A LOVE FOR A LOVE

By Jo Anzalone

PART ONE: (The direct continuation of the Maximus/Caroline/Sid/Bud storyline from

the end of HOPE...RISING)

THE CORT/RACHEL STORYLINE CONTINUES IN "THE FAR SIDE OF EXILE"

THE TERRY/DEE STORYLINE CONTINUES IN "A SECOND BYLINE"

It was sizzling. The melted glass that now lay where Caroline had been standing moments ago was sizzling. Even from where he stood on the lawn of NanoCorp, Maximus could hear the odd sound of it, the strange sizzle blending with crackling and splintering as larger panes fell atop
the heap that was all that remained of the once sleek, modern structure.

She had been there, just inside, not far to the right of the door, her face pressed to the glass. He wanted to scream WHY? But if he asked that, there would be no answer and he was not sure he could handle the lack of an answer just at the moment.

How many steps had he taken to get back to her? Not many. There hadn't been time for many. The glass in front of her had begun to break into huge shards, falling in towards her when the first set of explosions ripped through the building. He'd nearly tripped at the sight, struggled

to regain his footing, had taken only one or two more steps when the second burst hit, brilliantly yellow and green behind her, and the entire wall of glass collapsed in on her. Then the third.

A roaring holocaust of fire swept through the remains of the headquarters.

Bud had almost tackled him, desperately trying to stop his mad run toward the flames.

"It's no use, Maximus!" Bud had screamed. "She's gone!"

He knew it was true. Caroline was gone as surely as his wife's feet had hung there in the entrance ruins of his villa. He blinked, the fumes and soot stinging his eyes. But he stared. Still he stared. He could not take his eyes from the spot where she had stood. There would be nothing left for him to bury. Not this time. And the sheer horror of watching the manner of her death was imprinted on his brain forever. He knew that. With all the death he had seen, this death would never leave him. She had been standing there, alone, looking desperately after him when her world had turned to falling, melting glass, then fire. Glass. Green glass. Sid.

He had come to NanoCorp with Terry, Bud, John, and Cort to destroy it because of Sid. Caroline was supposed to be with the other women, was supposed to be safely awaiting the helicopter at Terry's country place. She had not gone with them. For some reason she had not gone. And the whys came flooding over him again, weighted whys that were too heavy to bear, and he sank to his knees under the weight of them, there in the dew-wet grass. He was unaware that Terry had practically dragged the unwilling Cort away. Had he been capable of being aware of it, he would have agreed. Cort must get to his wife, his baby. The only thing he was aware of was the collapsed building and the utter, sudden goneness of the woman he loved.

"Maximus!"

Bud hissed the name again. "Maximus!"  This time an even more urgent tone was in his voice.

It seemed like every fire truck in the city was screeching in through the main gate. "We've got

to get out of here!"

They were dressed in black, ski masks in their pockets. They would have no explanation of why they were there. They had to leave and they must do it NOW.

Bud squatted in front of Maximus, his hands tight on the General's shoulders, his head blocking the view of the building. Maximus looked at him blankly, as though he had no idea who he were. His lip curled, baring his teeth, and he shoved Bud onto his back, moving his eyes again to the burning structure.

Bud bounced back up, eyes narrowed with determination.

"GENERAL!" he shouted. "On your feet!"

Maximus blinked, then closed his eyes, covering them with a palm. Grief ran in a solid line of pain through his core, searing, indescribable pain. His breath was coming in little gasps through his teeth.

Bud lay a hand gently on his shoulder. "Maximus," he said softly. "We'll try to come back later, all right? But now you've got to come with me." When Maximus didn't respond, Bud added,

"If you don't, Sid wins. You'll end up in prison and he'd be a happy computer chip."

At that Maximus dropped his hand. "Do you...?" His throat was so thick he could barely speak. "Do you think he survived...that?"

"I have no fucking idea," Bud said, shaking his head. "But even if he did, all his goddamn technology is gone. Every bit of it."

Maximus let an endless breath come out of his body, then rose to his feet. He didn't want to

leave Caroline. That there was nothing left of her to leave was a thought he did not wish to examine. His right hand reached out toward the building, fingers spread wide then curling slowly back to his palm.

A large unit of firefighters rounded the corner of the structure.  "Now," Bud said, giving a tug on Maximus' arm. More slowly than Bud would have preferred, Maximus finally turned and

the two men sprinted back into the shadows of the trees.

Sid had been watching their interaction from behind a large rhododendron, a satisfied grin on his face as he observed Maximus' grief. "He thinks you're toast," he purred happily, looking down at Caroline's unconscious form just behind him. She was the first person he'd taken with him in his new way of warping without mechanical help. Obviously the limited mental processes of the human brain couldn't handle it all that well and she passed completely out every time.

Too bad. She missed so much of the fun that way. At least she'd come to right at that last moment by the glass wall. He was behind her, hidden in the deep foliage of the cluster of potted trees, but had a tight grip around her neck, forcing her face against the glass. He wanted her to see her General running away from the building. He wanted Maximus to see her standing there, still inside. That was the important part. That Maximus see her standing there, see her too late to

do anything but watch her die.

And it had all happened just perfectly. He was pleased and reran his sight of Maximus grief-stricken face. A good beginning. But only just a beginning. One death would just not do the trick. Maximus had taken his Brianna from him twice, had taken his love from him two separate
times. He grinned, poking at Caroline's inert form with a polished shoe. "A love for a love, eh, my dear?" he said. "Vengeance is mine and I shall surely repay."  Only not even two deaths would suffice. Maximus must suffer more than that. All in good time. Right now the General
was experiencing the pangs of the first. That must be allowed to be felt fully, must not be interrupted too soon.

He scooped Caroline up in his arms, turning to look back at his building. He did not feel disturbed by its demise at all. It had become boring. Now he had something new to look forward to. He glanced down at Caroline's face. "And a new toy to play with." Maximus' toy. He had
timed it down to the split second, keeping her pressed against the glass until it began to shatter, until he knew her form would be obscured from the General's sight, then just as the wave of flame burst into the area, he had warped with her into the wooded edge of the campus.

She moaned, turning her head slightly as she began to rouse. "Don't bother, my sweet," he laughed, then both of them disappeared into nothingness as he warped with her again.

Bud's car was locked and he fumbled a moment, trying to find the right button to press. Maximus got in the passenger's seat, a look on his face that Bud wouldn't begin to try to describe. "We can't go to my place," Bud explained quietly, not at all sure Maximus was even hearing him. "But John arranged a safe house just for emergencies."  Damn, he thought, we never planned on an emergency quite this big, though, did we? 

Maximus didn't reply. He merely leaned his right temple against the window and closed his eyes.

Bud sighed, looking at him as he started the engine. No way could the man be left to his own devices right now. Well, he himself had no where to go. There was no one waiting for him, not like Terry and Cort had. And now he had no job and was most likely at this very moment becoming a fugitive. He smiled slightly. Interesting how it all came down the pike. You just never knew what turn your road was going to take next or who was going to be riding beside

you when you took it. Maximus Decimus Meridius, Roman General, and him, former LA cop, both ripped by Sid from their respective movies and brought into the real world. He shook his head. At least it probably wouldn't be boring.

ON TO PART 2

BACK TO LIBRISCROWE

BACK TO ENDING OF HOPE...RISING

ON TO CHAPTER 1 OF THE FAR SIDE OF EXILE (THE CORT/RACHEL STORYLINE)

ON TO CHAPTER 1 OF A SECOND BYLINE (THE TERRY/DEE STORYLINE)

BACK TO NANOCORP INDEX