The Last Days of Max Payne
Part Three: The Last Stand
Prelude
I blinked out of consciousness, my head bloated and foggy. I felt like hurling.
I was sat in Bravura's office, back at the precinct, but everything felt wrong. Everything felt like it was laden with doom. Through the sealed blinds the sky was a fiery red, like it was the end of the world or something. Bravura's rusty fan hummed a single death note.
"It's madness," Bravura said, slamming a hand on the desk. "The mayor wants us off the case. Contacted me this morning."
I tried to warn Bravura of what was about to happen. I tried to talk. But my tongue was all tied up at the back of my throat and my neck felt like sandpaper. All that came out was a strangled, choking click.
"Look at this!" he cried, pointing to a fresh newspaper on the desk. "Some hack who wrote one of the first Miasma articles, found dead! Shot leaving his apartment, reckon it was a drive-by. Madness!"
Behind him, straddling the windows, were pictures of the two state senators. And as I watched in horror, the picture of Senator West winked in the blood-red light and his wide politician's grin turned into a leering shark smile.
"I'm sorry, Payne," Bravura continued. "But you're off the case. We're all off the case. The whole city, going freaking…"
The door slammed open. Bullets, flying past my head like fire. Bravura screaming, jittering and then slumping dead. I didn't have to turn around to know what would be waiting. That shark smile.
"I think he's said a little too much," Troy Novak chuckled. Behind him in the precinct I could hear screaming and gunfire. "I think you've all seen too much. Especially you, Payne." He holstered the smoking gun and burst out into hysterical laughter. "But do you want to know the truth, Payne? Shall I give you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the goddamn truth? Isn't that what you want, Payne?"
Tittering madly, he reached behind his neck with one hooked hand. I winced, choking back a scream. The crowning horror. I knew what was coming. He tore back his face, and as the face beneath revealed itself, I could hold it back no longer and the scream exploded, filling my head, distorting the nightmare land around me.
It was me.
"How about that, hey, Maxie?" my double chuckled. "That's a big ten-four, huh? Bet you won't see that on Ripley's Believe it or Not. I'm you, buddy. We killed everyone in the precinct. We killed Bravura. Hell, we even killed that pretty piece of ass Sax."
I fell out of the seat. I turned and ran.
The office fell away behind me. I ran down a narrow wooden corridor, the sky above me all flames, but the corridor ahead seemed to stretch on further, and no matter how fast I ran I couldn't move. And my double, myself, was gaining on me. Shouting after me.
"This is just you, isn't it, Max?" he yelled. "Trying to run away from yourself. You lie to yourself that you're doing it to get revenge, that you're making the world a better place. But you're just trying to shake me off, aren't you? I'm your rage, Max. I'm the voice telling you to kill 'em all, look what they did to you, why should you owe them anything? You can't escape me, Max!"
I felt cold hands on my shoulders, and then he fell into me, all fiery rage, and I woke up in a dark room.
There was a projection screen in front of me. A short film was running.
It was Mona. She was sat in a dark room, tied to a chair, with a white spotlight shining on her face. She was wearing a black bra and jeans, and was soaked in cold sweat. Standing over her like grinning demons were Mack Luther and Senator West. West was holding a hypodermic needle like a dagger.
"Found this one snooping around the Miasma facility," Luther said. "Tell you the truth, sir, I couldn't keep the boys hands off of her." He broke off into wild demon cackles.
Senator West's grim frown didn't budge. "How much did she see?"
"Enough," Luther replied. "Enough to incriminate AvaMed. But your secret's still safe."
"Not good enough," West snapped. "If they're close to knowing AvaMed are behind Miasma, it won't be long until they reach me. We're going to have to put the plan into operation soon."
"And what about that precinct? That Payne guy?"
"I've taken care of it. I've got George Desoto on the case."
Luther giggled. "I'd hate to be in their shoes right now," he said. "Listen, boss, I've got to split. We're testing the C-Strain today."
He grabbed Mona's face with his beefy fingers and squeezed her sweat-soaked cheeks. "See you round, pretty lady. And your pain has only just begun."
As he left the room, West clutched the needle tight.
"As for you," he said to Mona. "This is the C-Strain of my precious virus. It'll take effect in a few hours. Consider it your death sentence for treason."
He plunged the needle deep into her arm.
As I watched the reel burnt up, the flame spreading from the needle, and the room was filled with hazy white light, and suddenly I was standing in a white nothing world.
Michelle was there, on my right, looking like an old Virgin Mary statue, all flowing golden hair and white robes. In her arms she clutched our child, and it smiled up at me like a cherub. God, she was so beautiful.
And on my left was Mona Sax, her black hair waves around her angel's face, wearing a long black dress like a Raphael Madonna. Her feet were bare.
"Max," she whispered, her voice like a siren's call.
"Max," Michelle echoed.
They both reached out, and I was torn, half of me heading for each of the women.
"You got to choose, Max!" my double screamed. "Choose between them! The old life or the new, what's it going to be, Max?"
Somehow I reached into my pocket, although it felt like great hands were holding me back, and reached for my Beretta.
"NO!" I heard myself scream, and I raised the gun to my head.
Pulled the trigger.
There was a horrible scream in my head, and I felt all the anger, all the hate and venom explode. As I watched my double exploded into black glitter and fell to the floor.
Around me the white world was fading, Mona and Michelle fading with it, and I was left alone in the darkness. Above my head was a single white square of blinding light, like sunlight through grey clouds.
Redemption, I thought, and the thought made me smile.
I walked towards it.
You did real good, kid, I heard Bravura say, from a thousand miles off.
Redemption.
I stepped into the light.
