A stunned silence met him from the other end. Then, Bucky's voice, low and strained. "Triplets? Anastasia? Max, are you serious?""Dead serious," Max confirmed, glancing at Ronald, who hadn't moved a muscle. "Just get here. And be discreet. No one can know about this.""On my way," Bucky said, the line going dead.Max turned back to Ronald, who was still kneeling, completely unresponsive. "Ronald? Can you hear me? We have to clean this up. We have to protect you."No answer. It was like talking to a ghost.Max looked around the garage. The blood on the floor, the overturned tools, the general chaos of a brutal fight. This wasn't going to be easy. He pulled out a rag from a toolbox and started wiping down the most obvious bloodstains, his mind racing.About twenty minutes later, Bucky’s beat-up van pulled up silently to the garage door. He entered cautiously, his eyes scanning the scene. He stopped short when he saw Bobby. His face, usually a mask of cynical amusement, was now pale and

"Trisha?" Max whispered, his heart pounding.Her eyes slowly, painfully, opened. They were a beautiful shade of blue, just as he remembered, but something was off. They seemed… distant. Cold. They didn't focus on Max or Luna immediately. Instead, they swept across the room, as if assessing her surroundings."Trisha? Can you hear me?" Max asked, his voice thick with emotion. He leaned in, a wave of relief washing over him. "It's Max. You're awake! Oh, thank God."He moved to hug her, but she flinched, pulling her hand away from his. Her gaze finally settled on him, and it wasn't the loving, warm look he expected. It was sharp, almost critical."Max," she said, her voice a dry whisper, raspy from disuse. "Always rushing in. Always making a mess."Max froze, his half-formed hug suspended in the air. Luna, who had been about to embrace Trisha, also stopped. The air in the room suddenly felt heavy."Trisha, what are you talking about?" Max asked, trying to laugh it off. "You've been in a c

The hospital corridor was a blur of muted colors and hushed footsteps as Max and Luna practically ran, their minds reeling from the encounter with Trisha. They burst into Kael’s hidden lab, a place usually filled with the quiet hum of advanced technology, now a sanctuary for their panicked thoughts. Kael was already there, hunched over a console, his face illuminated by the glow of multiple screens."Kael! It's Trisha!" Max blurted out, his voice hoarse. "She's awake, but… she's not Trisha."Luna nodded, her eyes wide with fear. "It's like the Bishop, Kael. The way she spoke, the things she said. It was cold, cutting. And she knew about Ronald, about Bobby."Kael turned, his expression grim. "I know. My sensors have been screaming for hours. The energy signature coming from her… it’s immense. And it’s not just Trisha’s." He gestured to a large, complex device in the center of the room, a shimmering array of crystals and pulsating lights. "I've been setting this up. It's a specialized

The threat was clear. Anastasia wasn't just after Ronald; she was prepared to eliminate anyone who tried to protect him. Max felt a surge of cold fury. He wouldn't let her. He couldn't."We'll find a way," Max vowed, his voice firm, meeting Anastasia's gaze with his own. "We always do."Kael began typing furiously on his console, pulling up ancient texts and complex energy schematics. "I'll need to develop a counter-frequency, something that can disrupt Anastasia's hold without damaging Trisha's essence. It will take time. And it will require a stable environment, away from the hospital.""We'll get her out of here," Max stated. "We'll tell the doctors she needs specialized care, a different facility. We'll make it happen.""And Ronald?" Luna asked, her voice laced with worry. "Does he know about this? About Bobby? About Anastasia?"Max shook his head. "He's still… shut down. Catatonic. He barely speaks. He wouldn't believe us even if we told him. And right now, it might be safer if h

The air in the living room crackled with a terrifying silence as the heavy chandelier groaned, its chains straining above Ronald's head. Anastasia, through Trisha, watched him with eyes that held centuries of cold hatred. Ronald screamed, a raw, desperate sound, trying to scramble away, but his terror had rooted him to the spot."No! Please! I'm sorry!" he shrieked, tears streaming down his face. "Bobby! Anastasia! I'm sorry!"Max didn't hesitate. He saw the final link about to snap, the glint of metal stretching thin. "Sarai! Nathan! Now!"In a blur of motion, Sarai and Nathan burst into the room from the hallway, having been positioned just outside. Sarai, with surprising speed, tackled Ronald, pushing him hard out of the armchair and rolling him away just as the chandelier gave a final, ear-splitting shriek of metal. With a thunderous crash, it plummeted, smashing into a thousand glittering pieces exactly where Ronald's head had been moments before. Dust and plaster rained down.An