Disclaimer: See previous chapters
A/N: Sorry for the long delay(again)… life is still crazy. I am actually adding some plot (gasp) and I am kind of working on another story too… but I'm actually going to get most of it written before I post(the other story that is)… Anyway thanks for the nice feedback, please keep it coming, as it is really the driving force behind my writing. And all my pals from Atomic, please review!!! Actually… everyone review… I really need to hear the feedback to figure out if I should keep at this… I know my posts are few and far between… but I promise to get them out faster… especially if I get the reviews… If you don't want to review here, you can always email me at Marquette_smith@hotmail.com
Jam Pony
Normal glanced at the clock as Max sauntered into Jam Pony, in disbelief he checked his watch. "Well, well, well… Do my eyes deceive me or is that Max I see, and before nine even."
"Yeah Normal, it' me… early even." Max shot back, nothing was going to ruin her good mood.
Normal looked on stunned by Max's unusually sunny disposition. "Yeah… Well you better be ready for a hot run at nine on the dot!" He, for lack of anything better to say, grumbled.
Unperturbed Max continued back to her locker, an unflappable air of cheerfulness surrounding her. Max sat her backpack on the bench as she turned to her locker to open it. As she pulled the lunch Logan had packed from her bag she was rushed by a shock of pleasure at the obvious display of caring.
"Hey Boo!" Cindy called as she exited the women's room. "Where ya been hidin' yourself all weekend?"
"Uh… I was at Logan's" Max mumbled into her locker.
"Oh!" Cindy sounded disappointed. "Some hot and heavy mission stuff?" She asked, feeling like she already knew the answer. Damn… Will those two ever get their shit together? Cindy wondered.
Max flushed at the mention of "hot and heavy", color still stained her cheeks as she turned to face her friend. "You could say that." Max replied, her lips split by a wholly unrepentant grin.
Cindy grabbed Max by the shoulders, peering deep into her face. "Holy shit!! It's about damned time!" Cindy exclaimed as comprehension dawned on her. "Original Cindy be needing the whole story here."
"You'll get them… at lunch." Max said as she pointed to the brown bag in her locker. "Logan packed us a lunch, he figured we'd want to gab." She finished, love and tenderness shining clear in her eyes.
"Boo, this calls for celebration! You call Logan, tell him he better get his skinny, white ass over to Crash tonight. We gonna party this up right."
"I don't know… he might not… well, it's not exactly his scene… Ya know… the peeps… the stairs…" Max answered evasively.
"Boo, you my girl, ya know that… but don't go cutting your boy short… there's a back door, only has about an inch rise… your boy can handle that… As for the peeps, Logan jives with anyone… hell look at what he does." Cindy finished in a near whisper.
"I'll see…" Max answered noncommittally.
"No, You'll do… that's an order from Original Cindy herself… and if ya don't… I'll call his lickety ass myself, got it?"
Knowing Cindy would do just that Max grudgingly agreed to talk to Logan. As she turned to leave, ready for her first run, Cindy stopped her. "Max… don't let this guy go… he's solid… Ya dig?"
"Yeah… I dig." Max called back, her face bursting with joy. "See ya at lunch… meet me here around 12:30." Max shouted as she headed out on her first run of the day.
Foggle Towers
After Max had left Logan cleaned up from breakfast, his mind drifting back over the idyllic weekend he and Max had shared. The future didn't seem quite so bleak with her in it. Ha… he chuckled to himself. Who would have thought a dark angel could bring so much light to his life.
Max, Logan thought, was different from most people, not just in her genetic make-up either. Most people had tried to deal with Logan and his disability by ignoring the chair. Pretending the shooting had never occurred, that everything was still the same. The tried to pretend his lack of mobility, his impairment, was unnoticeable, or even worse unimportant, that it didn't matter. Logan himself had fallen into that trap. From time to time, Logan too, had tried to hide from the paralysis, the chair and all that came with it.
Max was the only one, outside of the disabled and medical community, who had dealt with the issue head on. She had never tried to diminish the import of what had happened to him, she recognized it for the life changing event it was. Her seemingly easy acceptance of the situation had enabled Logan to begin to deal with his injuries in an honest and healthy manner. Following Max's example he learned to look at the obstacles as challenges and focus on overcoming them, or getting around them if necessary. Logan wasn't fool enough to believe that it would be smooth sailing from here on out. He knew there was pain yet to come, but Max had given him the needed emotional strength to handle whatever came his way. Life was suddenly looking a hell of a lot brighter than it had the week before. She's a remarkable woman Logan reflected. And you're damn luck to have found her, Logan reminded himself.
The invasive sound of the telephone ringing startled Logan out of his reverie. Logan raced to the phone, picking it up just before the answering machine.
"Hey!" piped Max's voice on the other end.
"Hey yourself… what's up?" He asked concern lacing his voice.
"Not much… You were right."
"Aren't I always?" Logan quipped, he'd always enjoyed their vocal swordplay.
"Grrr…. I'll let you keep those illusions." Max retorted playfully. "I meant about Original Cindy… She's dying to talk… She's excited for us too, of course…"
"And?" Logan asked, sensing she was holding something back.
"And…" Max stalled. How the hell can he read me so well, she wondered for not the first time. "And she wants us, you and me, to celebrate with the crew, at Crash, tonight. There's a backdoor, so stairs shouldn't be a problem, and I know they aren't really your type of peeps" Max went on in a rush.
"Yes" Logan interrupted.
"Wh…what?"
"Yes Max, I'll come."
"Seriously?" She asked yet again.
"Yes, seriously. It'll be fun."
"Logan," Max paused "Thanks." She answered, her voice full of love and tenderness. In that moment he knew, no matter the challenged he'd face at the crowded bar, it would be well worth it just to hear that catch of emotion in Max's voice.
"So, you want me to pick you up? Or what?" Logan inquired.
"No, I think I'll just head over after work, get ready at your place. Then we'll meet up with the gang there. Sound OK?"
"Sounds supreme," Logan grinned. "See ya then."
"K, I love you."
"I love you too, talk to ya later."
"Bye" Max said just as she hung up.
Max, much better than Cindy, recognized that stairs weren't the only difficulty Logan would face at Crash, but he was coming anyway, just because she'd asked. Max held that knowledge to her heart as she returned to her bike, a blinding smile plastered to her face.
Logan smiled as he hung up, he was inordinately pleased with himself. It felt damn good to make Max so happy. Still grinning, he headed for the den, he really needed to get some work done before Bling arrived.
Logan winced as he pulled up to his computer and logged into the informant net. Bling had weeded through most of the chafe, but there was still a ton to be done. Due to the nature of his business many of the "leads" her received were groundless accusations, crazy conspiracy theories, and outlandish tales, supplied by a paranoid population teetering on the edge of sanity. Much of the challenge lay in digging through the lunacy and finding the pearl of truth hidden within.
By far the most promising tip he'd received was on a proposed buy out of Seattle Electric. The deeper he delved into the case the more perplexing it had become. PowerTrust an unknown company, which had seemingly sprung from nowhere, was currently in negotiations to purchase Seattle's only electricity supplier. Although there no obvious red flags, the journalist instinct in Logan were sounding the alarm, something about the deal just didn't feel right. Logan had poured over the corporate balance sheets the informant had provided, but found nothing. He had noticed that time and again large infusions of capital were listed, but the source was never noted. It seemed suspicious, but with his limited of knowledge of accounting, he wasn't sure if this was a common practice. The only other balance sheets Logan had really ever looked over were those presented at the quarterly board meetings of Cale Industries. For the first time Logan wished he'd paid a bit more attention in those meetings, maybe then he could make mores sense of the sheet spread before him now.
Frustrated, Logan turned to his computer, at least that he could understand. Logan searched through newspaper articles, business magazines, court filings, anything for a possible lead. He found nothing concrete. PowerTrust was deliberately maintaining a low profile. The only possibly related information he came up with was on the proposed deregulation of the utilities being spearheaded by none other than Seattle's very own king of corruption, Alan Lans. Logan was willing to bet that somewhere Alan Lans was involved in the PowerTrust bid for Seattle Electric, he just needed to find the proof.
Wearily Logan pulled his glasses from his face, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. It looked like the only way he was going to find anything was from their own systems. He threaded his fingers though each other as he cracked his knuckles, grinning at the challenge facing him. It was hacking time.
"Dammit!" Logan groaned as he pounded the desk an hour later. He'd broken into DOD computers that were less protected that this. In frustration, he conceded defeat, for the time being at least, and turned back towards the spreadsheets he'd received. There has to be something in these, Logan thought. The informant must have thought so, or he wouldn't have sent them. Perplexed, he continued to stare vacantly at the pages spread before him. Although reluctant to bring anyone else into the danger that was Eyes Only, he recognized he needed help, professional help. Logan grabbed his wallet and pulled out the business card he'd received weeks before.
"Hey Jack," Logan called after he'd been placed through by the receptionist.
"Logan? Hey man, what can I do for you?" Jack asked, pleased to hear from Logan.
"Well, I was just wondering, you go over a lot of corporate balance sheets in your work, right? "
"Yeah, I do"
"Ya see, I'm working on a story, an investigative peace… and I've come up with a balance sheet… but I can't make heads or tails of it… I was wondering if you'd mind looking over it with me."
"Not a problem, do you want to meet at my office?"
"Tell ya what, it's almost lunch time… If you don't have plans, I'll treat, you pick the place…"
"Sounds good to me, how about 45 minutes… there's a place by the Pike Place Market, Sallie's… it's kind of a dive, but they make a mean oyster stew.?
"Sounds fine… And Jack, thanks, I owe ya one on this."
As Logan hung up, he looked down at his attire, as divey as the place may be, he suspected that boxer shorts wouldn't be considered appropriate attire. Glad to be doing something important, Logan smiled as he headed to the bedroom to change. He had some Eyes Only "legwork" to do.
A/N: Sorry for the long delay(again)… life is still crazy. I am actually adding some plot (gasp) and I am kind of working on another story too… but I'm actually going to get most of it written before I post(the other story that is)… Anyway thanks for the nice feedback, please keep it coming, as it is really the driving force behind my writing. And all my pals from Atomic, please review!!! Actually… everyone review… I really need to hear the feedback to figure out if I should keep at this… I know my posts are few and far between… but I promise to get them out faster… especially if I get the reviews… If you don't want to review here, you can always email me at Marquette_smith@hotmail.com
Jam Pony
Normal glanced at the clock as Max sauntered into Jam Pony, in disbelief he checked his watch. "Well, well, well… Do my eyes deceive me or is that Max I see, and before nine even."
"Yeah Normal, it' me… early even." Max shot back, nothing was going to ruin her good mood.
Normal looked on stunned by Max's unusually sunny disposition. "Yeah… Well you better be ready for a hot run at nine on the dot!" He, for lack of anything better to say, grumbled.
Unperturbed Max continued back to her locker, an unflappable air of cheerfulness surrounding her. Max sat her backpack on the bench as she turned to her locker to open it. As she pulled the lunch Logan had packed from her bag she was rushed by a shock of pleasure at the obvious display of caring.
"Hey Boo!" Cindy called as she exited the women's room. "Where ya been hidin' yourself all weekend?"
"Uh… I was at Logan's" Max mumbled into her locker.
"Oh!" Cindy sounded disappointed. "Some hot and heavy mission stuff?" She asked, feeling like she already knew the answer. Damn… Will those two ever get their shit together? Cindy wondered.
Max flushed at the mention of "hot and heavy", color still stained her cheeks as she turned to face her friend. "You could say that." Max replied, her lips split by a wholly unrepentant grin.
Cindy grabbed Max by the shoulders, peering deep into her face. "Holy shit!! It's about damned time!" Cindy exclaimed as comprehension dawned on her. "Original Cindy be needing the whole story here."
"You'll get them… at lunch." Max said as she pointed to the brown bag in her locker. "Logan packed us a lunch, he figured we'd want to gab." She finished, love and tenderness shining clear in her eyes.
"Boo, this calls for celebration! You call Logan, tell him he better get his skinny, white ass over to Crash tonight. We gonna party this up right."
"I don't know… he might not… well, it's not exactly his scene… Ya know… the peeps… the stairs…" Max answered evasively.
"Boo, you my girl, ya know that… but don't go cutting your boy short… there's a back door, only has about an inch rise… your boy can handle that… As for the peeps, Logan jives with anyone… hell look at what he does." Cindy finished in a near whisper.
"I'll see…" Max answered noncommittally.
"No, You'll do… that's an order from Original Cindy herself… and if ya don't… I'll call his lickety ass myself, got it?"
Knowing Cindy would do just that Max grudgingly agreed to talk to Logan. As she turned to leave, ready for her first run, Cindy stopped her. "Max… don't let this guy go… he's solid… Ya dig?"
"Yeah… I dig." Max called back, her face bursting with joy. "See ya at lunch… meet me here around 12:30." Max shouted as she headed out on her first run of the day.
Foggle Towers
After Max had left Logan cleaned up from breakfast, his mind drifting back over the idyllic weekend he and Max had shared. The future didn't seem quite so bleak with her in it. Ha… he chuckled to himself. Who would have thought a dark angel could bring so much light to his life.
Max, Logan thought, was different from most people, not just in her genetic make-up either. Most people had tried to deal with Logan and his disability by ignoring the chair. Pretending the shooting had never occurred, that everything was still the same. The tried to pretend his lack of mobility, his impairment, was unnoticeable, or even worse unimportant, that it didn't matter. Logan himself had fallen into that trap. From time to time, Logan too, had tried to hide from the paralysis, the chair and all that came with it.
Max was the only one, outside of the disabled and medical community, who had dealt with the issue head on. She had never tried to diminish the import of what had happened to him, she recognized it for the life changing event it was. Her seemingly easy acceptance of the situation had enabled Logan to begin to deal with his injuries in an honest and healthy manner. Following Max's example he learned to look at the obstacles as challenges and focus on overcoming them, or getting around them if necessary. Logan wasn't fool enough to believe that it would be smooth sailing from here on out. He knew there was pain yet to come, but Max had given him the needed emotional strength to handle whatever came his way. Life was suddenly looking a hell of a lot brighter than it had the week before. She's a remarkable woman Logan reflected. And you're damn luck to have found her, Logan reminded himself.
The invasive sound of the telephone ringing startled Logan out of his reverie. Logan raced to the phone, picking it up just before the answering machine.
"Hey!" piped Max's voice on the other end.
"Hey yourself… what's up?" He asked concern lacing his voice.
"Not much… You were right."
"Aren't I always?" Logan quipped, he'd always enjoyed their vocal swordplay.
"Grrr…. I'll let you keep those illusions." Max retorted playfully. "I meant about Original Cindy… She's dying to talk… She's excited for us too, of course…"
"And?" Logan asked, sensing she was holding something back.
"And…" Max stalled. How the hell can he read me so well, she wondered for not the first time. "And she wants us, you and me, to celebrate with the crew, at Crash, tonight. There's a backdoor, so stairs shouldn't be a problem, and I know they aren't really your type of peeps" Max went on in a rush.
"Yes" Logan interrupted.
"Wh…what?"
"Yes Max, I'll come."
"Seriously?" She asked yet again.
"Yes, seriously. It'll be fun."
"Logan," Max paused "Thanks." She answered, her voice full of love and tenderness. In that moment he knew, no matter the challenged he'd face at the crowded bar, it would be well worth it just to hear that catch of emotion in Max's voice.
"So, you want me to pick you up? Or what?" Logan inquired.
"No, I think I'll just head over after work, get ready at your place. Then we'll meet up with the gang there. Sound OK?"
"Sounds supreme," Logan grinned. "See ya then."
"K, I love you."
"I love you too, talk to ya later."
"Bye" Max said just as she hung up.
Max, much better than Cindy, recognized that stairs weren't the only difficulty Logan would face at Crash, but he was coming anyway, just because she'd asked. Max held that knowledge to her heart as she returned to her bike, a blinding smile plastered to her face.
Logan smiled as he hung up, he was inordinately pleased with himself. It felt damn good to make Max so happy. Still grinning, he headed for the den, he really needed to get some work done before Bling arrived.
Logan winced as he pulled up to his computer and logged into the informant net. Bling had weeded through most of the chafe, but there was still a ton to be done. Due to the nature of his business many of the "leads" her received were groundless accusations, crazy conspiracy theories, and outlandish tales, supplied by a paranoid population teetering on the edge of sanity. Much of the challenge lay in digging through the lunacy and finding the pearl of truth hidden within.
By far the most promising tip he'd received was on a proposed buy out of Seattle Electric. The deeper he delved into the case the more perplexing it had become. PowerTrust an unknown company, which had seemingly sprung from nowhere, was currently in negotiations to purchase Seattle's only electricity supplier. Although there no obvious red flags, the journalist instinct in Logan were sounding the alarm, something about the deal just didn't feel right. Logan had poured over the corporate balance sheets the informant had provided, but found nothing. He had noticed that time and again large infusions of capital were listed, but the source was never noted. It seemed suspicious, but with his limited of knowledge of accounting, he wasn't sure if this was a common practice. The only other balance sheets Logan had really ever looked over were those presented at the quarterly board meetings of Cale Industries. For the first time Logan wished he'd paid a bit more attention in those meetings, maybe then he could make mores sense of the sheet spread before him now.
Frustrated, Logan turned to his computer, at least that he could understand. Logan searched through newspaper articles, business magazines, court filings, anything for a possible lead. He found nothing concrete. PowerTrust was deliberately maintaining a low profile. The only possibly related information he came up with was on the proposed deregulation of the utilities being spearheaded by none other than Seattle's very own king of corruption, Alan Lans. Logan was willing to bet that somewhere Alan Lans was involved in the PowerTrust bid for Seattle Electric, he just needed to find the proof.
Wearily Logan pulled his glasses from his face, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. It looked like the only way he was going to find anything was from their own systems. He threaded his fingers though each other as he cracked his knuckles, grinning at the challenge facing him. It was hacking time.
"Dammit!" Logan groaned as he pounded the desk an hour later. He'd broken into DOD computers that were less protected that this. In frustration, he conceded defeat, for the time being at least, and turned back towards the spreadsheets he'd received. There has to be something in these, Logan thought. The informant must have thought so, or he wouldn't have sent them. Perplexed, he continued to stare vacantly at the pages spread before him. Although reluctant to bring anyone else into the danger that was Eyes Only, he recognized he needed help, professional help. Logan grabbed his wallet and pulled out the business card he'd received weeks before.
"Hey Jack," Logan called after he'd been placed through by the receptionist.
"Logan? Hey man, what can I do for you?" Jack asked, pleased to hear from Logan.
"Well, I was just wondering, you go over a lot of corporate balance sheets in your work, right? "
"Yeah, I do"
"Ya see, I'm working on a story, an investigative peace… and I've come up with a balance sheet… but I can't make heads or tails of it… I was wondering if you'd mind looking over it with me."
"Not a problem, do you want to meet at my office?"
"Tell ya what, it's almost lunch time… If you don't have plans, I'll treat, you pick the place…"
"Sounds good to me, how about 45 minutes… there's a place by the Pike Place Market, Sallie's… it's kind of a dive, but they make a mean oyster stew.?
"Sounds fine… And Jack, thanks, I owe ya one on this."
As Logan hung up, he looked down at his attire, as divey as the place may be, he suspected that boxer shorts wouldn't be considered appropriate attire. Glad to be doing something important, Logan smiled as he headed to the bedroom to change. He had some Eyes Only "legwork" to do.