"Oh... fuck... my head..."
The familiar feeling. The familiar sting. It's been a long while since I've had a hangover as painful as this one. Hell, I'm not even sure I've ever had a hangover like this one. How much of the bottle did I drink...? It's been a very long time since I've had any alcohol at all, so I really should have paced myself. But, I'm too idiotic to do that. I had to drink as much as I possibly could. I thought it might make me feel better. How wrong I was. I remember incoherently babbling about how I was going to "find" Mona, and how I "liked her body". Wow. I didn't think I could get any dumber, but that is just pathetic. At a time like this, all drunk me can think about is trivial, pointless shit like that.
"Ow... time to wake up... I guess..."
I talk to myself, in an attempt to find the motivation to move. But, when I open my eyes, I am greeted with yet another unfamiliar sight...
"What... no... not this again..."
I'm back in my room in Brazil. I look around. Yep. I'm back here in Brazil, same sun, same beach, same place. Instead of panicking like last time though, I slowly arise from my bed, and walk to the nearby window in my room. It is open already, and it gives me a beautiful view of the beach, and the vast water which leads to the distance. This is not real. It can't be.
"Max..."
I turn around. I already know who's voice it is. It makes sense to finally see her this way.
"Mona."
I look into her eyes. Just as I remember them. She wears the same clothing, carries the same demeanor. She is Mona Sax.
"Max... look at you. You look like shit, Max."
"I know that. It's been a long time since I've looked any better. Mona... this is a dream, isn't it?"
"Max... what do you honestly think?"
Of course it's a dream. I just wanted to be sure. My sanity hasn't been in the best place, so any conformation at this point is appreciated.
"Mona... I'm so sorry. For everything. I got you killed, Mona. You died for me. Or... at least I thought you did. I'm not even sure anymore if you're alive or dead... I'm so -"
She prevents me from saying anymore. She steps forward, placing her index finger on my lips. It feels real. It feels tangible.
"Max, don't say anymore. Just listen. Last night, you made a pretty big mistake. And now, what you do will decide whether you live or die. When you wake up, you have to be ready to survive."
"What are you talki -"
"Shut up, Max. Listen to me - this is important."
Her stern tone tells a story that I really didn't need to hear.
"Just, don't die Max. I've already seen you die once before... I won't let it happen again."
"Mona..."
She was there when Lem shot me. Hell, she was there to see it happen twice. But the second time... for all she knows, I'm dead. If Mona is actually alive, she probably has no idea I'm still breathing.
"Okay, Mona. I'll survive for you."
That sounded much better in my mind. When I speak the words, they seem contrived and pointless. Of course I'm going to try to survive. What the fuck am I talking about? It doesn't matter really, this is just my imagination after all...
"Good. Now, time to wake up!"
I open my eyes, and quickly realize just how right Mona was. I'm in a new place, a place I've never seen before. I'm sitting in a chair, my hands tied to the arm rests. I am also restrained by the legs and waist as well. This isn't good. Fan-fucking-tastic. I try to move, but I'm unable to.
"Damn..."
Suddenly, I hear the sound of a door opening behind me. Footsteps... to my right, I see a man dressed in full body armor who is wearing a mask. He slowly walks around to my front, and pulls a chair over. He sits down with the chair facing backwards, resting his arms on the chair's back. Time to cue up the cliched "interrogation" scene I guess, right? Just like in all those stupid action movies, I guess.
"Max Payne..."
His voice is disguised by a sound modification. Mother fucker doesn't even have the balls to show me who he is.
"Max Payne... do you know where you are?"
What kind of fucking question is that?
"Well let me see, umm... maybe... Disneyland?"
A dumb question gets a dumb answer.
"Funny. No Max, you are in your own personal hell. You have killed many of my friends, and given my boss a very difficult time. You are going to suffer."
Oh! MY GOD! I'm so fucking terrified! Yeah not fucking likely.
"Oh no! I'm so scared! What are you going to do, make me listen to you talk for another few minutes? Then I would truly suffer!"
I'm greeted by a quick backhand slap. I guess I struck a nerve.
"Oh wow! That was painful! You know what they say, if it looks like a bitch and hits like a bitch, then it's probably -"
Another smack for my troubles. Real tough guy, hitting me while I'm tied up like this. If I wasn't restrained, this bastard would already be dead.
"Someone wants to see you now, Max. Someone wants to say one last goodbye before you're put to death."
The brute grabs my chair , and puts a black bag over my head. I guess he doesn't want me to see where I'm going. He starts dragging me to wherever the fuck it is we are heading to. Oh boy! I love surprises! I try to quietly deal with my hand restraints, but I'm not making any progress. After a few minutes, he drops my chair with a loud thud, and walks around back in front of me. He removes the bag from my head.
"We're here, Payne."
I am greeted with the sight of at least a hundred Impalers. We are in a large hall area, and all these Impalers are here, looking at me with a certain degree of anger.
"Oh wow! A surprise party! You guys... you didn't have to do this!"
Sarcasm seems to be the best way for me to deal with how pissed off I am right now. I'm dead serious when I say if I wasn't tied up right now, every single one of these bastards would be dead. As I look into the crowd, one Impaler emerges from the group. Like the others, he is wearing a mask over his face, disguising his appearance.
"Jesus, all of you must be so shy - hiding behind your masks! C'mon, don't be so scared, show me your beautiful faces... so I know who to shoot..."
I mutter the last part. I'm not sure why, it's not like it's any secret.
"Very well, Max. I'll take off my mask for you."
The one Impaler who emerged from the crowd begins to remove his mask. Before he even finishes, I know who it is.
"LEM YOU MOTHERFUCKER! I"M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD!"
There he stands. The man responsible for all of this bullshit. The man who I thought I killed . Vladimir Lem. The man who shot me. The man who thought he killed me. I shake and struggle in my restraints, trying with rage to break them in any way possible. If I get out of this chair, I am breaking his mother fucking neck.
"It's nice to see you too, Max. It's been far too long..."
His voice makes me want to vomit. His face makes me want to scream. This motherfucker is the definition of scum. He is going to die, one way or another.
"You know, Max, I owe you a lot. If you weren't such a fuck up, I probably never would have had the chance to be where I am today. If you weren't such a pathetic excuse for a cop, I may not have ever had the chance to take over the Inner Circle, and for that I am truly grateful!"
All I need is one opening. One chance. I break this restraint, that bastard is dead. One chance...
"But, alas, it is time for you to die. Max, do you have anything you'd like to say before you die? Oh, and trust me, there will be no more chances this time. This third bullet will be the charm. I guarantee you that."
I'm not sure... do I have anything I'd like to say?
"Lem... you know what? I have nothing to say to you other than that you're wrong. You will not kill me, because you can't. You've betrayed me. You've shot me. You've left me for dead. But every time, I've survived. And every time, I've found you again. This time is no different. I am going to survive, and I am going to kill you. It doesn't matter where you go. It doesn't matter what you do. It doesn't matter how many men you have fighting for you. You are a dead man, Lem. You are going to burn in hell for the crimes you've committed. And I personally am going to be the man who sends you there."
"Oh Max... you never were one to give up. One of my dearest friends... I do respect your attitude. But no matter, time to die!"
Lem draws a pistol from his holster. He aims it at me, and I stare down the barrel. Maybe if I stare hard enough, I can intimidate the bullet into not firing. Hell, I've already been too much for his other two bullets, maybe this one will realize that and give up. I am ready for what is about to happen. I am -
"Shit! It's the cops! Get down!"
An Impaler screams, and as a result, Lem turns to see what is happening. Before I realize what is happening, I look up. There are large windows high above on the roof of the hall. Or, there was. Multiple armored police officers break through, and rappel down. The large door at the end of the hall breaks open to reveal even more officers. The next thing I know, gunfire erupts. An all out war between the cops and the Impalers has begun, and I have the pleasure of being caught right in the fucking middle of it - while being tied up. At this time, I have lost track of where Lem is. That bastard probably ran scared like the bitch he is when things started to go awry. I will find him... motherfucker. But right now, I need to get out of here, and fast. I rock the chair back and forth until I fall down so I am laying on my right side. Because of this, the arm on the chair breaks, freeing up a bit of movement. Right in front of me, I see the now lifeless body of the bastard who dragged me here. His head is leaking blood - it appears he took a bullet to the side of his head. Damn, I would have liked to be the one to kill him myself, but oh well. I undo the restraints on my arms and waist. This place is a fucking warzone. Some of the carnage has spilled out of this main hall, as many of the Impalers and officers have gone through the broken door in the chaos. As I undo the restraints on my legs, I look around. I need a weapon. A fallen officer is not too far from where I am. I begin to crawl, but I am met with a hard kick to my stomach.
"Ack! God damn..."
"PAYNE! You piece of shit... I'M GOING TO - "
Kill you? Well not anymore, considering the fucker just took a bullet to the skull. He falls over, right onto me with a sickening thud and splat.
"Aww... fuck... Jesus Christ..."
I push his lifeless body off of me, and continue to crawl to the officer. I take his sidearm, a Berreta, and I begin to look for a way out. I could make a break for the main door, but that would probably last for a few seconds before I get violently killed by either cops or Impalers. I turn around, and see a small door near where I was tied up. How the fuck did I miss that? No matter... it's time to fucking move. I stand up, and sprint to the door, hearing the sound of bullets fly past me as I run. I kick the door, smashing it into pieces, and run into the room. It leads down a small hallway. As I run, I hear the sound of a few people following me. When I get to the end of the hallway, there is a small room with a table and a few chairs. I kick the table over, and hide behind it. I peek over the edge of the table to see that it was three cops chasing me. They raise their weapons at me.
"Freeze, punk! Don't move!"
That's not what I wanted to hear. But, before I have the chance to do anything, gunfire emerges once again, and the three officers fall to the ground - limp and dead. I hear a voice -
"Hey! You okay, man? I'm coming, so don't shoot!"
An Impaler who thinks I'm one of his buddies. Dumbass. He turns the corner, and is immediately met with a few well placed bullets to the chest. He doesn't live to realize how terrible his mistake was. I feel bad for the officers who were just killed. I know the risks of the job. Every day I went to work, I knew there was a chance that I wouldn't be able to go home. And unfortunately for these poor bastards, that chance just became a reality. I take some of their ammo from their belts, and decide that it might be a good idea to take some of their armor as well. That way, I'll have a decent disguise, and I'll only have to worry about Impalers trying to kill me. Just like old times. I look down the hall where I came from to see if anyone else is coming. No sight of anyone. So, I turn around, and continue down the hallway going to fuck knows where. As I continue, I notice something on the floor in the distance. As I approach, I see it is one of the masks that the Impalers were wearing. Could it be... Lem's mask? No way. No, there's no way I'd be that lucky. I throw the mask back onto the ground, and continue with a brisk pace. Questions begin running through my mind - Where am I? What is this place? Why are the cops here? Did they know what was going on here? Are they looking for me too? Was it pure coincidence that the cops made their move when I was about to be killed? There's far too many questions which I don't know the answers to, and it's pissing me off. I slow to a stop when I see that down the hall, the way branches off into two separate hallways. Right, or left? This choice could be the difference between life, or death. I try to catch my breath, when I am met with a familiar feeling. The cold metal on the back of my neck, underneath the helmet which I wear. The barrel of a gun.
"You're a long ways away from where you're supposed to be, cop."
I hesitate. I already know who's voice it is. It makes sense to see her this way.
"You of all people should know that I'm not a cop anymore."
She hesitates. No response for a brief moment when suddenly, with a degree of uncertainty, she responds.
"M... Max?"
"... Mona."