Warnings: This chapter contains content that may be offensive such as cursing, torture and violence.
Disclaimer: I do not own Roswell or any other character, location, or whatever mentioned in the works of Melinda Metz or created by Jason Katims, FOX, WB, and UPN.


Author's Note:
There are lines and scenes taken from "The White Room" (Season 1, Episode 20).

I made a fan video for this fanfic. Check it out: youtube(dot)com/watch?v=gs2IuFuds94 OR at bamvidvault(dot)ning(dot)com/profile/kyliemou. It's called "Animal." =]


Chapter 7 – The Mind-Games That Utilitarians Would Be Proud Of:


Utilitarianism
– is the idea that the moral worth of an action is determined solely by its contribution to overall utility: that is, its contribution to happiness or pleasure as summed among all people. It is thus a form of consequentialism, meaning that the moral worth of an action is determined by its outcome. It is the "greatest good for the greatest number of people."


Max couldn't fight back.

His left arm was useless in the white arm cast. He could move his fingers without too much pain now, but he had to keep movement to a minimal if he ever wanted to use his arm again. He was healing up pretty fast, but he had always recovered quickly. It was an alien thing.

It seemed even though the agent broke his arm, he wanted Max to have full use of it. He still couldn't figure out why though. One broken arm would only mean he couldn't fight back as much. That he would lose the ability to use his powers in left arm. He wouldn't be able to fight with just one good arm. He would be rendered useless.

But Max would never ask Pierce why he even bothered getting a physician to encase his arm. Was it to keep Max in a usable condition, and if so why? Was it so the world wouldn't see just how hideous the torture inflicted on him was? If only the media could get a whiff of this operation, there would be an uproar around the world. His alien origin be damned. They would focus on the fact that he was mistreated. But of course, there will always be those who agree with the experiments. They would see it as for the good of the world. They as in people like Pierce.

"Your powers are not your real weakness, is it?" Agent Pierce asked.

Another day in the chair. It never seemed to end. Max was never going to talk. Pierce could see that. Humans would talk, but not aliens. These aliens were tough; Pierce knew that. For more than fifty years, this agency had been studying these creatures that threatened humanity. They captured, experimented, and they never received the answers they wanted. But they had to keep trying. This agency had to stop these monsters from colonizing their planet.

"That's right," he said with a nod to himself. "You know, I've been going about this the wrong way the whole time."

Max watched silently the agent circle him through the red screen of the head gear Pierce placed on his head. Everything in his sight was red, and he could hear the faint humming from the virtual reality visor. Despite the color, he could see the dark bruising on Pierce's face. A dark splotch on the man's upper right cheek from Max's fist. A swollen and purplish hue on his nose from Max's knee. A small cut on the left side of his lip. Even when Pierce moved, his jaw clenched, showing Max just how badly he had hurt him back. Max smirked. In a fight, Max clearly lost but seeing the man battered was rewarding in more ways than he could think.

"It's not that you're part alien; it's that you're part human."

Max's eyebrow rose in surprise. Pierce always repeated that Max was an alien, that he wasn't human, but now he was saying he was. What changed?

"I'm all human," gritted Max.

Pierce remained stern. He held a small remote in his hand and then he clicked a button on it.

"You have feelings," he spoke.

The visor whirred and an image came up in the visor.

Michael, Max thought. He was being shown a picture of his best friend. Michael, I hope you're keeping everyone safe. Keep them away from here. Don't come for me. This man, he's a monster. He'll kill all of you. Max knew his best friend couldn't hear him, but he tried regardless. God, I don't even want to think about this, but you're in charge now. You're in charge and if anything should happen to me, I have faith that you'll do right by them.

"Emotions."

An image of his sister appeared.

Isabel. Oh god, I know how you must feel. Scared, vulnerable, alone... But you're not alone. You have Michael, Alex, Liz, and Maria. They'll be there for you. You just have to let them in. Don't you understand? All our lives we were afraid to let people in—and that was one of our rules—but could you ever imagine that we would have friends? They're here for you. You just have to learn to trust them. I did and I don't regret it. You have to be strong through this, Isabel. You have to be strong for my sake, for your sake.

"Friendship."

The visor buzzed again. It was a picture of his friends.

Alex, protect Isabel. Comfort her. She may not show it, but she needs you now more than anything. It's strange but I think you alone understand her. She'll push you away again and again, but I know you're not the type of person who will give up. Keep persisting, Alex; she'll let you in. Same goes for you, Maria. Michael needs you to keep his head steady. As different as you two are, I know you can stop him from doing something crazy. He listens to you. Oh god. Before you two, I never had friends. Thank you so much for your friendship. It means a lot to me. The fact that you would accept us for who we are, what we are, means more to us than you could ever possibly imagine.

"You love."

Love, Max thought.

The visor gave a dreaded hum, and suddenly an image of Liz appeared.

It was as if time slowed down. A pause. A beat.

The sight of Liz caused his heart to beat faster. There was a familiar rumbling in his stomach. Her hair glowed. Her eyes watching him. She was smiling at him.

Max almost smiled back, but he had to remain emotionless. He couldn't let Pierce see how he felt about her. He watched Liz. She continued to smile at him. It was as if she was right in front of him. He shuddered. Her smile gave him hope. She was the only reason he was still alive and fighting.

Liz, I never told you this before, but I love you. I've loved you for so long. My rule was to never let anyone in, not even my adopted mother. No one could know about us. But that day in third grade, when I stepped off the bus and saw you, I just knew that I would never be the same. I could handle the idea of never being your friend, of never being someone more to you. It was all to keep you safe... from me, from all of this. Do you know how much I loved science class? It was because I got to sit next to you, to talk to you. It was the only interaction we would have... until... God, Liz, I am so sorry for bringing you into this mess. If I had known, I... No, I can't say that. I still would have saved you that day. Oh god, I would do everything now so differently though.

He could just watch this image forever. He could survive on this image of his beautiful Liz alone.

Then the picture changed.

He gently pulled against the chair's binds, wanting to see the image again. She gave him such peace, such happiness.

Then alarm filled him. Liz was no longer smiling. This image... Oh god, this image! Liz was lying face down in a dark alleyway while someone gripped her by the hair, revealing her face to him. She had blood all over her face. Her lips were cut. Her eyes bruised. She was battered like he was. She made no movement. Her chest wasn't rising. She was dead.

Liz was dead.

Dead.

Dead.

Liz was dead.

Dead. Liz.

LIZZZZZZZZZZ!

Max tried to hurled his body out of the chair, and if the chair hadn't been screwed to the ground, Max would've slammed into Pierce with such strength that the agent could have broken another rib or two.

The screams that left his mouth almost horrified Agent Pierce. He hadn't heard Max scream that way before, not even when he was burning and cutting into the boy's skin. Not even when he was electrocuting him. This scream was beyond pain. It was beyond anything he had ever heard of. It was almost... animal-like.

The chair rattled. The screws had been hurriedly screwed in so the chair rocked against the hinges.

Max Evans was crazy. He was delirious with anger. Rage filled him. He continued to pull against the bindings on the chair, not caring if he would break his bones in the process.

Pierce gripped him from behind by the shoulders and tried to get the boy to settle down.

"MAX, MAX!" he screamed, trying to get his attention.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Max howled.

""Trick photography!"

"NO! NO, NO, NO!" Max continued to thrash.

"Computer rigged, Max! It's not real! Virtual reality!"

Max panted. Desperate sobs left his mouth as Pierce's words began to sink in.

"It's not real. We didn't kill her," Pierce repeated over and over again until the alien calmed down.

It's not real.

They didn't kill her.

She's still alive.

Alive and well.

Oh god, Liz.

Liz, my love.

"I just wanted to show you what can happen. What will happen."

Max shook his head; tears streaming down his face. "You're evil."

"Tell me where the other one is."

"The other what?" he asked with his head hung low.

The agent took an object out from his pocket. "We found this in the crash. We have spent fifty years looking for the other one, and we know you have it."

The orb. Pierce had the other orb.

"It took a little persuading, but Topolsky told us. Tell me where it is."

"I don't know," Max choked out.

"Okay. I'm going to give you a choice, Max," he said, putting the orb back into his pocket. "You can either tell me where the other orb is, or you can tell me which one of your friends you want me to kill first."

Max's eyes snapped towards the man. He wouldn't! He couldn't!

"Who do you want me to kill first, Max?" Pierce asked him again.

The agent circled him. "Michael?"

"Maybe your sister, Isabel?"

Max watched him silently.

"Alex? Maria?"

Pierce smirked as Max turned away from him.

"What about Liz Parker?"

He watched as Max's eyes snap back to him. Ah, yes—Liz Parker. "Yeah, maybe I'll start with her first. What do you think about that, Max?"

Max bared his teeth and let out a growl that could not be human.

Yes, Pierce found his way to break Max Evans, the alien.


To be continued.