Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, but I wish I did! Just playing with them for a while.

Summary: Set during season two. A mysterious message from a supposedly dead Lydecker ends up being a trap that Max waltzes straight into. Will Alec be able to save 452, or will his attempt only end up risking his life as well? Hurt/Empathic!Alec.

A/N: This story is dedicated to scifigeek22.

Lydecker parked their van a safe distance from the perimeter of the new Manticore. "This is as close as we can get without being spotted," he stated. "I'm assuming you've got a plan, Max?"

He glanced up into the rearview mirror again to find her quickly glancing away.

"I'm working on it."

"Well, that's just great," he grumbled. "Why don't we just sit here until one of the sentries spots us on his rounds?"

"You're not helping, Lydecker," Logan chided. "You've probably been in the building more times than Max has. Are there any weaknesses in the security?"

"After the primary Manticore went up in flames so spectacularly? I wouldn't count on it. If those people know anything, it's how to learn from their mistakes and clean up their messes."

"No one is that good," Max argued. "There's gotta be at least one small chink in the armor we can exploit. Even the best military bases have occasional blind spots. You aught to know that better than anyone."

Lydecker fell silent as he thought for a moment. Then an idea occurred to him that made his nose crinkle in disgust. "There is one possibility, but it's highly unsanitary."

Max almost laughed in spite of the horrible situation. Poor Alec, always getting dragged through the sewers these days…

"Too late," Joshua suddenly piped up from the other side of the van. "They're coming."

Lydecker and Logan quickly pulled out weapons and Max crouched down, ready to spring into action. "What is it, Joshua? White finally catch up?"

Josh shook his head. "No. Alec."

"What?"

She was so startled by the transhuman's statement that she actually jumped when a heavy fist knocked against the side of their vehicle. Shaking off the shock, Max leapt forward and slid the heavy door open.

The smell hit her like a physical blow and she immediately retreated further into the van, an elbow coming up to cover her face. No wonder Josh knew they were coming from a distance.

"You ladies goin' our way?" asked the tall lizard-looking transhuman who was carrying an unconscious Alec over one shoulder.

"Changed your mind about staying at Manticore?" Max questioned.

Mole shrugged. "I figured I overstayed my welcome there already." He grunted as he eased Alec into the truck. Max helped guide him to the floor of the vehicle, then looked back up at the transhuman as he started speaking again. "When the kid wakes up, tell him we're even now."

Max nodded, her respect for Alec rising when she realized he must have saved Mole's life at some point to warrant the returned favor. There was still a lot she didn't know about the man sprawled at her feet. He wasn't big on reminiscing about the past and she certainly couldn't blame him for it.

As Mole stepped back, Max was able to see the others standing behind him. There were two more transhumans she didn't recognize, and… Renfro's lapdog doctor? Her eyes immediately narrowed on the man as she stood over Alec's prone body protectively.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Trying to right my wrongs," Bradbury replied, no hint of threat behind his words. The motley crew was beyond dirty and caked in a thick brown substance Max futilely hoped was mud, but of course, the stench said otherwise.

"Well right them somewhere else," she growled.

"Max…" Logan began but her furious glare cut him off sharply.

"No, Logan. You didn't see what Alec went through in there, and most of it was thanks to this man. I don't want him anywhere near our people. For all we know, he's acting as a spy for Manticore."

Bradbury looked thoroughly ashamed and didn't rise to his own defense, but Lydecker spoke up instead. "Spy or not, he's comin' with us."

Max rounded on him. "Excuse me?"

"If he is working for Manticore, he'll turn right back around and let them know we're all still alive. In case you haven't realized, that's pretty much our only advantage right now.

"And on a side note, judging by 494's appearance, he's going to need medical help from someone who actually knows transgenics, and sorry, Cale, but I just don't have much faith in your man."

Max quirked an eye at Logan, hoping he'd rise to her defense. She ground her teeth when he sighed in capitulation instead.

"Sam can help with the superficial stuff like wounds and broken bones, but there's nothing he can do about the visions. Lydecker's right, Max. We need this guy."

"Fine," she barked. "But I don't want him alone with Alec. Ever. And we're blindfolding him till we get to Sam's. Get in."

The doctor gave a curt nod of acceptance and climbed into the van, trying his best not to look like a threat in any way, shape, or form. Max watched him warily until he settled in his seat, then turned back to the others.

"What about you guys? Comin' with?"

Mole shook his head. "This is the end of the line, sister. We got Princess out and now he's your headache to deal with. We're goin' underground until the heat blows over."

"Smart move. Keep your heads down out there."

Mole nodded. "Same to you. Take care of our boy."

"Count on it."

"Oh, and Max?"

"Yeah?"

"Whatever the doc might've done while you were in there… We wouldn't have gotten Pretty Boy out without his help. Renfro thinks the kid is dead. She'll figure out the truth eventually of course, but the doc bought us some time, not to mention revived Alec when he flat-lined."

Max went ten shades of white and leaned heavily on the doorframe of the van. "He… he died in there?" Her voice cracked on the word died thanks to her throat closing up.

"The kid fought a good fight, but we all have our limits. Point is, he's back with us now and it's thanks to that man. I'm not tellin' you to trust him cause he is Manticore after all. I'm just sayin' cut him some slack if you can, alright?"

Max nodded, unable to get her throat to cooperate again. Mole sent one last look Alec's way as if to say goodbye, then he led the other two transhumans deeper into the forest.

Max sank to the ground by Alec's side, wanting to offer him any comfort she could but afraid to touch him. He was a mess of bruises, blood, and filth. The last thing she wanted to do was cause him more pain when he looked so breakable.

"Get us outta here," she ordered without taking her eyes off of Alec, and then winced when the rocky terrain forced a pained moan from the unconscious transgenic's lips.

She took off her jacket and slid it carefully under his head, then rested one hand against the side of his face to help limit the jostling as much as possible. His skin was so hot.

"He really cares about you," Bradbury stated softly from a safe distance away.

Max glanced up at the man. "What's it to you?"

"Nothing, really. It's just, I was brought in under the impression that the two of you were an assigned mating pair and nothing more. But he was actually willing to stay at Manticore as their lab rat if it meant keeping you safe."

Max looked back down at her fallen charge and couldn't help but see how young he truly was underneath all the bravado and devil-may-care attitude. She ran her thumb gently over his temple, feeling the need to try and sooth the pain lines she saw in his face.

He had been through hell. She had seen some of it, but knew it had probably gotten so much worse when she had been taken away by White. And he was planning on staying there for her safety?

"Idiot…" she mumbled softly, more than a little touched by the doctor's words.

"If I may be so bold, I'd say it's pretty clear you care for him too."

Max was starting to get angry again. "If you've got somethin' to say, spit it out already."

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to overstep or anything, but you should know he's not out of the woods just yet. He's currently under the influence of a strong debilitating drug and it's not designed to wear off 'til tomorrow. I'm afraid he's going to be in a lot of pain until then."

Her body tensed and her free hand balled into a tight fist. "What the hell did you do?"

"My job," he answered back, a bit defensively. After a short moment though, he sighed, his anger dissipating as quickly as it had come. Now was not the time to vent his frustrations.

"Look, Renfro ordered me to give 494… Alec, an experimental drug that would make him responsive to her touch, and hers alone. He will be desperate for relief until the drug clears his system, but trust me when I say there's nothing you can do for him."

"That's sick," Max hissed, her attention being pulled back down to Alec again when a soft whimper escaped his lips, his head shifting from side to side on Max's jacket as if he were caught in a nightmare.

"That's progress, apparently," Bradbury replied, though he sounded anything but convinced. "Yet another way for Renfro to keep her pets on a leash."

He watched as Max gently ran her fingers through Alec's hair, stilling his fevered movements and hoping to ease his suffering even the slightest bit.

"I'm guessin' hiring a hooker is out of the question," she grumbled, only half joking.

"I'm afraid so. There's only one person who can give him any kind of reprieve, and believe me, he'd rather suffer the pain."

"How bad are we talkin'?"

"Bad. He'll fixate on any female that passes by and he won't have any control over his instincts. You'll need to keep your distance until this is over. He'd never forgive himself if he hurt you in any way."

"Can't we keep him sedated till it passes?"

"I don't have anything nearly strong enough for that. He already has a dangerous mixture of chemicals in his system and he's building up a tolerance to the sedatives I've given him.

"His metabolism, mixed with the high fever, is practically burning the drugs off before they reach his system. They'll knock him out for an hour at the most, but considering how many doses he'd need between now and tomorrow, it would do more harm than good."

Max rubbed at her eyes wearily. They just couldn't catch a break these days. "I'll stay away if that's easier on him, but there's no way you and Lydecker can keep him confined if he's determined to get out unless we restrain him. He's not gonna like this at all."

"We'll get him through it, Max," Bradbury stated, trying to sound confident but failing miserably. "Whatever it takes."

Once they made it past their first sector point, Max nodded to Joshua who obediently wrapped a make-shift blindfold around Bradbury's eyes. She didn't want him knowing where Sam's clinic was for all of their sakes. Better safe than sorry.

Bradbury didn't resist in the slightest. He just sat silently and listened; to Alec's grunts of pain, to Max's cooing, to the sound of Logan's leather jacket rustling every time he turned in his seat to glance back at Max and Alec.

These people had become more than just a unit. They were a family. They all cared for each other, and they'd all die for each other. At that very moment, Bradbury stopped seeing the X5s as an exciting research opportunity, and started seeing them as humans, capable of feeling sorrow and pain, but also happiness and love.

He wanted to help Max and Alec more than ever now, not to advance science, but to let them live their lives the way they deserved; out of Manticore's destructive clutches.

"Max," he called out quietly. "I need a sharp knife and a lighter. Now."

Max bristled immediately. "Why?"

"Because Manticore is tracking us and I need to stop them."

TBC

Please keep those inspiring reviews coming! Thank you all for sticking with me!