DISCLAIMER: Code Geass and its characters belong to Sunrise, Inc.

Phantom Thievery 101:

Choose your target ― CHECK!

Study the location ― CHECK!

Plan your entrance ― CHECK!

Send your note to the item's owner ― CHECK!

Get the item ― CHECK!

So far, so good.

NOT! she said in her thoughts. She now sincerely wished that someone had indeed written an actual manual for phantom thieves. Especially for two items she had yet to check off the list.

Plan your getaway ― X

Wave to the police and vanish into the night ― X

She was doing very, VERY terribly at both.

She sighed. Her favorite comic made it look super easy. From what she experienced so far (all during her first heist, by the way), she'd want to add at least two more things to that list, namely,

One: Tick everything off the list before actually going through with it; and

Two: Don't go at it solo.

She especially regretted not considering the second one. She really, really wished somebody could tell her which way to go without getting spotted, right now. She supposed she should congratulate herself for lasting over ten minutes since the alarms went off without getting caught, but her choices for an escape route when (or if) she finally managed to exit the building with her quarry diminished with every passing second. She tried going over the possible exits in her head again, but in her increasing panic, she couldn't focus on which exits were already blocked off. At the sound of approaching footsteps, she pressed her back further against the wall she was leaning on. She knew she should move from her hiding place, but the feeling of hopelessness was already taking over her mind. The footsteps were coming closer. It was too late. They'd catch her for sure! She closed her eyes tightly, letting a teardrop fall.

Naoto, I'm sorry!

The wall she was leaning on suddenly flipped sideways, making her fall to the floor of the room behind it. She blinked once before watching the wall she just fell through spin back into position, the portal closing as silently as it had opened.

The sound of something clattering to the floor broke the silence, and immediately she thought of something else to add to future checklists:

Wear the proper gear.

Honestly, what was she thinking, wearing only her high school gym leotards and tights (dyed black just last night) to a heist? She needed something that at least had pockets! Picking up the dropped flash drive she slipped it under her top, hoping that her other assets had a better grip on it than her now shaking hands could offer. She froze next, having heard voices from the other side of the wall she fell through. When the guards finally moved on after a few seconds of conversation, she released the breath she was holding, silently thanking her luck for falling through the hidden door the way she did. Panic having faded somewhat, she then quietly got up and took stock of her surroundings.

She whirled to the sound of light clicks ―not unlike that of a ballpoint pen― from the deeper within the room. She squinted to get a better look in the darkness toward the general direction of its source. When the clicks came again, she walked toward what looked like an opening to a corridor ― one she didn't recall seeing in any of the blueprints she perused. She stopped herself before she could call out to ask if anyone was there; she was trying to make a getaway, after all. Once in the corridor the clicks came again, this time to the left, from deeper into the darkness. Having assumed that whoever (or whatever) was making the clicks was also the one responsible for opening that wall, she took a gamble and followed the sounds wherever it led her. What could be worse that getting caught, right?

After a while, when she had moved a fair distance from where all the commotion was, it had grown quiet enough that she noticed the sound of light footsteps from the same direction as the clicks. She picked up her pace, hoping to catch a glimpse of her guide, but whoever it was also picked up their pace, staying just far away from her to keep her at a distance while making sure she was following. The apparent dead end ahead of them swung open, and she saw the silhouette of a person before the wall swung closed behind the figure. She broke into a run, hoping to catch the person in the next room, only to be blinded by the light of what appeared to be a locker room. When her eyesight adjusted enough to the brightness, she noted that the wall she just passed through disappeared behind a broom closet that slid back into place. Hanging on the door of said broom closet was a jumpsuit of the janitorial staff, coincidentally in her size, with a note attached to it:

Put this on and leave through the door. If anybody asks, tell them you fell asleep.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, she quickly decided to do as the note said and put on the jumpsuit. Preparing to leave, she noticed that the door was locked from the inside. She looked one more time around the room, and immediately gave up. Whoever she was following probably left through another hidden door. She turned the latch and left the room, to run directly into the path of one head janitress.

"There you are!" she said. "What were you doing in there?"

"Fell asleep, Ma'am," she replied, faking an accent. "Won't happen again, Ma'am."

"Go on, get out of here!" she dismissed her, gesturing wildly. "If anybody sees you, it'll be my neck on the line."

"Right away, Ma'am!" Nothing more was said.

Once outside, she noticed that the police cars that had been surrounding the building were quickly driving away, as if to go on a chase. Not believing her luck, she walked calmly away in the opposite direction, thus completing her first act as a criminal.

When the sounds of sirens were faint enough, she slipped into an alley and finally allowed herself to relax. Leaning against one wall and sighing heavily, she checked out her prize one more time, and found it where she put it.

Information. That was what she was truly after. That brooch with the gigantic gem that she said she would be stealing was just for show (she actually left it wrapped in blue toilet paper in some wastebasket). While they were guarding the jewelry, she was elsewhere, already hacking into the owner's data to get what she needed. That done, she went to steal the artifact as promised, then tried to escape.

She thought back to her guide. Whoever they were, she owed them her life. She hoped she could somehow, someday find a way to―

Deep in thought, her right hand had absentmindedly gone into the jumpsuit's pocket, and found something there. She pulled it out, and it turned out to be a glossy business card. One side said "I'll be in touch." in elegant script. The other side contained only a black oval with a straight line going diagonally across it. She had seen this mark before.

"Zero?"

-.o.O.o.-

"Well?"

"All according to your plan, as per usual."

A pause. "Not all of it."

A scoff. "So you made one mistake. Big deal. It's not like you won't get another chance."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Of course. What sort of accomplice would I be if I don't at least try lift your spirits?"

Silence.

"So, did she pass?"

"An assessment is still in order. Commence phase two on Monday."

A raised eyebrow. "So soon?"

"It should be enough time."

"For you?"

"You can go, witch."

A pause. "As you wish."