The first crack of dawn’s early light is slit across the belly of the dark night sky and the atmosphere visibly softens as the light is let through. In this half-light the world begins to stir. Rats and other foraging vermin scuttle off to hide in dark places, upsetting leaves and refuse in their departure. The first wary birds offer a few chirped bars to herald the light and signal their territorial boundaries. Along Oxford road in Manchester a milk float slowly meanders along on its way to deliver fresh milk, its cargo of glass bottles gently chinking against one other. At a small news agents shop, the front door opens and a yawning Asian youth wipes his eyes and takes a look around at the world before soundlessly picking up the bale of newspapers from the pavement and walking back inside.

Outside the Whitworth Art Gallery, along Oxford road, nothing moves nor stirs. The great stone building, itself a thing of beauty rises slowly into view in the dawning light. A light rush of wind picks up some litter and tosses it along the road. As it passes the gallery it rustles the leafy trees outside and by a side entrance an iron gate silently glides open. Inside a slightly overweight and balding security guard is continuing his rounds with his feet up on the desk watching the security system camera monitors. He is obviously bored and the bank of screens gently flicker their continued grey vision of an empty building. Along the corridor some way is the gallery at the back of the building. In this great open white room there are a number of golden gilded frames all housing various pieces of historically important art. Silently and with no witness to be surprised, one of the pictures appears to lift itself off the wall and hangs suspended for a moment in the air and then it simply disappears. The security guard has not noticed this on the monitors until a small red light begins to insistently blink at him from a panel on the desk. He shakes himself awake and looks aghast at the screens, as he sees the empty space on the wall. He jumps up with a start and says “Oh shit!” and then hits another button and sounds another alarm. This one appears to lock doors and bring down shutters as well as initiating a piercing alarm from loud speakers around the building and siren lights on the walls whir into action and flash red alarm signals.