Timebomb Central

By Rowe

Disclaimer: The DA concept belongs to Fox and James Cameron

Chapter 4: Conscious but not awake…..

Mole stepped back into the doorway behind him as Max exited the room. He didn't want her to see him, or to realise that they were having Alec watched for his own protection. He had been kind of startled when he has watched moment of tenderness towards his unconscious friend. Maybe under that cold bitch exterior there was a heart after all. In truth, he humoured her in her delusions of leadership. Alec was the one he believed in and trusted. She always seemed more interested in doing the right thing by the ordinaries. Mole shook his head at all the times she had unintentionally done the worst thing by T.C..

He watched as she strode down the corridor and right up into Angel's face demanding attention. A smirked crept across his face as Angel continued on with what she was doing for another minute before allowing Max to have her focus. Obviously he wasn't the only one who got a little peeved with her diva antics.

"Is he showing any signs that you can help him with?"

"Max," Angel let a sigh of exasperation escape before she could stop it. "I told you earlier, we will need to let his body recover before we try to assess him further." The patient tone was bordering on patronising but Max was obviously not willing to listen to the doctor anyway.

"He will be more awake in a few hours. I would prefer that you weren't here initially. We aren't sure what triggered the episode in the first place. " The crest fallen look on Max's face was augmented by a guilty tinge. Angel sought to reassure her, without giving her false hope.

"Whatever is wrong with him, we will do our best to get him back quickly to the Alec we all know and love." She placed a hand on Max's arm and smiled at her. There were no guarantees and they both knew it. Though it wouldn't help Alec one iota if they all just dropped their bundles.

Max straightened her shoulders and crisply shrugged herself back from Angel with a look determination on her face. It was as though a mask had dropped into place, and this Max meant business.

"Fine, do what you can. Keep me informed. I have to head back to headquarters anyway. Things that need to be done and won't get done with me hanging around here."

Turning quickly she strode stiff backed out of the door. Mole watched and stifled a little laugh. Well, the bitch was certainly back. He moved back to his position near the door. There was no way he was going to let anything happen on his watch. He placed his cigar back in his mouth and lit it. The growl from Angel down the hall hit his ears within seconds. Ignoring it he continued to puff away.

*****

Terminal City head quarters was not the place to hide out. Too many eyes watching to gauge your reaction and to follow your lead, Max decided. Angel's words had stung her. Maybe she was to blame for Alec's condition. Why else would he have been avoiding her all week? The way the others were treating her made it see like they had reached that conclusion too. Joshua still wasn't meeting her gaze, Mole seemed to have disappeared and Dix was the only one who seemed to be still fine talking to her. She hated being out of the loop.

Dix approached Max as she sat hunched up in a chair staring blankly at the computer screen in front of her. He didn't want to interrupt her but he knew that she was desperate to hear anything she could on his database search.

"Max, I have been able to track down Sam's husband. He's agreed to meet with you, to tell you all he can. There are some others that she spent time around that he said he would introduce you to. Maybe they can help us." He shrugged hi shoulders. "Cause other than all being from Manticore, I can see no other connection between the victim's deaths." Dix looked apologetically at the figure who was only half listening to him.

She turned and attempted a grateful smile. It only half worked and came across as more of a grimace. She saw the look of consternation on Dix's face as he turned to move back to his station, and reached a hand out to touch his arms. He turned back towards her." Thanks, Dix. Sorry, I am a bit preoccupied." This time her smile was a little less grim and the transhuman nodded his acknowledgment of her apology. "Just jot down the details and I will get right on it."

*****

Alec groggily tried to pull himself up. His vision was a little hazy but his nose was telling him he was in the medical centre. His hands wouldn't budge. Lifting his head from the pillow, his vision cleared enough for him to see the shackles binding him to the bed. The bruised contusions he could see on his wrists were testament to the type of struggle he must have put up against his restraints. The dryness of his throat was what had awoken him. He attempted to call for some assistance but the lack of saliva was making it hard for him to articulate any sound. He tried again.

"Water, please. Someone?" It was little more than a croaky whisper but with so many transgenics within the building it was still sure to be heard. Confirming this, he heard footsteps approaching the room.

Angel strode in with a cautious smile on her face. Hopefully the cocktail of drugs had reduced the hallucinatory effect his hyperactive brain had been producing. In her hand she carried a glass filled with ice chips which would quench the immediate thirst. His stomach would probably appreciate a slower reintroduction to liquid.

"Well if it isn't my most patient, back in the land of the living. How are you feeling Alec?" Her voice was light and conversational but the edge was unmistakable. She was still assessing his condition and he knew it.

"Angel," he knew her well from his many visits for injury repairs, "not that I don't appreciate your hospitality, but what am I doing here?" He looked down meaningfully at his wrists. Looking at his bound hands she smiled apologetically at him. She wasn't ready to release him just yet.

"Last thing I can remember was some pretty nasty dreams, I felt like I was losing control." His distaste with that idea was made plain by the curl of his lip. " The next thing, I wake up and I am bound up in sick bay with a head full of fog." He grimaced a bit as she placed a bit of ice in his mouth. The soothing liquid that formed slowly trickled down into his parched throat.

"We have managed to suppress the overstimulated part of your brain for the moment. You are going to have to help us to understand what is going on ..what brought this on and that."

Angel looked at his face to gauge his reaction, to see whether he was ready to delve into this. He was looking straight passed her to the door. A range of emotions flickered across his face. His eyes swirled from hazel to stormy green. She sensed the presence behind her then, and knew who it would be. The fact that Max had been back in the med centre looking in on Alec nearly every hour on the hour was surprising. It was common knowledge that their fearless leader didn't make life easy for the man lying on the bed. Something had changed though, looking at Alec's reaction it was obvious that there was some sort of connection between them. Whether it was a healthy one was another question. However, for the moment he seemed to be welcoming Max's presence.

Angel caught Alec's eyes and an unspoken question passed between them. Turning to the door she ushered Max forward. In her peripheral vision she saw the tenseness creeping into Alec's body but she knew that really he wanted her there.

"Slowly feed him these. Not too many at a time." She cautioned Max. "Keep him quiet. I will be nearby if you need me." She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder to let him know she was there for him. Holding out the glass to the dark-eyed woman that had moved to Alec's side, she excused herself and left the room.

Tentatively Max moved closer to the bed. She smiled hesitantly, conscious of how things had been the last time she had seen him awake.

"Howdy Stranger" She attempted a light banter to ease the tension between them. At his smile of welcome she continued on. "Been a bit quiet with you not round bugging me." She shut up quickly when she saw the look of hurt he attempted to quickly mask.

"Alec, I was so scared when I found you." Words failed her so she moved closer t express herself in other ways.

She cupped his face with her palm. He closed his eyes and let the comforting sensation of her touch wash over him. A tear escaped from beneath his long lashes and swept down over his cheek.

"I am sorry for scaring you, Max." He swallowed hard and opened his eyes to look straight into her chocolate brown ones. "I even scared myself"

At his open vulnerability she felt her heart ache. Placing the glass of ice down on the drawers next to the bed, she traced the path of the tears with her finger.

"I didn't know what to do, how to help." She fought passed the lump in her throat to convey her feelings of helplessness in words. "You were just so not you…." She let her fear trail off as she saw the pain illuminating his gaze.

"I guess I am so used to having you there strong beside me that it made me feel a little lost without you there " It came out as a whispered confession. Alec continued to look into the frightened and confused chocolate eyes that were quickly turning into liquid pools as the tears formed.

"Max…." his voice was still struggling. The word came out huskier than he had intended. He looked down at his bound hands in frustration. His instincts told him to take her in his arms and comfort her but he was trapped.

"Alec, I am just so sorry that I I have never realised before now how important you are to T.C., how important you are to me." She was still pleading with her voice for forgiveness.

"I've got to go away for a little while. Got a few leads on the killer…" she paused as she saw a shadow pass across Alec's face and a mask of seemed to shutter down. She pushed on, needing him to know what was happening, why she wouldn't be there to see him. He needed to hear from her what was going on rather than being left isolated the goings on.

"Sam was one of the victims." At his sharp intake of breath she stopped "It is okay, I am okay with it but…I am going to go see her family. Maybe they will be able to give me some answers." She moved one of her hands down to grasp his.

"I'll be back as soon as I can."

"I'll miss you." She whispered as she bent to kiss him gently on the forehead. Alec's eye flutter shut as her warm lips stayed resting for a long moment on his skin. She turned and strode away, not looking back, holding back the sobs so he couldn't tell how much she hated to go when he was like this.

Alec let his eyes open again as she reached the doorway.

"I'll miss you too, " he whispered after her retreating back.

*****

Angel watched a very distressed Max hurry out of the medical centre. Spurred by concern for her patient she moved swiftly to the door of Alec's room. Reaching there she halted, surprised by the scene in front of her.

Mole, the usually taciturn soldier that he was, was sat by Alec bedside. His hand lying on the shoulder of the bed bound man in an act of solace. The two of them were silent. Rather than disturb them she backed away unnoticed. Backing further until she stood against the opposite wall, Angel contempleter what she had learned. At least Alec has friends there for him she thought grimly he was going to need them.

The results of the tests suggested that the drugs they were using would quickly become ineffective due to his increased metabolism and adaptive physiology. When they did, she feared that she would have to go back to sedating for his own good. With Alec out of action for an indeterminate amount of time the morale in Terminal City would be sure to plummet. With Max gone as well, things were going be very bleak.