Disclaimer: I don't own any
of the characters, so please don't sue me. I'm just making this because I'm a
big DA fan.
Timeline: I guess it's
somewhere after I and I am Camera, so nothing after that actually really
happens like Tinga being captured by Manticore and all that. I'm also taking
some information given in Meow, like Logan having fixed the exoskeleton and the
implant that can be traced.
A Night At Jam Pony
By Nevermind
Max couldn't believe
it. She had been looking forward to
this evening for a week. She felt she'd been waiting for this day for ages,
Logan had told her he had a surprise for her. Max took a hot bath and left her
apartment a good fifteen minutes before and so that she and Logan could have
this special dinner together at his place, but fate's mischievous hand had lowered
the boom. As soon as she got there,
Logan received a phone call from an informant telling him about a package he
had delivered him.
"No, I haven't received
it yet. Don't worry, I'm on it." Logan hung up the phone.
"Max..."
"Let me guess, we're not having
dinner because there's some major Eyes Only mission." It figured
everything had been going much too smoothly for it to last.
"Max, an informant sent
me information about a new case I'm on. But I didn't receive it. Guess what
company he used to deliver it?
"And your plan
is?"
"Since I believe the
package is still in the Jam Pony headquarters, somewhere, I thought we could go
in and take it back." Logan said approaching to Max and holding her hand.
"Dinner could wait." Logan smiled.
Max smiled back. "Let's
get going then."
As they walked to the
elevator, Max's hand started to shake. Not tonight! She hid her hand
putting it inside her jeans' pocket. There was no need to worry Logan.
*****************
He'd been supervising the operation
for a couple hours and still no sign of her. Lydecker could only hope Max did
have the implant on her and that the south Africans had told him the truth.
Otherwise, he would be in big trouble after providing their organization data
from early Manticore prototypes. Data worth millions and probably used to
improve the Red Series.
"Colonel, we've covered
sectors one through eight and everything south of Seneca. With all due respect,
I don't think the girl is--"
"Keep searching.",
Lydecker ordered.
"But, sir.
We've--"
"We will continue
searching until we get something. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"We are still missing
some areas. Search sector nine. The high-rise district."
"Yes, sir. Initiating
sweep of sector nine.", said the tracking tech.
Lydecker turned around. This
time he'll get her and he'll be in charge again of the project. Nothing, not
even her would stop him.
***********************
As soon as Logan parked his Aztek
outside Jam Pony, he stepped out with the help of his exoskeleton and helped
Max walk out of the car.
Logan noticed Max hadn't
talked much in the car. "Are you okay? You look kind of pale."
"I'm fine, Logan. I'm
just a little cold", she said as she hid her hand beneath her black
leather jacket.
The light was on in Normal's
office and over his counter reposed a pile of items, some of which she had seen
sitting about in her boss's office for as long as she had worked there. Moreover, Original Cindy was stationed at
her locker, scowling over litter that came from Sketchy's locker. Beside her Sketchy sat, feet propped on a
corner of a bench. Apparently Sketchy had had too much to drink.
Max stopped, she didn't
expect anybody at Jam Pony at that hour. Logan stopped as well behind her,
glancing around in mild surprise at the sight.
Normal came out of his
office noticing Max and Logan's presence. "Don't you people have
homes?" he inquired. Normal took a pile of papers and walked to his office
with it.
Original Cindy glanced up
and approached to them. "Hey,
boo.", she said looking at Logan.
"Cindy, what are you
all doing here?" she asked.
"Lookin' for wigga's
wallet" Original Cindy said. "Normal, he said he was cleanin' up his office.
Yeah, right."
"We were supposed to go
to a stunt contest at Crash..." Sketchy said.
"...but wigga here
forgot his wallet. Herbal's down there waiting for us to get the money. No
dolla, no stunt." Original
Cindy said. She surveyed Max. "You
aiight, boo?"
Max was about to answer when
Sketchy got up grunting.
"I don't feel so
good.", he said then running towards the entrance door.
Original Cindy laughed. A
smile appeared on Logan's face while his eyes focused on Max's arm. It seemed
her hand was shaking beneath her jacket.
He approached. "Max,
are you okay?" he asked in a low tone. As he spoke, four men and one
woman, carrying what looked like automatic weapons entered Jam Pony. The lead
man seized a young man and thrust him roughly backwards falling near Max and
Logan.
"George!" Logan
called the man.
"Logan, I'm sorry. They
tracked the phone call...they heard everything--" One of the invaders
kicked his face knocking him out. The rest of the group spread out into the
floor, and the woman let loose a blast of automatic fire into the ceiling.
Normal walked out from his
office. "What the fire truck is--"
One of the men grabbed
Normal, cutting him off. The tall man remaining
by the entrance raised his weapon and fired into the ceiling, showering them
with debris. Original Cindy crouched covering her head with both of her arms
while Max cowered back against Logan, who put an arm around her, looking
expressionlessly past her at the leader of the invaders. He recognized him as
Steven Dumont, leader of organized crime in the south of Seattle.
"The building is now
ours," Dumont announced. "I
suggest you all cooperate and everything will go smoothly." He nodded at Normal. "Let him go. You...down there."
He gestured with the muzzle of his weapon. Logan helped Max and Original Cindy to their feet, and obeyed
silently.
Max glanced wildly
around. Movement among the invaders
drew her attention once more. The woman
tossed Dumont a small bag. Dumont
unzipped it and removed a black device, which resembled, to Max's eyes, a
cellular phone.
"We've been told that
one of the packages here was addressed to Eyes Only--" He looked at
George's body lying on the floor. "Once we find the package, we'll get
closer to him and finish him off, once and for all. If I catch so much as
someone of you trying to escape or contact the police, this building will burn
in fire with all of you inside."
Logan's arm settled around
Max's shoulder. She glanced up at him,
then back at the men.
Dumont smiled
humorlessly. "So relax," he
said. "By morning this will all be
over, one way or another."
***********************
He, he, he. This is so fun.
Please review the story, I need to know if you liked it or not.
