Roswell Fanatics

Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback. I love getting it and reading it.

Note: This chapter was starting to get really long so it’s being split up into 3 chapters, Ch 36 and 37 are done and I’m working on Ch 38 now, which is going a different direction there where I originally thought it was heading. Also there might be some lines taken from the season 2 episode ‘Skin and Bones’. I watched the episode recently so I’m sure some lines are similar/exact copies of what was said on the show. Since I watched this episode about 10 times (probably more) I noticed quite a few things that didn’t make sense or just plain bothered me. So I tried to fix those things, I probably just made it more complicated and confusing, however.

Chapter 36

Quarry; Late Afternoon

Standing up on a hill Michael stared down at the investigation taking place below. Five detectives searched the ground, some pulling items up and out of the ground, looking at it, and then placing it into clear plastic bags. They wrote something on the bag and put it into a container only to move onto the next section of land, some only an inch away from the last section.

Michael brushed a hand down his sweaty face. The heat of the setting sun and the stress of the situation was getting to him. He killed a man. Yes, the man he killed was a monstrous man but Agent Pierce had still been a person. And he took the man out of existence.

Off behind him he heard the sound of gravel under foot. Michael turned around quickly. His eyes shifted, checking out his surroundings. A shadow moved quickly away from its hiding place, Michael ran after the figure.

He didn’t get far before tripping and falling. Normally he’d be embarrassed by his tumble but the piece of skin he saw caught his attention. It was tissue paper thin and in the shape of a hand. Just as he got a good look at what he held it disintegrated.

Michael scanned the area again as he stood up, brushing off the dust clinging to his shirt and pants. That was no snake skin, he wasn’t ready to leap to alien just yet but it’s a possibility that could never be ruled out.

Taking one last look at the controlled chaos in the Quarry Michael began the trek back to his motorcycle. For now he’d keep what he found to himself. No point in telling their fearless leader about it yet. Not like Max would do much of anything anyway.

All summer their group had been in a holding pattern. Max didn’t want to make waves but he didn’t want to train either. Than when Max finally seemed motivated to do something it was a stupid idea that could get them all put in the White Room. Ever since Liz broke up with him he’d been more useless than Michael had ever seen him.

Riding through town the sun beat down on him, sweat trickled down his back. He’d been spending a lot of time in that desert more now than ever before. First his normal retreats, sometimes he’d visit Pierce’s grave, he didn’t necessarily think Pierce should be walking around but he’d be able to sleep better if he hadn’t taken his life. Plus all the sparring he and Liz had been practicing up there. Now the Quarry was a large area, nearly two miles with more desert surrounding it but he’s sure he lost plenty of little things, things that pointed to him being out there.

Pulling into his parking space he saw Max’s jeep already there. No doubt Max and most likely Isabel let themselves on in. Typically it was fine, Iz and Max were family but he didn’t like having his space invaded either.

Sure enough Isabel sat on the couch, Max on the bar stool. Isabel sipped at a bottle water, her own since he had no bottle water in his apartment, Max on the other hand was drinking a Snapple…his last Snapple. “Help yourself to my drinks Maxwell.” Michael sarcastically stated.

“Did you want this one?” Max bashfully asked.

“No, that’s why it was in my fridge because I didn’t want it.” Michael stomped over to the fridge in question and searched through it. He found an orange soda Isabel brought over once and grabbed it from the cold box. “So has anything been decided?” He dropped the Snapple steal and moved on to what they were there for.

“We were waiting for you.” Isabel said.

His sister, he didn’t care what that message from her and Max’s mother said, Isabel would always be his sister, sat rigidly on the edge of the sofa, not quite sure what lived on his couch. “Ok. Brody?”

“The device you two found is clearly alien, it was familiar to you both. We need to question him on what he knows.” Isabel put out there.

“How? Max has been fired from there so it’s unlikely Brody will be forth coming with information.” Michael left the kitchen and sat on the arm on his couch.

“I could try.” Isabel offered.

Michael shook his head. “You’ve already talked to that Grant guy about why he’s digging around up there. Are you sure you want to try the same thing with Brody?”

Max started to open his mouth to give his opinion but Iz beat him to it. “It’ll be fine Michael. It’s only flirting, I can do that in my sleep. I’ll get that info out of him.”

At that Isabel and Michael looked to Max who they almost forgot was there. “Anything to add?” For once Max kept his mouth shut and stayed silent.

“Ok, I’ll go see him tomorrow.” Isabel breathed out the breath she held, already preparing her act a bit.

“Did Valenti tell you anything new about the investigation?” Michael asked. Valenti, after Max had saved Kyle’s life, had been more than willing to help their group. One way was keeping them apprised of any suspicious characters and possible threats. This investigation was an immediate threat, so the Sheriff was more forthcoming than usual.

Max set the empty Snapple down onto the counter. “They are finding lots of things down there. Some are clearly old, other items are more recent. The while area hasn’t been canvased yet though. He’ll know more once they test those items. But it’s impossible for them to determine which items will be useful because they don’t know how old the bones are.”

“Are they testing the age?” Isabel asked, she put a hand on Michael’s forearm, worried that the police would come for him.

“Valenti said yes. Not to the date, they’re only doing preliminary tests on the dirt surrounding the body and then when they figure out when the body was placed there they’ll move to the more expensive test in testing the bones.” Max explained.

“So we’re basically in a holding pattern until the always adept Roswell Sheriff’s Station get their shit together.” Isabel didn’t mean to be so snappy to Max but she just wanted this all to be over with. This was her senior year, she should be worrying about college, Prom, and every other senior rite of passage that normal teens went through. Instead she’s worried about police, alien hunters, and losing Alex.

“There’s nothing we can do right now Iz.” Max said, sorry that lately all he’s doing is disappointing people.

Isabel stood. “It’s fine Max.” Clearly by her tone it wasn’t. “I’m going to head out. I’ll see you guys tomorrow with what I find out from Brody.” She left the tense atmosphere of Michael’s apartment.

“Oh yea, it’s fine.” Michael sarcastically joked with Max.

“I’m going to head out too. Bye Michael.” With that he left too.

Finally alone in his own apartment he stripped off his over shirt and walked to the kitchen and began making dinner. He was concerned over what the police would find. The dirt would show that the body had been there for only a few months. Plus with his rap sheet, although minor, was still a pattern of criminal behavior. Would the police assume that his next step on the criminal ladder was murder? Off in the living room a light bulb in his lamp exploded. “Shit.” He had to calm down or he’d start blowing things up left and right and he couldn’t afford to buy new items right now. Taking deep breaths he concentrated on dinner, keeping his thoughts far away from what the police might find.

Sheriff’s Station; Late Afternoon

“We got a print off that Swiss Army knife Sheriff.” Hanson came in, a file clutched in his hand.

Sheriff Valenti already had the latest report on the dirt. The dirt surrounding the bones was dated to only a few months. A movie ticket found in the same patch of dirt helped the dating too, it was a movie that came out a couple weeks around the time his men believed the body was placed there. The same time period that he knew the body was buried there.

“Really?” He took the file. Jim knew already who that Swiss Army knife belonged to, or he had a fairly good idea whose it was. Michael had it with him that night, they used it to cut a couple yards of string to secure the sheet around Pierce’s corpse.

“Guerin, Michael. He’s got a record with us. Want me to bring him in Sheriff?” Hanson practically bouncing with eagerness at doing something noteworthy. He might have helped bust this case open. After all he found the knife with Guerin’s print.

Valenti paused for a moment, then shook his head. “No, I’ll bring him in. I have a feeling Mr. Guerin left it there on another night.”

“But Sheriff…”

“Thank you Deputy.” Jim cut him off and placed the file next to him on the desk.

Jim waited for Hanson to leave the room, then he called Michael.

Michael’s Apartment; Early Evening

“Wait, Valenti called you in?” Max asked even though he knew the answer because Michael just told him.

“Again, yes Max. But don’t worry about it. Valenti already had a cover story for that night. He wrote a report that he chased me and some friends off that night.” Michael explained.

Max sighed, Michael could practically hear the eye rolling from the other end. He knew what was coming. He was about to get a lecture. “How could you drop it in the desert? Especially that night? The one night we couldn’t afford to anything go wrong.”

“Excuse me, I wasn’t planning on killing anybody that day, let alone disposing of the body. Next time I kill someone I’ll make sure the holes in my pockets are sewn up.” Michael slammed the phone down on its receiver. “Dammit!” His toaster, his new toaster, exploded as his control loosened the reins on his anger and his powers. “Great.”

Crashdown Café; Evening 8:30 p.m.

Tess collapsed on the couch in the break room. Her shift was finally over. It hadn’t been a long one, only five hours but it had been a busy rush of people. She’d been run ragged by the locals and the tourists. Now all she wanted was some gorgeous hunk to massage her feet.

She rested her head on the back of the sofa, catching her breath for a second she forced herself to get up. If she didn’t change now she would fall asleep in her uniform as soon as she got home. Tess carried jeans, flat brown boots, and a light sweater into the bathroom.

As she stripped the sea foam colored uniform off and wiped some of the sweat from her tired arms and legs, Tess heard a raised voice that sounded like Max from the break room.

“Valenti called Michael into his office. He questioned him, Hanson was there.” Max’s voice could clearly be heard through the bathroom door. Tess stopped dressing and stood close to the door listening.

“Quiet Max. The diner’s busy and loud but this is not a soundproof booth.” Maria calmed him down. “Now is Michael ok?”

“Yes. Valenti let him go, had a report all made out in case this happened.”

“That’s good. So what’s the problem?”

Max was silent for a second then, “He shouldn’t have been stupid and dropped his knife out there.” Tess heard a thump, it sounded like a slap. “Ow, you didn’t have to hit me on the head.” Max hissed.

“Trying to knock some sense into you. That night was scary for all of us Max, but Michael…he took a life. A deplorable one, one that the world will not miss but still it affected him. He made a mistake dropping his knife, yes, but that doesn’t make him stupid.” Maria argued in defense of Michael.

Again Max didn’t speak for a moment. When he finally did Tess could only pick up his muffled voice but couldn’t make out what he said. Then she heard Maria. “Anything else happening that I should know about, i.e. tell the other’s you’re not speaking too?”

“You know I…”

“Wasn’t looking for an explanation Max just talk.”

“Valenti told me they’re looking closely at the bones. Michael might not be out of the woods yet.”

“Ok.” Maria sounded concerned.

“We’ve also been looking into Brody. He came here and bought the UFO Center from Milton. You remember Milton had an obsession with that place. Then we found an object in his office. Clearly alien. We talked about it and Isabel’s going to try to get information from Brody.”

“If Isabel doesn’t get anything out of him let me know. Brody and I have a rapport. Michael forgets the pepperjack, I ask Brody about the pepperjack. Plus he gave me a one hundred dollar tip.” Maria revealed.

“Wow, that’s impressive.” Max sounded surprised that Brody would give that much for a tip.

“It’s not like I’m not worth it but it was a little weird.” She admitted. “Ok, out you go, I’ve got to get changed and we’re still not at the point of seeing the bod.”

Tess stood in the bathroom for a second. Max had been having meetings with Michael and Isabel and clearly she hadn’t been invited. She didn’t know the Sheriff called Michael in, Isabel’s plan for Brody, or anything new to do with those bones.

She needed to catch up to Max, who more than likely left since she heard Maria opening her locker. Quickly Tess dressed, she jumped into jeans, shoved her feet into her boots, and dragged the sweater over her head. She barely got the hem passed her belly when she grabbed her uniform and rushed from the bathroom.

Tess hurried by a startled Maria and ran through the Crashdown to the outside. She spotted Max walking down the street. He stopped briefly, staring at Liz’s balcony before he shook he head and continued on his way. When Tess was in reach she grasped his t-shirt and turned her past life husband around.

“Tess?”

“Want to tell me why you’ve been keeping things from me and having meetings about things that concern me without me?”

TBC

Coming Up: Liz overhears a few things, Tess and Max having a spat, and something that sends ice water through her veins.

Chapter 37

Tess stood there waiting for Max’s excuse. She was one step away from tapping her foot. For the last three months she has been trying to get everyone of their four square together to talk about translating the Destiny Book, to train, and practice for what might come. The only one trying and making progress is Michael and rarely did anyone come to a meeting when she called one.

“It wasn’t intentional.” Max began. At least he didn’t play dumb, like he had no idea what she was talking about.

“Then please, explain to me how it is, because from my stand point I’ve been excluded from alien business. That can’t be true though considering I’m one too.” Tess sarcastically said, while casting her gaze fervently around continually mindful of the possibly of being overheard.

“We just…” Max stopped and looked at his feet.

Ah, that was it. She didn’t need him to finish, she’d already figured it out with those two words. The twisted part was though, she wanted to hear him say it. Make it real. “Just what?” Tess wasn’t letting him off so easily.

“We forgot. By the time we got to Michael’s apartment we realized no one told you. Complete accident.” Max weakly explained.

Tess nodded and crossed her arms, annoyed at the boy king. He was no Zan, although she reluctantly admitted, Zan was an adult, nearly thirty five when he died, Max was still only seventeen. Despite that knowledge, however, she wouldn’t let him just go without getting on his case a bit. “Ok, I can accept forgetting to call me.” Max’s eyes lit up for a second with hope. “However when you saw that you were missing a quarter of the four-square why didn’t you call me then?”

Max shrugged. “Honestly, I didn’t think about you.” Tess must have flinched because Max stepped forward with an apologetic expression. “I’m sorry. It’s always been Michael, Isabel, and me, all our lives. We always talked things out first, before the others came into our lives we kept it between us three. Then once Alex, Maria, and Liz came into the picture we still kept them a little in the dark. Now, suddenly we have a fourth who’s like us and we’re not use to it yet.” He could see he wasn’t getting anywhere with her and asked. “What else do you want me to say?”

“Nothing.” There was nothing to say. Not now. Maybe not ever. She knew what she wanted him to say, that it’d never happen again, that he trusted her, and many other things that would never cross his lips and be true. Tess sighed and shook her head. “You can’t continue to keep me in the dark. If you had come to me early on I could have mind warped the couple people who found Michael’s Swiss Army knife but now…”

Max lifted his gaze, “Wait you’re right, you can manipulate some of the deputies minds. Make it go away, remove the Swiss Army knife from their mind.”

“No.” She simply stated.

Meanwhile up on her balcony Liz heard Max’s raised voice. “Why not?” It wasn’t a shout but a few more ratchets up on the volume meter and it would be. Curious Liz put down her journal, stood from her lawn chair, and peered down. Max was nowhere in her eyesight but his voice came up from the street next to the Crashdown. Opening her senses she zeroed in on the conversation.

“Are you refusing because you’re pissed at me and this is some kind of revenge?”

Liz cocked an eyebrow. Lovers quarrel? With her hearing heightened she heard Maria approach from the stairs leading up from the restaurant to her parent’s apartment.

“Don’t be an idiot Max, I wouldn’t do that to any of you. If you got your head out of your ass and off of one Liz Parker for twenty seconds you’d realize that if Michael, or any of you, get caught it’s my green blooded ass on the line too. So don’t go there. Now as for why I can’t mind warp Hanson, Hanson’s not the only person who knows about this case or the bones or the Swiss Army knife or Michael’s possible involvement. Technically I could meddle with his mind and a couple others who work closely on the case but what about the people he talked too or the people those people talked too or the multitude of cops and scientists working on this case? Suddenly instead of one or two I’m having to warp fifty and I can’t and won’t do that.”

Liz let out a deep breath, wow, she can’t believe Tess got through that in two breaths. Holding your breath under water for five minutes, simple, getting out a long tirade with only a couple gulps of air, difficult as hell.

“Hey.” Maria climbed through her window and Liz shushed her. “Geez. Rude.” Maria wasn’t angry. She would have stormed off if she had been.

“Tess and Max are down there arguing.” Liz kept her voice low, so she could hear what else one or the other said.

“Hmm. Yea. Blondie tore out of the bathroom like her ass was on fire. Too bad it wasn’t.” Maria huffed and sat down on Liz’s lawn chair picking up the thin afghan hanging on the edge of the chair and draped it over her bare legs.

“Why?” Liz asked. Didn’t sound like Max was doing anything but sputtering out an apology. She stopped listening and focused on Maria.

“Who knows, it’s Tess. Maybe she got a hang nail or something.” Maria shrugged, uncaring about what Tess’s issue happened to be. “Anyway got some info for you. Max would have told you himself but you’ve been avoiding him and banging Mr. Studly.” Liz didn’t respond but Maria had no problem filling up the silence with what had been going on with the bones, Michael getting questioned and the Brody/Milton mystery. “So here I am, being the go between.” Maria ended.

“Not asking you to be the go between. I do appreciate it though. So Michael told Max he’s in the clear?” She stared down at the alley way, a little lost in thought. It sounded good, Michael free and clear but sounded good and were good, were two different animals.

From off in the distance she heard Tess turn, some of the gravel under her shoes crunched, she saw the blonde enter the mouth of the alley then she turned around and told Max. “You know what Max, don’t bother calling me, it shouldn’t be too hard to do that, because you’re already so good at it.” She whipped around again and this time didn’t stop to give Max another biting comment.

“Max and Michael say yes.” Maria could see the gears moving in Liz’s head.

“The police still have the knife?” Liz asked.

“I’d assume so. What are you thinking?”

Liz glanced at Maria before pushing away from the wall. “They brought him in, questioned him. Valenti had a report made up ready to go but if they test those bones, and you know they will sooner rather than later, they might conclude foul play.”

“How? Would Michael’s blast do anything permanent to the bones?”

“Don’t know, can’t imagine they wouldn’t though. That blast was strong enough to kill it’ll leave some kind of mark.”

“And Michael’s back in the interrogation chair or worse arrested for murder.” Maria finished.

Liz nodded. She quickly went through her options. First things first, she had to know what the police did, then she could go from there.

“But even if a mark of some kind was left on the bones, they can’t prove Michael did it. Wouldn’t the bones show…odd marks…like more alien than human caused them? Unless they know what he is then they can’t prove he did anything to the body.” Maria almost desperately pointed out.

Liz shrugged, “We don’t know what kind of mark if any Michael’s blast put on the bones. It could look like someone crushed the bones with a sledge hammer, or the bones might show some small cracks that could be any number of human killer signatures. Until we knew more we can’t assume they won’t go after Michael. Right now he’s their only lead, no matter how slim.”

“What are you going to do?” Maria knew that look. It was the look Liz got before she left with Alex over the summer, it was the look she got what she confronted Max, Michael, and Isabel for the first time after finding out they were aliens, and it was the look Liz had when she and Alex agreed to let her in on their transgenic secret.

“First the sheriff’s station. Got to play it by ear after that.” Liz put her boots on and grabbed a light jacket.

“But you have an idea?”

Liz halted her progress and stared at Maria. “Yes. If they have enough evidence to charge Michael for murder I have a way that will at least slow the arrest train down.”

“Can you, to use your train metaphor, derail it, not just slow it down?” She was concerned for her former boyfriend and friend.

“Don’t know. My rough idea might but nothing’s a guarantee.” Liz pulled her hair back into a high ponytail and slipped on her watch. “I’ll let you know how everything goes.” She was about to leave when Maria called her back once more.

“Where’s your homework that’s due tomorrow?” She desperately needed to copy the Math assignment. She understood most of it, Math wasn’t one of the subjects that plagued her but finishing assignments on time, or at all, that’s what dragged her down.

Liz smiled and pointed inside. “On my desk. Help yourself. See you later.” With a wave she jumped from the balcony. Two seconds later Maria heard Liz land on her feet and speed off toward the Sheriff’s station. Michael would be ok, Liz would help him. She had complete confidence in her friend, but she did wonder how Liz would help Michael get out of this.

Sheriff’s Station; 9:00 p.m.

Hanging onto the drainpipe outside of Sheriff Valenti’s window at the police station proved beneficial. It brought some bad, which the bones were those of a murder victim, and a recent murder victim at that, but now she knew what they knew. She hadn’t heard how they knew that but at that moment it didn’t matter much. The dirt surrounding the bones gave them a time frame of when the bones were placed there, which was at least two months ago, it wasn’t direct evidence that Michael had anything to do with the bones being out there but they could start looking at him closer.

What made her most interested however was Vanessa Whitaker’s involvement. Liz was able to watch the happenings through the window, the darkness from outside kept her well hidden. There she was sitting at a chair directly across from the Valenti’s desk. She was listening silently but with clear and calculating interest behind her eyes. What could her new boss’s angle be with this murder investigation?

Hanson, the surprisingly right this time, deputy brought up Michael. “Maybe we should take a closer look at that Michael kid again Sheriff.”

There it was, the words she was hoping no one would say. Bringing Michael up into the conversation peeked Whitaker’s interest and she asked about who he was. Valenti explained that he was a local kid that he shooed away from the area where the bones were found around the time frame they were at least placed there.

Whitaker was quick to fire back with, “Well then we need to bring him in for questioning.”

“There’s no need for that.” Valenti argued back.

Vanessa leaned in and cocked her head to the right, searching the Sheriff’s features, trying to figure him out. “Why’s that? Is this some sort of cover up Sheriff?” Mildly reminding him of the tape recording she played him earlier of a conversation she had with Agent Pierce.

“No. It’s not a cover up. But it’s unlikely Michael Guerin had anything to do with it or saw anything related to it. Although he’s not big on authority he’d mention if he saw someone burying a body out in the desert.”

“There’s no harm in bringing him in to question him. Maybe he saw something.” Whitaker put forth.

Liz zeroed in on her boss’s eyes. She had something up her sleeve. Dammit. She’d hoped this job would be a break from all things transgenic or alien but no such luck.

The conversation inside went on for a few more minutes before Valenti agreed that they’d bring Michael in for questioning. He emphasized questioning, nothing else until they had more proof. He didn’t want something this big to end up on Michael’s record if he hadn’t done anything wrong besides drinking and joy riding with friends.

Whitaker agreed then excused herself to make a phone call. Quickly and quietly Liz monkey jumped toward a ventilation duct, the sound of Whitaker’s heels on linoleum carried through it. Straining her ears she heard what sounded like those same footsteps headed down stairs. Sure enough a moment later Whitaker came outside, to the left of Liz but three stories below her.

Listening closely Liz picked up Whitaker’s and the other person’s conversation. “The bones were fused in the rib area.”

“Fascinating. Similar to…” The male voice on the other end was cut off.

“Exactly like the other bodies.” Vanessa quickly said. “It could be the same alien or a new one.”

“Any leads?” The man asked.

“Only one so far. Michael Guerin. Wasn’t he on Topolsky’s list?”

“Yes, so were many others unfortunately. It’s not enough proof.” Liz remembered the files of various students that fell from Topolsky’s hands. More than just Michael’s file was in there. She could only imagine how many other people were on that list of possible aliens.

Liz kept her breathing low, she felt her hand slip slightly from the iron rod she gripped. Feeling her weight shift she quickly swung her body a hundred and eighty degrees so she faced the street instead of the building. She missed the next couple of sentences between Whitaker and the man she spoke with over the phone. The next statement from her employer’s conversation partner sent a cold spike of worry shooting through her.

“Go with the Sheriff’s department picking up the Guerin kid.” Silence then, “Agent’s will be dispatched to displace Guerin. Stall the police for twenty minutes. That’ll be enough time for our people to get him and get out.”

“How will I explain that to Valenti? Pierce was already investigating him for possible involvement with aliens, if Guerin suddenly disappears after I left to make a phone call he’ll have questions for me.” Whitaker pointed out.

“That’s not our problem. Stall for twenty minutes.”

With that the phone call was disconnected. Whitaker stood there for a few moments, seemingly to pump herself up and figure out what she’d do when she went back inside.

Staying silent and still took everything Liz had. She couldn’t risk having her boss see or hear her, not if she wanted to help Michael. Mentally she willed Whitaker to hurry inside, she didn’t have time to wait around. Finally she turned and went back into the precinct.

Once Whitaker went into the building Liz hurried down the side using drain pipes and window’s sills till she touched the ground. Less than twenty minutes to keep Michael out of the Special Unit’s hands. Despite the news and Nasedo-Pierce being a part of the public dissolution of the Special Unit it was clear with that phone call that it was still operational. She had to get to Michael. Without a second thought she took off toward Michael’s apartment, hopefully she’d get there in time.

TBC

Curious how will Liz get Michael out of this mess.

Note:

Hello! Sorry I haven't updated this one for a few months. Wanted to post a note before this was moved to the D&B section. Currently my mind is deep in Date with Destiny and Complicated Affair. But Teacher's Pet will be the next I work on. A couple chapters have already been written but unfortunately they are chapters that are 2-4 chapters ahead of where the story is now, so I have to bridge that gap before I can post what's already written. Hopefully it won't be too long of a wait for the next chapter though.

~Dez

It's ok, and it sounds like once you bridge the gap you will have several updates ready to be doled out.

Thanks for the note. Looking forward to an update.

Great read! Looking forward to more.

Note: Hello, all. So happy to have the board back. I missed it. The Admins and Mod's are fantastic!

In case the board goes down again in the future, I suggest checking out my Author's page, I have links where you can find my fics and/or me.

Sorry this chapter took a bit to get out. I had a scene that I wrote a while ago and I really wanted to keep it in but forcing the story to go in that direction was putting a block up so I had to take out a large chunk and rewrite the other chunk. Not a very long chapter but I hope you all like.

Chapter 38

Outside Michael’s Apartment; 9:15 p.m.

Lying flat on the rooftop of a nearby building, Liz silently waited. She’d been in position now for ten minutes. She had peeked in earlier to make sure Michael was still in his apartment before leaping up onto the overhang of a building next door and then pulling herself up onto the roof.

Liz staked out a good spot where she got a good visual of the main road and three of the four side roads leading to Michael’s apartment. No matter what they’d have to cross the intersection that was to the left of her. Off in the distance she took note of cars going past.

No more than a minute later a black SUV turned onto Michael’s street. Focusing her eyesight she saw through the windshield, there were four men in the vehicle. They should have sent more.

Granted, picking up an alien was a little different than fighting a transgenic, but still more bodies would have been better for them. They didn’t pull up to the front of the row of apartments. The driver instead maneuvered the SUV into a back alley, away from the main road and away from prying eyes. Already Liz saw their plan of attack, they’d probably attempt to get Michael to come with them willingly first, there would be two at the front, two at back, if Michael attempted to run they’d by ready for him at the only two entrances available to him and force him to comply.

Quickly Liz left the roof, she ran toward the parked car where the four men hadn’t even had time to exit. With silence and grace she grabbed the top of the driver’s side door and swung in feet first through the open window, sweeping passed the first agent and kicking the second in the mouth twisting his neck at such an angle that he died instantly.

Three to go.

Without rising from her horizontal position Liz rammed her palm up and into the first agent’s nose sending the bone straight into the brain. He instantly fell forward onto the steering wheel, blood seeping from his nose and mouth as he died.

Two down.

The smell of the blood hit Liz’s nostrils but she forced the memory threatening to surface back down. She gripped the headrests and launched her body into the backseat with the last two agents. Both were reaching for the weapons tucked into their jackets. However they had little experience with fiery transgenics in close quarters.

Liz rammed her elbows into their faces simultaneously, turning to her right she wrapped an arm around agent number three, the one behind the passenger’s seat, and placed her hand at the base of his chin. With a clean swipe she broke his neck, he slumped against the side door, dead.

The agent on her left, briefly recovered from her elbow, attempted to grab her arm. She broke it quickly and slammed his head into the side window. The pane cracked but didn’t break.

Agent four wasn’t dead. He was out but still breathing. Just like she wanted.

Twisting around in the middle seat she searched the trunk. Rope and some cable. Perfect.

In no time at all she had the unconscious agent disarmed and trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey.

Peering out the window she searched the area. No one was around, no one had heard anything. Climbing back over the front seats she pushed the first agent back against the headrest, tying him to it. She didn’t want him slipping onto the horn and alerting the people of Michael’s apartment building.

Exiting the way she came in, through the window, she straightened her jacket and made her way to Michael’s bedroom window.

Inside Michael’s Apartment; 9:25 p.m.

“Why am I just hearing about this investigation now? It’s been going on for nearly a week.” A familiar voice questioned him from his open window.

Whipping around Michael saw Liz leaning against his window sill. “Doors work wonders.”

“Says the man who sneaks into other people’s homes and businesses anyway he can.” She teased.

“Nobody told you because you weren’t involved in the killing of Pierce.” Michael stated. “It wasn’t your business.”

“Not my business, right. Forget about the last year we have all had, last I checked Maria, Alex, and I were right there in the thick it. But let us push that aside for a second. I’m a transgenic, I could have looked to make sure you hadn’t left anything at the crime scene. If they had found something of yours, which they did since they called you in this afternoon, I could have been watching them and switched out the Swiss army knife or taken it before any tests were run on it. Or I could have tampered with their test so it was inconclusive but instead you, Max, and Isabel decide to handle it on your own and now they have something of yours that puts you at that crime scene.” Liz told him.

“They don’t know it’s a crime scene or that I had anything to do with those bones. Valenti wrote a report that said he chased me and a couple friends off for drinking up there.” Michael explained. Yea, it freaked him out when Valenti called him in but everything turned out okay.

Liz stopped short. “It’s a crime scene now. Overheard the police and Whitaker, the bones around the left ribs were fused together. They are bringing you in for questioning. Not arresting you but Whitaker has ties with the Special Unit. She suspects you since they found your knife near and a couple inches above the bones. Whitaker and Valenti are on their way here now. Probably got five minutes before they’re knocking on your door.”

“What?” Michael rose from his bed. “I gotta get out of here.” He started for his dresser but Liz put a hand on his arm to stop him.

“It’s too late, besides you run now they will chase after you, there will be a warrant out for your arrest and you won’t be able to come home for a very long time, if ever.”

“What am I supposed to do then? Let them take me in?” Michael shouted.

“Yes.”

“Are you insane?’ Michael raised his voice.

“Not usually.” Liz replies deadpanned. “They aren’t arresting you. Not yet. Valenti’s made sure it’s just more questioning at this point.”

“And the Special Unit? Am I supposed to let them take me too because you know I’ll disappear somewhere in the transfer.”

Liz shook her head. “For now you don’t have to worry about the Special Unit. I took care of the team they sent. And if they do decide to send another team they won’t be mobilized for an hour at least. By that time you’ll be with Valenti. After Valenti’s done with you go to Max and Isabel’s, they won’t risk exposure if you’re around other people.”

Michael remained silent for a moment, only staring at her. She inwardly squirmed under his gaze, while keeping her outer expression stoic. He couldn’t know how she took care of the Special Unit’s team, could he?

“What?” She forced herself to ask.

“Thank you.”

He doesn’t say that too often to anyone. Normally she’d try to brush off his gratitude and pretend he meant thank you for telling him about the police coming to question him but she wouldn’t do that this time.

“I don’t have a lot of true friends. So I like to keep the ones I have safe and out of the Special Units hands.” Outside she picked up the sound of gravel crunching under ties. “That’d be them.” Michael’s eyes darted, still contemplating running. “Breathe. I have a couple other things to do but I’ll be by the station before they let you go. Make sure they didn’t send another team. You’ll be in Valenti’s custody and around about two other cops that have no clue about the Special Unit, they won’t come for you.”

With that she left Michael’s bedroom and went back to the SUV. The agent was still unconscious in back. From her place in the back alley she could hear four car doors shut and radios crackling out front.

The SUV couldn’t be seen from where the agent’s parked it. It was completely in shadow. Their covert training worked against them, now Whitaker wouldn’t be able to see something was wrong, not until Michael answered the door and she’d realize too late that the plan ran into some trouble. Where it went wrong she wouldn’t know and by the time Whitaker showed back up here, and she would, the SUV and any indication of foul play would be gone.

Liz leaned against the car and waited, listening to Valenti knocking on the door and Michael shouting through the door to hold their horses and that he was coming. Liz could imagine the shock on Whitaker’s sharply angled face at Michael’s voice calling out.

Within minutes Valenti explained the situation and if Michael would be so kind as to accompany them to the station. Reluctantly he agreed, he didn’t really have a choice, but at least Valenti gave the illusion he had one. “Just let me get my shoes.” He left the front door open and went to his bedroom.

Once he was out of ear shot Whitaker spoke up in a harsh whisper. “He’s going to run.”

“He won’t. Michael wouldn’t have answered the door if he was going to run.” Valenti immediately shot down her suspicion.

Sure enough, Liz heard Michael’s clod-hoppers leave the bedroom and go back to the front door. “Ready.”

“Thanks Michael. We’ll try to have you on your way fairly quickly.” Jim guided him to the patrol car, put him in back but he wasn’t under arrest. Whitaker jumped back into the passenger seat, having ridden down with Jim. When everyone was ready their cars backed up and drove away.

The second Liz saw their tail lights turn down the highway she got to work. Michael’s building didn’t have any cameras around, the closest camera was the one at the stoplight to catch red light runners, so she wouldn’t have to worry about erasing anything from them yet. There were a couple along the route she’d take but she’d ask Alex to get into the city’s mainframe and erase any video that managed to catch her.

Knowing Alex he probably already has a program that searches for their images anyway just so he can erase them if they were too incriminating. Her brother was smartly paranoid like that.

She opened the driver’s side door and began unstrapping the dead nose bleeder, with little care she shoved him over onto his buddy in the passenger seat. She glanced back at the tied agent, still out cold.

Good, she hated when people talked over the music anyway.

Liz turned the SUV on, some recent Justin Bieber-y pop music came out of the speakers, assaulting her ear drums. “Gah.” Quickly she changed the station to one with more alternative-rock hits. “Better.” She shifted it the car into gear leaving the alley behind Michael’s apartment complex. She knew just the place to deal with her cargo. A place that no one would hear him yell or scream or beg for his life.

TBC

Coming Up in Ch 39: Liz’s hostage wakes up and she gets information. Valenti, Michael, and Whitaker.

Thanks for the update. Cant wait for more!

Loved the new chapter...can't wait for the next.