Disclaimer: All characters in this chapter are J. Katim's..none are mine. Still have that damn car though.

Chapter Two: Space Lovers In Flight



"Are you ready?" he asked quietly.

Liz looked at the ground, finding it difficult to answer him. She had come so far, so fast....with him. Now she began to wonder if she'd taken enough time to think this through. This might be forever, she thought, her panic growing. Maybe only a short time...but, maybe forever. The word stuck in her mind, refusing to be ignored. She is leaving Maria, her best friend...the one who knew her better than she knew herself. Her family. Michael and Isabel. She felt her stomach fall at the thought of never seeing them again. 'Stop it,' she told herself. She willed the scientist in her to take control...'you're just looking for excuses because you're afraid. You'll never get this chance again...'

She finally looked up at Max, and suddenly she knew her answer. She had promised to follow him anywhere, and now that promise was being put to the test. She let herself be absorbed in his expectant gaze, and all of her worries were dissolved. She belonged with him, and she wouldn't let him do this alone. Even if it meant never coming home.

"I'm ready," she answered, as she tried to swallow the nervous lump that had formed in her throat. Max noticed her pale face, her trembling hands....he took them in his own and held them to his heart.

"It's not too late, Liz. You can still go back...." he told her, trying to sound reassuring. Inside, he was terrified that she would leave him. He wasn't excited to return to Antar, as he thought he might have been. Instead, he was frightened. He had never needed Liz with him as much as he did now.

"I'm coming with you." Liz said this with such determination that Max convinced himself that she was no longer trying to decide. He smiled at her, and took a deep breath. He kept hold of her hands, as much to steady hers as his own. Slowly, he placed them on the transporter that Langley had devised, using technology that Max could never begin to understand. He suddenly felt a wave of regret at his treatment of Langley, but there was no time for that now. No time for anything, for thoughts of his parents, of his sister, his friends. 'Concentrate....' he demanded of both Liz and himself. He closed his eyes and, as Langley had instructed him, focused all of his energy on thoughts of his son. He felt the transporter grow warm, and knew without opening his eyes that it had begun to emit a vibrant light.

"It's working..." he heard Liz say. The surprise in her voice matched what he felt; he realized that he had never fully believed that this would work. He fought the urge to pull his hands from the orb...the realization that this was truly happening was almost more than he could bear. Gathering all of his strength, he submitted to sound he now heard coming from the transporter. He felt himself being absorbed into the light...his body seemed to fall away from him. He felt smaller, lighter, almost as if he wasn't really there at all. There was a fear inside of him that felt distant, not his own. 'Strange,' he thought...'I'm not afraid anymore.' He opened his eyes and saw that the room had been transformed into pure light...a beautiful blue glow had overtaken everything. The orb was giving off an eerie sound, growing louder now that he had opened his eyes. The sound was almost painful, and grew more so each moment. He turned to look at Liz, and something in her face brought him back to himself for just a moment...she was terrified. The fear he had felt was coming from her. He tried to speak, but suddenly there was no light, no sound....there was emptiness. And just seconds later, there was no Max.

Liz tried to scream when her mind allowed her to comprehend what had happened, but she could make no sound. Max had vanished...she thought she could still feel him holding her hands, but he was no longer there. She was alone, and felt as if she were spinning through a long dark tunnel. Her mind fought to focus on what was happening, and she tried to push aside her fear. She saw what seemed like thousands of tiny lights passing her at an incredible speed, although she herself felt like she was moving in slow motion. Her body felt light, as if she had no mass at all, and in no time she settled down and allowed herself to enjoy the feeling. "This must be what the astronauts feel," she giggled....and was aware of a euphoric feeling coming over her. She felt happy and relaxed, and excited all at the same time. Max was forgotten, as were all of the people she had left behind. Nothing would please her more than to stay here forever.



From somewhere that seemed very far away, Liz heard a voice interupting her pleasant thoughts. It sounded familiar, but she didn't want to be taken from this place. She fought the sound, tried to ignore it. When she felt that she had successfully rid herself of the distraction, she suddenly felt a very tight grip on her hands. She was being pulled from her tunnel, by a strength she had no power to control. It brought her back to herself, and she looked at her hands, the pressure approaching an unbearable pain. When she tried to pull away, she saw a faint outline of what was holding her. Something familiar, and yet not familiar...as it became clearer that she was being held by another pair of hands, she relaxed a bit. 'It's Max....' she sighed with relief. 'He's still here.' Her smile faded, though, when she realized that the hands....were not human.