A/N: Hey guys, here's an update (finally you might say). Sorry it took so long coming out but my A-levels are finally over and I have free time at last! Woohoo, a nice lazy summer – and its started raining here. Aaah well, can't have it all I suppose.

Thanks for all the brilliant reviews you guys sent me – they are inspiring and an incentive to update. I'll get the next chapter out in a week as a thank you but keep the reviews coming anyway! This chapter is dedicated to all of you who took the time to review my fic, you rock!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything or anyone you recognise, I'm just borrowing them unfortunately.

On with the show!!!

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CHAPTER FOUR

Alec just stared at the sight. He couldn't move, it was as if his mind had been disconnected from his body. Everything seemed to be slow motion, until White's head shot up to stare right back at him.

White moved his head as he heard the door crashing to the floor. A grin crossed his face as he stared at the shocked transgenic that was stood in the doorframe. "494, so good of you to join us. Now I know why all you transgenic filth are attached to 452, she's a really good fuck. Nice and tight where it counts." He demonstrated by thrusting violently into Max once more, making her whimper, the first sound she had made since it had started. White withdrew from her, turning around to stare at Alec again. "She is really frigid though – haven't you been teaching her right or are all you transgenics so uptight?"

Finally Alec was able to move and with an animal roar he launched himself at White. Red filled his vision and he wanted to kill, something he had never felt in his life before. However his rage meant that he was not thinking clearly and White quickly kicked him back towards the entrance. Alec tried again to murder his enemy, but White's familiar traits kept him at bay, before White finally kicked him away.

"I thought that you were supposed to be the ultimate fighters, far superior to anything ever seen before. Guess Dad didn't know what he was doing after all, we Familiars are the best and only worthy ones on Earth. 452's the best among you and even at that, I'd still have to give her training before she's any good – whores are supposed to enjoy a good fuck and moan in pleasure." White punched Alec in the jaw and then pushed the table that Max was still locked onto at the furious transgenic. With a smirk White then turned and ran through the other exit, knowing that he had finally affected 452.

The table hit Alec and it was only his transgenic reflexes that enabled him to grab the table and stop it from flipping over and hurting Max even more. He didn't even see White hightail it out of the room, his thoughts were now focused on the petite body in front of him. His rage had disappeared, only to be replaced with worry and fear. Gently he placed a hand on Max's forehead, stroking away some of her hair which had fallen across it. "Max" he whispered softly, hoping that she was strong enough to cope with this, "Max, you're safe now. Open your eyes, it's me, Alec."

Max was trying to ignore it, thinking of anything else, trying to keep a grip on her sanity. The problem with knowing that you were stronger than normal humans and brighter had an unfortunate side effect; you believed that no one could take advantage of you or hurt you. Max wasn't able to cope with the fact that she couldn't fight this attack off, all she could do was shut her eyes and hope that it would be over soon. The sound of the door being smashed open raised a vestige of hope deep within her soul that the torture would be stopped, but nothing happened and she started to despair again.

She was deaf to what was happening, couldn't concentrate on anything other than the very thing that was destroying her inside. The thrusting paused for a few seconds, then Max's breath was taken away by the pain of the next thrust. It was so quick and violent that she couldn't help but break her self-imposed silence to whimper in pain. Then thankfully, he left her and Max just lay there, unthinking but definitely not unfeeling. She felt bruised and sore all over and it wasn't just because of the torture she had gone through earlier. Muscles she never knew she had ached and protested against the violent use – Max had never felt so worn out before, even when she was recovering from the bullet wound or the heart transplant surgery. Suddenly she felt a hand stroking hair away from her forehead and she froze, muscles tensed up, waiting to see whether the nightmare would continue. Max realised that the touch was not harsh, but gentle and comforting and finally her dazed mind focused on the sounds that she was hearing but not understanding, "Max, you're safe now. Open your eyes, it's me, Alec."

Alec continued to stroke her forehead, refusing to let her go, despite her tensing up when he had first touched her. "Come on Maxie, you know you're gonna have to keep me out of trouble. Please open your eyes, everything's alright," Alec's voice nearly broke. He begged her with one last "Please", a word that somehow managed to contain all that he felt within his soul at that moment.

Max heard Alec's voice, glad that he was there and had stopped the madness. But she couldn't face him; she couldn't face anyone at all. She resolved to keep her eyes shut and feign unconsciousness, all the time marvelling at how gentle, caring and loving he sounded. The only other time she had ever heard him speak like that was when she had eavesdropped to hear his conversation with Rachel, just before the other girl had finally died. Max just wanted to hide but when he said "Please", when he had said it so heartbreakingly, she took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

Alec was staring at her face, trying to will her to face the situation, no matter how much she wanted to run and hide from it. He knew that action- wise, she was as brave as anything but Max had a hard time handling emotions, just like the rest of the transgenics, although she did have a tendency to try and run away from problems, like telling Logan that she was seeing Alec to push him away. Slowly, her dark eyes flicked open and a smile worked its way across Alec's face. "Hey,"

"Hey right back" Max whispered, all the noise that she could manage at the moment. She felt enormously comforted by the look on Alec's face and the fact that he was still stroking her forehead, as if he were unaware that he was doing so.

"We've been looking all over the place for ya, you know," Alec said conversationally, as he looked into her eyes, trying to figure out what to do next.

"Well it took ya long enough to find me," Max answered him, her voice gradually becoming a little louder. Alec was so happy to hear her sound like her normal bitchy self that he laughed. "I don't know what you're laughing at pretty boy, the fact that you took so long to get here doesn't show you in the best light."

"Sorry ma'am." Alec smirked at her.

Suddenly a static noise filled the air, making Max jump. "Pretty boy, ya found her yet? We've got nothing and they're starting to tell us that we're not welcome." Mole's voice drawled over the radio transmitter that Alec had forgotten was attached to his shirt. The sounds of bullets also came over the radio, making clear Mole's laid-back warning was an understatement.

Alec clicked a button on the device. "Got her Mole, just about to try and get out. Cover for us will ya? She's been tortured pretty badly and isn't up to much escape and evade. I'll radio you when we're clear."

"Just make it as fast as ya can. We can't hold out much longer without some casualties, Kally and James have already been hit. Seems he's trying to equal you record for how many holes bullets have made in your body."

Alec laughed at that and looked at Max to see a small smile on her face. "Come on, we need to get out of here quick."

"Hello, handcuffed to the table? Not exactly the quickest way to get out." Max gave Alec a look that spoke volumes. "Help me, please," Suddenly Max needed to be away from table and the room, as memories threatened to overwhelm her. Alec examined the steel cuffs that locked her to the table, looking for a way to free her. Max became wary as Alec stood by her side. Although she knew that Alec would never hurt her, she was very conscious of the fact that she was in a weak position and that he was an exceptionally strong male.

"Aaha!" Alec said as he got the steel cuffs open and helped Max to sit up. It was only then that Alec saw the dried blood on the table and realised how much she had been tortured. "Shit Max, what did the bastard do to you?"

"Blunt, sharp, hot, cold, electric shocks, yadda yadda yadda, you know the usual." Max winced as her muscles protested being used more. "I'm sure you saw the Grand Finale" as she said this, she dropped her eyes and tried to rub feeling into her arms.

Alec felt his anger rise up again – Max looked so small and fragile, something he had never seen before. Even in Manticore, Max had been filled with an inner fire and strength that enabled her to retain her character while others were beaten into submission; Max was not your average girl who just sat back and let things happen. He wondered if she would ever be as carefree (if that word could apply to Max) as she had been before White's brutal rape or if there would always be a wariness in her eyes and a defensive posture. Alec swallowed his rage, he just wanted to get Max to the safety of Terminal City.

"According to the data that Dix hacked off the internet, there's a tunnel that leads out of the base into Sector 8. If we can get through it, the others will meet us at Joshua's house and we'll go to TC from there."

"So, lead on then. The welcome here was less than satisfactory." Max wobbled as she stood up. Alec hesitantly wrapped an arm around her waist, cursing as she tensed up. Max told herself to relax, it was only Alec and leaned into the comfort of his protective body. "On second thoughts, I'd rather find something to wear first."

Alec suddenly realised that she was naked. He had seen her, but the fact that she was naked hadn't registered in his mind. 'No wonder she was tense around me,' he thought. Now that he knew that she was naked, he tried to stop looking at her and his face started to turn red. "Sit here and I'll look for something."

He went out of the room and into the one next door, to find a medical storeroom. Luckily there was a supply of patient gowns in one of the cupboards. 'Convenient that' he thought and returned to Max. After helping her to get the gown on, he slipped his arm around her waist once more and they started to make their way to the tunnel.

How they managed to avoid being seen by the Familiar guards, Alec would never know. By some higher instinct, they ducked and hid at the right time, despite being hindered by Max's injuries and wary of the Familiars' heightened senses. At any rate, they soon found the tunnel entrance and went through it, emerging in an alleyway in Sector 8. Alec radioed Mole immediately, "We're out lizard boy, get outta there. Meet you at Joshua's old place ASAP."

"And just where was Joshua's old place pretty boy? You know that I'm a real homebody and don't get out much," Mole asked sarcastically.

"Adam's with ya right? He was at Jam Pony with us, he knows where Joshua's house is. Now get your big scaly ass there pronto." Alec cut his transmission off and he and Max laughed as Mole's curses came over the airwaves back to them.

"We'd better get there after telling Mole that. If he's there before us, he'll never let us live it down," Max told Alec and he nodded at her. They went down the alley and then Alec used his training to hot-wire a stolen car to take them to Joshua's house.

They pulled up outside the house and Alec helped Max out of the car and into the house. They had managed to reach it before Mole and the rest of the team arrived – no sooner were they in the house than they heard the roaring of a multitude of motorbikes coming up the street. Max looked at Alec, hurrying to get his agreement before they arrived, "Alec, please don't tell them what happened."

Alec looked at her, half-expecting what she was going to say next, "Max, it's pretty obvious that you've been tortured."

"Not that," she said impatiently, "the ... other part."

"Max, they'll wonder what happened ..."

"I don't care Alec! I couldn't bear for them to know. Please. I don't want anyone to know. I want to pretend that it never happened! I can't stand the way they'll look at me, with pity. Alec please. I'll do anything. I'll even stop hitting you. Just please don't tell them." Max stared up into his eyes, begging him to listen to her and not say anything.

Alec stared into her dark eyes, seeing grief, fear and desperation in the brown depths. He knew that he couldn't refuse her anything in that condition, but also knew that he had to let some people know. "Max, I'll keep it secret for as long as I can. I can't promise anymore than that. Eventually some people will need to know and I'll have to tell them. I'll keep it as quiet as I can." He told her sincerely. Max looked at him and the stubborn set of his jaw told her that she would get nothing more out of him. "Thank you." She whispered as the door opened and the rest of the transgenic rescue team came in make sure that she was still alive.

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Well, there you go. Sorry guys, I know you all wanted Alec to kill White but what can I say? I've got something else planned later for them. Don't worry, White gets what's coming to him, I promise. Max will be avenged, or maybe she gets her own revenge? Not sure what way to write but it will happen. You know the drill, press the little blue button below (please!).