Hello everybody! Welcome to my latest fanfic, The Cutoff Chronicles: The Dawn of Rebellion. In case you didn't know, this story is a prologue to my last full-length story, An Icy Blaze. Don't worry if you haven't read it, though-in fact, go ahead and read this one first. It'll add that extra degree of suspense and discovery to the story. And to those who have read my first CC story, my apologies for the delay; I am fully aware this story is coming a whole year after I promised it would be done. :/ Ah well, it's all done now, so I hope you enjoy all the hard (albeit slow) work I've put into it. Happy reading!

Prologue

"Max, you need to relax."

"Relax!" Max exclaimed in disbelief, "The world as we know it could end next January, and you want me to relax?" Her footsteps sounded angry against the damp pavement as she and Fang walked along the empty Seattle street. It had been raining earlier, and if the dark clouds lingering overhead were any indication, it could start raining again any minute. Bad conditions for flying.

"It's not going to end," Fang reassured her, "We won't let it."

"How can you sound so calm! Fang, these people have been building a flippin' army right under everyone's noses—a literal army, not some small, sub-par gang of patchwork Erasers." If she hadn't already been speed-walking, Max would have been pacing anxiously. "They've been planning this for years and we didn't even know it," she muttered, "they've infested the entire continent and we didn't even know it!" She felt like crying, but she held back. The last thing she needed then was to become a soppy puddle of emotions.

"We have to get to the Flock and tell them," she mumbled, blinking back tears, "they need to know that somebody's after us." After me, more like it, she silently added.

Max tried to pick up the pace, suddenly feeling vulnerable out in the open, but Fang stopped her in her tracks. "Stop it," he told her.

Max looked at him strangely. "Stop what?"

"Acting like this is too big for you to handle," he replied, "you're starting to worry me." There was a slight smirk on his face, but Max knew he was serious. "You saved the world once, you can do it again. You're Maximum 'Save the World' Ride, for crying out loud!"

"It's not that simple," she told him.

"It always was before," Fang answered, "Why isn't it this time?"

"Because," Max sighed, as she started walking again, "I'm not sure if I can do it this time."

"So you're just gonna give up right now—"

"Fang!" Max interrupted harshly, scowling. However, her voice quieted, and she said, "I mean it. I really can't. Not now." The tears threatened to return, and she looked down at the ground bashfully.

Fang stopped her again and tilted her chin up, forcing her to look him in the eyes. This time, though, his expression was softer, more concerned. "Max," he said, in a voice so caring it startled her, "what's wrong?"

"I..." Max hesitated, unsure what to say. Why is it so hard to tell him? Was she really that scared of what Fang would think?

"Please tell me," Fang whispered, pulling her close, "You can tell me anything."

"I know," Max said, resting her head on his chest, "I'm just so... so scared. Then the Voice sends us on this stupid mission, and I find out that everyone's lives are in danger, again," her voice broke, "and we're still so young, and we've only been married a year—"

"Max, you're rambling. Just tell me what's wrong."

Oh boy. Here goes nothing. Taking a deep breath, Max started, "Fang, I—" but before Max could finish speaking two large trucks pulled up alongside them, seemingly out of nowhere. Her jaw clenched when several well-built men jumped out and surrounded them—superhumanly well-built, Max was sure. They all wore matching black outfits; in fact, they had matching everything. They were like clones or something.

"Well this is interesting," Fang uttered unamusedly. He and Max drew apart, both assuming fighting stances.

"Surrender now," one of the clones droned, "and nobody will be hurt. We are authorized to use our weapons if deemed necessary, and are not afraid to use them." Several of them drew knives from their hips, gripping them threateningly.

Shoving all fears and emotions aside, Max growled and said, "You guys sure picked a bad time to show up, didn't you?"