Max Rutherford (TV Series)

Maxine Rutherford, otherwise known as Max, is a main character and a survivor of the outbreak in GWR'S What Remains. She is the Senior Ranger in charge of Fort Harris (Outpost 2-15) of The Coalition of Pittsford and Fairport.
She and her unit went rogue from The Coalition in favor of destroying Epsilon Station, which was located in Nunavut, Canada. She publicly denounced The Coalition in her speech during the commendation ceremony to honor her unit's efforts in rescuing Head Councilor Anton Korshunov, and has decided to back the Inner-Cities Liberation Front (ICLF) in the ongoing civil war in Pittsford. 
==Pre-Apocalypse==
===Fort Worth, Texas===
Max was a construction worker in Fort Worth, Texas at the time of the outbreak. It was a job to pass the time more than anything else, one of the only things she could bear doing. All she really cared about was affording her next high. The apocalypse came as a welcome surprise to her.
==Post-Apocalypse==
===Pittsford, New York===
Max arrived in Pittsford at some point in the year 2017, when The Coalition was still in its infancy. She's fro the Liberty District. She is now one of the most senior Rangers on the force and has gained an infamous reputation amongst the capitals, namely for her excessive drug use and constant outbursts. Aside from her Ranger work, Max is known to partake in long-winded benders and fights in the illegal fight club in the slums for spare cash.
===Monroe County, New York===
Max was stationed in Monroe County in February 2029 ("A Brave New World"), after the assassination of Councilman George Dow. Originally just her and Paw were sent, though other Rangers soon followed. She doesn't much like the county, but anything to keep her out of Canada is a welcome post. 
She was promoted to a Senior Ranger in July 2029 ("The Third Door"), after serving as a Ranger for over a decade.
She had her left arm amputated from the bicep down in August 2029 ("Questionable Ethics") after being bitten when attempting to save Nat Brackenridge.
===Season 1===
Writing Max's literal life story was a mistake. I can't keep up with this. From The Lone Dark: Part II onwards, episodes will just be summarized!
===="A Brave New World"====
	
*After the murder of councilman George Dow, tensions rise in Monroe. Max, alongside her best friend and superior, Henry Kingsbury (a.k.a., Paw) were stationed at the newly established Outpost 2-15 in Monroe County, New York. With the deaths and disappearances of every other Ranger in the area, it was left to Max and Paw to keep the peace. Of course, this is the opposite of what Max did. In fact, she was the one disturbing the peace. In predictable Max fashion, her and Paw got up to trouble nearly immediately. From setting off a grenade underneath the town while on the search for supposed 'Sewer Pittsburgers' to bleeding all over the bar in a drunken stupor, Max didn't exactly gain the best reputation among Monrovians. It's nothing new, though. Max is used to being infamous wherever she goes.
*The one who had sent Max and Paw out on a wild goose chase for Sewer Pittsburgers was none other than Rachel Bevis, daughter of Jack Bevis—a well-respected Ranger General within The Coalition. Rachel was secretly—or not so secretly—a fan of Paw's work as an adult model, and fawned at the chance to get to know him. Rachel eventually explained to Max how she's always wanted to be a Ranger but that her father refuses to allow her to join the force, fearing for her safety. Max, of course, found this dumb and decided to deputize Rachel.
*Shortly after arriving in town, she met a woman by the name of Corey Jackson. For some reason, Corey was insistent on becoming friends despite the fact that Max had robbed her after their very first meeting. Max, who typically avoided close friendships outside of a few select people, was perturbed. But, as persistent as ever, Corey did eventually manage to break through Max's shell and the two kindled a friendship which eventually turned into something more. Corey introduced Max to her friend, Terry Winters, and the two divulged to Max the reality of the situation in Monroe. After a short while, Max deputized Corey so that she could better assist with Max's Ranger work.
*Max's drug and alcohol use had been growing worse as of late due, and word was brought up to Chief Ranger Larue Monroe that she was becoming a problem. Her constant outbursts were disruptive to her own work. Well, that, and Max had broken her hand not even an hour before after an outburst in the tram station which led her to punching a cement wall... Larue informed Max that she must attend therapy sessions weekly with Doctor Marvin Findlay, attend weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and seek rehabilitation or she would lose her position as a Ranger. Max reluctantly agreed. While there, she stole Larue's fish—Mr. Bubbles. They have been best friends ever since.
*A month or two later, The Coalition assigned Ranger Intelligence Group (RIG) Agent Michelle Reed to Outpost 2-15 in order to assist with the investigation into the assassination. Max found Michelle to be a bit unusual initially—the woman was obsessed with her work and nearly as stubborn as Max—and the two were no more than co-workers with the same end goal for a good while.	
===="Eight Hours"====
	
*Max had heard things about the Miller Family here and there. They were comprised of some of the most wanted people in the capitals, and their bounties paid a small fortune. She could have never guessed how close they'd hit to home, however, when Corey divulged to her that they had murdered her father. This was her reasoning for wanting to become a Ranger. The Millers hit close to home in a literal sense, as well, when they took out a series of Monrovian scouting caravans in Massachusetts and Vermont. Despite the distrust between the two groups, Monroe and the members of Outpost 2-15 decided to team-up and take on the Millers at one of their own outposts in Vermont. However, things didn't end up going as planned. The Millers got the jump on them, and many were injured. Corey accidentally shot the newly-elected minister of Monroe, Constantine Hasapis, which put a damper on Monroe/Coalition relations. Then, Corey was shot twice by Jeremiah Miller while storming the outpost with a few others. Max attempted to shield Corey from any further harm, but was instead accidentally shot by Corey's friend, Texas Battle. Suffice it to say, things did not go well.
*At some point, a man by the name of Max Stone arrived in Monroe. He quickly became an integral part of the community and reformed the fragmented security team, dubbing them the Monroe Rangers. Max found this incredibly ridiculous, and insisted they were a rip-off of the Coalition Rangers. She insulted them every chance she got.	
===="The Key"====
	
*Monroe had gotten word of a larger Miller outpost situated in Vermont, and decided to yet again work with the Coalition in order to take it down. The night of the siege, Ranger Nat Brackenridge arrived at Outpost 2-15. They had recently completed their two years as a Junior Ranger, and 2-15 was their first official posting. They explained to Max that the Millers had killed their father, Senior Ranger Tom Brackenridge, and that they wanted revenge. Max sympathized with this. That same day, Michelle has miraculously cropped back up after an extended disappearance. Together, the entire outpost—alongside Corey—made their way to Vermont to take on the Millers.
*Although the battle went better than their previous one, it was by no means a success. The Monrovians spent a solid hour or two coming up with a game plan, ultimately deciding on flanking the Millers—which Max had suggested at the very beginning. This irritated her. Next, they attempted to drive up to the warehouse in a van. Almost immediately, the driver, Henry Patton, hit an IED hidden on the road and was severely injured. The sound no doubt alerted the Millers, damning any hope as getting the jump on them. Then, Max Stone proceeded to flee the moment he was shot, leaving the Rangers to their own devices. Although they could handle themselves, Max was less than pleased. Max was shot during the fight, and while it was nothing serious Corey insisted that they flee while they still could. They were greatly outnumbered, and their resilience was dwindling after witnessing some sort of monstrosity. This ignited a fight between the two, with Max ultimately agreeing to retreat. For now.
*Terry had been bitten that night and Corey was fretting over her non-stop, understandably heartbroken that she may lose her best friend that night. Despite all of this, Max decided to sneak out and get back into the fight. She refused to leave without at least getting some sort of revenge on Jeremiah for what he had done to her partner. At the same time, Max Stone suddenly reappeared and acted as if he had been in the fight the entire time, angering Max. She did eventually encounter Jeremiah, though not how she would have hoped. She caught him as he was about to leave, and the two engaged in a horse-drawn carriage race before ultimately crashing into each other. Then, they fought fist-to-fist, brutally beating each other. Before Max could finish him off, however, Jeremiah landed one final hit which took Max down. He opted not to kill her, instead leaving her to bleed out in the field where Nat eventually found her. Max felt indebted to them after this. Corey was enraged, and Max's actions put a great deal of strain on their relationship, severing their trust. Terry's arm was amputated to save her life, and she survived the bite.
*Corey and Terry later decided to move to Pittsford. They decided that it was no longer safe for them to be in Monroe County. Max was upset, but accepted this arrangement as she would still be able to visit Corey during her weekly visits to the city. She moved out of Corey's house and back into the outpost.
*After having accused Don Jones of working for Brighton, integral members of Monroe's leadership disappeared without a trace. They never returned. In their absence, Crystal Chen took control of Monroe. It wasn't long before Max and the others learned that Crystal was, in fact, a member of Brighton alongside Monroe's Head of Construction, Henry Patton. The Head of Agriculture and owner of the town's bar, Liliana Marat, was the last remaining member on the leadership council who was not a member of Brighton. Despite Max and Liliana's great distaste for each other, Max allowed her to take up residence at the outpost for her own safety. Meanwhile, Michelle and Nat continued to look into Brighton. At some point during this time, Junior Ranger Erick Gonzales returned to the outpost from Pittsford.
*Alongside Kaari'n̥ai and Gerald Bechet, Outpost 2-15 helped to save Seth Denton and his group from members of the Trenholm Clans at a nearby farm. Max allowed them to take up residence at the outpost, seeing as they had nowhere else to go.
*Max was invited to speak to The Crow Mother, which she accepted. She brought along Michelle, who had since become something akin to her right-hand-woman, or the second-in-command at the outpost. While there, Max payed little attention to what she was actually being told, and more attention to how absurdly hot The Crow Mother was. But that's why she brought Michelle along, right? To take notes and document everything? One thing she did remember was The Crow Mother's mention of Carl Miller and his association to The Man In Red, whom Michelle had become increasingly engrossed with over the previous week. She stated that Max was 'marked,' although Max didn't understand what that meant at the time.	
===="The Third Door"====
	
*Crystal Chen's newly formed alliance with the Miller Family caused a great deal of conflict within Monroe, leading to an influx of refugees at the outpost. While Max was happy to provide protection from Brighton, things were no doubt becoming tough on her. Paw's constant disappearances had left her in charge—whether she liked it or not—and between her duties and expanding the outpost to accommodate everyone she had no time to herself. Worst of all, one of the many refugees was Recorder, whom Max had grown to harbor an intense hatred for. Her weekly trips to the city to attend therapy and visit Corey were the only things keeping her sane.
*Noting how things were escalating in Monroe County, a group of Junior Ranger reinforcements were sent to Outpost 2-15. These reinforcements consisted of: Benedict Harris, Demi McIntosh, Greg Foster, Hana Takeuchi, Marco Alferez, Tyrell Mason, Wendy Kang, and Leslie Winton. However, before they could arrive at the outpost they were accosted by members of the Miller Family. Max & Co. were able to successfully take out the Millers without any casualties on their end. While there, she met Blackwell, a member of The Crows, who informed her that he had something to tell her. He later appeared at the outpost and divulged the location of the Miller's main compound in Vermont to her.
*Together with the Monroe Rangers, Blackbear Contracting, and Quartermaster Dwight Kilean, Max and her unit traveled to Vermont to take on the Millers. There, Max encountered the infamous Carl Miller for the first time. She saw Jeremiah as well, but was unable to enact her revenge. Many of the Millers residing within the compound, including Rufus Miller, were taken out. Rufus had turned in to some sort of monster, disturbing everyone present. Ultimately, Max endured a shotgun blast to the left hand—resulting in loss of function—and Benedict was shot dead. She was also accidentally stabbed in the shoulder by Terry, who had since returned, and was nearly unconscious by the end of the fight. She needed emergency surgery upon returning to the outpost. While there, however, they at least managed to rescue Gabriel Barton's group who were being held captive by the Millers.
*During one of her weekly visits to Pittsford, Max proposed to Corey. She had spent a great deal of her paycheck to commission a ring for her. Corey accepted.
*The leader of Blackridge—an allied settlement with the The Coalition—Kelly Adkins visited Outpost 2-15 for a routine check-up. That same day, Office of Strategic Intelligence (OSI) Agents Francis Hood and Jason Selby arrived. They informed Max that they were taking Max Stone—who had since taken up residence in the outpost—into custody. Max had initially assumed this meant that he would be brought back to Pittsford and questioned there, but she was shocked to learn that it would all be taking place at the outpost. Inside her storage shed, in fact. They ultimately gained no useful information from Stone. Hood ordered Max or Erick to execute him, but both refused. Kelly was the one who stepped in and executed Stone—slitting his throat and decapitating him. Max and Erick were subsequently promoted by Hood to Senior Ranger and Ranger, respectively. Despite the fact that Max had been a normal Ranger for many, many years, the circumstances surrounding her promotion left a sour taste in her mouth. Max was officially put in charge of Outpost 2-15.
*Ranger General Noelle Lange returned to The Barrens for the first time since her arrest at the hands of Monroe months ago, alongside her boyfriend—and coincidentally Max's long-time dealer—Francis Nial. Max was disgruntled when Noelle attempted to take control of the outpost after Max was officially declared the leader, but the two got along otherwise. Noelle was later bit during a routine patrol of the area, and had her arm amputated as a result. Greg kept it in a class jar and named it Roberto, which horrified Max.
*Outpost 2-15 was finally given its official name, Fort Harris, after the late Junior Ranger Benedict Harris.	
===="Rebirth"====
	
*OSI ordered Outpost 2-15 to return to the Miller compound in Vermont and retrieve Rufus Miller's body for analysis. Max wasn't happy about this, of course, but agreed nevertheless. This mission, like many others, would prove to be a complete and utter disaster. Noelle and Michelle had a conflict of interest, and fought the entire time they were there. Meanwhile, Max was experiencing her usual migraines and delusions, leading her to become increasingly detached from the mission. Noelle became enraged, stating that Max could not control her outpost and Michelle should not be the second-in-command. Michelle and Nat fought, as well. The only seemingly cool-headed person there during the mission was Erick.
*Nat ended up saving Max's life once again when she nearly fell to her death. Her relief wouldn't last for long, however, when they discovered Trinidad, a former Miller, locked in a prison cell with what appeared to be a baby. She insisted that the baby was a monster and that it needed to be killed. They released Trinidad, but Max wasn't convinced. It sure looked like a baby. The moment Max lifted it up, everyone began to grow frantic. She wasn't about to go and kill an actual baby, though. Max needed to be sure. And so, she went to smell it's head for that familiar new baby smell... and was subsequently stabbed in the back by said baby, nearly bleeding out on the floor right then and there. They really did tell her so, but can you blame Max?
*Max barely has any recollection of the events following the attack. Before her unit could leave the compound, they encountered The Morhg. They somehow managed to escape with Rufus Miller's body, but not unscathed. Nat was hit by acid from The Morhg, and lost one of their eyes as a result.
*Instead of returning to the outpost, the group decided to head right for Pittsford to drop off the body. However, just as they were about to approach The Breach, there was an explosion. It was larger than anything any of them had ever seen. Even Max, in her barely-conscious state, could somewhat process what was happening. Pittsford had been bombed by what they would later learn was the Inner-Cities Liberation Front, and the destruction was enormous.	
===Season 2===
===="Questionable Ethics"====
	
*Ever since the bombing, Max had hardly been sleeping. There were numerous things keeping her up at night, but most importantly: she hadn't heard from her fiancée. For all she knew, Corey could be dead. Each day she spent sitting around at the outpost, she grew more and more worried. Eventually, her unit decided that they would head up, leaving behind Michelle, Tyrell, and Erick. Just before they could depart, however, Marvin arrived at the outpost with a few others in tow: Henry Clancy, Dwayne Clancy, Emily Laidlaw, and Sharon Kravitz. Marvin gave them an update on the current state of Pittsford and informed them that he and the others would be staying at the outpost in their absence. Dwayne decided to tag along with Max's unit. Max agreed.
*Shortly before they departed, Demi asked to speak with Max. She informed her that her adoptive father, William Kozuch, had gone missing after the bombing. Seeing as Kozuch was Max's CQC Instructor back when she was training to become a full-fledged Ranger and the two were fairly close, she agreed to help find him.
*Pittsford was worse-off than Max could have possibly imagined. The Breach, which had always been regarded as indestructible and one of the most iconic sights in Pittsford, was overrun by Red-Eyes. Max's unit fought their way through, and with the help of gatekeeper and fellow Ranger, Eddie Zielinski, managed to get The Breach open just enough to slip into the parking garage. From there, they continued on to the tram station. On their way, new recruit Junior Ranger Aklaq Scott was bitten by an infected dog and subsequently had his arm amputated by Ranger Conscript Francis King, right then and there.
*The tram station was even worse. They had to get the tram back up and running in order to reach the Ranger Field Office, however there was still the matter of figuring out how to get it back up and running. It seemed to work... Until they realized they had forgotten to turn the sprinkler system back on, resulting in an enormous explosion which destroyed the tram. Nat ran back into the employee tunnels to switch it on, but by then the nearby horde had already breached the interior. Realizing this, Max sprinted in after them. They both managed to escape, but not unscathed. Max was bitten. She didn't want to believe it, but there was no time to think about it. All of the commotion had attracted a monster, The Ogre, which was wreaking havoc on the tram station. Max and her unit managed to escape, at the loss of Marco who was eviscerated by The Ogre.
*With their only means of transportation destroyed, the group only had one option to reach the Ranger Field Office—the sewers. However, they were running out of time. The longer Max kept her arm with her bite, the more risk she was in of turning. To make matters worse, the pain and adrenaline was causing her to act irrationally. Noelle attempted to sympathize with her, but to little avail. They eventually reached a small storage room where they found Larue Monroe and Duke Helmer holed up. It was there that Francis repeated his previous procedure, and cleaved Max's bitten arm off at the bicep. After this, Max went unconscious due to the blood loss.
*Max survived. They all managed to reach the Ranger Field Office without any more casualties or injuries. Max was immediately brought into surgery to prevent her arm from becoming infected. Nat had stayed by her side the majority of the time, feeling indebted to her as Max had quite literally risked her life for theirs. Once she was lucid enough, the first thing she asked about was Corey. It turned out that she had been working on an expansion to the Ranger Field Office when the bombings occurred and the structure collapsed, pinning her beneath the rubble for days. By the time anyone got to her and the rest of her crew, her legs couldn't be saved. They had to be amputated, and Corey was put into a medically-induced coma to save her life. Max was heartbroken.	
===="Oppressor"====
	
*Two, nearly three months had passed since the unit of misfits arrived in Pittsford. Dwight had built a prosthetic arm for Max which doubled as a flamethrower, and Corey had since woken up—albeit, in a far worse state mentally. She continuously refused any sort of rehabilitation and has seemingly lost all hope. She became an entirely different person. It's sort of funny—Max grieved the loss of her fiancée, and yet she wasn't even dead. She often went out of her way to purposely avoid Corey, because she couldn't stand to see her in that state. It was too painful. Max had been assigned riot duty for the majority of her time since returning to the city. It was a terrible, draining job—unending verbal abuse from citizens, the constant sight of death due to the horrible conditions in the cities, namely the slums. Max could hardly handle it, and took to drinking heavily in order to keep sane throughout it all.
*Max's one saving grace throughout it all was not one she could have initially predicted. One of the leading groups in the Inner-Cities Liberation Front is the Dollfaces, a gang run by Max's old friend, Rhea Varnado, a.k.a. Barbie Doll—or, as Max likes to refer to her, Rae. She runs a bar in the slums called The Dollhouse. The two have been friends—with a lot of benefits—for years, but hadn't spoken since Max was stationed in Monroe County. Upon encountering a group of Dollfaces in the sewers when searching for Larue, Max used her friendship with Rhea to broker a deal with Baby Daddy. He would let Truman Parker's unit go free in exchange for Max's unit not killing what few Dollfaces they had already injured—although, Max had no intention of killing them regardless of his answer. Baby Daddy agreed, and he told Max he would schedule her a meeting with Rhea.
*During a mission assigned by the OSI to dispose of a certain individual affiliated with the Inner-Cities Liberation Front, Max, Francis, and Dwayne went AWOL. The plan was initially to let everyone in on it and invite Rachel and Demi along; however, Francis decided to just go ahead and leave at the last minute. They encountered War Pig, a member of the Dollfaces, in the middle of a deal with a man by the name of Richard Parker. Posing as Dollfaces, the trio convinced War Pig that they would handle things. After a bit of threatening on Francis' part, Richard revealed to them that Edward Lee Orton, a member of Weapons Management for The Coalition, had been funneling weapons out to Kalli Trade Emporium, which were then traded to the Inner-Cities Liberation Front and sold back to The Coalition. He also divulged that Brighton had major involvement in the war, and that they were attempting to have one of their members elected into power as the new Head Councilor. Max and the others were shocked. They hadn't expected that, of all things. They eventually left Richard alone after acquiring the location to a Brighton dead drop. Outside, War Pig approached them. He stated that he knew something was up, but that he was impressed by their display. Upon hearing that Max was friends with Rhea, he said he'd update her on the situation.
*Max later received a letter from Rhea, in her typical pink envelope. However, Max was not in the barracks when it was delivered. It was given to Corey, and when questioned about what it was the Dollface merely said Max 'had other interests.' Corey grew enraged, convinced that Max was cheating. That was the beginning of a drawn-out fight between the two, though Corey eventually learned that Max was never cheating in the first place. During her meeting with Rhea, Max was able to convince her to return Larue without much trouble. Although he was severely injured, he was alive.
*As a result of going AWOL, Truman and his unit were ordered to take Max, Francis, and Dwayne into custody. However, considering he had been rescued by Max, Truman was willing to listen to their reasoning. He ultimately understood and was able to convince Jack—who had taken over the position of Chief Ranger in Larue's absence—to drop the charges. The only condition was that Max inform Truman of any future plans to deviate from a job, which she upheld.
*The second time Max met with Rhea was to return a man: Armando Rusk. Jack had agreed to release him without much argument, and Rhea was immensely grateful for that. She offered Max's group free drinks on the house, and they happily took her up on the offer. It ended with Max and Rachel getting into a drinking competition, which Max won, then Dwayne attempting to drag her out of the bar. Max managed to get away, however, and escaped to Rhea's office. There, the two spent the night doing coke and very nearly sleeping together. In her drunken state, not cheating on her fiancée with an old flame was clearly the least of Max's worries.
*Max and her unit were ordered to arrest Barbie Doll and Baby Daddy. Of course, Max had no actual intention of doing so but agreed nevertheless. However, upon arriving in the slums she received word that War Pig wanted to speak with her near the old factories. After some deliberation, her group agreed. There, he informed them that Marshall Grant, leader of the Inner-Cities Liberation Front, wanted to have a meeting. Although she was anxious, Max decided to go forward with it. It was there that he informed them of Epsilon Station, an abandoned Coalition research lab in Canada, which contained technology relating to the monsters seen through upstate New York. He offered the group a place in the Inner-Cities Liberation Front to help destroy it, at the cost of going rogue from The Coalition. They told him they'd think on it. Ultimately, Max and her unit decided to go independently. They mutually agreed that no one could get ahold of that technology—that it was far too dangerous. Marshall had helped Rhea to get away, while Baby Daddy offered to give himself up as a decoy. Upon returning to the Ranger Field Office, they informed Truman's unit of their plans, as well as Dwight and Larue. All of them agreed to help out.
*Max and Jack got into a major fight over Max having supposedly 'gotten Rachel drunk' at The Dollhouse. In reality, Rachel is the one who started the drinking competition. But, of course, Jack wasn't going to listen to a single word of it. If it had been any other time, Max may have been able to have a civil conversation. However, she was high on cocaine. Incredibly high. Things derailed into them shouting insults at each other, and ended with Jack threatening Max's job is she didn't kick Rachel out of her unit. Max had no intention of doing so.
*The members of 2-15 decided to finally follow a lead they received from Richard Parker about a supposed Brighton dead drop. They went to The Dollhouse and acquired the help of Jonah, a smuggler, who led them into the sewers. The mission didn't exactly go as planned. The unit was already unsettled by the fact that they had to smear Red-Eye innards all over themselves to navigate the hordes. To make matters worse, they ended up attracting their attention while making their way through the Red-Eye disposal pit, and Dwayne was nearly lost. Max decided to risk her own life to bring him to safety, but this caused a rift among the unit who didn't yet view Dwayne as one of their own. While they were able to safely retrieve the dead drop, an argument erupted between everyone after leaving the sewers. In a fit of anger, Greg tossed a match into the sewers, resulting in an explosion which cost countless civilian lives and leveled some areas of the city. Francis and Greg went off on their own, while Max returned to the Ranger Field Office with the others. After getting cleaned off, Rachel went off on Max, telling her that she wished she had never decided to go along with her plan. She also made a point to mention Max's recent abuse of cocaine while within earshot of Corey. Rachel handed Max her plastic, toy deputy badge and left. Wracked with guilt, Max locked herself in a bathroom stall and remained there for two days, suffering from withdrawal symptoms all the while. Dwayne and Nat eventually managed to get her to leave and immediately checked her in to the hospital.
*After two or so grueling weeks in rehab, Michelle miraculously returned and had Max discharged. She wasn't happy about it, but Michelle wouldn't budge. With both of their leaders present, 2-15 seemed to regain some sense of stability. Max wasn't any more stable, however; in fact, her relapse led to Corey breaking up with her, leaving Max heartbroken.	
===="The Long Dark: Part I"====
	
*A mysterious outbreak killed hundreds in the Liberty District. Max and her unit were tasked by Miranda Ward to collect water samples so that they could begin work on a vaccine. Meanwhile, Levi showed up at the Ranger Field Office with a letter for Max. Rhea had hired him to keep her alive, and he was determined to do just that. Max and her unit successfully collected five water samples, but at the cost of Rachel and Demi. The two fell ill with the virus and were sent to quarantine. Using his position as a Dollface, Levi spoke with the new leader, Robbie B. Badd, and was able to secure a vaccine from him. It was only a single dose, but it worked. It became clear then that the virus was man-made, and the vaccine was meant to be sold for a profit. Ward refused to quit until she made her own vaccine.
* Max received a call from Larue, telling her to check on the situation in DECON and to "keep Ward from getting herself killed." Once inside, Max and her unit quickly realized that things have grown out of control. There were Red-Eyes in the halls, and DECON was on lockdown. They managed to convince the guards to let them through and speak to Ward. She told them that the Inner-Cities Liberation Front was planning an attack and that she needed Max to take down all of the members present in DECON, otherwise she'd shut off the ventilation and kill everyone inside. Ultimately, the man in question—Isaac—wasn't killed. Max shot at him and a brief firefight ensued until Levi managed to talk everyone down. Max was left with a shotgun wound to the chest, but Ward was able to create a vaccine.
* Max, Michelle, and Nat broke into the KTE Headquarters to rescue Winton's ex-boyfriend. They were able to do so with relative ease, although Michelle sustained multiple blows to the head in the process.
*The new year began with Corey's suicide. A self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head to prevent herself from harming Max. This was mere minutes after the two had made up and presumably gotten back together. Max learned that this was a result of Corey giving in to The Man In Red, but did not have ample time to process the news before Corey had died.
*Max and her unit weren't able to return to the outpost until a few weeks later. Max was still grieving, but it had since become more manageable—for the most part, at least. What Max wasn't expecting to find was her good friend Rhea shacking up in her apartment. She had known Rhea fled Pittsford, but she hadn't realized she had fled to the outpost. Not like Max cared. But, their reunion was cut short when Dwayne Clancy barged in, firing off multiple shots at Rhea and her companion, Jasmine. Jasmine was hit and rushed to the clinic. Rhea was, understandably, livid about the entire situation and asked that Max 'take care' of Dwayne.
*A funeral was held for Corey in Monroe. The attendance wasn't huge, but a good number of people came in support. Max was teary-eyed the whole time—it was difficult to even make her speech. Afterwards, Corey was cremated and her ashes were split between Max and Terry. In a way, it gave her some closure. It definitely didn't help with her drinking problem, though, which had gotten significantly worse after Corey's death.
*Terry offered to bring Monroe's new electrician, Michael Kaneswell, over to the outpost to have him fix their radio. Max agreed. What Terry didn't know was that all of the outpost's residents were having a bonfire together, and Max was incredibly drunk. After repairing the radio, the outpost received a distress call from nearby. Max insisted on coming along with Terry & co. to check it out. It turned out to be an ambush by a few members of the Trenholm Clans, and what ensued was a complete and utter disaster of a fight. Max's inebriation didn't help matters at all. She was shot in the chest with an arrow and eventually retreated with Hana after Terry's many failed attempts of convincing Max to leave.
*Terry and Max got into a heated argument over her behavior that day. Terry told Max how she didn't feel comfortable traveling to Canada with The Coalition if that was how Max was going to act, and that she had to get it together. Max, however, was hearing none of it. They left off on a sour note. They ultimately made up about a week later, but not before Max experienced some horribly graphic nightmares of Terry murdering her. Just one of the many side effects of her mark.
* Max, Terry, and Texas all began to hang out together again. Max invited them over to her apartment to drink and have dinner. The night was going well until they began playing drinking games. During one game, Texas had made a joke about Max's mother. This would trigger her normally, but her drunken state made her reaction far worse than usual. She lashed out at Texas, and ended up falling off the counter and smashing her face on the tile. This led to a breakdown, which Terry had to comfort her through while Texas left. The next day, Terry returned to check up on Max and Max divulged to Terry what had happened to her mother and what she had experienced throughout her childhood. It was an incredibly emotional exchange.
*Tara Garland approached Max about finally going after the high-value target they were informed of. They were running out of time, and Tara was growing restless. Max agreed, but not before being debriefed by Tara, much to her irritation. It was meant to go smoothly. They'd convince the residents to let them inside, find the Brighton field agents, and get the target from them. No violence if at all possible. Instead, it went the complete opposite. All of the residents ended up dying and Max was nearly killed by the Brighton agents. She sustained a broken rib, internal bleeding, and a gunshot to the leg. The target, which turned out to be Head Councilor Anton Korshunov, was taken away. The unit was in disarray. The failed mission had caused a rift between them. Tara informed Max that they had one more chance to recover Korshunov—that he couldn't have been taken far—but that she would only leave with a few Junior Rangers so as to avoid a repeat of before. Max begrudgingly agreed.
*The second attempt was a resounding success all around. Hana, Marcie Graham, Maurice, Tiffany Reynolds, and Oswald Green infiltrated a slave camp ran by Stephen Fisk, where Korshunov was believed to be held. They managed to rescue him and take him back to Outpost 2-15. However, as they drew closer to the outpost, they received word of a gunfight which had broken out. Michelle had ended up snapping and went on a rampage, injuring Greg and Miller, and killing Philip. Demi, Winton, Max, and a few others attempted to go after her, but to no avail. Michelle got away.
* Korshunov wished to hold a commendation ceremony, celebrating 2-15 for their efforts to save his life. He spoke to Max of how he wanted her to make a speech, as the commanding officer of her unit. He also wanted to make Max the face of the War Against Brighton, as well as a representative for the people of the Liberty District. Max absolutely hated the idea of it all, but she didn't have a choice in the matter.	
===="The Long Dark: Part II"====
	
*Max, Demi, Marcie, Francis, and Tiffany snuck into Il Drago Rosso to rescue Kozuch. He was going to be fighting in a gauntlet for the enjoyment of the wealthy club patrons, where he would have no doubt died if Max and the others hadn't intervened. Max and Demi ended up having to fight in his place after getting caught. They won, somehow. Marcie assassinated Alessio De Lorenzo, the owner of the club, in the meantime.
*Korshunov was entirely convinced that Max would rally the people of Pittsford to aid The Coalition in their war against the Inner-Cities Liberation Front. Instead, her speech during the commendation ceremony denounced both him and The Coalition as a whole, and she expressed full support of the Inner-Cities Liberation Front. Korshunov was outraged. Max and her unit faced no immediate repercussions.
*Before heading to Il Drago Rosso, Tiffany and Marcie had tricked Max into coming to the Dollhouse to do her makeup by claiming Rhea had needed her for something. Max totally fell for it. She was pissed. But, she took the opportunity to finally confess her feelings to Rhea. Rhea felt the same. They agreed to leave things in the air for the time being, and promised to discuss their relationship once Max returned from Canada. After the commendation ceremony, Max headed to The Dollhouse to say goodbye to Rhea. As difficult as it was, Max managed. Also, they finally kissed. So yeah. That was a thing. (Oh my god they were ROOMMATES!)	
===="In the Mouth of Madness"====
	
*Max and her unit finally made their way to Canada. After a long, three-week boat ride, they arrived at the Canadian Border Zone. There, they met Ranger Jared Vaugerson and his unit. As expected, supplies were dwindling and the situation was rough. Jared informed Max of what he presumes to be OSI presence in Canada, and mentioned that a scouting party had gone missing in the nearby mines. Max promised to investigate it alongside her unit.
*Inside the mines, Max's unit ran into what can only be described as truly living plants. While not sentient, they definitely proved to be a threat. Thankfully, they're weak to fire just like any other plant. They also found a few remaining members of the scouting party Jared had mentioned, though they all seemed to be very out of it. Max would later learn that this was due to exposure to spores in the mines—spores that her unit were also exposed to. Because of this, memories of their first expedition into the mine are hazy.
*Head Monroe Peacekeeper Marcus Baczek and Texas went missing after a fight with The Old Growth. They decided to stay back and distract the creature to give the Rangers time to escape. Demi went missing after returning to the Installation with her friend, Senior Ranger Gideon King. Marcie went out looking for Demi after the group left the mines, and also did not return.	
===="The Beyond"====
	
* Francis took a team back to the mines to look for Baczek and Texas. Meanwhile, Max went out searching for Demi and Marcie. They searched the nearby cabins, and soon found a hidden room which had notes stating the location of the Crow's Nest. After heading over and speaking with the Crows, Max learned that Marcie had been taken in after they found her in the initial stages of frostbite. They hadn't seen Demi. Max and her group returned to the CBZ, where they were met with a series of gunshots. The Rangers 2-15 had rescued from the mines were actually mimics, and had begun attacking the other Rangers at the CBZ. Once the threat was taken care of, Jared questioned Max on her motives for being in Canada and she revealed her plan to him -- destroying Epsilon Station. Jared offered to help out as long as Max kept him informed.
* In order to secure an alliance with the Crows and acquire more medical supplies, Max and Francis were asked by Chosovi to find out who killed twelve of their men. What followed was an arduous interrogation of various Rangers at the CBZ, all of whom had been in the scouting party that night. They'd narrowed in on Paw after realizing that he perfectly matched the description given by Chosovi and had disappeared after that night. Eventually, Brady Sampson cracked and told Max the truth. He'd been smuggling out supplies for Paw at the nearby cabins. Max and Francis headed over, ambushed Paw, and brought him to the Crows with the help of a few other Rangers. Max felt an immense amount of guilt practically stabbing her best friend in the back, but she didn't have much of a choice.	
===="Epsilon Station"====
	
* The Rangers, Crows, and Monrovians all set out to Epsilon Station after discovering the location in the hard drive recovered from the mines. It was decided that they would go on foot to minimize the chance of being ambushed by the Millers in the storm. Mike Weeks, one of the Rangers from the CBZ, presumably died on the way there. After entering the facility, they discovered that it was still functioning. Many of the personnel had turned, and things weren't looking too good. The Crows stayed at the entrance to the facility to act as defense against the Millers, while Jared and Max's groups split up and searched the facility. 
* Max and her group learned a lot more about Epsilon as they scoured the facility. During their investigation, Francis began experiencing visions stemming from his encounter with The Old Growth in the mines. While it gave the group some foresight when it came to the things they'd encounter, it also put Francis at a disadvantage. The Millers eventually breached the facility, practically all of the Crows in the process. By the time Max and her group returned to the main shaft, Jared and his men were hanging on by a thread. 
* After some deliberation, it was decided that the group should press on towards the Central Chamber, where Francis said Dr. Bowen would be. He was correct, but the group was only able to speak to her briefly before the Millers arrived. They held them off for as long as they could until they managed to close the blast doors, separating them. But, things were far from over. They ended up fighting numerous monsters, and Max's team took a major hit in the process. They suffered one casualty: Piper Holland, a Peacekeeper. They hardly had any time to process what had happened after the fight when an unknown man triggered the countdown on the bomb. Max and her group managed to escape in time via the Old Tunnels. Epsilon Station was ultimately destroyed, just as Max had hoped for.
* The stress of everything led to Max relapsing once again. She had gotten some cocaine from Dwight prior to their expedition to Epsilon Station, and began using shortly after they returned. She didn't divulge this to anyone, though by this point it must be fairly obvious to her unit when she's high.
* After getting the radio up and running again, Max called Larue back in the city. He informed Max that Jack had deduced that her unit left for Canada, and intended on taking them into custody and charging them with treason, among other things. Larue had fabricated documents which 'proved' that 2-15 had gone to Canada under his orders, but whether or not Jack would buy it was up in the air. While Max's initial reaction was, of course, to go on the run, Larue convinced her to return to the Ranger Field Office and cooperate with Jack. Max begrudgingly agreed. Afterwards, she called Rhea to update her on the situation. The two had an emotional exchange over the radio. 
* Wendy informed Max that, for the better part of two years, she had been forwarding information on the unit's whereabouts to Francis Hood and the OSI. She had since stopped, and felt remorse for her actions. Max appreciated Wendy's honesty, and chose not to punish her. Though, she also decided not to tell the rest of their unit about what Wendy had done.	
===="Paradigm Shift"====
	
* After returning to Monroe County, Max and her unit stopped back at the outpost to grab supplies, update those who stayed behind, and figure out their gameplan going forward. They decided to have all of the civilians and a few members of 2-15 head right to New Karanda, under the guise that they had not made it back from Canada alive, while the others headed to the Ranger Field Office for questioning. The entire plan was a risk, but there was no easy way to deal with the situation at hand.
* The questioning went better than expected. Jack had intended on charging Max, Francis, and Truman with treason and murder and had hoped to sentence them to death. But he had no solid proof with which to actually indict them. During the period in which Jack left to call Larue's wife, Helena Monroe to act as their legal representation, Max told Francis and Truman what Wendy had done. Francis was livid. He was convinced Wendy had informed OSI of their deal with Larue. After they got out of questioning and were released, he sent the rest of their unit back to the outpost and dragged Max all the way to Fairport where he met with a contact of his. Max was growing incredibly impatient and found the entire ordeal a big waste of time.
* When they finally arrived at New Karanda, the unit set up camp with the rest of their group in a small subdivision of the ship's hold. Max agreed to interrogate Wendy with Francis after they all had rested. She used this downtime to go see Rhea again after four long months of being apart. After an emotional reunion, the two finally made their relationship official. Rhea brought Max up to the very top of the ship where they sat together, discussed Rhea's past, and watched the sunset.
* After nearly a year of missing her front teeth following a mugging in Liberty, Max finally recieved a partial plate. Rhea put Max in contact with Dr. Chop's assistant, Sid, who specialized in dental work. As eccentric of an individual as they were, Max appreciated their help. Sid even waived their usual fee in exchange for an autograph from Max.	
===="The Glass Castle"====
*Max appeared in this episode.
===Season 3===
===="Decisions, Decisions"====
*Max appeared in this episode.
==== "Swan Song" ====
* Max appeared in this episode.
===="Shadows in the Storm"====
* Max appeared in this episode.
===="The Secret Fate of All Life"====
* Max appeared in this episode.
===="Cyclops"====
*Max appeared in this episode.
===="Vortex"====
* Max appeared in this episode.
===="The Fourth Man in the Fire"====
*Max appeared in this episode.
===="One Second to Midnight"====
*Max appeared in this episode.
==== "The First Gate" ====
*Max appeared in this episode.
==Killed Victims==
This list shows the victims Max has killed in What Remains.
*Rufus 
*Max Stone (Caused)
*Rasca 
*Levi "Da Second Boy" Akin
*Titan 
*Champ (Alongside Emil, Demi, and Marcie)
*Jane Welles (Mimic)
*Frank Sutherland (Alongside Francis)
*Maurice (Indirectly Caused)
*Marini
*Elle (Out of Mercy)
*Owen's Friend (Caused)
*1 Dogman (Alongside Emil)
*1 Unnamed Vagrant
*1 Unnamed KTE Guard Member
*1 Unnamed Dollface
*Several unnamed Coalition Rangers
*Numerous counts of unnamed Millers
*Numerous counts of other living humans
*Numerous counts of infected
*For a comprehensive list of people Max wishes she had killed, click here.
==Relationships==
I don't have the patience to keep this updated. Check her forum bio for a full list of relationships!
==Personality and Physical Appearance==
Max is a Senior Coalition Ranger. She's also an addict, a liar, a manipulator, a thief... The list goes on and on. Although she's struggled with bad habits and addictions her entire life, in recent years, she's shown a desire to change and better herself as a person. It only took, oh... Over a decade of military service to drill that into her head. Who would have thought?
That's not to say that Max has suddenly turned her entire life around—no, deep down, she'll always be a shitty, vindictive person. She can be rash, abrasive, idiotic... She'll derail an entire mission just to grab a Pittsburger or fish some change out of a fountain. The list goes on and on; but, despite all that, she does care. She's shown far more kindness and charity towards others than she ever has before, and that's got to count for something.
But, in the end, it'll always be Max against the world and she's not about to back down for anyone or anything.
Max stands at a height of about 5'7'' with a fairly fit build. Her hair, which has grown out to be choppy and gnarled, is dark brown. She has light brown eyes and a fairly pale complexion, aside from the freckles which are lightly scattered on her cheeks. She's typically seen with a snarky grin or a distant look. There are various scars scattered all along her arms and her palms are fairly callused. Her left arm has been amputated from the bicep down and there is a prosthesis in its place. She has a permanent limp as a result of injuries sustained during "Vortex."
==Series Appearances==
===Season 1===
*"A Brave New World"
*"Eight Hours"
*"The Key"
*"The Third Door"
*"Rebirth"
===Season 2===
*"Questionable Ethics"
*"Oppressor"
*"The Long Dark: Part I"
*"The Long Dark: Part II"
*"In the Mouth of Madness"
*"The Beyond"
*"Epsilon Station"
*"Paradigm Shift"
*"The Glass Castle"
=== Season 3 ===
* "Decisions, Decisions"
* "Swan Song"
*"Shadows in the Storm"
*"The Secret Fate of all Life"
*"Cyclops"
*"Vortex"
*"The Fourth Man in the Fire"
*"One Second to Midnight"
*"The First Gate"
==Iconic Quotes==
==Trivia ==
*Max has appeared in The Muldraugh Walls Lore (2015), The West Point Lore (2016), The Bartertown Lore (2017), and The Lone Star (2019) before appearing in What Remains (2020).
*Max detests her full first name and will lash out at almost anyone who refers to her with it.
*Max has expressed extreme discomfort when it comes to killing others, saying that she prefers to avoid it if at all possible unless the other party leaves her no choice. She'll go out of her way on missions to prevent the deaths of innocent civilians. There are, however, some cases where she'd make an exception. (See: Murder of Frank Sutherland)
*Max used to always carry her pet rat, Francis, in one of her pockets. The original Francis died shortly before Max would have graduated high school, back in 2008. For 21 years, as a result of her trauma, Max had been under the impression that Francis was, in fact, alive and referred to him as such. In reality, she'd been carrying around decaying rat carcasses for two decades. After being approached by Rachel in "Oppressor", Max seems to have come to her senses. Somewhat, at least.
*Max did not graduate high school. She dropped out a week before her graduation date.
*Max has tried almost every drug she could get her hands on at least once, besides meth. Her drug of choice has always been heroin, which she initially got hooked on at the age of 16. She only stopped using it about four years ago, but who's to say she won't return to her old ways? After having her left arm amputated in "Questionable Ethics", Max lost the majority of the track marks left behind by her long-term heroin usage.
*Max has an irrational fear of cats and moose, and an incredibly ironic fear of needles.
*Max used to love photography—she even did a bit of freelance work on the side in her youth—but her interest has waned over the years.
==References==
https://gatewayroleplay.org/threads/max-rutherford.935/
Category:What Remains Characters
Category:What Remains Alive
Category:What Remains Season 1 Characters
Category:The Coalition