Max Payne
Something Rotten in the Air
'This place is great, really comfortable. I'm just gonna get settled in. time to move on. Get on with my life.'
Yes, absolutely. Moving on is what you need. It's just a memory now. Can you move on from it?
'Now like I said, it was a long time ago.'
No, you didn't, but let it go, seriously.
'Definitely more my style than Panama I guess. No if I'm honest, I'd just kinda got bored of booze and I mean once in a while, not all the time.'
That shit's bad for your body. It's not doing you any favours.
'You're right it wasn't doing me any favours. Maybe I had lost my self-respect, but it's back and I'm excited, really. I really needed a new start.'
Oh… you're definitely gonna like it here.
'I think you're right. I think I am gonna like it here.'
I don't think you noticed the sarcasm in my voice. But… at least it ain't New Jersey.
It certainly… it certainly ain't New Jersey. It's my new life, just like you said.
It sure is and I hope you don't screw up your first job.
'Listen, if you think I can still do a job… what have I got to lose?'
Apart from the weight?
'Very funny. Ha-ha.'
I can feel your happiness from in here. Oh wait, the last of it just got washed away by all that booze you drunk.
'Sarcasm will get you nowhere.'
Max.
'Yeah?'
Don't forget if you ever need help, just ask.
'Yeah …I understand.'
XXXXX
So I guess I'd become what they wanted me to be, a killer. Some rent a clown with a gun who puts holes in other bad guys. Well, that's what they had paid for, so in the end that's what they got. Say what you want about Americans, but we understand capitalism. You buy yourself a product and you get what you pay for, and these chumps had paid for some angry gringo without the sensibilities to know right from wrong.
'Here I was, about to execute this poor bastard like some dime store angel of death and I realised they were correct. I wouldn't know right from wrong if one of them was helping the poor and the other was banging my sister.'
XXXXX
Sao Paulo, Brazil; 8:15PM, Thursday
I'd arrived in Sao Paulo a few weeks before. I was working a protection detail for the kinds of people who need protection in a town like this. And what kind of town was this? One where I didn't speak the language and they didn't water down their drinks, so for now, we seemed to get along just fine. Of course, that was about to change.
"Hey brother!" the man that brought Max to Sao Paulo, Raul Passos said to Max as he put his hand on his shoulder.
"Hey." Max replied
"How's the cocktail?"
"It's scotch, I never mix my drinks."
Raul gave him a disbelieving look. "Oh at least not on duty?"
"Something like that."
Raul turned to look at the city. "Man, that favela is big."
"Yep, nothing like the view of extreme poverty to make a penthouse cocktail party really swing." Max turned and walked to the crowded floor.
"They call it trickle-down economics." Raul called out to him.
"Ha-ha… That's funny."
"It's supposed to be a charity thing, drink and give money, I don't know, something for the kids." Raul told him. "Hey listen man, we better look lively. This place is a nightmare. They just got cowboys running security downstairs, and something rotten in the air."
That didn't mean much, there was always something rotten in the air. The family we were protecting were local celebrities, rich parasites with delusions of humanity. The kind of people who end up in glossy magazines or body bags, depending on how their luck runs.
"So where are they all? I see Rodrigo over there talking to that guy." Max asked.
"Yeah I don't know him. That guy next to him, he's some kind of cop, uh… I think. I'm not sure. Seriously though. Big-end cop, anti-gang sort of thing. I can't remember his name." Raul told him.
"So who's this guy?"
"That guy is a plastic surgeon or some kind of surgeon, tummy tucks and cock implants." Raul answers Max as a guy who is obviously drunk and horrible at dancing passes by. "Wow – look at Marcelo, he still dances like a fool."
"Guess that's what a European education and a coke habit will do for a Ricky Martin look-a-like."
Raul chuckled, "That's very funny Max. oh, excuse me…" he then went over and hugged some lady, but Max didn't care.
I was mostly working for Rodrigo Branco, a local businessman. Built things, did some charity, had things named after him, won awards, owned things, people. One of the trophies he had won was his wife, Fabiana. She was hot and wanted to be dangerous. Some good genes trying to fight their way out of a cess pit. She married well and was now at leisure to regret her good fortune.
They got along as well as any rich workaholic and his younger air-head wife tends to get along. They mostly ignored each other. She spent a lot of time with his coke head younger brother, Marcelo. He was a good time guy if your idea of a good time was an expensive suit, a bottle of champagne and nothing between the ears.
The middle brother Victor had just walked in. he was a local politician. Guy was smoother than an oil slick on an iceberg and about as toxic. The rest of the crowd, I didn't know, but I could imagine the types. People who know if they drink enough they won't have to feel guilty about their good fortune.
Suddenly things turned real ugly. Felt like our hangovers arrived right on cue.
The elevator opened and six armed men came out, one shooting a man on the security team in the head, killing him instantly. Chaos ensued as the men walked through the people, guns at the ready, calling out to the people in a language Max couldn't understand.
Before Max could shoot them, one pointed his gun at him, stopping him in his tracks. Max lowered his gun as the armed men grabbed Rodrigo, Marcelo and Fabiana and dragged them to the elevator.
Max quickly picked his gun up and ran to Raul.
"Passos! What the hell was that?" he asked the man.
"I don't know what the fuck that was, let's go man." Raul replied.
Things had gone from fine to fucked up in about a second, and now there were two idiots at the wheel.
"Clear!" Raul called to Max after he checked that the stairwell was safe. "I'll take the next floor down. You take this one, Bro."
"Gotcha." Max said as he opened the door to his floor and after entering, immediately had to take cover as bullets came flying in his direction. Max drew his pistol from its holster and, with a quick glance around the column he was behind, fired two shots.
One hit a kidnapper in the chest, slightly missing his heart, but still killing him. The other kidnapper was hit in the thigh, upon which he dropped his gun and fell to the floor while holding both hands over the wound.
When Max tried to walk pass him, he removed one bloody hand and reached for his weapon, which resulted in Max shooting the man in the head, killing him instantly.
'Damn idiot. He shouldn't have done that.' Were the thoughts of the bodyguard as he entered one of the suites on that floor.
Straight away he had to take cover again as the suite had three more of the criminals in it.
Luckily, by the looks of it. The thought that the two outside must have taken out their pursuer.
Max snuck up behind the one that was out of sight of the others and quickly snapped his neck as well as quietly laying the body on the ground, so as to not alert the others. Max crept behind one as both had their backs to him and pulled his arm around the other man's neck, placing his gun against the back of the head, and pulling the trigger.
The gun blast alerted the other criminal, who turned around and started to fire at Max, hoping to kill the man quickly. There was one problem though. The only person shot was the dead man that max was using as a shield.
Max raised his arm, gun aimed at the criminal's head, and pulled the trigger. His death was instant.
He decided to have a look around the room after collecting ammo and an UZI, finding two things of interest to him. One being a couple of bottles of painkillers, and the other being an expensive looking piano.
'One try won't hurt.'
Are you sure?
'Not really, but it's worth a try.' Max then hit a couple of notes but stopped then shook his head. 'I guess I'm just not ready yet.'
A scream took Max's attention away from the instrument and to the balcony just outside of the suite. There he saw Fabiana being used as a human shield, with a gun pressed against her temple, by one of the man who took her while the other was behind them both with an assault rifle aimed at the cops, who had their own weapons aimed at the criminals.
'Ah, fucking hell. You ready to do this?' Max mentally asked his partner that no one knew about.
Yes.
With that, Max ran and jumped over the railing, and started to slide down a slope of glass, heading for the pool.
As he was sliding, the world around him started to slow down as his senses and perception were enhanced by his partner. He aimed at the one holding Fabiana and fired, the bullet going through the right side of his head and hitting the other man in the shoulder.
While time still felt like it had slowed down, Max pushed with his feet and jumped over the pool, landing with a roll, and quickly bringing his weapon up while pulling the trigger twice.
Both bullets ripped through the man's chest, causing an instant kill. The body fell to the floor as Max's senses returned to normal.
He stood up and checked on Fabiana.
"Are you okay, Fabiana?"
She looked at him with tears in her eyes and clasped both of her arms around his middle and started crying while uttering, 'Thank you, thank you, thank you', repeatedly.
Marcello, seeing Max's discomfort, came over and got Fabiana's attention.
Raul walked over to Max and patted him on the shoulder. "Damn Bro, how the hell'd you do that?"
"Years and years of experience, my friend." Max replied as he noticed that there was still one more member of the kidnapped group not accounted for. "Where's Rodrigo?"
"Shit!" Raul exclaimed as he was reminded of the missing person, A.K.A. his boss, also A.K.A. the man who signs his checks. "They must have left those guys here as a distraction so that they could get away. They must have a getaway car in the underground parking lot. We've gotta get there now Max!"
Max placed his hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Calm down, Raul." he spoke calmly, "I need you to stay here and protect the others in case any more of those bastards show up. Leave Rodrigo to me."
"Shit, yeah, you're right Max. just make sure that you and he stay alive."
"You know me, Raul." Max said in a joking manner as he headed to the elevator. "Even if I want to die, it wouldn't happen."
"You are absolutely right, Max. I should probably just start praying for Rodrigo's safety instead."
"Yeah, yeah, you might want to." Max called out as he walked out of earshot of Raul and entered the elevator. He hit the lowest button and waited.
You know, if you were fit, you would've been able to get down all the stairs faster.
'Now is not the time.
Well, when is the time?
'Not. Now.'
…
'…'
…How about… now?
'No… and would you look at the time. We've reached bottom floor. Let's go.'
You, my friend, are a fucking idiot. Let's do this.
'I'll amen to that.'
With their conversation finished, Max drew his pistol and the UZI he took from the dead criminal and made sure that both were fully loaded. When finished, he waited for the elevator doors to open.
As they did, he stepped out and started getting shot at… again. He took cover… again. And shot at the criminals… again. Being the one to kill them… as usual.
He cleared the floor quite quickly and started heading to the underground parking. On his way, a criminal wielding a shotgun, walked through the door. A bullet to the head stopped him from using said weapon, which Max chose to bring with him.
As he entered, a couple of the kidnappers saw him and hit a switch, bringing down a gate which blocked his path to Rodrigo.
This is becoming a bother. Want me to take care of these guys?
"That'll be nice." Max spoke under his breath.
"Good. Because it's good for me to be in control sometimes."
For the next minute, it was a nightmare for the hired thugs, as they could not seem to find the bodyguard and every time they heard a gunshot and one of them died, none could find where he went. It went like this until the last one had a knife slide across his throat.
"They've been dealt with. You can have control back."
'Thanks.' Max thought as he got control of his body back.
He continued to walk through the area, cautious of any more thugs. It was as he was walking, that he stepped on something. Looking at his feet, Max saw a photo of Fabiana.
'Must be Rodrigo's.' he bent down and picked it up, slipping it in his pocket before continuing his search.
When he stepped onto the second level, he saw a group of the hired guns marching Rodrigo, with a bag over his head, into another part. Most of the stayed as the gate that lead to the next area was shut with the push of a button.
'There's at least eight of them. And we're in an enclosed area. Think you could give me a hand here Pal?' Max asked his friend. There was only silence as his answer. 'You asshole! Why the fuck are you sleeping with all of this happening?'
There was still silence, so Max decided to deal with them himself. He held the shotgun in one hand and the UZI in his other after taking a couple of pain killers. Walking into the middle of the area, three on the right, and five on the left, he pulled the UZI's trigger and swung his arm in a sideways arc, killing four of the five before diving backward and entering what he and his friend decided to call their ability; Bullet Time.
He pulled the shotgun's trigger, taking out one of the thugs and using the UZI, killed the last on his left. While still in the air, he twisted his body in the air and fired the last bullet in each gun, taking out the last two men.
He landed on the ground with a thud and let out a grunt.
"Ah fuck, that hurt." He complained.
Did you have fun?
'One, fuck you. You shouldn't have been sleeping. And two-'
I was wide awake.
'Okay… again, fuck you. And two, I'm killing people. Should I be having fun?'
Just answer the question.
'No, I'm not having fun.'
Good answer. Now, let us save the man paying our alcohol bill.
'Shut it, you ass.'
Max hit the button to open the gate and as he did, he drew his pistol and prepared himself to deal with the last couple of thugs.
He stepped into the next area and killed one straight away before turning his aim to the next. Bang. Dead. Bang. Dead. Bang. Dead. Max then looked around for Rodrigo before hearing a car start and the sound of tires scraping against the ground.
Turning around, Max had only a moment to jump out of the way as an armoured van sped pass him. He entered Bullet Time and shot one bullet at the tyre which ripped through the rubber, causing the vehicle to veer enough to the right that it smashed into a column.
He walked over to the van as the driver got out with a gun in his hand. Max put a bullet between his eyes and opened the back of the vehicle, which Rodrigo tumbled out of, yelling in panic.
"I swear, I'll pay you what you want. Just let me go!"
Max pulled the bag off Rodrigo's head and spoke calmly. "It's me, sir. You'll be fine now."
"Max? Max! I'm thanking God right now that both Marcello and Raul recommended you as a bodyguard. You, my friend, are getting a raise."
Yay. Now you can drink even more booze. The yay was sarcastic.
'I know, shut up, and fuck you.' Max thought to his partner before replying. "Thanks, sir."
More police showed up along with the anti-gang soldiers, along with Raul, Marcello, Victor and Fabiana, who upon seeing that her husband was safe, pulled him into a hug.
"You're safe!" she exclaimed with tears in her eyes.
"And so are you."
Fabiana turned to max and spoke with a smile. "Thank you, Max."
Max turned and walked over to Raul, who had chosen to stay out of the way of the family.
"That was a close one, wasn't it, Brudda?" Raul asked as he held out a cigarette for Max.
The only reply he got was a short nod and a 'Fuck' whispered under the breath.
"Why do I get the feeling that this is only the beginning?" Max seemed to ask no one as he took a puff of his cig.
From my experience, it is only the beginning. Don't worry, though, as you and I stick together, nothing will happen.
'Smartass. But, I guess you're right'
Some part of me hoped that that was the last of it. That there was no one else out there who wanted to make my job harder. I was in for a rude awakening later, when I'd have to save another Branco. I had no idea just how deep things went.
EXTRA
Within the recesses of Max's soul laid an apartment building, in which laid upon a bed in a random room, was his partner. He, feeling that Max had gone to sleep, rose from the comforts of the bed and exited the apartment of which he was residing in.
"Things are becoming a lot more than I thought, Max. I'm sensing multiple Reiatsu out there, similar to mine. I wonder if there are more people like you and me. People with another soul in their body. Well, it doesn't matter, at least, not for now."
The man walked out onto the roof of the apartment building and looked out into the blackness that surrounded his small abode.
He felt something softly land on his head. Looking up, he felt more of the liquid-like substance start to drizzle onto his face. Rain then started to pour down upon him, and if this hadn't been a construct within Max's soul, the man would've been soaking drenched in water.
"Max, are you still having nightmares about your family? I don't wish to pry into your memories without permission, but if you don't stop the rain, I will."
He then jumped up to the edge and stayed there, deathly still, before whispering quietly.
"I hate the rain."
XXXXX
[A.N.]
Hey all, I know it's been awhile and… yeah, it has. But you know what? I'm finally breaking through the wall within my imagination called, Dun Dun DUUUUNNNNN, 'Writers Block'! and am pleased to bring you the first of many updates to my stories… hopefully.
A Max Payne cross-overed with Bleach. Which is a bitch to write as I want to write in both the third person and in Max's monologues, which is hard to fit in, but I'll keep on trying.