<center>Chapter 11</center>
It’s been six months since the disappearance of Michael and Isabel. I miraculously passed all my exams with flying colors – summer and fall session. I look back on the past six months and wonder how I did it between taking care of Nathan and trying to figure out a way to save Michael and Isabel. Also, I’ve found time to move in to a new place. Actually, Alex and Maria moved all my stuff while I was in class. We thought it was safer to buy a new place that didn’t have a chance of being bugged.
About a week after Michael and Isabel were kidnapped, Maria and Alex accompanied me to the old apartment. We cleaned it up so the landlord would stop screaming at me through the receiver at Alex’s place. Most of the stuff ended up in the trash, but some things we were able to salvage. For example, we took furniture from the old apartment and used it for the new one. Maria took all of Michael’s bedroom things and I took all of my bedroom things. We sold the couch and the TV from the living room (Alex had his own that would be incorporated into the new place). By selling the old stuff, we were able to pay for a new crib to replace the one that had been broken to pieces. There were smaller things that we sold that helped us pay for a year’s rent in the new place. Most of the things that we use in the new apartment are things that came from the apartment Alex shared with Isabel. The furniture in the new place is a constant reminder of Isabel and I often find myself wondering how Alex feels about it. Some of the things that he owned were too feminine, even for Alex. To my surprise, he seemed to handle the arrangement well.
In fact, he has been on a hunt all summer for people that might be able to help us. Unfortunately, the only reference he has right now is the internet. At first, he only found quacks that didn’t know what they were talking about, but eventually he stumbled upon people that knew what they were talking about. The search for help was nothing, but frustration for Alex. If he had a lead, they knew nothing about how to save aliens from the Special Unit or they were paranoid and thought he was the Special Unit. I think Alex has found some people that are useful and trusting sources, but he never talks to Maria or me about his findings. What we do know, is that when Alex does speak with his contacts, their conversations are kept short. Alex says it’s pretty easy for the FBI, or any other government agency, to hack into your computer and see what you are discussing with another individual. Being the computer expert, Alex has devised some anti-hacking program, but it only lasts for an hour. After that hour is up – and he has installed a time ticker, so he knows right down to the second when they will be able to get into his computer – he changes his conversation to your typical ‘hey, what’s up?’ It’s comical, in a dark way. I’m surprised we’ve lasted this long without being caught.
Despite all this chaos, I can’t help but wonder what Max is up to right now. It wasn’t until Michael and Isabel were kidnapped that I actually considered that my vision of him collapsing before my eyes might be a premonition rather than a dream/nightmare. Nathan was at least two years old by then. Does this mean it’s going to take us two years to get Isabel and Michael (and Max?) out of the hell that they’re enduring right now? I’m hoping that we can devise a plan and break them out before then, but how are two measly humans and two untrained aliens supposed to break them free? I still haven’t been able to summon any of my hidden powers. If Max is being abused by the FBI doesn’t that mean that he is an alien? So my so called powers are imaginary because Max is really the one with the powers. He passed them to Nathan and here I am with my child safe and sound, but the father of my child, my best friend, and Isabel are out there somewhere. I can’t believe this is actually happening. How come I never thought that Max was an alien? How could I have been so dense to believe that a tourist in Roswell, New Mexico wouldn’t be an alien? Michael was an alien and he lived in Roswell. It doesn’t mean that just because we were friends that I am automatically alien as well. You just don’t catch alien – as if it’s some sort of disease.
Alex has been taking the news about Michael and Isabel pretty easily, considering the circumstances. He hasn’t asked any questions. He seems to be able to grasp the concept with the help of his online friends: Kyle and Tess. The two are up to date on their alien knowledge. They have their own private community, which I think Alex has covertly signed Maria and me up for. Kyle and Tess, married to each other at the young age of 20, are the co-owners of their organization. Tess is an alien and she tries to help others like herself in trouble. They don’t know about our predicament, yet (to the best of my knowledge). Alex never talks to Maria or me about his conversations with the couple. When we ask him what they talk about, he dodges our questions and changes the subject. Tonight, though, is a little different.
“So Alex, care to share what you were talking about with Tess and Kyle?” Maria asks as she sets the table for dinner. I’m at the stove making a hearty spaghetti meal for three while I heat up a warm bottle of milk for Nathan.
To our surprise, Alex responds with an affirmative. “They’re coming to Los Angeles.”
“Oh, are you having a little ménage tres with the couple?” Maria jokes. Alex gives her a stern look. “What? Come on, you never tell us anything about the two except that they’re a couple that leads some big alien beneficiary organization. Besides, I think we all need a little laugh every now and then. Things have been so crazy around here. It’ll lighten the mood, even temporarily.”
Alex still appears to be unfazed. As I add the finishing touches to the spaghetti sauce, Alex continues his original conversation. “All jokes aside, Maria, these people are going to help us free Michael and Isabel. Tess thinks that they were all in the same incubation pods when they were younger. The story you told me, Liz, about Michael and Isabel, I told Kyle and Tess. Tess thinks–”
“Alex, that wasn’t your story to tell,” I jump in. By now, I’m serving the dinner to Maria and Alex. “The only reason you were let in on the secret was because Michael and I agreed upon it. Code green may seem like some harmless thing to you, but Michael and I have lived by it our entire lives. When we told Maria, she knew she had to honor our code. I thought I made that clear to you.”
“Do you want to save them or not? Because if you didn’t, then I could have kept my damn mouth shut!” Alex screams. I’ve never seen him so angry, but then again, I don’t blame him. We’ve all been on edge lately. As if he realizes what he just did, he rubs his temples and then apologizes. The only problem is I don’t know whether he is apologizing for shouting or for telling Kyle and Tess. Alex, in a calmer tone, picks up where he left off. “It’s just that Kyle and Tess have the key to what it will take to save our loved ones from enduring anymore pain! Do you even know what they do to people in there? I’ll tell you, because Tess is a living survivor. They torture them, Liz. They shock them, they prod them, they beat them. In the white room they have no conscience or sympathy for someone who is different. To them, being an alien is a hateful thing. They don’t see that aliens are just like us. Michael and Isabel have feelings, they have hearts. THEY’RE FUCKING HUMAN!”
I can see the tears threatening to escape Alex’s eyes. Maria and I know better; Alex will excuse himself to the bathroom and cry there than show us that he is weak. Alex is stronger than us, in more ways than one. He had the strength to find these individuals and get them to visit three poor individuals, which, for all they know, are making up some atrocious lie. Who knows how many times they had to investigate us – and I wouldn’t hold it against them if they did.
Alex gets up from the table and makes a trip to the bathroom. Suddenly my dinner is no longer appetizing. I shove it away from me and stare at Maria. She pushed away her plate too. We look at each other knowingly with guilty eyes. This situation has been a lot more stressful on Alex than it has been on any of us. He has somehow managed to balance schoolwork, come up with an anti-government-hacking program, and find people that could help us take on the bastards at the FBI.
Meanwhile, I can’t say that I’ve had enough free time to spare for all that Alex has done. I’ve been working with harder classes and taking as many as I can during one semester. That means studying until I’m reading to explode, going to classes, and taking care of Nathan.
Maria is working for the three of us right now. She takes care of Nathan when Alex and I can’t. The rest of the time she is the breadwinner. Since our rent is taken care of for another few months most of our extra money is spent on diapers and food. Plus, I still have a lot of money in the bank accumulating interest from my working days my first year of college.
Maria sighs and looks at her watch. “I have to go back to the bar. Get some rest tonight, chica. And you,” Maria points at Nathan with a smile, “Be a good boy for your mama and make sure she gets plenty of rest. Don’t keep her up partying all night.” Maria stands up and moves over to me, giving me a hug as she says her nightly goodbye. Maria progressed from waitress in Smalltown USA to bartender in Los Angeles. At least L.A. is home to drunks; without them, we wouldn’t be able to survive.
By the time Maria is gone, Alex emerges from the bathroom. His eyes are puffy and he looks as if he has been rubbing his lids vigorously with Kleenex.
“I’m sorry, Alex. We’ve all been under a lot of stress lately. The truth is, I’m really glad you found these two. I’m just worried that they might be scamming us, but somehow I have a feeling you’ve thoroughly checked them out. After all, you’ve been communicating with them for, how long?”
“Nearly five months,” he says with a small smile. Oh yeah, I’m definitely helping out his ego. “Liz, I know we don’t need to much more stress, as you’ve just mentioned, but what I wanted to discuss with you tonight was more than just them coming to Los Angeles. They will be staying with us for a night, or two, or however long it takes for them to figure out what we should do.”
I stare at him blankly. “Alex, I’m not trying to put down your idea, but how are we going to support them? We can barely support ourselves here. We don’t even know what we’re going to do with next year’s rent. It’s a miracle that we could even pay this far in advance with the other money.”
“They’re loaded. They said they would help with food and rent when we need it. They understand that we’re college students struggling to make ends meet. I was thinking they could sleep in my bedroom and I’ll take the couch in the living room.”
The apartment buzzer goes off and I stare at the door. “Looks like they’re here on time,” Alex says with an awkward smile. I stare at him, and then I look back at the door. “Sorry, Liz. I didn’t know how well the idea would fly with you.”
“So you waited until now to tell me? Alex, I don’t even know these people.”
“You’ll get to know them. They’re really great individuals,” Alex says. He walks over to the door and presses the button that opens the door at the bottom of the stairs. I could hear their steps on the cheap staircase as they treaded up three floors to our small apartment.
How were we going to house five people in an apartment that was really only meant for two? Maria and Alex shared a bedroom with nothing but a curtain dividing the two areas. The two were kind enough to agree that Nathan and I should have our own bedroom together. Maria and Alex had to have the Master bedroom in order to fit all their furniture together in one room. Nathan and I shared the smaller guest bedroom. Luckily we didn’t have to worry about adding another bed to the room, yet. Nathan was still small enough to comfortably fit inside of the crib and he probably would be for another two years. Then, we’d have to progress to the big boy bed. The thought of having to buy a bed so soon gave me a twisting financial sickness in the pit of my stomach.
I’m ripped from my thoughts on my financial woes when Kyle and Tess enter the room. Kyle reminds me of this guy I knew during high school. He was the star quarterback. Everyone believed he was going straight to the pros. I can’t say I know where the guy is, but he definitely had talent. Tess freaks me out. She stands there with a smirk on her face, but Alex greets her warmly. Maybe I’m reading her completely wrong, but I can’t help feeling like she’s up to no good. But whose perspective am I thinking from? If I’m thinking from the FBI’s perspective of course she’s up to no good. She’s here to help. Besides, she’s just like Michael.
“Hi, I’m Kyle and this is my wife Tess.” Kyle approaches me and sticks out his hand for me to shake.
“I’m Liz,” I respond. In the background I can hear Nathan wailing. He’s probably starving. The milk I was supposed to give him is still in the microwave. I take the bottle out of the microwave. Before walking away I tell the two, “And that’s my boy.” I go into my bedroom where Nathan had been in his crib awaiting his dinner. I take him out and sit in a rocking chair. I cradle him close to me and feed him.
Quietly, I can hear the others speaking in the living room. I strain my ears to hear what they’re discussing. I’m still leery about letting anyone in on the secret. I know Michael wouldn’t be pleased, to say the least, if he found out that two others know about his secret. And then, the people that have joined Tess and Kyle’s cult – who knows how many – know about Michael’s secret.
“How old is she?” Tess asks.
“Twenty,” Alex replies.
“Wow, she’s pretty young to be a mother.” Well, that’s what I didn’t like about her. Once you become a mother you get this otherworldly instinct. I just knew it.
“Yeah, well, for being young she is a damn good mother. She is doubling up all her classes at UCLA and she still manages to balance school and Nathan. She probably doesn’t realize it, but I’m really proud of her,” Alex says. Thank you Alex! He is the best friend a girl could have, next to Michael, I think somberly. The fact that he’s openly proud of me causes my eyes to water. Man, I thought I was done with these damn pregnancy hormones! I will the tears away and focus on the precious being below me, miraculously drinking his milk with a childlike innocence, but with other worldly presence.
I realize now, looking into the eyes of my baby, that I haven’t been fair to Kyle and Tess. They are obviously trying to help the situation and who am I to shut them out of my life just because they know Michael’s secret and I’m sour that I wasn’t the one who got to tell them gently. Now, I must make amends, get to know these people, and come up with a plan to save Michael, Isabel, and Max. Taking Nathan in my arms I carry him to the living room as I brave the elements…I mean Kyle and Tess.
Author's Note: For those of you who may be wondering if Alex knows about Max, check page 10. I've left an explanation. In short, it says that the part written was from Liz's perspective. She saw some questions arising in Alex's mind, but she forged ahead with her own questions instead of giving Alex the opportunity to ask his own. I haven't decided what I want to do with Alex's thoughts yet. I'm hoping I can have one more chapter out before Thursday. Thanks for all the positive feedback! -- Ericka
An Enigmatic Stranger(AU,WA,ML,ADULT) Ch16- 07/28/05{WIP}
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Effluent Elegance
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
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Chapter 11
Last edited by Effluent Elegance on Mon Jun 21, 2004 5:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Effluent Elegance
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2003 6:25 pm
- Location: Wisconsin
<center>Chapter 12</center>
Something strange happened that night. I discovered more than I had originally intended, but not from whom I intended to hear it from. Tess and Kyle were just who they said they were; I didn’t stumble on some secret they had because they had none. Any questions I had, they answered. But before any questions were asked, I connected to someone in pain.
I sat down in one of our chairs and kicked my feet up on the ottoman. Nathan was nestled safely in my arms. He gurgled and swung his fists happily while I prepared myself for a conversation with our guests. Before I could begin a conversation, I was hurling through space – no, not space; it was the sky. I was still in Earth’s atmosphere; the stars shined brightly above me and the land whirled by below me. Abruptly, my journey in the sky was brought to a halt and I was plummeting to the ground. When I expected to hit the ground, I whirled right by it. I was invisible and now traveling through the terrain until I landed in some compound.
At first, I wasn’t sure where I was. The walls were white, and I wore a hospital gown that paralleled the white on the walls. All of the walls around me were white, except for one that had a huge one way mirror. I looked at my reflection and realized I wasn’t me. I had flowing blonde hair, bruises on my arms and legs, and a battered face. I was Isabel. With this realization, my thoughts weren’t my own anymore; instead they were clouded over with Isabel’s.
Where is that bastard Pierce? I hope he isn’t watching me through the mirror with that smug look on his face. Was it so selfish to hope that he wasn’t here, but feel torn to know that if he wasn’t here watching me, he was beating Max or Michael in the other rooms for answers? My entire stay here has been spent in a state of unconsciousness. I’ve finally begun to think. I can’t help, but feel my heart clench knowing that Michael or Max must be giving some answers for Pierce to finally relent on my abuse. Besides that, I think he wants me to be fully recuperated to be able to reproduce. He wants me to create an alien baby that he can poke and prod. Once I create another, he will start poking and prodding, until I give birth, then he will make the child grow up under intense observation in another white room. I’m not sure who he is choosing to be the father, but his knowledge that Max is my brother means that he will probably pick Michael. But who knows; Pierce is a twisted fuck who takes amusement from others’ pain.
I remember the night they brought us in. I remember the capture. I remember them taking Max from me. He was so adamant about my safety in Los Angeles with the big, bad, Michael Guerin. We should have been watching our backs for government agents, not bad aliens like Michael. Somehow Max wound up in the white room first.
I tried to contact him as usual. He used to dream about this girl. I never really saw her face, just her outline and her chocolate brown hair. The dreams were always too vivid for my liking, if you know what I mean. Recently, things started to change. He no longer dreamt about her, but a little boy. Each dream portrayed a different boy; in one dream he was but an infant seeking the protection of his daddy, in another he was a young boy learning how to play baseball, in yet another he was a teenager asking for advice with girls, and finally he was a young man going to experience his first day of college. The boy was the same, but his age was always changing. It didn’t always happen in succession; sometimes the ages would jump, but the events that the boy endured were just like those of any other child. As if things couldn’t get any weirder, the boy’s name was Nathan. Wouldn’t that mean that the woman with the chocolate brown hair was Liz? Through that time span, I never said a thing to Liz. I never knew what to say to her. Was I just supposed to walk up to her and say that my brother was her baby’s daddy? No. It wasn’t my place. But if I were back home and I knew then what I know now about the white room, would I tell her? Yes, I would. Now, I might not have that luxury. I don’t even know if I will make it out of here alive much less tell Liz that Nathan’s father is, in fact, my brother.
I continue to remember what events led up to my stay here. After dreaming of Nathan, Max’s dreams disappeared. It seemed odd because everyone dreams, but Max wasn’t. At first I thought that he may have been going to bed at a different time, but that didn’t seem plausible. We agreed on a certain time for bed and he hadn’t broken that rule for a year; what would change now? With this newfound knowledge, I willed my powers to become stronger until I was strong enough to become a part of him during waking hours. I saw what he saw, and what I was seeing was definitely not Harvard. Nor was it a dorm room. It was what I am staring at right now: white walls on three sides of me and on the fourth a huge one way mirror. His eyes were glazed over and I can confidently say he had been drugged. Going through the experience myself has opened my eyes to what Max truly had to endure while I was frantically searching for him.
Meanwhile, I had to admit to Michael the truth. One night, when we were alone, I told him my true identity and what my intentions were in L.A. Alex was watching Nathan, and Liz was at classes. Michael and I sat in the kitchen whispering to each other where we were from and everything we knew. With Alex just in the other room, I wanted to keep our voices hushed. Alex didn’t know the truth about me. I don’t know if he knows now, but I hope Liz told him. The next day, I was going to tell Alex the truth. I brought him over to Michael’s where we were going to sit down and have a long talk. Michael was my rock. He was there to help Alex grasp the fact that he was an alien. When Liz was supposed to get home from class, I was going to tell her too. I just wanted Alex to have that extra time to let everything sink in. Liz already knew about Michael, so I had a feeling telling her was going to be a piece of cake.
Things went awry before I could even have that conversation. Michael saw Pierce walk around the side of the building. Not moments later, government issued squad cars were parked in front of the apartment. Michael and I hurried Alex out the door with Nathan. I often regret not attempting to escape that day. I could have taken it, but I probably would have gotten caught by the FBI and so would Nathan. I had to respect Liz and to respect Liz meant to respect Nathan’s safety. So, I stood motionless next to Michael, awaiting my death. Michael and I would have used our powers, but they weren’t strong enough. Michael was so scared that he couldn’t concentrate his powers on blowing up the squad car or moving air particles to push the agents away. And my powers were just as weak; the only thing I could do well was dream walk. I changed the substance of objects before, but those objects were makeup, not air. It seemed like an eternity before they reached us. They grabbed us firmly and shoved us into Pierce’s trunk – like I said, the man is a twisted fuck.
I stop thinking about what happened after the journey here – wherever here was. I don’t know if they stuck me in the trunk to be cruel, or to make sure I didn’t see how I got here, or both. Whatever the case may be, I’m here and I’m staring at my reflection awaiting the inevitable. I’ve had a full day to recuperate so far and the only thing that has recuperated is my mind. My mind is racing with a multitude of memories, many of which point to Alex.
I moved to L.A. about a month before Michael and Liz did. Initially, I was renting my own place. Dad is this big time attorney in Phoenix and he’s loaded with money. So, if you want to get technical, it wasn’t really my place, but I was the only one living there. I met Alex at a quaint coffee house. A local band played on stage – a band Alex managed – and they were talented. Their music struck home for me, and I was swaying in my seat to the melodic tunes of The Whits. Alex approached me from a table on the other side of the room and sat next to me.
I still remember the first words he ever said to me. “Was your father an alien?” I looked at him oddly, when inside I was literally panicking. Did he know of my origin? Was he an FBI agent? My mind was set at ease when he finished his lame pickup line. “Because there’s nothing else like you on Earth.” Despite its corniness, I could help the laughter that emitted from my mouth. Boy, he had no idea what he was getting into.
Our relationship progressed quickly. It was only on our second date that we found each other making out on my living room couch. Things would have gone further if I didn’t have any doubts about my alien side and what it might do to Alex. Things never progressed further than that. I wouldn’t let them. I was too scared that who I am might change Alex or – an even scarier thought – change me. It didn’t take me long to fall head over heals in love with Alex. A couple months later, he moved in with me. I took a chance and became intimate with a man. Luckily, it didn’t hurt either of us. It was just like human sex (I assumed).
Now, he’s the only thing that keeps me going day in and day out. It’s bad enough I’ve had to deal with the physical abuse, but the emotional abuse has been gruesome. These white walls make me sick. I feel like a fucking caged animal and each day that passes I feel by brain slowly deteriorating. My will to survive is diminishing with each day that no one shows up to rescue us. I sleep for 16 hours a day just so I don’t have to endure the pain that these walls bring upon me. I imagine what it will be like to be free again. The wind blowing through my hair as I run through a field of daisies. So, maybe I’m a bit corny, but it’s one of those visions that makes you happy to be alive, unlike this dive where Pierce orders blood tests and abuse. What’s even more sickening than this atmosphere is the agents’ responsiveness to the orders. They’re like robots; they follow whatever Pierce asks them to, no matter how inhumane.
Today, a new orderly comes in. He looks softer than the rest, it’s in his eyes. If he plans on working for Pierce, he is going to have to harden up or he will end up loosing his job.
“My name is Jim Valenti,” the man tells me. He has wrinkles from being in the sun too much. I imagine what it would be like to feel the sun’s warm rays on my skin again; what it would be like to sit in the sand and feel oblivious to all the world’s wrongs as the sun gives my skin a warm glow.
“I’m here to administer some drugs,” he says softly. He shows me his needle and I hold out my arm. It’s useless to fight him. The drugs keep my powers from working. I haven’t been able to dream walk anyone or change the molecular structure of objects. The first few months I wouldn’t stop putting up a fight when the drugs were jammed into my arms. I learned my lesson though. My fights only resulted in bigger bruises. There were too many agents to hold me down. If I wanted to escape there would have to be many more on my side.
When the drugs take their affect, I start to become sleepy. It’s the usual, but now, sleep is welcome. It’s an escape from this tyranny; I usually find myself home, in Alex’s arms as he comforts me. He always makes me feel so loved. Before I drift into my slumber, I hear Jim say something in my ear. “Help is on the way.” Help is on the way. Alex. I love Alex. Alex is coming for me. And with that, I fall asleep.
Author's Note: Well, I'm not sure when my next entry will be. The laptop will be coming with me to Eau Claire, but I'm not sure what the internet connection status is yet. I'll try to get in a chapter when I can, but I'm also going to be very busy. Tomorrow I have orientation and then Monday - Wednesday I have a leadership seminar to attend. I hope you guys have a good weekend/week until the fourth of July and if I can't get internet, I'll miss your wonderful comments. Hopefully I'll talk to you all soon
. --Ericka
Something strange happened that night. I discovered more than I had originally intended, but not from whom I intended to hear it from. Tess and Kyle were just who they said they were; I didn’t stumble on some secret they had because they had none. Any questions I had, they answered. But before any questions were asked, I connected to someone in pain.
I sat down in one of our chairs and kicked my feet up on the ottoman. Nathan was nestled safely in my arms. He gurgled and swung his fists happily while I prepared myself for a conversation with our guests. Before I could begin a conversation, I was hurling through space – no, not space; it was the sky. I was still in Earth’s atmosphere; the stars shined brightly above me and the land whirled by below me. Abruptly, my journey in the sky was brought to a halt and I was plummeting to the ground. When I expected to hit the ground, I whirled right by it. I was invisible and now traveling through the terrain until I landed in some compound.
At first, I wasn’t sure where I was. The walls were white, and I wore a hospital gown that paralleled the white on the walls. All of the walls around me were white, except for one that had a huge one way mirror. I looked at my reflection and realized I wasn’t me. I had flowing blonde hair, bruises on my arms and legs, and a battered face. I was Isabel. With this realization, my thoughts weren’t my own anymore; instead they were clouded over with Isabel’s.
Where is that bastard Pierce? I hope he isn’t watching me through the mirror with that smug look on his face. Was it so selfish to hope that he wasn’t here, but feel torn to know that if he wasn’t here watching me, he was beating Max or Michael in the other rooms for answers? My entire stay here has been spent in a state of unconsciousness. I’ve finally begun to think. I can’t help, but feel my heart clench knowing that Michael or Max must be giving some answers for Pierce to finally relent on my abuse. Besides that, I think he wants me to be fully recuperated to be able to reproduce. He wants me to create an alien baby that he can poke and prod. Once I create another, he will start poking and prodding, until I give birth, then he will make the child grow up under intense observation in another white room. I’m not sure who he is choosing to be the father, but his knowledge that Max is my brother means that he will probably pick Michael. But who knows; Pierce is a twisted fuck who takes amusement from others’ pain.
I remember the night they brought us in. I remember the capture. I remember them taking Max from me. He was so adamant about my safety in Los Angeles with the big, bad, Michael Guerin. We should have been watching our backs for government agents, not bad aliens like Michael. Somehow Max wound up in the white room first.
I tried to contact him as usual. He used to dream about this girl. I never really saw her face, just her outline and her chocolate brown hair. The dreams were always too vivid for my liking, if you know what I mean. Recently, things started to change. He no longer dreamt about her, but a little boy. Each dream portrayed a different boy; in one dream he was but an infant seeking the protection of his daddy, in another he was a young boy learning how to play baseball, in yet another he was a teenager asking for advice with girls, and finally he was a young man going to experience his first day of college. The boy was the same, but his age was always changing. It didn’t always happen in succession; sometimes the ages would jump, but the events that the boy endured were just like those of any other child. As if things couldn’t get any weirder, the boy’s name was Nathan. Wouldn’t that mean that the woman with the chocolate brown hair was Liz? Through that time span, I never said a thing to Liz. I never knew what to say to her. Was I just supposed to walk up to her and say that my brother was her baby’s daddy? No. It wasn’t my place. But if I were back home and I knew then what I know now about the white room, would I tell her? Yes, I would. Now, I might not have that luxury. I don’t even know if I will make it out of here alive much less tell Liz that Nathan’s father is, in fact, my brother.
I continue to remember what events led up to my stay here. After dreaming of Nathan, Max’s dreams disappeared. It seemed odd because everyone dreams, but Max wasn’t. At first I thought that he may have been going to bed at a different time, but that didn’t seem plausible. We agreed on a certain time for bed and he hadn’t broken that rule for a year; what would change now? With this newfound knowledge, I willed my powers to become stronger until I was strong enough to become a part of him during waking hours. I saw what he saw, and what I was seeing was definitely not Harvard. Nor was it a dorm room. It was what I am staring at right now: white walls on three sides of me and on the fourth a huge one way mirror. His eyes were glazed over and I can confidently say he had been drugged. Going through the experience myself has opened my eyes to what Max truly had to endure while I was frantically searching for him.
Meanwhile, I had to admit to Michael the truth. One night, when we were alone, I told him my true identity and what my intentions were in L.A. Alex was watching Nathan, and Liz was at classes. Michael and I sat in the kitchen whispering to each other where we were from and everything we knew. With Alex just in the other room, I wanted to keep our voices hushed. Alex didn’t know the truth about me. I don’t know if he knows now, but I hope Liz told him. The next day, I was going to tell Alex the truth. I brought him over to Michael’s where we were going to sit down and have a long talk. Michael was my rock. He was there to help Alex grasp the fact that he was an alien. When Liz was supposed to get home from class, I was going to tell her too. I just wanted Alex to have that extra time to let everything sink in. Liz already knew about Michael, so I had a feeling telling her was going to be a piece of cake.
Things went awry before I could even have that conversation. Michael saw Pierce walk around the side of the building. Not moments later, government issued squad cars were parked in front of the apartment. Michael and I hurried Alex out the door with Nathan. I often regret not attempting to escape that day. I could have taken it, but I probably would have gotten caught by the FBI and so would Nathan. I had to respect Liz and to respect Liz meant to respect Nathan’s safety. So, I stood motionless next to Michael, awaiting my death. Michael and I would have used our powers, but they weren’t strong enough. Michael was so scared that he couldn’t concentrate his powers on blowing up the squad car or moving air particles to push the agents away. And my powers were just as weak; the only thing I could do well was dream walk. I changed the substance of objects before, but those objects were makeup, not air. It seemed like an eternity before they reached us. They grabbed us firmly and shoved us into Pierce’s trunk – like I said, the man is a twisted fuck.
I stop thinking about what happened after the journey here – wherever here was. I don’t know if they stuck me in the trunk to be cruel, or to make sure I didn’t see how I got here, or both. Whatever the case may be, I’m here and I’m staring at my reflection awaiting the inevitable. I’ve had a full day to recuperate so far and the only thing that has recuperated is my mind. My mind is racing with a multitude of memories, many of which point to Alex.
I moved to L.A. about a month before Michael and Liz did. Initially, I was renting my own place. Dad is this big time attorney in Phoenix and he’s loaded with money. So, if you want to get technical, it wasn’t really my place, but I was the only one living there. I met Alex at a quaint coffee house. A local band played on stage – a band Alex managed – and they were talented. Their music struck home for me, and I was swaying in my seat to the melodic tunes of The Whits. Alex approached me from a table on the other side of the room and sat next to me.
I still remember the first words he ever said to me. “Was your father an alien?” I looked at him oddly, when inside I was literally panicking. Did he know of my origin? Was he an FBI agent? My mind was set at ease when he finished his lame pickup line. “Because there’s nothing else like you on Earth.” Despite its corniness, I could help the laughter that emitted from my mouth. Boy, he had no idea what he was getting into.
Our relationship progressed quickly. It was only on our second date that we found each other making out on my living room couch. Things would have gone further if I didn’t have any doubts about my alien side and what it might do to Alex. Things never progressed further than that. I wouldn’t let them. I was too scared that who I am might change Alex or – an even scarier thought – change me. It didn’t take me long to fall head over heals in love with Alex. A couple months later, he moved in with me. I took a chance and became intimate with a man. Luckily, it didn’t hurt either of us. It was just like human sex (I assumed).
Now, he’s the only thing that keeps me going day in and day out. It’s bad enough I’ve had to deal with the physical abuse, but the emotional abuse has been gruesome. These white walls make me sick. I feel like a fucking caged animal and each day that passes I feel by brain slowly deteriorating. My will to survive is diminishing with each day that no one shows up to rescue us. I sleep for 16 hours a day just so I don’t have to endure the pain that these walls bring upon me. I imagine what it will be like to be free again. The wind blowing through my hair as I run through a field of daisies. So, maybe I’m a bit corny, but it’s one of those visions that makes you happy to be alive, unlike this dive where Pierce orders blood tests and abuse. What’s even more sickening than this atmosphere is the agents’ responsiveness to the orders. They’re like robots; they follow whatever Pierce asks them to, no matter how inhumane.
Today, a new orderly comes in. He looks softer than the rest, it’s in his eyes. If he plans on working for Pierce, he is going to have to harden up or he will end up loosing his job.
“My name is Jim Valenti,” the man tells me. He has wrinkles from being in the sun too much. I imagine what it would be like to feel the sun’s warm rays on my skin again; what it would be like to sit in the sand and feel oblivious to all the world’s wrongs as the sun gives my skin a warm glow.
“I’m here to administer some drugs,” he says softly. He shows me his needle and I hold out my arm. It’s useless to fight him. The drugs keep my powers from working. I haven’t been able to dream walk anyone or change the molecular structure of objects. The first few months I wouldn’t stop putting up a fight when the drugs were jammed into my arms. I learned my lesson though. My fights only resulted in bigger bruises. There were too many agents to hold me down. If I wanted to escape there would have to be many more on my side.
When the drugs take their affect, I start to become sleepy. It’s the usual, but now, sleep is welcome. It’s an escape from this tyranny; I usually find myself home, in Alex’s arms as he comforts me. He always makes me feel so loved. Before I drift into my slumber, I hear Jim say something in my ear. “Help is on the way.” Help is on the way. Alex. I love Alex. Alex is coming for me. And with that, I fall asleep.
Author's Note: Well, I'm not sure when my next entry will be. The laptop will be coming with me to Eau Claire, but I'm not sure what the internet connection status is yet. I'll try to get in a chapter when I can, but I'm also going to be very busy. Tomorrow I have orientation and then Monday - Wednesday I have a leadership seminar to attend. I hope you guys have a good weekend/week until the fourth of July and if I can't get internet, I'll miss your wonderful comments. Hopefully I'll talk to you all soon
. --Ericka-
Effluent Elegance
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2003 6:25 pm
- Location: Wisconsin
Chapter 13
<center>Chapter 13</center>
That night, I came crashing back to my apartment, chills running down my spine. “Isabel.”
Alex’s ears perked up. “What did you hear from her? What did she say to you? Is she ok?”
“They want to experiment on her and Michael. They want her to mate with him – I’m so sorry Alex.” I give him a sympathetic look while my mind replays the flash in lightning speed. “But there was something off. Isabel was so frightened of all that was around her, but when the nurse came in, she calmed down. It may have just been business as usual, but I have a feeling he was one of the good guys.”
After the trip to Area 51, I’m suffering from motion sickness. To be thrown across the planet so unexpectedly is nauseating. I hope somehow the bond between Nathan and I will grow even stronger than your typical mother-child relationship. With time I might be able to pull any desired information about the threesome from him instead of trying to sit him down for some cuddling and be surprisingly hurtled through earth to some unknown destination.
“Who was the man?” Tess asks calmly. She has an inexplicable psychological technique that she uses to drag information out of you. She speaks calmly, but somehow I have the feeling that she has other interests in mind. But what could she possibly want? Everything about Tess is so mysterious. Who is this woman?
“Liz.” Alex nudges me, and I break out of my daze. I’ve always had an inborn knack for knowing when someone is acting fake. And something fishy is going on in the inner workings of the person we all know as Tess. She is putting up a façade for all of us right now. But is the façade for the better or for the worst?
Before I can continue my analysis of Tess, I have to snap back to reality and answer the question before they start to get suspicious of my true feelings. The last thing I want is an alien and her human husband to be all over me. “Umm…the memory is sort of vague; give me a moment to try to remember his name.” I’m not lying – entirely. I do remember his last name, which would obviously be plenty, but I’m trying to cover my ass for staring at Tess before. Suddenly, it clicks. “Valenti – Jim Valenti!”
“Dad,” Kyle whispered.
“What was that?” I asked. “Every detail is imperative to the survival of our loved ones.”
“It’s my father-in-law; he’s on our side. He agreed to help us and as we speak he’s working on the inside. He applied for a position with the special unit about two months ago and we haven’t heard from him in about a month. He must have gotten transferred and broke contact for fear that the FBI would find out who he’s associated with,” Tess interjects. She’s so calm; too calm.
I shake my head and bring myself back to the matter at hand. We need to get in there and save the ones we love.
<center>- - - - -</center>
Maria, Alex, Kyle and Tess have been working on a plan to save Michael, Max, and Isabel. To say that I can’t help them right this second makes me feel inept, but I’ve got so much going on. I’m trying to balance 18 credits per semester and raise a child. Most of my time is spent in class. Maria and Alex baby-sit Nathan during those times. I thank god every day that I don’t have to ask Tess yet. I still don’t trust her, but as usual I can’t nail her for doing anything out of the ordinary.
Instead, I spend my days in class or studying with Nathan nearby. It’s sad to think that the only time that I spend with him I have to share with my books. Is this even right? In some people’s minds this would be considered neglect, but it’s not like I don’t care about my baby boy. I love him with every ounce of my being. Even his incessant crying makes me realize that this child is so innocent.
I’m trying to stay focused on the positives. I’ve completed nearly two years of college and I should have only one more year left. Then, I’ll be able to get a real job and spend more time with my son. I will make it up to Maria and Alex, too. I will buy a nice apartment that the four of us can share. Of course by that time Michael, Max, and Isabel will be free of the government and we can all live happily ever after.
My thoughts instantly snap back to my books. Before I glance at my Parisitology textbook I catch Nathan rolling around and giggling. He sees me looking at him and he tries to say something, but it turns into gibberish. I hold my arms out to him. Usually when I do this he comes crawling to his mommy. To no avail, Nathan comes crawling to me like there’s no tomorrow. He uses my arms to brace himself to a standing position. I drop my arms slowly and he’s standing on his own! He’s standing on his own! His predicament doesn’t last long because after a second or two he’s back in my arms. Pride is swelling inside of me. I was just able to witness the most beautiful thing in the world. My child is growing up and learning how to do things for the first time in his life.
It’s amazing to me that despite having a monstrous workload I’m still able to find time to devote to my child and to show him that I still care and that I’m a part of his life. I try to cradle him in my lap for a moment to show him just how proud his mother is of him, but he has other things in mind. He wants my textbook. I scold him in my motherly tone, telling him that the book is for me and that I need to study. He seems angry at first, so I hand him one of his toys and he seems to be momentarily preoccupied with that.
I smile at him as he crawls towards his other toys. With a sigh I pick up my textbook and begin reading the assigned chapter.
Tomorrow is a big day for Nathan. It’s his first birthday. I know if I’m going to want to spend the entire day celebrating his first year into this world then I will have to study my ass off for the night.
I don’t know exactly when it happened, but at some point in the night I put Nathan in his crib and mechanically walk back to my bed where I collapse and fall asleep in my clothes. The sad thing is that this isn’t the first time I’ve done this.
I dream of him in my sleep. His image isn’t clear and I can tell that what I’m dreaming isn’t anything like what I experienced when I was pregnant with Nathan. No, this dream is more impressionistic. I can feel his presence enveloping me in a warm embrace. He wants to give me his love and support. He’s so proud that I’m able to balance being a single mother and a student. That’s all I can remember when I’ve woken and its one of the most pleasant mornings I’ve had in a long time.
The first thing I check for is Nathan. He’s using the bars of the crib to stand up. A smile graces my lips as I remember yesterday and his accomplishment.
“Hello, birthday boy!”
He responds with baby gibberish. I lift him out of his crib and take him to the kitchen to be fed. When I exit my room I notice the apartment is decorated with streamers and a banner that says “Happy 1st Birthday!” coupled with balloons here and there. “SURPRISE!” Maria, Alex, Kyle and Tess shout.
<center>- - - - -</center>
Of course Nathan got the royal treatment that day. Alex and Maria would have nothing less. He had a birthday cake that ended up all over his mouth, hands, and the kitchen floor. Then, he was spoiled with gifts. I don’t think he realized how important the day was, but he definitely appreciates the new toys to play with. If only Max could see our child.
Author's Note: I know it's been too long since I've written this. I have an idea of what I would like to happen, so hopefully I can finish this soon. Thank you for those of you who have stuck with me through all of this.
That night, I came crashing back to my apartment, chills running down my spine. “Isabel.”
Alex’s ears perked up. “What did you hear from her? What did she say to you? Is she ok?”
“They want to experiment on her and Michael. They want her to mate with him – I’m so sorry Alex.” I give him a sympathetic look while my mind replays the flash in lightning speed. “But there was something off. Isabel was so frightened of all that was around her, but when the nurse came in, she calmed down. It may have just been business as usual, but I have a feeling he was one of the good guys.”
After the trip to Area 51, I’m suffering from motion sickness. To be thrown across the planet so unexpectedly is nauseating. I hope somehow the bond between Nathan and I will grow even stronger than your typical mother-child relationship. With time I might be able to pull any desired information about the threesome from him instead of trying to sit him down for some cuddling and be surprisingly hurtled through earth to some unknown destination.
“Who was the man?” Tess asks calmly. She has an inexplicable psychological technique that she uses to drag information out of you. She speaks calmly, but somehow I have the feeling that she has other interests in mind. But what could she possibly want? Everything about Tess is so mysterious. Who is this woman?
“Liz.” Alex nudges me, and I break out of my daze. I’ve always had an inborn knack for knowing when someone is acting fake. And something fishy is going on in the inner workings of the person we all know as Tess. She is putting up a façade for all of us right now. But is the façade for the better or for the worst?
Before I can continue my analysis of Tess, I have to snap back to reality and answer the question before they start to get suspicious of my true feelings. The last thing I want is an alien and her human husband to be all over me. “Umm…the memory is sort of vague; give me a moment to try to remember his name.” I’m not lying – entirely. I do remember his last name, which would obviously be plenty, but I’m trying to cover my ass for staring at Tess before. Suddenly, it clicks. “Valenti – Jim Valenti!”
“Dad,” Kyle whispered.
“What was that?” I asked. “Every detail is imperative to the survival of our loved ones.”
“It’s my father-in-law; he’s on our side. He agreed to help us and as we speak he’s working on the inside. He applied for a position with the special unit about two months ago and we haven’t heard from him in about a month. He must have gotten transferred and broke contact for fear that the FBI would find out who he’s associated with,” Tess interjects. She’s so calm; too calm.
I shake my head and bring myself back to the matter at hand. We need to get in there and save the ones we love.
<center>- - - - -</center>
Maria, Alex, Kyle and Tess have been working on a plan to save Michael, Max, and Isabel. To say that I can’t help them right this second makes me feel inept, but I’ve got so much going on. I’m trying to balance 18 credits per semester and raise a child. Most of my time is spent in class. Maria and Alex baby-sit Nathan during those times. I thank god every day that I don’t have to ask Tess yet. I still don’t trust her, but as usual I can’t nail her for doing anything out of the ordinary.
Instead, I spend my days in class or studying with Nathan nearby. It’s sad to think that the only time that I spend with him I have to share with my books. Is this even right? In some people’s minds this would be considered neglect, but it’s not like I don’t care about my baby boy. I love him with every ounce of my being. Even his incessant crying makes me realize that this child is so innocent.
I’m trying to stay focused on the positives. I’ve completed nearly two years of college and I should have only one more year left. Then, I’ll be able to get a real job and spend more time with my son. I will make it up to Maria and Alex, too. I will buy a nice apartment that the four of us can share. Of course by that time Michael, Max, and Isabel will be free of the government and we can all live happily ever after.
My thoughts instantly snap back to my books. Before I glance at my Parisitology textbook I catch Nathan rolling around and giggling. He sees me looking at him and he tries to say something, but it turns into gibberish. I hold my arms out to him. Usually when I do this he comes crawling to his mommy. To no avail, Nathan comes crawling to me like there’s no tomorrow. He uses my arms to brace himself to a standing position. I drop my arms slowly and he’s standing on his own! He’s standing on his own! His predicament doesn’t last long because after a second or two he’s back in my arms. Pride is swelling inside of me. I was just able to witness the most beautiful thing in the world. My child is growing up and learning how to do things for the first time in his life.
It’s amazing to me that despite having a monstrous workload I’m still able to find time to devote to my child and to show him that I still care and that I’m a part of his life. I try to cradle him in my lap for a moment to show him just how proud his mother is of him, but he has other things in mind. He wants my textbook. I scold him in my motherly tone, telling him that the book is for me and that I need to study. He seems angry at first, so I hand him one of his toys and he seems to be momentarily preoccupied with that.
I smile at him as he crawls towards his other toys. With a sigh I pick up my textbook and begin reading the assigned chapter.
Tomorrow is a big day for Nathan. It’s his first birthday. I know if I’m going to want to spend the entire day celebrating his first year into this world then I will have to study my ass off for the night.
I don’t know exactly when it happened, but at some point in the night I put Nathan in his crib and mechanically walk back to my bed where I collapse and fall asleep in my clothes. The sad thing is that this isn’t the first time I’ve done this.
I dream of him in my sleep. His image isn’t clear and I can tell that what I’m dreaming isn’t anything like what I experienced when I was pregnant with Nathan. No, this dream is more impressionistic. I can feel his presence enveloping me in a warm embrace. He wants to give me his love and support. He’s so proud that I’m able to balance being a single mother and a student. That’s all I can remember when I’ve woken and its one of the most pleasant mornings I’ve had in a long time.
The first thing I check for is Nathan. He’s using the bars of the crib to stand up. A smile graces my lips as I remember yesterday and his accomplishment.
“Hello, birthday boy!”
He responds with baby gibberish. I lift him out of his crib and take him to the kitchen to be fed. When I exit my room I notice the apartment is decorated with streamers and a banner that says “Happy 1st Birthday!” coupled with balloons here and there. “SURPRISE!” Maria, Alex, Kyle and Tess shout.
<center>- - - - -</center>
Of course Nathan got the royal treatment that day. Alex and Maria would have nothing less. He had a birthday cake that ended up all over his mouth, hands, and the kitchen floor. Then, he was spoiled with gifts. I don’t think he realized how important the day was, but he definitely appreciates the new toys to play with. If only Max could see our child.
Author's Note: I know it's been too long since I've written this. I have an idea of what I would like to happen, so hopefully I can finish this soon. Thank you for those of you who have stuck with me through all of this.
-
Effluent Elegance
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2003 6:25 pm
- Location: Wisconsin
Chapter 14
<center>Chapter 14</center>
Commencement: the end of one story, but the beginning of another. Nathan is now two and I’m graduating. I can’t believe I’ve made it this far. I can finally get a real job to support my son, Maria, and Alex. I’m so grateful for their hard work over the past year. Alex has managed to balance his own course work and a part time job while Maria worked three jobs. I know both of them are exhausted and I can’t wait to see their faces when I tell them they can quit their jobs or take fewer hours because I can finally support them.
Once I’ve put my robe on, I look in the mirror. The woman staring back at me isn’t someone I recognize. She has red eyes from lack of sleep and she looks about 10 years older than her actual age: 21.
The past year has been amazing. Nathan spoke his first word to me. I was speechless when the first word that coherently came out of his mouth was “mama”. My little man is growing up so quickly. It’s hard for me to believe that he’s already two years old. The years went by so quickly and I can only imagine how much quicker they will go by. It only seems like yesterday when Nathan started walking. Unfortunately for me, his walking meant more trouble for me. He’s a good child, but very curious. Whenever he finds a new object it’s like he has to investigate its every nook and cranny. The things that he picks up include keys, writing utensils, and bugs. Marching across his fingers, the bugs provide Nathan with a unique scientist quality. It’s so refreshing to see a child so enthralled with the simple things in life, diminishing the majority of my problems into the background.
To think that all of my hard work has finally paid off and that I’m graduating college is miraculous. It seems as if time with Nathan has nearly slipped between my fingers with all the intermingling school work. Finally, I can spend more time with my child and give him everything he’s always dreamed of. Goodbye welfare.
As I exit my room fully robed my mom, who’s visiting for the weekend, exclaims that she wants pictures. I don’t know how many rolls of film she wastes just now, but she is definitely taking too many pictures. And I thought high school was bad! Before long, she becomes less interested in my graduation and she focuses her attention to Nathan. She’s snapping pictures nonstop. I wonder if she intends to make one of those cartoon booklets where you flip through and the object starts moving around. Regardless, I’m glad to have here on this important day, and even more happy that Nathan has such a loving grandmother.
Last night we caught up on how things were going, both in L.A. and Roswell. My mother was very curious about what happened to Michael, and I cunningly came up with a quick response. I told her that he was studying abroad in Europe and that he sends his regards. She seems suspicious, but doesn’t question my reply. Since the last time she was here, she spoke to Jeff about Nathan and me. As expected, he flipped his lid. He forbade my mom to see me, but she’s here with me now, so I know she isn’t following that asshole’s orders. Things are still tense between Jeff and my mom; they fight nearly every day of the week. I tried to show support for my mother’s decision by giving her a hug. But there was more to the story than she was telling me. She held her breath and I knew there was something she was going to ask.
“Do you think you have room for one more?” she asks me. One more what? Then it dawns on me. She wants to move in. There are so many things wrong with this picture. She doesn’t know about Nathan. And the plans to save the trio; she has no clue about that. What if she finds out? I have to admit that I wouldn’t be upset if she found out unless it threatened her safety.
“Are you two getting a –“ I couldn’t bring myself to say the word. Divorce.
“No, you’re father would fight a divorce and make my life a living hell,” she proclaims sadly. I can’t say I’m surprised. Jeff is closed-minded about everything. He doesn’t see it fit that I have a baby unless I’m married, even if it’s to a man that didn’t impregnate me. He forbids his wife to see his forgotten child. And he would undoubtedly forbid a divorce. After all, that would bring unwanted attention to a fucked up family. It surprises me that I never saw his behavior before. His thoughts are so old fashioned. I swear the man is living in the 50’s.
“So what do you say? Will you be my roommate?” Mom asks again. To hear her say the word roommate makes me realize that she’s not thinking of being my superior as she was before, but my equal. Had she said it any other way I would have tried to nicely weasel my way out of it, but I know that this time is going to be different. For one, Jeff isn’t going to be there to ruin our relationship and I know she won’t make any judgments on my actions. It’s probably for the best because she can stay home and watch Nathan while I’m at work. The more I think about it, the more I realize that this is the best idea for both Nathan and me.
“I would be delighted, but not here. This place is too cramped. Once I find a job we can have a bigger place.”
She nods. “I haven’t prepared for it yet, honey. I will have to return to Roswell one more time. Now, tell me who your new friends are.” She nods towards Kyle and Tess and I introduce her to the two.
<center>- - - - -</center>
“Elizabeth Claudia Parker.” I make my way across the stage to receive my diploma. I shake the hand of the dean whom I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting, but he’s proud of me nonetheless. I’m sure he would make a better father and husband than Jeff. The news about my own father hasn’t made me a happy camper. Maybe if he was a better father I wouldn’t be living such a stressful life. I would have the support of both my mother and my father and perhaps I would have attended Harvard, my dream college, rather than UCLA. Not to say that I didn’t enjoy UCLA, but there were so many times when I wished I could be more academically challenged. Then again, I would have had even less time to spend with Nathan. Regardless, if he had been the person I knew growing up, mom wouldn’t be begging me to move in. Then, I wouldn’t have to watch my back for flying alien powers. On the other hand, I can’t have my mother return to live trapped in a loveless marriage.
Suddenly bright flashes pull me out of my reverie. My mom is snapping pictures from her seat and I blush in embarrassment. It seems that even through everything I’ve experienced in the past three years, the child in me still shines through. Meanwhile, next to my mother, Nathan is restless in his seat and when he sees me walking down the isle he runs up to me and screams “MOMMY!” I’m a little embarrassed to receive a few looks from people sitting on the outer edges, but I pick up my son and take a seat amongst the other graduates. I figure that he’ll probably be putting my mom through hell anyway, and since nothing more is required of me in this ceremony, he can be with his spoiling mother for now.
Once everyone has made it through the line I’ve completely lost all interest with what’s happening on stage. Our guest speaker makes his way on stage. Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t my idea of a suitable guest speaker, but apparently the star struck students don’t mind. I laugh inwardly at this man and I’m really glad I have Nathan on my lap to entertain my thoughts.
Nathan starts playing with my hair, but when he sees the tassel I know I’m screwed. I scold him quietly, but he just giggles playfully. He’s doing it to get on my nerves, but I can’t exactly shout at him to make him stop. I beg him to be a good boy for mommy and he seems to understand as he lets go of the tassel.
“He’s an obedient one,” the woman next to me whispers. I nod silently and she continues to speak. “My little brother was always a pain in the butt when he was a toddler. He would wail everywhere I took him until he got his way. You’re lucky to have a quiet child.” Those were the only words I spoke with the woman. Although the interaction was brief, it was exactly what I needed to take my mind off of other matters.
Such matters like the rescue plan to save Michael, Isabel, and Max. I’ve been so busy with Nathan and school that I haven’t had the chance to ask in the past month how the plans are coming along. I know Maria and Alex have been working hard, but it seems as if they keep hitting dead ends. For some reason I’m not panicked over the situation. I know they will get the job done. Once I’ve found a secure job I will have the time to devote to unfolding this mystery. One thought still persists in my head: what have Kyle and Tess done to make us one step closer to executing a plan? Within seconds the thought is lost in the wind.
<center>- - - - -</center>
After the excitement of my graduation, my mother drove home with full intention of returning exactly one month later. She wanted to give herself time to break the news to Jeff and get her belongings together.
Meanwhile, I was looking for a suitable living situation and dealing with my uneasiness towards Tess. At the time I had no clue who Tess was or what her plans were of us, but it didn’t take me long to figure out. Looking back, I never trusted Tess; call it motherly instincts or woman’s intuition. She betrayed us. Working for the enemy, Tess, a fellow alien, was hired to assassinate Michael, Isabel, and Max. She got close to killing Max and Isabel, although I wouldn’t be privy to this information until the podsters returned home. Isabel said that Tess became their friend. She tried to seduce her way into Max’s pants and con her way into Isabel’s heart. How would they ever see it coming? But Tess was still half-human. She got attached and couldn’t go through with it. So she hired someone to kill them. Unfortunately for Tess, the person she hired was 100% human and when he realized his job was not your everyday hit, he fled.
Tess had to move to Plan B. She was going to set them up with the FBI. She snuck her way into the FBI. She married a sheriff’s son. Granted, it wasn’t out of free will. She mind warped him into believing that she was a saint and that he was straight. Then, when she made it to the Special Unit, she went undercover for the agency. She pointed out who the aliens were. Finding Michael was a stroke of luck. Her powers were more advanced than any of us could have fathomed. One look and she could tell if you were one of the podsters that were meant to die at her hand.
Tess mind warped us for the first year she was in California. The second year, she didn’t have to mind warp us. We walked around in a daze. It was Nathan who brought me out of the mind warp first. I was sent reeling through Tess’ brain that night. After changing into my pajamas I lay with Nathan on my bed and was instantly hurtled through her mind. Though, this time, I had more control of Nathan’s powers. I was able to slow it down and bring myself to enter her mind calmly. If I wanted to, I could pull myself out at any time, but I wanted answers, so I stuck around. I saw her thought processes and realized what she was doing to all of us. Thankfully, I also saw that she didn’t touch Nathan. She didn’t corrupt his innocent mind. If she had, I can guarantee you it wouldn’t have taken me nearly a month to muster up the courage (and a plan) to kill her.
Everyone else was still entranced by her spell. I feared that she would find out I knew her plan and that she would mind warp me again, or worse, she would mind warp Nathan or somehow endanger him. The night she died, I was still conjuring up ideas of how I should go about killing her. Was I to pull out a kitchen knife and stick her? Or should I buy a gun? Or should I make her dinner with a special chemical in it? I thought of every trick in the book. So what was the problem? She could turn every instance against me; she could mind warp me into stabbing or shooting myself, or slipping arsenic into the bowl of one of my friends’ drink.
Two weeks after I realized who she really was, I finally found a job, and got a new apartment. The new apartment had four bedrooms. Everyone was offered their own room with Tess and Kyle sharing a bed and Nathan and I sharing a living space. It was a temporary arrangement, as my mother was to arrive in merely two weeks, and even though I didn’t like the idea of offering a Tess a place to stay I had to keep my friends close and my enemies closer.
On this particular night, I woke up in the middle of my sleep. Something was alerting me – my motherly instinct. Nathan and I slept together now. Most of my money saved was spent on the apartment, thus he didn’t have the luxury of his own bed yet. When I woke up, Nathan was gone. Quickly and quietly, I got up. My eyes searched the room and Nathan wasn’t in sight. When I entered the living room, Tess was doing something to him. She had her hands around his head and her eyes were closed. She was concentrating, but just a bit too hard.
I flipped out. I screamed and ran to push Nathan out of harms way. Kyle was sitting across the room in a heap on the floor. Once Nathan was out from her grasp, electricity poured from my fingertips. Tess was thrown against the opposing wall and she was held there. I don’t know how long I stood there “electrocuting” her with powers I didn’t even know I had. When Maria and Alex stirred from across the room, I let her go. She was dead. My thoughts were immediately trained on my toddler son.
“Mommy.” His eyes were awestruck. Despite his age, I think he understood the reasoning behind my actions.
“Did the bad lady hurt you, honey?” I asked. My arms wrapped tightly around his small frame. He was still so gentle. Who would want to hurt such an innocent boy? An alien killer, of course.
Nathan shook his head, and gave me the best hug a child could give their mother.
Maria’s scream broke me from cherishing my son’s embrace.
“Kyle’s dead!” At those words, Alex and I snapped our attention to the body in the corner of the room. This was bad, this was really bad. We had to do something and we had to do it fast. So, I quickly suggested we dispose of the bodies. The last thing we needed was anyone stopping over unexpectedly to see two dead people in the room. If we didn’t end up in local prison, we surely would have been captured by the FBI for alien murder.
We ended up taking both his body and Tess’ body into the Californian desert. With a shovel in hand, the three of us buried Tess and Kyle, but we gave their bodies separate places. Kyle deserved more than to be buried next to a murderess. Maria and Alex had despair written all over there faces. I, on the other hand, viewed the death of the two as a release. Kyle was finally free from a life of control and Tess was finally out of our minds. With a refreshed mind and my newfound powers, I was going to lead my two friends into unknown territory: the white room.
Author's Note: For those inquiring minds, yes, Max and Liz will be meeting up shortly. I'm hoping to keep on a strict schedule of posting one chapter a week and FINALLY finishing this story. Thank you to everyone that replied. I enjoyed reading all the comments!
Commencement: the end of one story, but the beginning of another. Nathan is now two and I’m graduating. I can’t believe I’ve made it this far. I can finally get a real job to support my son, Maria, and Alex. I’m so grateful for their hard work over the past year. Alex has managed to balance his own course work and a part time job while Maria worked three jobs. I know both of them are exhausted and I can’t wait to see their faces when I tell them they can quit their jobs or take fewer hours because I can finally support them.
Once I’ve put my robe on, I look in the mirror. The woman staring back at me isn’t someone I recognize. She has red eyes from lack of sleep and she looks about 10 years older than her actual age: 21.
The past year has been amazing. Nathan spoke his first word to me. I was speechless when the first word that coherently came out of his mouth was “mama”. My little man is growing up so quickly. It’s hard for me to believe that he’s already two years old. The years went by so quickly and I can only imagine how much quicker they will go by. It only seems like yesterday when Nathan started walking. Unfortunately for me, his walking meant more trouble for me. He’s a good child, but very curious. Whenever he finds a new object it’s like he has to investigate its every nook and cranny. The things that he picks up include keys, writing utensils, and bugs. Marching across his fingers, the bugs provide Nathan with a unique scientist quality. It’s so refreshing to see a child so enthralled with the simple things in life, diminishing the majority of my problems into the background.
To think that all of my hard work has finally paid off and that I’m graduating college is miraculous. It seems as if time with Nathan has nearly slipped between my fingers with all the intermingling school work. Finally, I can spend more time with my child and give him everything he’s always dreamed of. Goodbye welfare.
As I exit my room fully robed my mom, who’s visiting for the weekend, exclaims that she wants pictures. I don’t know how many rolls of film she wastes just now, but she is definitely taking too many pictures. And I thought high school was bad! Before long, she becomes less interested in my graduation and she focuses her attention to Nathan. She’s snapping pictures nonstop. I wonder if she intends to make one of those cartoon booklets where you flip through and the object starts moving around. Regardless, I’m glad to have here on this important day, and even more happy that Nathan has such a loving grandmother.
Last night we caught up on how things were going, both in L.A. and Roswell. My mother was very curious about what happened to Michael, and I cunningly came up with a quick response. I told her that he was studying abroad in Europe and that he sends his regards. She seems suspicious, but doesn’t question my reply. Since the last time she was here, she spoke to Jeff about Nathan and me. As expected, he flipped his lid. He forbade my mom to see me, but she’s here with me now, so I know she isn’t following that asshole’s orders. Things are still tense between Jeff and my mom; they fight nearly every day of the week. I tried to show support for my mother’s decision by giving her a hug. But there was more to the story than she was telling me. She held her breath and I knew there was something she was going to ask.
“Do you think you have room for one more?” she asks me. One more what? Then it dawns on me. She wants to move in. There are so many things wrong with this picture. She doesn’t know about Nathan. And the plans to save the trio; she has no clue about that. What if she finds out? I have to admit that I wouldn’t be upset if she found out unless it threatened her safety.
“Are you two getting a –“ I couldn’t bring myself to say the word. Divorce.
“No, you’re father would fight a divorce and make my life a living hell,” she proclaims sadly. I can’t say I’m surprised. Jeff is closed-minded about everything. He doesn’t see it fit that I have a baby unless I’m married, even if it’s to a man that didn’t impregnate me. He forbids his wife to see his forgotten child. And he would undoubtedly forbid a divorce. After all, that would bring unwanted attention to a fucked up family. It surprises me that I never saw his behavior before. His thoughts are so old fashioned. I swear the man is living in the 50’s.
“So what do you say? Will you be my roommate?” Mom asks again. To hear her say the word roommate makes me realize that she’s not thinking of being my superior as she was before, but my equal. Had she said it any other way I would have tried to nicely weasel my way out of it, but I know that this time is going to be different. For one, Jeff isn’t going to be there to ruin our relationship and I know she won’t make any judgments on my actions. It’s probably for the best because she can stay home and watch Nathan while I’m at work. The more I think about it, the more I realize that this is the best idea for both Nathan and me.
“I would be delighted, but not here. This place is too cramped. Once I find a job we can have a bigger place.”
She nods. “I haven’t prepared for it yet, honey. I will have to return to Roswell one more time. Now, tell me who your new friends are.” She nods towards Kyle and Tess and I introduce her to the two.
<center>- - - - -</center>
“Elizabeth Claudia Parker.” I make my way across the stage to receive my diploma. I shake the hand of the dean whom I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting, but he’s proud of me nonetheless. I’m sure he would make a better father and husband than Jeff. The news about my own father hasn’t made me a happy camper. Maybe if he was a better father I wouldn’t be living such a stressful life. I would have the support of both my mother and my father and perhaps I would have attended Harvard, my dream college, rather than UCLA. Not to say that I didn’t enjoy UCLA, but there were so many times when I wished I could be more academically challenged. Then again, I would have had even less time to spend with Nathan. Regardless, if he had been the person I knew growing up, mom wouldn’t be begging me to move in. Then, I wouldn’t have to watch my back for flying alien powers. On the other hand, I can’t have my mother return to live trapped in a loveless marriage.
Suddenly bright flashes pull me out of my reverie. My mom is snapping pictures from her seat and I blush in embarrassment. It seems that even through everything I’ve experienced in the past three years, the child in me still shines through. Meanwhile, next to my mother, Nathan is restless in his seat and when he sees me walking down the isle he runs up to me and screams “MOMMY!” I’m a little embarrassed to receive a few looks from people sitting on the outer edges, but I pick up my son and take a seat amongst the other graduates. I figure that he’ll probably be putting my mom through hell anyway, and since nothing more is required of me in this ceremony, he can be with his spoiling mother for now.
Once everyone has made it through the line I’ve completely lost all interest with what’s happening on stage. Our guest speaker makes his way on stage. Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t my idea of a suitable guest speaker, but apparently the star struck students don’t mind. I laugh inwardly at this man and I’m really glad I have Nathan on my lap to entertain my thoughts.
Nathan starts playing with my hair, but when he sees the tassel I know I’m screwed. I scold him quietly, but he just giggles playfully. He’s doing it to get on my nerves, but I can’t exactly shout at him to make him stop. I beg him to be a good boy for mommy and he seems to understand as he lets go of the tassel.
“He’s an obedient one,” the woman next to me whispers. I nod silently and she continues to speak. “My little brother was always a pain in the butt when he was a toddler. He would wail everywhere I took him until he got his way. You’re lucky to have a quiet child.” Those were the only words I spoke with the woman. Although the interaction was brief, it was exactly what I needed to take my mind off of other matters.
Such matters like the rescue plan to save Michael, Isabel, and Max. I’ve been so busy with Nathan and school that I haven’t had the chance to ask in the past month how the plans are coming along. I know Maria and Alex have been working hard, but it seems as if they keep hitting dead ends. For some reason I’m not panicked over the situation. I know they will get the job done. Once I’ve found a secure job I will have the time to devote to unfolding this mystery. One thought still persists in my head: what have Kyle and Tess done to make us one step closer to executing a plan? Within seconds the thought is lost in the wind.
<center>- - - - -</center>
After the excitement of my graduation, my mother drove home with full intention of returning exactly one month later. She wanted to give herself time to break the news to Jeff and get her belongings together.
Meanwhile, I was looking for a suitable living situation and dealing with my uneasiness towards Tess. At the time I had no clue who Tess was or what her plans were of us, but it didn’t take me long to figure out. Looking back, I never trusted Tess; call it motherly instincts or woman’s intuition. She betrayed us. Working for the enemy, Tess, a fellow alien, was hired to assassinate Michael, Isabel, and Max. She got close to killing Max and Isabel, although I wouldn’t be privy to this information until the podsters returned home. Isabel said that Tess became their friend. She tried to seduce her way into Max’s pants and con her way into Isabel’s heart. How would they ever see it coming? But Tess was still half-human. She got attached and couldn’t go through with it. So she hired someone to kill them. Unfortunately for Tess, the person she hired was 100% human and when he realized his job was not your everyday hit, he fled.
Tess had to move to Plan B. She was going to set them up with the FBI. She snuck her way into the FBI. She married a sheriff’s son. Granted, it wasn’t out of free will. She mind warped him into believing that she was a saint and that he was straight. Then, when she made it to the Special Unit, she went undercover for the agency. She pointed out who the aliens were. Finding Michael was a stroke of luck. Her powers were more advanced than any of us could have fathomed. One look and she could tell if you were one of the podsters that were meant to die at her hand.
Tess mind warped us for the first year she was in California. The second year, she didn’t have to mind warp us. We walked around in a daze. It was Nathan who brought me out of the mind warp first. I was sent reeling through Tess’ brain that night. After changing into my pajamas I lay with Nathan on my bed and was instantly hurtled through her mind. Though, this time, I had more control of Nathan’s powers. I was able to slow it down and bring myself to enter her mind calmly. If I wanted to, I could pull myself out at any time, but I wanted answers, so I stuck around. I saw her thought processes and realized what she was doing to all of us. Thankfully, I also saw that she didn’t touch Nathan. She didn’t corrupt his innocent mind. If she had, I can guarantee you it wouldn’t have taken me nearly a month to muster up the courage (and a plan) to kill her.
Everyone else was still entranced by her spell. I feared that she would find out I knew her plan and that she would mind warp me again, or worse, she would mind warp Nathan or somehow endanger him. The night she died, I was still conjuring up ideas of how I should go about killing her. Was I to pull out a kitchen knife and stick her? Or should I buy a gun? Or should I make her dinner with a special chemical in it? I thought of every trick in the book. So what was the problem? She could turn every instance against me; she could mind warp me into stabbing or shooting myself, or slipping arsenic into the bowl of one of my friends’ drink.
Two weeks after I realized who she really was, I finally found a job, and got a new apartment. The new apartment had four bedrooms. Everyone was offered their own room with Tess and Kyle sharing a bed and Nathan and I sharing a living space. It was a temporary arrangement, as my mother was to arrive in merely two weeks, and even though I didn’t like the idea of offering a Tess a place to stay I had to keep my friends close and my enemies closer.
On this particular night, I woke up in the middle of my sleep. Something was alerting me – my motherly instinct. Nathan and I slept together now. Most of my money saved was spent on the apartment, thus he didn’t have the luxury of his own bed yet. When I woke up, Nathan was gone. Quickly and quietly, I got up. My eyes searched the room and Nathan wasn’t in sight. When I entered the living room, Tess was doing something to him. She had her hands around his head and her eyes were closed. She was concentrating, but just a bit too hard.
I flipped out. I screamed and ran to push Nathan out of harms way. Kyle was sitting across the room in a heap on the floor. Once Nathan was out from her grasp, electricity poured from my fingertips. Tess was thrown against the opposing wall and she was held there. I don’t know how long I stood there “electrocuting” her with powers I didn’t even know I had. When Maria and Alex stirred from across the room, I let her go. She was dead. My thoughts were immediately trained on my toddler son.
“Mommy.” His eyes were awestruck. Despite his age, I think he understood the reasoning behind my actions.
“Did the bad lady hurt you, honey?” I asked. My arms wrapped tightly around his small frame. He was still so gentle. Who would want to hurt such an innocent boy? An alien killer, of course.
Nathan shook his head, and gave me the best hug a child could give their mother.
Maria’s scream broke me from cherishing my son’s embrace.
“Kyle’s dead!” At those words, Alex and I snapped our attention to the body in the corner of the room. This was bad, this was really bad. We had to do something and we had to do it fast. So, I quickly suggested we dispose of the bodies. The last thing we needed was anyone stopping over unexpectedly to see two dead people in the room. If we didn’t end up in local prison, we surely would have been captured by the FBI for alien murder.
We ended up taking both his body and Tess’ body into the Californian desert. With a shovel in hand, the three of us buried Tess and Kyle, but we gave their bodies separate places. Kyle deserved more than to be buried next to a murderess. Maria and Alex had despair written all over there faces. I, on the other hand, viewed the death of the two as a release. Kyle was finally free from a life of control and Tess was finally out of our minds. With a refreshed mind and my newfound powers, I was going to lead my two friends into unknown territory: the white room.
Author's Note: For those inquiring minds, yes, Max and Liz will be meeting up shortly. I'm hoping to keep on a strict schedule of posting one chapter a week and FINALLY finishing this story. Thank you to everyone that replied. I enjoyed reading all the comments!
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Effluent Elegance
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2003 6:25 pm
- Location: Wisconsin
Chapter 15
<u><center>Chapter 15</center></u>
“What are we going to now?” Maria screams. Before I have a chance to contemplate the question on everyone’s mind, Maria continues to babble about all of our misfortunes. “Tess and Kyle were supposed to help us! A lot of help Tess turned out to be! Who the hell does she think she is? God, she brainwashed us and now look where we’re at. For all we know the FBI has forced Michael and Isabel to mate. What…what if they were hurt? And why do I feel like I’m missing two years of my life?”
By the end of Maria’s tirade tears are openly flowing down her cheeks and I can feel her misery. None of us knew what we expected to come out of this. Not even I, with my doubts towards Tess, could have predicted such a tragic ending. And what has become of the ones we loved? It’s almost too much to bear and before I know it, Maria isn’t the only one that is crying.
In a calm tone, Alex says, “When we were in the desert we mourned Kyle’s death. Now, we need to move forward and fight against what Tess tried to do. She was holding us back from saving Michael, Isabel, and Max, but why? We don’t know. What we do know is that we must come up with a plan. And I think I might have something to get the juices flowing. We have a week until Liz’s mom arrives and I suggest we make a plan in the next 24 hours, so let’s get cracking.” Alex leads us to the living room and points to the sofa. It doesn’t take long for him to resume his pep talk and explain what his plan might contain. “I was thinking in the car about Tess and Kyle when I remembered Jim Valenti.”
“Kyle’s father,” I explain.
“Right,” Alex continues. “Liz, it’s clear that somehow Max or even Michael changed you. When you killed Tess you weren’t connected to Nathan. That being said, with Nathan’s help you can connect to other people. This is where Jim Valenti comes in. Here’s where the difficult part of the operation begins. Liz, this may sound impossible at first, but I believe in you and your abilities. Do you think you can connect to a specific person?”
“Like Jim Valenti?” While I understand what Alex is getting at, I can’t help, but be apprehensive about the plan. What if I can’t connect to Jim; and if I do, what then?
“Exactly. Once you connect to Jim, you need to talk to him. Plant a voice in his head instructing him to stop drugging Isabel, Michael, and Max. Once they’re no longer affected by the drugs, they’ll have their powers back and once they have their powers back they can escape. But that isn’t the only thing we’ll need Jim for. We need to find a way to get the podsters out unharmed. How would they get out of one of the top notch security facilities in the country? We need to get Jim to force the agents out and send them on a wild goose chase over nothing. What powers does everyone have?”
“Michael is a walking war lord. He can do or manipulate any thing to work for him. If he wanted to fire cannonballs, he could throw rocks at such a high force that it would create just as high of an impact as the average cannonball,” I explain. “Furthermore, if need be, he can create the illusion of gunfire or enemies on the loose.”
While I sit thinking about what to do, Maria finally chimes in. “So, Michael creates the illusion of enemies and the FBI goes after the enemies.”
“Yeah, but what can Isabel and Max contribute?” Alex asks. I think it’s the same question that’s on Maria’s and my mind. I shrug my shoulders, pulling up my legs insecurely as I do so. If we can’t rescue our loved ones then life as I know it is over. If we are unsuccessful, we could end up being dragged into the mess only to become lab monkeys too.
“If all of this is going on inside of the compound, what will our purpose be?” Maria is just as frightened as I am. Her green eyes are filled with terror and I know if we weren’t so desperate right now, she would burst into tears or flee to find her treasured vial of cedar oil. ‘Dios mio,’ she would say under normal circumstances, but this is anything but normal. Instead, she keeps those emotions just beneath the surface and remains calm so we can get the job done.
“We will be the get away drivers,” Alex explains.
<center>- - - - -</center>
As if my life were a television show or a movie, life fasts forward to that point in time. Maria is driving her mom’s old red Jetta, inherited when her mother was finally able to afford her own vehicle. I think her mother got fed up with Maria’s reckless driving. Usually she wound up in little fender benders because of her need for speed. However, her penchant for pushing the pedal to the medal is exactly what we need on our mission to save the podsters.
Speaking of saving the podsters, everything has gone according to plan. I successfully contacted Jim and told him about our plan. It took some time, but with enough focus and manipulating both Nathan’s powers and my own, I was able to mentally contact him. He agreed wholeheartedly and began his part of the deal. I don’t know if he realizes how important he is in this entire operation. If he fails to hold up his end of the deal, we could all end up in federal prison, or worse. If Pierce decides he wants to keep us as his pets, then we might be forced into all sorts of behavior that we might not want to do. And Nathan. I didn’t know what to do about my son. I had no choice but to bring him along for the ride. I’m scared to death that something might happen to him under my care. He shouldn’t have to be subjected to this perilous plan. I couldn’t find a babysitter to take care of my child, mostly because I don’t trust anyone anymore. It’s hard to get over what Tess did to us, and much worse what she could have done to my child. If she killed him while she was attempting to do whatever it was to his brain, then I wouldn’t forgive myself for as long as I lived. But she didn’t kill him. Instead, he is going to meet his father for the first time, if things go flawlessly. It’s certain that he will meet his father all battered and bruised. I wish things could have been different. I wish I could have prevented the white room experience for everyone. I wonder if I had decided to stay in that motel room the night we conceived Nathan if things would be completely different today. Instead, things will never be different and I have to focus on the present: Maria in the driver’s seat, Nathan in the back in his safety seat, and Alex in his own VW Rabbit.
It has been three days since we concocted the plan that might save Michael, Max, and Isabel. Jim informed us that it took at least 48 hours for the drugs to leave their system and at least 12 hours more for them to become coherent enough to use them. Not willing to waste any more time than necessary, we hit the road at the soonest date. It’s a long drive from Los Angeles to “Area 51.”
Jim sent me a mental image of the path to take to the base. From the images he sent, I know that we are about 5 miles out. I grab the walkee talkie and send Alex a message. I know it’s not necessarily the securest connection, but we don’t intend to openly converse over the air waves without a secret code language. “Alex, are you at the pond?”
“At the pond and ready to fish; where are you?”
It sounds like a lame cover up, but on such short notice we had no other choice. Maybe it’s just lame enough for the FBI to believe – even if we are in the middle of the desert. There could be a lake, or a pond, or something in the area, couldn’t there? My heart starts to race when I realize that the FBI isn’t that stupid. They will surely pick up on our scheme.
“It appears that there is no pond in sight. Where are you fishing anyway?” I say in a lame attempt to cover my ass. My heart instantly picks up speed when I see Alex’s VW Rabbit in the distance. It’s dark out and he has conveniently hidden the small car behind a large rock formation. As we near, Maria slows down and parks next to Alex, also cleverly hidden by the rocks.
“Ok now what?” Maria asks.
“Now, we wait for Jim to do his part. He said that we should expect them out of there within fifteen minutes and that he would execute the plan at precisely 11:47.” Jim said the reason that we needed to be ready at exactly that time was because it would be the time when the guards were switching shifts. Any innocent agent would be either at home or checking out. Pierce, on the other hand, would be taken care of. The plan was to kill Pierce and anyone that was as corrupted as Pierce. Afterward, they were going to escape to where Alex and Maria were parked. While there isn’t much for us to do besides sit and wait, our task seems the most difficult. At any moment we could be caught and pulled in with the others. I look at my watch and realize we have a good ten minutes before the plan is put into action and ten more minutes of my life to pass by until I realize what is going on.
“I can’t just sit here. Nathan,” I say as I look into the back seat. Quickly unbuckling my seat belt I hop into the back seat and unfasten my son. I hold him in my arms, willing him to take me into someone’s mind.
”Liz no,” Maria pleads. “You can’t. This isn’t part of the plan!”
Before I have any time to respond to her actions, Nathan connects me to the person nearest and dearest to his heart: Max. He is huddled in the corner of the room watching a teleprompter. He’s terrified, and he wants to execute the plan immediately. He knows he can use all of his powers, but refuses to endure one more day in the white room. Tears run down his cheeks when he realizes what Pierce intends to do to his sister.
On the monitor, Pierce is giving Michael an ultimatum. “For one year we have tried to get you two to have sex. ONE YEAR! I’m sure you can imagine my frustration in the matter. One year of pulling every trick in the book to get you two to mate with each other. One year of watching the two of you completely naked in opposite corners of the room. Well Michael and Isabel, you have a choice to make. Either Michael impregnates you, or I do it for him! Someone is going to have sex with you tonight, and you have five minutes to decide who it’s going to be.” Pierce hit a button and the one way mirror behind him faded into a countdown. Max watched in horror, knowing that Pierce would make him watch what was going to happen to his sister.
“NOOO!” he screamed.
“Liz!” I hear in the background. I try to hold onto the image of Max, but it fades from my mind in a flash. Maria is still in the driver’s seat except now she is looking back at me with terror on her face.
“Maria, what’s wrong with you?”
“What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with ME? I’m not the one who was just screaming out our location. Do you realize who you could have just alerted us to?” Maria babbles some more, but I’ve learned by now how to block out the sound.
Instead, I focus on what she just said. Interrupting her tirade, I ask her what she means.
“What I mean? You were just screaming out ‘no’. What the hell was that about anyway?” If looks could kill, I would be dead right now. I know Maria is just as worried as I am, and I’m glad she’s sitting next to me and preventing me from any further outbursts.
”Max,” I respond simply. I stare at the clock, ignoring her tirade towards me. When I realize all the screeching she’s doing with my added outburst could lead to an awareness of our locale, I simply put a finger to my lips to calm her down. Her voice fades and we sit in the car waiting for the clock to tick just two more minutes. When the clock strikes 11:47 I am going to will Nathan to bring me back to the white room. I glance in Alex’s direction and notice that he too is glaring at me, but remains seated in his silent fear.
Looking at Nathan, I will him to bring me back to the white room, and he complies. Instead of being in Max’s brain, and seeing things through his eyes, I’m standing on my own. I look down at my clothes and realize that I’m not trapped within another’s body. Instead, Nathan found a way to astral project me into the military base. As much as I would like to praise my son for his growing abilities, I have no time to do so. I glance around the room, noting that Pierce appears to be dead in the corner. To make sure that he won’t hurt anyone else, I raise my hand just as I did with Tess and focus on erasing any memory of Michael, Max, and Isabel. With enough concentration, I can get into his mind and visualize all the things he has done. Everything in his life has led to this moment. His entire life is dark, and there’s a part of me that feels sorry for the little boy in the man that was abused by his father. Tears slide down my cheeks as I watch in horror the things that he did to Michael, Isabel, and, finally, Max. When I’ve finally deleted all those memories simply by willing them to metaphorically disappear, I exit the room. There are two hallways, one that leads right and one that leads left. This prison is like a rat maze and I have no idea where I’m going. I pick a random direction and follow it until I see Michael in the distance.
“Michael.”
Michael turns around as I say his name. He can hear me? He runs over to where I am and hugs me tight. “Liz, we have to get out of here.”
“You have to get out of here. Follow Jim, he will lead you in the right direction. I have to eliminate any knowledge of your stay here.”
“Liz, I’m not leaving you in this place!” Michael shouts in a hushed tone. “How did you get here anyway?”
“No time to explain Michael. Just know that it really isn’t me in here. Go to the cars; NOW.” Before I can explain anything else to Michael, I run back to where I came from. I can tell he wants to follow me, but thankfully he takes my advice and runs in the opposite direction with Jim, and Isabel leading the way. As I make my way down the hallway I glance in every room. Once I’m inside, I focus my entire soul on eliminating evidence. I picture files and records bursting into flames in my mind, just as I did with Pierce’s memories. When I reopen my eyes I notice that not only did I eliminate the files, I succeeded in starting the building on fire. Perhaps it’s for the best, but I must first find my way out of here.
However, Nathan has other things on his mind. Before I can do a thorough check of the FBI base, I become transported to another location. The locale hits me with a bizarre sense of déjà vu. I’m standing in the middle of the desert and Max appears to be running in the direction of the cars. Behind him, guns start to fire. As if on some primal instinct, I hold my hand up to protect him, but nothing happens. I look around and notice that Max and I aren’t the only ones there. Nathan has found a way to astral project himself as well as me. He commands the guards to “sleep” and instantly every military man collapses into a deep slumber. He giggles innocently as Max finally reaches me and collapses into my arms.
“Daddy!” It’s at that instant I realize why this seems so familiar. This is my premonition from when Nathan was an infant. I try to coax Max out of his dazed state, but nothing seems to be working. That is until Nathan places his tiny hand on Max’s slowly dying form. When Nathan has succeeded in saving him, I’m pulled back to my own body. When I look out the window, I see Max get up in the distance and run towards the cars. Michael is already seated in the passenger seat. In Alex’s vehicle, Jim holds the door open for Max to rush in, and before I know it we have left an eerily quiet “Area 51”.
Author's Note: Ok, I know that there are a lot of unanswered questions, but sometimes thats how it goes with a POV fic. I plan to answer any questions about how the podsters escaped, etc. in the next chapter with some other stuff that you won't necessarily expect. This is the first time I've written anything sci-fi ish with so much suspense, so I hope I didn't totally crap out on it for you all. Thanks for reading.
“What are we going to now?” Maria screams. Before I have a chance to contemplate the question on everyone’s mind, Maria continues to babble about all of our misfortunes. “Tess and Kyle were supposed to help us! A lot of help Tess turned out to be! Who the hell does she think she is? God, she brainwashed us and now look where we’re at. For all we know the FBI has forced Michael and Isabel to mate. What…what if they were hurt? And why do I feel like I’m missing two years of my life?”
By the end of Maria’s tirade tears are openly flowing down her cheeks and I can feel her misery. None of us knew what we expected to come out of this. Not even I, with my doubts towards Tess, could have predicted such a tragic ending. And what has become of the ones we loved? It’s almost too much to bear and before I know it, Maria isn’t the only one that is crying.
In a calm tone, Alex says, “When we were in the desert we mourned Kyle’s death. Now, we need to move forward and fight against what Tess tried to do. She was holding us back from saving Michael, Isabel, and Max, but why? We don’t know. What we do know is that we must come up with a plan. And I think I might have something to get the juices flowing. We have a week until Liz’s mom arrives and I suggest we make a plan in the next 24 hours, so let’s get cracking.” Alex leads us to the living room and points to the sofa. It doesn’t take long for him to resume his pep talk and explain what his plan might contain. “I was thinking in the car about Tess and Kyle when I remembered Jim Valenti.”
“Kyle’s father,” I explain.
“Right,” Alex continues. “Liz, it’s clear that somehow Max or even Michael changed you. When you killed Tess you weren’t connected to Nathan. That being said, with Nathan’s help you can connect to other people. This is where Jim Valenti comes in. Here’s where the difficult part of the operation begins. Liz, this may sound impossible at first, but I believe in you and your abilities. Do you think you can connect to a specific person?”
“Like Jim Valenti?” While I understand what Alex is getting at, I can’t help, but be apprehensive about the plan. What if I can’t connect to Jim; and if I do, what then?
“Exactly. Once you connect to Jim, you need to talk to him. Plant a voice in his head instructing him to stop drugging Isabel, Michael, and Max. Once they’re no longer affected by the drugs, they’ll have their powers back and once they have their powers back they can escape. But that isn’t the only thing we’ll need Jim for. We need to find a way to get the podsters out unharmed. How would they get out of one of the top notch security facilities in the country? We need to get Jim to force the agents out and send them on a wild goose chase over nothing. What powers does everyone have?”
“Michael is a walking war lord. He can do or manipulate any thing to work for him. If he wanted to fire cannonballs, he could throw rocks at such a high force that it would create just as high of an impact as the average cannonball,” I explain. “Furthermore, if need be, he can create the illusion of gunfire or enemies on the loose.”
While I sit thinking about what to do, Maria finally chimes in. “So, Michael creates the illusion of enemies and the FBI goes after the enemies.”
“Yeah, but what can Isabel and Max contribute?” Alex asks. I think it’s the same question that’s on Maria’s and my mind. I shrug my shoulders, pulling up my legs insecurely as I do so. If we can’t rescue our loved ones then life as I know it is over. If we are unsuccessful, we could end up being dragged into the mess only to become lab monkeys too.
“If all of this is going on inside of the compound, what will our purpose be?” Maria is just as frightened as I am. Her green eyes are filled with terror and I know if we weren’t so desperate right now, she would burst into tears or flee to find her treasured vial of cedar oil. ‘Dios mio,’ she would say under normal circumstances, but this is anything but normal. Instead, she keeps those emotions just beneath the surface and remains calm so we can get the job done.
“We will be the get away drivers,” Alex explains.
<center>- - - - -</center>
As if my life were a television show or a movie, life fasts forward to that point in time. Maria is driving her mom’s old red Jetta, inherited when her mother was finally able to afford her own vehicle. I think her mother got fed up with Maria’s reckless driving. Usually she wound up in little fender benders because of her need for speed. However, her penchant for pushing the pedal to the medal is exactly what we need on our mission to save the podsters.
Speaking of saving the podsters, everything has gone according to plan. I successfully contacted Jim and told him about our plan. It took some time, but with enough focus and manipulating both Nathan’s powers and my own, I was able to mentally contact him. He agreed wholeheartedly and began his part of the deal. I don’t know if he realizes how important he is in this entire operation. If he fails to hold up his end of the deal, we could all end up in federal prison, or worse. If Pierce decides he wants to keep us as his pets, then we might be forced into all sorts of behavior that we might not want to do. And Nathan. I didn’t know what to do about my son. I had no choice but to bring him along for the ride. I’m scared to death that something might happen to him under my care. He shouldn’t have to be subjected to this perilous plan. I couldn’t find a babysitter to take care of my child, mostly because I don’t trust anyone anymore. It’s hard to get over what Tess did to us, and much worse what she could have done to my child. If she killed him while she was attempting to do whatever it was to his brain, then I wouldn’t forgive myself for as long as I lived. But she didn’t kill him. Instead, he is going to meet his father for the first time, if things go flawlessly. It’s certain that he will meet his father all battered and bruised. I wish things could have been different. I wish I could have prevented the white room experience for everyone. I wonder if I had decided to stay in that motel room the night we conceived Nathan if things would be completely different today. Instead, things will never be different and I have to focus on the present: Maria in the driver’s seat, Nathan in the back in his safety seat, and Alex in his own VW Rabbit.
It has been three days since we concocted the plan that might save Michael, Max, and Isabel. Jim informed us that it took at least 48 hours for the drugs to leave their system and at least 12 hours more for them to become coherent enough to use them. Not willing to waste any more time than necessary, we hit the road at the soonest date. It’s a long drive from Los Angeles to “Area 51.”
Jim sent me a mental image of the path to take to the base. From the images he sent, I know that we are about 5 miles out. I grab the walkee talkie and send Alex a message. I know it’s not necessarily the securest connection, but we don’t intend to openly converse over the air waves without a secret code language. “Alex, are you at the pond?”
“At the pond and ready to fish; where are you?”
It sounds like a lame cover up, but on such short notice we had no other choice. Maybe it’s just lame enough for the FBI to believe – even if we are in the middle of the desert. There could be a lake, or a pond, or something in the area, couldn’t there? My heart starts to race when I realize that the FBI isn’t that stupid. They will surely pick up on our scheme.
“It appears that there is no pond in sight. Where are you fishing anyway?” I say in a lame attempt to cover my ass. My heart instantly picks up speed when I see Alex’s VW Rabbit in the distance. It’s dark out and he has conveniently hidden the small car behind a large rock formation. As we near, Maria slows down and parks next to Alex, also cleverly hidden by the rocks.
“Ok now what?” Maria asks.
“Now, we wait for Jim to do his part. He said that we should expect them out of there within fifteen minutes and that he would execute the plan at precisely 11:47.” Jim said the reason that we needed to be ready at exactly that time was because it would be the time when the guards were switching shifts. Any innocent agent would be either at home or checking out. Pierce, on the other hand, would be taken care of. The plan was to kill Pierce and anyone that was as corrupted as Pierce. Afterward, they were going to escape to where Alex and Maria were parked. While there isn’t much for us to do besides sit and wait, our task seems the most difficult. At any moment we could be caught and pulled in with the others. I look at my watch and realize we have a good ten minutes before the plan is put into action and ten more minutes of my life to pass by until I realize what is going on.
“I can’t just sit here. Nathan,” I say as I look into the back seat. Quickly unbuckling my seat belt I hop into the back seat and unfasten my son. I hold him in my arms, willing him to take me into someone’s mind.
”Liz no,” Maria pleads. “You can’t. This isn’t part of the plan!”
Before I have any time to respond to her actions, Nathan connects me to the person nearest and dearest to his heart: Max. He is huddled in the corner of the room watching a teleprompter. He’s terrified, and he wants to execute the plan immediately. He knows he can use all of his powers, but refuses to endure one more day in the white room. Tears run down his cheeks when he realizes what Pierce intends to do to his sister.
On the monitor, Pierce is giving Michael an ultimatum. “For one year we have tried to get you two to have sex. ONE YEAR! I’m sure you can imagine my frustration in the matter. One year of pulling every trick in the book to get you two to mate with each other. One year of watching the two of you completely naked in opposite corners of the room. Well Michael and Isabel, you have a choice to make. Either Michael impregnates you, or I do it for him! Someone is going to have sex with you tonight, and you have five minutes to decide who it’s going to be.” Pierce hit a button and the one way mirror behind him faded into a countdown. Max watched in horror, knowing that Pierce would make him watch what was going to happen to his sister.
“NOOO!” he screamed.
“Liz!” I hear in the background. I try to hold onto the image of Max, but it fades from my mind in a flash. Maria is still in the driver’s seat except now she is looking back at me with terror on her face.
“Maria, what’s wrong with you?”
“What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with ME? I’m not the one who was just screaming out our location. Do you realize who you could have just alerted us to?” Maria babbles some more, but I’ve learned by now how to block out the sound.
Instead, I focus on what she just said. Interrupting her tirade, I ask her what she means.
“What I mean? You were just screaming out ‘no’. What the hell was that about anyway?” If looks could kill, I would be dead right now. I know Maria is just as worried as I am, and I’m glad she’s sitting next to me and preventing me from any further outbursts.
”Max,” I respond simply. I stare at the clock, ignoring her tirade towards me. When I realize all the screeching she’s doing with my added outburst could lead to an awareness of our locale, I simply put a finger to my lips to calm her down. Her voice fades and we sit in the car waiting for the clock to tick just two more minutes. When the clock strikes 11:47 I am going to will Nathan to bring me back to the white room. I glance in Alex’s direction and notice that he too is glaring at me, but remains seated in his silent fear.
Looking at Nathan, I will him to bring me back to the white room, and he complies. Instead of being in Max’s brain, and seeing things through his eyes, I’m standing on my own. I look down at my clothes and realize that I’m not trapped within another’s body. Instead, Nathan found a way to astral project me into the military base. As much as I would like to praise my son for his growing abilities, I have no time to do so. I glance around the room, noting that Pierce appears to be dead in the corner. To make sure that he won’t hurt anyone else, I raise my hand just as I did with Tess and focus on erasing any memory of Michael, Max, and Isabel. With enough concentration, I can get into his mind and visualize all the things he has done. Everything in his life has led to this moment. His entire life is dark, and there’s a part of me that feels sorry for the little boy in the man that was abused by his father. Tears slide down my cheeks as I watch in horror the things that he did to Michael, Isabel, and, finally, Max. When I’ve finally deleted all those memories simply by willing them to metaphorically disappear, I exit the room. There are two hallways, one that leads right and one that leads left. This prison is like a rat maze and I have no idea where I’m going. I pick a random direction and follow it until I see Michael in the distance.
“Michael.”
Michael turns around as I say his name. He can hear me? He runs over to where I am and hugs me tight. “Liz, we have to get out of here.”
“You have to get out of here. Follow Jim, he will lead you in the right direction. I have to eliminate any knowledge of your stay here.”
“Liz, I’m not leaving you in this place!” Michael shouts in a hushed tone. “How did you get here anyway?”
“No time to explain Michael. Just know that it really isn’t me in here. Go to the cars; NOW.” Before I can explain anything else to Michael, I run back to where I came from. I can tell he wants to follow me, but thankfully he takes my advice and runs in the opposite direction with Jim, and Isabel leading the way. As I make my way down the hallway I glance in every room. Once I’m inside, I focus my entire soul on eliminating evidence. I picture files and records bursting into flames in my mind, just as I did with Pierce’s memories. When I reopen my eyes I notice that not only did I eliminate the files, I succeeded in starting the building on fire. Perhaps it’s for the best, but I must first find my way out of here.
However, Nathan has other things on his mind. Before I can do a thorough check of the FBI base, I become transported to another location. The locale hits me with a bizarre sense of déjà vu. I’m standing in the middle of the desert and Max appears to be running in the direction of the cars. Behind him, guns start to fire. As if on some primal instinct, I hold my hand up to protect him, but nothing happens. I look around and notice that Max and I aren’t the only ones there. Nathan has found a way to astral project himself as well as me. He commands the guards to “sleep” and instantly every military man collapses into a deep slumber. He giggles innocently as Max finally reaches me and collapses into my arms.
“Daddy!” It’s at that instant I realize why this seems so familiar. This is my premonition from when Nathan was an infant. I try to coax Max out of his dazed state, but nothing seems to be working. That is until Nathan places his tiny hand on Max’s slowly dying form. When Nathan has succeeded in saving him, I’m pulled back to my own body. When I look out the window, I see Max get up in the distance and run towards the cars. Michael is already seated in the passenger seat. In Alex’s vehicle, Jim holds the door open for Max to rush in, and before I know it we have left an eerily quiet “Area 51”.
Author's Note: Ok, I know that there are a lot of unanswered questions, but sometimes thats how it goes with a POV fic. I plan to answer any questions about how the podsters escaped, etc. in the next chapter with some other stuff that you won't necessarily expect. This is the first time I've written anything sci-fi ish with so much suspense, so I hope I didn't totally crap out on it for you all. Thanks for reading.
-
Effluent Elegance
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2003 6:25 pm
- Location: Wisconsin
Chapter 16
<center>Chapter 16</center>
“Follow us!” Alex commands through the walkie talkie. Had the situation not been so dangerous I would have demanded answers. For one, why would it be so important to follow his car? Obviously he knew something that I didn’t. It was something that could pertain to Max, Isabel, or Jim. Knowing that something is up, I nod my head at Maria and she begins the race down the highway behind Alex. We remain hidden until we are a safe distance from Area 51 (several miles and intersections gone by); our car lights are off and everyone in the car is immobile. Everything around us appears to be just as immobile. The desert around us is still. There is no breeze to stir up the sand and it’s like we’re the only ones that exist in this place and time. An eternity has passed before Alex puts his lights on and we follow suit. We take our speed to a level that is legal and I let out a sigh of relief.
“Was it really that easy?” Maria asks, still shaken by the night’s events.
“I erased the memory of Max, Isabel, and Michael from everyone remaining in the compound,” I reply. Though I’m worried that somehow something will backfire, I’m also overwhelmed by a calm voice saying that everything is going to be alright.
However, Michael is more concerned with my actions in the compound. “That’s what you were doing running around in there! Liz, you scared me to death when you told me to keep going!” Michael butts in. He whips his head around as he speaks with pained emotion. While I would like to snap back and explain to him just what was going on I have to remain calm in this situation or we won’t get anywhere.
“I helped get you out of there. What’s done is done. I’m just so glad to see your face again. I’ve missed you and so has Nathan.” My voice starts out trying to assuage the situation and somehow my emotions take over whilst tears are ready to slip down my face. “What happened after I left?”
“Jim pushed Isabel and I forward. He told us that we had to get out of there and he led the way to our freedom.”
“How was it so easy for you to escape?” Maria asked. “I can’t believe that you left so easily. This is the FBI we’re dealing with!”
“I made all the guards see an image of Isabel, Max, and I escaping; all, but Valenti. They were coming for my room anyway. Pierce wanted Isabel and I to mate. He said that if he didn’t he would impregnate Isabel himself. So I killed him. I wanted him to know what it was like to be a prisoner. My powers haven’t been useable for a long time. I almost drained all my energy on him. So, I choked him with my powers and images of all the things that he has done to me surged forth and before I knew it he went limp. That’s when I realized the guards were banging on the door, and it was life or death. I chose life.” Michael looks out his window sadly.
I can’t imagine what it must have been like for him in the compound. Almost two years of his life are missing because some asshole wanted to study who he was. Michael doesn’t even know who he is or where he comes from; the whole experience had to be frustrating for Michael. For as long as I’ve known Michael, he has wanted to find out where he came from. When we were teenagers he was always concocting secret missions to find out information about his real family. He knew there was someone else out there similar to him, but he didn’t know where to look. Eventually he gave up, but that wasn’t without my consolation.
“Michael, I’ll be your family. I’ll care for you for the rest of my life, as long as you promise that you won’t leave me alone on Earth.”
“Deal.”
Michael and I pressed our fists together in a sibling-like bond. The bond was apparent from the day we met and it had yet to be broken. I put a hand on his shoulder at some point during the trip to give him my support. He stared out the window for a while, but eventually he turned his head in my direction once more.
“Wow, Nathan has gotten so big! Hey junior! How’s my favorite nephew!”
Nathan stared at Michael nervously. He didn’t know what to think about Michael. I doubt he even remembers anything about Michael. I nudge my boy and tell him that Michael is his uncle and I coax him into saying hello back. It takes some persuasion, but he finally complies. “He’s a little shy,” I say quietly.
“So he takes after his mother,” Michael jokes. Somehow, the simple question plagues my mind with a deeper question. Does he take after Max or me more? Max; whenever my mind drifts to him I start to wonder what is running through his own mind. Does he ever think about Nathan? He has to know that Nathan is his son. The dreams were too real when I was pregnant and even after not to notice who Nathan is. And what about the very pertinent fact that Nathan healed him? Where did that ability come from? Is Nathan some sort of superior being on this other planet, or is this what happens when humans mate with alien hybrids? There are so many questions and so few answers. For now, Michael is the only one who can answer my questions.
“Michael,” I question quietly. I mumble a few jumbled words, trying to contemplate just how I’m going to word the question that has been plaguing me since the moment I met Max on the dance floor. “What is he like?”
“What is who like?” Michael looks confused. It’s then that it dawns on me that he was never around when I came to the epiphany that Max is Nathan’s father. Michael was never there to witness Nathan’s growing powers, and I’m not even sure if he saw what happened outside of the FBI compound when Nathan and I astral projected.
“Max,” I reply simply.
“Max? Why do you want to know about him?” Michael asks. His tone becomes slightly agitated and it’s as if we’re back in high school again. Sean DeLuca, Maria’s cousin, wanted to ask me to the prom. But before he could ask me, he had to go through Michael. Every single time Sean and I would try to be alone, whether it was at a lunch or at the Crashdown, Michael would pop out of nowhere and scare Sean off. And it took a lot to scare Sean DeLuca. Needless to say, Maria had a talk with Michael and Sean and I attended prom together, but nothing developed in the quickly dying relationship. This time, I couldn’t have a similar outcome. So, I told Michael the entire story: me figuring out that Max is Nathan’s father and coming to terms with Nathan’s powers.
“Liz, the guy is a wreck. I can guarantee that he’s not the same horny bastard that you met in the club, but that doesn’t mean he has the Michael Guerin seal of approval just yet.”
“Michael, don’t. Not when Nathan is involved. Please, just let me work this one out on my own,” I plead.
“Ok, but if he tries anything with you…”
“You will be the first to know,” I respond quickly.
Hours pass. We cross the state border and I feel a huge weight lifted off my shoulders just knowing we’ve made it this far. I know we may not be entirely in the clear, but just the mere knowledge that we’ve accomplished this much gives me hope for what’s to come.
Slowly the scenery zips by. I notice that the light blue hue of the moon fades to black. The vibration of the car’s movement along the bumpy road rocks me to sleep. I’m awoken from my dreamless slumber instantly as the car comes to a halt. It is midday and we’ve arrived at Jim Valenti’s country cabin. He directs our cars into a garage that appears too small, but we make the cars fit. Then, we are led into his house where we all find a comfortable spot to sit. Isabel, Alex, and Max are squeezed onto the couch, Nathan and I onto an easy chair, and Michael and Maria are cuddled up together on the floor.
“It’s best that we stay here for a week,” Valenti announces. “The FBI will search your homes and probably your parents’ homes. They don’t know about this place, luckily, so it’s the best option.” Alex, Isabel, and Max sit calmly. I bet they’ve already discussed this in their getaway vehicle, but Maria, Michael and I are anything but calm.
“One week?!” I scream. “Do you know how long it has taken me to get to where I am? I’m a single mother and I’ve missed the first two years of my son’s life because I was working my ass off to get through college. Now that I finally have a job and a life back home you want me to lose it sitting around doing absolutely nothing? How do we even know that Maria, Alex, and I are suspects?”
“And how do we know you won’t just turn us over to the FBI? You worked for them for Christ’s sake!” Michael adds.
“I worked for them in hopes of freeing my son! Where is he by the way? Tess said she would free him once I helped you ungrateful aliens out of the compound.”
“Tess?” Max and Isabel simultaneously question. It’s obvious that they recognize the name, and they’re about to add their input when I cut them off.
“Tess is dead,” I proclaim to everyone in the room, but my eyes are trained solely on Jim. “She tried to hurt my son and probably would have killed him had I not done something about it. Before I got there she killed your son,” I say as I lower my head. My voice is gentle when I tell Jim that his only son is now dead. “I’m sorry, Jim. I wish I could have gotten there earlier.”
“Kyle…is dead?” Jim asks disbelievingly. I nod my head and we all take a moment to mourn Kyle’s death. “I need some time to think,” Jim says before he heads down a hallway towards what I believe is his bedroom.”
“I think we can all trust Jim. We should stay here for at least 24 hours. After that time we can all return to where we came from,” Max announces, his head bowed in a brooding manner. I have to tell him the truth. I have to tell him about that fateful night at the club and that Nathan is his child. Everyone else seems to understand. Michael and Maria search the house for a bedroom, and once they find one muffled sex noises reverberate into the living room. Meanwhile, Alex takes Isabel to the back porch. She probably needs some fresh air. She seemed so shaken, and who wouldn’t be after what Pierce tried to do to her. I only hope that Alex can help heal all her wounds.
“Hi,” I say lamely. What do you say to someone whom you had a one night stand with and ultimately conceive a child with, and whom you haven’t seen for three years? Suddenly I feel extremely shy about the whole situation. Do I simply cut straight to the chase and tell him exactly what has been on my mind and that I believe our dreams have been mutual over the past years.
“Hey,” he replies, breaking me out of my thoughts. His smile is so small that I almost don’t catch it, but I do, and the mere sight of it takes my breath away. “Thank you.”
I look at him a bit perplexed. “For what?”
“For saving my life back there. If it weren’t for you or your son, I probably wouldn’t be here right now,” he says under hooded eyes.
“Well, if it weren’t for you, there wouldn’t be a son to save your life,” I respond bravely. I hope he understands what I’m trying to tell him.
“What do you mean?” He asks. “I’ve only had sex with one woman in my life and she’s the love of my life, that I’m sure.”
I blush and dip my head. “The Alienation, right?” It’s not a question in my mind, but I have to make him remember that although I’m a different Liz today I’m still the same woman that he made love to years ago. He nods and seems to be studying me.
“You’re…” his voice trails off. “Are you…are you sure he’s mine?” he asks hesitantly.
“You’re the only one I’ve ever been with,” I tell him. He seems excited to hear that. “I’m sorry; I mean for everything. I shouldn’t have walked out that night. And then I should have taken the morning after pill. But now, we have a son together and life is going to be pretty complicated. I didn’t mean to drag you into this,” I ramble. I continue to apologize for every single thing that I can imagine. After being through the white room, I’m sure this is the last thing he wants to deal with right now. My thoughts are instantly halted when his lips come crashing down on mine. I don’t know when he got up and walked over to me, or when he tilted my head up and started making sweet love to my mouth, but it happened. And I couldn’t be any happier than I am right now. His kiss explains so many things. He doesn’t regret anything, and he’s going to prove it to both Nathan and I.
“Follow us!” Alex commands through the walkie talkie. Had the situation not been so dangerous I would have demanded answers. For one, why would it be so important to follow his car? Obviously he knew something that I didn’t. It was something that could pertain to Max, Isabel, or Jim. Knowing that something is up, I nod my head at Maria and she begins the race down the highway behind Alex. We remain hidden until we are a safe distance from Area 51 (several miles and intersections gone by); our car lights are off and everyone in the car is immobile. Everything around us appears to be just as immobile. The desert around us is still. There is no breeze to stir up the sand and it’s like we’re the only ones that exist in this place and time. An eternity has passed before Alex puts his lights on and we follow suit. We take our speed to a level that is legal and I let out a sigh of relief.
“Was it really that easy?” Maria asks, still shaken by the night’s events.
“I erased the memory of Max, Isabel, and Michael from everyone remaining in the compound,” I reply. Though I’m worried that somehow something will backfire, I’m also overwhelmed by a calm voice saying that everything is going to be alright.
However, Michael is more concerned with my actions in the compound. “That’s what you were doing running around in there! Liz, you scared me to death when you told me to keep going!” Michael butts in. He whips his head around as he speaks with pained emotion. While I would like to snap back and explain to him just what was going on I have to remain calm in this situation or we won’t get anywhere.
“I helped get you out of there. What’s done is done. I’m just so glad to see your face again. I’ve missed you and so has Nathan.” My voice starts out trying to assuage the situation and somehow my emotions take over whilst tears are ready to slip down my face. “What happened after I left?”
“Jim pushed Isabel and I forward. He told us that we had to get out of there and he led the way to our freedom.”
“How was it so easy for you to escape?” Maria asked. “I can’t believe that you left so easily. This is the FBI we’re dealing with!”
“I made all the guards see an image of Isabel, Max, and I escaping; all, but Valenti. They were coming for my room anyway. Pierce wanted Isabel and I to mate. He said that if he didn’t he would impregnate Isabel himself. So I killed him. I wanted him to know what it was like to be a prisoner. My powers haven’t been useable for a long time. I almost drained all my energy on him. So, I choked him with my powers and images of all the things that he has done to me surged forth and before I knew it he went limp. That’s when I realized the guards were banging on the door, and it was life or death. I chose life.” Michael looks out his window sadly.
I can’t imagine what it must have been like for him in the compound. Almost two years of his life are missing because some asshole wanted to study who he was. Michael doesn’t even know who he is or where he comes from; the whole experience had to be frustrating for Michael. For as long as I’ve known Michael, he has wanted to find out where he came from. When we were teenagers he was always concocting secret missions to find out information about his real family. He knew there was someone else out there similar to him, but he didn’t know where to look. Eventually he gave up, but that wasn’t without my consolation.
“Michael, I’ll be your family. I’ll care for you for the rest of my life, as long as you promise that you won’t leave me alone on Earth.”
“Deal.”
Michael and I pressed our fists together in a sibling-like bond. The bond was apparent from the day we met and it had yet to be broken. I put a hand on his shoulder at some point during the trip to give him my support. He stared out the window for a while, but eventually he turned his head in my direction once more.
“Wow, Nathan has gotten so big! Hey junior! How’s my favorite nephew!”
Nathan stared at Michael nervously. He didn’t know what to think about Michael. I doubt he even remembers anything about Michael. I nudge my boy and tell him that Michael is his uncle and I coax him into saying hello back. It takes some persuasion, but he finally complies. “He’s a little shy,” I say quietly.
“So he takes after his mother,” Michael jokes. Somehow, the simple question plagues my mind with a deeper question. Does he take after Max or me more? Max; whenever my mind drifts to him I start to wonder what is running through his own mind. Does he ever think about Nathan? He has to know that Nathan is his son. The dreams were too real when I was pregnant and even after not to notice who Nathan is. And what about the very pertinent fact that Nathan healed him? Where did that ability come from? Is Nathan some sort of superior being on this other planet, or is this what happens when humans mate with alien hybrids? There are so many questions and so few answers. For now, Michael is the only one who can answer my questions.
“Michael,” I question quietly. I mumble a few jumbled words, trying to contemplate just how I’m going to word the question that has been plaguing me since the moment I met Max on the dance floor. “What is he like?”
“What is who like?” Michael looks confused. It’s then that it dawns on me that he was never around when I came to the epiphany that Max is Nathan’s father. Michael was never there to witness Nathan’s growing powers, and I’m not even sure if he saw what happened outside of the FBI compound when Nathan and I astral projected.
“Max,” I reply simply.
“Max? Why do you want to know about him?” Michael asks. His tone becomes slightly agitated and it’s as if we’re back in high school again. Sean DeLuca, Maria’s cousin, wanted to ask me to the prom. But before he could ask me, he had to go through Michael. Every single time Sean and I would try to be alone, whether it was at a lunch or at the Crashdown, Michael would pop out of nowhere and scare Sean off. And it took a lot to scare Sean DeLuca. Needless to say, Maria had a talk with Michael and Sean and I attended prom together, but nothing developed in the quickly dying relationship. This time, I couldn’t have a similar outcome. So, I told Michael the entire story: me figuring out that Max is Nathan’s father and coming to terms with Nathan’s powers.
“Liz, the guy is a wreck. I can guarantee that he’s not the same horny bastard that you met in the club, but that doesn’t mean he has the Michael Guerin seal of approval just yet.”
“Michael, don’t. Not when Nathan is involved. Please, just let me work this one out on my own,” I plead.
“Ok, but if he tries anything with you…”
“You will be the first to know,” I respond quickly.
Hours pass. We cross the state border and I feel a huge weight lifted off my shoulders just knowing we’ve made it this far. I know we may not be entirely in the clear, but just the mere knowledge that we’ve accomplished this much gives me hope for what’s to come.
Slowly the scenery zips by. I notice that the light blue hue of the moon fades to black. The vibration of the car’s movement along the bumpy road rocks me to sleep. I’m awoken from my dreamless slumber instantly as the car comes to a halt. It is midday and we’ve arrived at Jim Valenti’s country cabin. He directs our cars into a garage that appears too small, but we make the cars fit. Then, we are led into his house where we all find a comfortable spot to sit. Isabel, Alex, and Max are squeezed onto the couch, Nathan and I onto an easy chair, and Michael and Maria are cuddled up together on the floor.
“It’s best that we stay here for a week,” Valenti announces. “The FBI will search your homes and probably your parents’ homes. They don’t know about this place, luckily, so it’s the best option.” Alex, Isabel, and Max sit calmly. I bet they’ve already discussed this in their getaway vehicle, but Maria, Michael and I are anything but calm.
“One week?!” I scream. “Do you know how long it has taken me to get to where I am? I’m a single mother and I’ve missed the first two years of my son’s life because I was working my ass off to get through college. Now that I finally have a job and a life back home you want me to lose it sitting around doing absolutely nothing? How do we even know that Maria, Alex, and I are suspects?”
“And how do we know you won’t just turn us over to the FBI? You worked for them for Christ’s sake!” Michael adds.
“I worked for them in hopes of freeing my son! Where is he by the way? Tess said she would free him once I helped you ungrateful aliens out of the compound.”
“Tess?” Max and Isabel simultaneously question. It’s obvious that they recognize the name, and they’re about to add their input when I cut them off.
“Tess is dead,” I proclaim to everyone in the room, but my eyes are trained solely on Jim. “She tried to hurt my son and probably would have killed him had I not done something about it. Before I got there she killed your son,” I say as I lower my head. My voice is gentle when I tell Jim that his only son is now dead. “I’m sorry, Jim. I wish I could have gotten there earlier.”
“Kyle…is dead?” Jim asks disbelievingly. I nod my head and we all take a moment to mourn Kyle’s death. “I need some time to think,” Jim says before he heads down a hallway towards what I believe is his bedroom.”
“I think we can all trust Jim. We should stay here for at least 24 hours. After that time we can all return to where we came from,” Max announces, his head bowed in a brooding manner. I have to tell him the truth. I have to tell him about that fateful night at the club and that Nathan is his child. Everyone else seems to understand. Michael and Maria search the house for a bedroom, and once they find one muffled sex noises reverberate into the living room. Meanwhile, Alex takes Isabel to the back porch. She probably needs some fresh air. She seemed so shaken, and who wouldn’t be after what Pierce tried to do to her. I only hope that Alex can help heal all her wounds.
“Hi,” I say lamely. What do you say to someone whom you had a one night stand with and ultimately conceive a child with, and whom you haven’t seen for three years? Suddenly I feel extremely shy about the whole situation. Do I simply cut straight to the chase and tell him exactly what has been on my mind and that I believe our dreams have been mutual over the past years.
“Hey,” he replies, breaking me out of my thoughts. His smile is so small that I almost don’t catch it, but I do, and the mere sight of it takes my breath away. “Thank you.”
I look at him a bit perplexed. “For what?”
“For saving my life back there. If it weren’t for you or your son, I probably wouldn’t be here right now,” he says under hooded eyes.
“Well, if it weren’t for you, there wouldn’t be a son to save your life,” I respond bravely. I hope he understands what I’m trying to tell him.
“What do you mean?” He asks. “I’ve only had sex with one woman in my life and she’s the love of my life, that I’m sure.”
I blush and dip my head. “The Alienation, right?” It’s not a question in my mind, but I have to make him remember that although I’m a different Liz today I’m still the same woman that he made love to years ago. He nods and seems to be studying me.
“You’re…” his voice trails off. “Are you…are you sure he’s mine?” he asks hesitantly.
“You’re the only one I’ve ever been with,” I tell him. He seems excited to hear that. “I’m sorry; I mean for everything. I shouldn’t have walked out that night. And then I should have taken the morning after pill. But now, we have a son together and life is going to be pretty complicated. I didn’t mean to drag you into this,” I ramble. I continue to apologize for every single thing that I can imagine. After being through the white room, I’m sure this is the last thing he wants to deal with right now. My thoughts are instantly halted when his lips come crashing down on mine. I don’t know when he got up and walked over to me, or when he tilted my head up and started making sweet love to my mouth, but it happened. And I couldn’t be any happier than I am right now. His kiss explains so many things. He doesn’t regret anything, and he’s going to prove it to both Nathan and I.