PART FIFTEEN

The half-moon barely revealed Langley to Maria and Alex as they stealthily kept their distance behind him.

He seemed to walk with purpose, as if time was of the essence.

Maria kept a nervous hand on Alex's arm as they followed him. She was so afraid at any minute Langley would turn around and somehow know they were trailing him.

Miles passed, with no words passing between them, and suddenly Langley disappeared from their sight suddenly.

Maria looked at him panicked.

Alex looked at her tightly, putting a finger to his lips. There was a low outcropping of rocks near the area he had disappeared, but they were too low to hide behind unless he was lying on his stomach.

Cautiously, they approached the rocks.

Maria felt like her heart was going to explode out of her chest. What if he *was* behind the rocks? What if he used his voodoo body snatcher powers on them? No one even knew they were out here. No one would even hear them scream if he decided to bite their heads off or take over their bodies or....

Her own thoughts were silenced as Alex pulled her down to her knees in front of the outcropping, his eyes wide.

Before them lay a huge crater, masked in shadow, only partially lit by the moon.

Below at the bottom, Langley stood, his face illuminated by stones cupped in his hands. The stones glowed a myriad of colors, one blue, one green, one amber, one red, one yellow, one purple, all seeming to meld together.

Langley was completely unaware of their presence at the top of the crater behind the rocks, his eyes closed, seemingly in deep concentration.

Dropping to his knees, he laid the stones around him in a circular pattern, evenly spaced, before sitting in the center of the circle, legs crossed.

A powerful flash of light erupted from the stones, beams of light circling and mingling around him. Maria and Alex squatted lower, squinting against the barrage of light the swirled above Langley's head.

The beams seemed to take on a purpose, frenzied in their intermingling.

Langley remained utterly still as the frenetic light took on a shape.

Maria sat with her mouth open as she watched the beams form a holographic shape above Langley's head. Two arcs in opposite directions, one half inside the other, a round marker punctuating the middle. To Maria it looked like a chaotic representation of infinity.

From the middle marker, a beam shot down to the top of Langley's head, causing his body to stiffen, his head thrown back.

Maria felt the hair rise at the back of her neck, the air fairly crackling with energy.

She turned to Alex.

"I don't know about you," she whispered, "but this is really getting too freaky for me."

Se felt her pockets frantically for the little glass bottle she knew was hidden in them.

With shaky hands her fingers pulled it out of her jeans, unscrewing the cap before virtually inhaling the small bottle. She took a huge breath, eyes closed, and let it out.

She opened her eyes again, offering the bottle to Alex.

He shook his head, waving the bottle off impatiently, before returning his eyes to the crater.

"Well, whoever he is, he seems to be much better equipped to weed out Max than we are," he whispered back.

Maria nodded.

"Is he going to sit there forever?" she asked in a low voice, watching the beam entering Langley's body start to pulse.

Alex shrugged.

"So what now?" she asked.

"We wait. As long as it takes," he answered.

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

He was horrified that without thought, he'd let her in.

He hadn't wanted to.

But now she knew.

He couldn't look at her.

And so she made him.

She sat up, her fingers lightly touching his cheek, guiding his eyes to hers. Tears. Why did she cry?

"I saw you Max. I...." she broke off, unable to finish.

Did she feel sorry for him? That he had depended on her so much? That her touch had been the only thing that had kept him from running terrified?

"You're right Max, we're so different in so many ways," she said softly, and his heart fell at those words.

"But if that matters so much, then why do I feel as if I'd be lost if something happened to you? Why am I drawn to you? Why did I just know that I had to help you? That you wouldn't have hurt anyone? Why do I feel so lucky that I saw how you feel, and that you could see me?" she asked.

"If we are so different, than why do I feel the way I feel?" she said.

His eyes closed for a moment, committing those words to memory. Words that would sustain him for a long time, maybe even forever, even if things went bad, even if tomorrow he turned into the monster the FBI claimed he was.

"Do you want to know what I think, Max?" she asked softly. "I think that it doesn't matter what we are. I think that sometimes two souls are brought together for a reason. I think that I knew the moment I saw you that you were going to be special to me. And I was right."

He couldn't stop the peal of hope that rang through his mind as she said those words.

And for the first time, he truly believed them.

He slowly opened his eyes, knowing that he was opening them to a whole new world if he dared to let it in.

And as he looked into her eyes, he did without reservation, allowing those feelings to rush over him, through him. For the first time, he truly allowed himself to think that it didn't matter what he was, because she didn't care.

It didn't matter what happened tomorrow in this moment, because they had right now.

And for that moment, he let everything go, all of the worry, all of the fear, all of the pain.

He drank in her expression, unable to find words.

She understood.

She didn't need the words from him. He knew she saw them in his eyes, in the almost hungry way he read her face.

He thought to himself that sometimes words aren't everything. Sometimes there aren't any words to say what needed to be said.

White walls and cold metal had been his life for as long as he could remember.

And then there was Liz, and he learned what gentle touches, kind words,
soft kisses and tender embraces were, and he realized that he wanted them, needed them.

Laying her hand on his cheek, she guided his head to her lap.

"You don't have to say anything," she said, stroking his cheek with feather-light movements. She gently touched the locks of hair that had fallen over his forehead.

He was distracted again by a mere touch from her, closing his eyes, concentrating on how the soft pads of her fingers gently combed through his hair. Her touch took on a rhythm, relaxing him, making him imagine that in different circumstances, he might look forward to this every night of his life. But his own life and the circumstances they were in held no such guarantees, and this only made him cherish these simple things even more.

She started to talk quietly, and he listened to the calming tone of her voice.

"I remember when I was younger, Alex and Maria and I used to go out into the desert. This one time, we rode our bikes out there. Maria had this obsession with rocks," she chuckled.

He smiled, his eyes still closed.

"So anyway, she made us go out there with her, because her mom wouldn't let her go alone. Alex and I didn't really mind. I mean there wasn't much else to do. It was so hot that day. We had to ride the side of the road for awhile, and I remember seeing the heat coming off the pavement. It made everything blurry. Maria and Alex were riding ahead of me, and I remember that clearly, that they shimmered. The road seemed like it went on forever ahead of us. I thought it was magic, that some wizard had done that just for me. I don't know, that stuck with me, that one memory. It was like the road was like life. It was shimmering, and beautiful and not totally clear, but it seemed like it would go on forever," she said, pausing wistfully.

"We turned off the road onto this dirt road. We knew the area really well because we were always out there. Anyway, there was this one spot that we hadn't been to that Maria wanted to explore. Maria had a bigger imagination than I did. She swore that the rocks in that spot were special. I think Uncle John had put that in her head. She said that he had told her that somewhere in the desert, angels had lost magic stones, and they were hidden so well that no one would ever find them. He said that the stones' magic was meant only for angels, but that when the angels found them, the whole universe would sing," she said.

"I think he told her that to take her mind off of the fact that her father had left her and her mom, but I don't think he had any idea how that little story affected her. We spent that whole summer looking for those rocks. But that day....that day I think, changed me forever," she said.

"That spot was rockier than the other places we usually went. There were these huge outcroppings there. When we got there, Maria got it into her head that they were hidden up in the rocks somewhere. I was a little scared to climb up there, but she convinced me and Alex to go up there with her," she said.

"We started to climb, and we got up pretty high on the rocks. I was sort of afraid to look down. Maria was so excited about looking for those rocks that she wasn't paying attention. Her foot slipped and she lost her footing, and she fell down the side of the rocks," she said quietly.

Max's eyes opened, staring at the door across the room. Her absent touches continued, but he sensed what she must have felt back then in them. Max could imagine what she was feeling. He had felt that same fear every time he sensed the others during one of Pierce's "exploration" sessions. When he was younger, his biggest fear was that one of them suddenly wouldn't be there anymore, that he wouldn't be able to sense them, and then he would truly be alone.

He tentatively put his hand on her knee, giving it a comforting squeeze. He didn't ask her to continue, he merely waited, knowing that she would when she was ready.

"I remember feeling this panic when I looked down and I saw her just lying there. She didn't move, and we were shouting at her to answer us. She didn't answer. I swear it seemed like it took forever for us to climb back down those rocks, and I remember crying, thinking that she was dead. But when we got down to her, she was breathing. It was still scary, because she wouldn't wake up. We didn't know what to do, and I was practically hysterical. Alex was the one who calmed me down. He told me that he was going to get help, and that I should stay with her," she said.

"It seemed like he was gone forever, but it was only probably an hour. I sat there talking to Maria, holding her hand, praying for her to wake up and answer me. But she didn't. Maria's mom followed the ambulance out there, and when they put her in it, I was so afraid that I was never going to see her again. Alex rode his bike home with me, and we promised each other that we would always, always take care of each other, no matter what. I didn't believe my mom that night when she told me that Maria had woken up. I wouldn't believe it until I saw her myself the next day. And when we walked into her room at the hospital and we all looked at each other, we knew somehow that what had happened had bonded all of us. And it did, we've been close ever since," she said.

She looked down at him as her fingers continued their gentle circles on his forehead.

"I never told them about the road, but it's true, how we never really think that things, life is going to end. That day I realized how precious life is and I never forgot it. I was *that* scared when I saw what Jeffrey was going to do to you that night, Max. I was *that* scared when you didn't wake up last week. I talked to you through the glass just like I talked to Maria that day. And when I saw you open your eyes, I had that exact same feeling I had when I walked into Maria's room that day. Everything that's happened to us has linked us Max, no matter what happens. You and I have one more thing in common. We don't take things for granted," she said softly.

He turned his head to look up at her, but she was staring into space, lost in thought. He knew she was thinking of her friends.

And he was thinking of what she'd said. She had talked to him when he was trapped in that other world. She'd put him in the same category as the people who she'd known and loved most of her life. How could he possibly respond to that? Again words failed. He cursed himself for his lack of eloquence, afraid that anything he said would fall short of how he truly felt.

"Liz, I promise you, if there's any way to get you out of here, I will," he said.

She looked down at him and smiled gently.

"I know you will Max," she said. She started to run her fingers through his hair again, and returned to her thoughts.

His head settled further into her lap, turning back toward the door. The round scorches on his temples were throbbing, but the gentle combing of Liz's fingers through his hair somehow managed to dull it until it was bearable.

The warmth of her leg against his cheek was making him sleepy. He fought against it, wanting to stay awake for her, but sheer exhaustion was winning out.

Her fingers trailed to the nape of his neck under the collar. He could feel the tips of her fingers running over the bumps of his vertebrae. He shut his eyes. Just for a moment, he told himself, and then dropped into sleep.

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

Liz felt Max's body relax in slumber, and she looked down at him. Her hands stilled, feeling the quiet shift of his breathing.

With a little smile, she touched her fingers to her lips and placed them against Max's cheek.

His legs were pulled up to his stomach, and this position revealed how painfully thin he was.

Carefully, she reached over, running her hand down his side, noting every rib that was plain to the touch. The dark rings under his eyes were highlighted by the florescent bulbs above their heads. The cross-hatched scars on his arms revealed by the short sleeves of the scrubs seemed almost purple in the green-tinged light. She felt almost ill looking at the remains of what they'd done to him. The scars were permanent reminders of every horror they subjected him too.

She looked at the bandage on her own arm from where Pierce had shot her. She would bear her own scars. But Max's went much deeper. Max had scars in his mind too, of all the cruelty. He'd saved her from that.

She would keep vigil tonight. She wanted to be awake when they took him in the morning. She was afraid he wouldn't wake her again, and this time she wanted to see him leave, if only to squeeze his hand to tell him that everything was going to be ok. And somehow it would be. There was nothing he could do to her that would make her turn away from him.

Pierce might be able to control a body, but he would never control their thoughts. Their minds were the one place he could never touch, where feelings were safe, where the truth lay, and therein was the place where real promises were kept.

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

The sun's rays were peeking over the rocks as the beams finally faded around Langley.
His head dropped to his chest for a long moment.

Then a moment later, he raised it, picking up the stones which had gone dormant and putting them in his pocket.

Maria and Alex ducked behind the rocks to avoid being detected, but Langley never even looked their way, turning to the opposite end of the crater, climbing up the steep embankment.

"Damn, what's he doing now?" Maria whispered, cautiously raising her head.

"I have no clue," he said slowly.

"So what do we do?" she asked.

"Wait for him to get some distance between us, and then follow him," Alex said.

"I hope this isn't a wild goose chase," Maria said in a low voice.

"Like I said Maria, it's the only lead we've got," Alex said, trying to stifle a yawn.

She crossed her arms over her chest, watching Langley with narrowed eyes.

"What's out that way?" she asked.

"Nothing, as far as I knew. But maybe he knows something we don't," Alex said.

"Come on, he almost out of sight. Let's go," Alex said. "We should be all right. There are lots of outcroppings up there. We'll just stick to those, and with a little luck, he won't spot us."

"I don't like this Alex," Maria said.

"Do you want to get Liz back?" he asked.

"Of course," she said.

"Then move," he whined, gently pushing her along with his hands.

"If you weren't my best friend Alex, I'd have to bitch-slap you. You can be really annoying," Maria said grumpily.

"That's mah job," he said, tickling her waist. She slapped his hand away.

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

Liz heard the change of the shifts through her door, the night crew being relieved by new people.

She heard the metal clang of the doors as the night workers left, sealing this place off from the world yet again.

She sighed, her eyes bleary as she looked down at the arm that had curled protectively around her leg earlier in the night.

Gently, she again traced the paths of the old scars striped across his arm with her fingers.

She would have to wake him soon, but not just yet.

She wanted a few more moments to look at him, to drink him in, to memorize him.

Throughout the night she'd felt his restlessness, even in sleep. At times, his brow furrowed in worry, at other times, his jaw tightened. She wondered at the weight of responsibility he had taken on himself, both for her and for the others.

She'd stroked his cheek and arms in a calming motion, and it had quieted him.

Now she felt his warm fingers curled around her inner thigh, where he'd slipped his arm under her leg. They twitched at times, and she smiled as his fingers unknowingly tickled her.

She knew her parents must be beside themselves by now. She wondered how much Maria and Alex had told them. There was no really way of knowing, but something told her they hadn't told them anything. More than likely, they'd kept quiet and gone to Uncle John. She didn't exactly know what kind of sources he had, but she hoped they were good. She couldn't think about spending the rest of her life in here.

She said a silent prayer that someone would find them, deliver them from the sadistic tortures of Pierce.

With one last long glance at his sleeping face, she regretfully shook him gently.

"Max," she said softly, as he moved slowly, eyes still closed, his hand tightening instinctively around her leg. She felt a painful pang of tenderness toward him.

"Max, it's time to wake up," she said, pushing his hair away from his forehead.

A bolt of energy rushed through her as her head rolled back, her fingers pressed to his forehead.

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

Gone were the angry burns on his body. Gone were the white walls of their cell.

He had been standing in the valley this time, dressed in the garb he assumed he created in his mind.

A high collar caressed his neck, a shirt of the brightest white, made of the softest material he'd ever imagined hid beneath an impeccably tailored black jacket that buttoned up almost to his neck. He felt the gentle caress of perfectly fitted pants that matched the jacket on his legs. Embroidered on the breast pocket was a tiny symbol he'd never seen before, created with a metallic thread that sparkled as it caught the rays of the blue sun's rays.

Everything was deserted, the marble residences seeming to echo in the absence of their tenants.

A soft wind blew across the adjoining meadow, gently moving the blades of grass in undulating waves.

Max felt a sense of melancholy as he looked around. There was no catastrophic destruction, no evidence of some strife that had occurred here. It was as if everyone had just disappeared.

He'd never been down in the valley before, content to watch from a distance as the people who inhabited it went about their daily lives here.

But being here, and in these clothes, and realizing he was alone was a little disconcerting.

He caught a movement in the field out of the corner of his eye.

The slight whistle of the air through the trees only emphasized the desolation of the valley that had teemed with life. A sudden whispering of many voices, indistinguishable on the wind made him turn.

He saw two figures in the distance, garbed in black, walking slowly across his line of vision.

"Hello?" he called out, and they stopped and turned his way. He could not make out facial features with the distance between them.

The figures stood silently regarding him for a moment, and then turned again to continue across the field.

Max took a step forward, wondering if they had heard him. The whispering became louder, many voices, many words, and he understood none of them.

Paileh tor mih nusun teer....

Fihaeh copu Vilon..dera sin dri....


"Max...." a soft husky voice whispered, as he felt a gentle touch on his shoulder.

He turned slowly, to find Liz standing behind him, clad in much the same jacket and shirt, but a straight long skirt in place of the pants. Gold wire was threaded through her hair, which was piled up on her head, the wire mingling with the curls that fell around her face. Then he noticed that the shirt was opened at the neck, unlike his. At the base of her throat was a tiny symbol, the exact symbol that was embroidered on his jacket.
It looked like a tattoo, and yet it wasn't. He reached out tentatively to touch it, feeling the raised warm metal that seemed melded into her skin.

As he touched it, it glowed a bright blue. He quickly took his finger away.

"Did you do this?" she asked, her hand going to her throat.

"I don't know," he said.

"I....I think so," he added. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize Max," she said, wonder filling her eyes, as she touched his cheek with her fingers.

"I like it," she said, giving him a little grin. Her eyes moved beyond his shoulder and her smile faded.

"Max," she said quietly, looking behind him.

He turned slowly to see what she was looking at, and he froze.

Two figures stood there, watching them, their fingers entwined.

He felt his eyes fill with tears as he looked at them for the first time, because he knew them. Without ever having seen them, he knew them.

"It can't be," he said, his voice cracking.

A shaky smile appeared on the breathtaking tall blond-haired girl who stood before him, as a tear slid down her face. She held her hand out as a small sob escaped her throat.

Max looked over at the tall boy who stood next to her, watching him with a mix of wariness and wonder.

Max only needed to take one step toward them, and the girl flew into his arms.

He stood frozen as he felt a curious rush of her emotions flood his senses, as she clung tightly to him. He tentatively put his arms around her.

"You, you," she breathed tearfully, as Max looked over her shoulder at the other boy.

His unruly brown hair looked unkempt, and he seemed somehow wild, unbroken....exactly the impression he'd gotten in his mind, though he'd never seen him. His physical appearance matched the emotions Max had sensed all these year. He blinked as he looked at Max, regarding him silently.

"How?" the boy asked softly.

Max had no answer for him. He turned to see Liz watching quietly.

He smiled at her, his lips quivering slightly with the emotion of finally seeing them, after all these years.

He felt an instinctive, almost protective love for both of them, the others, they who had shared his pain for so long.

The girl pulled away from him a bit, taking his face into her hands.

"Let me look at you," she said, smiling tearfully.

Max looked down shyly.

"I remember you," she said. "I remember you were the first thing I saw. And I never saw you again."

She turned to the other boy, walking to him, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward Max.

"You remember too, don't you?" she asked the boy, and he nodded.

Reaching out, she took Max's hand in one of hers, the boy's in the other.

Max felt the sensation of a distant memory rising in his consciousness.

Blur. It was all blur, though then he didn't know the word for blur.

It was time.

Pushing against the membrane with all of the strength he had, he felt his fingers tear through it, the thick liquid which had nourished and protected him spilling through the tear in a small waterfall.

He blinks, seeing the window of clarity through the tear. It is very bright, and he is scared, but he knows he can't stay in here any longer.

He uses his hands to make the tear wider, wide enough for him to crawl out. It is very bright outside his little cocoon. He squints his eyes against it.

It is very cold. He can feel the air turning the membranous liquid on his skin into a clammy, sticky coating.

He cautiously leans his head out of the pod, trying to get his bearings.

He sees faces, and a large rough hand reaches out to him....

"No," he whispered, yanking his hand back from the blond girl.

She looked hurt, unable to understand why he'd pulled away from her. The other boy enfolded her into his arms, looking at Max accusingly.

"Why did you do that? Why did you pull away?" the other boy asked.

"I....it was frightening. I don't want to remember," Max mumbled.

But it was too late. He already had, and he'd have to live with that memory, yet another cross to bear. He put it to the back of his mind forcefully.

He suddenly thought of Liz. He turned quickly to her, but she was gone. He turned back to the other two.

"Where did she go?" he asked.

They both looked at him, not answering, their eyes telling him they didn't know.

"We'll do this again," Max said. "Maybe somehow we can figure a way out of this."

"We don't even know how we got here," the boy said disgustedly. "How will we come back?"

"We'll figure it out," Max said, putting his hand on the boy's arm.

"I can't stay," he said. "I'm going back. They're going to change the chips. *Don't* use your abilities. It will kill you."

The boy looked at him questioningly and the girl nodded, her hand reaching out toward him, but even as she did, he felt the pull of the waking world on his senses.

"Max," Liz said rubbing his arm.

Slowly, he stretched a little, turning his head up toward her as his eyes opened slowly.

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


The look he had on his face made her feel even guiltier than she had when she'd woken out of his world alone.

She felt guilty because she felt an irrational jealousy toward the other girl. The other girl was like Max.

The other girl remembered Max.

The other girl had abilities like Max.

Maybe the other girl was born meant as a mate to Max.

She had looked so glad to see him. Liz had turned away as she watched them embrace, and saw the tearful smile on Max's face.

And she was back in this cell, and she heard talking outside, and knew they were coming for him soon.

His eyes looked up at her with happiness, and her heart constricted. This was the most important thing that had ever happened to him, and she had to put her own feelings aside. He'd finally connected with his own kind.

"Liz, were you really there?" he asked. "Did you see them?"

"Yes, I saw them Max," she said, smiling a little sadly. "You brought me in and I saw them. I'm so happy for you."

"What is it Liz?" he asked, his brow furrowing.

"Nothing," she said, brushing his question off.

"They're going to come get you soon. I hear them outside," she said, motioning toward the door.

"Liz, I don't know how that happened, but I think it had something to do with you," he started, and then his head turned toward the door as he heard the voices coming closer.

He sat up quickly.

"There's no time, but there are things that I want to say to you Liz, I remembered something," he said, his hands moving to her cheeks.

"I know Max," she said. "It's ok. You can tell me later."

But later might change everything, and he might never be able to tell her. She didn't want to think about that.

His breathing quickened in anticipation of what was going to happen to him once he left the cell.

Impulsively, he pulled her face toward him, his lips closing over hers, trying to will all that he couldn't say into that one kiss.

Liz felt his tongue slide along her lips and she opened to him, meeting his eager thrust with her own.

Right now it didn't matter if the other girl was meant to be his mate. He might realize it in time, but right now, she wanted to believe that what she felt for him was enough. Enough for both of them. And she knew he felt strongly for her. She could feel it in the urgency of his kiss as his lips massaged hers, his tongue exploring her mouth insistently.

She heard the beeping of the code on the door, and tore her lips away from his, her fingers wrapping around his wrists, his hands still on her cheeks.

His eyes pleaded for reassurance, for her strength, and she tried to will it into her gaze as she searched his eyes.

The door opened, and hands were on his shoulders, pulling him away from her.

"We'll get through this Max. I promise," she said softly, as they dragged him to the door, his head turned back toward her one last time, every fear of what he might become in a few hours evident in his gaze.

She looked at him and touched her throat, where the symbol had been, somehow knowing he'd understand.

And he did, because a small smile appeared on his face as it disappeared out the door.

It shut, and she finally allowed herself to let go.

Her face crumpled as she felt the tears coming, great long sobbing gasps wracking her body as her head fell into her hands.

What was to become of them?

She had a feeling in a few hours, she'd have her answer, and she hoped it wouldn't be one that would scar them both forever.