Chapter 36 - Consequences
"Holy shit!" Max exclaimed, almost dropping the paper in disbelief.
She wasn't sure what was more shocking: Jefferson as President or New York, nuked. It was then she noticed paper clippings stuck to the remnants of walls and windows. Each one was less comforting than the last.
Russia launches nuclear retaliation. World War Three. Multiple nuclear detonations across the globe. M. A. D. Citizens flee major cities and towns as war escalates.
Shaking now, she tried to make some sense of this. "This… is crazy."
A new street appeared before her, one she vaguely recognized. Downtown Seattle. Cars and trucks stopped in a line, blaring horns as a crowd gathered. Instinctively, she dashed past the cars and weaved her way through the crowd. The smell of burned rubber penetrated her nostrils.
Ahead were the twisted remains of a crash. A red car was parked sideways, badly dented in the rear. Behind it was a white car, the driver's front wing caved in. Neither of the drivers were in the vehicles. In her peripheral, she located one on the sidewalk. Several people were tending to him.
"You're not having her in any reality. I swear it," her older self growled.
As Max broke through the crowd, a familiar hooded figure wearing ripped blue jeans disappeared into the fray opposite. Her gaze lingered for a second, soon drawn back to the car crash. A man knelt down in front of her, removing his coat. Then, she noticed the figure splayed out on the ground. Her blood ran cold, understanding who it was as he covered the body.
Herself, not much older than when she first came to Seattle.
Oh my god. It's me. Why? Staggering backwards, she covered her mouth as she stared at the mound beneath the coat.
"Did you know her, dear?" An elderly woman asked sympathetically, dragging Max out of her shock.
"I… no. No, I don't," she lied.
Spotting the hood, Max dashed after her older counterpart. Eventually, she broke through the crowd. She stumbled to a complete stop, now in a dimly lit corridor. Ahead on her left was a staircase. Several olive green doors lead off with peeling paint.
Okay, that was… weird. But what isn't these days?
Footsteps resounded above her. Nothing to lose, she followed the sound coming to a halt as a gunshot rang through the air accompanied by a dull thud.
"You will not get away with this. Not again," the other Max's voice echoed, aggressive. "Not while I'm still breathing. You've done enough damage, I'm coming for you, all of you"
Reaching the top of the stairs, Max noticed a soft blue hue coming from one of the doorways. As she entered the room, the dull glow faded. On the other side of the door was a motel room; dark red carpets, cream walls and a single bed tucked in the corner.
At the foot of the bed, someone was crumpled on the floor. Her eyes gradually adjusted to the dim lighting. Short brown hair and a white tank top stained red. A revolver was clutched in one hand, the other gripped something near her chest. Her brain screamed at her to look away, eyes disobeying as they fell on the unmistakable freckled face. Bile rose in her knotted stomach, registering her doppleganger's head resting in a dark pool of blood.
Stealing her resolve, she crouched down to look at the item clenched in her dead self's fist. A picture of a long, blue-haired Chloe Price.
With a watery smile, she placed the photo back in her counterpart's hand. She frowned when she noticed the dull blue outline of a butterfly on the unmoving body's shoulder. A tattoo outline.
As she stood, the headline of a newspaper on the bed stood out to her
Seattle shaken as two killed in restaurant drive by.
Two patrons were killed in a drive-by shooting at a local restaurant. The victims who have been identified as Mr and Miss Caulfield…
Her eyes refused to take in the rest of the article, words blending into one. She felt numb as her knees buckled, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Wh-why? WHY ME?!"
"Max," Nona's voice sounded like a whisper. Distant, pleading. "Please wake up."
"I just want to sleep," Max muttered, lips barely moving.
"You can't," the older woman replied, lightly shaking her. "If you do, you'll never wake up."
The brunette forced her eyes open, vision blurred. Nona was looking down at her, face red and blotchy.
"Hey," Max muttered softly, throat feeling dry and scratchy.
"Oh, thank god," Nona sighed, hugging her firmly. "I thought…" She didn't get the chance to finish, cut off by a blood curdling scream.
The Watcher started to move, slowly at first. With each small twitch, Max let out another cry of pain. When the Watcher was able to move freely, the screams calmed to heavy pants. It looked at them, expressionless.
"I… I can't hold them anymore," Max breathed, completely exhausted.
"Is it worth it?" Pure rage now, Nona shot a dirty glare at the Watcher. "Putting her through this? You're KILLING her!"
"If that is necessary," the Watcher replied coldly. "The Timewalker needs to be brought under control."
"All you had to do… all she wanted was Chloe and she would have helped us," Nona spat through gritted teeth.
"Help me up," Max muttered, barely audible.
Nodding, the blonde slowly helped her get to her feet. She frowned when Max's eyes fell on the rope-like structure, searching for something. Hope or a miracle?
"I'm… sorry, Max," Nona apologized, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
No response.
Not reacting, the Watcher insisted, "The Catalyst's time is at a close. Her fate cannot be…"
"I know, " Nona growled angrily, turning to the other Watcher. "You made damn sure we wouldn't be able to do anything. And for what?"
That actually earned a weak smile from Max. "I wouldn't be so sure of that."
The older woman turned to see a single dim blue thread in her hand. "Max… are you certain that's…"
"Positive," Max cut in, sounding stronger than she had in a long time.
"You can't be sure," the Watcher interjected, tone flat.
Smile turning slightly twisted, the young time traveler turned the thread over in her hand, revealing a pale thin pink line. "Oh, I'm sure."
"But how? When?" Nona stammered, confused.
Exhaling deeply, Max replied, "Give a girl a second in time…"
"And she can change everything," Nona finished, recalling the words from her earlier visit with clarity.
"That's not possible," the Watcher cut in, a hint of panic tinging the usually monotonous voice.
Nona allowed herself to smile, cocked her head to one side. "And you couldn't see it? You still can't… in fact, you don't even realize she froze your ass."
"Impossible," the Watcher announced.
Able to see the oncoming checkmate, Nona shook her head. "It's not. She did it. I don't know how or why she can but she did… and she found Chloe's line."
"Nona, what do I do?" Max asked, feeling herself getting progressively weaker.
"There's been enough damage here. Now our friend here can watch, what it does best." She shot an accusatory glance at the Watcher, taking the pale blue line from her. "Leave it to me."
Her fingers ran across the line, stopping abruptly. No warning, she snapped the line in two. Sparks flew from either end.
"Nona!" Max shouted in panic.
"Max, Chloe's future… this future is over," she explained gently, allowing half the thread to fall to the ground. The color faded away before it completely disappeared.
"But…" Her protests were silenced by a finger pressed against her lips.
"That future is sealed. Unchangeable. However..." she paused, picking up Max's vibrant pink strand and pressing it alongside Chloe's, "...what you can do is give her a new one. They won't be able to do anything to her, easily at any rate. You will never have to leave her behind again…" Her expression shifted. "But…"
"But?" Max urged her, desperate for a chance.
"If you fail, you both… die. Right here, right now. That bullet won't even get to kill her," Nona explained sombrely. "It's all or nothing."
Max's eyes focused on the strands, blue and pink. "Playing for keeps."
"Huh?"
"It's just something I promised myself… what feels like an eternity ago now," Max clarified, gripping both strings tightly.
"Playing for keeps," Nona repeated. "All you have to do is merge Chloe's past to your line. DO what feels right, like you've done with everything else."
Taking a deep breath, Max closed her eyes. Both threads appeared, frayed. Concentrating, she willed one of the smaller strings to bind to her own line. Painfully slowly but surely, it obeyed.
Now, a pale blue line ran through her pink one.
One down, she focused on the next and the next, each mini thread joining seamlessly. After what felt like an eternity, only a few stray fibres remained. It was getting harder to concentrate as she weaved another strip of blue into pink.
Vision darkening around the edges, she tried to stave off the oncoming fatigue in vain. Her world tipped sideways, as she struggled to stay conscious.
"Please… No, no, no, no please, " Nona's voice filtered through the void, sounding so distant.
The sound snapped her from slumber. It felt like there was no gravity, drifting along without a destination. She tried to respond, but no sound left her lips. She tried to move, her body refusing to obey. A wrecking howl of pain and anguish echoed, slowly giving way to heartfelt sobs.
"The catalyst has passed." The watcher's voice echoed over the sound of sobbing, the statement only intensifying the blonde's sobs before the voice continued as emotionless as ever "We can make the pain stop. Simply merge with us."
A long silence followed, the only other sound was Nona's soft sobbing.
But Chloe's not dead yet. Not until time resumes… until I die, Max thought sadly as a memory pushed its way to the forefront of her mind.
The figure of her hooded older self, disappearing through rows of gravestones. A hollow voice emanated from the shadows. "The Catalyst. Find her."
Another voice, just as hollow and empty filled the void. "The Catalyst makes the Timewalker unpredictable. Uncontrollable. It must be severed."
They don't even have the decency to use her name , Max thought bitterly.
"Do it," Nona sighed defeatedly. "Just get it over with."
No! Panic flooded the brunette's mind.
She couldn't let this happen. Nona didn't deserve this, not after everything she had done to help. The Watchers clearly had some ulterior motive, but what…?
Then something clicked for Max. The Watchers hadn't been after Chloe or her or anyone else… other than Nona herself. They knew how much the older woman cared for her, the lengths she had gone to keep her alive, safe and happy. Now, they were manipulating that practically unconditional desire to protect.
It didn't matter now. All she needed to focus on was somehow stopping Nona from making such a huge mistake. Through sheer willpower, she managed to force her eyes open. They felt so heavy, almost impossible to maintain.
As her vision cleared, she saw a soft blue glow surrounding the blonde. She was curled up on the floor, slowly rocking back and forth. Her face was red with tears, empty eyes and filled with defeat. The Watcher towered over her, a hand on her shoulder. A strange, dark glow threatened to consume her whole.
"Nona," Max uttered weakly. The blonde's eyes barely even flickering in response, "Chloe…"
Hazel eyes flicked towards her. "I… I'm sorry Max."
Struggling to speak, the young time traveler forced the next few important words from her lips. "Chloe's not the catalyst. I am. I'm YOUR catalyst."
That caught Nona's attention. "What?"
"It's you they want…" she clarified, pushing through the exhaustion. "It always has been. This is what they want."
A shudder ran down the blonde's spine as she recoiled from the Watcher, looking up at it. "Is that true?"
"It matters not," the Watcher replied, going to grab her shoulder again.
"It matters to me ," Nona practically growled, moving away. "Now, is it true?"
"A scenario was devised to bring the Timewalker under control," the Watcher admitted coldly.
"You mean ME!" Nona snapped back angrily, backing away further. "All this pain, all this suffering, just to get me to… we're supposed to protect them, not use them as fucking pawns."
Not reacting to the rage, the Watcher spoke again. "The merger has already started. It cannot be stopped."
"I know," Nona growled turning back to Max, her expression sad. "Okay, I'll merge."
"N-Nona…" her voice was weak, barely more than a whisper. "D...don't."
The blonde glanced down at Max, offering a watery smile. "It's okay, Max. It'll be okay."
Somehow fighting against the exhaustion, she shook her hazy head. "No."
Nona's smile didn't waver for even a second as she closed the gap with the young brunette. She knelt down beside her, placing her hand on Max's shoulder. In that moment, the time traveler felt… tingly. The sensation started from her right shoulder, where Nona's hand was currently resting. It gradually crept up all the way from her fingertips to her shoulder, emanating heat.
Strange… but not unpleasant.
She wanted to ask Nona what was going on but decided against it. Every nerve ending started to feel like it was charged with electricity.
It didn't take long for the Watcher to realize something wasn't right. "What are you doing? This is not what we agreed."
"You wanted me to merge," Nona answered, a mischievous smile appearing on her lips. "You failed to clarified who with."
Nona… what are you doing? Max thought, a little confused by what was happening.
Making a choice, Nona's voice resounded softly in her head. Now, finish the link, Max. Save Chloe.
I… don't think I can. She felt so weak still.
Max, you're the only one who can.
A memory jumped to the forefront of Max's mind. Howling winds and lashing rain. A terrible choice, a test.
Nodding, she fumbled to pick up her line, noticing that there was now a silver thread running through her pink line alongside the blue one. Once again, she focused on the join between her own line and Chloe's. Slowly, the frayed blue fibers complied.
Almost there, Max, Nona encouraged.
Struggling, the young time traveler pushed through the mental misty haze. It's getting harder to… concentrate.
I know, I know, the older woman replied sympathetically, but I'm right here with you.
Fighting against exhaustion, Max willed the last stand to join her own. A subtle pink glow ran along the line, blue and silver threads spiraling into her own. It was as though they had always been there, ending abruptly where hers did. Allowing herself a small smile, she closed her eyes and let exhaustion take her.
Max, please you can't sleep. Nona gently shook the brunette. They were so close.
"Um, what's going on?" A new yet familiar voice echoed.
Glancing up, Nona spotted the blue haired punk, standing a few feet away looking worried.
"She did it," the blonde muttered with a watery smile, looking back at the girl in her arms. "Max, you've done it. Now, please wake up."
There was no answer, only silence.
Fear rising, Chloe approached them, panicked urgency clear in her questions. "What's wrong? What's happened to Max?"
"She saved you, but..." Nona trailed off sadly wiping a tear off her cheek.
"But what?" the bluenette demanded, harsher than intended.
"She's… dying, Chloe."
Those three words made her freeze up, horror gripping her heart. Death had been a constant feature in their journey since Max returned to the Bay, almost an inside joke now. No matter what, there had always been a way to avoid it.
She couldn't accept there was no way out.
"There… there has to be something we can do," Chloe insisted, uncertain what to do. Her body shook, tears threatening to fall.
Solemnly, Nona gestured to the swirling pink, blue and silver spiral next to them.
"Unless she wakes up and lets time resume, we're all going to…" She almost couldn't bring herself to admit the reality, sentence let unfinished.
Knees buckling, Chloe crawled closer to Max, shakily running a hand through her hair.
"Max…" she croaked, words swallowed by a sob. "You can't. Not now. Come on! After everything you've done, you can't just give up now." Warm tears ran down her cheeks, splashing down onto pale freckled skin. "You're so fucking close, so don't you dare ."
Her mind raced, reliving her memories with and without Max. The first day they met, their growing friendship, all their pirate adventures, their unfulfilled future plans… the day William died, the day Max left, the years of pain and heartache. Then, meeting Rachel, all those now bittersweet moments - concerts, late nights, dangerous stunts, stupid arguments, stolen kisses… sleepless months filled with worry, searching in vain, delving deeper into depression, numbness.
Blackwell's bathroom, the universe's own personal deathwarrent. Nullified.
A whirlwind adventure of nostalgia and betrayal. Old, unexplored feelings dragged from the depths, all confusing. Death around every corner.
Rewind.
"If you don't sever the link, you too will perish." The Watcher's words cut through the despair, as cold as ice.
"I've made my choice," Nona responded determinedly looking up at the Watcher, "I'd rather die WITH them. At least my conscience will be clear."
An echoey sigh resounded. "This is not desirable…"
"I dont give a shit what you want!" Nona interrupted, almost pure rage by this point. "You had no right to do ANY of this. If I had known sooner…" She was cut off by a loud thumping noise from high above. It caught the Watcher's attention, too. "Now what?"
Another loud thump, followed by a deep cracking sound. The next thud was accompanied by the sound of shattering glass, a bright blue ball smacking into the ground between Nona and the Watchers.
"What the fuck…?"
Gradually, the glow faded, revealing an older Max Caulfield. Her gray hoodie was worn and blue jeans tattered. Several small scars lined her partly covered face. Blue eyes burned with a bitter desire for vengeance.
"Told you I was coming for you."