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 The final bell rings and Liz looks forward to clearing out her locker. She can't believe she's actually made it through the year. And what a year it had been. Whitaker, Fmax, Nicholas and the Skins, the Dupes, Alex's death, Tess, the Granilith. Life had become so complicated, but at least, she and Max were back together ... well, maybe more than that. There's a slight smile on her lips as she remembers when she and Max made love the night Tess activated the Granilith. As she opens her locker, Liz never sees Maria walk up behind her.
"Hey, girlfriend, you're looking incredibly happy, " says Maria.
"Oh, Maria," says Liz, turning. "I didn't see you."
"Obviously," says Maria, "Thinking about Max?"
Liz blushes and shyly smiles.
"Anything you want to tell me?"
At that moment, Isabel and Michael arrive.
"No," says Liz. "Hey, Michael, Isabel."
"Hi, Liz," says Isabel.
Michael slides his arm around Maria's waist.
"Are you and Max stopping by the Crashdown later? We're having a little celebration after hours."
"Oh, what for?" says Isabel.
"Surviving," says Maria, "It's a Survivor party." Liz nods.
"Sounds like a plan," says Michael.
"Is Kyle coming?" asks Isabel.
"Mmm hmm," says Liz.
"Okay, I'll see you there," says Isabel. "I'll tell Max."
Liz turns back to her locker while Maria and Michael and Isabel make small talk. She takes the last of her books and stuffs them in her bag, when she hears Maria say ...
"What is THAT ticking? It's so annoying!"
It snaps Liz out of her half dreamy state as she realizes just what the sound is. Panic fills her and she finds herself shouting at them.
"GET OUT OF HERE! GO! NOW!" she says, pushing Maria and Michael from the lockers. But it's too little too late. Max rounds the corner just in time to hear and see the bomb go off.
Max wants to reach them. It's an awful scene. He sees many students on the floor, but it's Liz, Isabel, Michael and Maria that hold his attention. They, too, are on the floor; no one moves. He needs to get to them, heal them. There's so much blood, too many screams, too much crying, too many moans. Fleeing students impede his forward progress, but Max fights his way to one of the teachers.
"My sister, my sister's there. I need to go to my sister!" he screams, hoping they'll let him through.
"Mr. Evans, calm down," says Mr. Brackman, "I need you to exit the building. Help is on the way."
"I have to help my sister!" he insists.
"You can see her outside."
"She's hurt! My friends are hurt!"
"The police and ambulances are on their way. They'll be here in a few minutes. Don't make this any harder than it is."
At that moment, Kyle appears. Max is not even sure from where.
"What's going on?"
"A bomb," says Max. "It went off. Liz ... Isabel ... Michael ... Maria."
"Are they all right?"
Max shakes his head.
"I'm calling my Dad."
"I need to get to them."
"Well, you're not going to do it here," says Kyle.
"I don't have a choice."
"Okay, okay, let's hide in here," says Kyle, ducking into a storeroom.
In all the rush to move students out of the building, Mr. Brackman doesn't see Kyle and Max slip inside. They lock the door from the inside.
Kyle flips open his cell phone and calls his dad. Max listens for signs that the pandemonium has stopped. When it does, Max slowly opens the door. The corridor is empty, but he hears moans coming from around the corner. Please don't let them be dead, he thinks.
"My dad's on route. I told him about Liz and Maria, Michael and Isabel. He says he'll take care of it."
Max nods.
"What are you going to do?"
"I have to get to them before the paramedics ... to heal them."
"Won't you be exposed?"
"It doesn't matter," says Max.
They slip out into the corridor and around the corner. They're too late. The paramedics are already on the scene as are the police and SWAT teams. They don't see Max or Kyle until Max spots Isabel, who is conscious and sitting. A paramedic is bandaging her arm.
"Max!" she cries out. They all turn and see them.
One of the SWAT team trains his rifle at them. Kyle throws up his hands.
"It's my brother!" Isabel cries out.
The rifle is lowered. Michael and Maria are already gone, but Liz is lying motionless on the floor, face down. There are several paramedics working on her.
Max walks by Liz and it kills him not to be able to help her. He sits next to Isabel.
"Are you okay?"
She nods.
"Liz?"
"I don't think she's doing so good," says Isabel. "I heard them say they were going to have to be careful moving her."
Max watches the paramedics.
"One, two, three," they count and slide Liz onto a backboard. One of them holds the IV bag. The back of her blouse is soaked in blood. It's been cut down the center and pulled away from her body. There's a bloody bandage covering her back and a piece of shrapnel still implanted in her lower back, near the spine. It pains Max to see it.
"Michael and Maria?' he asks.
"I don't know," says Isabel. "They were so many people. I tried to look ..."
Isabel, Kyle, and Max watch as they lift the backboard onto the gurney. They strap her down and wheel her out.
"Okay," says the paramedic working on Isabel, "I've finished. Let's get you in an ambulance and take you to the hospital." He helps Isabel to her feet.
"Can I come with her?"
He hesitates.
"Please," says Isabel. "He really is my brother."
"Okay," he says.
"Kyle," says Max.
"No," he says waving his hands. "I'll follow with my Dad."
"Okay," says Max.
"What happened?" asks Max.
"I'm not really sure," says Isabel, "We were all talking, then Liz began shouting for us to get out!"
One of the paramedics looks at Max who looks a shade pale.
"Are you okay?" he asks.
"Yeah," lies Max.
"Oh, God, they invited us to this Survivor party this afternoon!"
"It'll be okay," says Max, trying to reassure Is, as they ambulance pulls up.
The back doors open. Max steps out, then the paramedics help Isabel out who starts to walk towards the doors.
"No," says the paramedic, pulling up a wheelchair.
"Really, I can walk," says Isabel. "You might need that for someone else.
"Policy."
Isabel looks at Max and he nods. She sits in the wheelchair and lets the paramedics wheel her in. Max walks by her side.
When they enter, Mrs. Evans is already there. There's obvious relief when she sees Max standing and Isabel conscious. She had gotten there just before they brought in Liz Parker and had been fearing the worst.
She throws her arms around Max.
"Thank God," she says. "Are you hurt?"
"No," says Max. "Is ..."
Before he can finish, they wheel Is into a room. Mrs. Evans tries to go in, but she's stopped by one of the paramedics.
"Are you her mother?"
"Yes, yes, I am."
"You'll have to wait outside."
"I'm her mother," says Mrs. Evans.
"Just let us do our job," he says. "Your daughter's going to be fine. We're just going to check her out further and you'll be able to see her soon"
"Come on, Mom," says Max, leading his mother away from the door to take a sit near the Parkers.
He wants to position himself so he can speak to the Parkers directly.
"I haven't been able to reach your father, yet," says Mrs. Evans.
"I'll take care of it," says Max.
"Thank you, honey."
Max goes to a pay phone and dials his father's law firm. As he does, he sees Amy DeLuca rush in and go up to the desk.
"My daughter," she says loudly, "Where is my daughter?"
"Calm down, ma'am," says the ER clerk. "We've got a lot of kids coming in. What's your daughter's name?"
"Maria," says Amy, "Maria DeLuca. I need to know, is she okay?"
"No, I don't see her here, but we have several girls in ER right now, but no paperwork yet."
"How can you not know if my daughter's here? I was told she was brought here."
"Mrs. DeLuca," says the woman, trying to be patient, "several of the kids were unconscious when they were brought in, so they haven't been identified yet. You'll just have to wait."
Max hangs up the phone, starts to go up to Amy DeLuca when he sees Sheriff Valenti enter with Kyle. He sees Amy immediately and goes directly to him.
"Oh, Jim," says Amy, wrapping her arms around him, "they can't find Maria."
"It's okay, Amy. I'll find out where she is."
Valenti sees Max and calls out to him.
"Max," he says.
Max goes up to Valenti.
"Isabel?" Valenti asks.
"She's fine," says Max.
"Thank God," he says. "What about Maria, Michael and Liz?"
"I haven't seen Michael or Maria, but ... Liz looks bad," he says, lowering his voice. "I have to see her."
Valenti understands.
"That's a tall order, right now."
"I thought, with so much going on, I might be able to sneak in."
"I doubt it," says Valenti. "She could be in surgery."
Max lowers his head.
"Michael has no family," says Max. "He has only us. Can you check on him as well?"
"Sure, why don't you go sit down. You look like you could use it. Are you sure you're okay?"
Max nods, then adds, "I saw it, I saw the bomb go off."
Amy DeLuca stares at Max.
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