Pale green eyes lifted from the dirty, sweaty body of the survivalist to meet the gaze of the medical director. Neither woman spoke for a moment, both glancing back down to watch the slow, steady rise and fall of Max's chest.
"He is okay. He just needs rest and water," Capable spoke softly, now watching her leader. Furiosa hesitated before responding with a curt nod. The Sister was right; he looked utterly exhausted and worn out, his skin covered in a permanent coat of grime, darkened by the sun. His lips were dry and cracked, his brow furrowed as he rested fitfully, fingertips twitching. Sand crystals glittered in his surprisingly soft hair, snowing to his shoulders every time he involuntarily twitched.
Max. My name is Max. That's my name.
A hint of smile shadowed the corner of Furiosa's mouth. The drifter who saved her life was here, lying on the floor before her, after two years of silence, his continued survival only evident by the gifts he'd send. The last time she'd seen him, he was slinking through the crowd of the Wretched, disappearing back into the Wastelands to wander in the company of his hallucinations. The Sisters had been so disappointed later that night when they realized their party was missing a certain quiet man.
"Where is Max? Why didn't he stay with us?" Capable had asked, her narrow eyes sweeping the room as if he'd suddenly appear.
"He went back to the Wastelands," Furiosa replied simply, her expression blank.
"Why would he do something so stupid?" Toast exclaimed, her full lips curving into a pouting frown. She'd spent the most time in the Wasteland out of all of the Sisters, her childhood consisting of scavenging and learning to use and build weapons.
"Max is mad…Quite insane. Where else would he go?" Dag said in her quiet, dreamy voice, as if it was the most obvious answer. Silence had fallen over the room, nobody making eye contact with each other as they pictured their comrade roaming the Wasteland in solitude, relentlessly hunting for redemption that he would never acquire, slowly losing his mind further and further as each day passed.
She couldn't help but to wonder why he'd shown up at the Citadel today. His pack appeared well-stocked, his clothing horrid but technically doable. He had no apparent wounds or injuries. Furiosa bit at her lower lip, apprehension settling to the pit of her stomach.
"Notify me when he is awake and well," she said to Capable, who simply nodded. The new Imperator turned and promptly left the medical center, emerging back into the heat and sunshine. The sunshine that had once been a living hell for the Wretched was now a natural blessing, nourishing the flourishing farms and gardens. When the heat tired the Wretched – no, the Citizens – there was plenty of water for them to drink and hydrate their hardworking bodies. Life was very different from how it had been two years ago.
The World had fallen, but they were lifting it back up, gently and patiently, as a united team.
Bullet Farm and Gas Town were tentative allies; they did not join the Citadel in the quest of redemption, but they also did not deter business with the Citadel. Barter Town was a different story – there was great tension between them and the Citadel, as the leaders of that town felt threatened by Furiosa's changes, worried that their people might uprise upon hearing of the Citadel's freedom and flourishment. That was fine by Furiosa; she refused to beg or influence. She was more concerned about her own people. They could focus on influencing the other civilizations in the future, once the Citadel was more settled and established. Furiosa continued to worry her lower lip, wondering if Barter Town was stewing up trouble. Was that why Max was here? To warn of impending trouble?
Her mind wandered back to the road warrior who Capable was currently tending to. He'd been a humble, quiet comrade and had barely spoken in their time together, yet he'd earned all of their respect and affection. He wasn't a nobody in their eyes nor the eyes of the Citadel; Furiosa made sure that the people also knew of Max, the man who helped save the Citadel. She refused to be worshipped like Joe – she did not carry out the operation single-handedly. She couldn't have accomplished her goal without the aid of the Sisters and Max. They were a team.
She didn't know much about Max; he was as much of a mystery to her as he was to everyone. Anything she knew she'd learned through hearsay and rumors. He'd been a cop turned vigilante with a murdered family and a thousand names; Road Warrior, Raggedy Man, The Man with No Name, The Driver, Saint, The Nightrider. A small smirk ghosted her lips as she remembered fondly that "fool" had been his name for a long time in their journey. The smirk faded as she also remembered that the Citadel had seen him as "Blood Bag" for the War Pups. She'd heard he'd survived the ThunderDome, had heard several tales. Some sounded believable, others not so much. But Furiosa wouldn't push the drifter for personal information; she knew he'd talk when he wanted to. She trusted this man with her life without even knowing his true name for a majority of their relationship – she still didn't even know his last name or how he'd earned his most popular title – Mad Max.
Furiosa was snapped out of her thoughts by familiar, gleeful squeals. Raising her pale eyes, she watched as the remaining Sisters ran toward her, their faces stretched with grins.
"Furiosa, we heard that Max has returned! Where is he? How long is he staying? Is he staying at all? Why has he come? How is he?" Dag rushed, her eyes searching the area rapidly, seeking Max's somber presence. They reached their Imperator, chests rising and falling quickly from hurrying, out of breath and emitting panting giggles. Furiosa couldn't resist a small smile at their excitement.
"Calm down. He's resting in the medical center, Capable is tending to him and we will leave him be until he is ready for company. I know as much as you all regarding his presence and plans," Furiosa said kindly. Toast's eyes widened slightly with concern.
"Is he hurt?" she asked, eyes darting towards the medical center.
"No, just tired and dehydrated," Furiosa assured. The Sisters visibly relaxed, though all of their attention remained on the medical center.
"Well, at least he's in the care of Capable. I hope he recovers quickly; we must show him the new and improved Citadel!" Dag said brightly. Furiosa nodded, keeping her apprehension to herself. There was no point in worrying the women when she ultimately didn't know anything. She could just be paranoid; maybe Max only wished to catch up with his old comrades. But Toast's ever knowing gaze met Furiosa's, and she knew that similar concerns were running through her head. Thankfully, Toast remained quiet on those thoughts and continued to bask in the happiness of her friends.
"Alright ladies, time to get back to work. We'll rejoin at dinner with Max," Furiosa announced with a clarifying clap of her hands. After a few sighs and pouts, the girls did eventually drift off to their respective areas; Dag went to the farms to check on production, Toast went to her auto-shop to repair vehicles and weapons, and Cheedo went back to the small bakery.
Furiosa watched her friends disperse, their laughter still floating back to her. They were thriving in their freedom, as was the rest of the Citadel.
But there was still much work to be done.
Open your eyes, Max.
Open your eyes.
OPEN YOUR EYES.
Max's dark eyes flashed open, and he jolted into a sitting position, immediately assessing the room. The medical center…That was right. He vaguely remembered Furiosa's pale green eyes searching his face with concern, but she was nowhere to be found in this room. Instead, a familiar, gorgeous redhead turned from the table where she was mashing herbs, lovely eyes meeting his own. Capable smiled, wiping her hands on the sides of her pants, and drifted over to his stretcher. He glanced down at the thin sheet tangled around his legs, and then looked for his backpack. It remained untouched on the chair, his Glock poking out from the small compartment on the front, his sawed-off shotgun propped against the wall. Max relaxed slightly.
"Welcome back to reality, how're you feeling?" Capable's soft voice broke the silence. He studied her face. She glowed with health, her eyes no longer carrying the haunted sadness she'd shared with the others. Her lips were curved into an easy smile, her outfit sensible and comfortable. No more sexual rags. He almost smiled. Almost.
"Fine," he rumbled, untangling his legs from the sheet. He stood from the stretcher, earning a disapproving frown from the redhead.
"Hey, easy there, big guy, you're not exactly the picture of health. You put on quite a show with your febrile seizure. It took forever to get your vitals in check. Maybe you should sleep a little more," Capable said, reaching for his broad shoulder, stopping when he recoiled.
"I said I'm fine, thanks. Where's Furiosa?" Max said quietly, not unkindly. Capable huffed a sigh, knowing it was pointless to try arguing with him. There was no making Max do something he didn't want to do.
"She's back at the Citadel's tower, probably preparing for dinner with the other Sisters. Will you be joining us?" she said, hope glittering in her eyes.
"Sprog, tell Daddy, it's time for dinner!" Jessie cooed, grinning at the baby in her arms. His chubby arm rested on his mother's shoulder, and he turned his head to look at Max with big eyes, a smile spreading across his plump cheeks. Sprog gurgled happily and clapped his hands. The sound echoed in Max's head.
Jessie glanced at Capable, and then smiled lovingly at Max.
"You have to eat to survive."
Max blinked, his dead wife and infant son gone. There was nothing but empty space next to Capable, who was now turning her head to look at the space Max was staring at. Confusion and concern knitted her elegant brows. She looked back at Max, who was now giving her his intense gaze, and opened her mouth to question him on what he was seeing. Max didn't give her the chance.
"Mm. Yeah. Yeah, I'll stay for dinner. Show me the way to the tower?" his quiet, rough voice came. Capable hesitated, and then nodded, helping him to pick up his belongings. Together, they stepped out of the infirmary into the sunset.
"Follow me," she said, knowing better than to take his hand as they walked towards the tower. She glanced at the drifter from the corner of her eye, noting his steady pace, the alertness in his eyes. Max was aware of her attention but didn't meet her eyes. He remained focused on the looming tower ahead of them.
"At least that way we might be able to—together—come across some kind of redemption."
His words to Furiosa rang through his head. It appeared Furiosa had in fact come across her redemption.
"What about you? Did you find your redemption?" Goose asked, laughter in his eyes.
Where's your redemption, Max? Where's our redemption?
Max was silent the entire walk to the tower, and Capable knew he wasn't really there at all with her.