Detective Max Stone

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And this couldn’t have waited till the sun was up…

Confused, Anya parted her lips to argue why right now was as good a time as any other when she cut her glance to the window. Of course, she’d been coherent enough to recognize that it was dark out, but she realized she hadn’t given any thought to how late she’d decided to pay her surprise visit. Anya had to remind herself that just because she didn’t always succumb in to her body’s biological need for sleep didn’t imply others didn’t follow a regular sleep routine. Now wasn’t the time to contemplate the lack of typical societal norms she held, especially since it wouldn’t have made much of a difference to her manner anyhow. She hummed dismissively, lifting her shoulder in a shrug. Anya only planned on sticking around long enough to get the information she needed than she could leave him to his precious sleep.

Max was correct. As she listened to him ruminate aloud his own reasonings for allowing the deadly rose to puppeter him as she had done so many others she was not satisfied with the answer. Her face maintained a steely indifference mask, even as white hot fury was seething within, not in particular directed at the taller male but rather at the acknowledgement of the truth to his words. Anya didn’t want to hear the truth or be reminded of what she already knew. That she’d been played. That she’d been made a fool of. She offered no other evidence of the heat raging inside her beyond the tightening of her metal fingers. She attempted a cynical smile at the end of his remarks. “How pitiful,” her remark was not directed to either of them in particular, but rather the situation they shared. “Who is she to wield so much power?” she continued to ponder aloud, her eyes distant.

“Do you know where she is?” Anya eventually inquired, and the purpose for her presence was now explained. “She is, tricky, to track down.” she released a humorless laugh. “You, I know a lot about. In fact, it was embarrassingly easy to acquire a manifest of all your known contacts and allies, your residence, your employment history, etcetera,“ she fired off the list of facts she’d learned about him with nonchalance. “But her, nothing but false leads and dead ends”

Max could tell that he had been correct with his assumption that she wouldn’t like his answer. Frankly, he didn’t like it either but it was all he could offer to her unfortunately. He wasn’t sure of the extent of the relationship between the two women but Alicia seemed to collect an eclectic group of followers and friends around her so he could only imagine when she disappeared on them...

He shrugged in agreement with her summary of their situation. “.......who are we to look past everything and let her wield so much power over us?” he echoed back, his gaze on the floor in thought. But his eyes flickered back to her as her true intentions were revealed. Alicia’s location. Ah, so that’s what she wanted...

“....No. Haven’t had contact with her since I came back and I’m sure she has settled somewhere else by now. The last place was only a temporary fix.” Surprisingly, he smiled at her thinly veiled insult of sorts. “Good. That is exactly the way I want it. I don’t have anything to hide.” Well, William was another story but still - he didn’t have anything else to hide.

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She waited, almost patiently, for the barrel directed at her face to drop. She was once again impressed by this Detective’s instincts, albeit begrudgingly. Aiming at her torso was only semi effective, after all, but firing a bullet through her smug features…well, she wouldn’t feel the sting of the bullet, but the bleed out would be severe and recovery time lengthy. And if he targeted it lethally enough, he could instantly execute her. The fingers of her flesh hand flexed in anticipation, almost wanting to egg him to squeeze the trigger just to see how it would all play out. Anya’s willingness to gamble with her life in any tense scenario was part of what made her so effective at what she did. But then he was lowering the firearm, and her lip was rounding in mild disappointment. He was unmistakably dissimilar from his brother, much to her chagrin. 

Maddox Stone would have discharged the round without batting an eyelash.

“I was in the neighborhood,” she retorted sarcastically at his initial inquiry, scooting to the edge of the counter she was lounging on. Her feet dangled just above the flooring and she swung them absently, inadvertently undermining her menacing demeanor. She most certainly was not in the neighborhood, and finding his apartment had taken longer than she cared to admit. But she knew finding her would prove much more difficult. For a bit, Anya wondered if locating her would be as easy as pinpointing the whereabouts of the recently reinstated Detective who harbored her. Alas, there was no trace of Alicia here. Anya would have known with very little evidence, hell, she would have smelled her in the air.

“Relax,” she calmly advised. “I just have a few questions to ask, and then I’ll be on my way” she tucked the strands of her shaggy mane behind her ears and fixed him with a neutral gaze. There was a long period of stillness during which she peered directly at him but didn’t quite see him. Her mind was racing with recollections as she considered how to frame her requests. “I thought I knew her so well,” she finally muttered. “I thought I was the only one who understood her…but it is only now that I’ve learned the depth of her network,“ her lips parted in a humorless chuckle. “How does she do it? How does she ensnare so many? Why are we so drawn to her?” Anya cocked her head gradually as she analyzed his reaction. “I thought she saved me…I would have done anything for her”

Max stretched out his long limbs in effort to get the blood flowing to them and wake himself up, letting out a yawn as he rolled his shoulders and straightened out his posture - tucking his firearm into the waistband of his shorts. His bare feet softly padded across the bare wooden floors as he made his way past her and into the kitchen. Again, there wasn’t any sign of food and if for some reason there was, it had surely gone bad by now. So instead, he poured himself a cup of water as he waited for her real answer.

“And this couldn’t have waited till the sun was up..?” He already knew that answer but it needed to be said. This woman had a bad habit of just doing what she pleased - much like his older brother - and he knew neither of them were going to change any time soon. He held her gaze as he waited for her to continue and, due to the abrupt wake up call, it took him a moment to recognize what and who she was talking about. And then it washed over him: Alicia.

Max was quiet a moment before letting out a breath. “I don’t believe I have any answers that will satisfy you...” he started honestly, not breaking eye contact. “She’s just a mystery to me as she is to you. She played into my need to help and I couldn’t say no. I think she sees what we want and....I don’t know, uses it?” Scratching the back of his head, he put down the glass and crossed his arms with a sigh. “She is a person who will only allow you to do something for her if she allows it.” It had taken him weeks of looking after her to finally come to this conclusion and it still wasn’t a satisfactory answer.

@detective-stone​

CLOSED

“Detective Max Stone! Привет!” 

Naturally, the assassins arranged for her visit to be a surprise, as most visits were when breaking and entering. Which is why it was her preferred method of admittance. She had a morbid obsession with witnessing that fleeting flash of relief most individuals experience upon returning home shatter when they detect the presence of a stranger. The way their muscles stiffened and their stance straightened in defense, the way their eyes swept the general area, looking for indications that anything was awry. As though any assassin with a rudimentary set of abilities concealing themselves in the entryway would even allow the target to make it that far. 

But Anya was not invading the space of any ordinary civilian piggie, she knew that now. So she stationed herself out in the open, waiting patiently for Max to round the corner before raising her mechanical arm in a wave. "I know, I look so different than I did the last time we met,“ she admitted, ruffling her dark brown shaggy mane as if the new haircut were the most noticeable change in her appearance, rather than the chrome plated appendage. "What can I say, I’m impulsive,” she shrugged as she rose from the sofa and approached him casually, lips twisted in a carefree grin.

“Put the gun away, I didn’t come here to fight,” she ordered, as though awareness that he was pointing a weapon at her had just dawned to her. “I don’t even have any weapons on me,” her hands rose in faux submission to accentuate her point, though shortly after her lips turned downward. “Okay, that is a lie. I have many weapons on me. However, I have no intention of utilizing them.” She’d made a ‘sort of promise’ to Maddox that she would not intentionally harm his brother, and Maddy boy was of the few she genuinely respected so she intended to keep her vow. “You should really dust in here, Max Stone, this is not a suitable living space” 

Just one restful nights sleep. That’s all Max wanted. He was finally back home in his own bed with no need to continuously look over his shoulder. Or so he thought. He jerked awake, pulling the gun out from under his pillow in instinct as he groggily aimed it at the direction of the shout. As the sleep cleared his eyes, he let out a tired groan. Her. It was like a waking nightmare.

He loosened his grip on his gun but didn’t lower it yet. Max didn’t know why she was here but he did know nothing but trouble followed this woman. His eyes flickered from her hair to her arm before it dawned on him - that had been the arm he had managed to hit in their last encounter. But....had it been that severe of injury? Still trying to wake himself up, he racked his brain to remember where he had aimed that night she held the hostages...

Lowering the weapon a bit, he eyed the woman warily as he picked up a nearby discarded shirt. “Then what are you doing here?” he asked cautiously, slipping the shirt over his head before rolling his eyes at her comment about his place. “Well I wasn’t expecting guests this evening and I haven’t been home much.”

“Yes and no?” Christian tipped his head up to gaze at his estranged partner with an air of skepticism. Any answer that had been formed with such inconsistency brought about deeper questions that never seem to find resolution. “Since when did you have a half brother and why the hell would he want to incriminate you?” 

This is the part Max had dreaded. It didn’t matter if he told Chris this now or earlier, it wasn’t something he wanted to get into but it was necessary at this point. “...Found out about him when I turned six. We’re not exactly close.” he sighed, running his hand through his hair as he tried to figure out where to start. “There’s a lot I haven’t told you about my family Chris. A lot of things I’m trying to make up for. Long story short....he’s always wanted me under his thumb, this isn’t far off from something he would do.”

The seasons had changed with a wicked bitterness that poured down these poorly patched four walls. Sara’s fingers dragged across the places where the craters craved out by one too many bullets once laid. Cobwebs gathered in each corner of the room and glistened in the gluttonous moonlight that ebbed through the split in the curtain. Sara didn’t know what compelled her to come here this evening but there she stood in the ruins of his life. A guilt heart possibly? She couldn’t shake the eerie feeling that snaked up her spine. Max was, for all intent and purpose, a good man. His life stood uncomplicated before the barrage of bullets hailed through this place. She wasn’t one to take on the sin of a life that began before her but she had learned to accept the part she placed.  

Inhale softly, she kicked off her boots and plopped down on the couch. Her battered palms beating out the fine specks of inactivity from the pillows. Settling into the calm, Sara flicked the metallic, gold cap from the freshly fashioned bottle of Johnie Walker. Happy birthday, Jesus…and me. You still making water to wine? Miracles don’t exist but maybe you’ll make an except for the idiot who lives here. Sara pulled a stiff swig from the bottom, allowing it to glide sinfully over her tongue as she held the bitterness for a moment before swallowing. She didn’t know how long she’d sat in the dark nor when the bottom of the bottle grew clearer in the silver undertones. It was the static that crackled through the silent that beckoned her back to life. 

Her callused fingers traced the hilt of the blade concealed beneath the fold of her leather jacket. Sara slipped back into the fading shadows of her night, her back flush against the corner. Strangely enough, she settled into her heels and the ridge alignment of her fingers against the spine of her tried and true weapon loosened. 

“Evenin’ partner,” she hissed. Sara casually fell back into the couch with a feigned aloofness. She couldn’t allow him to catch onto her relief. 

Max holstered his weapon as both of their defenses were lowered as the blonde made herself at home on his couch. Had she known he was coming home today? How would she as he hadn’t planned on returning until barely an hour or so ago? Dropping his bags on the ground, which brought up a cloud of dust, he walked over to his surprise guest and picked up her “welcome home” gift of an almost empty bottle of whiskey.

“What brings you here? You’ll have to forgive the state of things, I haven’t had time to clean up.” he joked before taking a swig of the smooth amber, savoring it before passing it back as he took a seat facing her on the coffee table. His apartment was littered with cobwebs, dust, and decorated with an array of bullet holes — it was hardly a vacation spot for the young assassin.

“You don’t have to keep looking after me.” Alicia cooed. “Congratulations on your return to the force. I can no longer covet Central City’s resident knight in shining armor.”

@detective-stone​

Max studied the woman from his spot perched in the windowsill, still unable to fully adjust back into the life he had built for himself that had recently been given back to him. “I want to make sure you’re going to be okay,” he defended his lingering presence but he knew she was right. She was becoming more and more able to take care of herself, she didn’t need him any longer. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around it....feels surreal.”

Christian forced back the hoarse scratch of discontent that bobbed in the back of his throat. Max wasn’t the enemy; nor was he the one who deserved such pointed words. He would reserve those words for those who chose to cross Christian’s brother. It was the nameless entity and the constricting creep of the walls that forced down on them both that set Christian ablaze. 

“It doesn’t make any sense,” he said partly to himself. “Our unit knows the procedure when it comes to raids and drops like that. I’ve been listening over dispatch for any related calls in your area downtown. The patrol men aren’t stupid enough..” he paused with a heavy sigh. “Whomever orchestrated this knew you were blue because of course you’d roll out at any sign of trouble not to blow your cover.” Christian lifted his tightly closed fist to his lips and blew a air pass of air through them; the chill spidering up his fingers. 

“Is there anyone who got a grudge against you, Max? I know we all got our skeletons..but I gotta know so I can help you.” 

Max knew that as much as this whole situation ate away at him, it must be even more frustrating for his partner. And he was grateful he was at least hearing him out because it meant he had earned it. Christian did not let just anyone into his life in such an impactful way.

“The moment I ran into you was when I began to put the pieces together that it couldn’t be our people, but by then the pieces were already falling too quickly for us to catch them.” he agreed with a sigh, rubbing his beard as he recalled that day for the umpteenth time. “They knew I was blue and also knew exactly how to incriminate me...” he trailed off his musings as dropped the question he had been avoiding as long as he had known him but now it was time to come clean.

Shutting the door behind him, he flipped on the lights and immediately reached for his weapon when he heard movement from farther inside his apartment - only to lower it when a familiar face greeted him. A welcome surprise. “...what do I owe this visit?”

“Don’t think I’m following,” he hummed with a feigned innocence. Maddox waited a beat before engaging into Max’s gloomy tantrum. His gaze followed the haggard shrew that wilted beneath the cover of the umbrella. A trembling wave of disgust and concern warped Maddox’s usual indifference. Max’s halo seemed to be dented in and scrubs of every inch of shine that used to illuminate off it is. It was pitiful to see him so dreary while the world beat on in shades of yellow and gold. 

Hooking down the bridge of his glasses, Maddox finally met Max’s gaze with a glinting blaze of amusement. He had never done a good thing in his life except saving Max’s. Yet, of course, he’s met with the simmering resentment only his little brother could kindle between two battered fists. “I know you’ve been in the field, excuse me, the wind for a couple weeks and that can cause some undue burden on anyone’s skills. Or maybe you weren’t looking in the right place.” His poised fingers flicked up to signal the waitress to tend to his pauper of a brother. “He’ll have a whiskey neat..actually how about a martini down and dirty? He’s a little thirsty,” he winked at the woman before fully engaging his brother. 

“I plead the fifth. Just smile, Maxillion, you’re free once more to be the venerated detective to save the city again.” 

Max almost rolled his eyes so hard it gave him a headache. Everything was a game to his brother and there were no straight answers, even when it was just the two of them. The frustration that ebbed off of him was palpable but as they were in a public setting he reigned it in. He scoffed as he casually insulted his skills as an investigator because they both knew full well that those answers were not there every time he had looked before. And if there was anyone in this town with the power to make something appear out of nowhere, it was his brother. Max’s skills of detection were spot on - that’s why he was sitting across from the source right now.

He raised a brow at his brother’s order of choice for him, flashing a small yet polite smile to the waitress before turning his cool demeanor back towards its intended target. “You’re just happy you have an in with the police force now because now I owe you.”

Maddox kicked back his feet in the breeze that swept off the coast. The crash of the waves against the shore with a heavy crash. It’s what he liked most about Coast City. Dipping into the deliciously fresh platter before him, he popped a couple berries into his mouth. The bittersweet juice soaking his tongue before he chased it with a shot of tequila. Today he was simple surveilling a despondent client.  He grimaced at cool rush that washed over him from the shadow that cascaded over him. Peering up at the lanky figure from beneath the tints of his shades, he plucked another raspberry and held it between his teeth for a moment, to savor it, before swallowing.  

“You stalkin’ me, little brother? It must be a little too bright out for you but you came anyway. Where’s the wife?” 

@detective-stone​

“What did you do?”

Max peered down at his brother from underneath the brim of a dark ball cap, still unshaven from his time off the grid and certainly dressed for drearier weather. His expression showed that he wasn’t there to play games but simply wanted answers. He took the opportunity to take the seat across from Maddox, half under the umbrella, so he could better keep his brother’s attention.

“I’ve been searching for weeks for answers and then all of sudden they’re found in Baron’s office? Every single thing needed to prove my innocence....so of course,” he leaned back, crossing his arms in disgruntlement, “I know you were involved somehow.” He grimaced at the mention of Spivot, or maybe even Alicia, but simply chewed on his cheek instead and resigned not to answer.

Ada: Afternoon Mr Stone, you said it was alright if I messaged you and I read that a few days is an acceptable length of time before reaching out to a new friend.

Ada: I just wanted you to know my roommate is very fond of the kitten.

Ada: Thank you again for helping me, it was very kind of you.

Max: *surprised to see message on burner phone*

Max: You can call me Max

Max: Oh that's good! No more tree incidents?

“Well you’re not the only detective here.” Patty noted with a small smile, the praise still nice even in the rather dire situations they found themselves in. “Any danger I risk is on me, not you, Max. I wanted to be here. To see you.” She told him with a slightly exasperated sigh at his words. She knew he was only trying to look out for her - for everyone, in keeping far away from them. But she worried in doing so he was leaving himself vulnerable to whoever it was that tried to frame him, without anyone there to back him up.

“Do you have any idea who was behind it?” She questioned lowly. There were a lot of options for people who would want to target the police, but Max specifically… Patty couldn’t be sure. They all had people from their pasts who had it out for them, there was always the concern that someone you sent down would return for payback.

“Touché.” Max admitted as he glanced up to her under the brim of his baseball cap, unable to mask the admiration for the woman across from him. He let out a breath as she assumed responsibility for her actions, running his thumb over the back of her hand absentmindedly as he came to terms that she wasn’t going anywhere. Maybe if he hadn’t visited her that night but he couldn’t help it. He had to see her.

“...No. I had my suspicions but I’m back on square one unfortunately.” He sighed, feeling the familiar frustration begin to bubble to the surface. Who benefited from him being blacklisted? “I’ve looked through all my old case files and nothing stands out. And I can’t find motive...”

The thick rubber sole of his boot tapped against the asphalt with an embittered scowl. Christian’s gaze searched for the long lost chalk outline that had etched into the ground with an omnipotent permanence despite being washed away with the summer rain. It has been hollowed ground that the two rookies had beaten fresh from the academy. It was that moment that Christian knew that he could trust Max but hadn’t realized just how deeply he could. 

Be it, life or death, he’d open himself up to ensure the man’s furthered success and safety. 

“That’s a real pointed question,” he hissed. “I..I want to go back to the beginning that night and we can work back towards what I want to know.” 

He knew it was displaced anger. The frustration of the situation was seeping out into something more volatile and he understood it — he had those nights, alone in the cabin with Alicia, where it took all his willpower not to punch a hole through the wall at his circumstances. “I’ll answer anything you ask,” he confirmed, pulling his hood up tighter around his ears as a cool breeze brushed between them.

Max let out a sigh, squinting up at the partly cloudy sky as he ran over the events of that day once more. “I was doing grunt work - moving product as directed when a group of armed men raided the warehouse. They were dressed in uniforms but I was in such a rush to clear the scene without being caught that I didn’t look to closely at them. I just assumed it was our precinct because who else knew about our operation? That’s when you nearly ran me down.”

Patty felt her anxiety lessen a little at the smile he shot her way. He wasn’t mad, or afraid. That was a good sign. “It wasn’t easy.” She assured him with a small laugh. And it really hadn’t been - a fact she was incredibly grateful for. Max knew how to cover his tracks, he was being careful. Someone could unpick the traces inevitably left in his wake like she did, but maybe she could help with that too. Make it even more difficult for the next person who might try to track him down.

She squeezed his hand lightly in her own, grateful for the gesture but all too aware of the tension that still sat in his shoulders. “I sense a ‘but’ there.” She noted, trying to keep her tone light even as she observed him with concern. “I’m happy to see you too.” She admitted. “You look good.”

“I would hope years of training paid off,” he noted as she assured him that he hadn’t been the easiest to track down. He probably needed to step up his safety measures just in case, but he was sure no one was tailing Spivot. They had no reason to be at least, unless they believed she was tied to him but Christian was a more likely target. “Still impressed you found me.”

He chuckled, expelling his apprehension as she complimented him. She was sweet but he knew there was some lying involved. His usual put together appearance was much more haggard and unkempt in effort to keep a low profile. Longer, un-gelled hair with full facial hair wasn’t his usual go-to, but he knew what she meant. He looked alive. “...but it’s dangerous for you to be here. If people see you with me, whether it be whoever framed me or other cops.” he leaned forward to make sure his words stayed between them.