Title: anything and everything

Author: sue

Rating: PG

Show: DA

Genre: Angst/Romance/Adventure

Type: WiP

Summary: under the chaos of a failed mission, somehow Logan had managed to do the impossible- infect Max with the deadly virus. Now, it's up to Alec to stop her from plunging into the bottomless crater of death. And he would do anything.. and everything to make sure of that.

*

the lovely Mel had helped me to make this chapter better ;)

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Chapter 9- The Second Heist.


Even from where he was standing, Alec could hear the commotion going on in the closed up building. Well, an ordinary might have missed, it but he heard the confusion, the increasing fear and the rising mayhem perfectly. He grinned, the rush of adrenaline still coursing through his blood as gently he slid his hand into his jacket and took out the diamond. He brought it close to his face and slowly he turned it around, letting the soft morning light run its warm fingers through the multiple facets. Premier Rose glowed as it basked in the morning sun and that bright light illuminated the pain jagged green eyes.

Alec sighed as he let the cool early breeze wash over his features, calming and cooling him down and somehow he could feel his spirit rise as, around him the world started stirring from a good night's sleep. For the first time in the past 6 hours he started to feel that yes, he could beat this thing… Max would be fine and he won't lose her, not yet anyway.

One of the reasons he stuck around Seattle for so long was because of her.

Although she had taken an instant dislike to him, well… maybe dislike was a bit of an understatement, he mused grinning at the memory of their earlier encounters, hatred would be the better choice, but for the first time in his life, he felt a sense of belonging. Even though Max had looked at him with some sort of aversion and not to say a heavy dose of loathing, at least she had looked and saw him. Even if it was as a screw-up who had to be pulled from all sorts of jams imaginable but for him, it was good enough. If it weren't, he'd have done what his training would've expected him to, lay low and keep moving.

At first, there was the issue of money. Because of him she had lost her only chance for the cure and with that, her chance to be with Logan. He had watched with disbelief as she had chosen to save him over her much-needed cure, even after he almost killed her to save his own skin. And for that he owed her his life. He disappeared for a while until he got enough money to pay Logan back... and after he had scraped enough courage to be able to look her in the eye and not cower at the reminder of how low he had stooped and the coward he had become.

Fate had somehow gotten their paths to cross again. So, they did have a second encounter. Not under the usual circumstances that's for sure, but who wanted staunch predictability when they could have shocking surprises, with those little twists thrown in occasionally. But the manner in which they first met continued till they parted company at their failed gig and it had extended throughout their very-hard-to explain relationship. Not 'relationship' relationship, of course, which is why the very-hard-to-explain part comes in. They weren't that friendly to consider friends nor were they sworn enemies, prepared to kill the other on sight… but somewhere confusedly in between.

And during this turbulent timeframe, he'd observed Max from afar and had came to the conclusion that, despite her tough chick image, what Max truly needed was someone to look out for her. And he was pretty sure she never realized this as a fact. Not just someone saying, 'be careful…take care of yourself, Max…' every time she ventured out into the world but something more like discreetly watching her back. Someone who would be there when she needed help the most and offered it before she asked for it; because if it was up to her, she'd rather die than admit that Max the tough girl did require some assistance.

So he did just that. It had started when he recognized she had a tendency to plunge headfirst into trouble without a plan, magnified tenfold by her desire to help out Logan in his missions to save the world. And this had grown into a habit, something he didn't want to break. Because somewhere along the road, he knew what Max truly needed was not a string to tie her down or a huge wall to keep the bad world away but… trust. Plain and simple. So that she in turn would have enough trust in herself to do the right thing, to learn how to spread her wings wide and explore the world instead of hiding herself away like she always did. And for someone who claimed to have Max's best interest at heart, Logan certainly found it's quite impossible not to toss her into some kind of trouble on a daily basis.

Alec sighed deeply before the sparkling jewel drew his attention back to the present. He smiled as he looked at the twinkling diamond. Now, he was a step closer to the cure. He slipped the stone back into his pocket before he started moving towards his bike. A loud racket grabbed his attention and he turned towards the building. Again a satisfied grin broke over his face as he mused over his rash plan.

For his Intel, he had done intensive research on the building, the area around the building, the exhibition, the usual security, manpower…basically every tiny detail about the operation of that exhibition… including the Director himself.
He had dug up every single thing he could on the unsuspecting man, which meant that Alec knew everything there was to know about Daniel de la Vega. Maybe more than the man himself. He had learnt that the man was happily married, had a devoted family and yet he still kept a mistress. But none of that was a problem to him.

At that time, his only concern was getting into the room with all his limbs still intact, and he had started drawing out a plan to get there. But after tonight he had had to abandon his half cooked plan for something a little less time consuming. And quickly he had contrived another. Because the room was obviously overprotected, he knew he couldn't just barge in there and whisk the diamond away, even though he was a transgenic and all. That was way too risky and he can't afford to go down before acquiring the cure. So, he started on another route and the perfect choice was through de la Vega. He was the one in charge there and what a stoke of luck… he had a weak spot.

The two women in his life.

Alec devised the perfect opportunity to turn that small flaw into something that would be in his advantage.

The next stop, a sound studio.

In that empty studio, Alec spent the next hour putting his props together.

Two tapes.

Two measly tapes that would spell out victory or deadly failure. Which is why he had laboured furiously over it, and in the end, all his hard work turned into a masterpiece. No one would ever have suspected those conversations as a fake unless they knew it beforehand. It was that perfect.

The first tape was a family repartee among the de la Vegas on a boisterous picnic. The contented banter between loving husband and wife, happy chatters of affectionate girls and the warm bond of father and daughters were extremely hard to miss. Alec had poured everything he had and everything he knew to make sure that the outcome had the real warmth of a family gathering. Which was a wonder because he had never been to a gathering or had a family to begin with, but he had pulled it of splendidly. And the unprepared recipient would be Ms Germain.

The second tape was intended for Mrs de la Vega. It consisted of one very enticing dialogue between the husband and his mistress as they laughingly discussed their little tryst in Paris. In this one Alec had doused hot and steaming passion over the conversation, added with aroused chuckles from his lover and sated replies coming from the cheating husband. The result… remarkable.

He then connected the tapes to two telephones and set to work on the timer so at the chosen time, two anonymous calls would be made to two different women. When they answered the phone, the tape would automatically played, enlightening the two women about the one man of their lives. He set the two calls apart by a couple of minutes, giving de la Vega enough time to stew on his guilt before the second attack began.

After this had been taken care off, he set out to do a little scouting on enemy territory. He sneaked into the perimeter and broke into the computerized control room. With a few strokes on the keyboard, he overloaded the wiring in one of the showrooms a few doors away from Premier Rose. Then, cautiously he let himself out and waited for everything to go as planned. He had set the stage and now all he had to do was wait for the key players to act unknowingly from the script he had written earlier. And they did. He almost laughed at the sheer simplicity of it, it's all in the matter of psychology… expect how your subject would react under certain circumstances and you almost had control over them. But there were unseen complications of course and he was extremely thankful that they were minor and could be discarded.

The sea of moving men proved to be the perfect place to be as he tried to keep an eye on de la Vega, who would make his appearance in a few more minutes. When he did appear, Alec joined a couple of firemen as they moved towards the room, and waited patiently as the agitated Director deactivated the alarm and burst through the door, desperate to save the priceless diamond. His sharp eyes noted the box and the heavy lock on it. It would be hard to crack open but not impossible. He watched amusedly as the first call came through.

A few minutes later the amusement almost turned to pity as the cornered man tried valiantly to struggle free. Almost… but the thought of a slowly dying Max hardened his resolve and he continued to watch the drama with cold unemotional eyes. When the second phone rang, Alec could almost see de la Vega fear had peak to absolute horror. And that was his cue. He plastered a look of understanding on his face and stepped to the trapped man.

Although the heavy box was in his possession for only mere seconds, it was more than enough. His nimble fingers blurred as he picked the lock and quickly he slipped the jewel into the pocket of his uniform, the time it took for de la Vega to locate the ringing phone. He handed the empty box back to the sweating man and within minutes of acquiring Premier Rose, he was already outside, the diamond resting comfortably in his pocket.

Alec smiled as he thought about his heist. All had gone well and now he was half way to the cure. He then turned his thoughts to Red, the man who was very interested to take Premier Rose from his hand. His usual fence. The sharp-eyed man had promised to pay Alec half a million for the diamond, maybe even six hundred grand. That was the most he had ever make in a single heist but right now it wasn't enough. The green eyes hardened with determination as he went through phase two of his plan quickly through his head.

His fingers lightly touched the diamond as again he turned towards the building.
With a last glance, he got onto his bike and blazed off to his next destination.

*

She opened her eyes slowly and was greeted by nothing but sheer gloom. The heavy air moved slowly over her, but by now Max had almost gotten used to those dark fogs, they didn't bother her that much anymore. She didn't even realize that they're still around; after all she had something else to occupy her mind from those depressing clouds. She blinked hard as the image of her last visitor danced tantalizingly through.

Alec.

The mere thought of him set her heart beating faster than ever. But the frantic heartbeat slowed down as she remembered with heavy heart that Alec was under a tremendous amount of pain. A low sob surfaced deep from her throat as she realized that she was the reason Alec had been placed in that horrific set of circumstances. If she could have moved her body, she would've curled into a miserable ball, an unconscious armour against the impending pain. But alas, that little comfort was cruelly taken away from her. Again she blinked as her working mind, as if trying to compensate for her body's lack of movement went into overdrive as it presented her with the history of their encounters. Her heart constricted as something dawned upon her foggy mind.

She had never been nice to him. Not once in their time together... not ever.
Her face flamed with embarrassment, hot and not particularly pleasant. It was a wonder he was still around. Anyone else would have probably fled the area, intent on putting as much distance between them and their unwanted tormentor or even fought back at the uncalled and undeserved attacks. But not Alec. Every verbally malicious shot she sent flying towards him was greeted with his usual smirk or trademark grins. Not realizing and not caring that maybe those sharp slices do cut deeply, she sent more of those venomous arrows. But now, looking back she knew without a doubt that Alec hadn't earned those spiteful words. She was too blind too realize that sooner, purblind by his thick shield. She had done nothing to deserve his help now, but he was still giving them away. She closed her eyes tight, thinking the matter through. Why? Suddenly the answer loomed.

He loved her.

Her befuddled mind refused to accept it as a fact. She must have been mistaken or it was just something her tired brain conjured up. It couldn't possibly be true.

It just couldn't…could it…?

Filled with misery, she didn't even realize that her best friend was there.
Startled, she turned and saw Original Cindy as she sat stiffly in the corner,
OC's dark eyes fixed straight at her. The fact that her Cindy was there calmed
Max down a little. The uplifting effect of OC's presence soothed her frayed nerves and she was lulled into a comfortable doze. But when she felt Cindy's hesitant approached, Max turned, bewildered at her friend's unusual behaviour.

'What's wrong Cindy?' she almost asked aloud, before she remembered that her friend couldn't possibly hear her. Her unasked question was answered with waves of emotions coming from Original Cindy. Something totally not like her. Hatred and anger mingled together.

But quickly, the two feelings disappeared and replaced by resignation. Max was still brooding over the rapid changes as OC started talking.

'You do love to be in the center of attention, don't ya boo?' Cindy's choice of an opening conversation startled a smile out of Max. 'You have no idea what a mess you've caused. Original Cindy thought she'd never the day when irresponsible and unreliable Alec moved heaven and earth for ya. Still in shock over it, sista. But there you go; you can't judge a book by its freakin' cover…'

Max inhaled sharply, not believing what OC was saying.

'Under all that oozing charm and smooth talk, that boy do care about you Max. Maybe a lot more than you could ever imagine,' she stared hard as her heart started to bloom with happiness. 'Dog boy was right; there is more to Alec than meets the eye. Talk about layers, you 'Manticoreans' could keep a shrink busy just trying to find what you're gonna do next, let alone what makes y'all tick.'

Her lips started quivering as a smile hovered uncertainly over her full lips. As usual, Original Cindy was right, but her next word sent heavy frowns to adorn Max's forehead.

'And Wonder Boy,' she flinched at the unbridled fury. 'I know you thought highly of him, being Eyes Only, protector of the downtrodden and all but I can't begin to imagine how anyone could behave like such an ignorant fool and expected to get away with it. It's not my fault... Now, tell me Original Cindy, how could anyone look after someone who had a hole in her shoulder without the first aid kit?'

 
Max grimaced at the last few sentences. Logan had said that? Although she was too confused and too tired to think rationally, she listened hard to Cindy's words. The guilt she had felt earlier came dashing back, attacking her with renewed frenzy. But right now, it was accompanied by shame and sadness.

Logan. Long ago, that name was a source of comfort. Someone who was beside her as she searched for her lost family, who had tried to give her back something he thought she'd never have. But now, Cindy's blunt words had chased away the lingering shadow of uncertainty and doubt around the man to whom she had looked up to. For the first time, she saw Logan without the heavy curtain of gratitude and honor-bound by his 'help'. And she saw the real Logan that was always hidden behind Eyes-Only, his alter ego.

She was surprised that she hadn't realized that sooner. But then, she always had had a knack to toss what she didn't want to see away and run if the situation was too much to handle. Lost deep in her own thoughts, she missed OC's next words.
She was too busy chiding herself on her blindness to the obvious. She took a deep breath as at last she admitted to herself that yes, Original Cindy's talk about Logan had made her a little amazed but it didn't really gave her the shock of a lifetime. Because deep down she had subconsciously recognize Logan's true colors but she had turned a blind eye to his glaring flaws. All because of gratitude.

All her life she had been on the desperate search for her family, refusing to get attached to anyone else for fear of history repeating itself but after meeting Logan, having his as a substitute family, she had overlooked his faults.

Because at that time, he was the closest companion she had who knew what she was, and it had solidified into a habit as time passed, even after she had found Joshua… and Alec.

Too far gone in her thoughts, she didn't even realize that OC had retreated; her place beside her was replaced by a nurse. Somehow, as if sensing her state of mind, the heavy fog crept closer and before she had time to react, she was crushed in its dark embrace and swept further and deeper into the ever-waiting darkness.

*

'Hey Walt, I'm leaving now. Make sure you keep those eyes on the monitors, can't have a burglary on our watch, right?' grinning at his partner, Jim turned to make his usual rounds.

'Come on, Jimmy, who would be stupid enough to break in here?' laughed Walt, clearly amused at the absurd suggestion.

'You never know, Walt, you never know…' and with that last remark, Jim left the room with a careless wave.

Slowly, Jim walked through the empty corridor of Seattle Art Museum. He hardly spared a glance at the work of arts by the world-renowned masters. Works by Monet, Renoir, Titian, Cézanne, Tiepolo and many more graced the walls of the museum, their beauty lighting the building. He glanced occasionally at dimly lighted corners, not really expecting anyone to lurk in the dark spaces. Because of the extra security, the guards actually did have fewer things to worry about. But the last few weeks, Seattle Art Museum had collaborated with numerous art museums around the world to exchange the prized paintings in their charge for over a period of time.

Musée d'Orsay in Paris had agreed to lend a painting by Bazille, Bazille's
Studio; 9 rue de la Condamine. While the Galerie H. Odermatt-Ph in Cazeau, Paris had offered Sisley's Moret-sur-Loing. Monet's Water Lily series- Waterlilies,
Green Reflection, Left Part from Orangerie, Paris now hung beside its sibling, Water Lilies (The Clouds). Renoir's Bouquet of Spring Flowers from the Fogg Art
Museum Cambridge USA was in the next room.


The Seattle Art Museum was now capable of boasting that they now hosted masterpieces from the nucleus of the Impressionist group- Renoir, Sisley, Monet and Bazille. Four friends who had met while studying at the Gleyre's studio in
Paris. Four men who had came from different backgrounds but possessed the same passion in life, their art.

Jim casually glanced at the closed room. It wouldn't be opened until 10 am and it would require multiple codes to open the multiple layers of security. Seeing that it was tightly shut, like it was supposed to, Jim ambled on but he stopped in front of a beautiful oak door. He stared at the door as his mind brought forward the image of its occupant inside. The Night Watch by Rembrandt. He smiled a little as he thought about that amazing painting which portrays the extraordinary clarity of a group of soldiers as they prepared to go on their watch, under the command of their distinguished captain. The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam was a quite reluctant to part with their priceless Rembrandt, but after numerous meetings, The Night Watch took a very guarded trip to Seattle.

As per the agreement, Seattle Art Museum loaned out a few paintings as well, a Séurat, a Tintoretto, a Manet and a Degas to name a few. The newly added paintings, all of which were priceless masterpieces, did put Jim a little on edge. Too many valuables under the same roof; it was the perfect heaven for thieves and burglars alike. But the guy who was in charge seemed to think the security was enough, more than enough.

The whole area around the museum had a high, stone wall, hiding it from public's view. The dark blue roof was visible, even from miles away during the day.
By night, the dark canopy gleamed under the bright spotlights, making anyone attempting to sneak into the grounds instantly became apparent to the guard's sharp eyes.

The guards were posted at towers, scattered around the perimeter of the museum.
Even if they somehow succeeded in passing the lights and the guards, even more security was waiting inside the building. Valuable paintings were put into small rooms and displayed separately and these rooms were heavily guarded. Nothing was left to chance. Other than the standard laser beams, multiple layers of alarms that could only be activated and de-activated by long sequences of numbers which only their superior had access to, cameras that were placed all over the museum, watchful guards they were also sensors that were placed behind each paintings. Even if they were accidentally moved a few measly millimeters, the alarms would go off in the control room at the museum and at the police headquarters.

Jim glanced around the empty hallways and walked on, intent on getting his shift over with.

*

Walt was sitting in his chair as he gazed at the various screens in front of him. His alert eyes flicked over the monitors, trying to locate his paranoid partner. Jim was always worried that they're going to be hit by burglars since the first day he worked here... five years ago. And that fear had peaked with the arrival of their distinguished visitors. Walt grinned as he found him. Jim was walking slowly along the dim corridor, eyes casually moving all over the place.

Walt almost laughed at his partner's antics before he saw something that made the laughter shrivel away completely. Behind him, a huge, hairy creature was crouching in a corner, his gleaming eyes trained at the back of his partner's unaware neck. Heart beating faster, he was rooted to the spot, eyes wide opened as he watched with horror. Must have been one of those freaks, his terrified brain shouted.
Suddenly the creature held out an arm, sharp looking talons dangling from the long fingers as he got into position to strike.

Walt leaped to his feet, and rushed outside, determined to save his friend from the ferocious monster. His feet skidded painfully on the smooth floor as he sprinted away to try and save his friend's life.

*

From a corner, a man in black clothing emerged from the shadows. He waited for a second before switching off the remote in his hand. The remote to the hologram projector he'd planted earlier. Then, without hesitation he stepped into the empty control room and started working.

His quick fingers flew over the keyboard, erasing the 'monster scene' completely from the computer's memory. After that he turned his attention to the cameras in one of the rooms and without a moment's hesitation, he overrode the default code and shut the cameras off. He programmed the computer to loop sequences from the tape so the guards wouldn't be suspicious before he could make it outside.

That taken care off, Alec tried his hand on opening the files on security. His eyes turned to the big watch on the wall and he clenched his teeth in despair. Time was something he couldn't control but he had fervently hoped that his skill could offset what problems the computer would pose. The computer was way too slow for his liking. Time was running out but those damn codes remained a mystery. His hands blurred all over the keyboard while he strained his ears, trying to hear the two guards before it was too late. He heaved a huge breath as the last number clicked into place. A second later he had completely changed the code to a new sequence. With one glance, he had every single numbers firmly etched in his mind. His agile fingers moved rapidly, as he confirmed the changed codes. He was moments away from completion when he heard something that froze his blood.

 
Footsteps… two sets of them rushing towards him. Alec turned a desperate gaze to the monitor as it hummed quietly, the last task not quite done. He turned towards the door as the sound of marching footsteps became clearer with every passing second. As he spun to face the monitor, he found out with relief that the computer had finished doing its work. His busy hand on the keyboard froze with shock as behind his rigid back, the door was pushed opened by the two guards.


to be continued…