Chapter 5 The Hurt That Keeps Giving

David

July 23rd, 2017

11:40 AM

1 Mile From Meridian Prime

Mediterranean Sea

The three of us ride Lynch's helicopter towards the island of Meridian Prime. Praying for Max and Chloe's safety while hovering over the ocean with a propeller underneath our heads. If the coordinates I gave Lynch are correct, we can only hope for the best and prep for the worst.

"There she is," said Lynch in the cockpit. "Land ho, Commander Madsen. Meridian Prime. Looks like your coordinates were correct after all."

We could see the island dead ahead of us now as we fly closer to land. The island alone looked bigger than I imagined.

"Wow," said Cayce. "That is some island. We going to Skull Island or Jurassic Park or something?"

"It's called Meridian Prime, Cayce," said Kristine. "Which is where Max Caulfield and Chloe Price are."

"I'm still shaking my head as to why they'd get themselves involved in the middle of this full-scale global war. I just don't see how Max Caulfield of all people is connected to all this and why Ares would want to behead her."

"Neither do I, Cayce," I said. "We find Max and my step-daughter, we find answers from them. That's our top priority. Nothing else matters but them and why."

"You know, I may have heard a place called Meridian Prime before," said Kristine. "My aunt Joan used to tell a legend to me and Nathan when were kids about how our great-great-granddad Ezra Prescott embark on a journey to the Ark of Genesis to restore the balance of life and time. Set somewhere on the island itself."

"You don't suppose that's why Max and Chloe are there, right?" Cayce thought.

"Don't know. I just hope they'll be comfortable with Prescott helping her superior rescue them. We have seen each other eye to eye before and I don't trust they believe I'm anything like you-know-who."

"I've told them both good things about you except for your Herd of Whales thing," I said. "But the fact that you've been a woman of your word and have made up for secret so far, you should be of no danger to them the way you're dad and brother was."

We've now approached land and Lynch finds the right terrain to land the chopper. Right above the shoreline of the line. The helicopter drops down on the sand and the three of us hop right out to initiate the mission.

"Good luck out there, Madsen," said Lynch as soon as we're off the heli. "You bring back those girls of yours safely and I'll be flying around the island for recon to make sure you know what you're in for. Happy hunting."

"You too, Lynch," I said. "Madsen out."

Lynch flies her bird away from us and leaves us to our mission. I never imagined having to rescue my girls out in the middle of nowhere like this.

"Alright, Valor," I said. "Watch for any signs where Max or Chloe could have gone. We're not sure what's on this island so stay alert."

"Commander, look over there," pointed Cayce. "Looks like a boat wreck of some kind. Could it be there's?"

"Let's have a look."

Cayce, Kristine, and I run over to the boat wreck drenched in the sand for investigation. The boat itself was totaled in half through the hull and damaged beyond repair. There was even a cooler box lying around on the beach as well which was empty when I opened it.

"You think they were here?" Kristine wondered.

"Chloe came here by plane," I said. "This had to have been Max's when she came."

"There's no way Max coulda came here on her own this way," said Cayce. "She had to have been with someone else. Someone who wasn't Chloe."

"Who else coulda been involved besides, Chloe?" Kristine asked.

"Not sure," I said. "But Max was definitely here. We should keep moving."

"There's way Max would survive something like this," said Cayce. "Looks like a storm took this thing out. Unless she's a good swimmer."

"Believe me, Cayce. Max isn't someone to be underestimated after the Blackwell raid and Portland. Nonetheless, she'll always need our help when she needs it."

"David, take a look over there!" Kristine pointed. "Twelve-o-clock."

Kristine spotted some speed rafts parked by the waves. When we all walked over to them away from the boat wreck to see who they belonged to, only one sign on the raft could make us tell. A logo of our enemy.

"Great, ConDef's here," said Cayce. "Just what this mission needs."

"If ConDef is after those girls," said Kristine. "We have no time to lose."

"Agreed," I said. "Whatever reason they're here must be the reason Max came here as well. Lynch, do you copy? We've got signs of ConDef activity on the island. Keep your guard up. We don't want you to get shot down sky-high again if ConDef spots a helo they don't recognize."

"Wilco, Madsen," responded Lynch. "So far no signs of neither ConDef nor those young ladies you mentioned but I won't let my guard down this time. Not like Seattle. Lynch out."

Max

July 23rd, 2017

11:46 AM

Meridian Prime

Meridian Rainforest

Our elevator comes to a halt as it reaches the terrain over the falls. Chloe and I help each lift the door open to start driving away again.

"You know," said Chloe lifting the door. "Even if you think you're protecting me…you don't have a right to shut me out like that."

The two of us release the door as it's completely opened. Chloe finishes her thought.

"No matter what it is," she says. "You're supposed to come to me so that we can work through it…together. As a team."

"I know that," I said. "Really, I do. It's just…I, I, I,…"

"You know what? We should stay focused. There'll be time for this later."

I sighed. Chloe and I hop right back in, start the car, and continue driving to find Alex at our next destination.

"Next stop: New Exodus," I said.

The two of us drive on the road to New Exodus where Ares could be taking Alex to with Joanna and Alkaline. As I'm driving the jeep, Chloe and I hold hands next to each other sitting in the car romantically and drift away on the concrete brick road to New Exodus like traveling the yellow brick road to the Emerald City.

We turn our heads to each other for a second or two and smile lightly to enjoy the moment together. It felt like riding in that truck again to Chloe's home after the fight with Nathan in the parking lot. We can feel the fresh air breezing through us riding along like Thelma and Louise. Embracing a hopeful moment on the road like Brian and Dom's last ride together in Furious 7. If we were to make it off this island alive, I'd like to celebrate with the love of my life like this.

"Hey, Chloe? Max?" Brian suddenly spoke on the radio.

"We're here, Brian," said Chloe. "Where are you?"

"Still in the air. Saw a bunch of ConDef vehicles heading north."

"I guess we'll see them soon."

"You two doing okay so far?"

"We hit a few hitches but…so far so good."

"All right, good. Keep in touch, will ya? I'm not the 'no news is good news' type."

"We'll try. Over and out."

After Bryan's warning of ConDef, we were approaching a bridge over a river. Looked stable enough for the car to drive over if the weight of our vehicle was meant for the bridge. Then again, maybe only meant for carriages or automobiles from a century ago. As long as it took us to New Exodus.

"Okay," I said. "Should be on the other side of the bridge. Hang on tight."

But as soon as I started driving on the bridge, a loud crack was made. Meaning the car's weight didn't support the bridge after all.

"Max?!" Chloe panicked.

"Hold on!" I tell her.

"Floor it!"

"Oh, I hate bridges!"

By the time I nearly raced our way past the bridge, it was too late. The two of us come falling down into the river inside the car and plummet into the water. Lucky for us, the water was shallow enough for the car the drive over. Unlucky for us, the current had more control of the vehicle than I myself as the driver. Taking us directly into the falls we just elevated over. How cliché.

"Ah, hell," I retreat.

"Turn around!" Chloe warned. "We're heading for the falls!"

"I can't! Current's too strong!"

I tell Chloe to brace ourselves and hang on as the hit collided itself into rocks sticking out of the current. We needed an idea to get off this jeep and quick. Then Chloe immediately spotted a solution.

"Max, there!" She pointed. "We can climb up those rocks!"

"On it!" I reply.

The car hits the rocks Chloe spotted giving us the opportunity to escape. Chloe goes first. She climbs over the rocks and above a ledge back to solid ground. Then I go after her but before I make it, a root breaks off the make me lose my grip and fall back into the jeep before I could reach Chloe's hand. I'm now back to falling to my doom.

Then I spot a plan B just ahead of the falls. A tree branch I could use to swing and climb using my rope. I get up and start lassoing my rope together and time the toss just right so I could jump off and start swinging like Tarzan. As soon as the car was only a few inches from falling, I toss the rope over to the branch and it hooks itself onto it. Then I instantly jump off the jeep as it begins its descent down the bottom of the falls.

I'm now hanging for dear life as the 4x4 explodes on impact. Chloe runs over to where she sees me hanging and I let her know I'm okay. To bad the tree wasn't since it was now breaking loose the longer I held on.

"It's okay!" I yelled. "I'm okay!"

"The tree!" Chloe yelled. "The tree is not okay!"

"Oh, come on!"

I swung myself enough momentum to jump back to Chloe. I do so just in time before the tree fell apart and I catch Chloe's hand. Pulling me up to her ground once I do. We catch our breaths and see where the tree had fallen and the car destroyed where we looked down below the falls. Our trip to New Exodus was now going to have to progress on foot.

"Well…so much for the car," said Chloe.

"Yeah," I chuckled.

"C'mon."

"I wasn't trying to protect you."

Chloe stops and turns around to hear what I finally have to say after making this thought of mine correct. And this is how I put.

"It-it's just I – I made a promise I was done with this life," I continued.

"We both did," said Chloe.

"Yeah, but I broke it. I didn't tell you because…I was afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"Of losing you. I guess I was, um…protecting myself. You know? Chloe, do you want to why I chose you."

"Chose me?"

"That day during the storm at the lighthouse. There's a reason I chose you that you don't know. It wasn't because I didn't want to see you die again. It wasn't because you were the person of my life. It was because of Alex. I lost her eleven months before the storm and I've been dealing with that trauma ever since. I refused to deal with that kind of loss again. Which is why I sucked ass in Blackwell and why I never picked up that phone to tell you I was home again."

"And let me guess, you didn't want to lose me the same way you thought you lost Alex?"

"We both thought we lost our new best friends. When you thought you lost Rachel, finding her…fake body in that burial, it immediately brought me back to Alex in the sewer. Chloe…if – if I had told you about Alex that Monday we first met again, would you still have wanted a death wish? To be sacrificed?"

"None of that matters now, Max. None of what happened that week up until the storm was ever on you, to begin with. You didn't do anything. I still woulda had the same thoughts either way. After all the trauma we've experienced in our lifetime, it's just the hurt that keeps giving. Let's go. We have a lot of ground to cover."

"Yeah, we should keep moving."