AS2.06 Paper Caper by Star24

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters are property and copyright 2001-2002 Twentieth Century Fox and James Cameron and Charles Eglee. This original story is copyright 2003 Star24.

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Chapter Fourteen

Jam Pony, Next Morning

Original Cindy closed her locker just as Max walked over to her own locker and pulled it open.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in." She examined Max closely and frowned, "Boo, it pains Original Cindy to say it, but you don't exactly have the look of a girl who just spent a night of ecstasy in her hot boy's arms." She hesitated, "Was it…does he…were there…problems? Seein' as how he has that injury and all."

Max laughed. "No, there weren't any problems. But I didn't spend a night of ecstasy either." She held up a hand before Cindy could say anything else. "Logan's niece caused some trouble that we're working on cleaning up. But it's all good. Logan's promised me his full and complete attention, complete with a weekend at his family's cabin, as soon as we wrap this up." She glanced over at Normal. "Which should be taking place right about now."

Right on cue Normal hollered out, "Max. Hot run to 1311 Wellesley."

"Don't have a cow, Normal. It'll get there." Max responded, earning herself a glare from Normal, but no further comments, at least not any that Cindy could hear. She finished getting ready for her runs and then slammed her locker closed.

"Yo, Slacker. I called out a run for you fifteen minutes ago." Normal was glaring at Sketchy who sat slumped on the bench in front of his locker.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming." Sketchy mumbled as he slowly rose from the bench and ambled over to Normal. His shoulders were slumped in defeat.

"What's wrong with him?" Max asked Original Cindy.

"Remember his newspaper assignment?"

"The Russian mob one?"

"That's the one." Cindy shook her head. "Seems the rag gave the boy a nice chunk of cheddar so he could go undercover and get the rest of his story."

"And…?"

"Fool went to the Odessa Social Club two nights running. Met some smokin' Russian chickety there. Boom. No mo money, no story. The boy is screwed. He can kiss that career plan bye bye."

Max frowned for a minute and then shrugged.

"What you thinkin'?" Cindy asked suspiciously.

Max gave her an innocent look, "Why would you ask that?"

"You may play tough ass chick on the outside, but OC knows that you soft as a kitten inside. You plannin' on bailin' his sorry ass out again?"

"Sorry as he is, he's a friend. I might have something that could help him out."

"Don't you be askin' me to go back to that gamblin' club again. Last time cost Original Cindy a fine manicure."

"Not what I had in mind at all." Max glanced at her page. "Oops, gotta blaze. Wouldn't want to keep a hot run waiting."

Before Cindy could respond, Max had picked up her package from Normal and was out of the door.

1311 Wellesley, Sector Nine

"Jam Pony messenger. Delivery for Sky Blue Collectibles." Max drawled out to the bored looking security guard behind the lobby desk in the high rise office building.

"Where do I sign?" The guard held out his hand.

"Sorry. Sender instructions call for me to get a personal signature from…" Max peered at her clipboard,

"Mr. Carlos del Valle."

"Hang on." The guard picked up a phone and pressed a number. "Gotta messenger here says she needs a personal signature from one of your employees." He looked over at Max. "Yeah, she's legit. Her service does a lot of deliveries here. Okay."

He hung up the phone and held out a hand for Max's ID badge. "I'll need to see that." Max handed him the badge and he scribbled something in a register. Then he handed her a plastic badge that said VISITOR. "Wear this and return it to me when you come down. You don't, all kinds of alarms go off when you try to leave. Got it?"

Max smiled sweetly and took the badge, clipping it onto her jacket. "Got it."

"Eighteenth floor. See the receptionist up there." The guard had already turned away as Max headed to the elevators. She waited a moment for an empty elevator, and then climbed in and pressed the button for the eighteenth floor.

* * * *

When the elevator doors opened on the eighteenth floor, Max just waited instead of getting out. As the doors closed, she pressed nineteen. When the doors opened on nineteen she strolled out and looked around.

"May I help you?" the beautifully coifed blonde receptionist asked.

"Jam Pony messenger, delivery for Sky Blue Collectibles." Max responded.

"That would be on eighteen." The receptionist said in dismissal.

"The guard said nineteen." Max persisted.

"It's on eighteen."

Max pretended to hit the call button to summon the elevator. She stood deliberately blocking the receptionists view of it. After a few minutes she said impatiently, "What's wrong with the elevators here? I don't make money if I don't do deliveries."

The blonde was filing a nail and barely looked up as she said. "Stairs are at the end of the hall."

"Thanks." Max pressed the elevator call button and quickly headed down the hall. She was in the stairwell with the door closing behind her, when she heard the elevator ding. She smiled as she quickly made her way to the eighteenth floor.

When she reached the eighteenth floor, Max slipped open the stairwell door and headed in the opposite direction from the reception desk. She had deliberately waited until it was close to lunchtime and the offices of Sky Blue were practically deserted. Thanks to Logan's work the previous night, she had memorized the complete floor plan of Sky Blue. She was happy to see that they hadn't done any renovation since the plans he had pulled off of the Internet for her had been drawn.

According to Carlos' PDA the manuscript was being held in a secured room that was located at the end of a short hallway well away from the staff offices. Max found it easily and looked around to be sure there was no one in sight. There was a keypad next to the door. "Let's see how good Logan really is," she murmured to herself. She punched in some numbers and the red light next to the door glowed green. There was a click as the door unlocked. Max smiled as she slipped inside, pulling the door closed behind her.

The room contained shelves that lined all four walls. The center was taken up by a large flat table. Max glanced around and headed to the southwest corner. She counted down four shelves and pulled out a stack of thick envelopes. Laying them out on the table she pulled out a small digital camera. Working quickly she pulled each set of papers out of its envelope and snapped a picture of it. When she finished she flipped through the envelopes and pulled out one labeled "Cale Manuscript". She pulled out the manuscript and slipped it into her backpack, glancing quickly at the title as she did so. A brief frown crossed her face. "Logan, you are so busted."

Her pager beeped softly and she glanced at the time. She replaced the manuscript with a thick sheaf of blank pages, and then returned all of the envelopes to the shelves. Before she left, she walked over to another set of shelves that held a collection of what looked to be Chinese porcelains. She snapped pictures and then returned her camera to her backpack.

There was a keypad inside the door and it had gone to red while she worked. She quickly punched in the code and waited. The light stayed red. "Damn." Not bothering to wait, Max pulled out a tiny screwdriver and quickly unscrewed the plate exposing the wires to the panel. She took something that looked like a PDA out of her pocket and attached the two tiny alligator clips that hung from it to two of the wires. Then she punched in some numbers on the PDA and waited. "Logan, this better work." she muttered. Minutes passed and nothing happened. She glanced at her pager impatiently. Just as she was reaching out to pull the device from the panel, the panel light glowed green and the door clicked open. Moving quickly Max detached the PDA and replaced the panel on the wall. Then she quietly slipped into the hallway.

This time she headed toward the reception desk making sure to approach from the direction of the stairwell.

The receptionist here was a redhead, but she was every bit as haughty as the blonde on the nineteenth floor.

"Jam Pony Messenger delivery." Max held out a package and her clipboard.

"How'd you get up here?" the receptionist looked at her suspiciously.

"Walked down from nineteen. The idiot guard gave me the wrong floor and your elevators take too long." Max said flippantly, deliberately popping a piece of gum. "You gonna sign for this? My time is money to me."

The receptionist took the clipboard and scrawled a signature. Max handed her the package and walked over to the elevator. This time she actually punched the button and when it arrived she entered. When she reached the ground floor she walked over and handed the VISITOR pass to the security guard who barely glanced at it. She was out of the building in five minutes and dialing her cell phone.

"Yes?" Logan's husky voice said on the other end.

"Jam Pony messenger service here. I got a delivery for a Mr. Logan Cale." Max quipped. "When would you like to receive it?"

She could hear the smile in Logan's voice. "You got it? No trouble?"

"You're talking to the best, Cale. I got it and more. Sky Blue is gonna be so out of business after this."

"So how about a gourmet dinner tonight? As a thank you?"

"I was countin' on it." Max smiled. "By the way you are so busted."

Before Logan could respond she clicked off the phone. Still smiling she climbed onto her bike and pedaled into the sparse Seattle traffic, contemplating her revenge on him.

End of Chapter Fourteen