Post by Max Stone on Jun 13, 2023 4:53:20 GMT
SOMEWHAT DAMAGED
“Hello, Max. I’m happy to finally see you again.”
“It’s been a very long time. Do you remember me? I’m a little older now.”
The soft voice of the woman is cast into his brain like a fishing line and hooks the memory of someone he never thought he would see again: the woman that was the first person to ever learn of the Maniacal secret that lives within Max Stone.This is Dr. Melinda Lee.
Max: Yeah, I remember you…
He starts to think about how he had full blown imaginary conversations with this woman a few months back and how his memories of her somehow merged with the anger and shame he felt from letting himself fall for the trap that led to him getting the shit beat outta him with Fred Debonair’s barbed wire baseball bat. Max ever so briefly considers telling her this but decides to go with better judgment and stop talking. Max quickly deduces that he’s here because of his Maniac situation and figures that the bit of info he almost shared could perhaps be used at a later time to be considered a “breakthrough” for when he may really need some chips to throw on the table.
Max: Dr… Lee?
Dr. Lee: Good memory! I’m really happy to see you again, Max. It’s been about 36 years since our paths last crossed and not a day has gone by where I haven’t felt absolutely terrible about how everything has gone.
Max: Why?
Dr. Lee looks into Max’s eyes. He has a lot of questions he needs answered real quick about this new situation he finds himself in and needs to start getting the array of red flags lowered but as she looks at him with sympathetic eyes, he’s blanketed with the sense that this woman is here to help him.
Dr. Lee: We all failed you. I failed you. The system failed you. Your family failed you. I fought so hard to get you real help way back then, Max. I really did but the bureaucracy of everything got in the way as it always does.
Max: So I guess you’re making up for lost time then, eh? I guess you owe me about 36 birthday cards then. Better get to writing!
Dr. Lee laughs and is surprised that he is in the mood to crack jokes. His eyes start to shift around as he’s trying to make further sense of this.
Max: So I take it that I’m in a loony bin. It doesn’t look like Manchester out this window though. I guess I have a few questions then…
Dr. Lee: This is Resnick Psychiatric Hospital. You’re home in LA.
Resnick… Resnick… Resnick… oh shit…. Max has heard about this place. He’s never been but he’s been well informed on what daily life is like here and it’s something he never thought he would be a part of in his wildest dreams. This is going to be tricky. Very tricky.
Max: What day is it?
Dr. Lee: It’s May 25th. I’ve been waiting for you to wake up. I was starting to wonder if it was going to happen. You um… “other half” has been putting up quite the fight.
Max pulls back the sleeve on his jumpsuit and looks at the little pink dot on his arm. A temporary scar that now serves as a reminder of the last memory he had before his eyes popped open moments ago. His previously calm demeanor is now becoming one of agitation and he shoots an accusatory glance towards Dr. Lee.
Max: So you drugged me in front of thousands and thousands of people and flew me over the fucking ocean all the way back here? Who put you guys up to this?
Max knows exactly who did it…
Max: It was OSH, wasn’t it?
Dr. Lee: I'm not at liberty to say who provided the information to put you here in our care but just know that so many people are rooting for you to get better, Max.
Max scoffs.
Max: We didn't get the job done for him so he casts me aside so he doesn't have to deal with me. Typical.
Dr. Lee: You're starting to sound like the other one. Are you finding yourself agreeing with him now?
Max: Don't know… He's been blocking me out.
Dr. Lee: And this is precisely why you need to be here in our care. What if you're driving and he blocks you out causing you to lose control? Just one of thousands of scenarios that show how continuing down the path you're going is very dangerous. You can't live your life as a prisoner anymore, Max. And that's why we're here to help you.
She's right. As much as he doesn't want to admit it, she's right. He's tried to keep it under his control for all these years… decades… but it's clearly failed and it was always going to lead to this. SHIT… what about the U.K. title?
Max: Hey, umm… I'm a champion right now and I've gone through a lot of shit and worked really hard to get that title. If I don't defend it, it gets taken away from me.
Dr. Lee: Max, we have to prioritize your treatment right now. You'll have another opportunity to become a champion but right now you need our help to get your life in order.
Dr. Lee looks at her watch and decides it's time to part. She stands up. Max scoffs once again as he's putting pieces together in his cloudy mind.
Max: He locks me away and then he's gonna take my title away… Maniac was right all along.
Dr. Lee: Osh is covering every penny of your treatment. I don't think I'm supposed to tell you that but I figured I would or else thoughts of getting revenge would derail your treatment. Please just focus on yourself and you will be out of here soon, okay?
Dr. Lee walks towards the room’s exit and she turns around and offers a final parting word.
Dr. Lee: Dr. Penny is a leading expert in this field and he will make this all better for you as long as you put in the work too.
She closes the door behind her and the scene fades to black.
AWAKE: DAY TWO
Patient: COME ON, YOU SHOULD HAVE BID ONE DOLLAR. YOU FUCKING IDIOT! It’s a crappy laptop!
Staff member: Alex, what have we said about language?
Alex: Ugh… FREAKING idiot.
We move further back in the room where we see Max who's trying to cut through the mental muck as he stares at playing cards on the table.
Patient: Your turn, brother.
Max looks up and sees a large black man with a smile that can’t help but spread joy to anyone who sees. This is MARIO CRATTS, a fellow patient in this ward. Max can’t remember what he was doing.
Mario: You wanna play another time?
Max: Yeah… another time.
Max moves one of the playing cards to uncover a carving in the table.
“TD WAS HERE.”
Max laughs. “Well would you look at that?”
Mario: How’s he doing, man?
Max: Who?
Mario: TD! Tyler!
Max thinks about that. The last time he remembers seeing him was during the War Games match.
Max: I think he’s OK. Seemed fine the last few times I saw him.
That all feels like a lifetime ago. Only a few weeks have passed since the War Games match but it might as well have been a year with the way Max is perceiving time and space now. What’s the world been like while he’s been locked away in here? Mario motions for Max to bring his head in closer so they can talk without the staff hearing.
Mario (whispering): You tell TD that MC said what’s up when you see him next week.
Next week? What’s next week? Max surveys the area to make sure nobody is listening.
Max: Umm… I’m not seeing him next week. I’m stuck here.
Mario: C’mon man… we already talked about this. You forget everything? I guess it's not quite uncommon for people in here.
Max: Sorry man, I don’t remember this at all.
Mario looks around some more and leans into the conversation more.
Mario: Everything’s all set. Scatman’s gonna cause the distraction and you head right into the laundry room, okay?
Max, now finding himself drained of energy, just nods his head in agreement because he wants to sleep. Whatever drugs they’ve pumped into him are really taking their effect and he’s feeling like a shell of himself.
Mario: I ain’t gonna let them scrape you, man. Nobody deserves that shit and Penny is chomping at the bit to get you in that machine. He couldn’t get Tyler so now he’s gotta make his retirement on you.
Penny… Scrape…. Machine… Scatman…. This is a lot of new information to handle at this particular moment. Max turns his attention to the game show on the TV and completely spaces out. And this is when his other half starts to re-appear like an unwanted welcome. A burst pipe. A jury duty notice in the mail. The last thing you want to deal with in a particular moment. But this time it’s different. He can see the Maniac in front of him but it’s as if he’s staring at him with open eyes in a chlorinated swimming pool. Just a blob of shape and color and his voice is just the same, squeaking out words that can’t be made out. Max turns to Mario.
Max: Can you see him?
Mario: Bro, I have no idea what the hell you’re talking about. You've been sitting here having a full blown conversation with yourself under your breath.
Max focuses on the T.V. and the scene fades to black.
AWAKE: DAY 3?
Dr. Costa: Max, we'll get to you. Hold that thought because I would like to touch upon that shortly.
The patient that had been previously speaking continues talking and the words go right in one of Max's ears and out the other. Blah blah blah blah blah……
Dr. Costa: Max, let's go back to what you said about time. Do you care to elaborate what you meant when you said that?
Max: Not really.
Behind Dr. Costa, the Maniac begins to reappear. The Maniac speaks and Max could slightly make out what he's saying but nothing discernable.
Dr. Costa: Please speak a bit louder. We can't hear what you're saying.
Shit… it's happening again. Where does Max end and the Maniac begin? Words that aren't his own spill out of his mouth seemingly out of his control.
Dr. Costa: Max, may I ask… is this your other side speaking?
The curtain is pulled back and it's as if this doc is looking straight into his soul and he hates it. An entire lifetime of trying to hide the existence of the Maniac and here he is out in the open to be used as fodder in group therapy. The Maniac morphs into a cloud of purple smoke and dissipates into the air. This is trippy shit. Dr. Costa snaps his finger to catch Max's attention.
Dr. Costa: Hey. Who's here right now?
Max looks Dr. Costa in the eyes but remains silent.
Dr. Costa: Do you know who you are?
Max: What the fuck did you just say to me?
Woah, woah woah… why did that question just cut into Max like a knife? The entire room is now staring at Max casting their aspersions. Max tries to connect the dots to arrive at the answer to why that question just triggered such an emotionally charged response. It felt like deja vu and as he tries to think about it more and more, the choppy memory fades off into the distance, further and further out of reach.
Max: I’m sorry… Time. You asked about time…
Max starts babbling away to try to cover up the little outburst he just had. He uses ten dollar words to try to sound smart and the scene fades to black.
AWAKE: ?
Mario: Your turn, Stone!
Max suddenly remembers that he’s playing a game of Uno with Mario and another patient who is nicknamed Scatman. Max doesn’t know why this guy has that nickname and he hasn’t really bothered to find out. Just another patient here working the program trying to get better. Is it working? Who knows.
Max: What’s the mind scraper?
Mario pounds his fist on the table and motions for Max to shut the hell up.
Mario (whispering): C’mon man! You can’t be saying that shit out loud.
Max (whispering): What’s the…
He looks around. Nobody’s watching.
Max (mouthing with no sound): Mind scraper?
Mario (whispering): They’re gonna sell it to you that will make all those people inside your head live in harmony. What it’s really going to do is zap away anyone in there that aint Max. I don’t know how it works but they were gonna do that shit to Tyler and luckily he got out of here before they were able.
Ah, so this must be one of the horrible things that Tyler had brought up in passing conversation about the horrors of this facility.
Mario (whispering): That’s why we gotta get you out of here. Do you remember the plan?
Something about a laundry room. Max has a feeling that his counterpart, his co-pilot, his tag team partner in his head has every detail down. His feeling is confirmed when he sees a purple cloud of smoke once more appearing in the room. Whatever these drugs are that are pumping through his system are sure making for some interesting visuals.
Max: Yeah, I got it.
Mario and Scatman are looking at him strangely.
Mario: Umm… he says to tell you he doesn’t know the plan.
Max: Who?
The Maniac’s voice echoes throughout his ear ping ponging from left to right but he still cannot understand a word he is saying.
Mario: You know, the other guy. C’mon man… we’re trying to help you here. I’d ask you to write all this down but the staff would find that real fast and put a stop to all of this and then you’re gonna end up in the machine. Work it out amongst yourselves.
The purple cloud has now changed into a thick black smoke and Max could still hear the Maniac speaking.
Max: What did he say? I can’t understand him.
Mario: …. She’s coming?
Max: Who?
Mario: I don’t know!
ELSEWHERE IN THE FACILITY
In the lobby of the hospital, a WOMAN stands at the check-in station. She has just finished writing on a clipboard and she hands it to the receptionist. Receptionist: Unfortunately our visitation is limited to fifteen minutes. Are you okay with that?
Woman: Yes.
Receptionist: Great.
A loud BEEP erupts through the room and a door opens where a staff member stands waiting.
Staff Member: Sylvia? Sylvia Stone?
The woman looks up and we see that it’s MOM.
Sylvia: Yes… that’s me.
Staff Member: Follow me and I’ll take you to your son.
Sylvia follows the staff member into the hallway.
Sylvia: Is he doing okay?
Staff Member: He is… but his treatment is just getting started.
TO BE CONTINUED