Holy Daze

Previously on the Holidays...

MAX'S XMAS PLAYLIST

(And a Shout Out to the H247 Dragons who are keeping watch over crisis transmissions during the ritual time)

} Small Talk - for J.G.

"You sure this is the place?"

Angst glanced over her shoulder at Suki and smiled. "Have I ever lead you astray?" She dismounted from the motorcycle and waited for Suki as she took off her helmet and put it on the bike. Angst reached inside the saddle bag and pulled out some band-aids and began to apply them over her fingers.

"Well," Suki said. "There was the time in New York. You know CBGB's..."

"Let's not go there now," Angst told Suki as she handed her a strip of band-aids. Then adding with a heartfelt sigh, "Though I guess we can never go back there again in this reality."

Suki slung her school bag over her shoulder and made sure the Godhammer was inside. She really didn't want to be caught off guard, especially in a place like this. She took out a book of matches and opened them and peeled the front row off and handed it to Angst. Each stick had a symbol on them.

"And then there was this time in the dance club where you started a fight, a fight I'd like to remind you that I broke up."

"It wasn't my fight to begin with," Angst interjected.

} Aces Up - For R.T.

"Go to black" Max said. He ejected the clips from his handguns and was in the process of slapping new ones in. He turned to Maggie and asked, "How you doing?"

Maggie looked up and gave him a wink; she was dressing a wound to her leg. It seemed like she was in a world of pain but she didn't show it. There was a make-shift tourniquet on her leg.

"We don't have much time left," Max replied. "They will be arriving in full force in a little while. You think you are able to make the run?"

"Yeah," Maggie replied as she was fighting to stand. Max held out a hand to make sure that she was steady enough. They looked into each others eyes and a smile came to their lips. 

Trump jumped down from a pile of boxes. "They are coming. This time they are bringing Acers."

Max swore. 

Acers meant that they were in more serious trouble.

} The Topic of the Moment - for J.M.

"Ever wonder what would have happened if you didn't cross?" Frank asked Max.

"Probably swept into the reality content with knowing that nothing is going on," Max replied. He ejected a clip from his pistol and slapped another one in. He did a quick glance to see what the numbers were. "Maybe one day the shifts will stop."

"And miss all this?" Frank quipped. He was firing off a few rounds. He hit a few mooks and he heard them hit the ground like sacks of cement. 

"Well, you got a point there," Max said.

} A Close Call - for B.H.

The cool breeze enveloped him, though he didn't shiver for it was a comforting one. Max stood outside on the patio and looked out over the city below. He was sure he was home. For a little while at least, he hoped.

His cellphone chimed. A haunting melody emitting. He answered it.

"Hello Max," the voice said.

"Yes?" Max asked pensively.

"Time is coming," the voice said. "Prepared yet?"

"Yes," Max replied.

} Somewhere Between Page 1 and Page 4 - for J.D.

"You okay, Mags?" Aqua asked her, after tapping her on the shoulder.

Maggie snapped out of her daydream and shot Aqua a smile. "Yeah, sorry, was drifting off there for a minute."

"You sure picked a hell of a time to go off on a tangent," Aqua told her.

"Sorry," Mags apologized. 

Both girls were sitting down on the ground, behind a concrete wall. Mags shook the cobwebs from her brain and started to asses the situation at hand. Aqua was flexing her fingers in the gauntlets she was wearing.

"We only got one shot at this," Aqua said. "And I don't want to end it like Butch & Sundance did."

"But didn't they have fun doing that?" Mags said with a sly, wry smile.

} Messages in the Black - for T.B.

Max walked across the street. Plopped several bills onto the counter and took 13 random newspapers off the shelf. He walked into a nearby cafe and promptly sat down; he signaled for a coffee and then proceeded with opening up the first paper.

"Now that's strange," said Maude; she had just gotten back from a wedding for which she had taken a week off.

Gladys looked up from the magazine she was reading and spotted Max. "Yeah, he's been coming in ever other morning with a stack of newspapers."

"Any idea why?" Maude asked.

Gladys shrugged and went back to her magazine. "Just bring him an ashtray and keep refilling his cup and he will leave you a nice tip."

"But didn't we go no smokin..." Maude began but promptly shut up and did what she was told.

He opened up the paper to a random page. Looked down at a word and then took a pen and circled it and jotted it down off to one side and then he did the same with the other papers. The waitress gave him a curious glance as he constantly opened up the newspaper at random pages and circled a word.

She glanced over his shoulder as she set the cup down and noticed what he had written: FIND TABLE MARKED WITH SYMBOL GANGLAND... Which she thought was weird but made kind of sense.

} Breaking the Odds - for J.A.M.

Zing.

Max leaned up against the wall. His guns were in his lap and he was smoking a cigarette. They were pinned good and he was thinking of several options. He heard the sound of a pop can being knocked over and noticed Frank. Bullets continued to fly, letting them know that the bad guys were still there.

Twing.

Frank gut crawled towards him and then, under the comfort of the barrier, sat up and joined Max.

Zing. Zing.

"Well, what do you think?" Frank questioned Max.

Max looked at Frank and blew out some smoke.

"I thought so," Frank replied. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a small silver thermos. Max did a double-take.

"You want some?" Frank inquired.

Twing. Zing.

"What is it?" Max asked.

"French Vanilla," Frank replied as he poured a cup and the aroma of the flavoured coffee lifted into the air like an angel from heaven.

Zip. Zing.