A/N ok sorry this has taken so long. And now I have to rant; yesterday on ff.net I read this fic that BLATANTLY bastardised Max. It was completely OOC and OTT and I hated it, I couldn't read past the fifth chapter and it put me in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Max isn't the antichrist. She is the dark Angel- the show is about her and no one wants to watch a show about a self-obsessed whiny bitch… if they did they'd watch Dawson's creek or Buffy. (Both shows I love btw) AND it made me re-evaluate my Buffy bashing in earlier fic (thank you SO much for that note sarcasm) But in retaliation it made me update so hey cloud…silver lining.

Rant over now for the fic.

15

The nice thing about drugs was that they made moving hyperactive, mouthy transgenics so easy. White smiled as they picked up 452 like she was a kitten and transported her to the car.

His superiors had decided that she wouldn't tell them about the weaknesses of Terminal City and so was useless and the conclave had decreed that she was too dangerous to live and should be killed so that their purpose could be realised.

To Ames, this was exactly what he had been waiting for. He'd been a good boy for the higher powers and the conclave and had kept her in the designated area and asked her the right questions and not tortured her too much. And now he was being rewarded. They had told him to "dispose" of her, and he knew the right place to take her and hopefully get the answers that he wanted.

He had waited along time to have 452 in his clutches.

He smiled all the way to the safe house.

When Max woke up she wasn't in a pristine white room with music blaring and pictures dancing across her cornea. Her head was still aching and so were her arms, and damn if she didn't have pins and needles in her feet.

Max's eyes snapped open as her faculties returned to her and she became more aware of her surroundings.

Her arms were held high above her head tied with wire and hung over a grappling hook suspended to the ceiling so that her feet were barely touching the floor, her arms holding her full weight.

She looked up and waited for her vision to adjust to the darkness that was all around her. She could make out dark walls and the place smelled musty, behind her she could vaguely see some stairs leading up to a locked and barred wooden door. There was a table and chair in front of her with various books and pages and she could hear the annoying sound of water dripping. For a second Max wondered if she was back in her old apartment and Original Cindy had gotten into some of that scary bondage stuff.

The thought was displaced as she heard White open a door and walk down the stairs followed by two bodyguards or lackeys whatever floats your boat.

"452!" he motioned around "Welcome to the last place you'll ever see. You understand now that no one knows and cares where you are. The conclave has their answers and the police have theirs. 494 came forward and bargained for your life. He gave us numbers and entrances and schedules all for you." He grinned "and he told us it was just a summer fling."

Max rolled her eyes- sure Alec just betrayed Terminal City for her. Right!

"Oh of course we had him killed."

He picked up a folder that was on the rickety wooden table in front of him and pulled a piece of paper out and held it in front of her.

Her breath caught in her throat as she glanced at it.

Alec was lying there in a pool of blood, his body at a strange angle.

"No." the raw sound escaped before she could believe it.

White grinned triumphantly "We have the dog boy under observation and the rest of the transgenics are being herded up as we speak ready to be…well," he smirked at her "Lets just say that compared to you they'll get off easy."

He pointed two fingers to her head and pretended to pull the trigger.

"Bam."

Max couldn't tear her eyes away from the picture as he laid it on the table in front of her. She looked down at it, her grungy unwashed hair falling into her face as she memorised the picture. The way his hair stuck up at the front, his clothes.

"Now 452, you are still alive and in pain because I want to know about Ray. Where is my son? Tell me and I'll make things easy on you and give you your peace."

Max felt something in her freeze. He'd killed Alec.

Manticore may have been sadistic and brutal, more inclined towards torture than tutelage but it had drilled one thing into its soldiers and that was that the mission was the most important and that nothing could stop the mission from being fulfilled and suddenly everything was that much easier.

Max had a new mission and nothing else mattered and there was nothing that could make her fail in this.

Everything else faded into the background and her entire being focussed on that.

She was going to kill Ames White.

When she looked up at him through her dark curls she swore he took a step back.

"4-452?" his stutter impressed upon her that she was conveying her intent through her eyes.

Her lazy smile chilled him to the bone as he fought for decorum.

"Ray?" her voice, unused for so long rasped heavily in the cold air.

"Screw you."

His fist shot out and punched her, snapping her head back.

She felt blood trickle down her lip.

"So we finally get to blunt?"

Ames motioned to the shadows where two men that had been with him came into the light.

"What's' with the bully boys Amesie? Can't deal with Li'l old me?"

"I don't like to get dirty." He said and stepped back as they moved into her line of sight.

"This is Brutus, he likes to hit things." He shrugged "A tad Neanderthal like but it gets the job done."

"Cave man bill." She mocked and Brutus swung his ham like fists into her midsection knocking the breath out of her.

"And then there is Cordon, he likes his weapons."

Cordon had an iron bar in his hands.

"Guess its true what they say, some guys gotta compensate." she eyed the bar as it swung and contacted with her leg. Pain shot up her shin as she felt her leg break.

 Max hadn't screamed or begged once in her time at Manticore, nor at the hands of her foster father and she hadn't when White had her tied to the table in the lab and she'd be damned if she started now.

He walked around her in a circle.

"All your friends are dead 452, all of them. Hunted and destroyed like cattle. It was like shooting fish in a barrel. Easy. Oh one or two put up a fight but since their illustrious leader abandoned them they were like lambs to the slaughter." He stopped in front of her "No one will be coming to your rescue 452. You might as well be dead. Do you think animals go to heaven?"

His question was to himself and Max didn't dignify him with an answer.

"Still, the police and to some extent the conclave wanted me to temper the interrogation in the lab. They were recording it all I managed to secure a tape. I think it was the sight of you being tortured that did 494 in. he offered anything to get you out." He looked disgusted at the idea. "But he didn't know where Ray was, or was he lying to protect his ass. Whatever it was the conclave doesn't need you anymore and they gave you to me. I won't be as lenient." White leaned closer practically whispering in her ear.

"As soon as you tell me I'll let you die 452."

"Did you try behind the sofa?"

White let out a sigh.

"Gentlemen."

Brutus slapped her and her head reeled as Cordon smacked her other leg with the pipe and Brutus landed a punch to her midsection.

"Now how about we try again. Where is Ray?"

"Go to hell and take a left."

Brutus slammed his fist into her face again.

"Where is Ray?"

"Pimping on Broadway."

Slap.

"Where is Ray?"

"Hanging ten in Australia."

Punch.

"Where is Ray?"

"Bite me."

~~~~~~

 Alec was in a better mood than he had been in for the past two months because they finally had a lead on Max. According to some of Sketchy's military contacts there were bases that had been unoccupied for years in the greater Seattle area that had shown recent signs of being reused.  This was great news because they had discovered that the trucks that they thought had left Seattle with Max in had, in fact, doubled back and was still in the city limits.

This drastically reduced the area that they had to work from and the chance of actually finding Max was far greater than it had been.

He ran his fingers through his hair and grinned at Logan's appearance on the video camera.

"Hey Logan buddy, thanks for the info."

"I have camera surveillance of activity on four of the military bases. But nothing concrete yet. Two seem to be rearming so it's possible that they could be holding a transgenic but Alec?"

"Yeah." Alec's mood faded with the look on Logan's face.

"If Max is still alive,"

"She is." Alec interrupted "I would know if she was dead."

"Alright." Logan's sceptical look peeved Alec. "But it's been two months and in all this time they might have had the chance to reindoctrinate her like they managed to do to Zack, or wipe her memory or even move her further away."

Alec felt his joy drain as he considered Logan's words. He was right. It was entirely possible that Max had been reindoctrinated and taken back to a Manticore type project.

It was entirely possible that she would hate Alec for not finding her sooner, it was entirely possible that she was unable to remember him, it was entirely possible all sorts of things but he knew, deep down on some molecular level that she was still alive. And that's what kept him going.

"I know." He confessed his voice low "You think I haven't thought about this?" he grew angry "You think I haven't laid awake at night wondering what state Max will be in when we bring her back? You think I can't possibly care as much as you huh Logan?"

Logan just stared at the irate X-5.

"No that's not what I think Alec, I know you care about Max, I mean she's practically your sister."

Alec laughed derisively "Oh yeah got some real brotherly feelings about Max, kinda like big brother Zack did huh?" he moved closer to the screen "Gonna send me off to some farm Logan?"

Logan's face grew dark and he glared "How about we concentrate on getting her back."

Alec sat back and regained his cool. He was nothing if not trained how to disguise his emotions. A cocky grin slid back onto his features.

"Sure Logie, now how about this base?"

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

Ok so I know it's been a while and I apologise- really! But this fic hasn't been speaking to me as much so back burner but anyhow here we go. Thanks to Gamegirl for beta for me on this part.

Nat452- Sorry I didn't hurry!

Natasgi- Ralph and Zero- Mini Max and Alec!

Bittersweet bitch- I wish I did own the show, I would have scrapped season 2 and made my own. Thanks for the kudos girl!

Secretlybeautiful- Max wont be tortured for much longer, poor girl I've kept her hanging for months! Ralph should be in it more too!

Acb- You love me? Aw bless ya. People always look at me funny when I scream at the computer screen too. Especially the other day and that story (coughBITCH) Ahem. I won't nod and forget it. thanks for the advice.

Dokushoka79- So glad no one minds the hiatus but I felt I should at least show willing. Ant hints welcome for plot development.

Ting- Thanks pet, Ralph is funny aint she? Alec and Max goodness soon.

Kat's cat- LOL, thank you. Hope you like the next parts as much.

Cloudburst- how's the exams going? Alec is a survivor so he has to keep on going but he is finding it hard I must admit (almost as much as me!)

Grumpy2348- More here!