Picture by yoto_4102
The cable pulled taut as you tugged on it, testing its strength. You turned back around from the air conditioning unit, your rappel line was fastened too, and looked at the skylight that you had cut through. Taking a deep breath to steel yourself, you climbed through the hole and slowly lowered yourself into the gallery, releasing fog from your portable smoke machine, showing the invisible lasers criss-crossing the room. With practiced precision, you spun on the wire, dodging the red lines that would ruin your heist. Now hovering a foot from the glass case containing the massive diamond, you pulled your glass knife back out, attaching it to the case. You activated your EMF jammer, replacing the constant signal from the glass sensors with a decoy. Spinning the knife, the noise of scraping filled your ears until you were able to remove a large circle from the case, allowing you to grab the jewel, your life's work complete. Then, all the lights turned on.
A slow clapping echoed off the marble floor and walls, in time with the clack of heels. You hit the winch on your cable, trying to retract it and pull yourself up back onto the roof, but the device didn't respond. You looked back towards the noise to see a woman in a sweater dress approaching you, a small smirk on her face. Her split colored hair was familiar, part of a woman you investigated thoroughly, the director of the gallery. "Well done," she said, reaching your helpless, dangling form, "I'm impressed, you've made it further than most." You didn't respond, not wanting to give away your voice pattern to be identified later if you made it out of here, but the idea of not being recognized was dashed on the rocks as she pulled your balaclava off.
She reached into the case, plucking the diamond from its cushion, and admired it. "Do you know how this was made?" She asked, pacing around you as she inspected the gem, "I mean, you obviously know it's valuable, but do you know what?" "I don't care," you replied with more bravery than you felt, "Money is money." "Scarcity," she responded, ignoring your defiance, "Diamonds are actually relatively common, but the industry imposes an artificial scarcity, raising their price." She turned and looked into your soul with her bright, blue eyes. "But I've discovered a method to make my own perfectly cut diamonds, indistinguishable from natural ones," she grinned, "All I need is a large chunk of biomass."
A cold shiver ran down your spine, an evil presence filling the air. She placed the diamond back on its cushion, replacing the glass circle and seamlessly patching it back into the glass with a wave of her hand. You looked at her with fear, seeing her perform the impossible with ease. "The funniest thing about my method," she laughed as she reached her hand out, "Is that it ends up tempting more sorry souls to try their luck, letting me create even more." Her hand touched your side, causing you to cringe from her malevolent grasp. "I think you'll be my greatest piece so far," she cooed into your ear as a strange sensation coursed through your body.
You instantly seized, your body unresponsive to any movement. You straightened out into a planking pose, still hanging from the ceiling. A chill crawled up your back, spreading like dye diffusing in water. You felt your limbs start to retract into your body like a turtle, merging with your torso, causing your clothes to hang loosely or even fall from your missing limbs. You watched the reflection of your face in the glass as a blue, crystalline structure overtook your face, removing your features with its beautiful coloration and clarity. The last thing you saw of your body was your head, combining with your torso into one solid chunk of something.
With a clatter, you fell to the floor, skittering away from the display as your clothes fluttered behind you. The director bent over, picking up your tiny body with her delicate fingers. "My oh my," she ooed, rolling you around in her hand, "Such a beautiful jewel." You tried to move, your autonomy lost to the hands of this witch. "You're sure to bring in more pathetic thieves." She started walking towards a door, holding you up to see the empty cable and pile of clothes where you once stood. "I bet you'd look great on a ring or pendant," she told you as if you should be proud. "Regardless, you're sure to make an excellent exhibit in my growing collection." She wrapped you in a cloth and dropped you in her bag, leaving you to your exquisitely pretty fate.