Reaching for The Moon by ThePekingNoodle
AN: Please stay tuned for a public service announcement direct from the Noodle Factory…
I've been hearing rumblings about boards being hacked and people harassing others and I just want to say to all of those who are carrying this on – Grow up and get over it. Or you might just find yourself starring in a PN Satire. Horrors. Wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy! EEEK.
This has been a public service announcement from the Noodle Factory. We now take you to your regularly scheduled programming…
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Chapter Sixty-One: Cat in the Night
In which our hero and the Colonel have a surprise visitor…
Logan and Lydecker were sitting at a table in the suite's living room. Logan still had his snifter of brandy, which he occasionally picked up and sipped from, and Lydecker had a glass of ice water in front of him.
"…so the bottom line is $2 million. For unproven technology that comes with no guarantee that it will actually perform as advertised."
Logan shrugged. "You're the one who's in such a hurry to get it. This is an internal R&D project that we allowed one of our staff to undertake. The budget has been small since we didn't have a buyer for it, so the development process is not far along. I refuse to give a guarantee on anything in such an early research stage. On the other hand, if you want to go through our normal process and put in an order for the chip and then wait until we're satisfied that it works…"
"And how long might that be?"
"I'm not a scientist. I have absolutely no clue. I do know that if we have a buyer for the perfected technology I would have no problem in increasing the research budget to a level that will speed up the process. It could still be a year or two though at my guess."
"I'll need to think about that. We have our own research teams. We might be better off talking what you have now and working on it ourselves."
Logan appeared unconcerned. "That's your option. But the price still stands. This could make us millions in a couple of years, from you or someone else. Giving it to you now without adequate recompense for what we might make from it would be irresponsible to the shareholders of the company. I may be majority shareholder but there are others I have to answer to."
Lydecker was about to reply when there was the sound of something falling to the floor in the bedroom that adjoined the living room. He jumped to his feet, pulling his gun as he did so. He crossed the room swiftly to the bedroom door and then stood there a moment listening intently.
Logan rose and walked over to where Lydecker was standing.
"Stay back." Lydecker said softly as he reached over from the side and threw open the bedroom door.
The room was in darkness but a shaft of moonlight shone into it and revealed opened dresser drawers. Their contents had been thrown out onto the floor. A lamp was lying on the floor next to a dresser. That was the sound they had heard.
Lydecker scanned the room cautiously before slowly taking a step inside. As he did a figure dressed all in black with a ski mask over its face stepped out behind him. Wisps of blonde hair stuck out below the edges of the mask. The Colonel turned, but the figure was fast and a chop to his gun hand sent the gun flying into the corner.
"Call security, we have a cat burglar." Lydecker directed Logan as he stood facing the figure who held a sack in its hand. "You won't find much of value here and hotel security will be here any moment. There's no way out so I suggest you give yourself up," he said calmly.
The burglar remained silent but brought its other hand from behind its back holding an object. The object came down on Lydeckers head, and he slumped to the floor unconscious.
Logan continued to watch as the figure stooped down and went through Lydecker's pockets. It pulled out his wallet and emptied it of cash then tossed it down on top of his prone body. Then it pulled off the wristwatch Lydecker wore and dropped that into its bag.
Finally it straightened and pulled off its mask.
"Max. What the hell?" Logan stared at his wife in shock.
"We need to get out of here. Lydecker will think you took the opportunity of the burglary to make your escape." Max said. "Better hurry before his goons come in from outside to take a leak or something."
"Max, I had it under control. Do you realize the risk you took doing this? What if he recognized you and realized who you were?"
"A cat burglar with blonde hair in a ski mask isn't quite Maxine Cale, society heiress and spoiled wife of Logan Cale." Max said smugly.
"How did you get in anyway?" Logan looked around the bedroom and saw the open window. "You didn't…"
"I rappelled down from the roof. They'll think I went out the same way."
"No. You aren't"
Max laughed. "Of course not. I'm walking down a floor with you to room 2011 where I'll change back into Maxine Cale and walk out of this place with you. Seems I made a mistake and thought I was supposed to meet my husband here tonight, but it was a business meeting only. I caught you just as you were leaving." She winked at him as she pushed him towards the service door that let onto a flight of stairs. On the way she grabbed a few small knick knacks and threw them into her bag. As Logan looked at her askance she shrugged, "Have to make it look real. Now let's go."
They were at the door and in the stairwell. After the door closed behind them Max took out a small tool and did something to the lock. "They won't be able to get that open – it'll seem to be jammed up. Come on lets go." On the way down she opened an incinerator chute and dropped her bag into it. Logan noticed she was wearing gloves.
"No evidence, no fingerprints. Nice Max." he approved despite his better judgment.
When they reached the twentieth floor, Max looked out and checked to be sure the corridor was empty. She led Logan to room 2011 and quickly opened the door with the keycard. They stepped inside, and she closed and bolted the door behind them.
Logan was still confounded at Max's risking exposure to Lydecker. He gave her a hard stare. "I still can't believe you risked exposure this way."
Max smiled sunnily at him. "Small risk. I was careful not to move any faster than an ordinary human could." Her expression changed, "Did he hurt you?"
"Do I look hurt?"
Max looked him over. "No."
"Believe it or not I had it under control." There was annoyance clear in Logan's voice.
"Maybe or maybe he was just stringing you along. I'll feel better if you do any future negotiating with him from a distance, rather than up close and personal."
"I have some ideas on that."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean we are about to take an out of town trip for our long delayed honeymoon. I'll leave word that Lydecker can negotiate the deal for the chip with someone else. I know just the person."
"You're giving him the chip?"
"I'm giving him a chip."
As they talked, Max had slipped out of her cat suit and into a pair of black silk pants and a slinky black sweater. She brushed out her hair and applied lip gloss, then turned to face Logan, striking a pose.
"How do I look?"
He looked her over carefully and Max felt a jolt as their eyes met. "Good enough to eat." He paused, "That doesn't mean I'm not angry at you."
"Shall we make our grand exit?" Max said lightly.
"May as well before Lydecker comes to, and it becomes awkward." Logan held open the door to the room and the two walked to the elevator. The journey to the lobby and out of the hotel was made without incident.
Max climbed on her bike and Logan got on behind grasping her firmly around her waist. Max couldn't help but feel a rush of warmth at the feel of his hard body behind her but she suppressed it. She revved the bike and they were on their way.
When she started to head toward Fogle Towers, Logan leaned forward to speak into her ear. "Don't go home. Head out of Seattle. We're getting out of town now."
End of Chapter Sixty-One…TBC…
