It was dark and the house was still. Simms (aka Alex) was asleep in his room at the top of
the house while his Dad, who had earlier been transformed into Sobieski, the hunky Polish
gardener, slept in the next room.
Downstairs in the grandest room of the house, Alex's mom's bedchamber, the lights were
off and the moon shone in at the high windows through the open drapes. Alex's mom had
crept out of the house for a night out on the town after the rest of the household had
gone to sleep and had locked the Chronivac in the safe in her room to ensure that it
wouldn't get up to any mischief while she was out. Having left instructions which she
knew Simms and Sobieksy had no choice but to obey, she was now partying hard in a
downtown club where her slightly re-vamped appearance was certainly attracting
attention.
Back at the house, all was not as it should have been. Elliott O'Toole, a local reprobate
and part time burglar had, on passing the house earlier in the day, decided that the grand
newly renovated house would be his next target. Elliott, a barrel chested, balding man of
about 45 needed a break as he was down to his last fifty and behind on his rent. He
hoped that with this job, he'd be able to score enough gear to keep himself afloat for a
few months and maybe even take a vacation. Now, at midnight, he found himself
manipulating the catch on the window to Alex's mom's bedroom and slipping inside
secure in knowledge that the staff were asleep upstairs and that the lady of the house had
gone out - probably for the rest of the night.
Creeping around the room, Elliott examined the ornaments and trinkets arranged on the
dressing table and clothes chest before moving over to inspect the paintings that hung
around the room for signs of the safe he knew a house like this would possess. After
looking at two portraits, he finally found what he was looking for, an old looking oil
painting of a large white horse, saddled but rider-less, standing at the edge of a woodland
on the brow of a hill. The painting was clearly not hanging from the picture rail as the
others had been and using a small knife, he probed behind the frame until, with a click the
frame swung open revealing the dull metal face of a safe recessed into the wall.
After carefully placing his knife back into its sheath in his pocket, Elliott reached out a
glove hand to feel the electronic key pad on the front of the safe. As soon as his gloved
hands made contact, he saw a flash of yellow light and felt a sharp electric shock. Elliott
immediately, involuntarily withdrew his arm clutching at his tingling fingers and
suppressing the urge to yell out in pain as he hopped about on the expensive rug.
It was then that he noticed a strange feeling spreading over him.