Part 3

"So? Anything?" asked Isabel, approaching Liz in the hallway.

"Max was definitely in my dream last night, though that's not all that
unusual," Liz blushed a little, embarrassed at the confession she had just
made to Max's sister. "But this felt different somehow. It...felt like
him."

"Well, what did he say?" asked Isabel.

Liz thought about what he had said - the most important thing he could have
ever said - but that's not what Isabel needed to know. "It's Topolsky.
They're holding him in some government facility somewhere. He said he's
fine and we shouldn't worry about him. He told me to tell you and Michael
to stay away, not to endanger yourselves."

Isabel let out an exasperated sigh. "Typical. So what are we supposed to
do? Just sit back and wait while they perform horrible experiments on him
and god knows what?"

"He seemed okay. They're just watching him so far. He's not hurt or
anything."

Isabel shook her head. "I don't like this."

Liz put her hand on Isabel's shoulder, comfortingly. "Isabel, can I ask you
a personal question?" Isabel nodded. "Do you wish that he had come to you
instead of me?"

"He can't. We don't really have dreams like you do. And even if we did..."
Isabel's voice trailed off. Liz could tell she felt like she was losing him
in more ways than one.

"Don't worry. Everything's going to be fine."

"What's going to be fine?" asked Alex, taking them both by surprise.

"Alex! You scared me to death," said Liz, punching him in the shoulder.

"Everything does not seem fine to me. I saw the way you two were intently
conferencing over here. What's up?"

Liz took his arm and pulled him closer so she could whisper, "Alex,
Topolsky's back. She's kidnapped Max and taken him somewhere. He's been
missing since Saturday night."

Alex looked at the two of them in shock. "You know for sure it was
Topolsky?"

Liz got an excited look in her eyes, "Yeah. See, Max came to me in a dream
last night and..."

Isabel cut her off, "You know, we should probably be getting to class. See
you later, Alex." She started down the hallway, hoping that Alex would not
make the connection between Max visiting Liz and her little visit to him not
long ago. Then again, a part of her hoped that he would.

Alex said, "Wait, you guys. I think I know a way we can find out what
Topolsky's up to. Meet me in the computer lab after school. I've got
something to show you."

* * *

The glass door to Max's cell slid open with a whoosh. A stern, bald-headed
man in a white lab coat stood in the doorway accompanied by two uniformed
guards. Max looked up at them wearily.

"All right, let's go," he said, indicating to Max that he should stand. Max
did as he was told. "Avoid physical contact if at all possible," the man
warned the guards.

Neither guard seemed to want to get very close to Max. Clearly they had
been made aware of his non-human status. He had to smile to himself. These
two burly military men seemed genuinely afraid of him. One guard stood
behind him, his gun poised and ready. The other stood beside him with one
hand firmly on his holster. Such a fuss for a non-assuming 16-year-old high
school student. Unless the kid also happened to be an alien with mysterious
super powers.

"Boo!" said Max to the guard at his side, having a little fun. The man
practically jumped out of his skin.

"Enough," said the man in the white coat. "Pay no attention to the
subject." Max didn't much like being referred to as a 'subject.' It didn't
bode well for the rest of his day.

This was the moment he had feared ever since he realized he was different.
He used to stay up late at night and think about what could happen if his
secret ever got out. They couldn't imagine a torture he hadn't already
thought of long ago.

The one thing he hadn't counted on in all that time was Liz. He was so
grateful for her now. When he thought about her the whole world seemed to
fade away. As long as he held on the memory of their time together last
night he could stand anything. He was looking forward to seeing her again
tonight. If he could just make it through the day first.

* * *

"So what's this all about, Alex?" asked Isabel.

He tapped on the keyboard of one of the computers in the lab while Isabel
and Liz looked on over his shoulder. "Okay, do you remember how we exposed
Topolsky as FBI before she left? I hacked into the remote server connection
on her laptop by creating a fake user profile and password."

"Yeah," said Liz. Something on the computer monitor caught her attention.
She and Isabel gasped in unison when they saw what Alex had brought up on
the screen.

"Well, it's still valid." There on the desktop, plain as day was the logo
for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. "They never deleted it. Highest
security clearance. I can access the server remotely from any computer on
the net. We can look at her files, open her e-mail, even see what websites
she's visited. All without her knowing it."

"Wow," said Liz.

"Alex, I love you!" said Isabel, hugging him around the shoulders. He was
happily surprised at the gesture.

"So, can you use this to find out where they're holding Max?" asked Liz
anxiously.

"Well, let's see..."

* * *

Max was drained by the time they brought him back to his stark little cell -
drained of fluids, drained of energy and nearly drained of hope. It had
been a grueling day. They poked and prodded him until he was numb. They
had attached electrodes to his body and asked him endless questions. He
made flippant remarks and cooperated as little as possible, but the
experiments continued. Fortunately, his trick of thinking about Liz had
worked. It helped him get through the worst of it.

Time was hard to judge in this place, but Max could tell the lights would be
turned out soon. Finally, he could escape completely into the world of Liz.
Last night had ended so abruptly, just when it was getting good.
Something must have awoken her. Tonight he wouldn't waste a moment of their
precious time together.

After what seemed an eternity, the lights in the hallway dimmed and Max knew
it was time. He closed his eyes and, just as he had done the night before,
concentrated on the image of Liz's face. He recalled a specific memory of
the last time he saw her. "Did you really mean all those things you said
tonight when we were alone tonight?" she had asked him. He made a mental
note to ask her what it was he had said that night. As he focused on the
image a heavy wave of drowsiness came over him. It wasn't long before he
was sound asleep.

* * *

Max walked through the double doors of the Crashdown Cafe. The lighting and
colors were different than his memory, somehow unnatural. He realized that
he had succeeded walking into Liz's dream. The cafe looked empty, but he
heard a sound coming from the back room. Through the little window in the
kitchen door he could barely make out a figure beyond. It was Liz and she
wasn't alone. Slowly, he opened the door to find Liz there in the break
room, making out with...himself. He couldn't help but smile.

Max cleared his throat. "Uh, Liz?" he said shyly. Liz was totally wrapped
up in the moment, barely aware of her surroundings. Max was almost sorry to
interrupt them. Almost. "Liz," he said again.

Liz opened one eye and saw him standing there. "Max! How can you be... but
you're... already here."

"That's not me. I mean, it is me, but it's part of your dream. This is the
real me."

"Oh," said Liz, looking a little confused and somewhat embarrassed.

Dream Max stepped away and looked down at Liz with an identical grin. "He's
right. I'm not real."

"This is weird." She turned back to the real Max. "So...how do I make
him...?"

"It's your dream. You control what happens in it."

Liz said to Dream Max, "Um. Why don't you go and get yourself a soda or
something?"

"Whatever you say, darling," said Dream Max with a brush of his hand to her
cheek. He turned and disappeared into the Crashdown.

"Darling?" teased Max.

"You said it's my dream," answered Liz coyly.

"Yes, and we're alone at last," said Max. He put his arms around Liz's tiny
waist and pulled her to him. She smiled and ran her hands along his smooth,
muscular arms, stopping at a square patch of gauze attached to his bicep.

"What's this?"

"Tissue sample," said Max, dismissing it.

He leaned in to kiss her but she put a hand on his chest to stop him. The
kissing could wait. She was concerned. "I thought you said they were just
observing you."

"That was yesterday."

"Does it hurt?"

"It hurts less when I think of you." Max tried again to change the subject,
but Liz wasn't focusing on romance at the moment.

Liz pulled away from him and plopped down on the small sofa. "This is all
my fault. I'm so sorry, Max. If you hadn't healed me that day none of this
would have happened."

Max sat next to her, held her hand and looked her square in the eye. "No.
Please don't even think that. If I hadn't healed you that day you would
have died. You didn't mean to get shot. I made the choice to save you. I
knew exactly what I was doing and I haven't regretted it for one minute
since. Whatever happens to me now, it will still be worth it because you're
alive."

"But it's not worth it if I have to live without you. What happens if they
find out about you?"

He finally broke eye contact with her and said, "They already know. They
knew long before they brought me here. They just need their scientific
proof." There was an awkward pause. He tried to lighten up the mood a bit,
"It may surprise you, but there's still a lot of people out there who don't
actually believe in aliens."

"Wow," said Liz, appreciating his dry sense of humor, "It's like dating
Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny."

"Except I doubt either of them would be thinking the kind of thoughts I'm
thinking right now," Max said with a mischievous glint in his eye.

He traced the v-shaped neckline of her cotton shirt with his index finger,
exploring the border between fabric and skin. Liz could sense his need for
her radiating like heat from his body. It reached inside of her like a
spark and ignited her own passionate flame. There were things she had
wanted to tell him, important things about plans being made, but they all
seemed to melt away in the warmth of his touch.

She closed her eyes. Soon she felt his lips pressing against hers. There
was an urgency in his kiss, a hunger, as if he could not go one more second
without her. He held the back of her head and threaded his fingers through
her soft, raven hair. It felt like he would have swallowed her whole if he
could. Short, passionate kisses alternated with long, deep ones. Liz let
out a moan of pleasure, which only encouraged his affection.

Max wanted to dive into her completely. He wanted to be lost inside of her.
The feeling of her silken hair flowing around his shoulders was almost
unbearable. He lowered his hand to the small of her back, kissing her
still, and leaned her slowly down on the couch. She scooted underneath him
until he was almost lying on top of her. He looked into her eyes, a
question on his mind. She read his expression perfectly and nodded in
agreement. His hands wandered down her shirt, and underneath it. The touch
of her skin was enough to send shivers through him.

Liz could not believe a dream could feel so real. But it was a dream, she
reminded herself. As heavenly as it felt to have Max's hands exploring her
for the first time as she had always wanted them to, she knew that it was
just an illusion. They weren't really together. She was at home in bed and
he was locked up somewhere beneath the desert, miles away. It didn't feel
right somehow.

"Wait, Max," she said.

"What is it? Something wrong?" The instant he removed his hand from her
body, Liz wanted it back there again. She hesitated, but remained strong.

"No. Nothing's wrong. In fact, it's perfect. Too perfect. It's not
real."

"I know," said Max. She didn't have to explain. He knew exactly what she
meant. Their first time, the first time ever for both of them, should be
experienced in the flesh. He just hoped that he would live long enough to
have the chance.

"Please don't take this the wrong way, but I think..." she closed her eyes,
knowing the next part would not come easy, "I think maybe we should wait,
you know? Is that okay with you?"

"Come here," he said, pulling her upright again. "It's fine." He stroked
her cheek with his thumb, kissed her sweetly, then put his arms around her
and held on tight.

Liz smiled, knowing that he understood.

Go to Part 4