DISCLAIMER: All DARK ANGEL characters belong to James Cameron and Charles Eglee (Cameron Eglee Productions) and DARK ANGEL itself belongs to FOX.

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Photo courtesy of Still Frame

Max's first stop was at Terminal City -- to raise an army. With Mole in charge, her people began moving like the well-trained soldiers they really were, preparing and arming themselves for a rescue mission involving one of their own.

Her second stop -- an hour later -- was Logan's apartment.

"They got Alec," were the first words out of her mouth as she came through the tunnel door.

Logan looked up in surprise from where he was making a snack in the kitchen. The hour was late, but he obviously hadn't been able to sleep. Probably worrying about me, Max realized with a pang of guilt. I should have called ... However, dressed in typical tan khaki slacks and a blue sweater that matched his eyes, Logan really didn't look all that tired, only his disheveled hair hinting that it was really the wee hours of the morning. The instant look of concern on her lover's face when he saw her made Max feel even worse.

"What do you mean they got him?" Logan said, setting aside the sandwich he'd been making. "Alec's not--"

"No," Max quickly said. "At least I don't think so although ..." She remembered that single gun shot. "He's trapped," she continued, refusing to believe the worst. "There was a tunnel that hadn't been there before, and Alec went through first, and a big grate came down. I couldn't get to him, Logan. All I could do was go and get help." Her voice echoed the despair she still felt at having to abandon her brother.

"You did the right thing, Max," Logan assured her, moving around the counter to take her in his arms and kiss her.

She let herself snuggle into that familiar warmth, returning the kiss, reminding herself that this is what she'd wanted ... this was where she belonged ... this was who she loved. However, she also remembered the feel of another pair of strong arms around her, and warmer lips than his kissing her in a very different way.

"Mole's getting a team together," she said. raising her head so she could look into Logan's blue eyes as they regarded her from behind his spectacles.

"You know whoever it is will be waiting for you," Logan gently chided. "You'll suffer heavy casualties, and even if you overpower the enemy they might kill Alec in retaliation."

"Well how the hell else am I supposed to rescue the smart ass?" Max cried, pulling out of that embrace not because she didn't want comforting, but because she felt guilty. "Leave it to Alec to get himself caught like this and expect me to save his butt!"

"Sounds like it wasn't Alec's fault at all," Logan said, his voice still gentle because he knew how to handle her mood swings, especially when they concerned a certain other X5. "We'll get him, Max. We always do. What you need is another way in."

"There isn't any other way in," Max said dully, throwing herself down on the couch. "That's the whole point of us investigating the merman's cave, isn't it? To find a way in? Well, we found it. But now Alec's trapped and--"

"Shhh," Logan said, sitting down beside her. "Of course there's another way in," he said. "If there really is a prison down there people must come and go all the time. Guards ... officials ..." He waggled his eyebrows. "Maybe even prisoners for the prison?"

"But you said you'd never been able to find it," Max reminded him.

Logan smiled wickedly. "I never said I didn't know where the main entrance was. I said I needed a back way in, which is what you and Alec found. Now, I'm thinking we need to use the front door after all."

"What?" Max said sarcastically. "I just sashay up to the guard and politely ask them to release my jack ass partner?"

"No," Logan said. "We definitely need leverage, but I'm thinking they're going to offer a deal. In fact, I'm betting we hear from them soon, once they realize what Alec is -- a transgenic. He's valuable, Max, and they know it."

"You think they'll try and sell him back to us?" she said, her voice now incredulous. "Logan, we don't even know for sure that Alec's still alive. There was a gunshot and--"

He took hold of her hand. "Alec's alive, Max. He has to be because it just wouldn't be fair for you to lose another one of your siblings. Besides, more than any other X5 I know -- present company excepted -- Alec's a clever survivor. He knows how to play the enemy's games. You know damn well he'll talk himself out of them killing him ... make any deal they want if it buys him time."

There was that ... Taking a deep breath, Max found herself feeling a little bit better. "So," she said. "What do we have to deal with? It's not like TC has millions of bucks lying around to use as ransom. We couldn't swing that when you were kidnapped, and we sure as hell can't swing it now."

"I don't know what they want, Max. We might have to wait and see but--"

A sudden knock on the front door of Logan's apartment made both turn their heads -- startled. After all, it was 3 a.m. A check of the security monitor showed it was Mole, and Max let him in.

"This just came," the lizard man said, handing a large manila envelope to Max. If it was possible, the transhuman looked a bit pale, she thought. "It's got your name on it," he pointed out.

"What is it?" she said, gingerly taking the dirty looking package from him.

Mole looked away, the cold cigar in his mouth drooping. "I'm sorry, Max," he said roughly.

Her heart filled with dread, Max opened the envelope and pulled out a light grey t-shirt that was still sticky with what her nose told her was fresh blood. The material was soaked with it. Alec had been wearing a grey t-shirt tonight ... under his jacket ...

She clutched the material tightly, her mind momentarily blanking.

"There's a note," Mole said stiffly. "Addressed to you -- Max Guevera."

Pulling out the single sheet of white paper, its one corner also stained pink with the blood, she read the simple demand.

"What do they want for him, Max?" Logan asked, coming up behind her.

"Me," she said quietly, pulling away. "They want me."