"Tell us everything that happened or you are going to jail." Maximus slowly awoke from what felt like a year-long sleep. His head was a spinning top and his brain like scrambled eggs. "Mr. Monolith! I said, tell us everything that happened or you're going to jail!" Max looked up at two uniformed men, appearing to be officers. "Who the hell are you two?" Maximus demanded. "It doesn't matter. Just answer our questions or you'll be in the slammer." the officers barked back. Max glanced at the both of their name tags. One, the smaller of the two, read "Officer Ryder" and the other's read "Officer Bruno".

Max surveyed the room, looking for anything that might reveal where he was. The only things he could identify were stone walls, ceiling, and floor and a large steel door. He was sitting behind a table and across from him stood officer Ryder and Bruno. He asked the two "Where am I and why am I here?" "Answer our questions and we'll tell you where we are." Ryder replied. "When we showed up to your father's home, you were standing above seven dead bodies, including your father's." Bruno pointed to a tranquilizer gun. "You refused to go with us and started attacking officers, so we had to tranquilize you to get you here." Max was stunned. Did he kill all seven people, including his dad?  "So, I repeat for a third time, tell us everything that happened or you're going to be locked up."

Max tried to tell them what had happened. He told them everything he could recall. He remembered early in the morning coming off the plane feeling enthusiastic for Christmas, wearing his black jeans, dark boots, and his black puffer vest his dad bought him.  Max had finally gotten time off from the army, and he couldn't wait to see his dad. He only had his father, and he would do anything to keep him safe.  Christmas was always Max's favorite time of year. When he was younger, his grandparents used to come over and they would have a Christmas Day party. The party stopped mostly after his mother and all four of his grandparents passed away.

Claire Monolith, Max's mother, loved him and his father Buster very much. They all had a close relationship, but Maximus and his mom had an unbreakable bond. She would always help him with his homework, pick him up from school, and cheer him up when things were difficult. She cherished the holidays and she was fond of family time. Max was only thirteen years old when she died from a surprise heart attack. Her death devastated Max, and he almost couldn't accept it. He was twenty-seven now, so he has been able to cope with it. Every day he reminds himself of what she told him: if you plan before you act, you will get better results. The only thing he has of her besides photos is her watch. It was just a simple silver watch with a white face. It wasn't an amazing or expensive wristwatch, but it was priceless to Max. He wore it every day and everywhere, whether to the store to get ice cream or on the battlefield. It was his most prized possession and it meant the world to him.

Maximus remembered that when he got off the plane, his father wasn't there to pick him up, even though he promised Max he would. Max didn't think much of it and got a rental car. He loved being back in Portland, Oregon where he had grown up. Even though he had been around the world with the army, there was nothing quite like Portland to Max. Pulling up to the light yellow house at 26 Voyage Drive, he noticed the lights were not on and the door was unlocked. "Hey dad, it's Max!" he recalled hollering. He had received no answer.

In a nervous frenzy, Max recalled looking all through the house, from the bedroom to the kitchen. He checked the basement last. At first he didn't believe that his father was downstairs. The lights were all turned off and it was pitch black. But as he descended down near the bottom, all the lights instantly turned on. Before Max knew it, he had five guns pointed at him.

His father was near the back wall surrounded by five masked men wearing dark cargo pants and combat vests. The masks only revealed the men's eyes. Behind his dad was a man who appeared to be the group's leader. He wore the same attire as the others except his mask had a yellow skull painted on it. Max thought that he recognized the skeletal design. It reminded him of his time on the battlefield. They had his father tied up with a cloth in his mouth. The men tied him on a dolly with wheels.

Instantaneously, Maximus put his hands in the air. He didn't want to pose any threat to the armed men in fear of what they may do to his father. Max's main goal was to get himself and his father out alive, most importantly his dad. Instinctively Max started to formulate a plan to get himself out of this situation. He ultimately decided that his safest option was to talk to the men.

"Gentlemen, put down your weapons. I pose no threat to you. I just want to talk." He decided to go for a peaceful approach, which wasn't his style, but the safest route. "Shut your damn mouth!" the head man exploded at Max. "We didn't tell you to talk, so shut up!" Maximus could feel his emotions getting to him. That was one secret he did not want anybody knowing, especially these guys. When things were dire or people disrespected him, he often lost control of himself physically and mentally, leading to unpleasant things. 

"You should know who I am, Monolith. Your actions caused me much pain and suffering for years. Now I'm back for some revenge." the leader challenged. "It wasn't hard tracking you down. The hardest part was discovering what you care about the most. We decided that your precious father was the best bet. He's the only one you have left, since your grandparents and your dear mother Claire are dead now." When the man mentioned Max's mother, his whole body filled with rage. He fought so hard to counter the temptation to attack the man.

"Tell me who you are!" Max screamed at the man. "You're really that stupid? How do you not now? Is it because I was meaningless to you? Maybe this will help." the skull masked man taunted as he removed his mask. The mask revealed the face of Max's great friend and former battle partner Daxton Parker.

"Dax! It's been forever! How is everything? What have you been up to?" marveled Max. He couldn't believe he didn't know. Daxton wore his yellow skull mask to every battle. "Don't 'Dax' me Maximus!" jabbed Daxton. "I was always thought of as the lesser one. It was always 'Max and Dax'. Everyone thought you were better. Today I will prove you and everyone wrong. Strip him of everything, boys!"
"Please take anything you want! Just please don't take the watch." Max pleaded. "Why do you care? It's only a stupid watch." one of the men insulted. Max turned to look at the man. Max's eyes were full of rage. As the man attempted to snatch the watch, Maximus attack the man. The last things he could remember were the sound of a gunshot and his father on the ground in a bloody pool.

"Are you sure that's all you know?" asked officer Ryder. "That's all I can remember. I guess my mind sort of blacked out after that." answered Max. "It still doesn't explain how seven people ended up dead with you as the only survivor." officer Bruno chimed in. Max looked at his left wrist where his watch usually was to check the time but discovered it was missing. He looked down at his clothes and saw that they took his normal clothes and they put him in an inmate attire. "What did you do with my watch?" Max asked behind his teeth. "We had to confiscate it for evidence. Why do you care anyways? It's only a stupid watch." Ryder replied. Max could feel his anger flow from his feet to his eyes. He turned to the officer, tears of rage in his eyes, and pounced on the man.