Max Arena (4 page)

‘She didn’t
abandon me,’ Max said quietly. ‘She left to protect me.’

‘Your mother
was a coward! She abandoned you just as she abandoned the rest of
her family as I slew them to gain the throne.’ Max stayed silent as
he slid his gaze back to the creature. ‘That is why she earned a
slow death.’

Max’s attention
finally piqued. His eyes narrowed.

‘Yes, your
mother is dead,’ the creature carried on, his tone low and cold. ‘I
slit her throat myself, but not before I bled her. As a queen, she
would normally receive a noble death, but as a coward, she received
only pain.’

Max held
silent, but even from behind, Elsa could see his jaw muscles
bunching as he gritted his teeth like a steel vice.

‘So, that
leaves only you,’ the alien continued, ‘and what are you? What sort
of half-breed has your mother spawned?’

Max’s clenched
fists began to tremble.

‘It matters
not,’ the creature added derisively. ‘Your mother is dead and you
are the only one left with royal blood to challenge me. I wonder,
are you a coward too? I suspect so, but we must find out the truth
to end this affair.’

Max refused to
speak. He was now sizing up the large alien standing behind the
hologram that was controlling it.

‘Your silence
proves your weakness,’ the creature pushed. ‘Now, let me outline
the very last chance you are going to get to keep your life. In six
months time, exactly, I expect you to enter an arena of your choice
on this planet and compete in three duels against my three greatest
champions. If you are victorious in all three duels, which are to
the death, then you will keep your life and I and my army will
depart, forever. However, if you fall in the arena, then not only
will you die and your puerile bloodline come to an end, but I will
kill every living being on this forsaken planet of yours’ just to
ensure all evidence of you and your family is gone forever. Do you
understand?’

Max held his
tongue and his ground, his granite stare fixed on the holographic
creature.

‘Still silent?
So be it. I’ve said all I need. Go and prepare in whatever way
seems fit. Train or cower, I care not, but be assured that your
slaughter is inevitable. You and your race are doomed to die in six
months. That is all you need to know.”

‘There is only
one thing I know,’ Max said, taking a single step toward the
hologram.

‘And what is
that little half breed?’ the monster sneered back, it’s gleaming,
white teeth bared to the gums.

‘If you want me
to die, you better come down here and do it yourself because your
army isn’t big enough.’

‘Yes, I can see
you do have some skill,’ the creature said, glancing around at the
scattered bodies of his soldiers on the footpath, ‘but a skirmish
with my footmen is nothing compared to the adversaries you will
face in the arena. I should imagine you won’t even get past the
first duel let alone make the third, but I do believe in mercy and
giving you this fighting chance to stay alive is the least I can do
for you. Now, I have to go and broadcast to your entire world my
intentions and their imminent deaths. I expect the next few hours
on your planet will be quite interesting.’

‘There is
one
more thing I know,’ Max said, carefully taking two more
strides forward to position himself almost face to face with the
hologram.

‘What?’ the
creature asked.

‘You talk too
much,’ Max said and then in a blur, launched a driving punch that
penetrated straight through the hologram and smashed into the
bridge of the nose of the towering alien behind the image. The
creature fell backwards onto the footpath and Max followed it down.
Grabbing its throat, he crashed a flurry of blows into the side of
its head, the last contact producing a sickening squelch. Max let
the limp body fall to the footpath. Looking up, he saw that none of
the other alien soldiers, which now numbered well over a hundred,
had moved to help. Clearly he was now off limits. His destiny had
been laid out and not one of these alien soldiers dared to defy
their leader’s orders.

Max took a deep
breath and turned back to his wife and children who were still
huddled deep in the arch.

‘We’re done
here,’ he said. ‘These blokes aren’t going to touch me. Might as
well go inside, pack up and wait and see what happens next.’

The sound of
helicopter blades chopping through the early morning air drifted
over the street. Max ignored them and helped Elsa, Jason and Millie
to their feet. Walking back up the path to their apartment, Millie
asked, ‘Daddy, why don’t you have any pants on?’

Max smiled.
That was all the proof he needed that at least he was still alive,
for now.

11:28am. 1st July. Canberra, Australia (the next
morning). A New Friend

The Dysons
disembarked the Holden Caprice limousine onto the driveway of the
Prime Minister’s Lodge in Canberra and straight into a heavily
armed contingent of soldiers. Elsa instinctively huddled the kids
into her legs, while Max scanned the vicinity, noting that a
significant number of extra soldiers patrolled the grounds around
the stately building. It was now late morning in the Australian
Capital Territory after they had all been whisked away from the
Sunshine Coast in the Prime Minister’s private jet and the whole
family was well and truly in unknown waters.

The three black
Land Cruisers that had accompanied the limousine from the airport
now spewed out another armed detail. These men weren’t dressed like
soldiers, but instead were clad in jeans, polo shirts and black
spray jackets. They moved with quiet purpose and rarely spoke
directly to each other, instead using ear pieces and wrist
microphones. Right now their hand guns nestled discretely beneath
their jackets, but Max knew they could come out any time, fluidly
and lethally. These were no mere soldiers. They were trained
killers.

The apparent
leader of the detail walked over to them. He was tall and while not
hugely built, he definitely had a strong physical prowess about
him. His keen, dark eyes never stopped moving. Nothing missed his
gaze.

‘Come with me,
please?’ he said quietly, but clearly.

Max turned and
waited for Elsa to nod that she was ready and then he led them into
the grand, old building behind the leader of the team. They went
through a procession of antique furnished state rooms and hallways
until they emerged into a room with only a single, elderly male
occupant. The man rose as they entered.

‘Thank you,
Peter,’ the man said, his voice matching all the media clips Max
had ever heard or seen of him.

The leader of
the security detail nodded and silently slipped back out the door
they had come through, closing it as he did. The elderly man
motioned for Max, Elsa and the kids to come and sit with him on the
over sized, leather buttoned plushly sofa and chairs clustered
generously around the fireplace. As they approached, he held out
his hand and after giving it a hesitating glance, Max accepted it
and immediately noted the surprising strength in the older man’s
grip.

‘Good morning,
Mister Dyson,’ the man said. ‘I’m Joseph Tollsen and thank you for
coming.’

‘Good morning
to you, Mister Prime Minister,’ Max replied, releasing the man’s
hand and stepping aside to reveal Elsa and the kids. ‘This is my
wife Elsa and Millie and Jason.’

The Prime
Minister gently shook Elsa’s hand and then squatted down to eye
level with the kids, his movements also more firm and agile than
one would expect of a senior citizen. Max squinted at him, mentally
locking the detail away.

‘Good morning
to you both,’ Prime Minister Tollsen said to the kids. ‘Would you
like some morning tea?’

Silence
returned as Millie and Jason shied deeper into their mother’s
legs.

‘You can have
anything you want,’ the Prime Minister added, ‘if it’s okay with
Mum and Dad that is?’

The Prime
Minister looked up to see Elsa shrugging and nodding.

‘Can we have
ice cream?’ Millie asked timidly.

The Prime
Minister smiled. ‘Of course you can. What flavour?’

‘Chocolate!’
Jason suddenly called out, his eyes as wide and as bright as
sunflowers.

‘Chocolate it
is,’ Prime Minister Tollsen said. Pulling a mobile phone out of his
pocket, he pressed a button to place the order through to the
kitchen. ‘Anything for mum and dad?’ he asked.

‘English
Breakfast tea?’ Elsa asked.

‘Of course,’
the Prime Minister replied. ‘Max?’

‘I could
actually do with something to eat.’

‘Sandwiches?
Burger?’

‘Sandwiches.
Whatever you’ve got.’

The Prime
Minister nodded and placed another order for tea and roast beef
sandwiches. Then, putting the phone away, he motioned for them all
to sit with him around the fireplace.

‘Please, come
and sit down,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry I don’t have anything for the
kids to play with. Not having a family of my own, I don’t have a
stash of toys at hand. They’re welcome to watch television next
door if that’s okay?’

‘We came
prepared,’ Elsa said as Max unslung the backpack he carried on his
shoulder. Elsa zipped it open and pulled out a couple of
children’s’ books and packs of cards. ‘Why don’t you two go and sit
over there on the floor while mummy and daddy talk to the nice
man?’

Millie turned
to Elsa and asked, ‘Is he the Prime Minister of Australia?’

‘Yes, he is,
darling,’ Elsa replied smiling and shooting a quick glance at the
Prime Minister who winked back.

Millie then
grabbed her brother’s hand and marched them both across to stand in
front of the Prime Minister’s chair where she said, ‘You have a
very nice house, Mister Prime Minister.’

The man smiled
warmly in return and leaned forward to say, ‘Thank you, Millie. You
have very nice manners and it’s a pleasure to have you and your
brother here. If you need anything, please ask. I’m sure we can
sort anything out.’

Millie nodded
and dragged Jason away with her to sit off to the side on the
richly carpeted floor. Elsa took the books and cards over and
Millie promptly opened one of the books and began to read to
Jason.

Elsa sat back
down again, next to Max on the couch and the two of them looked
expectantly at their host. The up close position gave Max the
opportunity to take in even more detail in the Prime Minister’s
appearance. He was not a young man. The creases around the corners
of his eyes and across his forehead betrayed both his twilight age
and a life likely spent in relentless worry. Fortunately, he had
managed to retain a full head of thick, fulsome hair, but it was
completely grey.

However, there
were some clear signs that despite his advanced years, the Prime
Minister of Australia was still as self aware as any younger man.
His appearance was neat and trim, his cotton trousers pressed
perfectly and his long sleeve shirt fitted to his frame like a
glove with a pair of what looked like gold nugget cuff links
adorning the finish. His crossed legs allowed him to show off a
pair of gleaming, burgundy dress shoes that completed the ensemble,
but it was his eyes. Within the confines of his older face, the
Prime Minister’s eyes shone clear and sharp, like a panther’s eyes
in the thick darkness of the jungle. This was not a dull witted man
and now Max understood how both his movements and strength of grip
were superior to his outward, elderly appearance. The Prime
Minister had grown old before his time. The office had dragged him
down, but not burned him out.

‘Sixty-eight,’
Prime Minister Tollsen said, locking his gaze onto Max’s. ‘I’m
sixty-eight years of age, which doesn’t make me the oldest elected
Prime Minister in history, but it does put me in third place for
the honour.’

‘You move well
for your age,’ Max returned.

‘Max!’ Elsa
hissed, slapping her husband on the thigh.

The Prime
Minister smiled and waved his hand. ‘The observation is fair, Elsa
and besides, I accept the flattery. I may look like an old man, but
I assure you, up here where it counts, ‘he tapped the side of his
head, ‘I can still keep up with the youngest of my colleagues and
adversaries.’

Max nodded, his
gaze still locked onto the Prime Minister’s sparkling eyes. Next to
Max, Elsa silently preened out some offending creases in her
skirt.

‘I must also
add,’ the Prime Minister started again before the silence pushed
through into discomfort, ‘is that you have two beautiful children.’
Elsa lifted her gaze and smiled. ‘I’ve always considered the manner
of children in unfamiliar places to be a fair reflection of their
parents’ manners and your children have passed the test with
impeccable marks.’

‘Thank you,
sir,’ Elsa said. ‘That’s a nice thing to say.’

‘Please, Elsa,
you may dispense with the “sir”,’ the Prime Minister said, waving
again. ‘Call me Joe. That’s what my friends call me and that’s
precisely what I am hoping we can be?’

‘With all due
respect, Joe,’ Max chimed in, ‘since your boys smashed their way
into our apartment in the middle of the night, none of this has
felt like an offer of friendship. It feels more like a kidnap.’

‘And for that I
must apologise. Unfortunately, as I’m sure you can appreciate,
these unusual circumstances have driven me to make some aggressive
plans. However, what I can assure you of is that the guns that have
confronted and surrounded you are for your protection. You are not
in custody here. You are free to leave any time if you wish, but as
I said, I do genuinely want us to be friends and before you dismiss
that offer, please hear me out?’

Elsa turned to
look at Max and said, ‘Well, we don’t have a holiday to go back to,
so we might as well sit and listen?’