Rating: PG

Summary: Chris sits uptop the needle and reflects.

Disclaimer: The characters from DA are not mine, but again, Christine Foster, and her friends from Afterglow as well as Afterglow are mine.

Spoilers: If you haven't seen the season finale, then don't read.

**Passionate Sadness**

It happened all so fast. Max was gone and that was all I could think about. Someone who I barely knew, yet connected with so much..was now out of my life.

So where was she? What happened? I don't know much of the details, but when I was able to get it out of Logan, he mentioned something about Manticore having her back, but not Lydecker.

So they finally got her. Why can't I stomach this? Max is supposed to be the stronger one, the protector; I was never supposed to worry about her back. But now, I know that I can't just sit still and wait for her to return when there is a possibility that she might not.

What can I do, you ask? Well, I'm going to get Afterglow together with our B team as well and stake out Manticore. I cannot let them proceed with their twisted experiments. True, I am mainly going to get Max, but this time it's personal. My Uncle Riley wanted to stop the project a long time ago. I think that he would be honored if I killed it once and for all.

But when push comes to shove, can I actually physically kill the one responsible for all this? Is Afterglow strong enough to go against X7's and the "loyal" X5's?

It was her. Max. On the day so long ago, the child from Manticore that I met and gave part of my bracelet to, was Max. I lost her once. I cannot lose her again. I swear to whatever higher power people nowadays swear to, I will get her back or die trying. And about going after Manticore...patience in all things. I will organize a full attack...but now would be suicide. I need to get Max out and now. Or else she will suffer the same fate as Brin did; re-programming.

So as I sit here upong the space needle, as Max has always done, recently she has brought me up here as well, I think about why I have bothered. What makes me press foward even when things look hopeless? Maybe my childhood loyalty does it...or maybe some other loyalty.