disclaimer: i dont own these characters
i know its been a while, and sorry this is not a long chapter. thanks for the reviews and sticking with this fic!
Chapter 22: Chasing Clues
It had been 5 days since the night Max had dinner with Alec. She knew that tonight, a Friday night, was the typical night that Seattle's very own Manticore thief was hitting. She had on some gear she used to use in her cat burglary days. She smiled at the thought, recalling what she was like before she'd met Logan. Not that she'd changed too much, but now she relied on Logan's money, and she had forgotten how much fun it was to go out like this at night, to for once be on the attack instead of defense, and for once not be blindly running from Manticore. This time however she wouldn't be stealing anything, just identifying the perp.
Her dinner with Alec still haunted her slightly. She hadn't seen him since, and she wasn't complaining. She hadn't seen Logan, either. Just spoken with him on the phone about where the next likely hit would be for this Manticore thief. Their conversations had been brief. Max hadn't wanted to see him. She didn't feel ready. After the night with Alec she really wasn't sure what she wanted.
That night, she had sought out comfort, but when the night was over, she realized that the thought of Ben was resting on her mind more than it should be. Was it just more of her childhood memories coming through, or did something happen that she didn't know yet to explain why she kept wanting to see Ben?
She realized that she didn't know if he was at Manticore or if he had successfully escaped. She hadn't seen him since 2009, on the night of the escape.
Though Max's thoughts and confusion troubled her, ever since her night on the Space Needle and the dinner with Alec she felt she had a better handle on things, namely on her emotions. She felt she had established good control now, and they were no longer getting the better of her.
She actually found herself looking forward to tonight. An excitement rushed through her as she parked a safe distance away from Logan's calculated location. The perp was following a pattern, not visible to the sector police, but with Logan's resources they'd discovered it. Whoever it was, they were always hitting on Fridays and they must have somehow gotten through to information about every wealthy man in town. They were hitting the wealthiest, starting from the top and working downward.
But it'll all be over tonight, Max thought, feeling more determined than ever. She was going to nail this thief, and maybe even find out some information about Manticore.
Max broke into the house easily with the information Logan had given her. There were 10 security guards, but no one would be expecting her to walk right in through the front door, where the advanced security system would surely catch anyone- anyone but a transgenic that is. Logan had hacked through the pattern of the alarm system. The knowledge of exactly where she could step along with her transgenic movement and memory made the task easy. She leaned against a wall, perfectly hidden, and waited. If Logan had calculated right, the thief would come sometime between the next hour.
Max took the extra time to speculate who it would be. She'd learned not to get her hopes up, but she wondered who it was. It definitely wouldn't be Zack. It definitely wouldn't be Ben. She found herself disappointed. Those were the 2 brothers she wanted to see the most. Maybe it would be a sister.
Max's thoughts were interrupted by something alarming.
"Max!" came a voice from somewhere she couldn't see.
Max jerked, almost setting off the alarms.
"Don't move!" came the voice that sent a rush to Max's heart. It was Zack.
"Zack!" She spoke in happiness and also surprise. She had never thought he would be the thief. Why would he do something so reckless?
"Max, you tripped a secret security system when you entered through the door. The police will be here in 2 minutes. We need to get out of here."
Max followed her way to the voice, moving with the speed of a transgenic. She almost fell on top of Zack, not realizing quite how close he was. Now she could see him. Her eyes also noted what was in his hand. The cord she'd used to come over the gate. He had removed all trace that Max had been there besides herself.
Max smiled at Zack. Sometimes his soldier routine annoyed her, like when he made them split up. How he demanded they never get attached. Even the way that he kept many details to himself, thinking it would help protect them all. But that was who Zack was, and he was right. Max was forever grateful that Zack acted the way he did. She grabbed his hand in soldier fashion, and they both ran to escape before the police arrived.