Two weeks later…

Max sat in his cell, he was turning the half used bottle of Tabasco sauce over and over in his hands. They had just finished breakfast and were waiting to see what was on the schedule for today. He didn't think there was anything left of them to test. They had been poked and prodded until they had wanted to scream. Every sample imaginable had been taken from them, fingernails, toenails, hair, skin, blood, every body fluid imaginable, sperm, eggs, urine and stool samples. They had tested their motor functions until their muscles had rebelled against them. They had scanned their brains until Max had thought his were leaking out of his ears. He couldn't imagine what could be left. They had been MRI'ed, CAT scanned, and X-rayed until they were practically glowing. After the demonstration with Maria they had done whatever had been ask of them. If they were ever going to get out of here they couldn't take the risk of any of them being hurt.

After the first terrifying forty-eight hours they had settled down into a pretty tight schedule. First breakfast, showers every other day, first the girls, then the guys. Clean gowns, then on to different test, then lunch, more test, dinner and then the nightly talk from the doctor. He came every night and informed them of what would happen the next day. Until yesterday, there had been no nightly scheduled talk. After dinner they hadn't seen anyone, about an hour later the lights had gone off. Max wondered what this meant.

"Max." He heard Liz call his name softly. He stood and returned the finished food tray back to the receptacle box. He moved to the corner of his cell, he leaned his head against the wall, he hadn't seen her in two days. Hadn't touch her in two weeks. He just wanted to touch her, take her in his arms and tell her it was going to be all right.

"I'm here Liz." Max said.

Liz looked around at the other cells, she couldn't see Maria or Max but everyone else seemed to be just sitting back and waiting, waiting for whatever they had planned for them today. "I just wanted to hear your voice. I'm going crazy without my journal. I don't have any idea what I would write but I miss it."

"Yeah, we're all going a little stir crazy. I'm surprised Michael hasn't freaked out." He said with a smile.

"Same with Maria, its been two weeks without her Cyprus oil. I would have thought she'd have torn all her hair out by now." Liz added.

"Do you mind. We can hear everything you two are saying, remember these rooms are wired for sound, or did that slip your minds?" Maria ask from her cell. "And don't lump me in with Michael, ok. I'm not an idiot like he is."

"You know I don't know what could be worse than being captured, wait I got it, being captured AND having to listen to your constant nagging, whining voice." Michael smiled at her. Maria stuck her tongue out at him.

"And away we go. Couldn't you two just knock the fighting off for today, just one day, I'm so sick of hearing you two constantly bickering at each other." Kyle shouted from his cot.

"Fighting, you think their fighting, no this isn't fighting, this is Michael and Maria at their romantic best. Most people flirt, not these two, they harp and pick at each other until they can jump each others bones." Isabelle said. "And when it finally does happens their both going to explode, all that's going to be left is a big pile of ashes."

"Romantic! You have got to be kidding, I don't think that jerk even knows how to be romantic." Maria said crossing her arms over her chest. "He does not have a romantic bone in his body."

"Romantic, with her, you have got to be kidding Izzy." Michael smirked.

"Well just who were you thinking about during your little session with that plastic cup Michael? Come on you can tell us." Isabelle laughed as she ask him.

"Can I say ewww to that picture Isabelle." Maria said.

"I was thinking about Kyle in those little white gym shorts of his." Michael said sarcastically. "He's kinda cute in those things, don't ya think?"

"Kiss my ass Guerin." Kyle retorted.

"You wish Valenti." Michael answered him Everyone burst out laughing. It felt good to laugh, they hadn't laughed in a long time.

The laughter stopped when the door opened and three technicians came in pushing three wheelchairs. They used the chairs to transport them, strapping them in so there was no way to escape as they moved them from the cells to the showers and back again.