When Max woke up, everything was white. The light was so bright that the brunette couldn't figure out what happened, or where she was.
Where am I? What the fuck is going on?
After a while, the light faltered as Max eventually took in the surroundings of the room. The grey walls, filled with grotesque artwork and prints. The black-colored cabinets on the left, including one with a bunch of red binders inside it. The shards of glass and liquid on the ceramic flooring, suggesting that some vials have been broken recently. The cart, in front of her, with a single, red-tinted picture of a girl, whose arms are duct-taped into a chair.
A picture of herself.
Max wasn't sure why she was so focused on the photo. She tried to move her arms, but to no avail as she struggled against the duct tape. She then tried to move her legs, and discovered that her right leg was unrestrained. Slowly, as she took another glance at the picture, she realized why she woke up in the dark room, and pieced together what had happened to herself.
Chloe's deaths were the first memories to return.
One by one, the tears came rushing out of her eyes as Max re-lived all the times Chloe died. Nathan Prescott's assault in the girl's bathroom. The bullet that ricocheted off the car bumper. The incoming train that barreled towards her. The final request from the alternate timeline. The failed negotiation with Frank. The bullet in her forehead-
No! Calm down, you aren't doing anyone any favors to yourself by freaking out! You need to remember everything else that happened if you want to get out of here!
Eventually, the rest of her memories came back to her, drop by drop filling her with sorrow and angst. Among those included her visit to the Vortex party, her warnings about Nathan, her and Chloe's visit to the Junkyard under the double moons, and all of her bound-up experiences in Jefferson's dark room.
"Fuck, Max, how many times do you have to photo-jump and leave me here to deal with your mess?!" Max exclaimed angrily.
"..mmm..Max? Is that you?" A voice asked weakly from the left.
Max turned her head around, and saw the last person she expected to see, wearing the same dress shirt that she wore during the End of the World party, with a vulnerable and closed expression that she's never seen on her face before. Her normally immaculate pixie-cut blond hair is disheveled, her face was unnaturally pale, and the familiar condescending and intimidating aura surrounding her has completely disappeared, replaced by an aura of quiet fearfulness. She lay almost carelessly on the floor, and her wrists and ankles were aggressively bound by duct tape.
"...Victoria?"
"Max…" Victoria responded weakly before she opened her eyes. "Oh god, where...where are we? Oh, what's happening?"
"You've been drugged like Kate...and me. Do you remember how you got here?" Max inquired calmly.
"No...I don't know… Wait…You warned me. You warned me about Nathan. Then I went to Jefferson for help, and he was acting so weird..." Victoria recalled while choking back tears.
Nice job dumbass. Should've thought about it more thoroughly before I warned her. Of course Nathan couldn't have done so much by himself!
"That's the last thing I remember! And I can't move my hands!" Victoria continued, tears flowing freely across her face now. "Help me, Max! Please, I'm sorry for everything!" the blonde sobbed.
"Listen carefully, Mark Jefferson kidnapped us. He's using Nathan as well. Jefferson is very dangerous, so we have to get out of here before he comes back."
"Max... I just can't believe this is real. I don't want to die like this! I'm only eighteen!"
Turning away, Max took another look at the red-tinted photograph of herself. She can almost hear Jefferson's whispers as the picture shimmered slightly, beckoning her to dive right in. It was tempting, so so tempting, to jump into the picture, to leave Victoria behind, and find some means to escape through the photo.
But she didn't. She's not like her predecessor, who leaves everyone behind to fuck with time. No, she's someone who resolves to take responsibility for her actions, and for those around her. Slowly, Max forced herself to turn away from the picture, and look back towards the dishevelled blonde.
"Victoria...please, listen...I have a plan."
"Really? How? Max...I'm so scared." Victoria wailed desperately.
"So am I. But...we don't have time to be scared. We have to fight back...now." Max responded with some bite in her voice.
The blonde sniffled again as she took in these words. "Max...I can't even move my arms... How are we supposed to fight?"
Max thought carefully about her plan before responding. She realized that the previous Max who had controlled this body probably shot back with some comforting words, before she jumped into the picture (like the coward she was, Max added bitterly). With that out as an option, the brunette began to look around the room itself.
After a few minutes of looking around, Max focused on how Victoria was bound, and came up with an idea.
"Victoria, how strong do you think you are right now?"
The blonde struggled feebly on the floor for a bit. "Not much, my muscles feel like they have been asleep for days!" she cried.
"Looks like Jefferson's drugs are still affecting you. I've noticed that even though he has bound your wrists and ankles tightly, he didn't really bother to restrain you to the floor itself."
"Okay...that sounds promising...then what?"
"He also failed to properly restrain my right ankle either, which allows me to move this cart in front of me around. When you've recovered a bit more, do you think you're able to use the cart and my right ankle to stand up, and free me from my restraints so that I can free you from yours?" Max asked, with a steely edge in her voice.
"...mmm..maybe." Victoria remarked quietly. "Still feel really out of it though."
"That's okay, Jefferson must have gone out to get new drugs after I knocked his batch over when I kicked the cart over. Just...try your best to stay awake." Max ushered firmly. "We're not going to let that asshole get away with this. I just... I need you to be strong. I can't do this alone. We need to act while we're clear-headed. If either of us dozes off and he doses us again, we'll forget everything."
"I'll try, Max. Thank you...for everything." For the first time since waking up in the dark room, Max and Victoria felt a bit of relief. Now they have a tentative plan, and if it works, they will escape, and nobody will ever have to see the inside of this dreadful place ever again.
As the minutes ticked by, for once Max wished she had the power to speed up time instead of reversing it. As Max fought her hardest to stay awake, neither Max nor Victoria had any idea of how to bridge the awkward tension of their past between them as a result of their former rivalry.
Eventually, after Max felt as if she couldn't stay awake any longer, Victoria broke the silence with a question.
"When I woke up, I heard you yelling about yourself, saying that you had photo-jumped and left you behind. What did you mean by that?"
Max blinked, suddenly feeling a twist of uncertainty. Should I tell her about everything? Max thought to herself. We're likely not going to make it anyways, between Jefferson and the upcoming storm, so why the hell not? Plus, it'll help her understand better what's happening, and it'll definitely help keep both of us awake as she's recovering.
But what if she doesn't believe me?
As she eyed Victoria's expression, Max suddenly got an idea.
"I'll tell you what I mean, but we've wasted too much time in silence, too afraid to talk to each other. I'll see you on the other side after I rewind."
"Wait, rewind? What's tha-"
As Max began pulling the strands of time, she concentrated on the furthest point she can go back to. After she felt as if her head was about to split open in pain, she loosened the grip on the strands and allowed time to resume freely. Looking back at Victoria, the brunette decided to break the silence this time.
"Victoria, I know you want to ask me what I meant when I yelled about photo-jumping and leaving me behind." Max stated confidently.
Victoria's face immediately transformed into an expression of surprise and horror, wide-eyed like a fish out of water. "How…..how the fuck did you know I wanted to ask you about that?!" she exclaimed shakily.
"It's a long story that sounds quite unbelievable." Max sighed with a note of melancholy. "But I really need you to believe me if we want to get out of this alive."
"In that case I'll believe it. Just help me understand, please." Victoria pleaded.
And so with that, Max began retelling her sordid tale of the hellish week. She began with the vision in Jefferson's class. The scene in the bathroom.
"What do you mean Nathan shot her? That definitely didn't happen, I remember the fire alarm going off after class had ended!" Victoria exclaimed.
"Hold on, Victoria, I'm getting to it."
How Max found herself back into Jefferson's class again. The discovery of her rewind power.
"Okay Max, I know you asked me to believe you, but this is really stretching it."
"What, me knowing what you were about to ask me wasn't good enough for you?"
"Who knows, maybe you just got lucky?" Victoria pushed.
"Oh yeah?" Max challenged. "Think of a phrase that only you know that I wouldn't likely believe. Don't tell me what it is yet."
"Alright….done!" Victoria exclaimed, feeling confident that Max will never guess this.
"Okay, tell me what phrase you're thinking about."
Victoria took a deep breath. "I'd give anything to see Kate again, just to tell her how sorry I am." she stated reluctantly.
Max immediately seized the strand of time, focused on a specific point, and rewound.
"Alright….done!" Victoria smugly exclaimed again.
"You'd give anything to see Kate again, to tell her how sorry you are." Max stated triumphantly.
Victoria's expression went horrified once again. "Oh my god!" she gasped. "How did you do that?!"
"I asked you what phrase you were thinking, rewound time, and just repeated it back to you." Max stated plainly, as if it's the most self-explanatory thing in the world. "By the way, why wouldn't you think I believe that?"
"Well... I know it's no secret that I've been a huge bitch to you and Kate...and I'm pretty sure you think of me as someone who doesn't apologize very often." Victoria responded sheepishly, emerald eyes looking away from Max. "What about when you knew what I was about to ask you?"
"Simple, you've asked me, then I rewound, and then I asked you the question instead." Max smirked. "I could also tell that that's been on your mind for a while, you aren't that difficult to read, you know?"
"Okay, okay, I believe you!" Victoria sighed exasperatedly. "What happened next?"
The attempt to report Nathan to Principal Wells. Getting Warren's flash drive from her dorm.
"So that was you!" Victoria exclaimed.
"Well yeah, you and your posse were in my way, what else was I supposed to do to get into the dorms?" Max quipped back. Victoria shot Max a glare, and for a split second Max saw the old, condescending mask in the blonde's expression before it softened back to vulnerability.
"I deserved it I suppose." Victoria sighed remoresefully. "Fuck, I've instigated way too many petty conflicts that I'm honestly surprised it took so long for my actions to catch up to myself."
"Whatever, that was the past." Max reassured firmly. "Plus, I do believe that you've changed for the better. Now, please try not to interrupt too much again, my throat's starting to sore from all this talking."
Retrieving the flash drive from Dana's room. Max's confrontation with Nathan in the parking lot. Max's reunion with Chloe.
"Of course it's Kari who's the one who's posted so many missing person posters of that bitch!" Victoria suddenly exclaimed.
"Let. Me. Continue." Max grumbled irritably. "Also her name is Chloe, not Kari."
The second vision at the lighthouse. The unexpected snow showers. The countless hours spent afterwards in the dorms, researching time travel theory. The conversation Max overheard the next day, while in the showers.
"Oh shit, you were there?"
"Yeah. Didn't think y'all really cared if anyone overheard you both though."
"Well we didn't care about it that much then...fuck I'm such a monster! I shouldn't have made the video at all, let alone shared it around so much!" Victoria trembled, tears streaking across her face again. "I'm so, so sorry!"
"You definitely were back then, but again, I know you want to change for the better." Max responded calmly.
Max's conversation with Kate in her room. Max's conversation with Taylor outside the dorms.
"Look, Victoria, I still don't get why you're so mean to Taylor. Clearly you care deeply about her, so why do you make a show of being so cruel in front of people?"
Victoria frowned. "Remember when I told you why I was so jealous of you at the party?" Max nodded warily. "It's true. Being the head of the Vortex club means you have to keep up the appearance of a ruthless leader, otherwise people will use you and tear you apart." The blonde sighed dejectedly, before adding: "Even if it means I have to act like this towards my friends."
"And you're jealous of me because I don't give a shit about what other people think?" Max retorted. "First of all, that's not true. I constantly worry about what other people think, such as Chloe or Kate, because I care. Second of all, why don't you try forgetting about your 'appearance' for a change? Be the kind person and friend I know you are, instead of the ruthless bitch you insist on appearing as."
Victoria winced upon hearing Max's response. "Maybe then people will finally dethrone me from leading the vortex club..."
"...or maybe people will respect you more for it." Max finished for Victoria. "I'm gonna continue with the story, just….think about this, okay?"
Max's meeting with Chloe, in both the Two Whales diner and American Rust. The return to Blackwell. Saving Kate on the rooftop, and the eclipse afterwards.
"I guess it's fitting that I've ended up here. Now I know how Kate felt, and now I will get what I deserve." Victoria sighed resignedly. "It's my karma for everything I did to you, to Kate, to everyone."
"No!" Max exclaimed sharply. "Nobody deserves being bound in this bunker, especially since I know that you're no longer who you used to be."
"You really are a hero, Max." Victoria gushed. "I didn't believe it at first when Taylor suddenly spoke highly of you. I do now, though, so don't let people like me back then tell you any different."
"Thanks, but you're really not so bad yourself." Max smiled warmly. "I've seen the note you left for Kate. I can tell that you're genuine about making things right."
"Ha, of course you saw that as well. Oh, what I wouldn't give to be able to see her again, to tell her how sorry I am..."
"You've already told me that, remember?" Max teased, before reassuring gently. "Don't worry Victoria, we will find a way to escape. I promise."
"I believe you, Max." Victoria responded. Max noticed that although her face is still very pale, a substantial amount of color reappeared on the blond's face.
"By the way, how much strength do you think you have recovered?" Max asked. Victoria wriggled a bit more on the ground, and began to wriggle closer to Max.
"Feeling better and better, Max." Victoria responded. She then tried to use her elbows against the floor to sit up, only to fall spectacularly back to the floor. "Still gonna need some time before I recover my upper-body strength though, so please continue your story."
Chloe's invitation to sneak around Blackwell campus at night. Their arrival at the front steps of Blackwell.
"Fuck, you heard that as well?" Victoria asked as a blush quickly entered her face.
"Yeah...you weren't the only one out that night…" Max responded sheepishly.
"I was so fucking pathetic, blackmailing him like that! How could I be so stupid, throwing so much away just to win his sick little contest?!"
Max sighed. "It was kinda embarrassing I admit...but I do understand why you did what you did. And I definitely don't blame you for doing it, none of us knew how demented he was back then. Except for Nathan…"
Victoria hummed thoughtfully. "Wonder how's it going for him right now. I'm worried more than ever about him. Anyways, please continue."
Breaking into Principal Wells' office. The midnight swim that followed afterwards. Chloe's fight with David. Breaking into Frank's RV, and Chloe's rage afterward. Max's first photo-jump to save William.
"Woah, so that's what you meant by photo-jumping! That sounds….incredibly powerful." Victoria thought aloud.
"It's also incredibly dangerous." Max added quickly. "As you'll see later."
"I can't believe I was so friendly to you there...but then again I don't see any reason to doubt you at this point." Victoria pondered.
"It's another one of the reasons why I know we could potentially get along." Max smiled sheepishly. "Even though it's because we're apparently both vortex club assholes in that timeline."
Visiting Chloe in the alternate timeline. Accepting Chloe's final wish. Letting William die again.
"Wow...that's incredibly brutal, Max. I'd have no idea what I'd do if I had to make such a choice." Victoria commented after a pause. She looked directly at Max, and saw tears trickling silently down the brunette's face. "You okay?"
"Yeah…" Max sniffled. "This ability is powerful, but it comes with too many fucking consequences." Max spat with some venom, as if she's arguing with an invisible being. Suddenly, the lights flickered in the bunker for a bit, as Max and Victoria heard thunder rumbling outside.
"Fuck, the storm's coming." Max shouted, fear evident in her voice. "I better wrap up my story soon, Jefferson's definitely looking to return back here to get away from the storm."
Getting David's vehicle tracking data. Visiting Kate in the hospital.
"Kate forgives you, you know." Max remarked, as the pattering sounds of the first few drops of rain reverberated outside the bunker.
"Wait...really? After everything I've done, I don't deserve her or your forgiveness at all!" Victoria sobbed.
"We both know you've been incredibly cruel towards both of us, and I definitely had my doubts at first" Max responded grimly, before her expression softened. "However, I've seen the note you've left Kate, and after talking to you in this dreadful place, we both know you're no longer the bully you were back then."
"Thanks Max, that's so kind of you to say." Victoria sniffled. "I...I want to change who I am, now that I know how hurtful I've acted to you both. Every time I try, I'm reminded again of what my parents and friends expect me to act towards others. If we escape, please don't let me fall back to the bitch that I once was!"
"I'll hold you to it, once we're out of it, and that's a promise." Max reassured kindly. "You don't have to conform to everyone else's expectations on who you want to be, you can always be yourself."
"Easy for you to say, like I said it's one of the reasons why I'm so envious of you in the first place." Victoria stated in a smaller voice. "I'm so glad you want to help me though, thank you so much!"
Breaking into Nathan's dormitory. Obtaining Frank's logbook. Putting together the clues to the old barn. Visiting the old barn, and discovering the dark room. Finding out what happened to Rachel and Kate.
"Oh fuck..." Victoria quivered, face turning pale again in shock. "Rachel…..she's dead?"
"Yeah." Max responded, thunder rolling in the background.
"Fuck…..I've hated her guts forever during my years at Blackwell, but even she doesn't deserve to die at the hands of Jefferson! And Kate….oh Kate..." Victoria uttered before dissolving into tears once again.
"Nobody deserved what happened to them in the dark room." Max replied determinedly, the steely edge returning to her voice. "And nobody will again, once we get out of here."
Attending the End of the World party. The visit to the junkyard afterwards. Waking up in the dark room for the first time, next to an unconscious Victoria. With a heavy sigh, Max finally concluded with the first photojump back, to kick the cart and cause the vials to shatter.
"...wow..." Victoria uttered after a few seconds of silence. "I...I don't know what to say. And to think how I've treated you ever since we've met...if there's one thing I would do if I could go back in time, it is to take it all back."
"It's in the past, Victoria," Max reassured. "We need to focus now on getting out of here"
"Sounds good to me." Victoria responded. Before Max could continue, she felt a sudden burst of pain in her head, as she suddenly passed out, slumping forward in her chair.
"Max? MAX!" Victoria screamed. But Max can no longer hear her.
When Max regained consciousness, she heard the continuous hum of an engine. As she opened her eyes and took in the surrounding buildings whizzing by, she realized that none of them looked familiar.
This sure isn't arcadia bay...
"Ah Max, I see you're awake!" A deep voice exclaimed.
Max whirled around, and recognized the person who spoke.
"Principal Wells?"
"Yes, that's me." he chuckled. "Ready for your showing?"
"Show?" Max asked, starting to panic. What type of show is going on?
"You've won the everyday heroes contest. We're now in a taxi in San Francisco, driving to the Zeitgeist gallery." Principal Well's brows furrowed. "Are you alright? Surely you remember all of this."
"Yeah, I do, just...spaced out I guess." Max lied after a bit of hesitation.
Wait….I won the everyday heroes contest? I've never entered! What the fuck is going on?
Max reached out to the back of the front seat in the taxi, and pulled out the newspaper wedged in there. As she opened up, she saw the headline "Local Teacher Arrested!"
Jefferson and Nathan were arrested? When did that happen? Wait…..if they're arrested….then Chloe...Chloe!
Max fumbled around in her bag to retrieve her phone. Before she could retrieve it, however, Wells spoke again.
"We've arrived."
Reluctantly, Max got out of the taxi, which was now parked in front of a massive granite building. On the top of the building are the letters that make up "Zeitgeist Gallery".
"After you." Wells gestured. Max nodded, and began heading inside as the world began to slowly fade away into nothingness.
"MAX!" Victoria's voice rang, jerking the brunette back to the dark room. "Max, please wake up!"
"Victoria?" Max responded weakly. She opened her mouth to continue but Victoria interrupted her.
"Holy shit, you're alive!" Victoria exclaimed. "What the fuck, I thought you're dead!"
"You're talking to the time bandit here, I won't go down that easily." Max chuckled at a half-hearted attempt at humor. "Seriously though, besides some lingering pain I'm fine. I did see something weird, though."
"What is it?" Victoria asked eagerly.
"Somehow, I woke up in a taxi in San Francisco next to Principal Wells, driving to the Zeitgeist gallery." Max explained quietly. "Apparently I had won the everyday heroes contest, and am showcasing my entry at the gallery."
"Ugh, that contest felt like such a long time ago." Victoria groaned. "Sounds like you had a good time there."
"Not exactly." Max responded softly. "Sure, Jefferson was behind bars, and sure, I'm outside Arcadia Bay with Principal wells, but I don't know how everyone else is doing. Especially…..especially…"
"Especially Chloe." Victoria finished for her. At these words, Max suddenly burst into tears, full of sadness over losing Chloe once again.
"Are...are you okay?" Victoria tentatively asked after a while, noticing that tears were still running down Max's cheeks.
"I...I don't know." Max answered honestly, torn between grief over Chloe's unjust death and vengeance over Jefferson.
"Fuck...I'm sorry, Max." Victoria whimpered.
"Again, as I've reminded you. It's not your fault." Max responded insistently, the steely edge returning once more to her voice. "It's the damn fault of my predecessor!" Max cursed loudly.
"Max, what do you mean? Are you talking about a previous Max that has left you behind?"
"Victoria, every time I or a version of myself use my photo-jump ability, the timeline splits into two. There's a timeline where a version of myself lives in where she changes the past, and there's a timeline where a version of myself lives in the timeline where Max left behind through the photo-jump."
Victoria furrowed her brow. "That's….really difficult to wrap my head around, Max."
Max sighed. "Basically, everything that happened in my story has been done by another Max, who I refer to as my predecessor. It wasn't done by me, the person you're talking to right now. When you woke up and saw me in the dark room, my predecessor used the picture on the cart in front of me to photo-jump to god knows where, and I've been the one left behind to clean up the mess she'd made."
Victoria pondered in silence for a few seconds, as the rain started to pour earnestly outside and the lights flickered a few more times. "So...you think I'm just part of a mess to be cleaned up?" Victoria asked in a small and fearful voice.
"Absolutely not!" Max corrected quickly, her bitterness replaced by fear and sympathy. "What I meant by mess is the situation she's caused when she photo-jumps. When I told you about my predecessor accepting Chloe's wish in the alternative timeline, the version of me that's left behind has to deal with the fact that she unknowingly murdered Chloe, with Joyce and William outside!"
"Ohhh I see." Victoria slowly nodded in understanding. "No wonder why you dislike her so much."
"That's a bit of an understatement." Max gritted her teeth. "What I wouldn't give to give her a piece of my mind right now…"
"You know, after thinking some more about what you've told me during the party, I do wish to hang out with you sometime without us giving each other shit." Victoria remarked thoughtfully. "You're completely right, we do have similar interests in art and photography, and as much as I hate to admit it, your polaroids are incredibly well-shot."
"Who knows if I still want to pursue photography after this?" Max groaned. "Also, you don't have to wish for it if we get out of here successfully! Speaking of which, do you think you've recovered enough for us to get out of here?"
Victoria wriggled around some more. "Yeah, I feel ready! Let's get out of this fucking place!" Victoria exclaimed with determination.
"Hell yeah!" Max exclaimed excitedly. "First, can you help undo the restraints on my left leg as well? This will help make it easier for me to move the cart to you, and to keep it stable."
"Will do, Max!" Victoria responded. With some effort, Victoria made her way to Max's left ankle, and slowly used her bound hands to undo the restraints on the brunette's left ankle.
"Awesome! Now, use this to get up!" Max shouted as she used both feet to nudge the cart towards Victoria. The brunette then stomped firmly on the right side of the cart with her left foot as the blonde hooked her duct-taped wrists against the upper left edge of the cart with an herculean effort. It became a delicate balancing game between Max and Victoria, as the brunette struggled to keep the cart upright and stable while the blonde put her weight against the cart, using her duct-taped wrists as leverage. After loads of cursing and four rewinds to avoid injury later, Victoria was able to finally stand up, using the cart.
"Score!" Max exclaimed as Victoria wobbled back and forth uneasily. "Victoria, can you find a way to get over to my side and undo my restraints on my wrists?"
"I'll try, but my legs are weak." Victoria answered before bunny-hopping her way over. After another two rewinds to avoid Victoria stumbling and falling back down, Victoria eventually reached Max's side and used her bound hands to undo both of Max's restraints.
"Woah, easy now Victoria." Max exclaimed as the blonde crashed into Max in exhaustion. "Now it's my turn to free you."
"Thank you so much Max!" Victoria sobbed as Max deftly cut the duct-tape on both Victoria's wrists and ankles with a scalpel she had found on the cart. The blonde then pulled the brunette in an awkward but tight embrace, both feeling giddy and free.
"You're welcome Vic." Max responded, smiling grimly. If Victoria was offended by Max's use of her nickname, she didn't mention it at all. "Gotta say, I never imagined I'd see the day when I'm so happy to be in your arms." Max chuckled at a feeble attempt at humor.
"Likewise." Victoria replied with a grin. "Now, let's get all of our stuff."
Once Max finished gathering her journal and bag, and Victoria found her purse, they both used the time to take pictures of the dark room as evidence.
"You done?" Max asked after she ran out of film.
"Yeah, let's get out of here!" Victoria exclaimed, putting her phone away. "I owe you so, so much, thank you so much for helping me!"
"Hey, I couldn't have done it without you too, Vic." Max responded plainly. "Let's go- oh no."
"Max, what's wrong?" Victoria asked tentatively.
"Well, well, well." a dreadfully familiar voice answered. "Looks like I came back just in time."
Are you cereal right now, ugh we're so close! Max thought, as Mark Jefferson entered the room, pulling his gun out and aiming it directly at Max. We need more time.
Max carefully focused her efforts to rewind as the pain in her head throbbed vigorously. Fuck, I can't go back far enough to avoid him, my head won't let me. We need another plan. Right as Jefferson pulled the trigger, Max focused on the furthest point she can rewind back to, and rewound herself back to that point.
Victoria was still busy taking pictures on her phone before Max shook her urgently. "Victoria, Jefferson's coming. He has a gun." Max exclaimed frantically.
"Max...what should we do?" Victoria asked worriedly.
"I don't know, he's got the gun trained on me. I can't really distract him without him firing the gun first, and my head's killing me too much for me to freeze time." Max spoke fearfully. "I think I've met my end here, the only way out I can think of is for you to take Jefferson's gun while he's distracted after shooting me. Then at least you'll be safe."
"But that also means you'll die, and I'm not going to let that happen." Victoria shot back angrily. After thinking for a while, Victoria piped up. "I got another idea. He can threaten you with his gun, but I'm sure if I attack him first, he'll need to shoot me first. Then you can get the gun yourself."
"But won't that mean you'll die as well? Believe it or not, I'm not gonna let that happen either." Max snipped back.
"You have rewind powers, and you've told me that objects in your possession stay with you after you rewind. Once you rewind to before I get shot, you should have taken Jefferson's gun from him already, right?"
"Fuck, you're right." Max internally facepalmed herself. Leave it to Victoria freaking Chase to know how to use my power more effectively than I do. "Are you sure you want to go through with this though?"
"Why wouldn't I, you've freed me. I trust you. Plus, I came up with this plan, so of course I'll go with it!" Victoria responded enthusiastically, happy to help Max out.
After waiting for a while, Jefferson's voice rang out again from the dark room's entrance. "Well well well, looks like I came back just in time." Jefferson sneered, pulling his gun out and aiming it directly at Max.
"Oh yeah, well you're out of time, fucker!" Victoria yelled furiously, launching herself out towards Jefferson without hesitation. Jefferson immediately re-aimed his gun towards Victoria, and pulled the trigger, firing the gun with a deafening bang. The bullet traveled directly into Victoria's forehead, killing her instantly as her body fell backwards to the floor with a soft thud.
Resisting a wave of nausea from looking at Victoria's corpse, Max used the scuffle to make her way towards Jefferson, and punched him hard, knocking him out. The brunette quickly unloaded the magazine on the gun, revealing another bullet inside. Fuck, he wanted to shoot both of us! With one last look at Victoria's lifeless body, Max reached out to the strands of time, and rewound again.
"Plus, I came up with this plan, so of course I'll go - wait Max, are you alright?" Victoria asked with concern, noticing her sudden disheveled state.
Max managed only a small nod before Jefferson appeared once more at the entrance. "Well well well, looks like I -" Jefferson got out before he suddenly noticed his gun's disappearance.
"Looking for this?" Max taunted as she drew the gun and aimed vaguely at Jefferson.
"How...how the fuck did you steal that from me?!" Jefferson asked incredulously. For the first time ever, a note of fear appeared in his voice.
"Long story that I won't bother you with. Now's our turn to capture you in a moment of desperation." Max sneered curtly with venom.
What little fear Jefferson felt towards the gun disappeared as he started to laugh maniacally. "You really think you got me in a moment of desperation, huh? I know you're a fighter, but you're too much of a coward to shoot."
Max raised her hand and pointed the gun directly towards Jefferson, but didn't pull the trigger.
"Even if you're able to kill me, I was able to take your 'friend' away from you, something you'll never get back." Jefferson continued mockingly, before looking at Victoria. "Just like I did with you as well."
"Wait what, what do you-" Victoria suddenly shook with fury as she realized what Jefferson implied. "WHERE'S NATHAN?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!" Victoria demanded.
"Rotting along with Chloe and Rachel, I'm afraid." Jefferson remarked coolly. "He's gotten way too careless for his own good, and he's put my operation under too much risk for him to be useful. Now the police will never find his body."
"You won't get away with this, Mark!" Max fumed, her anger boiling over at this point. "We'll ensure you'll get what you deserve for what you did to everyone. For Chloe, for Kate, for Rachel, for Nathan, and for everyone else you've hurt!"
"Oh, I don't doubt you both will." Jefferson smugly responded. "However, neither of you will ever get your loved ones back, and so I can rest easy knowing that you'll never be able to harm me through this way."
That's it! You'll pay for this! Max thought furiously, pulling the safety switch off as she prepared to shoot. Suddenly, Frank's voice entered Max's thoughts, briefly pulling her away from her rage.
Don't ever aim a gun at anybody, unless you intend to kill.
Fuck that! Jefferson killed so many people, including so many who I care about! There's no way I'm not avenging their deaths!
I don't think they'd want you to turn into a murderer though. There's other ways to avenge their deaths.
Max hesitated for a few seconds, debating whether or not she wanted to kill Jefferson. Jefferson used this pause to suddenly lunge towards Max, and attempted to grab the firearm. This ended up cementing the brunette's decision, as Max aimed downwards and pulled the trigger in panic.
Jefferson hissed in pain as the bullet lodged itself into his right knee-cap. He stumbled, and Max and Victoria used this opportunity to quickly bound his wrists, ankles, and mouth, and restrained him against the handle of one of the black cabinets.
"Holy fuck Max...that was incredible." Victoria gasped, looking at Max with an expression of astonishment. "You actually shot hi - woah, here!" Victoria rushed in to support Max as the brunette suddenly burst into tears and collapsed onto her arms.
"He's right." Max sobbed heavily in Victoria's arms. "He killed Chloe. And there's nothing I can do."
Victoria gently lowered herself so that Max rested on her shoulders. She spent the next few minutes comforting the grief-stricken brunette, stroking her hair and offering soothing words.
"I've got an idea." Victoria stated tentatively, her posture devoid of confidence and poise.
Slowly, Victoria dug into Max's bag for the journal, and handed it over to Max.
"You...you can go back to one of your photos, if you want to save Chloe." Victoria offered reluctantly. "I know you still love her."
At this, Max shot back straight. "Are you cereal, Vic? Asking me to do the very thing I despise my predecessor for? First of all, what will you do after I leave, you know very well what type of storm is outside!" Max exclaimed incredulously.
"I know what I'm asking you to do, and a part of me selfishly wants you to stay." Victoria admitted quietly. "However, it's not like you'll leave a mess for your counterpart that gets left behind to clean up, since we've defeated Jefferson and I know enough about you to fill your counterpart in. As for the storm, you've told me that in your visions, the lighthouse is safe from the tornado. I'm sure we'll end up alright, after we rescue as many people as we can."
"Still, I'm not leaving you!" Max exclaimed intensely. "I've made a promise to help you not become the person you've used to be, and I very much intend to keep that promise-"
"-and you won't be breaking the promise if you've photo-jumped back to save Chloe." Victoria finished gently for Max, offering a comforting smile. "I know you'll be able to talk sense to me once you go back in time."
Max opened her mouth to protest some more before Victoria shushed her with a finger on her lips. "Look, Jefferson took someone we love away from both of us. I'm going to spend the rest of my life with the regret of not trying hard enough to understand what's going on with Nathan, with the regret that I could have done so much more to prevent him from losing his mind to Jefferson's twisted schemes. You have the privilege to avoid living with these regrets if you go back. Even if Chloe and I weren't on the best of terms with each other, she didn't deserve all the shittiness life laid out in front of her, and I know you'll be able to help her turn her life around."
"And you? How would I talk sense into you, knowing who you were back then? Would you even listen to me?" Max exclaimed.
Victoria's voice trembled, as tears started to roll down her cheeks. "I know it won't be easy. However, I've never hated you, so I know you will do the right thing, time powers or not."
They stood in silence, which was occasionally broken by the rolling thunder outside. Eventually, and with great reluctance, Max slowly opened her journal to the photo taken on Wednesday morning of herself and Chloe in bed. As she stared at it, the photo started to shimmer and Max could hear Chloe's voice shouting "Photobomb!" in the photo. With the room threatening to fade around her, Max knew she had to make her decision. She looked back towards Victoria, whose expression was intentionally unreadable, as if urging Max to make the choice on her own terms. Victoria looked back, and with some effort gave Max an encouraging smile, before asking the unvoiced question that laid between them.
"Is this au revoir?"
Author's note: Gonna leave this with a bit of a cliffhanger here :P This is my first fic, so I'd really appreciate reviews, feedback, and constructive criticism! Thank you for reading, and I'll be back with the closing half soon!
Update: Corrected a few mistakes, added/expanded some scenes so that it matches my post on ao3. As for when part 2 is updated, my schedule is incredibly hectic right now so it likely won't be for a while. Rest assured though, part 2 will come, and that's a promise!
~M4f1aChip
