Of course, before we begin, I would like to thank all of you for the awesome feedback and support. You guys rock my socks! I love you. Also, again, *ginormous* thanks to those of you who nominated me. I can't express how happy that made me. =) Yay! (y3ah@! - hehe, S*M )
Oh, and of course a big thanks to my bumpers/stalkers. You guys know who you are.
With this part, some of you are gonna be surprised with who that predatory "someone" is, lurking in the dark. But some of you aren't. Damn those who won't! Here I was trying to be sneaky. *snaps!* for you all. It appears I can't out-whit you.
Oh, and I have got to say:
Thank you! Because I was *sooo* self-conscious about that part. I worked so hard on it, though. Actually, it was written before the very first part, and since that time I've been tweaking, and adding, and omitting, and re-adding. It was just difficult all around, so I'm very pleased that you enjoyed it. =) I so appreciate it!cherie wrote:I've had this story reccommended to me by several people, and I can certainly see why. It's absolutely riveting. Your attention to detail is wonderful..and that has got to be the best escape scene I've read in a long time. I'm utterly hooked.
Congrats on your graduation, hope to see you back soon.
Hmm...Is there a medicaton now? Because, I gotta say...now I'm getting this rash, and...alienmom wrote:you know, there is medication for that now!!I've been itching
woohoo!! on graduating and getting back to writing!! *about darned time*.....oops did i just type that outloud?? LOL
O...K! Enough quotage! =) On with the part!
<center>Part Ten</center>
“Someone’s there.”
Liz was paralyzed by his words; her years of training seemed utterly useless at this point. And for a fleeting moment, she had no idea what to do. The blueprints she had spent hours imprinting to her memory scattered, leaving her defenseless and vulnerable, with nothing to hold on to. She hated that feeling.
“Liz, you have to get out of there!” The urgency in Alex’s voice broke her paralysis, and a new dosage of adrenaline surged through her veins.
She turned to face the others behind her, her movement but a sudden blur to their eyes. “Stay close,” She ordered breathlessly, their fear not even registering in her mind as she eyed each of them. “Stay quiet. We have to hurry.”
Her words were short and clipped, and had barely broken through the haze of the aliens’ disbelief before they noticed her jogging down the abandoned hallway. They followed, the sounds of their bare feet padding erratically against the tiled floor.
“Tell me where to go, Alex.” Liz spoke breathlessly as she tried to force the blueprint back to the forefront of her mind. She had no idea where she was going, and with each passing step, her panic heightened.
She could hear the others trotting behind her, struggling to keep up. They didn’t need this; their escape was supposed to have been easy and quick. Running for their lives hadn’t been part of the plan.
“Go left,” Alex instructed, his order almost too late. Liz had to swing sharply, gripping the corner of the wall to keep her balance. She glanced, just briefly behind her, to insure that the others were following. Their chests were heaving, both from fear and trying to keep up with her. Liz could feel the exertion of her own hurried frenzy; it pulsed painfully in her midriff, irritating her wound. Instinctively, her hand went to her stomach as if the action would ease her discomfort; she fought to keep the grimace off her face as she continued down the darkened corridor.
“Where is he, Alex?” She asked breathlessly, eyeing the approaching corner just ahead.
“He’s…” Alex’s voice broke off. In the van, he stared at the monitors in utter horror. “Shit, Liz. He’s in Corridor L. He’s blocking you in!”
Liz halted, her action so quick and unsuspected that someone collided into her from behind. Questions were immediately launched at her, asking why she’d stopped, and she forced herself away from the aliens, pressing her hand to her earpiece. “Alex?” She questioned, her heart galloping in her chest. “What did you say?”
Not bothering to repeat his answer, Alex reached for the blueprints at his side. “You have to get them out of there. Now.” He eyed the monitor, watching the man’s predatory moves. “There has to be somewhere else you can get out.”
“What’s going on?” Michael’s gruff voice reached her ears, expressing just how much he disliked being ignored, especially during times such as these.
Slowly, Liz turned and eyed the people she had just rescued – her friends. Salvation was just within their reach, and it seemed like it was being reeled away all over again.
“Someone’s here,” She answered quietly, allowing the weight of her words to settle heavily upon them. “This sector is supposed to be cleared. No one is supposed to be here, but someone is.”
Michael cursed viciously, and the girls – still trembling – whimpered pathetically, still clinging to the men. Max stood before Liz, solid and unwavering, ever the king, but even his expressive topaz eyes revealed his dread.
“Well, what are we going to do?” Michael asked in a fierce whisper. “I’m not going back in there!”
A sob reached Liz’s ears, and she couldn’t tell if it had come from Isabel or Tess. Or if it had come from her.
“I said, what are we –“
“I don’t know!” Liz all but yelled, cutting off Michael’s incessant question. She racked her hands through her hair, pulling a few tendrils free from her ponytail in the process. “I have to think! This wasn’t supposed to happen.” They hadn’t prepared for this…
“Liz…I can’t find any other way out.” The defeat in his voice almost cracked her resolve, almost making her fall to her knees to sob brokenly.
Dutifully, Liz forced the blueprints to appear in her mind, hoping she’d find something that Alex couldn’t. She had studied them, but not extensively enough. She couldn’t remember where every exit was located; it was why she needed Alex. But what she did remember was that there definitely was no other exit, no other means of escape. The agent on the floor knew exactly where they were, and was successfully blocking in his prey. She had to do something.
“Listen, Liz, you have nine minutes. I’m going to send Kyle and –”
“No,” Liz said forcefully. “This is my mess. I’ll fix it.”
And then she saw it. The blueprints in her mind revealed to her a storage closet just around the corner. If she could hide the others there, then she could lurk in the shadows, and maybe catch the agent off guard…
The idea was hastily formed, and didn’t give her much hope of success, but it was all she had.
Liz heard Alex begin to protest, and interjected again. “I’ve got this, Alex. Trust me,” She then directed her attention to the foursome behind her. “C’mon.” Liz muttered, and darted down the hallway, leaving the others no choice but to follow.
She rounded the corner and was rewarded with the storage closet right where she knew it would be. Yanking open the door, Liz turned and waited for the others to catch up. Max was in the lead and when he finally reached her, he stopped – his bare chest heaving erratically, his dark eyes searching hers. Delving deeply into her gaze. Connecting…
Liz averted her gaze, and gestured inside the closet.
“Get in there,” She ordered thickly. The hesitation that crossed Tess and Isabel’s features didn’t go unnoticed. After being locked up in one cell after another for months, being locked in a dark and cold closet didn’t seem all that appealing right now. “Hurry.” Liz added.
After another moment of hesitation, Michael and Max ushered the girls into the room and then followed. They continued all the way inside, obviously leaving room for Liz to enter as well. Instead of doing just that, Liz leaned down and picked up a small fire extinguisher sitting just beside the door.
“Stay here,” She spoke, once she had straightened. “Stay quiet.” Liz didn’t bother with saying that she’d be back, because, frankly, she wasn’t sure if she would be back.
As she was preparing to close the door, Max took a hasty step towards her, his eyes once again boring into hers. “Where are you going?” He asked fretfully, so softly that Liz could barely hear him. “Aren’t you going to stay with us?”
Slowly, Liz shook her head. “I have to take care of this.” As the door began to close, the crack waning slowly, she saw Max lunge towards the door in an attempt to stop her. Quickly, she shut the door completely, and lifted the extinguisher over her head. Using what force she could muster, she struck the bottom edge against the doorknob, creating a sharp clank of metal meeting metal . The knob broke and clattered to the floor at her feet, successfully locking them inside.
Then, Liz quietly pressed herself against the opposite wall, hiding in the shadows. She gently placed the extinguisher at her side and waited. Fearful that the agent may just be around the corner, she remained silent, hoping that Alex would intuitive enough to know to inform her of the agent’s whereabouts.
They were too close for it all to end now.
<center>* * *</center>
“Liz, what are you doing?” Alex’s question remained unanswered, and with a worrisome frown, he continued to stare at the almost imperceptible figure of his friend.
“She’s waiting him out,” Kyle sneered, already pissed that Liz had denied him the access to actually get inside. “Stupid.”
Not wanting her to be caught off guard, Alex kept a steady eye on the intruder. He would relay his approach continuously back to Liz, hoping she could hear him. If for some reason the connection was lost…
“He’s five feet to your right, Liz,” Alex swallowed and sweat beaded across his forehead. He could feel Kyle next to him, tensed and unmovable. “Don’t move.” He whispered, his words barely reaching the microphone.
He blinked his eyes back into focus. Having stared into the shadows for so long it made it difficult for him to see Liz, but he spotted her. She was crouching now, having silently slid down the wall to rest on her haunches. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he’d spotted the soft glint of her gun clutched in both her hands, poised with deadly accuracy.
“She’s gonna get him.” Kyle muttered confidently.
The agent’s fluid, predatory movement continued. He walked right by Liz, his gaze focused on the door with the missing knob. They watched as his hand reached out to touch; they could practically see Liz’s finger tightening on the trigger. The moment would come quickly and it would all be over.
“Do it.” Kyle quietly urged and watched with bated breath.
Suddenly, the van shook violently and the back doors swung open, revealing a breathless and sweaty Maria. The setting sun cast her shadow across the floor of the van, highlighting her form, giving her blonde hair a golden hue. Her green eyes were wide with terror.
Before either Alex or Kyle could question what had happened, she spoke. “Rian’s missing.”
For a split second, Maria’s words didn’t register, and had no effect on them whatsoever. Then, at the exact same moment, realization dawned on the two of them. Rian. They both reached for the mike, but Alex was the first to verbalize the order. His fearful “no” died in mid syllable when the heart-stopping boom of a single shot reached his ears.
<center>* * *</center>
Liz’s breath caught in her throat. Alex’s sharp “no” had just reached her ears as her finger tightened. She couldn’t have prevented the shot even if she wanted to. Now, she remained immovable in her spot, waiting for her eyes to focus and to be able to see whom had she shot, and why Alex had been against it.
The first thing she noticed when her vision cleared was the soft, turquoise glow glittering on her hands. Her eyes slowly lifted and stared through the glimmering haze that served as protection, and into the pair of eyes she immediately recognized.
His hand was before him, palm facing towards her. And from the center of his palm originated the protective force field had he erected just in the nick of time. When he lowered his hand, the field disappeared, and a soft ting followed – the sound of the smashed bullet hitting the floor.
Slowly, Liz stood to her feet, her legs shaky from the knowledge of what she’d just done.
“I almost killed you.”
His eyebrow quirked and the corner of his mouth twitched just slightly. Turquoise eyes sparkled laughingly at her. “Let’s be glad you didn’t,” He gave her a once over, taking in her form and his eyes narrowed at makeshift bandage around her midriff, and the crimson blood that was weeping through it. “You’re bleeding.” He commented almost casually, before motioning her to step forward. Liz did so without hesitation, and watched as he waved his large hand over her middle. She felt a slight sting, and then a warm, spreading sensation throughout her middle. When his hand fell to his side, Liz peeled back the cloth to reveal her unmarred skin.
“Thanks.” She murmured and stared up at him.
He nodded in answer, and then after a moment of silence he motioned his head towards the storage closet. “Shall we get them out?”
Max ceased his adamant struggles to open the door at the bloodcurdling ring of a single gunshot. From behind him, he heard Tess gasp as she cowered ever further behind Michael. Silence fell amongst the group as they waited with the fearful knowledge that this could be it. Within the next few minutes, it would be either Liz who opened the door…Or it wouldn’t be.
Max took an unsteady step back, his stomach contorting painfully at the thought of Liz lying on the floor bleeding from a gaping bullet hole in her body. He had been able to save her once – it had been so long ago – and he would give anything to be able to do it now.
Liz. He had no illusions that she hadn’t risked much in her planning to rescue them. She had risked everything. And though he had questions (the typical how, when, and why) that needed to be answered, at this point in time he was simply grateful she had showed up.
Yet now she may be gone. Had that gunshot been from her? Or intended for her? Max wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer.
The room was pitch black, with no light at all penetrating the darkness. But not even the strength of the serum they were constantly injected with could deter their senses – only their powers, the powers that he could feel already beginning to rouse into alertness, yet still too weak to use effectively.
Max blinked, urging his eyes to adjust to the darkness, wanting to see the door he had been touching just moments before. His eyes ached, throbbing as they strained to do what they hadn’t done in what seemed like years. Finally, the door, dark and shadowy, appeared before his eyes. Max blinked again, this time to clear the blurriness. When he opened his eyes again, his vision was clearer, and he could see the shape of the doorknob through the obscure darkness.
He watched that knob, hoping he’d be able to detect the slightest movement from it. For certainly, whether it was Liz coming for them or someone else, the door would eventually open. With that would come either their salvation or their imprisonment – again.
From behind him, his named was whispered on a quiet plea. He looked over the shoulder, and through the darkness he could just barely make out the trembling form of sister. She stood behind Michael, just beside of Tess, clutching tightly to his shoulders. On Antar, she had been strong and thriving – so alive. Now, it seemed all of those admirable qualities had disintegrated before his eyes.
“What if she’s not coming back for us?” Isabel whispered, her tone fearful and broken, at a complete loss of hope. “What if they’re waiting for us out there?” It was question they were all about to have answered.
Max didn’t get the chance to answer for himself, however, before the soft squeak of the door’s hinges met their attuned ears. Slowly, he turned his head, and fixated his gaze on the door. The red haze from the hallway barely penetrated the darkness as the door continued to open further. Beside him, Max felt Michael brace himself, preparing to put up a fight. They had gotten this far…
But on the chance it was Liz…They shouldn’t jump the gun. Just wait, see who it is –
The shadowed form loomed over them. Broad shoulders and a bulk of muscles blocked their only exit. And Max felt his heart stop at the knowledge that it wasn’t Liz. She hadn’t returned, which could only mean…
He felt the searing fury as it surged through his veins, mingling with the adrenaline already thriving within him, burning his insides, his heart. Max had no thoughts; his mind barely registered what his intentions were before his body sprung out. His mind ignored the protesting cries from the members of his family from behind him. He outstretched his arms – arms that had at one time been toned with firm muscles that have now begun to atrophy. His hands were to prepared to grasp, pummel, and shred to pieces whatever he could get a hold of. He wanted nothing more than to wrap his hands around the guy’s neck and –
Max suddenly impacted against a hard wall, and fell backwards with a brute force. He placed his arms behind him in an effort to catch himself, causing his wrists to take the brunt of the fall. A painful hiss escaped his lips, and jerked his head up, intent on glaring a hole straight through his attacker’s forehead, when he noticed the soft glow of the glimmering force field before him. The bluish light radiating from the shield offered Max a clearer view of the man before him. His sculpted face the focal point of Max’s stare. The man’s mouth was curved in an arrogant grin; the corner’s of his lips visibly twitching.
“Are you done playing hero now?” The deep voice resonated throughout the tiny closet, his words curling around them in a chilling caress.
Before Max could even formulate a retort in his mind, someone stepped from behind the man’s broad back. Relief flooded him when he finally got an unobstructed view of Liz. She was okay; she was safe.
And she was still avoiding his gaze, instead choosing to stare at the others behind him.
“We don’t have much time,” She informed them authoritatively. “Lets go.” And with that, she turned on her heel and left. The man dropped his hand, and with a quirk of a dark eyebrow, followed suit.
After a moment of stunned stillness, Max felt hard hands grip his arm, and seconds later he was being helped to his feet. Michael stood behind him, his dark eyes peering after the duo that just left the room with unhidden curiosity.
“So,” He finally muttered, and gave Max a pointed stare. “Liz has found some new aliens to hang out with?”
<center>* * *</center>
Liz glanced impatiently over her shoulder to see if they had followed, but all she saw was the satisfied smirk on Rian’s face.
“What are you smirking about?” She asked curiously, and stood on her tiptoes just to peer over the broad shoulders of Rian’s new form. Michael had just exited the closet, followed by Isabel, and then Tess, and finally Max. Each of them regarded the back of Rian’s form warily.
“Nothing.” She answered, though her light colored eyes were twinkling with what oddly resembled amusement.
Resigning with the fact that now was not the time for questioning, Liz glanced at her wristwatch before returning her gaze back to Rian. Time was dwindling, and quickly.
“Lets go.” She muttered again, and broke off into another jog. What she really wanted to do was to break out into a full run, but she sensed that the aliens weren’t in shape for that kind of exertion. She had to set the pace, and right now that pace was slow. Too slow.
Rian seemed to be the only one who could keep up. She jogged in step with her, directly to her left. “We still have to make it down the stairs.” She pointed out.
“And to the south wing.” Liz added. They weren’t exiting the way she had entered. She entered through the loading garage, on the opposite end of the compound was a single fire exit. Their exit.
Six minutes wasn’t enough time, not nearly enough. She had to set a new pace.
“Faster!” Liz yelled over her shoulder as she lengthened her strides, her arms pumping heavily at her sides.
“Shit, Liz,” Alex’s voice whispered in her ear. “You’re not gonna make it.”
“Shut the hell up, Whitman,” She ordered through gritted teeth. “They’ll make it.”
Finally, the exit via stairway was before them. Liz threw herself against the door, and proceeded to hold it open for the others. Michael ran by her, and when he seemed to hesitate Liz directed him onwards. “To the ground floor. Go!”
Isabel, Tess, and Max followed. Rian motioned Liz on ahead of her, and was right beside her as they practically vaulted down the stairs. The sound of their heavy footsteps echoed throughout the staircase, drifting upwards, high above them to resonate through the upper floors as well.
How much longer, she wondered. For the fear of checking her watch would slow her down, Liz breathlessly asked, “How much time, Alex?” Just as they reached the ground floor; Rian took charge shoved through the heavy door, and led the way through the maze of hallways. Liz took up the rear.
“Four in a half minutes.” Alex finally answered through a restricted throat.
“We’re almost there.” She lied, though unnecessarily; Alex could see everything.
“I’m gonna lose the feed soon,” He began to explain, softly, slowly, resignedly. “All footage will go back to the control room. But the doors will still be locked for another two minutes – max. If they see you –”
“Let me handle that,” She ordered and tried to formulate Plan B in her head. There wasn’t enough time. “Is Kyle and Maria ready?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Have them start their engines.” Liz informed him without breaking a stride. They had to be close by now. It felt like they’d been running forever; she could feel it in her sides, hear it in her breathing. If she kept up much longer soon her steps would falter and she’d begin slow down. She could already feel the slight twinges of light-headedness. It must have been from the loss of blood…
Finally, Rian called over her shoulder, “We’re almost there,” and Liz nearly dropped to her knees in relief. It would be over soon.
“Two minutes.” Alex reminded her ominously.
It was cutting it too close. She needed more time; she should have planned for the unexpected – for Samson and Heitzmann. Liz cursed silently to herself, urging for a plan to formulate within her mind. Alex, Maria, and Kyle wouldn’t be able to drive out fast enough, not with out being detected. She needed to think of something – some diversion – anything to divert attention away from them.
And on to her.
Suddenly, Liz knew what to do, and by that time the others had reached the exit. Their salvation. Rian had stopped them from any further movement, wanting to wait on word from Liz. When she reached them, she stared pointedly at her friend, urging her to understand.
The way in which Rian’s body tensed all over allowed Liz to know that she understood her silent communication. She had even prepared.
“You keep a change of clothes in your office,” Rian said softly, and gave Liz’s attire a once over. “For events like this. You went to your office and changed. I planted your clothes there.” She had added one more detail to Liz’s alibi.
Liz gave a weak smile, reached for her earpiece and tossed it to Rian; she caught it and placed it in her pocket. They didn’t need that kind of discriminating evidence against her. Finally she nodded, signaling for Rian to go ahead. Rian returned the gesture and pushed open the door, and held it. The sun still offered a few weak rays as means of light, and in the distance a van and a SUV awaited.
Tess sobbed at the sight before her – of the outside world, of the sand and sky, and the two vehicles that would undoubtedly take her far away from this place. They drew her to them like a beacon. But for the life of her, she couldn’t force herself to move. She seemed paralyzed and the thought horrified her. All she could do was remained rooted next to Isabel, clutching tightly to her hand. Beneath the thin material of her clothing, she could feel the other woman shaking, just like her.
Liz heaved in a breath, almost weak with relief that it was almost over and soon they’d be safe.
“The cars are waiting for you outside. Go.” She ordered softly..
Instead of racing out the door like she had expected them to do, they remained rooted in their spots. Not even Isabel or Tess budged, whom she had figured would be the first to go, but they seemed to be waiting on Michael and Max.
Or maybe it was her.
As if they had a will of their own, her eyes connected with Max. And for the life of her, she couldn’t pull her gaze away. His eyes sucked her in, holding her captive, willing her to open up to him. But she couldn’t; she couldn’t let him see.
Yet despite that, he still knew. He still knew that she wouldn’t be going with them, that she had to stay.
Max shook his head, almost imperceptibly, and took a step towards her, and Liz arched an eyebrow at him. What did he think? That he could force her out the compound?
At his advance, Liz automatically reached behind her for the gun at her back; it was instinct, but acted as a warning as well. The movement didn’t go unnoticed by him, and Max stopped immediately, his eyes continuing to bore into hers.
She returned his gaze, aware that precious seconds continued to tick by, but he had to see; he had to see that her decision was made and that she was the one in charge. Liz watched as Max's gaze wavered briefly, and then she spoke.
"Hurry," She said softly, her eyes wandering over the group, before she glanced warily at the security camera over their shoulders. "You don't have much time."
Yet Max still didn’t move; he’s just a few steps away from the compound's exit, away from deliverance. Why wasn't he moving?
"How are you going to get out?" Michael voiced the question Max must have been thinking, for his eyes sparked and his form went rigid.
Liz sighed as the lights ahead flickered to life, illuminating them all, removing them from the safety of the darkness. Gone were the red emergency lights. Next would be the cameras. "Leave that to me," She demanded and gave them a forceful shove towards the exit. "You have to leave, and you have to leave now."
When it seemed that her brother was still hesitant, Isabel gripped Max's forearm tightly and looked at the menacing security camera. "Max, please," She pleaded pitifully; tears rolling down her sunken cheeks. "Let's leave, please."
Max glanced at her, before returning his smoky gaze to Liz. She held his stare a moment longer, before she introduced her 9mm to his face. "Go," Her voice was emotionless, ruthless. "Now."
He finally took the hint and followed Michael and Isabel's quick exit. Liz caught Tess by the arm before she was fully able to leave, holding her back so that everyone exited first. The blonde stared briefly at their contact before she gazed questioningly into Liz's face.
"Blast me," Liz ordered once everyone had gone, and sheathed her gun in the waistband of her pants. They hadn’t been injected with the serum. She knew from discussions with Dr. Cornwell that their powers returned quickly and rapidly, which was why the dosage of serum was large and constant. They had to be back now.
Her life depended on it.
Tess's blue eyes widened with fright and incomprehension. "Excuse me?"
The brunette sighed in annoyance, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "You heard me," She said exasperated and removed her grasp from Tess's arm. "Blast me."
"Are you nuts?" Tess exclaimed shakily and glanced over her shoulder and to her exit. For someone who was hell bent on getting them out, Liz sure was wasting a lot of time. Tess bit back the whimper; freedom was just out of her reach. God, she just wanted to leave!
"Oh c'mon, Tess, you know you wanna," Liz teased, trying to make her offer sound enticing, though she knew very well of the seriousness of their current situation.
Tess laughed bitterly. "Oh, now I know you're crazy," She then turned for the exit. Liz automatically grabbed Tess again, her nails digging into her tender flesh, and successfully prevented her from departure.
"Blast me!" Liz yelled again, her eyes fixated on the security camera just overhead. Honed in on the red light as it tried to blink itself to life.
"No!" Tess retorted, and once again savagely ripped her arm from Liz’s grasp. Damn the girl, they'd never been friends, but nor had they been enemies. And even though her offer did sound appealing, Max would rip her knew one if he found out. What the hell was she thinking?
Time was dwindling; Liz removed her gun, and allowed it to hang at her side suggestively as she stepped towards Tess. "I'm not telling you again," Liz said through clenched teeth, her words taking on an intimidating edge. "Blast me."
Tess turned slowly, determinedly, and met the girl head on. "No."
Time was up - gone. The security camera was back on and focused on them, within moments Pierce would have men in her sector.
"Oh, for God's sake, Tess!" Liz boomed with furious ferocity and pointed her gun in the blonde's face, much as she had to Max. "Stop being such a bitch and just-"
Her words fell as her breath was knocked from her lungs in a whoosh. She flew backwards for what seemed like an eternity, until she finally impacted hard against the wall twelve feet away. Tess glanced up at the security camera, it's red light steady, indicating it was on and focused right on her. Then, she ran out of the building.
The sight of Max's stiff figure stalking towards her told Tess he had witnessed everything.
"You fucking-"
Tess snatched his arm and broke out into a dead run, successfully turning him towards the opposite direction. "I had to do it, Max," She tried to reason breathlessly, as she raced with him to the two vehicles just ahead. Salvation.
"Bullshit," Max yelled with frightening fury. He turned to go back but Tess's nails dug in rough.
"Max," She breathed desperately, and faced him determinedly. "Think about it. Liz could have easily faked being unconscious, but she wanted it to be synthetic," He didn't catch on to what she was getting at, and Tess looked longingly at the SUV waiting for them, seeming miles away. It would take them away from here, away from the nightmare. "She knew she couldn’t come with us. She had to save herself Max, and the only way to do that was by having the evidence of an alien attack against her – to divert all blame away from her," She sighed unsteadily as fearful tears blurred her vision. "She wanted me to Max, she told me to. To save us she had to set it up. Please, you have to believe me."
"Are you getting in or not?" Kyle yelled with angry impatience just a few yards away from where he held the back door open for them.
Max looked once more at the facility where they had been kept; now, he could still hear the alarms going off on the inside. Liz. She was in there and hurt.
"Max."
He grabbed Tess's arm and darted towards the vehicle. He crawled into inside with her, unable to do anything else but to believe that Liz had done what she thought was right. Kyle slammed the door shut and pounded the roof twice with his fist, indicating to the driver that they were ready. He climbed into the surveillance van and glanced at Alex’s pallor features. He swallowed convulsively as he put the van into drive.
"Lets roll."
TBC
I apologize for any mistakes. My dear friend & beta is either preparing to go out of the country, or *is* at this point in time, out of the country. So, this didn't get sent to her first. Straight to post!
Raychel