space to feel cozy. Sadly we never stopped, resulting in the age old war with the Xenos. My wristwatch starts shaking vigorously. It was a sweet thing, capable of using any reception on almost every planet with a decent number of humans living on it. That meant most.

I press on the green button and the all-too familiar voice of my employer resonates in my ear with the help of my earphone. An earplug was used as a softener which also functioned as a translator. It could translate any original language to another one. In that, it meant he would understand most languages whereas the other wouldn’t. But nearly everyone knew the universal constant: English. Even the Xenos to some extent.

“Black Hawk, I assume you are on Earth?” The voice had undergone a voice changer to conceal the identity. It now resembled a high pitched girl’s voice.

“Indeed I am. I spy with my little eye, the house of the target.” I answer. There was little to no use in concealing mine, as I was always under the radar and no respectable person connected with me. That meant they couldn’t just call the government on me.

The house was antique as well, as if it was one of those shown in museums. It was a three story house with a red roof and orange exterior. I recognized it as brick. The structure stuck out like a sore thumb in the middle of the city.

“That is good. I caught news that a force of twenty experts are guarding the treasure. It seems some twenty guards are coming over to guard it as well in the next hour. It is located in the basement, the floor is made of solid diamond to protect it from burglars like you. But you’re not a simple burglar, are you?”

After a small pause, the employer continued “I’ll send the 3-D map to your account now.”

A small beep signified it came. After crossing a corner and walking into a dark alleyway, I peeked at it. The interior was the exact opposite of the comfortable look it had from the outside. It was walled and floored with bulletproof glass and the basement containing the treasure was actually fully made of diamond. That meant lasers wouldn’t work.

There was little to no furniture for me to hide and it was lit well. There were several cameras placed around haphazardly. “Damn amateurs.” I curse under my breath. However, upon second thought, they might be so experienced that they could act like amateurs.

I didn’t think of anything and continued to plan my last ever heist if it was a success. I could live a lifetime with the money I’d get.

The gate was the most optimal place for guarding, both the exterior and the basement. But the windows were also great spots.

“Got it.” I answer as I calculate a plan. The windows would most likely be extensively guarded as it offered a greater vision, but the power armor made up for that. The stars couldn’t be seen due to light pollution and the moon was blocked out by the buildings that reached the clouds. It reeked of smoke, but it felt nostalgic. As if it was where I am actually supposed to be.

“Good luck, Black Hawk.” The employer said before ending the call.

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“I don’t need it.” I mumble to myself with a chuckle.

The power armor was a sweet thing. It was entirely black and served as a great camouflage in the night if I didn’t walk on the greenery inside the domain of the building. It actually had a yard, in a goddamn city.

I assume the road is filled to the brim with traps, but that wouldn’t be logical since no one would actually take the main entrance for a burglary. But I did.

I jumped up and down several times to get used to the weight of the armor. It didn’t slow me down in the least and I knew more than enough to use it to my advantage.

The streets were dark and I wasn’t the only one in a power armor, meaning I didn’t stand up. Not as much as the building anyways.

After appearing right before the building, I started crawling. Not the four legged one, but the lying one. The material of the armor resembled scales and made a little noise as I crept towards the door. The noise of the city cancelled it out and I calmly continued with my endeavor. It would be a piece of cake to infiltrate. But not so to get out.

As they say ‘Make it hard enough for the enemy to enter and you won’t be able to get out’

That also worked wonders to make inexperienced burglars away. But not me.

There were two guards at the gate, with a camera behind them. An orthodox method I was too damn bored of.

Getting past the guards was easier than taking a stroll in the park. I looked at the camera for five seconds and realized it was moving in certain intervals. I used my watch to project a video recorder and moved it with the same interval as the camera. It worked wonders and I connected the video with the camera to replay it indefinitely.

Then I took a Taser from my belt and stuck it at one of the guards while covering his… umm, her mouth. She fell down without resistance. Then the other one looked to the other one as she had quieted down all of a sudden during their chat. A quick smack to the face and a Taser behind the neck later he was lying down and sleeping like a baby with the woman.

Her figure was truly alluring, but that had to wait. After this heist I could have as many women as I wanted to and live on a tropical planet for the rest of my life. I quickly checked the ID of the male soldier and remembered the name. Gary Hills, a cadet.

The door was the type that creaked. With a sigh, I drilled a small hole through it with a laser from a small screwdriver-like device. It was a weak one, but it refrained from setting wood on fire or getting to the other side and letting the ones from the other side learn of my presence.

The screwdriver suddenly changed and three metal hooks came out, similar to a crane game. It inserted itself to the small circle I created with the laser and plugged a small piece out, just enough to peek through.

There were none on the other side. I quickly broke the hinges of the door with a lightsaber the size of a dagger and continued on. These utility belts were almost like bags, but smaller and more mobile. The new space folding technology was truly a great feat of humanity, gifted to me by the employer before the one before this one for my great efforts.

Then I placed it in its place and with a devastated sigh, used a Ramura’s Cube. It changed the state of something to the day prior, but it had to be inanimate. Now wasn’t the time to be saying goodbyes.

The door almost magically fixed itself and I changed my power armor mode to that of whiteness. This allowed me to walk undetected. These cameras weren’t pointing at the door, and never did. Strange, I thought to myself as I paced forward. The boots were lined with rubber, making the sound almost undetectable.

I slowed down under a camera and walked the rest of the distance. With a knock on the security room, I asked. “Can I report, boss?”

“Which one are you?” A man asked from inside, all the while I dug another hole through the door with my screwdriver. The cameras couldn’t see it as I had covered it with my white body, except the laser. There was only one inside the room, to my relief.

“My name is Gary Hills… a cadet.” I added.

“Come in.” The man said with a deep sigh. “So the girl’s been rough on ya?”

I appeared before the man and put my finger before my lip. “Shh.”

The Taser connected with the man’s neck and he fell asleep as well. Too easy. Were they supposed to protect some kind of mass-destruction weapon? Well, I don’t think so.

A loud footstep sounded behind me and the all too familiar sound of a Taser was made behind me. The worst part was that I couldn’t move a part of my body, but I was actually awake within the few seconds when tased.

“Sorry, Hawk. It’s mine this time around.” A woman said with a low pitched voice. This was Athena. That… cat burglar bested me?

And it was darkness all over.