Title: Secrets, Lies and Betrayals

Rating: PG, for now, DOES contain a few swear words

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Dark Angel, Cameron & Eglee, etc. I own nothing and I'm gaining only valuable writing experience.

Summary: Logan has a secret, which ultimately puts both Max and Alec in danger. M/A

Chapter 8:  That's Crazy!

Salt ran towards the building that had been taken over and used as the main point of proceedings for all that goes on in Terminal City. Salt had hoped that Max would be at headquarters. She hoped that Max would simply be catching up on what she had missed while she had been away. As Salt neared the doors of Headquarters, she didn't slow down but instead picked up her pace. The anticipation, fear and adrenalin rushed through her veins. Salt burst through the doors and ran straight into Alec. Not exactly the person she was looking for but he would do. If anyone were to know the whereabouts of Max it would be Alec.

"Hey watch it," he said lightly, the laughter in his voice giving way to any hint of anger that his words portrayed, "I'm injured you know"

Salt had no time for jokes at this stage as she had no idea where Max was or what she was up to.

"Alec there's a problem" Salt said hurriedly.

Alec was about to make some comment but was cut off before he even had a chance to open his mouth.

 "It's about Max," she said simply.

Instantly Alec's face dropped and all traces of jokes and laughter immediately left him. His whole body stiffened, which made him grow taller. His face had hardened considerably, apart from his eyes, which became full of worry and concern.

"What happened?" he managed to ask.

Salt could barely speak, "she thinks your dead," she whispered out

"What? Why?" Alec yelled causing nearly all of the occupants of H.Q to spin round and stare at the pair. Most of them had never heard Alec raise his voice before and for him to do so meant there must be something majorly wrong.

Salt was fast getting scared and ashamed by what had happened. It was a simple mistake but the consequences of it could be devastating for Alec, for Max, for everyone. The utter panic of the situation struck her and Salt was rendered speechless. She simply couldn't answer. All she could do was stand in front of Alec shaking her head. Alec needed to get the information out of Salt and as quickly as possible. He tried to soften both his voice and his demeanor in order to do so, but considering the news he had just received, it was proving to be a rather difficult task. He knew Max but he had no idea how this would affect her. The exact relationship between Max and Alec had never really been defined so there was no telling what would happen now Max thought the relationship had been destroyed.

"Tell me please," Alec pleaded with Salt who was now cradling her head in her hands and sobbing gently.

"It was my fault" a loud voice came, startling both Alec and Salt. Alec turned his attention to Pepper who was now comforting a visibly shaken Salt. Pepper then proceeded to relay the conversation he had with Max in the infirmary. Alec listened intently before commenting,

"So she thinks I'm dead?"

Salt and Pepper simply nodded.

"Nothing to worry about," Alec said very unconvincingly, "She'll just be off somewhere. She'll be back soon." Alec looked at all the skeptical faces surrounding him who had joined the pair after Alec had yelled to hear the incident first hand. "Right?" he added upon seeing them all.

"Alec, do you remember anything about coming back here?" Mole said interrupting the group all lost deep in thought.

Alec spun to face him, "No, not really" he answered quietly, hanging his head slightly. He then looked confused,

"What's the big deal?" he asked

"Little fella been shot" Joshua interjected causing Alec to stare at him with wide eyes.

"Right," Alec said, "tell me everything"

Mole thought for a moment, letting out several large puffs of cigar smoke in the process.

"We actually don't know all that much" he said regretfully.

"How is that possible?" Alec asked getting angrier and more worried by the second.

"Nobody knew you and Max were on a mission until you both showed up here looking like hell."

"Max wasn't with me. I went on the mission on my own." Alec said bluntly

"That may be but Max was the one who brought you back here meaning she must have rescued you single handedly."

"Max rescued me from White on her own without any backup?" Alec asked immediately amazed and in awe of Max's actions

"Yeah, must've cause none of us knew anything about it until she turned up here with the both of you on her motorcycle."

 Alec's mind was racing as he tried to put together the events of his capture and torture and the events following it.  His mind came up a blank after his torture and he wondered just what Max had done to rescue him from a facility full of familiars and a very pissed off White.

"Did she say anything? What did she tell you?" he asked in a rush, desperate for some more answers to the puzzle in his mind.

"She was unconscious," Pepper, added in his direct and booming manner, "You both were." 

"How is that possible?" Alec asked for a second time, his confusion rapidly getting the better of him.

"You and Max were tied together and she was giving you a blood transfusion for god knows how long and she passed out just as she reached here" Mole said gesturing to the Headquarters they were all standing in.

Alec was speechless for several seconds trying to take in all he had just been told.

"And she'd been shot as well?" he asked

The others simply nodded.

"What was she thinking?" Alec yelled to no one in particular, "She could've died!"

Unbeknownst to him Alec had voiced exactly what the others had all been thinking at the time. It had occurred to some of them then that Max did indeed care for Alec, even if she didn't show it or would never admit it, especially to Alec and even herself. Why else would she risk her life for him? And on so many different occasions as well.

There was silence among the group until it was broken by a quiet voice,

"She cares about you Alec" Salt stated plainly

Alec simply stared at her with a skeptical look on his face, which included his eyebrows being arched till they nearly touched the top of his head and mingled in with his hairline.

"The first thing she asked about when she woke up was you" Salt said calmly before adding, "just as you asked about her"

Alec spoke without thinking, "yeah but that's because I lo…" He managed to stop himself just in time before revealing his deepest feeling to a room full of people.

Alec shook his head and suddenly everything came into perspective.

"Fuck" he yelled causing the other to look at him with a mixture of shock and confusion

"Max thinks White killed me," Alec stated sadly.

The others still looked on in confusion. They weren't entirely sure what that statement meant.

"What does the mean?" Salt asked nervously.

Alec pinched the bridge of his nose, "what does Max do when someone, especially White, kills a transgenic?" he asked the group

"Revenge" Joshua barked out

"Exactly"

The group was again in shock. Max was going after White and by herself? That was certain suicide. But then again she had gone in to rescue Alec on her own and survived. Alec was not so easily convinced, however, as he immediately began planning a rescue mission for Max.

"I'm not making the same mistake twice. This time we're going in armed and overflowing with backup." he stated plainly "She saved me, now it's time to save her." Alec didn't bother to ask for volunteers and none of the group bothered to complain as they were all determined to save Max as well.

*

Max reached the facility in record time, which was probably a good thing, as she hadn't even been paying much attention to where she was going. The grief she was feeling was getting the better of her. It had already clouded her better judgments and now it was starting to affect her senses as well. Max had never cried this much before in her life, which was quite a feat considering all the pain and loss she had previously been through. But this loss cut deeper than all of those others combined. There was just something about losing the love of your life that couldn't be understood, rectified or consoled. At least that's how Max was feeling at the moment.

In the very far reaches of her mind, Max was screaming to herself that this was a very bad idea and that she would be no doubt captured and killed. But she was far beyond caring. She needed to avenge Alec's death. White, and anyone else who stood in her way, needed to pay. And they were going to, she was going to make sure of that. In her haste, Max hadn't even brought a gun. She knew that even if she had she probably wouldn't have used it but it was still a menacing weapon and a deterrent, at least for a few minutes. 

Max decided that the best place to start looking for White would be where she found Alec. The basement used for holding and torturing prisoners. She made her way through the structures of the facility just as easily and as quickly as she had done on the night of Alec's rescue. Max made her way inside of the northern building and made her way to the basement. She edged her way along the corridor until she reached the room that Alec was in. Max pushed the door, which was slightly ajar until it swung open and revealed the entire room to her view. She had to blink back a few tears that had instantly sprung to her eyes as the painful memories of how she had found Alec hanging from the ceiling flashed through her mind. The horrible image had been replayed in her mind so many times since that night but being here again and seeing the room complete with blood stained floor was just to real for Max. 

She let out a ragged breath. One hand flew to the doorframe to support her and the other grasped at her heart, which was aching even more upon seeing the room and the image of Alec yet again. Being so caught up in the horrific moment and so overcome with emotion, Max failed to notice the person who had crept up behind her. She also failed to notice the person smacking her across the back of the head with the butt of his gun. Max fell to the ground. She tried to turn over to get a look at her attacked but whoever it was hit her again before she had the chance.

Max slumped to the floor in an undignified heap. The attacker wasn't done yet, however, as he kicked Max swiftly in the stomach. That was followed by several more kicks and even a few punches from her attacker who she assumed now had friends. As quickly as the beating had started, it stopped. Not a moment too soon as Max was close to blacking out into unconsciousness. She was hauled to her feet and dragged into the room that had held Alec. Max was dumped roughly into a cold metal chair with a high back. Her arms, legs, torso and neck were all strapped tightly to the chair holding her in place. 'I wonder if this is what happened to Alec' Max thought to herself. That was quickly followed by another thought. 'They killed Alec which means they're going to kill me'.

Under normal circumstances Max would've let a few tears escape. But these were hardly normal circumstances. That was coupled with the fact that Max didn't have any tears left. She had cried them all for Alec. Plus the fact that one of her eyes was beginning to swell shut from the battering she had endured in the hallway. Max had the feeling the beating she took in the hallway was simply a warm up to what was coming next. She hadn't fought back outside, despite the fact that she could've. But the blow to her head had hurt and confused her more than usual and Max wasn't thinking straight enough to fight back. Now, however, she had no chance of fighting back even if she wanted to. She was strapped to the chair with every possible options of attack cut off. All Max could do now was wait until they, White, whoever came and killed her.

*

Alec raced through the countryside at dangerous speeds on his motorbike in stark contrast to the leisurely pace he had undertaken on his first ride to the facility. But this time the mission was far more important. This time the mission was to save Max.

"We're nearly there, are you with me?" Alec yelled into his headset so as to be heard over the roar of the motorbikes engine.

Alec received several answers back in his earpiece. Mole, Dix, Joshua and Pepper were all following him in a van they had 'acquired'. Salt had insisted on coming on the mission with them but Alec had made her stay put. Salt was in no state to be fighting against White and familiars. She was far too emotionally attached to Max and it would, no doubt, get the better of her during a fight and a mission to save a possible injured or dead Max. Alec knew his comment was hypocritical as he was the most emotionally involved of all but he simply couldn't risk another life, even for Max. Besides, Pepper was already coming on the mission, which meant that Salt needed to be there in case someone else at T.C needed medical attention. Salt had reluctantly agreed.

Pepper had agreed to come on the mission since he was strong and able to hold his own in a fight. But mainly because he could assess and treat Max if necessary at the scene and on the way back to Terminal city to increase her chances of survival. Alec wasn't taking any chances. He knew first hand what White had done to him and he also knew just how much White hated Max. God knows what he would do to her, which made Alec fear the worst.

"Right," Alec yelled back as he neared the facility, cut his engine and hid his bike amongst a rough patch of woods.
The others followed suit and hid the van a short way from the facility but just enough to be out of sight. They had all gone over the layout of the facility on the way and Alec had indicated where he thought he was held and, therefore, where he thought Max would be. Alec crouched down and surveyed the perimeter of the facility. He was joined by the four anomalies. He looked over to his four companions and silently gave them all a chance to back out. All four shook their heads and Alec nodded gratefully to each of them.

He knew he couldn't do this on his own, especially since he was still injured. The bullet wound in his shoulder was healing quite nicely and wouldn't hinder his ability to fight but the same couldn't be said about the wound in his leg. It was troubling him considerably and made walking and running painful and awkward. But Alec had pushed those fears and pains to the back of his mind. He was here to do a job and that job was to save Max and that was exactly what he was going to do, no matter what the cost.

After watching the perimeter for several minutes, Alec again looked at his four companions.

"Let's do this," he said and leapt expertly over the fence. The other four followed suit and the mission to save Max was underway.

*

Max didn't have to wait long at all before death himself walked through the door to personally take her away.

"Hello 452" White said in a voice that could only be described as smug.

Max would've looked away if she could but the neck restraint held her so she was staring directly at him. Despite this Max didn't answer. This surprised White.

"What, " he asked, "no witty comeback?"

"Go to hell" Max said softly and without any passion.

"Ahh," White sneered, "there's the 452 I know and hate."

Max snorted in disgust. White could see that Max was in no mood to talk and she was certainly in no condition to fight thanks to the chair she was restrained in so he decided to make her listen a little.

"I set up the meeting with your beloved Eyes Only. Did you realize that?" White asked while looking amused.

Max snorted again causing White to laugh.

"I assumed that the weak pathetic human would send someone else to do his dirty work. I just assumed it would be you."

Max closed her eyes but wished she could close her ears. She already knew where this conversation was heading and really didn't want to hear what came next.

"When I realised in was 494 that came, I was delighted."  

"Stop" Max yelled desperately hoping he would but knowing that he wouldn't. White was enjoying this far too much.

"Torturing him was very entertaining, one of the perks of the job really." White said with a sadistic smile on his face before continuing,  

"He was just so easy to break"

"You bastard" Max screamed, as she lunged towards White.  It was to no avail as the restraints kicked in long before she reached the now grinning White.

"But I must say," White, continued as if Max hadn't even moved, "killing you will be the highlight of my career."

"I don't care what you do to me. You've already taken away the one person I care about the most." Max mentally slapped herself. Why had she revealed that to White of all people?

"You can't possibly mean 494?" White asked, somewhat amused.

Max didn't answer but that was all the confirmation White needed.

"He's nothing but a piece of filth," White taunted.

"I LOVE HIM" Max screamed, using all her energy and leaving herself physically, emotionally and mentally drained.

White looked at the woman before him. She was nothing like the 452 he had encountered and lost to on so many occasions. Love had made her weak and he was going to take full advantage of it.

"Don't you mean loved him?" he spat out, delighting in the way Max face fell.

Max couldn't and didn't answer. All the pain she was feeling before came flooding back to her. White looked on in disgust. She was a shell of the transgenic he knew and it annoyed him. This was supposed to be his moment in the sun, his crowning glory. But where was the fun in killing someone who was practically dead already. White scoffed. He would never allow himself to get that weak. This was just boring now, in much the same way that Alec not fighting back was boring to him before.

"You're weak 452 and that's no fun"

Max didn't care anymore. So she had disappointed her enemy. Big deal! She had let Alec die, that was far more important. She should pay for that with her life.

White gestured for some familiars that were waiting patiently by the door.

"Finish her off," he ordered and the familiars nodded in delight. White stood in the doorway and took one last look at 452. She was still restrained in the chair and was being punched in the face by one of the familiars. Yet she did nothing to fight back. In the pit of his stomach White was disappointed. This was not the end for 452 that he had imagined. He left the room silently only to be sought out by another familiar.

"Sir," the familiar said, "there are intruders on the base"

White looked pleased, perhaps this would be a fight more fitting for him.

"Sir," the familiar said again, in order to regain White's attention, " it's 494"

White stared at him in disbelief. 494 was dead.

"Are you sure?" he asked

"Positive sir" the familiar answered.

Despite the fact that Max was being beaten up and punched in the head repeatedly, her enhanced hearing picked up every word of the conversation that was taking place outside. 494 was here? That meant that Alec was alive! Max felt the life return to her body and felt her heartbeat loud in her chest. What had she been thinking, about to give up just because she thought Alec was dead? That was crazy. She then realised that she was still restrained and being beaten up. She had to put a stop to that instantly. Max used all her strength to free her legs from the restraints. This momentarily stunned the two familiars who were attacking her. Max used their pause to kick them both, sending them flying across the wall. As they lay in a surprised heap on the floor, Max used the rest of her strength to free herself from the chair. It was time to fight back.