Disclaimer: Dark Angel does NOT belong to me. Not now, not ever. But I do own the DVDs. That's gotta count for something, right :)
Story: Tension, confusion, plotting... and more tension. That about covers it.
A/N: Hey, all! It's been awhile! To be frank, I hit a massive writer's block and had no idea for a while what I was doing with this story. I've got some ideas building again, though, so I was able to get this out, as well as the start to the next chapter. Hopefully, then, my next update won't be as put-off. But even more hopefully, you guys will like the direction I'm taking here! Okay, so read on, and please, please tell me what you think of it! Thanks! And thanks especially to those of you who reviewed last time: Jo Harvelle, Lizzie Leigh, dooski, X5 - 452 and 494, Deirax, chance32, timetowaste247, ykvt, src13, Silverwolf 2006, and magicisagift. Thank you so much! You guys are basically awesome. Well... happy reading!

Alec paced the halls of med. bay, waiting anxiously for Lihn to get back from HQ, where Max was being held. For the moment, anyway. I have got to figure out what I'm gonna do with her now...

The only trouble was that he had to wait for the young doctor to deliver her medical analysis of the former leader of Terminal City before he could take any decisive action. Alec's own field med. skills were more than good enough to deal with small matters, like bullet wounds, cauterizations, amputations, poisonings, and extracting shrapnel. What he couldn't deal with was a matter of a troubled mind. Or an altered memory. Or both at once. Back at Manticore, the doctors for those types of ailments were called PsyOps. The very thought of them left a bad taste in Alec's mouth; he'd had his fair share of experiences with PsyOps.

Lihn was probably chatting it up with Max right this very moment, trying to figure out how much she remembered, what she'd 'learned' at Manticore, and how much work they had ahead of them before they'd start seeing the old Max again. Alec sorely wished he could be there to hear what Max had to say, and maybe to ask some questions of his own. Yeah, like, 'So, Max... The name 'Alec' mean anything to you?'

But he knew that his presence would only confuse things, what with her thinking Alec was her dead brother. He shut his eyes in pain for a moment while he tried to focus on the important things, like figuring out how to help Max. So selfish, thinking about yourself when Max is in there with problems so much worse...

At the sound of a door, Alec's eyes snapped open and he anxiously glanced in the direction of Max's room. Lihn was striding towards him. He quickly scanned her face for any sign of how it went, but she gave nothing away. Manticore had trained her well, it seemed. Alec impatiently strode to meet her halfway.

"How is she?" he blurted out before he could stop himself.

Lihn regarded him with a tight face and sympathetic eyes. "To tell you the truth, not so good. Physically, she's fine," she added quickly at Alec's worried expression. "Actually, I'd say she's in better physical condition than she was before she was... before she left. But she's so... suspicious of everyone... She's put up some incredibly thick walls, and it seems I, at least, am not allowed in."

"What did she say?" Alec asked with a frown.

"Not much...," Lihn answered carefully. "She said she wouldn't tell me anything. She called me a rogue soldier. A traitor." The young doctor's dark eyes were full of sadness. "But, I think there's still hope. If she sees some familiar faces, she might have a breakthrough. If she can just talk to someone she trusts, maybe that person can convince her that we are not the enemy, that we're her family." Lihn was giving Alec a pointed look.

"No, Lihn, I'm not going in there," Alec said firmly. The girl sighed. "It would do more harm than good."

"She trusted you to bring her here, didn't she? You were the one who found her! You've been a good friend to her ever since she took down Manticore."

Alec snorted. "Riiight. A friend. Such a wonderful friend! I helped her escape only to let her infect the only man she's ever loved with a deadly virus."

Lihn frowned. "You were under orders."

"I blew her only real shot at having that same virus removed by letting my ass get caught by White out of carelessness."

Lihn floundered around for an answer to that.

"With friends like me, who needs enemies?" Alec finished with a bitter smile.

The smaller woman's expression held heat as she stared up at her leader. "Look, I may not know all of the history between you and Max, but what I do know is that you care about her, very much, and that she needs someone to help her find her way. Are you going to help her?"

Alec's anger deflated. How can I help her when she doesn't even remember me? He frowned in thoughtful silence. He was starting to rethink what he'd told Logan earlier about Max finding her own way. If Manticore had done such a number on her that she couldn't even remember Logan, or that she'd killed Ben, or... Or me. Maybe she really did need some kind of push toward remembering.

But a part of Alec told him from a dark corner of his mind that it would be kinder to let Max forget horrors in her life like Ben's death, or her doomed relationship with Logan, or her missing brothers and sisters. She'd been through so much...

No. He couldn't do that. Max had to remember who she was. If they let her live in ignorance, what kind of life was that anyway? Alec roughly shoved away the voice inside him saying that he was just being selfish again. All he wanted was to give Max her life back. But again, how could he possibly help her remember?

I could lie. Pretend that I'm... No, he couldn't bear that again. There was no way he could fake being her dead brother again, not and hope to live with himself later. So what do I do?

Finally, an idea came to him, and he looked back up at Lihn with a small smile. "Yeah, I think I am."

He flipped out his cell phone, and dialed a familiar number. His smile returned when a voice answered on the other line. "Hey, it's Alec. ...D'you think you could do me a favor?"

"Sketchy, move yo' ass! Hot Boy said they needed us there now!" Cindy called with her usual attitude. She stood at the doorway to his messy apartment, and she checked her watch impatiently, one gloved hand resting on the handle of her bike.

"I'm comin', I'm comin'," came Sketchy's muffled reply. Cindy heard noises of random objects being thrown around and saw various bags fly across her sight in the doorway. She arched an eyebrow and gave a disdainful sniff. Men were such slobs.

"Found it!" Sketchy called triumphantly as he appeared in front of Cindy, dangling a dirty jacket for her to see. She wrinkled her nose at the smell it was giving off. "Let's go!" he said as he pushed past her and pulled the door shut. He paused in locking it and turned to face OC. "Hey, shouldn't we tell Logan? I mean, now that we've got proof 'n' all?"

Cindy pursed her lips in thought. "Wiggy, you been layin' off the smokes lately? That's twice now you've made sense." Sketchy beamed at her and finished locking his door. OC pulled out her cell phone and dialed Logan's. After two rings, he picked up.

"Hello?"

"Logan, it's Original Cindy wit some good news for ya."

"Oh, hey, Cindy. I could use some good news."

"It's Max. She's here. She's alive, Logan!"

"Max is with you?" Logan said intently.

"Well, no. Not right here. But she's alive! My girl's back in town!"

There was a pause on the other end. Finally, Logan asked, "How do you know that?"

"Alec called, said she's back in Terminal City," Cindy answered with a smile.

"Alec called," he repeated in a monotone.

Cindy's smile melted away. "Yeah..."

"What did he say, exactly?"

Cindy frowned. "He said that he found Max and took her back to Terminal City. Said she needed to see some friendly faces," she said slowly.

"So... you're in Terminal City right now?"

"No. Me 'n' Sketchy were just headed there. We thought you oughta know that she's back, that she's alive." What was up with him?

After another pause, Logan broke the uncomfortable silence briskly. "Let me drive you... I should be there to see her," he added in a softer voice.

"Yeah, sure," Cindy replied with relief. He'd been starting to weird her out for a bit there. "We're at Sketchy's apartment right now. You can swing on by."

"Alright. Thanks, Cindy. I'll see you in a few." With that, Logan hung up.

Cindy did the same and pocketed her cell as she met Sketchy's expectant face. "He's gon' pick us up 'n' give us a ride there. He wants to see Max," she added with a smirk.

With an effort, Logan kept a tight reign on his frustration. He distantly heard the phone creak in his clenching hand and put it back on the receiver before he broke it. All of it was distant. Only his thoughts rang loud and clear.

"Logan, you've gotta give 'er some space, man!..."

"...you showing up would only make things worse..."

"...She needs some time to find her way back. You just have to be patient..."

Alec had told him to stay away from Max, for her sake. She needed space, he'd said. She needed time to recover, he'd said.

But what was Alec doing? Who was he to decide who Max could handle seeing in her current state? Last Logan checked, Alec wasn't a doctor. His jaw clenched at the thought.

Alec was just making things difficult. Both men wanted the old Max back. But Logan knew that the old Max would've wanted him around. She needed him now! His presence would surely help her recover some of the memories and attitudes that made Max Guevara who she was. Seeing old friends like Sketchy and Cindy might help shake some things loose, but Logan knew that he meant more to her. If anyone could bring back the old Max, it was Logan.

"I have to see her," Logan muttered under his breath.

He stood up in his exoskeleton and grabbed the keys to Bessie.

Asha walked in the room right then, holding two steaming mugs of coffee. "Hey, Logan, I just made some coffee and I thought you might want... Where are you going?" she asked as she took in the sight of him with his car keys.

Worry painting his face, Logan flashed a tight, forced smile and walked past her. "To see Max."

The blonde woman was left to stare at the closing door with her lips parted and worry marring her features.

452 sat in her cell, huddled up in a ball. Well, it wasn't exactly a cell, but it sure felt like it. Just because they kept her in a room with no bars didn't mean it wasn't every inch a cell. She was, after all, a POW to these disgraceful traitors.

I miss 493... Ben. She recalled the dream where she'd heard that name for him, and it still sounded right. He could be Ben, and that would make her...

"Max. My name is Max!"

The voice seemed to have come from another lifetime, but it was there. No, my designation is 452. But it was okay to call 493 'Ben'? That didn't make sense. Her head spun with the frustrating confusion of not remembering as she should have.

Of their own volition, her eyes traveled over to rest on the black leather jacket. She shivered. Her brother had been wearing that when he'd found her after... when he'd found her the other night. Hadn't he? What if her dream wasn't just a dream? What if...?

"You're right, Maxie. I'm not your brother..."

452 gave a start, and her heart fluttered at the memory. What the hell is going on?

Her thoughts frantically searched for a change of subject and came up with bitter animosity for her captors. The girl called Lihn, an X6, had tried to tell her she belonged in this place with them! 452 wasn't AWOL! No, I'm just on a failed mission. The thought made her cold inside. Part of her wanted to wrap the jacket around herself again... NO.

Where did some rebel X6 get off asking her what she'd been doing the past few months? She would know firsthand if she hadn't gone AWOL. But the scariest thing was that part of her felt that Lihn was exactly right, that she did belong there. Why did she want to return to Manticore anyway? All that awaited her there was punishment for screwing up so badly. But I deserve it! It's my fault! Why shouldn't I be punished?

But that wasn't all there was at Manticore. 493 was there. Her family, her brother. Ben.

452 shivered again. Nothing is ever easy, is it? I don't even know what's real, who I can trust...

Her warring emotions vanished like a pricked bubble. 452 heard footsteps. She stiffened and braced herself to meet her visitors.

A/N: So I have this confession to make... I don't mind Asha now. I remember telling you all earlier that she annoyed me, and she did, but she doesn't anymore. I just sorta feel bad for her now, pining away for Logan when Max is all he ever thinks about. Poor girl... Anyway, feel free to leave me a review! Every little bit helps. :)

Thanks, and see you next chapter!