Chapter 9 And the Truth Will Set You Free

Chloe

April 18th, 2014

6:47 PM

15 Miles From Arcadia Bay

Cold Steel Foundry

"You little shit!" snarled Prescott, disemboweled from the debris by his legs.

His words make me sick. I kick Dickbag the Asshole Sr. in the face like a soccer ball. Leaving him with bruise on his face, a dent in his ray bans and a nosebleed. Prescott grunts in pain when I hit him in the face with my boot. I grit my teeth at him and interrogate the sick fuck with the barrel of my pistol.

"Give me one reason I shouldn't blow your fucking head off right now!" I thunder.

Prescott chuckles maniacally.

"Is this how your going to end it, Price, huh? Your gonna shoot me in cold blood? You've got some serious lady balls."

"Ever since that first day in court, you reminded me of someone who could've killed me in the girls bathroom. In fact, your even worse than your son ever was."

"Your right. I am. I was a terrible father to my son, but I still loved him. You think I wanted any of this for him? You think I asked to join these commie parasites? You think I wanted to destroy a town so that the people who lived can point fingers at some innocent teenage hippy of your? Whatever sad and sorry ass life you lived throughout the years from losing your Daddy in an accident to spending the next five years without Maxine Caulfield, is nothing compared to what my family has suffered for years!"

"Is it anything compared to what your own son or all those Blackwell girls you had kidnapped suffered? Rachel is one of them. Kate is one of them. Even Max is one of them. The so-called fugitive Rachel Amber could've lived like a saint and graduated like a legend if she hadn't been taken away. I spend the next six months thinking she left me without telling me. Then another six months thinking she was dead. Nathan assaults me in a bathroom with his finger on the trigger. Kate almost jumps off a ledge in front of a whole school. I get shot in the head by Mr. Jefferdick. And now Max goes down in history as the demolisher of Arcadia Bay. People have suffered because of what you let happen!"

"I had everything under control! No matter what consequences people had to live through, I had to protect my family. My family's life had been under the leverage of Neo-Chrysalis for as long as I recall. We were once a proud family to the people until these terrorist stuck their nose into our legacy and took us for puppets to be influenced. Had I not done all their nasty work, they would've killed me and every last Prescott walking the Earth. Including my boy Nathan. Despite all that, they forced Mark Jefferson into killing him for his instability of his syndrome. No what the deception, I made sure Arcadia Bay was brought to order."

"Look around you, Prescott," said Rachel. "Whatever it is that you had coming, it's over now. There are people of yours who had done things they never asked to do anymore than you did. Nathan and Jefferson for instance. In hindsight, they could've been good people who would've done more productive things in their lives than traffic Blackwell girls for you own treacherous affairs. You could've saved your only son's life. Doesn't matter anymore. Chrysalis is on their way right now to take you in. You'll pay for what you've done."

"Jefferson was expendable. The Andy Warhol of teen pornography and pedophilias at best. A deceitful bastard at worst."

"You're a deceitful bastard, Prescott," I grunt. "I should end you right here, right now."

"Go head, Chloe," taunted Prescott. "Take your best shot. Shoot me if you have the balls."

"Chloe, don't," warned Rachel. "Don't let him manipulate you. Let him stand trial. We'll make him answer for his crimes. It'll be the best revenge you're gonna get as well as the best justice to be served for Max. You know that."

"That asshole deserves worse than what I did to Nathan that one time," said Warren. "Besides, we have all the evidence we need to free Max. I say go on and shoot."

"Chloe, don't take this further than it needs to," said Rachel. "Don't become who you hate. If we take him alive, we'll be looking at Max's freedom big time. Whatever you do, just choose wisely. The bastard won't going anywhere."

X/SQUARE/LM - KILL PRESCOTT

B/CIRCLE/RM - SPARE PRESCOTT

"If it were up to me, I'd pop a cap in your skull," I admit. "As far as I'm concerned, Chrysalis can deal with your ass. Then everyone in Arcadia can see your true colors."

I spit on the bastard's face with my own saliva. Before the three of us walk away and leave Prescott to turn himself in, a helicopter was heard from above and was flying around the building with a spotlight being shined around the place. A man on the chopper spoke on a megaphone.

"Sean Prescott, this is Captain Cage of Chrysalis Corps. We have the facility surrounded. You are to cease any in all terrorist activity and surrender yourself to Chrysalis immediately. We know your in there. Come out with hands above your head and turn yourself in this instant!"

The spotlight on the chopper eventually shines on us spotting the three of us and the traitorous Prescott pinned against the debris. The light blinds my eye sight a bit. Rachel waves her hands around to signal where we're standing so they could take the bastard in.

A moment later, Chrysalis vehicles had come swarming in on the foundry we had just 86'd and troopers came marching in to handle any remaining Neo-Chrysalis forces that managed to escape the compound. When they were securing the foundry, they managed to find a band of mercenaries or two and forced them to surrender. When the mercs surrendered, they dropped their guns, got down on their knees, and were bagged and bound for capture.

The chopper Captain Cage was on had landed by where we stood. A team of soldiers dropped in with Cage to secure us. Then soldiers pointed their guns at us for whatever.

"You three! Hands in the air!" a soldier ordered.

"Wait, we're not the bad guys here!" I tell them.

"Hands in the air now!" the soldier repeats himself.

I drop my gun and we do ask the soldier asks us. Then they catch their eyes on Prescott. Still pinned by the collapsed poll. And then Captain Cage came in to calm his team.

"Stand down everyone!" he ordered. "We're here for Prescott. Not Amber."

"We have Prescott with us, sir," said a soldier with his gun on him. "What should we do with Amber and the other two?"

Cage looked down at Prescott begrudgingly and gave his orders to his men.

"Get him off that thing and cuff his ass," he ordered. "As for these three, get them to a safe area. As far as I'm concerned, Rachel Amber has been deprived from her criminal record."

"Yes, sir."

That was quick. The soldiers had guns on us and the Captain just let us go like we did nothing wrong. They really must've listened to my evidence I sent them to disdain Rachel from her fugitive record so quickly. At least now they could arrest the sick fuck for wronging Max into what she thought she'd done six months in the past.

The soldiers kindly escorted us someplace safe from all the activity and kept us there until someone was able to take us home. Two of Cage's men helped Prescott off the debris, cuffed his wrists behind his back, and walked him by the arms over to a truck that would take him into custody. Rachel, Warren, and I stand somewhere by the front entrance of the foundry where some Chrysalis guards stand by and secure us. We see some soldiers rounding up some surrendering mercenaries as they pass by. And then we see what appears to be an ABPD police car pulling over with it's siren flashing around to where we're standing. And I knew who's cop car it was. It was David's.

"Chloe!" he shouted, hopping out of his car.

"David, you came!" I shout back at him.

David had come along with Crosby on the way over here in his car. My former step-sss runs over to me and hugs me relieved that I'm okay. Crosby hopped out of the police car when David had. I can feel my step-father's arms grip me tightly as I hug him back.

"Oh, thank goodness your okay," he said. "I thought I lost you. You gave your mother and I quite a scare."

"I'm fine, David," I assure him, caring less if he acted in his paranoid mode or not. "Thanks to Rachel, she kept Warren and I safe and we caught the bastard who set Max up ourselves."

David glances over to Rachel and Warren. Even he couldn't believe Rachel was alive and well himself. Warren gave David a smirk and a piece sign when he glanced at the two of them.

"Not used to seeing ghost, David?" asked Rachel.

"I knew you were alive since the day Joyce and Chloe told me you were," he said. "How the hell did the three of you get into this mess anyway? You could've gotten yourselves killed!"

"At ease David," said Crosby. "These three just caught the man who would help Chloe and I win Max's case. There actions were risky, but necessary."

"I appreciate the optimism, but I wasn't referring to you, Derrick," scolded David.

"David, I know your going to yell at me for this, but it's not like I had choice," I said. "We both know Max is the only person I know who means everything to me. Besides from that fact, you know I'd do anything to make sure Max isn't the criminal everyone including yourself thinks she is. I know I haven't been coming and I know I've been doing this I wasn't supposed to since day one of this travesty, but I had all the right to risk my life for Max with Rachel. Fugitive or no, I'm not sorry I let her help me. I shouldn't be."

"Your step-daughter is right, David," said Crosby. "She's a brave girl. Now that we've caught the de facto perpetrator of that terrorist orchestrated storm, you have no reason to scold Chloe for what she did wrong to make things right."

"Chloe, just listen," said David. "For the record, I'm not pissed because you put yourself in danger just to get Max out of her mess. I'm pissed because your mother and I have been worried where you've been and what you've been up to all week. As sagacious as I am of your support in your girlfriend's case, it's bad enough seeing you get dragged down by all your mishaps I've baby-sited with you for years. And now I have to see you get dragged down into terrorism cases which is so much worse than you and I have been through. Nevertheless, your so much braver than I ever thought you'd be for what you've done to help. And I'm proud of that."

David gives me a light smile and I smile back. Somehow, I've never thought David would be proud of me for anything in my whole life. David had always been a paranoid prick to me on the outside, but on the inside, he always a caring father. Even though it was unconditional. For the past six months, my step-dad and I haven't been acting like the people we once were since he married my mom. I'm only surprised he isn't entirely pissed about doing something wrong again.

"Wow, David," I say. "I...wasn't expecting you to be proud of me for harboring a fugitive and breaking into terrorist outpost, but thanks."

"What your step-father is trying to say, Chloe," interfered Crosby. "Is that even though it was wrong to go behind your parents back again for doing something you weren't supposed to, which was going willingly with a fugitive, it was right for you to make this kind of accomplishment we never thought you'd achieve. He has no reason to be uptight about that."

"So your a cop now, huh?" Rachel asked David. "What's the matter? Got sick and tired of babysitting Blackwell hooligans and rug-rats?"

David chuckled.

"Maybe," he said. "Exactly what brings you back from Arcadia Bay as the so-called Chrysalis fugitive? As follow-up question, what bring you back from the dead?"

"If you want the answer to those questions, it's a long damn story that I can't make short. You want details, you can ask your step-daughter later."

"So Prescott works for terrorist, huh?" David asked himself. "Never liked any of the Prescotts in town. Nathan Prescott especially. Just never imagined someone like Sean Prescott would go this far."

I turn over to my step-father for an apology for going behind his back again for not keeping end of the bargain we made back at Max in Seattle.

"David, I know I must've broken promise to be a better daughter by not doing anything wrong again and I'm not sorry for doing so. But I am sorry for not coming to you instead at the very least."

"Chloe, like I said," he began. "I'm not upset at you. You don't need to be sorry. Yeah, you should've come to me instead of Rachel when you needed help with this Max situation. You bet you should've. But your courage to get yourself involved in terrorist cases still surprises. As much as it shocks me to yourself go kamikaze into this, it relieves me to see my only step-daughter come out of it alive and well. Knowing that your a brave and honorable soldier out who risked her life taking down Prescott and his Neo-Chrysalis army for Max's sake. You should be proud of yourself for that."

"I am David," I said. "Couldn't have done it without, Rachel."

"Well, Chloe," said Crosby. "Now that we have Sean Prescott taken in for custody, I believe we still have a case to win. Don't we now?"

"Right," I said. "Let's win this thing and go home."

Max

April 19th, 2014

8:50 AM

Arcadia Bay, Oregon

Arcadia News Network

Fire and the Flood - Vance Joy

"Good Morning, I'm Brock Kent. Live today with some breaking news."

The media was now publicly broadcasting the conclusion of Case Caulfield. Spreading the word around about Chloe's courage to cracking my case and taking Sean Prescott down from his scheme to make a monster of me. When in reality, he was the real monster behind all this since the week of six months ago.

"As the case of Arcadia Bay Versus Max Caulfield concludes, the proof of Max Caulfield's innocence has arrived at last. Republican mayoral candidate, Sean Prescott, was arrested last night at the Cold Steel foundry for activities affiliating with the quantum terrorist organization, Neo-Chrysalis. Evidence claims Prescott had secretly worked with the terrorist group to formulate the attack on Arcadia Bay via weapons of mass destruction that caused the tornado that killed over six-hundred of the population in the Bay. The reveal of this scandal was made possible thanks to the bravery of former fugitive, Rachel Amber, seventeen-year-old Warren Graham, and twenty-year-old Chloe Price. This victory was also made possible by the inspiration of the "Not A Terrorist" campaign rallied by local Blackwell honor students, Victoria Chase and Kate Marsh. Chrysalis authorities owe the Blackwell community an apology for their injustice of the school shooting. Further details about Prescott's involvement with Neo-Chrysalis have not yet been disclosed to the public. We now go over to May Valhalla live with a final update for the trial of Max Caulfield."

"Thanks, Brock," said May the news lady on camera. "This is May Valhalla live at Arcadia Bay Courthouse. The truth is about to set Max Caulfield free as her trial comes to it's closure. I am now standing behind a crowd of dozens today who are eagerly willing to see Max Caulfield free from her crimes. The hearing of Prescott's scandal is now underway to determine her innocence. The time of truth begins now."

I am back in the courtroom one last time, still in my prisoner coveralls, to see what Chloe and Rachel had been busy finding for me to get me to walk out of here a free girl. Chloe and Crosby sit next to me during the hearing. Karen and Burke are in their usual spots too. Of course, everyone else who's close to me is back for the grand finale as well. My parents, Chloe's parents, my Blackwell friends, you know who they are. Sean Prescott stands in front of the judge with cuffs on his hands and bailiffs standing between him.

A projector plays a video Chloe recorded on her phone that claims Prescott's guilt. It also displays other evidence Chloe, Rachel, and Warren had back at the foundry to help cleanse my name. When all the evidence was reviewed, Crosby walked in front of the court to explain the evidence to the judge.

"This is all the crucial evidence Ms. Price and her companions discovered that claims Mr. Prescott's guilt and Ms. Caulfield's innocence," he said. "That should be all evidence needed for the verdict, your honor."

"Mr. Prescott, you have now been charged with the manslaughter of six-hundred citizen of Arcadia Bay. How do you plead to these charges against this scandal that you set up for Ms. Caulfield?" asked the judge.

Prescott cleared his throat and sighed.

"I plead guilty your honor," he said.

"Has the jury reached a verdict?" asked the judge.

"We have your honor," said a jury member. "With all the clear evidence reviewed for ourselves and the investigators, it is suffice it to say that we now feel it unjust to hold Max Caulfield liable for Prescott's crimes associated with Neo-Chrysalis that involves the manifestation of the twister storm. Therefore, we hereby find the defendant, not guilty."

"Mr. Prescott," continued Judge Gareth. "You are hereby sentenced to death row in maximum security prison of Quantum Prospekt. As for you, Ms. Caulfield, on behalf of your innocence, you are hereby cleared from all charges against you. You will now be released from your detainment. This case has concluded."

The slam of the judge's gavel spells an exclamation mark of my freedom. I don't believe this is actually happening. I could believe Chloe and I pulled this off. We actually did it! I have won this case! Case closed for Arcadia Bay Versus Max Caulfield!

The crowd in the gallery stands up and cheers in unison. Giving the decriminalized Maxine Caulfield a round of applause for winning her trial. I give myself a giant grin and give my girlfriend a really tight hug. The two of us smile and laugh like we haven't done is so many days this week while we tightly hold each other.

"I don't believe it, Max!" shouted Chloe. "We won! We actually won this!"

"Hella A right we did!" I exclaim. "Wowsers, Chloe! I don't believe this either! We did it!"

"Oh, this is freakin' hella amazeballs, Max! We did it!"

"Max! Chloe!" shouted Joyce from the crowd.

Joyce and David joined in on us by our table in front of the courtroom.

"Joyce!" I call back.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you two!" she said. "William would be so proud of you both."

"Thanks, Mom!" said Chloe. "Max and I rule!"

"Awesometacular, Max," said David. "I salute the both of you winning this tribunal!"

"Thanks, David," I said. "You don't know how much that means to me."

"Max, sweetie!" shouted my Mom from the crowd, running over to us with my Dad. "Oh, my baby! You've won my child! You've really won!"

My mother gives me a kiss on my forehead and she hugs me tightly.

"Dad!" I shout to him, giving him a hug. "We did it! We've actually won!"

"We sure have, Max," he says. "We sure have."

I see Crosby still standing in front of the court staring at me in the eye smiling. I smile back at him. I also see Prescott being escorted out alternate exit from the courtroom with the bailiffs. Off the to be transported to Quantum Prospekt where that dickbag can rot for eternity and die in a death row cell for what he did to me.

"Max!" shouted Warren from the crowd. "Congrats on the case, man! This is gravy!"

"Oh, the lord has granted my wishes to you, Max!" said Kate dropping in with Warren along with Victoria. "God almighty, I can't believe he listened! You've won!"

I hug the three of my classmates as they congratulate me. I even give my high school rival Victoria some sugar as well.

"Congratulations, Max," she says. "You actually make me proud."

I walk outside the courthouse with a crowd of all my friends and family. I rise up as free girl to all the good people of Arcadia Bay who surround me and grant me an massive round of applause for my sweet victory. The people in the crowd cheer before me and I smile and shed a tear of joy at them. In the middle of the cheering crowd, I see some Blackwell students cheering and whistling joyfully at their wronged everyday hero. I even see some Vortex club boys giving me barks and whoops as their calling.

Then I see the press approach me and swarm me with cameras and microphones. May Valhalla, the head of the press rushes over to me with her camera man for a commit.

"Max Caulfield, the people demand a commit of your gratitude," she says running up to me with he microphone. "How does it feel to be relieved from your crimes you've been wronged by?"

"You have no idea how it feels for me to be a free girl," I commit. "It's like the sweet smell of flowers and rainbows. That's how it feels."

"And who do you thank for winning this case the most, Ms. Caulfield?" she asks.

"I just want to thank all my friends and family who mean the world to me for all their kindness, inspiration, and support for my trial. I'd like to thank my fatherly figure, Mr. Crosby, for standing by my defense. My parents, Joyce, and David for being here for me too. All my friends and classmates at Blackwell, Victoria and Kate especially, for their prevail in their protest rally campaign. And most importantly, the one person I have known for all eternity."

I turn over to that one person who stands next to me.

"The one person who will always be with me till the end of time," I continue. "The one person who will never look back from me and never turn me away for anything. And the one person that will always make me whole. My beloved Chloe. Chloe Elizabeth Price."

My bluenette angel with butterfly wings gazes at me with her pretty blue eyes. I gaze at her back with my nerdy face and pretty blue eyes. Then I lean my head towards hers and make contact with her lips. Kissing her in front of the entire crowd. Exalting my feelings in front of the whole crowd. The crowd itself runs wild again with more cheers and a bigger round of applause.

The time of life was just beginning. For this had become the most definitive moment of a lifetime. Going down in history as the girl who became the first to win a quantum terror case remarkably. The moment of truth was at it's end. And the truth will set you free.

Note: Is anyone shedding tears of joy right now? I know that I am. *sniffs* Where's my bag of tissue. Never mind.

I hope you really enjoyed this amazing conclusion to Arcadia Bay V. Max Caulfield folks! Now Max is a good person for letting those people die for Chloe. (even though it really wasn't her) LOL

Well, it's not over yet readers. For there are many more chapters to be posted before this episodes concludes. Stay with me on this fictional journey while it last my readers! Max's trial may be over, but her adventure in this chapter of her life is just beginning.

Until next time, stay golden!