Hey! You in the car."
The sudden voice startled Max back to reality, as his finger just about pulled the trigger. Quickly, he set the gun down between the seat. A beam of light hit Max in the face, blinding him from seeing who was confronting him. Max squinted as he tried to make out the stranger walking towards the car. Max kept his hand close to the gun, just in case. As the light blocked his vision, Max brought his hand to cover his eyes.
"Do you mind? You're blinding me," Max snarled.
"Sorry," replied the man, as he brought the light just under Max's chin.
Max could now make out that the stranger was a uniformed cop.
"What are you doing up here?" inquired the cop.
"Nothing. I just came up for some fresh air and quiet."
The cop scanned Max's car with his light as he continued to interrogate him.
"This area is off limits to the public." The cop looked around the area, "Are you here on a date?"
"No, I'm by myself."
The cop looked suspiciously at Max. "Most couples come up here to make out."
"Look, officer, I had a fight with my wife, and I needed to get away to think."
Suddenly the cop could relate, "I know what you mean, buddy. My wife? Sometimes ..." The cop made a motion with his fist, swinging at air. "But that's beside the point. You can't stay here, so you'll have to move on."
"Yes, sir. I understand."
The cop looked at his watch, "It's pretty late. Maybe you should go home and straighten things out with the misses."
Max nodded, "I'll do that, officer."
The cop stepped back as Max started his car and took off. There was no stalling this time. He needed to go home and face the inevitable.
Max pulled up to the drive and looked out his window to the bedroom on the second floor. The light was on. 99 had waited up for him, as he requested. He was drained and wished he could deal with this in the morning but he knew 99 would get it out of him as soon as he stepped foot into the bedroom. His hand began to shake as he slipped the key into the lock on the door. He held it steady with his other hand, as he carefully turned it. No lights were on in the living room. Seemed everyone was asleep, except 99, so he proceeded to go upstairs. As he passed the bar, Max stopped and decided to have a stiff drink. It wasn't going to help his problem, but it might numb it for a while. Reaching under the bar, he pulled out a bottle of wine. "Gonna need something stronger than that," Max mumbled to himself.
He looked around and found a bottle of 12-year-old scotch. He poured a rather tall glass of the stuff and quickly downed it in three gulps. The sudden downing took his breath away. Shaking it off, he set the glass down and boldly walked upstairs. Max slowly opened the door and walked in. 99 had been reading and quickly put the book down.
She could tell by the look on his face that something was not right. He looked like a man that had been beaten down and on his last breaths. She sensed a serious problem.
"Max? What's wrong?" 99 said, keeping her distance.
Max stood in the middle of the room. His hand began to shake again. He grabbed it and began rubbing it. He looked at his wife, opened his mouth but no words would come out.
99 got up from the bed and walked over to him, "Max you're starting to scare me. Please tell me what this is all about."
It suddenly dawned on her, "Is it about this baby? Are you having second thoughts? 'Cause if it is, it's a little too late to be changing your mind ..."
"No, no, it's not that." Max closed his eyes and took a big breath. "99, I have something to tell you."
He led her over to the edge of the bed and sat her down next to him.
"Three months ago, when I had that confrontation with the KAOS agent, there was more to it than I originally told you."
99's body stiffened. She knew immediately that it had something to do with Christy.
99 began to shake her head with disbelief, "Max ..."
"Please, 99, let me finish this." Max continued, "When agent Mayfield and I got to the cabin that night ... things happened ..." 99 began to squirm, but Max's hands held her arms, "... but I never went through with it. I had feelings for her, but I loved you more than those feelings would ever allow me to act on them. But one of the KAOS agents, found the cabin, and got the drop on us. He overheard our conversation. And being the bastard that he was, he ..." Max stalled for a moment, lowered his head, then came right out with it, "... forced her to have sex with me."
99 gasped and put her hand over her mouth as tears ran down her cheeks. She looked at him in disbelief. He wouldn't turn to look at her. She didn't want to believe it, but by his actions, she knew it was true.
"Come on Max, ... forced?" 99 was livid. "You can't expect me to believe that!"
"He had me tied to a chair," Max pleaded. "I couldn't avoid it. I was helpless."
99 cut him off, "I don't want to hear anymore!"
As she got up, Max grabbed her wrist and brought her back to the bed.
"You need to hear this out, 99," Max said in a serious tone. "He told her he would kill me if she didn't do as he said. So she was forced to have sex with me as I sat tied to that chair. I was unable to stop it."
99 smirked as she looked like she'd heard it all. "Max, you had, and probably still have, feelings for this woman, and you expect me to believe that story?"
"You have to believe it 'cause it's the truth. That KAOS man would have killed me if she didn't do what he said."
"Too bad he didn't finish the job," she said, as she got up and walked over to the window.
Max's heart quite literally plummeted to the floor. He wanted to believe that it was anger that made her say what she did. And still, the worst was yet to come.
"I'm not done."
99 began to roll her eyes, "Great! There's more? What? Are you going to tell me you two are having an affair now?"
"Because of that night ..." Max stopped when he noticed 99 was not listening. Max wanted her attention, so his voice got louder. "Because of that night, she's now three months pregnant with my child."
The words struck her harder than any kind of physical harm could ever strike her. All she could do was stare at him. Her stomach began to feel queasy. She felt dizzy. Everything spun around, and she felt as if she was going to fall. Her knees buckled and she slid down the wall and cried into her hands. All of her hopes and dreams for the future, crashed to the ground. "How could this happen?" she cried into her hands. Her world was falling apart, piece by piece. And she had no idea how to put it back together. Max came over to her and quickly lifted her up.
"What the hell are you doing?" she shouted, as she pulled away.
"Helping you ..."
"Don't you ever touch me again," she screamed in repulsion. "Get out, Max!"
"No, I won't. You have to believe me ..."
"Get out!" 99 insisted.
Max didn't budge. Staring him straight in the eye she became deadly serious. "Now." She tried to push him out, but he grabbed hold of her arms and pushed her back. 99 fell, and yelped in grief. Max tried to help her up, but she didn't give him the chance. "Leave me alone!" she shouted with her eyes showing no regret. This time Max left, remorsefully.
To Be Continued
The sudden voice startled Max back to reality, as his finger just about pulled the trigger. Quickly, he set the gun down between the seat. A beam of light hit Max in the face, blinding him from seeing who was confronting him. Max squinted as he tried to make out the stranger walking towards the car. Max kept his hand close to the gun, just in case. As the light blocked his vision, Max brought his hand to cover his eyes.
"Do you mind? You're blinding me," Max snarled.
"Sorry," replied the man, as he brought the light just under Max's chin.
Max could now make out that the stranger was a uniformed cop.
"What are you doing up here?" inquired the cop.
"Nothing. I just came up for some fresh air and quiet."
The cop scanned Max's car with his light as he continued to interrogate him.
"This area is off limits to the public." The cop looked around the area, "Are you here on a date?"
"No, I'm by myself."
The cop looked suspiciously at Max. "Most couples come up here to make out."
"Look, officer, I had a fight with my wife, and I needed to get away to think."
Suddenly the cop could relate, "I know what you mean, buddy. My wife? Sometimes ..." The cop made a motion with his fist, swinging at air. "But that's beside the point. You can't stay here, so you'll have to move on."
"Yes, sir. I understand."
The cop looked at his watch, "It's pretty late. Maybe you should go home and straighten things out with the misses."
Max nodded, "I'll do that, officer."
The cop stepped back as Max started his car and took off. There was no stalling this time. He needed to go home and face the inevitable.
Max pulled up to the drive and looked out his window to the bedroom on the second floor. The light was on. 99 had waited up for him, as he requested. He was drained and wished he could deal with this in the morning but he knew 99 would get it out of him as soon as he stepped foot into the bedroom. His hand began to shake as he slipped the key into the lock on the door. He held it steady with his other hand, as he carefully turned it. No lights were on in the living room. Seemed everyone was asleep, except 99, so he proceeded to go upstairs. As he passed the bar, Max stopped and decided to have a stiff drink. It wasn't going to help his problem, but it might numb it for a while. Reaching under the bar, he pulled out a bottle of wine. "Gonna need something stronger than that," Max mumbled to himself.
He looked around and found a bottle of 12-year-old scotch. He poured a rather tall glass of the stuff and quickly downed it in three gulps. The sudden downing took his breath away. Shaking it off, he set the glass down and boldly walked upstairs. Max slowly opened the door and walked in. 99 had been reading and quickly put the book down.
She could tell by the look on his face that something was not right. He looked like a man that had been beaten down and on his last breaths. She sensed a serious problem.
"Max? What's wrong?" 99 said, keeping her distance.
Max stood in the middle of the room. His hand began to shake again. He grabbed it and began rubbing it. He looked at his wife, opened his mouth but no words would come out.
99 got up from the bed and walked over to him, "Max you're starting to scare me. Please tell me what this is all about."
It suddenly dawned on her, "Is it about this baby? Are you having second thoughts? 'Cause if it is, it's a little too late to be changing your mind ..."
"No, no, it's not that." Max closed his eyes and took a big breath. "99, I have something to tell you."
He led her over to the edge of the bed and sat her down next to him.
"Three months ago, when I had that confrontation with the KAOS agent, there was more to it than I originally told you."
99's body stiffened. She knew immediately that it had something to do with Christy.
99 began to shake her head with disbelief, "Max ..."
"Please, 99, let me finish this." Max continued, "When agent Mayfield and I got to the cabin that night ... things happened ..." 99 began to squirm, but Max's hands held her arms, "... but I never went through with it. I had feelings for her, but I loved you more than those feelings would ever allow me to act on them. But one of the KAOS agents, found the cabin, and got the drop on us. He overheard our conversation. And being the bastard that he was, he ..." Max stalled for a moment, lowered his head, then came right out with it, "... forced her to have sex with me."
99 gasped and put her hand over her mouth as tears ran down her cheeks. She looked at him in disbelief. He wouldn't turn to look at her. She didn't want to believe it, but by his actions, she knew it was true.
"Come on Max, ... forced?" 99 was livid. "You can't expect me to believe that!"
"He had me tied to a chair," Max pleaded. "I couldn't avoid it. I was helpless."
99 cut him off, "I don't want to hear anymore!"
As she got up, Max grabbed her wrist and brought her back to the bed.
"You need to hear this out, 99," Max said in a serious tone. "He told her he would kill me if she didn't do as he said. So she was forced to have sex with me as I sat tied to that chair. I was unable to stop it."
99 smirked as she looked like she'd heard it all. "Max, you had, and probably still have, feelings for this woman, and you expect me to believe that story?"
"You have to believe it 'cause it's the truth. That KAOS man would have killed me if she didn't do what he said."
"Too bad he didn't finish the job," she said, as she got up and walked over to the window.
Max's heart quite literally plummeted to the floor. He wanted to believe that it was anger that made her say what she did. And still, the worst was yet to come.
"I'm not done."
99 began to roll her eyes, "Great! There's more? What? Are you going to tell me you two are having an affair now?"
"Because of that night ..." Max stopped when he noticed 99 was not listening. Max wanted her attention, so his voice got louder. "Because of that night, she's now three months pregnant with my child."
The words struck her harder than any kind of physical harm could ever strike her. All she could do was stare at him. Her stomach began to feel queasy. She felt dizzy. Everything spun around, and she felt as if she was going to fall. Her knees buckled and she slid down the wall and cried into her hands. All of her hopes and dreams for the future, crashed to the ground. "How could this happen?" she cried into her hands. Her world was falling apart, piece by piece. And she had no idea how to put it back together. Max came over to her and quickly lifted her up.
"What the hell are you doing?" she shouted, as she pulled away.
"Helping you ..."
"Don't you ever touch me again," she screamed in repulsion. "Get out, Max!"
"No, I won't. You have to believe me ..."
"Get out!" 99 insisted.
Max didn't budge. Staring him straight in the eye she became deadly serious. "Now." She tried to push him out, but he grabbed hold of her arms and pushed her back. 99 fell, and yelped in grief. Max tried to help her up, but she didn't give him the chance. "Leave me alone!" she shouted with her eyes showing no regret. This time Max left, remorsefully.
To Be Continued