“Oh, this is excellent. But where does this…aha!”
Isabel perched on a chair as she watched Alex fiddle with the alien device that had been the source of their trouble. She had tried to help him, but it had been hard when he wouldn’t let her anywhere near the device. He’d been afraid that something would happen to her if she came into contact with it. So, she’d spent the last few minutes watching as boyish delight crossed his face. “You really know what you’re doing?”
“Not at all. But it’s fascinating. There are connectors in here that I don’t think anyone would think of for years. I mean, there isn’t even wiring. Everything is connected by a complicated system of…” Alex trailed off when he saw that she really wasn’t paying attention to him. “Isabel, we’re going to find them.”
Sighing, Isabel forced herself to smile at him. “Of course we are. There isn’t any doubt.”
“Do you want to try to dream walk them again?”
“I’ve already tried both of them a dozen times. They’re not sleeping wherever they are.”
Alex nodded and returned to his examination of the cube. He hadn’t wanted to say it, but he thought that maybe Isabel couldn’t connect with Max for the same reasons Tess hadn’t been able to. There was something closing off that portion of his brain. So, he’d gently recommended a few hours ago that she try to dreamwalk Liz more than Max. Neither had proven successful so far. “You’ll get through.”
Isabel listened as Michael and Tess argued over something from the other side of the room. They had picked up Liz’s room as best they could, not wanting to alert her parents to any mishaps. But with all the noise they were making, they were going to have to move the group to Michael’s apartment. The last thing they needed was the Parkers questioning why Liz wasn’t in her room but all of her friends were.
Aside from the pressing urgency of Max and Liz’s disappearance, Isabel has also found herself suffering through massive amounts of guilt. Tess and Kyle had been insistent that Liz had been trying to set up Max to find her in bed with Kyle. And if that was true, then Isabel had quite a few things to apologize to Liz for. “Why did she do it, Alex? You know her as well as Maria does. Why would Liz hurt Max like that?”
Alex kept his head down. He could hear the raw emotion in Isabel’s voice and he wondered how long it would be before she broke down. The last few days had been rough on her, and he knew she was blaming herself for Max’s disappearance as well as his condition. And when Isabel Evans let down her guard, she was beautiful. He’d learned the hard way that it was best not to look at her when she didn’t have any walls up. It just made it harder when he had to look away again.
“I don’t know, Isabel. Nothing makes sense in this whole situation. Kyle said she mentioned the end of the world, and I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty vague to me. She must have had a good reason though. And as soon as we find her, we can ask her.”
“I was so horrible to her, Alex. You heard what I said to her before we left. God, why would she just stand there and take it?”
“That’s one of the most frustrating aspects of her personality. She believed in what she was doing and she stuck to her guns.” Alex finally gave in to the urge to look up and he was instantly sorry that he did. Isabel looked completely heartbroken. Her chin was trembling and her eyes were watery. And she’d never looked more beautiful to him. “Please don’t cry. I don’t think I could handle it.”
Isabel scrubbed at her face with her sleeve. “I’m fine. I’m just worried, that’s all.” Already slipping her mask over her features, she rose from the chair. “I think I’m going to try to dream walk them again.”
Alex sighed when she turned her back on him. He did an internal check to see if the conversation had progressed normally. Heart rate accelerating? Strong urge to pull her close and take away the pain? Immeasurable distance as a result of something too personal that he said? Check, check, and double check. He turned back to the cube with frustrated moves. When was he going to learn to just keep his head down and his mouth shut? His life would be so much easier. But as he glanced up and caught Isabel gazing at a picture of Max and Liz, Alex knew that though his life might be easier without Isabel in it, it would also be less colorful.
*~*~
Max stared up at Nicholas through one eye, and fought the urge to cough. He had a pretty good feeling one of his ribs was broken, and the movement would bring nothing but pain. And he’d be damned if he let Nicholas see him in pain.
He had no idea how long it had been since Nicholas had first entered the room with an irritating smirk. Time had ceased to exist inside the brightly lit walls. At least he had the satisfaction of knowing that Nicholas wasn’t smirking anymore.
Max didn’t need words to guess what Nicholas was after. He wanted the Granolith. Isn’t that what he always wanted? Isn’t that what the entire Summit meeting in New York had been about? The damn thing was the foundation of almost every problem they had. And when Max had refused to give it up in New York, Nicholas had obviously decided to come try for it again. Same song, second verse.
Of course, Nicholas could have been asking for the phone number to the local pizza delivery place for all he knew. But when Max had remained silent, Nicholas’s questions had been replaced with physical blows. He would never resort to something as primitive as his fists though, and instead Nicholas had resorted to trying to fry Max from the inside out. He was fairly certain that he had half a dozen hand marks charred into his skin by now.
After the first round of pain hadn’t worked to Nicholas’s satisfaction, he’d decided to pull what he wanted from Max’s mind. Max had been prepared for the pain as information was ripped from his brain. But much to both of their surprise, Nicholas hadn’t been able to get in. Max supposed he had Brody’s alien device to thank for that, but Nicholas’s anger was a force to be reckoned with. Max had a broken rib and a black eye to prove it.
Periodically, Nicholas would attempt to break though the barrier in Max’s mind, but he hadn’t had any luck yet. And as Max watched Nicholas pace around the room, he still couldn’t help but feel victorious. Nicholas couldn’t get what he wanted from him and the others were safely tucked away. Liz, Tess and Kyle would be extra careful once they discovered he was missing, and the Skins wouldn’t have a chance to cause them any harm.
Since Max knew he was already dying, there wouldn’t be anything to lose if that’s what it came down to. He’d suffered through worse than Nicholas was capable of dishing out, and as long as he knew that Liz was safe nothing else mattered. Not even the pain that had slowly been creeping up his body, paralyzing him.
After another circle around the room, Nicholas turned and barked out an order to the nearest Skin. Max watched them carefully, as it was a new move. Two of the men strode forward and made quick work of the ties that bound his hands and feet. Without the pull, Max found that he didn’t have the strength to sit upright in the chair. Before he could slump forward to the floor, he was caught by both arms and dragged to his feet. They were moving him, pulling him forward, but his feet couldn’t keep up. Finally, he gave in and let them drag him out the room.
Max wanted to close his good eye against the light, but he knew he should take advantage of the situation to figure out where he was and if there were any possible escapes. At first glance, it looked as if he were in an old warehouse. The main room was mammoth and he guessed he’d been held in some sort of office. Along one wall, he saw a row of closed doors and when he saw that it was where he was being dragged, he struggled to see if he could find an exit. One large door at the front of the building must have been the main entrance, but the bay doors were closed. Surely there had to be another exit. An emergency one somewhere?
Then it was too late and Max found himself being thrown into yet another room. They tossed him bodily to the floor and he landed hard on his ribs. This time he couldn’t suppress the coughing fit that had been threatening to take over his body. When the men turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind them, Max had a second to appreciate the darkness of the room.
A soft whisper floated across the room, and though he didn’t understand it, he did recognize it. Turning his head, Max’s heart stopped when he saw Liz sitting on the floor against the wall. “Liz?”
No amount of pain could keep him from dragging his body across the space that separated them. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness quicker than hers had and he could make out her form clearly. He’d never been more horrified to see her in his life.
He stumbled and went down on his knee, hissing in pain. Liz was tugging frantically at the handcuffs that held her in place, and her soft sobs touched his ears. She whispered his name again and when she turned, he caught a glimpse of the purple bruises on her neck.
Liz pulled at the handcuffs on her arm, reopening the wounds she had caused earlier, but she didn’t care. She could barely make out Max in the darkness of the room, but she knew his voice anywhere. He was alive. Hurt, but alive, and she found sobs welling up in her throat. She’d been afraid that he was already dead, that she was too late to help him this time.
“Max,” she whispered again, begging him to come closer. She needed to touch him, to feel for herself that he was real and alive. Finally, he had closed the distance between them and she threw herself into his arms without hesitation. Liz wrapped her free arm around his neck and buried her head in the curve of his neck.
Max clung to her, his long arms wrapped around her back. The force of her hug was causing pinpoints of pain to ripple through his body, but he didn’t care. How long had it been since he’d been able to hold her in his arms? How long since she had returned the gesture? He was even able to overlook the heat radiating off her body. The room itself was colder than the one he’d previously been in, and that more than anything brought him to his senses. Liz had obviously been sitting here on the cold concrete floor in the dark the entire time he’d been with Nicholas. And then he remembered seeing the bruises on her neck and his anger flared. He pulled away from her, wanting to access her injuries. But before he could move far enough away, Liz’s lips were crushed against his in a frantic kiss.
Liz didn’t give a damn about the future or the past. She had been sobbing in the dark for so long, worrying about Max that when she saw him alive, instinct had taken over. She kissed him hungrily; wanting to reassure her darkest doubts that it really was him. The Skins weren’t playing a cruel joke on her, or trying to gain information. It really was Max’s lips beneath her own, Max’s hands fisted in her hair, and Max’s energy beginning to roll through her.
It shocked her at first, to feel the pure intensity of it flood her system. It was stronger than the previous times they had kissed, more demanding than the other occasions when they had formed connections. But it was unapologetically Max’s energy that flowed through her, not an imposter’s.
She tilted her head when the kiss deepened. Max had long since become an active member of the kiss she had initiated, and she leaned into his body as much as she could. She tasted tears, though she wasn’t sure if they were her own or Max’s. Her hand tangled in his hair, wanting him closer, but when Max hissed in pain, Liz broke the kiss abruptly.
“Max?” Liz saw for the first time the swelling of his left eye that kept it closed and a sob leapt from her throat. “What did they do to you?” She laid her free hand on his chest and he winced at the contact again. Liz quickly raised his t-shirt and gasped when she saw the silver handprints gleaming menacingly in the low light.
Max tugged his shirt back down, not wanting Liz to see what Nicholas had done. He was feeling stronger with Liz beside him, and he could still feel adrenaline pumping through his veins from their kiss. He’d forgotten how soft her skin was, and how easily she fit against him. But that also meant that she bruised easily, and he raised a hand to the ugly purple bruises around her neck.
She laid a hand against his arm carefully and tried to offer him a smile of reassurance. He knew she was trying to tell him not to worry about her, but he couldn’t help the rage that was building up inside of him. Someone had put their hands around her neck and had hurt his Liz. If he found out who, he knew he would kill them without hesitation.
“I’m sorry, Liz,” he whispered tearfully. He raised a hand to her cheek and brushed his palm down the side of her face reverently. “I didn’t know you were here or I would have tried to get away. I thought you were safe.” He wiped away the tracks her tears had left behind and he vowed that she wouldn’t cry anymore.
He watched as Liz closed her eyes and let his touch soothe her. Max wished he could heal her bruises, but he couldn’t even muster up enough energy to do more than sit beside her. He examined the handcuffs that held her in place and her eyes fluttered open hopefully. Max shook his head sadly, hoping she could understand that he couldn’t do anything to help her. And the helplessness sapped the last of his strength.
Liz caught Max as he slumped against her. For one moment, she’d hoped that Max would be able to get her out of the handcuffs and they would be able to escape. But then she remembered what Tess had said. Max had been using his powers constantly for days now just to stay awake. He’d only slept for a few hours since he’d collapsed this morning and she doubted his body had enough energy to heal even his own injuries.
But she could still feel the imprints of Max’s energy in her body from their kiss. Why had it surged forward then and not before? The energy she had felt had been more concentrated than what she had been used to. Was that due to the changes going on inside of him? Max had once told her that he’d never received flashes with anyone the way he did when he kissed her. Was she the key? She had felt the beginnings of a connection forming between them, and it was more than Isabel and Tess had been able to manage. Could she form a connection with him because of his feelings for her, or because he had healed her? Why had she succeeded when everyone else had failed?
Max was growing heavier at her side, and she knew that his body was struggling to rest. Only Max’s strong will was keeping him alert and she knew if he was going to heal, he would have to rest. She could only imagine that his injuries were because of his silence. And Nicholas would simply come back soon and question him again. Questions that Max couldn’t understand, much less answer, and he would be hurt again.
Liz ran her hand over Max’s cheek and met his eyes when they turned to her. She saw weariness, fatigue. He needed to rest and the only way that was going to happen was if he was too worked up emotionally to fight the instinct to sleep. But what would work him up enough? This morning, he had been on the verge of kissing her when he’d collapsed. But she had just kissed him without any repercussions. Could it be so simple as the extreme emotions Max had been feeling at the time? She’d seen such determination and love in his eyes it had frightened her.
Was that the key? Had he felt such vast amounts of love for her that it had overloaded his weakened body? And if so, could she force him to sleep if she induced those same emotions in him? They were never going to get out of that place unless he was able to walk and at least help her out of the handcuffs. She would have to try, even if it meant crossing the distance she had spent so much time placing between them.
“Max, you need to lie down.” She tried to shift, pulling him closer so she wouldn’t have to stretch against her bleeding hand. Max followed her gestures, lying on his side. But he refused to lie down without Liz, so she settled beside him.
Max tried not to breathe shallowly as the movements brought more pain. Liz was lying beside him, still resting in his arms and it was obvious she was trying to do something. He could see her nervousness in every move she made, but he couldn’t determine the cause of it. Was she shy about being so close to him after all the time they’d spent apart? He was sure the kiss she’d greeted him with had been a gut reaction to the situation. She must have been terrified alone in this room. But he wasn’t going to let her leave him again. He’d tasted her, remembered what it was like to hold her close. And he wasn’t giving it up, no matter what the reason.
Liz brushed a finger across the eyebrow of his good eye, concentrating on his face. He relished every touch, every feather light stroke that she bestowed on him. And he could feel his heart filling with love for her. She laid a hand on his eyelid, silently asking him to trust her. So, he did, closing his eyes and giving in to whatever she asked of him.
When her lips brushed against his again, it was so light he almost thought it was an accident. But then she grew bolder, drawing his top lip between hers. She was seducing him. The thought came to him so suddenly, it was a blur. Liz was trying to seduce him, and though he would never complain, he was confused by it. She had kept him at arm’s length for so long now, it was an odd sensation to feel her drawing him closer.
Of its own accord, Max felt his energy stir and the beginnings of a connection flare up around them. Liz’s lips were caressing him, making him forget about the pain. Her hand lightly ran down the side of his neck and across his chest, stoking his desire. He wanted to pull her closer, but as he moved, she forced his hands back to the concrete.
His energy snaked out and pulled at something inside of her, a ribbon wrapping them together. Slowly it solidified until the connection between them became an unbreakable force. When the images flashed across his eyelids, they weren’t fast and disjointed, but slow and complete. He was able to see full incidents in her life that he had only seen glimpses of before. Some he recognized, while others were new to him. The images were confusing at one point, as he saw his own face doing things he knew he’d never done. But there was no time to question what he was being shown, merely accept.
But even more amazing than the new connection forged between them were the emotions he could feel from Liz. She had removed the last of the barriers and she was letting him into every hidden shadow of her heart. She held nothing back from him as she lengthened the soft kisses, offering her soul to him as she once had in simpler times. And the answering rush of love welled up from deep inside Max.
Nothing could keep Max from framing her face now, holding her steady as he showed her every bit of who he was. And when he thought that his heart would burst from the joy and perfection of that moment, he felt blackness creeping around the edges of his vision. His initial reaction was to panic, but Liz’s lips came down on his harder as if she sensed the change in his body. She reassured him gently, and he knew that whatever was happening was all right. He let himself sink into the darkness that seemed to always be on the verge of claiming him, and with his arms still wrapped around Liz, he let himself rest.
