The moment that he walked through the door, he knew he was in big trouble. Max stood, scanning the room, noticing the devastation that was strewn about. Bodies scattered about like discarded toy soldiers after a child was bored with them.
Max made no sudden moves, since he could feel a pair of eyes on him. He would have to thank Maggie later for that gift.
"Brogan."
"Ah Max," a voice said from the shadows. "It's good to see you again."
"It's been a long while. You could have called."
"I knew if I did this that you would come." Brogan stepped from the corner; he held a device in his hands that resembled a gun. "Like a bee to pollen."
"Enough with the games, Brogan," Max said. He stood there staring at the man.
"You killed me once," Brogan said as he stepped forward. "I doubt if you can do it again. I've evolved."
Max slammed his hand on the table, making Frank and Goner look up from what they were doing. Frank was reading the paper, while Goner was doing a Soduku puzzle.
"What's up?" Frank inquired.
Max ran his fingers through his hair before replying, "Still no word."
"Well, after all it's been only 12 hours," Frank replied. He had folded up the paper and placed it on the table. Beside the 13 clips that were loaded and ready for battle.
"Shouldn't there be a sign at least?" Max seemed more agitated than normal.
"What's up, Boss?" Goner asked; he noticed this as well.
"I'm not too sure," Max replied. "Something doesn't feel right at all."
"What's going on?" Angst looked about. She walked across the roof to the spot where Suki was camped out.
Suki turned to look at Angst; she held a portable game player in her hands. She was in the middle of kicking alien butt.
"Nothing much," Suki replied.
"You're supposed to be on sentry duty," Angst said with a scorned look.
"I am," Suki stated. She finished off the level and then quit the game. "It's boring. Just sitting and watching, it's like doing math or something like that."
Angst sat down beside Suki and took the binoculars from their perch to do a quick glance.
"Besides, Trump is in the tree across from the building," Suki said.
"I hate that cat," Angst muttered.
"You and Max both," Suki said with a smile. "I can understand why Max doesn't like the cat but what's your story?"
Angst scanned the building and saw no movement. She scanned to the tree to find Trump sitting on a limb licking his right paw. He seemed to notice someone watching him so he peered toward Angst.
"It's a long and complicated one," Angst said.
"I got all night," Suki inquired.
"Well I don't," Angst replied. She turned to Suki and winked.
Kelly's Diner sat on the outskirts of the city, a
rest stop or a last chance to get a meal before heading off into
destinations unknown. It was a relic from the past, erected during the
1950's and had managed to survive the radical changes as the city grew in
the distance.
It had changed hands many times but never its style and
that's maybe why the woman liked coming here every so often. She pulled
into a parking spot in front of the diner and stepped out into the crisp
morning air.
The waitress was sitting on the edge of the counter
taking a sip from her coffee when the woman entered. The waitress
straightened up from the stool and placed her coffee down.
"Good morning," the waitress said.
The woman nodded and said, "Indeed it is." The
woman was athletic, somewhere between her late twenties and early
thirties, wearing torn jeans and a tank top. Her posture was straight but
not arrogant. She stood at the door and glanced around and decided to
take a seat near the back.
"Do you want coffee?" the waitress asked.
"Yes
please," the woman said. She stopped and turned to face the waitress.
"Has there been a gentleman here? About 6'1. Sandy blonde hair?"
Archived Event: The Long Drive to Hellenbach
While gas fed the hungry car, Goner continued to talk about ramen
noodles. The Professor snored in the backseat. Goner was sitting in the passenger side and was making light
conversation; trying to stay awake. Max chuckled.
"All this talk about
food is making me hungry," Goner said as he spotted a sign declaring
Husky's House Truckstop to be just a mile down the road. "How about
you?"
Max shrugged a little, but now that Goner had suggested it he could feel the pangs of hunger growing. The Professor murmured something in his sleep. Max glanced back to check on him; it was rare to have him in the same plex coordinates. Max liked it but it also made him feel uneasy.
"There's
a restaurant another mile or so up the road," Goner said. "To my
recollection they serve the best hash browns and sausages evah!"
The
car pulled into the nearly full truckstop, with several rigs lined up
like soldiers ready to roll at a moment's call. Max found an empty
parking space in front of the diner. The Professor yawned and stretched. Max killed the engine and then turned
to the Professor and said, "You're buying!"
Goner looked at the empty backseat. "Max, who are you talking to?"
"You feel that?" Maggie asked Max. Her eyes opened and she stared up at the ceiling.
Max
turned from the window where he had been standing like a sentry
watching the city below him and faced Maggie. "Yes," he answered.
"I'm scared," she said. It was the first time in a long while that she had felt this way.
"Me too," Max replied. He didn't know what to expect.
Goner was getting impatient with Angst; by all rights they should of been
in the battle. Though he had said he would wait as she prepared; it was the
least that a friend could do.
His cloak billowed in the warm
breeze; it seem to comfort him. He didn't like to be waiting, especially
if there was a battle going on. He looked over the horizon to see if he
could see anything from this vantage point.
He saw a glimpse of
lights near the river. It seemed like the Mysterious Mingos' were up to
their old tricks. He placed the binocs into the utility web of his
suit, and flexed his power gauntlets.
"Well, are you ready?" he asked impatiently. He hoped the tone of his voice would signify that this was indeed an emergency.
Angst
adjusted her mask and made sure that there wasn't a tear in the spandex.
After all, she needed to look her best for the entrance. And that her
plasma pistols where charged and ready to spew out hot death to those
who opposed her.
"Do you know what we are up against?" Angst asked.
"How am I supposed to know?" Goner replied. "I don't make the reservations. I just heed the call."
On that note both took to the skies.
Washington DC, 1989
Max was munching on a hamburger when
he saw the news. It was on the television up in the corner of the diner
and was on low volume. But high enough just to make it out. He placed the
hamburger back down on the platter and looked around the diner to see if
anyone was watching the TV.
No one else was paying close
attention to the event that was unfolding on the screen. Max breathed a
little easier. It wasn't a big deal at the moment and maybe it could be
swept under the carpet if the agency worked quickly on it.
Shit's going to fly on this one.
His cellphone chimed.
"Max," Brogan said. "Have you've seen the news?"
"Watching some of it now," Max said. "What's the plan of action?"
"It's going to be hard for the boys to cover this one up," Brogan replied. "You know who they are going to shit upon for this foul up."
"Do we have a contingency plan?" Max inquired.
"Yeah," Brogan said. "But it's still going to end badly for someone."
Max signalled the waiter for the check; he took out a crisp $20 bill and laid it on the table and got up.
"Get a chopper ready," Max said.
"Already on standby, my friend."
Iralia, Operation: Stormfront
The bunker was hot and
stuffy and there wasn't much anyone could do about it. There was a poker
game going on at a table with several of the troops playing off
some of their paychecks.
Broom broke off from the poker game
since he was tapped already and didn't want to loose what little money
he had left. He saw that Pretty was up and he went to him like a moth to
a flame.
"Hey Pretty, you got any cigs?" Broom asked. He stood at
the foot of the bunk. Pretty was reading a western novel and peered over
the book to see who had interrupted the best part of the scene.
"What kind you want?" Pretty asked Broom; he leaned over and dragged a locker out from underneath his bed.
"Le Morte's if you have 'em" Broom said.
Pretty opened the locker and moved a few things around and ended up tossing Broom a package of Le Morte's.
"Cool!" Broom stated. He tossed a couple of bills at Pretty.
"Pleasure
doing business with you," Pretty called after Broom. He turned over to
Max and said, "I can't see what you like about that mag."
Max glanced
over from his bunk; he was engrossed in an article in the Fortean Times.
Something about string theory and a paperclip.
"It's educating," Max replied.
"I've got something for yah," Pretty said. He reached inside his pocket and pulled out a zippo lighter and tossed it.
Max caught the zippo and looked at it. The design on it caught his eye.
"Well, I'll be," Max said. "Where did you get this?"
"Ancient trader's secret," Pretty said with a wink. "Besides, I owe you man."
INT. CITY FIRST NATIONAL - DAY
MAX is standing in a long line
waiting for his turn at a teller. There are 14 people before him and
there are 3 tellers on duty at the moment. MAX is wearing a neon yellow
t-shirt that states VILLAGE and he is wearing jeans. It's a pretty busy
morning at the bank.
The young girl ahead of him is chatting on a cellphone. She is a college co-ed.
GIRL: (into phone)
... like so I say to the jerk "It's your move asshole".
The man before the girl turns to face her; he sees that she has a cellphone. He is about to turn and let the girl chatter.
GIRL: (to the man before her)
What are you looking at? Line is ahead!
Max smiles to himself. Trying not to indulge in the conversation but the girl is speaking too loudly not to.
GIRL: (into phone)
Nothing Jenny. Just some doufus before me.
The man is about to say something, but Max shakes his head no. So the man turns and faces the front.
GIRL: (into phone)
So
the jerk stands there gawking like he has something to say and I say to
him "spit it out" but he's like stammering like an idiot.
Max
shivers. He turns to see a shift occurring. The bank has changed from a
brilliant beautiful building into a long abandoned building. Max is
standing amongst the dust.
MAX: (as he drops his check onto the dusty floor)
Marvelous.
He was unable to sleep since he was plagued by bad dreams. Max Cube lay
in his bed staring up at the ceiling fan rotating. A cigarette in his
hand on his chest, lit, and the smoke rising into the air as if someone
signaling that trouble was near.
The clock on the wall ticked away,
the second hand seemed to amplify in the night. Max was doing some
serious thinking; remembering the past events and wondering about the
ramifications of certain actions.
His room was dark and mysterious,
no lights inside but the lights of the city cast shadowy images on the
wall. Which triggered events in his mind and got him thinking again. He
really didn't know what the whole purpose of this was, but he was glad
that he was getting some self healing done.
He brought the cigarette
to his lips and puffed away, and then he exhaled a dragon's smoke into
the air, watching the swirling cloud as lights reflected upon it. The
smoke showing him what the future might hold.
He smiled and then butted out the cigarette, and turned over on his side. Sleep might pay him a visit, but he highly doubted that.
While gas fed the hungry car, Goner continued to talk about ramen
noodles. He was sitting in the passenger side and was making light
conversation; trying to stay awake. Max chuckled.
"All this talk about
food is making me hungry," Goner said as he spotted a sign declaring
Husky's House Truckstop to be just a mile down the road. "How about
you?"
Max shrugged a little, but now that Goner had suggested it he could feel the pangs of hunger growing.
"There's
a restaurant another mile or so up the road," Goner said. "To my
recollection they serve the best hash browns and sausages evah!"
The
car pulled into the nearly full truckstop, with several rigs lined up
like soldiers ready to roll at a moment's call. Max found an empty
parking space in front of the diner. He killed the engine and then turned
to Goner and said, "You're buying!"
INT. A VERY LONG HALLWAY - NIGHT
MAX, FRANK and MAGS pass through
a set of doors into a very long hallway. Frank does a double-take on a
weird looking statue that looks like a combination of a spider and
mosquito.
FRANK:
What the heck is this supposed to be?
MAGS:
Beats me.
MAX:
Looks like someone I once dated.
INT. TOP FLOOR HALLWAY
RANCOR
and his GOONS appear in a cloud of sulphuric smoke, where two sentries
are sitting and having a coffee. The sentries are caught off guard and
have little time to react.
RANCOR:
Do something.
GOON1 and GOON2 take out the sentries.
GOON3 takes out the third sentry who steps into the room.
GOON3:
Clear.
RANCOR:
According to the teller they should be somewhere down below. It only gives us a few moments to set something up.
