Marrying Liz Parker - CC (MATURE) *{COMPLETE}*

[Midwest Max]

I will comment on comments later.

Part Eleven

Where were they?

By now, it was apparent that the king and his chosen were not in Roswell. She’d scoured every corner, every alley way and had come up empty. All she’d been able to locate were the incompetent second and that ditzy floozy he liked to keep around. The fact that she was still in the picture was puzzling. Why would any member of royalty choose to be with her? She obviously had nothing to offer.

To make matters worse, the princess was missing as well. But she knew if she found one, she was bound to find the other. And when she did…

She’d already “found” them, sort of…Mentally, she’d honed in on him, but as of yet he hadn’t given up himself physically. The best part, though, had been the revelation that it had indeed started – he was weak.

Now she just needed to find him before he turned the corner. Before it was too late.

Brow furrowed, she realized that maybe she’d been looking for the wrong things. She’d been looking for a human and an alien. Perhaps she needed to look for someone who was neither.

Rising to her feet, she stretched her arms to the night sky, summoning all evil to her. There was work to be done.

* * * * *

When Liz awoke in the morning, the first thing she realized was that the room was very quiet. Then she realized that the reason the room was quiet was because she was alone. Panicked, she kicked the blankets from her body and raced through the apartment, slowing down long enough to sneak a peek into the empty bathroom.

She found Max sitting sideways on the couch, staring silently out of the window behind it. He didn’t seem distressed or sick or anything unusual…which made the whole thing very unusual. Liz stood motionlessly for a moment, trying to slow her panicked heart, then scratched her head in curiosity.

“What are you doing, Max?” she asked softly.

He turned to look at her and gave her a little smile. “Watching the sun come up.”

She studied him as he turned back to the window. A little cautious, she padded over to the couch and sat down facing him, glancing out the window at the lightening sky. It was going to be a clear, beautiful fall day.

“How are you?” was her next question.

“I feel a little better,” he said without looking at her, his eyes following a bird across the sky.

“How long have you been up?”

He shrugged carelessly. “A while. I made coffee…”

Liz glanced toward the kitchen and noted that the pot was indeed steaming. It had been days since Max had had the energy to even walk all of the way to the kitchen. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

“You looked tired.” He turned to her and held out his hand. “Come here.”

She slid into his embrace and laid her head against his chest. He’d lost weight, she realized. Then again, with what he’d been through, how could he not?

“I’ve had the strangest dreams,” he said over the top of her head. She could tell from the trajectory of his voice that he was looking out the window again.

“It was the fever,” she explained.

“Maybe…I dreamed that you were trying to betray me.”

She sat up quickly, her dark eyes round. “What did you just say?”

Max’s eyes were a little distant, his demeanor non-confrontational. “I heard a voice in my head, telling me that you were making me sick.”

Liz breathed an anxious laugh. “Max, you know that isn’t true. Please tell me you know that.”

He nodded faintly. “I believe that. But…it seemed so real.”

Once again, Liz’s heart was banging into her ribcage. “Have you stopped to think that someone is planting that thought in your head, that they might be taking this opportunity to split us apart?”

“Maybe.” His gaze drifted back to the window. “They’ll be coming soon.”

It was suddenly apparent that maybe Max was better physically, but there was something seriously amiss in his head.

“Who, Max? Who’s coming?”

He appeared to ignore her. “Destiny will be fulfilled,” he whispered. “The time is near.”

Liz swallowed hard, a threat of tears behind her eyes. For wont of a better thing to do, she reached out and grabbed him by the arm. He turned sharply to her and his eyes seemed suddenly clearer than they were a moment before.

“Hey,” he said, smiling. “I made coffee.”

Then she watched as he slid down to a prone position, picked up the remote and turned on the morning news. He appeared to have no recollection of the fact he’d just been talking to her about betrayals and destinies. Fighting off the shaking sensation in her limbs, she looked toward the window.

She had the feeling Max hadn’t really been watching the sun come up – he’d been waiting for something.

* * * * *

Adam was sipping his morning tea and pondering the meaning of his visitor’s strange message the day before when he heard a knock on his door. It was unusual for him to receive a visitor so early in the day – hell, it was unusual for him to receive a visitor at all. Strange visitor plus cryptic message plus unexpected visitor could only equal trouble.

Biting back his cowardice, Adam set his tea cup on top of the stack of comic books and reached for a ball bat he kept concealed behind the drapes – just in case. He was an alien being without powers on a foreign planet – if it took a good Louisville Slugger to defend himself, then so be it.

Tiptoeing to the door, he swung the bat over his shoulder, then opened the door as far as the chain lock would allow. To his surprise, his visitor wasn’t strange. A mystery perhaps, but never strange. Quickly, he pushed the door shut, released the chain and started to give Isabel a huge smile – that was, until his eyes settled on Nikita, slung across one of her arms. Immediately recognizing him, the feline let out a chirp and began to purr.

Isabel eyed the bat. “Are you going somewhere?” she asked tentatively.

Adam followed her line of sight, then gave a nervous laugh and propped the bat against the wall. “Uh, no. Not really.” He pointed to Nikita, afraid Isabel was returning his gift. “Is she okay?”

“Oh, she’s fine,” Isabel said happily as Adam stepped aside to let her into his apartment. “I was wondering if I…might be able to ask a favor…” Her dark eyes flitted to the side self-consciously.

Adam felt a twinge of excitement in his gut. She appreciated him enough to ask for a favor! Of course, he’d give her anything! Blood, a kidney, most of his brain cells…

“Sure,” he said aloud. “Anything.”

“Well, Thanksgiving is tomorrow. And I know your landlady doesn’t want Nikita to live here permanently, but I was wondering…”

Adam raised his eyebrows. “You’d like me to keep her?” he concluded.

Isabel smiled in relief. “Yes. I would. You see, I have to do this family thing and I’m not sure I should take her with me…”

As her voice trailed off, Adam wondered why she all of a sudden looked uncomfortable. He’d already said yes – what was she worried about?

Finally, Isabel shook her head. “You don’t have a family, do you?”

He thought for a moment, then shook his head in return. It didn’t bother him that he was alone – he’d been alone for many decades now.

“Oh, that’s very selfish of me,” Isabel mumbled, stroking her kitten absent-mindedly. “And Maria’s in Roswell, too…”

Adam waited patiently, curious at her self-musings.

Then Isabel beamed her cover-girl smile and he felt his stomach flip all over again. “You’ll come home with me.”

“Excuse me?” He couldn’t have heard correctly.

“Yes, why not?” she decided triumphantly. “No one should be alone on a holiday.”

“But, Isabel, I don’t even celebrate most earth holidays.” Not that he didn’t want to go with her…

“Maybe because you’ve never been shown how to do it. I’ll show you.”

“About Thanksgiving?” One corner of his mouth rose skeptically.

She gave a quick nod of her head. “Then we’ll work on Christmas. You have no idea what I can teach you about Christmas!”

“But…but what about your room mate?” That was always an issue – that mean Guerin guy and his threatening looks.

Isabel laughed. “We probably won’t even see Michael.” Her gaze softened and she reached out to touch his arm. “Please say you’ll come with me.”

Being with an alien with powers was reassurance that Strange Café Man wouldn’t harm him, true. But Adam’s decision to go to Roswell had more to do with Isabel’s kind eyes and soft touch than protecting himself ever would.

* * * * *

At the doorway to the apartment, Liz tugged on her coat and looked solemnly back to Max, who was sleeping quietly on the couch. She hated to leave him alone, but just that morning, she’d convinced Isabel it was okay to go home for the holiday. Of course, that had been before he’d acted so strangely, practically accusing her of trying to harm him. If that incident had happened before Isabel left Albuquerque, there was no way Liz would have felt comfortable letting her go.

Liz had thought about calling off work and staying home, but Mr. Palmer had been watching her like a hawk; she knew that her drawing the closing shift the night before a holiday was punishment of some kind. Unfortunately, with Max under the weather and showing little signs of returning to his old self any time soon, Liz needed that job to support them.

Pausing, her hands at her buttons, she gave a small frown and walked quietly over to the couch. She laid a delicate kiss on his forehead, then moved for the door. In a few hours she’d be home again, she reminded herself.

She just hoped everything would be okay until then.

* * * * *

As the sun set over the desert, her blue eyes popped open in surprise. One of her minions had found the non-alien/non-human and was keeping it under surveillance. Her smile stretched evilly and victoriously from one ear to the other.

It was time.

tbc

[Midwest Max]

Part Twelve

“And don’t let my mother get to you,” Isabel continued as she drove toward Roswell. She was in the middle of giving Adam a warning about her sometimes-overbearing family. “She’s just…well, she’s just a mother. She never had kids of her own, so she tries to mother everyone else’s.”

Adam gave her a pleasant smile from the passenger seat. The warnings about her parents were really unnecessary – in his long life span, he’d met many kinds of people and rarely did anyone shock him these days. Nikita was curled up on his lap, sleeping as though she weren’t traveling at seventy miles an hour through the desert.

“I’m sure everything will be fine,” Adam said reassuringly.

Isabel gave him a sidelong glance. “You don’t know them,” she said warily.

“But you told me before that they were wonderful people,” he reminded.

“They are.”

“Then what are you worried about?”

Isabel drove silently for a moment, wondering just why she was on edge. All of the years she’d lived with the Evanses, she’d always felt free to bring home friends. Why was Adam different?

“Do they know about you?” he asked.

She gave him a glance. “Know about me? You mean do they know I’m not from here?”

He nodded his head.

Isabel gave a little sigh, her lips turning down into a frown. He’d hit the nail on the head. “No, they don’t know about me or Max.”

“Or me,” he concluded, stroking Nikita’s fur. “You don’t have to worry – I won’t slip up. I’ve been hiding for eight decades, remember?”

She lifted a smirk in his direction, having to agree with him. For someone who was powerless and a little naïve, sometimes he was extremely intuitive.

“About Max,” she continued. “We need to get our stories straight, in case they ask us.”

“Okay.”

“Liz has the flu. Max had to stay to take care of her.”

Adam nodded and watched a cactus whiz past the side of the car. The sun was going down, casting the sand hues of pink and orange. “Why don’t we just say Max is sick? It’s more honest and we’re less likely to slip up.”

“Well, Max and I have never been sick.”

He looked at her curiously.

“What? Have you?” she asked, checking her rearview mirror.

“Well, yeah,” he snorted. “Mumps, measles, polio.”

“Polio?!”

“I’m eighty one years old,” he reminded. “Back then there weren’t vaccines.”

Isabel pondered that as they rode into the sunset – not only was Adam powerless, he was also a walking Petrie dish, just waiting to collect the next germ that came near him. She had to wonder just what curse had been laid on the Numorians that they had been stripped of all gifts and cursed with vulnerability.

* * * * *

Maria stood by her mother’s tackily-upholstered couch and watched Michael sleep. Or maybe he wasn’t sleeping. He had his hand clenched over his forehead and his eyes were closed, but she couldn’t be sure he wasn’t really awake.

“Michael,” she said.

“Shh!” he admonished quickly. “Keep your voice down.”

Squatting, she pulled his hand away from his face, his eyes immediately clenching tighter. “Are you okay?”

“I said lower the voice!” he hissed. “And no, I’m not okay.”

“Sorry,” she whispered. “What’s wrong?”

“I have a headache. Just leave me alone for awhile, okay? And could you turn out that light, please?”

Maria released his hand and flipped off the light on the end table.

“And tell your mom to stop that banging around in the kitchen.”

She turned toward the kitchen door, realizing that her mother was making quite a bit of noise as she started to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner for the next day. On top of it, Amy was singing – and she didn’t have the best voice in the world. She and her daughter did not share that gift.

“I can’t tell her to quit,” Maria pointed out. “She has this whole ritual she goes through. Why don’t you go lie on my bed?”

Michael shook his head. “No, it hurts too much to walk that far.”

Maria took his hand. “Come on, I’ll help you.” As she pulled him to his feet and slung his arm over her shoulder, she realized that Michael had never before complained of headaches. He never complained about feeling ill at all.

And knowing the condition Max was in when they’d last seen him, she hoped something similar wasn’t starting to happen to Michael.

* * * * *

“Can we pull over?” Adam asked as he saw a rest area sign approaching them.

“Sure,” Isabel answered and glanced over her shoulder to switch lanes.

It was completely dark now and they were getting very close to Roswell. Still, if nature called, they must answer. She steered the car into a parking spot and noted that the rest stop was busy with holiday travelers. She put the car into park and turned off the engine. Then she took Nikita from Adam’s lap, ruffled her fur and put her in the back seat.

“We’ll be back in a bit, sweetie.”

Adam grinned at the playful, baby-talk tone in Isabel’s voice. One little cat had done wonders for her spirit, he thought. They walked shoulder-to-shoulder to the small brick building, parting when they got inside.

In the men’s room, Adam practically moaned with relief – he’d been holding it for miles now, anxiously looking for the next rest area. Before the urinal, he braced one hand against the wall and closed his eyes, feeling relief flood his body.

“Are you ready? Have you chosen?”

Adam jerked to attention, nearly peeing outside of the urinal. Beside him stood a desperate-looking character and Adam felt a twinge of caution in his gut. First of all, this man had broken the major rule of public bathrooms – never stand or talk next to a guy at the urinal. Second, he’d blurted out the same words Adam had heard the day before from another stranger.

“Excuse me?” he asked indignantly, turning a shoulder to hide his business.

“The time is here. You must choose.”

Adam looked into the man’s intense eyes, felt his heart start to quicken slightly.

“Do you understand, brother?”

He snorted a laugh. “I’m not your brother and I’m kinda busy here-“

“But we are brothers. They have been found. You must choose.”

Adam turned to zip his pants and when he turned fully around, the man was gone. Oh, not again, he thought. He was never sure when someone was going to come along and plant all kinds of thoughts and ideas in his head. It was his curse.

In the lobby, Isabel kicked the soda machine, which obediently released her bottle. Grinning, she held it up victoriously, having won the battle, but her smile faded away when she saw Adam’s ashen face.

“Hey,” she said, putting a hand on his arm. “What happened in there?”

“It was nothing,” he said, trying to laugh off his encounter. “Just the usual weirdoes. Ready to go?”

“No, not until you tell me what happened. You look like you saw a ghost.”

He shrugged apologetically. “You can never tell with me.” That was really going to build her confidence in him. “But some guy just said something about someone being found and that I needed to choose sides. But…I only think I see and hear things sometimes.”

Isabel released his arm and twisted the cap of the bottle anxiously. “What did he look like?”

“I don’t know…blue jacket, jeans.”

“Arizona Diamondbacks hat?”

Adam’s blue eyes grew large. “Yeah. Did you see him, too?”

Isabel nodded, her stomach starting to twist into a knot. “He stopped and looked straight at me before he walked out. It gave me the chills.”

“So I’m not hallucinating?”

She shook her head, blond hair swaying. “I don’t think so, not this time. I think he was warning us. Tell me exactly what he said.”

Adam scrunched up his face, trying to remember. “Something about the time has come, they’ve been found, I must choose a side. What does that mean?”

Isabel looked distantly into space, repeating, “They’ve been found…” Dread filled her entire being as she realized the worst thing she could have done was leave Albuquerque. “Oh, Adam, no.”

He froze, blinked. “That doesn’t sound good.”

Trying desperately to contain the shaking in her limbs, Isabel spilled her theory. “The enemy has found Max and Liz.”

* * * * *

Remember that night when you found her in bed with Kyle?

Yeah, I remember. She was in bed with him, but she didn’t sleep with him.

She did.

No, she didn’t. She told me so.

She lied.

Why would she lie?

To manipulate you. It was all a lie.

Why would she manipulate me?

To get to your powers. She wants them all to herself. You’re just an ends to a means, Max.

Why are you telling me this?

Because you were supposed to be with me and she knew it. So she started playing the rollercoaster ride with your emotions just to manipulate you. Just like a yo-yo – pull him back, let him go.

She wouldn’t do that.

She would. She’s so good at it that you don’t realize it. You need to get rid of her. Tonight. You know where she is. Do it now.

I can’t hurt Liz…

You can. You can hurt her like she’s hurt you.

But, I love Liz…

She doesn’t love you.

As Max struggled with the truth of that statement, the voice that was in his head suddenly disappeared. In its place came a voice he knew all too well, that of his sister, and her tone immediately jerked him from his slumber.

Run, Max!

* * * * *

It had been a busy night and Liz was glad to see Mr. Palmer show the last customer to the door and lock it behind them. Now all she had to do was count down her drawer and she could go home and check on Max. She’d called him during her break and though he’d sounded tired, he’d sounded normal, which was a small relief. Her fingers moved over the keypad on the register, preparing to pull her drawer.

“Hang on a second,” Mr. Palmer said. “I needed to pick up a few things – I need you to ring them up.”

She glanced uneasily at him; their relationship had been more than a little strained since his accusations. “Okay.” She re-entered her pass code, then waited while he placed a few canned goods and a tub of Cool Whip on the counter.

Liz scanned the first few items without incident, but as she reached for the Cool Whip, Mr. Palmer grabbed her wrist – hard. Her arm was parallel to the scanner, her small body twisted across the counter. She looked at him in surprise, a sense of danger racing through her body.

Mr. Palmer’s eyes shifted to the register. “I’ve got you now.”

Swallowing back her fear, Liz looked at the display. A constant string of zeroes and ones flooded past the screen, zipping so fast she could barely discern them. She gasped and tried to wrench herself away from her boss.

But when she met his gaze, she realized that “I’ve got you now” had nothing to do with stealing from the grocery store.

tbc

[Midwest Max]

Part Thirteen

Max jumped from the couch, stumbled, then staggered to the door. Of all of the things he’d doubted were real the past few days, he knew for certain that Isabel’s cry for him to flee had been no hallucination. There was no mistaking the urgency in her voice, the certainty of her message; while other thoughts had been cloudy and blurry, her warning had been crisp and clear. There was no doubt in his mind that he and Liz were in eminent danger.

Barely pausing to shove his feet into his shoes and grab his jacket, Max threw open the apartment door and ran unsteadily for the stairs. His muscles were already starting to protest his sudden movements, his breath coming a little quicker. All he had to do was make it to the car and he’d be okay. His fingers fumbled in his coat pocket for the keys and it wasn’t until he reached the bottom step that he realized his folly.

Liz had the car.

Bitter realization washing over him, he paused at the foot of the stairs, wheezing. Giving himself time to catch his breath, he looked in the direction of the grocery store, nearly two miles away.

He was going to have to run it.

*****

“Adam, I have to go back,” Isabel apologized worriedly as she fumbled to unlock the car door. In the back seat, Nikita jumped to her feet and began to rub on the seat, happy to see her owner.

“I understand,” Adam replied as he waited patiently on the passenger side.

Isabel stopped before she open the door, her dark eyes regretful. “Maybe you shouldn’t come with me.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Of course I’m coming with you, Isabel.”

“But we don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know how bad this could get. And since…” She looked away quickly, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

“Since I’m powerless, you think I’ll get hurt,” he finished.

Isabel nodded slowly. In truth, she couldn’t stand to see Adam hurt. In many ways, he was a lot like Alex and since she believed Alex had put Adam in her path for protection, then it was her obligation to make sure nothing happened to him.

“But what if I want to go?” Adam questioned.

Isabel sighed. “Adam, I don’t have time to stand here and discuss this –“

“You’ve chosen!” The voice came from behind Adam and both he and Isabel turned to see the man with the Diamondbacks cap approaching them.

“What?” Adam asked, backing away from him.

“You’ve chosen your side,” he said, smiling widely.

Isabel’s eyes shifted from the stranger to Adam and back again. “Look, we’re in a hurry right now –“

“Yes, you definitely are,” the man said, the relief apparent in his eyes. “The time has come.”

Adam looked over his shoulder at Isabel, who gave a slight shrug – she didn’t have a clue what he was talking about.

“The battle to end all battles,” the man continued. “The king has come forth – it will happen soon.”

Isabel looked around at the cars filling the busy rest area. “This isn’t the place to discuss this,” she warned.

“You’re right,” the man agreed. “Take me with you.”

Adam exchanged a wary glance with Isabel.

“I can explain all, I promise,” the man said, motioning toward the car.

Adam shook his head. “How can we trust you? How can we know that this isn’t just a ploy to harm us?”

The man’s eyes creased at the corners with a knowing grin. “Because I’m just as powerless as you are, my brother.”

*****

Max caught the toe of his shoe on a raised section of sidewalk, stumbled, fell, climbed to his feet and continued to run, his steps unsteady and filled with desperation. Not so long ago, he’d belittled himself for being able to so easily destroy another being; but now, in his heart, he knew if anyone harmed Liz he’d drop them on the spot.

*****

In the darkness of Maria’s bedroom, Michael focused his concentration everywhere but on the pain between his temples. The house had grown quiet, but he was sure that Maria and her mother were still there somewhere, probably bickering in hushed tones so as not to disturb him. He concentrated on listening for their voices, but heard nothing.

Releasing a breath he’d been holding to ease the pain, Michael realized that the discomfort was subsiding a bit. Pushing his luck, he cracked open one eye, then the other. The only light he could see was coming from the hallway, a muted nightlight from the bathroom, perhaps. He hesitated for a couple of minutes, searching his brain for the headache and found it mysteriously gone.

Unable to believe the turn of events, he sat up slowly, swung his legs over the side of Maria’s bed. He blinked a couple of times and remained pain-free. Then he lifted one of his hands and rapped his knuckles against his temple. Nothing. An idiotic grin creased his face as he silently rejoiced in the fact that his headache was gone. Good riddance! he laughed internally.

Intent on telling Maria the good news, Michael jumped to his feet…but only made it half way to the door before he stopped. The light in the hallway was now washed out, barely distinguishable. Over his shoulder, Michael could detect something shining through Maria’s curtains. Filled with a sense of awe, he turned on his heels and looked toward the window, then moved toward it as if in a dream. Reaching out, he parted the curtains and nearly winced from the bright light that assaulted him.

Once his vision had cleared, Michael turned toward the night sky. There, emblazoned amongst the rest of the stars, shone the V constellation, brighter than he’d ever seen it before. He let out a gasp of relief as he heard the calling inside of his brain – he knew exactly what needed to be done.

The stars had finally answered him.

*****

She waited, patiently. After all of this time, she’d learned patience. While once she was in a hurry to do everything, she now knew that good things came to those who waited. Still, she could feel nervous anticipation throughout her body, her toes and fingers practically tingling with it.

She knew that she could simply dispose of the girl and that would rid the world of his majesty as well. They were linked now, bound together for eternity. To kill the girl would be to kill the king…but where was the fun in that? If she were to kill the girl, the king would just deteriorate until he died from his illness. While it might be fun to watch him wither away, wouldn’t it be more fun to watch him witness his true love die a slow and torturous death before he went down the same path?

She would wait. She would wait until she had both of them in her possession. Then she would slowly eliminate them, making them pay for all of the wrongs they had thrust upon her. Her lips turned downward into a frown. They had no idea what it was like to be spurned, to be cast from the only home they’d ever known. Well, she knew and she would make sure they understood that their actions all had consequences.

Soon. She would make them both understand very soon.

*****

Liz tried desperately to calm the pounding of her heart, to disguise the quickening of her breath; she felt, however, that the initial shock that had shown on her face had betrayed her.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she stammered, slowly trying to raise her left hand. If she could just get one hand up, maybe she could blast him –

Mr. Palmer saw her plan, however, and quickly grabbed her wrist with his free hand, pinning both of her hands palm-down on the counter. “We’ll have none of that,” he sneered.

Though she didn’t want it to happen, Liz could immediately feel all of his emotions – and she liked none of them. This man – or whatever he was – was full of anger and hate and malcontent. He would do her great harm, if permitted.

“Please let me go,” she pleaded. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t understand what was happening to the register, really. It isn’t my fault. I haven’t been trying to steal from the store.”

He released an amused, humorless laugh. “Do you really think this is about that?”

Liz knew her eyes were too round, that she was trying too hard to play the part of the innocent. Still, she wasn’t willing to give up any information. “Then what is this about?”

“Where is he?” Mr. Palmer asked, jerking her face close to his.

“Who?” she asked, refusing to look away, meeting his gaze with all of the determination within her soul.

“The king. Where are you hiding him?”

Prepared for that answer, Liz was successful in concealing the revelation that “this” was indeed about Max. About the same time, she realized that this man was stupid – all he really needed to do was check her payroll records and get her address. Then again, maybe he didn’t think she’d be stupid enough to “hide” Max in the plain sight.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Liz repeated steadily.

He wasn’t buying it. “Oh, I think you do. The last king of Antar. The chosen one, reborn on this stink hole of a planet. I know you know where he is.”

She allowed herself a nervous laugh. “I don’t know anything of anyone who is a king. And where is Antar? Somewhere in the Middle East?”

Failing to find her amusing, Mr. Palmer gave her a quick jerk, his hands tightening painfully around her wrists. She bit back the urge to give a little cry and kept her gaze steadily on his.

“I’m growing tired of this game, Miss Parker. I would have been lenient with you. I wouldn’t have tortured you to get the answers I want. I may have even let you go. But since you refuse to cooperate, you give me no choice but to deliver you to my master.”

Liz swallowed visibly. “Master?”

He gave an ironic laugh. “Someone you already know. I’m sure she’s going to be ecstatic to see you.” His grin faded away. “And then she’s going to enjoy destroying you.” He gave another jerk of her arms. “You’re coming with me.”

Just as Liz was mentally scrambling to find a way out of this situation, Mr. Palmer’s face became a mask of disbelief, then his whole body disintegrated into a pile of ash. As the last few flakes fell to the floor, Liz looked through a gray haze into Max’s sweaty, exhausted face. Joy ran rampantly through her body, her heart swelling with love for her rescuer.

Max’s smile of reassurance was brief, however, as he grabbed her hand and ran for the back door.

tbc

[Midwest Max]

Hey, all. Thanks for the compliments! I do want to comment on them, but it's almost midnight here and I need to go to bed so I can feed the monkey. I'll comment later


Part Fourteen

Liz realized rather quickly that her first inclination that Max was somehow miraculously healed was incorrect. As soon as they hit the outside air, passing through a door that had obviously been pried open rather than blasted with alien powers, he doubled over, barely able to catch his breath. She drew to a sudden halt beside him, laying her hand supportively on his back. Immediately, her body was jolted with a flash of fear, so intense that it nearly took her breath away.

“Come on, Max,” she urged gently. “We have to go. We don’t know who else might know.”

He continued to wheeze, his whole body convulsing with his attempts to draw in air.

Liz made a circular motion on his back with her hand, then grabbed one of his arms and slung it over her shoulder. “Come on,” she grunted under his weight. “Let’s go.”

Together, they staggered unsteadily to the car. Liz deposited Max in the passenger seat, then raced around to the other side and climbed in behind the wheel. He slumped against the door, his arms crossed in a posture of illness over his stomach.

“Where to, Max?” Liz asked, forcing herself to remain positive and not concentrate on the gray pallor of his skin.

“Pod chamber,” he managed.

She shot him a glance as she started the car and threw it into gear. “Wouldn’t they know to look for us there?”

Max shook his head, grimaced in discomfort. “No one knows about the pod chamber. We didn’t even know about it until Tess showed us.”

Liz pulled onto the street and pushed the gas pedal to the floor. “But, Max, what if Tess is the one who is doing this?”

He looked at her silently.

“Mr. Palmer said that ‘she’ was looking forward to eliminating me, and that she was someone I already knew. Max, who else could it be?”

Max’s dark eyes turned out the side window. A long pause ensued until he finally spoke. “Tess was only ever right about one thing – if we ever got separated, we would all know to go back to the pod chamber. Michael and Isabel will go there.”

Liz could read the underlying meaning in that statement – Michael and Isabel still had their powers and would protect Liz and Max from the enemy. Which could only mean that Max didn’t have his.

“Max, how did you get rid of Mr. Palmer?” Liz questioned.

He turned his gaze to hers, expressionless. “He was a Skin. I kicked him where Courtney showed us.”

“How did you know he was a Skin?”

One corner of Max’s mouth turned upward into a smile. “I took a chance. I was hoping if nothing else, I’d surprise him enough to set you free.”

Liz looked at him disbelievingly, then gave him a warm grin and took his cold hand in hers. Ahead of them lay nothing but desert.

She hoped it wasn’t a desert full of enemies.

*****

Adam turned sideways in his seat in order to address their new passenger. He’d noticed that Isabel wasn’t headed toward Albuquerque but rather toward the desert, but he said nothing to draw attention to it. He trusted her implicitly.

“Let’s start with names,” Adam said a little gruffer than he’d intended.

“I’m Luke,” the man said, the smile still on his face. “And you are?”

“Adam,” he answered, then nodded toward Isabel. “That’s Isabel.”

“Pleased to meet you.”

“Why are you following us?” Isabel asked in the rearview mirror.

“I’m not following you,” Luke stated. “I was drawn to you when I first saw you at the rest area.”

“Drawn to us?” Adam asked.

“Well, not both of you. Just you, Adam.” Luke glanced at Isabel. “I didn’t realize what she was until I saw her at the car with you.”

Isabel’s brow furrowed. “What I am?”

“Yes. You’re one of them.” He grinned a little wider.

Adam sighed – this man was talking in ambiguities. They were getting nowhere. “One of what?”

“The royalty, of course.”

Adam was suddenly catapulted sideways, toward the front of the car. Before he could register what had happened, he heard the angry grating of the car being shoved into park. As quick as a flash, Isabel whirled in her seat and grabbed Luke by the collar.

“Who the fuck are you?” she demanded and Adam flinched at the tone of her voice. He’d never heard her so angry or desperate before.

Luke held up his hands in self-defense. “No one who will harm you. I’m a supporter of your cause, to be sure.”

Isabel relaxed a bit, loosening her grip on him. “What cause?”

“I’m on your side,” he assured her. “I will do whatever I can to aid in the fight.”

“What is this fight you keep talking about?” Adam asked, straightening himself after being thrown into the dash.

“The final conflict. Surely you’ve been told of your enemies here on earth?” Luke’s green eyes shifted between his new acquaintances.

Adam shrugged cluelessly, but Isabel remained motionless. Luke directed his words to her, sensing she knew more than she was letting on.

“You didn’t think you were going to fight the enemy with just a handful of you, did you?”

She met his gaze but didn’t speak.

“There are thousands of us on this planet. We’re all here to help with the fight. All you have to do is let us.”

“Where are you from?” Isabel finally asked.

“Numoria,” Luke announced proudly, sending a glance Adam’s way. “Just like my brother here.”

Adam’s eyebrows rose quickly, excited to finally meet someone from his home planet. He looked to Isabel, who had finally released Luke’s jacket and was looking a little like she was wavering. He knew what was going through her head – Luke knew more than any random person should, which might mean that he was on the up and up.

But could they trust him?

*****

Inside the pod chamber, Liz helped Max to sit down on an outcropping of rock, then wrapped a wool blanket that had been stowed in the trunk around his shoulders. He watched tiredly as she raced back to the entrance to close the opening so that no one could so easily follow them. Inside, his hopes started to sink. Once upon a time, he’d been the one to open and close the pod chamber; now he lacked the ability to even do that much.

“Okay, we’re all sealed up,” Liz said as she returned, rubbing her hands together for warmth, her voice overly chipper, like she was trying too hard.

Max glanced up at her and then turned his gaze to the floor. Silently, Liz sat down beside him. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and gave his arm a quick rub, trying to warm him.

“You going to be okay?” she asked, kissing his cheek.

He nodded. “For now.” In truth, his body was revolting from his run to the store to save her; his chest still ached from the exertion, his bones and muscles crying in protest.

“For now?” Liz echoed, trying to sound light-hearted. “That’s not very optimistic.”

Max met her gaze, his so serious that she immediately lost all levity. “I don’t think the situation is very optimistic, Liz.”

She worked her mouth, afraid to ask what he meant.

He spared her the discomfort. Reaching down, he picked up her left hand, his fingers gently toying with the engagement ring he’d placed there.

“Do you remember that Christmas when I asked you to marry me?” he asked softly.

Liz breathed a laugh. “How could I forget it?”

He met her eyes, his serious and somewhat lost. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted, Liz. All I ever wanted was to be with you, married to you, bound together forever. I never cared about super powers or other alien races or far-off planets. The only thing that ever mattered to me was spending the rest of my life with you. I lived to see you become Mrs. Max Evans.” His eyes drifted across her face and she could see the resignation and disappointment there. “And now I know that day will never come.”

Liz lifted her hand and touched his face, traced the arc of his cheekbone. “You don’t know that for sure, Max.”

He nodded slightly. “I’m pretty sure of it, Liz. I can’t defend us and we can’t stay in here forever. I can’t be sure that Isabel and Michael will remember to meet us here. Maybe this is the end.” A hint of tears shined in the corners of his eyes. “And if it is the end, then there’s no one I’d rather spend it with than you.”

Liz bit her bottom lip as her own eyes started to tear. “Me neither, Max.”

Max reached up and cupped her face between his hands. “Marry me now, Liz.”

She hiccupped a little laugh. “What do you mean?”

“Say the words. Say you’ll be with me for the rest of our lives, no matter how long that may be. We don’t need a court of law or a marriage license, Liz. Let’s say the words, let’s be man and wife now.”

Liz’s lip quivered as she nodded. “Okay,” she choked out. “I, Liz Parker, take you, Max Evans, to be my husband. I will love and honor you until…until death do us part.”

Max’s tears finally spilled onto his cheeks as he brushed her tears away with his thumbs. “And I take you, Liz Parker, to be my wife. I will love and cherish you always.” His eyes settled on her lips as he struggled to get out the words. “Even after death has parted us.”

Liz let out a sob and dipped her head, hiding her flood of tears. Max brushed her cheek with the back of his hand.

“I shall believe, Liz,” he whispered to her and she lifted her head to meet his gaze. “I believe we will always be together. Even when this life is over.” Then he kissed her forehead, her cheek, and the end of her nose before enveloping her in his embrace.

In the glow from the abandoned incubation pods, they quietly and passionately consummated their self-proclaimed marriage, uncertain what the morning would bring.

tbc

------
I must be tired - I bawled like a baby when I reread that

[Midwest Max]

Part Fifteen

The smell of fresh pumpkin pie was hanging tantalizingly in the air as Maria made her way down her mother’s narrow hallway, headed for her bedroom. She hadn’t bothered Michael since she’d deposited him there the previous night; she figured he needed as much peace and quiet as he could get if he was going to get rid of that headache. And, contrary to Michael’s belief, Maria knew that she was sometimes anything but the harbinger of peace and quiet.

As she approached the door, intent on surprising him with a sensuous good morning kiss, she prayed that he was feeling better. She didn’t like to see him suffer – contrary to another one of his beliefs. She kind of liked the fact that he was in her mom’s house on a “family” holiday, and that he’d stayed voluntarily. That could only mean good things, right? That maybe he was already slipping into family mode despite his protests? Maria’s lips curved into a smile at the thought.

That smile, however, was short lived when she opened the door. Anger immediately infusing her entire body, she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the door frame, her eyes sliding furiously over the scene before her. The bed was unkempt, the window was open, the cool autumn breeze billowing her curtains.

And Michael was gone.

* * * * *

Max slowly blinked his eyes open, let them adjust to the dim light of the pod chamber. Momentarily, he forgot where he was, why he was sleeping on a rocky floor instead of a soft mattress. It was a moment of ignorant bliss, one that flitted away far too quickly.

Liz was pressed tightly against him, the back of her head close to his nose. Pushing aside thoughts of his own demise, Max buried his face in her hair and inhaled deeply. His arms were both around her, so he tightened his grip around her middle, pulling her closer against him. She released a little sigh, but remained asleep. That was fine by Max. He needed some time to think before she was awake again.

Cautiously, he raised her hand and looked at her watch. It was eight in the morning. Thanksgiving Day. It was already ten o’clock on the east coast, which meant that the Macy’s parade had already started. Max let his mind drift back over years past; by this time, he and Liz would be curled up somewhere watching the parade, whether it be at his parent’s house or hers. If he dug back farther, he could remember lying on the family room floor with Isabel as children, watching the colorful floats and huge balloons filling the television screen. Such simple, unimportant things – and yet they had brought him so much joy.

Max couldn’t squelch the feeling if impending doom in his gut. He wondered if people diagnosed with cancer felt like he did right now – how did they feel knowing that their lives had been given an expiration date? True, all living things would die. But, to know that you only had x-number of hours or days or months to live…it put a whole new realization to the mortality thing.

Max turned his head away from Liz’s inviting locks and looked toward the stone ceiling of the pod chamber, high above them. This is where his life had started – was it going to end here as well? Had things finally come full circle? And what of his mother’s message that he was to be a super power some day? Though he felt a bit stronger than he had in recent memory, he still believed himself powerless and defenseless. Maybe all this talk of destinies – including the prophecies of Tess and his mother – was just plain speculation. Maybe none of it was true. Maybe he wasn’t a king and Isabel wasn’t a princess and Michael wasn’t a general.

One thing of which Max was sure, however, was that Liz was his wife. Now and forever. Without papers and witnesses and dresses and cakes. Much as he had given her a little piece of himself when he’d healed a gunshot wound on an extremely fateful fall day so long ago, she had given a piece of herself to him. She flowed through his veins, stimulated his mind, allowed him to breathe every day. Simply, she was his life.

Almost as though she sensed his inner monologue, Liz drew in a deep breath and stretched languidly against him, her silky hair brushing across his shoulder, the smooth skin of her back pressing against his chest. Then she rolled over and faced him, her eyes tired slits. He smiled at her and touched her cheek, his caress gentle. Wordlessly, he captured her lips with his, drew her body close. When they parted, she was a little more awake, though still blissfully groggy.

“Good morning, husband” she said, her lips stretching into a happy grin.

He smiled in return, pushing a strand of hair away from her face, then his smile faded and he chewed his bottom lip. “Are you sorry you didn’t get the big wedding you always wanted?”

Liz smiled softly at him and touched his face. “No, Max. I can never be sorry for anything I’ve done with you.” She blinked a couple of times, coherence taking hold and her joyful demeanor slid silently away.

Max’s mood followed hers and he favored her with an empathetic frown. Wordless, he pulled her into a tight embrace, relishing in the feel of holding her body against his. He squeezed tightly, pulling her ever closer so that he could hear her breath rush past his ear and feel her heart beating against his. He never wanted to let her go, wanted to feel her life force forever.

Liz released a little cry and Max realized he was practically strangling her. When he pulled away, however, he didn’t see fear or discomfort in her eyes – only unadulterated love and need. He knew they should probably talk about what their day might hold, but maybe at this point words were meaningless. They both knew in their hearts that their time could be very short, and neither of them wanted to waste it on inconsequential conversation.

They made love slowly, taking their time to relish each other’s bodies. Max’s mind drifted over the last few years, over many times of waking Liz with his need to love her. Even if their time together had been relatively short, it had been bursting at the seams with love and respect for one another. He’d been gifted with this precious life beside him, and for that he would be ever thankful.

Sated and sleepy from their lovemaking, Max and Liz simply lay in each others arms and kissed lazily. That is, until Liz pulled back, her eyes revealing that something had changed.

“Max,” she whispered. “Someone is coming.”

Max felt his heart start to trip in his chest. Perhaps the moment was here. Their enemies had found them, his life was about to burn out. They had two choices – hide and wait in fear to be found, or meet the enemy head-on and go out fighting.

They dressed slowly, tenderly helping each other. Then Max gave Liz an understanding smile and reached shaking fingers to her steady ones. Hand in hand, they headed for the pod chamber entrance, to meet whatever fate awaited them.

* * * * *

Michael peeked around the corner of the building, his eyes darting quickly one direction then the next. It made so much sense that he’d find what he was looking for here in Roswell. Because those looking for him would be looking there as well.

He spotted the subject, a middle-age-looking man filling the newspaper vending box with a stack of that morning’s edition. It was so obvious to Michael now that he’d been given the clue that this person was not human, not in the slightest. If he thought back on it, he could remember the tiny little flaw in Courtney’s walk, a slight hitch in her gait that would have given her away. He grinned, then stepped onto the sidewalk, quickening his pace.

“Hey, you!” he shouted and the man looked up like he’d been caught stealing from the till. “Yeah, you!”

The man looked over his shoulder but didn’t look particularly alarmed. “What?” he asked, somewhat annoyed at Michael’s intrusion.

“Before I send your ass to a dusty hell, answer one question,” Michael said, drawing to a stop on the other side of the paper box.

At those words, the man withdrew slightly. Of course, what normal person wouldn’t at the prospect of being sent “to a dusty hell”?

“What are you talking about?” the man barked.

“Are you a Michael worshipper?” Michael demanded.

At that, the man’s graying eyebrows lifted slightly. “A what?”

Michael sighed, realized that they wouldn’t know his earth-given name. “Do you know who I am?”

The man shook his head. “Some punk who thinks he’s street-wise and likes to harass people just trying to do their jobs?”

For that, Michael considered dropping him on the spot. But, he needed information and allies, so now was not the time to be diminishing either of those pools. Unless, of course, this man wasn’t an ally, then Michael had no trouble wasting him.

“In a prior life my name was Rath.”

The man seemed to give a hint of recognition, but then let out a snort. “Prior life! You’re a crackpot, son.”

“And you’re a Skin.”

At that, the man ceased all movement and Michael saw something resembling a deer caught in headlights in his eyes.

“So, are you an ally or a foe?” he asked, preparing himself to eliminate this creature if the answer was not what he wanted.

The man swallowed visibly, then removed his cap and tipped his head downward. Michael’s jaw dropped open involuntarily as the man bowed to him. So all of Courtney’s words had been true. There was a legion of Skins out there who were loyal to Rath. Of course, their loyalty was to the mission to overthrow Zan and Michael would have to convince them that Max was not Zan and needed their help more than their hindrance.

“I am humbly at your service,” the man said.

Michael glanced down the street, looking to see if anyone saw their strange exchange. “Okay, okay, you don’t need to bow to me,” he said, waving a hand in the man’s direction.

The man lifted his head, his eyes wide and a little fearful.

“I need your help.”

“Anything, your highness.”

Michael sighed. “Okay, the ‘highness’ thing isn’t necessary.” Though secretly he thought it was kind of cool – Michael Guerin, street rat, being bowed to and called highness. Just when he thought life couldn’t get more surreal… “Are there more like you?”

The man nodded eagerly.

“Take me to them.”

* * * * *

Liz lifted her hand to open the entrance to the pod chamber, but Max pulled her back slightly. She turned questioning eyes to him.

“Wait,” he said. Then he stooped a bit to pull her into his arms, holding her tightly. Odd that he should be trembling the way he was and yet she seemed so steadfast. “I love you, Liz,” he said over her shoulder, his voice wrought with emotion.

“I love you, too,” she said, squeezing him in return.

“No matter what happens, we’ll always be one,” he said, releasing her.

She nodded her agreement, then pushed aside the rock that covered the pod chamber door. Warm desert air greeted them immediately and Max felt his heart start to hammer in his chest. In his mind, he had the image of a man on death row being walked to the gas chamber. His knees were weak and he barely felt like he could support his own weight. Liz clasped his hand tightly, however, and shot him a reassuring smile.

Then they stepped into the daylight.

Max’s heart sank and his world started to waver with the realization of his doom. Before him was an ocean of bodies, hundreds of people all looking back at him and Liz. They were silent and motionless but Max knew that they would strike if provoked and that he and Liz would never be able to defend themselves against an army of such size.

It was over.

“Isabel,” Liz breathed.

Max glanced quickly at her, then followed her line of site. Standing at the head of the mob was his sister and Adam McKinney. For one crazy moment, he thought that maybe Iz had turned on him, but common sense prevailed and he knew that couldn’t be possible. Doom turned to disbelief as he met his sister’s eyes and asked a silent question.

“They’re our allies, Max,” Isabel answered aloud.

That was shocking enough, but her next words made Max wonder if his mother’s prophecy had been true after all – even though Max's body was weak, perhaps not all super powers were physical.

“They’ll follow you wherever you lead them.”

tbc

[Midwest Max]

I sense maybe some of you are growing impatient Hopefully this will help!


Part Sixteen

“I don’t understand,” Max said to his sister in hushed tones. “Where did they all come from?”

They were seated in a semi-circle in the pod chamber – Max, Liz, Isabel, Adam and the newcomer, Luke. Released from the car that was her prison, Nikita was busy slinking from corner to corner, sniffing, her belly an inch from the floor.

“You tell him,” Isabel said to Luke.

Luke looked a little intimidated to be addressing the king, his face suddenly going pale.

Liz gave a giggle. “He doesn’t bite,” she assured, weaving her fingers through Max’s. “He’s just like you and me.” She looked at him from the corner of her eye. “Well, sort of…”

“You can tell me anything,” Max agreed. “Honestly, I’m no different than anyone in this room.”

“Okay,” Luke began uncertainly. “Where would you like me to start?”

“First off, are all of those people like you? I mean, from your race?”

Luke shook his head. “Not all. Some.”

Liz’s eyes were wide, her grin fascinated. “Where did they come from then?”

Luke turned slightly to address her. “From everywhere. Many planets. They’ve been here a long time, awaiting this fight.”

“Let’s jump ahead to that,” Isabel suggested, bouncing the heels of her hands together. “What is this fight we’ve been hearing so much about?”

Luke looked confused. “You don’t know?”

There was a collective shaking of heads no.

“It’s the ultimate for survival of many planets, but most of all this one.”

“What do you mean?” Adam asked, his blue eyes suddenly worried.

“The Skins,” Luke clarified. “They will take over any world in their path. They live to conquer, they live for power. They ruined our home, brother.” Luke’s face fell, obviously remembering what was once good in his world. “I’m sorry you don’t recall it, but I am much older than you and I do. They ransacked a peaceful, loving nation and scattered its people. That’s why you’re here – you’ve nowhere else to go.”

The weight of that statement sent Adam’s gaze to the stone floor, his shoulders stooping slightly in defeat. In a demonstration of comfort that Max had not witnessed from his sister in a long time, Isabel put her hand on Adam’s knee and addressed Luke. “What do they do with these planets once they’ve conquered them?”

Luke shrugged. “Sap them of their resources. Deplete whatever stores are there. Then they move on.”

“They’re like cock roaches,” Liz observed with disgust.

“Yes, that would be accurate.”

“So, we’ve got a legion of Skins coming for us?” Max asked, his dark eyebrows rising in question.

Luke nodded.

“How many?”

He paused, drew in a deep breath. “More than you can imagine. The worst of it? They’re already here.”

Max wearily scrubbed a hand over his face, then turned his attention to Isabel. “Where’s Michael?”

She shrugged and shook her head. “I haven’t a clue.”

*****

Michael followed briskly in the footsteps of the paper man, whose name he had learned was Sam. They were making their way through an abandoned warehouse, their shoes echoing in the vast space. The lighting was poor and Michael had to allow time for his eyes to adjust. Once in the deepest region of the warehouse, Sam stopped at a door and turned to address him.

“They’re a little skittish sometimes,” he warned.

Michael shrugged and waved him on with a hand. Piss on skittishness.

Sam gave him a wary look, then knocked a rhythm on the metal door. A long moment passed, then the door inched open.

“Stay behind me,” Sam warned, then slid through the opening.

Michael did as he was told, the doorway just wide enough to slip his broad body through. At the sight of him, he heard many anxious murmurs and hisses as creatures hidden in an even darker room panicked over his presence.

“You fool!” one of the voices said aloud. “You brought a stranger here!”

Sam held up his hands. “It’s okay. I think you’ll be pleased when I tell you who I brought.”

More scuffling and whispers; then a bright light shined in Michael’s eyes. In reflex, he put up his arm, shielding his face with his hand.

“Hey, that’s enough of that,” he barked. “Jesus Christ!” Someone was definitely paying for this rude treatment.

Even though he couldn’t see, he had the distinct impression of people moving closer to him, as if they were surrounding him. Skittish wasn’t the word for it – more like paranoid.

“Please!” Sam begged. “Please stop. He’s the one we’ve been looking for. He’s Rath.”

There was a moment of complete silence, then more hissed and spat words. Tired of the song and dance, Michael extended his raised hand and blasted a nearby burnt-out light fixture. The buzz in the room increased tenfold but this time there was a frantic quality to it. The flashlight disappeared from his eyes and slowly he was able to see.

The noise abated and they all simply looked at him, awestruck. There were about twenty of them, none of their faces familiar.

Sam swallowed visibly. “He knows who we are,” he said in a calmer voice, his eyes slowly taking in each of the members of the resistance. “He’s not here to harm us.”

“No, I’m here because I want answers.” Michael always believed it was better to cut directly to the chase.

The crowd of people before him immediately bowed their heads to him.

Sighing, he issued his next order. “Look at me.” The group immediately did. Michael surveyed them, then pointed out a girl and a young man. “You two – front and center.”

They exchanged an anxious glance, then stepped forward.

“What are your names?”

Both of the Skins spouted sounds and syllables that Michael knew he’d never be able to replicate. He closed his eyes and drew in a breath of patience, then pointed to first the man then the girl. “For now, you’re Jack and you’re Jill.”

They nodded, averting their eyes, their expressions curious at their new names.

“Everyone sit,” Michael commanded, feeling like the leader of a game of Simon Says. Of course, his worshippers immediately hit the floor. He casually took his spot and pulled Sam down beside him. His eyes raked over his recruits. “Tell me why you’re here.”

Jill looked at Jack, then obviously decided she would speak for them. “We’re part of the resistance to overthrow King Zan.”

“I thought all of the Skins expired, for lack of a better word.”

“They did,” Jack confirmed. “We haven’t been here long.”

At that, Michael raised his eyebrows. “Skins are still coming to the planet?”

“More arrive every day,” Sam answered. “I’ve only been here about a year.”

Michael gulped, the thoughts of an intergalactic shuttle dumping off more Skins every day not a comforting one. “Your…your plan. What is your plan?”

“Not all of the arriving Skins are part of the resistance,” the girl warned. “We are a relatively small group, imbedded in the rest of the troops. They think that we are here to help them and we are not.”

“Then why are you here?”

“The goal is to fight with them, to destroy Zan, but then to replace him on the throne with you. They think that we’re going to help them take the throne.”

Michael mulled this over. It was treason on the rebels’ part to put him – or rather, Rath – on the throne instead of one of their own. It was treason for Michael to accept a throne that rightfully belonged to Max. He was suddenly a little uncertain about his present company and their values. But somehow he knew he needed to make them change their plans, to turn their destructive forces away from Max and toward the pod squad’s enemies.

“Tell me what you know of their plans,” he ordered.

“They are amassing in the desert,” Jack answered. “They will strike soon.”

Michael shot him a curious glance. “Why now? The Skins have been on earth for over fifty years now – we’ve been alive for over twenty. So why now?”

Sam cleared his throat. “Because now the king is vulnerable.”

Michael remained silent, not wanting to give these people any indication that Max had been more than vulnerable the last time he’d seen him.

“He’s going through the transformation,” Sam continued.

“What transformation?” Michael asked.

“He’s picked his bride. He will soon be like her.”

“What do you mean – like her?”

“The king has picked his bride,” Jill repeated. “In order to retain the throne, to keep it in the royal family, he must be able to mate with her and produce an heir. In order to do that, he must be like her.”

Michael’s eyebrows rose sharply. Max was becoming…human?

“Not human,” Jack clarified, then looked away in embarrassment. Apparently this Skin had the power to read minds. “Sorry.”

“No, no, continue,” Michael urged, ignoring the obvious that this creature probably already knew he wanted him to finish.

“His bride is neither human nor alien,” Jack continued. “He will become the same. They will be alike. But while he is going through this transformation, he will be weakened – and the army will strike. They must do it now before the transformation is complete and he regains his strength, more powerful than he was before.”

“When they strike,” Jill explained conspiratorially, “we’ll be fighting beside them, but not to the ends they intend.”

Michael fell into silence, trying to absorb all they had told him. There were many Skins on the planet, intent on destroying Max so they could take over Antar. But within those Skins was a militant group who wanted to put Michael on the throne and would commit treason to do so. Max was becoming was Liz was, so that he could have children and keep the throne. Michael closed his eyes and rubbed them with his fingers, momentarily overwhelmed by all of this new information. And why was he trusting these people? Hadn’t their race once tried to dispose of him?

“Majesty,” Jill said softly.

He dropped his hands and regarded her silently.

“We will do whatever you ask,” she stated bluntly.

Well, they could start by not killing his best friend…Michael sighed. “Who’s organizing this party?” he asked. “There has to be someone, right? Who is it?”

Jack, Jill and Sam exchanged a mute glance and Michael could tell they were conferring on whether to tell him. It was Sam who spoke.

“One of your own.”

Michael’s eyebrows shot up again and panic ripped through his body. Isabel?! Isabel would never harm Max!

“It’s not who you’re thinking of,” Jack corrected. “Someone else. Someone who was banished from your planet.”

Michael was no less confused. Banished? One of his own? What did that mean?

In one horrifying moment, he recalled a giggle and a flash of blond hair and his heart sank to his toes. She wasn’t banished – she chose to leave. And Carter had believed her dead.

“She’s grown powerful,” Jill asserted. “On your home planet, she was given more powers than you have to fight this battle. She is now a formidable foe – not the person you once knew. Do you understand?”

Michael nodded silently. Poor Max. When he found out…

He looked sharply at Sam, waiting for some kind of suggestion. It was obvious that all of these Skins were older than Michael, that they were more knowledgeable in the rules of warfare. In relation, Michael knew nothing.

Sam seemed to understand that, for he gave him a fatherly smile. “You’ll come with us. We’ll fight side by side.”

“How?” Michael asked, holding out a hand palm-up. “She knows what I look like and I don’t have the power to change my appearance.”

Jack and Jill exchanged a grin.

“Then,” Jill began, “we need to get you a husk.”

tbc

~~~~~~~~~~

I will answer FB later
~Karen

[Midwest Max]

Part Seventeen

Maria glumly stirred her mashed potatoes, spiraling the puddle of gravy her mother had deposited on top of them into their stark whiteness and turning them tan. Her mind was on Michael, on his sudden disappearance, but there was an annoying buzzing in her subconscious that was distracting her from her moping. In due time, she realized the “buzzing” was her mother’s constant rambling as she speared at her food.

“Honestly, Maria, I find his actions a little rude. To not let you know where he was heading off to – and on a holiday no less!”

Maria drew in a sigh of patience. “I’m sure he has a good reason,” she answered quietly.

Amy stopped assaulting her dinner long enough to regard her daughter in disbelief. “What good reason could there be?”

Well, there was the strange feeling he’d had that he was being followed. And there was Max’s ill state of late. Of course, there was a giggle and some blond hair to be dealt with. Not that Maria could put voice to any of those theories, so she merely shrugged.

Amy returned to her dinner. “Well, all I know is that you were the one who once told me that men just take what they want and leave.”

Maria’s eyes fixed on a point in space as internally she collapsed. She didn’t want to believe that, especially not after Michael’s actions of late – the fantasy of marrying her some day, driving all night through the desert chasing after her…it didn’t make sense that he’d up and leave. Not now.

“You don’t know Michael,” she said quietly to her mother.

Amy snorted. “And sometimes, for that, I’m glad.”

*****

She blinked slowly, relishing the knowledge that the time was very near. Her wait was almost over.

Tess’s lips stretching into a smile. Yes, it was true that her plant at the grocery store had failed. Yes, it was true that her one true love had been obliterated by the earth-bound mutants. But in the end, victory would be hers – and soon.

In her mind, she imaged them all, tortured, screaming for help that would never come. She wasn’t sure which one she’d like to see suffer more. It was such a hard choice, considering the fact that she hated them all.

The reasons for hating Liz Parker were obvious – she had taken Tess’s place at the king’s side. Reason enough to destroy her.

The reasons for disliking Max were equally as obvious – he’d rejected her and chosen that human instead.

As for Michael, Tess just hated his attitude. He was a Neanderthal. Watching him realize that men weren’t the superior sex was going to be more than pleasing.

Ah, the beauteous Isabel. Tess knew that she was in some way responsible for Carter’s death, but she wasn’t sure just how. If she knew Carter, then she knew that he would make his move on the princess in order to infiltrate the group. Isabel would be gullible enough to fall for a handsome man. Tess hated that about her. She also hated her innocent vulnerability – all of which Tess believed to be an act.

More troops, fresh bodies and spirits, arrived every day. Of course, such a show of force was overkill considering there was only four of the enemy to encounter, but why not give them the fright of their lives before they were captured? Tess smiled as she imagined their panicked little bodies, fighting for survival in the face of an innumerable foe. Perhaps most delicious of all of the events would be to witness their utter fear as they struggled, then to see the moment when they realized their lives were over.

Tess quickly pushed those thoughts aside. She needed to rest – she could savor her victory later. Because tomorrow, the showdown began.

*****

Max closed his eyes and rubbed them wearily. He was standing outside of the pod chamber, walking a circle while he held Isabel’s cell phone to his ear. The sun had just started to set, casting the sand hues of pinks and oranges. The troops, far more clever and prepared than Max had originally given them credit for, had taken shelter in various caves surrounding the pod chamber. The hybrids had never even realized those caverns where there until the moment Max’s “followers” had started to set up roost.

Not far from Max, Liz and Isabel sat on the rock Max and Liz had proclaimed as their own the previous summer while Liz was working out the difficulties with her burgeoning powers. Both of the girls looked apprehensive, only catching Max’s side of the conversation. But what they had heard so far didn’t sound good.

Max dropped his hand and met Liz’s eyes. On the other end of the line, Michael had just finished explaining why Max was changing and what he was changing into.

“Let’s go back to the beginning,” Max offered. “How did you know how to identify the Skins?”

“I just knew,” Michael replied. “It’s like I looked to the sky and I just knew. Like someone had spoken to me.”

Max’s brow furrowed. “And that’s it?”

“Well, I had a killer of a headache before then.”

“Michael, need I remind you that mindwarps will cause those killer headaches, too?”

There was a pause on the line and Max could easily envision Michael’s irritated pursing of the lips. “This isn’t a mindwarp, Max. It’s real.”

“How do you know?”

“How do I know?! Christ, I just do, Max. I trust it, so should you.”

Max sighed silently.

“Courtney was telling the truth,” Michael continued, a tinge of excitement in his tone. “There is a group of rebel Skins. Followers of mine, if you want to put it that way.”

Max nodded, then shook his head, confusing his audience even more. “Weren’t those followers intent on killing me?”

“Not you – Zan.”

“Small distinction, Michael.”

“I can change their minds. I can get them to fight for us.”

“I want you to come here to the pod chamber. I want you to get out of there.” Max’s eyes drifted to his sister and he could see the anxiety written all over her pretty face.

“I can’t, Max.”

“Yes, you can. We’ve always been stronger together, Michael.”

“Not this time. There’s something you don’t know.”

Max stopped his pacing and stared into space, focused on nothing. He didn’t like the strained tone in his brother’s voice. “What?”

There was a pause and Max could tell Michael was bucking up for whatever he needed to say. “Max, they have a leader.”

“I would assume.”

“Listen to me. This isn’t going to be easy for you to hear.”

Max’s heart started to knock painfully into his ribs, worry flooding his mind.

“Are you listening to me?” Michael prodded.

“Yes. Go on.”

“Max, it’s Tess.”

Max closed his eyes slowly, dread washing over him. In his mind, he saw an image of their friend, dead, encased in a coroner’s body bag. He saw a confrontation between himself and Tess, the need to harm her very near the surface, and he saw her willingness to leave the planet behind, never to return.

But she’d broken her word. Not that that should surprise him in any way. She was treacherous and dishonest. She was a murderess. Why would he expect her to keep her word?

What bothered Max most, though, was the mental condition she must be in. Revenge was a powerful motivator and she probably had enough inside of her to destroy half the planet. He turned on his heel and gave Liz an apologetic look – he knew for sure now that the grocery store manager had been planted there by Tess, bent on destroying Liz. They would know that if they got to Liz, they’d get to Max.

“Are you still there?” Michael asked.

“I’m here,” Max said, struggling to keep his voice from cracking. “Michael, I want you to come here.”

“No.”

“You don’t know what you’re dealing with there. Meet with the rest of us and we’ll take care of the situation together.”

“I’m on the inside now, Max. I can get to her. I’m going to find that little bitch and then I’m going to make her bleed.”

Max could feel control of the situation quickly slipping away. “That’s not the way we’re going to do this.”

Michael snorted. “There is no ‘we’ this time. You seem to forget that Alex was my friend too. He helped save my life after River Dog’s sweat. He helped save the world from the crystals. It’s not all always about you and Liz, Max. I have the inside track here and I’m going to take it.”

Anger started to flare inside of Max. “Michael, I…I order you to get out of there. This minute.”

Michael laughed. “Nice try, your highness. But I’m doing this. And you can’t stop me.”

The cell phone went dead in Max’s hand. He looked at it disbelievingly, realizing that there was nothing he could do to stop his bull-headed sibling. Furious, he raised his fists to his shoulders and let out a growl of frustration and anger.

A split second later, he was lying on the ground watching lightening streak across the darkening sky as a loud clap of thunder assaulted his ears. Like a Whack-a-Mole game, heads popped out of various holes in the rock to check out the disturbance. Panting, his whole body tingling, Max quickly met the horrified faces of his wife and sister. As confusion cleared, he realized that the lightening and thunder…had come from him.

Isabel’s mouth slowly dropped open as she put words to all of their thoughts. “Oh, shit.”

tbc

[Midwest Max]

Hey, everyone! Thanks for your patience I wish I had time to fb fb, but I'm lucky I had time to write this part. Thanks for all of your comments- they're much appreciated!


Part Eighteen

Later that night, after the buzz over Max’s sudden power burst died down and the troops returned to their beds, Liz spread out her sleeping bag on the floor of the pod chamber. There was movement around her – Adam and Isabel also preparing for bed – and for one moment she didn’t notice that Max had disappeared. Standing back, she looked quickly around the pod chamber, then addressed Isabel.

“Have you seen Max?”

Isabel shook her head, as did Adam when Liz’s gaze landed on his. Liz left them to their bed making and entered the chilly desert air. Wrapping her arms around her body, she spotted his outline; he was perched on their rock. She studied him silently for a few long moments, trying to gage his disposition, then walked over to him.

“So, we lived for another day, huh?” she said, sitting down beside him on the rock.

Max snorted a laugh. “I guess that’s one way to look at it…” He sighed internally, thinking that his little atmospheric display a few hours early was sure to be noticed. “Did you talk to Maria?”

Liz nodded.

“How is she?”

“About what you’d expect. She’s scared and angry and ready to kill Michael. I told her to stay in Roswell, that she didn’t need to get involved in this.”

“Think she’ll listen?”

Liz shrugged, her gaze drifting to a bright star in the night sky.

Max watched her, drank in every beautiful detail of her face. “Liz, I have to tell you something.”

She crossed her legs and waited patiently.

“I told Isabel and the others about who was here and why, but I left out something else Michael had told me. I didn’t want to say it in front of them.”

Liz’s dark eyes immediately became wary. “What is it, Max?”

He drew in a breath. “Michael found out from the Skins why I’ve been sick.”

Scientific curiosity getting the best of her, Liz couldn’t help but smile in anticipation. But then the thought occurred to her that maybe it wasn’t good news and her smile disappeared as her stomach started to clench. “Why?”

Max glanced up at the moon, only a quarter visible in the night sky. “I’m changing…so that I can be like you.”

Confusion furrowed Liz’s brow. “Like me? Why would that happen?”

He met her gaze again. “So we can keep the bloodline going and retain the throne.”

Max waited a beat while she figured out his meaning in her head. He knew the exact second it dawned on her because her eyes flew open wide and she started sputtering babble like she did sometimes when she got excited.

“You mean so we can have a baby some day?” she managed.

He nodded slowly. “By changing you, I changed myself,” he mused. Inside, he wondered if he hadn’t healed her and changed her genetic make-up, but had still chosen her as his wife, would he have transformed into being human?

“Does that upset you?” Liz asked cautiously when she saw his uneasy expression.

“No, no I’m not upset.” Max looked at the sand between his feet. “It’s just that you can’t fight fate, Liz. No matter how hard I tried to deny who I was, things still happened anyway, ya know?” He let out a slow sigh. “It’s like I’ve been struggling for fourteen years to be something else and in the end I’m exactly what I was programmed to be.”

Liz tilted her head sympathetically and put her hand on his knee. “You weren’t programmed to be who you’ve become,” she said gently. “Maybe certain events were inevitable, but no one but you decided who you were going to be.”

He turned grateful eyes to her, taking in all she was saying.

“And I kinda like who you decided to be,” she continued with a smile. “To me, you’re always going to be Max Evans, my husband, not the king of some far off planet. That isn’t real to me, Max. You’re real to me.”

He returned her smile and gave her a gentle hug. “Thank you.”

Liz pulled back and planted a kiss on his forehead. “Now,” she said as she met his gaze steadily, “tell me what’s troubling you.”

“What’s troubling me?” he echoed, arching his eyebrows and giving a small laugh. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“Well, sure, there’s the whole imminent war thing and all, but what’s really bothering you?”

Max shook his head, humored by her ability to make a joke at such a tense time. He would absolutely never stop loving her. “I guess you put the words to it, Liz. War.” He looked across the darkened desert, trying to find the secret entrances to many caves that contained many followers. “Someone is going to die because of me.”

Liz shook her head. “Not because of you, Max. Because of a conflict you had nothing to do with.”

“But if I weren’t here, there would be no war.” He turned anguished eyes to her. “If I hadn’t been sent to this planet to be reborn, none of this would be happening.”

She weighed that assumption. “True,” she finally agreed. “But it you’d been sent somewhere else, then some other planet would be in jeopardy and some other group of people would be risking their lives.”

“But…” His voice trailed off as he realized he could find no gentle way to say what he wanted to. “But what if I had never been reborn anywhere.”

Liz fell silent, her eyes round as she registered his meaning. Finally, she cleared her throat uncomfortably. “Max, there isn’t much point in dwelling on that. You’re here now, and that’s all that matters.” She watched him return his gaze to the sand. “What else is bothering you? Is it Michael?”

Max nodded without looking up. “I can’t control him anymore.”

Liz let out a laugh that immediately drew his attention. “Oh, Max,” she said, trying to contain her laughter. “Don’t you realize that you’ve never been able to control Michael?”

He blinked a couple of times. Maybe she was right. Maybe Max had never had control of anything Michael had done.

“You haven’t,” Liz reiterated, wiping her eyes.

“He’s doing something reckless, Liz.”

She nodded. “Maybe. But did you ever stop to think that if Michael gets to Tess first and he can remove her, then there would be no war and no one would have to die?”

*****

Michael didn’t find being inside of a husk as disgusting as he thought it would be. The initial suction of the husk as it had adhered to his skin had been rather disturbing, but now he could barely tell it was there. He still had sensation in his fingertips and other than his face, his body had remained essentially the same build.

“How do I look?” he asked, turning to address Sam.

Sam gave an uneasy grin. “Like a whole new person.”

Michael beamed. “Excellent. Now take me to the bitch.”

Sam’s smile faded. “I’m sorry?”

“Take me to your leader,” Michael clarified, nearly cringing at his use of the cliché.

Sam shook his head. “I don’t think that’s possible.”

Michael’s brow furrowed. “Why?”

“No one goes to her.”

“What do you mean no one goes to her? How has she rallied all of these troops if she never communicates with anyone?”

Sam shifted his weight. “Well, she communicates telepathically sometimes.”

“With you?”

“No, not me. With a select few.”

“Then take me to someone who does communicate with her.”

“I don’t know anyone.” Sam’s eyes shifted away uncomfortably.

“Are you lying to me?” Michael demanded, his voice level.

Sam shook his head vigorously. “No, I’m not. Honest. I really don’t know.”

“Do you know someone who might know who communicates with her?”

Sam thought for a moment, then nodded slightly. “Perhaps.”

Michael beamed again. “Then take me to see them.”

Sam sighed and relented. “Follow me.”

Michael followed a few steps behind, his defenses on alert in reaction to Sam’s reluctance to divulge information. He kept that in the back of his mind – just in case this was all a trap.

*****

Isabel folded her hands under her cheek and watched as Nikita strutted back and forth before her eyes, curious as to why her owner was at eye-level. On the other side of the cat, Adam was lying on his back a few feet away, staring at the ceiling. He rolled his head to the side and regarded Isabel with sleepy eyes.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked, his voice a tired croak.

Isabel drew in a breath. “That I’m never going to get to sleep tonight.”

Adam smiled. “Yeah, I know. As tired as I am, I’m not really sleepy.”

She would have disagreed with that, judging from the droopiness of his eyelids. “Are you scared?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Of what?”

“Of what’s coming tomorrow?”

Adam shifted onto his side and Nikita immediately started to dance in his line of sight instead of Isabel’s. Gently, he pushed her to the side so he could see his friend, causing the feline to put back her ears unhappily.

“Why should I be afraid?” he asked.

Isabel was taken aback. “Aren’t you afraid of being hurt? Or…or dying?”

Adam thought for a moment. “No. Not really.”

She sat up, planting her elbow on the hard floor of the pod chamber and cupping her head in her hand. “That’s hard to believe.”

“Why?”

“Because we’re all mortal,” she said, surprised at his questioning. Her eyes widened a bit. “Uh, you are mortal, aren’t you?”

Adam laughed lightly. “Yeah. But death isn’t the end of everything, Isabel. You’re living proof of that.”

She snorted. “Adam, if we die tomorrow, I doubt if someone will reincarnate us.”

He shrugged. “Probably not. But there are other lives to live, aren’t there? Don’t you believe in an after life of some kind?”

She worked her mouth. “I guess so. But I don’t think I’m ready to give up this one yet.”

He gave her a grin and swiped his hand across Nikita’s fur as she obscured his vision once more. Then he saw that Isabel’s attention had drifted away.

“What are you thinking about?” he repeated softly.

She met his eyes, a hint of guilt in hers. “Promise not to say anything?”

He nodded.

“I think Michael is right.”

Adam sat up and imitated her position. “What makes you say that?”

“It makes sense. Kind of like killing the queen termite or something…” She shook her head. “I’m not making any sense.”

“Yes, you are. I know what you’re trying to say. Get rid of Tess and maybe this whole situation goes away.”

Isabel nodded.

“Did you say anything to Max?”

She snorted a laugh. “Are you kidding? He’s so pissed at Michael right now that he doesn’t want to hear anything about him.”

“What do you want to do?”

Isabel fell silent, then spoke cautiously. “I want to go help Michael.”

“Okay, then let’s go.”

“Whoa! Wait, Adam. I can’t just run out on Max. That would be…mutiny.”

“But you said you also can’t talk to him about it.”

She nodded.

“So, what do you want to do?”

Isabel weighed her options, then blew out an uneasy sigh. “I want to go to Michael. But I’m going to stay here…at least until I make an attempt to change Max’s mind.”

tbc

[Midwest Max]

Part Nineteen

Damn him! Damn Michael Guerin and all he stood for!

Maria fumed around her bedroom, furious at Michael’s latest action of stupidity. She couldn’t believe the relative calm with which Liz had relayed the news. It was almost like an afterthought – “Oh, yeah, by the way – Michael’s done something incredibly stupid.”

Maria stopped her pacing and frowned deeply. Okay, so maybe Liz hadn’t been that flippant about it. But she also hadn’t seemed as devastated as Maria was about it. Maybe Liz and the others had reached their saturation point with Michael. Maybe his endless fucking up had finally broken the camel’s back and none of them cared that he was doing something ignorant.

Defeated, Maria dropped to the side of her bed, her shoulders sagging in defeat. No, it was unlikely that none of them cared. Isabel, for one, would always care what happened to Michael. Maria believed that Max, for all of his complaining about Michael, cared about him too. She flopped back on her bed and immediately hated the fact she could smell him on her pillow, where she’d tenderly deposited him in the throes of that strange migraine. Hate turned to nostalgia, however, and she lifted the pillow to her nose, drank in his scent.

Abruptly, she sat up and cast the pillow aside. Damn Liz and her warnings to stay put in Roswell. If Michael was doing something stupid that could possibly get him killed and no on there was planning on helping him, then maybe it was up to Maria to do so.

*****

“How much farther?” Michael asked Sam.

They were walking through a series of tunnels carved into the side of a mountain, the glowing rock Sam held in his hand their only light. It seemed like they’d been traveling forever and getting nowhere.

“Not much farther,” Sam said without turning around.

Michael watched the back of his head silently and couldn’t help the twinge of apprehension that was starting to twist in his gut.

*****

Maria stood helplessly outside of the Crashdown, her pretty brow furrowed as she looked in every direction down the street. Busy day-after-Thanksgiving shoppers bustled past her, bumping her this way and that. They seemed cheerful, glad to be caught up in the throng of bargain hunters. Maria was anything but cheerful. She had no idea where to start. If she were Michael, where would she go? If she were a Michael Worshipper (not that she wasn’t in her own way), where would she hide out?

Suddenly a girl grabbed her by the arm and started ushering her down the sidewalk. Maria gave her a startled glance and tried to wrench her arm free.

“Let go of me!” she demanded.

“You need to come with me,” the girl said.

Maria snorted a laugh. “Back off, bitch. I’m going nowhere with you.”

The girl released her arm and Maria stepped back a few feet, pinning her assailant with an indignant look.

“What was that all about?” she demanded.

The girl leaned toward her conspiratorially. “You have to come with me. All depends on this.”

Maria withdrew. “Yeah, right. And the end of the world is coming, too, right?”

The girl’s dark eyes were serious. “Yes.”

At her tone, Maria was suddenly listening, suddenly aware that this was no random crackpot looking for followers. “Who are you?” she asked.

“One who follows Rath,” the girl explained.

Maria’s eyebrows lifted in surprise.

“Now do you believe me?” the girl challenged. “Please. You must come with me.”

*****

In daylight, Isabel could see the worry lines on her brother’s face, the bags beneath his eyes, the reluctant king. They were perched on the edge of war and the weight appeared to be pulling his arms toward the earth, slumping his shoulders with the significance of it. Isabel drew in a breath and slowly approached him. Though she told them not to, she couldn’t help her fingers becoming entwined with each other, fidgeting nervously.

“Max?”

He looked up from the small fired he’d built to ward off the cold and regarded her with weary eyes.

“Can I talk to you?” she asked tentatively.

He nodded as he sat back in the sand, putting his feet toward the flame. Isabel circled the fire and sat next to him.

“You okay?” she asked.

He nodded again, mute like he always was when he was concerned about something.

“Good,” she said, looking away as her confidence waned. She kicked at the sand, then decided to jump to the reason for her visit. “Max, can we talk about Michael?”

His gaze snapped to hers but he remained silent.

“I know that you want him to come back,” she said quickly. “But I also know that he’s not going to.”

Max looked into the fire. He knew his sister was speaking the truth.

“But I’ve been thinking, Max,” she continued, her voice cautious. “Maybe Michael’s right.”

Max snorted. “You and Liz.”

Isabel turned to him, her brow furrowed. “I’m sorry?”

He picked up a stick and poked his fire with it. “Liz said the same thing to me last night, Isabel.”

She felt a spark of hope within; if anyone could talk sense into Max, it was Liz. It would always be Liz. She cleared her throat. “And…um, how did you feel about that?”

Max tossed the stick aside and wrapped his arms around his drawn-up legs. “She has a point.”

Isabel tried desperately to conceal her grin, because with Max there was always a ‘but’ attached somewhere. “I think so, too,” she agreed. “So, what do we do?”

Max waved his hand across the desert, indicating the troops that were just beginning to emerge from their hide-aways. “What can I do?” he asked, sighing. “There are 500 people here waiting for a war, waiting for me to lead them.”

Isabel followed his gesture. “That’s true, but isn’t part of following taking orders to stay?”

He turned silently to her.

“Issue the order for them to stand down,” she said, excited that he was listening to her ideas. “In the meantime, we go help Michael.”

His brow furrowed. “We don’t know where he is.”

“I can find him.”

“What if several thousand Skins show up here in the meantime?”

She thought hard for a moment. “Leave Luke in charge. Max, he knows more about this conflict than you do.”

He had to give her that one. After all, it was Luke who had approached them and explained what was going on.

“Leave Adam as his second,” Isabel continued.

Max’s eyebrows rose sharply. “Adam?”

“I know he doesn’t have powers, Max, but people trust him.”

He had to give her that one, too. Somewhere along the way, his sister had become one smart cookie.

“What do you say?” she prodded carefully.

Max stared into the flames for a few long moments, then met her gaze steadily. “Find out where he is, Isabel. I’ll go talk to Liz.”

*****

By the time Michael saw a yellowish glow ahead of them, he was exhausted, breathless from their long trek through the belly of the mountain. Ahead of him, Sam seemed like the journey had been no effort at all. In fact, his pace hadn’t slowed a bit. Michael mused that Skins must have more stamina than did the hybrids – which wasn’t a pleasant thought.

The glow grew larger and brighter until Michael found himself in a sort of waiting room, a roughly hewn space with a couple of seats carved out of the rock. The glow was coming from some of them rocks themselves, casting the area in a muted yellow light.

“What is this place?” he asked, catching his breath, glancing at Sam.

“Where her henchman lives,” he said simply, dropping the rock he’d been carrying, its glow immediately extinguished.

Michael crinkled his nose. It was no wonder to him that a cohort of Tess would dig himself a hole in the rock in which to hide. Actions of the serpent he was.

“Will you get him?” he asked rather impatiently.

Sam shrugged. “In due time.” He hesitated and Michael thought he saw just the faintest of smiles. “There’s something you should see first.”

Michael turned around in a circle, saw nothing but a ten-foot-square room of rock. Just what was he supposed to see?

Almost as though on cue, one wall of the chamber slid to the side and he saw what appeared to be a two-way mirror, the kind police departments used for line ups. Not that he’d ever been in a line up to know…

“What’s this?” he asked, turning to Sam again. His patience was starting to flee him.

“Just look,” Sam said, pointing back to the glass.

Michael shook his head in irritation and looked to the glass. Suddenly it all came into focus. On the other side, chatting like the ratchet-jaw she was, Michael saw Maria and his heart dropped to his toes. Across from her sat the Skin Michael had dubbed “Jill” just the night before. The two girls seemed to be talking amicably, like Maria had no idea the peril she may be in.

“What is she doing here?” Michael breathed, swallowing past his thudding heart lodge in his throat.

“Insurance,” Sam said and Michael shivered at the new tone of his voice.

Even Sam’s cryptic words couldn’t tear his eyes away from Maria. “Insurance for what?”

“That you won’t do something…stupid.” The voice behind him turned from masculine to feminine on the last word and Michael felt all hope drain from his body.

Slowly, he turned and looked not into the middle-aged face of a paper man, but into the face of pure evil. She hadn’t changed physically – she was still the same old, annoying Tess - but Michael assumed the ease with which she’d duped him was a result of a serious shift in her powers.

“Oh, look how happy she is,” Tess said as she neared the glass. “She thinks that person across from her is discussing a surprise for you. She thinks she’s sitting in a coffee house somewhere, not on a cold rock in this hell hole.” She turned a smile to Michael that immediately made him want to deck her. “People will see what they want to see. Isn’t that true, Michael?”

He remained silent, kicking himself for following what he thought had been his best instincts.

Tess’s grin stretched from ear to ear. “I’m glad you’ve come, Michael. Because every good trap needs some bait, don’t you think?”

tbc

[Midwest Max]

Hey everyone! Thanks for your comments and your patience!

Oh, and don't give up on Mikey just yet...


Part Twenty

Outside of the pod chamber, Max moved quietly before Luke, the alien Isabel and Adam had picked up at the rest area. He tried to square his shoulders, to give an air of command, but he knew he somehow failed. Because on the outside, Max still looked like a twenty-year-old man, his features youthful, his body slight. Luke quite possibly was one hundred years old, maybe wiser than this sudden king.

“You’re in command,” Max told him, holding his gaze.

Luke nodded, his confidence apparently firmly in place. “I understand and accept the responsibility, your majesty.”

Inwardly, Max cringed as he held up a hand. “Please. You don’t have to call me that.”

There was confusion in Luke’s eyes. “But, isn’t that what you are?”

Max gave him a small smile. “No. I’m just Max Evans on this world.” He hoped that statement was still true – he hoped once this situation was resolved, he could just return to his “normal” life, going to school and loving Liz. He hoped that this was the last order he’d give as the king of a far away planet.

“And what if the Skins should attack?” Luke asked.

“I give you authority to do whatever it is you need to,” Max confirmed. “Hopefully, it won’t come to that.” His eyes drifted over to the car, where Liz was preparing to leave, then back to his new second in command. “I trust you’ll do the right thing.”

Luke looked like he was about to burst with pride. He took his leave, bowing slightly then righting himself in case he’d offended his commander again. Max watched him scamper away, then drew in a deep breath and went to join Liz.

Inside of the pod chamber, Isabel was holding Nikita against her chest, scratching her ears. The kitten purred and squirmed happily, oblivious to the chaos about to erupt around her.

“I’ll take good care of her,” Adam assured Isabel, reaching over to pat the feline’s head.

“I know you will,” Isabel answered, planting a kiss between the pet’s pointy ears. She gave a little laugh. “It seems like since you gave her to me, she’s spent just about as much time with you as she has with me.”

Adam smiled. “Well, I guess that’s just because we’ve been together.” His words cut off in his throat as he realized it was true – he’d spent a good share of his time with the one person whom a month ago wouldn’t have given him the time of day.

Isabel caught his silence and met his eyes cautiously. She’d been so comfortable with him, she hadn’t been aware that they’d spent so much time together.

“I mean, I don’t mind,” Adam stammered. “I hope that didn’t come out like it was a bad thing or something.”

She cracked a small smile and shook her head. “No, it’s not a bad thing.”

With a pang of regret, she pulled the kitten away from her body and held her out to Adam. Nikita looked a little anxious at the transfer, curious as to her next landing spot. But then she cuddled into him and resumed her perpetual purr. Isabel laughed lightly.

“She’s a happy one,” Adam mused, stroking her fur. Then he worked his mouth and met Isabel’s dark eyes, his blue ones flitting away briefly. “Look, I don’t know what’s about to happen. I know you’re going somewhere unsafe and I know that I’m probably not in any safe haven myself. And since sometimes you regret not taking the chance to say things, I want to say something to you.”

Isabel bit her bottom lip. “Okay.”

Adam’s gaze was steady. “I’m glad I know you, Isabel Evans. I’m glad that we could be friends and that you could be a part of my life. In all of my eight decades on this world, I have never cherished any friendship as much as I cherish yours.” He gave a nervous grin. “There – I said it.”

Isabel smiled, then leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek that turned his complexion a nice rosy red. “Thank you, Adam. I’m glad, too.”

Her smile faded away as she fell serious. Reaching out, she gave him an awkward hug, Nikita squished momentarily between their bodies.

“Good luck,” she said as she pulled away.

Adam nodded, his whole world suddenly a little brighter. “You, too.”

At the car, Max opened the door and Isabel slid her lithe body into the back seat. He took the driver’s wheel while Liz claimed shotgun. He looked at his sister in the rearview mirror.

“You know where we’re going?” he asked, double-checking as was his nature.

Isabel nodded. “Yeah. Michael told me when I dreamwalked him last night.”

Satisfied, Max turned the key in the ignition and pulled away from the rock formation. As they drove east, he hoped that Tess still thought him weakened, that she hadn’t seen his lightening display the night before. They were in a game of cat and mouse now – and he needed her to believe he was the mouse.

*****

Maria laughed lightly as she sipped her coffee. This was such a neat little coffee shop – why had she never come here before?

“So, we’ll have to hire a band, of course,” Jill said as she wrote on a pad. “Can’t have a royal homecoming without a band.”

“No way!” Maria laughed again. “Gotta have tunes. Hey – you think they might let me sing a tribute to Michael or something?”

Jill shrugged. “You can do whatever you want, when you’re the wife of the prince.”

Maria beamed. “The wife of the prince,” she echoed. Her grin faltered momentarily, though, as a piece of a conversation floated back to her. Hadn’t she and Michael already discussed getting married? Hadn’t he said…what had he said?

“You’re not paying attention,” Jill reprimanded playfully as she tapped the pen on the table.

“I’m sorry,” Maria said, trying to push the smile back to her face. “What did you ask me?”

“Food. What kind of food does Mike like?”

Maria’s brow furrowed. “He goes by Michael.” That was odd – shouldn’t a Michael Worshipper know that? “He likes all kinds of food. He’s a chef, you know. Well, he’s studying to be a chef.”

“Really?” Jill’s eyebrows rose slightly.

Maria sipped her cup again and when she set it down, she realized that it wasn’t any less full than when the waitress had placed it before her. Worse, it seemed like the caffeine was starting to give her a headache. But, that didn’t seem possible if she hadn’t really drunk any of it, since the cup was still full.

She grimaced slightly and decided to ask the waitress for some aspirin. As Jill chattered about appetizers, Maria looked around for the waitress and realized she couldn’t remember what she looked like. Not quite panicked yet, she searched the faces in the café – and found that she couldn’t focus on any of them. All of their features were muted and blurred together, so that she saw only outlines of beings instead of the sharper details of them.

A little spark of anxiety flared in her gut. Something just wasn’t right about this…

*****

Michael snorted. It was important that he act as though he was in control. Act being the operative word there – because on the inside, he was becoming aware of the peril he was in and felt like he had control of nothing. Not that Tess needed to know that.

“Another trap? It will never work,” he scoffed.

Tess’s blue eyes narrowed. “What do you mean by another trap, Michael?”

And just like that – control was gone. He shoved his hands into his pockets and remained silent.

She watched him closely, her eyes narrowing. When she finally spoke, Michael was proud that he managed to keep his poker face firmly in place. “Are you in some way referring to Carter?”

Michael scratched his head. “Who?”

This time it was Tess who snorted, her expression showing that he wasn’t fooling her. “Don’t act all innocent, Michael. You were never a good actor. You know who Carter is – or rather, who he was.” He thought he saw a flash of remorse in her eyes. “I’m assuming you had something to do with his…disappearance.”

Michael shook his head, truthful. He had nothing to do with that – that had been the handiwork of Liz and Max. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Tess eased herself onto the bench that had been carved out of the rock. “You’re stupid, Michael. But not that stupid. I know that you and your little band of friends played a part in Carter’s death. If I hadn’t been as strong as I am, you would have been my undoing as well.”

Michael couldn’t staunch the ironic laugh that escaped his lips. “You left. You could have stayed, but you chose to go.”

Tess shrugged, unaffected by his words. “Stayed for what? Trial by a squad of earthlings?”

“Yes!” Rage was always a difficult emotion for Michael to control. “You sit there talking about how you’ve been wronged and how your lay-of-the-day was wronged, but you have said nothing about who you’ve wronged! You killed Alex, you miserable bitch!”

Tess’s lips curved upward slightly. “It was a necessary expenditure.”

“Expenditure?!”

She crossed her legs casually, his anger lost on her. “You’ll never understand. You’ll never understand the price that must be paid for power.” She paused, possibly for dramatic effect. “It’s a good thing the Michael Worshippers were a hoax because I can’t imagine you being in command of anything.”

Inside, Michael felt a little piece of his confidence wane.

“That’s right,” she continued. “They don’t exist. That conversation you had the other night with your ‘followers’ – it never happened. All an illusion.” Tess gave a small laugh.

“All of it?” he asked, his voice strained. “Even the part about the new Skins coming to earth every day?”

“Ah, no. That part was real.” She gave him a wink and he wanted to flatten her. “And you’ve made all of this so easy on me. I knew you’d still be here in this miserable, dusty town.” She pondered for a moment, swinging her leg playfully. “I tried to find the others for awhile, tried to pinpoint their position. But once I knew I had you, what was the point? The only leading you will ever be good at is leading others into trouble.”

Michael closed his eyes tightly, then reached behind himself, feeling for the valve on the skin. He needed to get out of it, so that Maria would recognize him. His fingers groped but he couldn’t find the release. He popped open his eyes and immediately wanted to smack the smirk from Tess’s face.

“Get me out of this,” he demanded.

She shook her head. “Nah, I kind of like the new you, Michael. At least this appearance looks smarter than the last one.” She turned over her hand, examined her fingernails. “And just think about how fun it will be for me to watch them kill you, not knowing it’s you under that husk. Of course, I will reveal you after the fact, just so they can feel the pain before I send them to join you.”

Michael shook his head defiantly. “They’ll never fall for your trap. I’ll never tell them where you are.”

Tess laughed. “You don’t have to, poor silly Michael. I already took care of that for you.”

tbc