AN: So I opened the file and discovered I had all this crap written. So here it is.
Part 19
Steve stared at the ceiling. "You think that evil alien dude is really dead? I mean for real? Your dad was dead and then he's alive… so … what do you think?"
"I don't know, man." Rik shrugged and stretched, crossing his hands under his head. All he kept thinking about was what was up there. Through that ceiling was a sky full of stars. Those stars hid his father's home planet. "I'm a prince, Steve."
"Crazy shit."
"I don't want that."
"But you got it."
"It's too big."
"So was that school of yours. It wasn't so hard and you didn't want that either, remember?"
"Maybe."
"Maybe you don't gotta do nothin'. Your uncle looks like he's taking care of it."
"Maybe." Rik sighed heavily. "It's just… I never knew what I wanted to do. Never. I didn't even think about it. I figured that by the time I graduated, it would just hit me. Something would come up. Then I got that Adarma thing, so I went with it. Now… it's set. I am half freakin’ alien. Royalty on top of that. Me. Kid who grew up eatin’ one decent meal a week, makin’ clothes stretch for years. I don't want all this… It's like it was all set in stone before anyone told me."
"Maybe not. Your dad looks like… 20, tops. After Max kicks, Zan takes over. He'll still be around and by the time he's ready to step down… maybe Darin takes over. Maybe it'll skip over you. Your kids gotta deal with it."
"Maybe."
"Maybe you two can shut up." Ava grumbled from the couch. "Girl needs some sleep."
"You know… They were gonna kill Darin when he was born because he was too human. I was sick, I almost died when I was born… Maybe the aliens would have just let me die… If I ever get to have kids… somebody will want them. Want to test them. Want to kill them. Maybe want to let them die so my line ends."
"Fuckin' scary."
"Cueball. Baby Z. Shut it." Ava barked.
--
Darin had slept most of the day before so he was up when Liz had picked up the phone against Michael's advice. To see her smile that way after all this mess, Darin was glad she didn't listen to Michael. She sat next to him, arm over his shoulders. "Hi honey. What are you doing up? … yes, this is Mommy… Are you being good for Kyle? … Well, he's not funny. You don't have to laugh at his jokes… No, Daddy's sleeping like you should be… You can sleep if I don't sing you… Yes you can. Mommy's voice is nothing to brag about…" Liz leaned back and let Darin lean back with her. "Okay…” Darin could tell Liz was releasing those calm vibes into him, trying to lull him to sleep like everyone else as she sang into the phone. "Is he asleep now? … I just knew, Kyle… Yeah, he doesn't like being away from both of us at the same time… And Hannah? … Good… I don't know. There's some business to take care before we go back… Unexpected guests… Do I sound bitter? It's possible… Max will kill me if I told you… You're right, he won't. It's Tess… Alive and all of twenty, maybe. Don't ask… No, I don't think that's going to happen… if I have to resort to bedroom tactics I will… Oh, you know I won't… Just me and Darin, everyone else is sleeping… Of course not, they're out taking care of another problem… Michael, Max and… Zan… Yeah, I said it… Listen, I’ve got to make some rounds… Soon."
"Rounds?" Darin asked as Liz hung up the phone.
"Just an excuse to get off the phone. Kyle likes to talk. He's lonely." Liz shifted their bodies on the chaise so that they were laying down a little more.
"Did he get upset when you told him about Tess?"
"Yeah." She nodded, brushing down his hair out of his face.. She saw the question in his eyes though he wouldn't ask it. "When Alex died, my friend… it was because she had mindwarped him constantly for over two months. When he started to remember, he went to confront her and she tried to do it again. It was too much and it killed him. Kyle was there when it happened. She mindwarped Kyle into… carrying his body out to the car, as if he were luggage. When we found out Alex was dead, everything pointed to a suicide. I knew Alex would never do that. The morning they were going to leave, Kyle remembered. We got there just in time."
"And she left alone. Why didn't someone just… kill her?"
"Everyone wanted to but she was pregnant. It was Max's decision and he couldn't kill you and she knew it." Liz hugged the boy to her body. This child that had caused her so much unhappiness in his creation was a person who just didn't know what role he had played, albeit unintentionally. "It was… six months or so later when I started to develop powers but I was just so upset that they manifested violently. Max tried to help but he only made it worse. I had to work through it on my own. I talked to him on the phone from Vermont and I melted the phone. I was green and crackly if I thought about him."
"Like today?"
"Yeah, only much worse. When Max died, I thought it would stop but he never stopped coming for me. He tried to kill me and I was certain that would be the last manifestation of my powers. It worked out okay but just when things were getting back to normal. Max and I were dating again. I had stopped crackling…"
"Then Tess came home."
"Max didn't call me to warn me. We were supposed to meet at Michael’s to… hang out." She laughed a little at her own little lie. Darin wasn’t as young as he acted sometimes. "But when I opened the door and saw her… I didn't even think. I lifted my hand and she went flying across the room. I said something, I don't even remember what. Then when she got up… I did it again. Max had to hand you off to Michael and pull me out of the room. I have never felt so sick of myself in my entire life. At that moment, I wanted her dead. Gone. Vapor. Out of my life."
"I don't guess you were the only one."
"No. We put it to a vote. How democratic of us." Liz laughed sadly, sniffed. "I was just so… upset to have her there and ashamed of what I had almost done. My vote was the tie-breaker and I voted to let her live."
"What happened?"
"She woke me up in the middle of the night to ask me why. I'm not a murderer. To this day, I have not killed a human or an alien. I'd like to keep it that way. Then she asked me to take her to the base where your ship was. She told me that Max had never felt about her the way he felt about me. I guess she was trying to make me feel better about how she had come between us… Then she left the car and went through the fence and half an hour later, there was an explosion. Everyone on that base died."
"How many people?"
"Don't know. We never found out. Officially, the base was not operational and the casualties were few. Unofficially, the base was completely active. Full crew and military installed." Liz took a deep breath. "I thought I might have their deaths on my conscience but they wanted you. You were so cute. No hair, hardly cried. Watching Max's face when he watched you sleep… that was justification enough for me. It broke his heart when he made the decision to give you up."
Darin didn't know what to say to that. He just leaned his head on her shoulder.
"I was with him the day your grandparents took you to New York. He spent two hours saying goodbye. Just sitting with you in his room then on the porch while your grandmother packed up your things to take. He looked like he was going to cry when he handed you off… but he waited until the car was out of sight because I think he didn't want you to see him cry." She hugged him tight. "Oh, he was inconsolable for hours. He didn't eat for two days. I thought he was going to make himself sick."
"When did he put the pictures in the safety deposit box?"
"It was a week and a half later. We had all taken pictures and we gave him every last one. I walked in on him when he was memorizing each and every one. He was going to burn them."
"Why?"
"So no one would know he was your father. He was just sick with grief. Like someone had cut off his arm. He asked me if he had done the right thing. The box was my idea. I don't know how he did it though. Maybe through his dad, the lawyer that arranged the adoption."
"He didn't even sign his name."
"It would have been a dead giveaway." She tried to reassure him.
"He asked me not to look for him."
"It was for the best."
"Was it?"
"I think so. You got to spend more time with your parents this way. I'm sure they loved you. I know your mom misses you. Your dad knew you loved him."
"I was so awful."
"When I was seeing your dad after she left, your mom… I did some pretty bad things to help find you. My parents went ballistic. They forbid me to see him anymore. I recall telling my father that I hated him. After all we've been through… I just keep thinking. What if the Feds had come for us that day? After I told him that. What if I had never gotten to make it right? I was so glad that I had enough time to make things right between us. That my dad had time to forgive Max for the trouble I got into. That I got to write one last letter home and let my parents know that I had gotten married to the man I loved. You'll see your mother again. I'll make sure of it. As soon as we're safe, we'll find a way to get a letter or something to her."
"I should have said something to him before we left. I just thought I'd see him again. He told me to go and I went. I didn't say sorry and I didn't say I loved him." Darin sniffed. He turned his head when he heard Ava tell the boys to shut up. "Are we keeping you awake?"
"She can't hear you." Liz smiled at him. "Hold out your hand." Hesitantly he did as told. Just at arm's length was a wall that he couldn't see. He poked it with his finger and found it hurt a little. "It's my protection bubble. That three feet of personal space, I can claim for my own. This is what I did in the house when Rik let loose that energy wave. I do it when I don't want to wake anyone. We can hear them but they can't hear us."
"Can I do that?"
"I don't know. Can you?" She challenged.
"Don't know. Pretty tired."
"And yet you're not asleep."
"Was that a hint?"
"I don't know. Do you think it was?" They both looked up when Max scooted his way around the room. They laughed when he bumped into the bubble.
"You leaving me for a younger man?"
"I was thinking about it." She dropped her bubble to let him into her space.
"Shut up." Ava groaned and rolled over. "Shut up. Shut up. Shut up."
"Sorry." Max winced before the bubble went back up. They had to do a bit of maneuvering to all fit on the chaise. "What is going on in here? You putting the moves on my wife?"
"We were bonding." Darin shook his head.
"Everything taken care of?" Liz tilted her head back to look at her husband.
"Yeah, we should be out of here by first light." Max nodded wearily.
"Where's the sexy you?"
"That's not funny." He pinched her, making her yelp. "He's outside smoking."
"And you're not?"
"I made a deal with the boys before we left. We survive the summit and we quit smoking. Zan thinks he's rediscovered oxygen or something. I think if he could, he'd smoke two at a time."
"Max? What's gonna happen to Tess?" Darin was almost afraid to ask.
"I don't know." Max stared at his wife. "I think we owe it to her to make some allowances given that she saved our asses yesterday. Did you call?"
"No." Liz lied, biting her lip.
"Liar."
"He couldn't sleep." She protested and Max's response was to kiss her hand.
"Did you lie to him too? Tell him I was sleeping?"
"No, I wouldn't do that."
"Yes, she did." Darin ratted her out. Liz smacked him lightly. "Speaking of bed time. I'm gonna go find a place on the floor." Darin excused himself and fell off the chaise trying to get up. It earned him a reprimand from the irritable Ava and a round of good nights from Max and Liz.
--
Zan crept into the room and onto the bed. Erika rolled over to look at him. It wasn't fair. She finally got him back and he was just the same as he was when he walked out the door that day 15 years ago. "How you feelin'?"
"Better."
"Just relax, you're gonna be a hundred percent soon." His hand crept under the blankets and beneath her shirt to warm her ribs. "Just… breathe." Her lungs tingled and then she lost the urge to cough. Then it was just him holding on to her. Him staring at her… and her staring back. "You're too thin."
"You could use a sandwich yourself there, Slim." She picked at his shirt, borrowed from Max. It hung like a tent on his rail frame. "Don’t the evil aliens feed their minions?"
"Not when they're cloned from his enemy."
She couldn't stop the tears as she touched his face. "How could you not tell me? You told me… that maybe… you thought… and you didn't tell me this." She sobbed silently. "'Don't show the pictures of me to people.' 'Don't let him out of your sight.' 'You don't know me if people ask.' 'You don't know his father if people ask.' You're an alien. My baby is part alien and you never told me." She wiped roughly at her eyes. "Two years. We were together for two years and you didn't think you could trust me that much? At the hospital… you saved him? You couldn't tell me that my baby was going to die unless you did some alien thing to him?"
"Didn't want to scare you. I wanted him to live. I couldn't let them know…" Zan pulled her closer. "I was gonna tell Ava and ask her to help me tell you. I had a plan… I just…"
"Got killed before you could do anything about it." She curled into his body, unable to keep away from him. "We've only known for a week, Zan. A week in all this time and… Them telling me you were dead was like you walking out all over again."
"I didn't leave you alone. You had your dad…"
"He died, Zan. A year later. It was just me and Rik all this time."
"Baby…"
"Don't call me 'baby', Zan… don't let me get attached to you. You… you look just like you were and I am 33 years old. I'm done breaking my heart over you. I don't know what's going to happen now. I don't know how long we're going to be in this together but I won't cry over you again. I cried 15 years ago until my heart hurt. I cried four days ago… I'm not doing it again. Either you live forever or you leave us alone."
"It's not like I have a choice in the matter. I was murdered."
"But you didn't tell us. What if they had come sooner? When he was younger? When we were really vulnerable? What if he had never come home from school one day? I would have had no clue why. If it weren't for Steve… he would have gotten picked on in school. Until he was 15, he was shorter than everyone else… underdeveloped. If me and Dad had lived in any other building… we would have never met Steve and his mom. I owe more to them than I do to you."
When she rolled away, he didn't try to touch her. He’d been alive again for less than a year. It had taken him only seconds to remember he had a family but it was too late. He had been dead but that didn’t matter. His secrets were out to bury him. Ava had given him an earful when they were disposing of the bodies. She had taken out 15 years worth of frustration on him and left them to finish. Finally, he got up off the bed and made his way to Tess’s room. She had been treated nearly as bad as he had at the hands of Kivar. The only difference was now, she was still being treated like a disease. He slipped into the bed and held her, the way he had done for months. Ava and Erika were angry but more at the situation than at him. He thought he understood that. Everyone hated Tess. He didn’t know everything but he’d heard enough in whispers. He and Tess had bonded because Kivar hated them. He’d protect her. Max seemed like a good guy but there were 15 years that Zan didn’t know about. A boy could become a man or a murderer. Tess’s memories were erractic, Max was the go-to guy now, Zan would only trust him that far.
TBC
In Search of... (Zan, CC / Mature) (Complete)
Moderators: Itzstacie, Forum Moderators
Part 20
Part 20
Erika sat in the back of the van with Zan while everyone milled around outside, getting things ready or chatting idly. She hadn't expected to wake up alone. She hadn't expected that Zan would leave her in the middle of the night and go to Tess. That had stung a little when Ava had burst out early in the morning. Erika hadn't gone in but she had heard enough of the commotion and then nothing when Max had made a green thing appear over the door. "Did you sleep with her?"
"Sleep. There was mostly that." Zan let out a breath and looked at his former lover. That's what she was reduced to? A girl he used to sleep with? This person that he knocked up once upon a time in a different life? "Just once the… other thing but… it was against our will. It didn't work out."
"What?" She looked at him to find his eyes haunted and sunken. He was sleeping but not resting. "What do you mean, Zan?"
"I mean… Kivar wanted to see if we could make an heir. It didn't work. These… bodies he put us back in? They functional but not fully. I could do what he made me but nothing happened. I was dead. I don't think he could fix the… Maybe when he made us… something went wrong. Maybe the piece of him inside us didn't let us. I don't know. He didn't get what he wanted and he punished us."
"Ava told me that Rik got sick when you were talking about what Kivar did."
"Don't know what happened. I didn't even say nothin'."
"Right…" Erika took a deep breath and placed her hand in his. "Rik… knows things. More so these last days. You don't have to tell him anything. He just… knows."
Zan blanched at that thought. "You mean… he knows what Kivar did to me?" Of course he did, that's what made the kid sick. That's why the kid hadn't looked at him all morning. "I didn't want nobody to know that stuff."
"He can't help it."
"I'm not… mad or anything but…" Zan fought the bile crawling up his throat. "Of all people to know that stuff. I never wanted him…"
"Mom." Rik appeared in the sliding door. "You got everything?"
"Yeah. I got everything." Erika nodded and squeezed Zan's hands harder.
"We're almost done loading up. Uncle Max says we're going soon."
"Okay, we need a minute more." She shooed him off and shut the door after him. She turned to him. He looked 18 or 19 or even 20 but those eyes were ages old. "Zan… I'm sorry I came at you like a jealous monster but you have to understand. I didn't know you were dead. I thought you walked out. That you didn't care about us anymore." She sniffed. "And when you called me baby, I wanted to cry… because maybe you did and I doubted that. And now here you are…"
"You got someone? Back home? Someone wondering where you are?"
"No." She shook her head. "Just me and Rik… and sometimes Steve if his grandma is mad at him."
Zan took her face in his hands and pressed his lips against hers, grateful when she kissed back. They jerked apart when the sliding door opened and people began climbing in. He pulled her close while the boys arranged their manly selves next to them without besmirching said manhood.
--
Michael stared at Max. Max was looking around, making sure no one else could hear them. “Are you sure?”
“As sure as I can be. Tess was the link to the FBI... that’s what Zan said.”
“You trust Zan?”
“I guess. He backed off when I needed him to. He’s… not equipped for this.”
“We’re not equipped for this. We got a healer, that’s you buddy… a warper we can’t trust, Tess, with leftover hots for our healer. We’ve got another healer but he was held prisoner by Kivar and might have the hots for our warper. Isabel is not up to this stuff. She’s not going. Ava’s powers are strong but she worked quite a bit to fix the kiddies over there. How in the hell are we more equipped to handle this FBI thing?”
“We just are.” Max felt ill but someone had to do it. “We don’t have a choice. Don’t you want your daughter to grow up in one place? To have Maria out of the position of being shot at? To be able to watch your daughter grow up and date and get married…”
“I could do without that last part but yeah… I get what you mean.”
“I look at Isaiah and Hannah and Darin and I don’t want this for them. Not anymore. Tess is our in. She gets us in and we destroy them from the inside out.”
“You’re the boss.”
“No… I’m not. I asked you and you agreed. We’re in on this together.”
“Got me there.” Michael stared at the two vehicles of waiting aliens, half-breeds, offspring and two humans. “Do you think he’ll agree?”
“Won’t know until I ask.”
--
Rik stared out the window. The car was too close with so many people in it. He had his mother and Steve and… Zan in the back with him. It was a tight fit but his mother was practically in Zan's lap. There had been some kind of brouhaha that morning but he hadn't been let in on it. Darin, Tess and Ava sat in the middle. Liz and Max up front. Looking at any of them was a little painful. So, he stared out the window. He remembered how at peace he was at the house before they had set out on this little journey. Maybe it was just Liz’s alien power but he wanted to go back there and climb into that big bed and sleep for fifty years.
Back at the house, Rik had just explained to Steve how everything was going and Steve was Steve. A great comfort and he didn't judge. He did what Steve does. He nods, digests and accepts. Steve wasn't afraid of anything and that was why he was Rik's hero. He explained about his powers and lack thereof since they had been fixed. Steve pointed out the obvious. 'You're trying too hard, man. Just… do it.' Like when they had been moved into the same grade. Rik was smart and they moved him into Steve's class in the fourth grade to see if he could handle the pace. The first three days sucked. 'Didn't know ass from elbow. The teach gave up. Left you alone. Almost put you back. You just watched him work, he stopped trying to catch you up and just taught us all the same.' Rik had almost forgotten about that. 'It just clicked and I didn't have anymore problems. I kept up okay.' Steve had just nodded and puffed away on his cigarette. 'I think you stopped trying too. You gave up and you were just staring at the board. I always thought you was a bit like Rain Man that day. You were looking but you weren't seeing. It snuck up on you when you weren't paying attention.'
Rik pulled the marbles out of his pocket. Red. The way he had left them after that pep talk in the driveway. He had just jiggled them in his hand, thinking about sunset and this pretty red over the city. He looked away and then back down and they had gone from gray to red. He and Steve had done a little victory dance but decided not to push their luck. So Rik just had to stop trying so hard and it would just come. He chanced a look back at his mother, who was dozing in Zan's arms. It just didn't look right.
Darin saw the look Rik shot at Zan. He felt what the other boy saw. An older woman with a much too young man. Looking to his own mother, it wasn't right. They were only a few years age difference but when she hugged him, she felt right. She felt like his mother. It wasn't the same as his adoptive mother but still… he could feel real love in the embrace. He felt a little better when Liz turned and smiled at him. "What's wrong, kiddo?"
"I miss my mom." He blurted out without thinking and felt Tess stiffen beside him. He didn't mean it that way. He kept saying all the wrong things in front of her. He just couldn’t help himself.
"I know, honey, but she's okay. You have other family? Friends?" Liz reached for his hand, which he gave immediately. Liz's calming powers were addictive. He'd have to stop doing that but he needed it just now. "Aunts and uncles?"
"One aunt but… I don't know if she was able to get into the city the way they had it all blocked off." In the back of his mind he sensed that Tess didn’t like the bond he had with Liz but it was what he needed and Liz could give it.
"I'm sure they let her in. It was an emergency. She'll be okay. They'll have each other until we get you back to her."
"Back to her?" Tess bit out angrily. "You can't take him away from me."
"We can't keep him with us." Liz shook her head. "He's got a family that needs him right now."
"He's my son."
"He's a Maples. Not an Evans." Max interrupted. "You were dead, I signed away my rights. He's only here so I could protect him from… well you guys…" Max stopped at shot a look at Liz. "Cut it out." She looked sorry and let go of Darin's hand and pulled her other hand from Max's shoulder. "From Kivar and to reassert myself as King. We've done that. He deserves the life he was going to lead without this bull."
"But this is life." Darin rushed forward, leaning on the seat. "I can't just… go home now. I want to because I miss my Mom but I can't… Will I see you again?" Tears were forming in his eyes and Max kept his head straight, refusing to look at his son. "You can't just… pull me out of my life and expect me to go on like I don't know… What if I want to spend summers with you guys? What if…"
"It sounds nice… and I'd like that." Max's voice was thick with emotion but he wouldn't turn his head. "They're still looking for us. There are things we still need to do and I won't put you in that kind of danger."
"How much more dangerous is it than what we just went through?"
"Unfortunately… the human kind of danger is the kind that I can't protect you from all the time. Aliens, I can try. Humans… are harder because… they have more control on this planet. I need to know you're safe."
"I'll run away. I'll find you. I could do it." Darin threatened but calmed when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Erika. She urged him back into his seat. "I could do it."
"You probably could but…" Erika leaned forward and pressed her lips to his ear to whisper to him. "He loves you. He's trying not to cry. Look at him. He's trying to protect you. In the city… it'd be harder for someone to yank you out… to take you from your mother in public. If someone did, she could call the police and I’m sure she’s got all sorts of ties that Max can’t use." She massaged his scalp the way she had done with her own son. "He's trying to give you more time with your mother. When you turn 18, he can't stop you from running off but he wants you to go to high school and to college. You can't just pop up for a summer visit. He's on the run. He's hiding and he doesn't want that for you."
"I could do it." Darin whispered to himself, wiping roughly at his tears.
"He's stubborn… like his father." Liz pointed out and leaned into her husband. "He just wants to know you. He loves you."
"He can't. He doesn't know me." Max whispered, still fighting tears.
"And yet he does. He wouldn't fight so hard if he didn't want to know you. You should have seen him at the house with Isaiah and Hannah… he wants this."
"I can't." Max felt his chin tremble but he didn't let the sob out. "We should stop and get everyone into the right cars."
"Max… now?" Liz watched as Max could only nod. She had seen him like this only once before. He was fighting it. It was that day in May 14 years ago all over again. The van shuddered as Max guided it onto the shoulder. Everyone spilled out to stretch their legs, everyone except Max who stayed to compose himself.
--
Isabel passed out sandwiches to the boys. Rik snickered when Steve made an obvious show of checking her out. Isabel just rubbed his gravelly head and moved on. "Seriously, aliens are hot."
"Dude, that's my aunt." Darin made a face.
Steve and Rik looked at each other and burst out laughing. Steve leaned forward. "Little Dude, no offense but you can't say ‘dude.’ You just don't pull it off." They calmed down some to eat. Steve nudged Darin. "You okay, little dude?"
"I'm fine." Darin stared off into the landscape around them.
"He's cool. These alien kings are all the same. They say they're protecting but they're just hiding." Rik tossed a nod at his 'cousin.'
"Right." Darin nodded and felt a little better.
All three stopped eating when the landscape got a little more interesting. They couldn't hear anything but Max and Zan were shoving each other behind a big green shield. Finally Max said something. Zan's eyes shot to the boys and then the fight was over. The shield dropped and the two kings went their separate ways. Kal and Bada sat quietly, watching everything and saying nothing. They had been largely forgotten since the Summit, except by Isabel who took her lunch next to her mother but didn't say anything.
Eventually, Zan made his way to the boys and just sat, picking at his sandwich. He fished for a cigarette but he had finished the pack and nobody had anymore. "What don't I know about Tess? You guys know anything?"
Darin lowered his eyes to his remaining quarter of a sandwich and let it fall into the bugs milling around on the ground. "She… nobody likes her."
"I got that. Why?" Zan watched their faces and didn't like what he saw. "Look. She's been good to me. We helped each other out and… I don't want to see no harm come to her but I need to know why all them assholes want her dead."
"She killed someone." Darin jumped in. "Someone important to them. She lied. She manipulated. She left. She came back. She lied. She manipulated. She killed more people. I… don't know how to feel about her but she's my mom."
"Little man. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you go through all that." Zan sighed. This little dude knew exactly how he was feeling. "You think she should be gone?"
"I don't know. Liz is… great but… she gets scared when she thinks that Tess might stick around. I don't like for Liz to feel that way. She's never killed anyone but… she might kill Tess if she has to and I don't want her to."
"Me either." Zan finally took a bite of his sandwich. "Chief, you ever gonna talk to me again?"
"Hadn't planned on it." Rik shook his head and finished his sandwich, shoving himself to his feet and wandering away.
Zan took his time eating. The other two boys sat with him but looked after Rik, debating about whether to let him be or to go after him. Zan brushed the crumbs off his fingers. "Max don't want me to say nothin' but I got to. He's gonna finish off the FBI but he needs Tess to do it because she was our… spokesperson for Kivar. He asked me to stay with you guys… to rest up and to protect you guys… step up if they don't come back."
"Why should we trust you?" Darin blurted out. His eyes stung again. Max might not come back?
"Liz is the boss. I'm just the hired gun." Zan took a deep breath. "Max, Tess, Michael and Kal are leaving. The rest of us are goin' to wherever Isabel drives us."
"Back to the rest of the humans so we can sit and wait until we get a newspaper telling us they're dead?" Darin shot to his feet and ran off through tear-blurred eyes and when he stopped he had his arms around Max's middle. He had no clue how he had even seen Max through the tears but that didn't matter the second Max returned the hug. "Dad, don't. Please, take me with you."
Max had to fight the tears immediately when Darin had called him 'Dad.' He fought against them when Darin pleaded to go along. He just hung on. "I told him not to tell you." He squeezed hard because Darin was clinging for dear life and Max had to show the boy he didn't want to go. "We're coming back. It's not that dangerous."
"When why aren't you taking Liz?"
He was caught. Kneeling, Max made Darin look at him. "I have to do this. If you're going to have any of the things I want you to have. I have to. I'm coming back. I need you to stay. Stay with your grandmother and be with her because she's not going to last long. That's why Isabel isn't going." Max stared at the tear-streaked face in front of him and it ripped his heart out. "I need you to be strong. If I don't make it… you don't have to do anything but live your life. Zan will take care of everything. He promised."
"What if I fight him? What if I take over?"
"You could. You really could but I'd prefer it if you let him. You're practically a man now. I know you feel anything but. Awkward and not good at anything but I can tell that you're going to be great. I need you to know that I love you. I always have. I am so grateful for these last few days with you. I am so proud of you and the way you've come through when even I didn't know what was going on."
"If you die, I'm going to bring you back… even if it kills me so don't." Darin sniffed and wiped the tears off his face. How old was he? Five? He felt like it but he was old enough not to cry. "Just come back… and bring her back too."
"I can't make any promises on her."
"You just going to kill her the way you did Lannie and Rath?"
Max took a deep breath and lowered his eyes. "There were special circumstances with them. Aside from killing Zan, they had done other things. They weren't able to break the hold Kivar put on them. They would have been a danger to us all if we had let them wake up. You don't know Isabel and Michael but you don't cross them. They can get mean. That side of them… that's all that Lannie and Rath had. They were mean all the time. Vicious. They did things to Zan after Kivar brought them back… and not all of them were on Kivar's orders. He protected Tess from them and I guess you can be grateful for that."
"Do you hate her?"
"I hate the things she did… even if one of those things resulted in one of the best things that has ever happened to me." Max made sure Darin looked into his eyes. "I love you. I really, really do. When I look at you, I don't see her. I don't see me. I see you. I'm going to try to come back, as hard as I can. I've got you and Liz and Isaiah and Hannah to think about."
"I meant what I said at the house. I've already lost one father… I'm not losing another." Darin stood up straight and waited until Max did the same. "This isn't goodbye so don't say it."
"Alright. I won't. We're loading up now. Go… talk to Tess. Say your… laters."
--
Zan shut his eyes and let Bada's hands run over his face. She felt good. To have lived on Earth for ten years and not known his mother had about killed him but to be alive again and in her presence, her actual presence was glorious. "Do I still feel wrong?"
"You don't know how it hurt me to say that, Zan." Bada croaked out. She was getting weaker all the time. She was torn up inside and she couldn’t help but wish there was something she could do. She could feel that Max was up to something but couldn’t find the strength to tell him not to do it.
"Is it still in there? Inside me?"
"I cannot tell. You are so much younger… much as I assumed I would find you but instead found Max." They both knew what she didn't say. She was too weak to tell.
"You can love this body?" Zan sniffed. He felt dirty. He knew what was inside his body and it didn't agree with him. "Even though it has a part of him, a traitor, in it?"
"I have a part of a slave in my body. I cannot judge." Bada reassured him and turned to look at her son's chosen mate, her blue eyes watched everything but she said nothing. "She is strong willed. She protects each child as if it were her own even though she has none of her own."
"She's loyal that way." There was a small smile on his lips for the one he had chosen on a planet far, far away.
"And your bride…"
"We never married." Zan opened his eyes and found himself searching for Erika. "She doesn’t want me anymore."
"She's afraid. She hides from herself… like you."
"I remember you. From before." Zan admitted. He had the memories and then some due to Kivar’s meddling. "You used to hide, too. From Dad. From us."
"I have many regrets on that score. I still loved you both greatly. Your father was a good man. You and your sister deserved better from me. Maybe I could have prevented the disasters…" Her thoughts wandered to the life she had wasted on Antar.
"Maybe. Maybe not." He hadn’t brought it up to accuse her but he knew how she felt. He had regrets about the way he had cut himself off from Erika and Rik when he had them at his side. It was yesterday to him but over a decade to them.
"They didn't let me see your sister… Isabel's duplicate." Bada let her hands fall to her armrests. She was so very tired.
"You're better off not knowing’ her the way I did."
"That's what Max told me about Tess."
"Maybe she's changed now but I don't know. I only know her now. Kivar treated us both badly because of Max." He took a breath. "Because of me… of who we were… of who we became… who we are…"
"She's willing to make amends or else I don't think she would still be here to do what must be done."
"I'm not actually the one who needs to hear that," Zan cleared his throat and found Max watching Tess with their son.
"I'm sure whoever does, already knows."
--
Tess held onto Darin for dear life. "I would know you if you were a baby or an old man. I feel you… in my bones. I know you.”
“Yeah. I feel that, too.” Darin told her, not wanting to complain that his ribs hurt. They were practically the same height. He didn’t have the same attachment to her that he had with Max but he had to try. “Don’t let him kill you. Don’t give him a reason.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll do what I have to. I’ll try to make it out of there.”
“Maybe you could come stay with me and my mom. We could explain it to her. She’d understand.”
“We’ll talk later. You need to get in the van.” Tess made herself let go of him. She stared, memorizing every piece of him that she could. “I’ll make it back. We’ll talk then. About everything. About your school and all the girls who love you. All of it.”
“Promise?”
“Yes.” Her voice broke but didn’t take him back into her arms. “Go on. I’ll see you in a few days. A week tops.”
“In a week, then.” Darin turned and climbed into the van, into the back so that no one could see him anymore.
“Why did you lie to him?” Max asked softly. “He’s just going to hate me when you don’t come back.”
“You seem pretty sure that I’m going to die in the next few days. If they don’t kill me… will you?” Her blue eyes flashes at him, shining with unshed tears. “Maybe I did lie to our son but if you kill me, will you ever be able to look him in the eye again?” Their eyes met for what felt like an eternity and Tess almost had to take a step back. “Max… what are you planning?”
“For my family to be safe.
TBC
Erika sat in the back of the van with Zan while everyone milled around outside, getting things ready or chatting idly. She hadn't expected to wake up alone. She hadn't expected that Zan would leave her in the middle of the night and go to Tess. That had stung a little when Ava had burst out early in the morning. Erika hadn't gone in but she had heard enough of the commotion and then nothing when Max had made a green thing appear over the door. "Did you sleep with her?"
"Sleep. There was mostly that." Zan let out a breath and looked at his former lover. That's what she was reduced to? A girl he used to sleep with? This person that he knocked up once upon a time in a different life? "Just once the… other thing but… it was against our will. It didn't work out."
"What?" She looked at him to find his eyes haunted and sunken. He was sleeping but not resting. "What do you mean, Zan?"
"I mean… Kivar wanted to see if we could make an heir. It didn't work. These… bodies he put us back in? They functional but not fully. I could do what he made me but nothing happened. I was dead. I don't think he could fix the… Maybe when he made us… something went wrong. Maybe the piece of him inside us didn't let us. I don't know. He didn't get what he wanted and he punished us."
"Ava told me that Rik got sick when you were talking about what Kivar did."
"Don't know what happened. I didn't even say nothin'."
"Right…" Erika took a deep breath and placed her hand in his. "Rik… knows things. More so these last days. You don't have to tell him anything. He just… knows."
Zan blanched at that thought. "You mean… he knows what Kivar did to me?" Of course he did, that's what made the kid sick. That's why the kid hadn't looked at him all morning. "I didn't want nobody to know that stuff."
"He can't help it."
"I'm not… mad or anything but…" Zan fought the bile crawling up his throat. "Of all people to know that stuff. I never wanted him…"
"Mom." Rik appeared in the sliding door. "You got everything?"
"Yeah. I got everything." Erika nodded and squeezed Zan's hands harder.
"We're almost done loading up. Uncle Max says we're going soon."
"Okay, we need a minute more." She shooed him off and shut the door after him. She turned to him. He looked 18 or 19 or even 20 but those eyes were ages old. "Zan… I'm sorry I came at you like a jealous monster but you have to understand. I didn't know you were dead. I thought you walked out. That you didn't care about us anymore." She sniffed. "And when you called me baby, I wanted to cry… because maybe you did and I doubted that. And now here you are…"
"You got someone? Back home? Someone wondering where you are?"
"No." She shook her head. "Just me and Rik… and sometimes Steve if his grandma is mad at him."
Zan took her face in his hands and pressed his lips against hers, grateful when she kissed back. They jerked apart when the sliding door opened and people began climbing in. He pulled her close while the boys arranged their manly selves next to them without besmirching said manhood.
--
Michael stared at Max. Max was looking around, making sure no one else could hear them. “Are you sure?”
“As sure as I can be. Tess was the link to the FBI... that’s what Zan said.”
“You trust Zan?”
“I guess. He backed off when I needed him to. He’s… not equipped for this.”
“We’re not equipped for this. We got a healer, that’s you buddy… a warper we can’t trust, Tess, with leftover hots for our healer. We’ve got another healer but he was held prisoner by Kivar and might have the hots for our warper. Isabel is not up to this stuff. She’s not going. Ava’s powers are strong but she worked quite a bit to fix the kiddies over there. How in the hell are we more equipped to handle this FBI thing?”
“We just are.” Max felt ill but someone had to do it. “We don’t have a choice. Don’t you want your daughter to grow up in one place? To have Maria out of the position of being shot at? To be able to watch your daughter grow up and date and get married…”
“I could do without that last part but yeah… I get what you mean.”
“I look at Isaiah and Hannah and Darin and I don’t want this for them. Not anymore. Tess is our in. She gets us in and we destroy them from the inside out.”
“You’re the boss.”
“No… I’m not. I asked you and you agreed. We’re in on this together.”
“Got me there.” Michael stared at the two vehicles of waiting aliens, half-breeds, offspring and two humans. “Do you think he’ll agree?”
“Won’t know until I ask.”
--
Rik stared out the window. The car was too close with so many people in it. He had his mother and Steve and… Zan in the back with him. It was a tight fit but his mother was practically in Zan's lap. There had been some kind of brouhaha that morning but he hadn't been let in on it. Darin, Tess and Ava sat in the middle. Liz and Max up front. Looking at any of them was a little painful. So, he stared out the window. He remembered how at peace he was at the house before they had set out on this little journey. Maybe it was just Liz’s alien power but he wanted to go back there and climb into that big bed and sleep for fifty years.
Back at the house, Rik had just explained to Steve how everything was going and Steve was Steve. A great comfort and he didn't judge. He did what Steve does. He nods, digests and accepts. Steve wasn't afraid of anything and that was why he was Rik's hero. He explained about his powers and lack thereof since they had been fixed. Steve pointed out the obvious. 'You're trying too hard, man. Just… do it.' Like when they had been moved into the same grade. Rik was smart and they moved him into Steve's class in the fourth grade to see if he could handle the pace. The first three days sucked. 'Didn't know ass from elbow. The teach gave up. Left you alone. Almost put you back. You just watched him work, he stopped trying to catch you up and just taught us all the same.' Rik had almost forgotten about that. 'It just clicked and I didn't have anymore problems. I kept up okay.' Steve had just nodded and puffed away on his cigarette. 'I think you stopped trying too. You gave up and you were just staring at the board. I always thought you was a bit like Rain Man that day. You were looking but you weren't seeing. It snuck up on you when you weren't paying attention.'
Rik pulled the marbles out of his pocket. Red. The way he had left them after that pep talk in the driveway. He had just jiggled them in his hand, thinking about sunset and this pretty red over the city. He looked away and then back down and they had gone from gray to red. He and Steve had done a little victory dance but decided not to push their luck. So Rik just had to stop trying so hard and it would just come. He chanced a look back at his mother, who was dozing in Zan's arms. It just didn't look right.
Darin saw the look Rik shot at Zan. He felt what the other boy saw. An older woman with a much too young man. Looking to his own mother, it wasn't right. They were only a few years age difference but when she hugged him, she felt right. She felt like his mother. It wasn't the same as his adoptive mother but still… he could feel real love in the embrace. He felt a little better when Liz turned and smiled at him. "What's wrong, kiddo?"
"I miss my mom." He blurted out without thinking and felt Tess stiffen beside him. He didn't mean it that way. He kept saying all the wrong things in front of her. He just couldn’t help himself.
"I know, honey, but she's okay. You have other family? Friends?" Liz reached for his hand, which he gave immediately. Liz's calming powers were addictive. He'd have to stop doing that but he needed it just now. "Aunts and uncles?"
"One aunt but… I don't know if she was able to get into the city the way they had it all blocked off." In the back of his mind he sensed that Tess didn’t like the bond he had with Liz but it was what he needed and Liz could give it.
"I'm sure they let her in. It was an emergency. She'll be okay. They'll have each other until we get you back to her."
"Back to her?" Tess bit out angrily. "You can't take him away from me."
"We can't keep him with us." Liz shook her head. "He's got a family that needs him right now."
"He's my son."
"He's a Maples. Not an Evans." Max interrupted. "You were dead, I signed away my rights. He's only here so I could protect him from… well you guys…" Max stopped at shot a look at Liz. "Cut it out." She looked sorry and let go of Darin's hand and pulled her other hand from Max's shoulder. "From Kivar and to reassert myself as King. We've done that. He deserves the life he was going to lead without this bull."
"But this is life." Darin rushed forward, leaning on the seat. "I can't just… go home now. I want to because I miss my Mom but I can't… Will I see you again?" Tears were forming in his eyes and Max kept his head straight, refusing to look at his son. "You can't just… pull me out of my life and expect me to go on like I don't know… What if I want to spend summers with you guys? What if…"
"It sounds nice… and I'd like that." Max's voice was thick with emotion but he wouldn't turn his head. "They're still looking for us. There are things we still need to do and I won't put you in that kind of danger."
"How much more dangerous is it than what we just went through?"
"Unfortunately… the human kind of danger is the kind that I can't protect you from all the time. Aliens, I can try. Humans… are harder because… they have more control on this planet. I need to know you're safe."
"I'll run away. I'll find you. I could do it." Darin threatened but calmed when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Erika. She urged him back into his seat. "I could do it."
"You probably could but…" Erika leaned forward and pressed her lips to his ear to whisper to him. "He loves you. He's trying not to cry. Look at him. He's trying to protect you. In the city… it'd be harder for someone to yank you out… to take you from your mother in public. If someone did, she could call the police and I’m sure she’s got all sorts of ties that Max can’t use." She massaged his scalp the way she had done with her own son. "He's trying to give you more time with your mother. When you turn 18, he can't stop you from running off but he wants you to go to high school and to college. You can't just pop up for a summer visit. He's on the run. He's hiding and he doesn't want that for you."
"I could do it." Darin whispered to himself, wiping roughly at his tears.
"He's stubborn… like his father." Liz pointed out and leaned into her husband. "He just wants to know you. He loves you."
"He can't. He doesn't know me." Max whispered, still fighting tears.
"And yet he does. He wouldn't fight so hard if he didn't want to know you. You should have seen him at the house with Isaiah and Hannah… he wants this."
"I can't." Max felt his chin tremble but he didn't let the sob out. "We should stop and get everyone into the right cars."
"Max… now?" Liz watched as Max could only nod. She had seen him like this only once before. He was fighting it. It was that day in May 14 years ago all over again. The van shuddered as Max guided it onto the shoulder. Everyone spilled out to stretch their legs, everyone except Max who stayed to compose himself.
--
Isabel passed out sandwiches to the boys. Rik snickered when Steve made an obvious show of checking her out. Isabel just rubbed his gravelly head and moved on. "Seriously, aliens are hot."
"Dude, that's my aunt." Darin made a face.
Steve and Rik looked at each other and burst out laughing. Steve leaned forward. "Little Dude, no offense but you can't say ‘dude.’ You just don't pull it off." They calmed down some to eat. Steve nudged Darin. "You okay, little dude?"
"I'm fine." Darin stared off into the landscape around them.
"He's cool. These alien kings are all the same. They say they're protecting but they're just hiding." Rik tossed a nod at his 'cousin.'
"Right." Darin nodded and felt a little better.
All three stopped eating when the landscape got a little more interesting. They couldn't hear anything but Max and Zan were shoving each other behind a big green shield. Finally Max said something. Zan's eyes shot to the boys and then the fight was over. The shield dropped and the two kings went their separate ways. Kal and Bada sat quietly, watching everything and saying nothing. They had been largely forgotten since the Summit, except by Isabel who took her lunch next to her mother but didn't say anything.
Eventually, Zan made his way to the boys and just sat, picking at his sandwich. He fished for a cigarette but he had finished the pack and nobody had anymore. "What don't I know about Tess? You guys know anything?"
Darin lowered his eyes to his remaining quarter of a sandwich and let it fall into the bugs milling around on the ground. "She… nobody likes her."
"I got that. Why?" Zan watched their faces and didn't like what he saw. "Look. She's been good to me. We helped each other out and… I don't want to see no harm come to her but I need to know why all them assholes want her dead."
"She killed someone." Darin jumped in. "Someone important to them. She lied. She manipulated. She left. She came back. She lied. She manipulated. She killed more people. I… don't know how to feel about her but she's my mom."
"Little man. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you go through all that." Zan sighed. This little dude knew exactly how he was feeling. "You think she should be gone?"
"I don't know. Liz is… great but… she gets scared when she thinks that Tess might stick around. I don't like for Liz to feel that way. She's never killed anyone but… she might kill Tess if she has to and I don't want her to."
"Me either." Zan finally took a bite of his sandwich. "Chief, you ever gonna talk to me again?"
"Hadn't planned on it." Rik shook his head and finished his sandwich, shoving himself to his feet and wandering away.
Zan took his time eating. The other two boys sat with him but looked after Rik, debating about whether to let him be or to go after him. Zan brushed the crumbs off his fingers. "Max don't want me to say nothin' but I got to. He's gonna finish off the FBI but he needs Tess to do it because she was our… spokesperson for Kivar. He asked me to stay with you guys… to rest up and to protect you guys… step up if they don't come back."
"Why should we trust you?" Darin blurted out. His eyes stung again. Max might not come back?
"Liz is the boss. I'm just the hired gun." Zan took a deep breath. "Max, Tess, Michael and Kal are leaving. The rest of us are goin' to wherever Isabel drives us."
"Back to the rest of the humans so we can sit and wait until we get a newspaper telling us they're dead?" Darin shot to his feet and ran off through tear-blurred eyes and when he stopped he had his arms around Max's middle. He had no clue how he had even seen Max through the tears but that didn't matter the second Max returned the hug. "Dad, don't. Please, take me with you."
Max had to fight the tears immediately when Darin had called him 'Dad.' He fought against them when Darin pleaded to go along. He just hung on. "I told him not to tell you." He squeezed hard because Darin was clinging for dear life and Max had to show the boy he didn't want to go. "We're coming back. It's not that dangerous."
"When why aren't you taking Liz?"
He was caught. Kneeling, Max made Darin look at him. "I have to do this. If you're going to have any of the things I want you to have. I have to. I'm coming back. I need you to stay. Stay with your grandmother and be with her because she's not going to last long. That's why Isabel isn't going." Max stared at the tear-streaked face in front of him and it ripped his heart out. "I need you to be strong. If I don't make it… you don't have to do anything but live your life. Zan will take care of everything. He promised."
"What if I fight him? What if I take over?"
"You could. You really could but I'd prefer it if you let him. You're practically a man now. I know you feel anything but. Awkward and not good at anything but I can tell that you're going to be great. I need you to know that I love you. I always have. I am so grateful for these last few days with you. I am so proud of you and the way you've come through when even I didn't know what was going on."
"If you die, I'm going to bring you back… even if it kills me so don't." Darin sniffed and wiped the tears off his face. How old was he? Five? He felt like it but he was old enough not to cry. "Just come back… and bring her back too."
"I can't make any promises on her."
"You just going to kill her the way you did Lannie and Rath?"
Max took a deep breath and lowered his eyes. "There were special circumstances with them. Aside from killing Zan, they had done other things. They weren't able to break the hold Kivar put on them. They would have been a danger to us all if we had let them wake up. You don't know Isabel and Michael but you don't cross them. They can get mean. That side of them… that's all that Lannie and Rath had. They were mean all the time. Vicious. They did things to Zan after Kivar brought them back… and not all of them were on Kivar's orders. He protected Tess from them and I guess you can be grateful for that."
"Do you hate her?"
"I hate the things she did… even if one of those things resulted in one of the best things that has ever happened to me." Max made sure Darin looked into his eyes. "I love you. I really, really do. When I look at you, I don't see her. I don't see me. I see you. I'm going to try to come back, as hard as I can. I've got you and Liz and Isaiah and Hannah to think about."
"I meant what I said at the house. I've already lost one father… I'm not losing another." Darin stood up straight and waited until Max did the same. "This isn't goodbye so don't say it."
"Alright. I won't. We're loading up now. Go… talk to Tess. Say your… laters."
--
Zan shut his eyes and let Bada's hands run over his face. She felt good. To have lived on Earth for ten years and not known his mother had about killed him but to be alive again and in her presence, her actual presence was glorious. "Do I still feel wrong?"
"You don't know how it hurt me to say that, Zan." Bada croaked out. She was getting weaker all the time. She was torn up inside and she couldn’t help but wish there was something she could do. She could feel that Max was up to something but couldn’t find the strength to tell him not to do it.
"Is it still in there? Inside me?"
"I cannot tell. You are so much younger… much as I assumed I would find you but instead found Max." They both knew what she didn't say. She was too weak to tell.
"You can love this body?" Zan sniffed. He felt dirty. He knew what was inside his body and it didn't agree with him. "Even though it has a part of him, a traitor, in it?"
"I have a part of a slave in my body. I cannot judge." Bada reassured him and turned to look at her son's chosen mate, her blue eyes watched everything but she said nothing. "She is strong willed. She protects each child as if it were her own even though she has none of her own."
"She's loyal that way." There was a small smile on his lips for the one he had chosen on a planet far, far away.
"And your bride…"
"We never married." Zan opened his eyes and found himself searching for Erika. "She doesn’t want me anymore."
"She's afraid. She hides from herself… like you."
"I remember you. From before." Zan admitted. He had the memories and then some due to Kivar’s meddling. "You used to hide, too. From Dad. From us."
"I have many regrets on that score. I still loved you both greatly. Your father was a good man. You and your sister deserved better from me. Maybe I could have prevented the disasters…" Her thoughts wandered to the life she had wasted on Antar.
"Maybe. Maybe not." He hadn’t brought it up to accuse her but he knew how she felt. He had regrets about the way he had cut himself off from Erika and Rik when he had them at his side. It was yesterday to him but over a decade to them.
"They didn't let me see your sister… Isabel's duplicate." Bada let her hands fall to her armrests. She was so very tired.
"You're better off not knowing’ her the way I did."
"That's what Max told me about Tess."
"Maybe she's changed now but I don't know. I only know her now. Kivar treated us both badly because of Max." He took a breath. "Because of me… of who we were… of who we became… who we are…"
"She's willing to make amends or else I don't think she would still be here to do what must be done."
"I'm not actually the one who needs to hear that," Zan cleared his throat and found Max watching Tess with their son.
"I'm sure whoever does, already knows."
--
Tess held onto Darin for dear life. "I would know you if you were a baby or an old man. I feel you… in my bones. I know you.”
“Yeah. I feel that, too.” Darin told her, not wanting to complain that his ribs hurt. They were practically the same height. He didn’t have the same attachment to her that he had with Max but he had to try. “Don’t let him kill you. Don’t give him a reason.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll do what I have to. I’ll try to make it out of there.”
“Maybe you could come stay with me and my mom. We could explain it to her. She’d understand.”
“We’ll talk later. You need to get in the van.” Tess made herself let go of him. She stared, memorizing every piece of him that she could. “I’ll make it back. We’ll talk then. About everything. About your school and all the girls who love you. All of it.”
“Promise?”
“Yes.” Her voice broke but didn’t take him back into her arms. “Go on. I’ll see you in a few days. A week tops.”
“In a week, then.” Darin turned and climbed into the van, into the back so that no one could see him anymore.
“Why did you lie to him?” Max asked softly. “He’s just going to hate me when you don’t come back.”
“You seem pretty sure that I’m going to die in the next few days. If they don’t kill me… will you?” Her blue eyes flashes at him, shining with unshed tears. “Maybe I did lie to our son but if you kill me, will you ever be able to look him in the eye again?” Their eyes met for what felt like an eternity and Tess almost had to take a step back. “Max… what are you planning?”
“For my family to be safe.
TBC
Part 21
Part 21
"Mom? How are you feeling?" Isabel called back. The van was too quiet.
"She's tired." Darin answered. He could feel Grandma buzzing in his brain. He didn't understand it but he could feel what she was feeling. "She wants to go home."
"Are you too cramped? Do you need more room?"
"She doesn’t need more room. She needs air." Darin doodled on a piece of paper where he was curled up next to Liz in the front seat, careful to keep his feet from touching Isabel.
"I was actually talking to you." Isabel turned her head just barely to see him with a small smile on her face. "You're a little tall to fit there."
"I like small spaces. Places I barely fit. My dad says it's childish… Said, I mean." A little sadness crept into his voice. Everything reminded him of Gregory Maples.
"It's comfortable." Liz murmured in his ear. "It's okay. Don't see any grown-ups here." She was always trying to make him smile… even when she was just as worried as he was.
"Want me to open a window for her?" Ava spoke up from her seat next to the dying alien.
"I'll get the A/C working." Isabel promised and placed her hand on the dash.
Darin reached over and flipped a switch. "The defogger was on. Not the A/C."
"Oh. I'm not really a mechanical sort of person." She managed a weak smile at him. She didn't usually do the driving but this trip seemed to rely on her navigational skills. She could thank her brother for that… if she ever saw him again.
"Boy. Sit down." Erika reached over and swatted Steve where he was hanging over the middle seat.
"I was talkin’ to her."
"Listen, Cueball." Ava turned in her seat to look at the boy. "You all that. Aight. But you need them three years I was talkin’ ‘bout to increase your stamina. I don’t do minute men."
Rik found himself laughing out loud. Steve just sat back, sulking. "I’m not a minute man."
"Sure you aren’t." Ava turned around after sharing a nod with Zan. "Kids."
"Is he deficient? Why does he always want to hit things?" Bada croaked out.
"Not things. Ass. It’s an expression and not a nice one." Rik corrected himself when his mother glared at him.
"Kal lied. English is like learning four languages at once." Bada lifted a hand to her head. Her shining hair had begun to dull.
"Yeah, well, Kal lies a lot." Liz muttered and smoothed Darin’s hair down.
"Why are you so nice to me?" Darin whispered to her. "I know you hate my mom… and you never knew me."
Liz kissed his head. "I love you, kid. I love Max, a lot. I get feelings like you do. All this time, feeling what he feels for you… I couldn’t help but feel it myself after a while. Then, here you are, this great kid and I love you even more. Don’t let anyone’s feelings for Tess bother you. It has nothing to do with you."
"But I was the reason she left."
"No, she was the reason she left. She could have stayed… but she didn’t. She lied and she left."
"Did she lie to me? Are they coming back?"
"I don’t know. We can only hope."
Erika couldn't help herself. Even after the strong words she'd fed him, and especially after that kiss at the hotel, she couldn't stop touching Zan, just to make sure he was really there. He didn't seem to mind, though his eyes held some hurt. She was thankful that he could know his son, even if Rik was reluctant to treat Zan as such. Their boy was just confused. They were all confused. "What's it like? Being alive after all this time?"
"No long time for me." Zan let the arm over the back of the seat rest over her shoulders. "One minute walking, the next being born again. No time in between. For me, it's only been a year." He inhaled the scent of her hair. "I feel weird. Ava and me been the same age for 10 years and now… we're not. You was just getting to 18 when I… died. Rik was just crawlin' around, just walkin', just eatin' real food and now… When I was his age… I just found out I was gonna be a dad…" He froze and looked from Erika to the grown boy next to her. "I ain't a granddad, am I?"
"No. Some of us are careful." Rik bit out, not even bothering to glare at him. "Unlike some other people."
"You wouldn't be here." Erika chided her son. The walls were getting too close inside the van. Hopefully they took a break from the traveling soon or else they'd start to kill each other.
--
Isabel opened the doors to a small suite. She hated being the leader but she had promised Max. If… WHEN he came back, everyone would be taken care of. "It’s all they had. Two beds in there. One bed in there… and a musty looking couch."
"So girlfriend, we bunking up?" Ava wrapped her arm around Liz’s waist. "Could give you some tips to pass on to Max."
"Sh. There are children present." Liz pointedly gestured to two amused teenagers and a confused Darin.
"They need to learn to pretend they don't hear what the grown ups say… you know… like the rest of the teenage population." Ava pressed a noisy kiss to Liz's cheek and left to grab her things from the van.
"Mom, do you need a bed?" Isabel set a couple of bags down inside the door.
"Just a cool place for my chair." Bada murmured as Steve wheeled her chair to a dark corner where the air was cooler.
"Mom, you can have the bed." Rik placed their bag on the bed in there. "Me and the boys will crash out here."
"Thanks for securing us the floor." Steve griped under his breath.
"Or…" Isabel examined the couch. "Maybe this thing pulls out. Ava, you can sleep with me and Liz?"
"Maybe Darin can sleep with me." Liz nodded, wrapping her arms around the boy's shoulders. "Steve and Rik on the pull out… Zan… Erika? I just want as many people comfortable as possible."
"That’ll work…" Zan nodded stiffly, ignoring Rik's glare.
"Shouldn’t someone with power keep watch?" Rik interjected, staring at his father.
"He’s got a point." Zan nodded and didn’t push his luck with his kid. "Come on, Chief. Let’s get some grub." He took the money that Isabel held out and reached for the door. He led Rik outside and they made their way around to the tiny diner attached to the motel. "Look, I know…"
"You don’t know anything." Rik blurted out. "I’m just gonna say this once. Keep your hands off of her. If you hurt her, I’ll kill you."
"The fact I love her don’t make no difference to you."
"If you were thirty… it’d be fine. I’m 17… you’re… 18. 19? It’d be like Steve and Ava or… Steve and Mom. It’s not right." Rik found himself jerked around by the arm. "What? You gonna hit me?"
"I never hit you. Never would have. Let’s just get this straight. I’m confused as hell about all this. I know two things. I love you. I love her. This body is just a body. Whatever you seen done to it, don’t matter. My soul is ancient. I’m your father. Simple as that. Respect that."
"How can I? You don’t know any more than I do."
"Maybe not but I was there when I could be. I changed diapers. I gave baths. I watched you if your Mom had to work late and your Grampa had to leave early. I was the one there for you when I could be. Maybe you don’t need me no more. Maybe it’s too late but know I’m gonna be here now."
"Fuck off." Rik ripped his arm out of Zan’s grip and stalked into the diner.
Zan clenched his jaw and then followed him inside where a young pretty waitress was sitting behind the counter. "Hey darlin’. We need lunch for eight."
"Sho’ ‘nough, hot stuff. Burgers and fries?" She looked him over like she was considering having him for her next meal.
"All around." He managed a nod to her, trying not to make eye contact.
The waitress scribbled the order and looked them over. "You brothers?"
Zan only cleared his throat. Rik snorted and turned away. "To go, please."
"Sure you don’t want to stay?" She leaned on the counter, trying to catch his eye.
"I’m married." Zan ignored Rik’s scoff. "Savin' up for my band. He’s my ring-bearer cuz he’s cute."
"Shut up." Rik bit out but his eyes were on the girl whose assets were nearly pouring out of her uniform.
"He’s just mad cause his heart’s broke. You wanna fix it for him?" Zan teased the girl, who blushed. She was just playing with them. She was probably 16 and used to harmless flirting.
"If he’s willin’, so am I." She backed up a little, trying to be older than she was. "Name's Ruby. Call me if you need anything."
"Horny waitresses all over the countryside." Rik muttered to himself with a smile.
"Sounds like you got a date." Zan took a seat next to his son at a booth near the door. "She’s cute."
"Jailbait." The teen managed a shrug.
"Prob'ly."
"Clean. Too clean." Rik shook his head.
"Maybe she wants you to dirty her up."
"Don’t be gross."
"I’m just sayin'." The slightly older man held his hands up in surrender.
"Mind leavin' my heart to me. I decide who I take ridin'. I’m not doin' a virgin from the boondocks if I ain’t gonna be around tomorrow." Still, his eyes followed her as she moved behind the counter.
"So you been ridin’?"
Was she looking? "This conversation is over."
"That girl your boy stole?
"No. I ain’t get there with her." Rik stared at his hands. "Couple of other girls. S’all. Not exactly keepers."
"Order up, boys." She batted her eyes at them. "You sure you’re married? You seem kind of young."
"She’s waitin’ for her grub. Take him for a spin. He ain’t half as borin’ as he’s actin’." Zan grabbed the boxes and stacked them up. Laid down the money Isabel had changed in the van. "Stay. Chat wit your new friend. I’ll tell Mom."
"Don’t even start with that shit." Rik glared at him but didn’t budge when Zan stood with the food. She really was cute. There was no harm in flirting. "I'm'a check out the dessert menu… for later. Be there in a minute."
"'Kay. I'll pass it on."
--
Liz looked up from her perusal of the floor when the door opened and only one alien walked in. "Didn’t you have a child when you left?"
"He's… checkin' out the dessert menu." Zan shrugged and began to pass out the food. "Moms, how you doin'?"
"I am tired." Bada's head seemed to sit lower on her neck.
"Too tired to see Max make it back?"
"I will hold on as long as this body will let me. My spirit is weary but willing to 'stick it out' as they say."
Isabel didn’t like how the luminosity was slipping from Bada’s skin. Was her hair falling out? Max had said not to trust Zan completely but the guy had shown them nothing to suggest that he was dangerous to any of them. "Can Zan help you? Heal you somehow?"
"I am old. I am weak. Such is the way of the universe." Her large eyes stared at them all. Steve shrugged his shoulders under the intensity of her gaze. "You are not human… but you are."
"What?" Ava sat up, her mouth half full. "Who?"
"My servant there. I knew there was something different about him but I still do not know what." She gestured weakly with one finger.
"Steve’s human. Just as human as me." Erika shook her head.
"Precisely… it should not be possible. Perhaps I was too hasty when I teased young Rik about his affinity for his human friend. Is there perhaps a way they could have bonded?"
"Bonded?" Steve looked to the adult aliens in the room. "Like… how?"
"Zan, did you bond to Erika?" Ava questioned. That irked a little. This implication that they didn't know themselves as well as they should.
"Got her pregnant didn’t I?" He knew how that happened. He didn't mean to but having sex with someone you love made things happen.
"What is she talking about?" Liz spoke up, her appetite waning in the face of new knowledge.
"It’s like… I got this glass of plain milk and that’s Erika." Ava motioned with her hands. "Zan is a glass of chocolate milk. I take some of him and pour him into her, just a little bit. She still tastes like regular milk but her color is a little darker like his chocolate milk. You can dilute the milk and strain it but there’s always going to be a little bit of that chocolate still in there." Ava tried to explain. "I don’t see how Rik and Steve could bond that way… even if they was gay."
The room was quiet for a long time. Liz focused on Ava and was a little relieved to feel the knowledge that this bond could only take place with an alien and a human and that it didn't necessarily need to happen for a hybrid to give birth to a hybrid's baby. Still, it made her wonder.
Steve held his napkin in his right hand for a long time as he chewed and swallowed. "Erika."
She turned to him and watched him switch hands and hold his right hand out to her, palm up. She sighed heavily. These boys. "I hadn’t thought about that. When these knuckleheads were ten… They did this." She held his hand out to Ava so she could see the two inch scar on Steve’s palm. "Rik’s got one too."
"You mean… they’s blood brothers?" Ava stared at the scar. Just a thin white line across the boy's palm.
"Don’t mean nothin'. It ain’t like he’s alien or nothin'… he just got a little alien flavor is all." Zan shook his head. They were all freaking out over… nothing. He looked to his mother and she looked back. It was nothing. It didn't mean anything. It was a few strands of DNA where they weren't supposed to be. It didn't mean anything.
"Perhaps." Bada sagged a little in her chair. She had proved her point to her son. If she could give the peace of mind that she had never been able to when he was struggling with the kingdom, she would do that.
"That’s why Kal brought you into this." Liz clenched her jaw, the way Max often did when he was irate. "I’m going to have a very strongly worded conversation with that shape shifter when he gets back."
The door swung open and the smile on Rik's face faded. "Did I miss something?"
--
"Boys." Liz nudged the wrestling throng on the floor with her foot. "Take it outside."
"They were just teaching me… oof!" Darin grunted as he was pinned hard. "To wrestle."
"WWF goes outside. Ava already had a look around. It's pretty safe."
"Where is my girl?" Zan plucked Darin out of the tangle of limbs and set him on his feet and on the way to the door.
"On the roof."
"She still doin' that?" Zan helped Steve up, the boy eagerly took the offered hand.
"She likes it." Liz shrugged. "Always has."
"Yeah, I know." Zan nodded. Isabel and Erika had gone for a walk and Zan had wanted to talk to Rik but the boy was a master at evading. He held his hand out to the boy but he just stared at it. Finally, Rik got to his feet on his own. “Hey Chief, before you run off… can I ask you somethin’?” Rik barely shrugged. “Why do you hate me so much?”
The teen stood for a full minute staring at his father. “I don’t know if I do.” Then he was out the door.
Liz offered Zan a lame smile. “Guess you can be glad for that. If he doesn’t know, he probably doesn’t.”
“I guess. I’ma go… lay down… will you?” He gestured to his very still mother.
“Sure. Me and Bada can sit.” Liz nodded and pulled a chair next to the quiet alien, who seemed to be in a pleasant mood despite her condition. Zan left them alone. "We haven't had the chance to talk."
"No." Bada shook her head slowly. "I don't need to. Max… emotes much about you. His feelings run very deep and very strong. He didn't love that way on Antar."
"He didn't?"
"He didn't know how. He was too young when he died. Too young for a king, even by our ways. My husband married late in life to a child he couldn't touch for a long time. By the time my Zan was an adolescent, his health had begun to decline. That started the arguments. Was he mentally able to perform? Was Zan maturing fast enough to be what we needed before his coronation? I regret I never thought to teach him." Bada's head inclined just a bit. Her life flashing before her eyes. "I didn't know what it was myself. I never had it. My husband and I aligned out of need. My need for control over my life without parents to guide me, his need to quiet the senators about his bachelorhood."
"How old were you?"
"Young but mature and not old enough to produce an heir. Gizan said he planned to live forever. He didn't need an heir. We did our duty. We had great… respect for each other… our love was for Antar and Antar alone. We bonded through our love of our planet. When we had our children, our focus turned back to Antar and I'm afraid I was not the mother I should have been."
"I'm sure you were fine. I don't know how I would raise children as royalty. I have trouble raising children with the lowest possible expectations." Liz waved to Erika when she returned alone and slid into her assigned room as quietly as possible. "You can't live on love."
"But you can survive on it." The old alien was tired but she liked the women her son had chosen. "If my son had to live twice at once, I'm glad that he found such strong love both ways."
--
When Darin pulled himself out of the headlock, Rik was gone. "Hey Steve… where'd he go?"
"Ruby." Steve shrugged and crouched for another go.
"Who?"
"Waitress. Through the trees and over the hill if he's smart." Steve straightened. "A lot of trees out here. More'n Central Park anyways."
Darin got an image of a pretty girl with auburn hair and a nice smile. Ruby. "So what? You've been nominated to keep the kid busy so he doesn't know what's going on?"
"Look, I'm just trying to get some energy spent so I can sleep tonight. My boy needs to get his rocks off. No big. We just hangin' and you ain't half bad." Steve motioned for the boy to come at him. "Someday you'll be cool. Now. Come on. Try to take me down."
"Can't do that." Darin shook his head ruefully.
"Why?"
"You're bigger. Stronger."
"But you're quick." Man, this kid was a piece of work. "Don't need to be big and strong to win. Do gotta be quick and get the drop though. Pay attention. You'll learn."
--
She had started it with that kiss. That mind-altering kiss. Then there had been buttons undone and tiny panties and just a bit of begging. Then the bodies coming together just as if they were made to fit together. They were careful to be quiet as not to be overheard.
She jerked her hips against him, brushed his hair away from his sweaty face. "I want to love you."
His answer was to take her lips, keep her quiet. To lay atop her to finish what they had started before anyone could find out what they were doing. To just feel her skin against his. To see her eyes bright with unshed tears. To hold her tighter. To be deep inside her. To escape with her.
Her breath hitched and shuddered in his ear. Skin to skin, her hair all over the place. Her skin was so soft. How could anyone feel this good? This couldn't last, no matter how good it felt. Burying his face in her shoulder, he came… cursing and jerking against her. Even her sweat was sweet.
As he lay on top of her, catching his breath, he couldn't help but think this was the best it was going to get for a very long time.
TBC
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I did it again. I tend to do that. Glad you all are enjoying and referring to more people to read and enjoy. Much feedback on that last part. I'm still compiling that list of ways for Tess to go. Some are quite humorous. '-)
"Mom? How are you feeling?" Isabel called back. The van was too quiet.
"She's tired." Darin answered. He could feel Grandma buzzing in his brain. He didn't understand it but he could feel what she was feeling. "She wants to go home."
"Are you too cramped? Do you need more room?"
"She doesn’t need more room. She needs air." Darin doodled on a piece of paper where he was curled up next to Liz in the front seat, careful to keep his feet from touching Isabel.
"I was actually talking to you." Isabel turned her head just barely to see him with a small smile on her face. "You're a little tall to fit there."
"I like small spaces. Places I barely fit. My dad says it's childish… Said, I mean." A little sadness crept into his voice. Everything reminded him of Gregory Maples.
"It's comfortable." Liz murmured in his ear. "It's okay. Don't see any grown-ups here." She was always trying to make him smile… even when she was just as worried as he was.
"Want me to open a window for her?" Ava spoke up from her seat next to the dying alien.
"I'll get the A/C working." Isabel promised and placed her hand on the dash.
Darin reached over and flipped a switch. "The defogger was on. Not the A/C."
"Oh. I'm not really a mechanical sort of person." She managed a weak smile at him. She didn't usually do the driving but this trip seemed to rely on her navigational skills. She could thank her brother for that… if she ever saw him again.
"Boy. Sit down." Erika reached over and swatted Steve where he was hanging over the middle seat.
"I was talkin’ to her."
"Listen, Cueball." Ava turned in her seat to look at the boy. "You all that. Aight. But you need them three years I was talkin’ ‘bout to increase your stamina. I don’t do minute men."
Rik found himself laughing out loud. Steve just sat back, sulking. "I’m not a minute man."
"Sure you aren’t." Ava turned around after sharing a nod with Zan. "Kids."
"Is he deficient? Why does he always want to hit things?" Bada croaked out.
"Not things. Ass. It’s an expression and not a nice one." Rik corrected himself when his mother glared at him.
"Kal lied. English is like learning four languages at once." Bada lifted a hand to her head. Her shining hair had begun to dull.
"Yeah, well, Kal lies a lot." Liz muttered and smoothed Darin’s hair down.
"Why are you so nice to me?" Darin whispered to her. "I know you hate my mom… and you never knew me."
Liz kissed his head. "I love you, kid. I love Max, a lot. I get feelings like you do. All this time, feeling what he feels for you… I couldn’t help but feel it myself after a while. Then, here you are, this great kid and I love you even more. Don’t let anyone’s feelings for Tess bother you. It has nothing to do with you."
"But I was the reason she left."
"No, she was the reason she left. She could have stayed… but she didn’t. She lied and she left."
"Did she lie to me? Are they coming back?"
"I don’t know. We can only hope."
Erika couldn't help herself. Even after the strong words she'd fed him, and especially after that kiss at the hotel, she couldn't stop touching Zan, just to make sure he was really there. He didn't seem to mind, though his eyes held some hurt. She was thankful that he could know his son, even if Rik was reluctant to treat Zan as such. Their boy was just confused. They were all confused. "What's it like? Being alive after all this time?"
"No long time for me." Zan let the arm over the back of the seat rest over her shoulders. "One minute walking, the next being born again. No time in between. For me, it's only been a year." He inhaled the scent of her hair. "I feel weird. Ava and me been the same age for 10 years and now… we're not. You was just getting to 18 when I… died. Rik was just crawlin' around, just walkin', just eatin' real food and now… When I was his age… I just found out I was gonna be a dad…" He froze and looked from Erika to the grown boy next to her. "I ain't a granddad, am I?"
"No. Some of us are careful." Rik bit out, not even bothering to glare at him. "Unlike some other people."
"You wouldn't be here." Erika chided her son. The walls were getting too close inside the van. Hopefully they took a break from the traveling soon or else they'd start to kill each other.
--
Isabel opened the doors to a small suite. She hated being the leader but she had promised Max. If… WHEN he came back, everyone would be taken care of. "It’s all they had. Two beds in there. One bed in there… and a musty looking couch."
"So girlfriend, we bunking up?" Ava wrapped her arm around Liz’s waist. "Could give you some tips to pass on to Max."
"Sh. There are children present." Liz pointedly gestured to two amused teenagers and a confused Darin.
"They need to learn to pretend they don't hear what the grown ups say… you know… like the rest of the teenage population." Ava pressed a noisy kiss to Liz's cheek and left to grab her things from the van.
"Mom, do you need a bed?" Isabel set a couple of bags down inside the door.
"Just a cool place for my chair." Bada murmured as Steve wheeled her chair to a dark corner where the air was cooler.
"Mom, you can have the bed." Rik placed their bag on the bed in there. "Me and the boys will crash out here."
"Thanks for securing us the floor." Steve griped under his breath.
"Or…" Isabel examined the couch. "Maybe this thing pulls out. Ava, you can sleep with me and Liz?"
"Maybe Darin can sleep with me." Liz nodded, wrapping her arms around the boy's shoulders. "Steve and Rik on the pull out… Zan… Erika? I just want as many people comfortable as possible."
"That’ll work…" Zan nodded stiffly, ignoring Rik's glare.
"Shouldn’t someone with power keep watch?" Rik interjected, staring at his father.
"He’s got a point." Zan nodded and didn’t push his luck with his kid. "Come on, Chief. Let’s get some grub." He took the money that Isabel held out and reached for the door. He led Rik outside and they made their way around to the tiny diner attached to the motel. "Look, I know…"
"You don’t know anything." Rik blurted out. "I’m just gonna say this once. Keep your hands off of her. If you hurt her, I’ll kill you."
"The fact I love her don’t make no difference to you."
"If you were thirty… it’d be fine. I’m 17… you’re… 18. 19? It’d be like Steve and Ava or… Steve and Mom. It’s not right." Rik found himself jerked around by the arm. "What? You gonna hit me?"
"I never hit you. Never would have. Let’s just get this straight. I’m confused as hell about all this. I know two things. I love you. I love her. This body is just a body. Whatever you seen done to it, don’t matter. My soul is ancient. I’m your father. Simple as that. Respect that."
"How can I? You don’t know any more than I do."
"Maybe not but I was there when I could be. I changed diapers. I gave baths. I watched you if your Mom had to work late and your Grampa had to leave early. I was the one there for you when I could be. Maybe you don’t need me no more. Maybe it’s too late but know I’m gonna be here now."
"Fuck off." Rik ripped his arm out of Zan’s grip and stalked into the diner.
Zan clenched his jaw and then followed him inside where a young pretty waitress was sitting behind the counter. "Hey darlin’. We need lunch for eight."
"Sho’ ‘nough, hot stuff. Burgers and fries?" She looked him over like she was considering having him for her next meal.
"All around." He managed a nod to her, trying not to make eye contact.
The waitress scribbled the order and looked them over. "You brothers?"
Zan only cleared his throat. Rik snorted and turned away. "To go, please."
"Sure you don’t want to stay?" She leaned on the counter, trying to catch his eye.
"I’m married." Zan ignored Rik’s scoff. "Savin' up for my band. He’s my ring-bearer cuz he’s cute."
"Shut up." Rik bit out but his eyes were on the girl whose assets were nearly pouring out of her uniform.
"He’s just mad cause his heart’s broke. You wanna fix it for him?" Zan teased the girl, who blushed. She was just playing with them. She was probably 16 and used to harmless flirting.
"If he’s willin’, so am I." She backed up a little, trying to be older than she was. "Name's Ruby. Call me if you need anything."
"Horny waitresses all over the countryside." Rik muttered to himself with a smile.
"Sounds like you got a date." Zan took a seat next to his son at a booth near the door. "She’s cute."
"Jailbait." The teen managed a shrug.
"Prob'ly."
"Clean. Too clean." Rik shook his head.
"Maybe she wants you to dirty her up."
"Don’t be gross."
"I’m just sayin'." The slightly older man held his hands up in surrender.
"Mind leavin' my heart to me. I decide who I take ridin'. I’m not doin' a virgin from the boondocks if I ain’t gonna be around tomorrow." Still, his eyes followed her as she moved behind the counter.
"So you been ridin’?"
Was she looking? "This conversation is over."
"That girl your boy stole?
"No. I ain’t get there with her." Rik stared at his hands. "Couple of other girls. S’all. Not exactly keepers."
"Order up, boys." She batted her eyes at them. "You sure you’re married? You seem kind of young."
"She’s waitin’ for her grub. Take him for a spin. He ain’t half as borin’ as he’s actin’." Zan grabbed the boxes and stacked them up. Laid down the money Isabel had changed in the van. "Stay. Chat wit your new friend. I’ll tell Mom."
"Don’t even start with that shit." Rik glared at him but didn’t budge when Zan stood with the food. She really was cute. There was no harm in flirting. "I'm'a check out the dessert menu… for later. Be there in a minute."
"'Kay. I'll pass it on."
--
Liz looked up from her perusal of the floor when the door opened and only one alien walked in. "Didn’t you have a child when you left?"
"He's… checkin' out the dessert menu." Zan shrugged and began to pass out the food. "Moms, how you doin'?"
"I am tired." Bada's head seemed to sit lower on her neck.
"Too tired to see Max make it back?"
"I will hold on as long as this body will let me. My spirit is weary but willing to 'stick it out' as they say."
Isabel didn’t like how the luminosity was slipping from Bada’s skin. Was her hair falling out? Max had said not to trust Zan completely but the guy had shown them nothing to suggest that he was dangerous to any of them. "Can Zan help you? Heal you somehow?"
"I am old. I am weak. Such is the way of the universe." Her large eyes stared at them all. Steve shrugged his shoulders under the intensity of her gaze. "You are not human… but you are."
"What?" Ava sat up, her mouth half full. "Who?"
"My servant there. I knew there was something different about him but I still do not know what." She gestured weakly with one finger.
"Steve’s human. Just as human as me." Erika shook her head.
"Precisely… it should not be possible. Perhaps I was too hasty when I teased young Rik about his affinity for his human friend. Is there perhaps a way they could have bonded?"
"Bonded?" Steve looked to the adult aliens in the room. "Like… how?"
"Zan, did you bond to Erika?" Ava questioned. That irked a little. This implication that they didn't know themselves as well as they should.
"Got her pregnant didn’t I?" He knew how that happened. He didn't mean to but having sex with someone you love made things happen.
"What is she talking about?" Liz spoke up, her appetite waning in the face of new knowledge.
"It’s like… I got this glass of plain milk and that’s Erika." Ava motioned with her hands. "Zan is a glass of chocolate milk. I take some of him and pour him into her, just a little bit. She still tastes like regular milk but her color is a little darker like his chocolate milk. You can dilute the milk and strain it but there’s always going to be a little bit of that chocolate still in there." Ava tried to explain. "I don’t see how Rik and Steve could bond that way… even if they was gay."
The room was quiet for a long time. Liz focused on Ava and was a little relieved to feel the knowledge that this bond could only take place with an alien and a human and that it didn't necessarily need to happen for a hybrid to give birth to a hybrid's baby. Still, it made her wonder.
Steve held his napkin in his right hand for a long time as he chewed and swallowed. "Erika."
She turned to him and watched him switch hands and hold his right hand out to her, palm up. She sighed heavily. These boys. "I hadn’t thought about that. When these knuckleheads were ten… They did this." She held his hand out to Ava so she could see the two inch scar on Steve’s palm. "Rik’s got one too."
"You mean… they’s blood brothers?" Ava stared at the scar. Just a thin white line across the boy's palm.
"Don’t mean nothin'. It ain’t like he’s alien or nothin'… he just got a little alien flavor is all." Zan shook his head. They were all freaking out over… nothing. He looked to his mother and she looked back. It was nothing. It didn't mean anything. It was a few strands of DNA where they weren't supposed to be. It didn't mean anything.
"Perhaps." Bada sagged a little in her chair. She had proved her point to her son. If she could give the peace of mind that she had never been able to when he was struggling with the kingdom, she would do that.
"That’s why Kal brought you into this." Liz clenched her jaw, the way Max often did when he was irate. "I’m going to have a very strongly worded conversation with that shape shifter when he gets back."
The door swung open and the smile on Rik's face faded. "Did I miss something?"
--
"Boys." Liz nudged the wrestling throng on the floor with her foot. "Take it outside."
"They were just teaching me… oof!" Darin grunted as he was pinned hard. "To wrestle."
"WWF goes outside. Ava already had a look around. It's pretty safe."
"Where is my girl?" Zan plucked Darin out of the tangle of limbs and set him on his feet and on the way to the door.
"On the roof."
"She still doin' that?" Zan helped Steve up, the boy eagerly took the offered hand.
"She likes it." Liz shrugged. "Always has."
"Yeah, I know." Zan nodded. Isabel and Erika had gone for a walk and Zan had wanted to talk to Rik but the boy was a master at evading. He held his hand out to the boy but he just stared at it. Finally, Rik got to his feet on his own. “Hey Chief, before you run off… can I ask you somethin’?” Rik barely shrugged. “Why do you hate me so much?”
The teen stood for a full minute staring at his father. “I don’t know if I do.” Then he was out the door.
Liz offered Zan a lame smile. “Guess you can be glad for that. If he doesn’t know, he probably doesn’t.”
“I guess. I’ma go… lay down… will you?” He gestured to his very still mother.
“Sure. Me and Bada can sit.” Liz nodded and pulled a chair next to the quiet alien, who seemed to be in a pleasant mood despite her condition. Zan left them alone. "We haven't had the chance to talk."
"No." Bada shook her head slowly. "I don't need to. Max… emotes much about you. His feelings run very deep and very strong. He didn't love that way on Antar."
"He didn't?"
"He didn't know how. He was too young when he died. Too young for a king, even by our ways. My husband married late in life to a child he couldn't touch for a long time. By the time my Zan was an adolescent, his health had begun to decline. That started the arguments. Was he mentally able to perform? Was Zan maturing fast enough to be what we needed before his coronation? I regret I never thought to teach him." Bada's head inclined just a bit. Her life flashing before her eyes. "I didn't know what it was myself. I never had it. My husband and I aligned out of need. My need for control over my life without parents to guide me, his need to quiet the senators about his bachelorhood."
"How old were you?"
"Young but mature and not old enough to produce an heir. Gizan said he planned to live forever. He didn't need an heir. We did our duty. We had great… respect for each other… our love was for Antar and Antar alone. We bonded through our love of our planet. When we had our children, our focus turned back to Antar and I'm afraid I was not the mother I should have been."
"I'm sure you were fine. I don't know how I would raise children as royalty. I have trouble raising children with the lowest possible expectations." Liz waved to Erika when she returned alone and slid into her assigned room as quietly as possible. "You can't live on love."
"But you can survive on it." The old alien was tired but she liked the women her son had chosen. "If my son had to live twice at once, I'm glad that he found such strong love both ways."
--
When Darin pulled himself out of the headlock, Rik was gone. "Hey Steve… where'd he go?"
"Ruby." Steve shrugged and crouched for another go.
"Who?"
"Waitress. Through the trees and over the hill if he's smart." Steve straightened. "A lot of trees out here. More'n Central Park anyways."
Darin got an image of a pretty girl with auburn hair and a nice smile. Ruby. "So what? You've been nominated to keep the kid busy so he doesn't know what's going on?"
"Look, I'm just trying to get some energy spent so I can sleep tonight. My boy needs to get his rocks off. No big. We just hangin' and you ain't half bad." Steve motioned for the boy to come at him. "Someday you'll be cool. Now. Come on. Try to take me down."
"Can't do that." Darin shook his head ruefully.
"Why?"
"You're bigger. Stronger."
"But you're quick." Man, this kid was a piece of work. "Don't need to be big and strong to win. Do gotta be quick and get the drop though. Pay attention. You'll learn."
--
She had started it with that kiss. That mind-altering kiss. Then there had been buttons undone and tiny panties and just a bit of begging. Then the bodies coming together just as if they were made to fit together. They were careful to be quiet as not to be overheard.
She jerked her hips against him, brushed his hair away from his sweaty face. "I want to love you."
His answer was to take her lips, keep her quiet. To lay atop her to finish what they had started before anyone could find out what they were doing. To just feel her skin against his. To see her eyes bright with unshed tears. To hold her tighter. To be deep inside her. To escape with her.
Her breath hitched and shuddered in his ear. Skin to skin, her hair all over the place. Her skin was so soft. How could anyone feel this good? This couldn't last, no matter how good it felt. Burying his face in her shoulder, he came… cursing and jerking against her. Even her sweat was sweet.
As he lay on top of her, catching his breath, he couldn't help but think this was the best it was going to get for a very long time.
TBC
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I did it again. I tend to do that. Glad you all are enjoying and referring to more people to read and enjoy. Much feedback on that last part. I'm still compiling that list of ways for Tess to go. Some are quite humorous. '-)
Part 22
Part 22
The boys were quiet; all three of them sitting in the back of the van like prisoners. Bada was getting weaker. Her head lie in Zan's lap, her thin legs across Ava's legs. Liz drove while Isabel and Erika dozed next to her. It felt like the last day on Earth. Everyone's spirits were down. As if that last town had sucked all the life out of them. Maybe it was just because they knew, absolutely knew that Bada wouldn't survive to their destination.
Darin cleared this throat. "Liz, are we getting there today?"
"If we drive straight through… we'll get there after midnight." She called back. "You sleep okay, last night?"
"You like to cuddle." He wrinkled his nose at her reflection in the rear view.
"So I'm told." Liz laughed her to herself.
"Better hot step-mom than Steve." Rik interjected ruefully.
"Thought you was Dari." Steve shrugged. So what if he had woken up with his arm around his best friend. It didn't mean anything.
"Yeah. I felt." Rik snorted.
"Ey." The bald boy protested.
"Ey." The spiky-haired teen shot back.
"How was Ruby?" Eyebrows flicking up and down in implication.
"Shut up about Ruby." Rik warned. He wasn't in the mood to rehash that just now.
"So you talked to Ruby again?" Zan turned his head see to the boys in the back.
"I thought rubies were for looking at. Not talking to." Bada rasped.
"It's a name too." Ava reassured her. "For girls."
"Precious stone makes a precious name."
"Something like that."
"Gizan is also a… mineral. Strong rock makes a strong name. Gizan wanted his son to be strong but he only gave him half a name." Bada ceased talking to everyone and spoke mostly to herself, as if she had forgotten she could speak without everyone hearing. "Badain is a sacred flower. Gizan said they could not be plucked too early or they would wither and die. If you wait too long, they shrivel and fester… lingering long after they've stopped being beautiful. I told Gizan we waited too long. If I had been stronger, I could have made him see. Our Zan would have been older when Gizan died. He would have been prepared."
"Maybe but maybe it had to happen this way." Zan spoke softly to her, resting his hand on her head, not liking the gray pallor of her skin. "It's workin' out okay. Kivar is gone, done. Peace is gonna break out on Antar like a virus. You'll see. Like wildfire. Happiness everywhere."
"Peace on Antar. Yes… that would be… grand."
"Just hang on. You'll get to see it."
"To see it… would be much better."
"Baby? Who's Ruby?" Erika called back, struggling to open her eyes.
"See what you two started?" Rik smacked Steve and then Zan. "Should have kept your mouths shut. Didn't hear Darin offering details."
"Cause I didn't know nothing." Darin shrugged.
"Anything." Liz corrected. "Don't let those boys' street talk rub off on you. You know your proper grammar. Senators don't know nothing. Senators don't know anything."
"You can say that again." Rik snorted and everyone started laughing.
Liz nodded to herself. She had walked right into that one. She had almost forgotten she was in a van full of people who had inherited their sense of humor from Antar. When she turned, even Isabel was smiling though her eyes were still closed.
--
When the sun was shining high, Liz suddenly stopped the van. Isabel sat up. "What is it? Did we miss the turn?"
Darin bolted upright, breathing heavily. "Liz? Did you feel that?"
"Ah!" Isabel clutched her chest. "Ah!"
"What is it?" Erika sat up. She was very uneasy with a panicked woman on either side of her. She turned and found Darin crying between Steve and Rik, both boys as confused as she was. "Is it Max?"
"Something's happened." Liz managed to get out.
Zan looked from Liz to Isabel to Darin. "What do you feel?"
"Pain." Darin got out through clenched teeth. "Lots of pain. Fire. Burning…"
"Panic." Isabel continued. "Strain. Fatigue."
"Smoke. Michael!" Liz called out to no one, her foot still firmly on the brake. Suddenly the van lurched forward as a crunch sounded from the rear of the vehicle. Zan had to act fast to keep Bada from tumbling to the floor. Darin hit his mouth on the seat in front of him. Steve nearly fell onto the gap between the middle seat and the door. Isabel hit her head on the dashboard. Liz gasped when her chest hit the steering wheel, her hand slipping and striking the gear shift. Erika struck the dash on her back.
Rik had managed to hold his arms out to keep from flying forward but he still hurt. There was a wailing… no, a honking? Lots of gasping from around him but a steady honking from behind. Pulling Steve back into his seat, he climbed over him and threw open the side door. Hot air met him. It blurred his vision. The heat came from the black car that had crashed into them from behind. The driver was lying on the hood in a crooked heap, his foot caught on the steering wheel. The passenger was unconscious, blood pouring from his forehead.
Behind that was a curve in the road. They had been followed but for how long? Liz had stopped suddenly just around the bend and the car had no time to stop. Rik approached slowly. They were wearing black suits, just like the guys from the subway in New York… Rik peered closer. Not just like, actually. These were the same guys from the subway. He began to hyperventilate. He examined the car. Just those two and a monitor on the dash. Bleeping light at ground zero. They had a tracker on the van. Where? How had they caught up to them?
The surge came from nowhere. Rik could only let it go, rocking the car and the van with its power, eliciting moans from the agent in the passenger seat. The driver was dead. Isabel stumbled out of the van, holding her hand to her head. "Rik… what are you doing?"
"They've been followin' us." He managed to get the words out. "There's a tracker on the van. We have to find it."
"Oh god…. Oh god." Isabel breathed and went scrambling beneath the van despite the heat still creeping off the badly damaged car. "Liz! Put the brake on!"
A second later, Zan was out of the van. He put his hand over the engine and the heat suddenly dissipated. He rolled the driver over to dig out the ID badge. Cursing he snapped the agent's neck. He repeated the treatment on the passenger and turned to Rik. "I'm not a killer but these guys won't stop unless they're dead."
"There's nothing under here." Isabel called out.
"How did they know how to find us?" Rik breathed and thought. Everywhere they had gone in the city, the feds had been there. They had only lost them when they had gone into the sewers. "Aunt Liz? How close are we to the city?"
"Two days." Liz called out.
"They just found us. They haven't been following us. They just found us. Today. Right now." Rik breathed. If they had been followed, the feds would have been all over the summit. They hadn't been. It had taken them a few days to figure out where they would go. How had they been tracked?
"That's a pretty ring you got there." Zan reached for Rik's hand. "Your school give this to you?"
"Class ring. Paid for by my scholarship." Rik nodded and pulled it off. The school had given it to him. Kal had never mentioned it. Kal would have gotten one on Darin's finger too. Would have made them give them up days ago.
Zan wrapped his hand around the ring and concentrated. There was a crackle and then the blip of the radar screen silenced. He held the ring out to his son. "You can keep it. It's broke now."
Hesitantly, Rik took the ring back. The stone was blackened but the ring was still intact. His school ring from his fancy school that he'd probably never see again. No one would believe him if he told them he had gotten in. School motto around the stone. School mascot on the side. Academic signature on the other side. Ronald Israel Kasey inscribed inside it. He had never questioned half the things Adarma had given him.
"Come on. Let's get goin'." Zan gestured to the van. "I gotta fix the damage or they'll know it's us."
Zan waited until Isabel and Rik were back inside the van before allowing Liz to pull away. Using his powers, he sent the car over the road on the wrong side, making it crash through the railing and igniting it on the way down the ravine on that side. Taking a breath, he waved his hand over the back bumper, making it bounce back from its dents and fixing the paint job. Then he placed a hand on the van itself and changed the color. He hadn't drained himself at all.
When he climbed back inside the van, the passengers had rearranged themselves. Steve was behind the wheel, Liz beside him, Darin beside her. Ava still held onto Bada, Isabel beside them. Erika and Rik sat in the back. "Let's go."
Steve threw the van into gear and they sped off. "Should I mention that I never actually done this before?"
"Tell me if you can't handle it and I mean it." Liz clutched her wrist to her chest. "Don't be proud."
"Liz…" Darin stretched his mouth. "I think I healed myself."
"Congratulations, honey." Liz wanted to pull him to her but she hurt too much. "You can dissolve the blood in your mouth if you try but don't strain yourself."
Zan turned Erika away from him so he could lift her shirt and see the bruise on her back. "It's okay. Ain't hardly nothin'."
Rik leaned forward and put his hand on Isabel's forehead. He didn't even think about it. His reward was a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, sweetie. Feels better."
"Aunt Liz? You okay?" Rik called up.
"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me right now. I'll let Zan fix this when we stop." She craned her head back to see him. "I think it's a fracture. It's a little more complicated than a cut or a bruise."
"Mom?" Isabel could feel how weak the old alien was. "You doing okay?" All she got in response was a pleasant hum. "Steve, the air. Turn it up."
"Which…" Steve struggled to keep his eyes on the road but look for the switch.
"I got it." Darin leaned over Liz to turn the knob. He could see how uncomfortable Liz was. "You can lean on me if you want."
"Puttin' the moves on the hot step-mom. Nice, kid."
"Steve. Shut up." Darin made a face at him.
"Thank you." Liz rested her head on the boy's shoulder. "Remember, Steve. You wake me if you get in over your head. Drive this road for another fifty miles, take the exit on the left and turn right at the first intersection. If you think you'll get confused, wake me or ask Isabel. I'm just gonna close my eyes for a bit."
"Liz? You don't have a concussion, right?" Isabel called up.
"No. Just… worried."
That's right. There was a reason for the wreck. Something had happened to Max. Something had happened to all of them. Something had gone wrong when they walked into FBI headquarters.
Zan leaned against the window, Erika in his lap. Rik faced them on the other side of the seat, their legs all tangled up in an attempt to keep from falling off the long seat. At least the kid didn't seem to mind. His eyes were fixed on that ring. "It's not your fault."
"I know." Rik nodded to himself mostly. "If I didn't get in to that school… I wouldn't have figured out I was an alien. This is just… more shit."
"That my earring?" Zan nudged Rik's thigh with his foot.
"Yeah, and?"
"Thought you hated me…"
"Yeah, well, when I put it in, I thought you were dead. Sue me."
"That mean I got more stuff around here somewhere?"
"Oh. Right." Ava winced a little. She'd been carrying the jewelry so long she hadn't thought to part with it when its owner showed up. She fished the pouch out of her pocket and tossed it to him. "Most of it's in there. The boy got the earring, the wife got the ring and I'm keeping the pewter."
"You got the pewter? Where? I ain't seen it." Zan let Erika pour the silver into her hand.
"And you ain't gonna."
"Has your buddy seen it?" Isabel arched an eyebrow at the blond.
"I don't know. You'll have to ask him." Ava evaded smoothly. "I'm achin' something fierce. Gonna get some shut eye."
"You gonna help me or what?" Zan nudged Erika. "Just make sure it looks straight."
"You're going to pierce it… in here?" She turned her face to him. "Don’t you need a needle?"
"Didn't the first time." Zan pressed the back against his ear. He barely winced when the metal pushed through the lobe. "Nothin' to it."
"Can I do that?" Rik blurted out.
"Don't know. Can you?"
--
Darin tried to focus on Max as the scenery flew past. Nothing. He tried Tess. He got nothing. How had he done it before? Liz slept fitfully on his lap. Steve kept his focus on the road. "I love you." Liz murmured in her sleep.
Isabel closed her eyes as darkness set in but she held herself too stiff to be asleep. She opened her mouth. "Pull over."
"Huh?"
"Pull over. Darin, open your door." Isabel ordered, her eyes still closed.
Steve pulled onto the shoulder and Darin opened the door. Suddenly Liz lurched forward in her sleep, she tried to scramble across Darin's legs as she woke but only got her head clear of his legs when the bile spewed from her mouth. Her entire body heaved as anything she'd eaten in the last day forced its way out of her mouth.
"She has a concussion. She lied earlier." Isabel whispered and passed a bottle of water to Darin. "I've been watching her subconscious. Same scene over and over again. Back on the road, Steve. She'll be fine. Take some water, Liz."
"I'm okay." Liz coughed as she rinsed her mouth and settled back into her seat between the two teens. "I'm good. Let's go."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Darin asked.
"She didn't want us to stop or slow down." Isabel answered for her. "We need to get everyone together and decide what to do." She sighed heavily.
"Everyone?" Zan asked. Who else was there?
"Our kids… spouses… a friend…" Isabel waved him off, already back to concentrating on her self-assigned task. Trying to reach her brother, her best friend, Kal… hell, even Tess.
"You left people behind but you brought my kid and Erika?" Zan tried to sit up but they had been in precarious balance in the backseat.
"And if we hadn't, you'd still be workin' for the bad guys." Ava shot back.
"The kids saved our asses at that summit." Erika tried to soothe Zan but he was upset. He barely nodded and settled down but she could feel his heart beating against her back. That thumping never calmed down.
--
Kyle rushed out of the house when the van pulled up. Zan nudged Erika. "You wearin' his clothes for a reason?"
"Borrowed." She murmured as she climbed out of the van.
"You're a car short." Kyle helped Liz out of the front seat. "You're missing a few aliens. Liz? What's going on?"
"Max took Tess with him to take on the FBI." Liz held her wrist against her body, wincing when she moved. "Zan… could you?"
"If Big Cheese took the aliens on safari, what the hell is that doing here?" Kyle pointed to the former king as he attempted to take Liz from Kyle. "Get away from her. I know who you came in with."
"She asked me over here." Zan attempted to flex on Kyle but Kyle was long past being intimidated by bullies and alien kings. "Ow." That hurt. He gripped his chest. "How'd you do that?"
"Liz wasn't the only one who got presents from Max." Kyle nodded. "You make a wrong move and I pop a muscle in your chest. Pretty important one."
"Kyle! Stop." Liz ordered. "My wrist is fractured. I have a concussion. He's going to heal me… because that's his gift." When Kyle didn't move, her eyes hardened. She stepped closer to Zan. "Back off."
Kyle physically moved away two feet without wanting to when her protection bubble shot up. "I hate it when she does that!" He stomped away, hands in his hair.
Zan flexed his chest to get the feel of the short man's mental grip out of his chest. Then he did as instructed, fixed Liz's concussion and repaired her fracture. "Two small breaks."
"I thought as much." Liz dropped her shield. "Everyone in the house. Get refreshed. Eat. Rest. We're deciding what to do at first light." She turned to everyone in the driveway and those who had spilled out of the house. "Let's just get this straight now. I'm in charge. I'm not as democratic as Max. We'll decide what gets us all safe. No exceptions. You want to talk about it, you talk to Zan for the next few hours. I'm going to see my kids."
"What?" Zan whirled around on her. "Me?"
"You’re my number two. You already told Max you'd do it. Just listen until I'm rested. You'll do fine." Liz turned to the house. "There's my baby."
"Mommy!" Isaiah shot into her arms.
"Come on. Mommy needs a nap and it's way past your bedtime."
"Liz?" Maria held her arms out. "What the hell is going on?"
"Talk to Zan. I'm getting some sleep." Liz brushed past her and into the house with her son.
"No, Liz. Come back here." Maria shouted, banging into the house after her. "Where the hell is Michael?"
"Where do you think?" Liz turned with a heavy sigh. "Do you mind not yelling in my son’s ear?"
"You and me are gonna have a talk."
"Yeah but not right now. You want answers, talk to Zan… like I said two minutes ago. I’m tired. I’m not feeling good and I need to see my children." Liz held Maria’s gaze for a full minute. "Don’t give me lip. My husband’s gone, too. Leave me alone. I’ll be up at dawn."
TBC
The boys were quiet; all three of them sitting in the back of the van like prisoners. Bada was getting weaker. Her head lie in Zan's lap, her thin legs across Ava's legs. Liz drove while Isabel and Erika dozed next to her. It felt like the last day on Earth. Everyone's spirits were down. As if that last town had sucked all the life out of them. Maybe it was just because they knew, absolutely knew that Bada wouldn't survive to their destination.
Darin cleared this throat. "Liz, are we getting there today?"
"If we drive straight through… we'll get there after midnight." She called back. "You sleep okay, last night?"
"You like to cuddle." He wrinkled his nose at her reflection in the rear view.
"So I'm told." Liz laughed her to herself.
"Better hot step-mom than Steve." Rik interjected ruefully.
"Thought you was Dari." Steve shrugged. So what if he had woken up with his arm around his best friend. It didn't mean anything.
"Yeah. I felt." Rik snorted.
"Ey." The bald boy protested.
"Ey." The spiky-haired teen shot back.
"How was Ruby?" Eyebrows flicking up and down in implication.
"Shut up about Ruby." Rik warned. He wasn't in the mood to rehash that just now.
"So you talked to Ruby again?" Zan turned his head see to the boys in the back.
"I thought rubies were for looking at. Not talking to." Bada rasped.
"It's a name too." Ava reassured her. "For girls."
"Precious stone makes a precious name."
"Something like that."
"Gizan is also a… mineral. Strong rock makes a strong name. Gizan wanted his son to be strong but he only gave him half a name." Bada ceased talking to everyone and spoke mostly to herself, as if she had forgotten she could speak without everyone hearing. "Badain is a sacred flower. Gizan said they could not be plucked too early or they would wither and die. If you wait too long, they shrivel and fester… lingering long after they've stopped being beautiful. I told Gizan we waited too long. If I had been stronger, I could have made him see. Our Zan would have been older when Gizan died. He would have been prepared."
"Maybe but maybe it had to happen this way." Zan spoke softly to her, resting his hand on her head, not liking the gray pallor of her skin. "It's workin' out okay. Kivar is gone, done. Peace is gonna break out on Antar like a virus. You'll see. Like wildfire. Happiness everywhere."
"Peace on Antar. Yes… that would be… grand."
"Just hang on. You'll get to see it."
"To see it… would be much better."
"Baby? Who's Ruby?" Erika called back, struggling to open her eyes.
"See what you two started?" Rik smacked Steve and then Zan. "Should have kept your mouths shut. Didn't hear Darin offering details."
"Cause I didn't know nothing." Darin shrugged.
"Anything." Liz corrected. "Don't let those boys' street talk rub off on you. You know your proper grammar. Senators don't know nothing. Senators don't know anything."
"You can say that again." Rik snorted and everyone started laughing.
Liz nodded to herself. She had walked right into that one. She had almost forgotten she was in a van full of people who had inherited their sense of humor from Antar. When she turned, even Isabel was smiling though her eyes were still closed.
--
When the sun was shining high, Liz suddenly stopped the van. Isabel sat up. "What is it? Did we miss the turn?"
Darin bolted upright, breathing heavily. "Liz? Did you feel that?"
"Ah!" Isabel clutched her chest. "Ah!"
"What is it?" Erika sat up. She was very uneasy with a panicked woman on either side of her. She turned and found Darin crying between Steve and Rik, both boys as confused as she was. "Is it Max?"
"Something's happened." Liz managed to get out.
Zan looked from Liz to Isabel to Darin. "What do you feel?"
"Pain." Darin got out through clenched teeth. "Lots of pain. Fire. Burning…"
"Panic." Isabel continued. "Strain. Fatigue."
"Smoke. Michael!" Liz called out to no one, her foot still firmly on the brake. Suddenly the van lurched forward as a crunch sounded from the rear of the vehicle. Zan had to act fast to keep Bada from tumbling to the floor. Darin hit his mouth on the seat in front of him. Steve nearly fell onto the gap between the middle seat and the door. Isabel hit her head on the dashboard. Liz gasped when her chest hit the steering wheel, her hand slipping and striking the gear shift. Erika struck the dash on her back.
Rik had managed to hold his arms out to keep from flying forward but he still hurt. There was a wailing… no, a honking? Lots of gasping from around him but a steady honking from behind. Pulling Steve back into his seat, he climbed over him and threw open the side door. Hot air met him. It blurred his vision. The heat came from the black car that had crashed into them from behind. The driver was lying on the hood in a crooked heap, his foot caught on the steering wheel. The passenger was unconscious, blood pouring from his forehead.
Behind that was a curve in the road. They had been followed but for how long? Liz had stopped suddenly just around the bend and the car had no time to stop. Rik approached slowly. They were wearing black suits, just like the guys from the subway in New York… Rik peered closer. Not just like, actually. These were the same guys from the subway. He began to hyperventilate. He examined the car. Just those two and a monitor on the dash. Bleeping light at ground zero. They had a tracker on the van. Where? How had they caught up to them?
The surge came from nowhere. Rik could only let it go, rocking the car and the van with its power, eliciting moans from the agent in the passenger seat. The driver was dead. Isabel stumbled out of the van, holding her hand to her head. "Rik… what are you doing?"
"They've been followin' us." He managed to get the words out. "There's a tracker on the van. We have to find it."
"Oh god…. Oh god." Isabel breathed and went scrambling beneath the van despite the heat still creeping off the badly damaged car. "Liz! Put the brake on!"
A second later, Zan was out of the van. He put his hand over the engine and the heat suddenly dissipated. He rolled the driver over to dig out the ID badge. Cursing he snapped the agent's neck. He repeated the treatment on the passenger and turned to Rik. "I'm not a killer but these guys won't stop unless they're dead."
"There's nothing under here." Isabel called out.
"How did they know how to find us?" Rik breathed and thought. Everywhere they had gone in the city, the feds had been there. They had only lost them when they had gone into the sewers. "Aunt Liz? How close are we to the city?"
"Two days." Liz called out.
"They just found us. They haven't been following us. They just found us. Today. Right now." Rik breathed. If they had been followed, the feds would have been all over the summit. They hadn't been. It had taken them a few days to figure out where they would go. How had they been tracked?
"That's a pretty ring you got there." Zan reached for Rik's hand. "Your school give this to you?"
"Class ring. Paid for by my scholarship." Rik nodded and pulled it off. The school had given it to him. Kal had never mentioned it. Kal would have gotten one on Darin's finger too. Would have made them give them up days ago.
Zan wrapped his hand around the ring and concentrated. There was a crackle and then the blip of the radar screen silenced. He held the ring out to his son. "You can keep it. It's broke now."
Hesitantly, Rik took the ring back. The stone was blackened but the ring was still intact. His school ring from his fancy school that he'd probably never see again. No one would believe him if he told them he had gotten in. School motto around the stone. School mascot on the side. Academic signature on the other side. Ronald Israel Kasey inscribed inside it. He had never questioned half the things Adarma had given him.
"Come on. Let's get goin'." Zan gestured to the van. "I gotta fix the damage or they'll know it's us."
Zan waited until Isabel and Rik were back inside the van before allowing Liz to pull away. Using his powers, he sent the car over the road on the wrong side, making it crash through the railing and igniting it on the way down the ravine on that side. Taking a breath, he waved his hand over the back bumper, making it bounce back from its dents and fixing the paint job. Then he placed a hand on the van itself and changed the color. He hadn't drained himself at all.
When he climbed back inside the van, the passengers had rearranged themselves. Steve was behind the wheel, Liz beside him, Darin beside her. Ava still held onto Bada, Isabel beside them. Erika and Rik sat in the back. "Let's go."
Steve threw the van into gear and they sped off. "Should I mention that I never actually done this before?"
"Tell me if you can't handle it and I mean it." Liz clutched her wrist to her chest. "Don't be proud."
"Liz…" Darin stretched his mouth. "I think I healed myself."
"Congratulations, honey." Liz wanted to pull him to her but she hurt too much. "You can dissolve the blood in your mouth if you try but don't strain yourself."
Zan turned Erika away from him so he could lift her shirt and see the bruise on her back. "It's okay. Ain't hardly nothin'."
Rik leaned forward and put his hand on Isabel's forehead. He didn't even think about it. His reward was a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, sweetie. Feels better."
"Aunt Liz? You okay?" Rik called up.
"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me right now. I'll let Zan fix this when we stop." She craned her head back to see him. "I think it's a fracture. It's a little more complicated than a cut or a bruise."
"Mom?" Isabel could feel how weak the old alien was. "You doing okay?" All she got in response was a pleasant hum. "Steve, the air. Turn it up."
"Which…" Steve struggled to keep his eyes on the road but look for the switch.
"I got it." Darin leaned over Liz to turn the knob. He could see how uncomfortable Liz was. "You can lean on me if you want."
"Puttin' the moves on the hot step-mom. Nice, kid."
"Steve. Shut up." Darin made a face at him.
"Thank you." Liz rested her head on the boy's shoulder. "Remember, Steve. You wake me if you get in over your head. Drive this road for another fifty miles, take the exit on the left and turn right at the first intersection. If you think you'll get confused, wake me or ask Isabel. I'm just gonna close my eyes for a bit."
"Liz? You don't have a concussion, right?" Isabel called up.
"No. Just… worried."
That's right. There was a reason for the wreck. Something had happened to Max. Something had happened to all of them. Something had gone wrong when they walked into FBI headquarters.
Zan leaned against the window, Erika in his lap. Rik faced them on the other side of the seat, their legs all tangled up in an attempt to keep from falling off the long seat. At least the kid didn't seem to mind. His eyes were fixed on that ring. "It's not your fault."
"I know." Rik nodded to himself mostly. "If I didn't get in to that school… I wouldn't have figured out I was an alien. This is just… more shit."
"That my earring?" Zan nudged Rik's thigh with his foot.
"Yeah, and?"
"Thought you hated me…"
"Yeah, well, when I put it in, I thought you were dead. Sue me."
"That mean I got more stuff around here somewhere?"
"Oh. Right." Ava winced a little. She'd been carrying the jewelry so long she hadn't thought to part with it when its owner showed up. She fished the pouch out of her pocket and tossed it to him. "Most of it's in there. The boy got the earring, the wife got the ring and I'm keeping the pewter."
"You got the pewter? Where? I ain't seen it." Zan let Erika pour the silver into her hand.
"And you ain't gonna."
"Has your buddy seen it?" Isabel arched an eyebrow at the blond.
"I don't know. You'll have to ask him." Ava evaded smoothly. "I'm achin' something fierce. Gonna get some shut eye."
"You gonna help me or what?" Zan nudged Erika. "Just make sure it looks straight."
"You're going to pierce it… in here?" She turned her face to him. "Don’t you need a needle?"
"Didn't the first time." Zan pressed the back against his ear. He barely winced when the metal pushed through the lobe. "Nothin' to it."
"Can I do that?" Rik blurted out.
"Don't know. Can you?"
--
Darin tried to focus on Max as the scenery flew past. Nothing. He tried Tess. He got nothing. How had he done it before? Liz slept fitfully on his lap. Steve kept his focus on the road. "I love you." Liz murmured in her sleep.
Isabel closed her eyes as darkness set in but she held herself too stiff to be asleep. She opened her mouth. "Pull over."
"Huh?"
"Pull over. Darin, open your door." Isabel ordered, her eyes still closed.
Steve pulled onto the shoulder and Darin opened the door. Suddenly Liz lurched forward in her sleep, she tried to scramble across Darin's legs as she woke but only got her head clear of his legs when the bile spewed from her mouth. Her entire body heaved as anything she'd eaten in the last day forced its way out of her mouth.
"She has a concussion. She lied earlier." Isabel whispered and passed a bottle of water to Darin. "I've been watching her subconscious. Same scene over and over again. Back on the road, Steve. She'll be fine. Take some water, Liz."
"I'm okay." Liz coughed as she rinsed her mouth and settled back into her seat between the two teens. "I'm good. Let's go."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Darin asked.
"She didn't want us to stop or slow down." Isabel answered for her. "We need to get everyone together and decide what to do." She sighed heavily.
"Everyone?" Zan asked. Who else was there?
"Our kids… spouses… a friend…" Isabel waved him off, already back to concentrating on her self-assigned task. Trying to reach her brother, her best friend, Kal… hell, even Tess.
"You left people behind but you brought my kid and Erika?" Zan tried to sit up but they had been in precarious balance in the backseat.
"And if we hadn't, you'd still be workin' for the bad guys." Ava shot back.
"The kids saved our asses at that summit." Erika tried to soothe Zan but he was upset. He barely nodded and settled down but she could feel his heart beating against her back. That thumping never calmed down.
--
Kyle rushed out of the house when the van pulled up. Zan nudged Erika. "You wearin' his clothes for a reason?"
"Borrowed." She murmured as she climbed out of the van.
"You're a car short." Kyle helped Liz out of the front seat. "You're missing a few aliens. Liz? What's going on?"
"Max took Tess with him to take on the FBI." Liz held her wrist against her body, wincing when she moved. "Zan… could you?"
"If Big Cheese took the aliens on safari, what the hell is that doing here?" Kyle pointed to the former king as he attempted to take Liz from Kyle. "Get away from her. I know who you came in with."
"She asked me over here." Zan attempted to flex on Kyle but Kyle was long past being intimidated by bullies and alien kings. "Ow." That hurt. He gripped his chest. "How'd you do that?"
"Liz wasn't the only one who got presents from Max." Kyle nodded. "You make a wrong move and I pop a muscle in your chest. Pretty important one."
"Kyle! Stop." Liz ordered. "My wrist is fractured. I have a concussion. He's going to heal me… because that's his gift." When Kyle didn't move, her eyes hardened. She stepped closer to Zan. "Back off."
Kyle physically moved away two feet without wanting to when her protection bubble shot up. "I hate it when she does that!" He stomped away, hands in his hair.
Zan flexed his chest to get the feel of the short man's mental grip out of his chest. Then he did as instructed, fixed Liz's concussion and repaired her fracture. "Two small breaks."
"I thought as much." Liz dropped her shield. "Everyone in the house. Get refreshed. Eat. Rest. We're deciding what to do at first light." She turned to everyone in the driveway and those who had spilled out of the house. "Let's just get this straight now. I'm in charge. I'm not as democratic as Max. We'll decide what gets us all safe. No exceptions. You want to talk about it, you talk to Zan for the next few hours. I'm going to see my kids."
"What?" Zan whirled around on her. "Me?"
"You’re my number two. You already told Max you'd do it. Just listen until I'm rested. You'll do fine." Liz turned to the house. "There's my baby."
"Mommy!" Isaiah shot into her arms.
"Come on. Mommy needs a nap and it's way past your bedtime."
"Liz?" Maria held her arms out. "What the hell is going on?"
"Talk to Zan. I'm getting some sleep." Liz brushed past her and into the house with her son.
"No, Liz. Come back here." Maria shouted, banging into the house after her. "Where the hell is Michael?"
"Where do you think?" Liz turned with a heavy sigh. "Do you mind not yelling in my son’s ear?"
"You and me are gonna have a talk."
"Yeah but not right now. You want answers, talk to Zan… like I said two minutes ago. I’m tired. I’m not feeling good and I need to see my children." Liz held Maria’s gaze for a full minute. "Don’t give me lip. My husband’s gone, too. Leave me alone. I’ll be up at dawn."
TBC
Part 23
AN: I am so sorry for the length of time between this and the previous post. Blocked and angered I worked on other stuff until this came together but now we have a very long part for you all to enjoy! '-)
Part 23
At dawn, Liz sat up in her bed staring at the ceiling. She had Hannah in her left arm, Isaiah under her right arm and Darin sprawled across the bottom of the bed. All she had to do was wait. Usually she had Max in bed with her while they waited for Michael or Isabel to show up so they could discuss what to do but… Max wasn't here, nor was Michael. Surprisingly, it was Jesse who brought her coffee and pulled a chair up to the bed to listen. "They sent you?"
"I'm the only one you haven't yelled at. They figured this was safer." Jesse offered her a lame smile and helped move Isaiah into a better position. "She was a little fussy since day before last. He's been good though." He jerked his head to the boy on the foot of the bed. "How's he holding up?"
"Good… considering." Liz sighed and sipped the warm brew. "It's been rough. He's at an awkward age. He was just getting used to Max and his powers are coming along. It was hard to say goodbye. He took that the hardest." She caught Jesse's look. "Kyle filled you in, huh. Yeah. He seemed to like her well enough… but he cried the hardest saying bye to Max."
"Figures. He'd only been with her a few days… What do you want to do?" Jesse got comfortable in his chair. He'd never been in on one of these meetings before but he'd try to get it right.
"Find them. We shouldn't stay here though. We were tracked for a while. Don't know when they caught onto us before we figured it out. Don't know if that signal went anywhere else. We probably shouldn't have stayed here this long. I needed a good bed badly, though. I really think we need to move. Get another car, maybe. You and Maria take the little ones… and Isabel. We pick up some disposable phones to keep in touch." She saw the look on his face when she mentioned his wife. "I don't want a group without some sort of protection in the form of an experienced alien."
"She's pregnant again, isn't she?"
"I think so."
He nodded to himself, eyes on the bedspread. "Okay. So we take a van. Isabel and I will take our kids and yours. Kyle and Maria will get everyone else… What?" He trailed off at the look on her face.
"Not Kyle. I'll need him."
Jesse made a face. "Us, your little ones. Maria and Mandy, Kyle's kids. How about Darin and the other two?"
"Darin will help you. He gets upset and I don't want to alienate him but I don't want him seeing some of the things that I might have to do. Take Steve too. He'll help. I hear he's got brothers and sisters, some little cousins. He's got experience." Liz nodded, the more of her plan that she got out, the less at ease she felt.
"You're taking the other one? Rik?"
"I need Zan." Liz clarified. "He has to go. Someone's hurt. Don't know who. Rik could be useful if he had control. He doesn't but still… That thing he does… is powerful. Neither one will go without Erika, I think, unless someone can convince them otherwise. You'll take Bada. She's dying."
"You. Kyle. Ava. Zan, Rik and Erika. That's a mighty small army you got."
"Mighty being the key word there." Liz nodded. "I'm not coming back without everyone we love."
"And Tess?" He asked and her only answer was a shrug.
--
Rik stood a ways off. His mother and Zan were really getting into it. Angry tears and not so subtle jabs. He was following Liz's orders to get her to go with the others to a safe place. To let Rik go with the search party. "Mom…" She turned to her child with eyes full of tears. "I can help. Aunt Liz asked me to go if I thought I could help. I'll go but you have to go with the others. You didn't raise me to shirk my responsibilities. Uncle Max took care of us… I have to go."
"They have enough people going." Erika shook her head.
"I've learned from his mistakes. I'll go and I promise to come back. I keep my promises." His eyes met his father's. A sick satisfaction washed through him at the hurt he saw there. "I can hide and hope everything will be okay or I can go and make sure it will be."
"We'll watch out for each other." Zan promised even though neither of them believed him. She calmed a little as she realized they were united on the front. Zan pulled her close. "Maybe there's something you can do for me. For us… My ain't doin' so good."
--
Darin sat pouting with his little brother and sister while they loaded up the vans to go. He had to go with the children and the humans. They had given him all the usual excuses. He could help look after the little ones. Steve was also with the humans. His powers could come in handy if Aunt Isabel wasn't feeling good. They just didn't want him in the way.
Isaiah stared up at him, kicking his feet against the porch step as they sat waiting. Then he put his small hand in Darin's free hand. "Daddy says you're my brother."
"Yeah." Darin nodded. Not biologically but… emotionally… and that was the way that counted in this family.
"Mommy says you gonna take care of me til she brings Daddy home."
"Yeah."
"Mommy and Daddy aren't my real Mommy and Daddy but they says I can call them that."
"Really?" Darin looked at the five year old with new eyes. He was smarter than he had given the kid credit for.
"Uh-huh." Isaiah's green eyes sparkled in the morning light. "My mommy and daddy got hurt and had to go to heaven. Mommy Liz said my mommy made her promise to love me and take care of me forever. You wanna see?"
"What?" He tilted his head at the small boy until the kid's hand came out of his pocket with a little wrinkled picture. "That's them, huh."
"Uh-huh. They's watchin' over me from up in heaven. Daddy says so."
"Daddy did, huh." Darin had been given the impression that Max didn't believe in God. The powers of good and evil battling for the fate of the world… or worlds. It wasn't hard to make the leap to faith without even trying. Max probably figured he wasn't lying to the boy. "Daddy promised to come home. Mommy will bring him back. I'll take care you and Hannah until they do."
"Thank you." Liz bent and kissed his head then kissed Isaiah's cheek noisily. "Time to load up the passengers." She took Hannah from Darin so she could say goodbye.
His eyes wandered the driveway of this out of the way house. How did they have so many of these vacant houses on ready for their arrival? Then his eyes landed on Kyle who was surrounded by his children. The man spoke to his children very seriously and then made them laugh, just a little bit. It was then, Darin realized that if what all he heard was true, then Kyle had never been away from his children on any of these alien jaunts before.
They were all in some kind of pain. He could see Zan sitting in the backdoors of one of the vans, talking to his mother. No one had thought she'd make it this long. When he kissed her forehead, her body glowed brightly for just a moment. Then Erika climbed into the back and she seemed to comfort the old alien when Zan rose and climbed into the other van. It was time to go.
--
Rik stared out the window but he didn't see the scenery. He was tired of the van even if he had the back seat all to himself this trip.
"How long are you here for, stranger?"
"Don't know. The night, the day after maybe. Depends on my aunt. My grandma's sick."
"That's a… strong family resemblance… that guy you were with…"
"Yeah, there is that. Where are we going?"
"Away from prying eyes so we can talk… or not talk…"
"Slow down, girl… no rushin'…"
"Please? I won't tell no one and you'll be long gone before anyone finds out…"
"First times are for beds… not logs covered in… algae."
"You don't know."
"Am I wrong? I don’t fuck and run… and I ain't gonna be here tomorrow probably."
"Take me with you…"
"I can't but I want to… I really kinda want to."
"I'll run away… I'll find you."
"Wait til I get home, I'll drop a line. Tell you where to run to."
"Run where, Chief?" The voice interrupted Rik's day dream. He ignored him. "You talkin' in your sleep?" He kept his eyes on the window. "Dem's some pretty colored marbles you got there. Look like rubies."
"Mind your own business." Rik finally turned to his father and glanced down at the marbles in his hand. Sure enough, they were the color of rubies. One by one he changed them different colors without draining himself one bit. One the color of her hair, one the color of her lips.
"You have a nice chat with a pretty girl somewheres?"
"Can you not talk now?" Rik bit out.
"Zan, sh." Liz turned her head slightly. "He misses his mom, a pretty girl or two. No dad business now."
"Thanks, Aunt Liz." Rik called over the seats.
"And you, be nice to your dad. You only get one biological father." Liz turned back to face the front. "You feel anything?"
"Not really." Kyle shook his head. "Ava?"
"No power. They's bein' good boys and girls wherever they are." Ava leaned on the seat and massaged his shoulder. "Give me some power, baby."
"Not while I'm driving, use Liz."
"Excuse me, offering me up like you own me." Liz thumped him on the shoulder.
"I can't play with her when I hook up. Max doesn't like it." She breathed in his ear. "He says I'm a bad influence on the mother of his child."
"Girl, what you been up to?" Zan nudged her with his knee.
"Wouldn't you like to know." She peered over her shoulder at him. "It's just too bad you're in love now. I know all kinds of things now that I didn't when we was 15."
Kyle whistled. "Hey, lover over here. Blue eyes, here."
"Aw… sugar…" Ava leaned forward to kiss his ear. "Just like my ego stroked every once in a while."
"I'll stroke something else when this is over. Promise."
"You better come through on that. Rik's buddy Steve has been working on her since we split up last week." Liz informed him. She craned her neck to see Zan. "How's he doing?"
"Sleepin' again." Zan shrugged. He stared at her sympathetic face for a good long while. "What exactly do you want me to do?"
"Did they ever see you? The FBI?"
"Nah. Tess and Lannie took care of the Unit shit. Mostly Tess. Kivar had a pretty good hold on her."
"Why?"
"She didn't remember hardly nothin', I guess. I remembered stuff but the important stuff was buried deep. I blocked as much as I could to keep Kivar out of my secrets. He was onto me when I hesitated to kill this kid who stumbled in on us. He was maybe two. Escaped from his parents' campground. He stared up at me with so much… trust that I almost remembered about the kid before Kivar took control and I…"
"Zan… he made you do it. You didn't kill that boy. He did." Liz reached back to touch his hand.
"I'm not a child. Don't do that thing you do to the boys." Zan shook his head at her, pulling his hands out of her reach.
"Sorry. You just… you're young."
"If it wants to feel guilty. Let it." Kyle grunted.
"Kyle." Liz groaned and pulled her hand back.
"If he hadn't gotten himself killed, Max wouldn't have gone with Tess to New York and she never would have met the enemies and gotten the idea to use Alex and kill him and make me carry his dead body to pull off her suicide scenario."
"So now it's Zan's fault Alex is dead. Let it go, Kyle. Tess did it. Tess Harding and I just hope she's already dead so I don't have to worry about her anymore." She glared at him. "Zan is one of the good guys."
"Because you say so?"
"Because I say so." Ava pinched his ear. "If I thought for a minute that we couldn't trust him, I'd kill him myself. That's a promise."
"I'll hold you to that." Zan and Kyle said at the same time.
Liz turned back to look at Zan who was the most miserable she'd ever seen him. "Is it hard? Being alive again?"
"It'd be fine if it was just me. I can deal that time has passed and Ava is older and Erika is older and maybe moved on with her life. This kid… I missed so much. His eyes used to light up when I visited. He knew who I was, called me 'dada'… he don't look at me like that no more and it kills me." He turned his head to stare at his sleeping son's profile. "I still feel like his dad… like I gotta take care of him and do all that stuff… I ain't seen a mirror in a while. Maybe I do look 19 but… I feel 50."
"Kivar is… was the equivalent of 50 human years." Ava whispered.
"I don't care about that part of me. I'll push it down. It ain't ever getting out to hurt people." Zan turned his face to the window. "If it does get out. I fully expect you to kill me. I don't know what all was done when we was put back together but if Kivar is alive somewhere inside me… I want to know you people will keep him from hurting my kid."
tbc next post
Part 23
At dawn, Liz sat up in her bed staring at the ceiling. She had Hannah in her left arm, Isaiah under her right arm and Darin sprawled across the bottom of the bed. All she had to do was wait. Usually she had Max in bed with her while they waited for Michael or Isabel to show up so they could discuss what to do but… Max wasn't here, nor was Michael. Surprisingly, it was Jesse who brought her coffee and pulled a chair up to the bed to listen. "They sent you?"
"I'm the only one you haven't yelled at. They figured this was safer." Jesse offered her a lame smile and helped move Isaiah into a better position. "She was a little fussy since day before last. He's been good though." He jerked his head to the boy on the foot of the bed. "How's he holding up?"
"Good… considering." Liz sighed and sipped the warm brew. "It's been rough. He's at an awkward age. He was just getting used to Max and his powers are coming along. It was hard to say goodbye. He took that the hardest." She caught Jesse's look. "Kyle filled you in, huh. Yeah. He seemed to like her well enough… but he cried the hardest saying bye to Max."
"Figures. He'd only been with her a few days… What do you want to do?" Jesse got comfortable in his chair. He'd never been in on one of these meetings before but he'd try to get it right.
"Find them. We shouldn't stay here though. We were tracked for a while. Don't know when they caught onto us before we figured it out. Don't know if that signal went anywhere else. We probably shouldn't have stayed here this long. I needed a good bed badly, though. I really think we need to move. Get another car, maybe. You and Maria take the little ones… and Isabel. We pick up some disposable phones to keep in touch." She saw the look on his face when she mentioned his wife. "I don't want a group without some sort of protection in the form of an experienced alien."
"She's pregnant again, isn't she?"
"I think so."
He nodded to himself, eyes on the bedspread. "Okay. So we take a van. Isabel and I will take our kids and yours. Kyle and Maria will get everyone else… What?" He trailed off at the look on her face.
"Not Kyle. I'll need him."
Jesse made a face. "Us, your little ones. Maria and Mandy, Kyle's kids. How about Darin and the other two?"
"Darin will help you. He gets upset and I don't want to alienate him but I don't want him seeing some of the things that I might have to do. Take Steve too. He'll help. I hear he's got brothers and sisters, some little cousins. He's got experience." Liz nodded, the more of her plan that she got out, the less at ease she felt.
"You're taking the other one? Rik?"
"I need Zan." Liz clarified. "He has to go. Someone's hurt. Don't know who. Rik could be useful if he had control. He doesn't but still… That thing he does… is powerful. Neither one will go without Erika, I think, unless someone can convince them otherwise. You'll take Bada. She's dying."
"You. Kyle. Ava. Zan, Rik and Erika. That's a mighty small army you got."
"Mighty being the key word there." Liz nodded. "I'm not coming back without everyone we love."
"And Tess?" He asked and her only answer was a shrug.
--
Rik stood a ways off. His mother and Zan were really getting into it. Angry tears and not so subtle jabs. He was following Liz's orders to get her to go with the others to a safe place. To let Rik go with the search party. "Mom…" She turned to her child with eyes full of tears. "I can help. Aunt Liz asked me to go if I thought I could help. I'll go but you have to go with the others. You didn't raise me to shirk my responsibilities. Uncle Max took care of us… I have to go."
"They have enough people going." Erika shook her head.
"I've learned from his mistakes. I'll go and I promise to come back. I keep my promises." His eyes met his father's. A sick satisfaction washed through him at the hurt he saw there. "I can hide and hope everything will be okay or I can go and make sure it will be."
"We'll watch out for each other." Zan promised even though neither of them believed him. She calmed a little as she realized they were united on the front. Zan pulled her close. "Maybe there's something you can do for me. For us… My ain't doin' so good."
--
Darin sat pouting with his little brother and sister while they loaded up the vans to go. He had to go with the children and the humans. They had given him all the usual excuses. He could help look after the little ones. Steve was also with the humans. His powers could come in handy if Aunt Isabel wasn't feeling good. They just didn't want him in the way.
Isaiah stared up at him, kicking his feet against the porch step as they sat waiting. Then he put his small hand in Darin's free hand. "Daddy says you're my brother."
"Yeah." Darin nodded. Not biologically but… emotionally… and that was the way that counted in this family.
"Mommy says you gonna take care of me til she brings Daddy home."
"Yeah."
"Mommy and Daddy aren't my real Mommy and Daddy but they says I can call them that."
"Really?" Darin looked at the five year old with new eyes. He was smarter than he had given the kid credit for.
"Uh-huh." Isaiah's green eyes sparkled in the morning light. "My mommy and daddy got hurt and had to go to heaven. Mommy Liz said my mommy made her promise to love me and take care of me forever. You wanna see?"
"What?" He tilted his head at the small boy until the kid's hand came out of his pocket with a little wrinkled picture. "That's them, huh."
"Uh-huh. They's watchin' over me from up in heaven. Daddy says so."
"Daddy did, huh." Darin had been given the impression that Max didn't believe in God. The powers of good and evil battling for the fate of the world… or worlds. It wasn't hard to make the leap to faith without even trying. Max probably figured he wasn't lying to the boy. "Daddy promised to come home. Mommy will bring him back. I'll take care you and Hannah until they do."
"Thank you." Liz bent and kissed his head then kissed Isaiah's cheek noisily. "Time to load up the passengers." She took Hannah from Darin so she could say goodbye.
His eyes wandered the driveway of this out of the way house. How did they have so many of these vacant houses on ready for their arrival? Then his eyes landed on Kyle who was surrounded by his children. The man spoke to his children very seriously and then made them laugh, just a little bit. It was then, Darin realized that if what all he heard was true, then Kyle had never been away from his children on any of these alien jaunts before.
They were all in some kind of pain. He could see Zan sitting in the backdoors of one of the vans, talking to his mother. No one had thought she'd make it this long. When he kissed her forehead, her body glowed brightly for just a moment. Then Erika climbed into the back and she seemed to comfort the old alien when Zan rose and climbed into the other van. It was time to go.
--
Rik stared out the window but he didn't see the scenery. He was tired of the van even if he had the back seat all to himself this trip.
"How long are you here for, stranger?"
"Don't know. The night, the day after maybe. Depends on my aunt. My grandma's sick."
"That's a… strong family resemblance… that guy you were with…"
"Yeah, there is that. Where are we going?"
"Away from prying eyes so we can talk… or not talk…"
"Slow down, girl… no rushin'…"
"Please? I won't tell no one and you'll be long gone before anyone finds out…"
"First times are for beds… not logs covered in… algae."
"You don't know."
"Am I wrong? I don’t fuck and run… and I ain't gonna be here tomorrow probably."
"Take me with you…"
"I can't but I want to… I really kinda want to."
"I'll run away… I'll find you."
"Wait til I get home, I'll drop a line. Tell you where to run to."
"Run where, Chief?" The voice interrupted Rik's day dream. He ignored him. "You talkin' in your sleep?" He kept his eyes on the window. "Dem's some pretty colored marbles you got there. Look like rubies."
"Mind your own business." Rik finally turned to his father and glanced down at the marbles in his hand. Sure enough, they were the color of rubies. One by one he changed them different colors without draining himself one bit. One the color of her hair, one the color of her lips.
"You have a nice chat with a pretty girl somewheres?"
"Can you not talk now?" Rik bit out.
"Zan, sh." Liz turned her head slightly. "He misses his mom, a pretty girl or two. No dad business now."
"Thanks, Aunt Liz." Rik called over the seats.
"And you, be nice to your dad. You only get one biological father." Liz turned back to face the front. "You feel anything?"
"Not really." Kyle shook his head. "Ava?"
"No power. They's bein' good boys and girls wherever they are." Ava leaned on the seat and massaged his shoulder. "Give me some power, baby."
"Not while I'm driving, use Liz."
"Excuse me, offering me up like you own me." Liz thumped him on the shoulder.
"I can't play with her when I hook up. Max doesn't like it." She breathed in his ear. "He says I'm a bad influence on the mother of his child."
"Girl, what you been up to?" Zan nudged her with his knee.
"Wouldn't you like to know." She peered over her shoulder at him. "It's just too bad you're in love now. I know all kinds of things now that I didn't when we was 15."
Kyle whistled. "Hey, lover over here. Blue eyes, here."
"Aw… sugar…" Ava leaned forward to kiss his ear. "Just like my ego stroked every once in a while."
"I'll stroke something else when this is over. Promise."
"You better come through on that. Rik's buddy Steve has been working on her since we split up last week." Liz informed him. She craned her neck to see Zan. "How's he doing?"
"Sleepin' again." Zan shrugged. He stared at her sympathetic face for a good long while. "What exactly do you want me to do?"
"Did they ever see you? The FBI?"
"Nah. Tess and Lannie took care of the Unit shit. Mostly Tess. Kivar had a pretty good hold on her."
"Why?"
"She didn't remember hardly nothin', I guess. I remembered stuff but the important stuff was buried deep. I blocked as much as I could to keep Kivar out of my secrets. He was onto me when I hesitated to kill this kid who stumbled in on us. He was maybe two. Escaped from his parents' campground. He stared up at me with so much… trust that I almost remembered about the kid before Kivar took control and I…"
"Zan… he made you do it. You didn't kill that boy. He did." Liz reached back to touch his hand.
"I'm not a child. Don't do that thing you do to the boys." Zan shook his head at her, pulling his hands out of her reach.
"Sorry. You just… you're young."
"If it wants to feel guilty. Let it." Kyle grunted.
"Kyle." Liz groaned and pulled her hand back.
"If he hadn't gotten himself killed, Max wouldn't have gone with Tess to New York and she never would have met the enemies and gotten the idea to use Alex and kill him and make me carry his dead body to pull off her suicide scenario."
"So now it's Zan's fault Alex is dead. Let it go, Kyle. Tess did it. Tess Harding and I just hope she's already dead so I don't have to worry about her anymore." She glared at him. "Zan is one of the good guys."
"Because you say so?"
"Because I say so." Ava pinched his ear. "If I thought for a minute that we couldn't trust him, I'd kill him myself. That's a promise."
"I'll hold you to that." Zan and Kyle said at the same time.
Liz turned back to look at Zan who was the most miserable she'd ever seen him. "Is it hard? Being alive again?"
"It'd be fine if it was just me. I can deal that time has passed and Ava is older and Erika is older and maybe moved on with her life. This kid… I missed so much. His eyes used to light up when I visited. He knew who I was, called me 'dada'… he don't look at me like that no more and it kills me." He turned his head to stare at his sleeping son's profile. "I still feel like his dad… like I gotta take care of him and do all that stuff… I ain't seen a mirror in a while. Maybe I do look 19 but… I feel 50."
"Kivar is… was the equivalent of 50 human years." Ava whispered.
"I don't care about that part of me. I'll push it down. It ain't ever getting out to hurt people." Zan turned his face to the window. "If it does get out. I fully expect you to kill me. I don't know what all was done when we was put back together but if Kivar is alive somewhere inside me… I want to know you people will keep him from hurting my kid."
tbc next post
Part 23B
--
Maria sat backwards in her seat. "You have to support her head and tilt the bottle so she doesn't suck in so much air."
Darin shifted in his seat and tried to do it but he was awkward and Hannah was squirming and whimpering. Finally, uncomfortably, he got her to take the bottle and settle down. She calmed and opened her eyes to look at him. Studying him. She was four and a half months old, how could she study him?
"She's a little creepy huh." Maria nodded. "I think she gets it from her father. I didn't know Max as a child but I'm willing to bet he was creepy. Falling in love at age 9. Who does that? It wasn't like she was just the first girl he saw either. I was out there too. He didn't fall in love with me."
"Rik has this… sixth sense about people… even before he knew he had power… About things going on behind closed doors. Maybe it's an alien thing. Maybe he knew he'd fall in love with her before he knew what that would mean." Darin looked up at her.
"You're creepy too. It's got to be an alien thing." She looked to Isabel, who was busy cuddling her children while Jesse drove. Kyle's kids were sprawled all over the back of the van and Steve like puppies. Mandy and Isaiah pretended to read together at Darin's feet. Bada lay behind their seat, humming to herself, slipping in and out of consciousness with Erika to watch over her. "All us humans have something in common. We've all been shot. Liz first… then Kyle… then Jesse… and me." She made a face. "But I was the only one who was not fatally wounded so I never have to worry about developing freaky alienness."
"Uncle Jesse almost died?" Darin turned his head to watch the driver's profile.
"Eight years ago… it's why I went to see him that time and we were blessed." Isabel dropped a kiss on her oldest's head.
"If I had known that getting put in harm's way would bring my wife home, I would have done it sooner." Jesse called back.
"If it weren't for Liz's visions, we wouldn't have gotten there in time." Isabel shook her head. "And I wouldn't have these two…"
"You think they'll be okay?" Darin shifted uncomfortably.
"It's what Liz does…" Maria muttered. "Sticking her neck out to save Max… every time. It's her curse to be the one with the visions and the responsibilities."
"None of us are here that don't want to be…" Jesse cut in.
"Do you have any powers?" Darin tried to lean forward but Hannah seemed to be getting heavier by the minute.
"Don't know. I might but I'm not really in a position to try them out most of the time. Besides I was 32… I might just be too old to change into an… alien hybrid person… I don't know what you guys are calling us."
"Changed." Isabel supplied.
"How come you didn't change? Just because you didn't almost die?" Darin looked to Maria.
"I got… shot in the butt. It wasn't anywhere near fatal." Maria admitted with a snort. "How are you doing, munchkin?"
"I miss Daddy." Mandy answered, idly flipping a page in her book.
"Me, too, sweetie. Aunt Liz went to get him back." Maria reached over to touch her child's head. "How's Grandma Bada doing?"
"She's glowing." Mandy shrugged and turned her eyes back to her book. "She says she's holding on."
"You can understand her?"
The little girl shrugged her shoulders. "I guess."
--
Rik stopped at the top of the hill and watched Zan work. He could barely make out his figure as he tramped down into the woods to find Max. He could feel Kyle on his left peering just as closely for another reason. Kyle must have seen something because he gripped Rik's arm. "Focus for me. We're gonna push back the bad guys."
"But—"
"But nothing. You can do it. Just push through. I'm not a killer. I leave that to our alien friends." Kyle held out his other hand. "When I give the word. Let it go."
"Let what go?"
"That thing you do."
"That thing where I build up the power and let it go? It only works for ten feet around. It's never going to reach them… and it'll knock us both off our feet."
"Just trust me." Kyle smirked. "Think of me like an extension cord."
"Like Liz?"
Kyle snorted, his blue eyes dancing as they moved from the trees to Rik and back again. "Compared to me, Liz is a three foot extension cord. I'm more like… an AV cart with a dedicated energy source." The grin grew as Zan, Max and Michael came into view at the tree line. The shots came a beat later. "Now would be a good time for that thing you do."
Rik let it build, tried not to force it. He kept breathing through it, trying to find as much of his own power as his body would allow. When he thought he was going to black out, he let go and instead of speeding out in waves, it shot straight through his arm and into Kyle. He could almost see the energy as it shot out of Kyle's extended hand. As the trio burst free of the trees, the energy hit 50 yards back, moving trees with its force. The shots momentarily ceased. The ripples reached out 100 yards in each direction. "I can't do that."
"I gave it a boost." Kyle shrugged and watched their trio struggle around the base of the hill. "Let's go help them out. We may have clipped them a little. Didn't know how wide it would really go."
"What the fuck was that?" Zan barked up at them, out of breath, as soon as he was within shouting range.
"The cavalry." Kyle bounded down the hillside to take Michael's legs. They had to get to the van and quick. Rik let Max lean on him as Max seemed to be in a large amount of pain.
"Uncle Max? You okay?"
"I'll be okay." He hissed, ignoring the look Zan threw over his shoulder. "Can't believe they let you come."
"Didn't have a choice about it. Aunt Liz said."
"She did… ow." Max stumbled over a stump. "Don't remember you being so powerful. You on steroids or something?"
"Kyle."
"Right. Mr. Amplifier." He snorted and winced at the pain in his chest. "Liz made you come?"
"Because I was useful and because Aunt Isabel couldn't come."
"What's wrong with Isabel?"
"She's pregnant."
Max hissed and groaned in annoyance at the same time. Rik's hand came in contact with Max's burned back but he gritted his teeth. "Of all the times to…"
"She doesn't know yet. Liz has been ordering us all around for days."
"Zan was supposed to take the lead."
"He let Liz take over… it's what's he good at… leaving the mess to someone who wants it." Rik hauled Max's arm over his shoulders to get a better grip on him.
"If you two would stop yapping, you'd move faster." Kyle called back. "Remind me to tell Maria to put Michael on a diet when we get back to normal."
The quintet moved as swiftly as they could through trees and around fallen logs. It was as they heard the women talking that the trampling began in the woods behind them. Stepping up the pace, the had to rush to cover the remaining ground. Max coughed loudly as the van appeared over a rise. "There's my power hungry wife… Liz…"
"You can yell later, sweetie, we have to go." She rushed forward to help him into the van. "Is Michael okay?"
"Tess's distraction cost us some. I don't know where Kal is or if Tess is still alive."
--
Erika smoothed down the fine hair on Bada's head. "You'll see. They'll come back to us. You'll see them again."
The alien glowed warmer for a moment. The kids were more or less awake and staring at her. So many children with her children's energy inside them. She longed to speak to them but she saved her energy for the return of her sons.
Erika looked to Steve who was soothing one of Kyle's kids. "You okay, Stevie, honey?"
"She reminds me of my grandma… I miss them."
"I know. It'll be over soon."
--
Rik sank against the wall of the abandoned house. Anywhere to get away from Zan's stare. He was so tired that he couldn't even move when he realized where he was, under Max and Liz's window. Their angry voices carried out the window.
"He's a king, Liz. He can lead a few people to safety."
"He's a boy. A boy, Max. He's scared out of his mind. He's got two concerns and two concerns only. Erika and Rik."
"He's Zan."
"He's not you!"
"How can he know what he can do if no one lets him do anything for himself?"
"No one trusts him, least of all himself. He wasn't going to do what was needed, so I did. I got the kids to safety. The others on the move. I came to your rescue. I'm not asking for gratitude. Just acknowledge that I did what was best for the group."
"You brought Kyle."
"Rik has power. With Kyle…"
"He nearly killed us too. Rik is untested. We don't know what all he's capable of."
"No one was killed… unless they accidentally shot themselves."
"Right. Just knock down the bad guys and hope they take themselves out. That'll help loads. They're just going to keep coming."
"We got away. We can fight another day. If we had killed them, there would be more. There's always more." Liz's voice got stronger. "My priority is your safety. We came for you!"
"I told Zan—"
"And he stepped aside without a protest. Not a word. He doesn't have any loyalties to us. Rath and Lannie are dead. Twice. His betrayers and tormentors are gone. Ava was his only concern and she's got us backing her up. Your mighty Zan would rather be with the kids waiting for you mother to pass on and spending time rekindling a dead romance and getting through to a kid who can't trust him to be there tomorrow. Zan's priorities are not our priorities. I know you're expecting to pass the torch on when you get too old to do this anymore but I don't see him picking up for you, for us. You built him up so much in your head and…" Liz stopped suddenly and the window opened over his head.
"Liz? What is it?"
"Rik?" Liz leaned out and peered out into the darkness. "Sweetie?"
"You really think my dad's a coward?" Why did that sting so much? To hear it from someone else?
"Oh… honey…" She reached down to touch his shoulder. "He's careful. He doesn't want to lose you again. He's not ready for our fight is all."
"We were 16." Max called to her.
"And we sucked at it. We didn't have a choice. No one to show us. People died. We trusted the wrong people. Zan doesn't have to deal with it the same way. We can teach him how to protect what he's got. He's practically one of the children."
"But he's not." Rik admitted. "He's my dad and he's supposed to know more. Supposed to be able to take care of us."
"And that's why you're always mad at him." Liz nodded. "It makes him mad too."
Rik forced himself to his feet when she opened her mouth to say something else. "I know. Go to bed. Get some rest. Trying day tomorrow."
"Good boy. We'll wake you when it's time to leave."
--
Darin shifted uncomfortably in his blanket with his little sister in his arms. Jesse had opted to pull off the road and get some sleep, rather than ask someone else to keep driving. The Ramirezes had taken the front seat. Maria, Mandy and Kyle's boy were on the middle seat. Everyone was smushed into the back, lying end to end and sometimes over and under. When he turned his head, he could see Erika was still awake, Bada curled into her like a child. "My mom's not dead."
"No?"
"I wouldn't felt it… like when Max got hurt."
"Okay. She's not dead then."
"I could feel Rik today. He was using his powers… someone else too."
"So they're okay?"
"I think so. I think maybe Zan used his powers a little… I don't feel Tess doing that."
"Are you worried?"
"Yes… because Max and Liz don't know what to do with her if she doesn't die. I don't want her to die."
"I know."
"Do you think she would stay away and let everyone think she died?"
"Do you think she would?"
"Don't know."
TBC
Maria sat backwards in her seat. "You have to support her head and tilt the bottle so she doesn't suck in so much air."
Darin shifted in his seat and tried to do it but he was awkward and Hannah was squirming and whimpering. Finally, uncomfortably, he got her to take the bottle and settle down. She calmed and opened her eyes to look at him. Studying him. She was four and a half months old, how could she study him?
"She's a little creepy huh." Maria nodded. "I think she gets it from her father. I didn't know Max as a child but I'm willing to bet he was creepy. Falling in love at age 9. Who does that? It wasn't like she was just the first girl he saw either. I was out there too. He didn't fall in love with me."
"Rik has this… sixth sense about people… even before he knew he had power… About things going on behind closed doors. Maybe it's an alien thing. Maybe he knew he'd fall in love with her before he knew what that would mean." Darin looked up at her.
"You're creepy too. It's got to be an alien thing." She looked to Isabel, who was busy cuddling her children while Jesse drove. Kyle's kids were sprawled all over the back of the van and Steve like puppies. Mandy and Isaiah pretended to read together at Darin's feet. Bada lay behind their seat, humming to herself, slipping in and out of consciousness with Erika to watch over her. "All us humans have something in common. We've all been shot. Liz first… then Kyle… then Jesse… and me." She made a face. "But I was the only one who was not fatally wounded so I never have to worry about developing freaky alienness."
"Uncle Jesse almost died?" Darin turned his head to watch the driver's profile.
"Eight years ago… it's why I went to see him that time and we were blessed." Isabel dropped a kiss on her oldest's head.
"If I had known that getting put in harm's way would bring my wife home, I would have done it sooner." Jesse called back.
"If it weren't for Liz's visions, we wouldn't have gotten there in time." Isabel shook her head. "And I wouldn't have these two…"
"You think they'll be okay?" Darin shifted uncomfortably.
"It's what Liz does…" Maria muttered. "Sticking her neck out to save Max… every time. It's her curse to be the one with the visions and the responsibilities."
"None of us are here that don't want to be…" Jesse cut in.
"Do you have any powers?" Darin tried to lean forward but Hannah seemed to be getting heavier by the minute.
"Don't know. I might but I'm not really in a position to try them out most of the time. Besides I was 32… I might just be too old to change into an… alien hybrid person… I don't know what you guys are calling us."
"Changed." Isabel supplied.
"How come you didn't change? Just because you didn't almost die?" Darin looked to Maria.
"I got… shot in the butt. It wasn't anywhere near fatal." Maria admitted with a snort. "How are you doing, munchkin?"
"I miss Daddy." Mandy answered, idly flipping a page in her book.
"Me, too, sweetie. Aunt Liz went to get him back." Maria reached over to touch her child's head. "How's Grandma Bada doing?"
"She's glowing." Mandy shrugged and turned her eyes back to her book. "She says she's holding on."
"You can understand her?"
The little girl shrugged her shoulders. "I guess."
--
Rik stopped at the top of the hill and watched Zan work. He could barely make out his figure as he tramped down into the woods to find Max. He could feel Kyle on his left peering just as closely for another reason. Kyle must have seen something because he gripped Rik's arm. "Focus for me. We're gonna push back the bad guys."
"But—"
"But nothing. You can do it. Just push through. I'm not a killer. I leave that to our alien friends." Kyle held out his other hand. "When I give the word. Let it go."
"Let what go?"
"That thing you do."
"That thing where I build up the power and let it go? It only works for ten feet around. It's never going to reach them… and it'll knock us both off our feet."
"Just trust me." Kyle smirked. "Think of me like an extension cord."
"Like Liz?"
Kyle snorted, his blue eyes dancing as they moved from the trees to Rik and back again. "Compared to me, Liz is a three foot extension cord. I'm more like… an AV cart with a dedicated energy source." The grin grew as Zan, Max and Michael came into view at the tree line. The shots came a beat later. "Now would be a good time for that thing you do."
Rik let it build, tried not to force it. He kept breathing through it, trying to find as much of his own power as his body would allow. When he thought he was going to black out, he let go and instead of speeding out in waves, it shot straight through his arm and into Kyle. He could almost see the energy as it shot out of Kyle's extended hand. As the trio burst free of the trees, the energy hit 50 yards back, moving trees with its force. The shots momentarily ceased. The ripples reached out 100 yards in each direction. "I can't do that."
"I gave it a boost." Kyle shrugged and watched their trio struggle around the base of the hill. "Let's go help them out. We may have clipped them a little. Didn't know how wide it would really go."
"What the fuck was that?" Zan barked up at them, out of breath, as soon as he was within shouting range.
"The cavalry." Kyle bounded down the hillside to take Michael's legs. They had to get to the van and quick. Rik let Max lean on him as Max seemed to be in a large amount of pain.
"Uncle Max? You okay?"
"I'll be okay." He hissed, ignoring the look Zan threw over his shoulder. "Can't believe they let you come."
"Didn't have a choice about it. Aunt Liz said."
"She did… ow." Max stumbled over a stump. "Don't remember you being so powerful. You on steroids or something?"
"Kyle."
"Right. Mr. Amplifier." He snorted and winced at the pain in his chest. "Liz made you come?"
"Because I was useful and because Aunt Isabel couldn't come."
"What's wrong with Isabel?"
"She's pregnant."
Max hissed and groaned in annoyance at the same time. Rik's hand came in contact with Max's burned back but he gritted his teeth. "Of all the times to…"
"She doesn't know yet. Liz has been ordering us all around for days."
"Zan was supposed to take the lead."
"He let Liz take over… it's what's he good at… leaving the mess to someone who wants it." Rik hauled Max's arm over his shoulders to get a better grip on him.
"If you two would stop yapping, you'd move faster." Kyle called back. "Remind me to tell Maria to put Michael on a diet when we get back to normal."
The quintet moved as swiftly as they could through trees and around fallen logs. It was as they heard the women talking that the trampling began in the woods behind them. Stepping up the pace, the had to rush to cover the remaining ground. Max coughed loudly as the van appeared over a rise. "There's my power hungry wife… Liz…"
"You can yell later, sweetie, we have to go." She rushed forward to help him into the van. "Is Michael okay?"
"Tess's distraction cost us some. I don't know where Kal is or if Tess is still alive."
--
Erika smoothed down the fine hair on Bada's head. "You'll see. They'll come back to us. You'll see them again."
The alien glowed warmer for a moment. The kids were more or less awake and staring at her. So many children with her children's energy inside them. She longed to speak to them but she saved her energy for the return of her sons.
Erika looked to Steve who was soothing one of Kyle's kids. "You okay, Stevie, honey?"
"She reminds me of my grandma… I miss them."
"I know. It'll be over soon."
--
Rik sank against the wall of the abandoned house. Anywhere to get away from Zan's stare. He was so tired that he couldn't even move when he realized where he was, under Max and Liz's window. Their angry voices carried out the window.
"He's a king, Liz. He can lead a few people to safety."
"He's a boy. A boy, Max. He's scared out of his mind. He's got two concerns and two concerns only. Erika and Rik."
"He's Zan."
"He's not you!"
"How can he know what he can do if no one lets him do anything for himself?"
"No one trusts him, least of all himself. He wasn't going to do what was needed, so I did. I got the kids to safety. The others on the move. I came to your rescue. I'm not asking for gratitude. Just acknowledge that I did what was best for the group."
"You brought Kyle."
"Rik has power. With Kyle…"
"He nearly killed us too. Rik is untested. We don't know what all he's capable of."
"No one was killed… unless they accidentally shot themselves."
"Right. Just knock down the bad guys and hope they take themselves out. That'll help loads. They're just going to keep coming."
"We got away. We can fight another day. If we had killed them, there would be more. There's always more." Liz's voice got stronger. "My priority is your safety. We came for you!"
"I told Zan—"
"And he stepped aside without a protest. Not a word. He doesn't have any loyalties to us. Rath and Lannie are dead. Twice. His betrayers and tormentors are gone. Ava was his only concern and she's got us backing her up. Your mighty Zan would rather be with the kids waiting for you mother to pass on and spending time rekindling a dead romance and getting through to a kid who can't trust him to be there tomorrow. Zan's priorities are not our priorities. I know you're expecting to pass the torch on when you get too old to do this anymore but I don't see him picking up for you, for us. You built him up so much in your head and…" Liz stopped suddenly and the window opened over his head.
"Liz? What is it?"
"Rik?" Liz leaned out and peered out into the darkness. "Sweetie?"
"You really think my dad's a coward?" Why did that sting so much? To hear it from someone else?
"Oh… honey…" She reached down to touch his shoulder. "He's careful. He doesn't want to lose you again. He's not ready for our fight is all."
"We were 16." Max called to her.
"And we sucked at it. We didn't have a choice. No one to show us. People died. We trusted the wrong people. Zan doesn't have to deal with it the same way. We can teach him how to protect what he's got. He's practically one of the children."
"But he's not." Rik admitted. "He's my dad and he's supposed to know more. Supposed to be able to take care of us."
"And that's why you're always mad at him." Liz nodded. "It makes him mad too."
Rik forced himself to his feet when she opened her mouth to say something else. "I know. Go to bed. Get some rest. Trying day tomorrow."
"Good boy. We'll wake you when it's time to leave."
--
Darin shifted uncomfortably in his blanket with his little sister in his arms. Jesse had opted to pull off the road and get some sleep, rather than ask someone else to keep driving. The Ramirezes had taken the front seat. Maria, Mandy and Kyle's boy were on the middle seat. Everyone was smushed into the back, lying end to end and sometimes over and under. When he turned his head, he could see Erika was still awake, Bada curled into her like a child. "My mom's not dead."
"No?"
"I wouldn't felt it… like when Max got hurt."
"Okay. She's not dead then."
"I could feel Rik today. He was using his powers… someone else too."
"So they're okay?"
"I think so. I think maybe Zan used his powers a little… I don't feel Tess doing that."
"Are you worried?"
"Yes… because Max and Liz don't know what to do with her if she doesn't die. I don't want her to die."
"I know."
"Do you think she would stay away and let everyone think she died?"
"Do you think she would?"
"Don't know."
TBC
Part 24
Part 24
Steve had the kids quiet. They weren't scared of him. They didn't know him. They did know he knew what he was doing. Darin admired that. Hannah was napping in the car seat up front. The adults were whispering among themselves save for Erika where she cradled Bada against her body like a child. Darin sat in the back with all the kids, lined up against the walls, knees pulled up, toes touching the toes of the child opposite them.
"The thing about being in charge is… you have to act like you know what you're doin'." Steve whispered. "They all fall in line because they think I know what I'm doing… and I kind of do. My brothers and sisters aren't all as well behaved as these are. I'm big so they think I'm an adult."
"I'm not so tall." Darin groaned. He looked younger than he was. He sometimes took advantage of that.
"You know how your mom always says 'don't just stand there, do something'?" The older boy whispered.
"How did you know?"
"Everyone's mom says that. 'Don't just stand there lookin' stupid, do somethin' useful.' Usually, you don't know what to do so she says 'sweep the floor', or 'pick up the baby' or 'here, go to the store for me.' Sometimes you don't even wait for her to say it because you know there's something you can do. You see the floor is dirty so you pick up the broom… eventually you sweep and then you mop and then you start on the dishes so she doesn't have so much to do by herself. Grandma's sick so you make sure her trash is thrown out and she'd got something to read and you keep the kiddies quiet so she can rest." The older teen sniffed suddenly and Darin became very aware of how homesick Steve was. He had a lot of people to take care of and he wasn't there to do his job. "What they don't tell you is when you learn to do all that without bein' asked… that's the day you become an adult. Sure… they's… old people everywhere got jobs and kids but they don't do for others… they's just… big babies lettin' everyone else take care of them."
"How'd you get so smart, Stevie baby?" Erika smiled at him.
"Watchin' Rik take care of you… tried it at home and my mom don't yell so much."
"You think they're doin' okay without you?" Darin cleared his throat.
"Dari was helpin' me out when she could… maybe… she's steppin' in for me… I hope."
"If she loves you near as much as you love her… I'll bet she'll be at your house when you go back."
--
Max pointed to Michael. "You heal him. You have the most power, he's worse off." Zan raised his hands and backed away, his ears peeled for gunfire. He hadn't counted many. Maybe fifty. If what Rik had told him was right, that's all there were. A few agents in charge and maybe fifty men. Any who died were probably on a list… a list that would get smaller with every death. "You do have power, right?"
"I'm good, boss man." Zan waved him off and set to work on the unconscious war commander.
"You okay, Uncle Max?" Rik watched as Max turned and peeled off his shirt. The burns were bad.
"I'll be fine but I'm weak." Max coughed lightly and steeled himself for any discomfort. "I trust you've gotten stronger."
"Don't even think about it." Zan advised as he worked slowly on Michael's badly burned body. "Just let it flow." Michael's flesh rippled and healed. "It ain't about molecules rearrangin', it's about reparation. Puttin' back a wrong."
"I used the science, myself." Max grimaced as his flesh too healed.
"Sure, you can visualize that but that ain't what's really goin' on." He continued to explain as he fixed every last thing that was wrong. "I could close a wound and not save a life. I could fix everything but if I don't repair the life force, it's useless."
Rik watched Max's face. Max was surprised. It was Liz who vocalized Max's thoughts. "Learn something new everyday, huh, Max?"
The name Alex popped into Rik's mind but he didn't voice it. Max's eyes had darkened. Ava climbed over the seat to look over Zan's work. "Think you can give him an attitude change before he wakes up?"
"What?"
"Be a nice present for his girl, she might take to you if you do."
"No personality tampering." Max grunted then turned his eyes on his not-so-innocent wife. "We have enough of that going around."
"I said I was sorry." She called back from the front seat.
"What did you do?" Kyle snorted as he pulled the van onto a dirt road.
"I made him say something he was thinking… We were all thinking it, Max."
"You know he hates it when you do that."
"She was asking for it. Arguing in front of Darin like that."
"Oh, I see. You were flexing on the ex-wife." Kyle shook his head and winced suddenly. "Ow."
"Don’t call Tess that, please." Max called up. "I'd like to have sex again in this lifetime."
"We all would." Kyle called back, his eyes on the rearview. "How are we gonna accomplish that, Max? You got a plan up your mighty sleeve?"
"For now? Regroup. Distance between us and the guns." Max breathed out, his new skin firm over his muscles. "Thanks, Rik."
"Nothin' to it."
"You're not even tired?" Max eyed the boy.
"Should I be?"
"He's young, self-regenerating." Ava winked at Zan. "He's gonna make some girl very, very happy."
"Okay, first." Kyle held up his hand. "He's 17 and you making those kinds of innuendos is disturbing." He lowered one finger. "Second, if you make one more comment about what great lovers these alien kings and their offspring make, you don’t get any. Third, if you don't keep your hands off of them, you're not getting any. Four, if one more comment about you and sex is not directed at me… you're what? That's right, not getting any. Five…" He paused while trying to think up the fifth reason. "Five…"
"Hey Kyle…" Max called up. "If you drive faster and get us to the rendezvous, you can scratch her itch quicker and she'll stop. We could all use a little time with our significant others."
"Which reminds me… Five." Kyle stuck his thumb in the air. "The next time you comment about playing with Liz, it better happen and I better get to watch."
"Ava!" Max groaned.
"We ain't been playin'. I know you don't like it." Ava protested in her defense. "Ask her. We ain't even bunk together since you been gone."
"I gotta ask." Zan turned to Ava. "What in the hell have you been up to? You been swingin' the front gate?"
"Ava's boundaries seem not to include the bounds of marriage." Max answered, his stern gaze on the platinum blonde.
"If you knew all the buttons there were to press, it wouldn't be an issue." Ava countered. "In Liz's defense, she didn't even know some of the buttons were there herself… but now you both know."
"She's being a good girl, Max." Liz reassured and turned in her seat. "Sorry, Rik… sometimes we forget the kids are still here."
"Long as we ain't talkin' bout my mom, it's cool." Rik shrugged. They weren't really treating him like a kid and that made him feel a little better.
"Max, Rik managed a little romance on the road. He's a chip off the old block, I'm sure." Liz winked at them over the seats. "That King Zan must have had half the planet drooling in his wake."
"I met a girl. No big." Rik sank down in his seat.
"She pretty?" Max pulled his shirt back over his shoulders to watch Zan work on the extensive burns still on Michael's body.
"She was cute." He turned his eyes to the window. "How do you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Make… connections to people when your life is like this? I was talkin' to her and she was nice and all but… I knew she'd never understand. I kind of realized that I could never just… be with someone…" His amber eyes scanned the woods as they flew passed. "There are consequences and a quick hook up could turn into too much and… nice girls like her need to be young while they can."
"You're not just talking about that girl you met." Max observed. "She was nice and sweet and she liked you… but you kept thinking about what you were running from. She was too nice to even consider bringing into this world. Too young. Too innocent and then you thought about all the other girls. Ones you'd dated before and they couldn't handle it either."
"I thought you were only ever with Liz."
"Kyle." Max nodded to the front of the van. "He went through that. His wife didn't know anything about us. He hid it from her. Secret letters to keep in touch. Voicemail set up as contact. She never knew. She still died. No aliens killed her. She was walking across the street and she saw the car weaving so she stepped up onto the sidewalk. She climbed inside her car. She watched and waited. When the car was gone, she pulled out onto the road and everything was fine. She didn't know the car had turned down a side street and made a U-turn and he struck the driver's side, pinning her inside the car, pushing it the half block into the busy street where a big SUV was speeding. They couldn't get her out before the engines blew. Kyle was at home with their kids… waiting for the ice cream in the passenger seat.
"He couldn’t take it. The constant reminder of her in that city. He moved the girls to a smaller town… latched onto the first woman he figured wouldn't ask too many questions. I can't speak for Kyle or what feelings he had for her… she didn't treat him right… I know she had two kids but…"
"Yeah, I remember what you said."
"He had to take a risk. You can't… not feel, Rik. You do have to weigh everything but if you feel it… go for it. It's never the right time. People are never what they seem… and you can never know if you never try."
"It wasn't so much I liked her. Cause I did. She was really cute and… she hates living there, where we stopped. She wanted to run away with me. She just met me and she trusted me so much… She wanted… to…" Rik inclined his head. "You know and I didn't let her because she'd never done it before and we… were leavin' at first light. I lied to her. Told her I write when I got home and then she could run away to be with me… but she didn't even know me." He took a breath. "If we wasn't runnin'… if we was… just on a family trip like I told her and there wasn't none of this alien business… I might have gone for it but… then if we wasn't runnin'… I ain't never woulda gone out there."
"And you never would have met her, talked with her… kissed her maybe?" Max nudged him lightly. "You met a girl you could connect with by chance. I walked by mine everyday in the halls, going out of my way just to see her… even though she sat next to me in biology. I know how you feel. Feeling like you could never let someone in… no matter how strongly you feel."
"It's not even that I feel strongly. I thought Dari could have been the one but… It's just… how do you justify bringin' someone new into this life."
"You can't." Zan cut in. Neither realized he'd been listening as he worked on Michael. "You can't justify it. Things happen. One day you're workin' on a sweet thang in a club, jonesin' with your rocks… Then all of a sudden, you got a kid and mouths to feed and tryin' to keep 'em safe eats at you… But when she rolls over and looks at you like… you got all the answers, it feels right like nothin' else ever has. When her belly's all swollen and she's tired but she trusts you to make it all work, it's perfect… even if it ain't."
"When she… glares at you for putting back the milk empty but… she loves you anyway." Michael cleared his throat loudly, announcing that he had been awake for a while.
"When she tells you you're doing the right thing… even when you're not sure yourself." Max's eyes found Liz's across the van.
"When he looks at you and he don't see no one else… even when it would be easy to." Ava kissed Kyle's ear.
--
"These… stars… is mine."
"Are mine."
"These…stars… are mine." Isaiah wiped at his eyes. They had reached the next safe house. Darin had taken it upon himself to continue Isaiah's lessons. "Theys… These stars are yours, too." He turned his big eyes to his big brother. "Mommy wrote this book for me."
"She did?"
"Cause she always looks at the stars. Next… the stranger shows the girl how to fly." Isaiah turned the page. "These wings are mine. I can share my wings so you can fly, too. If you like me, you can come back and I will… learn… you to…"
"You cheated. T-e-a-c-h."
"Te-atch… Te… Teech you to fly too. I will… show you where… your wings hide." He licked his lips and turned the page. "This is my home. Is your home like mine? She's asking him because he's from the stars." He interrupted the reading to explain the story to his big brother who had never heard of this story before. "My home is far away. I don't… member…"
"Cheater."
"Rrr… Ree-member what it is like. I like your home. Can I stay here?"
"Do you read this story a lot?"
"When Mommy and Daddy have time. Sometimes Daddy is sleepy and he goes to bed early. Sometimes we're in the car and we can't get the book from my bag." Isaiah dutifully turned the page. "You can stay here with me. I will keep you safe. Will you stay forever?"
"Does he?"
"Sh. Next page." Isaiah shushed him. "My home doesn't have a you. I won't go where you are not. I won't go if they ask me. If they ask me… will you go with me?"
"And what does she say?"
"I will go with you to the stars and back. To these stars that are yours and to these stars that are mine b-cause I am yours and you are mine… just like these stars of ours."
"Mommy wrote that story?" Darin found himself wiping at tears forming in his eyes.
"Uh-huh."
"Daddy reads it to us when he's awake at bedtime but sometimes he's not there. Sometimes he has to go… like when Hannah was borned. Daddy wasn't here."
"He goes away but he always come back."
"Uh-huh. Mommy never went away before… but you was never here before. How come you was never here before?"
"I had another mommy and daddy, too. I was with them."
"Where is they?"
"They are… well… My dad went to heaven and my mom is in the city."
"Is Daddy yous other daddy?"
"No… Daddy… Max-Daddy is my real daddy. Greg was my other daddy."
"And yous real Mommy?"
"I don't know. She left with Daddy and Uncle Michael…"
"Is she coming back?"
"I don't know."
"I bet she does. If she left with Daddy, he'll make sure she comes back."
--
"Stories… stories… I ain't never told no stories b'fore. Your mom… she's crazy, kid. How do these things start? Once up on a time, right? Theys this… boy… he's got secrets. A sister and two friends and all they got is each other. But brothers and sisters they fight. They get sad and jealous and annoyed and they fight. So they don't spend so much time together. They make other friends, find other things to do. So… one day the boy he meets a girl. She's hot… really hot… pretty, I mean. Cute. She's smart. The boy knows they shouldn't meet but he has to. She's not the first girl he wanted to meet but she's the first he knew he shouldn't. He lost her in the crowds and he never thought he'd see her again. Then she says she's come back to say… there's gonna be a baby. The boy got scared. He went away for a little while but he came back and said. Okay. Here's what we gon do. We gon stay here and no one's gon hurt you, no one's gonna hurt the baby… The boy was still scared. Scariest thing he ever thought of. He don’t tell no one. Brings her flowers and oranges and chocolate cause when she's big and round she likes chocolate. Then… the baby comes and he's sick. The doc say he gonna die but the boy can't bear it. Those secrets… he use those to make the baby better… so they can take him out the hospital and be happy with him. The girl… her daddy don't like the boy too much but when the boy come back everyday… Every day he can with fruit and pampers. He loosens up. Says maybe he was wrong… Says he's sorry… Okay… Maybe I made that last part up but you'll see. It'll happen someday. He'll say he's sorry and your old man gonna wait for the day. Cause I'm here everyday I can be… Nobody makes me be here. I'm here cause I love you and oh… she's drives me crazy but I love her too. He's wrong. Your grampa. Don't listen to what he says about me. You got that? I try. I don't have anything… nothin' but you… Dad sucks at the happy ending thing, kid… Sorry. Oh… look at you… Sleepy kid. Mom's sleepy too. I'll stay until she wakes up but then I gotta go but I'll be back… and maybe I'll bring a secret with me. Bring Mom some more oranges so she don't get sick… You just sleep… I'll make it all okay."
Rik felt a pair of lips on his forehead but he couldn't open his eyes. Didn't he just fall asleep? "Five more minutes, Ma."
Did someone laugh? Five more minutes. "Take ten, kid. Get some sleep. Long day ahead. Take care of Mom for me."
"Inaminute." Rik groaned and rolled over.
--
"Rik!" Liz patted his cheeks. "Wake up. Wake up, Rik!"
"What?" Rik swatted her hands away.
"Where's your dad?"
"Huh?"
"Your dad? Zan. Where is he?"
"What?" Rik sat up, wide awake. "He's not here?"
"He was gone when I woke up two hours ago. I thought he just went to relieve himself. He didn't come back." Liz gripped his face in her hands. "Look at me. Did he tell you anything last night?"
"No." He shook his head, a little afraid of the look in her eyes. "He tried to talk to me but I was tired. I went to sleep…"
"What?"
"I had a dream…"
"What kind of dream?"
She was so unrelenting that he could barely find the words. "A… a memory… of the last time I saw him before he died…"
"Think. Were you dreaming or were you remembering? Like when you were using Max's powers to remember or did you actually remember?"
"I never remembered before. I was too little. It was like… maybe someone put it there… and made me remember."
"Shit!" Liz let go of him and whirled around. "He took off."
"Fuck!" Max blew up a tree, showering them with splinters.
"What the fuck is he thinking taking off like that?" Michael barked from where he rested in the next seat.
"Yeah, you get to comment on that. Good one." Kyle snorted at Michael. He had his hands full comforting his sometimes girlfriend. Ava's eyes were red but she refused to cry. "What do you think?"
"I think he's gone and done somethin' stupid."
"We can't leave without him." Liz shook her head at them.
"We can't stay. You heard the gunfire same as I did." Michael fought to get into a sitting position.
"Gunfire?" Rik stumbled out of the van.
"You didn't hear it because Zan did something to you before he took off." Michael bit out. "It took Liz forever to get in there to wake you up."
"Dad's gone. Gone. Like… gone?"
"Don’t know." Max shook his head, pacing and shaking splinters from his hair. "He just… left."
"Don't fuckin' think it." Ava barked at him. "He didn't run away. He don't do that."
"He did it before." Michael cut in, still weak from his ordeal.
"He fucking was murdered. He didn't run." Ava screamed at them, her body vibrating with power. Kyle had to let go of her before he was forced to absorb some of it and let it go somewhere safe. He couldn't pull back the power and that could kill them all. "He wouldn't run."
"You also thought he wouldn't keep secrets from you." Michael pointed to the teen. "Proof that you were wrong."
Rik sank down to the ground. Max was the only one to approach him. "You okay?"
"I think he was saying goodbye." Rik whispered. "Wasn't he gonna try? What about my mom? She's gonna…"
"Hey… keep it together… we have to go or they'll catch up to us. With Michael weak and you upset, our weapons are minimal. We have to get to safety but we're going to find him." Max helped the teen to his feet.
"If he doesn't get himself killed."
"Right."
tbc
Steve had the kids quiet. They weren't scared of him. They didn't know him. They did know he knew what he was doing. Darin admired that. Hannah was napping in the car seat up front. The adults were whispering among themselves save for Erika where she cradled Bada against her body like a child. Darin sat in the back with all the kids, lined up against the walls, knees pulled up, toes touching the toes of the child opposite them.
"The thing about being in charge is… you have to act like you know what you're doin'." Steve whispered. "They all fall in line because they think I know what I'm doing… and I kind of do. My brothers and sisters aren't all as well behaved as these are. I'm big so they think I'm an adult."
"I'm not so tall." Darin groaned. He looked younger than he was. He sometimes took advantage of that.
"You know how your mom always says 'don't just stand there, do something'?" The older boy whispered.
"How did you know?"
"Everyone's mom says that. 'Don't just stand there lookin' stupid, do somethin' useful.' Usually, you don't know what to do so she says 'sweep the floor', or 'pick up the baby' or 'here, go to the store for me.' Sometimes you don't even wait for her to say it because you know there's something you can do. You see the floor is dirty so you pick up the broom… eventually you sweep and then you mop and then you start on the dishes so she doesn't have so much to do by herself. Grandma's sick so you make sure her trash is thrown out and she'd got something to read and you keep the kiddies quiet so she can rest." The older teen sniffed suddenly and Darin became very aware of how homesick Steve was. He had a lot of people to take care of and he wasn't there to do his job. "What they don't tell you is when you learn to do all that without bein' asked… that's the day you become an adult. Sure… they's… old people everywhere got jobs and kids but they don't do for others… they's just… big babies lettin' everyone else take care of them."
"How'd you get so smart, Stevie baby?" Erika smiled at him.
"Watchin' Rik take care of you… tried it at home and my mom don't yell so much."
"You think they're doin' okay without you?" Darin cleared his throat.
"Dari was helpin' me out when she could… maybe… she's steppin' in for me… I hope."
"If she loves you near as much as you love her… I'll bet she'll be at your house when you go back."
--
Max pointed to Michael. "You heal him. You have the most power, he's worse off." Zan raised his hands and backed away, his ears peeled for gunfire. He hadn't counted many. Maybe fifty. If what Rik had told him was right, that's all there were. A few agents in charge and maybe fifty men. Any who died were probably on a list… a list that would get smaller with every death. "You do have power, right?"
"I'm good, boss man." Zan waved him off and set to work on the unconscious war commander.
"You okay, Uncle Max?" Rik watched as Max turned and peeled off his shirt. The burns were bad.
"I'll be fine but I'm weak." Max coughed lightly and steeled himself for any discomfort. "I trust you've gotten stronger."
"Don't even think about it." Zan advised as he worked slowly on Michael's badly burned body. "Just let it flow." Michael's flesh rippled and healed. "It ain't about molecules rearrangin', it's about reparation. Puttin' back a wrong."
"I used the science, myself." Max grimaced as his flesh too healed.
"Sure, you can visualize that but that ain't what's really goin' on." He continued to explain as he fixed every last thing that was wrong. "I could close a wound and not save a life. I could fix everything but if I don't repair the life force, it's useless."
Rik watched Max's face. Max was surprised. It was Liz who vocalized Max's thoughts. "Learn something new everyday, huh, Max?"
The name Alex popped into Rik's mind but he didn't voice it. Max's eyes had darkened. Ava climbed over the seat to look over Zan's work. "Think you can give him an attitude change before he wakes up?"
"What?"
"Be a nice present for his girl, she might take to you if you do."
"No personality tampering." Max grunted then turned his eyes on his not-so-innocent wife. "We have enough of that going around."
"I said I was sorry." She called back from the front seat.
"What did you do?" Kyle snorted as he pulled the van onto a dirt road.
"I made him say something he was thinking… We were all thinking it, Max."
"You know he hates it when you do that."
"She was asking for it. Arguing in front of Darin like that."
"Oh, I see. You were flexing on the ex-wife." Kyle shook his head and winced suddenly. "Ow."
"Don’t call Tess that, please." Max called up. "I'd like to have sex again in this lifetime."
"We all would." Kyle called back, his eyes on the rearview. "How are we gonna accomplish that, Max? You got a plan up your mighty sleeve?"
"For now? Regroup. Distance between us and the guns." Max breathed out, his new skin firm over his muscles. "Thanks, Rik."
"Nothin' to it."
"You're not even tired?" Max eyed the boy.
"Should I be?"
"He's young, self-regenerating." Ava winked at Zan. "He's gonna make some girl very, very happy."
"Okay, first." Kyle held up his hand. "He's 17 and you making those kinds of innuendos is disturbing." He lowered one finger. "Second, if you make one more comment about what great lovers these alien kings and their offspring make, you don’t get any. Third, if you don't keep your hands off of them, you're not getting any. Four, if one more comment about you and sex is not directed at me… you're what? That's right, not getting any. Five…" He paused while trying to think up the fifth reason. "Five…"
"Hey Kyle…" Max called up. "If you drive faster and get us to the rendezvous, you can scratch her itch quicker and she'll stop. We could all use a little time with our significant others."
"Which reminds me… Five." Kyle stuck his thumb in the air. "The next time you comment about playing with Liz, it better happen and I better get to watch."
"Ava!" Max groaned.
"We ain't been playin'. I know you don't like it." Ava protested in her defense. "Ask her. We ain't even bunk together since you been gone."
"I gotta ask." Zan turned to Ava. "What in the hell have you been up to? You been swingin' the front gate?"
"Ava's boundaries seem not to include the bounds of marriage." Max answered, his stern gaze on the platinum blonde.
"If you knew all the buttons there were to press, it wouldn't be an issue." Ava countered. "In Liz's defense, she didn't even know some of the buttons were there herself… but now you both know."
"She's being a good girl, Max." Liz reassured and turned in her seat. "Sorry, Rik… sometimes we forget the kids are still here."
"Long as we ain't talkin' bout my mom, it's cool." Rik shrugged. They weren't really treating him like a kid and that made him feel a little better.
"Max, Rik managed a little romance on the road. He's a chip off the old block, I'm sure." Liz winked at them over the seats. "That King Zan must have had half the planet drooling in his wake."
"I met a girl. No big." Rik sank down in his seat.
"She pretty?" Max pulled his shirt back over his shoulders to watch Zan work on the extensive burns still on Michael's body.
"She was cute." He turned his eyes to the window. "How do you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Make… connections to people when your life is like this? I was talkin' to her and she was nice and all but… I knew she'd never understand. I kind of realized that I could never just… be with someone…" His amber eyes scanned the woods as they flew passed. "There are consequences and a quick hook up could turn into too much and… nice girls like her need to be young while they can."
"You're not just talking about that girl you met." Max observed. "She was nice and sweet and she liked you… but you kept thinking about what you were running from. She was too nice to even consider bringing into this world. Too young. Too innocent and then you thought about all the other girls. Ones you'd dated before and they couldn't handle it either."
"I thought you were only ever with Liz."
"Kyle." Max nodded to the front of the van. "He went through that. His wife didn't know anything about us. He hid it from her. Secret letters to keep in touch. Voicemail set up as contact. She never knew. She still died. No aliens killed her. She was walking across the street and she saw the car weaving so she stepped up onto the sidewalk. She climbed inside her car. She watched and waited. When the car was gone, she pulled out onto the road and everything was fine. She didn't know the car had turned down a side street and made a U-turn and he struck the driver's side, pinning her inside the car, pushing it the half block into the busy street where a big SUV was speeding. They couldn't get her out before the engines blew. Kyle was at home with their kids… waiting for the ice cream in the passenger seat.
"He couldn’t take it. The constant reminder of her in that city. He moved the girls to a smaller town… latched onto the first woman he figured wouldn't ask too many questions. I can't speak for Kyle or what feelings he had for her… she didn't treat him right… I know she had two kids but…"
"Yeah, I remember what you said."
"He had to take a risk. You can't… not feel, Rik. You do have to weigh everything but if you feel it… go for it. It's never the right time. People are never what they seem… and you can never know if you never try."
"It wasn't so much I liked her. Cause I did. She was really cute and… she hates living there, where we stopped. She wanted to run away with me. She just met me and she trusted me so much… She wanted… to…" Rik inclined his head. "You know and I didn't let her because she'd never done it before and we… were leavin' at first light. I lied to her. Told her I write when I got home and then she could run away to be with me… but she didn't even know me." He took a breath. "If we wasn't runnin'… if we was… just on a family trip like I told her and there wasn't none of this alien business… I might have gone for it but… then if we wasn't runnin'… I ain't never woulda gone out there."
"And you never would have met her, talked with her… kissed her maybe?" Max nudged him lightly. "You met a girl you could connect with by chance. I walked by mine everyday in the halls, going out of my way just to see her… even though she sat next to me in biology. I know how you feel. Feeling like you could never let someone in… no matter how strongly you feel."
"It's not even that I feel strongly. I thought Dari could have been the one but… It's just… how do you justify bringin' someone new into this life."
"You can't." Zan cut in. Neither realized he'd been listening as he worked on Michael. "You can't justify it. Things happen. One day you're workin' on a sweet thang in a club, jonesin' with your rocks… Then all of a sudden, you got a kid and mouths to feed and tryin' to keep 'em safe eats at you… But when she rolls over and looks at you like… you got all the answers, it feels right like nothin' else ever has. When her belly's all swollen and she's tired but she trusts you to make it all work, it's perfect… even if it ain't."
"When she… glares at you for putting back the milk empty but… she loves you anyway." Michael cleared his throat loudly, announcing that he had been awake for a while.
"When she tells you you're doing the right thing… even when you're not sure yourself." Max's eyes found Liz's across the van.
"When he looks at you and he don't see no one else… even when it would be easy to." Ava kissed Kyle's ear.
--
"These… stars… is mine."
"Are mine."
"These…stars… are mine." Isaiah wiped at his eyes. They had reached the next safe house. Darin had taken it upon himself to continue Isaiah's lessons. "Theys… These stars are yours, too." He turned his big eyes to his big brother. "Mommy wrote this book for me."
"She did?"
"Cause she always looks at the stars. Next… the stranger shows the girl how to fly." Isaiah turned the page. "These wings are mine. I can share my wings so you can fly, too. If you like me, you can come back and I will… learn… you to…"
"You cheated. T-e-a-c-h."
"Te-atch… Te… Teech you to fly too. I will… show you where… your wings hide." He licked his lips and turned the page. "This is my home. Is your home like mine? She's asking him because he's from the stars." He interrupted the reading to explain the story to his big brother who had never heard of this story before. "My home is far away. I don't… member…"
"Cheater."
"Rrr… Ree-member what it is like. I like your home. Can I stay here?"
"Do you read this story a lot?"
"When Mommy and Daddy have time. Sometimes Daddy is sleepy and he goes to bed early. Sometimes we're in the car and we can't get the book from my bag." Isaiah dutifully turned the page. "You can stay here with me. I will keep you safe. Will you stay forever?"
"Does he?"
"Sh. Next page." Isaiah shushed him. "My home doesn't have a you. I won't go where you are not. I won't go if they ask me. If they ask me… will you go with me?"
"And what does she say?"
"I will go with you to the stars and back. To these stars that are yours and to these stars that are mine b-cause I am yours and you are mine… just like these stars of ours."
"Mommy wrote that story?" Darin found himself wiping at tears forming in his eyes.
"Uh-huh."
"Daddy reads it to us when he's awake at bedtime but sometimes he's not there. Sometimes he has to go… like when Hannah was borned. Daddy wasn't here."
"He goes away but he always come back."
"Uh-huh. Mommy never went away before… but you was never here before. How come you was never here before?"
"I had another mommy and daddy, too. I was with them."
"Where is they?"
"They are… well… My dad went to heaven and my mom is in the city."
"Is Daddy yous other daddy?"
"No… Daddy… Max-Daddy is my real daddy. Greg was my other daddy."
"And yous real Mommy?"
"I don't know. She left with Daddy and Uncle Michael…"
"Is she coming back?"
"I don't know."
"I bet she does. If she left with Daddy, he'll make sure she comes back."
--
"Stories… stories… I ain't never told no stories b'fore. Your mom… she's crazy, kid. How do these things start? Once up on a time, right? Theys this… boy… he's got secrets. A sister and two friends and all they got is each other. But brothers and sisters they fight. They get sad and jealous and annoyed and they fight. So they don't spend so much time together. They make other friends, find other things to do. So… one day the boy he meets a girl. She's hot… really hot… pretty, I mean. Cute. She's smart. The boy knows they shouldn't meet but he has to. She's not the first girl he wanted to meet but she's the first he knew he shouldn't. He lost her in the crowds and he never thought he'd see her again. Then she says she's come back to say… there's gonna be a baby. The boy got scared. He went away for a little while but he came back and said. Okay. Here's what we gon do. We gon stay here and no one's gon hurt you, no one's gonna hurt the baby… The boy was still scared. Scariest thing he ever thought of. He don’t tell no one. Brings her flowers and oranges and chocolate cause when she's big and round she likes chocolate. Then… the baby comes and he's sick. The doc say he gonna die but the boy can't bear it. Those secrets… he use those to make the baby better… so they can take him out the hospital and be happy with him. The girl… her daddy don't like the boy too much but when the boy come back everyday… Every day he can with fruit and pampers. He loosens up. Says maybe he was wrong… Says he's sorry… Okay… Maybe I made that last part up but you'll see. It'll happen someday. He'll say he's sorry and your old man gonna wait for the day. Cause I'm here everyday I can be… Nobody makes me be here. I'm here cause I love you and oh… she's drives me crazy but I love her too. He's wrong. Your grampa. Don't listen to what he says about me. You got that? I try. I don't have anything… nothin' but you… Dad sucks at the happy ending thing, kid… Sorry. Oh… look at you… Sleepy kid. Mom's sleepy too. I'll stay until she wakes up but then I gotta go but I'll be back… and maybe I'll bring a secret with me. Bring Mom some more oranges so she don't get sick… You just sleep… I'll make it all okay."
Rik felt a pair of lips on his forehead but he couldn't open his eyes. Didn't he just fall asleep? "Five more minutes, Ma."
Did someone laugh? Five more minutes. "Take ten, kid. Get some sleep. Long day ahead. Take care of Mom for me."
"Inaminute." Rik groaned and rolled over.
--
"Rik!" Liz patted his cheeks. "Wake up. Wake up, Rik!"
"What?" Rik swatted her hands away.
"Where's your dad?"
"Huh?"
"Your dad? Zan. Where is he?"
"What?" Rik sat up, wide awake. "He's not here?"
"He was gone when I woke up two hours ago. I thought he just went to relieve himself. He didn't come back." Liz gripped his face in her hands. "Look at me. Did he tell you anything last night?"
"No." He shook his head, a little afraid of the look in her eyes. "He tried to talk to me but I was tired. I went to sleep…"
"What?"
"I had a dream…"
"What kind of dream?"
She was so unrelenting that he could barely find the words. "A… a memory… of the last time I saw him before he died…"
"Think. Were you dreaming or were you remembering? Like when you were using Max's powers to remember or did you actually remember?"
"I never remembered before. I was too little. It was like… maybe someone put it there… and made me remember."
"Shit!" Liz let go of him and whirled around. "He took off."
"Fuck!" Max blew up a tree, showering them with splinters.
"What the fuck is he thinking taking off like that?" Michael barked from where he rested in the next seat.
"Yeah, you get to comment on that. Good one." Kyle snorted at Michael. He had his hands full comforting his sometimes girlfriend. Ava's eyes were red but she refused to cry. "What do you think?"
"I think he's gone and done somethin' stupid."
"We can't leave without him." Liz shook her head at them.
"We can't stay. You heard the gunfire same as I did." Michael fought to get into a sitting position.
"Gunfire?" Rik stumbled out of the van.
"You didn't hear it because Zan did something to you before he took off." Michael bit out. "It took Liz forever to get in there to wake you up."
"Dad's gone. Gone. Like… gone?"
"Don’t know." Max shook his head, pacing and shaking splinters from his hair. "He just… left."
"Don't fuckin' think it." Ava barked at him. "He didn't run away. He don't do that."
"He did it before." Michael cut in, still weak from his ordeal.
"He fucking was murdered. He didn't run." Ava screamed at them, her body vibrating with power. Kyle had to let go of her before he was forced to absorb some of it and let it go somewhere safe. He couldn't pull back the power and that could kill them all. "He wouldn't run."
"You also thought he wouldn't keep secrets from you." Michael pointed to the teen. "Proof that you were wrong."
Rik sank down to the ground. Max was the only one to approach him. "You okay?"
"I think he was saying goodbye." Rik whispered. "Wasn't he gonna try? What about my mom? She's gonna…"
"Hey… keep it together… we have to go or they'll catch up to us. With Michael weak and you upset, our weapons are minimal. We have to get to safety but we're going to find him." Max helped the teen to his feet.
"If he doesn't get himself killed."
"Right."
tbc
part 25
an: thanks to all you guys who are reading and especially to my feedbackers. it's all greatly appreciated. this fic got off to a slow start and has snowballed '-) hope you enjoy tonight's part.
ISOPart 25
"Up! Up!" Isabel ran through the house grabbing bags and tossing them toward the door. "We have to go. We're going back to New York. Today."
"What?" Jesse picked up his son. "Isabel?"
"Zan ran off." She told the house as they appeared in their doorways. Erika and Darin shook their heads at her. "Yes, he did. Michael thinks he's gone to the dark side. Liz isn't sure. Ava says no. Max is worried. That's what I was told. We're going into the city to hide. It's safer."
"Isabel… Michael's okay?" Maria clutched her daughter's hand and waited for the answer.
"He thinks Zan's evil. What do you think?" Isabel turned and kicked the nearest bag. "I hate not knowing what's going on."
"Did they find my mom?" Darin called out.
"Kid, you're better off without her." Maria bit out and grabbed her bag to load up.
"Aunt Isabel!" Darin called down the hall but Isabel didn't turn.
"Load up! We're going."
"Isabel!" Erika shrieked. "Get in here, now!"
--
Rik leaned on Liz's shoulder. "She's dead."
"Who?"
"Grandma."
"How do you know?"
"I felt her go."
"Max?" Liz turned to find her husband was crying in the back of the van. "Did you feel it?" He nodded and wiped the tears off his face though more crawled down his face immediately.
"My mom don't do so well with people dying."
"She'll be okay. She's a strong lady. Those Antarian Kings know how to pick their wives." Liz nudged him gently. "Get some sleep."
"I slept all night."
"When was the last time we heard gunfire?" Liz asked Michael.
"Four hours ago. We're heading in the right direction. Away from the men with the guns."
"We left him four hours back." Rik muttered to himself.
"He left us seven hours back." Michael barked at him.
"You're not helping, Michael." Max whispered, his gravelly voice carrying despite his volume. "Cut him some slack. His dad is out there somewhere. His grandma just died. His misses his mom. Rik? Can you tell us what it was he made you remember?"
--
"Careful." Erika instructed as they loaded Bada into the van. Her body was covered in a webbing of some sort. "Are you sure she's still alive?"
"Yes." The kids all answered in unison. They sat in the van, ready to go and ready to be still and quiet because Grandma was so very obviously sick. Isabel gave up her seat upfront to sit with her mother.
"How can they tell?
"Her energy." Isabel briefly explained. "But she is dying. There is something off inside her. She's imbalanced, that's why she looks this way. We… used to have stones that we could use to bring back her balance but they were destroyed before we went on the run."
"By who?
"It wasn't intentional."
"Liz." Darin whispered, in his mind's eye the vision was very clear. His powers were getting stronger the more aware he was of them. "She was sick but… she's human. Her energy didn't balance on an alien scale. They made her worse… because it was the alien in her that caused the imbalance."
"We could have used you when it happened." Isabel whispered. "We'd still have them. Maybe she would have never left… if we had understood."
"Liz had to go. Being with him was killing her." Maria murmured over the seat. She wasn't picking on Max for once, just being observant in retrospect. "None of us saw it until it was too late."
"Let's go, ladies." Jesse closed the doors and climbed behind the wheel to get them in motion. "Do we have a specific target in mind? Do we just want to get inside and stay there?"
"We need someplace safe." Maria cleared her throat as she picked up the baby. "We don't have any property or friends in the city."
"My mom." Darin spoke up.
"My mom." Steve cut in. "It's a bad neighborhood but if you flash the green, landlord don't say nothing about who comes and goes to no one."
"Isabel? I got some cash in my wallet. Think you can change the bills?" Jesse called back.
"I'll work on it. The newer bills will be hard to copy though." She called back.
"The 'hood don't see the new bills." Steve tried to ease her worries.
"He's right." Erika nodded. "VIP room only brings in the new bills. Owner pays us out of the old bills so he can deposit the new ones, makes the bank think everything is on the up and up."
"Okay. It'll take us a few days to get there. We've been circumventing all the road blocks they put up but if they think everyone is in the opposite direction. If they know we got out, they probably pulled out of the city." Jesse mused aloud. "I'll make some calls once I get to a secure phone."
--
"So, it was the last time he saw you, huh." Ava nodded and watched the tree line for anything interesting. "Two weeks before Thanksgiving, right? Okay. What happened that night?"
"He got contacted." Max blurted out. "Only thing that would have kept me from seeing my family when I promised I'd be back."
"It was before then. Two weeks before we went to get you. Three before Thanksgiving." Ava shook her head as she struggled to remember what must have happened. "He knew, that's why he was going to lay off going for a while, right? That's what she said he said? That he'd be back in a couple of days… with food?
"Oranges." Rik supplied. "He said he'd be back with oranges."
"We was hitting them stands a lot." Ava protested that it wasn't all that different. "But not everyday."
"Did you guys have a pattern?" Max probed.
"Zan and Lannie were the ones that picked the places. What they wanted was what we ate. They wanted something heavy, we hit little Italy. They want to seriously chow, we hit Chinatown so they could munch all night." Ava shrugged. She had never really seen a rhyme or reason for their eating patterns.
"When Lannie tried to kill me, it was in Chinatown." Max pointed out. "Where did they kill Zan?"
"Chinatown." She agreed. "Night he died, that's where we was. Night before we was… downtown, peddling. Night before that he wudn't around… no one was. I had to git my dinner. No big."
"When he came back from his family visits, he'd be out all morning, right?"
"Guess, that's when I sleep. Not Lannie, though. She's sleep through the afternoon so she could party all night. Zan, too, but now I know he was babysitting all morning… 'cept the day before they killed him. Ain't no one around all day… cept Zan. Sleeping all morning, all afternoon."
"Do you remember anything you guys talked about?"
"I don't know. Same old shit. We got into it because he wasn't seein' to my needs. Him and Lannie was always at each other's necks toward the end. Talkin' bout responsibility and duty and all that. It was old shit. Not one thing new."
"Except that you'd been contacted some days before."
"We was tense, sure but Zan wasn't gonna budge. He had other things on his mind… things he wasn't sharin' wit us. That last fight they had… maybe a week before. She snapped at him, said he was a big disappointment, just like back on Antar. He said something about history repeatin' itself and about how wide she spread her legs. It's all pretty fuzzy." Ava shook her head.
"Later, after everyone went to bed that morning, they was still at it." Rik murmured, his eyes on the reflection in the window. A face that nearly matched his father's. "She says, no wonder Kivar had to throw you over, you was a big disappointment to our people. You couldn't even bed your own wife properly… just like now. He says, speakin of history repeatin itself… you're spreadin' your legs just as wide as ever. Saw you wit the kid. Little young, I thought you had standards but you'd spread 'em for any pre-pube who can pay. Bet if I wasn't your brother, you'd jump my bones too. You fucked me royal back there, you gonna do it here, too? Here's five bucks. Come on. Let's go. Come on, here's ten. How much does it take to get you on your knees? Fifteen? Twenty?"
"Rik?" Liz turned slowly to the boy who was still staring out the window.
The memory of what Kivar had made them do, sat heavy on his mind. He wanted to puke all over again. He had allowed it to taint his view of his father and it wasn't right. His dad had fought it but he wasn't in control of his body. "Kivar took it all away from him… he has to get it back."
"How do you mean?"
"Kivar took his wife and his sister and turned them against him before… He loved her and she allowed herself to be seduced into his lies. Then they all died… The memories turned them against each other. And then they killed each other off. Then he brought them back and demeaned them and made them beg… killing everything they recognized of themselves and each other." Rik turned to Max. "Tess didn't tell you that, did she... that she had an affair with Kivar… back on Antar. She wasn't evil back then but… she thought he would do what was best for everyone." The amber eyes were filled with knowledge the boy didn't want. "Your sister was half in love with him, half in love with power."
"Rik, is Zan remembering all this stuff?" Max leaned forward.
"Tess wasn't the only one Kivar tried to get an heir out of. Dad's looking for payback… he'll take it out of the FBI."
"He's looking for himself." Ava shut her eyes as she connected the dots.
--
His hands opened and the room began to smoke. As he left through the open door, flames danced behind him. Every inch of his skin ached with regret and loathing. His hands found their necks and snapped them like twigs. That piece was inside him... cried for Antarian blood that was already gone. Memories of past atrocities assailed his senses even as he committed one more.
He'd destroyed an entire office building for one file's worth of information. He'd killed any witnesses with his bare hands. He stayed in the shadows so no one knew what he looked like. Before, he'd had only Kivar's will to push him further into every misdeed and murder. Now he had more than that. The need to erase everything from inside him that was linked to the monster. The need to make himself worthy of the family he had built so many years ago and not been able to see to. To get the memory of their skin off of his. He had to be what they needed. A protector. A defender. A husband. A father. A son.
He felt diseased and ashamed. He wanted to cut that part out of him. Kivar's blood was killing him from the inside out. He thought making love to Erika could purge him somehow of the perversion but he carried it deep inside where it wouldn't touch her. He didn't fit into the world anymore. He couldn't make himself. He was useless and a coward just like they said. He could keep the blood off their hands. The soldiers always kept coming if there was someone to command them. The snake could only keep growing until the head was cut off.
tbc
ISOPart 25
"Up! Up!" Isabel ran through the house grabbing bags and tossing them toward the door. "We have to go. We're going back to New York. Today."
"What?" Jesse picked up his son. "Isabel?"
"Zan ran off." She told the house as they appeared in their doorways. Erika and Darin shook their heads at her. "Yes, he did. Michael thinks he's gone to the dark side. Liz isn't sure. Ava says no. Max is worried. That's what I was told. We're going into the city to hide. It's safer."
"Isabel… Michael's okay?" Maria clutched her daughter's hand and waited for the answer.
"He thinks Zan's evil. What do you think?" Isabel turned and kicked the nearest bag. "I hate not knowing what's going on."
"Did they find my mom?" Darin called out.
"Kid, you're better off without her." Maria bit out and grabbed her bag to load up.
"Aunt Isabel!" Darin called down the hall but Isabel didn't turn.
"Load up! We're going."
"Isabel!" Erika shrieked. "Get in here, now!"
--
Rik leaned on Liz's shoulder. "She's dead."
"Who?"
"Grandma."
"How do you know?"
"I felt her go."
"Max?" Liz turned to find her husband was crying in the back of the van. "Did you feel it?" He nodded and wiped the tears off his face though more crawled down his face immediately.
"My mom don't do so well with people dying."
"She'll be okay. She's a strong lady. Those Antarian Kings know how to pick their wives." Liz nudged him gently. "Get some sleep."
"I slept all night."
"When was the last time we heard gunfire?" Liz asked Michael.
"Four hours ago. We're heading in the right direction. Away from the men with the guns."
"We left him four hours back." Rik muttered to himself.
"He left us seven hours back." Michael barked at him.
"You're not helping, Michael." Max whispered, his gravelly voice carrying despite his volume. "Cut him some slack. His dad is out there somewhere. His grandma just died. His misses his mom. Rik? Can you tell us what it was he made you remember?"
--
"Careful." Erika instructed as they loaded Bada into the van. Her body was covered in a webbing of some sort. "Are you sure she's still alive?"
"Yes." The kids all answered in unison. They sat in the van, ready to go and ready to be still and quiet because Grandma was so very obviously sick. Isabel gave up her seat upfront to sit with her mother.
"How can they tell?
"Her energy." Isabel briefly explained. "But she is dying. There is something off inside her. She's imbalanced, that's why she looks this way. We… used to have stones that we could use to bring back her balance but they were destroyed before we went on the run."
"By who?
"It wasn't intentional."
"Liz." Darin whispered, in his mind's eye the vision was very clear. His powers were getting stronger the more aware he was of them. "She was sick but… she's human. Her energy didn't balance on an alien scale. They made her worse… because it was the alien in her that caused the imbalance."
"We could have used you when it happened." Isabel whispered. "We'd still have them. Maybe she would have never left… if we had understood."
"Liz had to go. Being with him was killing her." Maria murmured over the seat. She wasn't picking on Max for once, just being observant in retrospect. "None of us saw it until it was too late."
"Let's go, ladies." Jesse closed the doors and climbed behind the wheel to get them in motion. "Do we have a specific target in mind? Do we just want to get inside and stay there?"
"We need someplace safe." Maria cleared her throat as she picked up the baby. "We don't have any property or friends in the city."
"My mom." Darin spoke up.
"My mom." Steve cut in. "It's a bad neighborhood but if you flash the green, landlord don't say nothing about who comes and goes to no one."
"Isabel? I got some cash in my wallet. Think you can change the bills?" Jesse called back.
"I'll work on it. The newer bills will be hard to copy though." She called back.
"The 'hood don't see the new bills." Steve tried to ease her worries.
"He's right." Erika nodded. "VIP room only brings in the new bills. Owner pays us out of the old bills so he can deposit the new ones, makes the bank think everything is on the up and up."
"Okay. It'll take us a few days to get there. We've been circumventing all the road blocks they put up but if they think everyone is in the opposite direction. If they know we got out, they probably pulled out of the city." Jesse mused aloud. "I'll make some calls once I get to a secure phone."
--
"So, it was the last time he saw you, huh." Ava nodded and watched the tree line for anything interesting. "Two weeks before Thanksgiving, right? Okay. What happened that night?"
"He got contacted." Max blurted out. "Only thing that would have kept me from seeing my family when I promised I'd be back."
"It was before then. Two weeks before we went to get you. Three before Thanksgiving." Ava shook her head as she struggled to remember what must have happened. "He knew, that's why he was going to lay off going for a while, right? That's what she said he said? That he'd be back in a couple of days… with food?
"Oranges." Rik supplied. "He said he'd be back with oranges."
"We was hitting them stands a lot." Ava protested that it wasn't all that different. "But not everyday."
"Did you guys have a pattern?" Max probed.
"Zan and Lannie were the ones that picked the places. What they wanted was what we ate. They wanted something heavy, we hit little Italy. They want to seriously chow, we hit Chinatown so they could munch all night." Ava shrugged. She had never really seen a rhyme or reason for their eating patterns.
"When Lannie tried to kill me, it was in Chinatown." Max pointed out. "Where did they kill Zan?"
"Chinatown." She agreed. "Night he died, that's where we was. Night before we was… downtown, peddling. Night before that he wudn't around… no one was. I had to git my dinner. No big."
"When he came back from his family visits, he'd be out all morning, right?"
"Guess, that's when I sleep. Not Lannie, though. She's sleep through the afternoon so she could party all night. Zan, too, but now I know he was babysitting all morning… 'cept the day before they killed him. Ain't no one around all day… cept Zan. Sleeping all morning, all afternoon."
"Do you remember anything you guys talked about?"
"I don't know. Same old shit. We got into it because he wasn't seein' to my needs. Him and Lannie was always at each other's necks toward the end. Talkin' bout responsibility and duty and all that. It was old shit. Not one thing new."
"Except that you'd been contacted some days before."
"We was tense, sure but Zan wasn't gonna budge. He had other things on his mind… things he wasn't sharin' wit us. That last fight they had… maybe a week before. She snapped at him, said he was a big disappointment, just like back on Antar. He said something about history repeatin' itself and about how wide she spread her legs. It's all pretty fuzzy." Ava shook her head.
"Later, after everyone went to bed that morning, they was still at it." Rik murmured, his eyes on the reflection in the window. A face that nearly matched his father's. "She says, no wonder Kivar had to throw you over, you was a big disappointment to our people. You couldn't even bed your own wife properly… just like now. He says, speakin of history repeatin itself… you're spreadin' your legs just as wide as ever. Saw you wit the kid. Little young, I thought you had standards but you'd spread 'em for any pre-pube who can pay. Bet if I wasn't your brother, you'd jump my bones too. You fucked me royal back there, you gonna do it here, too? Here's five bucks. Come on. Let's go. Come on, here's ten. How much does it take to get you on your knees? Fifteen? Twenty?"
"Rik?" Liz turned slowly to the boy who was still staring out the window.
The memory of what Kivar had made them do, sat heavy on his mind. He wanted to puke all over again. He had allowed it to taint his view of his father and it wasn't right. His dad had fought it but he wasn't in control of his body. "Kivar took it all away from him… he has to get it back."
"How do you mean?"
"Kivar took his wife and his sister and turned them against him before… He loved her and she allowed herself to be seduced into his lies. Then they all died… The memories turned them against each other. And then they killed each other off. Then he brought them back and demeaned them and made them beg… killing everything they recognized of themselves and each other." Rik turned to Max. "Tess didn't tell you that, did she... that she had an affair with Kivar… back on Antar. She wasn't evil back then but… she thought he would do what was best for everyone." The amber eyes were filled with knowledge the boy didn't want. "Your sister was half in love with him, half in love with power."
"Rik, is Zan remembering all this stuff?" Max leaned forward.
"Tess wasn't the only one Kivar tried to get an heir out of. Dad's looking for payback… he'll take it out of the FBI."
"He's looking for himself." Ava shut her eyes as she connected the dots.
--
His hands opened and the room began to smoke. As he left through the open door, flames danced behind him. Every inch of his skin ached with regret and loathing. His hands found their necks and snapped them like twigs. That piece was inside him... cried for Antarian blood that was already gone. Memories of past atrocities assailed his senses even as he committed one more.
He'd destroyed an entire office building for one file's worth of information. He'd killed any witnesses with his bare hands. He stayed in the shadows so no one knew what he looked like. Before, he'd had only Kivar's will to push him further into every misdeed and murder. Now he had more than that. The need to erase everything from inside him that was linked to the monster. The need to make himself worthy of the family he had built so many years ago and not been able to see to. To get the memory of their skin off of his. He had to be what they needed. A protector. A defender. A husband. A father. A son.
He felt diseased and ashamed. He wanted to cut that part out of him. Kivar's blood was killing him from the inside out. He thought making love to Erika could purge him somehow of the perversion but he carried it deep inside where it wouldn't touch her. He didn't fit into the world anymore. He couldn't make himself. He was useless and a coward just like they said. He could keep the blood off their hands. The soldiers always kept coming if there was someone to command them. The snake could only keep growing until the head was cut off.
tbc
Part 26
Lyrics from a couple of songs in there. “Ballad for Dead Friends” by Dashboard Prophets. “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra.
Part 26
Rik watched Uncle Max and Aunt Liz comfort each other. They didn't use words. Just reassuring touches as they sat together in the back of the van. Ava touched his knee lightly. She sat between Rik and Kyle up front. Michael was still recuperating in the middle. The day had been silent. No one talked. Kyle and Ava didn't even bicker. Michael, though uncomfortable, kept his hand over his eyes even if he wasn't sleeping and didn't complain.
"He's my dad." Rik whispered to Ava. "I can't… let him die thinking I hate him."
"You don't know he'll get himself killed."
"Why else would he go off by himself like that?"
"You get anything else?"
"No. I think we're too far away now." Rik shook his head and leaned it on the cool glass. It looked like rain.
--
Darin set the baby down in her carrier and glanced around the tiny, dirty room. "Maybe I could take her with me to my mom's."
"We're not splitting up." Isabel shook her head.
"Can I call her? Tell her I’m okay? I haven’t seen her since the school and she doesn't know what's going on." He tried to keep his voice even and calm. "Max is going to make me go back anyway. He said so."
"Well, not today. How long since her last bottle?"
"I fed her in the van. I need diapers." He relented. There were still other things to worry about.
"I know! I'm sorry!" Steve shouted down the hall and entered the apartment at last, muttering under his breath. "Bitch."
"I heard that, you little ingrate!" The screech came through the doorway. "I got ears like a hawk's got eyes!" A shoe clattered off the doorframe and hit Steve square in the back. "Dari, honey, can you go get my shoe?"
"Like a fuckin' boomerang." He muttered and handed the shoe off the girl when she appeared in the doorway. They exchanged a deep kiss before Dari was off to return the shoe.
"They ain't your family, tonto!" The screech came again.
"It's Rik's family! I'm helpin' out!" Steve shouted back.
"You like them so much, stay over there! Thank you, sweetie." It was almost funny. "See if they feed you. I'm keepin' the girl. She can sleep in your bed but you don't dare come home. I ain't through bein' mad at you."
"Ya! Enough! I got it." He shut the door but didn't apologize for the scene. "The water ain't too great but the guy on the corner will sell it cheap. Grocery store next to him. I can go for you if you don't want to leave."
"We got it." Jesse nodded to the boy.
"You want me to go?" Erika pointed to the door.
"Could you?" Steve looked only slightly pained.
She glanced at the webbed alien in the back room, all the kids seemed so sure that she lived still, then disappeared out the door. Isabel took a deep breath before closing the door to that room. A few moments later, Dari slipped into the apartment. She glanced around as she picked her way to her boyfriend, nodding awkwardly to Darin. "Where's your brother?"
"He's my cousin. He… went with his dad… and my dad. To go do stuff." Darin lied smoothly with a shrug, which earn him a weary smile from Aunt Isabel, who was busy with her family. Kyle's kids took care of each other and kept quiet. Isaiah had been quiet since arriving. He sat with his book in a corner.
Maria sat with her head in her hands, her daughter taking a nap in her lap. Everyone was tired of moving around. Everyone was tired. Everyone wanted their loved ones back. Even the baby seemed depressed.
"You all on the lam or something?" Dari winced at the look on Steve's face.
"Who are you?" Isabel cleared her throat, pinning the girl with a look.
"That's Dari." Darin jumped in. "She um… she was Rik's girlfriend but now she's Steve's… she helped us before… before."
"Oh. Nice to meet you." Isabel turned back to her kids. Jesse paced the room, not sure what to do.
"Anything?" He asked his wife.
"They're all still awake." She sighed but smiled for her children. "They were up all last night too. They're worried." Then she shrugged. "They could be out of range."
"Where's Kyle when you need him?" Maria mused with a snort. "Oh yeah. With them."
"Liz thought it was best." Jesse argued half-heartedly.
"Is he okay?" Dari leaned on Steve.
"We think so. We haven't heard from them in a few days." Steve tried to cheer her up. "He's okay. His dad, his uncle. Tough guys."
"Like tough-tough or tough like… Pedro down the street."
A real smile finally split his face. "Tough like ol' Adrian used to be." Then he nodded his head to Darin. "That one's magic. If you hold his hand. He'll tell you everything about yourself."
"Rik used to do that. Is he really okay? I mean… how we left everything… when he took off."
"He's okay. We beat it out."
"No you didn't."
"He's cool."
"Who's in the back?"
"Rik's gramma. She's sick. That's why everyone's quiet."
"Should I go?"
"Only if you want. My mom loves you but she's hatin' me right now."
"She's just mad. You didn't tell her you was takin' off." Dari glanced back at Darin for the millionth time. "You sure Rik ain't mad?"
"He already met somebody." Darin shrugged, trying to sound like it was no big deal even thought he was making a bigger deal of it than it was.
"Yeah, that cutie from that place." Steve played along. "He's cool. Told you."
--
Rik shook his head when Kyle turned off the highway. "They didn't go that way."
"Who?"
"Everyone one. That's where we're going right? To regroup?"
"That was the plan." Max spoke up from the backseat. "We've got a house out this way."
"They didn't go there." Rik called over his shoulder.
"Alright… genius. Where did they go?" Kyle pulled off the road to wait for instructions.
Rik stayed quiet for a long time. He didn't know where these ideas were coming from. They just appeared. Then he noticed something. "How close are we to that house?"
"100 miles."
"Too far. How far from the city?"
"Hour and a half the other way."
"Uncle Max? Do you feel her?"
Max furrowed his brow, glanced at Liz and sat up. Eyes on the seat in front of him as he concentrated, he felt it. "Bada's not dead."
"What do you mean she's not dead?" Liz itched to move to Rik to see what he was talking about but held herself back.
"We'd have to be within 50 miles for me to feel Isabel, right Michael?"
"Sounds right." Michael grunted from his reclined position between the two speakers.
"If Bada's powers are inherently stronger, we'd feel her further out." Max nodded to Michael's shrug. "If she's weak, she could pull her energy inside to last longer, we'd have to be closer to feel her."
"We were twice as far away when we lost her." Rik turned around in his seat. "She's not dead yet and going this way is going to make us lose her again."
"Kyle, head in. We should be able to get in. FBI's men are behind us now if Rik was right about how thin these guys are spread." Max sat back and rolled his shoulders to get comfortable. "Everyone try to stay alert in case we do have to run."
"Aye, Senor Presidente." Kyle muttered and threw the van into gear, turning it in a three-point U-turn. "Start spreadin' the news. I'm leavin' today…"
"Shut up." Liz tossed a sock at him.
"Ew. That had better be clean." Kyle flicked the sock off his shoulder, and then wrapped an arm around Ava's shoulders. "He'll be okay. He's like that guy back there. Tough as nails, half as bright."
Ava just shook her head with a smile. "Yeah. He can take care of himself."
--
Tess wiped the sweat off her face. "You're so fucking weak, Zan. You really think they're going to come for us. They don’t give a shit about us."
"They ain't comin' for us." Zan spat the blood out of his mouth. "Not for me, cause they got my kid wit 'em… Safe… and they sure as hell ain't comin' for you."
"Turn off the heat!" She screamed at the vent 20 feet over their heads. She sucked in each breath as if she would have to hold it. "Where are those guys?"
"They's understaffed just now. Maybe they can't be bothered to have someone listen to us." He laughed to himself and stretched, healing the bruises on his ribs before the drugs took full effect. "Just you and me, sweetheart." That had been fun. The good sick kind he used to enjoy as a King. "They's about thirty hands short."
"What'd you do?" Tess turned to him. Her powers were hindered from the drugs and the room was seamless and dark.
"Went all Rambo." He snickered hysterically, fighting tears. "They hit me on the head… by accident. They got lucky." He stared at her through the darkness and started singing. "How are ya feelin'? Do you feel okay?"
"Shut up."
"Cause I don't. I don't. It keeps me reelin'. Will I ever be the same? No I won't… It’s a cold day--"
"I said shut up. Turn off the fucking heat! You'll fucking kill us!"
"Watch it, darlin'. You startin' to sound like me."
"What is going on up there?" She sank to the floor in tears of frustration.
"No money."
"What?"
"That job I went on right before all this shit. Kivar sent me out all by myself to get rid of the files on your kid." Zan pulled a cigarette from inside his jeans and was barely able to light it with his fingers. The drugs would be in full effect in a few minutes. "I torched the whole place. Files on suspects. Old files on old cases. Proof of the old unit… fundin' codes for the new one." He snickered to himself. "They got bigger problems right now than carin' if a couple of drugged up, reincarnated twice over, aliens die of heat exhaustion. They can't find nobody than can prove the unit exists or that they got authorization for more ammo. Hell, they can't even requisition for toilet paper. They's cranky up there."
"Did you finally lose your mind?" She stared at him, wiping more sweat off her face.
"Ain't nothin' left to lose. He took it all." Zan quieted himself. "I was rememberin' when I passed out up there… that you wasn’t as in love wit me as I was wit you."
"What are you talking about?" She gave up trying to understand him.
"Back home. Before he killed me. He told me about what you did. I ain't remember before. Ava was always yackin' my ear off, sayin' I ain't love like she know I can. Somethin' always hold me back. I figure that's what it was. Somewhere inside I know you ain't loyal."
"It was a trade. He was supposed to make things better. I didn't know he was sleeping with your sister. I didn't know it was a trap."
"You think you was good 'nough to trade one time for world peace. That's some ego." He drew long and hard on the cigarette. "Some ego all of us had." He pointed at her, now able to make her out in the dark. "Then we had to go fuck things up with our second chance in new bodies. We made the same mistake, you and me."
"And what was that?"
"Thought dyin' would keep him safe."
Tess dissolved into tears. “I was only trying to make things better. I was too stupid to see it coming… I swore I wouldn’t ever be that stupid again… You’re right. I fucked up. Twice… and here I am… reaping my reward for two lives spent wrong.” She stared up at the vent, tears streaming down her face in glittering rivers. “What are they going to do to us?”
“They don’t got money or supplies now… either they leave us down here ‘til we sweat to death or… we get to be in an alien autopsy without dyin’ first. Either way, we stop bein’ pretty or useful.”
--
Rik sighed at the familiar sight of tall buildings and angry cab drivers. It was his home. It seemed to make Max uneasy but Kyle kept driving. "If I were Isabel… where would I hide a tribe of kids?"
"None of them know the city. I don't know where they would go." Max shook his head.
"But they have Steve and my mom." Rik reminded them. "They might go to the old hood… everyone pays cash. No one says nothin' to nobody with a badge."
"Where's the old hood?" Kyle turned to look at the boy.
--
"Come back here, puto! I'm not done wit you!"
"Ya! I'll be back, okay!" Steve shook his head as he closed the door behind him.
"She's mad at you. Nothin' I said helped." Erika rubbed his head before taking the bag from him. "Come on kids. Got oranges for you until the sandwiches are ready."
"We just need three." Valerie reached into the bag for a few of the smaller ones. "Thank you."
"Just three?" Erika eyed the four Valenti kids.
"My brother won't eat a lot. I'll share mine." Valerie shook her head and rejoined her brother and sisters to peel the oranges for them.
"I can do it." Isaiah took the orange from Darin when the teen tried to peel it for him. All the kids were getting irate.
"Rik! Where have you been? Where'd you go, takin' my boy with you?" There were some mumblings. Isabel stepped closer to the door to hear. "I oughta hide you. I talked to your mama already… Down there with my good for nothin' son!"
"Aight! We heard you!" Steve threw open the door and nodded for Rik to enter. Rik turned and motioned behind him. The rest of the adults filed down the hall and into the apartment. Questions and hugs ran around the room.
"Mommy!" Isaiah leapt up and jumped into Liz's arms.
"Look who I brought." Liz turned and found her arms empty when Isaiah leapt into Max's. "Oh, I see how it is. Daddy shows up and Mommy is invisible."
"What happened?" Erika wrapped her arms around her son.
"He took off. Thinks he can take them all on himself." Rik shook his head.
"What does he think he is? Superman?"
"On crack. He thinks he's scum and he doesn't deserve us."
"He tell you that?"
"No." Rik scoffed and sank down against the wall. "Didn't tell us anything. He just left while everyone was sleepin'."
"Is someone going to go after him?" Erika turned to Max and Liz who each held a child in their arms. "Well?"
"We don't know where he went. No way to contact him. He knocked out Rik to get a head start on us. We would have stayed but once the gun shots started… we decided to get out of there." Max sighed, flicking his eyes toward Rik. "Michael and I were all banged up. In a couple more days, we'll be back to full strength."
"I have power. I can go." Rik lifted his head, his eyes meeting Max's. "I know you came to drop me off but I'm stronger. I bounce back quicker."
"You do because you're young. Without Kyle, you don't pack much of a punch." Max stared the boy down. "You're strong but not that strong." Max stumbled suddenly… Isaiah slipped out of his arms and safely onto the floor. Then Isabel bent over, clutching onto Jesse's arm… then Rik and Darin clutched their heads. Hannah let out a wail. Isabel's kids started rubbing their heads. Michael’s worried eyes ran around the room, looking for an enemy he couldn’t see.
Max fumbled for the door at the end of the room. Wincing when noise in his head grew without the door to buffer it. "Mom?" He and Isabel entered and shut the door behind them. Liz put her hands on the door but had to back away when Hannah's screams got worse. A green light shone under the door and then vanished. The two re-emerged and everything was quiet. No pain. No noise. Hannah calmed down and then Max spoke. "She was holding on. But the gene-therapy used a shape-shifter. It numbed her so she couldn't feel the cool air anymore and her body kept heating up. She couldn't rebalance her energy… and we don't have stones… I don't know if it would have worked because of the… way they changed her so she could breathe."
Isabel held herself. "She's gone now. She wanted us to find Zan. To take care of him."
"Take care of him?" Liz shook her head.
"She thinks Zan's gone crazy. Thought." Max clarified. "We already know his judgment is off… she might not be wrong."
"It's Kivar." Rik blurted out. "I mean… Not… Kivar… but the piece inside him."
"You getting something from him?"
"No. Too far away. I just remember what I was getting." He sighed heavily. He didn’t want this. “That’s why he thinks he deserves to die… cause he can never forget because he’s got Kivar’s blood inside him. He can’t just cut it out… but he’ll die trying if we don’t stop him.”
tbc
whew. I was worried I'd never get anything posted. '-) If you're reading caulking... it could be another week before I post on that.
Part 26
Rik watched Uncle Max and Aunt Liz comfort each other. They didn't use words. Just reassuring touches as they sat together in the back of the van. Ava touched his knee lightly. She sat between Rik and Kyle up front. Michael was still recuperating in the middle. The day had been silent. No one talked. Kyle and Ava didn't even bicker. Michael, though uncomfortable, kept his hand over his eyes even if he wasn't sleeping and didn't complain.
"He's my dad." Rik whispered to Ava. "I can't… let him die thinking I hate him."
"You don't know he'll get himself killed."
"Why else would he go off by himself like that?"
"You get anything else?"
"No. I think we're too far away now." Rik shook his head and leaned it on the cool glass. It looked like rain.
--
Darin set the baby down in her carrier and glanced around the tiny, dirty room. "Maybe I could take her with me to my mom's."
"We're not splitting up." Isabel shook her head.
"Can I call her? Tell her I’m okay? I haven’t seen her since the school and she doesn't know what's going on." He tried to keep his voice even and calm. "Max is going to make me go back anyway. He said so."
"Well, not today. How long since her last bottle?"
"I fed her in the van. I need diapers." He relented. There were still other things to worry about.
"I know! I'm sorry!" Steve shouted down the hall and entered the apartment at last, muttering under his breath. "Bitch."
"I heard that, you little ingrate!" The screech came through the doorway. "I got ears like a hawk's got eyes!" A shoe clattered off the doorframe and hit Steve square in the back. "Dari, honey, can you go get my shoe?"
"Like a fuckin' boomerang." He muttered and handed the shoe off the girl when she appeared in the doorway. They exchanged a deep kiss before Dari was off to return the shoe.
"They ain't your family, tonto!" The screech came again.
"It's Rik's family! I'm helpin' out!" Steve shouted back.
"You like them so much, stay over there! Thank you, sweetie." It was almost funny. "See if they feed you. I'm keepin' the girl. She can sleep in your bed but you don't dare come home. I ain't through bein' mad at you."
"Ya! Enough! I got it." He shut the door but didn't apologize for the scene. "The water ain't too great but the guy on the corner will sell it cheap. Grocery store next to him. I can go for you if you don't want to leave."
"We got it." Jesse nodded to the boy.
"You want me to go?" Erika pointed to the door.
"Could you?" Steve looked only slightly pained.
She glanced at the webbed alien in the back room, all the kids seemed so sure that she lived still, then disappeared out the door. Isabel took a deep breath before closing the door to that room. A few moments later, Dari slipped into the apartment. She glanced around as she picked her way to her boyfriend, nodding awkwardly to Darin. "Where's your brother?"
"He's my cousin. He… went with his dad… and my dad. To go do stuff." Darin lied smoothly with a shrug, which earn him a weary smile from Aunt Isabel, who was busy with her family. Kyle's kids took care of each other and kept quiet. Isaiah had been quiet since arriving. He sat with his book in a corner.
Maria sat with her head in her hands, her daughter taking a nap in her lap. Everyone was tired of moving around. Everyone was tired. Everyone wanted their loved ones back. Even the baby seemed depressed.
"You all on the lam or something?" Dari winced at the look on Steve's face.
"Who are you?" Isabel cleared her throat, pinning the girl with a look.
"That's Dari." Darin jumped in. "She um… she was Rik's girlfriend but now she's Steve's… she helped us before… before."
"Oh. Nice to meet you." Isabel turned back to her kids. Jesse paced the room, not sure what to do.
"Anything?" He asked his wife.
"They're all still awake." She sighed but smiled for her children. "They were up all last night too. They're worried." Then she shrugged. "They could be out of range."
"Where's Kyle when you need him?" Maria mused with a snort. "Oh yeah. With them."
"Liz thought it was best." Jesse argued half-heartedly.
"Is he okay?" Dari leaned on Steve.
"We think so. We haven't heard from them in a few days." Steve tried to cheer her up. "He's okay. His dad, his uncle. Tough guys."
"Like tough-tough or tough like… Pedro down the street."
A real smile finally split his face. "Tough like ol' Adrian used to be." Then he nodded his head to Darin. "That one's magic. If you hold his hand. He'll tell you everything about yourself."
"Rik used to do that. Is he really okay? I mean… how we left everything… when he took off."
"He's okay. We beat it out."
"No you didn't."
"He's cool."
"Who's in the back?"
"Rik's gramma. She's sick. That's why everyone's quiet."
"Should I go?"
"Only if you want. My mom loves you but she's hatin' me right now."
"She's just mad. You didn't tell her you was takin' off." Dari glanced back at Darin for the millionth time. "You sure Rik ain't mad?"
"He already met somebody." Darin shrugged, trying to sound like it was no big deal even thought he was making a bigger deal of it than it was.
"Yeah, that cutie from that place." Steve played along. "He's cool. Told you."
--
Rik shook his head when Kyle turned off the highway. "They didn't go that way."
"Who?"
"Everyone one. That's where we're going right? To regroup?"
"That was the plan." Max spoke up from the backseat. "We've got a house out this way."
"They didn't go there." Rik called over his shoulder.
"Alright… genius. Where did they go?" Kyle pulled off the road to wait for instructions.
Rik stayed quiet for a long time. He didn't know where these ideas were coming from. They just appeared. Then he noticed something. "How close are we to that house?"
"100 miles."
"Too far. How far from the city?"
"Hour and a half the other way."
"Uncle Max? Do you feel her?"
Max furrowed his brow, glanced at Liz and sat up. Eyes on the seat in front of him as he concentrated, he felt it. "Bada's not dead."
"What do you mean she's not dead?" Liz itched to move to Rik to see what he was talking about but held herself back.
"We'd have to be within 50 miles for me to feel Isabel, right Michael?"
"Sounds right." Michael grunted from his reclined position between the two speakers.
"If Bada's powers are inherently stronger, we'd feel her further out." Max nodded to Michael's shrug. "If she's weak, she could pull her energy inside to last longer, we'd have to be closer to feel her."
"We were twice as far away when we lost her." Rik turned around in his seat. "She's not dead yet and going this way is going to make us lose her again."
"Kyle, head in. We should be able to get in. FBI's men are behind us now if Rik was right about how thin these guys are spread." Max sat back and rolled his shoulders to get comfortable. "Everyone try to stay alert in case we do have to run."
"Aye, Senor Presidente." Kyle muttered and threw the van into gear, turning it in a three-point U-turn. "Start spreadin' the news. I'm leavin' today…"
"Shut up." Liz tossed a sock at him.
"Ew. That had better be clean." Kyle flicked the sock off his shoulder, and then wrapped an arm around Ava's shoulders. "He'll be okay. He's like that guy back there. Tough as nails, half as bright."
Ava just shook her head with a smile. "Yeah. He can take care of himself."
--
Tess wiped the sweat off her face. "You're so fucking weak, Zan. You really think they're going to come for us. They don’t give a shit about us."
"They ain't comin' for us." Zan spat the blood out of his mouth. "Not for me, cause they got my kid wit 'em… Safe… and they sure as hell ain't comin' for you."
"Turn off the heat!" She screamed at the vent 20 feet over their heads. She sucked in each breath as if she would have to hold it. "Where are those guys?"
"They's understaffed just now. Maybe they can't be bothered to have someone listen to us." He laughed to himself and stretched, healing the bruises on his ribs before the drugs took full effect. "Just you and me, sweetheart." That had been fun. The good sick kind he used to enjoy as a King. "They's about thirty hands short."
"What'd you do?" Tess turned to him. Her powers were hindered from the drugs and the room was seamless and dark.
"Went all Rambo." He snickered hysterically, fighting tears. "They hit me on the head… by accident. They got lucky." He stared at her through the darkness and started singing. "How are ya feelin'? Do you feel okay?"
"Shut up."
"Cause I don't. I don't. It keeps me reelin'. Will I ever be the same? No I won't… It’s a cold day--"
"I said shut up. Turn off the fucking heat! You'll fucking kill us!"
"Watch it, darlin'. You startin' to sound like me."
"What is going on up there?" She sank to the floor in tears of frustration.
"No money."
"What?"
"That job I went on right before all this shit. Kivar sent me out all by myself to get rid of the files on your kid." Zan pulled a cigarette from inside his jeans and was barely able to light it with his fingers. The drugs would be in full effect in a few minutes. "I torched the whole place. Files on suspects. Old files on old cases. Proof of the old unit… fundin' codes for the new one." He snickered to himself. "They got bigger problems right now than carin' if a couple of drugged up, reincarnated twice over, aliens die of heat exhaustion. They can't find nobody than can prove the unit exists or that they got authorization for more ammo. Hell, they can't even requisition for toilet paper. They's cranky up there."
"Did you finally lose your mind?" She stared at him, wiping more sweat off her face.
"Ain't nothin' left to lose. He took it all." Zan quieted himself. "I was rememberin' when I passed out up there… that you wasn’t as in love wit me as I was wit you."
"What are you talking about?" She gave up trying to understand him.
"Back home. Before he killed me. He told me about what you did. I ain't remember before. Ava was always yackin' my ear off, sayin' I ain't love like she know I can. Somethin' always hold me back. I figure that's what it was. Somewhere inside I know you ain't loyal."
"It was a trade. He was supposed to make things better. I didn't know he was sleeping with your sister. I didn't know it was a trap."
"You think you was good 'nough to trade one time for world peace. That's some ego." He drew long and hard on the cigarette. "Some ego all of us had." He pointed at her, now able to make her out in the dark. "Then we had to go fuck things up with our second chance in new bodies. We made the same mistake, you and me."
"And what was that?"
"Thought dyin' would keep him safe."
Tess dissolved into tears. “I was only trying to make things better. I was too stupid to see it coming… I swore I wouldn’t ever be that stupid again… You’re right. I fucked up. Twice… and here I am… reaping my reward for two lives spent wrong.” She stared up at the vent, tears streaming down her face in glittering rivers. “What are they going to do to us?”
“They don’t got money or supplies now… either they leave us down here ‘til we sweat to death or… we get to be in an alien autopsy without dyin’ first. Either way, we stop bein’ pretty or useful.”
--
Rik sighed at the familiar sight of tall buildings and angry cab drivers. It was his home. It seemed to make Max uneasy but Kyle kept driving. "If I were Isabel… where would I hide a tribe of kids?"
"None of them know the city. I don't know where they would go." Max shook his head.
"But they have Steve and my mom." Rik reminded them. "They might go to the old hood… everyone pays cash. No one says nothin' to nobody with a badge."
"Where's the old hood?" Kyle turned to look at the boy.
--
"Come back here, puto! I'm not done wit you!"
"Ya! I'll be back, okay!" Steve shook his head as he closed the door behind him.
"She's mad at you. Nothin' I said helped." Erika rubbed his head before taking the bag from him. "Come on kids. Got oranges for you until the sandwiches are ready."
"We just need three." Valerie reached into the bag for a few of the smaller ones. "Thank you."
"Just three?" Erika eyed the four Valenti kids.
"My brother won't eat a lot. I'll share mine." Valerie shook her head and rejoined her brother and sisters to peel the oranges for them.
"I can do it." Isaiah took the orange from Darin when the teen tried to peel it for him. All the kids were getting irate.
"Rik! Where have you been? Where'd you go, takin' my boy with you?" There were some mumblings. Isabel stepped closer to the door to hear. "I oughta hide you. I talked to your mama already… Down there with my good for nothin' son!"
"Aight! We heard you!" Steve threw open the door and nodded for Rik to enter. Rik turned and motioned behind him. The rest of the adults filed down the hall and into the apartment. Questions and hugs ran around the room.
"Mommy!" Isaiah leapt up and jumped into Liz's arms.
"Look who I brought." Liz turned and found her arms empty when Isaiah leapt into Max's. "Oh, I see how it is. Daddy shows up and Mommy is invisible."
"What happened?" Erika wrapped her arms around her son.
"He took off. Thinks he can take them all on himself." Rik shook his head.
"What does he think he is? Superman?"
"On crack. He thinks he's scum and he doesn't deserve us."
"He tell you that?"
"No." Rik scoffed and sank down against the wall. "Didn't tell us anything. He just left while everyone was sleepin'."
"Is someone going to go after him?" Erika turned to Max and Liz who each held a child in their arms. "Well?"
"We don't know where he went. No way to contact him. He knocked out Rik to get a head start on us. We would have stayed but once the gun shots started… we decided to get out of there." Max sighed, flicking his eyes toward Rik. "Michael and I were all banged up. In a couple more days, we'll be back to full strength."
"I have power. I can go." Rik lifted his head, his eyes meeting Max's. "I know you came to drop me off but I'm stronger. I bounce back quicker."
"You do because you're young. Without Kyle, you don't pack much of a punch." Max stared the boy down. "You're strong but not that strong." Max stumbled suddenly… Isaiah slipped out of his arms and safely onto the floor. Then Isabel bent over, clutching onto Jesse's arm… then Rik and Darin clutched their heads. Hannah let out a wail. Isabel's kids started rubbing their heads. Michael’s worried eyes ran around the room, looking for an enemy he couldn’t see.
Max fumbled for the door at the end of the room. Wincing when noise in his head grew without the door to buffer it. "Mom?" He and Isabel entered and shut the door behind them. Liz put her hands on the door but had to back away when Hannah's screams got worse. A green light shone under the door and then vanished. The two re-emerged and everything was quiet. No pain. No noise. Hannah calmed down and then Max spoke. "She was holding on. But the gene-therapy used a shape-shifter. It numbed her so she couldn't feel the cool air anymore and her body kept heating up. She couldn't rebalance her energy… and we don't have stones… I don't know if it would have worked because of the… way they changed her so she could breathe."
Isabel held herself. "She's gone now. She wanted us to find Zan. To take care of him."
"Take care of him?" Liz shook her head.
"She thinks Zan's gone crazy. Thought." Max clarified. "We already know his judgment is off… she might not be wrong."
"It's Kivar." Rik blurted out. "I mean… Not… Kivar… but the piece inside him."
"You getting something from him?"
"No. Too far away. I just remember what I was getting." He sighed heavily. He didn’t want this. “That’s why he thinks he deserves to die… cause he can never forget because he’s got Kivar’s blood inside him. He can’t just cut it out… but he’ll die trying if we don’t stop him.”
tbc
whew. I was worried I'd never get anything posted. '-) If you're reading caulking... it could be another week before I post on that.
Part 27
Made you all wait a long time so here's a long part, fresh from the beta to you. '-)
Part 27
Squeals came from the back room where the kids were supposed to be getting ready for bed. Maria turned to Darin. "This is why Max is not supposed to put the kids to bed."
"He loves to do it." Liz protested then sighed as yet another peal of laughter erupted from the bedroom. "But you're right, it doesn't mean he should."
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Isabel barked into the room. "Beds are for sleeping, not for jumping."
"Hay is for horses!" came the chorus of voices.
"Max, I swear…" She pointed her finger into the room.
"Oooh. Uncle Max is in trouble. Uncle Max is in trouble." The voices sang.
Liz shot up and caught an escapee. "Where are you going, mister? It's bedtime."
"I can't sleep. Daddy's bein' noisy." Isaiah rubbed his eyes.
"I know." She kissed his head. "Let's tell him to cut it out."
The duo vanished from sight. "Mommy says to cut it out, Daddy. I need to go to sleep."
"I'm sorry." Max apologized. "Okay, kiddos. Assume the position. In bed. Under covers. Eyes closed. You don't have to sleep but you do have to pretend. First one to break silence has to let Uncle Michael put you to sleep for real."
"Man…" came the chorus of groans.
Kyle took a deep breath and listened to the silence that followed. "It's like… music but silent. So nice."
"We're the ones with your noisy kids for days on end." Maria bit out.
"My kids are good. You've got a hellion in there." He protested as he sank onto a couch newly cleansed with alien powers.
Liz returned to retake her seat next to Darin. She looked like she was in pain but managed a smile at him. He offered one back. "You don't have to comfort me, Liz."
"Thanks. It's crazy in here but you know that. Two pregnant women, all the crazy aliens and hybrids. The kids are fine now but they were all upset…" She groaned.
Darin blinked at her. "Who else is pregnant?"
An eyebrow shot up as her voice lowered. "Erika."
"But…"
"She won't know for a few weeks. Let her find out on her own. She's under enough stress." She gestured to the woman leaning on her son by the window.
"But when?"
"Who knows. You find a way on the road." Liz's smile felt a little more real. "I'm glad they got to the point where they could… but it'll be that much harder on her if we don't get him back. He's got to know at least… maybe it'll make him come back." She got up and crossed to the crib they'd found for Hannah and watched her baby sleep, seemingly drawing strength from one so small and full of life and completely oblivious to all the chaos in the world she was born to.
Darin watched everyone he could see. Maria giving Michael a massage around what little damage was left. Kyle and Ava sitting next to each other but not touching save for the outsides of his left shoe and her right shoe. Jesse and Isabel wrapped in each other on a chair in a corner. Erika and Rik staring out the window at their old neighborhood. All the other kids were asleep in the same room that Bada had died in but there didn't seem to be time to dwell on that. Steve had gone to his mother's an hour ago. Half an hour ago, she'd stopped yelling at him for taking off and not telling anyone where he was going or when he'd be back. Once again, Darin sat alone, waiting for someone to notice him.
Max entered the room and took a seat next to his son. They didn't speak for a while. "I'm sorry I didn't bring her back." His son shrugged. "I know you wanted to get to know her better." Another shrug. "Are you mad at me?" Another shrug. "Darin, talk to me, please."
"You've been back for hours and the first words to me out of your mouth are an apology that I'm not even sure you mean because you don't like her. You'd be glad to be rid of her. If you don't want me around… let me go home." Darin pleaded. "I miss my mom and she's all alone. I'm not a little boy but you treat me like one. I could have helped but Liz made me stay behind."
"I'm sorry." Max offered lamely, taking a deep breath and averting his eyes. "Honestly, I'm not entirely sure how to act around you. I get nervous and I do the wrong thing. I don't mean to be an awkward guy around you but I can't help it. Every time I look at you, I feel I should be apologizing for letting you go and taking you away." He offered a small smile. "If you had come with Liz to get us… we would have gotten into a bigger fight than we did… I have only ever wanted to keep you safe."
"You can't do that forever. I'm supposed to graduate in three years… if I can get back into school… and then what?"
"That future you wanted… I want you to have it. College, career, some nice girl from somewhere who you can love and trust. I'll make sure you're safe." Max promised.
"You can't. If you're off fighting evil aliens, how will you know if I get mugged on the street? Or if I get hit by a drunk driver? What if someone poisons me? What if I trip and fall out a window? I could get struck by lighting or piss off someone important and you wouldn't be able to do a thing about it if you just walk away."
"When I was your age… I thought about saying those very things to my father." Max sniffed and looked up to see Liz watching them over her shoulder. "At the time, I didn't know who he was or what I was… but I thought there had to have been a reason that he sent me to Earth to live. Maybe he was protecting me. I spent a lot of time protecting myself to prove he'd done the right thing… but I never learned to let someone take care of me… not for a long time."
"I know you never meant for me to find out who you were and my parents never planned on telling me. That's insults from three people who I'm supposed to believe loved me so much they didn't want to hurt me… and that hurts the worst." He lifted his head to look at Max. "Erika thought I was Zan's son, too. She didn't have to like me but she trusted me. Liz has every reason to hate me and she trusts me too. Why can't my own parents?"
"I don't have an answer to that. Nothing that'll fix anything or make you feel better. I lost you, twice. Once of my own doing. I don't want to lose you again… either way. If I could have done this without dragging you into it… I would have. I felt you'd be safer with me than with your human parents."
"And you were right. I'm safer with you. You… my father. If you're not going to tell me who I am, be there to take care of me… why bother, though. I can only get stronger. I can only get smarter and I can only help if you let me… or are all my powers just too useless? I can feel everyone in the room and what they're feeling. I could make them think I'm not really here. But I guess that doesn't help anyone."
"You can stay with those who don't have powers and use your shield to protect them." Max answered softly. "You might think you got left behind but you're the second line of defense. My children, your brother and sister, in your hands. It's not useless when you can protect someone who can't protect themselves. All of these little kids and all they had was you and Isabel."
"You say that like I'm not good for anything." Isabel scoffed from Jesse’s lap with barely a weary glance in their direction.
"I didn't mean it like that." Max waved her off.
"At least your dad came back." Rik bit out. "Mine's fuckin' nuts."
"What happened out there?" Maria demanded. "I'm so tired of no one telling us mere mortals what the hell is going on. Why is Michael so tired? He's got knots the size of golf balls here."
"The plan was to go in and cut the head off the snake. We walked in looking like our dupes with Tess, Kal looking like Kivar. We were supposed to take out the leaders and let the soldiers get reassigned. Just let the unit fall apart from the inside out. But they were already suspicious. They couldn't get to their funds. Then one of their scanners tipped them off on Kal. He can look like Kivar but they're not the same species. We got separated from Tess and Kal inside the building. Somebody set it on fire, don't know who. Michael and I barely got out of there alive. Don't know what happened to them. We only killed a handful on our way out." Max took a deep breath and blew it out. "It was all I could do to keep us alive until you came for us."
"They were in pretty bad shape when we found them." Liz took over. "It just… got away from us. We were staying ahead and I don't know how. Then… Zan took it upon himself to go play martyr."
"Excuse me." Isabel mumbled and rushed from the room. Jesse and Max fidgeted when they heard her retching.
Rik glared at them. She should know. She could put herself in harm's way and she'd be the only one who knew she was risking unborn life. He fixed his eyes back onto the window where his mother was beginning to finally put years on her face. He hadn't ever seen her look like that. Not with all the jerks she dated, not with the crushes she'd had. Only one person could ever make her look like she was dying.
"Jesse… can you come here, please?" Isabel called into the room.
"Here we go." Michael muttered.
"What?" Maria glanced around the room and everyone else seemed to be waiting for something.
"Liz!" Isabel hissed out the door of the bathroom.
"Isabel, calm down. No one told me anything. I know all the signs…" Jesse's voice pleaded before the door clicked shut.
Rik's vision was filled with babies. All those rug rats had once been squirming, screaming babies. Isabel was expecting one more. Whenever he looked at anyone, he saw their offspring moments after birth. When his gaze swung onto his mother, he saw himself. Weak and struggling. Saw himself inside that incubator and his father looking in. Saw some other baby, a stronger baby… with blonde wisps on… her head.
Rage rushed through him, making Darin and Liz's head's whip around to him. Rik stormed for the door. "Kyle. We need to talk."
Kyle's jaw dropped and fixed his eyes on Max. "What is with you people? Do I have 'Loyal Dog' written on my forehead? If one of you royal aliens says jump I'm just gonna leap off a building?"
"Kyle?" Liz jerked her head toward the door as Rik threw it open, her eyes pleading. "Please? See what's got him so upset."
Erika stared dumbfounded at her son; her son who normally tried to hide himself from the world as he was just now actively taking charge of situations and his life. Her eyes pleaded with Kyle to do what Liz said. Rik was a hothead sometimes but he would never presume to order anyone around ever. Something was wrong. Something was definitely going on with her little boy.
"Thanks, Kyle. He's… got a better handle on what he needs than the rest of us." Max spoke softly when Kyle got to his feet to follow the teen. They had stuff to talk about while those two were gone anyway.
Kyle made his way through the close hallways of the building after Rik who led them up to the roof. The boy motioned for him to stay put as he crossed to the other side of the black top and let loose a wave of energy that moved Kyle's clothes fifty feet away but didn't hurt him any. "So, you commanded my presence, Kid."
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be an ass." Rik sank down to sit on his feet. "What powers do you have? I mean… beside that… amplifier thing."
"I don't do much." Kyle shook his head. "It's why I left a long time ago. Max sanctioned it as if I needed his permission to settle down and live my freaky little life."
"Why? I mean… Liz…"
Kyle let out a laugh. "There's a difference in what Max did for me and what Max did for Liz. Both Liz and I were shot in the gut. Fatal wounds. He loved her. He mostly hated me." He caught the boy's look. "Maybe hate is a strong word but toleration is too soft. She also has the benefit of something that runs through him and manifests in her. Even if they hadn't been crushing in secret, they would have ended up together eventually because of that thing that comes up when they kiss. It’s powerful when two beings can connect like that even when they hardly knew each other to begin with." He shrugged and crossed to sit on the raised ledge. "So. Why drag me up here? Why ask me questions?"
"I've always been able to sense things." Rik sank back to lean on a vent shaft. "Since I was little… to know that things were going on behind doors even if I didn't know what they were. There was only one time I walked into a room anyway… and I have pretty much regretted it ever since. I know when girls are lying about what they've done with guys. I know when guys lie to girls saying they done less than they have. Always and I never questioned it."
"Now you know why."
"Yeah… and now… I do more than that. I look at people and know things I shouldn't. Tonight… I could see what Aunt Isabel's baby was gonna look like. I saw her other kids when they were first born. I saw Hannah, Amanda… I saw your kids… all four of them."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Blue eyes narrowed at the boy.
"I didn't see Isaiah. His parents aren't in the room." Rik finished vaguely and lamely, sometimes Max talked too much. "Then I looked at my mom. And… I didn't really believe my dad when he said he was at the hospital all the time when I was born but I saw. I was in an incubator and he was there, his hands in those… gloves and him fixing things that would have made me die… and then… I saw my little sister."
"You had a little sister?" Kyle's head lifted, his blue eyes poring into the young man's amber ones.
"Will have."
"Why are you telling me?"
"Cause I need to control it. I need to see it again to make sure I saw what I saw. To see more."
"Aw. No. No. It doesn't work that way. Liz and I never hook up to see the future, man. We go on what she sees and nothing more. We never boost that power."
"He's such an asshole!" Rik rose and spun, kicking the vent hard enough to bruise his toes. "The only time I wasn't with her. The only time I let her out of my sight while he was around… Our life is so hard. Sometimes we don't eat so well and now she's gonna have another baby. She can't take off work and hell, we probably already lost our apartment. Where are we gonna keep a baby? And now… when the hell is all this gonna be over?"
"Hey…" Kyle rose and put his hands on the boy's shoulders. "Listen, you say you saw your baby sister. I bet she was healthy." He waited for the nod. "Better condition than you were?" Another reluctant nod. "It's gonna work out. What we need to do is get your dad back so that it can stay that way? I can't help you divine the future but I can help you talk to him. All that stuff about the distances and the limitations are pretty dead on. I can boost you times 10. See if you can't talk to him the way he talked to you before the summit."
"How do you know about that?"
"Max's other presents come and go for me but I use them when I can." He shrugged. "I think I absorb the others' powers to some degree when I'm around them or if they use them to a certain degree. I can't always do what you do, what Darin does… what Liz does…" He raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to find your dad? Do you want to go save him?"
"I have to."
"Why? You hate him. You keep saying so. You think he makes life worse for you and your mom. Why do you have to save him?"
"Cause he saved me. All this time. He's been saving me that he's been dead." Rik sank back down to the ground. "The first time, he did it himself. Put his hands on me and made sure my mom didn't lose me. Then after he died, we just thought he left. I smoked but I didn't drink, didn't do drugs because I thought he did. I didn't screw around with girls I didn't care about because I thought that's what he did. I stuck close to my mom because he didn't. I always told her the truth because he didn't. We chose to come with because I figured he wouldn't. I didn’t know he was dead all this time and that the things I thought he should have done, he couldn't because he was dead." Rik began to sob. "He spent all of our life together loving me and I spent the rest of my life hating him. And now I know why and he's here and I… he's out there and he did this dumbass thing because he loves us even though I said maybe I hate him."
"I'm gonna take that long-winded and overly emotional speech as your princely way of saying you love your dad." Kyle rubbed Rik's shoulders. "It's okay, you know. To say it. We won't judge you. Max… I suspect he loves his real mom and dad, even though he never met dear old dad and mom, who just died, sent him to Earth with mixed up DNA. My Dad… I thought he was crazy my entire life… almost. Loved the guy til the day he died. Liz's dad… said some pretty horrible things to her about Max and she loves the guy, even when she hated him. Max's adopted dad gave him an ultimatum. No lies under his roof. Max moved out without money and without comforts and he still loved his dad." Rik seemed to calm down and so Kyle kept talking. "Maria's dad left her and her mom when she was six. She barely remembers the guy and professes often to hate him but I suspect that if she came face to face with him… she might forgive him. Jesse's dad did die on him. He was 13 and very much in need of a man around the house… but he loves his dad. Isabel's mom threatened not to go to her wedding. Isabel loves her mom."
"Did she go?"
"To the wedding? Yeah but Max used emotional blackmail. Moms are suckers for that… or so I'm told. I love that stranger… wherever she is. I don't know. I say I don't care but if my kids got to meet their grandmother, I might love her."
Rik sniffed loudly. "I love that guy, I guess. Might be disrespectful not to."
"Listen, you can think your dad's a jerk. You can claim you hate him as long as you eventually forgive him. You can say horrible things to him as long as you apologize when you realize how wrong you were. What you can't do is stop being his son, no matter what. Pesky DNA." Kyle took a breath and stepped back. "My kids… Valerie especially, she tells me she hates me. She's a good little girl but she gets frustrated. When I picked up and moved her from the only home she'd ever known just after her mother died. When I started dating. When she found out she was getting a new little sister. 'Daddy, I hate you.' It stings but then, she'll stay up late, wait for me to come home and she'll sit with me while I eat my dinner and she'll hug meand tell me she loves me. She's nine but she knows that no matter how many times she tells me she hates me for the things I put her through… that I always love her."
"Why do you give Uncle Max so much grief?"
"That's a long, long story. The short version is he's controlling and our personal history is always a factor in how we deal with each other."
"Cause you dated Aunt Liz first."
"Partly. That guy you see in there. The nice guy, the one that all the kids love. That's only one side of him. Whatever fight you overheard, that's another side. Neither one is wholly him. Whatever my hang-ups with Max, he's a decent guy and he tries to get it right. It mostly lands him on his ass but he does mean well. If your dad and Max were really cloned from the same two beings. One alien and one human. They're probably alike in most ways. So… those things you like about Max… Zan has probably got them in him too. Those things you hate about Zan… Max has got those too. I'm not saying they're interchangeable."
"Just that whatever chances I give Max… I should give my dad."
"Pretty much. Come on. Go rest. Tonight when they're all asleep, we'll see what we can do about contacting him."
tbc next post
Part 27
Squeals came from the back room where the kids were supposed to be getting ready for bed. Maria turned to Darin. "This is why Max is not supposed to put the kids to bed."
"He loves to do it." Liz protested then sighed as yet another peal of laughter erupted from the bedroom. "But you're right, it doesn't mean he should."
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Isabel barked into the room. "Beds are for sleeping, not for jumping."
"Hay is for horses!" came the chorus of voices.
"Max, I swear…" She pointed her finger into the room.
"Oooh. Uncle Max is in trouble. Uncle Max is in trouble." The voices sang.
Liz shot up and caught an escapee. "Where are you going, mister? It's bedtime."
"I can't sleep. Daddy's bein' noisy." Isaiah rubbed his eyes.
"I know." She kissed his head. "Let's tell him to cut it out."
The duo vanished from sight. "Mommy says to cut it out, Daddy. I need to go to sleep."
"I'm sorry." Max apologized. "Okay, kiddos. Assume the position. In bed. Under covers. Eyes closed. You don't have to sleep but you do have to pretend. First one to break silence has to let Uncle Michael put you to sleep for real."
"Man…" came the chorus of groans.
Kyle took a deep breath and listened to the silence that followed. "It's like… music but silent. So nice."
"We're the ones with your noisy kids for days on end." Maria bit out.
"My kids are good. You've got a hellion in there." He protested as he sank onto a couch newly cleansed with alien powers.
Liz returned to retake her seat next to Darin. She looked like she was in pain but managed a smile at him. He offered one back. "You don't have to comfort me, Liz."
"Thanks. It's crazy in here but you know that. Two pregnant women, all the crazy aliens and hybrids. The kids are fine now but they were all upset…" She groaned.
Darin blinked at her. "Who else is pregnant?"
An eyebrow shot up as her voice lowered. "Erika."
"But…"
"She won't know for a few weeks. Let her find out on her own. She's under enough stress." She gestured to the woman leaning on her son by the window.
"But when?"
"Who knows. You find a way on the road." Liz's smile felt a little more real. "I'm glad they got to the point where they could… but it'll be that much harder on her if we don't get him back. He's got to know at least… maybe it'll make him come back." She got up and crossed to the crib they'd found for Hannah and watched her baby sleep, seemingly drawing strength from one so small and full of life and completely oblivious to all the chaos in the world she was born to.
Darin watched everyone he could see. Maria giving Michael a massage around what little damage was left. Kyle and Ava sitting next to each other but not touching save for the outsides of his left shoe and her right shoe. Jesse and Isabel wrapped in each other on a chair in a corner. Erika and Rik staring out the window at their old neighborhood. All the other kids were asleep in the same room that Bada had died in but there didn't seem to be time to dwell on that. Steve had gone to his mother's an hour ago. Half an hour ago, she'd stopped yelling at him for taking off and not telling anyone where he was going or when he'd be back. Once again, Darin sat alone, waiting for someone to notice him.
Max entered the room and took a seat next to his son. They didn't speak for a while. "I'm sorry I didn't bring her back." His son shrugged. "I know you wanted to get to know her better." Another shrug. "Are you mad at me?" Another shrug. "Darin, talk to me, please."
"You've been back for hours and the first words to me out of your mouth are an apology that I'm not even sure you mean because you don't like her. You'd be glad to be rid of her. If you don't want me around… let me go home." Darin pleaded. "I miss my mom and she's all alone. I'm not a little boy but you treat me like one. I could have helped but Liz made me stay behind."
"I'm sorry." Max offered lamely, taking a deep breath and averting his eyes. "Honestly, I'm not entirely sure how to act around you. I get nervous and I do the wrong thing. I don't mean to be an awkward guy around you but I can't help it. Every time I look at you, I feel I should be apologizing for letting you go and taking you away." He offered a small smile. "If you had come with Liz to get us… we would have gotten into a bigger fight than we did… I have only ever wanted to keep you safe."
"You can't do that forever. I'm supposed to graduate in three years… if I can get back into school… and then what?"
"That future you wanted… I want you to have it. College, career, some nice girl from somewhere who you can love and trust. I'll make sure you're safe." Max promised.
"You can't. If you're off fighting evil aliens, how will you know if I get mugged on the street? Or if I get hit by a drunk driver? What if someone poisons me? What if I trip and fall out a window? I could get struck by lighting or piss off someone important and you wouldn't be able to do a thing about it if you just walk away."
"When I was your age… I thought about saying those very things to my father." Max sniffed and looked up to see Liz watching them over her shoulder. "At the time, I didn't know who he was or what I was… but I thought there had to have been a reason that he sent me to Earth to live. Maybe he was protecting me. I spent a lot of time protecting myself to prove he'd done the right thing… but I never learned to let someone take care of me… not for a long time."
"I know you never meant for me to find out who you were and my parents never planned on telling me. That's insults from three people who I'm supposed to believe loved me so much they didn't want to hurt me… and that hurts the worst." He lifted his head to look at Max. "Erika thought I was Zan's son, too. She didn't have to like me but she trusted me. Liz has every reason to hate me and she trusts me too. Why can't my own parents?"
"I don't have an answer to that. Nothing that'll fix anything or make you feel better. I lost you, twice. Once of my own doing. I don't want to lose you again… either way. If I could have done this without dragging you into it… I would have. I felt you'd be safer with me than with your human parents."
"And you were right. I'm safer with you. You… my father. If you're not going to tell me who I am, be there to take care of me… why bother, though. I can only get stronger. I can only get smarter and I can only help if you let me… or are all my powers just too useless? I can feel everyone in the room and what they're feeling. I could make them think I'm not really here. But I guess that doesn't help anyone."
"You can stay with those who don't have powers and use your shield to protect them." Max answered softly. "You might think you got left behind but you're the second line of defense. My children, your brother and sister, in your hands. It's not useless when you can protect someone who can't protect themselves. All of these little kids and all they had was you and Isabel."
"You say that like I'm not good for anything." Isabel scoffed from Jesse’s lap with barely a weary glance in their direction.
"I didn't mean it like that." Max waved her off.
"At least your dad came back." Rik bit out. "Mine's fuckin' nuts."
"What happened out there?" Maria demanded. "I'm so tired of no one telling us mere mortals what the hell is going on. Why is Michael so tired? He's got knots the size of golf balls here."
"The plan was to go in and cut the head off the snake. We walked in looking like our dupes with Tess, Kal looking like Kivar. We were supposed to take out the leaders and let the soldiers get reassigned. Just let the unit fall apart from the inside out. But they were already suspicious. They couldn't get to their funds. Then one of their scanners tipped them off on Kal. He can look like Kivar but they're not the same species. We got separated from Tess and Kal inside the building. Somebody set it on fire, don't know who. Michael and I barely got out of there alive. Don't know what happened to them. We only killed a handful on our way out." Max took a deep breath and blew it out. "It was all I could do to keep us alive until you came for us."
"They were in pretty bad shape when we found them." Liz took over. "It just… got away from us. We were staying ahead and I don't know how. Then… Zan took it upon himself to go play martyr."
"Excuse me." Isabel mumbled and rushed from the room. Jesse and Max fidgeted when they heard her retching.
Rik glared at them. She should know. She could put herself in harm's way and she'd be the only one who knew she was risking unborn life. He fixed his eyes back onto the window where his mother was beginning to finally put years on her face. He hadn't ever seen her look like that. Not with all the jerks she dated, not with the crushes she'd had. Only one person could ever make her look like she was dying.
"Jesse… can you come here, please?" Isabel called into the room.
"Here we go." Michael muttered.
"What?" Maria glanced around the room and everyone else seemed to be waiting for something.
"Liz!" Isabel hissed out the door of the bathroom.
"Isabel, calm down. No one told me anything. I know all the signs…" Jesse's voice pleaded before the door clicked shut.
Rik's vision was filled with babies. All those rug rats had once been squirming, screaming babies. Isabel was expecting one more. Whenever he looked at anyone, he saw their offspring moments after birth. When his gaze swung onto his mother, he saw himself. Weak and struggling. Saw himself inside that incubator and his father looking in. Saw some other baby, a stronger baby… with blonde wisps on… her head.
Rage rushed through him, making Darin and Liz's head's whip around to him. Rik stormed for the door. "Kyle. We need to talk."
Kyle's jaw dropped and fixed his eyes on Max. "What is with you people? Do I have 'Loyal Dog' written on my forehead? If one of you royal aliens says jump I'm just gonna leap off a building?"
"Kyle?" Liz jerked her head toward the door as Rik threw it open, her eyes pleading. "Please? See what's got him so upset."
Erika stared dumbfounded at her son; her son who normally tried to hide himself from the world as he was just now actively taking charge of situations and his life. Her eyes pleaded with Kyle to do what Liz said. Rik was a hothead sometimes but he would never presume to order anyone around ever. Something was wrong. Something was definitely going on with her little boy.
"Thanks, Kyle. He's… got a better handle on what he needs than the rest of us." Max spoke softly when Kyle got to his feet to follow the teen. They had stuff to talk about while those two were gone anyway.
Kyle made his way through the close hallways of the building after Rik who led them up to the roof. The boy motioned for him to stay put as he crossed to the other side of the black top and let loose a wave of energy that moved Kyle's clothes fifty feet away but didn't hurt him any. "So, you commanded my presence, Kid."
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be an ass." Rik sank down to sit on his feet. "What powers do you have? I mean… beside that… amplifier thing."
"I don't do much." Kyle shook his head. "It's why I left a long time ago. Max sanctioned it as if I needed his permission to settle down and live my freaky little life."
"Why? I mean… Liz…"
Kyle let out a laugh. "There's a difference in what Max did for me and what Max did for Liz. Both Liz and I were shot in the gut. Fatal wounds. He loved her. He mostly hated me." He caught the boy's look. "Maybe hate is a strong word but toleration is too soft. She also has the benefit of something that runs through him and manifests in her. Even if they hadn't been crushing in secret, they would have ended up together eventually because of that thing that comes up when they kiss. It’s powerful when two beings can connect like that even when they hardly knew each other to begin with." He shrugged and crossed to sit on the raised ledge. "So. Why drag me up here? Why ask me questions?"
"I've always been able to sense things." Rik sank back to lean on a vent shaft. "Since I was little… to know that things were going on behind doors even if I didn't know what they were. There was only one time I walked into a room anyway… and I have pretty much regretted it ever since. I know when girls are lying about what they've done with guys. I know when guys lie to girls saying they done less than they have. Always and I never questioned it."
"Now you know why."
"Yeah… and now… I do more than that. I look at people and know things I shouldn't. Tonight… I could see what Aunt Isabel's baby was gonna look like. I saw her other kids when they were first born. I saw Hannah, Amanda… I saw your kids… all four of them."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Blue eyes narrowed at the boy.
"I didn't see Isaiah. His parents aren't in the room." Rik finished vaguely and lamely, sometimes Max talked too much. "Then I looked at my mom. And… I didn't really believe my dad when he said he was at the hospital all the time when I was born but I saw. I was in an incubator and he was there, his hands in those… gloves and him fixing things that would have made me die… and then… I saw my little sister."
"You had a little sister?" Kyle's head lifted, his blue eyes poring into the young man's amber ones.
"Will have."
"Why are you telling me?"
"Cause I need to control it. I need to see it again to make sure I saw what I saw. To see more."
"Aw. No. No. It doesn't work that way. Liz and I never hook up to see the future, man. We go on what she sees and nothing more. We never boost that power."
"He's such an asshole!" Rik rose and spun, kicking the vent hard enough to bruise his toes. "The only time I wasn't with her. The only time I let her out of my sight while he was around… Our life is so hard. Sometimes we don't eat so well and now she's gonna have another baby. She can't take off work and hell, we probably already lost our apartment. Where are we gonna keep a baby? And now… when the hell is all this gonna be over?"
"Hey…" Kyle rose and put his hands on the boy's shoulders. "Listen, you say you saw your baby sister. I bet she was healthy." He waited for the nod. "Better condition than you were?" Another reluctant nod. "It's gonna work out. What we need to do is get your dad back so that it can stay that way? I can't help you divine the future but I can help you talk to him. All that stuff about the distances and the limitations are pretty dead on. I can boost you times 10. See if you can't talk to him the way he talked to you before the summit."
"How do you know about that?"
"Max's other presents come and go for me but I use them when I can." He shrugged. "I think I absorb the others' powers to some degree when I'm around them or if they use them to a certain degree. I can't always do what you do, what Darin does… what Liz does…" He raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to find your dad? Do you want to go save him?"
"I have to."
"Why? You hate him. You keep saying so. You think he makes life worse for you and your mom. Why do you have to save him?"
"Cause he saved me. All this time. He's been saving me that he's been dead." Rik sank back down to the ground. "The first time, he did it himself. Put his hands on me and made sure my mom didn't lose me. Then after he died, we just thought he left. I smoked but I didn't drink, didn't do drugs because I thought he did. I didn't screw around with girls I didn't care about because I thought that's what he did. I stuck close to my mom because he didn't. I always told her the truth because he didn't. We chose to come with because I figured he wouldn't. I didn’t know he was dead all this time and that the things I thought he should have done, he couldn't because he was dead." Rik began to sob. "He spent all of our life together loving me and I spent the rest of my life hating him. And now I know why and he's here and I… he's out there and he did this dumbass thing because he loves us even though I said maybe I hate him."
"I'm gonna take that long-winded and overly emotional speech as your princely way of saying you love your dad." Kyle rubbed Rik's shoulders. "It's okay, you know. To say it. We won't judge you. Max… I suspect he loves his real mom and dad, even though he never met dear old dad and mom, who just died, sent him to Earth with mixed up DNA. My Dad… I thought he was crazy my entire life… almost. Loved the guy til the day he died. Liz's dad… said some pretty horrible things to her about Max and she loves the guy, even when she hated him. Max's adopted dad gave him an ultimatum. No lies under his roof. Max moved out without money and without comforts and he still loved his dad." Rik seemed to calm down and so Kyle kept talking. "Maria's dad left her and her mom when she was six. She barely remembers the guy and professes often to hate him but I suspect that if she came face to face with him… she might forgive him. Jesse's dad did die on him. He was 13 and very much in need of a man around the house… but he loves his dad. Isabel's mom threatened not to go to her wedding. Isabel loves her mom."
"Did she go?"
"To the wedding? Yeah but Max used emotional blackmail. Moms are suckers for that… or so I'm told. I love that stranger… wherever she is. I don't know. I say I don't care but if my kids got to meet their grandmother, I might love her."
Rik sniffed loudly. "I love that guy, I guess. Might be disrespectful not to."
"Listen, you can think your dad's a jerk. You can claim you hate him as long as you eventually forgive him. You can say horrible things to him as long as you apologize when you realize how wrong you were. What you can't do is stop being his son, no matter what. Pesky DNA." Kyle took a breath and stepped back. "My kids… Valerie especially, she tells me she hates me. She's a good little girl but she gets frustrated. When I picked up and moved her from the only home she'd ever known just after her mother died. When I started dating. When she found out she was getting a new little sister. 'Daddy, I hate you.' It stings but then, she'll stay up late, wait for me to come home and she'll sit with me while I eat my dinner and she'll hug meand tell me she loves me. She's nine but she knows that no matter how many times she tells me she hates me for the things I put her through… that I always love her."
"Why do you give Uncle Max so much grief?"
"That's a long, long story. The short version is he's controlling and our personal history is always a factor in how we deal with each other."
"Cause you dated Aunt Liz first."
"Partly. That guy you see in there. The nice guy, the one that all the kids love. That's only one side of him. Whatever fight you overheard, that's another side. Neither one is wholly him. Whatever my hang-ups with Max, he's a decent guy and he tries to get it right. It mostly lands him on his ass but he does mean well. If your dad and Max were really cloned from the same two beings. One alien and one human. They're probably alike in most ways. So… those things you like about Max… Zan has probably got them in him too. Those things you hate about Zan… Max has got those too. I'm not saying they're interchangeable."
"Just that whatever chances I give Max… I should give my dad."
"Pretty much. Come on. Go rest. Tonight when they're all asleep, we'll see what we can do about contacting him."
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