Part 31~<br><br>Two days. It’s been two days and Weston still hasn’t heard from Gerard. Looking out his office window which overlooks the main testing area, Dr. Weston contemplates calling Gerard’s Executive Assistant Director. As the hours pass, Weston is more and more convinced that Gerard didn’t make it out of the ambush in Mexico City. The procedure in place is for Weston to wait five days to contact the EAD, but he’s getting antsy. <br><br>Sighing, he walks out of his office and looks over their newly remodeled facility and smiles. Yes, this will work much more to their advantage. The walls of the holding cells were converted to a high grade, thick bulletproof glass. His technicians are busy at work in the central area, which contains all of their testing equipment and he thinks that the subject’s ability to see each other will work to his advantage and help to keep them in line.<br><br>To the left is his first subject, Jim Valenti. He appears to be sleeping at the moment. Smiling, he recalls the man’s reaction when the other two were brought in. He underestimated the emotional bond these people apparently have to each other and thinks he can use it to his advantage. <br><br>In the middle is Max Evans…a definite prize as a full alien with the ability to heal. And he seems to have a strong connection to Liz Parker. Having him plus two humans that he healed and gave powers to is an opportunity that he could only dream of.<br><br>And last, but not least…Liz Parker. Willful, rebellious Liz Parker. He wasn’t expecting the depth of loyalty she has toward her friends. The way she handled herself in Mexico City impressed him and once again he became convinced that, human or not, this girl held a leadership role within the group. As he looks at her, and is met with her stare, he feels suddenly exposed…as if she can read his very thoughts. Shaking his head at the crazy notion, he walks over to check on the day’s progress with his lead technician.<br><br>When Dr. Weston walks away, Liz sinks down on her bed and hangs her head in her hands. She doesn’t know what’s worse, being completely in the dark about what they were going to do to her next…or now knowing <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> exactly</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> what they have planned for them. She’s spent the last two days desperately searching every mind within the facility…searching for someone who might be able to help them. But she found that only the small group of lab workers and orderlies that were hovering around close by knew who and what they were. And within that small group, she’s only found maybe two people who seem to be sympathetic. The rest just go about their job as if there’s nothing wrong with what they’re doing.<br><br>One, an elderly woman named Anne, brings them their meals and cleans their cells. She seems to be concerned for their well being and not too sure about the experiments that are being performed. The other, a younger man, a technician, seems to be attracted to her and she senses deep guilt coming from him. He also stares at her a lot, which is making Max angrier by the hour.<br><br>Looking up, she sees Max looking over at her in concern and she gives him a small smile telling him she’s ok. He’s scared; she can feel it radiating from him like a pulse that just gets stronger. He’s remembering what they did to him when he was captured in High School and he’s remembering what he saw from her when he healed her. She’s given up trying to keep herself from reading his mind and Jim’s. It’s the only comfort she can get at this point…knowing what they’re thinking about.<br><br>She knows Jim has figured out that she can read his mind. She tried to discreetly let him know through hand gestures…careful that no one was watching. By the look on his face and the thoughts that bombarded his mind when he realized, she can safely assume that he knows of her new ability. Like most people when they find out, he continuously thought of things he didn’t want to think about. Then became horrified that she knew what he was thinking. She’s not comfortable reading his thoughts, given that they were never very close, but she had to know what he knew about this place and the people in it. And what happened to him…how he was captured.<br><br>Apparently, he was caught completely off guard and ambushed out in the desert when he was responding to a call about a stranded motorist. She also knows that his powers have begun to show themselves but he hasn’t really worked on developing them. He’s spent most of his effort in hiding them. <br><br>She knows that they’re in DC and she constantly tries to see if any of the others are close by. If they ever realize that they’re in DC, she’ll know the minute they’re in the city. She can sense Maria, Serena and Kyle from miles away because she’s so in tune with them. But there won’t be another dramatic escape…not this time. They’ve taken severe security measures to ensure that no one will be getting in here again.<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><b> Mexico/Texas border</b><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> <br><br>Waiting in their cramped minivan at the border crossing, Maria gathers everyone’s passports, including the one they changed for Gerard. It’s been a long two days of traveling and none of them has gotten much sleep. The closer they get, the more nervous everyone gets. When the guard stops them, Michael hands over their passports and tells the guard that they were in Mexico on a trip for a college class with their professor. After a few more questions and a quick search of the van, they’re waved through without any problems and they all breath a sigh of relief.<br><br>“Well, that went better than I thought it would.” Isabel says from the back.<br><br>“So now what?” Kyle asks.<br><br>“We’re driving straight through to DC. The sooner we get there, the better.” Michael says as he drives.<br><br>“Well yah, but then what?” Kyle persists. “We’re not gonna be able to pull off what you did last time.”<br><br>After a few moments of silence, Gerard says, “I’d like to contact my family…let them know I’m alright. My daughter is…sick…and I know my wife will be worried about me since she hasn’t heard from me for a few days.”<br><br>When no one says anything, he continues, “Please. I won’t tell her anything other than I’m ok.”<br><br>Michael looks at him in the rearview mirror, then over to Isabel. “What do you think?”<br><br>Isabel studies Gerard for a moment and says, “I guess it would be ok. Pull over at the next exit and we’ll let him use a payphone.”<br><br>Gerard closes his eyes in relief. His daughter, Jenny, had come home from college last year when they found out she had Hodgkin’s. His wife has been consumed in Jenny’s treatment and she doesn’t need the additional stress of worrying about him. “Thank you.” He tells them.<br><br>At the next exit, Michael pulls into a gas station and escorts Gerard to a payphone. “What name is your phone listed under?”<br><br>“Matthew Gerard. Washington DC.” Gerard tells him as Michael picks up the phone and dials information. Michael asks for the number and hangs the phone up. He picks it up again and dumps in some change before dialing *67 to block the number from showing up on caller ID, then dials the number he got from information. He lets it ring until he hears a woman answer and he hands the phone to Gerard.<br><br>“Honey?” He asks. <br><br>“Matt? Where have you been? Why haven’t you called?” His wife asks frantically.<br><br>“I’m sorry. I’ve been working on a case that has me working around the clock. How’s Jenny?”<br><br>“It’s worse, Matt. She’s in the hospital now getting chemo. When are you coming home?”<br><br>He closes his eyes and says, “Oh God…I…I don’t know. I’ll try to get home as soon as possible. Tell her…tell her I love her and that I’ll see her soon.”<br><br>“Please try to make it back soon. I’m scared, Matt.”<br><br>“I know…I’ll try.” He looks over at Michael’s impatient look and says, “I love you…I…I have to go now. I’ll see you as soon as I can.”<br><br>“I love you too.” She says quietly before he hangs up the receiver.<br><br>Gerard walks back over to the van with his head hung low. How is he ever going to get out of this? He didn’t even want to go to Mexico City, but he was in a hurry to get this case wrapped up and get these aliens out of his life for good so he could concentrate on his family. Things just can’t seem to get any worse than they are right now.<br><br>Kyle walks out of the convenience store with a bag of food and drinks and says, “We’re all ready to go. I topped off the gas.”<br><br>Michael climbs back in the driver’s seat and says, “Let’s go.”<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><b> Washington DC</b><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>Max looks around his small bathroom as he steps out of the shower. Every surface gleams with its sterility, mocking him at the situation he’s in. Everything is white, down to the small tiles on the floor covered by a green, woven rug. How odd to see such a small offering of comfort. A rug…something found in most people’s bathrooms to keep their feet from touching the cold floor and to help dry them when getting out of the shower. It seems strange to see something so…homey…in here.<br><br>He brushes his teeth quickly before dressing and stepping back into his glass prison. To his right, Jim looks back at him from the front wall of his cell. It seems so cruel to allow them to see each other but not be able to communicate. He knows the glass walls must be new from Liz, Kyle and Isabel’s description of the place when they were here. They hardly saw each other and never knew what was going on with the others.<br><br>Whether it’s a blessing or a curse, he hasn’t decided yet. Because while he can constantly see Liz and Jim, he also gets to watch as their captors lead them from their cells and perform their many tests on them in the exam area in front of their cells. <br><br>Which is where, he notices in panic, Liz is right now. He realizes that that’s what Jim has been watching and he rushes to the front of his cell to see Liz strapped onto a table with their customized restraint system that keeps the palms of her hands trapped against her sides. A sheet is covering Liz with a square section at her abdomen cut out. Dr. Weston is standing at her side, saying something that Max wishes with all his might he could hear. <br><br>A technician inserts an IV into her left arm as she stares at the ceiling…her lips pressed together in a thin line. Dr. Weston says something to her that makes her jerk her head in Max’s direction with wide eyes and she shakes her head ‘no’ as Weston looks at him as well. The doctor makes a note on his clipboard and she says something back to him. <br><br>Max watches as Liz drifts into unconsciousness and a technician lowers a light hanging from the ceiling. Dr. Weston stands aside as he watches the other man pick up a scalpel and make a long, horizontal incision along the exposed skin of her stomach. He feels his bile rise and he pounds his fists on the glass in front of him as he watches them cut open the most important person in his life. Looking over, he sees Jim grimacing in horror at the scene in front of him and he returns his attention to Liz. He forces himself to watch as they proceed to spend the next hour prodding deep inside of her, taking different samples from her. He’s thankful when they finally start closing and stitching her up and realizes that he has tears running down his face.<br><br>A couple of hours later, they unhook Liz from her IV and monitors and wheel her back into her room. She’s still unconscious when Dr. Weston enters Max’s room. <br><br>“What did you do to her?” Max demands.<br><br>“Just a little routine examination. She’ll be fine.” Dr. Weston tells him. “Especially after you heal her.”<br><br>Max looks at him, shocked that he would allow that. Then he realizes that they just want to see him heal someone. “Is that why you did that…so I would heal her?” He asks in disgust.<br><br>“Oh no. But it is convenient that you have that ability. It will allow for much less recovery time and we want you all to be as comfortable as possible. If you don’t, she’ll spend the next several weeks recovering…and in tremendous pain.”<br><br>Max shakes his head in disbelief…at the absolute immorality that lives within this man. “If I agree, will you let me stay with her…for just a little while?”<br><br>Weston seems to think about his request before nodding his head. “I don’t see a problem with that.” He turns and motions for Max to walk out before him.<br><br>Max glances over and sees Jim’s questioning gaze before turning to stand in front of Liz’s door. Weston unlocks it and lets Max in before three technicians join him at the front wall to watch. <br><br>Stepping into the room, Max walks over to Liz’s bed and kneels next to it. He blocks out the feeling of everyone’s eyes on him and gently caresses her face before bringing his hand under her shirt. He looks down and carefully removes the large bandage covering the incision and lays his hand on top of her abdomen. Already feeling their connection, he quickly heals the wound and dissolves the staples piercing her delicate skin. When he’s done, he looks up to her face and waits for her to wake up.<br><br>After a few minutes, he turns to see that they no longer have an audience and he climbs up on the bed next to Liz, leaning up on his elbow and running his hand through her hair. Eventually, he sees Liz’s eyelids flutter open and her eyes find his. She begins to smile before realization hits her and she jerks her head around at her surroundings, then back to Max. “Max…what…” She starts to sit up but he gently pushes her back to the bed.<br><br>“Shhh…it’s ok.” He tells her. <br><br>She struggles to remember what happened and her hand drifts to her stomach. “What…they were getting ready to operate on me…what happened?”<br><br>“They did. They let me heal you.” He puts his hand over hers. “You’ll be fine now.”<br><br>“Are they letting you stay in here?” She asks, looking out toward the work area.<br><br>“For a little while.” He looks in the direction she is. “They wanted to watch me heal you…I agreed if they would let me stay with you for a while.”<br><br>“Max, what are we gonna do? The others aren’t here…and even if they were, they’ll never get in here. I know what kind of security they have and they’ll never get through it.”<br><br>Max looks down at her and says, “I don’t know. I hate to say it, but I really wish Kyle were here.”<br><br>Liz knows he’s thinking about Kyle’s ability to control people’s minds and she wishes she could do that, too. As it is, their situation seems utterly hopeless. “Max…I’m so sorry. I don’t know how they found us.”<br><br>He cups her cheek in his hand and says, “It’s not your fault. I don’t know how they found us either, but we’ll get out of here. I just don’t know how yet.” He gives her a half smile and helps her to sit up.<br><br>“How’s Jim doing? Do you know what his powers are?” Max asks her.<br><br>“He’s fine…they haven’t done anything too bad to him yet. But I’m not sure what powers he has…I don’t think he knows.” She looks over to see Jim watching them. “He never worked on them to see what he could do.”<br><br>“Well, I guess it would be too much to hope that he would get the same powers as Kyle. I think we should concentrate on the schedules around here and trying to make it out ourselves.” He sees the doubtful look on her face and tries to stay optimistic. “At least they don’t seem to know the specifics about your powers. So we’ve got that going for us.”<br><br>“Right, I can just read their minds to death.” Liz rolls her eyes.<br><br>“No, but that can work to our advantage. Liz, we’ll get out of here.”<br><br>Liz can’t help but feel defeated. Being here is a life she knows all too well, along with the hopelessness. It seems like a lifetime ago that she was here, but the feelings are just as fresh as if she’d left here yesterday. “Max…”<br><br>He looks at her, concerned. “Yah?”<br><br>She bites her lip and says, “I’m...those things I said to you…in the park…I…I was wrong. I never meant to hurt you. You were right, I was trying to control everything and in the process everything fell apart. I didn’t want to hurt you.”<br><br>Max feels how helpless she’s feeling right now and he knows that she’s taking this as her last opportunity to tell him how she’s feeling. He swallows and really hopes that these won’t be their last words to each other…that this won’t be the last time he gets to hear her voice.<br><br>They both look over and see Weston looking at them as he takes a step in their direction. Liz grabs Max’s hand desperately and says, “I love you, Max. Please, just know that.”<br><br>Max reaches up and cups her face in his hands. “I love you, too.” He leans forward and kisses her fiercely before they hear the door open.<br><br>“Let’s go.” Weston says from the door as Max reluctantly pulls away from Liz. Her eyes are wide and she holds tightly to his hand for as long as she can before he’s lead from her room and back to his.<br><br>Once back in his room, Max pulls a chair over to the wall between his cell and Liz’s and sits as she does the same. They both bring their hands up on each side of the glass, so close to touching, but so far. Their eyes remain locked together as Dr. Weston watches from the main area…a smile forming on his face and plans swirling around in his head.<br><br>~TBC~ <p></center><center><FONT COLOR="B22222"><i>You're going to be the death of me.</i><br>Obi Wan Kenobi to Anakin Skywalker<br><font color="B8860B"><b>Col Threadkiller is the <i>coolest!</i></b><img src=
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