Part 18.5 Mao
“So what are the rules again?” Max asked.
“The whole point of the game is that you don’t know,” Gwen said
Back at the hotel room, Ken, Gwen, Kate, Ben, and Max all sat around with cards in their hands. Only Ken had a smile on his face.
“That’s dumb!” Max yelled, and Ken leaned over and gave Max a card.
“What the hell?!” Max yelled again and Ken gave another card.
Max looked at Ben and Ben just puts finger to his mouth perpendicular to indicate that Max should just be quiet.
“Figuring out the rules is all the fun!” Ken said as he discards a card on the table and flashes a smile.
“Whose idea was this anyway?” Max asked.
“I’ll give you one guess,” Kate said.
“Well, that’s just great. Dan sure is taking his time.” Max said as he looked back to the other room in the suite.
“He is calling the UWG for back-up. We don’t know what we are going to run into,” Gwen said as she looked at her cards seriously.
“I’m impressed Ken, usually you penalize people for talking.” Kate said.
“Well, I wanted to be easy on the beginners. Oh, and I forgot,” Ken said, and then gave a card to Kate.
“Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t make it so I just lost right way.”
“Ha! Don’t be so sure!”
Max was still anxious about Maxwell. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to hug him or to punch him, but Max wanted to see him again. Maybe it was a family thing, but maybe it was just that for the first time, he got a glimpse of what he would miss if Maxwell didn’t come back. Max had no rational reason for thinking of this now, but he wonders if this is how the world might punish him for not worrying about this earlier.
Dan walks in the room.
“I got a chopper and a small clean up crew if we need it. I figure that we won’t need any more personnel for now, and if we do, I’ll have to call again, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. We are on standby until further notice,” Dan said as he stood in the doorway to the other suite. The suite was just two hotel rooms connected by a doorway. Dan then walked back into the room.
“Wait!” Max tried to interrupt Dan, “What about...”
“Don’t worry about it! Sit down,” Ken said as he gives another card to Max.
“You know what? Here! Just take them why don’t you!” Max threw the cards at Ken, and got up after Dan.
Max entered the room and sees Dan looking at a laptop.
“So, are we just gonna be on ‘standby?!’” Max yelled.
“Yeah, pretty much,” Dan said and doesn’t even look at Max.
“How can we...!”
“Look,” Dan looks at Max, “we got a tracker on Josh, and if he moves, we move. No point in going there and getting ourselves detected. We would risk our safety, Josh’s, and Maxwell’s if we did. Just chill out until we get some movement, okay?”
“How can we be sure that Maxwell is okay?”
“We can’t.”
“Why not?!”
“Because we are anti-assassins. We are dealing with people who kill other people. Maxwell knew what he was getting into. This is a dangerous business, with no guarantees. This is true for this operation, and is true for every operation.”
“I guess I am not cut out for this sort of thing.”
“No, not really. But you never were.”
“Dan,” Max looks at Dan, “Will Alex be okay?”
Dan sighs, “Like I said, I can’t make any guarantees, but Maxwell has gotten out of stickier situations before, so I don’t see why he wouldn’t make it out of this one.”
“Did he come along because I was coming?”
“Well, I am sure that helped, but I am pretty sure he mostly came along because he is the only one authorized to see whatever secrets Smoker may have uncovered.”
“I just, I just need to see him at least one more time.”
“Why?”
“Because that asshole needs to apologize to me.”
“Get in line,” Dan said as he looks again at the laptop.
Max decides to sit on one of the suite chairs in the same room as Dan. Dan is so focused on the laptop that it doesn’t seem like he notices anyone else being in the room. Max sat there for a while. He began to think about what if he and Ben actually become popular. Will they finally have enough money to move out? And if they do, is that what they want to do? Max wants to live somewhere else, and Ben doesn’t seem to care, but Max sometimes worries that Ben’s care-free attitude is covering up something, despite Ben calling Max crazy whenever he mentions this. Max thinks that Ben has always been the calm to his storm, but he worries that Ben may not always want to put up with him, and what if Ben decides enough is enough? As if Ben knew Max was thinking about him, Ben enters the room.
“Max you okay? We stopped playing the other game, so you can come back if you like,” Ben said.
“Yeah, there doesn’t seem to be anything happening here,” Max said and then suddenly Dan holds his hand up while still looking at the laptop.
“Wait,” Dan said very seriously, “He is on the move,” they all seem to hold their breath and Gwen enters the room as well, “Alright,” Dan confirmed, “it looks like they are leaving the building, we are going to get that helicopter pretty soon, but we need to be ready as soon as we can. Gwen, tell everybody to suit up and bring all the stuff to the roof, alright?”
Gwen nodded her head and does into the other suite room, “Suit up guys, we need to leave as soon as possible.”
Max was happy that things are finally getting somewhere, “Alright, Ben, let’s suit up!” Max told Ben.
“Wait, what? Suit up with what?” Ben asked sleepily.
“You know, with ‘action clothes!’
“Like sweatpants? That is the only other outfit I brought. I didn’t think we were going to stay here for so long.”
“Yeah, we really don’t have anything to really change in to, huh?”
“All the band stuff is packed, I am just gonna go ask the front desk if they can haul all the stuff up to the roof or whatever.”
“Hey, if they can’t, you call me so I can help out, okay?”
“Sure, though I thought you were coming with me?”
“I am going to check with everybody and maybe see if they have any more appropriate clothes for me. I’ll see yah soon baby-cakes,” Max said as he gave a little peck on the lips to Ben and runs after Ken.
Max runs to Ken in the hallway.
“Hey Ken! Your room close?” Max said excitedly.
“Yeah,” Ken said, “right next to the suite.”
“You wouldn’t happen to have any extra clothes would you?”
“Sorry, I gave the only extra suit to Josh. Here, come in the room.”
The room looks like one of the sections of the suite, just without the door connecting a second room. All that is in the room is a giant piece of luggage on the bed.
“And all I have are these custom-fit white suits,” Ken said as he opens the suitcase to reveal a white suit coat, shirt, and pants wrapped up in plastic as if they were just dry cleaned.
“Woah, that is not exactly the type of ‘action suit’ I was looking for, but that is something else. How are you supposed to work in that?,” Max said.
“I am a negotiator. All the ‘action’ I need is to look nice and ready to impress.”
“I have seen you in this before, but does it work? I mean, does the suit actually convince people to negotiate?”
“It is functional because the white is like a white flag, usually people don’t shoot at people right away if they are wearing all white. Usually. It also gives me a feeling of being a professional, so it works out.”
“Huh, cool. Anyway, Kate and Gwen are just downstairs right?”
“Yes, right next to your room.”
Max heads downstairs. He always felt a sense of boredom whenever his brother tried to get him to go on an operation, but, for the first time, he is excited. He finds the room and knocks on the door.
“Hey! You guys in there?” Max yells through the door.
“Yeah, whattyawant?” Kate yells back.
“You got any extra clothes?”
“I dunno! Here, come in!” Kate said as she opened the door.
Once Max opens the door, his eye is immediately caught by the huge blue block shoulder pads that Gwen is putting on over what looks like a full on bullet-proof leotard.
“What the hell is that?” Max asks incredulously.
“Its what left of the RA suit we picked up a long time ago,” Gwen said in a deadpan.
“Isn’t it badass? We only managed to salvage the boots, shoulders, and helmet, but it looks even cooler without the chest piece!” Kate said excitedly.
“Uh...I think it just looks too ‘anime ranger’ for my tastes” Max said.
“I do feel a bit naked in this, but the practical applications of the suit outweigh the negatives,” Gwen said.
“Oh, and you,” Max looked at Kate, “Why are you wearing camouflage gear?”
“If we could afford the smart camo, I would be wearing that, but since we don’t have that, I have to wear what I got,” Kate said.
“Huh, well, with Ken and you two, at least we will stand out,” Max remarked.
“Hey, there isn’t any time for a stealth mission here, once we find our opportunity, it is an all out strike!” Kate said.
“I’m glad you’re excited, but I need me an action suit! Do you two have anything I could wear?” Max said.
“Well, I got the stuff I would wear if I didn’t have the RA suit. You could see if it fits,” Gwen said at she pointed to the closet.
“Is it just hanging in here?” Max asked.
“Yeah.”
Max looked in the closet and saw another camouflage outfit (“is she serious?” he thought), and then there is a black body suit that at first glance Max thinks it is a scuba diving suit (“this is what I am talking about,” Max thought excitedly). Max begins to drop his pants, but Kate stops him.
“Hold on there, buddy! Bathroom for changing, alright?” Kate chastised.
Max was a little embarrassed by his trespass, and couldn’t think of a good come back, so he slinked over to the bathroom. He thought maybe he should of stood his ground; it would of been more ‘rock and roll.’ Max hasn’t been feeling ‘rock and roll’ lately, and was wondering if he ever would be again. Maybe he is getting too old. His music has been so muted lately, and the lyrics just don’t excite him like they used to. Max shook his head to take and shake these thoughts, and it work enough for him to focus on getting the suit on. It was a tight fit, but it was better than jeans and a t-shirt.
Max steps out of the bathroom and asked, “How do I look?”
“Like a ridiculous astronaut, but I suppose that is par for the course at this point. Let’s get outta here!” Kate said as she almost busted the door down.
“Go first,” Gwen told Max. Max walks out first and watches as Gwen slowly takes it step by step. The RA suit seems unwieldy, but with every ‘thump’ of a step Gwen takes, the faster she goes.
Max called over to Ben, “Alright, Ben you ready to go?”
“I finally got the hotel people to get the stuff upstairs, so that is all settled,” Ben said.
“Cool, let’s go!”
“Hey Max, you think I can sleep on the helicopter?”
“I don’t think so. I think it is going to be pretty loud.”
“God,” Ben yawns, “I am just so sleepy.”
“You are always sleepy Ben, and you wouldn’t want to miss my debut as a serious ‘anti-assassin,’ would you?”
“I was going to ask you about the suit, is that Ken’s?”
“Nope, Gwen’s!”
“Huh.”
“C’mon.”
Max puts his arm around Ben’s shoulders. He is glad Ben is around, because it gives him an excuse to feel strong. As they go to the elevator, separate from Gwen and Kate, for Gwen’s suit takes up too much room for four people. Max found himself in a elevator alone with Ben.
“So, after all this, what do you think about getting married?” Max asked.
“I don’t care either way, but if you want to, I will,” Ben answered.
“What kind of ring would you want?”
“I don’t want a ring, I want a house. Let’s get out of the desert.”
Max could only answer with a smile. No matter what happens, he felt like he had a future worth looking forward too. He just hoped that Maxwell would be there too to see it with him.
