Molly perched on the ledge of the second-story window, her fingertips gripping the sill tight enough to make her knuckles turn white. She peered through the curtain at the revelry below, a sea of chubby little cheeks glowing with excitement, swarming around a bouncy castle. "That has to be at least a hundred kids." Bill joined her, rubbing his hands eagerly. "There's gotta be at least a grand worth of swag here. A robot for every little tyke and a hoverboard for the birthday boy himself." Molly whistled. "Imagine the resistance--the wailing, the tantrums. The whole neighborhood'll be awake by sundown." "Oh, don't be such a Grinch, Molly. We just need to pop in, grab, and scoot," Bill assured her. "And be the bad guys to an entire birthday party," Molly mumbled, unable to shake off the mental image of a sobbing child. "Well, we're thieves." Bill broke into a broad grin. "Bring on the bad rep." Molly sighed, accepting reality. "Alright." She turned and nodded to the ribbon running along the window ledge. "The rope. It's secure?" "As a town's foundation." "And the decoy? Can we trust it?" "Little Timmy left his truck unattended, just like you said. I've got the remote control hooked up. It'll chase the grown-ups around the block quicker than they can say 'missing child.'" Molly couldn't hide her smile at that. "Perfect. So, we rappel down, disorient the masses with the smoke grenade, and collect our loot. The getaway van's parked five blocks over?" "Two blocks, double-parked, hot engine. No idea why people still use internal-combustion," Bill grumbled. "At least it disguises our exit." Molly stepped back from the window, eyes on the target. "On my mark. Ready?" "Born ready." She rolled a dime, caught it, and nudged it off the ledge. It thudded onto the grass below before bouncing a bit. "Three, two, one." Molly leaped off the window, her body cocooned by the rope, and plummeted towards the chaos. Bill gave a cheerful thumbs up, raced inside, then followed Molly into the void. Within moments, the window was papered with shadows as they descended. Molly hit the ground first, unfurled her rope, brushing off the grass stains. Bill joined her, and they jogged around the corner. With practiced ease, they unsheathed their smoke grenades; Molly primed a red one, and Bill a green. "On the count of three," Molly said, eyes darting to her partner. "One... two..." Bill pulled the pin and tossed his grenade, unleashing a plume of green smoke. Molly hesitated momentarily before following suit, a disapproving look in her eye, and the red smoke drifted towards the bouncy castle. Kids and parents alike let out a mix of screams and confused shouts as the festivities were swallowed by a fog. Chaos reigned. Molly snatched a hoverboard, clicked her fingers, and sprinted towards the vehicle. Bill grabbed armfuls of gifts while the smoke thickened. "The van!" she yelled over the chaos. Squeals and screams mingled with the revving engine as she reached the car. "Just a few more, just a few!" Bill belted back, weaving through the disarray. Molly nodded, sliding into the driver's seat just as the decoy, Timmy's truck, roared to life. She reversed it right into a garden wall, before speeding off. From the back, Bill hefted his gift pile, discarding the last of the presents into the vehicle. "Those parents'll never see it coming." "We'll ditch the van and reappear after the press releases," Molly grinned, skidding a U-turn. The getaway cut through alleys as the decoy's siren echoed through the neighborhood. "Happy birthday, Little Timmy. Hope you enjoyed your 'special' surprise, or maybe not," she muttered, building speed. "We cleaned up at the orphanage's Christmas bake sale," Bill said with pride. "Now we've upgraded to a tech-savvy's dream day. Not bad for a duo, eh?" "Not bad, indeed." Molly looked over at her partner. "You and your stupid truck." "Sometimes a simple distraction is all it takes." The pair revelled in their latest victory, their laughter the only sound as they left the party, the smoke, and the devastated parents behind. A cloud of dust and cheerful banter echoing away until the duo vanished, already plotting their next family-friendly caper.