This is my first fanfic, so be merciful. But if I suck, don't be too merciful, or then I might write another one equally bad or worse, and nobody needs that. E-mail me at
Disclaimer: They ain't mine. I just borrowed 'em, and I promise to give 'em back when I'm done. Sue me if you like, but bear in mind I have a net worth of about sixteen dollars and seventy-three cents, so it probably wouldn't be worth your time.
______________________________________________________________________________________
Max picked up her Tryptophan bottle and glanced inside. Empty. Great. She sighed as her eyes darted their way across the apartment, looking for anything of value that might be fenced. She sighed again, louder this time. She was broke, and she knew it. The Ninja needed a new oil filter last week, which had cost her most of her last paycheck, but hey, priorities were priorities, and the Ninja was at the top of Max's list. Oh well. She had to get the money somewhere, and there's nothing like a little petty larceny to put some spring in a girl's step.
+++
Max slid effortlessly through the upstairs window. She'd picked the house of a known Pulse profiteer, Issac Gosland, which made her feel less guilty about the fact she was about to rip him off, and good, too. It was like Robin Hood. Yeah, exactly. Steal from the rich to benefit the poor.
There was a party going on downstairs, which made this easier because she could be sure nobody would wander in at an inopportune moment. Max glanced around. She was in a bedroom. The interior of the house was ugly. It was expensively decorated, but clearly all the money in the world couldn't buy this guy some taste.
Her eyes wandered around the room. "What should I take…" she wondered. Maybe this was the best part of stealing. Deciding what to take, what probably wouldn't be missed, what would bring her the most money from the fencers. She walked over to the dresser and poked through a dish on the top. It contained some change, a few curling dollar bills, a wristwatch, a pack of cigarettes, and a few pairs of cufflinks. Max held the watch up to the light. It was a silver and gold Rolex, pre-Pulse. She was puzzled - it seemed like somebody as rich as this guy would own a showier watch, like the diamond-studded. Then she noticed it had an inscription of some sort on the clasp. ::Congratulations! Love, Mom and Dad:: She put it back down. This guy would definitely notice if it was gone. Plus, it was probably some sort of family heirloom or sentimental junk like that. Probably his mom and dad had to work overtime to buy the thing. She knew it would definitely net her more cash than anything else, but she just couldn't justify it in her mind. She picked up the cufflinks. They were hideous. Gosland definitely bought them himself. Perfect. She dropped them in her pocket and was heading back to the window when she heard someone approaching. It was a female voice. Then a deep voice responded. She stopped in her tracks as she heard the door open.
"Are you sure nobody's in here?" the girl asked. Her voice was lilting and pleasant.
The voice nagged at Max's mind. I know that voice, she thought. At least I think I know it. But she couldn't place it.
"I'll look around," said the man. "Stay there."
Max's eyes grew wide and she caught her lower lip with her teeth. No way, she thought. No way. Her eyes darted around the room as she looked for a place to hide, and she made a mad dash for the closet.
Clearly she hadn't been fast enough.
"Max?"
"Logan…."
