“Go. We’re right behind you!”

Isabel pushed through the door at the top of the stairs and turned right. The room she had seen in Croazoh’s mind was straight ahead. That’s where he was keeping Liz, where Max had been rescuing her when Croazoh sensed it and transferred out of the lab. She paused. A beeping was coming from one of the rooms nearby- the first one on the right. She tried to force herself ahead, to help Liz and Max, but she couldn’t make herself move away.

“Alex,” she whispered, saying his name before the thought was even complete. She walked to the door in a trance, vaguely hearing the voices and footfalls of the others behind her. She pushed the door open slowly. Relief and terror flooded through her. It was him.

“Alex!” She started forward only to be met by a gun in the hand of a scrawny guy in a lab coat. “Do not come any closer.”

Isabel narrowed her eyes and tilted her head to the side. “I‘m giving you three seconds to move. Three...”

“Wait- I am a doctor!”

“Oh, good! Then you can fix yourself after I‘m done with you. Two...”

“Are you one of his friends?”

“Yes- ONE!”

At her answer, he lowered the gun and stepped aside.

Isabel glared at him as she walked by, but he seemed unwilling or unable to try anything. Then she was at Alex’s side, peering down through the plastic at the love of her life. His blue eyes were open, but just barely. He seemed to be fighting for consciousness.

“Alex! It’s me.“ Isabel reached through the handholes into the rubber gloves there. No good, he wouldn’t be able to feel her. She melted the gloves with a small burst of energy that drained her somewhat. God, she was so weak. Then she reached through to touch him.

His skin was clammy and cold and this awful gray color. He was shaking- hard.

“Oh god,” she said, her voice hoarse. “What have you people done to him?”

“She asked you a question, shorty.” Isabel looked back to see Delia grabbing the doctor by the lapels and shaking him. Tug and Christopher stepped in to get her away from him.

“I did nothing. It was an experiment- nothing more. He was accidentally overdosed-”

“Accidentally, my ass!” Delia was fighting to get out of Tug’s grasp, practically foaming at the mouth.

“What kind of experiment?” Isabel felt nauseous at the word. Max had been right. They were using Alex as a guinea pig. She could help him, maybe, but she had to know what to try. She turned back to Alex and winced at the look of vacancy in his soft blue eyes.

“I had nothing to do with the overdose. There is a madman loose here. I have been hearing explosions and screams all night. I hid your friend and tried to save him, but the alien cells- they are killing him.”

Isabel’s head snapped around to him. “Then you had better FIND a way to get them out! NOW!” She felt the corners of her mouth trembling as the doctor’s apologetic face confirmed her fears. There was nothing he could do.

“Then I’ll do it,” she whispered harshly. Turning around, she prepared herself to make a connection with him. “Come on, Alex. Hang on.”

She placed her palm on his forehead and let her frantic energy flow into him.

******

Kyle couldn’t see a damn thing. He shoved the heels of his hands against his eyelids, desperately trying to stop the pain. Why hadn’t he looked away? But he knew the answer to that one. It had been the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen- Joey, glowing from inside like an angel. Even if it had killed him, he couldn’t have torn his eyes away. He doubted anyone had been able to.

At least the roar in his ears was finally dying down and he could hear again. All around, people were moaning and crying out like extras in some wussy disaster movie.

“Joey?” He turned his head from one side to the other, listening intently for any answer from her.

“Kyle?” It was his Dad, still pretty far off. “KYLE!”

“Yeah, Dad! Over here. I’m okay. Just a little... you know, blind. But fine.” Kyle stood carefully to his feet.

“Thank God. I thought Joey was going to blow us all to hell. Is she alright?” His Dad was headed in his direction, but still probably over ten yards away.

“I don’t know.” Kyle was getting frustrated- and worried. “JOEY!”

“I’m going to go check on Justin and Nathan, alright?”

“Yeah, Dad. JOEY?” Then a quiet sobbing reached his ears. It was her; he just knew it. “Joey!“ He started walking toward the sound. Why wasn’t she answering him?

He moved as slowly as he could force himself to, but his foot caught on something and he fell in a wild windmill of arms and legs. He hit the ground hard and popped back up to his feet, tripping over something else in the process. He landed on one knee and groaned at the impact. None of this made his head feel better.

He took a deep breath and announced to no one in particular. “I’m O-kay. Dammit...”

Joey wasn’t far now; he could tell by her ragged breathing. Kyle decided to crawl there, just to be on the safe side. It wasn’t like anyone could see him, anyway.

Finally, he reached her side. He brushed his hands off on his jeans and reached out for her face tentatively. Either she had her eyes closed, or the light had blinded her as well. “Joey?“ As his fingers slid along her cheek, he heard her whisper.

“Kyle?” She gripped his hand with her own. “You’re alive? But I- I-”

He reached down and gently grabbed her arms, pulling her up and into his chest. Oh, it felt great to hold her... especially since she wasn’t doing the glowing thing at the moment. Or, at least he didn’t think so.

“Kyle, are you okay?” Her voice was thick with tears.

“I’m fine. Just don’t ask me to walk you home.”

She pulled back and probably stared into his face. “Why not?”

He looked her in the eyes, or maybe it was the nose. “Well, I’m kinda’ sight-challenged at the moment.” He let out a small laugh.

She gasped, “I‘m so sorry, Kyle. I tried not to do it. I thought I had killed everyone.”

“No, they’re still alive- whiny, but alive. Hey, we have to get you out of here before...” Kyle trailed off awkwardly. He wasn’t sure what they did to aliens who blinded an entire mob of people, but he had a feeling it wasn‘t good.

Joey didn’t say anything, she just leaned her trembling body into him. Kyle felt his heart clench in his chest. Why did everything have to be so complicated? He had no idea if Joey would even be on this planet tomorrow. Or what would happen to him for being involved with her. But he just couldn’t let her go.

The voices over by the hospital were getting louder. He moved his sightless gaze down and kissed the top of her dark curls. “I love you, Joey. No matter what happens.”

She shifted in his arms and suddenly, her soft lips were brushing his own. It was electrifying. His hands moved of their own accord, pulling her up into his lap. The kiss deepened. God, it felt good. He wanted to slide his tongue in her mouth, but Joey was so... sweet that he...

Then she sighed and her lips parted just a little. He bit at her bottom lip gently and was stunned to feel her tongue slide across his upper lip.

The sensation stopped all thought. They were locked together by liquid heat and suddenly, a connection opened between them.

As the images of her life and the past few hours flashed by him, he heard her thoughts plainly.

*Thank you, Kyle.*

And her love overwhelmed him. He wanted to ask her what she was thanking him for, but a strange vibration started up in the midst of the connection.

What the hell-?

******

Isabel finally gave up. Alex was so far gone, it was like being connected to a microwave. There was static there, some energy, but nothing else. Her funny, smart, brilliant, brave Alex was nothing more than a body damaged beyond repair. She just sat there and held his hand, feeling him shake horribly. The doctor called them rigors.

At least the others had finally agreed to go on without her. They would help Max and Liz. There was nothing they could do here, anyway.

Isabel stared at his expressionless blue eyes, the eyes that had always been so open to her, so willing to say things that his lips were afraid to. Unless he was singing and playing on his guitar. She smiled through her tears as words filled her head, of a song that he loved to sing to her, one that had first brought them together, even if it was only in a dream. Tears blurred his face in front of her. She wanted to show him... let him know that she remembered, that she would always remember...

It took her nearly a minute to get control of herself, but she was finally able to sing the words. They hung in the air... as fragile as his hold on life.

“I’ve been watching you and all you do, for quite some time.”

She sniffed and wiped away a few tears, determined to continue.

“Knowing all the ins and outs of you,
I should’ve known what was on your mind.”

She reached down and took his hand.

“But all the world is spinning round and round,
inside my head tonight.
I will fall into the darkness...”

The words started to become real and her throat constricted with emotion. “and I fear I will never see the light... the light...

so let me in.
All that I wanted from you,
was something you’d never do.”

The final lines came out as a whisper.

“So let me in, oh please- tonight,
Don’t let this end tonight,
Or...
I will fall...”

Isabel laid her head down on the plastic-covered gurney and sobbed.

******

Maria felt amazingly good, considering that just two seconds ago, she’d been in complete agony. She felt strong, powerful. Like her fairy godmother had come down and given her a Rambo infusion. She was up on her feet and facing down a pretty mean-looking... Max-dude. She shook her head to clear her fuzzy vision, but from what she could see, he looked just like Max. It wasn’t the real Max, she knew from... well, she just knew it somehow. The real Max was...

She looked around and saw the heaped up bodies against the wall.

LIZ! MAX!

She tried to run to them, but her body wouldn’t move. Something needled into her side and she turned to see the Max-poster firing a deadly looking firestorm at her. Maria gasped. How dare he! Anger cleared her vision. Did he really think that little firetrail was enough to...

Wait- what the hell is that gray lump on the floor?

Then fear slammed into her.

Michael! I have to- I have to help him!

Her damn body wouldn’t move! ARGH! Anger exploded in her head and she threw her hands outward, slamming Evil Maxi with power. He had hurt her man and he was going DOWN! If they wouldn’t let her help Micheal, or Max or Liz right now, she was at least going to make the bastard PAY. And PAY. And PAY.

The idiot was shouting something at her now, like the power roaring in her own ears wasn’t blocking out all sound. Duh.

Then she noticed that he was laughing and dealing with her burst of power quite easily. Figures. The one time she gets to face down an alien hunter WITH powers and he’s like, Max on steroids.

Information came to her from nowhere. She needed the others to deal with this guy. They were stronger together. The others? She was impressed- thinking like one of them already. But of course, being transformed couldn’t be this easy, right? She shook her head.

Somehow, she knew how to get the twelve- the others- here.

So she reached out with her mind...