Max leapt out of the ambulance as soon as it stopped. She sprinted to the scene of the accident with her medkit in hand. Her heart dropped at the sight of a small figure lying prone in the middle of the sidewalk. They had been responding to a hit-and-run. She had no idea the victim was a child.
She fell to her knees beside the boy, and immediately opened her med kit. With shaky hands she tore open a packet of a dressing and pressed it to a wound on the young boy's chest. She started the child on an IV. The other EMT's were now with her and helping. She could tell they were as distressed as she was that the victim they were treating was so young.
As they prepared to load the child onto the stretcher, he exhaled and was very still. He passed.
"No," Max whispered. She raised her hand and rewound, as far back as she could.
The ambulance had just pulled up. She immediately got back to work, trying to work faster.
The child passed again, and she rewound again.
She had the defibrillator ready. They tried to resuscitate the child, but to no avail. She rewound again.
She repeated this over and over, trying whatever new thing she could think of that might allow her to save the boy. Her head felt as though it was going to split in half. Finally, she reached the point where she could no longer rewind, no matter how hard she tried.
Still, she was not able to save the boy's life.
Max wept all night.
Monday, October 29th, 2018
Timeline 3
Chloe Surviving
Chloe awoke in the morning feeling ill, as she had the previous few days since she first became sick. The fire that she had managed to build the night before was little more than a few glowing embers. She pushed herself up and rummaged through her pockets for the pills she brought from the hospital as Blue carefully explained which ones to take. Chloe obeyed her counterpart's direction diligently. When she had swallowed the last pill, she stood and staggered to the trailer to find something to eat.
She stood silently in the doorway of the trailer, lamenting at what little remained. It wouldn't matter, though - the calculations would be complete today, and she would be able to leave this hell, once and for all.
Eat well, Blue told her. Get as much energy as you can.
Chloe agreed, and picked up the remaining items. She returned to the fire and rekindled it, then sat and ate her food - all but a single fillet of smoked fish and some dried fruit. This she would save for later, when she journeyed to her final destination to be rescued.
She returned to the shed to check on the device. All of the components were still there, untouched.
I really hope I don't have far to go, she thought. Do you have the coordinates yet?
Not yet. A few hours to go, still. We're on our way to Arcadia Bay now. Once we have them, Warren will call and tell us the location. We'll have you evacuated on a helicopter. Max will go with you.
Chloe had a small coughing fit. Okay, she replied when it was under control.
She sat down on an old box in the corner of the shed. It gave way a little under her weight, but she was so slight that the effect was hardly noticeable. Were she at a healthier point, the box surely would have collapsed beneath her.
Not much to do other than wait, she thought.
Maxine was dead. Chloe couldn't believe it. Five years that demon had haunted her relentlessly, both in physicality and in her mind. Well, she no longer would physically... but the mental and physical scars would remain.
Even so, she felt a lightness, a freedom that she hadn't felt in a very long time. Yet, a part of her mourned Maxine's loss...not for the girl herself, hell no. But for the vessel she represented...Max would no longer be able to jump over to see her.
It won't matter, she thought to herself. We'll be together in just a few hours.
Just a few hours...that boggled her mind. She was tempted to pinch herself to check that he wasn't dreaming.
"CHLOE PRICE!"
Every hair stood on end. She knew that voice. Kate.
"YOU ARE SURROUNDED. COME OUT PEACEFULLY AND ANSWER FOR YOUR SINS!"
Chloe stood and looked out the doorway of the shed, forced to stand on her toes to peer over a car. Sure enough, figures in black clothing stood all around the camp, from what she could see. Many bore the burned cross of the paladin across their faces.
Shit. What do I do? There's no way I can escape.
Maybe you can hide until they go away?
That was her best bet. She crouched down as she exited the shed and made a right, but saw men coming toward her. She stood to turn and run, but there were more there.
Fuck. There was nothing more she could do. She raised her hands in surrender.
One of the men - Kate's chief goon Edward, she realized - stepped forward and drew his hand back, and smacked her hard across the face. The force sent her reeling. She groaned in pain as she felt arms link under her shoulders and drag her out of the camp. Chloe weakly raised her head when they stopped, and found herself eye-to-eye with Kate. The cult leader looked manic - tear stains tracked down her cheeks while her brows were furrowed and teeth bared in pure rage.
"You murderous filth," Kate spat at her. She crouched so that their faces were level, and took Chloe's chin roughly between two fingers. "I saw what you did to Maxine. She brought you to the hospital to save your life, and you killed her. You miserable wretch!"
Kate straightened to backhand Chloe. Chloe's only response was to grunt.
"You will be judged for your sins, Price."
A red hood was pulled over her head as she was dragged away.
Timeline 2
Mad Max, Noir and Blue Shift
"Stop the car," Chloe demanded sharply. Andrews was in the driver's seat. She glanced back at Chloe, who sat in the rear with her Max. Mad Max sat in the passenger seat in the front.
"Why?"
"Pull over. Please."
A rest stop was just coming up. Andrews steered into it, then pulled into one of the parking spots. Two vans - carrying both Kates and the team Andrews assembled for this mission - pulled in on either side of the car. Everyone disembarked from their vehicles. Chloe walked over to one of the trash cans, and kicked it so hard it fell over.
"FUCK!" She shouted. "FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!"
"What's going on?" One of the agents asked Andrews. "Why are we stopped?"
"I don't know. Chloe? What's happened?"
"Kate," Chloe answered. Damn our luck. "Fucking Kate."
The two Kates stood there, mouths agape in shock. They glanced at each other. "Us?" Red Kate asked, her face full of confusion.
"No, not you," Chloe said.
"Me?" Said the other.
Chloe growled. "No, not you either. Kate in Che's timeline. Apparently she discovered Maxine was dead. She's captured Che."
She heard several muttered curses from the people around her.
"What is she going to do to Che?" someone asked.
"Nothing good, I'm sure," Chloe replied. She didn't particularly care who has asked the question.
Everyone was silent.
Max stepped forward. "What do we do now?"
"Stick to the plan for now," Chloe answered. "But we should be prepared that the rescue might not be happening today. With any luck, Che can escape, and then we can get her."
"Shit," Andrews said. "I had Roark agree to get us in for today. He had people working today who would let us through without issue. But I don't know if they'll be working tomorrow or not. We can't guarantee they're not loyal to Prescott. Roark said a lot of them are, but the ones today were not so much."
"I can help with that," a voice called from behind them. They turned around.
Agent Berry stood before them.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Andrews demanded. Her hand immediately went to the handgun on her waistband, and the other agents mimicked her.
"I'm here to help," Berry answered, hands raised in surrender. "A lot of those guys that work for security for the Prescotts are people I knew from years ago. They'll trust me. I can get us through security."
"Its those connections we don't trust you for," Andrews retorted.
Berry sighed. "Look...I know what you think. That I'm still just another one of Prescott's pawns. I promise you I'm not."
He turned to look at Mad Max.
"Max, I know I hurt you in the other timeline. I'm not going to excuse that. That's inexcusable. Unforgivable. But that's not me. When I saw how the Prescotts used the storm to their own advantage - buying up land left and right, like it was a simple transaction for pieces of candy, and not the homes of people who had lost everything - I knew they were vile, horrible humans. I wanted nothing to do with them. I separated myself completely. I want to see them answer for everything they've done. And I want to make up for what the other me did to you, by helping you bring Chloe back."
Chloe glanced at Mad - she was listening intently with furrowed brows. Chloe couldn't quite get a read on her thoughts.
Berry paused to take a deep breathe. "I don't know why the other me still worked for them," he continued. "I think...I think he didn't see what I saw after the storm. Maybe he just got pulled in so deep that he couldn't escape, and he became one of them. But that's not me. That's not me. I want to help. I want to make this right."
"No," Andrews said. "You betrayed Max. You poisoned her. You betrayed me, and -"
"Margaret," Max - Chloe's Max - said from beside her. Andrews turned to look at her.
"This Berry didn't betray you," Max continued. "The other Berry betrayed the other you. Yes, you should be wary. But this feeling of betrayal, this isn't coming from you."
Andrews opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't find the words. Max continued anyway.
"You've been linked to your other self for too long, Margaret. Do you know what I learned when I went to the Prescott mansion? I ran into Jack, the time traveler. He's from the future. He knows your story - or how it ends. This link - it drives you into madness. Then one day...you just disappear. No one knows what happens to you."
Andrews stared at her in shock. "Wh-what?"
"It's true. At least, that's what he told me. He could have been lying, but I don't see what he would have to gain from it."
"I think she's right," Chloe spoke up. Now that Max brought it up, there were a few questionable instances with Andrews that stuck out in her mind..."There's been a few times where you've gotten your realities mixed up. Remember a few days ago when that happened? You thought you killed Berry. I had to remind you that was the other timeline."
Andrews was dumbstruck. "I…"
"Let him help us, Agent Andrews," Mad Max said. "I trust him. I believe he can help us."
Andrews returned her gaze to Berry. "How the hell did you find us anyway?"
"I followed you from headquarters. I've been watching it the last few days - figured that I would see something that would let me know something new happened. When I saw all the the vans leaving, I followed. I knew it had to be you."
Andrews cast her furious gaze over the other agents. "And none of you noticed we were being followed for a few hours? I ought to fire you all after this."
Some of the agents dumbly returned her gaze, while others shifted and rubbed their necks sheepishly.
Andrews shook her head and sighed. "Fine. You can help us. But I swear, I will be the first to shoot you if you try anything funny."
Berry grinned wryly. "I'd expect no less from you, partner."
Timeline 2
Mad Max, Noir and Blue Shift
They rented several motel rooms for the night. Max, Noir, Chloe, Andrews, Berry, and both Kates gathered in one of them. The coordinates would be coming in very soon. At least, they could better plan how to rescue Che, once they had that bit of information. Chloe had called Warren a short time before to let him know what had happened. He would call back once he had a location.
"What happened to you anyway? When Andrews threw you out?" Max asked Berry quietly. She shot a furtive glance over to the other Agent, hoping she didn't hear.
"Not much, to be honest... she threatened to shoot me if I ever showed my face again. Didn't report me to the boss, though. I'm guessing - "
" - I didn't trust him. I'm sure he's working with the Prescotts, too," Andrews interrupted. Apparently they had been heard. "I guessed that if Berry was working for the Prescotts too, then he would call it in anyway. And if not, well, hopefully he would have Max's best interests at heart, and not do anything to further put her in danger, after she had been shot."
Max nodded her understanding.
"I just hope we can get Che out," Berry said. "I can't believe she's been captured by Kate."
"We seem to have shit luck," Chloe interjected.
Everyone glanced over at the blonde.
"How is she?" Max inquired.
"So far, she's fine," Chloe answered. "They've removed the hood but blindfolded her. They did feed her, though. Her hands are tied in front of her. She's been trying to work her hands free, but no luck. She's in some room. It's fairly small, but there's a bed in there, at least. And a sofa, too, apparently."
Max frowned. "She's not in the dorms, is she?"
"I'm thinking she might be."
Chloe's phone started to ring. She quickly picked it up to answer it. Everyone sat forward intently.
"Hello?" Chloe said into the phone. "Awesome. Okay. Uh…" Chloe was silent for a moment. "You're kidding me. Of course. Of course it had to fucking be there. Well, I guess she won't have to travel far. No fucking clue how she's going to swing it, though...oh, yeah...it's a long story. I'll fill you in on all of the details later, but we might be a few days longer. Thanks. We'll keep you updated."
Chloe hung up.
"Well? Where is it?" Max asked.
Chloe sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "The Tobanga. It's at the fucking Tobanga."
