Max slowly crept down the stairs that lead out into the large open courtyard, but she stopped and ducked into an empty classroom. Crossing to the window she watched the activity outside. The courtyard was overflowing with familiars and in the very center Max could see that crazy shebitch standing at an ancient looking altar. Beside her stood a servant, completely clad in black, holding an imposing looking dagger. Max glanced at her watch, twenty minutes until midnight. She looked back up into the empty windows across the courtyard. Even though she couldn't see them she knew that the rest of the transgenic army was lurking behind the murky windows, waiting for her signal.

Max waited patiently as the group below began to chant and another black clad figure approached the altar. Smiling in anticipation of what was to come she gave the signal for Alec and the transgenics to the courtyard.

Then she watched in horror as White, the second black clad figure, stepped onto the raised dial. He gently laid the unconscious form of Ray onto the altar and the woman raised a huge dagger over his small body.

Go time, thought Max as she gave the signal to attack. As she moved from her hiding place she saw the dagger strike downwards. Poor kid.

In the next instant the courtyard became a bloody battle field with both sides engaging in deadly combat.

"Alec! Mole! Follow me," said Max as she rushed into the sea of robbed familiars. She fought her way to the very heart of the courtyard, taking down countless familiars as she went. Her last unknown victim stood in her way of White. He punched at her but Max was quicker. She used all of her strength to slam his head into the altar; he fell unmoving to the ground. Then, she whirled around and found herself face to face with her nemesis.

"You sicko, you killed your own son."

"Sacrifice for the greater good," said White as he lashed out at her.

"The end meets the means?"

"Something like that."

"You bastard!"

White's next punch sent Max smashing into the altar. As she stood up to defend herself she pulled the bloody dagger from the small body of White's son.

"Say goodnight 452."

Max stuck the dagger out as White rushed towards her. The force of his attack sent her into the altar once more as warm blood gushed from the flowing wound in White's stomach.

"Goodnight," she said pushing his lifeless body off of her.

She searched all of his pockets until she found the small vile, but the bracelet was gone. Standing up she saw it glinting in the moonlight on Ray's small wrist. Gently, she removed it and put it into her jacket pocket. Looking around she saw that the transgenics were winning the fight. The familiars that weren't lying in broken heaps were running for the doors with transgenics hot on their heels. Max walked away from the altar, through the sea of crimson stained stones, and out into the main entranceway of the school. It wasn't until Alec approached her that she realized that she was still holding the bloody dagger.

"We stopped them Max. Mole and a group of X6's chased the last group of them up the hill there," he said pointing.

"Are you ok," he asked when he noticed that she was covered in blood.

"Yeah but White's not."

Alec smiled, "bout time somebody put that crazy bastard put of his misery."

"Yeah," said Max.

"Got 'em," said Mole triumphantly walking up to Max.

"Good job, now go see how many we lost," said Max not even looking up. Mole half saluted then left in the direction of the courtyard.

Alec breathed in the night air and smiled, "crisis averted. What do you want to do now?"

A small smile tugged at the corners of Max's lips, "I wanna go home and take a nice long hot shower, then I'm gonna sleep for three days."

"You'll miss all the fun at Crash."

Max threw the bloody dagger into the dirt at her feet, "I've had enough fun for a while."

At that moment Max's beeper went off.

"Here," said Alec handing her his cell phone, "better call Logan and see what new catastrophe awaits us now."

Max shook her head, "no I think I'm gonna take the rest of the night off."

"Max?"

She smiled as she grabbed Alec's elbow and walked towards the gate where her bike was parked, "A girl can only do so much at one time. Besides, the world will still be broken in the morning."

FIN

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