Max Burnage Ep. 01: Cheaters Beware
The following is a spin-off of my series, "Cheater's Gallery," which features Adrestia Rhamnousia.
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And remember, this is a work of fiction, meaning that it is not real in any way, shape, matter or form.
...
The ending of "Cheater's Gallery 03: Kelli"
Adrestia moved on to the next case that came before her. One day, however, she sat down at her desk and took a long look at everything. All the pain, all the anguish, and all the cries for help. As she looked at it all, she was suddenly overwhelmed. She put her head in her hands and did something she hadn't done for two millennia.
She wept.
...
And now, "Max Burnage Ep. 01: Cheaters Beware"
Maxwell Burns opened his eyes and noticed the darkness. Where am I, he asked himself. He could hear the beeps of equipment and instantly noticed that his head had been bandaged up. The room he was in was also dark. Perhaps it's night time, he said to himself. It was obvious to him that he was in a hospital, but he couldn't quite remember why.
As his vision began to adjust to the darkness, he thought he saw two shadowy figures in the room at the foot of his bed. One appeared to be a tall, lanky man with a battered Stetson and the other seemed to be a much shorter, petite woman. They were talking quietly to each other and he focused as hard as he could, hoping to glean some information.
"What do you think, Eli?" the woman asked.
"Well, he certainly appears to have the heart for the job, but," he began.
"He's a bit on the weak side, and he doesn't have the skill set for the work," she said.
"I agree," the man said.
"The body can be built up and the skills can be learned," she argued.
"Idaho?" the man asked.
"Yes, for starters," she said.
"I take it you've already got approval for this?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. "The big guy has approved, but with some conditions. One is that you help me mentor him, at least through his first couple of jobs. Will you do that for me?"
"Of course, you know I will," he said. "But I have to ask. Why?"
"Not now," she said. "He can hear us." The man looked at Maxwell. "I just need to know that you'll support me in this.
"Of course, That's what I'm here for, remember?" the man asked, trying to make a joke.
"And I would be totally lost without you, Eli," she said. "That's why I recruited you."
"Well, you need to be careful. He's still a flesh and blood mortal man," the tall man said. "With all the emotions and desires that go with it. I still can't help but think there's something else going on, though."
"You're very perceptive, Eli," she said. "But like I said, we'll talk about that later."
"So, why him?" the man asked.
"Because I sense the same desire for justice in him that I felt in you all those years ago," she said.
"And what's his story?" the man asked.
"Name's Maxwell Burns," she said. "He's an accountant. A very good one with a sharp eye for detail. He's been married for about five years to Shannon Dupree. No children, at her insistence. She works as a legal secretary and has been involved with a high-end attorney there for about the last year. This attorney, by the way, does work for some rather shady characters. Anyway, Max was gone for a week-long seminar to review changes in the tax code. When he returned, he was ambushed in his home, drugged, tied to a chair and forced to watch his wife take on multiple men. They made demands of him and he refused. So they beat him. Brutally. His wife also participated in all this. When they were finished, they dumped him at the hospital, unconscious. He was in a medically-induced coma for several days so the swelling in his brain could go down. They also did reconstructive surgery on his face. They tried to kill him, Eli."
"I take it she hasn't bothered to visit him?" the man asked.
"No," the woman said. "Some police officers have been by, but he hasn't been able to talk to anyone. Some of the people his wife are involved with are very dangerous. You and I both know that if Maxwell talks, he's as good as dead."
"Why did they target him?" the man asked.
"Simple," she said. "His wife wants his money and her accomplices want him to cook the books for one of their clients in order to hide some of his activities. All very illegal."
"So we need to get Maxwell Burns outta here before they come back, is that it?" he asked.
"In a nutshell," she said.
"He's in no shape to move now, that's for damn sure," the man said. "He needs protection. Is there anyone trustworthy enough to do that here?"
"No one I would trust," she said.
"So, you're saying I need to provide security for him?" he asked.
"I'm afraid so, Eli. Will that be a problem?" she asked. He shook his head.
"No, I can do that. If necessary I'll ask Amos and see if he's available. He's gotten pretty handy with that Winchester," the man said. "What will you be doing?"
"I need to make arrangements for him," she said. "This is very important to me, Eli." He studied her face for a moment.
"I can see that," he said. "Alright, but I want your promise that you'll tell me what's really going on."
"I will," she said. "Promise. Thank you, Eli, this means more to me than you'll ever know." With that, the two figures seemed to fade away. Am I dreaming, Max asked himself. What the hell is going on? What do they mean by Idaho? What's up there that he can't get here in good ol' Texas? None of this was making any sense. What did she want to recruit him for? He tried to make sense of it all, but was unable to. His door opened and a nurse came in. She checked his vitals, made notes on her chart, then inserted a syringe in the IV line. A few minutes later, he was sound asleep.
The next day after breakfast, a doctor came into his room. He examined Max and checked his notes, then pulled up a stool and sat next to his bed.
