Chapter 15
Liz wasn’t aware of anything around her. Time had stopped, and all she could feel was Max’s warm chest against her face as she pressed against his soft t-shirt. She could smell the familiar scent of his leather jacket, as she buried herself in Max…tried to hold onto him anyway she could.

God, his heart was completely still. Silent.

She’d always loved the feel of his heart beating against her whenever he held her…and how incredibly warm his body was, which made her feel so safe. But now he was growing cooler by the moment--just like the desert air after the sun disappears.

It occurred to her that she’d never feel that warmth and safety in his arms again. And that’s when her body began shaking, and the sobs became uncontrollable. She grabbed his soft leather jacket, his shirt, pressed them tightly against her face…God, if she could just get close enough to him, maybe it wouldn’t be true. She looked up at his beautiful face. The amber eyes were closed, and his long lashes swept downward. She leaned up and began kissing him, her hot tears streaming onto his skin.

And she kept repeating his name over and over. Maybe somehow he’d hear her…maybe somehow their connection could transcend even death.

She was aware of hands grabbing at her…trying to pull her away from Max. She jerked away.

They would not separate her from him…. Nothing would.


Marco grabbed Liz firmly by the shoulder, while with his other hand he continued to maintain the shield. He had to get her out of here, or she was going to die next. He knew exactly where to go if he hoped to save Max and the others, but he didn’t want to leave Liz behind in the process. Yet the harder he pulled on her, the more she clung to Max—and it tore him apart in the process.

Marco had seen her in so many tense situations-- even seen her face death before—and she’d always been so amazingly strong. Sometimes she’d been stronger than the rest of them. But never once, not in all the years he’d known her, had he seen her this distraught
But what had he thought Max’s death would do to her? The answer was simple--he hadn’t allowed himself to think about it, or even imagine it at all, because if he had they wouldn’t be here now.

That’s why he had to fix this—had to try--and he knew exactly what needed to happen. But could he get where he needed to go without being struck down himself? And could he get Liz there with him?

"Liz," he whispered, and gently shook her shoulder again.

But she didn’t respond at all—she was completely lost in her grief. A little shudder passed through him when he realized how familiar this all felt… how much it reminded him of the way their connection would sometimes leave them completely unresponsive to their surroundings.

"Liz," he called firmly. He looked up at Maria, who knelt beside Max’s other side. She met his eyes coldly, and he looked away quickly under the weight of her stare.

The shield flickered, and Marco felt a small surge of energy go out of him--he was growing too weak to keep the perimeter in place. He glanced beyond them and saw Nicholas was still lying on the ground from Michael’s power blast, but he couldn’t get a position on the other two skins. Why did it have to be such a damn dark night? He whipped out his binoculars and scanned the landscape in front of him. The other skins had run for cover behind a nearby rock, and crouched there now. They were regrouping, seeking to gain a strategic advantage in the darkness

Marco felt his energy waver again and made a risky decision. He allowed the barrier to drop, and turned more fully to Liz and Maria.

"Maria, I can help Max…all of you," he whispered hoarsely. "But I don’t want to leave Liz here unprotected…they want her, too."

"What do you mean?" she asked, glancing down protectively at her two friends. "What can you possibly do for Max?" Her voice caught in her throat as she spoke, and he saw tears pool in her large eyes.

"I can use the granolith, Maria," he said, meeting her gaze intently. "It’s very involved, but there’s something I can do… I don’t want to leave Liz here, though."

Maria stared at him a long moment, then placed her hands on Liz’s shoulders and shook them gently.

"Liz, let’s go…we’ve gotta get out of here, okay?" she whispered urgently.

But Liz was completely catatonic in her grief.

Then it hit him-- Liz wanted to die with Max…was willing it somehow.

And he didn’t have time to fight her will, or it would be the end of them all. He raised his binoculars and took another reading of the landscape. Nicholas had stood again and was battling Michael, who seemed to have taken a hit from the disruptor. There was the sound of more gunshots… total chaos was erupting. But so far no one seemed to realize he’d dropped the shield.

He could make his move now if he acted quickly—and if he left Liz behind. He glanced at her small form, where she lay sobbing against Max, and made his decision. He stood quietly…was about to make a run for the granolith when the strangest thing happened.

Nicholas and the other two skins began charging down the dark hillside, away from all of them. Marco furrowed his brow, and stared through the binoculars, uncertain as to what had sent them running. Then through the glasses he saw Tess Harding and Isabel Evans, and a faint smile formed on his lips. He knew that Nicholas and the skins believed they were chasing all of them down the hillside--thanks to a brilliant mindwarp.

Marco watched as Tess remained where she was—no doubt concentrating on maintaining her illusion—and Isabel quickly covered the ground between them. He felt a slight chill pass over him when he though of Tess’s eyes, and how they must look at this moment. Those icy blue depths were all too familiar, especially the way they could flash when she was using her controlling powers.

Tess had come to him that horrible night four years ago--just after Max had thrown him out. She had offered comfort, a place to stay. At the time Marco hadn’t known how she’d found him, and only later had she confessed that they’d had him under surveillance for months.

Tess had seduced him that night—in every way—and he’d been more than willing because he’d never felt so desperately alone. Only later did he understand that Tess wasn’t just seducing him physically, but was leading him to the darkest side of his nature—and straight to the enemy’s camp. By the time she offered to take him to Khivar’s highest realms, he’d been more than willing to follow her lead.

And in the process he’d lost what was left of his soul.

Until tonight.

Quickly, he felt inside his jacket pocket, and knew he had just what was required. Thank God he’d taken an extra crystal in case he needed it for some reason.

Isabel was almost to them now, and he didn’t have time to offer her explanations. This was his divine moment, and he had to seize it. Without even glancing again at Maria…or Liz, Marco began sprinting up the hillside.

The crystal slid smoothly in place, even though Marco’s hands were trembling crazily. He had gone over every setting and adjustment three times to be certain—yet this still scared the hell out of him. There was the physical dimension for one thing—it hadn’t felt particularly great traveling through the granolith the first time. But he also knew just how much rested on his getting this right--and what he was attempting was far from an exact science.

The crystal locked in place and Marco stepped back…waited. And hoped with all his hybrid soul that this mission would succeed— that he would be catapulted back a mere five hours in time.