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

ARCHIVE: No

Artwork courtesy of Valjean & JensenAckles.org

The first explosion knocked everyone in the open Square off their feet, the brilliance of the flames blinding, the roar deafening. The second explosion -- to Alec's left -- put down anyone who hadn't been taken out by the first, and the third -- emanating from a pile of trash cans in an alley to the side of the tavern -- added insult to those already injured.

Was Max insane? Alec thought as, lying with his arms half covering his head, he squinted up through smoke, trying to draw a breath and at the same time keep track of all those guards who'd had guns trained on him a second before. Then he remembered Asha's mother.

Margaret Curran was lying face down a few feet in front of him, her arms moving feebly as she tried to raise her head. Squirming forward, Alec shielded her body with his own as gunfire erupted. "Stay down!" he commanded. "And follow me!"

Taking hold of her arm, the X5 rose to a crouch, and -- tugging the woman with him -- made a dash for cover behind a broken bench that graced what had once been a small garden area in the Square.

"Alec!" he heard someone cry. Looking over his shoulder, he wasn't all that surprised to see Mole's lizard head pop up from behind a dumpster. His friend gestured, indicating he should make a run for it.

"Come on!" Alec shouted to the trembling woman beside him, trying to make himself heard over the staccato of automatic weapons fire. She looked up at him with large frightened eyes. "What's going on?" she managed to say. "Who are you?"

"A friend of Asha's," Alec said.

He thought that would make her feel better, and was surprised when her eyes grew even wider.

"No," she said, trying to scramble away from him.

Realizing she was hysterical, Alec did what he had to do. One quick blow on the chin, and Margaret Curran slumped in his arms.

"I got her," Mole said, suddenly beside them and scooping the limp figure up. "Go!"

Alec looked right and left, then dashed across the open square, holding his breath and waiting for a bullet. However, a second later Mole and his burden were with him behind the sturdy cover of a brick wall. Glancing to his left, the X5 saw Max and Logan and nodded.

"You all right?" Max said, running down the line to be beside him.

"I'll live," Alec replied, sitting with his back against the wall and holding his cuffed hands out as she took a lock pick from her pocket. "Thanks for comin' to get me, but I could've done without the pyrotechnics."

"That was Logan's idea," Max said as she pried open the lock and the cuffs fell away. "He knew we'd need a distraction. We just hoped you and Margaret would be able to get out of the line of fire."

Alec looked up to see Asha bending over her mother's still form where Mole had lain her down.

"Is she all right?" Max asked, her brow furrowing with worry.

"She will be," Alec said, seeing that Curran was now stirring and deciding to not mention how he'd knocked the lady out. "Those two will have some catchin' up to do." Then he noticed his brethren beginning to move around them.

"We goin' home?" he asked. "With the bad guys still standin'?"

"You know the saying," Max replied. "He who fights and runs away--"

"--lives to fight another day," Alec finished the little ditty for her. He shook out his sore wrists, glanced back over his shoulder to make sure Logan wasn't watching, then reached out and took hold of Max's chin with his hand, forcing her to look into his eyes.

"We okay?" he asked softly.

"We're fine," she said nervously.

Acting on impulse, Alec moved his face closer, intending to kiss her, but Max drew back and he stopped, letting his hand drop ... letting her go ...

"Alec--"

However, before he could say anything Mole came scooting along the wall. "Bus is leaving, children," he said. "Move!"