Awakened: The Story of Maxwell Cain

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Reunited

The three of them dumped the hummer long before they found a motel, just in case there was some kind of tracking system built into the vehicle.  Knowing the Tinkerer, there probably was.  They entered their room and collapsed into their beds.  Though exhausted, Max was still nervously excited about the following night.  In less than a day, their quest would be over and they could go home with Damon.  The thought of everything being over was better than counting sheep, and soon all three of them had fallen asleep.

They woke up around noon and jumped into a cab.  Their plan was to case out the place before that night.  Chloe gave the driver the address that Pierre had given them, and off they went.  After a short drive, the cab arrived at the distribution center.  It was a towering glass building, rising one hundred stories into the air.  On the side of the building in giant red letters were the words ‘Cain Corporation,’ with a familiar eagle perched on the end of it.

Max stared at the overwhelming sight when the driver pulled up to the curb.  All three quickly got out, paid the driver, and began walking with the other pedestrians on the sidewalk to blend in.  While walking, Max noticed a large warehouse attached to the building, with 18 wheelers connected to each dock door.  On the other side of the building was a large parking garage for all the employees who worked there.  They kept walking down the sidewalk to the parking garage and decided to start investigating there.  On the first floor of the garage there was an average lot filled with hundreds of employee’s cars.  On the far end of the garage they saw an arrow pointing out the entrance of the building, with a sign stating “Entrance to Subway Inside”.

They looked at each other in agreement, then slowly turned and left the garage.  Just a few blocks down, Max saw the regular street entrance to the subway.  They walked into a normal, dirty subway entrance, and immediately found the subway map on the wall at the bottom of the stairs.  Chloe quickly scanned the map and found what they were looking for.  The subway went directly into the Cain Corporation complex, probably to the first floor.  Normal train hours ended at 6:00 P.M., but the track could be followed until arriving at the bottom of the tower.

They went back to the motel to start going over their plans.  Chloe assumed the holding cells were somewhere near the basement, which was good, since the subway probably went there too.  They could go through the entrance, down to the holding cells, grab Damon, and leave the same way they entered.  Of course, it never went as planned, but they felt better having some plan.  Max secretly had his own plan in mind.  He figured his dad was being held captive there as well.  While Chloe and Will were occupied with extracting Damon, he would use his key to get to his father and kill him.

The idea of getting back at his father was the most satisfying thought he had at the moment, and he held on to that to calm his nerves.

After a little while, Chloe noticed the ring on Max’s finger as he was playing with it.  “What’s that?  You didn’t have that before, did you?”

Max looked up, not even realizing he was fiddling with it.  “Pierre gave it to me.  When the ring is activated, it absorbs all my magic.”

Will jumped up.  “And why do you still have it?  Who knows what that man gave you!”

Max replied, “Calm down, Will.  I don’t sense any magic within the ring right now.  I don’t know why, but I trust him on this one.  He may be a self-preserving animal, but he was telling the truth.”

Will shrugged.  “Whatever you say, man.  Let’s just hope it doesn’t activate when we really need your magic.”

Max couldn’t argue with his reasoning.  Pierre was not to be trusted.  Something about this ring was difficult to throw away, and he had decided to keep it with him.