Looking over his body, Liz could tell he had lost quite a bit of weight, but what surprised her the most were his arms. As she inspected them, she gasped and had to look away. Both of them, all the way up the insides, were swollen and bruised in hues of black and blue that stood out against the ghastly paleness of his skin.

Gently, Liz leaned down and brushed thick dark strands of hair from his forehead as her heart pounded in agony. This was worse than she had ever imagined. Just the sight of him was almost more than she could bear.

Feeling her touch, Max’s eyes snapped open and he stared out of his sunken eye sockets with a look of such hatred it made Liz shudder.

Max shut his eyes at the sight of Tess. He did not want to look at her and he certainly did not want her fingers running through his hair. Leaning to one side, he tried to shake her hand off of him. “Don’t…touch…me.” He said, laboring for every breath.

“Max…” Liz said, her eyes filling with tears. “Max, its me, its Liz.” Gazing down at the restraints, her hands moved to the one holding down his right arm and began unbuckling it.

“If you take those off, I am going to hurt you Tess.” He said matter-of-factly, still seething with anger.

“You would never hurt me.” Liz replied softly, trying to lace her fingers with his unwilling hand, “Its Liz, not Tess.”

“STOP IT!” He screamed out weakly. “Stop trying to use your powers on me! You could never be Liz, never!” With that, Max raised his free arm and clasped Liz tightly around her throat.

Grabbing his hand and prying it loose, which was not hard to do since he was so weak, Liz kissed his palm and held the hand over her heart. “Oh Max, what have they done?” She whispered, “You have to listen to me, this is just a disguise, Isabel and Michael changed the molecular structure of my face. Look at me Max, can’t you tell it’s me, that it’s Liz?”

Max took a moment and looked deeply into the blue eyes that stared back at him. They were clearly Tess’s eyes, but there was something behind them. It was as if he could almost see her soul, and it didn’t belong to Tess. Also, the voice sounded so much like Liz and the way she touched him…

Liz could see the confused look on his face and knew he was not completely sure. Leaning over him, she pressed her lips hard against his and kissed him more deeply than she ever had.

At first, Max tried to fight her, but the kiss became so intoxicating that he found himself complying with the hungry lips that were on top oh his.

Then, with no warning, it happened. Visions began flying through his head. He saw himself heal Liz and then he saw himself holding her in the wake of her grandmother’s death. The images began flashing so quickly they made him almost dizzy. Next, he was on Liz’s balcony, kissing her for the first time, and then they were at Michael’s apartment, on his sofa. Finally, he saw himself holding her as the sun came up over the desert, the orb close by.

Reluctantly, Liz pulled back and let his hand free. Slowly, with trembling fingers, he lifted his hand to her shoulder and ran it through her thick, glossy strands of brown hair--wait, Max thought, brown hair?

Gazing up, he gasped, his mouth hanging open in awe as Liz’s large brown eyes stared back at him. “Liz?” He said hoarsely, almost beyond the capability to really believe she was actually there.

“Yes Max, it’s me.” She said smiling down at him with tears in her eyes.

Trying to sit up, Max began pulling at the restraint that held his other arm while mumbling her name over and over.

“Hold on…there.” Liz said, taking off the other strap.

Slowly and painfully, Max sat up and fell upon her small frame, his arms winding tightly around her body, “Liz…Liz…” He sobbed, burying his head in an ocean of chestnut hair and inhaling the fragrance he missed so much. “I had a dream you would come for me. I thought I would never see you again. Oh Liz.”

She rocked him rhythmically back and fourth as he babbled on. “It’s okay Max. I am never going to leave you. It’s okay.” She whispered to him, trying to stay strong as she watched him crumble.

Pulling his head off her shoulder, he stared at her as tears ran down his sallow face. Looking back at him, Liz tried not to cry too. She was so happy to see him; so glad he was alive, yet he was now a shadow of the person she had known. Right now, Liz realized, was when he needed her most and she would not let him down. She would be strong for him, as he had done so many times for her. Leaning in shakily, Max held his face only an inch away from Liz, almost afraid to kiss her. Gently, she closed the space between them and placed her lips on his. Unlike the last kiss, this one was sweet and tender. Although Liz saw no images, she felt the pain that Max was feeling and shuddered.

Separating from him momentarily, she placed her hands on either side of his face and kissed him several more times, tasting the saltiness of his tears. Finally, she leaned her face back from him, but sat close enough so that he could lean on her and keep his arms tightly around her waste.

“Max, “ she said, letting her hands tenderly trace his chin and lips, “we have to move quickly now. I have a plan and if we make it through, Isabel and Michael are waiting for us on the other side.”

Nodding for her to go on, Max listened as Liz revealed the details of their escape. _*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_

“Are you sure you can do this?” Liz questioned Max, watching him lean heavily against the door as the two of them struggled to hold Pierce’s body up.

Max simply nodded at her, never taking his eyes off her face.

Shakily, Liz ran Pierce’s card through the scanner and punched in the code she had memorized, then, with Max’s help, they positioned his hand against the screen. Moments later, a green light beeped on. Grunting, Liz held Pierce’s head in front of the small window, so Matthews would see him and unlock the door. Sure enough, he fell for it and the door clicked open from the outside.

“Matthews! Get in here!” Max called out, doing his best to sound like Pierce. Dropping Pierce to the floor, Max moved next to Liz and slid the gun out of her pants.

Moments later, Matthews appeared in the doorway, holding the door open. Max raised the gun to the side of his head. “Let go of the door.” He instructed in a deadly tone. Matthews, in shock at the sight of Pierce on the ground, complied with Max’s orders. As he let it go, Liz grabbed it and shoved the briefcase between it and the frame, to keep it from closing.

“Drop the gun to the floor and put your hands up.” Max said, Pierce’s gun firmly in place against the side of Matthews scalp. Instead of doing what Max ordered, Matthews just stood there, assessing the situation. Looking for a way to capture them, Max guessed. He had had just about all he could take of these people and this place.

“DO IT!” He screamed, nudging the barrel uncomfortably against Matthews’ head. “Do you think I am joking? I will kill you if necessary! After what you have done to me, do you think I care in the slightest about you or your life?” Max asked, casting him a look he would not soon forget. “okay, okay.” Matthews replied, unstrapping his gun and tossing it to the floor.

“Liz?” Max asked, as she moved from the corner of the room and reached in and grabbed the gun, then backed away and stood behind Matthews. For a moment, there was silence, then only the thud of Matthew’s gun slamming into his skull and him hitting the floor.

While Max kept Pierce’s gun on him, Liz leaned down to examine him, “he is out, at least for a couple hours.”

Nodding, Max leaned against the table, trying to find the strength to take another breath. “Let me help you.” He told Liz, as he watched the small girl try to drag Matthews into Max’s cell.

“No, you just rest.” She replied. “go ahead and start taking off your clothes. I will strip Matthews down.”

As Liz walked out of the cell, shutting the door and locking Matthews in, Max was still trying to take off his shirt. Frustrated, he grabbed the material again and tried to lift it over his head, but his clumsy hands couldn’t seem to grasp it. The confrontation with Matthews had taken the last ounce of his strength.

“Let me help you.” Liz said, setting Matthew’s uniform down and kneeling over him as he sat in a chair. “Arms up.” She said gently as she watched Max push with all his might to get his arms over his head. Carefully, Liz tugged at the shirt and pulled it over his head and discarded it on the floor. “Can you lean up for me?” She asked him as he nodded, even though she was not sure he was going to be able to.

Hooking her hands in the elastic band of his scrub pants, Liz pulled them off of his body and threw them next to his shirt.

Turning back, she looked at Max and tried to give him a reassuring smile as he sat, completely naked, at the table. At any other time, this moment might have made Liz’s cheeks turn bright red and made her heart pound, but his nakedness really had no affect on her at this moment. This was not exactly the time to be sexual. Max hardly seemed to notice he was unclothed. Even if he was embarrassed, there was nothing he could do; he couldn’t even button a shirt at this point.

Taking Matthews’ camouflaged bottoms, Liz began sliding them up over Max’s legs and got them to his thighs before stopping. “Max, I need you to lean up again.”

“Liz, I don’t think I can.” He replied, on the verge of tears.

Sitting back, Liz closed her eyes for a moment, to gather her strength. It was as if he was a newborn. She had to help him, had to get past whatever difficulties she was having and think only of him. Opening her eyes, she saw him looking at her. “I’m sorry.” He moaned, letting a tear roll down his cheek. “I am sorry you have to see me like this.” His lips began trembling uncontrollably then and Liz could feel his body start to shake.

“Max.” She said, leaning up to wipe away his tears. “Max, it is okay. It’s okay to need help and there is no one in the world I want to see more right now than you. You are the most important person in my life and we are going to get through this!” Leaning in, she kissed him, first on the forehead, then on his lips. “Now, I need for you to try to preserve what strength you have left. We have a long way to go, can you do that for me?”

Sniffing, Max nodded.

“Good.” Liz replied, leaning over him. “Now, when I say three, I want you to lean up as much as you can out of the chair. One, two, three.”

Max did his best to lean forward while Liz struggled with his pants. She tried to keep her mind on the task at hand and ignore the fact that her hands kept grazing the sensitive area between his legs.

Finally, several minutes, and some uncomfortable moments later, the pants, which were several sizes too big, were on Max. Liz figured after that, the shirt and jacket should be a piece of cake. Facing him, Liz sat lightly in his lap and managed to get the other garments on. Lastly, she put on his socks and laced up the heavy black boots. Handing him Matthews’ hat, Max managed to put it on his head.

“Now, I have to go get something, and then I will be right back.” Liz promised, dropping another kiss on his cheek before heading to the door. Propping it open all the way, she grabbed Pierce’s arms and began dragging him from the room.

As the seconds ticked by, Max’s heart began to race. Where was she? What if she didn’t come back? Finally, panic stricken, Max screamed out, “Liz! Liz!”

Less than a minute later, Liz came rushing into the room with a white lab coat and glasses on. Her hair had been tied back and an ID card pinned to the right corner of the coat said, Agent Anne L. Reeves. “What?! What’s wrong?” She asked, running to him.

“I just didn’t know where you were…”

“I am right here,” she said, putting her hands over his heart. “Can you walk, or do you need another few minutes?”

“I think I can walk.” Max said as Liz helped him out of the chair. Slowly, and heavily leaning on Liz, they made their way out of the room and into to the hall. About ten feet away, Pierce was lying on the floor, where Liz had left him. “Okay Max, I am going to take you to the end of the hall and I want you to rest while I pull Pierce over.”

Knowing he was just dead weight at this point, he nodded and let Liz guide him down the hall to another thick white door. “Now, just stay here and don’t say a word. I will be back shortly.”

First, Liz went back to Max’s room and grabbed the two guns and placed them next to him at the end of the all. Then, she managed to drag Pierce the rest of the way, and, dropping him to the ground, she helped Max up, “Are you ready to do this?” She asked, running her hands over his face.

“Yes.” He replied, lifting a hand to trace her lips.

Punching a button on the intercom, Liz nodded to Max, who, in return, leaned into the speaker and said, “Pierce, Daniel A.”

One of the guards from the other side spoke back at them, “confirm identification please.”

With that, Max and Liz lifted Pierce up, ran his card through, punched in his code and held his hand against the scanner.

Moments later, the voice returned, “Identification confirmed.” Then, with a loud buzz, the door clicked open. Liz, dumping Pierce behind the door, twisted the handle and opened the door. Together, they walked through and let the door slam shut. As they took a sharp left turn, a commanding voice stopped them, “Excuse me Agent Reeves, but where is agent Pierce? He needs to sign the logbook. You know you can’t come through without the person whose ID was confirmed and why is that Private away from his station?”

Taking a deep breath, Liz spoke demurely, not bothering to turn around and face the men, “look, Agent Pierce is coming. He just forgot something and will be out momentarily. He told us to go ahead and, as for him,” she said, pointing to Max, “Pierce told him to accompany me. Now, if you have a problem with this, then you should speak to Agent Pierce in a minute. I suspect he will not be pleased that you questioned his orders.”

Liz’s heart beat rapidly in her chest as the seconds passed by. Finally the guard said, “I guess it is okay for you to go ahead then.”

Without another word, Max and Liz continued their journey down the hall, trying hard not to break into a run. As they walked quickly, Liz could feel Max’s hand brush hers every few steps, “we are almost there.” She whispered to him as a couple more men in military outfits passed them, giving them a brief look.

Finally, they reached the door of Pierce’s office. With shaky hands, Liz ran the card and code through. Entering the office, she slammed the door shut and leaned on it, sighing a breath of relief. A few feet away, Max sunk down into one of the chairs in front of Pierce’s desk, taking strenuous breaths. “What now?” He asked. Liz pointed to the window and Max hurried the best he could out of the chair and over to it. Realizing he was too short to see out, he grabbed a chair and tried to move it with little success.

Liz, grabbing the chair, set it below the window and helped Max on to it. As he looked out, his face filled with such longing and hope. “It has seemed like forever since I have seen outside.”

Then a moment later, he said, “but how are we going to get through this?”

“What do you mean?” Liz asked, furrowing her brow.

“Here.” Max said holding his hand out. Liz, taking his hand, but not exerting any pressure on it, stood on the chair next to him and felt her heart sink. The reason she was not able to see the window from the other side was because there was camouflage netting over it, but worse than that, there was two panels of double-thick glass in the window, which was most likely bullet proof. There was also no way to open the window, or even break it.

Looking to the outside world, along with Max, Liz began racking her brain. They had come too far to quit now.

Jumping down from the chair, Liz ran to the phone on Pierce’s desk and began dialing.

“What are you doing?” Max asked as Liz held up a hand for him to be quiet.

Finally, on the third ring, a voice answered, “Hello?”

“Isabel!” Liz nearly screamed out. “Isabel its Liz! We are in Pierce’s office, but we can’t get out the window. We are going to need help.”

“Then you got him, my brother is with you?” She asked, her voice cracking.

“Yes.” Liz replied, smiling as Max looked at her with watery eyes. “There is no time for details now. I need you guys to get through the fence. On the other side is a chain-linked fence that has barbwire above it. I think it is electric. We are about thirty feet to the left of the main road. I can’t see much else.”

“Ok, Michael and I are at the fence. We already moved a couple cameras so we would be out of range. We are gonna try to get through the fence, let me know if you can see us.”

As each second passed, Liz and Max stared out of the window, looking for any trace of them. “There!” Max yelled, pointing to the fence about ten feet to the left of them. Slowly, the fence seemed to be disinigrate, leaving a gap that was a couple feet long and wide.

“We see you!” Liz said to Isabel.

Then, it happened.

All over the compound an emergency siren went off and outside, men began swarming the area.

Turning to Liz as the color drained from his face, Max whispered, “I think we are caught.”

“Liz, are you still there?” Isabel asked.

“Yeah.”

“What should we do?” Isabel inquired, fear seeping into her voice.