[u]Part 27[/u]
"Where's Tess?" Max asked as he emerged into the Parker living room behind Liz. Maria and Michael were on the couch and Kyle was leaning against the far wall, his arms crossed, looking annoyed.
"Are you telling me you really care?" Kyle demanded, the challenge in his voice more than obvious. He glanced almost disdainfully between Max and Liz.
Max sighed. Wonderful. It seemed that he had somehow offended Tess again. He knew that he had been preoccupied with Liz over the past twenty-four hours, but he had thought that all of the destiny stuff had finally been resolved with Tess the night before. She had seemed okay earlier.
"Oh Kyle, zip it," Maria exclaimed. "We don't have time for this crap and you know darn well that Tess isn't mad about anything. She went home to get something. She said she'd be back in a few minutes."
Kyle had the grace to look slightly embarrassed, abruptly changed the subject. "So, are you Liz again?" He addressed this to Liz, who was still standing awkwardly in the doorway.
There was a long pause as Michael, Maria and Kyle all stared at Liz. She blushed. "I'm pleased to report that Liz Parker is present and accounted for," she finally said, sounding a little sheepish. "I'm sorry about what happened. I've learned my lesson about alien artifacts the hard way."
Michael stood, moved towards her and peered into her face. "And we know this for sure?" He glanced over his shoulder at Max, who could feel his blood beginning to boil. He didn't understand why everyone had to be so difficult all the time. It was just exhausting!
"It's true Michael," Max snapped impatiently. "It's Liz. I know the difference."
Maria pushed Michael aside and pulled Liz against her. "I'm so glad you're okay chica." Max could hear the emotion in Liz's best friend's voice. "I was so worried."
Liz pulled back slightly. "You're not mad? Maria.I thought you were mad at me for keeping secrets!"
"I've decided to forgive you this time," Maria replied. "If you promise never to do it again. Having you disappear on us for a while there.I guess I just decided that it wasn't worth the energy," she admitted. "I'm just glad you're okay. I am a little hurt that you didn't think you could trust me, but I'll get over it." Max could tell from her voice that Maria was simply trying to be brave though. She was obviously still extremely hurt that Liz had not turned to her in her time of need.
"It wasn't that Maria," Liz insisted. "I couldn't tell [I]anyone[/I]."
"You told Alex," Maria shot back. She looked down. "Sorry. I do forgive you Liz. And I know it was a really horrible experience for you. I guess we drifted further apart over the summer than I thought we had." She glanced over at Max. "But I do want you to know that just because Max and I are friends, it doesn't mean you can't trust me. You [I]do[/I] know that?"
Liz smiled. "Of course I do Maria. And it really had nothing to do with your friendship with Max. I swear. I just knew that you wanted us together and I didn't want you giving me all the arguments I was already giving myself. The only reason I told Alex at all was because of the whole Will thing. I couldn't handle it all on my own anymore."
"The point here is that you shouldn't have kept [I]any[/I] of it to yourself." Max looked at Michael suspiciously. The last thing Liz needed right now was Michael giving her grief. She'd had more than enough. Michael had his arms crossed, but he didn't seem accusatory, just matter-of- fact, so Max didn't interrupt him. "We needed the information that Future Max gave you Liz." Michael looked around. "We need to start depending on each other, trusting each other. It's the only way we're ever going to make this work. If we keep fighting amongst ourselves, we're[I]never[/I] going to be able to defeat our enemies."
There was another long moment of silence, then Maria said, "Are we sure Michael wasn't kidnapped too?" She was smiling though. "If you're a shapeshifter, you're doing a pretty poor imitation of my space-boy."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Michael demanded.
"Was that common sense or am I hearing things?" Maria teased. Max could hear the note of pride in her voice though. Michael obviously did too, because, although he rolled his eyes, he looked more embarrassed than anything.
Max stepped in before they could truly start bickering. "Michael's right," he said firmly. "No more secrets between any of us." He looked around and met all of their eyes. "Even if it's bad new or we think it's going to be hard for some of us to hear, we share it. Are we agreed?"
They all nodded or voiced their understanding.
"Well then, in the spirit of this new pact, or sharing circle, or whatever you want to call it," Michael interjected. "I want to know what the hell is going on with Liz."
"And you will," Max promised. "We'll explain it on the way. But we need to get going." He glanced at his watch. "Dammit! Why did Tess go home right now? We need her here."
"I'll call her," Kyle volunteered. He moved towards the kitchen to use the phone there.
"Where are we going Maxwell?" Michael demanded. "I thought we were waiting here until Will tried to bring Isabel back himself. Do we trust that guy, or don't we?"
Max glanced at Liz, who was watching him carefully. "I don't know," Max admitted honestly. "Liz thinks we can."
"I [I]know[/I] we can," Liz insisted. "I know the whole scarf thing is suspicious, but my instinct is telling me he's okay. I know he really does care about me and I have to believe that he had no idea what that thing would do to me. He's just as messed up as we are. He never knew about Serena at all, thought he was married to Rowena the whole time. He can't be blamed for that."
"Okay, what?" Maria asked, looking increasingly perplexed and not a little freaked out. "We're working from a different book here Lizzie."
"Serena and Rowena were sisters," Liz explained patiently. "We've figured out that, from what I told Max when I thought I was Serena, they changed places at some point. Rowena was the one betrothed to Khivar, but she didn't marry him. That was Serena."
"And Will doesn't know this?" Maria sounded horrified. "That poor guy!" She paused, then asked the next most logical question. The one Max only wished they had an answer for. "But where [I]is[/I] Serena?"
"She's on Earth," Liz replied. "We know that for sure. Future Max told me it was a Serena who fixed the granolith so that he could come back here."
Maria stared at Liz, "You mean you have a sister out there somewhere?"
"I do," Liz said quietly. "And we're going to find her."
"Do you think maybe you should talk to your parents about this?" Michael suggested. "Even if just to find out exactly how you came to be with them?"
Liz shook her head. Max watched her with concern. She looked sad. "I really don't think they have any idea Michael. They think I'm their daughter. I know they do." There was a slight hitch in her voice as she continued, "If I'm not, it means that something happened to their real child so that I could replace her. I can't.until I know what that was, I can't bring any of this up with them. It's a last resort. I'm sorry but it's just the way it has to be."
Max moved towards Liz, put his arm around her shoulders to comfort her. "The Parkers are Liz's decision Michael. We don't have any right to get them involved unless she wants us too."
"Hey!" Kyle called from the kitchen. "Where should I tell Tess to meet us?" He paused. "We [I]are[/I] going somewhere, are we not?"
"Is that her?" Max asked, giving Liz a little squeeze in apology for changing the subject.
"No," Kyle snapped. "It's Queen Elizabeth." When they all stared at him, he grimaced. "Sorry. Old habits die hard." He sighed. "It is Tess your highness."
Max rolled his eyes. "Tell her to meet us at the pod chamber."
Kyle's eyes widened, but he nodded. "Okay." He disappeared into the kitchen again.
"What? Maxwell, are you crazy?" Michael demanded. "The Skins will follow us. The twerp said in his message that they were watching us."
"That's what I'm counting on," Max replied grimly. "It's time to bring all the players together and the only bait we have is the granolith. I refuse to allow my sister to suffer a minute longer. The game ends here."
"We're just going to hand it over to them?" Maria's voice was a little squeaky, her fear evident.
"No," Max amended. "They don't know it's there and they won't unless there's no other choice. But I want it easily accessible if necessary." He looked down at Liz. "Can you call Alex's cell? Tell him to bring Will, Kate and Nicholas to the cliffs."
"I still think this is a bad idea Max," Michael complained as Liz went to the kitchen to see if Kyle was off the extension. Maria followed her. "The granolith is our only ace in the hole. I don't like letting that little jerk get anywhere near it."
"I don't either," Max admitted. "But I don't know what else to do Michael. We need to get Izzy back and we need to do it now."
Michael glanced towards the kitchen, lowered his voice. "So you believe Liz? You trust Will? Be honest here Maxwell. She can't hear you."
Max narrowed his eyes, thought about it for a moment. "I do Michael. Now I just need to figure out why. And until we're all together, there's no way I can do that."
"You think that the Skins are purposely trying to keep the eight of us apart?" Michael asked, obviously following Max's train of thought.
"Yeah."
"Okay, then. But I still don't like it."
"Thanks Michael. I appreciate you backing me up here," Max said. "I know it's not the most natural thing in the world for you," he added, grinning slightly.
"It's becoming easier," Michael replied honestly. "Doesn't mean I won't keep riding your ass when I think you're not thinking something through. Although you pretty much do," he admitted grudgingly. "Unless it comes to Liz." He smirked.
"I have a feeling that was true in both lifetimes," Max allowed. "We need to find out what happened Michael so that we don't repeat the same mistakes."
"It's just too bad that Nasedo isn't still around to sort some of this out for us," Michael sighed, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Life would be a hell of a lot easier, wouldn't it?"
"Which is probably why he was killed in the first place," Max replied. "They don't [I]want[/I] us to know what really happened."
"But who the heck are 'they'?" Michael demanded. "It has to be the Skins."
He was cut off by Maria, who came rushing back into the room. "We can't reach Alex! His phone is ringing, but he's not picking up!"
"Calm down Maria," Michael ordered, although he moved towards her and pulled her against him in comfort. "I'm sure he's fine. He probably just left his phone somewhere."
Max felt a shiver run down his spine. His eyes met Liz's as she came from the kitchen behind Maria. She shook her head slightly, her fear obvious. "He told me he'd keep it on," Max said. "Something's happened."
"Goddamit!" Michael exclaimed. "I [I]knew[/I] we couldn't trust that guy!"
"It wasn't Will," Liz said firmly. "I tried his phone too. He didn't answer. Something has to have happened to all of them."
Max ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Well, this sucks, but it doesn't change anything. We're still going to the pod chamber. We have even less choice now."
Kyle spoke up. "Should I call my dad?"
Max grimaced. He hated to bring the sheriff into it again, but with two of their number now missing, there didn't seem to be any other choice. "Do it," he instructed Kyle. "Ask him to put out an APB on Alex and Isabel, just in case they try and transport them somewhere. I'm betting that Nicholas will bring them with him if we take him to the granolith, but we can't be sure."
"Max, if you do that, there's no way you can keep this from your parents," Liz reminded him quietly. "People are going to talk."
"Damn!" Max exclaimed. "You're right!" He started to pace, his fear for his sister beginning to overtake him. He was having trouble thinking straight. "Call the sheriff anyway Kyle. He needs to know what's happening here. I don't want him at the pod chamber. Someone needs to stay behind in case something happens to us."
"Oh God," Maria moaned, from where she was huddled against Michael. Max looked at her sharply. "I'm okay," she said, although she was shivering. "I just want them back. This is horrible!"
"Maria, you don't have to come," Max reminded her gently. "It might be better if you didn't," he added, glancing at Michael, whose lips were pressed together. Max knew he was right to suggest this. Michael would be a whole heck of a lot easier to deal with if he wasn't worried about Maria. Max looked at Kyle too. "It will be safer. This isn't your fight you guys. And I can't guarantee your safety."
"I'm coming," Maria said quickly. "Please. I can't bear to sit at home waiting. I know I don't have any powers or anything, but I [I]have[/I] to be there."
"Me too," Kyle added. "They're our friends too." Max met his nemesis's eyes squarely. Kyle stared right back at him. "I owe you Evans. I'm not going to desert you now."
"Besides Max," Liz said quietly, "They might just come after Kyle and Maria while we're gone. They know they're important to us. It's better if we all stick together."
"Agreed," Michael stated. "I don't want to leave anyone behind anymore. We can't afford to lose anyone else."
"We have to hurry Max," Kyle reminded him. "We don't want Tess to get there before us. She shouldn't be alone."
Max sighed, giving up. "Fine. Let's go then."
As he watched his friends file out through the kitchen, intending to use the back-door, he paused, swallowing hard. He realized he was scared. The fact that Alex, Will and Kate all seemed to have disappeared on them too.They were completely losing control of this situation. He intended to find out what the granolith was for before making any decisions, hoped that Plan A proceeded as planned. If he felt he could give it to the Skins, he would, but if he couldn't.
Max knew that there was only one other way to insure that Nicholas released his sister. He didn't like it, but he would do it. He felt guilty that he hadn't told the others what he was planning, but this last secret was for their own good. First of all, they would refuse and second of all, he didn't have time to argue with them in order to convince them.
Because the only way to save his sister if he couldn't hand over the granolith was to hand over himself. He would trade his life for hers. If there was no other way, he knew he would do it, and he also knew that the Skins would accept. And he had a feeling that it was entirely likely that it would come to that.
"Max, what are you doing?" Liz's head poked through the doorway again. "Aren't you coming?"
He took a deep breath, smiled at her reassuringly. "Yeah." He took the hand she held out to him and followed her out the door.
To be continued.
"Where's Tess?" Max asked as he emerged into the Parker living room behind Liz. Maria and Michael were on the couch and Kyle was leaning against the far wall, his arms crossed, looking annoyed.
"Are you telling me you really care?" Kyle demanded, the challenge in his voice more than obvious. He glanced almost disdainfully between Max and Liz.
Max sighed. Wonderful. It seemed that he had somehow offended Tess again. He knew that he had been preoccupied with Liz over the past twenty-four hours, but he had thought that all of the destiny stuff had finally been resolved with Tess the night before. She had seemed okay earlier.
"Oh Kyle, zip it," Maria exclaimed. "We don't have time for this crap and you know darn well that Tess isn't mad about anything. She went home to get something. She said she'd be back in a few minutes."
Kyle had the grace to look slightly embarrassed, abruptly changed the subject. "So, are you Liz again?" He addressed this to Liz, who was still standing awkwardly in the doorway.
There was a long pause as Michael, Maria and Kyle all stared at Liz. She blushed. "I'm pleased to report that Liz Parker is present and accounted for," she finally said, sounding a little sheepish. "I'm sorry about what happened. I've learned my lesson about alien artifacts the hard way."
Michael stood, moved towards her and peered into her face. "And we know this for sure?" He glanced over his shoulder at Max, who could feel his blood beginning to boil. He didn't understand why everyone had to be so difficult all the time. It was just exhausting!
"It's true Michael," Max snapped impatiently. "It's Liz. I know the difference."
Maria pushed Michael aside and pulled Liz against her. "I'm so glad you're okay chica." Max could hear the emotion in Liz's best friend's voice. "I was so worried."
Liz pulled back slightly. "You're not mad? Maria.I thought you were mad at me for keeping secrets!"
"I've decided to forgive you this time," Maria replied. "If you promise never to do it again. Having you disappear on us for a while there.I guess I just decided that it wasn't worth the energy," she admitted. "I'm just glad you're okay. I am a little hurt that you didn't think you could trust me, but I'll get over it." Max could tell from her voice that Maria was simply trying to be brave though. She was obviously still extremely hurt that Liz had not turned to her in her time of need.
"It wasn't that Maria," Liz insisted. "I couldn't tell [I]anyone[/I]."
"You told Alex," Maria shot back. She looked down. "Sorry. I do forgive you Liz. And I know it was a really horrible experience for you. I guess we drifted further apart over the summer than I thought we had." She glanced over at Max. "But I do want you to know that just because Max and I are friends, it doesn't mean you can't trust me. You [I]do[/I] know that?"
Liz smiled. "Of course I do Maria. And it really had nothing to do with your friendship with Max. I swear. I just knew that you wanted us together and I didn't want you giving me all the arguments I was already giving myself. The only reason I told Alex at all was because of the whole Will thing. I couldn't handle it all on my own anymore."
"The point here is that you shouldn't have kept [I]any[/I] of it to yourself." Max looked at Michael suspiciously. The last thing Liz needed right now was Michael giving her grief. She'd had more than enough. Michael had his arms crossed, but he didn't seem accusatory, just matter-of- fact, so Max didn't interrupt him. "We needed the information that Future Max gave you Liz." Michael looked around. "We need to start depending on each other, trusting each other. It's the only way we're ever going to make this work. If we keep fighting amongst ourselves, we're[I]never[/I] going to be able to defeat our enemies."
There was another long moment of silence, then Maria said, "Are we sure Michael wasn't kidnapped too?" She was smiling though. "If you're a shapeshifter, you're doing a pretty poor imitation of my space-boy."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Michael demanded.
"Was that common sense or am I hearing things?" Maria teased. Max could hear the note of pride in her voice though. Michael obviously did too, because, although he rolled his eyes, he looked more embarrassed than anything.
Max stepped in before they could truly start bickering. "Michael's right," he said firmly. "No more secrets between any of us." He looked around and met all of their eyes. "Even if it's bad new or we think it's going to be hard for some of us to hear, we share it. Are we agreed?"
They all nodded or voiced their understanding.
"Well then, in the spirit of this new pact, or sharing circle, or whatever you want to call it," Michael interjected. "I want to know what the hell is going on with Liz."
"And you will," Max promised. "We'll explain it on the way. But we need to get going." He glanced at his watch. "Dammit! Why did Tess go home right now? We need her here."
"I'll call her," Kyle volunteered. He moved towards the kitchen to use the phone there.
"Where are we going Maxwell?" Michael demanded. "I thought we were waiting here until Will tried to bring Isabel back himself. Do we trust that guy, or don't we?"
Max glanced at Liz, who was watching him carefully. "I don't know," Max admitted honestly. "Liz thinks we can."
"I [I]know[/I] we can," Liz insisted. "I know the whole scarf thing is suspicious, but my instinct is telling me he's okay. I know he really does care about me and I have to believe that he had no idea what that thing would do to me. He's just as messed up as we are. He never knew about Serena at all, thought he was married to Rowena the whole time. He can't be blamed for that."
"Okay, what?" Maria asked, looking increasingly perplexed and not a little freaked out. "We're working from a different book here Lizzie."
"Serena and Rowena were sisters," Liz explained patiently. "We've figured out that, from what I told Max when I thought I was Serena, they changed places at some point. Rowena was the one betrothed to Khivar, but she didn't marry him. That was Serena."
"And Will doesn't know this?" Maria sounded horrified. "That poor guy!" She paused, then asked the next most logical question. The one Max only wished they had an answer for. "But where [I]is[/I] Serena?"
"She's on Earth," Liz replied. "We know that for sure. Future Max told me it was a Serena who fixed the granolith so that he could come back here."
Maria stared at Liz, "You mean you have a sister out there somewhere?"
"I do," Liz said quietly. "And we're going to find her."
"Do you think maybe you should talk to your parents about this?" Michael suggested. "Even if just to find out exactly how you came to be with them?"
Liz shook her head. Max watched her with concern. She looked sad. "I really don't think they have any idea Michael. They think I'm their daughter. I know they do." There was a slight hitch in her voice as she continued, "If I'm not, it means that something happened to their real child so that I could replace her. I can't.until I know what that was, I can't bring any of this up with them. It's a last resort. I'm sorry but it's just the way it has to be."
Max moved towards Liz, put his arm around her shoulders to comfort her. "The Parkers are Liz's decision Michael. We don't have any right to get them involved unless she wants us too."
"Hey!" Kyle called from the kitchen. "Where should I tell Tess to meet us?" He paused. "We [I]are[/I] going somewhere, are we not?"
"Is that her?" Max asked, giving Liz a little squeeze in apology for changing the subject.
"No," Kyle snapped. "It's Queen Elizabeth." When they all stared at him, he grimaced. "Sorry. Old habits die hard." He sighed. "It is Tess your highness."
Max rolled his eyes. "Tell her to meet us at the pod chamber."
Kyle's eyes widened, but he nodded. "Okay." He disappeared into the kitchen again.
"What? Maxwell, are you crazy?" Michael demanded. "The Skins will follow us. The twerp said in his message that they were watching us."
"That's what I'm counting on," Max replied grimly. "It's time to bring all the players together and the only bait we have is the granolith. I refuse to allow my sister to suffer a minute longer. The game ends here."
"We're just going to hand it over to them?" Maria's voice was a little squeaky, her fear evident.
"No," Max amended. "They don't know it's there and they won't unless there's no other choice. But I want it easily accessible if necessary." He looked down at Liz. "Can you call Alex's cell? Tell him to bring Will, Kate and Nicholas to the cliffs."
"I still think this is a bad idea Max," Michael complained as Liz went to the kitchen to see if Kyle was off the extension. Maria followed her. "The granolith is our only ace in the hole. I don't like letting that little jerk get anywhere near it."
"I don't either," Max admitted. "But I don't know what else to do Michael. We need to get Izzy back and we need to do it now."
Michael glanced towards the kitchen, lowered his voice. "So you believe Liz? You trust Will? Be honest here Maxwell. She can't hear you."
Max narrowed his eyes, thought about it for a moment. "I do Michael. Now I just need to figure out why. And until we're all together, there's no way I can do that."
"You think that the Skins are purposely trying to keep the eight of us apart?" Michael asked, obviously following Max's train of thought.
"Yeah."
"Okay, then. But I still don't like it."
"Thanks Michael. I appreciate you backing me up here," Max said. "I know it's not the most natural thing in the world for you," he added, grinning slightly.
"It's becoming easier," Michael replied honestly. "Doesn't mean I won't keep riding your ass when I think you're not thinking something through. Although you pretty much do," he admitted grudgingly. "Unless it comes to Liz." He smirked.
"I have a feeling that was true in both lifetimes," Max allowed. "We need to find out what happened Michael so that we don't repeat the same mistakes."
"It's just too bad that Nasedo isn't still around to sort some of this out for us," Michael sighed, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Life would be a hell of a lot easier, wouldn't it?"
"Which is probably why he was killed in the first place," Max replied. "They don't [I]want[/I] us to know what really happened."
"But who the heck are 'they'?" Michael demanded. "It has to be the Skins."
He was cut off by Maria, who came rushing back into the room. "We can't reach Alex! His phone is ringing, but he's not picking up!"
"Calm down Maria," Michael ordered, although he moved towards her and pulled her against him in comfort. "I'm sure he's fine. He probably just left his phone somewhere."
Max felt a shiver run down his spine. His eyes met Liz's as she came from the kitchen behind Maria. She shook her head slightly, her fear obvious. "He told me he'd keep it on," Max said. "Something's happened."
"Goddamit!" Michael exclaimed. "I [I]knew[/I] we couldn't trust that guy!"
"It wasn't Will," Liz said firmly. "I tried his phone too. He didn't answer. Something has to have happened to all of them."
Max ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Well, this sucks, but it doesn't change anything. We're still going to the pod chamber. We have even less choice now."
Kyle spoke up. "Should I call my dad?"
Max grimaced. He hated to bring the sheriff into it again, but with two of their number now missing, there didn't seem to be any other choice. "Do it," he instructed Kyle. "Ask him to put out an APB on Alex and Isabel, just in case they try and transport them somewhere. I'm betting that Nicholas will bring them with him if we take him to the granolith, but we can't be sure."
"Max, if you do that, there's no way you can keep this from your parents," Liz reminded him quietly. "People are going to talk."
"Damn!" Max exclaimed. "You're right!" He started to pace, his fear for his sister beginning to overtake him. He was having trouble thinking straight. "Call the sheriff anyway Kyle. He needs to know what's happening here. I don't want him at the pod chamber. Someone needs to stay behind in case something happens to us."
"Oh God," Maria moaned, from where she was huddled against Michael. Max looked at her sharply. "I'm okay," she said, although she was shivering. "I just want them back. This is horrible!"
"Maria, you don't have to come," Max reminded her gently. "It might be better if you didn't," he added, glancing at Michael, whose lips were pressed together. Max knew he was right to suggest this. Michael would be a whole heck of a lot easier to deal with if he wasn't worried about Maria. Max looked at Kyle too. "It will be safer. This isn't your fight you guys. And I can't guarantee your safety."
"I'm coming," Maria said quickly. "Please. I can't bear to sit at home waiting. I know I don't have any powers or anything, but I [I]have[/I] to be there."
"Me too," Kyle added. "They're our friends too." Max met his nemesis's eyes squarely. Kyle stared right back at him. "I owe you Evans. I'm not going to desert you now."
"Besides Max," Liz said quietly, "They might just come after Kyle and Maria while we're gone. They know they're important to us. It's better if we all stick together."
"Agreed," Michael stated. "I don't want to leave anyone behind anymore. We can't afford to lose anyone else."
"We have to hurry Max," Kyle reminded him. "We don't want Tess to get there before us. She shouldn't be alone."
Max sighed, giving up. "Fine. Let's go then."
As he watched his friends file out through the kitchen, intending to use the back-door, he paused, swallowing hard. He realized he was scared. The fact that Alex, Will and Kate all seemed to have disappeared on them too.They were completely losing control of this situation. He intended to find out what the granolith was for before making any decisions, hoped that Plan A proceeded as planned. If he felt he could give it to the Skins, he would, but if he couldn't.
Max knew that there was only one other way to insure that Nicholas released his sister. He didn't like it, but he would do it. He felt guilty that he hadn't told the others what he was planning, but this last secret was for their own good. First of all, they would refuse and second of all, he didn't have time to argue with them in order to convince them.
Because the only way to save his sister if he couldn't hand over the granolith was to hand over himself. He would trade his life for hers. If there was no other way, he knew he would do it, and he also knew that the Skins would accept. And he had a feeling that it was entirely likely that it would come to that.
"Max, what are you doing?" Liz's head poked through the doorway again. "Aren't you coming?"
He took a deep breath, smiled at her reassuringly. "Yeah." He took the hand she held out to him and followed her out the door.
To be continued.