It took four days for them to reopen the Hive.
It took four weeks for everything to go to Hell.

(If you hadn't noticed by now, I changed the timeline.)

Part I

3 1/2 Weeks Later...

Max awoke with a start; her body gasped for air, she raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

"A nightmare, a fucking nightmare," she slowly laid back. She let out a loud hacking cough and realized just how dry her mouth was. In trying to get off her bed she slipped and hit the ground hard. It ripped the IV that had been in her arm out and she let out a gasp of pain. She clapped a hand over her bleeding wound and she heard the sound of a heart rate monitor going crazy. It took her a moment to realize it was attached to the wires that were stuck to her chest. She used the bloody hand to pull the stickers and wires from her. The heart monitor beeped loudly signaling a flat line.

A smell that made her feel ill hit her nose; it was the smell of urine and fecal matter. She didn't need to look down to realize it'd come from her. She gagged but nothing came up seeing as she had nothing in her stomach.

The door burst open and three nurses with a crash cart rushed in. Her eyes widened as they carefully helped her up and wrapped her arm in a massive amount of gauze to stop the bleeding from her vein. Before she knew it she was clean and bandaged up with the nodes reattached to her chest. The nurses had sponged her clean after berating her for slipping out of the bed and injuring herself not to mention scaring them half to death.

They left her alone after making sure she was all set in bed and reattached to various machines. She didn't want to look at either of her arms for fear of gagging and throwing up her stomach. Her eyes scanned the rest of her body and she saw that her ankle was bandaged up pretty well. Her face lost color as she remembered the events from before. Panic set in as she realized she didn't know where anyone was, whether Rain was dead or alive, what had happened to Alice? To Kaplan? To Matt? How did she get here?

A single tear fell down her cheek as the door opened. In walked a man with a really odd-looking mustache.

"Glad you're awake," he smiled as he pulled a seat up beside her bed. She scanned his face trying to figure out who he was; her eyes widened in realization.

"Kaplan?" He winked at her then flashed her a smile as the door opened again to show a doctor.

"Oh hello Mr. Smith, I was expecting to find Mrs. Smith alone," if possible her eyes widened further and she looked between Kaplan and the doctor.

"You know I'd never leave my wife's side," he took her hand and squeezed it; it was clear by the twinkle in his eyes that he was amused.

"Yes well, it seems your wife did a number on herself earlier," he tsk'ed as he flipped through pages on a clipboard, "-tore a vein right open. Can't have that happening again, let's see. She's going to need extensive physical therapy for the atrophy. So that means no sex, at least for a while," his eyes looked above the clipboard at Kaplan and Max who both blushed deeply.

"Good, good, I suppose I'll be leaving you two alone now," he turned and walked back out of the room. In a very adult like manner, Kaplan stuck his tongue out at the door and flipped it off. She playfully slapped his arm and laughed then decided to give him the death look.

"Look, I know you have a lot of questions, and I'll answer all of them," he started before she could open her mouth.

"Can I have some water?" He blinked in surprise then nodded and got her a glass. With his specific instruction she slipped it slowly.

She handed him back the glass which he placed onto the bedside table, instantly she bombarded him with questions.

"Where's Alice? What happened to Matt? How'd I get here? Why are we married? How long have I been here? Why does my ass hurt?"

He held up his hands to stop her, "For the love of God woman, breath and ask one question at a time."

With a sigh she complied, "Where's Alice?"

"After being taken from the Hive, I heard they moved her to a room here under lock and guard. Where at exactly I can't be sure, I've looked around while you've been in here sleeping; lazy."

"What about Matt?"

"I don't know, I lost track of him after he was taken from us," Kaplan frowned and shook his head.

"How'd I get here?"

"We took you out of there, and let me tell you, it wasn't easy." He smiled at her proudly. Something rang a bell in her head and she looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"You said we?" As if on cue, the door opened again. To say Max didn't cry would be a lie; her eyes water as she watched the beautiful latina known as Rain walk in.

"Hey Elizabeth, look who's awake," Kaplan grinned as Rain or 'Elizabeth' slowly walked over to her.

"Elizabeth?"

"You remember my cousin, right babe?" Both Rain and Max made faces at him as he said this, and he got up with his hands up before winking.

"I'll give you two a minute," he exited the room and through the window they could see him stand at the door like a sentry.

Rain took his unoccupied seat and scooted it closer, "Hey loca," her fingers grazed the bandage around her arm,"-can't go five minutes without hurting yourself huh?" Her smile was bitter.

"I saw you," Max's eyes roamed Rain's face. Rain only nodded slowly.

"I've been here almost as often as 'Gary' has," she made air quotations and nodded at the door to signify she meant Kap.

"No, I saw you get shot, I saw you go down," at this Rain frowned at sat back. While biting her lip she slowly raised her shirt to show the pink puffy flesh where the bullet had entered her body, she turned to show a similar site on her back where the bullet had exited. She was about to pull her shirt down when Max stopped her. She ran a careful finger over the healing wound and she looked up at Rain.

"Don't do that to me again please," Rain tilted her head in confusion, "-don't...don't scare me like that."

"Loca I can't make any-," Max pulled her hand away and sighed, her eyes sought out a window on the other side of the room. There was daylight coming through the slits in the blinds, real, legitimate light from the star known as the sun.

"Can you open the blinds for me?" Slowly Rain got up to fulfill her request. The light filtered in and hit her face, she closed her eyes for a moment so they could adjust to the brightness.

"How long did you work down there?"

"Six long years. That's why they recommended I take a vacation," Rain slowly walked back over to her and took a seat.

"Six years; that's a hell of a time to be underground," Rain bit her lip and gnawed on it for a moment while waiting for Max to respond.

"Yeah, when I went in I was brown, believe it or not," she smiled and winked. Rain paused for a moment.

"Sure you were loca."

"I was on vacation for like ten hours, and like a rat used to its cage, I couldn't suffer the outside world. I tried to go back, Alice stopped me, asked me if I wanted a drink, and I agreed. Drank a little too much; that's how Ka- Mr. Smith found me."

"What'd you do on your vacation?" At this, Max smiled widely.

"I wrecked the car the company lent me, I punched a bicyclist for calling me a bitch, I went to the bar and drank half a bottle of Senor Jose Cuervo all to myself, then I punched a guy who grabbed my ass and asked if I knew any swamp donkeys, whatever the hell that is," she shook her head in confusion as Rain laughed.

"Do you punch everyone you meet?"

"I don't know, do you?" Rain flinched and looked at the ground. She remembered the guilt of punching Max in the face for what probably saved her life. Max tilted her head in confusion before taking Rain's hand and holding it.

"Is it really all over? Did it all really happen?" Before Rain could answer Kaplan barged in.

"Time to go you two," he tossed a bag onto the bed near her legs.

"I can't move."

"Your muscles have atrophied," Kaplan put a chair under the door and closed all the blinds.

"How many?" Rain stood abruptly and began to unzip the bag.

"Three. Well armed."

"What's going on?"

Rain whipped clothes out of the bag and sat Max up.

"Umbrella's here," she froze as Rain pulled out a gun, made sure it was loaded and slid it into the waist of her jeans. Max blushed as Rain took the hospital gown off of her.

"No dinner first?" Max's cheeks were cherry red as Rain smiled and pulled a shirt down over her. She helped her stand and pull a pair of sweatpants on. There was a loud knock on the door; Kaplan drew his gun and aimed it at the door.

"Hurry please," the knock got louder as Rain threw the bag over her shoulder and drug Max over to the window. Finally someone attempted to open the door only to be met by resistance. Kaplan walked backward toward the window Rain had smashed open. He waited for Rain to climb out onto the ledge and she pulled Max out after her. Max could barely breathe with the force of Rain holding onto her. Kaplan put one leg out of the window before firing three rounds into the door that had just flown open. There was silence as he climbed all the way out and looked down at the three-story drop.

Kaplan held onto Max as Rain tied a rope to a heavy-duty drainage pipe, carefully she leaned back over; there was a blast from the room they'd come from and Rain caught Max before she fell. Kaplan wasn't so lucky.