Disclaimer: I don't own Blade or any of its characters. I do Max, Xavier, Rev, and Cam, so no stealing!
Chapter 23: Backlash of an Ass Kicking
"Hey, sweetness, would you do me a favor?" King asked Max.
Max had done exactly as she said and stayed behind with King while Blade and Abby went out to investigate Sommerfield's lead. She stayed in the infirmary the whole time, watching Star Trek reruns in Spanish with King. Although she hated the cheesy show, she loved making up lines with King.
"Sure, babe, what do you need?" she asked, thinking he might need some painkillers or something along those lines.
"Could you go to the kitchen and get me a fruit rollup?" he asked, smiling charmingly at her as she gaped at him. "Please?"
"The things I do for you," she sighed with a smile on her face.
"Thanks, sugar butt, you're the best," he told her, but Max just rolled her eyes and kissed him chastely.
"I'll remind you of that when you look at another woman," she called over her shoulder jokingly.
As she walked down the stairs and entered the storage area, Dex and Hedges were engaged in game of one-on-one of basketball. Hedges couldn't get around Dex, so he passed the ball to Max, who caught just in time and shot it. She missed the hoop, making Hedges groan and Dex laugh, telling him that's what he got for cheating. Max just laughed, and walked into the kitchen, grabbing the snack that King so desired.
It was on her way back that she decided to make a pit stop.
She walked up the stairs and over to the lab and saw Sommerfield working, refining the virus and reading aloud to Zoë, who sat on her lap, at the same time. Max always thought it was cool that, even though she was blind, she could still create some great things. Her computer's voice synthesis program had been activated, so that definitely helped her. It was currently reading the various statistics that appear on her main monitor. Max didn't even notice Whistler approaching through the garage on the surveillance monitors.
"Hi, Max," Zoë greeted, interrupting her mother.
"Hey, sweet pea," she replied, smiling at her and ruffling her hair affectionately.
"Computer cytogenetics audit data from August 15, 2004," the computer droned. "Amniotic fluids – input delay: zero. Abnormal samples: two. Banding quality: 7.2."
"Still on The Emerald City of Oz?" she questioned, noting the Braille filled book that Sommerfield was scanning with her fingers. Zoë nodded, and Max just chuckled. "Have fun you two. Don't stay up late," she said to Zoë before looking seriously at Sommerfield, "or work too hard."
"Don't worry, Max," Sommerfield told her with a bemused smile. "Zoë's going to bed after this chapter."
"I meant you, Sommerfield," she replied, and walked over to the computer.
""The reason most people are bad is because they do not try to be good"," Sommerfield continued reading. ""Now, the Nome King, having never tried to be good, was very bad indeed. Having decided to conquer the Land of Oz and to destroy the Emerald City and enslave all its people, King Roquat the Red kept planning ways to do this dreadful thing, and the more he planned the more he believed he would be able to accomplish it"."
"Computer cytogenetics audit data from August 15, 2004," the computer repeated, reading out a new set of stats.
As she headed back towards the infirmary, she didn't notice that lack of noise from the storage area. She didn't even realize that the laughter of Dex and Hedges had died out. All she could think about was King, drowsing on his cot peacefully. He'd probably even be asleep by the time she got back, and her little walk to get him the sweet snack would've been a waste. As she walked into the infirmary, head down as she started to open and unroll the fruit rollup for him, since she knew he'd make her do that anyway, she started to chuckle to herself.
"Hey, babe, why didn't the vampire bite Mick Jagger?" she asked. "'Cause you can't get blood from a Stone."
When she didn't hear the familiar laugh come to her ear, Max looked up and froze. King was sitting up in bed, Whistler stood over him, hand covering his mouth and shoving him down. Whistler was smothering him, and King's struggled had ceased as he closed his eyes and passed out.
"Whistler!" she gasped, and he turned to face her. She didn't even register what he'd done to King. Max just stood there and dropped the snacks, her hands shaking.
"Hello, Max," he greeted, smiling at her.
"W-What are you…? How are you…? You died," she managed to say, and Whistler nodded as he walked over to her.
"And so will you," he told her, the smile never leaving his face.
As Max opened her mouth to say something else, Whistler's hand shot out and wrapped around her throat. She struggled as he choked her, but she couldn't break free. He continued to smile as he pushed her up against the wall, lifting her off the ground. Just before darkness took over her, Max saw Whistler's face mold and shift into the vampire they were trying to kill.
Drake.
P.S.: Three pages total.