For his involvement in leading a group of vigilantes to overthrow the most powerful government in the world, Maxim Morrison was touted as a hero and garnered the respect of his peers. Soon, he would reveal himself as the grandson of the great Trevor Morrison and the sole heir to the Unity fortune.

Maxim had listened to what Allie had told him and knew it was the right thing to do. It was for a greater purpose beyond his individual needs.

"The people need a new leader," Maxim said to Allie. "One they can point to, look at, and stand behind... not some mysterious shadow. I intend to be that leader. Together, we can make a system that is truly for the people, by the people."

"I'm so glad to hear this," Allie said.

"While I'm relatively young and feel underqualified, I have a great team around me. We can figure it out together. You inspire me to be great."

Maxim had been running from his famous family name his entire life, partly because he wanted to step out of the large shadow cast by his grandfather and have people respect him as his own person, but he also didn't want to expose himself to an attack.

During the war, civility eroded and those who were seen as having wealth and privilege were seen as a threat and were targeted. He fought in the war and lived a normal existence, all the while maintaining a secret identity. Since the war had ended, he no longer felt vulnerable in the same kind of way. The façade had been lifted and he was ready to show the world who he was.

Being the face of a rebel movement responsible for overthrowing The Shadow was his coming out party.

With Maxim's mind set on becoming the leader of the New World, he was ready to take centre stage and address the world. Around him were all the pieces in place — money, famous family ties, technology experts, former political leaders, and most importantly, the love and support from the people. His uncontested rise to power was there for the taking as he had overnight become the new name and face responsible for taking down The Shadow. People were tired of secrecy, artificial intelligence, war, and fear. They wanted a leader who was transparent, who they could trust, and who was a real person.

Finding a quiet spot outside of the city, Maxim and Allie took up residence in a formerly abandoned neighbourhood on Union and Lexington Street.

"How do you feel about everything?" Allie asked, cuddling up to her man.

"I feel good. The more I think about it, the more I'm okay putting myself out there. It's not about me or what I want, I feel a sense of duty."

"See, I knew you would come around."

"Thanks for everything you've done. You may not be remembered in history, but without you, none of this would be possible. So thank you."

"That's sweet of you to say."

"Look, I don't know what this is between us yet, but it's a strange time to get involved romantically with someone. If they elect me as their leader, then I'm going to be very busy. I'm not sure how much I can really be around for you."

"If we love each other, then I'm sure we'll figure it out," Allie said.

"Yeah."

"Like you said, it's in fate's hands."

"Do you really believe in all that destiny and fate stuff?"

"A part of me does," Maxim pondered. "I mean, look at how the last few weeks has played out. Eighty random people on a bus, nine of them randomly breakoff into a small group. Each of them fundamentally flawed in some way. A paraplegic hacker, a decommissioned surgeon, a retired model, a has-been politician, a discharged military vet, a disgraced inventor, a former MMA champion... none of you really offered much to society on your own, but together you were a formidable force.

"The nine of you somehow persisted on your own with minimal survival skills, battled the elements, deranged marauders, narrowly escaping capture by The Shadow. Then eventually, you found your way to me and my little community. From there, a couple people go off on their own and into the city. They meet a random stripper who happens to have a roommate, who happens to have this key piece of information, which on its own means nothing to anybody. But, as fate would have it, other members of the group obtained coordinates from the bus that they were on less than a week prior, follow those coordinates to a mysterious walled city that shouldn't exist, narrowly escape being killed, to yet another chance encounter from the one man in the world who could connect the pieces of the mysterious blood obtained by the stripper in the city.

"This information, along with a million other scenarios occurred in the correct sequence for us to eventually track down this mysterious patient, cut the power to the city, storm his house, and shut down The Shadow government. Next thing I know, I'm being hailed as a hero and could potentially become the leader of the free world and the most powerful man in the history of humankind.

"I mean, what's the probability of all that happening? That seems to me to be a really strong case for destiny if you ask me."

"You left out the best part," Allie said, touching his arm gently.

"I wasn't done," Maxim smiled. "All those events happened to lead me to being in this room... in a strange part of town that I've never been... with a girl who I didn't know existed two weeks ago... falling in love with her. I can't help but wonder what the future has in store for us. What could possibly be the outcome of this?"

"You're falling in love with me?" Allie asked.

"From the moment I set eyes on you."

Maxim and Allie embraced their love and followed their natural instincts. They began to kiss, until Maxim pulled away. He was a master at intuition and could sense something was off.

"What's wrong?" Maxim asked.

Allie struggled to find the right words. "Look, I like you... I really like you... and I'm excited by what this could potentially turn into as well. But before we get more involved, I feel like I should tell you something."

Maxim furrowed his brow inquisitively and asked, "What do you have to tell me?"

"Hopefully it's not a big deal, and there hasn't really been a good time to tell you, but... I haven't been completely honest with you."

That statement left Maxim feeling a little uncomfortable, but he was curious to follow it to its conclusion.

"When I met you, I wasn't really sure who you were or what your deal was. In fact, I didn't really know who any of those people were. So understandably I was a little guarded. I wanted to protect myself and therefore withheld certain information about my true identity."

"Okay?"

"Everything I told you about me is true... except for one thing. My name isn't Allie. My real name is..."