A/N: As soon as I can, right? =)



** 2 hours after Max left **

"Alec?" Clarissa asked gently. Alec was sitting next to her on her sofa, in her apartment. The medics had given her permission to go home.

He looked up, slowly, his face showed disbelief, anguish, and anger. Anger at White, for taking them away. Anger at Max, for allowing herself to be taken away, and anger at himself, for letting her go.

Clarissa sighed and pulled Alec in a tight embrace. He accepted, but he was careful not to touch the burn on her face. They let go of each other, slowly.

"ALEC!" A voice called from outside the hall, followed by loud, insistent fists pounding on the door. A familiar voice.

Alec looked at Clarissa for a second, then got up to open the door. He swung it open. Zero stood in the hall, with a urgent but happy look on his face. How anybody might feel happy at a time like that was beyond Alec.

"Lets go." Zero said, motioning towards the stairs. Alec didn't move.

"Why?" He asked.

"I'm can't.not here." Zero hissed in reply, now motion towards Clarissa, who was still seated on the couch.

Alec, grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him into the apartment, slamming the door shut behind him. "Whatever you have to say, you can say just fine here." He said, letting Zero go.

Zero rolled his eyes and reached into his back pocket, drawing out a small pocket PC. It looked like a radar, with one small dot moving slowly across a part of the screen labeled 'sector 9'.

Understanding crossed Alec's face as he put 2 and 2 together. He smiled. "You put a tracking device on Max!" He cried happily. Clarissa stood up and moved beside him.

"I'm going with you." She said simply.

Alec turned to look at her. His face now showed concern. "You're not ready. I have to go round up some volunteers. Zero? Come on." Alec began to walk out of the apartment, but Clarissa stepped in front of him.

"I'm coming, Alec." She said, in the voice that dared him to question her otherwise.

He dared. "You can't. You're still not 100%. If something goes wrong," He lowered his voice. "I can't lose you."

He stared back up at him, determined to prove her worth. "You won't. Now, sign me up."

"Okay, Fine! You sign up, You get killed or captured. You want that?"

Clarissa looked daggers at him. "Don't tell me what to do, Alec. I took enough crap from Manticore. I'm NOT taking any from you,"

"Clarissa -" Alec tried again.

"Don't. Don't try to tell me what I can and cannot do. I'm going."

Alec said nothing. He turned and left, slamming the door behind him.

Clarissa went back to the couch to sit down. She looked down at her bandages. Alec was right. She was in no state to go. Not YET, anyway.

**

"TELL ME!" White roared, turning back to shout in Max's face. Flecks of spit sprayed her face, and she flinched, almost toppling the chair she was tied to over.

"Brush your teeth." She replied, coughing.

White grinned evilly. He went to the desk, and picked up a long, steel rod, much like the one that Max had fingered while threatening to see how much White's pain 'blocks' could take. Max had no such skill.

"Come, on, 452." He said, making his voice sound sickeningly sweet. "Don't you wanna play?" He held the rod over a small fire. Max watched as the rod began to turn red with the heat. Her eyes widened as it turned white-hot. White felt nothing as he held the rod, and his hands showed no burns. He walked over to Max, tied up and dirty. "I'll ask you again. Where is my son?!"

Max shrugged and assumed an innocent, wide-eyed look. "How should I know?"

White gave a regretful sigh and put the iron rod onto Max's lap. It burned right through the cloth. Max cried out in pain as the rod was introduced to her bare skin. White picked it up again, exposing a line of ugly red welts and blisters where the rod used to be.

"Well.?" He asked calmly, holding the rod over the fire once again.

"BITE ME!" Came the angry reply.

White nodded to one of the military men on guard. The man untied Max's arm. She tried to make take advantage of the extra use of limb, and threw a punch at the guard, but White put the rod onto her bare arm. Max screamed and tried to get her arm free, but the man was sitting on her hand. The flesh began to make a horrible sizzling sound.

"You're gonna have to tell me sometime, 452. I'm sure that there is a limit to the amount of pain YOU can take.." The rod was applied to Max's face. Her cry echoed through the old warehouse...

**

Alec arrived at HQ at 3 o'clock in the morning, dressed in his old burglar- style black. He stared at the pocket PC which he had taken from Zero. The small dot now was in the area labeled 'sector 11', which was, apparently, where Max was being held. He wouldn't admit this to anyone, he only just managed to admit it to himself, but he really did miss her. Her and Clarissa, that is. He'd tried to talk to her, tried to make things right and apologize, but instead, it came out as a rude comment. That, he was sure, had ultimately ruined their already unsteady friendship. He still cared for her, though.

"Hey!" Clarissa called. Alec jumped lightly, and identified the voice. His heart sank.

"Hi, Clarissa," he replied quietly.

She forced a smile, and tried her best to lighten the atmosphere. "I'm fine, you know."

Alec had his back to her. "Yeah. Say that after the mission, okay?"

"Look at me, Alec."

Alec turned around slowly, to face Clarissa, already wincing at the horrible welts the burn had - Burn? The burn had disappeared. He stared at the flawless skin. Her face, which had once been burned raw, with horrible blisters within blisters, was now.perfect. Alec stood up, and reached out to touch her face in amazement.

She moved away, happily greeting the Zero, Ralph, Bullet and Fixit as they entered together, followed by a not-so-happy Buglar, who was complaining about how he never got to go on any 'fun' missions.

"Please?" He asked, trying to sound all good and innocent.

"NO, Buglar," Came Fixit's annoyed reply.

"How come you never let me come," He whined

"Because your too young." Ralph said. She stopped and knelt down to Buglar's height. "We love you too much. If something goes wrong, we can at least be reassured that you're safe."

He smiled, feeling a whole lot better. "Okay," he sighed, and turned and walked out of headquarters. Clarissa watched him leave, concerned.

"You sure he knows where to go?" She asked.

"Oh, yeah. Don't worry about it. He always shows up again at some point." Bullet replied, shrugging.

Clarissa nodded, still unsure.

Alec clapped his hands, the loud 'crack' echoing off the walls, making a horribly loud noise in contrast to the early morning peace. The plan was simple. They go in, knock anyone who would be guarding her out, get Max, and carry her back to TC. Pure force and violence, with no strategy whatsoever. But, weren't the simplest plans best?

**

The pocket PC didn't lie. This was indeed the place where Max was. They crept forward, being careful not to step on anything that would make the slightest sound.

As the group neared the entrance the warehouse, they saw a few military men guarding the entrances, but nothing they couldn't handle. Four different men went down with a 'thump'. Nobody knew of the transgenics that had just entered the building..

Clarissa crept into the shadows, and spotted Max hanging by her wrists against the wall, her head hanging loosely. She motioned to Alec where she was. His eyes widened, and he signaled the rest of the team to cover him as he went to untie her. Zero nodded, and did as he was told.

Alec fumbled with the knot, and they broke with a 'snap' and Max fell, landing in a heap on the floor. Her eyes did not open, and she did not wake up. He picked her up and tried began to carry her away.

"Hey, what happened!" A voice cried from somewhere outside. They had been discovered. Clarissa's eyes darted around the room, looking for an escape. A small emergency fire door caught her eye.

"Let's go!" she hissed, and pointed to the door. Together, the group ran to the door, knocking out the guard that had just entered the room. They ran out into the darkness, ducking bullets. And ran.and ran..

Alec groaned as he made a horrible discovery..Max didn't seem to be breathing... He didn't stop..continues running towards TC.

A/N : Two chapters in one day, consider this my 'Sorry'. Hoped you liked it. I have only just realized I have almost completely forgotten about Sandeman and that Rune writing. It will play a major part in my next chapter. I'm also back to my 3 days rule. Review!