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DATELINE: December 20th 2002 - - - - - - Las Vegas, Nevada. Once again, speculation has reached fever pitch as the authorities in the American South West prepare for the landing of another meteorite. The memory of the last such show is prompting the arrival of more UFO enthusiasts; convinced these are extra-terrestrial visitors. The National Guard in New Mexico, Nevada and Arizona have all been called out as well as the extra State Troopers who have been drafted into the area in an effort to control the high volume of expected sight seers, or as they prefer to be called, the welcoming committee. One thing is for sure, if this meteorite does turn out to be a UFO, the authorities will be hard pressed to explain it away as being just another ‘weather balloon.’
In addition to the speculation over the meteorite, rumors are flying that SETI has intercepted another extra terrestrial signal, aimed at our planet. SETI officials are, as usual, denying such claims. It is impossible to refute, however, the increased military activity around Roswell, New Mexico. Although they claim that they are simply on exercises, amateur enthusiasts have detected numerous unexplained disturbances around the town. Additionally, anonymous sources suggest that there are four areas around the infamous ‘Area 51’ that have been sealed off by a strange ‘other worldly’ force field. As well as the military build up around Roswell, and Area 51, reports have been received of the mysterious death of a CIA operative in Albuquerque. The CIA are at pains to point out that there is no connection to anything else that may, or may not be happening in that region.
Authorities have passed off all of the ‘reports’ as hoaxes, and claim that there is a concerted effort to force the government into making some kind of false admission that a close encounter of the first kind has been made. They suggest that this has been fuelled by the highly inaccurate reports by the journalist, Sarah Brackham, and her stories of the teenagers who ran away from their homes in Roswell. The government agency responsible is still sticking to the story that it was a misunderstanding, even though one agent at least had been dismissed. They are also quick to point out that teenagers had not returned home, indicating that they had lives elsewhere, probably among the religious cults that proliferate the region. To complicate matters, it has been discovered that the parents of the missing teenagers are also now themselves, missing, although friends and neighbors do claim that the parents are simply taking a much-needed vacation. Speculation suggests that they are going to spend Christmas with their kids.
Meanwhile, the meteorite draws closer and will impact in the next few days. Many speculate that it will land in the vicinity of, you guessed it, Groom Lake. - - - - - - AFP.“Yes, Sarah,” Senator Glenn McCarthy smiled down the telephone. “I miss you too. Have you managed to catch up with them yet?”
“No,” Sarah replied with a sigh. “He’s incredibly evasive. By the time I get a lead on him, he’s already long gone.”
“Well, if it’s hard for you to find him, it’s impossible for his enemies, right?”
“Yeah. It’s just…”
“I know.”
“So, are you going to your mother’s for Christmas?”
“I had planned to,” Glenn nodded, even though Sarah could not see that. “But she tells me she’s visiting friends in Idaho. She invited me to tag along, but I don’t know these friends, so I’d only be in the way.”
“Have you managed to sound out a few of your fellow senators yet?”
“Sort of,” Glenn chuckled. “Let’s just say that I’m not the only one with an open mind. If ever there was concrete proof, I would have a lot of support in the senate.”
“Enough to run for the White House?”
“Perhaps,” Glenn gave a bright smile. “Wouldn’t that be something? So how about you? What are you doing for Christmas?”
“I think I’ll pop over to Idaho and see your mom.”
“She’d like that.”
“She’d like it better if we were both there.”
“Oooh,” Glenn laughed. “Emotional blackmail.”
“You love it.”
“Careful, lady. I might just become the most powerful man on the planet. One day.”
“Think anyone would vote for you?”
“My mom would.”
“That remains to be seen,” Sarah laughed. “Especially if you don’t see her over Christmas.”
“You’re relentless.”
“I know. Look, I have to go now.”
“Okay, Sarah. Look after yourself.”
“You too. I hope I see you soon.”
Glenn shook his head, and returned to the document he was reading. He had hardly read the first line, again, when someone knocked on his door.
“Come in,” he called.
Two huge men in dark suits, wearing ear-pieces entered his room. They gave him a courteous nod and conducted a quick search of the office, making sure that there was no other person inside. They then used a hand held scanner to check for bugging devices.
“Clean,” one agent spoke into his wrist.
A third agent entered the room.
“Senator McCarthy? The President of the United States.”
His jaw dropped and Glenn quickly rose.
“Senator McCarthy,” President Forest entered the room with a smile and extended his hand.
“Mr. President,” Glenn took his hand and shook it.
Like his father before him, also once a president, President Forest was a large man, determined to carve a name for himself. He was keen to crack his military might when he felt it was needed, and quick to use diplomatic muscle when force would be like cracking a nut with a sledgehammer. You either loved him, or you hated him. There was no gray area with President Forest.
“These kids from Roswell I’ve been hearing a lot about,” he came straight to the point. President Forest was not one to waste words. “What do you know about them?”
“Only what my girlfriend writes about them,” Glenn remained cagey.
“Have you ever met any of them?”
“No, sir. I haven’t. And neither has Sarah, although she knows the husband of one of them. Isabel.”
“You know, the White House has been giving this situation a great deal of thought, and we, well… I got around to thinking, what if they really were aliens, like the FBI claimed.”
“Sir?” Glenn narrowed his eyes.
“I’ve been thinking about this. I’d like to talk to them. Find out more about them, and if it’s true, where they came from. What they’re doing here, how we can help them, that sort of thing. Perhaps it’s time that the U.S. Government policy joined the twenty-first century. Do you think it might be possible for you to arrange for me to meet them?”
“I… I don’t um… know. I guess, uh…”
“Now this is strictly between you and me, okay? Set up a secret meeting. Somewhere safe. Somewhere quiet. Do you think they might like to visit Camp David?”
* * *
Beep. . . . . . . . shhhhh. . . . . . . . . beep. . . . . . . . . whooo. . . . . . . . . beep…
The room had been well prepared for his arrival. The wall had been covered with a smooth, white material that was easy to keep clean and sterile. An array of additional power outlets had been rigged along the far wall to cater to the bank of electronic instruments that all but surrounded the high metal-framed bed. From these devices, a network of cables, wires and tubes ran to the inert figure dressed in a simple white gown, laid out on the bed. The only sounds were the hum of the machinery, the steady ‘beep’ from the heart monitor that gave of the slow intermittent indication that Max was still alive – if only just – and the strange susurrus sucking and blowing of the respirator that kept his body breathing. Max had been rushed into this room within moments of the medivac helicopter’s arrival. He had been receiving the best care possible.
On the other side of a transparent, yet flexible barrier, three figures stood and watched the green displays of the monitors that told them how close to death Max was. The two men wore white hospital scrubs, their hair completely covered and their face masks dangling beneath their chins. Beside them, also in scrubs, a woman had already removed her cap and her mask.
“I’m really not happy about his temperature,” the eyebrows of the smaller of the two men knitted together. “I’ve never heard of anyone surviving that.”
Everyone had been showing concern over the abnormally high temperature, as well as the other less-than-normal readings.
“Trust me,” Michael shook his head. “We’re okay with it.”
“As long as you’re convinced you got all of the bullet out, he’ll be fine,” Isabel, playing nurse, rolled her eyes. “We’ve been here before.”
“You make a habit of getting shot?” the doctor’s eyes widened.
“Not if we can help it,” Michael smirked. “But so far, it’s the fourth time.”
“It’s just that…”
“Look, do what you have to do, okay?” Isabel placed his hand on the doctor’s shoulder. “As long as you don’t touch his cerebral cortex, and as long as he’s alive, everything’s okay. He’ll patch up whatever internal damage he has by himself when he wakes up.”
“I’m sorry,” the surgeon sighed. “It’s just… he seems so human, you know? All of his internals, his… other… stuff was just as I expected. But high temperature like this is just…”
“Relax, okay? You’re doing a good job,” Isabel gave him a sympathetic smile. Although the people here had all known this day would come, interacting with actual aliens was full of surprises.
“I wish someone would tell his wife that,” the surgeon looked toward the door to what had become the waiting room. “Every time I see her, I’m convinced she’s going to blast me with lasers or something.”
“Don’t worry about her,” Michael chuckled. “She’s only human.”
* * *
On the other side of the door, Max’s unique, extended family sat in what had become the waiting room. The room was stuffy and had the smell of people staying there for longer than was necessary, not that any of them noticed. Liz sat on a sofa, sandwiched between her mother, and her mother-in-law. She had not slept since they had arrived, last night. It was now early evening.
“You know,” Jesse sat in a dining room chair, just across from her. He had lifted her hand and held it, hoping that even though her eyes were vacant, she was listening. “Isabel recovered from her gunshot wound with only a basic first aid kit and a disgraced doctor on a kitchen table. Max is in there, in a purpose built operating theatre with the best of everything. These guys are professionals and they know what they’re doing. If anyone can survive this, it’s Max. Besides, he has you to come back to.”
“And Isabel had you,” Liz murmured.
“Yeah, but we weren’t exactly on the best of terms at the time. She thought I didn’t want her.”
“He’s right, Liz,” Maria told her. She too looked numb. Max was more than just an honorary girlfriend. Max had come to mean so much to her. “You know he won’t give you up that easily. Not now that he’s found you.”
The rest took their turn at consoling Liz, but she sat between her ‘moms’, pushing her consciousness out to find Max’s. She knew that as soon as he started to wake up, she would sense it. He had her blood in him now. He had Michael’s and Isabel’s too, but it was mostly hers. Hers seemed to help him the most and she had given far more than she should have. After all, if Max didn’t make it, what use did she have of it?
Jim cleared his throat, and sat up on the edge of the seat he had collapsed into.
“You know, back in the early days, before I knew, I used to wonder what power it was that Max was holding over everyone.” He looked at Liz. He hoped that talking about his memories of Max would help her. “I saw it first with Michael and Isabel. Then you, Liz, and Maria, and… Alex. I wondered why they would do practically anything to protect him and his secret. Even when I first found out what that secret was, there was still a part of me that believed that it was something alien. That he was controlling you all, somehow.” He looked from Liz to Maria and then Kyle. “But it wasn’t an alien power,” Jim shook his head. “His power was human.”
“What power is that, Jim?” Jeff frowned. He didn’t like the idea of anyone, not even Max controlling his daughter.
“He commands your respect,” Jim shrugged. “You just do things for him, not because he wants you to, but because you want to. He will never give up on something… or someone… he believes in. You only have to look at Liz for that. Max believed in him and Liz. He believes in her. He believes in life. He’ll not give that up for anything. If Death wants to take Max away from Liz, he’s going to have to fight him every inch of the way. And that’s a fight that I have no doubt that Max would win, even without his special powers.”
Everyone nodded their agreement.
“I never really noticed Max,” Amy took up her memory. “Not until Maria started dating Michael.”
“I don’t think you were supposed to,” Kyle smirked. “He’d been doing his best to not get noticed.”
“Even when I did start to see him around, I never knew that he was so attracted to Liz.”
“How could you not see it, Mom,” Maria rolled her eyes. “Jeez, half of Roswell knew they’d hook up before those two did.”
“Anyway,” Amy glared at her daughter for the interruption. “I just thought he was this quiet person, you know? A shy loner. The guy had ‘loser’ written all over him.” Amy rolled her eyes. “How wrong was that? But Liz must have seen something in him that we didn’t.”
“I really didn’t like Max when I first met him,” Jesse shook his head. “And then there was that Utah thing. I was getting close to Isabel at the time, and I was so afraid that the things he was involved in would affect her. I couldn’t understand how a smart girl like Liz would get involved with a punk like Max.” Jesse started to chuckle. “You know, I told everyone about the ‘magic steak’ that Max put on my eye. It became like a fish story. Whenever anybody says something that is obviously exaggerated or totally unbelievable, someone will say, ‘put some steak on it.’ He looked up at his mother. “Once I found out about him, about them, I was so afraid of Max. In the end, it took a heart to head talk with the kindest, most forgiving young lady I know, to help me see him for what he is.” He turned his attention to Liz. “I’m glad now that he was my best man at our wedding. I wish that I had taken the time to get to know him better back then. I mean, so many people love him. I should have seen that he was… different.”
My first recollection of Max and Liz’s relationship wasn’t so rosy,” Nancy smirked. “I was called into school by the principle after Liz had been in the eraser room, making out with Max. Sexual activity was how he described. I was ready to read Liz the riot act. But even then, I could see how loyal Liz was to Max, how she wouldn’t even think of letting me forbid her from seeing him. The morning after they had stayed out all night together was a defining moment for me. When they arrived together, hand in hand ready to face the music, together, I knew that Max would always be there for Liz. One way or another.”
Jeff gave a soft snort.
“I didn’t know anything about their relationship until then. I never even noticed after seeing her whole face light up, just cause Max came into the café. Hind sight is twenty-twenty.” Jeff shook his head. “Not even Kyle put that light there.” Jeff paused and looked embarrassed. “Uh… sorry, Kyle.”
Kyle just shrugged.
“Now that I think about it, when Mom died, it was only Max’s presence that helped her get over it. He always seemed to be there for her. I’m so glad that he gave her the chance to say goodbye. I wish…” A tear formed in the corner of his eye. “I wish I had that chance.”
“I was so flipped out over Max and the others when I found out,” Maria broke the awkward silence. “I really was afraid that Liz was getting into something that she couldn’t handle. But Max, he was so calm and patient with me, almost apologizing for his presence. I remember this one time when he helped me out when I short changed this woman, I was in such a state. I guess it was then that I knew Max would never hurt me. Michael on the other hand…”
“It wasn’t until that night I got Max drunk that I realized how much Max loved Liz,” Kyle cut the start of Maria’s rant short. He recognized the signs. “That was when I finally let her go, and accepted that he was good enough for her. We never really bonded, Max and me. But when I saw that his feelings for her were way more than mine, sure, I loved her, but no where near like Max loves her. Anyway, he’s a great guy, Liz. He’ll always be there for you. You just gotta let him find his way home. That’s all. The path to enlightenment must, by necessity, lead you through the dark.”
“I saw his leadership qualities when he and Michael went to rescue my Dad.” Connie took over. “He was so calm and he knew exactly what to do and how to do it.” She shook her head. “And the way he looked at Liz. And how he treated his friends. I remember after they left, I was talking to Liz and Maria. They were so calm, like they had so much confidence in them, they knew they would stay safe. That they would succeed. They never had any doubts, and that rubbed off on me. My first reaction was what can two teenagers do to help my dad? But they did. No one ever explained to me how they did it, but I’ll be eternally grateful that they did. I still have that confidence, Liz.” She smiled at her distraught friend. “If Max can pull that off, he can pull anything off.”
* * *
Liz sat on a comfortable chair, next to Max’s bed, holding one of his hands in both of hers. After the immediate danger had passed – although his heart rate was still weak, and he still needed the respirator - Liz had him transferred to a less clinical room.
“I don’t want him freaking out on me when he wakes up,” she told Michael. “He’ll think he’s back in the white room.”
When Liz made demands, she got her way, especially where Max’s welfare was concerned. Michael gave in, and even advised Bektor not to try and interfere. Max was still weak, so he was still connected to the machines that kept him alive.
“I’m sorry if I’m talking too much for you,” she told him. “I remember reading somewhere, once, that talking to people in comas is good for them. So I’m going to keep on talking ‘till you wake up.” A small smile crossed her lips. “So if you want to shut me up, you better wake up. I’ll do anything I have to, to make sure that you find your way back to me.”
A nurse came into the room, and gave her a sympathetic smile before taking a note of the monitor readings. She then checked the feeds that led into Max’s arm, the connections taped to other parts of his body and the tube that was lodged in his throat. She left them alone as soon as she was finished.
“You have to fight, Max. You have to come back to me. To the rest of your family. All of them. They’re all talking about what they remember of you. You really should wake up so you can hear it. They all love you, Max. I love you. I’ve always loved you. And, you know… I’m so sorry for all those time’s I’ve ever let you down. When I gave up on us.”
“Any change?”
Liz turned to see Isabel peering around the corner of the door.
“No,” Liz shook her head and wiped away the fresh tears she was shedding. Where had all the water for her tears come from, she wondered? “Nothing yet.”
“He’ll make it,” Isabel told her again. Liz knew that Isabel was as frightened as she was and said those words for her own benefit as well as Liz’s.
“Yeah,” Liz nodded. “Of course he will.”
“Maybe you should rest,” Isabel told her. “I can keep watch while you grab something to eat and nap. And maybe a shower? You want to be at your best when he wakes up, right?”
“Just for an hour,” Liz nodded, knowing full well that she would not sleep. But food and a shower seemed a good idea.
* * *
“It’s been three days, Max,” Liz scolded. “Huge black lines ringed her eyes. “It really is time you stopped all this nonsense, you know.”
There was a knock at the door. Liz frowned. Her family and friends just came in without knocking. Who could this be?”
Eldugar rose from his seat by the door and opened it. Liz could hear his quiet murmured words with the caller.
“Mrs. Ramirez would like a word with you,” he bowed.
Liz nodded, so Eldugar opened the door wider and stepped back to allow the older woman in.
“Why don’t you go and get yourself a drink, or something, Eldugar,” Liz suggested.
“That won’t be necessary, your… uh, Liz,” He shook his head.
“Look,” she snapped. “Michael and Isabel are in the next room. I’ve got Antarian guards surrounding this building. Human guards are everywhere else. Right now, I’m probably in the safest place on the planet.”
Eldugar beat a hasty retreat, recognizing one of Liz’s more dangerous mood swings approaching.
Liz rolled her eyes, and then pulled a spare seat closer to hers.
“Come and sit down, Mrs. Ramirez,” Liz patted the seat.
Jesse’s mother ambled across and sat in the offered seat. Liz noticed that she hadn’t looked at Eldugar and neither had she looked at Max.
“You love him, don’t you?” Mrs. Ramirez finally spoke.
“More than anything,” Liz took up rubbing Max’s hand again.
“Tell me about him. About what he is.”
“You know, Mrs. Ramirez, perhaps that’s where you’re going wrong. He’s just a young man who was born on another planet to very important parents. Because of some local problems and some advanced technology, he ended up here, an alien soul in a human body. However you look at him, he’s human, Mrs. Ramirez. More human that the man who did this to him.”
“They frighten me,” she replied after a lengthy pause. “All three of them. I don’t know how to treat them. They have those powers.”
“Why not just look on them as normal people who can do things,” Liz shrugged.
“They’re far from normal,” Mrs. Ramirez pointed out. “Not only do they come from another planet, they are royalty. And what about their religion? Are they even of God’s creation?”
“Why wouldn’t they be?” Liz twisted her head. “I mean, if God created the Earth, us and everything else, why wouldn’t he have made them as well? And as for royalty, well, you can tell Max that he’s a king until you’re blue in the face, but he’s still Max. They’re just normal people, like us, caught up in something bigger. Don’t treat them any differently to how you’d treat them if they weren’t who they are.”
Mrs. Ramirez studied the small woman before her.
“Did you know that Isabel and Elizabeth come from the same root? The ‘El’ part comes from the Hebrew word, God. It means Oath of God.”
“I didn’t know that,” Liz shook her head.
“Isn’t it funny how the two most important women in his life share the same name? How they both love him?”
“That’s Max for you,” Liz grinned. “But Isabel loves Jesse, too,” Liz leaned toward the older woman. “Just as much as I love Max.”
“Nevertheless, I am afraid of them,” she admitted. “Afraid of the life Jesse has now.”
“I wish that I could say something to assure you that it will all be worth it, that it will all end happily ever after, but you should know that being with Max is all I need. It’s all worth while as long as we are together. Jesse and Isabel feel the same way. Neither one of them was happy with their life until they were reunited.”
“But Max… Michael… the way they… I mean, they have these soldiers all doing what they say. They could kill people.”
“Only our enemies,” Liz confirmed. “Look, Mrs. Ramirez, by all means, you can think whatever you want to of Max, okay? You can hate him, you can be afraid of him, whatever you want. He won’t mind. But accept Isabel for who she is. Your son’s wife. Your daughter-in-law. It will make things easier for you in the long run, and then maybe, somewhere along the line, you might even find that you can accept Max.” Liz started to smirk. “Maybe Michael too, but that’s probably expecting too much.”
“They are right about you, Liz,” Mrs. Ramirez smiled. “You are indeed a remarkable woman. I’ll leave you in peace now. Thank you.”
“Any time,” she smiled and once the door had been closed, she returned her attention to Max. “I guess that explains the hostility Isabel’s been feeling from Mrs. Ramirez, ever since they met up again at your parents house. Iz will be happy, when I tell her that her mother-in-law doesn’t have a heart of stone.”
Liz’s eyes flew wide.
“Oh, my god!” she exclaimed.
She leapt up and ran for the door. She met Isabel, rushing in to her.
“I know how to help Max!” they both exclaimed at once.
* * *
