Characters:
Narrator
Drallus
Max Thornfield
Crisp
Molly
Slotter
Keane
Jimmy Kovacs
Troops

Narr: All things must end somewhere, somewhen, but no one among Max's band of companions could have guessed it would have been here. The entire front of the White House had been reduced to rubble around them; the wreckage of their space converted San Francisco trolley lay nearby, finally damaged beyond reparability. Max and the Flashpack huddled behind a makeshift barricade comprised of chunks of the huge marble columns that once made up the building's facade. Drallus stalked towards them, stepping off her Battlenova's boarding ramp gleefully.

Drallus: Give it up, Thornfield! You and your 'Bratpack' don't stand a chance. I'm not going to lower the field until I am the undisputed ruler of this pathetic planet. Tell you what, if you come out now, I promise to take less than a week to kill you. Deal?

Max: (voice low) This is it guys, this is the final reckoning.

Crisp: Max, we're never going to make it...

Max: Don't say that, Crisp! The Flashpack never gives up. Now, Molly?

Molly: Yeah.

Max: Take Crisp, take Slotter and Keane, and get inside to Jimmy.

Keane: We can't leave you alone!

Max: We all know Drallus is obsessed with me. Me staying to face her is the only way you'll have enough time to get Jimmy into the tubes. Besides, I've always got the spell pouch. I can defeat her.

Slotter: That might not work on her, you heard Alyssa when she gave it to you! She'll kill you! You remember what happened in Baltimore; you nearly got cut in half!

Max: Look, the troops are going be on us any minute, so if we're going to save the country, you've got to go now.

Molly: Max-

Max: Go!

Molly: Max... I love you!

Narr: Before the shock could even reach Max's brain, Molly grabbed his head and pulled him in for a kiss. She held his lips to hers for a good ten seconds before breaking away.

Molly: I know, we don't have time for this, but I needed to tell you. I miss Julie just as much as you do, maybe more, but this might be the last time I ever see you, and I wanted you to know that I love you. Losing you would feel like losing an entire army's worth of people. Now, let's move out- we've got a President to save.

Narr: Molly led the 'pack off before Max could say a word, and as they moved out, Max realized what he needed to do. He sprung to his feet, holding his blaster high over his head.

Max: Drallus! Drallus, I'm here! If you want me, I'm right here. Come and get me.

Narr: Drallus approached her nemesis, as her troops moved into position surrounding him, leveling their own weapons at his head.

Drallus: Ah, Thornfield, how good to see you. I must say, I am disappointed that you're not going to put up a fight. You'll understand if I have my troops take your weapon?

Max: Of course.

Drallus: Do it. And search him.

Troop: Yes, mistress.

Max: Watch those hands, fellas.

Drallus: Oh, please, they're the least of your concerns now. I assume your little followers are off to help president Kovacs, no? And you stayed behind to distract us?

Max: That's what I told them, of course. They'll be taking him to the tubes, send your troops to the Jefferson memorial, and you'll be able to intercept. We'll have them in no time. They don't suspect a thing.

Drallus: What? What are you talking about, don't suspect a thing?

Max: The plan. The deal we made.

Drallus: D... deal?

Max: Back in El Paso, six months ago? Tell your troops to check around my neck.

Drallus: Yes, yes, do it.

Troop: Here, mistress.

Narr: The corner of Max's mouth crooked upwards as the troop's cold metal gauntlet brushed his shoulder blade, lifting the locket off his neck. Drallus' eyes grew wide.

Drallus: My... my locket... where did you get that?

Max: I tore it off of Dex's dead body. No one gets to have you but me. That was our deal.

Drallus: But you never said-

Max: We were interrupted. I was "rescued". I had to play along. How else could I get us this close? But we need to move fast, if we want to catch them.

Drallus: Take a regiment, collect them. Now!

Troops: Yes, mistress!

Drallus: You won't be offended if I don't just trust you implicitly, will you?

Max: Why would you? I wouldn't trust you.

Drallus: That's probably for the best. I've been dying to tear your throat out for some time now. I wouldn't put it past me.

Max: I'm at your mercy now. In fifteen minutes your field will start crushing the entire planet. Why would I want to stand in the way of the one person who could stop that?

Drallus: Why indeed? I've asked myself that same question many times.

Max: Drallus, I was playing along. "Get inside, get Kovacs' trust,"-- you said that to me.

Drallus: Then let's just say all these guns trained on you are your reward for an impressive acting job. Besides... (seductive) if you're telling the truth, they'll be rewards enough to more than make up for any inconvenience you might suffer in the immediate future. Trust me.

Drallus: I can't wait.

Troop: Mistress! We've got the Flashpack and Kovacs trapped in the Jefferson Monument.

Drallus: Excellent! Perhaps you were being honest with me... nothing would please me more... not even disemboweling you.

Narr: Drallus slipped the locket back over Max's head, tucked it into his shirt, and patted him on the chest. Over in the monument, Molly and the 'pack had come up from the tubes to find blasters already firing at them. Now, they found themselves pinned behind the various pillars encircling the founder's statue, doing their best to evade fire. The young President crouched near Jefferson's feet, and looked up at him.

Jimmy: I bet this sort of thing never happened when I was you.

Crisp: How the hell did they find us? How did they know where we'd come out?

Molly: I have no idea!

Keane: What are we going to do? How can we get out of here?

Molly: Do I look like I know what we can do? The Washington Monument tube was destroyed when they toppled the obelisk. This is as far as we can go.

Slotter: So this is it? Our last stand?

Molly: I... It might be. I'm sorry, Mr. President, we let you down.

Jimmy: No, you didn't Molly, don't be... you didn't. You did everything you could, so did Max. If this is it, if this is where it ends... then there was nothing anyone else could have done.

Molly: If this is it... we've got to take it all the way. We've got to take as many of them down with us as we can, take down this entire city if possible. We can't give up, we can't lay down arms, no matter what; and I know Max would say the same thing if he were here right now.

Crisp: Agreed.

Slotter: I'm in.

Max: (over a loudspeaker) Molly! Molly, you've got to give up!

Jimmy: Um. Ok, that was weird.

Max: All of you. Lay down your weapons and just come out. It's the only way. Bring out Jimmy, and come out with your hands up.

Slotter: What do we do? Should we listen?

Crisp: Why would Max want us to give up? Is it a trick?

Keane: He can't mean it. He wouldn't give up, it's not like him...

Slotter: So we just keep fighting?

Molly: No. Max is our leader. We're his team, his support. If he says to come out, we do it. He knows that. He wouldn't ask us to do it if he didn't expect us to listen. We've got to go out. Let's go.

Narr: Slowly, hesitantly, the Flashpack laid down their weapons and headed out of the building. Two of Drallus' troops held Max by the arms, guns both to his head. Drallus stood nearby, all arrogance and smirking.

Drallus: Thank you for your cooperation, girl. I'm sure your leader is touched to see how much he means to you. If you like him to continue respirating, I would suggest getting down onto the ground. Thank you.

Narr: Molly, Crisp, Slotter, Keane, and Jimmy all got onto the ground, lying down on the steps of the great domed building. Once they were in place, the troops released Max, and shoved him towards Drallus. He smirked at his compatriots and rolled his eyes.

Max: Thank you ever so much for being so very loyal to me. Too bad I didn't bother to return the favor.

Drallus: It seems, 'Mr. President', that your trusted fighter here was really only looking to save his own skin.

Max: Sorry, Jimmy. I've been working for Drallus since she captured me back in El Paso. She offered me a better deal.

Narr: Max slipped his arms around Drallus' waist and pulled her body up against his, ducking his head down to kiss her passionately. Her fingers writhed through his hair, rumpling it up, as Molly clenched her eyes tight. When the kiss ended, Drallus straightened up and wiped her mouth. She took a device off her belt and held it up, speaking into it.

Drallus: Pause field. I wouldn't want to accidentally let us all get crushed while I'm relishing my victory, would I? Mmm... Yes, it seems Mr. Thornfield here would rather rule by my side than serve under the devil he knows. I can't say I blame him- choosing a gorgeous interstellar warlord over a pimply presidential wanna-be. All that remains, of course, is for him to prove his loyalty by killing you all. Sounds like fun, no?

Max: My pleasure.

Drallus: Oh, yes, except you, Keane. Get up.

Keane: Thank you, Mistress.

Drallus: Keane's been working for me, darling, sneaky little turncoat that he is. But Keane... you told me Thornfield was still a loyalist.

Keane: I thought he was... Max, I... I kept trying test you, check your loyalties, but you never even remotely let on that-

Max: Did you want me to advertise? A lot of good that would have done the Mistress! There's a reason you're not leading any important missions Keane.

Keane: But I-

Drallus: Keane! Respect your betters.

Keane: Yes, mistress.

Drallus: And now, without further delay... the executions. Guards? Keep Max honest, won't you?

Troop: Yes, mistress.

Narr: Drallus took a pistol from the nearest guard and held it out to Max, barrel facing him. As he took it, half the troops present trained their sights on him. He smirked and grasped the gun by the handle, his finger on the trigger, and walked towards his teammates. He stopped before them, towering over Crisp, who was lying on his stomach. He aimed the gun at Crisp's head, and paused. He reached into his shirt and pulled Drallus' locket off his neck, holding it over my head.

Max: I swear allegiance on this locket to my beloved mistress, and I pledge to destroy all her enemies from this day forth, so help me God!

Drallus: Well said! Now... kill them!

Max: (softly) I'm sorry, Crisp.

Crisp: (softly) It's no problem. I understand.

Narr: Rather than pulling the trigger, Max brought down the locket towards Crisp's head. Drallus' eyebrow rose, but even she was unable to notice Max's minor glamour vanishing, transforming the locket into the spell pouch it really was. As the pouch struck Crisp on the back of the head, a flash began inside his body and grew, enveloping the entire area, all of Washington, and most of the world. When the light faded, and everyone's vision returned, Crisp was gone... as was every single member of Drallus' army. Their unheld weapons and empty armor clattered to the ground all around them.

Drallus: What... what's going...

Narr: Max spun on his heels and shot Keane in the head with the pistol, and turned to face Drallus as the traitor's groaning body collapsed an empty corpse. Drallus' eyes were wider than Max had ever seen them, even when they were children. Drallus fumbled for the field control device, and Max fired the pistol again, shooting her hand and the device out of existence.

Max: It's over, Drallus. You're finished.

Drallus: What... what did you do?

Max: Just a little spell Alyssa gave me. Takes a person completely out of existence. I had thought to use it on you in case of our defeat. At least free the Earth from you specifically, if not your empire. Then I remembered that our good friend Crisp and all your troops were the exact same person. So I used it on them.

Drallus: You can't defeat me that easily. The field is-

Max: You stopped the field.

Drallus: But it's still surrounding the planet. Without me, you can't remove it; you'll be trapped here on Earth forever!

Max: Eh. We'll be ok. I'm sure we'll figure a way out someday. Until then, at least we're safe from dictators like you.

Drallus: Max, no, wait! We've... we've been through so much together, please!

Max: Mr. President- what's the punishment for treason in this country?

Jimmy: The... Death Penalty?

Max: That's what I thought.

Narr: Max twitched his trigger finger one last time and removed Drallus from the world of the living. The others were slowly getting up from the ground. Max's shoulders slumped and he threw the pistol down on the ground. He closed his eyes and listened to the momentary silence. The others slowly gathered around, looking down at what was left of their great enemy.

Slotter: Keane was on her side the whole time?

Max: Who knows when he turned. It could have been any time. But some things he did are starting to make more sense now.

Jimmy: I'm sure the other Founding Fathers greatly appreciate what you've done here today, Max. You've saved your country and your entire world.

Max: Not me. All of us. Molly, Slotter... Crisp... poor Crisp. And all the others along the way. Alyssa. Stelloff. Furtrace. All the catmen. And Julie. None of us will ever forget Julie.

Jimmy: But regardless, without you-

Max: Without me, you still would have found a way, Ji- ...Mr. President. Now that Drallus is gone, you can take your rightful place as the leader of your country, sitting at the head of the free world.

Jimmy: Gosh... well, thank you. Thank you very much. I'd be honored if you would serve as my-

Max: No, no, thank you. I'm done; I just want to... relax. There are things I've been putting off for too long.

Jimmy: Well, you know how an occupying army seems to eat up all your time.

Max: Yes, sir. If you could excuse me for a second...

Jimmy: Oh, uh... sure.

Narr: Max looked around and then headed up the stairs into the Jefferson Memorial, where Molly had slipped off to. She stood below Jefferson, gazing up at him, and max joined her, his arm brushing up against hers.

Max: Hi, there.

Molly: Hi.

Max: I just, uh, wanted to say.

Molly: Yeah.

Max: I, uh.... I love you too.

Narr: The duo stood looking at Jefferson for a minute more, before a smile slowly crept across Molly's lips. They turned to face one another, and fell into each other's arms, their lips coming together again, in the kiss that began the rest of their lives. The End.