Disclaimer: I am not making any profit out of this and am using it purely for amusement. The scenes are taken completely out of an episode of Dark Angel (which belongs to Fox, Cameron and Eglee), and most of the dialogue as well.

A/N: The parts that are mine are the "thoughts" behind the scenes and some additional dialogue. This is my version of Hello, Goodbye—one of my favorite DA episodes. It's a step into AU, but that's really what fanfics are, aren't they?

CHAPTER 3

Max felt like she was walking around in a nightmare. All of her senses were either hypersensitive or deadened. One moment the lights were too bright, or the sounds around her too sharp. And in the next second, she couldn't move fast enough, or felt like she was hearing everything underwater. She felt so helpless, so out of her element.

At Crash, in her distress, she had called out for Alec, the only other person she trusted in moments of extreme pressure. Alec had come out nowhere, and caught Logan as he was falling. He had laid Logan gently on the floor, as he called for the paramedics.

All Max could do was stand there, stricken. Unsure. Uncertain of where she belonged during this disaster. Useless. She had not been encoded to be a stander-by at times like these. She couldn't even wipe the beads of sweat that had formed on Logan's forehead. Then she had been forced to watch through a glass window as doctors in the hospital tried vainly to stabilize Logan's condition. Hours later, he was still fading away, fast. And all she could do was watch. Watch him die.

"MAX!"

Dr. Shankar's voice broke through her depressing reverie. She snapped out of it. She was in the hospital, surrounded by very sick people, and very disheartened others, least of them were her and Logan.

Dr. Shankar approached Max, her brow furrowed slightly in concern, her black eyes sad. "Max, are you alright?"

Max just smiled tightly at Shankar. She was one of the few "contacts" for Eyes Only, and knew all about transgenics—and the fact that Max was one of them. Shankar was often someone that she and Logan could count on, so Max raised her eyes to the doctor, pleadingly. "Is he going to be okay?"

Shankar just smiled slightly. "We're doing everything that we can," she replied softly, not wanting to raise her hopes. Max hated those kinds of doctor answers. She wished that doctors would just promise that people were going to be okay. But she knew how dangerous those kinds of promises were. But still, it didn't stop her from wishing.

Or pleading. "Please don't let him die."

Shankar looked around quickly, and whispered: "As far as I can tell, this virus is a mutated strain of a bio-warfare agent called Zycinor." she stated softly. "There's no known cure."

There was a finality in her voice that drove a stake through Max's heart. She felt herself momentarily spiral downward, when she remembered something from Manticore.

"Manticore made us immune to all sorts of bio-chemical warfare bugs. I'm pretty sure this is one of them."

Shankar looked at her speculatively, but there was a dawning understanding in her dark eyes. "That could explain why you could be a carrier and not be infected."

Max was suddenly itching to jump into action. "So, what about a transfusion?" she asked hopefully.

Shankar shook her head, not understanding, "You'd only re-infect him."

Max shook her head. "No, not my blood. Another transgenic." she explained, getting excited.

"Well, I suppose it could work. The anti-bodies in the transgenic's blood could prevent further damage. It will stabilize his immune system enough to fight off the effects." she said, nodding as she began to contemplate the possibility. "Yes, we may have a shot here. He's only in the earlier stages of infection. We may have," she paused to glance at her watch, "about four hours before our window of opportunity closes, and Logan reaches critical point."

She saw the hope flare in Max's eyes. "Max, there's no guarantee that this procedure will work." she cautioned, laying a gentle hand on her arm.

"It's our only hope," she whispered achingly.

Doctor Shankar nodded, understanding the need to hold on to any kind of hope. "Then get this person in here as quickly as possible."

Max was gone in a blur.

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Alec was back at the bar, brooding. He had not enjoyed his altercation with Max earlier this evening. Come to think of it, he hadn't meant to bite Asha's head off either. He wasn't even interested in the blond. Asha, however, was interested in him, and normally he was one to take advantage of situations like that. But recently, and rather regrettably, he had lost interest in women throwing themselves at him. Still, he shouldn't have been so short with Asha. His usual response was to let them go gently, but firmly, after no more than a night's acquaintance. He never got emotionally tangled.

Until now. Until Max.

He pictured Max tonight, so stricken when Logan fell. But what was worse was the look she had given him when he had told her that Logan was not an option. It was like killing something inside of her.

But he had felt this sudden uncontrollable anger when he had seen Max and Logan together earlier this evening.

Here, at Crash, of all places.

He had started to think of Crash and Jam Pony as his territory, especially when it came to Max. So seeing Logan with Max in his territory, well, let's just say the rogue lion DNA in him had not been happy. He had wanted to lash out and tear Logan from limb to limb. He smiled humorlessly into his drink. Losing control was not something he did on a regular basis. He was sure that his reaction to Max was chemical. Nothing more. Really. He was trying in vain to reassure himself.

His phone rang, and he almost jumped out of his skin. He picked it up, "Yeah."

"Alec, this is Max. I need you to come to the hospital right away."

"Right." Could he really say no to her? He sighed to himself, not even if it was to save Logan again. "I'll be right there as soon as I can, Max."

He stood up and started for the door. He was so deep in thought that he hadn't seen the brooding figure that had been watching him all night. As he walked past him, the man picked up a radio and spoke into it, "All right, he's coming your way. Be prepared."

Alec swung the doors of Crash open, and was suddenly in the middle of a spotlight, with at least ten cops aiming their weapons at him. He could hear all of them cocking their weapons. "Hands in the air! You're under arrest!"

Alec could only look around, confused. He started to take slow steps back, thinking that he could leave through the back door, when a cold barrel of a gun was pressed against the back of his neck. "Don't even think it," the man from the bar whispered menacingly in his ear. "You're under arrest." He grabbed Alec by the collar and forced him forward.

Alec knew that he couldn't possibly fight off enough of them without getting shot at least once or twice. That wasn't something he would risk. It only took one fatal bullet to die, and as much of a bitch life was to him, he actually liked being alive.

Besides, he was pretty sure this was all a mistake.

He hoped.

CHAPTER 4

Mule was busy polishing shoes in his cell. He was another Manticore hybrid, half-human, half-mule. He was meant to be a worker, a servant. So, it was no big deal that the cops had made him polish their shoes. He was really good at it actually.

Suddenly, his cell door opened, and Ames White walked in. White was not tall, but he was intimidating. Maybe it was the blue-gray eyes that never displayed emotion, except for disgust and malice. Maybe it was the cruel twist to the man's lips every time he spoke to Mule. Or maybe it was the fact that he was a killer that knew no remorse. In any case, Mule recoiled and took a step back in apprehension.

"My men told me that you're feeling a lot better," he said, sauntering closer to Mule.

"Yeah, I'm working hard, doing what the men tell me to." replied Mule, his eyes following the man.

White continued stalking forward. "You're doing a good job." he said, looking at the rows of shoes that were polished to a shine on the table.

With each step forward White took, Mule took a step back. White was not like other people. Mule couldn't figure him out. Every time he came around, all of his animal instincts warned him of danger.

White looked at him cautiously. "It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you, Mule."

Mule didn't believe him. "You cut me and put the snake blood in me, and said it would kill me." he said, recalling the last time they spoke, about two days ago.

White frowned momentarily. "You didn't tell anybody about that did you?"

"You told me not to."

"Good." White seemed to relax a bit more. He sat on Mule's bunk. "See, I figured you were a solid guy. Sorry I had to do that to you, but it was the only way. Sort of like a….uh, a test, you know?"

Mule knew only too well. How many tests had been performed on him over the years at Manticore? How many times had doctors injected things in him, pushing him to his limits?

White saw Mule's sad and distant look. "Don't worry, though, you passed." he said reassuringly. Then he walked closer, to stand before Mule. "But remember though, that, is between you and me." he whispered.

Mule didn't miss the threat in everything that White had just told him. So he just nodded. He understood. His life was on the line.

White smiled tightly at him then left the cell.