Chapter Text
You’d probably expect the story of a superhero to start with something dramatic, like a dark alleyway where the protagonist’s parents die infront of front of their eyes, or maybe that they’re a baby sent from another planet across the galaxy to protect humanity.
If you expected this, you’ll be really dissapointed.
This story actually starts like any other avarage childhood. It starts with kids on a playground just goofing around. Some were on the monkeybars with parents watching intently incase they fall. Others were racing each other across a football field, and a few of the younger ones were playing tag with each other or showing off their new toys.
At the center of it all - where the swings and slides were at - there was a particular group of three playing a little too roughly.
It was a trio of boys laughing their heart out at a particular freckled six-year-old girl. Surprisingly, that very girl will be the protagonist of this story.
She sat sniffling on the ground, her clothes and hair drenched in mud. The soaked fabric clung to her skin like a second layer. The boys weren’t physically hurting her, not really, but they had long crossed the line between playful teasing and outright bullying.
Thankfully, before they could torment the poor girl any further, a blonde came charging toward them with a furious look on her face. At first glance, it looked like she was about to tackle them. Instead, just before reaching the group, she bent down and scooped up a muddy clump from the ground - the same one they’d push the other poor girl into - and hurled it straight at the boy in the center.
It was a direct hit as mud splattered across his face and into his mouth. He immediately doubled over, coughing and spitting while his friends stared at him in alarm worried he might choke.
You could say it was a taste of his own gross medicine.
“Yeah, bullseye!” The blonde exclaimed. Making an exaggerated gesture of throwing her hands in the air before throwing yet another mud attack. Not the best aim this time around, but still got the job done.
“Ew, ew, ew, it got in my mouth!”
“Wow, owned by a girl!” Exclaimed one of his friends when it was clear his friend would’ve choke. The timing of the mud was comically perfect. “Wha- Hey!”
“This is what you get for being stupid bullies!” She said, before throwing another shot.
The bullied girl just stared in shock at the scene. The filth in her eye suddenly not bothering her so much for her gaze never left her savior.
“Are you okay?” The “savior” in question looked down towards her. The spark in her eye flickering to something a lot more softer, like a fire turning to a trail of smoke. “C’mon, will you stand up already? You look gross.” She offered an arm.
The bluntness caught the other off guard but didn’t offend her. “Oh- uh, thank you.”
Her hand was around her same size yet much warmer. Steady as well. She let herself be pulled up, wobbling slightly as her shoes squelshed against the mud.
The blonde pulled her a bit, careful as to not make her trip. “Well don’t just stand there!” She said, turning back towards the boys who slowly shifted from shocked to offended. “They’re gonna start using their brains any second now, we gotta bail!”
“I’m sorry, We-?”
“I said bail!”
So they bailed. Their hands staying connected the whole time like second nature. The one behind didn’t have it in her to hesitate or question where they were going. Instead, she blindly let herself be dragged away from the playground. Normally she’d be ashamed of how ruined she must look, especially when in the eyesight of so many kids from her neighborhood around, but for some reason she didn’t even considering them. All she could think about was the girl who saved her.
Her father always said not to trust in strangers, but then again, he also said Hawt Dawg Man is a stupid character, so maybe parents really aren’t right about everything.
The pair managed to bolt across the park. Breathless laughter bubbling in between panicked gasps. Even when the bullies were long gone they kept running for the sake of it. Just for fun. Ah, the simple thought process of six year olds.
Eventually they found a fence to duck behind and finally catch their breath. A crooked tree leaning just right so that they’re protected from the sun and slightly from sight.
“That was awesome.”
The muddied girl blinked, pushing damp hair out of her eyes. “You… You threw mud at them. Right in the mouth.”
“Yup.” She grinned, “Pretty rad of me to do, I know.“
“They’re gunna be real mad.”
“Mhm.”
“Their parents might be angry at us too.”
“Maybe.”
She raised an eyebrow at the insouciant response, but went against making any comment for it. She didn’t want to risk bothering a new potential ally. “Thank you by the way. You really saved my muddy butt back there.”
“I’ll take any excuse to throw mud at stupid Matthew and his boyfriends.” She teased. It was easy to assume that with “Matthew and his boyfriends” she was referring to the kids back there. “but your very welcome, errr-“
“Max. Technically ‘Maxine’ but no one but my mom calls me that.” This time, Max was the one offering her a hand. “Please don’t call me that.”
“Max, never Maxine. Gotcha. I’ll call you Maxie then. A healthy center.” She accepted the handshake in a playful business manner. “I’m Chloe.”
“You are so not calling me that.”
“Maximus?”
“That’s even worse!”
After that day, it was hard to remember a time when they weren’t together.
Someone up there must’ve really loved them, because the very next day Max and Chloe discovered they went to the same school. Which basically meant they’d be inseparable.
In the mornings they’d sit together in class whispering instead of paying attention. In the afternoons they’d run back to Chloe’s house and hide away in her room. By evening, they’d be eating Joyce’s cooking together at the dinner table alongside William.
And when it was finally time for Max to leave, they’d already be impatiently waiting to do it all over again the next day.
Okay, maybe not literally every single day, but they definitely tried to make it feel that way.
Days turned into weeks. Weeks into months. Months into years.
Their bond grew. Their heights… well… Chloe’s sure did. Max seemed to be on the shorter side though. It was one of Chloe’s favorite things to tease her about, even when their gap wasn’t even that crazy to begin with.
Out of everything they did though, their favorite by far was-
“Max, look! Look, look, he’s there!”
“I’m looking Chloe.”
”-Reports are still coming in from Chicago, where an unidentified figure intervened during what could have been a major loss in-“
The footage changed from camera to camera. A figure streaked across the screen starting off as a blur. The footage kept repeating itself, each time slower than the last until eventually revealing the blur to be a man in blue and red flying through the sky. People on the background pointed and cheered. The microphones catching all of it.
“Wowsers,“ Max kept her eyes glued to the screen in a way that might make her blind in the future. But neither she nor Chloe cared. In fact, they leaned forward. Watching someone just fly through the sky with no string or jetpack to make sense of it. “scientists must really hate this guy.”
“Nah, as a future scientist myself, I love this guy! He made the rules of physics like- ten times cooler!”
“More like he broke them.”
The hero fought a weird martian thing at New York. That place seemed to be one hell of a magnet for villans.
“What would you do if you had powers?” Chloe asked.
“Be a superhero, of course.”
“Yeah, yeah, that’s what everybody says. C’mon Maximus Prime, what would you actually do?”
“Is it really that hard to believe I’d help people?”
“Eh- guess not. I guess even superpowers can’t save you from becoming a hipster, hipster.”
“Okay then miss “I’m so unique and different from the rest”, what would you do?”
“What wouldn’t I do? I’d fly everywhere. Seriously, my feet are never touching the goddamn ground again. I’d use my superstrength to beat up bullies, and with my superspeed I’d never have to worry about being late to the bus again. Actually, I’d never even have to go to the bus stop again! I’d arrive by feet. Heck, maybe with flight I’d be able to go finally to Paris! I wouldn’t even have to pay a plane.”
“Isn’t that illegal?”
“So what? I have powers dude. What are some normies in blue suits gonna do when I shoot lasers from my eyes!”
“Careful there, Captain Chloe, you might turn into a supervillan if you keep that up.”
“Maybe I’d be! F them police!”
“Chloe!” William corrected from the kitchen. Based on the sounds of running water and clucking plates he was washing the dishes from yesterday’s dinner and today’s breakfast.
“What? I didn’t actually say the word, so it doesn’t count. Innocent until proven guilty!”
Max chuckled softly at the exchange, though weirdly enough, the question lingered in her mind. What would she do with powers?
I mean, of course she’d help people. It was the right thing to do. Every movie she’d ever watched had drilled that into her brain. What else are superpowers even for?
Okay, sure… maybe a small part of her also wanted people to stop picking on er - and honestly, could anyone blame her for that? - but there was another bigger part too. The part that wanted to matter.
The part that wanted to leave something good behind. Just like that flying man on the news. Everyone loved him, everyone thought of him as good.
Her expression softened slightly.
Could a nobody like her become somebody like him?
“You know, they say not all heroes wear capes-” William said. Max nearly jumped, she hadn’t even noticed him walk in from the kitchen. “-but honestly? Capes do make them look a lot better. Red’s always been my favorite color.”
The figure on the TV swooped down again, cape flaring right on point as William said that.
“Yeah, no kidding.” Chloe said, before pausing for a second. “Why does that kinda stuff never happen here?”
Chloe shrugged, trying to play it off, but there was something unusually genuine underneath the sarcasm. “I mean, seriously. Arcadia Bay has what? The cops?” She scoffed. “They don’t do anything besides hand out parking tickets and act important. There’s nothing here.”
Max took a sexond before adding herself to the conversation. “I think it’s better that way.”
Her friend groaned immediately. “Of course you do.”
“No, I mean- heroes only really exist ‘cause of villans. Arcadia Bay doesn’t really have any villans, so it doesn’t need any heroes. I’d rather be safe and bored than- well- Not safe and entertained I guess.”
Chloe tilted her head, a part of her considering it.
“I mean… yeah, I get that.” She flopped back against the couch. “Still doesn’t change the fact that it’s lame.” The TV kept playing in the background as they kept enjoying the news.
“Still though, would be way cooler if we had one here. Villan or not.” Chloe muttered. “Just one would be nice. Doesn’t need to fly or have some crazy suit or anything just… I dunno.”
William hummed.
“I’ll have to agree on Chloe with this one, Max.”
Max turned towards him. The light of the tv screen shining on his face as he talked.
“Not everything bad comes with a name you can punch,” he explained gently. “Storms, fires, car accidents, they can all cost the life of many just as well. Sometimes things just happen.” He offered a small smile. “Sometimes people need help anyway.”
“Every place - big or small - Could use a little hope.”
Max and Chloe looked at each other, then back at him.
“That was weirdly philosophical.” Chloe stated.
“Hey, I have my moments.”
~~
“Dad!” “William!” Both exclaimed at the same time. “Come look!”
“I’m coming, I’m coming.”
The living room had been once more transformed once more into the Chloe-Max headquarters.
A blanket hung unevenly between two of the dinning chairs, forming a base for the two mischeveous girls. Crayons and papers scattered across the floor - at least they promised to clean it this time, William sighed - filled with messy sketches of villans, explosions, and most of all: two not-so-amazingly drawn heroes standing victorious through it all.
Max adjusted her makeshift cape (that was actually a red towel) and stood as straight as she could.
Chloe on the other hand wore fake pirate gear with a giant letter C drawn over all the skulls.
Chloe was the one pulling him closer while Max was the one with the drawings at hand.
“No peaking!” He didn’t need to peak to know what they were going to show him, and when he opened his eyes, he realized he guessed right.
It was another drawing of the “Spectacular Supermax and Captain Chloe”.
Ever since that fated sleepover the two had developed a new favorite hobby.
Besides watching real superheroes on the news or reading comics about fake superheroes on the floor, they’d made their own imaginary world in which they were the superheroes. Joyce would enjoy it a lot more if it didn’t make such a mess. William found it indearing though.
“Hm, there’s a lot less blood in this one. I like it.”
“You can thank Max for that. She kept complaining about it being too gory.” Chloe said while grabbing the paper to herself.
“Yeah, ‘cause it totally defeats the purpose of a superhero.” Max defended. “Also… it’s gross.”
“Whatever you say crybaby.”
“I’m not a crybaby,” Max shot back, frowning. “I just think heroes are supposed to help people, not… draw them exploding every minute.”
“But explosions are the best part!”
“I dunno, I think SuperMax has a point this time.” William said.
Chloe playfully gasped. “Wow, betrayed by my own father. That might be the start of my sad villan backstory.”
“It’s all jokes anyways. Our number one priority is saving lives.”
“You mean your number one priority. My number one priority is to kick the villan’s ass and make sure they never try anything again.”
“Chloe…” William corrected, losing track of how many times he’s had to. When did his little girl get so bad mouthy?
“Sorry, sorry, I’ll make it up with the swear jar. Swear. Heh, swear.”
William smiles teasingly at her. “I’m not so sure I feel safe with this Captain Chloe hero. She sounds like she’ll just leave me to die.”
“What?” Chloe dramatically puts a hand on her chest. “I would totally save you! You’re still the number three priority.”
“Oh? And what’s the number two?”
“Making sure the camara man gets my best angle, duh. Can’t have the newspaper making me look like a loser.” She says. “SuperMax has me covered though, right?”
Max snorted. “Sorry Chloe. I’ll be too busy actually saving people.”
“Dammit. Curse your morals!”
They shared a laugh. They did a lot of laughing those days.
And just like that, they were back to it. Another mission, another day. With tons of stories and even more drawings with even bigger explosions.
More afternoons spent saving the world in the safety of a room.
Max and Chloe. SuperMax and Captain Chloe. Maxaroni and Chle. Maximus Prime and Chloetron.
They were inseparable.
~~
Then Blackwell Academy happened.
At first, it was great.
Max got to study under one of her favorite modern photographers, Mark Jefferson, finally taking her first real steps towards becoming an artist instead of just dreaming about it. She also finally started making more friends of her own!
There was Warren, who could somehow turn every movie discussion into a three-hour debate. He was super fun and a geek like her.
There was also Kate who loved art just as much as Max did, and unlike most people at Blackwell, talking to her never felt exhausting. She was so sweet and kind. Max never imagined she’d talk with someone so religious, but she was very chill about, so it never became a problem for them.
Max really liked them both, but nobody could compare to Chloe.
Speaking of the devil, Chloe threw herself more into science classes instead. She claimed it was because “Chemistry lets you blow stuff up legally”, but Max knew better. She was just as much as a science nerd as Max is an art nerd, just didn’t embrace it as openly.
Things stayed normal between them for a while.
That was, until FireWalk.
There was this one night where Chloe planned on sneaking to one of their concerts - a plan neither Joyce nor William would approve of - and begged Max to come with her.
Back then, Max refused. It wasn’t her scenery after all. But dog would she regret it for the next couple of weeks. As that was the night Rachel Amber came into the picture.
They’d know of her before of course, but never talked to her. Now, all Chloe did was talk about her!
Warren had shown her the photo Rachel posted. She was grinning at Chloe as if they’d known each other forever. It shouldn’t have bothered Max as much as it did as Chloe still spent time with her all the time. They still watched movies together and raided Joyce’s dinner for food like a couple of wolves.
But my dog would Chloe not shut up about her.
“Hey Max, Rachel thinks you’d like this movie.”
“Oh this? Just something Rachel gave me.”
“Yo Max, you will not believe what Rachel told me today!”
And the worst part?
Max couldn’t even bring herself to hate her.
Rachel was funny, confident, and magnetic in this unfair, effortless way that made every room seem brighter whenever she walked into it. She was the kind of person people naturally gravitated towards. Only the bitchest of people hate her. Turns out Max wasn’t that much of a bitch.
She was the kind of person Max could never imagine herself being. Strong, skilled, and - most impossible of all - well liked. Even loved.
When Chloe showed up to Max’s sixteenth birthday with a streak of blue in her hair, Max thought it to be cool at first. Right until she noticed it matched Rachel’s earrings.
Which was stupid. So stupid. She even had to invite Rachel to the birthday party that day since otherwise there’d be too little people. (Rachel was also really fun to be around but nevermind that detail.)
Sigh.
At least one person seemed to still like her a lot.
~~
“Hey Warren! That your science project?”
Max’s voice cut through the mostly empty lab, camara bumping lightly against her chest as it was strapped against her. Warren - even after the final bell rung - was still inside the lab. He’s basically Mrs. Grant’s unofficial assistant at this point.
He jumped at the voice, nearly knocking something over. “Max! Geez, you scared me.”
“You say that every time.”
“And you keep doing it every time,” He shot back, smiling anyway. He gestured vaguely at the table. “And, uh… yeah. This was supposed to be a surprise, but, gah! I can’t keep it from you anymore.”
“Warren Graham, keeping secrets from me? And here I thought we had something special.”
“It’s not like that!” Warren quickly defended. “I was gonna show you later, swear, just wanted it to be finished first so it’d be, you know… cooler.”
“I know, I know.” Max pulled a chair over and sat beside him, leaning in slightly to get a better look. Failing to see Warren’s face turning red.
“So,” She said, peering at the setup. “What is it?”
“This-“ he grabbed the device, it had the shape of a really big bracelet of sorts. “-is a nylon polymer shear-thinning liquid expeller!“ Max gave him a look. “It’s basically glue but… on string form? Here, it’s easier to just show you.” He puts the gadget on his wrist carefully, as if worried it might break.
“Please don’t fail me now.” He whispered. Loud enough for Max to hear.
Warren points it to the roof and clicks the button on the middle. Applying the slightest pressure so that a tiny bit of the liquid shoots out.
And shooting out it does. Max didn’t even see the movement and it was already sticking to the roof. It kind of looked like-
“A web?”
“Yeah that’s a better way to put it.” Warren replied while taking it off just as carefully as before. “Kind of like if spiders could shoot out of their arms instead of their butt. I came up with this formula a few weeks ago at science class, so I figured I’d perfect it today and take it to the field trip. Maybe I could show it to the scientists there and ensure me a sucessful future, who knows?”
Max looked at the roof again. “That won’t stick forever, will it?”
“Don’t worry, it dissolves in around an hour when in contact with air. Samuel won’t have anything to clean once the day’s over.”
“Thank dog for that. Earlier, Nathan spray painted one of the walls in my room. The one with all the pictures.”
“No way.”
“Yes way.” She frowned at the memory. “I’m only two months in and nearly everyone seems to hate me. I dunno what I did to them.”
“You didn’t do anything Max, they’re just insecure and take it out on people who aren’t.” He rests a hand on her shoulder, waiting a second or two before putting weight on it to silently ask for consent. Max leaned into the comfort. Ever since Chloe she hadn’t had anyone to confide in. To her credit, she did scare away Victoria enough for her to not bother Max that much. “Sorry if this is a dumb question but… did the paint ruin the photos?”
“…Yeah. I can’t take it off without ruining it.” She sighed. “Now poor Samuel has more work to do. It won’t even scrub off the wall.”
“I’m sorry Max.”
“It’s okay. All my favorite photos are kept safe in my portfolio.”
“I guess.” Warren grabs his - er, let’s just call it “web shooter” for now - and puts it in the front pocket of his backpack. “I just hate that they can get away with anything.”
“Me too. But I’m sure they’ll pay someday.” Truth be told, she isn’t sure. She’s actually sure of the opposite, but it’s the only positive comment that comes to mind at the moment.
“Yeah, I guess.” Warren clearly believes otherwise based on his two streaked “I guess” responses, but makes no further comment.
“Anyway, you done with your high tech gadget?” Max says, mostly to change topics.
“Well, it’s as fine as it’ll ever be. I just hope it doesn’t get crushed or anything.”
“Then let’s go. The Prescott Industry isn’t going to visit itself.” Wow Max, real smooth. She cringes at herself.
“Oh, yeah.” His smile returns smoothly. Bright enough to lift even Max’s mood a little. “I still can’t believe you of all people agreed to come. Figured you’d hate it there considering the people who own it.”
“As Mr. Jefferson always says “separate the art from the artist” or I guess in this case “the experiment from the scientist”. They’re major assholes but they do have sick stuff in there. Great for pictures.”
“Yeah… yeah, that’s the spirit! C’mon Max!” He almost instinctively grabs her hand but decides against it. Too much too soon.
At the bus since Warren sat besides her Chloe had to seat besides Rachel. She would’ve totally sat besides Max if Warren weren’t in the picture though. Right? Right.
Totally.
~~
“For decades, this company has been dedicated to innovation, both chemical and technological. It would not be an exaggeration in the slightest to say that this very building is shaping the future of Arcadia Bay. Of course, this wouldn’t be possible without the great help of the Presscots who with their intellect have shaped-“
The tour guide’s voice echoed as she led the blackwell students through the massive facility. Everything was glass, steel, and there was that faint sterile smell that screamed “don’t touch anything unless you want to get sued”. Exactly what was to be expected.
Max only half-listened, already tired from all the Prescott propaganda. Her camara hanged comfortably around her neck as her eyes drifted over the crowd.
Instinctively, she searched for Chloe. She was walking a few steps behind eyeing her and Warren oddly. Geezus, what was her deal?
Of course, the one who shan’t be named was besides her. At least this time she was too busy talking with the other rich, popular kids to pay much attention to Chloe.
Most of the class looks like they regretted coming. Filled with half-hidden phones and half-opened eyes.
Warren was a totally different case though. He looked like he just entered nerd heaven, which in a way, he did.
Max swore his eyes were full on anime-mode with sparkles and allat. Or maybe she’d just been watching too much anime with him.
Without even meaning to, Max quietly lifted her camera.
CLICK.
Warren blinked, then turned towards her with an inmmediate grin. “Aw man, you didn’t get my good side.”
Max raised a teasing eyebrow. “Bold of you to assume you have one.”
“Ouch. Right in the ego.” Right after making a show of putting his hand on his chest, he scoots over to try and peek at the photo coming out of the polaroid. “Let me see. I bet I look like a confused lab rat.”
She tilted the photo towards him and gave it a good shake. It was always satisfying to see the black fade out.
The photo showed Warren mid-stare completely absorbed in whatever he was seeing - it was framed in a way where you couldn’t see - there was a huge genuine smile on his face, his bag was clutched infront of him protectively. If you looked close enough, there were sparks of light in his eyes similar to the one’s Max imagined him to have earlier. It was a decent shot.
Warren studied it for a second, then nodded aprovingly. “Wowsers, that guy sure looks attractive. Could I meet him someday?”
Max snorted. “You’re such a loser.”
“Hey, let a dude have some confidence.”
The nice exchange was saddly interrupted by a scowful old lady, even worse, it was the lady the school paid to guide them. Her displeased glare directed at Max.
“Photos are prohibited in this area.”
She appeared besides them like she’d been summoned by the photo click itself, her hand already extended. “I’m sorry-“ The guide did not look sorry. “-but I’ll have to take that. It will be returned to you at the end of the tour.”
Max’s tiny smile dropped alongside the hold of her camera. “Aw, are you cereal?”
The guide didn’t blink. “Very. Hand it over.”
Max barely had any time to react before the woman snatched it. Which was a bad move since it was attached to a strap that - surprise, surprise - was still around Max’s neck. The sudden tug yanked her forward.
Max stumbled in a ridiculous manner, she managed to catch her balance well enough until a foot stuck out in front of her.
The asshole didn’t even try to help. Instead, she simply let go of the camara and stepped aside as Max went down.
For a tiny moment there was silence which nearly made Max hope no one cared. Then the wave of laughter hit.
It wasn’t explosive like movies make you think, like a loud laughter that filled the halls with people pointing towards you. It was closer to scattered snorts, muffled laughs, and people turning to look then quickly pretending they weren’t. The kind of laughter that was dressed as hidden but really, really wasn’t. Kind of awkward as well.
Victoria did not even try though. As always, queen bee had to be the center of attention as she let out a sharp laugh with literal ‘ha, ha, ha’s in between. Her reaction motivated even more people to take note of Max. The ripple effect of secondhand cruelty making her face burn. It felt like she was her six-year-old self again drenched in mud.
To make matters even worse, her camera was impacted by the fall as well.
And As the old, fragile thing it is… It broke.
Great. Fantastic. Incredible. Has she mentioned how much she loved highschool?
Warren shifted besides her already stepping forward to help-
Max grabbed his sleeve - a silent “don’t” - and stood up by herself.
“‘m going to the bathroom.” She muttered to no one specifically. Max harshly gave the broken camera to the guide and sprung at the opposite direction, tears threatening to slip but thankfully didn’t. Crying would just make it all the more embarrassing. She didn’t even know why she wanted to to cry, this was far from being the worst prank pulled on her.
“Uh, miss?” The guide said quietly, her eyes no longer annoyed by Max at least. “Bathroom’s the other way.” A few added chuckles came at the comment.
Max didn’t even respond, just ignored a worried Kate, Chloe, and Warren and made her way to the nearest bathroom.
The last thing she heard was Chloe’s voice shouting at someone.
~~
Max bolted before anyone could see the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. All Chloe could do was watch her go.
She knew Max
Knew that if she tried to comfort her now, she’d just get shut out completely. Especially lately, with Max acting all weird and distant. Better to let her cool off first.
Unfortunately for everyone else in the room, Chloe herself was not cooled off.
“What the hell is your problem?” She snapped at Victoria.
The entitled brat just eyes her up and down, as if the mere idea of Chloe talking to her was confusing. “Huh?”
“Don’t you ‘huh’ me.” Chloe marched toward her, finger already raised accusingly. “I saw you trip Max, you spoiled bi-“
“Students,” the guide interrupted sharply, stepping in between the two with her hands raised as if it were a physical fight. It might be if Victoria doesn’t appologize right this instant. “If you cannot behave yourselves, I’ll be forced to-“
“Oh, screw allat!” Chloe shot back immediately. “Half the people here are recording with their phones, but suddenly there’s a problem when Max takes a single picture? That’s bullshit!” Not to mention she broke her camera.
Before Chloe could keep on shouting and probably get kicked out in the end, a metallic door slid open behind them. Everyone turned towards the sound.
There was a heavy mechanical whirring sound echoing through the lab as a chubby man stepped inside. He looked exhausted with his messy blond hair streaked with gray, and dark circles under his eyes.
Students were less focused on his appereance and more focused at the things coming out of his back.
“What is he wearing?” Someone whispered. “Are those tentacles?”
“Actually, these are-“
“Mentally controlled, electronically powered, telescoping, prehensile titanium-steel prosthetic limbs attached to a wearable stainless-steel harness!” He blurted out in one breath. Not stumbling even once. Wow did Max have a weird type. “I’ve read about those online, but I never thought I’d actually see them in person!’
“I can see I have a fan in the crowd, and a bright one at that.” The man said.
The guide akwardly adjusted her glasses before quickly regaining her posture. Shooting both Victoria and Chloe a warning glare before speaking. “Students, this is Mr. Sean Prescott, current head of the Prescott Industries and one of the leading scientific minds in the country.”
A few students clapped.
Sean gave a polite nod before motioning for the group to follow him deeper into the lab. There were rows of glass containers lined up in the room ahead, inside each was a black widow crawling around extremely hyperactive.
If Max were here, she’d probably be taking pictures.
As Sean began explaining the experiment, most students leaned in with either interest or leaned back in disgust. Chloe didn’t. Instead, her eyes stayed locked on the cracked Polaroid camera dangling carelessly from the guide’s wrist.
Dad probably had tools for something like that. I’m sure it’s fixable.
Maybe if-
“Ew! It jumped at me!”
Chloe physically had to stop herself from rolling her eyes as Victoria recoiled dramatically from one of the containers.
“We’ve recently been experimenting with combining the genetic traits of several spider species into a handful of unique specimens,” Sean explained calmly. “Unfortunately, none of them have survived longer than a few hours. By the end of the day, all five spiders will likely be dead.”
Rachel liften an eyebrow at the last sentence. “There are only four.”
Sean paused his talking. His gaze flickered over the containers. Rachel was right.
“Hm.” He straightened up, his tentacles following his lead sharply, the sudden movement scared away any of the students lingering close by like Warren. “My wife must’ve taken one back for further testing.”
Chloe frowned at the uncertainty in his voice.
Still, there were bigger priorities right now. Namely: getting Max’s camera back.
She leaned toward Rachel slightly.
“Psst, Rach, wanna help me with something?”
~~
Empty. Good. Nobody can see my meltdown. Except for me.
For a multi-million dollar company, Prescott Industries apparently couldn’t spare the budget to clean their bathrooms.
The room was dimly lit like a horror movie. Three sinks - two out of three stained - sat beneath three square shaped mirrors, each one wrapped with tiny scratches and water marks that made the reflections look vaguely haunted. Three bathroom stalls lined the opposite wall. The entire place smelled faintly of bleach trying and failing to hide mildew.
Max dragged herself towards the sink furthest to the left as it was the only one not stained, and splashed cold water against her face.
She slowly looked up at the mirror, water dripping from her bangs.
God. She looked ugly.
Her gaze drifted away from her reflection in the mirror towards the back corner of the bathroom also reflected in it. Wedged between the last stall and the left wall was a caged space, inside it, sat a bucket collecting droplets that came from the ceiling.
Drip, drip, drip.
Honestly, it was kinda comforting knowing even giant corporations had plumbing issues.
At the top of the bucket sat a small, black spider. For a second, Max thought it was a fake with how still it was.
Max didn’t feel scared by it’s presence. Spiders always got such a bad reputation, if anything, they saved humanity from grosser insects.
She stepped a little closer to it with no plan in mind. Maybe it was her inner camera speaking or her curiosity getting the best out of her, maybe a combination of both. It made no sign of attacking so Max just kept on getting closer until she was sitting right infront of it. It had a little red on it. Weird. It looked to be painted or something. As if it not belonging to this reality.
It’s tiny legs curled slightly against the edge of the bucket.
“Makes sense I’d see you today. Been that kind of day you know?” Max muttered without caring how weird it was she was talking to a spider of all things. She’d already hit loser territory anyways, why not go all the way in?
Then the spider moved like a bullet. Max lost sight of it.
“Wha-“
A sharp sting shot through her wrist.
Max jerked backward, smacking against the sink. “Ow! What the heck?”
The spider vanished somewhere behind the bucket.
The betrayal from her little friend stung. Literally.
Weren’t spider bites supposed to be, like… ridiculously rare? Because if so, then today officially hated her personally.
Maybe spiders deserved their reputation after all… Geez.
Groaning, Max stumbled back towards the sink and shoved her wrist beneath the running water. Or… tried to.
Her fingers slipped of the faucet handle. It cost her longer than it should’ve to finally grip the fucker. Her butter fingers felt even more buttery than usual, as if her hand had been replaced by someone else’s.
Okay. That wasn’t concerning at all.
Max looked up toward the mirror. For half a second, she swore it looked like there were two of her.
The room tilted violently around her.
It felt like her veins turned into overheated wires pumping liquid fire beneath her skin. Sweat immediately started sticking to her shirt while her heartbeat slammed so hard against her it hurt. Something inside her body was… expanding? Exploding?
Her breathing was-
Everything was so-
Loud! God, everything was loud.
Max grabbed the edge of the sink before the floor could hit her again- no wait, before she could hit the floor again.
She needed help. She needed help.
Chloe… Help…
Everything went black.