PART 9: Remember Me?

Angela ran all the way back to her room, ignoring the strange looks she was getting from other members of the compound. Her mind was filled with conflicting images and she didn't know what which of them were true.

"Angela!" A voice called out from behind her.

She recognised the voice immediately, but still she kept running. The last person she wanted to deal with right now was Alec. She didn't know if he had betrayed her or if the X5's were just trying to confuse her. She was so bewildered.

"Angela!" Alec called again. "Stop!"

She didn't, she just ran faster. It was useless though, Alec caught up with her anyway. He pulled her to a stop with a jerk. "Why were you running from me?" He asked, not even breathing hard.

Angela tried to pull away from him, but he wouldn't let her go. She was sweating heavily and trying to control her breathing. "Please Alec, I just need some time to myself. Please." Angela pleaded with him, hoping that he would understand.

"What did they say to you?" He demanded, knowing that it had something to do with his fellow X5's. He should never have let her see them, he knew that they would to something to try and trigger her memory. "Tell me what they said to you." He demanded again.

Angela shook her head, still trying to get away from them "Nothing. Please Alec, just let me go. I need to be alone." She was almost in tears. Angela's thoughts were in turmoil, she didn't know what was real and what was false. She didn't know if she had shared those memories with the man that was holding her, or if they were with the blonde that popped up in her mind every few seconds.

Alec released her, knowing that if he pushed her any further he would just loose her. "Alright," he said quietly. "But I think you should get some rest. Go back to our room, I'll make sure no one disturbs you."

Angela nodded, not really paying attention. "Thankyou." She said before walking down the hall, her arms securely wrapped around her as if she were trying to block out the world.

Alec watched her go with a sad look on his face. He knew that her real memory was coming back to her, and that tore him up inside. For the longest time he had tried to deny his feelings for her. He knew that if his superiors found out about his feelings he would back taken off the mission. And he hadn't wanted that to happen.

But from the first moment he laid eyes on Angela, he couldn't get her out of his mind. He did everything he could to try and get her to go with him. He wasn't going to take her back to Manticore. He didn't want her live in the hell that he lived in, he wanted to run away with her, maybe go to Canada where no one would find them. He had even got new identities for them and had planned a fire at a restaurant they frequented at, making it look like they had perished in the flames.

He had known for some time before she denied him that she was having doubts, that Max was telling her things about him. He did everything he could to make her believe that she was the one for him, but Max had obviously turned her mind against him. But now he had her, and he was loosing her again.

Alec sighed, feeling sorry for himself, before turning back the way Angela had come. He was going to talk with the other X5's; it was going to be a long, friendly conversation.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Angela ran back to the room she shared with Alec. She knew that he would leave her alone for a short time. Even with all the conflicting emotions, she knew he would keep his word.

She threw herself on the bed, closing her eyes; she tried to calm the mixed array of emotions and memories hurling themselves around her head. She needed to find out what was real and what wasn't. As hard as it was, she searched through her memories and soon found that what wasn't real made her feel like it was déjà vu.

She remembered everything. How Zack and the others had come to town for Brin. How they ended up having to hide, but were caught. But mostly she remembered the look on Alec's face, sad but determined. He hadn't wanted to hurt her, but he had no choice. Deep down, it was almost like he had real feelings for her.

Angela groaned, rolled over and buried her face in the pillow. Now, more than ever, her mind was in disarray. She didn't know what to do. Should she confront Alec, or would he just mind-wash her again? No, the best thing to do was get out, get the other X5's and get out.

Angela smiled grimly. She had a plan, not a good plan, but a plan. Now all she had to do was go through with it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"What did you tell her?" Alec demanded of Zack storming into the lock up. The X5's were calmly sitting or lying on the beds in their respective cells.

"The truth," Zack said coolly. "You should have known it would be a bad idea to bring her in here. You knew she would figure it out. How is she by the way?"

Alec glared at him for a moment before turning away, his shoulders slumped. "How do you think she is?" Alec asked sarcastically. "She's confused as hell. Doesn't know what's real from what we planted in her head. She'll figure it out soon though, she's smart." He had the shadow of a smile on his face.

Max saw the look in his eyes, the longing and sadness. "You really care about her don't you?" She said softly.

Alec spun around to face her. "Of course I do! I've never done anything other than love her." He said wryly.

"Than why are you doing this?" Max persisted.

"Because I have no choice," Alec said. "This was the only way I could get her." He turned on Max, his eyes filled with so much fury that she took a step back. "if it wasn't for you we wouldn't be here right now. None of us. You guys would be off doing whatever it is you do and Angela and me would be in Canada away from all of this. It's your fault!"

Max was confused and it showed on her face. "You weren't going to bring her here? Why? What the hell were you going to do?"

"Of course o wasn't going to bring her here. Did you think I wanted her to live like this?" He indicated to their surroundings. "Never be able to do what she wanted, when she wanted, always having to take orders. I'd never want her to live like this."

"But if you keep her here that's exactly the way it'll happen." Max explained. "Lydecker will keep her prisoner and there won't be anything you can do about it. You're just a pawn in his game, Alec."

"Don't you think I know that!" Alec yelled. "But this was the only way I could have her, even if it was only for a short time. It was all I could have." He repeated, although more quietly this time. His turned away from the group, staring blindly at the wall. "I want you to get her out of here." He told them, still not staring at the wall. "Do it tonight."

"You're just going to let us go?" Zack asked in disbelief. "There's a catch somewhere."

Alec turned to him. "No catch. I told you I don't want Angela to have to live like this. She deserves better. She remembers who she is now and I don't want her to hate me for what I had to do."

"You didn't have to do it," A soft voice said from behind him.

Alec's eyes widened and he spun around. Angela was standing in the doorway, her eyes filled with pain. "You didn't have to bring me here." She said again. "Why didn't you just come to me in Seattle? I would have listened to you."

Alec walked up to her, but she backed away from him. "Don't you think that thought ran through my head thousands of time?" Alec said frustrated., running his hands through his hair. "But when you didn't meet me at the cabin I went to find you. Manticore found me first. They didn't know that I wasn't going to take you back here, but Lydecker decided I was getting too close to you. So they pulled me off the assignment and I spent the next six months in psy-ops, they tried to program you out of my system. I made them believe it worked, for a while at least, but Lydecker caught on quick. He knew I would never forget you. But he ignored it. He knew I wanted you, would do almost anything to have you, so we decided that the best way for me to get what I wanted was to capture you. The X5's were just a bonus."

"But you're letting us go now." Angela commented. "You went to all this trouble to bring me here and now you're letting me go?"

Alec nodded.

"Why don't you come with us?" Angela asked impulsively.

"What?" The X5's said in unison, all with shocked expressions on their faces.

Alec just smiled sadly. "As much as I would love to get out of here, I can't. after you guys leave they'll be watching me like a hawk, I won't be able to sneeze without them knowing about it. I'll go back to psy-ops and that'll be that."

"You have to come with us then, for that reason." Angela insisted.

"She's right," Max put in reluctantly. "They'll take away who you are. They'll make you into their tool, Alec."

"I have no choice," Alec responded. "This is my life, how I live. I can't make my own choices like you do, I have to live like this."

"If you can't come with us now, come later on. We'll come back for you." Angela told him. "After we leave and get clear we'll come back for you, in about six months. How does that sound?" She asked hopefully.

Alec sighed. "Angela, it wouldn't work. I'll be kept under lock and key, my every move watched. You wouldn't be able to get to me."

"You can't stay in this hell-hole, if we make it look like we got away on our own, that you had nothing to do with it, won't it take the suspicion off you?" Angela asked desperately.

"No it won't," Zack said speaking for the first time. He didn't like how Angela was trying to help Alec. How desperate she was to get him out. "They'll be suspicious because he's supposed to be watching you."

"Please," Angela pleaded. "You have to leave this place. It's toxic and it will kill you. You know that and you still stay here." Angela was becoming angry. She cared deeply about Alec. She had known when they were together that there was an inner struggle going on inside him. She just hadn't known it was this bad. "If you told me this when we were seeing each other, than there might have been something I could have done to help you."

"Forget about it Angela." Zack told her harshly, really not liking how close she was getting with Alec. She was his and she knew that. So why was she being so nice to him? Probably because she still cares about him, a little voice whispered from the back of his mind. He shook the voice off and continued talking to Angela. "He's not coming with us and there's no way I'm coming back for him. He chose this place, he can stay here."

"Don't be so rough, Zack." Jondy said, also feeling sorry for Alec. "Can't you see that he wants to leave? But he's letting us go first and is willing to take the wrap for it. Show a little emotion here."

"I'll come back for you," Angela was determined to get her way. "I've got in here before without anyone knowing, I can do it again. Getting out's easier than getting in anyway." She said smiling. Already a plan was forming in her head about how to get Alec out of this hell.

Alec smiled tolerantly. "I hate to tell you this, but we knew you guys were in here before. You know that too because everyone was chasing you, trying to lock you up."

Angela waved her arm carelessly. "That's not the only time I've been in here."

"What?" Alec and Zack gaped in shock. "When have you been in here before?" Alec asked, furious that she would put herself in that kind of danger when he had always been trying to get her out of it. But hey, it wouldn't be the first time she'd done something crazy.

Angela winced, realising too late that she shouldn't have said that. "I was curious about Max and what she could do, so I came in here, photocopied some of her files and left." When Alec and Zack just looked at her expectantly, she smiled sheepishly. "Okay, so I took some medical files as well as some meds for Max, that's all I took I swear."

"So that's how you found out how to stop me seizures faster." Max said, wondering how Angela could have got in and out of here without help and without anyone knowing she was here. It was something to admire. "You told me you squeezed some old med-tech for the info. You lied!" Max grinned. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Don't be proud of her." Zack said angrily. "You shouldn't have done that Angela. What if they had caught you? Then you would be the one stuck in this hell-hole - your own words there. It was a stupid thing to do."

"As much as I hate to admit it, Zack's right." Alec agreed reluctantly. "It was a risk you shouldn't have taken. But you guys have to get out of here tonight." He started to explain what they were going to have to do. It only took a few minutes for Alec to tell them and then Alec and Angela were going back to their room, seemingly the happy couple. If anyone asked, Angela had been confused but she and Alec had talked to the X5's and she realised that they were lying; now everything had been sorted out.