"W..where am I?" Stacya said, slowly waking up in a dimly lit room.
"Ah, you're awake." A voice said.
"Max?" She said, realising who it belonged to.
"Relax. You're in one of Milten's old bunkers. He keeps these all over the city just in case he needs to lay low. No one knows where it is, so you're safe here."
"What am I doing here? Where's Jake? Zack... the team? What happened?"
"Dr. Bolt tried a surprise attack on us via an orbital laser from one of Milten's satellites. It worked. I was fast enough to react to the blast and get you out of there before it hit. Well, I was a little off my mark."
"Wh..what do you mean?"
"Can you feel your legs?"
"Of course I..."
She couldn't. She paused and tried to reach for them, but only felt up to her knees.
"The blast took your legs. If I'd been faster..."
"That doesn't matter." She cut him off, surprising him. "What happened to Jake and the others?"
"Jake is strong. I expect him to survive. The others, I'm not so sure."
"And what's stopping Dr. Bolt from attacking the remains of the base and finishing them off?"
"As I said, Jake is strong. I expect him to survive."
"And what about the others?!"
"I don't really care about them."
"Then why did you save me? I know Jake is integral to your plans and I'm not. Why me? Why not save him?"
Max let out a heavy sigh and walked over to her bed. Before she could protest, he placed his hand on her cheek.
"Cuz for the first time in a long time, I've grown to like someone," he said with a soft smile.
She slapped his hand away right after.
"You abandoned our friends to die and say this bullshit and expect me to be pudding in your hands?! Are you insane?"
"A little," Max said, still smiling.
It took every ounce of will she had to stop herself from slapping him. She knew she needed to be calm. Jake and the others needed his power, if they were alive, that is.
"Why are you here then?" she asked.
"What do you mean?"
"You said it yourself, I'm perfectly safe here, so why are you still here and not helping Jake and any survivors?"
"Jake is strong. I'm sure..."
"Don't give me that shit! I know your plan, asshole! This whole time you've made sure to put Jake through hell so once he's strong enough, you'll eat him to attain his power."
Max gave her a strange look.
"I'm not dumb, you idiot. I know I may act strangely on occasion, but I can still read people, and you're an open book."
"Oh, really? Then why am I not there fighting?" Max asked, mockingly.
Stacya stared at him for a moment and smiled. Once she did, Max's smile began to fade.
"You're scared, aren't you?"
Max was silent.
"That moment, when you looked into Bolt's eyes back at their meeting, you knew you couldn't best him, and you were scared."
Max was still silent.
"I'm right, aren't I? It's pissing you off how right I am, isn't it?"
Max flinched for a moment. Stacya was quick to notice.
"Say something!"
Max growled and grabbed her by the neck, then hoisted her above the ground. He expected her to yelp or show signs of fear.
She did nothing.
She just stared at him, her eyes cold and blank.
A small smirk was forming on her grey lips.
"You're such a fucking hypocrite. You obsess over the strength of another, but when faced with a superior opponent, you run and hide like a pathetic little animal."
Max growled again and tightened his grip on her neck.
"Say I'm wrong."
Max let her go right then and there. He couldn't even look her in the eyes and dispute her claim. Everything she said was right.
He was a coward.
He was a hypocrite.
And he was scared.
He thought he was the apex, the top of the food chain. One look at Bolt put all of that into question. He didn't feel this much fear even during his battle with the Bishop.
The fear that he stood no chance.
"You're right, but there's nothing I can do about it. If I go there, Bolt will kill me."
"As he's killing Jake and the others?"
"I don't give a damn about Jake! I can live without his power, but..."
"Not me?"
Max went silent again.
"Why me? What's so special about me? You do realize I only hung out with you so I could understand why Paulina feared you so much, right? I didn't really care for you, so why do you care for me?"
"Do you fear me?" Max asked, finally making eye contact.
"No, of course not."
"That's why."
Stacya's head tilted for a moment until she realized what he meant.
"So you developed interest in my bravery? Pretty ironic since you fail to show it yourself."
That one line was enough to finally push him over the edge.
"What do you want from me?! Do you want me to leave you here and head into that hellhole? Fight Bolt and save your surviving friends? Is that what would get you to respect me?!" Max asked, screaming.
Stacya merely smiled.
That smile is what led Max here.
In the ruined remains of Milten Tower.
Right in front of Dr. Bolt.
The man who scared him with a simple look.
And one of the very few capable of ending his life.
"Ah! You must be the Red Shadow!" Bolt said playfully. Max didn't respond.
"So you survived the orbital blast. Why weren't you here earlier? These guys could've really used your help," Bolt mused.
Max still didn't respond.
"Or was it that you were scared of me?"
That's when Max's attention returned.
"How about we do this quickly. I've got a friend waiting and I'm in a hurry," Max said, crouching slightly to assume his battle stance.
"Very well," Bolt said, doing the same.
Suddenly a voice came between the two.
Zack's.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Zack screamed at Max, the kids still crouching behind him.
Max was silent.
"You were alive?! How the hell?! So you just saw the attack coming and ran? You fucking coward! Thanks to you, Jake's dead! Ivy's dead! Milten's dead! Stacya's..."
Suddenly Max glared at him, causing him to shut up.
Then he spoke.
"Stacya is still alive."
"What? H..how did you... is she..."
"She's in one of Milten's bunkers. She lost her legs in the blast, but she's fine."
"Why did you..."
"Save her? Even I don't know. What I do know is you care about her. Way more than me, at least. Please make sure she's okay after all this is over."
"Y..yeah.." Zack said, stammering at Max's sincerity. The kids were still too terrified to speak.
"Promise me!"
"Yes, I promise!" Zack shouted, causing the kids to repeat the same thing.
"Good. Now watch me end this," he said with a smile.
Bolt smiled back.
"Don't disappoint me, boy," Bolt added and tapped a small chip on his neck...
To be continued...