Title: Movie Magic
Summary: Max and Alec go undercover on a movie set, and things get…complicated. MA.
Spoilers: Takes place sometime after "Love Among The Runes," but before "Freak Nation."
Disclaimer: FOX obviously decided they didn't want Dark Angel…can I have it instead?
A/N: For any Logan fans reading, I always do my best not to bash him in my fics, so please don't worry. He's not a bad guy in this story, and he won't be portrayed that way. Alec may take a few verbal shots at him, but nothing worse than he did on the show, and if Logan has a bad attitude towards Alec occasionally, it's just because he's still hurt by what happened with Max.
A/N2: I realized I forgot to thank my beta in the first chapter, so I wanted to thank her now. Darth Mom is the best beta (and Mom :) ) in the Star Wars galaxy and any other, and my fics would never be the same without her. She was kind enough listen to all my rambling and frustrations with this story, and read just about every draft of every chapter there was.
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Movie Magic
As far as missions went, Alec thought, this one wasn't too bad. It gave him the chance to meet and work with a beautiful actress, he was actually gonna be paid for it - the contract Logan had worked out with Malone said so - and he got to stay in the finest accommodations post-Pulse Hollywood had to offer. Alright, so post-Pulse Hollywood's "finest accommodations" consisted of a run-down trailer with a leaky roof, but he'd been in worse.
There was just one problem. There'd only been two trailers left. Alec had almost suggested that he and Max share a trailer and Logan could have his own, but Max would never have gone for it. Besides, even if Logan thought that Alec and Max were together, "Melissa" and "Brian" weren't supposed to be involved, and if only for the sake of their cover, it made more sense for "Brain" to offer "Melissa" her own space. Plus, well, there was the whole "if-she-touches-him-he-dies" thing think about, and that pretty much got rid of any chance of Max rooming with Logan, even if she wanted to.
Naturally, all those factors combined meant Alec had to share with Logan instead.
Yep. Fun times.
He knew Logan didn't like him, and usually, he didn't let himself care. But the accusing looks Logan gave him now bothered him more than he wanted to admit. Because, even though he hadn't actually done anything to deserve it, it almost felt like he had. That was pretty ironic, considering that he hadn't even known what was going on until Max had finally told him.
If Alec was really honest, he was still a little angry about it. Yeah, he got why she did it, and he could even understand why she'd picked him. That didn't mean he had to like it, though. But, he'd promised Max he wouldn't say anything, and he wouldn't.
Unfortunately, being stuck under the same roof as Max's ex-not-like-that-boyfriend - despite playing the part of her new-convenient-pretend-boyfriend - meant he had to talk to the guy, whether he wanted to or not.
"So, have you found anything yet?" Alec asked.
Logan looked up from the laptop he'd brought, scowling before he managed to turn his expression into something a little more neutral.
"Not really. Then again, we just got here."
The clipped, slightly condescending answer wasn't totally unexpected. But, hey, he'd tried, right?
Alec sighed, and the trailer lapsed back into silence. He flipped idly through the script he held, but there wasn't really much point. Memorizing a few pages of dialogue was easy when you had a genetically enhanced memory. Let him read through it once or twice, and he could recite it backwards if needed to.
He glanced at his watch. They wouldn't be expected on set for another hour. Tossing the script on the small table in front of him, Alec pushed himself to his feet.
"I'm gonna go look around."
Logan look up again, surprise flickering across his features.
"Really?"
"Yeah," Alec shrugged. "I'm bored. Max probably is, too."
Logan's scowl returned and Alec almost smirked. Logan wanted to be petty, two could play at that game.
Smiling a little to himself, Alec walked out the door and down the steps. He wandered around aimlessly for a few minutes, no real particular destination in mind. He was almost tempted to really go see what Max was up to, but thought better of it. She'd been in a lousy mood, and he didn't need the extra bruises. After all, he had to look good for his close-up.
Deciding he might as well try to learn something useful, Alec turned and headed away from the set to check out the perimeter. The guards he'd seen when they drove in had been mostly concentrated around the entrance, but there were probably at least a couple lurking in the woods too.
He took a casual, meandering route through the forest, stopping to look at the scenery every few minutes, playing harmless nature-lover out for an afternoon stroll just in case anyone happened to be watching.
It didn't take long to spot the first guard, standing at the bottom of a hill. He was dressed head-to-toe in camouflage, a gun slung over his shoulder, and he was scanning the terrain around him every few minutes, his movements alert and precise. Unlike the guards at the entrance, this guy was real military.
Walking a little farther, Alec spotted another guard…and another… Surprised, he stopped and focused his eyes, letting his vision zoom in closer. Nope, he wasn't seeing things. There was a guard every couple hundred yards or so.
Alec frowned, thinking about the size of the set and the land around it, running some quick calculations in his head. If he was right, there were probably about forty guards total. And that was just the ones guarding the set now. There were probably others hanging around somewhere.
It wouldn't have been completely ridiculous to have that many security guards if the set was, say, in the middle of Seattle. But here, in the middle of nowhere, at the foot of the Canadian Rockies… Over-kill much?
Shaking his head, Alec turned around to go back…and froze, a noise catching his attention: voices. And they were getting closer. Thinking fast, his eyes darted up to the nearest tree. Most of the branches were pretty thin, but…
There.
That one looked thick enough to hold his weight.
Bunching the muscles in his legs, he jumped, catching the branch with both hands before easily pulling himself up over it. He crouched, balancing on the balls of his feet, one hand pressed lightly against the bark of the trunk, the other resting on his thigh.
The voices of the guards grew louder, and a minute later they came into view, still scanning the forest around them as they talked.
But they didn't look up.
Alec watched silently as the guards passed beneath him, waiting until they were far enough away that he couldn't hear them anymore. When he was sure the coast was clear, he stood and stepped off the branch, effortlessly landing the fifteen-foot drop.
That was close, Alec thought, staring in the direction the guards had disappeared. At least he hadn't been seen, though. Max definitely would have had something to say about that.
Okay, he admitted reluctantly, so maybe he should have been a little more careful. After all, Logan had mentioned that the security was tight. But, then again, he'd been expecting rent-a-cops, not real military. There was a pretty big difference.
The question was, though, why exactly did Malone need so many guards for a movie set? Was he just really, really paranoid? Or was there something else on going on?
If Alec had to bet on it, he'd put his money on the second one.
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Max paced restlessly just outside the set. Growling, she forced herself to stop. She hadn't just spent all that time in hair and makeup so that she could mess it up. But she couldn't help being frustrated. They were supposed to start filming in twenty minutes and Alec wasn't anywhere to be seen.
She'd walked to his trailer a half an hour before, wanting to make sure he actually made it to the set on time, and didn't just stroll in late like he always did at Jam Pony. And, okay, maybe she had been just a little bit bored sitting by herself in her trailer…but he didn't need to know that.
Much to her annoyance however, when she'd stuck her head in the door and asked for Alec, Logan had given her a strange look and said he'd thought that Alec was with her.
Frustrated, but not really wanting to go back to her own trailer or stay inside to talk to Logan, she'd decided to just wait outside, until Alec came back from wherever he'd gone off to.
When he still hadn't show up, Max had finally walked over to hair and makeup, wondering if maybe Alec was already there. He hadn't been. So, twenty minutes later, she was wearing her costume, her hair was curled, her makeup was flawless, and her mood was even worse than it had been before.
If the idiot was with that actress he'd flirted with earlier, she was going to -
Thankfully, the idiot chose that moment to make an appearance.
"Where were you?" Max demanded as he walked towards her.
Alec shrugged.
"Just taking a look around and filling Logan in."
Max's eyes narrowed. That sounded suspiciously…helpful. But Alec didn't do helpful.
"Why?"
"Well, we are supposed to be on a mission here. I thought some intel might tell us exactly what we're getting into. Kinda glad I did too. I don't know about you, but if I'm gonna have to take on forty guards, I like a little warning."
Her annoyance left immediately.
"Forty?" she repeated, surprised.
He nodded.
"They're stationed around the parameter, every few hundred yards or so. They're military, Max."
Her eyes widened.
"You're sure?"
A smirk played on his lips.
"Sure? Nah. It's not like I've spent any time in the military or anything, so how would I know?"
Max felt her cheeks burn a little, but she resisted the automatic urge to smack him. He sort of had a point. She glared instead.
Of course, her luck being what it was, that also happened to be the moment Alec noticed what she was wearing. She watched his eyebrows arch as he took in her pink waitress's outfit, apron, and matching shoes. Just as quickly as it had left, her irritation returned full-force.
"Don't say anything," she growled.
She'd had a few choice words of her own when they'd given her the costume, but good actresses didn't complain about how ridiculous they looked, so she'd just grit her teeth and gone into the dressing room to change.
Alec grinned, his eyes sparkling with amusement, and something else she couldn't quite place.
"Me? Say something? I'd never dream of it."
Max gave him a look that clearly said how much she believed that, and shoved him in the direction of the makeup tent - hard. His genetically-enhanced sense of balance was the only thing that kept him on his feet, but he just laughed, shaking his head at her, and ducked inside.
She followed behind him, still fuming.
The expression on his face when the makeup artist came at him with blush in-hand made her feel a little better, though.
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"Hello, sir, welcome to Mildred's Diner. I'll be your waitress, Megan. What can I get for you?"
"What do you recommend?"
"Well, sir-"
A charming grin.
"Please, call me James."
"Well, sir," she repeated, deliberately ignoring what he'd said, "The special is always good, and we have some great lunch options."
Another grin, this one even more flirtatious, as she reached forward to pour a glass of water for him from the pitcher she held.
"I'm sure I'll like anything on the menu as long as you're the one serving it."
The water she'd been pouring "accidentally" wound up down the front of his shirt.
"Oops, sorry about that," she smiled insincerely.
It was a little surreal, Logan thought, shaking his head. They were only acting, but the script might as well have been written for them. He had a good view from where he stood, a few feet off the set, just behind the camera crew, doing his best to the play his part for the mission, while Max and Alec played theirs.
"Cut!" Skip ordered. He turned to them, nodding his approval. "Great take, guys! Brian, head to wardrobe and tell them to dry out that shirt."
Alec nodded and slid out of the booth, glancing down at his shirt then giving Max a dirty look when Skip's back was turned.
She just smirked.
But, Logan didn't miss the way her smile softened a little as Alec walked off, and he couldn't help the now-familiar resentment that bubbled up in his chest. He pushed it back down, though, and turned away, watching as the crew set up the next shot, and Skip gave some stage directions to Max. Then, he slipped quietly towards the trailers.
He didn't think he'd be missed. Agents usually only stuck around to make sure that their actors' contracts were honored, a practice that hadn't started up until after the Pulse when honor had been the last thing the struggling remains of Hollywood had cared about.
There wasn't really a reason for him to stay.
Sighing, Logan roughly forced his thoughts back to safer territory: his investigation.
What Alec had told him about the guards just didn't make sense. The source who'd tipped him off about Malone had only mentioned the producers who'd disappeared, and Logan trusted the source enough to believe that if he had known about the military presence, he would have told him.
It was possible that Malone just suspected someone was on to him and he'd gotten nervous, but as much as Logan hated to admit it, he agreed with what Alec had said earlier: "'Nervous' is putting an extra lock on your door. Forty soldiers? That's taking paranoid to a whole new level."
But then what was Malone really up to?
The records Logan had managed to dig up before they'd come here mentioned nothing about him having any connections to the military, though one of his mob friends might. But even if that was the case, it still didn't explain why Malone needed the military presence in the first place. Offing five movie producers didn't warrant that.
Logan paused, stopping to glance around. It was quiet here, away from the set, only the occasional crew-person passing by, probably running errands.
Realizing he wouldn't get a better opportunity, Logan headed towards Malone's trailer. If Malone was there, he could pretend that he had something he needed to discuss…but when he reached the small building, there was no sign of the producer. Frowning, the cyber-journalist thought back over the people he'd seen gathered on the set. He'd have to ask Max to be sure, but he didn't think Malone had been there either.
Filing that away to worry about later, Logan walked up the steps and tested the door. It was locked. Glancing around once more to make sure no one was watching, Logan jimmied the lock - grateful that he'd asked Max to teach him that particular skill - and stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
The trailer was dark, but he was familiar enough with the layout from when he'd been inside it earlier to discuss Max and Alec's contracts. A desk sat at one end, and a couch that probably doubled as a bed sat at the other. A few cabinets lined the wall, just below posters for the movies Malone had worked on.
It looked surprisingly neat and strangely normal. There were no clues tying Malone to the mob or showing that he was capable of killing to get what he wanted - not on the surface anyway. Logan hoped Malone had been careless enough to leave something behind.
Turning to the filing cabinets, he opened the drawer closest to him and started searching through it.
Supply list, cast list, contracts…
But nothing useful.
Logan slipped the files carefully back into the drawer, and moved onto the other cabinets, frustrated when he realized they only held more of the same.
Finally, wondering if this had been a useless idea to begin with, he walked over to the desk and flipped idly through a few stacks of papers. Then his eyes came to rest on the answering machine. Deciding to take a chance, Logan activated the small menu on the machine. "Three saved messages," the screen read. He chose the option labeled "Play all."
"Saturday, September 3rd, 8:01pm," a tinny voice announced:
"Hey, Mr. Malone, it's Bob Culver. I'm calling about the next project you're involved in, 'Tiger's Eye'? I heard you were looking for extras-"
Logan stopped the message and jumped to the next one.
"Sunday, September 4th, 7:12 am:"
"Mr. Malone, this is Judy O'Brien with Washington Meridian Insurance. Have you ever wondered what would happen to your loved ones if you were accidentally decapitated? Washington Meridian can help. It's the life insurance you can't live without! To learn more, call-"
Logan fast-forwarded again.
"Monday, September 5th, 1:42pm:"
"The package you ordered has arrived."
Logan frowned, waiting for the message to continue, but it didn't. "End of messages," the answering machine declared a moment later. He replayed the message a few times, but that was all there was, nothing else, no mention of who was speaking, what the package was, or where to pick it up, just short and to the point.
Sighing, Logan looked down at his watch. He needed more time, but they'd probably be wrapping up filming soon, and while no one would think twice if he wasn't on set, getting caught searching the producer's trailer would definitely raise some uncomfortable questions.
He closed the answering machine menu and checked to make sure he'd put everything back where he'd found it, then headed for the door. He stopped just before he stepped outside, taking one last look around. Like before, there was nothing out of place. It looked like any ordinary producer's trailer on any ordinary movie set.
But, at least this trip hadn't been a total waste, he reminded himself. The message gave them something to go on. He just wished that it hadn't left them with more questions than answers.
TBC…
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A/N: Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think!
Like before, the next chapter, should, Lord willing, be up in a few days…or sooner, lol, if you all twist my arm again. ;)
Take care and God bless!
Ani-maniac494 :)