PART TEN

"Maria!" Nancy Parker called from the kitchen of the Crashdown.

"Yeah Mrs. P," Maria answered from the counter.

"Would you go and get Liz up? She was supposed to be down fifteen minutes ago," Nancy said.

Maria sighed. "Sure Mrs. P," she said, coming through the doors and starting up the stairs.

She really didn't mind doing the favor, because it got her out of filling sugar containers for a few minutes.

She thought about Liz. She'd been acting so strange lately. Maria knew she was holding something back since that day at the motel, but she didn't know what it was. There was something about that short time with Max that had changed Liz.

Liz didn't even notice when Kyle came into the Crashdown, which made Kyle stand up and take notice of her suddenly. He'd taken to coming on more often, trying to capture the attention, which he had started to take for granted. But Liz barely registered he was around. Maria also noticed over the past few weeks that Liz's hand had frequently went to her chest, where Max had healed her.

Maria admitted to herself that she had liked Max, despite all her protestations. Liz was right, he didn't deserve whatever had happened to him. And even after everything he'd been through, there *was* an innocence about him.

And, he had saved Liz with those superman powers he had. He'd done it without hesitation, just as Liz had jumped in front of him when Wilkes fired.

That had driven any lingering doubts she may have had right out of her head when she had time to sit down and think it through. He would have never hurt Liz. He wouldn't have hurt any of them. She knew that now.

She knew that Max was the cause of Liz's distraction. She couldn't say she really blamed her. He brought her back to life. How much more romantic could you get?

But he was gone, and sooner or later Liz would have to move on.

She'd tried to talk to her about Max, but Liz only changed the subject. Maybe it was for the best. Talking about him only made him more real, and he was gone, for good.

Sighing, she knocked on Liz's bedroom door.

"Liz?" she called, and got no answer.

"Chica, it's time to go to work," she said exasperated, opening the door.

"Your Mom is going to have your hide," she said, breaking off when she saw that no one occupied the bed.

"Liz?" she called, going to the window, thinking she might be out on the balcony. It was deserted.

Turning, she saw that the bathroom was dark.

"Shit!" she cursed under her breath. Liz had ditched her shift.

Sighing in annoyance, she flopped on Liz's bed.

Great. She was stuck with the Sunday lunch crowd on her own.

She lay there for a moment, and turned over, moving to get up, knowing that any second Liz's mom was going to come looking for them.

Sitting up, she stood and almost tripped on something on the floor.

She bent down to pick it up. It was a mini recorder.

Curious, she turned it on, her eyes widening as she recoized the voice.

5:13 p.m. - October 16th – Subject of surveillance....Liz Parker, seventeen years. Suspect believed to be in the company of 88647 on October 15th, when fired at by Agent Wilkes. Suspect number two, one Maria Deluca, believed to be a friend of Parker, and number three Alexander Whitman, both also seventeen. Parker girl works at Crashdown Café, owned by parents. Typical tourist trap in Roswell, New Mexico. Unsure of exact involvement with 88647. Waitress at motel confirms 88647 was with three suspects that morning.

10:30 p.m. – October 17th – Crashdown under surveillance. Jeffrey still MIA, now presumed dead. No sign of 88647. Parker girl seems to be going through normal routine.

11:00 a.m. – October 18th. Deluca appears to work with Parker in the Crashdown Café. Surveillance of Whitman house shows normal daily activity. Still no sign of 88647.

12:00 a.m. – October 18th – Wilkes is starting to come around. Not sure of permanent damage to brain. Techs at Eagle rock claim there has been some sensory damage. Semi-coherent. Wilkes spoke over and over of finding three kids and 88647, and consequent strike by 88647 after he shot the Parker girl. Short term memory is intact. Apparent long term memory loss. Continued surveillance of Parker girl. 88647 has apparently healed the girl. Wilkes swears he saw a spray of blood when he hit her. She is apparently unharmed. Will keep close surveillance to note any physical changes.

1:30 a.m. - October 19th – Sighting of 88647. Confirmation that chip has been removed or destroyed. Molecular manipulation of light in alley. Light disabled. With no chip, he is unapproachable. Climbing ladder to Parker girl's balcony. I am moving to adjacent building. ....Pause in tape.... I am now in vacant room in adjoining building. 88647 has been sitting outside Parker's window for most of the night. I've got to find a way to capture him.

3:30 a.m. - October 22nd – 88647 has spent every night outside subject Parker's window. She is apparently unaware he is there. It's a waiting game. I see it now. The only way to get to him is through her.

2:45 a.m. - October 28th – Same, night after night. He sits outside her window and leaves before dawn. He hides in a warehouse across town during the day. Still to dangerous to approach. I have no further man-power for capture. If the agency finds out he is gone, I am a dead man. I've got to figure out a way to get him, and soon. Time is running out.

12:15 a.m. - October 30th – He's just gone in her window. I've got to make my move tonight....

Maria feels panic rise in her throat as she looks down and sees the shirt Uncle John had lent Max two weeks ago lying on the floor.

"Oh God! He has Max and Liz!" she whispered.

Quickly, she picked up the phone and dialed Alex.

"Yeah," he answered.

"Alex, something's happened. Liz is gone! That guy Pierce has her....and Max," she said shakily.

"What?" he asked confused.

Her words came out in a flurry of panic.

"Max was here. Liz didn't come down for her shift and when I came up here, she wasn't here. I don't know if there was a struggle or something, but I found this tape recorder on the floor. It's Pierce's, and Oh my God, he's been watching Liz. He's been watching all of us, and he's got the both of them!" she said tearfully.

"Ok....ok," Alex said. "We have to calm down and think about this rationally. We should call the police," he said.

"What am I supposed to tell Mrs. Parker? She asked frantically.

"We'll call the police and give them the tape," Alex said.

"No Alex! We can't do that! You saw how ruthless they were about getting Max. Liz isn't as important. Whatever part of the FBI Pierce is part of, it's pretty top secret. If we tell the police and they start nosing around, how do we know what he'll do to Liz?" she asked.

Alex was silent for a moment.

"Ok, here's what we're going to do. You're going to go downstairs and you're going to tell Mrs. Parker the truth....that Liz wasn't in her room. When she doesn't show up, they are going to call the police. Don't tell them anything. Take that recorder. We'll call Uncle John. Maybe he can help us," he said, troubled.

"Ok. Ok," Maria breathed. "Please Alex, get here soon," she said.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," he said.

Maria hung up the phone and stuffed the recorder into her apron pocket and grabbed Max's shirt off the floor, going quickly down the stairs.

She shoved the shirt under the cushions of the break-room couch and took a deep breath before walking out to tell Mrs. Parker that her daughter wasn't in her room.

*%*%*%*%*%*%*

Pain. That all-encompassing pain once again sliced through his head, jarring him out of unconsciousness. He was disoriented.

Where was he? He slowly opened his eyes to a familiar blinding whiteness, and panic tore through his body. He was back in a cell. He was wearing scrubs.

Suddenly it all came rushing back to him, Liz's bedroom, Pierce.

He'd heard her gasp, and jumped up quickly to see Pierce's arm wrapped around her throat and his gun pointed at her head. Rage tore through him as Pierce hissed, "Don't even try it."

Liz's fear-filled eyes caught his, and he knew he had to do something. His energy filled his body, and he was prepared to kill Pierce if he had to, and Pierce saw the look in his eyes, knowing his intention.

With that, Pierce put the gun behind Liz's arm, firing his silencer right through her arm, holding her mouth to suppress her scream. Grief tore through his insides as he heard her muffled cry and watched the tears of pain spring to her eyes. Quickly Pierce reached into his pocket, pulling out a rag and clamping it down on her arm. Max saw the recorder fall out of his pocket, but Pierce didn't notice it.

"Don't think I can't finish her off now," Pierce growled, and Max froze, knowing he was dead serious.

His eyes pleaded with hers in apology. Why did he come here? Why did he put her in danger yet again?

"Now, move slowly toward me," Pierce said in a menacing whisper.

Max had no choice but to obey. Liz's life depended on it.

With hate-filled eyes, he slowly approached him.

Pierce wrapped his arm further around Liz, reaching into his other pocket, pulling out a large metal band with a small device in the center. The device blinked incessantly.

"Put it on," Pierce said, holding it out to him.

Max felt his insides tighten as he saw what it was. A collar.

"Slowly," Pierce warned as Max reached out and took it.

Liz's muffled whimpers cut through his heart as nothing ever had. It was all his fault.

Defeated, he wrapped the collar around his neck and snapped it in place, feeling an immediate dispersal of his energy. Slowly, Pierce moved to his back and clamped a small lock on the back, never letting go of Liz.

"We can do this the hard way, or we can do this the easy way. I am only going to tell you this once. You try anything, and she's history," Pierce said harshly.

Max nodded.

"Get outside," Pierce ordered. Max went to the window and slowly climbed out. Pierce shoved Liz roughly through the opening, pushing her into Max, and for a short moment, she looked up at him with eyes filled with fear.

"I'm sorry," Max whispered miserably as Pierce climbed out of the window.

"Shut up!" he hissed, and grabbed Liz again.

"We're going down first," he whispered, "and you'll follow. Remember what I said."

Pierce shoved Liz to the ladder and forced her to climb down after him, keeping a watchful eye on Max. When they got to the bottom, He motioned to his car sitting at the end of the alley. He ordered Max into the back, and pulled Liz around to the driver's side. He made her climb in before him, sliding over to the passenger side.

He shut the door quietly, turning to face Max for a moment.

"You know what the sad part of this is?" he leered. "You could have gotten away. You could have killed me. Oh, she would have been gone, but you would have been free. What a fool," he laughed, and Max felt fury rise in his throat, his anger coloring his face as he watched Liz grip her injured arm.

Pierce sighed sarcastically, as he pulled out of the alleyway and out on to the main street.

"Payback's a bitch," he muttered, as he held a small remote over his shoulder. Without looking back, he pressed a button, and white-hot shards of agony tore through Max's head.

He roared in pain, his hands flying to his head as Liz turned to look at him, alarmed, letting out a cry. Max's eyes barely registered the cruel laugh and the evil grin on Pierce's face in the rearview mirror before he blacked out.

What had he done? He slowly sat up, trying to get his bearings. The ever-present pleas of the others encompassed his mind, though dulled by the collar. He reached up to his neck and felt the cold metal, and shut his eyes in pure misery.

He should have left well enough alone. He should have stayed away.

Opening his eyes, he took in his surroundings. This wasn't his old cell as he had originally thought. Half of the wall to his right was glass with small holes in it, floor to ceiling, and the other half was concrete. The room adjacent was not visible through the glass, the room darkened. Behind him, on the back wall in the corner next to the concrete side, was a commode, and against the left wall was a bed and a sink. The left wall was mirrored, no doubt an observation room behind it.

For a moment he paced the room, coming to a stop next to the glass. In defeat, he slid down against it to the floor.

Suddenly, light filled the room next to him, and he turned quickly, letting out a strangled cry, for lying next to the glass was his angel.

"Liz!" he cried out, and she moaned.

"Liz, please," he said shakily. Her arm had been bandaged. She was in a hospital gown. The florescent light made her appear desperately pale, her dark hair a stark contrast against her pallor.

"Liz," he whispered again, and her head turned toward him.

"Max," she said, wincing as she moved her arm. Slowly, she tried to sit.

"No Liz, stay where you are," he pleaded.

She ignored him and slowly sat up, turning to look at him.

"Max," she croaked, "where are we?"

"In the compound," he said in a tortured voice. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," she said, leaning against the glass. "Yeah I'm ok. Are you? What he did to you in the car....Max, I was so scared for you."

She looked into his eyes with concern, and this ripped his heart.

"I'm fine," he said in a low voice. "Liz, I'm so sorry."

She gave him a small smile, as frightened as she was, and his heart clenched.

He looked toward the observation mirror, and turned back to her. He pressed close to the glass and whispered.

"Pierce dropped his recorder in your room," he whispered to her, his voice barely registering. Her eyes widened, but she remained silent.

"Liz, I promise I'll get us out of this. If it kills me, I promise I'll get you out of here," he said fiercely, putting his hand up to the glass, willing her to know that he meant every word of it.

Her eyes conveyed her confidence in him, and she put her hand up against the glass, flush with his.

"We'll get out of this," she whispered.

For a long moment, they stared into each other's eyes, seeing the fear, yet seeing the utter trust in each other. Max knew without a doubt that she had put herself into his hands, and he wondered how she could have such faith in him, when all he had done was put her in danger. This strengthened his resolve even more.

The moment was broken by a rush of air in Liz's cell as lab-coated technicians strode into the room. She turned quickly toward them, her face filled with fear.

"Max?" she said fearfully, turning back to him, her hand still on the glass.

Max felt the full force of his helplessness as the technicians dragged her away from the glass, to the steel table in the middle of the room. She struggled against them as they strapped her onto the table.

"Please, no...." Max said in panic, knowing what they were going to do, his hands pressed up against the glass.

"Max!" Liz shouted again.

Max saw the flash of the blade as it started up, the fodder of his nightmares. His breath became ragged, his heart pounding in his chest as he knew what was going to come next.

"MAAAAAXXXX!!!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Max roared, pounding against the glass, his cry met with the whining of the blade.

*%*%*%*%*%*%*%

Pierce smiled maliciously as her cries rang out. Perfect. He marveled at his genius. The hybrid had almost cost him his job, and possibly his life. It was the perfect torture, making him watch what they were going to do to her.

She was the perfect specimen. In a few weeks they would know if the healing had changed her physiology. Much better than bringing in a guileless human off the streets somewhere, and oh how he would enjoy watching this one suffer her cries. He hated him. He hated all of them. Those that had come before him had killed his father, and they would all pay.

Of course he was giving the government what they wanted, the information they needed about these hybrids, how best to use them defensively. But he also exacted his price, his revenge on them, making them pay every day for what they had done to his father, and consequently his mother. She had been destroyed when she found out that her husband was dead. Complete nervous breakdown they said. Broken heart is what he said. She never recovered, and he had been sent to live with his abusive Uncle.

He'd never known exactly what had happened to his father, who was also an Agent. As he grew from a boy, he became obsessed with finding out the truth, and he became an FBI agent himself, like father like son. And then came the day when he had access to the files he needed, and he found out the truth. That he had been killed by another of these monstrosities in 1965. The killer had never been found. Imagine his glee when he was asked to join the team to oversee the pods that were found in a cave in 1989 in the New Mexico desert. He vowed his revenge that day, and had been exacting it ever since.

He reached into his pocket for his recorder, eager to tape the agonized shouts of the monster in the next room, but his pocket was empty. Frowning, he tried his other pocket. In that pocket was the remote for the collar.

Annoyed, he took the remote out of his pocket. He must have dropped it somewhere. No matter, there was no way anyone would find them. Still, it irritated him it wasn't here.

Holding the remote up to the glass, he pressed the button menacingly, laughing cruelly at the agonized shout that rose from the room before him.

*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%

Maria and Alex watched the Sheriff and his deputy comb the room for clues, as a tearful Nancy Parker clung to her husband.

They'd called the police when Liz hadn't come back by nine o'clock that evening.

"She wouldn't just leave like this. Something happened," Nancy sobbed.

"Don't worry Nancy, Jeff, we'll get to the bottom of this," Jim Valenti said.

"Jim, I think there's something you should see," Hanson said, motioning him over to the other side of the bed.

"It's blood," Hanson said in a low voice, but not low enough that Maria didn't hear it.

She gasped, and Alex grabbed her arm and led her out of the room.

"What if she's hurt Alex? What if she's dead?" Maria said, breaking into tears.

He pulled her into his arms.

"We can't think like that Maria. You heard the tape. It sounds like they want her for some reason too. They think she's been changed. We have to believe she's ok," Alex said softly.

"What about Uncle John?" she asked. "Can he help us?"

"I let him listen to the tape. He took it and promised to do the best that he could with his contacts. That's the only hope we have right now," he said.

"I don't know if that's enough," Maria said desperately.

"It's going to have to be for now," Alex said in a low voice, saying a silent prayer that Liz was ok.