Disclaimer- None of the characters belong to me, they are property of James Cameron and Charles Eglee
A/N- The plan of attack is not immediately obvious, so bear with me. The evening party is the social gathering of the 'cultured' members of society for the unveiling of the necklace at Fenworth Museum. I got some ideas from Agent Cody Banks, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark and Charlie's Angels
A/N 2- Thanks to all those that reviewed this is my first DA fic so I'm eager to please. Yes, it was rusty in the beginning I agree but I was just testing the waters. Anyway, I'm sorry I won't be updating for a couple of days. I have a humungous project due plus HW (I have a truly evil math teacher) and I have a presentation that I have no ideas for. So I'm dead, but this should tide you over for a while. Not bad though right? I only posted it three days ago. Pls don't be mad!
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Chapter 6- Fenworth
"You ready?" Max hissed at Alec.
"Yup"
"C'mon then" they quietly sprinted towards Fenworth Museum.
They had been waiting outside Fenworth for the past half hour waiting for the shift change, their muscles had been aching from having to stay still so much. They were dressed all in black, of course; Max in her customary catsuit and Alec in pants and vest. They both had small backpacks with equipment and transceivers in their ears so that they could communicate with Dix at TC. He had hacked into the system and would help by messing with the cameras.
The two transgenics easily jumped the 10 foot fence surrounding the museum and landed softly on the other side. Two large mastiffs caught their scent and ran up immediately, barking viciously. Max carefully pulled some wrapped up steaks from her bag and laid them down in front of her as a peace offering; the dogs whimpered and approached the raw meat, sniffing it. They snorted their approval and proceeded to dig in; Alec cautiously patted them causing them to whine in pleasure.
"Damned glad I got feline genes" he muttered. She nodded in agreement. They rapidly scaled the walls until they came to the third floor where they climbed onto a ledge and paused for breath. They deposited their bags on the ledge, Max pulled out a stickable hook and attached it to the wall then hung her bag on it, she then used a piece of string to tie it to a jagged part of the ledge. She looked down at the sound of footsteps "They're coming" she whispered, alarmed. They quickly slid down the drain pipes, by the time the puffing cops had reached the spot where they'd heard the barking Max and Alec were long gone. The dogs had conveniently disposed of any evidence and were back to being fierce now that there was no more food.
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Later that evening in Fenworth Museum, the evening party-
Alec grabbed a glass of champagne from the passing waiter and moved towards the table laden with scrumptious food. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Max on the other side of the room on a stool being chatted up by some random loser in a bowtie *Whoa did I just think of that guy as a loser?* he was wearing what was obviously an original Armani suit, a diamond Rolex watch, some rings with fat precious gems on them and some nice shiny shoes. Alec took a closer look at him and smiled grimly, the director's son.
He observed as the young thug leered at Max while she talked to him; she was wearing a black halter dress that ended at about mid-thigh. It clung to her slender frame, showing off her perfect figure and leaving a large part of her back exposed. He stiffened when he saw the guy run his hand up and down her bare back then around her body, finally coming to rest on her thigh. She smiled provocatively and leaned in to whisper in his ear, Alec had a sudden urge to knock the guy's lights out, her hand stealthily slipped into his jacket pocket and pulled out something that she hid in her fist. Then she took off across the dance floor. Alec smiled and proceeded to head over to a lady on a blood-red leather couch on the side of the room "Excuse me" he said in that deep voice of his "But I couldn't help but notice and wonder what such a beautiful woman is doing sitting all by herself and I was wondering if you would bestow upon me the honour of your company" The woman that had been regarding him coldly a minute before and who was easily in her mid-forties, blushed like a little girl. No woman could resist his deadly charm, he could literally see her melt. The lady looked killer in her forest green evening gown, there was no doubt that no matter what her age she still played the game.
She offered her hand "Pleasure to meet you, my name is Laura Johnson. I'm the chairperson for this museum"
Instead of shaking it, he took it and kissed it pressing her fingers against his palm where he had concealed a soft fingerprinting pad, he looked into her eyes "Pleasure's all mine" he smiled charmingly. He was about to sit down when there was a sudden commotion on the dance floor, something had happened. He looked concerned "Excuse me a moment" he asked Laura politely and slipped off. Max had walked to the center of the dance floor and had suddenly fainted; a crowd had gathered about her and was muttering softly.
"'Scuse me, excuse me!" Alec pushed through the crowd to get to her; he crouched down beside her and checked her pulse. He opened her eyeballs to check her eyes, checked her forehead and slapped her face gently, he got no reaction. "Alright people" he called "Step back a bit, let's give her some air" they backed away a little. A guard was standing nearby, "You" he called the guy.
The guard turned around "Is there any place we can keep her?"
"Shouldn't she be taken to a hospital?" someone in the crowd asked
"No, she must've just fainted from exhaustion. She has no fever or injuries, she'll probably wake up an hour from now and be thoroughly embarrassed from having fainted in front of so many people."
"How do you know?" a man asked.
"I've had some experience with these things" he looked back at the guard "So what about it?"
He hesitated for a moment "Follow me" Alec quickly scooped her up in his arms and did as the guard ordered. He was led down a corridor to a closed door, the guard pulled out some keys and opened the door. It was an entertainment room, Alec took in the surround sound system, the TV that spanned the length of the wall, VCR, DVD player, LCD player, in his mind he whistled * So the top floor of Fenworth is her playground huh?* He saw the window on the far side of the room, he set Max down on the plush couch in the center of the room and in so doing noticed the camera set in the wall above him. The guard was at the door and motioned towards him.
"I think I'll stay here, to see if she's alright" The guard nodded and left, he locked the door behind him. Alec heard him whisper "I'll come back in 20 minutes. I have to get back to my watch, can't let the boss find out you're here" The dimwit seemed to have forgotten that the entire place was wired with little cameras.
The guard hurriedly skittered off towards the party, anxious to get back to his post. Alec put a finger to his ear and whispered, unobtrusively hiding his face from the camera, "Dix, we're in"
He heard a faint voice over some static 'Which room?"
"Entertainment room. Good luck"
"Same to you" Dix's voice came back.
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"Max, Max!" a voice called urgently in her transceiver, she grunted to acknowledge it's presence "I've looped the video" her eyes flew open.
"Good" she got off the couch and headed towards the window "How long do we have?"
"About 20 minutes, the guard will be coming to check on you then"
She climbed onto the ledge outside the window, her bag was attached there. She quickly grabbed it and Alec's then got inside. "Here" she tossed it to him.
The guards watching the security cameras wouldn't see her because the camera was on loop, playing recorded film of Max 'unconscious'. She pulled out a blonde wig and carefully wore it then she pulled her catsuit out of the bag and was about to change when she realized that Alec was watching from his place in the recliner. "Turn around" she ordered.
He looked disappointed "Aww, you take all the fun out of it" but he complied. Then it was his turn, she kept her back to him while he changed into clothes more suited for night-time activities.
She donned her bag and climbed back out onto the ledge. "C'mon"
They used the drainpipe to climb up to the roof where they quickly sprinted to the ventilation shafts; she slid down the one leading to the second floor but stopped just before she could reach it. She pulled out a collapsible skateboard (something I invented) from her bag and placed it in front of her. It had mirrors along the side of it to deflect the lasers that lined the shaft. She placed her torso on it and pushed herself forward. Behind her Alec was doing the same. She counted out the meters as she moved, when she reached a certain point she stopped and pulled out a laser-cutting device from her bag. She cut a circular hole in the metal and pushed it downward then quickly dropped down into the hallway below. She moved out of the way, allowing Alec to drop down behind her.
She pushed the newly created flap back up and adjusted her hair. She strode down the corridor purposefully, she wasn't worried about being recorded by the many security cameras Dix had looped all of them in this corridor. She came across a door with a sign saying 'Restricted- For Higher Faculty Only'
She motioned toward Alec, he handed her some lock picking instruments. She expertly worked the lock until she heard a little click and the door pushed open. She smiled and turned towards him "Stay here", he nodded.
She quietly slipped in and was met with a startled guard "What the…" was all he got out before he was swiftly knocked out by a punch from Max.
"Nighty night" she muttered "C'mon" she hissed to Alec. They moved towards the vault where they encountered another guard, he started at the sight of a beautiful, petite blonde walking up to him.
"Excuse me" she asked sweetly "But I seem to be lost. I'm looking for the Fire Jade Necklace?" He gaped at her, the last thing he saw was a man's fist as it raced towards his face, then the world went black.
"The dumber they are, the harder they fall" Alec smirked. She gave him a look, "What?" he asked defensively.
She talked into the transceiver "We're at the vault, show me those digits" It took a 15 digit password to get into the outer part of the vault, but to type in that sequence they needed a top-priority access card that Max had conveniently swiped from the director's son earlier. Apparently the old snooze thought his son to be trustworthy enough. Dix had acquired the numbers from watching the director punch in the numbers earlier that day.
He slowly read them out as Max entered them into the system "8 7 1 2 9 0 0 3 5 2 7 2 1 6 8"
The system bleeped and a little red flashing sign said "Access Accepted"
She grabbed the card and entered, there were several items kept on pedestals and in glass cases along the walls. This was the outer vault, the director could not go into the inner vault that was strictly for the chairperson, Ms. Laura Johnson. The objects were tempting but Max knew that they didn't have time, the necklace would get them a bigger payoff than all of the items put together. She arrived at the door leading to the inner vault "Did you get it?" she asked Alec.
He looked offended "What do you think? Of course I got it" he pulled out the pad with Johnson's fingerprints on them. He pulled out a piece of synthetic skin from his bag and used a strip of clear plastic to press it against the prints, the skin took the fingerprints shape and form. When he was satisfied with the results he pulled it out and examined his handiwork. Meanwhile Max was typing in yet another 15 digit code that Dix was reading out to her, the system flashed and an automated voice said "Place a finger on the sensory plate and state your name and occupation"
He placed the strip of synthetic skin on the plate and played the recording he had made earlier "My name is Laura Johnson. I'm the chairperson for this museum" the system was keyed to her voiceprint. "Welcome Ms. Johnson" the disembodied voice said and the door swung open.
The pressure sensitive pads that made up the floor lighted up. Dix's voice came faintly through Max's earpiece "'fraid you're on your own from her Max. I was unable to get the code to switch off the stuff there, there aren't any security cameras. Remember, anything stays on for more than 0.5 seconds sets off the alarm"
Max took a deep breath and let it out in a frustrated whoosh, "How the hell did you do this last time?"
He shrugged 'They just had one vault the last time I was here. Must've boosted up security since I swiped the Slough diamond" She glared at him, he smiled at her disarmingly.
She pulled a Charlie's Angel, she did four handsprings in quick succession until she landed beside the pedestal with the necklace where there were no pressure sensitive pads. She snipped the barely noticeable white wire that attached the glass case to an alarm god-knows where. Then she lifted the glass case and almost reverently reached for the priceless necklace when she noticed something odd. The weight of the necklace had caused a little depression in the pedestal, something in her mind clicked. *Damnit, the pedestal is pressure sensitive*
"Alec!"
"Yeah"
"This damned thing is pressure sensitive too, if I take it off then the alarm goes" She heard him swearing.
"How much do you reckon it weighs?"
"400 grams or so I'd say. Why?"
"Ever watched Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark?"
"Sure. What… Oh! Right"
"Precisely. Here" he tossed her a felt pouch, "That should do it"
She hefted the pouch, feeling it's weight. Then she looked at the necklace and mentally counted *3, 2, 1* she quickly snatched the necklace and replaced it with the pouch. No alarms went off, she sighed in relief and handsprang back to the outer vault. "Got it" she grinned triumphantly.
"Max" Dix whispered urgently in her ear "You've got 5 minutes, the guard's coming but he's just been stopped by some enquiring guests"
"They're coming" she snapped at Alec, they quickly raced back to the shaft and climbed up. The guards were still out cold. They rushed back on they're skateboards and had to use suction cups on they're hands to climb out. They rushed to the side and hurriedly clambered down the pipe and into the room. They turned they're backs to each other and changed, stuffing their other clothes into the bags that they stuffed under the couch. She got back to her former place on the couch and Alec resumed his place on the recliner.
Barely in time. The door quietly opened and in walked none other than Laura Johnson. Dix's voice "Unlooping video… now"
Max sat up and rubbed her eyes noticing the director. "Oh hello" then she looked around "Where am I?"
"You're at Fenworth Museum; you were at this evening's party for the unveiling of the Anubis Jade Fire necklace" her eyes assessed Max "when you fainted"
"Oh my god!" she put a hand on her mouth in a convincing impersonation of surprise and embarrassment and got off the couch "In front of everyone? How embarrassing, it must be all those nights I've been working. I was just exhausted"
Laura smiled thinly, her eyes flicked to Alec "This young man here took care of you. You should thank him"
She turned toward Alec gratefully "Thank you, may I know your name?"
"Rowan. Rowan Slate"
"Thank you" she said again
"It was nothing really"
The director looked at Max again "So" she said conversationally "You've been out for half an hour" Max nodded "Well I guess you'd better get back to the party then"
"Actually I think I'll go home, I feel a little woozy. Thank you for letting me stay here"
"Your welcome" she continued to trace Max with her hawk-like gaze as the two transgenics left, Alec gave her a private smile as he passed her.
She closed the door behind them and moved to sit on the couch. She gave another one of her thin smiles when she noticed that it was cold. If she had been out for half an hour the couch would be warm. Obviously the girl had been lying. She went to check the window; she found the piece of string outside. She pulled back in and took out her cell phone quickly typing in a sequence
"Fe'nos'tol, this is Laura" She listened while the person on the other end replied then she said "They did it" her voice sharpened "I want their hides nailed to my wall by tomorrow morning, no excuses"
On the other end of the line Ames White smiled "There will be none. Fe'nos'tol"
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At the party
"Whew, that was close" Alec said
Max was too busy grinning with the heady feeling of triumph to respond. Suddenly an alarm ripped through the building. "It's OK, everybody calm down" a guard was trying to placate the crowd, just as suddenly as the alarm started it stopped. The people quieted down. "It's a false alarm"
Gradually the crowd returned to doing whatever it is that they were but Alec and Max tensed up. "That was no false alarm" Max hissed, "They must've discovered the pouch and moved it, so the alarm probably went off. We've got to get out off here" Alec nodded in agreement.
They headed towards the lift just as four burly men entered, they recognized the guard that Max had knocked out earlier, he was animatedly and angrily describing something to them. He held his hand up to about Max's height and gestured all the while babbling. Swiftly, Alec grabbed her and moved her so that they were half in an alcove, his arms encircled her waist and he began to kiss her.
She beat he hands against his shoulder, resisting but then she saw the guard and the other men out of the corner of her eye; her hands locked around his neck, she pulled him closer, wrapped a leg around his and kissed him back. The men's eyes barely glanced at them, assessing them to be no threat and continued to the dance floor.
Once they had passed she shoved him off. He grabbed her arm and headed towards the lift "C'mon" Max took a last look around before she headed after him, and her eyes locked with Logan's. He was sitting at a table with a blonde lady that was talking to someone standing next to her, she turned slightly and Max realized that it was Asha. She saw the look of pain and hurt in his eyes as he sat, frozen in place. He must've come for the unveiling of the necklace. She wanted to go over and explain but she followed Alec's insistent tugging.
Hot tears threatened to fall "I'm sorry" she whispered then ran after Alec.
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Basement of Fenworth Museum
"Now which one of these fine cars are we going to borrow tonight?"
Max whacked Alec on the head "Ow!!" he exclaimed in surprise and annoyance "What was that for?"
"For being Alec. Why don't you select one?" She was still brooding about Logan
"Well, I was thinking that that red convertible there would do nicely…"
"Fine, let's hotwire it and get out of here. I want to go home and have a nice long soak in the tub"
"Can I join you?" he received another whack on the head, he rubbed the spot "Max you're going to give me bald spots" he whined
"Good" Max said "Now if you don't mind I'd like to get back to TC"
"But we were so looking forward to your stay" a cold voice rang out across the basement. White stepped out from behind a pillar.
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