[h2][color=f9ad81]Niah Bautista[/color][/h2]


Niah was left alone with a horrific sound and an even worse smell. It dissipated quickly and most people probably couldn’t even smell it. Yeah, that solidified it she would never travel that way, definitely not. She shook her head and headed up, swinging by her desk for a bag with her travel supplies, and a field CSI kit. She was good, but her memory wasn’t perfect. Niah could find fingerprints but she couldn’t add them into IAFIS.

[color=f7941d]“Our target might be in the Arlington Museum of Art. There are reports of an invisible person assaulting museum patrons. B, can you check it out maybe? I’ll head that way as well. N, the scene is all yours. Tell them you’re with Ms. Page.”[/color]

Oh goodie that meant she’d be there alone, she’d have to be careful when looking.

Niah took her own car to the bank, it didn’t take long, though not as short a drive as just ‘popping’ over there. She shivered at the idea. Niah was parking when her phone beeped and buzzed. The combination was necessary because she wouldn’t hear anything if she was focused on sight. 

Niah entered the bank, crossing under the police line with a flash of her badge, a brief thought that she was thankful she had forgotten to take off her lab coat. People always respected people in uniforms, even ones as simple as the lab coat.

“Ma’am?” One of the police officers started to intercept her.

[color=f9ad81]“Hello, I’m Niah Bautista I am here to investigate the scene I belive this has already been cleared through Ms. Page.”[/color] The police office blinked for a moment and then another man walked over.

“I am Lieutenant Harrington.” The man said holding out his hand. Niah bowed slightly over it instead of taking it. If the man had been bothered by that he didn’t show it on his features when Naih stood back up.

[color=f9ad81]“I’m here to check the scene for anything that may help in our investigation. Once I’m done you’re team can have it back. I won’t be long, and I won’t mess anything up I promise.”[/color] 

“Right. Follow me. You’ll have to forgive me, but I’ll watch to make sure there is no contamination.”

[color=f9ad81]“Fair enough.”[/color] Niah nodded and entered the bank, as she pulled on a set of latex gloves. For a moment she was taken aback by the smell. Those people. She shook her head to dispel the queasiness that rose. Niah glanced at Harrington; he was watching her, as if trying to catch her in a lie.

She ignored him and let herself focus on looking. Her vision sharpened, which was saying something, but now she could focus down to a micro level. The downside of course was she couldn’t hear. If Harrington spoke to her she’d have no idea. 

Niah followed subtle signs. A hand on top of a leg, that person fell first, a quarter turn, someone had tried to run. She made her way into the vault. The auditor’s paperwork still laid out on the table, but no body in there. That meant he was still alive, which meant there was a witness. Niah glanced up, video cameras, they’d have to get a copy of the day’s recordings. 

A hair. Long and blonde. She knelt beside it, pulled out a pair of tweezers. Everything focused deeply on that hair, for a moment nothing else existed. Niah couldn’t see DNA or anything that small, but she could see that the hair had to be human due to the texture. There was a bend part way up it, probably from repeated use of hair ties. 

Pulling herself from her focus she looked up at Harrington as he spoke, “-you are.” He looked irritated, and Niah suspected he’d be even more pissed off if there wasn’t still some of Autumn’s pheromones around him. 

[color=f9ad81]“I’d like a copy of the security footage from the whole building for the day.”[/color] The man paled a bit.

“Did you not hear a thing I just said?”

[color=f9ad81]“Actually no I didn’t. I tuned you out. Was it more important than finding murderers and kidnappers?”[/color] Niah said a whole lot braver than she felt. Maybe it was some of Autumn’s pheromones making her feel braver than usual. 

“I’ll get you a copy of it if you explain who you are.” He crossed his arms, blocking her way out of the vault.

[color=f9ad81]“I’m Niah Bautista. I already said that. I work for Sector X, and I am investigating a person of interest. Did you need to know something else?”[/color] Niah turned around and with a small slight of hand she bagged the long blonde hair. No way in hell was she going to let the regular cops get ahold of this woman. She was in too much danger to be locked up in jail, Shadow had tendrils everywhere.

“Who are you investigating?” Turned back around to face Harrington.

[color=f9ad81]“That’s classified.”[/color] That was technically correct, and the allowances Sector X had, even not being a government agency was enough that this man’s clearance wouldn’t be enough. [color=f9ad81]”If you don’t mind those tapes.”[/color] Niah could only hope that at this point Autumn and Hearne had found the woman. Lucky for her Harrington turned on his heel and left her alone in the vault, now for a closer look at those eyes.

That was where Harrington found her several minutes later. Niah didn’t know how long he had been there before she let her focus drop. His lips were pursed though, his patience was wearing thin. He held out a disk for her. 

“Are you finished?” Niah nodded, and walked out of the bank heading for her car. She’d store the hair and disk in the car and then see if she could find the other two.