Fuck.
Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.
FUCK.
"Ma... ht's... ng?" The signal coming from Josh was incredibly weak.. She couldn't talk to him, and he couldn't talk to her. For now, she was on her own until she could get high enough to send out a signal. She looked down at the smart watch on her left wrist. Good thing she spent so much time making an AI.
"Captain Rex, ping location when signal is received." she told the AI.
"Confirmed. Ping ready."
She looked up at Joseph, who was menacingly staring at her. He was wearing normal civilian clothes underneath a medium-length, dark blue cloak. She could see the gleam of a hidden blade gauntlet on his left arm. He was prepared to take her down by any means.
"What do you want, Joseph?" she asked, trying her best not to show the anxiety in her voice. Her right arm reaching into her satchel to pull out one of her own hidden blade gauntlet. Slowly, she placed it on her arm as Joseph traced her movements and pondered her next move.
"You already know the personal reasons as to why we're hunting you." he said, his voice calm and cold. "But things have changed for us. For me. The Templars have assigned Vanderlaan and I with capturing you and the Raven."
"Mom? Why do they want us?"
"The Raven stole valuable information from us, of course. You should know your own mother's job, right?"
Since he didn't give her all the details, she decided to guess why they want her as well, and not just her Mom. It was most likely as leverage to bait her Mom into a trap. After all, a mother would do anything to protect their child, but she hoped that it wouldn't come to that. But, Max wondered if the true reason they wanted her had to do with Abstergo.
"Your cooperation is appreciated, Max. Don't resist."
Those words echoed in her mind, and brought back more repressed memories. He told her that same line four years ago. Instantly, her body locked up. Her fist curled into a ball as he approached her slowly, gauging her reaction and taking note of the slightest movement. Unlike Pete, he was aware of the potential for retaliation from her.
As Max glared at Joseph, the voice returned again.
Fight for your freedom. You can't let them win.
Max looked down at the hidden blade attached to her arm. That voice, whoever it was, filled her with confidence, with the strength to fight.
You're right. I'm not letting him have his way.
Never. Again.
The signature sound of his hidden blade activating snapped her out of her thoughts. In one swift motion, she countered with her own hidden blade, metal on metal clashing together before she pushed him away. She distanced herself for a moment and pondered. She knew she couldn't win a one versus one fight, but maybe she could create enough distance to signal Josh.
She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply before suddenly dashing off in the opposite direction. Joseph expression contorted into a crazed smile, like a killer enjoying the chase his prey gave. He found it fun in his own fucked up way. He sprinted after her eagerly, his breathing becoming crazed and erratic.
The leaves under Max's feet crunched loudly as she ran, her eyes darting from tree to tree in the hopes of finding a low enough branch only to spot one at the last second. She could hear Joseph's stomps closing in. She allowed him to get closer before she suddenly grabbed onto the low hanging branch right as he went to tackle her. His body rolled forward into the dirt as she scurried up the tree. She couldn't climb all the way to the top to reach a signal just yet. She had to lose him first. Quietly, she jumped from tree top to tree top, her landings barely making a sound against the thin branches.
Joseph sat up, wiping the dirt off his face. "Maaaax, don't run~ You're only delaying the inevitable~" He looked up into the trees and saw nothing, not even her silhouette or a single color out of place. He sighed deeply, imagining his target. The world around him slowly became black and white until Eagle Vision completely took over. To the right, above him and barely in view was Max's glowing golden figure. "You can't hide foreveeeeeer~" From his pocket, he pulled out a knife coated with a paralyzing poison and aimed it towards the female, waiting to take her by surprise.
Meanwhile, once Max thought she was out of sight, she climbed to the top of the tree and placed her headphones on. The static rang loud in her ears before a signal was finally established with the Hackerspace.
"...Ax... Ma... MAX? MAX CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" yelled Josh loudly into her ear. Not wanting to compromise her location, she let her AI talk for her.
"Position compromised. Requesting immediate evac. Sending location."
"Fuck, okay... Okay, let's calm down Josh." He told himself, inhaling and exhaling deeply into the mic. "I'm sending Marcus and Wrench to your location. They'll be there in 10 minutes... Please, be careful."
"Roger that."
Max pulled off her headphones. She only had to stall for 10 minutes. No worries. That is, until she heard the sound of branches breaking and leaves crunching. Then, everything went completely silent. The forest went still. She couldn't even hear Joseph's footsteps. Something was wrong, she could feel it.
Suddenly, the sound of a knife being thrown caused Max to instinctively dodge out of the way. A knife had lodged itself into the tree mere moments later. Had Max reacted slower, the knife would've pierced into her shoulder. "FOUND YOU!" He shouted, letting out a sinister laugh. Max gasped, jumping into a nearby tree as he trailed after her from the ground. Regardless of how far she went, he was always right under her. She slowly realized that it was becoming useless to run.
"Joseph, please, let's talk." she begged as she stopped running, instead resting on a branch.
"Oh? What are you gonna do, beg for your life like the sorry waste-of-space you are? It's pointless, Max. We're finished here."
"Goddamn it, why are you doing this?! Why are you bothering to share me with Pete? I thought you hated him!"
"I do, I really do. Teaming up with him is the only way to ensure that I have you for myself. The moment we get you, I'm killing him. His miserable existence means nothing to me. Neither does yours... Yet, I feel drawn to you." For a moment, he reflected about the days when he was still happy. It seemed so long ago. "You're the only thing that makes me happy. Hunting you, seeing you suffer, watching you cry and beg for your life, that gives my life joy."
Max bit her lip hard, the taste of blood plaguing her mouth. The confessions of a madman. She only lived to make his life worth living, and he only lived to make her life hell. It was tragic and miserable. Tears poured down her cheek as he stared up at her, a happy yet creepy smile on his face.
"Don't cry, Max. When this is over, I'll make sure you'll be happy with me. We'll get to stay together. Forever." He clasped his hands together and chuckled softly. "Accept it, Max. You're mine."
For a moment, she thought about it. No matter where she went, they'd always follow. Regardless of whether or not they were Templar or Assassin. It seemed like the only way they were going to leave her alone is if she killed them, if she did the job herself instead of letting others do it for her. But she couldn't kill, so the thought of even trying was pointless. It made her upset and anxious. She couldn't escape.
She sighed deeply, calming herself with the thought of the people waiting for her. Mom, Aiden, Marcus, Wrench, Sitara... and Josh, the person she wanted to keep safe. She needed to face her problems, face the fear staring right back at her.
I won't let you win.
Not this time.
"No." she yelled proudly, her voice echoing in the forest. The once happy and crazed smile on Joseph's face turned into a murderous rage, his dark blue eyes feeling like they were reaching into her soul. She glared back confidently, surprising him.
"No?" He chuckled. "No? When does our poor little victim ever say no? You certainly wouldn't have if anyone else but Vanderlaan and I fu--"
"Don't you DARE fucking say it. Just give up already! We're at a stalemate, and neither of us are moving."
There was a heavy silence between them. It was thick and suffocating. The air seemed to have went stiff in the moment. Both were planning their next move carefully. Who was moving first? Who was striking? Who'd be defeated?
The answer?
Just ask Marcus and Wrench.
A strong gust nearly blew Max out of the tree as Marcus and Wrench arrived in a helicopter, with Marcus as the pilot and Wrench as the cover. Joseph's hand curled into a fist, just realizing that she was trying to stall. Wrench kicked down a rope ladder to her. She grabbed it quickly as Joseph shouted and climbed up the tree in a desperate attempt to catch her. His hand brushed against her boot before she was flown away, with Wrench shooting at Joseph with an AR he had in his possession.
Joseph was able to dodge every bullet, but then again, Wrench wasn't going a good job at shooting him. As Wrench was reloading and Max was climbing up the ladder, Joseph lunged to the rope ladder.
In that moment, everything went in slow motion for Max. She saw him try and reach her again. There was a hurt and betrayed look on his face as they locked eyes, and for a moment, she felt bad. She knew that if he failed, he could take whatever punishment the Templar Grandmasters gave him. After all, he grew up facing punishment every single day. But this look on his face was different. He seemed hurt that she was trying to leave, and him grabbing for her was something like him trying to reach for happiness. Like it was escaping.
It was escaping.
Max gritted her teeth and flexed her arm, her hidden blade activating. She swiftly stabbed him in the stomach right as his fingertips touched the rope. To Joseph, it was a shock. To Max, it was like liberation. There were no words spoken between them. It was just silence.
She pushed him off the blade and into the trees below, his body disappearing within the leaves. That stab unfortunately wouldn't kill him. He was more resilient than that. She climbed up the rope ladder and watched as they left the forest, its size decreasing and becoming nothing but concrete jungle. Things were okay for Max...
For now.
-----
At some point in time during the trip, they ditched the helicopter and drove back to the Hackerspace. Josh and Sitara were desperately waiting for their arrival. Josh was especially worried about Max since the only reason she got into that mess, in his eyes, was because of him. Naturally, he felt guilty.
The trio walked into the Hackerspace with tired expressions, all of them collapsing onto the couch. Josh and Sitara crowded around them.
"H-how are you guys? Are you okay?!" asked Sitara, looking between the three of them with a concerned look.
"We're good..." replied Max for everyone. She pulled out the hard drive from her pocket and handed it to Josh. "I got you a present~" She gave him an exhausted smile. Josh took it hesitantly before she stood up after her small break. "I think I'm gonna head back home." He followed her as she walked to the exit. "What's up, Josh?" she asked, her hand on the door. He suddenly gave her a tight hug. She hesitated to do anything before hugging back, a genuinely happy smile on her face.
"I-I'm really sorry f-for getting you into that mess..." he said, his voice shaky and timid. "It's all m-m-my fault... I should've done more! W-with the virus, and helping you escape, a-and! And you're acting so casual... Your life was in danger, I-I can't even begin to--" The words trying to come out of his mouth were caught in his throat. He felt so awful for letting her leave. To try and ease his anxiety, she started petting his head, and instantly made him calm down.
"It's okay, Josh. It's not your fault." She held him at arms length, a reassuring smile on her face. "What happened today was not your fault. You did the best you could to help me and that's what matters. And don't think for a second that I'm mad at you for what went down. You really saved me out there. You are wise and strong, Josh. And I'm very proud of you."
She gave him the smallest peck on the cheek before leaving, giving him once last glance as the door separated them.
I'll do anything to keep you safe.
I promise.
(Title song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8yzn4iZVeY)
(Venomous by Sullivan King)