4RCH4N63L

Chapter II: "Good Samaritans don't take cuts."

"Vagabond to Archangel."

Her keys landed in the bowl by her door, the bags in her arms almost slipping, jerking her knee up, she managed to catch it and transfer the bags to her kitchen counters before anything fell. The requirement for food was not something she could ignore, so even with a lack of sleep, she had hauled her ass into town, stocking up on snacks and other food items. Three trips from the car had gotten everything in. Poking her nose into the bags, she sorted through them, pulling frozen dinners, ice cream and pizzas from various bags before tossing them carelessly into the freezer.

"Vagabond to Archangel, do you copy?"

Cocking her head to the side, Lexa studied her bags, trying to decide if there was anything else that required being put away immediately. Anything for the fridge could simply wait. Leaning down, she swiped her last cold glass bottle of soda from the fridge before clunking into her bedroom, toeing off the combat boots as she collapsed into her chair. She grasped the radio, clearing her throat before she replied.

"Archangel for Vagabond, I copy."

"Well hello there. About time you answered." His smooth tones sent a shiver down her spine, that was a voice she could learn to fear.

"I do have an existence beyond this frequency." Alright, she might be a bit snarky today. She popped the lid on her soda, taking a swig and leaning back.

"Regardless." He paused, dramatic effect maybe? "DGeoff has a proposition for you."

She wanted to groan. Proposition meant job. Good Samaritans don't accept money, aka, Paragon was paying her ass to do this.

"I'm waiting." She made note that he had no patience.

"And I'm listening."

There was that pause again, she supposed he had intimidation reasons of some kind? If so, she was still on the fence if it was working.

"Is this frequency secure?"

No frequency was secure. Alas, LSPD was given orders to keep their noses off this frequency, some of her best work if you asked her opinion, which is about as secure as they could get.

"Enough."

"We have a job for you."

So that's how it was. She smirked, no need to go into intimate details over the frequency. She wiggled her mouse, logged in and pulled up her mail program. A quick search and she found the email she had been given, typing out a cheesy pick up line. 'Nice bum, where ya from?' before sending the email off.

"Give me the details via email. If I don't correspond through the address you see.. It's not me. Now I have cool groceries getting warm on my counter, toodles. Archangel signing off."

Standing, she dragged her soda back to the kitchen, sorting through and putting away her groceries before she popped a pizza into the oven. Her soda gone, she switched to beer and returned to her desk, crossing one leg over the other and bouncing it absently as she got back into her computer. An email from the Vagabond was waiting for her. Skimming the details, she smirked and switched to google, doing a quick search before transferring the data she found into a whole different program.

An hour later she was familiarizing herself with the inner workings of the jewlers security system, another window open on her third screen showing several CCTV angles, including one in the office, facing towards the safe. Pen in hand, she figured out the safe code for that day, but rewinding in their system, found it was due to change soon. Picking up a slice of pizza, she chewed silently, her focus back on the codes racing by, reading as much as she could and finding most of it repetitive. The system itself was fairly basic, in certain cases that could make it all the harder. This was not one of those cases.

She reached for the radio. "Archangel to Vagabond. I'm in. No payment required. Tell me when."

It was a few minutes before the reply came back.

"Tonight. 2am."

She glanced at her computer, slowly moving the programs she wouldn't need until the much later that day to the side. Loading up one of the many dark web sites that worked as a job bank of sorts for criminals, she scans the entries until she finds a quick hacking job she could do. Worth a few grand, it wouldn't take her long at all to get through it, a simple dig up dirt and deliver. She responded to the add, getting a reply almost immediately.

A name, social security number, and a picture for good measure. She used the SS number to start the search, digging through as much information as she could. Starting with her criminal record, specifically the tediously sealed document from her childhood. The first piece of juicy dirt Lexa found. Oh what amazing things this one little document lead to. It seemed to just continue pouring into her hard drive, and once all the individual pieces were collected, she put the file together, ranging from the light stuff to the heavier darker shit the woman had and was involved in. Some small shred of morality piqued at her brain, she could send even part of this to the cops and that would be that, but she had a paying customer waiting on the information and she hardly needed the hit right now.

She finished her pizza, cleaned out a second bottle of beer and finished the dirty job before evening fell. She sent a taste of the goods before demanding payment. An offshore account was given, she watched the money transfer in, moved it to a different account and then sent the rest of the information. Logging off the site and her banking accounts, she checked in with the Jewlers. They were closing up, cleaning off the cases, locking up the keys (she double checked the code again, thank you very fucking much.) and preparing the deposit. It was close to six in the evening by the time she was content with her online exploits.

Standing up and collecting the pizza plate, the two bottles of beer and can of Junk, she dragged it all out to the kitchen, sorting it out before half crawling into her bedroom. Stretching much like a cat would, she shoved the blankets out of the way, slowly peeling off her clothing and throwing it into hamper in the corner of the room. Crawling beneath the soft blanket, she closed her eyes. Only to snap them back open and pick up her cell phone, plugging it in and setting an alarm for midnight. With that done, the hacker passed out, arms wrapped around her pillow. Everyone needed to be well rested for a heist, even someone whose going to be as far from the action as she was.