Of Wolves and Devils: A Dark Angel Fanfiction Story
Episode 6:
Nine days later…
Max is thinking to herself:
Eleven years ago, the Pulse hit us. Ok. The US: To be more "PC" or whatever.
Anyway… Mexico was next.
But, with everyone at the top finding out from the desert lands up north ahead of the curve... Corporate and otherwise... It only led to a bigger divide.
Millions of Americans turned desperate tried to force their way over, and the police were shooting them on sight. Drug dealers and hitmen joined in, just so they could wipe the police on their pathetic asses. And, the poor were caught right in the middle.
Faint sigh. Which of those guys are sicker? I'll never know.
When high society and crap came back in though... Even they knew it had gone too far. So, most of them agreed over using the power they had left...to hire corporate heads as the new heads. Some were not too thrilled about it. But, most of the government of yesteryear had already rolled over by then.
Security and mercenaries swarmed in overnight. And, Mexico's safety as a nation was assured for many years to come. Scoff. If you could call it that.
A lot are either kicking it up north and stealing hovercars, or sitting all too comfortably in well paid desk jobs. Where I am right now is no different really.
It may not be a entire country in my head. But... Faint sniffle. Must feel like a real big bitch to get through the day all the same. I feel for them.
Honestly...I don't know how they work through it: Pulse or no Pulse.
But, I got to see this bitch through to be straight up real: Before I let something come bite off my ass. All because I might as well have let down everything that meant everything to me in this trippin' ass broken world! Sniffle!
In a few hours time...
It's a cold sunset overhead: Over the cobblestone labyrinth of Mexico.
In Mexico City… The hovercars and hovertrucks cruise over and under the fifty stories of metal reinforced bridges across the cross and Mexican golden eagle decorated pillars. Windowed open plazas of mostly white and light brown are built from within: With quadruple groupings of roofless cobblestone house complexes.
Winding up light blue web dome like lifts bring residents up and down: Bulletproof glass and all. They work inside too: Just as well protected elevators.
There are no roads: Only cobblestone brick paths with mostly dark red and dark green cobblestone buildings to walk in. Between the cobblestone path bridges are a wired grid of electromagnetic locks to keep the hovercars in place.
The walls look tagged with washed over hints of graffiti…or dark red liquid.
Hovering billboards hover in the sky of Viridiana, El Laberinto del Fauno, "Rise of the Vat People", "The Mystic Golden Eagles of Fun," Arrow, Gotham, and "Southland Tales: The Motion Comic in its 2nd season" among many others.
Hangars for small wood like electromagnet run planes are in place for the most dire of emergencies: At ground level and up top.
Churches and schools are built on the very top: Mostly Catholic churches, and compactly grouped public schools that teach from Elementary to College levels. All as cost cutting measures, and for some all too comfortable convenience.
Most other cities in Mexico don't even have that much diversity on the upper levels. They are mainly Catholic, and try their best to avoid the lower levels altogether. Everyone with unpopular opinions are on the lower levels: Evil or not. Right or not.
And, with corporate security overseeing the upper levels for their idolized corporations…they don't bother much with the lower levels. They're collectively called Bullforce: In a morbid sort of honor towards bullfighting. They wear dark brown cross plated armor, with matching helmets and bullhorn like shoulder plates.
Though, in the capital cities…attitudes are a lot more relaxed and open on both sides of the coin. That doesn't mean they're completely devoid of crime of course: It just means they're the best cities Mexico has to offer in the year 2020.
The distant figure of Max in her signature catsuit is hanging under a winding lift: Coldly taking in everything from twelve kilometers up with her cat like eyes.
Not very long after, many levels down…
Past the rural farms and fruitful tree groves… Past the dirt roads and garbage heaps winding around at ground level… Max is fast walking from tree to tree.
Not far off is a rundown storefront in faint blue and white.
The lights are shot to hell. And, most of the place is burned away in ash.
But, in the dark… One candle is lit over a small wood table.
Many cloaked figures with modified Olympic Class 98 skeleton pistols stand before a man. The man is in a silvery black cloak over bright white shoulder pads.
He is Father Firebrand. And he's every bit as trigger happy as he sounds.
Creepily calm, he calls forth in Spanish, "are all our guns here and loaded?"
All the figures murmur impatiently or uncertainly as they raise their guns up. Some though are too drugged or too tired to even know what club they got into.
Father Firebrand rallies the restlessness, "then it is the day: For our hunt revolution! The omnibus of the mm beasts in the stone has been up in power for many a full moon. But, it is our time now: For us to take back our godforsaken right to hunt the estúpidos eating away at our country's godforsaken soil!"
Many cries of joy and uncertainty echo about. The cries are cut short though…when they suddenly see Max with her knife at Father Firearm's throat.
She viciously mutters, "don't tempt me. Give your guns up, stay away from the higher ups…and I might actually go easy on your pathetic male egos."
Father Firebrand boldly mutters, "slight laugh. Lady…we're all about guns. You really think our revolution will die with me?"
Some of the figures laugh as well. Most of them don't even lower their guns.
With eyes full of fury, Max voices, "too bad for you guys that I'm no lady."
She slits Father Firearm's throat and spin kicks his body into several guys.
Their gunfire fires into a few others: Mortally wounding them with high speed sewing needles, with small dark red liquid trails seeping out through their shirts.
The candle is half shot off: Landing in and lighting up a ash pile in mere seconds.
Max charge flips over…taking out a matching knife in mid-flip.
In black and white… Max is thinking back to the treasonous attack on the Eyes Only headquarters in California: Over and over, as if it was on a time loop.
Presently… Max viciously stabs a screaming drugged guy in the heart.
She in seconds up kicks another into the flames.
Plenty of rounds of needles shoot out from the shadowy figures's pistols.
Several of them puncture through Max's upward leg all over. She groans in piercing pain as she side tumbles away from many more shooting out needles.
From the floor, she slam rams the top of her shaky leg's needles down into the chest of a screaming guy. In the next second, she throws her knives into the chests of the two guys on either side of her.
Then…cold realization hits.
Jace calls out to her, "what the hell are you playing at?!"
The fire had gone out…thanks to Jace with a fire extinguisher: In all black and with tied back hair. The eight guys left are just left unconscious.
Max shakily tries to get up. But, she ends up crouching down in a pulsing seizure.
A little short on breath and teary eyed, Max mutters lowly, "what?! They were all soldiers! They were all soldiers…weren't they?"
Jace stands before her: A lot like how Max stood before her when she was in bed and in her latent phase. But, more intense than calm.
She sighs, "not all of them, Max. I smelled strong traces of cocaine and nicotine as I was following Mister Firebrand himself."
Slightly amused, Max comments, "damn. Almost forgot about your wolf DNA."
She's in the process of pulling out the needles from her leg: Which feel a lot like ripping off stuck on band aids.
Jace voices, "clearly…it's not all you've forgotten. We don't kill unless we have to. Zack wasn't exactly the best at sticking to it. But…you know."
Max solemnly nods, "yeah. I kind of do. But…I also kind of don't know anymore." Jace faintly smiles, "least you can admit it. You want to talk about it?"
With a faint bittersweet smile…Max answers, "not really. But… Not like I have much of a choice after tonight."
That very same night, back over in Seattle…
Past some mostly faint green and brown apartment complexes, out past the alley out back… A mostly gray metal warehouse stands firm.
Many warehouses and city blocks since the Pulse were repurposed by legal and illegal immigrants alike: Scrambling for shelter amongst the rioting.
But, this one is different than many.
It's got a blocky red, green, and yellow door, and The Lion of Judah over it.
Out back is a silvery trailer, with a door not dissimilar to the one out front.
Inside is Herbal's bike, resting against the wall. A faintly visible picture in the dark of Herbal's "woman" is high up against another wall, above a white set of drawers for cannabis and things. Her hair is smooth long black uncut hair. And, her cool collected bluish black lipstick covered smile stands out: Even in the dark.
Herbal though is not smiling.
Low angry sounding, Herbal voices, "Jah does not give a man more than him can bear. What part of that don't you overstand?!"
Standing against the door, Sketchy points out, "I do overstand. But…you seem to be getting upset. And, that's really starting to terrify me."
Herbal takes a deep breath. He then turns back to Sketchy, "that is exactly what I've been trying to protect you from, my brother."
A little more worried, Sketchy figures, "well, unless this has to do with something with Syl… I don't see it. It's not her, is it?"
Herbal reasons, "not exactly. But…the thought has crossed the mind of I. It's about Max." Sketchy looks stunned, "what?"
Herbal reflects, "I saw her kill, Sketch. I saw her snap the neck of a man like she done it many times."
Sketchy sighs heavily, "knowing Max, I don't doubt it for a second. I didn't know. But, I don't doubt it. But…didn't you say before that love in spite of evil is good?"
Herbal faintly smiles in mixed reflection, "ahh. But, that is my concern. Can you do wicked things for love against evil and still be forgiven? Or, will it just add more wheels to the wheels of Babylon?"
Sketchy reluctantly realizes, "I'm afraid I'm just not man enough to give you a good answer, Herbal. But…I know someone who can."
On the following morning, in Mexico…
There's a rather unusual complex on the 39th story of a cobblestone pillar.
Rather than being light colored and simply nice… Reddish graffiti is everywhere: Saying "gun for the truth and never surrender!", "Pulse all a front to be torn down?", and the like. Most of the lights hang by single wires. And, a bookshelf with a lot of Glock Bullforce issue pistols and wallets is covered up by a ripped off green window curtain: Some of which have traces of dark red liquid.
Yet…there's a lot more here than meets the eye.
Jace's baby boy Max is sleeping in a wooden crib in Televisa logo covered pajamas: Not far from the worn out white couch, where Jace and Max are sitting before a left off jet brown TV. Jace has her hair let down, and a angelic white dress robe on. Max wears a dark blue purplish top, with a big sticker like version of her Ninja painted on.
With her hair let down, Jace realizes, "and he just ran?" Max sadly nods, "yeah."
Her leg is in a cast. But, the traces of dark red liquid through it are much fainter than one might expect.
Jace faintly sighs, "damn. I can only try to imagine what that's been like."
Sort of uneasily, Max reflects, "if you want to get yourself feeling down, I guess: Except I don't want you to."
Faintly smiling, Jace reasons, "still…better than feeling down alone. We're sisters." Max concludes, "thanks." Jace adds, "you're welcome."
Over in the next room, a youngish man calls out in Spanish, "hey, Max: We're out of Carnitas!" His name is Incendio. He has medium messy blondish brown hair and a jet black jacket over a ripped yellow and dark red lined arcade maze T-shirt and black jeans. And, he's sitting before a yellow computer screen.
Max scoffs, "not our problem. Can't you just go out and buy some?" Incendio figures, "and leave my troops? I'm shooting up Azteca here!"
All the while, Jace is rocking baby Max to calm him down from his tantrum: Reactively blocking his little legs from kicking her with her free hand.
Heavily annoyed, Max sighs to herself.
She walks right over to Incendio's computer and unplugs it.
Incendio glares in her face, shouting, "qué demonios funcking!"
Max irritatedly says, "It's just a game, idiot: It automatically saves!"
Incendio mutters harshly, "fine. Be perra! But, when the Cartel comes in asking for Ben McCall…don't go crying for help expecting me to save you!"
Max mutters sarcastically, "thanks. But, I think we'll manage." Incendio dusts off the crumbs from his shirt and storms out: Slamming the door behind him.
Max checks, "is Max ok?"
Jace faintly assures, "yeah: He's something of a trooper himself."
Max thinks out loud, "that's good." She thinks back to everything else, "so, what am I supposed to do? I can't exactly stay on vacation up here forever."
Out of deep thought, Jace concludes, "the way I see it… You either give in to the unspoken propaganda around you and become a monster…or don't give in and continue your ongoing mission to be better than the monsters."
Sort of skeptical, Max questions, "and if it's coming from another brother?"
Jace reasons, "hmm. That's a lot harder. I'm no deep thinker. But…you told me once that "everything matters except the objective"."
Kind of already not liking where this is going, Max nods, "that's right."
Jace puts out her viewpoint, "anything you don't want to follow can feel like propaganda. What matters is what you follow: Not a single mission. And, not a single any one thing. What it comes down to is what matters more to you: Protecting the possible good in everyone you can…or fighting for your friends and only them."
Max comments bittersweetly, "I switched up those objectives more than once so I could get through one bitch after another. But…with all the injustice in the world… It's not something I've really cared to think about all that much."
Jace reasons, "then maybe it's time you give it some final thoughts: Figure out what really matters in your bigger mission." Annoyedly, Max faintly sighs, "yeah. Sounds worse than just another bitch to get through in the life of me."
Jace suggests lightly, "hmm. Maybe some TV could help." Max is quick to say, "I'm not so sure about that. But…you really think so?"
Jace deduces, "maybe. I don't know you well enough to say for sure. I got to get ready for work. But, go ahead if you want."
Max slightly shrugs, "guess it couldn't hurt. Later."
As Jace goes over to the cobblestone carved bathroom, Max grabs the Televisa logo branded white and yellow ribboned antenna styled remote.
She turns on the TV…which appears with the XHGC-TV red casino coin like logo on the right. Right above it is a Spanish title: "AstroChemzo: El película."
A radiation radiated man in a mostly jet black astronaut styled cybernetic suit is running down a dark ancient Aztec corridor.
He's shooting gamma rays out of his suit's dark green fingertips at humanoid mud blobs. They're firing back with mud eye like missile probes.
Their probes are dropping dead before his gamma rays. But, a lot more are coming.
Catching his breath behind a corner… The man mutters in Spanish, "shit! I can't last much longer like this. How much further can the Purifier Fetus be?!"
Looking more disgusted than disturbed, Max quickly changes the channel.
It changes to news, with the XEW-TV red and white split star shield like logo. A reporter by the name of Maripon is onscreen before a green screen relayed scene. She has a semi-traditional black dress and slightly curly long black hair with light blue streaks.
In a slightly husky sounding voice, Maripon discloses, "…from the eastern bridges of Guanajuato. Thousands of armed machismos got together by daybreak to kidnap hundreds of women, gunning for anyone in their way."
The scene shows thousands of tired men with black business suits and loosely put together casual shirts: With pistols aimed at hundreds of sobbing women. They ran past several metal styled medieval like nightclubs with Spanish and English rock and electronic music aplenty. Closing in was a military task force of two hundred women in silver cross patterned Kevlar, with priestess like bulletproof helmets.
Sounding highly content with things, Maripon finishes, "we were truly blessed to have most of our families sleeping at the time in question...and the machismos fighting their own sins to stay awake. The Guardians of Virginity took them down easily: With no harm to anyone. And, now for the weather."
But, with Max's cat like eyes…she sees from a closer look that it's really digitally overlaid over the real scene: Families protesting before a few hundred Bullforce officers. Sobbing protestors were being beaten to death…while their loved ones try to fight back.
Over a marble white corded cellular like phone, Max calls up, "Raul?"
In a militant voice, Raul inquires, "yeah?"
With suddenly very mixed feelings…Max explains briefly, "I think I've possibly come across a mission for Eyes Only." Raul confirms, "on my way."
In black and white… Max is thinking back to that collection of pistols and wallets…and shot dead bodies falling before a shadow like figure in a black jacket.
Presently… She hangs up.
Into the late afternoon, up in Logan's apartment…
Herbal wonders, "so…what was it like? Seeing Max for the first time?"
He's sitting in a side chair in a light blue T-shirt, facing Logan. Logan is on the couch in a dark red T-shirt. And, it doesn't look like he likes where this is going.
He reasons, "let's just cut to the chase. What Max knows, I know. I know what happened. And…I can not help but blame myself for it."
Herbal figures, "why? Did you teach her to kill?" Logan sighs deeply. He continues, "that's not what I meant. I sent you there. You ran into her."
Herbal concludes insistently, "no: It is always good of me to overstand. But then… Why are you defending her?"
Logan highlights, "we've had arguments: Just like any couple. But… I've also learned the hard way that there is no stopping her from doing what she's got to do. You have no idea what she has gone through."
Very uneasily, Herbal faintly nods, "maybe not. But, I'm beginning to."
Logan adds, "maybe. But, it doesn't have to stop there."
Herbal starts to get up. He reasons coldly, "give me one good reason."
Logan replies solemnly, "sure. I'll give you one."
He picks up a yellow envelope from the table. He starts opening it.
Logan explains, "she thought you'd come asking me about her sooner or later. Said she didn't know what else she could do."
Inside the envelope is a crumply letter…along with a stone tablet copy of a fairly familiar painted icon. It's of Max being blessed by little angel children.
As Herbal reads the letter… He finds himself speechless and teary eyed.
It says this:
Herbal,
Honestly, I've never been good at writing these things.
I know how you feel about wicked things. And, I'm afraid I am more of a bitch than you thought was ever possible.
Maybe I shouldn't have kept so much from you. But…I've been experimented on and chased by a aptly named organization called Manticore.
I have superpowers. And, for better and for worse…they've been there.
I've hidden what I am from most everyone out there: Fearing I'd be put back in a cage. It was only natural to think it would be ok to hide it all from you.
My God…I'm so sorry.
I get all too well that that doesn't make it any better. But, is there a slim chance that it does? Maybe.
-Max
Logan voices, "I know it'll never be the same with her. All I'm asking is that you don't throw away your friendship unless you're sure it's what you want."
As nightfall starts to fall…
After some more hands on investigating…Max found out what the protests are all about: A self owned corporate owned hospital chain called Organo Barajar.
Every city owns nothing but chains over shadowed stories of high bridges.
A lot of sons and fathers have been vanishing from the lower levels: Near dying or worse. And, no corporation in Mexico wants to report it since they either are not paying for corporate services or don't agree with their services.
But…some families have family on both the upper levels and lower levels. And, their escalating calls for answers have been circulating through large protests.
Most of them were quietly buried by the easily bribed Bullforce. But, Televisa dared to rewrite the story for ratings and then report on one.
Max in turn has convinced Raul to part with a good sum of his money to bribe their way past the Bullforce. He has medium dark brown hair with some grey hairs, built build, black sunglasses, white jeans, a jet black jacket over red…and not much to be happy for.
Raul says, "fine. But, I think this is just asking to be shot down." Max says, "fine."
Incendio adds, "yeah. We could have killed them all. qué demonios funcking?!"
Max mutters back impatiently, "you got a better idea that would get us there faster?!" Silence follows. Max figures, "yeah: Just as I thought. Let's go."
Max with Jace and company reach a hangar up top to commandeer a few small wood like planes. The paid off company leaves shortly after.
As they fly on for Organo Barajar…
Many miles out… The Post-Pulse megacity of Monterrey has skyscrapers of all black towering into the white clouds above. Solar panels and electrical converter lightning rods power all of Monterrey from the highest altitudes.
There are no homes on the ground: Only apartments and offices in separate skyscrapers. Beyond that, there are only rings of greenhouses and desert.
Black windowed glass bridges and purple rimmed gray monorails help everyone get to work and back: With tank like armor built to withstand a tornado.
Backup monorails double as tanks for Monterrey's own Bullforce: Making Monterrey almost impenetrable to enemies. Countless others have tried. But, they have never returned. And, five years ago…they just stopped trying altogether.
Further out to the west is the rest of Northern Mexico.
The marble like stone pavement winds around and around flat roofed brightly orange to green storefront like homes and grayer cobblestone like storefronts. They're all between a network of purplish metal telephone lines shrouded in thick barbed wire.
Portable radios and TVs, cellular phones, and guns are the main luxuries…and only through the black market. Everything else is a collection of Aztecan and Mayan relics amongst ribbons of clothes and buckets of bathwater.
Max is looking out to it all, thinking to herself:
I wanted to get to see Western cliques at their best. But, this is far from it.
The men are men with the big ass guns, and the honest men are just trying to get by on what little they have got.
Raul and Incendio may get bent getting their shoot on. But, out here in Mexico… They're the only soldiers we got. Kind of reminds me of my inner bitch, really.
Faint sigh. For better and for worse… I feel for them.
When they're over Organo Barajar headquarters…
Max says sarcastically, "you know, that doesn't sound like much of a plan."
Over communications, Raul figures, "we have a plan: Shoot out law enforcement and raid." Max reasons eerily, "I know. That's why you're stopping here, where all the whack guys packing boy toy guns will be heading once their boss's life is threatened."
Raul deduces emotionlessly, "works for us."
Incendio says annoyedly, "all right. But, don't give us orders."
Wanting to just get this over with, Max just rolls her eyes, "whatever."
Raul dives his wood like plane out from the clouds…and straight into a row of black windows on the top floor. They shatter on impact. The gray suited executives inside cover their ringing ears as high speed glass pieces fly into their wood made desks.
Max hard dives her wood like plane onward for the central level.
In the back, Jace checks, "you sure there aren't good people up there?"
Max pinpoints, "if they are, they've gone mercenary. A lot of good people died trying to infiltrate Monterrey's companies." Jace figures, "fair point. I'm just kind of worried about you." Max adds, "duly noted."
Back on the highest level…
Raul and Incendio take out Glock pistols, firing away. Two executives drop dead.
One of the executives calls out, "Ripper Fire!"
Incendio goes, "qué demoni…?!"
A stone like door opens. Coming marching out is a man with medium spiky brown hair, bulging muscles, and flaming yellow tipped clawed gloves. He menacingly grins.
Raul faintly sighs, "you just had to ask, didn't you?"
Ripper Fire charge slashes at Raul. He duck tumbles under a desk.
The desk lights aflame, along with the computer on top.
The explosion knocks Raul violently against the green carpeted floor. But, he's still got his gun: Even with the wind knocked out of him.
Taking out a second pistol, Incendio calls out, "over here, you hijo de puta!"
He fires with both of them straight into Ripper Fire's right glove's tips.
Ripper Fire roars in pain as the glove lights aflame, with brief flashes of bone.
He kicks out a desk, pinning Incendio against the front of Raul's wood like plane. The impact pushes it precariously toward the sky below.
All the while, the few executives left are making a run for the elevator.
Many floors down…
Max and Jace are checking all the floors from 40 to 80 by riding on top of the construction site styled elevator…looking out to the hallways one by one.
Jace checks, "see anything?" Max answers, "I'll let… Make that now."
They tumble off as it keeps heading up.
They come out to a hallway with construction site styled double doors. A cart is out here, with many dark orange toolboxes filled with hair thin conductive metal needles. Only some emergency stairs, bathrooms, and elevators are at the sides of the hallway.
Jace whispers, "so where are they?" Max points ahead, "where else?"
Max is about to move in with Jace. But, as she does, she catches the sight of another elevator. And, with her cat like eyes…she sees the retreating executives through the crack of the elevator door.
Max hesitates.
Jace checks, "Max?"
After some slow seconds… Max uneasily decides, "right behind you."
Around the same time, back up on the top floor…
Raul smirks, "I suggest you pray."
As Ripper Fire charges for Incendio…Raul shoots him in the head. His body falls to the carpeted floor, lighting the rest of the room aflame in seconds.
But, Raul's smirk soon vanishes as he realizes Incendio is still pinned down.
Incendio calls out sarcastically, "anytime now!"
Raul gets enough of his strength back to get back up.
The wallets of the fallen dead are all burned away. But, this time…he doesn't care. What matters now to him is saving Incendio.
He runs through the flames. Raul calls out over the crackling, "I'm coming!"
The sprinkler system kicks in. But, the fire won't be out in twenty seconds.
Raul takes off his burning up jacket. And, he keeps on running.
Raul grabs the desk and hurls it into the fading flames.
Incendio tumbles away just in time…as the wood like plane falls out of the skyscraper and crash splinters into a greenhouse at thousands of feet down.
Incendio figures, "about maldito time! Did you get the wallets?"
Raul comments harshly, "no: Your little fire stunt did that."
Incendio retorts, "oh! So I should've just not saved you, you ungrateful gilipollas?!" Raul figures, "I could've shot him easy. You should've gone for the wallets, estúpido!" He pushes him, much to Incendio's heated astonishment.
And they just argue on and on: Even as they finally head for the elevator.
Back with Max and Jace…
Once the coast is for sure clear… Max signals to Jace.
Jace kicks the doors open, while Max comes rushing in to check inside.
But, nothing prepares them for what they see.
Max gasps, "oh my God."
For in this stadium sized room…are bluish green lit shower-bed hybrid chambers with the missing bodies of a hundred Mexican men: With traces of body wash on the inner walls, and constantly wearing out electrically charged needles around their heads, chests, and joints. Hanging on hooks are black felt head masks: For "business attire".
But, even as the alarm continues to go… Only now do they start to move.
Not long after…
Jace and Max back up…realizing the nearly naked bodies are moving somewhat fast in their underwear. Their eyes are closed. Yet, they're bizarrely picturing purple pill like people, a prostitute army with bazookas, and joyous wives, husbands, and siblings.
Jace turns to her, "now what?! We can't hurt them."
Suddenly getting a idea, Max grimly smiles, "pull the breaker circuits…fast."
Jace looks uncertainly at her, "all right. But…you sure?"
Max insists, "there's no time to explain now: Just do it!"
Max holds off some zombie like guys by spin kicking at them. They reactively back away as she and Jace fast walk through the doors.
Max quickly props them shut with the cart of nails and her own strength. But, the chaotic cries and arms are already beginning to break through.
Jace opens up a circuit breaker box by ripping off the hinges. And, she quickly switches on all the circuit breakers at once.
They both reactively close their eyes…as a very bright white light goes off.
From every floor... The lights overload as the power goes out.
The zombie like guys cry out in near blinding pain.
But, in no time at all… They really start to open their eyes to what's going on.
They're extremely embarrassed. But, they mostly feel blessed for waking up at all.
Most of them run off. But, some stop to thank Max before awkwardly running off.
Still very much confused, Jace turns to Max, "so, how did you know what to do?"
With some mixed feelings, Max reasons simply, "their closed eyes weren't just for experimentation: They were sleepwalking."
Jace uncomfortably nods, "a hospital's attempt at a "better soldier". Here's hoping they don't try again." Max figures, "yeah."
On their way out… Jace wonders, "and how are you holding up?" Max faintly smiles, "it was touch and go for a bit there. But…I think I'll be ok."
A few days later, in a very familiar skating rink from days gone by…
In her jet black jacket, a teary eyed Max realizes, "so… Sniffle. That's it then?"
With his mosaic like mostly brown vest on, Herbal solemnly says, "I get that you're just fulfilling the book the only way you know how. I don't judge you for that. But, we can no longer be brother and sister: The waters are just too deep."
Max sadly reasons, "I wish we still were. But, at least there's some justice in that."
Teary eyed himself… Herbal hugs her for the last time. Max hugs him back…with a few tears running from her eye.
And after some long seconds… They pull away.
Herbal says, "take care, Max." Max says, "you too."
And with that in mind… Herbal walks alone: Into the smog covered sunset.