"Diamonds Are Forever" Part 4
Scene 16, 2019, Jam Pony, the next day
Putting the cap back on her cherry lip balm tube and smacking her lips, Max placed the item back in her locker and shut the door. Sketchy was standing there with a black eye and a few cuts and bruises.
"What happened to you?" she asked.
"Big Joe," Sketchy whimpered, "Normal made me go on a run, and he saw me . . . .I was lucky to get away with just this," he said pointing to the black eye, "You gotta help me Max, pleeeeeeaaaaassssssseeeeee."
She rolled her eyes, "Sketchy, do you remember Lydia?"
"Yeah, you hung her by her ankles off the balcony," he said, "Why?"
"Do you remember what I said I'd do if I ever caught you doing something like that again?"
"Yeah," his face fell, "You were going to hang me by my ankles . . ."
"Then don't ask for my help." She walked towards the couch where Cindy and Herbal were seated. Sketchy followed, groveling.
"Max please . . . Cindy? Herbal?" he begged.
"Nope, these afro-puffs are not going to save your sorry ass this time," Cindy said.
"Ja tell us not to covet another man's woman," Herbal reminded him, "So I cannot thwart the consequences of such an action, my brother."
"Guys, c'mon," Sketchy pleaded. They looked up at him and shook their heads.
Scene 17, 2019, University Labs, that evening
"I cleared it with Professor MacMillian this morning," Max said, walking down the stairs to the University's computer lab. She was talking to the lab assistant that was following her and Aaron down there.
"Which Professor MacMillan?" the lab tech asked, "Because there are two, you know. Anne MacMillian or David MacMillan?"
"David MacMillian. Everyone knows Anne's on maternity leave until next month," Max said rolling her eyes, "Here's the paperwork." She shoved the papers and Ids that Logan had made in front of the lab assistant.
"Ok, well, still, I'm going to check," he said hurrying away.
"You do that," Max said to his back. She pulled the large chunk of Cubic Zirconium from the pocket of the lab coat she was wearing.
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Aaron asked, "Because to cut it by hand would take several months. It's a very complex cut. 375 facets alone."
"That's why we're using lasers," Max said putting the Zirconium in the laser box. She walked back to the computer controls and entered in the specifications Logan had given her. She started the lasers and the computer screen showed the process. Five minutes later, the computer screen displayed "Process Complete".
Max and Aaron walked over to the laser box. Opening it, Max revealed a rock that looked identical to the Vesper.
"Is that it?" Aaron asked.
"Almost. We just need some color," Max said, dipping it into a box. "Vapor deposit isn't the best method, but it's the quickest. But dip it in acetone and it's all over, since we're only putting on a two-micron layer."
"By that time Booke will have returned to South Africa and I'll be on my way to a safe place where he can't find me," Aaron said.
Max pulled the "diamond" out of the vapor deposit vat. It sparkled just like the real thing. "Well?"
"Amazing," Aaron told her.
Scene 18, 2019, The Museum, Sunday night
Logan pulled his Aztec to a halt not far from the museum's entrance. He cut the engine and killed the headlights.
"Max," he said as she started to jump out.
"Yeah?"
"Take this," he said, handing her a key card, "It'll get you into the museum. Your earpiece will keep you in contact with me. Wait for my signal. Got the diamond?"
"Yup," she grinned holding up the fake, "Check." She tucked it into a small bag she was carrying. She started towards the museum.
"Max?"
"Yes?" Her voice was showing her impatience to get going.
"Be careful," Logan grinned.
"I think you're enjoying this more than you're letting on," Max said. She turned and raced towards the museum. Logan pulled out his laptop and started typing commands to turn the museum's systems off.
Once she got to the museum's front, Max inserted the key card Logan had given her into the outside alarm access box. It would allow him remote access to the system, enabling him to shut off the security systems without sitting at the main frame.
"Go," she whispered.
Max readied her climbing gear and waited for Logan's signal.
"All set," he whispered.
She threw the grappling hook upon to the roof and secured it. Max's lithe muscles made scaling the outside wall an easy task. On the roof, she found the skylight above the room showcasing the diamond.
"In position," she whispered to Logan.
"Ok, freezing cameras . . . motion detectors . . . off . . . . sonic alarms . . . . off . . . go for it, Max."
Pulling a glasscutter from her bag, Max cut a circle just big enough for her to slip through. Securing her climbing cable to the roof, she dropped it down into the large room below. Slowly she slid down it and landed softly on the floor. Walking over to the Vesper's display case, she opened the front panel to the alarms on the case. Max rigged a by pass on the system that lead directly to Logan's computer.
"Kill switch," she whispered.
Logan turned off the case's alarms and spectrograph, and then opened the front glass panel of the case. Max gently plucked the Vesper from its pedestal and then replaced it with the copy.
"Set," she whispered.
Logan fed the new mass spectrograph into the system and closed the case. The lights inside came back on and the system accepted the fake.
Out front, in the lobby, the guard was just getting up to do his rounds when he was knocked out by a blow to the head. Booke's two thieves sat down at the control panel for the alarms and fed the machine the CD-rom that Booke had given them.
Max was preparing her climbing gear, and had hoisted herself up a few feet when Logan's voice stopped her. "Max, freeze!" His computer screen was flashing 'Motion Sensors On' in bright red.
Scene 19, 2019, The Museum (continuation of previous scene)
Mr. Red, one of Booke's thieves stared at the computer screen in front of him. "What the hell?" he hissed. Quickly he typed in some commands. Nothing seemed to work.
In the Aztec, Logan was feverishly typing away as well. He couldn't understand why the system wasn't responding.
"Looooogggggaaaaannnnn," Max whined, her patience wearing thin.
"Hang on, Max," he whispered. He typed a few more commands and then the screen flashed 'Motion Sensors Off'. "Sometimes it's better to be lucky than be good," he told her.
"There's no such thing as luck," she replied.
"Oh yeah? Then how did we meet?" he countered.
Max smiled to herself. She actually did believe in luck, despite Zack's attitude and her Manticore training. She lowered herself down to the ground. "I'm going out the back," she whispered. She had long endurance due to her genetic make-up, but her arms still tired like everyone else's and she didn't want to haul her ass up to the roof. Pulling down her climbing gear, she froze when she heard the door to the room open.
Max ducked behind a display case as Booke's two thieves entered. They did a quick scan of the room before one pulled out a crowbar and smashed the display case.
"Max?" Logan asked.
"Company," she replied, "They're taking the bait."
Logan began to get anxious. He didn't like this complication. "Still think this is cool?" he asked her.
Max ignored his query as she watched the two intruders. They grabbed the fake with greedy hands, quickly pocketing it.
Max's nose began to twitch.
The door opened again and Mitchellson's banker walked in. Max's heart jumped as she got a look at his face. Lydecker.
Her nose itched. She put a finger up to it.
"Hello, gentlemen," Lydecker greeted them, "I see you've got the Vesper for us."
"Max?" Logan's voice was worried.
"Ssshhh!" she whispered to him.
"But I'd like to make sure it's real," Lydecker said taking it from them.
The urge to sneeze passed. Max breathed deeply, but quietly.
Logan sneezed. Loudly.
Scene 20, 2019, The Museum (continuation of previous scene)
Everyone froze. Max looked for an escape route, but there wasn't one. Lydecker and the thieves were between her and it. Lydecker motioned to Red to sweep to the left while White, the other thief, swept right.
Lydecker pulled his gun and cut right down the middle towards Max. She jumped up from her hiding place and ran smack into Red, causing him to drop the diamond. She scooped it up in a flash and then perched her small frame on top of the case.
"Yo, Dimbulbs," she called. All three turned to her. "Catch," she said, throwing it to Lydecker. He almost dropped his gun grabbing the diamond out of the air. Max leapt off the case and up onto a lighting fixture. "But is that the real one," she taunted, "or is this it?" She held up the other diamond.
Red and White looked at each other and shrugged.
"This is the fake,' Lydecker said, looking up at her, "You wouldn't give us the real Vesper."
"Are you sure?" she asked. She dropped the second diamond and White raced to catch it. Max leapt down and grabbed the diamond out of Lydecker's hands before he could react. "Because this one looks an awful lot like the real thing."
Lydecker reaimed his gun at her, but she ran, dodging the bullet. "Shit," he cursed, wishing for an instant that he hadn't made her so well.
Max stopped in front of White. "Wanna trade?" she asked.
He looked at her then at the diamond, "Ummm," he stammered. She tossed the one in her hands to Red, just as White passed his to her.
"Thanks," she said before cold clocking him. He fell to the ground with a thud, out cold. Securing the first diamond in her bag, Max vaulted herself over a display case and landed in front of Red. She kicked his arm and sent the diamond flying into the air. Max quickly dealt with him.
Max looked up at the diamond, falling swiftly from its peak height aloft. She looked at Lydecker. Then she launched herself into the air, throwing out her grappling hook. She tucked her knees into her stomach, rolling into a ball. Reaching out, she grabbed the diamond, and pocketed it; dodging the bullet Lydecker sent speeding in her direction. Unrolling herself, she glanced up at the skylight, where her grappling hook had caught. She reached out, grabbed the rope and hauled herself up and out.
Scene 16, 2019, Jam Pony, the next day
Putting the cap back on her cherry lip balm tube and smacking her lips, Max placed the item back in her locker and shut the door. Sketchy was standing there with a black eye and a few cuts and bruises.
"What happened to you?" she asked.
"Big Joe," Sketchy whimpered, "Normal made me go on a run, and he saw me . . . .I was lucky to get away with just this," he said pointing to the black eye, "You gotta help me Max, pleeeeeeaaaaassssssseeeeee."
She rolled her eyes, "Sketchy, do you remember Lydia?"
"Yeah, you hung her by her ankles off the balcony," he said, "Why?"
"Do you remember what I said I'd do if I ever caught you doing something like that again?"
"Yeah," his face fell, "You were going to hang me by my ankles . . ."
"Then don't ask for my help." She walked towards the couch where Cindy and Herbal were seated. Sketchy followed, groveling.
"Max please . . . Cindy? Herbal?" he begged.
"Nope, these afro-puffs are not going to save your sorry ass this time," Cindy said.
"Ja tell us not to covet another man's woman," Herbal reminded him, "So I cannot thwart the consequences of such an action, my brother."
"Guys, c'mon," Sketchy pleaded. They looked up at him and shook their heads.
Scene 17, 2019, University Labs, that evening
"I cleared it with Professor MacMillian this morning," Max said, walking down the stairs to the University's computer lab. She was talking to the lab assistant that was following her and Aaron down there.
"Which Professor MacMillan?" the lab tech asked, "Because there are two, you know. Anne MacMillian or David MacMillan?"
"David MacMillian. Everyone knows Anne's on maternity leave until next month," Max said rolling her eyes, "Here's the paperwork." She shoved the papers and Ids that Logan had made in front of the lab assistant.
"Ok, well, still, I'm going to check," he said hurrying away.
"You do that," Max said to his back. She pulled the large chunk of Cubic Zirconium from the pocket of the lab coat she was wearing.
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Aaron asked, "Because to cut it by hand would take several months. It's a very complex cut. 375 facets alone."
"That's why we're using lasers," Max said putting the Zirconium in the laser box. She walked back to the computer controls and entered in the specifications Logan had given her. She started the lasers and the computer screen showed the process. Five minutes later, the computer screen displayed "Process Complete".
Max and Aaron walked over to the laser box. Opening it, Max revealed a rock that looked identical to the Vesper.
"Is that it?" Aaron asked.
"Almost. We just need some color," Max said, dipping it into a box. "Vapor deposit isn't the best method, but it's the quickest. But dip it in acetone and it's all over, since we're only putting on a two-micron layer."
"By that time Booke will have returned to South Africa and I'll be on my way to a safe place where he can't find me," Aaron said.
Max pulled the "diamond" out of the vapor deposit vat. It sparkled just like the real thing. "Well?"
"Amazing," Aaron told her.
Scene 18, 2019, The Museum, Sunday night
Logan pulled his Aztec to a halt not far from the museum's entrance. He cut the engine and killed the headlights.
"Max," he said as she started to jump out.
"Yeah?"
"Take this," he said, handing her a key card, "It'll get you into the museum. Your earpiece will keep you in contact with me. Wait for my signal. Got the diamond?"
"Yup," she grinned holding up the fake, "Check." She tucked it into a small bag she was carrying. She started towards the museum.
"Max?"
"Yes?" Her voice was showing her impatience to get going.
"Be careful," Logan grinned.
"I think you're enjoying this more than you're letting on," Max said. She turned and raced towards the museum. Logan pulled out his laptop and started typing commands to turn the museum's systems off.
Once she got to the museum's front, Max inserted the key card Logan had given her into the outside alarm access box. It would allow him remote access to the system, enabling him to shut off the security systems without sitting at the main frame.
"Go," she whispered.
Max readied her climbing gear and waited for Logan's signal.
"All set," he whispered.
She threw the grappling hook upon to the roof and secured it. Max's lithe muscles made scaling the outside wall an easy task. On the roof, she found the skylight above the room showcasing the diamond.
"In position," she whispered to Logan.
"Ok, freezing cameras . . . motion detectors . . . off . . . . sonic alarms . . . . off . . . go for it, Max."
Pulling a glasscutter from her bag, Max cut a circle just big enough for her to slip through. Securing her climbing cable to the roof, she dropped it down into the large room below. Slowly she slid down it and landed softly on the floor. Walking over to the Vesper's display case, she opened the front panel to the alarms on the case. Max rigged a by pass on the system that lead directly to Logan's computer.
"Kill switch," she whispered.
Logan turned off the case's alarms and spectrograph, and then opened the front glass panel of the case. Max gently plucked the Vesper from its pedestal and then replaced it with the copy.
"Set," she whispered.
Logan fed the new mass spectrograph into the system and closed the case. The lights inside came back on and the system accepted the fake.
Out front, in the lobby, the guard was just getting up to do his rounds when he was knocked out by a blow to the head. Booke's two thieves sat down at the control panel for the alarms and fed the machine the CD-rom that Booke had given them.
Max was preparing her climbing gear, and had hoisted herself up a few feet when Logan's voice stopped her. "Max, freeze!" His computer screen was flashing 'Motion Sensors On' in bright red.
Scene 19, 2019, The Museum (continuation of previous scene)
Mr. Red, one of Booke's thieves stared at the computer screen in front of him. "What the hell?" he hissed. Quickly he typed in some commands. Nothing seemed to work.
In the Aztec, Logan was feverishly typing away as well. He couldn't understand why the system wasn't responding.
"Looooogggggaaaaannnnn," Max whined, her patience wearing thin.
"Hang on, Max," he whispered. He typed a few more commands and then the screen flashed 'Motion Sensors Off'. "Sometimes it's better to be lucky than be good," he told her.
"There's no such thing as luck," she replied.
"Oh yeah? Then how did we meet?" he countered.
Max smiled to herself. She actually did believe in luck, despite Zack's attitude and her Manticore training. She lowered herself down to the ground. "I'm going out the back," she whispered. She had long endurance due to her genetic make-up, but her arms still tired like everyone else's and she didn't want to haul her ass up to the roof. Pulling down her climbing gear, she froze when she heard the door to the room open.
Max ducked behind a display case as Booke's two thieves entered. They did a quick scan of the room before one pulled out a crowbar and smashed the display case.
"Max?" Logan asked.
"Company," she replied, "They're taking the bait."
Logan began to get anxious. He didn't like this complication. "Still think this is cool?" he asked her.
Max ignored his query as she watched the two intruders. They grabbed the fake with greedy hands, quickly pocketing it.
Max's nose began to twitch.
The door opened again and Mitchellson's banker walked in. Max's heart jumped as she got a look at his face. Lydecker.
Her nose itched. She put a finger up to it.
"Hello, gentlemen," Lydecker greeted them, "I see you've got the Vesper for us."
"Max?" Logan's voice was worried.
"Ssshhh!" she whispered to him.
"But I'd like to make sure it's real," Lydecker said taking it from them.
The urge to sneeze passed. Max breathed deeply, but quietly.
Logan sneezed. Loudly.
Scene 20, 2019, The Museum (continuation of previous scene)
Everyone froze. Max looked for an escape route, but there wasn't one. Lydecker and the thieves were between her and it. Lydecker motioned to Red to sweep to the left while White, the other thief, swept right.
Lydecker pulled his gun and cut right down the middle towards Max. She jumped up from her hiding place and ran smack into Red, causing him to drop the diamond. She scooped it up in a flash and then perched her small frame on top of the case.
"Yo, Dimbulbs," she called. All three turned to her. "Catch," she said, throwing it to Lydecker. He almost dropped his gun grabbing the diamond out of the air. Max leapt off the case and up onto a lighting fixture. "But is that the real one," she taunted, "or is this it?" She held up the other diamond.
Red and White looked at each other and shrugged.
"This is the fake,' Lydecker said, looking up at her, "You wouldn't give us the real Vesper."
"Are you sure?" she asked. She dropped the second diamond and White raced to catch it. Max leapt down and grabbed the diamond out of Lydecker's hands before he could react. "Because this one looks an awful lot like the real thing."
Lydecker reaimed his gun at her, but she ran, dodging the bullet. "Shit," he cursed, wishing for an instant that he hadn't made her so well.
Max stopped in front of White. "Wanna trade?" she asked.
He looked at her then at the diamond, "Ummm," he stammered. She tossed the one in her hands to Red, just as White passed his to her.
"Thanks," she said before cold clocking him. He fell to the ground with a thud, out cold. Securing the first diamond in her bag, Max vaulted herself over a display case and landed in front of Red. She kicked his arm and sent the diamond flying into the air. Max quickly dealt with him.
Max looked up at the diamond, falling swiftly from its peak height aloft. She looked at Lydecker. Then she launched herself into the air, throwing out her grappling hook. She tucked her knees into her stomach, rolling into a ball. Reaching out, she grabbed the diamond, and pocketed it; dodging the bullet Lydecker sent speeding in her direction. Unrolling herself, she glanced up at the skylight, where her grappling hook had caught. She reached out, grabbed the rope and hauled herself up and out.