[No apologies necessary as far as I'm concerned!]<br/><br/>The silent alarm did its job, bringing a dark panel to a brilliant display. The guard who watched it, deep within the heart of the facility's electronic hub, tapped the skin above his talker implant and sent out a report. Soon a squad of heavily armed and armored guards poured into the foyer, but before they could arrive, the image of a crouched figure perched high atop one of the displays wavered into view.<br/><br/>The watcher rose to his feet, staring after the retreating burglar. The alarm had shown on his H.U.D., too, along with the lines where she'd avoided all the rest. He laughed softly as he lifted the visor on his suit, which looked similar but not quite identical to the one the cat-girl had worn. The face that appeared would have meant little to the guards, but it would definitely have had an impact on Talia.<br/><br/>The one who had watched was the same man who had hired her, Blake Carmichael, investor, inventor and collector of fine and intriguing things. His laughter faded only with the distant sounds of the approaching guards, his sign to leap lightly to the ground and exit the same way Talia had, but his destination would, initially at least, be different.<br/><br/>--------------------------------<br/>(a few hours later)<br/><br/>Blake was dressed in an understated suit, but one still obviously too expensive for him to fit in at the all-night breakfast place where he sat, waiting for Talia to make the drop as they'd earlier agreed. It was true enough that he wanted a particular piece of outmoded robotics for one of his current projects, but he was just as interested in enticing the cat-girl into his employ. She had guts and talent, and it was about time somebody made proper use of it.<br/><br/>Blake's bodyguard stood outside, his back to the hover limo and his arms crossed, looking thoroughly annoyed from the tight lift of his shoulders to the even harder line of his mouth, but still poised and ready to leap to Mr. Carmichael's defense if anyone even looked at his employer the wrong way.