Hey guys, welcome to this brand new fic. It takes place in the aftermath of the sac!Arcadia ending and will include some fairly major original characters. Since I have a lot of stuff I want to write and get out, I thought I'd test drive this idea to give you a flavour. I hope you enjoy this first chapter.
Chapter One: Aftermath
Open Road – Near Olympia, WA
It had been several hours since the tornado hit Arcadia Bay, leaving only destruction and death in its wake. In that time, Max and Chloe had put good distance between them and their childhood town. However, no amount of distance or time would help them to forget what had happened.
They'd passed by Portland a while back - maybe several hours ago - but this was hardly the road trip they had once fantasized about. Not the adventure they had been searching for. The journey had been almost silent, neither of them ready to talk about what they had witnessed. After seeing their hometown destroyed before their very own eyes, it was no wonder. Arcadia held so many memories for them… not all good. And now, they would carry them wherever they went.
The gas meter on the truck was running dangerously low. It had been for a while now. Like the guilt, sadness, and pain, they had been ignoring it up until now. Breaking down was the very last thing they needed on top of everything else. Without saying a word, Chloe pulled into the nearest gas station. She didn't have a lot of money on her, neither did Max, but they were able to scrape together enough to fill the tank a bit. They wouldn't need much, just enough to keep them going.
While the lanky bluenette was busy eyeing up the slowly increasing pump price, Max remained in the truck. Their plan, for now, was to head off to Seattle, to her family home. There was nothing left for them in Arcadia, and they wouldn't make it very far alone without money. No riding off into the sunset just yet.
News of the storm had traveled quickly, and her parents had rung in a blind panic. She assured them that she was okay, well as okay as she could be after being instrumental in Arcadia's destruction. It had been her choice.
That thought brought a lump to her throat and made her eyes sting. The worst thing was, she didn't even regret it. She hadn't wanted all this to happen - far from it - but in her eyes, the sacrifice had been more than worth it. There was no way in hell she could've let Chloe die. No way. Unfortunately, that certainty didn't make the overwhelming guilt disappear.
Desperate for a distraction, the brunette stared blankly out of the truck window, the glass feeling cold against her cheek. Her right hand - the one that had made this all possible - laid limp in her lap, unmoving. If only she could go back and make different choices… maybe, just maybe,she could get it right this time. Then, the rational side of her brain kicked in. She knew that the perfect ending where nobody got hurt was little more idealistic fantasy, unattainable. There were always casualties. The harder she tried to reach it, the more unnecessary suffering she caused to the people she loved. As of now, she'd already done more than enough damage.
Max didn't even notice her friend had returned until she was close enough to touch. "Not sure if you're hungry or thirsty yet, but…"
The blue-haired punk held out some water and a gas-station sandwich, not looking her directly in the eyes. Mostly she was worried that if she looked at Max, into her now distant blue eyes, she'd end up having a breakdown. She needed to stay strong, for both of their sakes.
After some hesitation, Max lethargically took the bottle and food. She didn't have much of an appetite now, but she appreciated the thought. "Thanks."
Chloe tiredly waved away her thanks as she stuck the key in the ignition. "Don't mention it."
"I want to," Max softly, yet firmly, insisted.
Right now, they only had each other. Considering what could've happened, she should be extremely thankful that Chloe was here at her side - which she was. More than she could ever put into words. This outcome was both what Max wanted and her worst nightmare rolled into one, but the most important thing was that she had Chloe back. That was all that mattered now.
The bluenette just offered her a sad smile before continuing their journey. She was getting increasingly worried about Max. With every moment that passed, the freckled girl seemed to fold in on herself more, build a wall nobody would be able to break down or scale. It was a painfully familiar scenario for Chloe, be it under drastically different circumstances. When William had died, she'd done just that. Emotionally sealed herself off from the world. She didn't want it to happen to Max, but there was little she could do to stop it.
As she drove down the road, her fingers drummed nervously on the steering wheel wondering what she should do. Should she speak or stay silent? Crack a joke or keep it serious? Reassure Max or avoid the issue? In the end, she didn't even have to decide.
"Just so you know, I don't regret it. Not even for a second," Max suddenly announced, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the outside world passing her by. Before she might have considered the view in front of her photo-worthy, maybe even getting Chloe to stop so she could take a picture to commemorate the moment. Now was not the time for that. "I'd do it again. Every single time."
Chloe didn't know how to react to this. It appeared that Max was just as concerned about her as she was about the young time traveler. Truth told, the older girl did feel responsible for all this. If she had just died in that fucking bathroom at the beginning of the week... all those people would still be alive and, most importantly of all, Max wouldn't have gone through so much. It was only because of trying to keep her alive that brunette suffered countless times over. Physically, mentally and emotionally.
"Yeah," was all she could manage, her brow furrowing and voice thick with emotion.
Now was not the time to launch into an in-depth discussion about how they both felt responsible, or anything about Arcadia. That would come later. For the first time in hours, Max looked at her directly. She needed to make this clear to Chloe right off the bat. Otherwise, they would both end up gradually eaten away by the unspoken words.
"I'm not just saying that to make us feel better. I really mean it."
The flickers of harrowing emptiness and guilt in her eyes made Chloe's heart constrict painfully. She didn't want to see Max like this, ever. "I know you do. I guess I just haven't come to the same conclusion yet. Not that I'm ungrateful for you… saving me. Again."
"I'll say it as many times as I have to," Max asserted, meaning every single word. She hadn't come this far to let Chloe die. Not on her watch.
Chloe didn't want to have to keep relying on Max to keep her safe. Being the damsel in distress just wasn't her style. She appreciated that her best friend was dedicated to protecting her, but it wasn't fair to exploit that.
"Hopefully, you won't have to anymore."
"Yeah…" Max whispered, praying that this would be the end of their trials. Deep down, she wasn't so sure of that, though.
For the remainder of their journey, they stayed silent. Chloe tried the radio a couple of times, even knowing that it didn't work. At least it gave her something else to focus on. They eventually made it to Seattle in one piece, a little worse for wear. After driving around for a while longer under Max's vague direction, they managed to make it to her house.
This was the first time Chloe had seen Max's Seattle home. It was small, smaller than the one they'd have in Arcadia, and a bit of a fixer-upper. When they came to a stop, the brunette slowly got out and led her friend over to the front door. It almost felt like they were wounded soldiers coming home from a brutalizing war. In a sense, they were.
Max knocked on the door, which opened almost immediately. The collective forcefulness of her parents' hug nearly made her fall, but she managed to regain her balance somewhat.
"Oh, Maxine." Her mother shook against her, the calmness in her tone slowly fading. Ryan Caulfield couldn't even speak, too caught up in his relief.
Chloe stood there awkwardly, waiting for them to finish. When they were, she received a hug of her own from both of Max's parents. For a long time, she had been a second daughter to them. They swiftly ushered the two girls inside, closing the door behind them. The bluenette took a moment to look at her surroundings. It was very different from Max's old house but still had that same air of disorganized coziness, familiar and comforting.
After making sure to feed them both, Max's parents left them to their own devices. They obviously had questions - and lots of them - but they knew better than to ask. Neither Max nor Chloe were in any state to provide answers.
They gathered together some spare blankets and brought them up to Max's room, which was probably about the same size as her dorm room. Maybe even smaller. Just like her room at Blackwell, there were photos and other memorabilia stuck to the walls. Dusty books lined the shelves above her desk, along with other random trinkets. Papers were strewn over the desk and chair, long since forgotten. The bed was pushed into the far right-hand corner, only a single. It would be a tight fit, not that either of them minded.
Max unceremoniously dumped her armful of blankets and pillows on the bed and began haphazardly arranging them. Once Chloe had added her stash to the pile, she was hit with a wave of nostalgia: their childhood pillow forts. "Major flashback time."
"Definitely," Max agreed as she flopped down on the bed, shuffling over to give Chloe some room. She was so exhausted, both physically and emotionally. All she wanted to do was hibernate forever.
After some amount of hesitation, Chloe joined her on the bed, making sure not to squish her too much. By the end of it, their faces were mere inches apart. It was a bit awkward at first, thanks to all those newly realized feelings and recent events, but they soon relaxed. Sleep would be welcomed right now, as both girls were beyond tired.
"Max…" Chloe whispered to her… well, she wasn't quite sure what Max was to her anymore. Best friend definitely, savior a thousand times over went without saying, and maybe...
"Hmm?"
The inquiring sound brought Chloe out of her thought, forcing her to answer before she had sorted everything out in her head. "I'm… glad you're here with me."
Max shifted a bit closer to her, which Chloe hadn't even thought possible. "Me too."
"Things looked pretty dicey for a while." That was an understatement, her biggest one to date.
"They still might be," the young time traveler mentioned sadly, unable to shake off the ominous feeling that their struggle was far from over.
Chloe felt around for her friend's hand under the sheets and her fingers tentatively brushed against it. When Max didn't pull away she slowly but surely intertwined their fingers. "That's okay. We'll get through somehow."
Max gently rested her forehead against Chloe's as her eyes closed, lightly squeezing the hand now interlocked with hers. "Together."
Arcadia Bay, OR
Meanwhile, in Arcadia Bay, a car pulled up along the dilapidated main street. Flipped over vehicles and rubble lined the paths, the buildings on both sides destroyed beyond repair. Everything about the once sleepy town screamed disaster area. The sight was a saddening one, to say the least.
Two women stepped out of the car - one short with her dark hair tied into a side braid and the other taller, dyed red hair shaved on the right side making various piercings visible and a small earpiece too. Both wore official-looking black suits, white shirts, and ties. Their eyes, brown and gray respectively, scanned the carnage.
"Damn, they really did a number on this place," the shorter woman muttered as she examined the chaos.
The taller woman nodded solemnly. "That's putting it mildly, Kat."
"Just trying to soften the blow, Jac," the shorter woman, now identified as Kat, mumbled under her breath, frowning at the destruction. "It's scary to think how one change can do so much damage."
"Is that really a surprise?" Jac asked, knowing the answer already. This wasn't the first case like this they had investigated and it sure as hell wouldn't be the last.
"No. It's just… a whole town wiped out just like that. All those people, gone." Kat sighed, finding it impossible to look at this objectively like she was supposed to. "I'll never get used to it."
The redhead glanced over, frowning at the melancholic expression on her partner's face. Without saying anything, she slipped her hand into Kat's and squeezed reassuringly. The shorter woman was normally so bubbly and mischievous, so seeing her like this was always painful to watch.
Jac's voice was calm and soothing, wanting desperately to make the sadness disappear. "Let's just focus on the task, okay?"
Kat swallowed back the emotion and nodded. "Yeah."
"That energy spike was huge. Larger than I've seen in a long time. No wonder they wanted someone to check it out," Jac announced, trying to get them back on task. Thinking for too long about this would just make them feel miserable.
"We need to find out just what the hell is going on," Kat agreed, focused determination gradually creeping onto her face. Despite her normally playful nature and emotional side, when it came down to it she was the most professional person Jac knew. "We can't let someone with that kind of power just waltz around. Who knows what damage they'll cause…"
Jac scanned the bedlam surrounding them. "We've seen part of that already. This won't be the last of it."
If left alone, it was very likely that this level of destruction could be repeated… or worse. Without training, the power wielder would end up being slowly consumed, taking everyone else along for the ride. They, more than anyone, knew that fact.
Sighing tiredly, she began rubbing her temples. "Our job's never done, is it?"
Kat gently nudged her in the ribs. "Oh, come on now. Don't go complaining about it."
"Who said I was complaining? I just love working endless back to back shifts," Jac replied with the only humor she knew, sarcasm.
"Good, because I foresee us doing this for a long time yet," the shorter of the pair pointed out.
"Perfect," Jac sighed. This was what they had signed up for after all, not like they had much choice. Someone had to do this and who better to do the job than people like them.
"At least we've been paired up, right?" Kat had been immensely happy about this. It had taken months of pestering and carefully crafted arguments, but eventually they had managed to persuade their boss to let them team up.
Her taller partner managed a small smile. "Oh yeah, sure."
"You could sound a bit more convincing." Kat pouted, knowing that her partner was just joking to make her feel better. Even though she may not seem like it, Jac cared a lot about people. You just had to get close enough to earn her trust and respect.
With one last hand squeeze, Jac let go and took a device from her pocket. At a first glance, it looked very similar to a normal touchscreen phone. Not suspicious at all. The difference: this device was way more high-tech and expensive. She watched as the screen initialized, prompting a retinal scan and complex password input among other security functions. In the wrong hands, this tech could do a lot of damage, so various precautions were necessary.
When the home screen finally appeared, an intoned electronic voice greeted her alongside a fluctuating voice graph. "Welcome back, Ms. Holt. How may I be of assistance today?"
"HNTR, can you locate residual energy patterns in the surrounding area, please? And extrapolate if you find something," Jac asked politely, figuring that manners never hurt anyone. HNTR understood a lot more than some initially thought and could get pretty sassy if people were rude.
"Right away, Ms. Holt," the voice confirmed, the home screen immediately switching over to another in quick succession as the request was processed.
HNTR - the acronym for Handheld Navigation and Tracking Rangefinder and pronounced Hunter - was predominantly designed to trace and track unnaturally high energy fluctuations. It had many other uses that had developed over time, some not entirely related to their job. HNTR was their main partner and able to hold an intelligent conversation unrelated to missions, as well as giving advice and cracking jokes. Kat always joked that HNTR was better at socializing than Jac - not an unfounded observation.
The shorter woman frowned slightly at the voice. "I don't see why you haven't changed the voice already. It's easy enough and HNTR is totally cool with it, in fact it encourages that. You can literally choose any accent you want, hell even a specific celebrity. Morgan Freeman is tempting, no?"
"Mr. Freeman is a good choice," HNTR weighed in while running the extensive investigation. Out of all of them present, HNTR was definitely the best at multitasking.
"See." Kat crossed her arms and smirked triumphantly.
"I quite like HNTR's default actually," Jac admitted, watching HNTR at work and ignoring Kat's childish display over her supposed victory.
The dark-haired woman shook her head, rolling her eyes playfully. "You would."
After waiting around for a few seconds, an electronic beep rang through the air. Both women gathered around the phone like device, watching as the screen flickered through various cycles. It settled on a map, a red line forming to mark the residual energy trail. As the line continued it became more transparent. The ghost line was an extrapolation of the localized data, useful to estimate a possible end location. This time, it pointed towards the Seattle area.
"I have located particularly unusual activity and have marked the route for you," HNTR announced, sounding mildly proud.
"Bingo, we have part of a trail," Jac muttered under her breath, her gray eyes memorizing the route. "Thanks, HNTR. We couldn't do this without you."
"Yeah thanks, pal. You're the best." Kat mirrored the praise.
HNTR let out a happy bip to express itself, a basic smiley face popping up on the screen to accompany the sound. "You are most welcome, Ms. Holt and Ms. Roscoe."
At the sound of her surname, Kat groaned. "HNTR, I told you to call me Kat."
HNTR paused momentarily before speaking again. "Very well, Ms. Kat. Preference has been accepted."
"Close enough." Kat shrugged, determined to get HNTR to act less formally around her one day.
"Now we've just got to keep following the trail," Jac mentioned as she readjusted her tie. Dressing like this might look cool, but it sure was a pain to wear. She'd much rather be strolling around in casual clothes given the choice. Formalities forbade that.
"Like a treasure hunt," Kat pointed out excitedly.
That comparison earned her a rare smile from her partner. "Sure, why not?"
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Kat asked as she headed off back towards the car. They had a long night ahead of them.
So, this is one of a few stories I have lined up for release. There is an endless stream of stuff I want to get started. Maybe one day I'll manage it all... Kat and Jac will be making regular appearances throughout the story. Anyway, have a great day, stay safe out there and I'll see you next time.