A/N - I realise that was a long time between updates but there were exams,
work experience abroad, floods, plague, locusts, all conspiring to keep me
away from the computer keyboard. Anyway, enjoy. Let me know if you think
I need another chapter to round things up.
Chapter 5 - The Poker Game
Max walked right past the long line of shivering people waiting to get into Tartarus, the hottest nightclub in Seattle. She gave the burly doorman a slow-burning 'come and get me' smile which he returned with a long lascivious look as he held the door open for her to enter. Once inside, she let the smile fade from her face and rapidly reassessed the layout of the club. The place was packed and exits were scarce, she had a feeling not only was this place definitely not up to Fire Department code, but that that fact wasn't something Ciccona sweated too much.
She sauntered over to the bar ignoring the looks and smiles that were cast her direction. This didn't look like the sort of place that served beer so she was going to have to settle for a cocktail. A young good-looking barman leaned toward her over the counter and said suggestively "Would you like to order a 'Screaming Orgasm'? Its an oldie but a goodie."
Max rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to slam his head against the bar. *Well good for me* she thought. *Must be a sign of maturity* "Cherry Bomb, please" she said shortly and eased herself up onto the upholstered bar stool. Almost immediately she felt someone move up behind her stool and press the length of a definitely male body against hers. *Okay* she thought. *Maturity only goes so far*.
She was about to turn round a plough a fist into the offending lech's stomach when she heard a very familiar voice say in a pleased way "Guess who?"
"What are you, eight?" she demanded to know. "And more importantly, what the hell are you doing here, Alec?"
He sighed in a put-upon way. "I'm here to help you finish the mission of course. Come on Maxie, admit it, you're the tiniest bit glad I'm here, aren't you? You look good by the way, not as good as me but then who does?"
Max suppressed a smile. *Oh no. I'm starting to find him funny. This is bad* *You're annoyed remember?* she reminded herself. *Annoyed. His presence here is irritating you.*
As Alec began to speak again, she felt his breath brush against her ear and it took a moment for her mind to process what it was he was saying. "Hey Maxie - get a load of those twins over there with the pierced everythings. Actually, I think I might know them."
*Okay, that helped. Now, I really am annoyed* she thought as she pushed his hands off her waist where they had been resting and swivelled round, her expression set to the expression of rage Alec was particularly adept at provoking. "Get lost Alec. Now. I don't need you here screwing everything up."
"Will you get a clue, Max? I did some checking, Ciccona has a reputation for offing his girlfriends when he thinks they know too much. Best case scenario: they find out you're a transgenic and sell you to White or some other interested party, worse case: you're fished out of the river with a bullet in your head."
"Newsflash moron. I managed quite well on my own for nearly twenty whole years before you showed up. I think I can handle myself."
"Yeah well, most of those years you weren't risking your life on a regular basis for Eyes Only and his pathetic little do-gooder missions were you?"
The two transgenics glared at one another, eyes locked and fists clenched. Max reached round and picked up her purse from the bar. "Goodbye Alec. Please don't feel like you have to stick around," she said and flounced off to the ladies' room.
When Max came out of the bathroom 494 was gone. *Whatever* she thought. *You told him to leave, he left. No need to feel guilty. You have a mission to complete* She took a deep breath. It was time to locate Ciccona.
She found him in a corner booth of the club surrounded by what were obviously the mob's equivalent of yes men. Locking eyes with him, she sent him a lingering glance and crossed her legs, letting her short skirt slide up her thighs. Max mentally thanked the aesthetics that Manticore had seen fit to engineer into her DNA when one of Ciccona's lackeys came over to tell her his boss would like to meet her.
Ten minutes later or what felt like a lifetime to Max, Ciccona was still talking "You are a very beautiful woman, Linda. I like beautiful women. I like having them around me. I find they bring me luck." Max smiled vacuously. She wondered if Alec had gone home. Or to Crash. Or to one of the strip joints he used to frequent so much. "Women like having a strong man to look after them. And a man like me, with many enemies, needs the comfort many women can bring to his life." *Was this dressed up thug ever going to stop talking?* Max wondered. She sighed. *No wait a minute that's the mission. You want him to talk and let down his guard.*
The young bartender came over and whispered in Ciccona's ear. "Good. We are ready to start the game." Standing, he held out his hand to Max. "Come Linda, perhaps you will bring me luck tonight hmmm?" Gritting her teeth, Max forced out a giggle and followed the mob boss into a room at the back of the club, noting the two very obviously heavily armed lackeys guarding the door.
The room inside was dimly lit with a table set for five players. Max considered the people present - two were well-known local businessmen and one was a Seattle council member. There was security inside the room too, one bodyguard for each of the four players. A figure from behind them moved to address Ciccona and Max caught her breath as she identified the last player as Alec. Yet somehow she wasn't surprised at his presence there. She hadn't really believed that he would leave her. She couldn't pinpoint exactly when over the last year she had come to depend on the other transgenic, she only knew she did trust him far more than she was ever willing to let him see.
"Ah, Mr Kent, is it?" Ciccona enquired. "You come with a recommendation from an old friend from Los Angeles. If you have half his skills at poker, you'll be one to watch."
"Oh I think I can promise you I'm one to watch in any case" the transgenic assured, returning the older man's handshake firmly.
The players sat down at the table. Ciccona patted a chair that had been drawn up behind his for Max to sit on. She sat down and gritted her teeth as he placed his hand on her thigh. One of the other players dealt the cards and the game began. She watched as Alec considered the hand he'd been dealt. No, this wasn't Alec, this was somebody else. He hadn't even looked her way since the leisurely up-and-down appraisal he'd given her as he'd introduced himself to Ciccona, for which she was considering beating the shit out of him later because it had made her feel naked. She guessed she got to see 494 in action.
A while into the game, Alec said matter of factly "My friend tells me you're the one to talk to about getting work in this town." Ciccona eyed him but said nothing. "I've been thinking of getting into the politics, I've been told I have the charisma and the necessary lack of moral fibre to succeed in that arena."
Max held her breath. He was trying to push the conversation towards Jorge Martinez and his imminent appointment as Mayor of Seattle. She waited to see if the man beside her would incriminate himself so easily. But no. Ciccona leaned forward and said flatly "I don't know you. I'm sure as hell not going to discuss business in front of the world and its brother. We'll talk later."
Alec looked back at him with a mildly amused expression, "No problem."
Max sighed. Ciccona was not the idiot she'd originally thought. It looked like she was going to have to plant the bug. She stretched and leaned against Ciccona, playing the part of the doting girlfriend as she leisurely stroked his arm. He paid her no attention, concentrating on his hand of cards as she caressed his chest, slowly reaching across to the breast pocket of his coat. She had the tiny listening device Logan had given her hidden in the palm of her hand. All she had to do was slip it into the pocket and Eyes Only would be able to listen in to any conversation that Francisco Ciccona had later on that night. The game had reached a particularly tense point, everyone's attention was on the council member who had already lost big money in the game so far. Beads of sweat were rolling down his bald forehead as he clearly agonised over whether to fold or to raise the bet. Ciccona was a good bluffer - all he had was two pairs but he was as calm and cool as if he was sitting on a much better hand. His chest muscles were tense under Max's fingers though - this would be an excellent opportunity to slip the bug into his pocket. Slowly, a stupid grin fixed on her face, she inched her fingers over to the coat pocket. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, a hand of steel circled her wrist and a voice said "Well, what do we have here?"
Ciccona, jerked out of his reverie, looked up at Alec's words. The other transgenic had forced open Max's curled hand to reveal the bug hidden there and his eyes were drilling into hers, conveying a warning. Ciccona, his eyes narrowed, took Max's chin in his hand and pulled her face close to his and said "I promise you little girl, you are going to be begging to tell who paid you to plant that bug."
Max, about to move into action, was restrained by Alec's hand on her shoulder. His other hand wound about her long dark hair and cruelly jerked her head back out of Ciccona's grasp as he said conversationally to the other man, "I tell you what, why don't I and one of your guys here escort this young lady to a private room where he can keep an eye on her while the rest of us finish up our game?"
Ciccona, still regarding Max intently, nodded. "I would appreciate that very much Mr Kent. And Linda, I greatly look forward to continuing our conversation." Alec pushed Max forward into the waiting arms one of the bouncers who, grasping her upper arm, dragged her out the door and down the corridor to a smaller room. She was aware of Alec following behind them, so once inside, she wasn't surprised to hear a quick 'crack' as her captor's neck was broken. Whirling round, she took in the body on the floor and 494 standing there with empty eyes. As she looked at him, his eyes crept back to normal and his face took on a defensive expression as if waiting for her condemnation.
"Before you start yelling Max, one of the bodyguards was watching you sneak that bug into Ciccona's pocket, and if I hadn't called you on it, he would have."
"Yeah, I figured it was something like that," Max said calmly. "Now we just have to get out of here without the others seeing us."
Taken aback by her easy acceptance of his actions, he was speechless for a moment, a fact Max noted with gratification. Recovering, he said "You mean you have to get out of here. I could go back in - he's more likely to open up in front of me now."
"No." Max shook her head decisively. "Its too risky. I underestimated Ciccona, I wrote him off as just a chauvinistic thug but hes more dangerous than that. Its not worth risking you for, Alec. Logan can find another way to get the information he needs."
Surprised and a little touched, Alec decided to forego his usual smart- alec remarks in favour of seeing how long he could extend this unfamiliar camaraderie between himself and Max. "So . how are we going to get out of here then?"
"We're just going to have to get back to our cat burglar roots I suppose. If we can make it to the stairs, we know that they lead to the roof and from there we should be able to take the fire-escape down. Given the condition of the fire-escape, wouldn't be safe for everyone but us."
"For the amazing Manticorean siblings, anything is possible you mean?
"You're not exactly my brother, Alec" Max said as she stepped over the body of the bouncer and looking both ways, slipped out of the door.
Once they were on the stairs, Alec who'd been giving some thought to that comment said "Hmm.is that a 'You're not my brother' meaning you can't stand the thought of being even vaguely related to me or a 'You're not my brother' because I constantly think of you naked type of thing?"
"I'll let you wonder about that one," Max shot back as she led the way up the stairs.
"And I will" Alec said under his breath.
THE END???
Chapter 5 - The Poker Game
Max walked right past the long line of shivering people waiting to get into Tartarus, the hottest nightclub in Seattle. She gave the burly doorman a slow-burning 'come and get me' smile which he returned with a long lascivious look as he held the door open for her to enter. Once inside, she let the smile fade from her face and rapidly reassessed the layout of the club. The place was packed and exits were scarce, she had a feeling not only was this place definitely not up to Fire Department code, but that that fact wasn't something Ciccona sweated too much.
She sauntered over to the bar ignoring the looks and smiles that were cast her direction. This didn't look like the sort of place that served beer so she was going to have to settle for a cocktail. A young good-looking barman leaned toward her over the counter and said suggestively "Would you like to order a 'Screaming Orgasm'? Its an oldie but a goodie."
Max rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to slam his head against the bar. *Well good for me* she thought. *Must be a sign of maturity* "Cherry Bomb, please" she said shortly and eased herself up onto the upholstered bar stool. Almost immediately she felt someone move up behind her stool and press the length of a definitely male body against hers. *Okay* she thought. *Maturity only goes so far*.
She was about to turn round a plough a fist into the offending lech's stomach when she heard a very familiar voice say in a pleased way "Guess who?"
"What are you, eight?" she demanded to know. "And more importantly, what the hell are you doing here, Alec?"
He sighed in a put-upon way. "I'm here to help you finish the mission of course. Come on Maxie, admit it, you're the tiniest bit glad I'm here, aren't you? You look good by the way, not as good as me but then who does?"
Max suppressed a smile. *Oh no. I'm starting to find him funny. This is bad* *You're annoyed remember?* she reminded herself. *Annoyed. His presence here is irritating you.*
As Alec began to speak again, she felt his breath brush against her ear and it took a moment for her mind to process what it was he was saying. "Hey Maxie - get a load of those twins over there with the pierced everythings. Actually, I think I might know them."
*Okay, that helped. Now, I really am annoyed* she thought as she pushed his hands off her waist where they had been resting and swivelled round, her expression set to the expression of rage Alec was particularly adept at provoking. "Get lost Alec. Now. I don't need you here screwing everything up."
"Will you get a clue, Max? I did some checking, Ciccona has a reputation for offing his girlfriends when he thinks they know too much. Best case scenario: they find out you're a transgenic and sell you to White or some other interested party, worse case: you're fished out of the river with a bullet in your head."
"Newsflash moron. I managed quite well on my own for nearly twenty whole years before you showed up. I think I can handle myself."
"Yeah well, most of those years you weren't risking your life on a regular basis for Eyes Only and his pathetic little do-gooder missions were you?"
The two transgenics glared at one another, eyes locked and fists clenched. Max reached round and picked up her purse from the bar. "Goodbye Alec. Please don't feel like you have to stick around," she said and flounced off to the ladies' room.
When Max came out of the bathroom 494 was gone. *Whatever* she thought. *You told him to leave, he left. No need to feel guilty. You have a mission to complete* She took a deep breath. It was time to locate Ciccona.
She found him in a corner booth of the club surrounded by what were obviously the mob's equivalent of yes men. Locking eyes with him, she sent him a lingering glance and crossed her legs, letting her short skirt slide up her thighs. Max mentally thanked the aesthetics that Manticore had seen fit to engineer into her DNA when one of Ciccona's lackeys came over to tell her his boss would like to meet her.
Ten minutes later or what felt like a lifetime to Max, Ciccona was still talking "You are a very beautiful woman, Linda. I like beautiful women. I like having them around me. I find they bring me luck." Max smiled vacuously. She wondered if Alec had gone home. Or to Crash. Or to one of the strip joints he used to frequent so much. "Women like having a strong man to look after them. And a man like me, with many enemies, needs the comfort many women can bring to his life." *Was this dressed up thug ever going to stop talking?* Max wondered. She sighed. *No wait a minute that's the mission. You want him to talk and let down his guard.*
The young bartender came over and whispered in Ciccona's ear. "Good. We are ready to start the game." Standing, he held out his hand to Max. "Come Linda, perhaps you will bring me luck tonight hmmm?" Gritting her teeth, Max forced out a giggle and followed the mob boss into a room at the back of the club, noting the two very obviously heavily armed lackeys guarding the door.
The room inside was dimly lit with a table set for five players. Max considered the people present - two were well-known local businessmen and one was a Seattle council member. There was security inside the room too, one bodyguard for each of the four players. A figure from behind them moved to address Ciccona and Max caught her breath as she identified the last player as Alec. Yet somehow she wasn't surprised at his presence there. She hadn't really believed that he would leave her. She couldn't pinpoint exactly when over the last year she had come to depend on the other transgenic, she only knew she did trust him far more than she was ever willing to let him see.
"Ah, Mr Kent, is it?" Ciccona enquired. "You come with a recommendation from an old friend from Los Angeles. If you have half his skills at poker, you'll be one to watch."
"Oh I think I can promise you I'm one to watch in any case" the transgenic assured, returning the older man's handshake firmly.
The players sat down at the table. Ciccona patted a chair that had been drawn up behind his for Max to sit on. She sat down and gritted her teeth as he placed his hand on her thigh. One of the other players dealt the cards and the game began. She watched as Alec considered the hand he'd been dealt. No, this wasn't Alec, this was somebody else. He hadn't even looked her way since the leisurely up-and-down appraisal he'd given her as he'd introduced himself to Ciccona, for which she was considering beating the shit out of him later because it had made her feel naked. She guessed she got to see 494 in action.
A while into the game, Alec said matter of factly "My friend tells me you're the one to talk to about getting work in this town." Ciccona eyed him but said nothing. "I've been thinking of getting into the politics, I've been told I have the charisma and the necessary lack of moral fibre to succeed in that arena."
Max held her breath. He was trying to push the conversation towards Jorge Martinez and his imminent appointment as Mayor of Seattle. She waited to see if the man beside her would incriminate himself so easily. But no. Ciccona leaned forward and said flatly "I don't know you. I'm sure as hell not going to discuss business in front of the world and its brother. We'll talk later."
Alec looked back at him with a mildly amused expression, "No problem."
Max sighed. Ciccona was not the idiot she'd originally thought. It looked like she was going to have to plant the bug. She stretched and leaned against Ciccona, playing the part of the doting girlfriend as she leisurely stroked his arm. He paid her no attention, concentrating on his hand of cards as she caressed his chest, slowly reaching across to the breast pocket of his coat. She had the tiny listening device Logan had given her hidden in the palm of her hand. All she had to do was slip it into the pocket and Eyes Only would be able to listen in to any conversation that Francisco Ciccona had later on that night. The game had reached a particularly tense point, everyone's attention was on the council member who had already lost big money in the game so far. Beads of sweat were rolling down his bald forehead as he clearly agonised over whether to fold or to raise the bet. Ciccona was a good bluffer - all he had was two pairs but he was as calm and cool as if he was sitting on a much better hand. His chest muscles were tense under Max's fingers though - this would be an excellent opportunity to slip the bug into his pocket. Slowly, a stupid grin fixed on her face, she inched her fingers over to the coat pocket. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, a hand of steel circled her wrist and a voice said "Well, what do we have here?"
Ciccona, jerked out of his reverie, looked up at Alec's words. The other transgenic had forced open Max's curled hand to reveal the bug hidden there and his eyes were drilling into hers, conveying a warning. Ciccona, his eyes narrowed, took Max's chin in his hand and pulled her face close to his and said "I promise you little girl, you are going to be begging to tell who paid you to plant that bug."
Max, about to move into action, was restrained by Alec's hand on her shoulder. His other hand wound about her long dark hair and cruelly jerked her head back out of Ciccona's grasp as he said conversationally to the other man, "I tell you what, why don't I and one of your guys here escort this young lady to a private room where he can keep an eye on her while the rest of us finish up our game?"
Ciccona, still regarding Max intently, nodded. "I would appreciate that very much Mr Kent. And Linda, I greatly look forward to continuing our conversation." Alec pushed Max forward into the waiting arms one of the bouncers who, grasping her upper arm, dragged her out the door and down the corridor to a smaller room. She was aware of Alec following behind them, so once inside, she wasn't surprised to hear a quick 'crack' as her captor's neck was broken. Whirling round, she took in the body on the floor and 494 standing there with empty eyes. As she looked at him, his eyes crept back to normal and his face took on a defensive expression as if waiting for her condemnation.
"Before you start yelling Max, one of the bodyguards was watching you sneak that bug into Ciccona's pocket, and if I hadn't called you on it, he would have."
"Yeah, I figured it was something like that," Max said calmly. "Now we just have to get out of here without the others seeing us."
Taken aback by her easy acceptance of his actions, he was speechless for a moment, a fact Max noted with gratification. Recovering, he said "You mean you have to get out of here. I could go back in - he's more likely to open up in front of me now."
"No." Max shook her head decisively. "Its too risky. I underestimated Ciccona, I wrote him off as just a chauvinistic thug but hes more dangerous than that. Its not worth risking you for, Alec. Logan can find another way to get the information he needs."
Surprised and a little touched, Alec decided to forego his usual smart- alec remarks in favour of seeing how long he could extend this unfamiliar camaraderie between himself and Max. "So . how are we going to get out of here then?"
"We're just going to have to get back to our cat burglar roots I suppose. If we can make it to the stairs, we know that they lead to the roof and from there we should be able to take the fire-escape down. Given the condition of the fire-escape, wouldn't be safe for everyone but us."
"For the amazing Manticorean siblings, anything is possible you mean?
"You're not exactly my brother, Alec" Max said as she stepped over the body of the bouncer and looking both ways, slipped out of the door.
Once they were on the stairs, Alec who'd been giving some thought to that comment said "Hmm.is that a 'You're not my brother' meaning you can't stand the thought of being even vaguely related to me or a 'You're not my brother' because I constantly think of you naked type of thing?"
"I'll let you wonder about that one," Max shot back as she led the way up the stairs.
"And I will" Alec said under his breath.
THE END???