Hex stared out into the inky black sky. The gentle whirrs of the airplane blades were attempting to lull him into sleep, but he was in no mood to nap. His teammates obviously felt otherwise, since all of them were out like lights.

Hex turned around in his seat and surveyed his teammates: Amber, behind him, a cut on her forehead; Alex, on his far left, arm bandaged in a sling; Paulo behind Amber, Li next to him, her head resting on his shoulder. Hex ran his own fingers through his hair, coughing slightly as plaster flakes drifted down from his fringe and got into his nose.

Barely hours ago, all five of them had escaped from a tremendous earthquake that had devastated a museum in Belize. Lives had been lost; they had met Mother Nature's wrath and fended off looters. Hex looked out into the night sky again, remembering his own close shave with death.

Almost unconsciously, his fingers went back up to his cheek, where he could almost feel warm blood. Although Paulo had carefully cleaned his wound, Hex knew it would be a long time before he ever forgot the sensation of the woman named Susanna's blood there. She had died in the small confine of their prison, as both of them had been trapped in the earthquake.

Hex shivered as he remembered the frightening incident. The devastating earthquake had trapped Alpha Force as they had been staying overnight in the historic museum. The other four members had gotten out safely as the walls and artifacts tumbled down around them, and all four had helped in the rescuing efforts, saving many lives in the process.

But Hex? He had not been so lucky. The first earthquake had trapped him underneath a T-Rex's skeleton, but the aftershock had trapped both him and Susanna in a smaller, tighter, more dangerous coffin. It had been hours before his teammates had found him, hours before he felt the fresh air assault his face and he knew he would live to see another day.

He had whiled the hours away typing a letter to his friends-or more specifically, to Amber- telling her how he had felt. When they had finally rescued him, he had closed the text file, but now he called it back up, his fingers playing with the keys on his palmtop.

The letter ran:

Dear Amber,

I never told you how I felt about you, did I?

When I first met you, I hated you on sight, and I know you felt the same way about me. I thought you were a spoilt brat, a rich kid beyond hope; you thought I was a geek and a nerd that didn't care about anyone, a guy who only cared about his digital world.

You still think that way.

And you're right: but I've come to care about a lot more than my digital world. I have come to care about Alpha Force, about the people we're helping, about Alex, Paulo, Li, and…and you. Especially you, Amber.

You probably have a stunned expression on your face now. I never let on, because I didn't know how you felt about me. You probably only treat me as a friend, and I don't blame you.

Li once told me she knew I had a soft spot for you. I didn't want to admit it to myself-couldn't. That girl is more perceptive than she looks-if she could tell from me, the guy who says nothing. My point is…I do have a soft spot for you. I wish I could have told you earlier…who knows what might have happened? But I was a coward. I was scared. I didn't want to ruin our friendship.

I might not live to see you another day. I can't remember the last word you said to me, but I can leave you one last message.

I love you.

I am running through the devastation. The earthquake is trembling under my feet; my teammates are yelling something I can't hear. But I can see the pile of rocks up ahead, and instinctively I know, Hex is under there, and I need to get him out.

As I reach the debris, the earthquake abruptly stops. I feel a sinking feeling in my stomach, this is not good. It feels like a bad omen. Am I too late…?

The rocks and pebbles fall away easily-too easily. I scrabble frantically, knowing that every minute ticking away is valuable, it's another minute of air slipping away from Hex-the boy I truly ever cared for. But the rocks seem to be never-ending.

Finally, I see a pale flash of skin. I clear the last layer of debris, and I gasp.

Hex is there, staring at me. What is left of his soul looks at me through those emerald green eyes of his and then, his body goes limp. I collapse to the ground, hoping against hope that I'm wrong, that he is just pretending. I am hoping that his eyes will open and he'll smile that mischievous look at me.

But I'm wrong. Hex is gone and there's no bringing him back…

Amber woke up, cold sweat running down her back. She hastily looked around her, orientating herself with her surroundings. She was in the plane, going home, and Hex was alright. They had saved him just in time.

She peered over his seat quietly and wasn't surprised to see him fiddling with his palmtop-again. She was about to crack a remark when suddenly, she noticed her name at the top of the screen. Curious, she leaned over; making sure that her breathing was kept steady and quiet, although she doubted that he could hear her over the plane's whirr.

She read the message for a few minutes over his shoulder, her eyes growing wider and wider with every few words. Her heart seemed to swell with happiness as she finally reached the bottom and she leaned back, a self-satisfied look on her face. So this was what he had hastily stowed away when they had gotten him out. ..

She decided to confront him about it. She darted behind his seat and placed herself in the chair next to Hex. "Hey gadget boy," she took a swipe at him, pretending not to notice the split second of alarm that crossed his face as he fumbled with his palmtop and put it in his pouch. "What have you been doing while we were recuperating?"

"Playing games," Hex replied smoothly. He willed his muscles to relax, his face to remain impassive. She must not know how he felt about her. "I had plenty of time to rest while you lot were rescuing people."

"I saw a text file," Amber said, reaching for the small gadget sticking out of Hex's pocket. "What did you do-compose a love poem for your girlfriend or something?" She felt a glow of satisfaction spread over her as Hex turned scarlet and stuttered: "Wh-what are you talking about?"

Amber was about to blow his cover when something crashed to the ground behind her. As she whirled around and Hex craned his neck to look around her, Alex sat up sleepily, rubbing his eyes. "Sorry," he mumbled, looking at the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle he had been keeping for Paulo and Li. Sighing, he got to his knees. "I guess I have to pick this up."

Hex sprang up, silently thanking his luck. "I'll help you!"

While Amber sat there, glaring at Alex though he couldn't' see her, wondering why he had impossibly hopeless timing.