Max Rider was definitely not having one of his better days. Yesterday he'd been a time agent, a hero, a poster boy for the peace keeping forces that kept the universal timeline intact. Today he was a presumed traitor, a disavowed agent, and best of all the soon to be victim of a pissed-off avian arms dealer.

He winced as he heard the sound of a storage container exploding. Judging by the volume, the former metal shed was about fifty yards away from the structure Max was currently hiding behind. Ritvik must have really lost his temper if he was bringing out the big guns. Not that Max hadn't known that already. Jumping through a temporary rift in time and space was something only a desperate or crazy man would do. Max, facing the business ends of 2 dozen sonic weapons, had been the former. Ritvik clearly had been the latter. Another explosion, this one much closer, served to emphasize that point.

"Max Rider!! Will you not face me, coward! I will have my vengeance for your abuse of my hospitality!" Max couldn't believe that this was how he was going to die, listening to the cliché rant of a madman. Well, at least he could spare himself the ravings. Max hit a button on his wrist strap blocking all com signals within a two mile radius. Now Ritvik could threaten all he wanted. Without the incoming waves to Max's translator, Ritvik's speech sounded like nothing more than the cooing of a New New New New New Earth dove/pigeon or digeon. It wasn't a noise that struck fear into the heart of anyone. Max would have even called the noise funny if he didn't remember that A) he was unarmed with no way to escape and B) Ritvik was carrying a weapon that could break him down into sub particles. Another container exploded, less than five yards away. It was such a crazy thing, for Max to die here, at the hands of a two-bit thug, in an unknown place and time, with a name he'd worn less than a week.

"Hey Big Bird! Why don't you put that thing down before you put someone's eye out?"

Max's hope immediately flared up within him. A third party might distract Ritvik for just long enough for Max to escape. The bay was only about a hundred behind him, but given he had no clue what century he was in or planet he was on, Max didn't want to risk it being toxic. Even if the water was unpolluted it wasn't like he'd be able to hold his breath underwater indefinitely. That left making a break for the city. When the next blast came, Max was ready, sprinting toward the distant lights for all he was worth. A brief thought of the other man passed through his mind. He pushed it aside. No time to regret the causalities while the battle was still underway. He'd almost made it to the parking lot when he heard a rapid succession of cooing close behind him.

Max froze and slowly turned around expecting an angry man-bird to be the last thing he'd ever see. He saw Ritvik alright, but it was the strangest thing, the homicidal maniac was looking at Max in utter terror and disbelief. Max was completely confused at Ritvik's sudden emotional change. Max was still unarmed and the man-bird was still holding an ultra powerful gun, not to mention the arsenal he kept strapped to his chest at all times. Surely it would only be a matter of seconds before the inter-galactic arms-dealer realized this and Max became atomic mist. At that moment Max heard a screech of car tires behind him.

"Hey beaky, you like guns? Try these on for size mate!" Max hit the floor at the same time Ritvik realized it was time to take off. Literally. The avian bent his knees and shot up into the night sky, barely escaping the bullets that followed him like a trail of angry bees. When Max turned to face his trigger-happy rescuer, he found himself looking into a pair of dark angry eyes that seemed to be focusing a fury of biblical proportion at him. He wasn't sure if he'd rather deal with Ritvik's specially adapted bazooka.

"What are you waiting for, an invitation?! Get in the bloody car NOW!!"