Half way through one o'clock in the afternoon, Chloe supported Max as the two found the hole-in-the-wall diner in the first story of a two-floor suburb. Maybe it was just the quiet after some presumed lunch rush, the small oriental themed restaurant felt unimpressive with Max and Chloe as its only guests.
"How's it hanging Mad Max?" Chloe rotated her water glass, leg shaking uncontrollably.
Max stared at the tiniest bubbles and movements in her own glass, trying to ignore the lurking tingle left by the voice on her neck. As she focused on one, another unknown unease simmered near the bottom of her consciousness.
No matter what you do…
"I'm fine, it's just weird." The street looked bright and bare out the window next to them, Max wished she could go back and unhear that voice.
"Oh yeah," Chloe took a sip from her straw, "don't worry, it'll go away after a while."
"Right."
Max was not processing well and purposefully hid her restlessness in plain sight, hoping Chloe would help her up in a way only Chloe would.
Shit. What do I do? I gotta distract her somehow.
"Two bowls of miso soup." The smiling middle-aged man who seemed to be the manager of the place approached, two bowls as ordered.
"Thanks." Chloe passed one bowl to Max, and one to herself.
"Enjoy." The manager nodded and went to the back.
Max stirred the contents inside the murky bowl as Chloe scooped immediately but making sure to blow it cold before gulping it down. Max observed the soup, slightly frustrated that she was unable to see her own reflection in it, then becoming frustrated by how she thought she could possibly see her own reflection in the cloudy liquid. Chloe was frustrated with the lack of taste and only finding two pieces of tofu, despite knowing that she may have just drank too fast to taste the ingredients.
Max sighed.
Chloe looked up.
"Are you going to drink that?" Chloe asked, eyeing between Max's spoon and Max's gloomy eyes.
Max did the same to Chloe, not surprised anymore how quickly Chloe is to action seeing the empty bowl.
"You can have it if you want." Max put her spoon down, ready to have her serving pulled away by this high spirited blue creature across from her, hoping she could somehow manage a smile like Chloe could.
"No Max, you gotta try it, it's delicious." Chloe lied poorly, but Max appreciated the effort and took up her spoon again, letting a little smirk escape the corner of her lip.
Good start. Chloe smiled to herself as she watched Max bring the spoonful up to her lip.
Wait Max don't…
"Ow, hot, hot, hot." Max hissed and quickly searched for her ice cold water, easing the pain on her taste buds.
"Oh shit are you okay?" Chloe tried, but laughed anyways at this adorable woman currently draining the entire glass through her straw.
"Ah." The water cup now with only ice, Max sunk back into her booth.
"You gotta blow it before you drink it." Chloe chuckled, "ignore the innuendo."
"Ignored." Max leaned forward again, hesitating for a second go, "I didn't know it was going to be that hot."
A spark lit behind Chloe's eyes, the opportunity presented itself and Chloe was disappointed in herself that she was so fast to take it.
"Hey Max."
Max looked up, it's that impish smirk.
Ugh she's about to say something stupid.
"What?" Max asked anyways.
"Why did the hipster burn her tongue?
Max rolled her eyes, "because she drank…"
"Because she drank the soup before it was cool!"
Chloe slapped the table, Max glared grudgingly trying to hold herself from laughing with the blunette amusing too much in herself.
"You know," The brunette shook her head, catching Chloe by surprise with the waving of her hair, "that was never funny the first hundred times I heard it, but now that you say it…"
Chloe was ready to be appreciated.
"…still not funny, actually I think it might be worse."
Chloe's anticipation collapsed with her grin and shoulders, now only an over condescending frown as she crossed her arms in dramatic motion.
"Humph, eat your soup Caulfield." Chloe puffed and faced away, but still keeping an eye on Max who smiled at her childish nature.
"Aye aye cap'n." The brunette obeyed and raised her spoon for take two, already forgetting the sting she felt just earlier.
"Wait Max." Chloe turned back and reached out.
"Huh?" Max felt her fingers loosen as the spoon was taken from her.
"How did you survive without me?" Chloe brought the spoonful to her own lips and proceeded the cooling process, gently whistling into the steaming fluid until she saw fit, "alright here."
Max reached half way to retrieve her spoon, but Chloe's arm stretched past Max's hand.
"Open wide." Chloe held her left hand steady with her right before Max's stunned expression, a rosy blush creeping its way to the surface below her freckles, "come on, I can't hold forever."
Is this what, girlfriends do?
Max sipped carefully to make sure it was indeed cold enough and took the rest in her mouth, drawing the utensil out of Chloe's fingers. The soup itself did not taste good, as bland and unnatural as it can be. But an added warmth lingered in the back of Max's throat, a soothing sensation that tingled before the next spoonful from Chloe's care.
"Yeah? Delicious right?" Chloe could not even keep a straight face.
"Most exquisite." Max mocked along. Chloe chuckled, Max did too.
Wish we could just sit like this forever. Chloe rested her head on one hand.
But then it wouldn't be moment. Max continued the thought unaware of their synchronization. Some kind of soft piano and flute music in the background, the manager was on the phone with a customer while Max and Chloe sat looking at each other. Chloe still had half a glass of water after her last sip, Max was out so Chloe passed her cup over. As Max's lips covered where Chloe's had been on the straw, a small flame came to life once more inside her chest. Chloe knew what it was, but she had to contain it.
Not the time Chloe.
"Oh, almost forgot to ask." A car passing by woke Chloe from her daydream, "Who was that lady at the park? You two friends?"
"Hm?" Max found her voice again, "yeah, she's always hanging out around the park handing out bracelets. One day I was feeling down thinking about, well, you, and she came and talked to me."
"So she can talk?"
Wait, no she can't.
"No she's mute, it felt like she could, but I think she lost her voice in an accident when she was young."
"So what did you two talk about?" Chloe sounded confused, but somewhat guessed how it happened.
"She just listened, to me, talking about you." Max looked out the window, seeing her own reflection on the days she sat next to the old lady, "I never even knew her name, she just pointed to her little cart every time I asked."
"Maybe her name is bracelets."
"Maybe." Max was slightly amused, "now that I think about it I might be more sane right now because I could talk to her about it, didn't believe a word I said, but it was good to let it out, especially to a stranger."
Do not go home.
"Guess I owe her my thanks too." Chloe pulled the collar of her shirt, surprised at the rise in temperature, or the nervousness in her body she kept pushing out of her mind. There was an itch in both the girls' minds that was now extending across their skin, and as much as Chloe wanted to divert the conversation she too was as curious as she was scared. Chloe could focus on her need for a cigarette, but Max could think of nothing else.
"Chloe." Max inhaled through her nose, "What do you think he means? Do not go home."
The music stopped, no cars passed by the street. Silence reigned their surroundings as Chloe was caught with no ability to answer, or any answer that she wanted to hear while still sounding logical.
Shit, can we not talk about this? Guess we have to.
"I don't know Max."
"Do you think…"
Fuck, I don't want to, what am I even supposed to say.
Max continued, "do you think it's a warning?"
Of course it's a warning, dumbass. The question looped around both their heads, it was not the warning that worried them. Max's expression showed it all to Chloe, as much as she composed herself there was fear on both their faces. A warning could pass, had this mysterious figure approached them in any other way, the two might have found another adventure still. It was not the warning that worried Max and Chloe, it was the danger and unwillingness that their safety could have been pulled from their feet. The unknown ease continued to simmer.
"I don't trust him." Chloe took control, "but he definitely sounds like he needs us, we can use that."
"Yeah, I hope so." Max muttered under her thoughts, "he sounded really, happy? I guess? That I was with you, so he needed us together."
"And he's gotta have answers to how I'm…" Words unfound in her throat, the furrow between Chloe's brows deepened as the topic on the backburner was brought back into light.
But do I really want to know?
Chloe tried again, "he's gotta have answers to how I'm alive."
A reminder that Max wanted to ignore as well, that the Chloe in this timeline had still been shot and buried in the hellhole that was their hometown. Soft piano music chilled the air in the room as the manager put another CD in the player.
No matter what you do, do not go home.
"Or maybe, if I am even alive, who knows, he might know." Chloe copied Max and looked left at her reflection in the window, "time travel, telepathy, possible necromancy."
Max saw Chloe's attempt at a smile for Max and herself.
Chloe succeeded at least in overcoming her body to lighten the spirits with a light chuckle, "the universe or some shit's really got a hard on for us doesn't it? It's kinda fun if you think about it, I mean who else gets to go through this kind of shit? And I get to go with my best friend Max, pretty epic if you ask me. Like an adventure."
Adventure with my best friend Chloe.
Max smiled wider than Chloe had intended to incite, but Chloe saw it and shared it. Seeing Max happy made Chloe happy, it was the kind of relationship Chloe realized they had now, and she was glad that it was.
"Adventures of Max and Chloe." The brunette stared into the blue eyes of her partner, soft affection poking through the fear and doubt from earlier.
That's my Chloe.
Buzz, buzz.
Max's phone vibrated in her bag, she did not even want to answer it.
Who's texting me right now? Please no business.
Max retrieved the mobile device and clicked on the display, thirty minutes had passed since Constant's ominous instruction, one more hour until Kate said she will get off from work.
Kate.
The text message chilled Max to the bone.
Kate: Hey Max, just got home from work early.
Kate: You two take your time : ), gonna take a shower.
Any thoughts Max had before collapsed.
"Oh fuck." Max immediately began to call back, almost fumbling away her phone.
Chloe's shoulders raised up along with the intensity in the room, "Oh fuck what?"
"Kate's home early." Max whispered loudly, the dial tone began counting.
Kate please pick up.
"Oh." Chloe had to take a second to lean back in her chair as the connection settled, "oh fuck."
"Hi! You've reached Kate Beverly Marsh, sorry…"
Max hung up and called back again, Chloe watched with intent worry.
Fuck how did I forget.
"Hi! You've reached…"
Max hung up.
"Shit, shit, shit." Max put the phone down and buried her face in her hands, "how could I have forgotten dammit? Why did she get off work early?"
"Here, let me see." Chloe with five years lesser emotional attachment remained calm. With one deep breath Chloe touched Max's trembling hand, gripped her wrist tightly.
Max opened messenger and slid the phone to Chloe who continued to reassure her wrist. Black font on gray bubbles, Chloe instead felt more at ease after examining the text.
"Sounds like she's okay." The phone slid back to Max, "probably in the shower, so she couldn't answer."
A long-held exhale unraveled from Max's back and shoulders, and she was glad she was not alone. From her increasingly watery vision Max saw Chloe's confidence, the rock she leaned on.
"Right, augh." Max allowed herself to smile for a second in relief, pushing her palm into her forehead, "I didn't even think of that."
"Max…"
"Chloe I'm scared."
Do not go home.
The voice kept ringing through Max's thoughts. The tone was as sincere as she could remember when she first heard it, but how disturbing the message he left Max could not pull it out of her head.
Do not go home.
But Kate is home, and she's okay.
Max held on to that hope, "Does that mean it's safe?"
"Hm?"
"The man said not to go home, but Kate is fine."
Chloe had been thinking of the same thing, the same pondering on her face as Max. The space between alert and relief, danger and safety, the two could not decipher whether Constant's warning was as true as they initially accepted.
"Think he might be lying?" Their direction was to Chloe's liking, even though aware that neither decision had any real basis of reasoning. Constant was the first person to come in contact with Chloe when she woke despite never making an appearance, everything he had said thus far had been trying to help. Chloe felt that deep down she should trust this stranger because she wanted answers, but trusting him would mean that there may be a convincing threat awaiting Max and herself. Yet the first confirmed connection between Constant's words and actual events proved to be false, he warned not to go home, yet Kate was home safely. If Constant was lying, they at least had a target to escape from.
"He never did say if anything's waiting for us." Chloe tried to analyze the situation from an optimistic perspective, "just 'do not go home', but Kate seems to be okay."
"What else could there be?" Max was cautious, "unless he's trying to keep us here."
"A trap?" The first reasonable conclusion the two had hypothesized.
"Yeah," A tingle through Max's muscles slightly relaxed her nerves. Somehow deciding that Constant may end up being the villain made Max more assured, that if he was a threat at least they have heard his voice, and not something completely unseen or unheard of waiting at her apartment.
But that's not right.
Max finished the rest of the water in Chloe's glass, "if it was a trap, wouldn't it be easier to ambush us at home instead of having us wait?"
"Unless," Chloe made eye contact with Max for one second too long as the realization set in, "it has to be here."
Like a cat sensing a predator, both Max and Chloe bolted their sights to the manager sitting at his laptop across the room. The old man yawned, clicked, a game of solitaire.
"Probably not." Chloe turned back and chuckled.
Max sighed.
"Fuck, this is intense."
"Wasn't expecting this when you woke up this morning eh Max?" One immediate threat was off the table, Chloe slouched in her chair.
"I wasn't expecting the entire past three days thank you." Max raised her bangs to scratch her forehead, only to have them fall back in place.
"Ha, didn't expect to find a girlfriend?"
"Honestly, totally saw that coming." Max smiled.
Great, Max can still smile, maybe this isn't so bad.
"Alright, so what do we do now boss Max?" The wild and careless speech found its way back to Chloe. Max had not found her usual self yet, but glad to see how the familiar Chloe she remembered from Arcadia Bay looked into her eyes, that Chloe was here and present with Max.
"We should go back." Max said with little confidence, "I'm worried about Kate."
"Me too, we can go check on Kate, and avoid a trap if this is one." A solid plan laid out before Chloe, she nodded, "win-win."
"What if," The freckled girl considered as her brows came together, "he's telling the truth, and there is something waiting for us."
And Kate could be in trouble, please don't let that happen, I need to see she's okay.
Chloe reassessed her thoughts, Max did too. Constant could be arriving soon, but Kate might be in danger. If Constant had set them up, leaving would be the correct move. If Constant had told the truth, then Kate was not safe, and leaving would still be the most sensible option. Either way, Max needed to go despite the warning. An unknown unease simmered faster under Max's consciousness, Max chose to keep it from her awareness.
Chloe spoke first, "can we go somewhere nearby and have Kate meet us there?"
"I can't get a hold of Kate, and if we wait longer, that man, what was his name?"
"Constant, how do you forget a weird name like that Max?" Chloe poked fun at both.
"Well unfortunately, turns out I'm not experienced with voices in my head."
Hey, sarcastic Max is back.
"Can't you just text her?" Chloe had wondered if Max could not use her texting function for some reason after receiving Kate's message, but decided to ask out of curiosity.
Max stared at Chloe for a moment, then closed her eyes.
Oh, she forgot.
"Chloe you're a genius!" Max picked up her phone and began thumbing away on to her screen.
"Um yeah, Max." Chloe took the praise, though reluctant to accept, "you're welcome."
Max: Kate, call me back asap, meet me at café downstairs.
Max: KATE PLEASE CALL BACK ASAP! MEET AT CAFÉ.
"Okay I told her to meet at the café across the street." Max exited the messenger and went to her Uber app.
"Sounds dope, time get the hell out of here?" The girl in her black jacket pushed her chair back as she stood.
Max called for the nearest driver to arrive in five minutes.
"Alright, five minutes." The girl in purple plaid picked up her bag, slapped a five-dollar bill on the table. The manager did not even bat an eye from the game of solitaire.
Forty minutes since Constant's message, fifty minutes until three o'clock.
The fresh air outside of the restaurant filled Max and Chloe with energy, relieving from the stressful thinking and into action. Max subtly eyed how Chloe's new jeans wrapped around her figure when she stretched. To their left they could see the ocean in the distance not a mile down, disappointed they had other matters to attend to.
A black Toyota rounded the corner from behind the block, Max saw the man driving the vehicle make direct eye contact with her.
"Oh no, is that…" Max laced her arm around Chloe's. Chloe pulled Max close. The sedan parked before the two intense looking girls.
Its window rolled down.
"Um, Uber for Maxine?"
Max sighed.
"Yep, that's me." The brunette led her girlfriend to the car and opened the door to the backseat, the man greeted them with a smile.
"Hope you're doing well, where you ladies headed?"
Gray.
Perhaps it was the clouds that were not forecasted, perhaps it was the gloom in her mind, perhaps it was the light tint on the windows. Perhaps it was everything, Max scratched the side of her arm until pain reminded her of the present. They followed the same route as they had arrived, Chloe looked out one side recognizing certain landmarks she didn't know she remembered, Max on the other end phased focus between the buildings outside and her reflection inside. Chilling electronic music only added to the trance of carelessness past the blue haired girl, then to Max, some defense mechanism to block out the nervousness. Transitioning from the narrow three-storied houses back to the tall office buildings, both girls deeply wanted the trip to last longer.
"What should we say when Constant does his talking thing again?" Chloe turned to Max, the distance of one seat between them felt too far.
Max looked at Chloe, blankly. She had almost forgotten what the voice felt like, now it came rushing back.
"The truth I guess." Max mumbled past her droughty throat.
"Does he know about Kate?"
"Oh shoot." The unease Max kept pushing back was beginning to surface, but she wasn't ready to acknowledge it yet, "Actually, he does know where I live, so probably."
"Fuck," Chloe inhaled, "this is hella weird."
"Hella." Max repeated.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
Sound of an analog phone blaring muffled out of Max's bag.
The driver checked his rear-view mirror.
Her phone rang once more, Max opened the flap and snatched her phone out.
Kate.
Chloe nodded when Max searched her eyes for confirmation.
The phone rang for the third time, Max answered.
"Hello? Kate?" Max was careful. Chloe watched eagerly for Max's reaction. A second was too long to wait for a response, beads of sweat slid by Max's neck. The traffic light turned green, and the car resumed its course forward.
"Hey Max, what's up?" Kate responded naturally, shattering Max's negative expectations. Chloe watched Max's body loosen as her eyes closed with her next breath, Chloe leaned back as well.
"Max? You there?" Kate asked again.
"Hey Kate, yeah I'm here. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, sorry I missed your call, just came out of the shower."
It was safe now, Kate was okay.
Max sighed.
"Did you get my text?"
"Yes, the café across the intersection right."
"Yeah, the one I always go to."
"Got it, what's the hurry?"
"I'll explain when you get there." Max heard the doubt in Kate's questioning, she did not want to worry her, but she did not even know how to stop worrying herself.
"Okay? Are you with Chloe?"
Max looked to her side, Chloe trying to smile but not really.
"Yeah, she's here."
"Alrighty, I'll get dressed and be there in a bit, this better be good Max." Kate giggled a little, but the cut off by a brief moment of static almost made Max jump. Chloe raised an eyebrow.
"Cool Kate, see you in a bit."
"Yep, later Max."
Kate disconnected. Max checked the time before lowering her phone, thirty minutes before their initial rendezvous time, exact time Constant should be meeting them at the restaurant they left.
"So?" Chloe asked as Max shut her bag.
"She's fine, just in the shower, like you said." Max scooted closer to Chloe so their arms could touch, "wowser, I was so worried."
"You and me both Max." Chloe searched her right hand up to Max's shoulder and patted her arm, another doubt was crossed out, relief rushed through their bodies.
Not yet.
Max wanted to feel more of Chloe's firm support as she rested her head next to Chloe's, but questions needed answers.
"So Constant was lying?"
Chloe squeezed Max closer to her body, enjoying the caramel brown hair against her skin for as long as she could before replying.
"Seems like it, but we shouldn't blow it off," Chloe tried to find reason in defending the voice that first found her when she was lost, antagonizing this character seemed too fast a conclusion. There was another possibility neither had thought of yet, and Chloe did not like where it led.
"What if…"
"Hm?" Max looked up at Chloe, eyes blank in thought.
"What if Constant was telling the truth," Chloe spoke slowly, each word following another step she took into the murky mist dispersing too slowly, "but Kate is also safe…"
I know this makes sense somehow, but how do I say it.
"What if whatever's waiting to ambush us isn't in your apartment, but…"
The driver checked the rear-view mirror, Chloe made eye contact, her thoughts became jumbled again.
"Alright here we are." The man announced softly.
The car stopped. Max looked right to see the café she had just visited three days ago. Across the street was her apartment building directly diagonal to their current position. Half the Tuesday working crowds were still on their lunch hour, while the others may have been scurrying for their afternoon shift. There were no parking spaces in times like this, they were lucky the traffic light turned red just as they stopped before their destination.
No time to linger, Max opened the door and stepped out, Chloe following close behind.
"Thank you." Max waved the driver goodbye as she led Chloe to the sidewalk. The driver nodded and resumed his search for his next client.
City smell permeated into their senses as they were once again exposed to the city, where no other sounds could surpass that of the traffic in both vehicle and pedestrian. Chloe craned her neck upwards towards the sky scraping structures, putting the trees she had admired earlier to shame. If it were not for their current predicament, Chloe could have found herself more in awe that this is San Francisco.
"Let's go." Max adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder.
Chloe followed where her arm was being led, followed where Max directed her, followed the bouncing brunette hair above the purple and black checkerboard of Max's shirt.
Max glanced up at her apartment balcony, nothing looked out of the ordinary. Yet the unease inside her boiled still and Max hoped it was just residual fight or flight from being spoken to in her head. She noticed it more, but for now at least that tingling was being drowned out by the hundreds of conversations walking past her.
Chloe tried to locate Max's apartment but to no avail from all the balconies that looked the same, at least she could just barely see the entrance where they saw Kate off to work. Max pulled her along and Chloe focused back to this girl in front of her.
Upon opening the glass door, a different wave of conversations flooded the girls' ears while vehicular emissions were replaced by the fragrance of coffee and dessert. Familiar and homey to Max, tacky and too civilized for Chloe.
"So this is where you hipsters hole up in your free time huh?"
"It's close and the coffee is good," Max expected Chloe to make a comment despite the current situation, "pretty certain I've seen a few of your types in here too."
"Max." Chloe simply could not help herself, "you are my type."
"Chloe!" Max looked over her shoulder then immediately back forward, Chloe could hear the girl blush, "Seriously now you're flirting?"
"Aw come on Max, am I not yours?" Chloe chuckled at the frantic girl trying to find an open table.
Max tried to ignore her.
"Wait Max do you even have a type?"
Max stopped, Chloe had done it even if only for a few seconds. Max decided to excuse for a moment the uneasiness and suspense she had felt to face Chloe.
"As a matter of fact, it turns out I am only vulnerable to girls with blue hair and are taller than me, dress like a punk but act like a dork, also they have to be my childhood best friend and I like it when they appear out of nowhere after literally dying for five years. Also! They have to always put themselves in danger so when I somehow get the power to rewind time I can save their ass a million times!" Max breathed, "so yes Chloe Elizabeth Price, I think you just happen to be my type."
Chloe gulped, eyes glistening down at Max.
"Shit, Maxine you're a hundred percent my girlfriend."
"I know. Scratch the dying part, please don't die." Max did not know where the boost of confidence came from, but she was glad that some other personality might have taken over her body for her to speak so firmly and loudly.
A couple had just finished their meeting two tables down behind Chloe, Max did not hesitate to pull her girlfriend towards the two new empty seats.
"Over here."
"Damn Max, didn't know you had that in you." Chloe sat across from her partner, observing the glowing brunette in a new light.
"Um yeah, sorry I kind of lost it there." Max returned to her timid self, rubbing the back of her neck in her signature awkward motion to make sure.
Ow, ow feisty Max. Can't wait to see more of that when…
"So I guess now we just wait."
Gosh Max let me imagine.
"I guess," Chloe looked around at the busy coffee drinkers and discussion participants, fashion had evolved in a way so subtle yet so unnerving to Chloe. It appeared that the two may have been the only ones whose entire getup was dark themed while the flowery Cuban collars and tan Levi's swam around them. Chloe liked it though, it made her and Max a pair.
"So what's the plan when Kate gets here?" Chloe thought to get back on track.
"Um."
Max never really considered a route for what would happen afterwards with the sudden turn of events, she just wanted to see Kate and maybe things will clear out then.
"Maybe," Max constructed each word by the second, "just stay together for the day and wait until Constant talks to us again, so we can ask some questions."
"Solid. What are you gonna tell Kate? We need a third wheel?"
"Chloe there is no stopping you is there?" Resistance was futile, Max just smiled and shook her head.
"You're gonna have to take down the world before you can take me down." Chloe chuckled softly, dampened by her stirring affection from seeing Max smile.
Or maybe I could destroy a town, I could have destroyed that town.
Max sighed.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
The obnoxious ringtone was carefully picked by Max herself to be able to hear it even through this sea of people.
"Is it Kate?" Chloe watched Max check her phone.
"Yeah."
Why is she calling?
Max answered, Chloe watched.
"Hey Kate, you on your way?"
"Hey Max." Kate whispered. Max covered her left ear so she could hear more clearly from her right.
"Kate? Are you coming? I can't really hear you." Max spoke louder into her phone, awaited a response, but the call disconnected.
Max looked at the screen in confusion, the simmering unease had just begun to boil, Max placed a lid on it hoping it would fade away.
What was that?
"What'd she say? Is she coming?" Chloe asked.
"Not sure, I think she called on accident."
Buzz. Buzz.
Now a text.
The display lit up again.
Buzz. Buzz.
"Oh somebody's popular." Chloe tried to keep the air light, tried hard to find the good sign.
"It's Kate." Max was just getting more accustomed with Chloe's remarks until she opened the message.
Kate: Max weird ppl looking for you
Kate: blocking entrance, going to roof
What?
Everything rang out of Max's hearing for a second. Boiling anxiety pushed through the edges of the closed lid, Max read the message again.
Weird people? Blocking entrance? Roof? What the heck?
Confusion to frustration, frustration to anger, anger to fear. Chloe saw Max's face morph into all the emotions she did not want to see, her phone shivering in her fingers.
"Max? What'd she say?"
Scared blue eyes peeked up at the blue haired girl, trying to communicate just from her frightened expression. Chloe grabbed the phone out of Max's hand and read it, read it again.
"Fuck." One word from Chloe.
The thought she had earlier, Chloe did not remember why she did not finish.
What if Constant was telling the truth, but Kate is also safe.
"What if whatever's waiting to ambush us wasn't in your apartment,"
What Chloe was supposed to have said when they were still in the car.
"They just weren't there yet." Chloe muttered, but Max caught it, and finished the morbid thought for her.
And we came right to them.
Max pushed herself up, Chloe snapped back into reality and looked up at Max's anxiety driven eyes, but a determination too. It was time to go.
Max pushed through the glass entrance with Chloe right on her heels, there was no plan, but either way they had to move.
She looked left, she looked right, Max looked for anything out of the norm.
Weird people? Looking for me?
The previously unknown unease tipped the lid Max had tried to cover with, she acknowledged its existence, but still not quite ready to address it.
Max looked up, her pupils dilated to adjust to the reflection off the windows. There on her balcony, someone she did not know, all she could tell was that it was a man in sunglasses.
Who the hell…?
Some motion caught the corner of Max's eye as she slid her gaze up to the roof. Someone stood on the edge behind the railing, waving wildly with both arms.
Kate?
"Kate!"
Max wanted to wave back but her arms were held in place as Chloe wrapped hers around Max.
"Max, the entrance." Chloe pointed, just hours ago they had smiled and laughed leaving those doors. Now it was occupied by a few men in casual tactical attire, each wore identical sunglasses, each looked built for combat. Max observed past the dozens upon dozens of San Franciscans crossing the street, the men consistently scanned around them searching for something.
Or someone.
"Shit, what do we do Max?" Chloe talked into Max's ear.
The shorter girl reached for her phone to call Kate, the first in her call history.
The tone rang once, rang twice.
"Max." Kate's voice was shaky, and windy. Max looked up to confirm Kate on her phone.
"Kate, oh thank god are you alright?" Max sighed, despite that any of the people around her could be targeting her for whatever reason, Max felt a tension released from hearing Kate's voice.
"Yeah Max I'm alright, who are these people?" The wind from the roof created a considerable amount of noise, that and the city surrounding Max, Kate's voice was barely audible.
"I don't know Kate. But for now can you stay up there for a while?"
Plan, Max. What's the plan?
"I'll try to draw them away."
What? How? Rewind?
Chloe looked down at Max with worry, her heart beat heavy, and holding Max she could feel its vibrations even in Max's shoulder.
"Max! Behind…"
What?
Kate yelled something, Max did not hear, she only felt Chloe's hold on her body fall limp. It took one glimpse of Chloe's knees dropping to the ground for Max to kick into adrenaline. A tall man in all black held Chloe's unconscious body from completely collapsing. Max's heart pounded, pounded again, nobody around her spoke, no wind blew, no eyes blinked. Max dropped her phone and reached out, the man held some kind of device that must have been responsible for Chloe's collapse.
No!
Time froze.
It happened then, Max felt it. High pitched ringing stabbed through her skull as the world began revolving counter clockwise, like a siren that was jammed on the same tone. Max held her right hand up, like and old friend the sensation returned to Max. On her fingertips then to her wrist, up her elbow then to her shoulders the electricity like current scanned her entire body. Max's eyes dared not move an inch from Chloe, she witnessed her body rebuild its posture as her knees unfell from the concrete. From her periphery Max noticed the world move backwards, how the people walked and the cars drove in reverse.
There was a limit to how far she could go, but Max could not fathom where or whenever it was. Chloe stood fully upright now, the man who was behind her stepped out of sight, but Max kept going.
Chloe. Max's only thought.
Chloe. Max rewound more until she felt strain in her temples and pain in her forehead, but just a bit more.
Chloe. Max felt her chest run out of air. The ringing stopped, that was the limit.
"Shit, what do we…"
"Augh!" Max bent over to catch her breath, in a state of panic she had forgotten to breathe. Her phone face up on the ground, she had not called Kate yet.
"Oh god, Max what's wrong?" Chloe knelt next to her friend currently borderline hyperventilating, a few people passing by gave a look but it seemed normal to most of the rest.
"Chloe?" Max looked to her left, smiled in relief that she was conscious and alert.
Wait, there's no time.
"Yeah Max I'm here." Chloe rubbed Max's back hoping it would help with the cough.
No matter what you do…
Max retrieved her phone and jumped back up to stance, she looked at the apartment entrance where the men stood guard.
No that's not it.
Max looked at her balcony, then looked at the roof to Kate waving.
Kate.
Max looked to her left, Chloe might have been smiling at Max regaining her composure, but Max's focus found the man approaching behind Chloe. Sunglasses, gruffy beard, tight black shirt bound around his heavily built physique.
Is that a taser?
"Max?" Chloe pulled Max out of focus, just now noticing the utter darkness in Max's stare.
Fear.
Chloe followed Max's eyes behind her, the man stood still when Chloe looked right into his eyes.
Oh. Fuck.
Flight instantly dominated fight on this one, Chloe was unsure how she was so sure, maybe it was Max's dramatic shift in breathing, or Max's heartbeat that Chloe felt more than her own.
No matter.
Chloe snatched Max's left wrist and began hauling through the crowd.
The man frowned under his thick brows and took chase like an elephant stomping through herds of sheep.
Chloe's first reaction was to turn the corner and run away from Max's apartment, or perhaps what would have been her apartment eventually, away from Kate.
The man behind spoke into his radio attached to his belt, with his size it was not as easy to navigate through the sea of people as Chloe led Max like shark and otter in the water.
Max reinforced her attachment to Chloe by grappling to her wrists as Chloe did to Max. Westbound sunlight flared in her vision, but Max kept her focus on the blue hair bouncing before her.
I just rewound.
Some pedestrians sought to make way for the two as they zipped through them, but most others had their faces buried into their phones and Chloe did not think now could be a time to hate on technology, but she did.
Heavy footsteps pursued not far behind Max and Chloe, neither had the courage to check, just focused on the path in front.
I'm sorry Kate.
They approached the three-way intersection, Chloe looked left, Max looked right. Complaints and yelps closed in from behind as Chloe pulled Max to the right. Max was surprised by how they could possibly attempt an abduction in broad daylight, but thoughts were for later. Upon clearing the corner Max risked a glance back to see a similarly dressed man approaching at intimidating pace. Not his speed, but his hostility. One half second too long before Max accidently tackled some girl texting on her phone and knocking it out of her hands, Chloe immediately pulled Max back to balance.
"H-hey!" The girl yelled, Chloe could not care less as she weaved through the oncoming pedestrian traffic.
"What have we gotten ourselves into Max?" Chloe asked without looking to check on the girl panting behind her, the answer did not matter.
"Should have stayed!" Max called out by reflex, saying no more to conserve stamina. Chloe smirked to hear Max's voice still carried energy.
The next crossing was nearing, Chloe saw the black sunglasses on the face towering above the rest of the crowd across the street, it was right or left.
But right or left?
There were two men chasing Max and Chloe now, and one approaching from the front.
Right it is.
The blunette slowed down to turn the corner, but not slow enough for her to react before running face first into a wall of muscle and grunt momentum knocking her out of Max's hand and down to the ground.
"Chloe!"
Before Chloe could even jump back up and shout any profanities her body was electrocuted back into the sidewalk. The man appeared from around the corner and looked at Max, sunglasses and strong goatee with no hair on top of his head. Max rose her right hand and pulled the trigger in her mind.
Chloe get up!
As commanded, Chloe was lifted up from the ground and back to her feet, the man receded back around the corner to their right. Everyone who Max had just ran past returned to their place seconds ago. Max held Chloe's hand again.
Now.
Time resumed motion, the sudden pull on Max's arm caught her by surprise as her legs failed to respond in time. Max fell, but succeeded in stopping Chloe from reaching the turn.
"Max!" Chloe spun around and crouched next to Max, checked a light scrape on her knee, "are you okay, fuck I'm so sorry."
"No Chloe I'm okay." Max heard the two brutes were still close behind them and stood up as fast as she could, "left, turn left now."
"Did you..."
"Yes!" Max readjusted herself, her heart thrashed inside her chest from the running and the adrenaline, "left Chloe!"
"Okay, okay." Chloe took Max's hand and nodded, the two were on the run again, this time making a sharp left across the street even before reaching the intersection. Max saw the man who had prepared to catch Chloe off guard when they passed the intersection.
Yeah fuck you.
The girls were running face against the sun again, Chloe realized she hated sunglasses, but wished could have a pair right now.
The down hill aided their speed, but Max felt her stamina quickly waning. Her legs were starting to burn and her back started to strain, but it was the ache in her head that got her most. Chloe felt it too as their steps slowed slightly, but the urgency and villainous aura behind them pushed them forward.
Only two rewinds.
Chloe panted more than she wanted to, with each step she had to advance forward and stop herself from the downhill's pull at the same time, all the while making sure her grip on Max's wrist would not be separated. The sun was really hindering Chloe's vision, it just happened to fit in between the two tall buildings with deliberateness to blind Chloe.
Shit.
Max's forward inertia was abruptly interrupted when Chloe dashed the two to the left and into some small retail clothing store.
"Chloe?" Max was glad she could catch a breath, but this store was a closed space, Max looked at her captain in confusion.
Chloe was panting too as she examined her surroundings.
"There was someone in front of us." Her shoulders rose and fell. One floor, quiet, dim lighting, no customers and one cashier.
"Where do we go now?" Max held on tight to Chloe's hand, but still readying to rewind at a moment's notice.
"Hey!" Chloe approached the bored cashier reading her magazine, "do you guys have a backdoor?"
The lady looked up unamused, "no backdoor, sorry."
"Bullshit. What kind of place doesn't…"
"Chloe." Max tugged on Chloe's sleeve. Her taller friend looked back, multiple forms of anger and frustration in her eyes, now with a hint of sadness that she might have doomed the two to a dead end.
"Fuck, I'm sorry Max, there was nowhere else I could…"
Heavy footsteps came closer and closer from the outside, some radio static.
"Yeah we've got them cornered in here." A deep voice stopped just by the door, the sound of at least three or four heavy weight assailants stopped in their tracks at the same spot.
They entered uniformly. The bald man with a goatee, the man with the gruffy beard, a shorter man with a hat, and one more sporting a buzzcut.
Max and Chloe stood behind the right of the entrance as the four men passed them, Max pressed her hand tightly to her mouth to avoid any noise, Chloe held her breath. The shorter man with the hat looked in Max's direction, but the reflection from the window across the street obscured the silhouette of Max's shoulder just enough for him to look away.
"Changing room." The deep voice belonged to the Gruffy Beard, the one who had disabled Chloe first. Max hated him in particular.
Three of the men advanced forward, the Hat stayed by the entrance.
Shit, what now? Chloe squirmed next to Max.
Max tipped her head out of the corner to see the man in the hat and sunglasses guarding the entrance, then to the cashier, thankful that she was too tired of her job to look up from her magazine as well as the last bills in Max's wallet to tell her to be quiet.
The boots stepped forth slowly, the Gruffy Beard headed straight forward to what seemed like the dressing rooms while the Buzzcut and Goatee followed slower behind. With each step Max felt her heart pound heavier in her chest.
Maybe we can make a break for it once they're far enough.
The Gruffy Beard was on the far end of the store now, Buzzcut and Goatee searched through the hangers and racks on the sides. Goatee was on Max and Chloe's side, if he just decided to look up to his right, Max was ready to rewind and run for it right afterwards. The store was cold, but Max sweat like a summer in Arizona.
Hat shifted his boots on the floor, checking left and right again, the reflection outside still in Max's favor.
Chloe followed Goatee's every movement, relieved that he only searched further from their hiding spot than closer.
Any second now.
Max swallowed, deciding that once the Goatee had passed the next rack, she would pull Chloe out of the store. Her hand in Chloe's tightened even more.
Ring! Ring! Ring went Max's phone in her bag. All four men as well as the cashier looked and stared at Max and Chloe.
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?
Max rose her right hand immediately and rewound, the Goatee took three steps back and lowered his head, the cashier went back to her magazine.
Who the fuck?
The rewind stopped at its limit, the Goatee had three steps before Max's phone would ring again.
Shit do I go now? Max reached into her bag.
Two more steps.
A sharp pain poked into Max's head, it took all of her effort not to scream then and there.
One more step.
Finally her hand located the phone and Max pulled it out.
Ring.
Max did not think.
Ring.
She raised her hand back.
All four men as well as the cashier turned their heads to the sound as Max with her entire arm's strength launched her phone up across the room.
Ring.
The obnoxious ringtone drew the men's attention for a split second when Max squeezed Chloe's arm and sped like lightning around to the exit. But a second was not long enough for both Max and Chloe to take the four steps necessary out of the store as the Hat turned and caught Chloe's jacket, stopping the two in their tracks.
No! I can't rewind from here.
Chloe was not happy. By pure reflex she turned towards the man in the hat, raw punk fury in her eyes.
"Don't fucking touch me!" Chloe pulled her leg back and swung forward so fast the man did not even process until after her boot had made deep contact between his legs.
"Gah!" The man in the hat gasped and shrieked as he knelt down mourning his groin, "They're here!"
The other three men caught on, but Hat had already loosened his hold on Chloe.
Max wanted to applaud, but seeing this man she did not know wriggle to the ground in pain did kick up a bit of guilt in her conscience.
Not the time.
Chloe pulled Max out of the store and continued running down the hill, no one approaching this time. Adrenaline was losing its effect now, Chloe's chest convulsed with the pulsating pain in her arm from being grabbed. She had essentially just subdued one of their pursuers, but in her current shape and Max's apparent headache Chloe doubted she could pull that off again. The sun shooting into her eyes did not help her think, so run she could only do.
The three men checked Hat briefly in the store before continuing chase on the two girls, but the half block head start Chloe and Max already had left them at a further disadvantage than before.
The next intersection was approaching, Chloe really hoped there would be no others in the way as her endurance reached its limit to even outrun their current followers. The girl she was dragging was past her limit though.
"Ah!" Max screamed and suddenly collapsed behind Chloe. As if every strand of her hair had become metal needles poking into Max's head, the sharp pain forced Max's consciousness out of her body.
The world turned black, the city faded into silence.
Max squeezed her eyes shut. Chloe's presence disappeared, and Max felt like her mind had just jumped out of a plane, but her feet were planted on the ground.
Heat, unforgiving heat splashed over Max's skin. The sounds of twirling and writhing whirled into Max's ears, it sounded familiar.
Max opened her eyes.
There it was, the great ball of red flame floated at the center of a warehouse like building. Like the sun had blessed this earth with a fraction of its divine power, or cursed it with oncoming death. Max stared at the sheer glory of spinning fire suspended in midair, rings of pure energy rotated and disintegrated anything within its radius creating a crater below its thunderous might.
I've been here before.
Max tried to reach in her bag but it was not there, reached into her pockets but only coming out empty.
Dammit, I don't have my phone.
"Max." A soft voice called from the center of the fiery space. Max looked at the blinding light, barely making out the silhouette of a woman standing before the crater. The fire did not feel dangerous anymore, instead if felt warm and inviting. Max took a step forward, the woman's long hair blew in all directions from the heatwaves behind her, but Max could not see her face.
"Who are…"
Darkness.
Max opened her eyes, closed them, then opened them again.
Darkness.
The ground solid beneath her feet, she breathed but it was as if there was no air, she felt but was robbed of all her senses. Except one.
"Max!" A voice from far away.
"Max we gotta move!" The voice approached closer.
"Max! Get the fuck up!" Desperate and scared.
Chloe?
Max opened her eyes, Chloe's worried face yelling before her, tears on the edge of her eyes. Sound was still trying to catch up as her voice was still approaching from a distance, drawing closer.
"They're coming! You gotta move Max!" Loud and clear, Max's mind spun her back on to the sidewalk near the San Francisco industrial section.
Max looked around, analyzing her surroundings. The weird looks people gave to the screaming Chloe, afternoon sun. She was sitting on concrete, Chloe crouched next to her.
"What happen?"
Futility took over Chloe's worried eyes as she saw the closing distance between her pursuers and herself, there was no other choice.
"What?" Max was just feeling her legs again when Chloe leaned forward and squeezed her torso, "Chloe?"
"Aaaaghhh!" Chloe groaned out loud as she gathered strength she was not even aware she had and lifted Max to her feet.
The three men saw their two targets standing up and ran faster.
Max remembered.
"Oh shit." Max mumbled, it came back. Chloe was so glad to see Max as herself again.
"Max run." Chloe pulled Max by her left hand again but Max shook it off, it was faster this way.
Chloe looked back to Max who nodded in response. With no weight to pull on, Chloe ran faster with her longer legs but Max did not fall behind either. Their hope was short lived, because their pursuers were undoubtably catching up.
Max heard the footsteps closing in behind her and pushed with energy she did not have. Chloe had run out of any energy to sprint, and even jogging was following close to complete depletion. It was only logical that these higher trained men would eventually outrun two undernourished girls. The oncoming intersection was perhaps a checkpoint, but neither had a plan to proceed past it, but try the two girls still did.
A black SUV pulled up at the intersection before them blocking the crosswalk, this was it. Max and Chloe did not even have the stamina to run around a car anymore, despair slowed their steps as they heard three heavy thuds behind them. They would be captured now because of a brash decision to place their trust in themselves instead of a reliable source.
Chloe stopped right as Max stopped two steps past her. It may be for Max's powers, or Chloe's origins, whatever big organization able to buy off the police to allow a daylight chase of two helpless women was beyond the comprehension of a photographer and her girlfriend. Max was just grateful now that she was able to breathe normally again, her eyes fading between awake and asleep in the bright afternoon sun. Chloe fell to her knees, ready for whatever method the men had to knock her out.
Dammit.
Max stood in place, Chloe next to her. A few confused voices muttered behind them. Chloe waited for a blow that did not come.
"What happened to these guys?" A man.
"They just fell." A woman.
"Hey you guys okay?" A different man.
Wait what?
The commotion developed as Max and Chloe turned around, a small group of passerby stood next to the three men now flat on the ground.
"Max?" Chloe whispered without looking away, she wanted to feel relief, but there was now possibly a greater threat looming in somewhere unseen by the two.
"I don't know." Max whispered, the Goatee, the Gruffy Beard, and the Buzzcut now laid on the concrete floor, Max expected them to leap from the ground any second and continue pursuit, but they remained cold.
"Hey bitches!" A young woman's voice, Max remembered this type from her visits to the university campus. Young, wild and free, party-all-night type that quickly raised Max's annoyance.
Chloe turned, Max turned after.
"Yeah you." The window of the black SUV rolled down, revealing a blonde lady with curly hair and star shaped sunglasses as if returning from or going to a festival, "and you."
Me and Chloe? Max was beyond confused.
"Yes you and that blue haired fox right there." Max could barely see if the lady wore a shirt through the window, only two white straps on her shoulders.
Wait did she just read my…
"Yes I did." Her tone lowered from its obnoxious counterpart, she removed her shades and looked straight into Max's eyes, then Chloe's.
The blond sighed, "It's Constant, get in the car, let's go."