Roswell Fanatics

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Against My Programming

Part 38 – “Half Way There”

The Jetta hit a pothole and jolted Maria so she hit her head against the window and woke up. Frowning and rubbing her head, she noticed the sudden movement had also awakened Liz next to her, and Lucas in the front passenger seat. Michael had let Maria drive for a little while before they took another break, and then Lucas had driven until the need for gas had once again made them stop. Michael grumbled about needing a car with better gas mileage and insisted he would drive again. Everyone had tried to sleep between stops, but a Jetta was not the ideal place to catch some “z”s.

“Where are we?” Lucas asked, beating Liz and Maria to the question.

“We just passed the Missouri/Illinois border a few miles back,” Michael answered, his voice husky from lack of use.

“What time is it?” Liz asked as she stretched.

Lucas glanced at his watch. “Almost nine,” he yawned.

Maria stretched and sat forward to massage Michael’s shoulders. “How are you holding up, Spaceboy?”

He shrugged and shifted in his seat. “The lines are kinda starting to run together, but I’m ok. I’m just glad this thing has cruise control.”

“I could really use a bathroom break,” Liz spoke up.

“Look around, Liz. There’s not much in this area,” Michael pointed out gruffly.

Maria clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “Tsk, tsk, no need to be grouchy! Liz, you have one of those maps you bought when we stopped?”

Liz nodded and started pulling it out. “Yeah, I kept one of each of them and gave the others to Isabel.”

“Let’s see if there’s anything resembling a town coming up on it,” Maria said, helping her friend to unfold the map so they could both look at it. “What was the last exit number we passed?”

“Uh, number 12…I think,” Michael answered.

“You mean 112?”

“Yeah, whatever!” he snapped back.

“Ooh! If we take the next exit, we can stop in a small town called Troy. Maybe we can check into a hotel, get a shower and maybe a nap and food…” Maria chattered happily. “Quick, Liz, call Max and Isabel and tell them we want to take that exit.”

Lucas shook his head and spoke up. “Leslie isn’t going to want to stop for that long.”

Liz had already dialed Max’s cell phone, however, and didn’t hear him as she told Max what she and Maria thought would be a good idea. Max listened and looked at the map where they saw the exit. “Yeah, I see it. Hold on and let me ask the others. I’m sure Kyle and Tess will go with whatever we decide, but maybe you could get Maria or Michael to call them.” He held the phone away from his mouth and told the others in the car about the girls’ suggestion.

Isabel nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, definitely. I desperately need some real time out of this car, and while we can freshen up with our powers, I would really love a shower. I vote we stop for a while.”

Max looked back at the two in the back seat and saw Leslie was torn. “I know everyone wants to stop, but how long are we talking about? I really want to try to reach Ava and Megan before they meet up with the others. Our odds are better the fewer people we have to face,” she told them.

Alex shrugged as Max looked at him. “I could use a bathroom break, but other than that, whatever you guys decide is ok by me.”

Max gave Leslie a sympathetic look. “We won’t stop for long, but we do need a longer break, and it might be good for everyone to walk a bit or get showers. We can get a couple of rooms in a cheap hotel, just for a night, but we’ll stay only long enough to get showers, some real food and in between the others showering, maybe a couple of hours of sleep.” Leslie closed her eyes and looked away, but Max continued. “I promise we won’t stop longer than 3 hours ok?”

Alex added, “Besides, I thought you said Megan told you they had stopped at a hotel for the night. We’ve probably already passed them by now and are ahead of them.”

Leslie brightened at that and gave him half a smile. She turned back to Max. “He’s right, and we all could use a real break from the road. No more than 4 hours tops ok? The shorter the better.”

Max put the phone back to his ear and got Liz’s attention. “Ok, we’re stopping. You guys want to let Kyle know, or should I call him?”

“Maria’s phone is dead, but Michael let her use his, and she called him. Kyle said he’ll just follow wherever we go. He did say for what it counted, he and Tess voted to stop,” she answered.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Nicholas rushed to the communicator and quickly switched it on. “Yes, Lord Khivar?” he answered, almost out of breath as he had been running so as not to anger his lord.

“Any word from Ava or Tess yet?”

“Not yet, my lord, but I don’t expect any word until at least late tonight. It does take time to travel across this continent, especially in these crude transports. Are you making plans to come here, or are you planning on using a vessel when they show up or both?” Nicholas asked, careful to make sure no one else was around.

“I will be using a human vessel. I have sent word to prepare a ship if I do indeed find reason to come there. With the new improvements in technology since you left, it only takes a fraction of the time it previously did to travel to another galaxy, especially since the ability to stabilize the worm holes we create. Are you sure there was no hint whatsoever about what it is Ava has in her possession?” Khivar asked.

“None I can think of, other than maybe the granolith, but with the way Tess was talking, I don’t think that could be it,” Nicholas answered.

“I assume you are alone by the way you are addressing me so informally.”

Nicholas swallowed hard and nodded. “Yes, your majesty, I am most assuredly alone.”

“Good, and Nicholas, I’m not king officially yet. The people are tired of fighting and want to concede, but they need some things that are tangible…things they can see…proof that I am the one they want to put on the throne,” Khivar told him for the umpteenth time.

“I know, you need the granolith, the Luinwe, and as many of the royal four as can be produced to back you up. I still don’t see why we can’t just bring Ava or Tess back with the other sewer rats, have them address the people and tell them Xan no longer wants the throne.”

“You don’t understand because I have not revealed all the information to you yet. There are certain things you do not know of as yet, but you will in time…if you are patient. I was disappointed in the destruction of the skins I had sent with you, Nicholas, but I try to be more forgiving in your case. Pray my patience holds if something else goes wrong,” Khivar’s voice rang over the communicator.

“You have nothing to worry about, father. If one of them doesn’t come through, the other will. I think that finally we have the real set with the real king and will be getting the things you need to end this once and for all,” Nicholas assured him. “Believe me, I want to get off this primitive planet and get back to my true form. You’re sure the scientists will be able to reverse the process?”

“Not even you should ask me questions I have already answered, Nicholas; it could prove hazardous to your health. I want a report as soon as you hear anything.” Khivar’s annoyance was palpable.

“Yes, my lord.”

* * * * * * * * * * *

The three vehicles pulled into the motel parking lot, and, after parking, everyone climbed out of them to stretch. Isabel gave the hotel a good look over and then turned to Liz and Maria. “What?” Maria asked at her glare. “The guy at the gas station said there were only three hotels in town, and this was the nicest that didn’t cost much. We’re not going to be here long anyway.” Isabel just rolled her eyes and started digging in her purse for something.

“Ok, so Maria and I will get a couple of rooms, and we’ll be right out,” Liz volunteered, grabbing her purse.

“Um, one question, Liz, how are we going to pay for these rooms?” Maria asked.

Lucas looked at Leslie and she nodded. “We’ve got money for the rooms,” he offered, pulling out a couple of hundred dollar bills.

“Where did you get that kind of money?” Kyle asked curiously.

“Our parents left us everything when they died, including some money for bills, some in savings, and some in separate checking accounts for us,” Leslie answered.

Lucas handed the money to Liz. “Um, thanks, maybe we can pick up a couple of your meals later. I know I can get you some free stuff at the Crashdown eventually…”

Leslie smiled at the brunette and couldn’t help but like the other girl. She had been nothing but nice since they had met. “Thanks, Liz, but it’s no problem. Go ahead and get the rooms,” she told her.

Nodding, Liz headed toward the lobby, trailed by Maria. Max decided to try to fill Kyle and Tess in on what everyone had learned so far. “So who is this little girl Ava kidnapped, and why would she take her?” Tess asked, trying to get some information.

Everyone kind of hesitated at that question. As her biological parents, Leslie and Max really were the ones who should answer, but Max just wasn’t ready to. Sensing this, Leslie spoke up. “Um, she’s a cousin of ours, Lucas and me. She was the daughter of Lauren’s sister, but she was killed in a car accident and came to live with us. Ava obviously took her knowing we would follow after them to get her back.”

Tess looked a little confused. “So she’s human?”

For some reason, Max backed up Leslie’s story, and Lucas breathed a sigh of relief. “Yeah, she’s human…just a poor little kid that’s gotten mixed up in our world,” he confirmed. Michael and Isabel looked at him with questions on their faces, but he just subtly shook his head to keep them from saying anything.

“Oh,” was all Tess could think to say. If this kid wasn’t the surprise Ava was planning on using as a bartering tool, what the hell was she going to use?

* * * * * * * * * *

Maria hit the bell on the counter, and a guy with shoulder-length, light brown hair and a couple of day’s growth of beard popped up. He was wearing jeans and a hockey jersey, and his hair looked like it hadn’t been washed in a couple of days. He must have been in his early to mid-thirties and wore a wedding ring. “Welcome to the Fieldside Inn in Troy, Illinois. My name is Jack. What can I do for you two young ladies?”

Something in his voice made Maria look at him a little closer. He looked kind of familiar. “Um, have we ever met before?”

He gave her a smile. “I don’t think so. I would remember someone as pretty as you, even if you are a little young for me.”

“Um, we would like two rooms with two queen-sized beds in each, just for the one night please,” Liz jumped in.

“Oh, sorry, I wish I could help, but we only had one room left, and I think my partner booked it a couple of minutes ago. Let me check,” he said and disappeared behind a door in the corner behind the desk.

“That’s just great. Perfect! The only decent hotel in this small town, and it’s booked,” Liz muttered. Then she looked at Maria, who was staring at the door the man had just disappeared behind. “What’s with you?”

“I could swear I’ve met that guy somewhere before. He looks familiar, and he even sounds a little familiar,” her friend answered. Then she shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe he came to Roswell for one of the UFO conventions before.”

The guy reappeared and left the door cracked. He shook his head and smiled sympathetically at them. “Yeah, I’m sorry but we don’t have any rooms available.”

The girls threw their hands up, and Maria looked the guy in the eyes. She knew she had seen those eyes before. “Listen, you look like a nice guy, and I’m going to be straight with you. My friends and I are just passing through on our way to New York, and we really don’t want to stay long. We’ve just been on the road all night, and we really wanted a place where we could clean up and rest for a few hours. Is there any way we could just have a couple of rooms for say…three or four hours, and we’ll be happy to pay for a night’s stay in each of the rooms?” she asked.

The guy looked at her and then scratched his eyebrow…just like…. Maria’s eyes flew open wide as she realized who this guy reminded her of. Liz picked up on her lead, however, and added, “We won’t be any trouble, and we’ll even clean the rooms ourselves. Please? We really need a break.”

Jack looked back at the door he had left open and then at the girls. “Hang on a sec,” he said and went back to the office again. Liz could see him talking with a guy with shoulder-length, dark hair that had his back to them, probably the “partner” he had mentioned. He came back and smiled at them. “Ok, we don’t normally do this, but you look like nice girls. We can let you have two rooms for a few hours, but you have to be out by 3 this afternoon so we can clean the room.” He punched a couple of buttons on his computer and looked back up at them. “I need a name to register you. How you plan on paying?”

Maria seemed to have lost her tongue and continued to stare at this guy, studying his every move, so Liz took the lead. “Um, Jones, Beth and Amy Jones,” she told him, quickly coming up with a couple of fake names. “And we’ll be paying cash.”

He typed on the keyboard. “Well, the total for two rooms with two queen sized beds for one night is $115. I’ll also need to see some ID.” When he saw the look on Liz’s face, he frowned a little. “It’s just to verify you’re 18, and in case you decide to skip out on the bill.”

Liz relaxed a bit and swallowed as she smiled at him. “Of course. We’ll pay for the room up front, and I’ll have to get my ID out of the car. Can I show it to you after we get in the rooms?”

Jack studied her face for a minute and then glanced at Maria. “Why does she keep staring at me like that?” he asked, suddenly not feeling so friendly.

“Oh, it’s just you remind me of someone I know so much it’s kind of scary. You know how they say everyone has a twin,” Maria said, speaking up for the first time in a while.

After a second or two, Jack finally placed two envelopes on the counter, along with piece of paper and a pen. “Fine, you can bring your ID by after getting settled in, but if I don’t see it within an hour, I’ll be by the room to make sure to remind you. I need a signature here,” he told them, drawing a small “x” where Liz was to sign. She signed it and smiled at him again. “Your rooms are on the left side of the building, if you’re facing it…rooms 123 and 124.”

Liz grabbed the envelopes with the keys to the rooms, thanked Jack again, and pulled Maria outside. “Maria, what’s wrong with you? You almost cost us those rooms!”

“Me? You’re the one who looked scared at the mention of ID!” Maria took a deep breath. “Liz, I figured out where I’ve seen that guy before, and it’s really scaring me.”

The two girls stopped and Liz looked at her. “Ok, where?” she asked, crossing her arms in front of her.

Maria grabbed Liz’s chin with her hand and turned her head to face the others, in particular in Michael’s direction. Liz’s eyes widened as she really looked at Michael. “Mix one Michael Guerrin, two days without shaving or washing hair, a hockey jersey, a pair of jeans, a couple of inches of hair, and fifteen years, and you’ve got one Jack who works the desk at the Fieldside Inn in Troy, Illinois.”

Against My Programming

Part 39 – “Parents and Paranoia”

Amy DeLuca glanced at the clock as she dialed a number on her phone and waited for someone to pick up. “Hello?” came a female voice.

“Nancy? This is Amy.”

“Amy! Nice to hear from you. Did the girls get off to school ok?” Nancy asked, as she sat up and looked at the clock. She had slept later than she had wanted.

“Actually, I was going to ask you the same thing. Maria’s book bag was in her room, and I thought I should call and see if she had mentioned it to you this morning.” Amy took a sip of her coffee.

Nancy rubbed her eyes, feeling a little confused. “Hold on just a second, Amy, I need to check something.” She hit the hold button on the cordless and walked across and down the hall the few feet to Liz’s room. Opening the door without knocking, she saw what she remembered seeing from when she and Jeff had first gotten back from their supply trip. The bed was made and appeared not to have been slept in, and the room was pretty much the way Liz always left it. She walked over to her daughter’s desk. Shoved underneath it was Liz’s school bag. Hitting the hold button again and putting the receiver to her ear, she tried to think of some explanation for the strange things she and Amy had discovered. “Amy, I haven’t seen the girls. Jeff and I were gone the past two days picking up some supplies for the café. We only got back this morning, and when I looked in Liz’s room and realized she wasn’t here, I assumed she was over there with Maria. I just found her school bag under her desk. Where do you think they are?”

“I don’t know, but I know I want to find out. Maybe we should check to see if either is in school. I’ll take Maria’s bag as an excuse. You wanna meet me there with Liz’s bag? Maybe we can solve this disappearance together,” Amy suggested.

“Ok, but I’m not dressed, and I need to shower. How about we meet up at the attendance office at the school in an hour?”

* * * * * * * * * * *

“Took you guys long enough,” Michael grumbled as Maria and Liz walked back over to the group. Noticing they were staring at him, he glanced back and forth between the both of them. “What?”

Maria shook her head. “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you. You really should see it for yourself. Maybe you can go inside with Liz.”

Max looked at the two girls. “Is there a problem?”

Liz pulled out her wallet and handed him her driver’s license. “I gave them a phony name, and he wants to see some ID. The guy behind the desk looks like Michael in about 15 years.” She shrugged. “Maybe he’s related to the original human DNA the scientists on Antar used to create Michael,” she offered. Now that she thought about it that could be a pretty good explanation.

“He looks that much like me?” Michael asked surprised.

“Michael, you’re not going in there. The last thing we need is to draw attention to ourselves. Liz’s theory might be right, but it doesn’t matter now. There’s nothing we can do about it. What name did you give him?” Max asked, taking her license.

“Beth Jones,” she answered. “And you might want to change the state too…just in case.”

Max held it between his hands. There was a brief glow before he handed it back to her. Liz looked at it. Bethany Jones, same birthday, same information, except for the address, and it was now a Texas issued license instead of New Mexico. “Thanks, here are the keys to the rooms. You guys can go ahead and get settled in, and I’ll catch up with you in a minute.”

Leslie watched Liz go back to the lobby, and her eyes dropped to the ground as she seemed to get lost in thought. Alex noticed and put his arm around her shoulders. She looked at him and smiled. “You ok?” he asked.

Lucas heard the question and walked up to hear her answer. “Yeah,” she said. She looked at her brother. “Do you feel it too?”

Closing his eyes, Lucas nodded. “Yeah, what do you think it is?”

“What?” Everyone asked at the same time.

“I don’t know how to explain it. It…it feels like some kind of echo, a presence,” Leslie answered absently. “I wonder if Ava was further ahead than we thought and she stopped here with Megan.”

“Maybe one of us can ask at the desk in a little bit. Right now, let’s get inside, and we can start getting cleaned up,” Max suggested.

In the lobby, Liz had handed the changed ID to Jack. “Here you go. I know I’m only just 18, but this is kind of a birthday trip for me and my friends. We’re meeting some relatives in New York.”

He looked at it for a few minutes and handed it back to her. “Ok, just remember you have to be out by 3.”

“Thanks again. By the way, can you recommend a place to get some good food?” she asked.

“Perkins Family Restaurant is just down the road a mile on the right. They have good food there. My sister-in-law’s family owns it,” Jack answered. “It’s not expensive either.”

“Great, thanks.”

As she was leaving, she didn’t notice the darker haired man come out of the back office. He hit a couple of buttons on the keyboard of the computer and put in the latest reservation they had. “One of those girls you told me about?” he asked Jack.

“Yeah,” Jack answered briefly. Then he noticed the smile on his friend’s face. “What’s with that look, Matthew?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing really. I was just thinking she’s cute. The kind of girl I would have dated when we were younger,” Matt answered.

Jack grunted. “You think she was cute, you should have seen the blond she was with.”

Matt grinned at him. “You better not let my sister hear you talkin’ like that.”

“You started it. Besides, the day either of us stops looking is the day both our wives are in as much trouble as we are,” Jack pointed out.

* * * * * * * * * *

Amy walked down the hall to the attendance office and opened the door. “May I help you?” an older woman asked over the rim of her glasses.

“Yes, I found my daughter’s book bag in her room at home and thought she might need it today,” she told the woman, flashing her a smile.

The older woman didn’t smile back. Instead, she coughed for a few minutes, and Amy grimaced, making a mental note to wash her hands immediately after leaving the office and be sure to take more vitamin C today. The door opened again, and Nancy entered the room. She smiled briefly at Amy and quietly said hello. “What’s the child’s name?” the old woman asked.

“Maria DeLuca.”

It was quiet for a few minutes while the woman hunted and pecked on her keyboard. After a couple of minutes of silence, she held her head up a little so as to be able to see through her glasses at the screen. “Sorry, Maria DeLuca didn’t show up for first period this morning. She was either late and missed her first class, or she isn’t here at all. Do you want me to check her second period class?” the woman asked in a monotone.

Amy forced a smile at her again. “Yes, please.”

The woman sighed softly and, taking a piece of paper from her desk, began writing something down. Then she got up and disappeared into a room that adjoined the office to the right of her desk and just behind where she had been sitting. She returned shortly with a female student following her with the slip of paper. The student left using the door Amy and Nancy had entered from, and the older woman waved at a chair on the left side of the office. “Have a seat; it will be a couple of minutes.”

Thanking the woman, Amy sat down, and Nancy stepped up in her place. “Can I help you?” the old woman asked in exactly the same tone she’d used with Amy.

“Yes, I’m here to drop off something for my daughter. Her name is Elizabeth Parker,” Nancy stated.

The woman sighed again and pecked at her keyboard. She tilted her head up again and looked down her nose through her glasses, squinting at the computer screen. She looked at Nancy and then over at Amy. Giving them a nervous smile, showing emotion for the first time, she said, “Seems I’m battin’ 0 for 2 here. Your daughter was not here for attendance in first period. You want me to see if she was late and is in her second class?” She was not in the habit of being unable to help parents find their children.

Nancy and Amy exchanged a glance, and Nancy turned back to the old woman with a smile. “Yes, please. I would appreciate it.” She turned and sat in the chair beside Amy while the woman followed the same procedure she had done just seconds before.

* * * * * * * * * *

Kyle was singing in the shower. Alex was flipping through stations on the TV from one bed, while Lucas dozed on the other. Michael and Max sat at the small table and chair ensemble, talking about everything they had learned. “So why did you let Leslie tell Tess and Kyle that story about Megan being their human cousin?” Michael asked.

Max stared down at the table, searching for an answer. When he looked back up, he shrugged. “I don’t really know. I know I’m still getting used to the idea that I have a daughter, and I’m not quite ready to tell people. I also think part of the answer is because I don’t think Tess would take it too well…hearing that her former husband had a child with his mistress, even if she were a legal slave.”

Michael snorted. “Yeah, somehow, I just don’t see that going over too well with her, especially now that the two of you seem so close.” He watched his friend to see his reaction to that.

The darker haired teen simply shrugged again. “Yeah, I know it seems like we’ve become a lot closer, but I can’t help getting this strange feeling around her, especially lately. She was really supportive when I needed someone on my side in New York at that summit meeting, but on this trip…I don’t know…it just seems like…” he sat trying to grasp the words he was searching for.

“Like she’s just trying to get something from you?” Michael asked. When Max looked at him wide-eyed, he nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I’m gettin’ too. It just seems like she knows more than she’s telling. You ever think about all the stuff she hasn’t told us about what she remembers? She volunteers some stuff, but when we ask specific questions about things, she gets all vague on us. Something just isn’t right.”

Max nodded. “I don’t want to say anything yet, though, for more than one reason. Kyle seems to really be getting attached to her, and if for some reason we’re just being paranoid, I’d hate to have her feel like she isn’t part of the group again. I think she’s just starting to feel like she fits in.”

Even though Max and Michael had kept their voices down, Alex was sitting on the edge of the bed closest to them and had heard them. He frowned and turned to them. “Something strange happened at the service station we stopped at last night.” The two aliens listened as Alex explained the bizarre incidence with Leslie’s brief collapse. “She said she thought it was Tess, but we ended up dismissing it, thinking that it could have been Ava or the programming. Now, I’m not so sure, especially if you guys aren’t sure you trust Tess either,” he told them.

* * * * * * * * * * *

In the girls’ room, Liz was the one currently in the shower, and Maria was asleep on one of the beds. Isabel was currently working on Liz’s clothes, trying to clean them and change them enough so it looked like she had changed into a fresh outfit. Holding the underwear and bra out by the tips of two fingers, at arm’s length, she quickly waved her hand in front of them, and they were like new. She knocked on the bathroom door briefly and opened it just enough to throw the clothes inside and closed it back. “Your clothes are fixed, Liz!” she called through the door.

“So how are you going to take care of Megan if we get her back?” Tess asked Leslie, trying to make conversation.

“God, Tess! Could you sound more unsure about getting the little girl back?” Isabel snapped, sticking up for the poor mother.

Leslie smiled at Isabel gratefully before turning to Tess. “Lucas and I can take care of her just fine. She’s really not much trouble,” she answered vaguely. “I’m just so worried about her.”

Tess tried to appear sympathetic. “Don’t worry; if Ava wants us to follow her like you think, then she won’t do anything to the little girl.”

Isabel stared at Tess. Something about the shorter girl’s words just didn’t ring true. She looked at Leslie’s jet black hair and changed the subject. “Leslie, why did you go back to the dyed black Elvis look? I liked your hair that lighter, reddish color.”

Grimacing slightly, Leslie pulled out the elastic she had in her hair and pulled a part of her long locks to where she could see it. “I know, I liked it that way too, but it kept changing colors on me, and I couldn’t stop or control it, so I decided to go back to the dark to cover whatever it was.”

Tess sat up straighter. “What do you mean it kept changing colors?”

Looking at the girl who at one time had been her queen, Leslie answered quietly. “It went back and forth from the dark, reddish brown color to bright blond curls. If you guys don’t mind, I’m going to try to get some sleep. I haven’t gotten much lately.” She rolled over and tried not to take up too much space as Maria seemed to want to hog the entire bed. Since Maria was the only human in the room with Liz in the shower, Leslie had sat by her to be “safe”.

Outside, Tess tried to still look confused, but inside, she was jumping up and down, shouting for joy. Max really was attracted to her…so much that he was having problems deciding between her and Liz. Oh, if only there was more time! She would be able to get that heir for Khivar. She knew she could!

Ok, I know you're probably going, "What happened to Beth?" Well, let me just say that RL has been more than kicking my butt. I have had absolutely not 5 minutes to do what I wanted to do in the past 3 weeks. I'm very tired but I'm back with the gift of part 40. I just hope I haven't lost all my readers. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

Beth

Against My Programming

Part 40 – “The Fog of Mystery Wraps Tighter”

It was almost one in the afternoon when everyone decided it was time to get some food. Feeling refreshed after showering and napping, they would have been a fairly happy group, if not for the reason that had brought them to this small town. Liz noticed something a little strange as they walked the mile to the restaurant Jack had recommended. They’d broken into smaller groups and pairs, with Leslie and Alex walking with Isabel and Lucas. Liz was walking with Maria, who was next to Michael, who was next to Max. The strange part was that Tess and Kyle seemed to be walking apart from everyone else. Liz couldn’t shake the feeling that the group was subconsciously isolating the two.

Looking up at the sign above the restaurant, Leslie again felt that weird sensation of an echo. She glanced at her brother to see if he was feeling it as well, but he was busy concentrating on something Isabel had said. Frowning, Leslie couldn’t help but wonder where their lives were headed. When they got Megan back, she couldn’t begin to think about if they got her back, would they find a way to be set free or would they die as slaves in this life as well? Thinking about everything they’d ever gone through, she shuddered at the thought of her daughter in Khivar’s hands. Alex noticed it and asked if she was cold as he held the door to the restaurant open for her, but she simply shook her head.

A motherly woman, who was short and rather stout with brown hair speckled with gray pulled up in a bun on top of her head, greeted the group with a warm smile. “Welcome to Perkins’. How many are in your party?” she asked Alex and Leslie as they had entered first. As she looked around at the other members of the group, however, her eyes grew very round and wide, and all the blood drained from her face.

Everyone noticed her reaction and glanced at each other, wondering what the cause was. Max quickly stepped forward. “Um, there are 10 of us. If you need to put us at two different tables, we understand but we’d like them to be next to each other if possible, please,” he answered politely. When all she did was stare at him, he got concerned. “Are you ok, ma’am?”

Shaking her head, she moved her hand up as if to touch him, but then pulled it back quickly. The woman cleared her throat and gave a nervous smile. “I’m sorry, it’s just you remind me so much of someone…” her voice trailed off and she shook herself again. “If you’ll follow me, we’ll just push two tables together and be able to accommodate you just fine.”

The young people looked at each other, silently asking if anyone had any idea what had frightened the woman, but no one seemed to have a clue. When she had helped push a couple of tables together and they had all sat down, she passed out the menus in her hand. “I’m Mrs. Emily Perkins, and if you have any problems at all, please don’t hesitate to tell me, but I also hope you will tell us if you have a nice experience here. The soup of the day is split pea, and the fish of the day is blackened rainbow trout.”

They thanked her, and Max watched as she walked quickly to a waitress on the other side of the room that had her back to them. She was fairly tall with straight, dark brown hair that reached to just above her shoulders. She leaned over when Mrs. Perkins tried to whisper something in her ear, almost with an air of urgency, and the younger woman nodded. Mrs. Perkins quickly made her way towards the direction of what must have been the kitchen and disappeared.

Watching the waitress, Max had yet to see her face, but he got the distinct feeling he knew her from somewhere. He said as much to Michael and Isabel who were on either side of him, and they looked in the direction he had indicated. “I haven’t even seen her face, but there’s something about her, her mannerisms, the way she stands…something,” he said quietly.

The other two watched the woman take the order of the table she was standing by and quickly say something to her customers before heading in the same direction Mrs. Perkins had disappeared in. Michael nodded and looked puzzled. “Yeah, she does kind of seem familiar, doesn’t she? Any idea why?”

Isabel sniffed. “I didn’t see anything familiar about her. I think you just think she was good looking.” She turned back to the menu and tried to figure out what she wanted to eat.

“I haven’t a clue why she would seem familiar. Maybe we’ll be able to figure it out when she comes back in the room and we can see her face,” Max shrugged. Something at the back of his mind was nagging him about her, though, and he had a hard time concentrating on the menu until he finally mentally shrugged it off.

* * * * * * * * * *

Grace Stevens walked into the kitchen and over to where Mrs. Perkins and Kate, her sister-in-law, were standing. “What’s with the urgent message to come back into the kitchen right away, mom? Is something wrong?” she asked Mrs. Perkins. Everyone called her “mom” just like they did her mother and Jack’s mother.

“Yeah, I really need to get this food to the table before it gets cold,” Kate Collier said.

“You both have the rest of the day off. Go home…do whatever you want…just leave,” Emily told them, grabbing the plate from Kate and putting it in the window under the heat lamps. She sounded worried. The two women looked at each other and then back at her.

“Ok, what’s going on? You can tell us; it’s starting to get busy out there and you really can’t send the two of us home right now,” Kate told her mother and crossed her arms. Her blue eyes were set determinedly.

The older woman rung her hands several times and then sighed, coming to a decision. “Ok, I might as well tell you as someone will probably say something anyway, and you should know what they’ll be talking about.” She took a deep breath. “There are a group of young people here, probably in their late teens, that look…well…this isn’t easy for me to say…”

Kate pushed a lock of her stylish, short blond hair off of her forehead and looked at Grace, whose expression matched her own, both full of concern. “Momma Emily, you can tell us. Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it. We always have,” Grace told her earnestly, putting her arm around the older woman’s shoulders.

Instead of answering with words, she pulled the young women to the doorway of the kitchen and pointed across the room. “Look at the people seated at tables 16 and 18,” she instructed.

They did so and both of them gasped in shock. Quickly ducking back into the kitchen, they looked at each other and the older woman in fear. “That’s not possible! Grace, they look just like us!” Kate whispered.

“Who do you think they are?” Emily asked the girls. “I mean, do you think they’re like you? You know, different?”

Grace suddenly couldn’t breathe. She had always known this day would come…the day when whoever had left them in Troy, Illinois came back for them. For a brief period of time, she had looked forward to it. Then, she had been leery of it, and finally, she decided it wasn’t going to happen because too much time had passed. “I don’t know! I don’t have any idea who they are!” She peeked out of the kitchen at the group of young people. “But Matt and Jack should know about this. Matt’ll know what to do.”

Kate looked back out at the group and nodded to her sister-in-law and best friend. “Yeah, we should definitely tell them.” She looked at her adopted mother and grimaced. “Do you think a couple of the other girls would mind coming and filling in for us? I don’t want to go back out there, mom.”

Emily waved off her concerns. “We’ll find a way to make do. I’ll call your sisters and Shelly to come in and work. You two get out of here and tell the boys what’s going on.” She pulled first Kate and then Grace into her arms. “I love you both, no matter what. Just remember that.”

They both assured her they loved her too, discarded their aprons, and left for the hotel down the road. Leaving through the back door, both were quiet with their fears. “Grace, what if they want to take us back to wherever we come from?” Kate finally voiced.

Frowning and swallowing visibly, she answered, “We’ll just have to hope they can either convince us it’s a good idea, or give us the option to stay here.”

* * * * * * * * * * *

Mr. Ping Foo, principal of West Roswell High, was wishing very much he had allowed his wife to convince him to stay home that morning. He not only had a cold, complete with troubling sinuses and splitting headache, he also had two very upset mothers in his office, both talking at once about their missing daughters. He rubbed his forehead tiredly and swallowed a sigh. “Mrs. Parker, Ms. DeLuca, will you both please calm down and let’s speak one at a time?” he pleaded.

When they both stopped, he sighed in relief. “Thank you. Now, you say that you both noticed your daughters were not at home early this morning, and you assumed they were at the other’s house. You noticed they didn’t have their school bags with them so you both came over here to drop them off and discovered that neither are in class today. Have I got all this straight so far?”

Nancy spoke up. “Liz and Maria seem to be skipping school. I used to not have to worry about such behavior from Liz, but it seems that since she started hanging around with a certain group, she disappears from time to time.”

Amy nodded. “Maria as well. The two girls have been friends for a long time, but just in the last year and a half or so, they seem to be more closed off…more distant from us…and more prone to doing things out of character for them.”

He motioned to the two chairs in front of his desk and sat in his own chair after the two women had seated themselves. “They are teenagers, and teens tend to try some sort of rebellion. Do you think it’s something dangerous such as drugs?” he asked, folding his hands together in front of his chest and resting his elbows on the arms of the chair.

Both mothers looked at each other and thought about it, but both slowly shook their heads. “No, I don’t think it’s drugs. Liz’s grades haven’t slipped much, she sleeps pretty well, her eyes are clear, and nothing has gone missing from our house she could sell for money for drugs,” Nancy answered.

Amy agreed with her. “But Maria has been dating a boy off and on that seems to get into trouble, although she assured me he was a good guy.” Her eyes lit up as she seemed to come up with an idea. “Hey, maybe you can tell us if he’s missing class as well. That might give us some sort of clue as to where to look for them or how to get them to talk to us.”

Nancy sat forward and nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, the last time Liz disappeared over night, she showed up with her boyfriend the next morning and said they had just fallen asleep in the desert. I know they have broken up since then, but maybe he’s skipping class too and they’re together. If you could just…”

The principal held up his hand. “Wait a minute, ladies. I want to help you with your children, but I can’t give out information about other students. It’s against the school board’s policies. If there is something else I can do for you…”

“All we want to know is if Michael Guerrin is in school today. We aren’t asking for his grades or his economic status or anything like that!” Amy exclaimed, getting upset.

“And Max Evans. He was the one Liz disappeared with before and got caught in the eraser room, if you remember, Principal Foo,” Nancy added.

“Can we just see a list of the students who are absent today? It doesn’t even have to be the entire school…just the juniors! Please, this would be very helpful in letting us know who I should keep Maria away from.” Amy flashed her sweetest smile.

After sneezing several times, with the ladies blessing him after each one, Mr. Foo, gave them an understanding look. “You both have my sympathies on this, but I cannot violate the school board’s policies. Since Mr. Guerrin is an independent minor, I can tell you that he is absent today, but I cannot tell you anything about anyone else.”

Amy started yelling about the failings of society and not being able to look out for her baby. Nancy was quietly rummaging through her purse and pulled out what she had been looking for, her address book. She flipped through it until she found the number she was looking for and put a hand on Amy’s arm. “Mr. Foo, we understand completely your position. May I use your phone for a moment?” she asked.

He looked a little confused, but when he started in on another sneezing fit, he nodded and pointed to the phone sitting on the desk. Nancy turned it around to face her and dialed the number. When she got the machine, she hung up and dialed another number. “Hello?” answered a female voice.

“Diane Evans? This is Nancy Parker.”

“Oh, yes, Nancy, how are you? Is everything ok?” Diane asked from the passenger seat of the SUV Phillip was currently navigating toward their home. They hadn’t been back in town too long, and she was anxious to get home to check on Max and Isabel. This phone call confused her; what could Liz’s mother want?

“I hate to bother you, but do you know if Max is in school today or not? Liz and Maria seem to be skipping school today, along with Michael Guerrin and…” Nancy began.

“I’m sorry, Nancy, but I can’t say I know for sure whether he and Isabel are in school are not. Phillip had a case out of town he had to leave for on the day after Thanksgiving, and I went with him. We’re just getting back into town today. I could call the school and…” Diane started to offer, but Nancy interrupted her.

“Well, as a matter of fact, Diane, Amy and I are at the school right now with the principal. Mr. Foo has been very helpful with us, except that he couldn’t tell us if any student other than our daughters were out, including your son. I just know that the last time Liz had disappeared, she was with Max, and I was just wondering if you wouldn’t mind talking to Mr. Foo and then telling me whether Max is absent as well.” Nancy watched as the principal paled and frowned. She knew what she had done wasn’t exactly nice, but she was worried about her daughter, and she would do anything to make sure she was ok.

“Of course, I completely understand. Please put Mr. Foo on the line, Nancy, and then I’ll want to talk with you,” Diane said, a sinking feeling filling her heart. When the principal answered, she used a warm but firm tone. “Mr. Foo, this is Diane Evans, and I have two children that attend your school. I would appreciate knowing if either Max or Isabel has made it to class today.”

Knowing he was outnumbered, the principal pulled out his absentee list and looked through it to the “e’s”. “No, Mrs. Evans, it would appear that both of your children are absent, as well as Mr. Guerrin, Ms. Parker, and Ms. DeLuca. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

Her stomach doing flips, Diane was aware of her husband’s eyes on her in confusion, but she only closed her eyes to the panic she felt building inside of her. “Yes, you may put Mrs. Parker back on the line.” She heard some mumbling and shuffling, and then Nancy was back. “Nancy, I’m on my way home with Phillip now. Please call me when you and Amy decide what you want to do. I want to be in on this, and you should probably know Max was out of town during the week of Thanksgiving…had disappeared without telling anyone he was even leaving, let alone where he was going. I want to be a part of anything that involves our children. Will you call me?”

Nancy looked grim as she agreed to call Diane as soon as she and Amy had decided on a course of action. She briefly told the other mother and principal what Diane had said and then looked at Mr. Foo. “I would like to make another phone call if I may, Mr. Foo,” she asked.

He sighed and coughed. “Who would you like to know about?”

“Alex Whitman,” Amy answered for her, immediately realizing that if Liz and Maria were missing, it was likely Alex would be with them.

“As well as Tess Harding and Kyle Valenti,” Nancy added. At Amy’s questioning look, she shrugged. “Kyle and Liz have been hanging out together more lately, and if Tess is living with the Valentis, then she’s probably wherever Kyle is.”

Mr. Foo put his hands firmly on the desk at those names. “Now just a minute! I cannot tell you information about the Sheriff’s son! I would already be breaking the rules by telling you whether Mr. Whitman is in school today.”

Nancy leaned forward. “Mr. Foo, you will find that my daughter gets her brains from both sides of her family. I certainly don’t want to get you into trouble, but I know that you want to help us. Maybe Ms. DeLuca and I could simply sit here while you call the parents of the students whom you believe could be missing class so as to ask if they are home sick.”

Seeing the win/win situation she had presented, the principal nodded slowly. “If you ladies will excuse my rudeness, there are a couple of phone calls I need to make.”

Amy and Nancy both smiled. “Of course, Mr. Foo. Don’t mind us one bit; we can make ourselves comfortable,” Amy told him.

Ok, so it didn't take me as long as I thought to get back to all of you. I'm just going to have time to post the next part for now. I hope you all enjoy it. BTW, if you click on the names in the first paragraph or so, you'll see what they look like. (Matt, Kate, Jack, and Grace) Thanks in advance for your feedback!

Beth

Against My Programming

Part 41 – “Surprise Meeting”

Jack Stevens looked up at the commotion of his wife and sister-in-law coming through the lobby in his direction. Now what was he in trouble for? “Hey, Matt, our wives are headed this way. You done anything lately that would cause them to take off from work to get on our case?” Jack called to his best friend who was in the other office.

Coming to see what was going on, Matt noticed the girls’ facial expressions and knew it wasn’t anger that had brought them there…it was fear. Instantly on the alert, Matt pointed out his observations to Jack, who quickly lost his joking manner. “What is it? What’s wrong?” Matt asked as Kate instantly moved into his arms. He wrapped them around her automatically and looked from her blue eyes to his sister’s brown and back again.

Glancing around the open area, Grace spoke up first. “We should go into the office. What we have to talk about shouldn’t be said in the open,” she told them.

Quickly, the four moved into the small room and Matt locked the door. When Kate put her hand over the lock and it glowed for a moment, Matt knew it was something serious and probably related to what they were. Jack held Grace’s hand and rubbed his thumb over the back of it to reassure her he was there. “What’s going on?” he asked her gently.

“I don’t really know any way to say this except to just come right out and say it. There was a group of teenagers that came into the café…in fact they’re there now…” Grace’s voice trailed off as her courage failed her and fear choked her, keeping her from finishing.

Kate quickly picked up where her friend and sister-in-law had left off. “They look just like we did when we were in high school.”

The men stilled instantly. Blinking was their only movement. “What?” Jack asked.

“Could you repeat that?” Matt said at the same time.

That broke Grace from her silence. “You heard what she said. They weren’t alone, but there were four people there that looked like we did when we were younger. Matt, what if they’re here to bring us home?”

“What home?! The only home we know of is Earth! We have always thought we were aliens or not from here, but there’s no proof of that!” Jack exploded, suddenly scared that everything they had worked so hard for was about to be taken away.

“We aren’t going anywhere. Earth is our home and we’re staying here. What did the others with them look like?” Matt asked instantly taking charge. No one questioned it as it had always seemed natural for him to lead in major life decisions.

“It was a big group.” Grace closed her eyes as she tried to picture the teens to recount what they looked like and how many there were. “There were three guys there besides the ones that looked like you two. One had some sort of high school letter jacket on, blue and gold, and was built like a jock. Another was sort of tall and lanky with dark hair…kind of a nerdy look to him. The last was a dark blonde, well built, very handsome.”

“What do you mean ‘very handsome’?” Jack asked his wife.

Grace ignored him as she pictured the others at the table. “There were also three other girls at the table besides the ones that looked like Kate and I. One was kind of goth-looking with the jet black hair…kind of exotic looking. She was with the dark haired nerdy guy. The second had long dark hair, very petite, with big brown eyes. The last had long blonde hair and sat by the Jack look-a-like.” She opened her eyes as she finished the descriptions and looked to Kate for confirmation.

“Yup, that’s what they looked like, and I think that was all of them.” Kate nodded.

The guys’ eyes shot to each other in instant recognition of the description of the last two. It had to be the girls who had come in earlier. They paled and swallowed visibly. The women noticed the glances and silent communication. Kate’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You know these people?” she asked.

“Not exactly,” Matt answered slowly. “I think we rented a couple of rooms to them for the day.”

“The two girls you described last sound like the ones who came in, and the blonde was staring at me long enough to make me uncomfortable,” Jack confessed.

“What are we going to do?” Grace wailed.

Trying to pacify his wife’s fears, Jack sighed and came up with a suggestion that, had it been ten years earlier, he would have died rather than agree to. “Well, they said they were just passing through on their way to New York and just wanted to shower and get something to eat. That’s why I gave them the rooms when we’re really booked. We could just lay low until they go on their way.”

Matt looked at his best friend and remembered a time when waiting or hiding would have been immediately dismissed by Jack. That had usually been his style. Over the years, however, they had somewhat balanced each other out. Jack had become more patient and willing to think situations through rationally. Whereas Matt had become more willing to take action and risks he would have never even considered in the past. That was what his gut was telling him now…that they needed to do something. “If we do that, the only chance we’ve ever had at getting some answers about who and what we are…where we come from, will be gone. Will you all be able to live with the fact that you gave it up when you had the opportunity?”

They all looked at each other and thought about his question seriously. They liked their lives the way they were, but as they all had been adopted by large, loving families, the questions about their own past were always with them. “Is there a way to do it without confronting them?” Kate asked.

Jack held up a plastic card. “We could always go through their rooms.” At the incredulous looks he got, he shrugged. “You were the ones who said they were at the restaurant. All we have to do is call Momma Emily and tell her we need her to keep them there until we’ve gone through their things to find out what we can about them.”

Matt thought about it seriously. It was not a bad idea. Grace looked torn. This plan made her nervous. Kate was the one who immediately liked the idea and picked up the phone, making the decision for all of them. Dialing the restaurant, she asked for Emily Perkins and explained to her adopted mother what their plan was. She agreed to help in any way she could.

Hanging up, Kate turned to the others. Letting out a big breath, she said, “Ok, let’s do this.”

* * * * * * * * * * *

Emily hung up with her daughter and, noticing one of the waitresses headed toward the group of teens with her order pad in hand, quickly caught up to her. “Shelly, I’ll take that group at 16,” she told the girl who shrugged and moved to another table. Walking up to the teens, the older woman put on a smile and decided to play the age card. “I’m sorry if we’ve kept you waiting, but we are a little short of help today. Are we ready to order?”

Everyone said they were and, starting with Max, gave the proprietor their orders. She seemed to get things a little mixed up and most of them had to repeat their orders, some more than once. When she finally had them all right, she said their drinks would be right out. Smiling as she walked away, Emily felt she had stalled just long enough so they wouldn’t lose patience with her, but still took longer than she normally would. She would just have to keep this up until she had heard from the others again.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Nancy and Amy were finally feeling like they were onto something. What it was, they weren’t sure, but definitely something. Alex was not in school and neither were Kyle or Tess. Mr. Foo had told them that Evelyn Whitman had sounded worried, but he had only gotten the answering machine at the Valentis’ house. Coming to a decision, the two of them stood up.

“Thank you for your help, Mr. Foo,” Nancy said, extending her hand to shake the principal’s. “We’ll leave you now and try to solve this mystery.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t do more. Please keep me informed. We don’t tolerate skipping as a rule. Liz and Maria are pretty good kids, and I would hate to think they were in any kind of trouble. If you think of anything else I can do, please don’t hesitate to call,” he told them.

Amy had caught the fact that he had said to call him and not come by. She stopped herself just short of smirking at the thought. She also thanked him, and as she and Nancy walked out of the school together, she asked, “So what’s next?”

“I think we should call Evelyn and Diane and maybe try to get in touch with Jim. We need to figure this out together. I know we don’t know for sure that they’re all together, but my instincts tell me they are…wherever they are.”

Amy nodded. “I think so too. You wanna call Diane back, and I’ll call Evelyn? It would save time. Maybe we could meet up somewhere.”

“Yeah, let’s meet up at the Crashdown. It’s pretty centrally located. Maybe we should suggest we all look through our kids’ rooms first for some sort of clue as to where they could be or what they’ve been up to lately. What do you think?” Nancy asked.

“You really ready to violate Liz’s privacy so soon? I mean they could all be at the park or something. If you go through Liz’s things, she’s really going to be upset,” Amy pointed out.

Thinking about it for a minute, Nancy looked around and quickly turned to go back to the front of the school building. “I’m going to try Liz’s cell phone from this pay phone over here and see if she answers. Maybe I can find out something that way.” She picked up the receiver, dropped her money in the slot, and dialed her daughter’s number.

It rang 3 times and then a recording that came on. “We’re sorry, but the customer you are trying to reach is currently out of range of service. Please try your call again later.”

Nancy suddenly felt like she couldn’t breathe as she hung up the receiver. Her mind racing, she looked to Amy. “Does Maria have roaming and long distance?” she asked.

Puzzled, Amy nodded. “Yeah, why?”

“Liz’s phone doesn’t and it just said she was out of range. Our calling plan covers the entire state of New Mexico!” Nancy’s panicked look was mirrored by Amy who quickly dug in her purse for her cell phone. Nancy placed a hand over hers. “She might not pick up if she recognizes the number. Use the pay phone. Here…I have change.”

Amy quickly repeated Nancy’s actions and waited for Maria to pick up. When the line went straight to voicemail, she hung up. “I got her voicemail. She either doesn’t have it on or she’s in a hole somewhere. What do we do?”

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’ve definitely got enough to go through Liz’s room. If she’s out of range, she must be out of state. Let’s call Diane and Evelyn.”

* * * * * * * * * * *

Kate, Grace, Matt and Jack were confused. “They don’t have anything here! Who travels cross-country without any luggage?” Jack asked.

“Someone who didn’t know they would need to go across country or felt like they had to leave in a hurry,” Matt answered. “Come on, let’s check the other room.”

* * * * * * * * * * *

Emily Perkins was starting to worry. The young people had eaten quickly and were anxious to leave. She couldn’t stall anymore without looking like that was what she was doing. They were standing at the register with their checks, and she had no choice but to ring them out and let them leave. She stalled as long as she could, but now they were going out the door. As it shut behind them, she rushed to a phone and dialed the hotel lobby, praying that someone would answer.

* * * * * * * * * * *

“You get the feeling that Mrs. Perkins didn’t want us to leave?” Michael asked Max loud enough for the others to hear.

“Yeah, it definitely felt like something weird was going on there,” Tess agreed.

“Oh puleeze!” Maria scoffed. “The woman was old and lives in a small town. We should know that small-towners always move slow, and given that she was probably in her 60’s, let’s cut her some slack. Jeez, always paranoid!”

Several members of the group exchanged smiles, but Max was leaning more toward Michael and Tess’s opinion. Something had just felt off about the way Mrs. Perkins had treated them, starting from the moment she had seen him. Suddenly, he was in a hurry to get out of Troy, Illinois. “Come on, guys, let’s get done with whatever you need to do at the hotel and get checked out. Something is starting to really bother me about this place.”

They all quickly walked back to their rooms, and the guys declared they were going to clean up their room and a couple needed to use the restroom. The girls said they would do the same, but as Isabel opened the door to their room, she was surprised to find people in it. Maria had been standing beside her when she had opened the door and screamed at what she saw.

At Maria’s scream, Michael rushed to the other room with the other guys right on his heels. The sight that greeted all of them was extremely disturbing. Right in front of their eyes were four people who, although apparently older and with a few minor differences, looked exactly like Max, Michael, Isabel, and Tess.

Max’s internal leader coming out, he pushed in front of the rest of the group and raised his hand. Michael was beside him in seconds, his hand also raised in readiness for whatever these people, if that’s what they were, might try. “Who the hell are you?!” he barked out.

Jack stepped forward angrily. “We could ask the same of you!” he snapped back.

Matt quickly stepped forward and placed a hand on his brother-in-law’s shoulder, careful to keep the other hand loose and toward the others. Isabel and Grace stared at each other. “God, Max, they look just like us!” Isabel stated.

“More like older versions of us,” Tess remarked.

“Close the door,” Matt ordered. “I think we should probably talk this out. What do you think?”

The fact that he had spoken up and addressed Max personally didn’t go unnoticed by either group. His mind racing, Max quickly came to a decision. Without looking away from Matt, he told Michael, “We talk to them, but keep an eye on their movements. If it comes down to it…I choose us.”

Michael realized that Max was referring to a conversation between him, Max, and Isabel when they were trying to decide whether to kill Brody or not. Michael and Max had been arguing over what course of action to take when Isabel had voted to kill him. “We’re at war. It’s him or us…and I choose us,” she had said.

Nodding, Michael showed he understood what Max meant. Jack smirked and looked Michael up and down. Pointedly turning to Matt, he asked, “I’m supposed to be afraid of him? He can’t even control his hair.”

“Hey, buddy, that’s my boyfriend you’re talking about, and let me just tell you that you have no idea who you’d be taking on, so just keep talking and see what happens,” Maria bristled.

“Enough!” Max and Matt yelled at the same time. Nodding at Matt, Max indicated he should go first. “You’re in our rooms and obviously knew we were here so I believe you need to talk first to help balance the scales.”

Against My Programming

Part 42 – “More Questions and No More Answers”

The tension in the room could have been cut with a knife. No one moved to sit down. After a few moments of silence, Matt took a deep breath and gestured to the small table with chairs at it. “Maybe we could sit down and call a momentary truce?”

Max nodded. “Fine by me.”

As they sat down, the others in the room tried to relax, but to no avail. Isabel and Grace just kept staring at each other in shock. Tess studied Kate, trying to decipher just what she was thinking and how they were different. She wondered if betrayal and the desire for power lurked in her counterpart’s brain. Michael and Jack were both torn, although they would never admit it to one another, wanting to stand by the door and their girlfriend or wife and also by the two men seated at the table. All they knew was they were going to keep an eye on the other group.

“So what do you want to know?” Matt asked.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Matt Collier. Jack and I are the managers of this hotel. He’s also my best friend and brother-in-law. His last name is Stevens. The shorter blonde is my wife, Kate, and the brunette is my sister, Grace.”

“Wait, you and…Kate are married?” Liz spoke up, almost choking on the word.

“And Jack and Grace are married as well?” Maria added.

Max wanted to comfort Liz and reassure her that that didn’t mean anything, but he was as shocked about the living proof of “destiny” as she was. Michael, however, moved immediately to Maria’s side, just as she was reaching her hand for him to take. Isabel looked at the others and then back to her double and shuddered. She couldn’t imagine being married to Michael, not in any lifetime. As much as she cared about him, he was her brother in her heart. Glancing over at Lucas, she wondered what he was thinking about this new group.

Matt nodded, confused at everyone’s reaction. “Why do you look so upset about that?”

“Are you…I mean do you…do you have family here?” Max asked, trying to change the subject and find out more about these people without revealing what they were. It could still be that they were just regular humans…who happened to look exactly like him and the other three aliens in his life. Right?

“We have people here in town that we call family but we’re adopted…all of us,” Matt answered, carefully watching for Max’s reaction. He wasn’t disappointed; Max hid his surprise fairly well, but Matt didn’t miss the flicker that passed over his double’s eyes. There was a sound like a strangled squeak that came from Maria and a small gasp from Isabel.

Deciding to take a small leap of faith, Max studied Matt for a moment before he leaned forward to ask his next question. “Have you noticed that you are different from your family…I mean really different?”

At the flicker of surprise that passed through Matt’s eyes, Max got his answer. They were another set. Before Matt could say anything, however, Jack jumped in. “What do you mean by different?” he asked, coming to stand over Max.

Matt placed a hand on his friend’s arm. “They know, Jack. They’re like us.” A look of admiration came from Max and Matt gave half a smile. “You are different too, aren’t you?”

“Maxwell!” Michael barked in warning.

Leslie and Lucas’s eyes met in recognition. “The echo we were feeling. It was them,” Leslie said. “They’re a third set.”

“Another one? How is that possible?” Maria asked incredulously.

“’How’ isn’t the question. It’s ‘why’,” Isabel said. “Why would they make more than one set in the first place?”

“What do you mean by a ‘third set’?” Jack asked.

Again, Max decided to take a chance on these people. He knew that the set from New York weren’t to be trusted, but something told him that these versions of themselves could be. “What do you know about yourselves…your past?” he asked.

“Not much. We don’t remember anything before the night we were found by our parents,” Matt said, coming to the conclusion that if they were going to get anywhere, they needed to try a little trust. “They were on their way back from a camping trip at Carlyle Lake…that’s a big state park east of here. They found us walking along the road. We were naked, didn’t know how to talk or do anything like most people, even though it was estimated that we were about 5 or 6.”

“Oh my god! That sounds just like…” Isabel began but Michael jumped in.

“A great beginning for a sci-fi movie!” he finished, glaring at her. He wanted to know a lot more about these people before they knew everything about him, Max, Isabel, and Tess.

Matt glanced at Michael and his mouth twitched like he wanted to smile but didn’t want to offend him. Studying Michael for a minute and then each of the girls, Matt noticed that he felt comfortable…safe with them, even though he didn’t know them at all and he felt something entirely different when he looked at the one called Tess. Something was off about her. Turning back to Max, he took a deep breath. “I feel like we can trust you for some reason. We don’t know anything about ourselves. We know that we are different…we have, um, for lack of better words, special abilities. The families that adopted us are the only families we’ve ever known but deep down, we’ve always wanted to know why we were different.”

Isabel looked at Grace. “Do they know? About your being different, I mean?” she asked softly.

Max watched his sister and her double closely. “Of course they know. I don’t know how we would have lived with all our siblings and our parents without them knowing,” Grace answered.

“And they’ve never had any problems with it, have they?” Isabel stated more than asked. She looked at Grace with jealousy in her eyes.

“No, of course not. Did your parents have problems with you being different?” she asked.

Max answered for Isabel and the rest of them. “Isabel and I were adopted by a couple who couldn’t have children. Michael went into the foster care system and Tess was found by…well, by one of our protectors. I’ll have to explain that a little later, but we always thought it was best if we didn’t tell anyone about what we were.”

Kate looked at them in surprise. “You didn’t tell you parents but you told these other teens? Or are they different too?”

“Maybe we can stop using the word different and just call it like it is. We’re aliens!” Michael said.

Jack, Kate, and Grace looked a little startled but Matt just looked as though he were relieved. “We really are aren’t we?” he murmured. Then he looked at Leslie and Lucas. “They are aliens too but the others are all human aren’t they?”

Max nodded. “Yeah, we don’t know much about who we are either but we’re learning. It’s a long story.” He looked to Leslie and Lucas. “Can we trust them? Do you know that they are another set of us?”

Lucas and Leslie looked at each other, silently communicating. Finally, Lucas took his sister’s hand and nodded. “They are you. We both feel you can trust them.”

Taking a deep breath, Max blew it out through his mouth and came to a decision. “Ok, then. Matt, all of you, if you want to know about yourselves…where you come from, who you were, what you are…we can tell you. But we don’t have all the answers yet, and knowing might change your lives in a big way. Are you sure you want to know everything?” he asked.

Tess didn’t understand why he was asking them that. She also wasn’t sure she wanted another set of the royal four around. If Kate was anything like her, she would have yet another queen to compete with. At least she knew she had a better chance against Kate than she did against Ava.

Isabel understood exactly what Max was saying and she looked at Grace and tears filled her eyes. “It might endanger your families to know everything. We didn’t tell them about what we were for a long time because of our fear of what might happen. At first, I thought it was because Max and Michael were scared that our parents might turn us into the government or something but now I know that Max isn’t sure that he can keep them safe if they know. You should really think about this before you answer.”

Grace looked at Kate, Jack and Matt. “What do you guys want to do?”

Michael assumed that Jack, like him, would want to know immediately. “You want to know don’t you?” he asked him.

Jack met his double’s eyes and gave him half a smile. “At one time, that was the only thing I wanted…to know what I was and where we came from. Now…I don’t know. Things have changed. We’ve built a life here. We’ve learned to accept that we are different but we’ve also learned to like this life. I can’t imagine leaving it now.”

Kate spoke up. “I want to know but I’ll go with whatever you guys decide. It won’t kill me to never know the truth.”

Matt turned to his sister. “Grace, what do you want?”

Grace was quiet for a long moment but then she glanced around at the other group of people and she made up her mind. “I want to know. I love it here but I don’t think I’d ever be completely comfortable with myself if I didn’t know, especially when I had the chance to learn the truth.”

When Matt had received a slight nod from Jack, he turned back to the younger version of himself sitting across the table. “We want to know.”

Max nodded. “Ok, but like I said, we don’t have all the answers yet.”

For the next hour, Max and the others from Roswell explained their story to Matt and the others from Troy. Grace, Kate, Matt, and Jack shook their heads in disbelief several times. Finally, they asked about where Leslie and Lucas came in and Leslie decided she didn’t want to hear Max explain that they were slaves. She quietly slipped out the door of the hotel room and felt like she could breathe again.

Walking to the edge of the parking lot, she faced northeast and closed her eyes. Trying to contact Megan through the flood of emotions that ran through her made it hard to concentrate. When she finally thought she might have made it through, she saw Megan standing in front of her. Tears flowed down her face.

“Megan, honey, we’re coming. Are you ok?” she asked. She knew that Megan didn’t understand just how dangerous her situation could be and she tried not to upset her.

“Momma, I don’t think Aunt Ava likes me much. She’s always yelling at me and we still haven’t seen my daddy,” Megan told her.

“Honey, are you in a car right now? Are you moving? Tell me where you are, sweetie,” Leslie begged, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. She could feel the connection weaken.

“Yes, we’re…” Megan tried to answer but suddenly she was gone again.

“Megan!!” Leslie yelled, her eyes popping open. Suddenly she felt arms engulf her and she fought them for only a second before she realized they were Alex’s.

“Ssshhh,” he whispered in her ear as she cried against his chest. “It’s going to be ok.” He held her close, rubbing her back and drinking in the scent that was Leslie. He loved her, despite everything and her insistence that he couldn’t, he did.

“Alex, I don’t know what to do with myself. I’m just so tired! I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to her. She’s the one thing about my past, other than Lucas, that I’m proud of…that I want to remember and hold onto. We have to get her back!” she cried. He held her until her tears subsided, consoling her. Finally, she sniffed and pulled back. “Did Max tell them everything?”

“I didn’t hear anything more than you did because I snuck out after you. If you’re asking if he told them about Megan, I don’t know,” Alex answered, brushing some of her hair away from her face.

“I told them what we told Tess,” Max said from behind them. They turned to look at him and he shrugged. “I don’t know why I can’t tell her the truth yet but I can’t. I wasn’t sure if you’d want me to tell the other set about her either. She’s your daughter.”

Leslie stared at Max, looking for what, he didn’t know. After a minute she pulled away from Alex and moved to stand in front of Max. All he had to do was raise his hand and he would be able to touch her. Startled by that thought, he realized that that was exactly what she was trying to show him. This was a sign of trust from her. She cleared her throat and their eyes met. “Max, you don’t seem like the same Xan I knew and yet you do. You have been kind to me and I thank you for that. The truth is that I have no say at all in whatever you want. The fact that you are offering me that say means a lot to me and I thank you for that as well.”

“I told them what you and Lucas are but not how they could activate your programming. I don’t know how many sets there are out there and if we can trust all of them. They were appalled at the thought that you were…are slaves. They agreed with me when I told them that I wanted to eventually free you if it is in my power to do so,” Max told her.

Giving a rueful smile, Leslie snorted. “The truth is, Max, that we don’t know if you have that power or not. The more sets of you show up, the less likely it is that you are the real Xan…the real king.” Leslie’s voice grew louder and her next words felt almost like a slap to Max, although he wouldn’t have been able to explain why. “The truth is that Matt has a right to know about Megan because she might be just as much his daughter as she is yours.”

Alex placed a hand on her shoulder and she seemed to lose all strength and she closed her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for that to come out like that. I have no right to talk to anyone like that, most especially you. I’m just worried about my daughter and confused by everything that’s happened.”

Max nodded. “You’re right though. Matt should know about Megan. I’ll pull him aside and tell him about her. It seems that the more answers we think we get, the more questions just keep popping up.”

Alex kind of laughed at that. “Maybe we should stop asking questions. I don’t know how many more ‘answers’ we can take.”

They all three chuckled at that and Max met Leslie’s eyes again. “I promise we’ll be on the road again soon. I know Megan is in danger and we will get her back safe and sound.”

Leslie gave Max a small smile and said softly to him, “Thank you.”

Alex couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy at their familiar warmth. When he cleared his throat, the other two broke eye contact. Leslie pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and his eyes widened. The movement was performed just like Liz. Now he really felt awkward. Trying to distract Max, he asked, “So what did you learn about the other set?”

Max shook his head as if coming out of a trance or something. “They really don’t know anything about themselves at all. Everything we told them came as a complete surprise. They did say that their skills seemed to work themselves out when they needed them, but I don’t think that’s been very often since they didn’t know about a couple that we already know about. Leslie, I don’t suppose that you and Lucas could help us remember what all abilities we have?”

Leslie looked toward the ground. “Max, you’ve been pretty up front and honest with Lucas and I so I’m not going to lie to you. I know that we can unlock your memories for you…if you are the real Xan and if you want them.”

Frowning, Max’s voice took on a frustrated edge. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner? We could probably have all the answers to all of our questions with our memories.”

When Leslie closed her eyes and swallowed, Alex guessed the answer. “Because in order to restore their memories, you have to complete the awakening of your programming.”

She nodded. “And because we were afraid that if you remembered everything, then you’ll remember why you couldn’t free us. Forgive me, Your Majesty, I shouldn’t have withheld that information from you,” she said to the ground.

Max sighed. “It might have been helpful to know that, but I don’t want to do that unless we have to. I do understand. Please don’t call me ‘your majesty’. Keep calling me Max. We’re friends, Leslie. I don’t care what we were on Antar.”

Thanks so much to Craig for editing this part for me! You're an awesome Aussie! LOL!

Against My Programming

Part 43 – “Warning! Danger, Will Robinson!”

Four women of about the same age were gathered in a booth at the back of the Crashdown Café, sipping on coffee and various flavors of shakes. Evelyn Whitman kept shaking her head. “I just can’t believe that Alex would do something like this! Where could they have disappeared to? I invited Leslie into our home! I thought she was a good girl; it has to be her influence that’s responsible for this,” she said, upset and confused by her apparent lack of good judgment.

Amy snorted. “Don’t put Alex’s disappearance all on Leslie. I haven’t met her yet, but I know that Maria and that Michael character can get into some real mischief when they’re together.”

“I hate to say it, but I seriously think that all of this is Max’s doing and that means it must be my fault somehow,” Diane said woefully on the verge of tears.

Nancy put an arm around her shoulders. “Diane, why would you think this is your fault in any way? These kids are all old enough to know better.”

The other mothers nodded in agreement but Diane sniffed in disbelief. “Nancy, I know that your Liz was a good girl before she met Max and quite honestly I always thought that Max was a good boy, but ever since they hooked up, Max has…changed somehow. He disappears sometimes by himself. Isabel tries to cover for him but I know that something’s going on with him. I’m scared that he’s pulling her away from me too. I just can’t seem to reach him! Maybe if I was a better mother…maybe if I were his real mother…maybe if I could find his real mother and he could talk to her then maybe he could find whatever he’s looking for that Phillip and I can’t seem to give him.” She burst into tears at this and Nancy squeezed her shoulders.

“We need to find out what’s going on before something happens to one of them that can’t be fixed,” Nancy said emphatically.

“And how do you suggest we do that?” Amy asked. “We don’t even know where they are!”

“Diane, who legally owns Max’s jeep?”

Diane sniffed and wiped away at the tears on her face. “Um, I think it’s in Phillip’s name. Insurance would have been sky-high if we had put it in Max’s name with him being a teenage boy and all.”

Nancy got a knowing smile on her face and turned to Amy. “And the Jetta that Maria’s probably driving?”

“It’s in my name,” Amy answered, not understanding where Nancy was going with this.

“Did you get a hold of the Sheriff, Amy?” Evelyn asked. “You did say that his son and that Tess girl he took in were missing too right?”

Amy shook her head. “No, his line was busy when I tried to call it before but I could try again.”

“Yes, Amy, I think you should try again and when you talk to him I think we each have a couple of cars to report stolen that we would like tracked down,” Nancy said and she saw that Amy quickly understood.

“Jim will be happy to help, I’m sure, especially when he learns that his son is involved,” Amy agreed and pulled out her cell phone.

Diane and Evelyn looked shocked. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? I haven’t even tried to call Alex’s cell phone yet. What if there is a perfectly good explanation for all of this?” Evelyn asked.

Nancy waved her hand toward her. “Please, by all means try to call him. And, Diane, if you haven’t tried your children, you should try calling them too. I certainly don’t want the kids to have the excuse that we didn’t give them a chance to explain.”

Amy sat holding her phone while the other two mothers tried calling their children. Alex’s phone simply rang and rang and then went to voicemail. Max and Isabel’s phones did the same. Finally, they hung up and looked to Nancy. Coming to a decision, Evelyn put her phone away. “Amy, call Sheriff Valenti.”

* * * * * * * * * * *

The group that filled a small hotel room in Troy, Illinois was suddenly disturbed by the ringing of a cell phone. Alex looked in his pocket and pulled it out. His eyes grew wide and he looked at Max and Leslie and the rest of his friends. “It’s my mom! What do I do?”

Michael’s gruffness only betrayed his fear to those who knew him best. “There’s no need to panic, Whitman. Just don’t answer it right now. We’ll figure out what to tell her and then call her later.”

Max nodded his agreement. “Yeah, that’s probably the best plan.”

When his cell phone started ringing and he looked down at the screen to find that it was his mom calling, he tried to swallow his rising fear down as well. When he didn’t answer and then Isabel’s phone started ringing, he looked at her questioningly. She looked at the number and then at her brother.

“Mom,” he said more than asked.

“Yeah…what do we do, Max?”

“We deal with one thing at a time. We don’t know what to tell our parents yet so we’ll deal with that problem later,” he answered simply, sounding more confident than he felt.

“It can’t be a coincidence that both mothers called at the same time. If my mom tried to call my cell, she wouldn’t be able to reach me because I don’t have long distance in my plan,” Liz spoke up.

“So what do you suggest we tell them, Liz?” Tess asked sharply.

“The truth,” Kate butted in.

Tess whirled around to face her double. “Excuse me?”

“You should tell your families the truth. I don’t know what I would have done without my family’s support. They will understand and if they truly love you, they’ll even help,” Kate said.

“She’s right. You can’t do everything alone,” Grace said sympathetically.

“You have no idea what we can accomplish on our own!” Tess practically yelled.

Surprised at the venom in her voice, Matt questioned her response. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Tess grew up without any kind of family. Our protector raised her and now he’s dead. She doesn’t know what it’s like to have parents or brothers or sisters,” Isabel said, feeling sorry for the shorter blonde.

“Look, I don’t mean to interrupt everything and change subjects but we really need to get back on the road to New York,” Lucas spoke up.

Max looked back to Matt. “Meeting you has brought up so many questions. I’m not sure that everything I’ve learned about us so far applies to me…to us anymore.”

“What are you trying to say, Maxwell?” Michael asked.

“I mean, how do we know that we are the real royal four? Leslie brought it up to me and I have to agree. We’ve always somehow known that the four of us were on the ship that crashed in 1947 and that we just aren’t like anyone else but we didn’t know who we were. Don’t you think that the real royal four would know? Meeting this group makes me think that there were several groups that were sent down to Earth…why? I would think that the oldest group alive would be the true royal four. That makes more sense than us teens being the royals,” Max said, not sure if he was wishing for that to be true or not.

Several members of their group were upset by his words. “We didn’t know who we were either,” Grace pointed out.

“Are you just trying to free yourself of any responsibility?” Lucas asked.

“I can tell you that we aren’t the royal four,” Kate put in.

Everyone was talking at once until Max and Matt had them settled down again. Liz was the voice of reason again. “Max, I know that that might seem logical but at the same time, that can be true. Why would Nicholas and Khivar come after you, Isabel, Michael, and Tess if you weren’t the real royal four?”

“Maybe they aren’t sure who the real royal four are either,” Max suggested.

“But we haven’t run across any other copies of us yet and we are your age, not either of the other two sets. You did say you thought that the New York set was a bit older didn’t you?” Leslie asked.

“And what about that seal thing you mentioned?” Isabel asked.

“What seal?” Lucas asked.

Max hesitated only a moment before answering. “When I went to that meeting in New York, there was a man there, Rath called him an emissary, to see if I could pass some kind of test. He put his hand to the back of my head and all of a sudden these bright glowing lights kind of flew out of my head and formed a pattern of the ‘v’ constellation. Rath called it a seal…said it had been ‘stenciled’ on my brain. I didn’t really get much of a chance to question him about it.”

“Do you think we all have something like that?” Isabel asked.

Her brother shrugged. Tess was the one who surprised everyone by answering. “I don’t think so, Isabel. Lonnie had told Max that he had to see the emissary to pass a test, the seal, and when I questioned her about the test, she said that I didn’t have to pass one, just Max. I guess only Max, the real king, would have that seal.”

“All the royal children are quickly given some kind of identifying mark immediately after they are born so that if ever anything were to happen to them, say someone tried to kidnap them or switch them out with an imposter, then it could be proven which was which. I can only imagine that Xan’s mark was this seal. Vilondra would have one too; I don’t know what it might be,” Leslie disagreed with Tess.

“But Michael and I wouldn’t necessarily have something like that because we weren’t born into royalty, right?” Tess clarified.

Lucas and Leslie both shrugged. “We were slaves, remember? We weren’t given all the insider info,” Lucas answered.

“How do I find out if I have one of those thingies or where it is?” Isabel asked.

Lucas cleared his throat. “I know what Vilondra’s mark was and where it was. I would rather not say in front of all these people without knowing for sure that Max is the real king and if he says it’s ok.”

Max looked at him and Leslie. “I don’t know how to access that seal. The two of you would have to probably touch me to get to it and I don’t want that since it will affect your awakenings and none of the others know what it looked like.”

Leslie studied him for a moment and then closed her eyes. “I think that anyone that you trust would be able to access it. I would suggest letting Michael try.”

Michael’s eyes widened as Max agreed to have him try. “I’m only good at blowing things up! I don’t want to blow your brains out, Maxwell.”

Max stood up and walked over to where his friend was standing. “I trust you, Michael; you are the only brother I’ve ever known. I know in my heart that what Leslie is suggesting is the best idea.”

“Why don’t you let Isabel try?” Michael protested.

“I have the feeling that for some reason it can’t be Isabel. I’m asking you, Michael. I trust you. Just don’t remember all the times you’ve been mad at me and we’ll both be fine,” Max joked. Looking back at Lucas, he made another decision. “I trust these people. If this works, I think we should try to see if Matt has a copy of the seal or just me.”

After several more minutes of convincing, Michael finally agreed to try. He took a deep breath and expelled it forcefully through his mouth and raised his hand to the back of his friend’s head. “Ok, here goes nothing,” he said. He closed his eyes and thought about what Max had described the seal to be like. Suddenly, he felt something kind of twinge the edges of his memory and there were gasps heard from all around the room. Opening his eyes, Michael watched as 5 bright lights blasted out of Max’s forehead and circled around in what looked to be thin clouds of space. Finally, they formed what looked like a “v” of stars and glowed brightly before disappearing as if they had never appeared in the first place.

“Wow! That was pretty cool!” Maria said. She kissed Michael’s cheek. “I’m so proud of you!”

“Maria!” he scolded, embarrassed by her affection in front of all these people. He gave her a small smile, however, showing that he too was pleased with the way things had happened. “I’m just glad I didn’t blow my friend up.”

“Me too,” Max joked. Then he looked at Lucas and then to Isabel. “Michael, I think you’ll also have to access Isabel’s mark or seal or whatever it’s called.”

“Why couldn’t you try to access it?” Michael asked.

“For some reason, I have a feeling that because we’re family Isabel and I wouldn’t be able to access each other’s identifying marks. Someone who is a trusted and loyal friend to the royal house should be able to, however.” When everyone stared at Max in surprise, he shrugged. “I don’t know why that came to me but it did. I might be wrong but it feels right.”

“I think you might be right, Max. Michael, you try to pull out my seal thingy or whatever. What is it and where is it, Lucas?” Isabel asked.

Lucas looked around at all of the faces for a moment and then slightly bowed his head to Isabel. “Princess Vilondra’s seal was…I guess the closest English translation is the word that Rath used, ‘stenciled’ or maybe ‘engraved’, on her heart. It is a copy of her mother’s favorite flower. I don’t know what they might be called…maybe fire flowers. They were the redder than the richest red you can think of, with four pointed petals and another four petals layered on top of the first four…kind of like a lotus flower look, and there is a stem like thing that comes out of the middle, like a hibiscus. The reason I call it a fire flower because at night it glowed like flames of fire. Queen Larina always loved them and when Vilondra was born, the queen thought her daughter as beautiful as that flower.”

When he finished, Isabel had tears in her eyes. Her mother, her real mother loved her. She turned to Michael and nodded. “Well, you heard him; now you know what to search for.”

Michael came over to Isabel and looked at the area on the left side of her chest, where her heart lay. She took off the long-sleeved, button-up shirt that she was wearing as an over shirt over a black tank top. Nodding to give her permission to proceed, Michael then lifted his hand and placed it on the left side of her chest, closed his eyes and concentrated. Suddenly his hand glowed and, opening his eyes, Michael removed his hand to reveal a red glowing flower inside a heart. It glowed brightly for several moments before fading away as if it had never been there.

“Try it out on Matt now,” Max said. Then he realized that Matt had not given his permission and he turned to him. “That is, if it’s alright with you.”

Matt studied Michael for a moment and then looked at his brother-in-law, Jack. They were so much alike. Finally, he nodded. “Yeah, I just hope that trying to access something that might not be there won’t kill me.”

A look of horror was reflected on many of the girls’ faces and Grace and Kate immediately started protesting. “No, Matt, there’s no need to do this!” Grace said.

“Yeah, it’s obvious that Max is the real Xan, not you. There’s no reason to put yourself at risk,” Kate said.

Tess looked at her and realized that Kate had no ambitions to be any sort of queen and she felt relief and a bit of loneliness. Then she thought of Ava and she realized that she was just being true to her nature. She was born to rule as queen of Antar and if this nobody who looked like her wasn’t going to get in her way, she had no problems with her.

Matt shook his head. “I have to know for myself. I hope you guys understand.” Then he turned to Michael. “I’m ready.”

Michael tried to repeat the same process that he had done with Max but nothing happened. When he tried again and nothing happened, Max spoke up. “I think that’s enough, Michael. It’s obvious it’s not going to work. Maybe Jack should try, just in case it’s you and not Matt.”

Jack tried to copy what Michael had done but when nothing happened, Matt declared the test over for him. Grace agreed to let both Michael and Jack try to see if she had the same mark as Isabel but again nothing happened with her either. After only a few more moments of trying and discussing it, Max finally admitted that it looked like they were the real royal four. He also said that they needed to get back on the road to New York.

Jack and Michael shook hands. Grace and Kate hugged the other girls, and Matt and Max shook hands as well. “We can’t go with you since our lives are here and we don’t want to attract attention to any of you or us,” Matt told Max. “But if you ever need us, don’t hesitate to call. We’ll help in any way we can and you will always have a place to stay if you need to here. Please keep in touch and let us know what you learn.”

“We will,” Max promised. “If nothing else, you deserve to know why there are more sets of us.”

Matt got a thoughtful look on his face and then shook his head. “I’ll tell you the truth, Max. I’m not sure I want to know the reason there are multiple sets. I’d hate to think that we’re defective. I like us as we are, and I admit that it took me a long time to get to that point.” He grinned. “And even longer to get Jack to that point.”

Max grinned back and looked over at Michael. “I know what you mean.”

As the group from Roswell started piling in cars to head back for the highway, Max took Leslie aside. “If you want to you can still tell Matt about Megan. I just thought that there wasn’t any need to tell him anymore since it looks like I’m the real king.”

Leslie looked at where Matt was standing absentmindedly holding Kate’s hand and she shook her head. “No, you made the right decision. There’s no need for him to know about her now.” She climbed in the car next to Alex.

Just as Max was about to climb into the car, Kate came up to him. She smiled and shyly brushed some hair on his forehead to the side. “You look so much like him. I can tell that you have a good heart like him too.” When he didn’t say anything, she leaned closer to him. “That’s why I think I should warn you. Matt doesn’t know this but for a long time, I had a lot of ambitions that would come up in my heart and mind. My family, mom especially, helped me to overcome it but I used to use people to try to get things that I wanted. I even tried to sabotage one of Matt’s relationships in high school because I felt like he should be mine. We had a rough time for a while but I’ve learned…um I guess new patterns of behavior.”

Max looked confused. “Why are you telling me this? It’s really none of my business.”

Kate continued to smile at him so as to keep up appearances to the others but Max noticed that it was more forced and her next words were spoken with assurance and sent a cold chill up his back. “I’m telling you this because I see that earlier version of myself in Tess. Matt and I are happy and I’m happy with my life here but Tess was raised differently from me. You pointed that out earlier and it scares me for your safety. I hate to say this of someone who in many ways could be me, but…” she lowered her voice to a whisper, “I don’t trust her. Be careful, Max Evans. Tess could betray you for power.”

Max shivered inside and looked into her eyes. Knowing that she was serious, he couldn’t help but ask. “How can you be sure that she would?”

“Because at one time, if you had come along with all these stories of me being a queen when I was younger and still trying to figure out who I was to be, I would have betrayed you or even Matt,” she answered, tears filling her eyes. “It hurts me to have to admit that but I’m doing it for you. Watch your back.”

Kate walked away from him at that and over to her husband, who immediately enveloped her into his arms. Everyone waved as the three-car-caravan pulled out of the hotel parking lot and headed on to their original destination.

Everyone was quiet in all three cars, lost in their own thoughts. Max couldn’t keep his fear completely in check from Kate’s words. The words, her tone, and the truth of them shining in her eyes haunted him.

Because at one time, if you had come along with these stories of me being a queen…I would have betrayed you or even Matt…Watch your back.”

Against My Programming

Part 44 – “Meanwhile…”

Ava pulled into the next gas station to fill up the car. They weren’t far from the border of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She was getting close and she couldn’t help feeling a little nervous. This was it; there was no turning back now. This was her big chance to go home. Swallowing, she closed her eyes against the fear that rose up in her throat and then she shook her head in determination. She was going home to be queen. Anyone who tried to get in her way had better watch out.

She got out of the car and opened the door to the gas tank. Placing her hand over the credit card slot on the pump, there was a soft glow and then the pump was ready for her to put gas in the tank. Ava leaned against the car as it was fueling up. Pointedly ignoring all the clearly posted signs around her she lit up a cigarette. She glanced inside the car at the small girl in the booster seat, sleeping soundly. The kid was seriously getting on her nerves. How anyone could want one of those was beyond her. She was just lucky that she had never let herself get pregnant.

Pulling out the cell phone she had in her pocket, she quickly dialed a number and waited for someone to pick up on the other end. “Yo, Ava, where is ya?” came Lonnie’s voice.

Blowing smoke out of her nose and mouth, she thought carefully about her answer. “Closa than I was the last time we talked. I wanna know what you got up your sleeve, Lon. Whatchya thinkin’?”

Lonnie took a moment to think over her options. She knew that one of the two queens would have to go back to Antar, but honestly she could care less which one it was. She just wanted to be sure that she was going. Choosing her words carefully, she answered with, “I’m thinkin’ that I know what cards Tess is claiming she holds, but I don’t know what you think you got. You wanna fill me in?”

“Why should I tell you what I got? I know I got enough to get me home and that’s all you need to know. I also know you was right about no one trusting just me if I’m backin’ Khivar. If you guys want in, I’m ok with that, but nobody’s leavin’ me behind. Don’t think I don’t know that as long as Khivar had you and Rath that I’m not necessarily needed. The problem is Khivar needs a bit more than that, doesn’t he? I might have the answer. Now, like I said, I’m willing to bring you two in on the deal, but I ain’t revealing nothin’ until I’m face to face with Nicholas or Khivar. You got that?” Ava said clearly and calmly.

“Yeah, I got it. Now just to show ya I’m on your side, I think you should know Tess is comin’ this way with the real royal four, or maybe I should say three, as well as the Luinwe,” Lonnie answered back just as calmly.

“That’s only because they’re coming afta what I’ve got. Now I ain’t telling you anything else right now. I’m gonna call Nicholas to set up a time and place to meet up and I’ll call yous guys back,” Ava told her and without waiting for a reply, hung up the phone.

Seeing that the tank was full, she quickly replaced the pump and climbed in the car. Dialing another number on the cell phone, she pulled out of the station and back onto the road. A young male voice answered on the fourth ring. “Nicholas, this is Ava. I’ll be in the city in a coupla hours. Where do you wanna meet and how can I guarantee that you’ll give me a real chance to go home?”

“Nice to hear from you, Ava. There are no guarantees except that you know Khivar will be bringing either you or Tess back to Antar, not both. Who is ultimately chosen is up to him. However, your chances will go up if I can vouch for you. Now, what is it you are bringing to him and how is it that Tess is claiming to be bringing the Luinwe with her when you told me they were coming with you?” Nicholas explained.

Ava’s eyes narrowed to slits as she thought about his words. “Those royals and the Luinwe are following me. Just because Tess is along with them for the ride don’t mean she’s bringing them to ya. They wouldn’t be comin’ out hea if it weren’t for what I got. As for what it is, you’re just gonna have to wait and find out. Now where and when d’you want to meet up?”

Heaving a dramatic sigh, Nicholas sounded disappointed when he answered. “The warehouse where the supposed summit meeting took place. Midnight tonight. Do not be late or stand us up. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, I got it. I’ll be there,” she spat out, hanging up.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Jim Valenti looked at the caller ID before answering his phone, but he had a smile on his face when he answered. “Hello? This is Jim Valenti.”

“Hi, Jim. It’s Amy,” came the reply.

“Amy! What a nice surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure of hearing from you today?” he asked.

“Actually, I just wanted to know if you were working today or if we could meet up and talk.” Amy winked across the table at Nancy, who simply smiled and nodded back at her.

“Well, now, I have a couple of vacation days I probably need to take before it gets too much later in the year. After all, it is after Thanksgiving. What did you have in mind?” he asked, unable to keep from grinning at the thought that Amy had called with the invitation.

“Hold on a sec, Jim,” Amy answered, putting him on hold. “Got him. Where do you want to meet? Here?”

Nancy looked thoughtfully out the window for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, ask him to meet you here for coffee or something. I have a feeling he might know more than the rest of us, but that’s just a hunch. He might be very grateful at the knowledge that his son is missing…along with that Tess girl.”

Amy made the arrangements and the mothers sat talking quietly while waiting for the Sheriff to arrive. Amy moved to another table so it wouldn’t look like she was trying to ambush him, although that’s exactly what it felt like she was doing. Every time the bells on the door jingled, she jumped and looked nervously to the door. Finally, just as she had started to calm down, he walked in and spotted her immediately. A slow, warm smile stretched across Jim’s face as he made his way to the booth where she was sitting.

Taking off his hat as he sat across from her, he sat it on the seat beside him. “Well, now this was certainly an unexpected treat.”

Before she could think about it, Amy blurted the first thing that came to her mind. “Maria is missing!” Well, so much for subtlety. This was just one more reminder of where Maria got her tongue.

Jim froze for a moment, but then recovered himself and cleared his throat, his smile only slightly fading. “Missing? What exactly do you mean she’s missing?” he asked.

“Jim, she’s not in school today, and I found her bag in her room. I’ve tried calling her phone, but she didn’t answer. It went straight to voicemail. I thought she might have been here with Liz but…”

“Liz has disappeared too,” Nancy finished from beside their table.

His brain scrambled to keep his discomfort from making itself visible on his face, but he really had to pull out his poker face when he noticed Evelyn Whitman and Diane Evans come up behind Nancy. “So are Alex, Max, Isabel, and Michael Guerrin,” Nancy told him.

“Jim, do you know where Kyle and Tess are?” Amy asked, gaining strength from the support of the other women standing there. “We think they might all be together.”

Without allowing his demeanor to change much at all, Jim smiled at the ladies. “They had better be in school or they’re going to be in a lot of trouble!”

“They aren’t. Nancy and I were at the school earlier and found out that all of our kids are missing,” Amy informed him.

Trying to dismiss the feeling he had been ambushed, Jim smiled at each of the ladies in turn. “Well, lots of kids skip school nowadays. I know I did a couple of times in high school. Just because they decided to blow off school doesn’t mean they’re missing.”

Nancy looked at the clock on the wall. “I guess there’s still a little over an hour before they’re supposed to be home. Maybe you would care to wait with us here to see if Liz comes home? By the way, I called her cell phone, and I got a message that says she’s out of range for the call. Our plan covers all of New Mexico, Sheriff.”

Again, Jim downplayed her words. “Well, it’s not that far to the state lines, Mrs. Parker. I’m sure the kids are fine. Let me try to call Kyle and see if I can find out where they are.”

He stood up, excused himself, walked over to a barstool and sat down. Dialing his son’s cell number, he wracked his brain for something to tell these worried mothers. He understood why they were upset, but he really didn’t know what he should tell them. He prayed Kyle wouldn’t pick up, and he’d have some time to think of something. His prayers were answered when, after the fourth ring, it rolled over to voicemail.

Turning back to the four mothers, he smiled again. “Voicemail,” he told them. “Listen, why don’t you all go home and wait for the kids. If they don’t come home by dinner time, you can call me and we’ll talk about what to do then.” He started to walk to the door, but Amy stood in front of him, blocking his exit.

“Why don’t you stay, Jim? I know Maria is supposed to be working here tonight right after school, so we can wait and see if she shows up together. That way we can have that cup of coffee and maybe some pie together,” she suggested firmly.

“Yes, that’s right, and that way you can also be here in case Liz doesn’t show up. The pie and coffee would even be on the house for your trouble,” Nancy told him with a smile that made the Sheriff swallow.

“How could I refuse such a warm invitation?” he said. Sitting back down in the booth, Jim swallowed again and tugged on his collar. He was in some serious trouble unless he could think fast.

* * * * * * * * * *

The gang had left Troy, Illinois just over two hours ago and ended up stopping for a quick break. Since they were making good time, they all felt it would be ok. Max had set up a kind of radar detector using the low gas alarm on the three vehicles, so they felt easier to go as fast as they felt comfortable and had made excellent time.

Kyle had left his phone in the car when they had stopped again for gas and a bathroom break…hopefully, the last one before hitting New York. When he got back in the car with Tess and picked it up, he noticed his dad had tried to call him. Hitting the call button, he waited for his father to pick up on the other end.

“Valenti,” came his dad’s voice.

“Dad, you tried to call me?” he asked.

“Hansen! Yes, I know…I’m still at the Crashdown,” Jim said, giving a smile to the mothers who were watching him since his phone rang.

Kyle held the phone away from his ear so he could look at it, giving his dad a look like he had lost his mind…as if he could see it. “Dad, what are you talking about? Hansen? This is Kyle.”

“Hold on just a sec, Hansen,” Jim said, placing a hand over the mouth piece of his phone he gave the women a warm smile again. “Excuse me just a minute, ladies. Police business.” He walked just outside the door and down to the corner of the building so Amy, Nancy, Diane, and Evelyn could still see him, but far enough so he would be able to end the call before any of them could hear anything if they came out looking for him.

“Dad? What’s going on? Why are you calling me Hansen?” Kyle asked.

“Kyle, listen, we’ve got a bit of a situation. Everyone’s mother is here and is worried about their missing kids. I don’t know what to tell them! They’re talking about filing missing persons reports.”

“Wait, I’m confused. Who’s there? What mothers are you talking about?” Kyle tried to concentrate on his driving and on what his dad was saying. He could feel Tess’s eyes on him, but he didn’t look at her.

“Amy DeLuca, Nancy Parker, Diane Evans, and Evelyn Whitman are all here at the Crashdown, and they called me because they figured you all must be together. They want me to do something, and I can’t blame them, but I need to know what Max wants me to do,” Jim explained as quickly as he could. He didn’t want anyone to come out looking for him.

“Oh, crap! Um, well, I’m in my car with Tess. Max has his phone on, and he’ll answer when he sees it’s you calling.”

Jim shook his head. “It would be better if he called me. I can cover who I’m talking to better if he calls than if I do any dialing. They might try to listen in on my call. Just call Max, tell him to wait 5 minutes and then call me back, and explain why I might call him Hansen. I can tell the women here it’s just the Deputy calling me back.”

“Ok, dad, I’ll call Max and have him call you. Dad…I’m glad you already know. I sure wouldn’t want to be in all the hot water the others will be,” Kyle admitted.

“I’m glad I know too, son…for lots of different reasons. You be careful. And Kyle?”

“Yeah, dad?”

“I love you, son,” Jim said, feeling it was important for his son to hear that right now.

“I know, I love you too, dad.” Kyle quickly hung up the phone and dialed Max’s phone before Tess could ask him anything. He explained what was happening at the Crashdown as quickly as he could to a very quiet Max on the other end of the line. “So, Max, what do you want to do?”

Max took a deep breath in and looked over at his sister who was currently driving. “I’ll call your dad back and handle it, Kyle. Thanks for telling me.” He hung up with his friend and closed his eyes for a minute. He really didn’t know what to do about all the mothers in Roswell. He suddenly felt very tired.

“What’s going on, Max?” Isabel asked.

“Our mother, Liz’s mom, Alex’s mom, and Maria’s are all over at the Crashdown, and they have the Sheriff backed into a corner about us all disappearing. They think we’re all together. I have to call the Sheriff back because he wants to know what to do,” Max said flatly.

Isabel wanted to ask him what he was going to do but a quick glance at his face made her stop. She knew he didn’t really know what to do and he was thinking. She knew what she hoped would happen, but also knew that Max had a lot on his shoulders as well as his mind. When she saw him slowly dial the Sheriff’s number she bit her tongue to keep from saying anything.

“Sheriff, this is Max. Can you talk?” Max asked after Jim had picked up on the third ring.

“Yeah, Max, I told them that it was Hansen calling me back and stepped outside. I guess Kyle told you what was going on.”

“Yeah, he told me. So are all four of them still there?”

“Yup, and every last one of them looks like they would throw themselves on my car to stop me from leaving before they got any kind of answers,” Jim sighed. “So what do you want me to do here, Max? I even heard Nancy Parker talking about filing a stolen vehicle report on the Jetta and the Jeep.”

Max closed his eyes for a moment and unbidden memories of the time of the grease fire in the kitchen at home came to him. He remembered the Sheriff investigating him and how he had caught him talking to his mother. He remembered the questions his mother had asked…how hurt she had been that he wouldn’t answer those questions. Diane’s words came back to him from the park that day. “Max, nothing you are could ever turn me away from you. I mean I love you and you’re my son. Do you understand that...Why can’t you just tell me your secret?”

He couldn’t tell her because of his fear…fear that she would turn on him…fear that she wouldn’t love him anymore…fear that she would be afraid of him, of what he was. But even bigger than that was the fear that if she knew, he wouldn’t be able to protect her from what he was and what that could mean for her and dad. That was the fear that had really kept him from telling them the truth. He knew in his heart now that Diane would always accept him for who and what he was in the end, but he couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to either her or dad because of his alien status. But now things had changed.

“Max? You still there?” the Sheriff’s voice broke through his thoughts.

“Yeah, I’m still here. Listen, Jim, I trust you and your judgment on this,” Max told him, not realizing he had called the older man by his first name.

Jim wasn’t sure what Max was telling him. “Max, I’m not sure I understand.”

“I mean, I trust you. You tell them and do whatever you feel you have to. Just make sure you tell me later what happened,” Max explained coming to a decision.

Jim understood what Max was giving him permission to do. He hoped he could live up to the trust he had been given. “I understand, Max, and I know no matter what happens it’ll be ok.”

Max thanked the Sheriff and hung up. Looking over at Isabel, he knew that she had understood his meaning as well. “Max, do you realize what you just told him?” she asked.

“Yeah, I do, Isabel. Matt, Kate, Grace and Jack helped me to see that maybe we need mom to know now. I know we could probably use all the support we can get.” Glancing in the back seat, Max met Alex’s eyes. “Do you think your mom will understand and be ok with this?”

Alex didn’t answer while he thought about it and Max was grateful he wanted to give an honest answer. Finally, Alex blew out a deep breath and shrugged. “Honestly, I know my dad would be fine with it. He’s always been a real sci-fi nut…nothing over the top like Milton was, but he always told me he thought it would be cool to meet a real alien. Mom, though…she’s never really expressed an opinion either way. I think she’ll be ok with it when, and if, she finds out you saved Liz’s life. She may be a little shocked and overwhelmed at first, but I think she’ll truly be ok with it. I think it’s Amy you should worry most about. You know how much she freaks out at the little stuff…I can’t imagine what she’ll do about this!”

Sighing, Max leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. “I hope I did the right thing and that the Sheriff will be able to handle all of them by himself.”

Isabel squeezed his hand for a moment. “I’m sure it’ll all work out…it just has to.” Max heard the tremor in her voice, and he didn’t like it.


Spoiler: Next part, Ava introduces Megan to Lonnie and Rath. Max decides to keep something from Michael. And a group meeting to discuss their goal when they confront the others.

Against My Programming

A/N: We’re going to be leaving the whole parent situation in limbo for a little while so we can finally see some real action. I hope you enjoy! Remember that all feedback is appreciated.

Edited to add the spoiler, 11/23.

Part 45 – “Back in the Big Apple”

Ava took Megan’s hand and practically dragged her toward the abandoned building. Megan suddenly was feeling a gnawing deep in her stomach that something wasn’t right. “Ava, why are we at this ‘bandoned building? I thought we were going to see my daddy,” she asked.

Trying to keep her patience, Ava knelt before the little girl. “Listen, kid, your daddy is either meeting us in that building or is sending someone he knows to meet us. You stay behind me and hold my hand until I tell you it’s ok to come out or let go. You undastand?” When Megan nodded, Ava resumed pulling her to the building.

As they made their way inside, Ava heard a noise from just in front of the door to the stairs she was going to head up. “Who’s dat?” she called.

Lonnie and Rath stepped from the shadows. “It’s just us, Ava. Meetin’ you hea like you told us,” Rath answered. Lonnie shot him a look that told him that she wanted to be the one handling this situation. He was a little irritated by the look but knew better than to let that show.

“Aight, you’re hea. Now we go upstairs and meet with the little prince, and maybe even Khivar himself. Let’s go,” Ava told them, starting toward the door.

Lonnie stepped in front of her. “Not so fast, dearie. We gotta know what the plan is. I ain’t going in there blind and lookin’ like an idiot. Whatchya got?”

Ava stood there and debated for a minute before realizing that Rath was trying to see around her. Finally, she decided that she was safe enough in revealing what she had brought to the table as long as she didn’t let it go. “Aight, kid, come on around me. Meet my friends, Lonnie and Rath.”

Megan peeked around Ava’s legs and came around, clutching Ava’s hand as tightly as Ava was clutching hers. She didn’t let on that she remembered those names being spoken in the palace by her mother, her uncle and several others who thought her simply an orphan that F-L had chosen to take care of. As soon as she saw these people who Ava called her “friends”, she knew she was in danger. Something was definitely wrong. The three older ones ignored her as they talked about what would happen upstairs and who she was. Megan silently and without any movements to attract attention, tried to contact her mother again. This time, Ava wasn’t paying attention and she got through.

Unable to say anything without giving away what she was doing, Megan simply showed her mother the scene before her and imagined the front of the building so that hopefully, Leslie would be able to find her. She sent a silent plea for help to her mother and an equally silent apology for running off with Ava like she had.

Ava jerked on her arm, bringing her out of the connection. “Hey, kid. We’re ready to go upstairs. Stick close to me, aight?”

* * * * * * * * * * *

Leslie felt herself pulled mentally somewhere else. She had been trying to talk with Alex about his life growing up when she, through no fault of hers, tuned him out. Suddenly, she was outside a building that looked like it had been closed down for years. Then, just as suddenly, she was inside the building, standing and looking up at three people who looked very familiar. It was Ava, Lonnie and Rath. She heard them talking.

“Who’s dat?” Rath asked.

“The Luinwe’s kid,” Ava answered. She waited for a reaction and she got one.

“If she’s the Luinwe’s kid, who’s her father?” Rath asked again.

“You gotta ask? There are only two possibilities!” Lonnie spat out at him. “Oh, god! You do got the Ace of Spades! I’m definitely in, Ava. You take me wit you, and I’ll support you as queen like nottin’ you’ve eva seen.”

Rath still looked a little confused, but he didn’t want to give it away that he didn’t know what was going on. “Me too!” he said, not wanting to be left out. He wanted to go home and if Lonnie thought this was the ticket, he was jumping onto that train.

Ava smiled at them evilly and nodded cockily. “Yeah, I thought you might see it my way. Let’s go. If eitha of you try anything, deal’s off.”

Leslie felt her daughter’s prayer for help and also her plea for forgiveness and her heart clenched as she was suddenly back in the moving car that was just coming into the city limits of New York. She blinked a couple of times and found herself staring into Max’s eyes and she just knew that he had seen the same thing she had…had felt what she had felt. For the first time since Megan had been taken by Ava, Leslie felt relaxed. She smiled at Max, who smiled warmly back at her.

“Les, are you ok?” Alex asked from beside her.

Pulling herself together again, Leslie looked at him and smiled, somewhat nervously. “Sorry, Alex. Megan just contacted me. She showed me the building that Ava has taken her to and Ava introduced her to Rath and Lonnie. They’re supposed to be meeting Nicholas there…maybe even Khivar.”

Alex looked puzzled by her tone. She seemed awfully calm by this revelation. “Um, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful for the fact that you are calm about this but…I don’t understand. Why is it that now you are more calm than at any other time since Ava took Megan? I mean, isn’t this just what you were afraid would happen?”

Leslie nodded. “Yes, but now Megan is afraid. Her fear is a good thing. She left with Ava of her own free will and she thought she could trust her. Now she doesn’t.” Seeing that Alex still didn’t understand, she explained further. “Her fear will cause her to instinctively protect herself. She doesn’t know this yet, can’t really understand it yet, but she is a very powerful little girl. She’ll be fine until we can get to her and get her back.”

“Oh,” Alex answered to that. He still wasn’t sure he entirely understood but Max seemed a little calmer too. Noticing that, he realized something and looked into the other guy’s eyes. “You saw what she saw didn’t you? Megan contacted you too?”

Max nodded slightly. “Yes, I saw it too. I don’t know if Megan meant to contact me or if just the fact that I know about her now makes me more in tune with her or what but I did see it.” He looked from Alex to his sister. “Isabel, we need to pull over somewhere. We need to talk with the others and it shouldn’t be by cell phone. We need to have a group meeting.”

Isabel glanced over at him. “Michael’s gonna flip about the parent situation,” she told him.

“That’s why we’re not going to tell him about it yet,” Max answered firmly.

“But, Max, do you know how mad he’ll be if we keep this from him?”

“We’re not going to keep it from him forever, Isabel. Look, right now we don’t really know all we can do with our powers but we’re about to go face at least four people who have the same powers we do and know more how to use them. We’re going to need everyone’s attention focused right here, without distractions. Once this is over and we’re headed home, then we can worry about what’s going on back in Roswell,” Max reasoned.

Nodding her head, Isabel pulled the jeep into the parking lot of the next shopping strip. Looking in the rearview mirror, she saw the Jetta and Mustang do the same. Everyone piled out of the cars and Isabel’s eyes automatically sought out Lucas’s. When their eyes met, his enchanting green ones darkened ever so slightly and he nodded to her slightly. She wasn’t sure what it was supposed to mean but she had a feeling that it was a nod simply of respect…he was still treating her like a princess. She felt a little disappointed at the thought.

As they all formed a tight circle, Kyle and Tess came up to Max. “Did you decide what to do about the situation at home? What did you tell my dad?” Kyle asked quietly.

“I’m letting him handle it the way he needs to. I don’t want anyone else to know what’s going on right now. Got it?”

Kyle and Tess nodded. “Understood, el capitan.”

“Ok, Maxwell, why did we stop?” Michael asked. He was tired of this road trip and now that they were so close to their goal, he hated stopping for a little pow-wow.

“Because we need a plan. We’re about to face Ava, Lonnie, Rath, Nicholas, and maybe even Khivar, and we know very little about our powers. I can’t remember exactly where the building is where they are. Do you, Tess?” the leader asked.

Tess shook her head. “No, I don’t,” she answered honestly. “But maybe I can try to access my memory for a street name or something. It might take a minute.” She decided she would try to contact Lonnie or even Nicholas to find out where the building was. Before she could try, however, Lucas spoke up.

“You don’t have to. Leslie and I can feel Megan and we can find her. You could probably feel her too, Max, if you stop and concentrate on it. Maybe even Isabel could feel her.”

Tess was confused about that. Something didn’t make sense. “Why would any of you be able to feel her, especially Max and Isabel? They’ve never even met her,” she asked.

Max was the one who spoke up at that. The others were grateful that he did; they didn’t have a clue as to what to tell her. Trying to keep one of their group in the dark about anything was a bit stressful and hard to keep up with. “Leslie and Lucas have been telling us about some of our abilities. This is one of them,” he answered cryptically.

“Ok, I think that the humans should stay here,” Tess suggested. “No offense to you guys but you’ll only slow us down and there is a real possibility of you getting hurt.”

Everyone started talking at once over that. Maria, Liz, Alex, and Kyle all were protesting loudly and Michael was arguing that Tess had a valid point. Lucas and Leslie studied Tess for a couple of minutes, trying to ascertain her motives. Max finally got everyone calmed down.

“That’s not an entirely bad suggestion, Tess,” he agreed.

“No way! There is no way you are leaving us out here in New York when we might be able to help. I know we don’t have any powers like you do, but maybe, if nothing else, we might be able to provide a diversion when you need one,” Maria protested.

“Or maybe we can get Megan out of there while you guys handle the others,” Liz suggested.

Leslie studied Liz a moment. “Max, what is your relationship with Liz?” she asked, her eyes never leaving the petite brunette.

“What? Why does that matter?” Max asked.

“You saved her life. Does she mean something to you?”

“Yes, I care about her,” Max answered carefully. He still loved Liz but he wasn’t sure he would ever trust her completely again.

“She needs to go with us. She’s changing because of you and she might end up being helpful if we need her,” Leslie told him vaguely. She had to get the whole story behind whatever was happening between the two of them but that would have to wait. She had an idea that Liz would become really important soon.

Max studied the group around him. He trusted these people with his life, with the exception of maybe Tess. The jury was still out on that one. He looked at Kyle, the guy he had considered his rival for so long. He had a lot of respect for Kyle and truly liked the football player. The only reason he had any reservations at all toward him was the fact that Liz had slept with him. “Kyle, I promised your father that I would protect you…that you would go home alive and in one piece. Are you sure you want to go in there with us? This isn’t really your fight, you know.”

Kyle met his eyes and raised his chin. “You saved my life too, Evans. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you and I owe you that. Don’t think that means that I see this as an obligation. I’m grateful to you and I think that you all are the good guys. I want to help.”

Max nodded. “Alright. Here’s the plan. We go in with all humans staying behind the rest of us. Liz, Alex, Kyle, and Maria…your mission is to get Megan out of that building. We will handle the rest. Michael, Isabel, Lucas, Tess, Leslie, we are all going to cover the humans and fight, if we have to, to get Megan and get out of there safely. I want to be very clear about this and I want you to hear me and understand me…we are not going in there to fight these people. I think the odds aren’t in our favor. If we have to fight them to get Megan out of there, fine. But under no circumstances is anyone to try anything stupid. I want all of us to get out of there alive. When we have time to learn more about ourselves and how to fight our enemies, then we’ll deal with everything else. Our mission today is to get Megan and get home...alive. Is that understood?”

Everyone nodded in agreement, including Michael. Max made sure that all of them were nodding and took a deep breath. Turning to Lucas and Leslie, he held out his keys. “Since Leslie and Lucas can feel Megan and can find her, they’ll drive the Jeep and the Jetta. Kyle, you and Tess continue to follow us.” Again, everyone nodded, and he nodded too. “Ok, let’s do this.”

Leslie took the keys from Maria to drive the Jetta and left Lucas to drive the Jeep. Max, Isabel and Liz piled into the Jeep with Lucas. Michael fought Maria for the front seat of the Jetta, arguing that he needed to see any danger coming. Maria finally gave in and climbed into the back behind him. Alex and Leslie walked around the driver’s side, but before Leslie could open the door, Alex pulled her into his arms.

“Les, how did Max see Megan and that stuff you did?” he asked searching her eyes.

“Alex, he’s her father and he’s also the king. Max doesn’t realize his full potential yet. He is a very powerful person,” she answered, somewhat confused. What was bothering him? She decided to ask him about it directly. “Alex, what’s on your mind? What’s troubling you?”

He sighed and wouldn’t meet her eyes. Finally, he got up the courage and found the words to voice his fears. “I’m afraid of losing you, Leslie. You…you seem to change the more time you spend around Max. It’s like…I don’t know…it’s like you are developing this connection with him. I know that you said you loved him on Antar…”

Placing a finger over his lips, she silenced him. “Alex, this is a legitimate fear only because technically, I belong to Xan…Max. I love you, Alex. I love who I am when I’m with you. For the first time, ever, I feel like I know who I am and that I don’t have to constantly change who I am or what I look like to keep you around…to keep you interested. I am programmed to obey, protect and…take care of Max, but my desire…what I want, is to be with you.” Frustrated, she huffed in an effort to try to make him understand. “You heard Max tell me and Isabel tell Lucas that they are going to try to set us free. I believe them right now. I don’t know if it will happen, but whatever happens, Alex, I need you to know that if I had…if I get the choice, I will choose you…every time.”

He held her tight and kissed her briefly. Michael beeping the horn cut their conversation short. Squeezing her again and giving her a reassuring smile, he hugged her tight again and then opened the door for her. Alex only prayed that she would get the choice…that she could be free to be whoever she chose…even if she didn’t want to be with him later.

Spoiler: Next part, Lucas does something kind of drastic in hopes of bettering the odds against the bunch in New York. The Roswellians enter the abandoned building and find something...and someone rather unexpected.

Ok, I'm back with part 46! I hope you all will like it. I will be out of town most of next week so it will be at least 2 weeks before I get part 47 to you but I'll try to make sure it won't be any longer than that. Feedback will help me work on getting to a computer faster! Anyway, Enjoy!

Beth

Against My Programming

Part 46 – “The First Confrontation”

The three vehicles pulled into the parking lot of the abandoned building and climbed out, staring up at the structure. “This is it,” Lucas announced to everyone. Before they could do anything or say anything, he spoke again. “Tess, Michael, could you two come stand here for a minute?” he asked, pointing to a spot in front of him.

They both looked a little wary and glanced to Max, who nodded to them. He trusted Lucas. One glance at Leslie, however, showed that she had no idea what her brother was up to. As Michael and Tess moved to stand in front of him and he reached out his hands, though, her confusion turned to fear and she yelled, “No, Lucas, don’t!!”

But it was too late, there was a brilliant flash of light that radiated up Lucas’s arms and joined and grew to encompass he entire being. His eyes lost focus. The glow only lasted a second and then it was gone, leaving a stark white Lucas staring into space. Suddenly, a string of words flew from his mouth. No one understood them but Leslie, although Isabel, Tess, Michael and Max all thought they sounded familiar.

“What is he saying?” Max asked Leslie. “What’s happening?”

“He’s awakening part of his programming,” she moaned. “The words are simply a recognition of who Michael and Tess are and who he is and belongs to…in the ancient Antarian tongue.”

As soon as it had started, it seemed to have finished and Lucas was left slumped on the ground, panting. His color returned gradually and Leslie rushed to his side. “You stupid idiot!” she said, but her tone betrayed that her words were chosen out of fear. “What do you think you were doing? Why did you do that?”

He smiled weakly at her for a moment before he gained more strength and smiled at her fully. “We need all the help we can get. I know that we have more access to our full powers if we awaken the programming so I decided to open it part way. I think it worked; I feel stronger.” She gave him a look that told him he was about to get a good scolding but he held up his hand to ward it off. “Hey, I knew better than to try to touch either Max or Isabel.”

“So you touched us, knowing that it costs you your freedom a little more every time you touch any of us, to be able to save us if you need to?” Michael asked. He admitted to himself that he was impressed. He didn’t know if he would have done the same had the roles been reversed.

Lucas rolled his eyes at that. “Hey, we’re going in there to save a little girl. Don’t think I did that just to save your ass.” He grinned to show he was needling the other alien to lighten everyone’s mood.

Michael smirked. “Yeah, right. I know you’re just trying to get into my ex-wife’s pants,” he joked back.

“EW! This is so not the time for this!” Isabel told them.

Leslie helped her brother to stand up. Tess looked confused. “What just happened here?” she asked, moving closer to the siblings. Before anyone could stop her, she reached out her hand to the pair in a gesture seemingly of concern.

“NO!” Alex, Isabel, Maria, Liz and Max all screamed at her but it was too late.

Tess knew exactly what she was doing when she reached out and touched Leslie’s shoulder, but she made sure to make it look like she was reaching out in concern. As soon as her hand made contact with Leslie’s shoulder, the previous scene repeated itself and Leslie was the one to collapse to the ground. Alex rushed to her side immediately, with Lucas on the other side.

“You weren’t supposed to touch her!” Alex yelled at Tess. She widened her eyes and shook her head…seemingly not knowing how to respond to his words. Turning his attention completely to Leslie, he wrapped an arm around her waist. Helping her stand, he noticed her hair change back to the warm rich brown with red highlights, in spite of the jet black coloring she had put over it. He couldn’t begin to imagine what that might mean. “Les, you ok?”

Her eyes finally coming into focus and meeting his, she smiled. “I actually feel great…despite the fact that my programming is almost complete.”

Alex swallowed visibly. “You’ve touched how many of them now?”

Looking away sadly, Leslie’s eyes darted from Liz to Michael to Isabel and finally settled on Max. “Max is the only one left.” Everyone was quiet at the implications. Kyle was quiet out of confusion. “At least I’ll have the power to rescue Megan.”

“I don’t understand. Remember Tess and I are trying to play catch up here!” Kyle finally spoke up.

“We don’t have time to explain everything right now,” Max said quietly. “Those displays might have been seen from miles away. Anyone could be looking out a window or been on the street and saw those bright lights. We need to get inside, get Megan and get out of here.”

Everyone knew he was right. They looked back up at the building, took a deep breath and started for the door. Max was in the lead with Michael right behind him followed by Isabel, Lucas, Leslie, Tess, Kyle, Alex, Maria and finally Liz brought up the rear. Not knowing what to expect, Max turned back to the others and held up a finger to his lips. They all nodded in understanding and he looked around the floor they had entered on.

“Where do we go from here?” Michael whispered to him.

“Upstairs,” Max answered cryptically. When Michael gave him a look that screamed “duh” he shrugged and then pointed to the door to the nearest stairwell. “I won’t know exactly what floor until I reach it. I know it’s not the second one. When we were here before, they were up on the fourth floor but that doesn’t mean anything.”

Michael nodded and they started for the stairway. As Max turned the knob he pulled the door open and it squeaked loudly. Everyone froze and looked at each other, terrified. Max waited a couple of minutes to see if anyone would come out at the noise. When nothing happened, he placed his hands briefly to each of the hinges on the door and pulled on it again. This time it opened silently.

Everyone followed Max up the stairs. They were made out of concrete and Maria was trying very hard not to make any noise, but she was wearing her black clogs and it was very difficult. Michael kept glaring at her from above on the stairwell. She would glare right back, daring him to say anything. Finally, after the third stop to make sure no one had heard her clacking on the concrete floor and the third glare from Michael, Maria decided to remove them. She had removed the first one when Isabel noticed what she was doing and shook her head at her. The blonde alien whispered something to Max and Michael. Max nodded and Michael simply folded his arms across his chest and tapped his foot silently and impatiently.

Isabel silently made her way past the others back to Maria. “Here, hand them to me,” she whispered, holding out her hands.

Maria eyed her suspiciously. “What are you going to do? I love these shoes.”

“Relax, I’m only going to give them quieter soles. Remind me later and I’ll fix them back,” Isabel told her.

As soon as Maria had her shoes back on, Isabel moved back up to the others. Maria looked up at Michael and stuck out her tongue. He simply glared at her and shook his head. Women!

When Isabel had taken her place again, they proceeded up to the third floor. Max stopped at the door and listened, his ear pressed against the metal door. When he didn’t feel or hear anything, he moved back to the stairs and went up to the next floor. The fourth floor didn’t feel right either. Everyone was starting to pant a little from the exertion of going up five flights of stairs and were relieved when Max pulled away from the door, pointed to it and nodded. This was it!

Before he opened it, however, he turned back again. Looking pointedly at Kyle, Alex, Maria and Liz, he pointed to his head. Then he moved his hand to his side, palm flat to the floor to indicate a small kid, and then he jerked his thumb over his shoulder. His message was clear to them. He was reminding them of their job. Get Megan and get out. They nodded and he placed his hand over the hinges of this door as well.

The entire group held their breath as Max stepped through the door cautiously, looking all around to see if the coast was clear. It was so dark! He couldn’t see very far at all, despite the full moon outside and the emergency lights. He moved quickly out of the doorway so as to allow the others in, knowing it would be easy to take them out if they took the time to come in one at a time. The others filed in quickly and spread out just far enough to allow everyone a little breathing space. They then turned to Max for his lead as to what to do next.

The thing was Max had no idea what to do next. He was saved the trouble of deciding when a voice greeted them from the dark. “Welcome, Max Evans…welcome, all of you.” It was a male voice that sounded oddly familiar. “We’ve been expecting you, and it is nice that you haven’t disappointed us.”

Max stiffened his back and had his hand loosely at his side, ready to throw up his shield if they should need it. “Who’s there? Show yourself!” he called, his voice echoing off the concrete walls.

There was a mirthless chuckle and suddenly the outline of a man’s form appeared in the shadows. Still it was impossible to make out any features of his face. “I’m hurt. Surely I haven’t been gone that long!”

Just as the man stepped into the emergency lighting, Michael gasped. “It’s Nesedo!”

As Nesedo indeed appeared before them, Isabel spoke aloud everyone’s shock. “Oh my god! You’re supposed to be dead!”

“I can’t believe you are still calling me by that ridiculous earth name!” he told them. Then he smiled evilly. “Yes, it’s me. Did you miss me?”

“Of course I missed you,” Tess answered. “I haven’t heard from you in forever! Where have you been?”

“With me, of course, Tess,” came a younger male voice and suddenly Nicholas stepped into the light. “What have you brought us? I have to tell you that Ava’s offering was quite a happy surprise.”

All eyes turned to Tess. “Tess, what is he talking about? You brought something?” Kyle asked.

But Leslie and Lucas saw exactly what was going on. They weren’t the only ones. “You told him you were bringing us, didn’t you?” Max’s voice echoed clearly.

Kyle’s eyes went wide and he shook his head in disbelief. “No! Tess, tell me what Max is saying isn’t true. You aren’t with those two are you?”

Tess looked from one face to the other of the small group that had surrounded her for far longer than she wanted. Disbelief, outrage, anger, fear, and hatred were the expressions that stared back at her. Her eyes finally met Kyle’s and he thought that he had never seen her eyes look colder. “Silly, human! You’ll never understand things that are so far above your head,” she told him. With her words, she moved to stand beside Nicholas and Nesedo, though not too close.

“Tess, how could you? My dad and I took you into our home! We trusted you…I trusted you!” Kyle spat out.

“Enough!” came a booming voice in the shadows.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and suddenly a bright glow lit up what appeared to have once been a large corner office. The light grew out, kind of like a bubble, to fill the room and everyone shielded their eyes from the brightness. When they blinked again, the light had receded so that there was only a glow bright enough to light the floor they were on. A man who appeared to be in his early to mid-thirties and dressed completely in black with jet black hair walked towards them.

“Max, who is that?” Maria asked, quiet as a mouse.

“Khivar,” Max answered instinctively.

The man laughed. “Well, I’m relieved at the fact that you recognize me…despite this body I’m borrowing. How have you been, cousin?”

“Where’s Megan? What have you done with her?” Leslie asked desperately.

Completely black eyes met hers and Khivar gave her a smile that sent shivers of fear down her back. “It is so nice to see you again, F-L. I hope that in your transition to life on this primitive planet hasn’t made you forget the promise I made to you,” he told her, his words sliding off his tongue like oil.

“She asked you a question!” Michael ground out through clenched teeth.

“Very well, I’ll show you exactly where I have…not only Megan but also someone else you might be very interested in meeting,” Khivar said. He walked over to the nearest window that was covered by painting tarps to keep out a draft since the glass was all broken out. He yanked the tarps away to reveal a crane and a wrecking ball. There were two people hanging on the huge pieces of equipment. Hanging from the hook on the end of the crane was Megan, her feet dangling and her hands tied above her head. Leslie was somewhat relieved to see that at least she had a blindfold on.

On the wrecking ball was tied a young woman with long blonde hair that fell in waves down her back. She, unfortunately for her, did not have a blindfold on. The ball turned slightly and she saw all of them inside the building. “Help me, please!!” came her hoarse cry.

Khivar held up his hand toward her dramatically. “Everyone…may I have the pleasure of introducing Miss Serena Wilkerson, the only member left of her set and…” he paused expectantly like some sort of sick game show host, “the next version of Avaloane in line for the throne. She has no idea of her past life, of course, but…” Khivar let the sentence hang with a shrug.

All eyes went wide with the group from Roswell, including Tess’s. “Oh my god, Max, it’s another Tess!” Liz whispered, moving to his side. Her eyes met frightened crystal blue ones and she knew in that moment that this was the Serena that “Future Max” had told her about. The thought frightened her for she had no idea what that meant for them now.


Spoiler: In the next part, you get what you voted for! The parents are told something from Jim.

I'm baaaccccckkkk! LoL! I just wanted to post the new part. I don't really know when I'll get the next part out as I'm only about half done with it and it feels like I'm trying to get too much into it so... I'll try to get it finished and off to the beta by next week so that you'll only have to wait 2 weeks for an update but I can't promise anything. Thanks!

Beth

Against My Programming

A/N: I want to thank everyone who voted in the poll. It wasn’t even close! LOL! I felt that now, since it would be leaving you hanging on the others in New York, would be the perfect time to see just what happens when Jim finally figures out something to tell the parents. Will he try to tell them all the truth? Will he come up with a believable lie? Read on and find out.

Part 47 – “Jim Valenti vs. the Parents”

Jim took long sips of his iced tea, wishing to heaven it was something much stronger. What he was about to do could go one of several ways, and he wondered what his odds were. He watched the last of the paying customers in the small café pay their bill, with Nancy giving them a smile and a “thank you”. He saw the headlights of an SUV pull into the parking lot and into a spot. He watched as Phillip Evans moved towards the door. The man walked like a lawyer.

Looking back around the small café, he glanced over to where Evelyn and Charles Whitman were eating foods with alien names. His eyes moved from there to the small table near by where Amy DeLuca and Diane Evans sat, eating salads…also with alien names.

The bells above the door jingled as Phillip entered and Nancy came up to him. “Thanks for coming, Phillip. Here, let me take your coat. Please feel free to order anything you like…on the house.” He thanked her and she locked the front door and turned the sign so that the “closed” side was facing the outside world. She then pulled down the shades over the windows. Jim watched her movements, swallowing in nervousness. This was it.

Phillip had taken a seat next to his wife and Nancy walked over to where they were. “What’ll you have, Phillip?” she asked him.

“I’ve already had dinner, but I will have a piece of the Men in Blackberry pie, please. Thanks, Nancy,” he answered.

As she moved to the counter and dished a generous slice of the pie onto a plate, she called back to the kitchen. “Jeff, everyone’s here whenever you’re ready!”

“Nancy, we can wait until we can get everything cleaned up around here. It’s not going to change what I have to say,” Jim told her, trying to delay the inevitable.

Jeff appeared from the other side of the swinging kitchen door. “No need, Sheriff! I’ve been cleaning up while we were waiting and the only thing left to clean up is the remnants of what everyone’s eating in here. That and stacking the chairs is all that’s left.” He moved to sit on a stool at the counter next to Nancy.

Nancy gave Jim a knowing smile. “Jim, there’s no more waiting or beating around the bush. We want to know what’s going on with our children and you promised to tell us. Please, tell us so that we can help them and protect them from whatever is plaguing them.”

Jim looked into her pleading eyes, and then into each of the parents’ eyes around him. Sighing, he closed his own eyes and ran a hand down his face and then rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not really sure how to say this or how to start. You might think I’m crazy…like everyone thought my father was…but it’s the truth. I swear that no matter what you all think about what I’m about to tell you I’m going to protect those kids, even if that means I have to protect them from you.”

“Us? Why in the world would you have to protect our children from us?” Phillip Evans asked.

As Jim struggled for the right words, Amy stood up and came over to him. Placing a hand on his, she smiled at him and took a seat next to him. “Whatever it is, Jim, you should just say it. You’re making us more nervous the longer it takes.”

He nodded and looked to Diane. He figured that if he could convince just one of them he wasn’t crazy then he would have them all convinced quickly enough. “Mrs. Evans…” He frowned at the formal name and started again. “Diane, do you remember the grease fire you had and Max saved you?”

“Yes, of course I remember. I also remember that you seemed to be extremely interested in my son, Sheriff,” she answered.

“You all can call me Jim because this secret is going to bond us together or drive us apart pretty quickly,” he told them. Noticing that Phillip was about to start interrogating him, he turned back to Diane. “Do you remember me telling you about the shooting in the Crashdown and that Max and Michael were both here that day?”

“What does one thing have to do with the other?” Jeff Parker asked.

“Liz was shot that day. Max saved her life. I knew something was up and started investigating him, trying to…well, I’m not entirely sure what I was trying to do…but Max also saved Kyle’s life when I accidentally shot him,” Jim was rattling all of this off in one breath and the others were looking at each other like he had clearly lost his mind.

“Jim, what are you talking about? When did you accidentally shoot Kyle?” Amy asked in that way people do when they think you’re insane.

Not really thinking about how his words were coming out, Jim answered automatically. “When Agent Pierce from the Special Unit of the FBI came to Roswell and posed as my new deputy.” He looked around, finally realizing the way things were sounding.

“Um, Jim, I think you had better start at the beginning here,” Charles spoke up.

Taking another deep breath, Jim stood up and started pacing. “Ok, that day in September, Liz got shot. Max rushed over to her and healed her.”

Nancy interrupted. “What do you mean he healed her?”

Diane spoke her thoughts aloud, startling herself and those around her. “Like the bird in the park.” When everyone looked at her questioningly, she explained. “When Phillip was out of town and we had that grease fire and Max…and Max saved me,” she stumbled over the words, “the Sheriff, Jim, brought over a pamphlet on fire safety and pointed out the section on grease fires. It said you aren’t supposed to put water on a grease fire because water will make the fire spread, but that’s what Max said he did when he saved me. He said he took a pot of water I had boiling on the stove and poured it on the fire. Jim had asked me a bunch of questions and later showed me the report of the shooting here. He told me that a couple of people thought they saw Max heal Liz. It made me remember when we took Isabel and Max to the park to feed the pigeons for the first time. I pulled out the video tape of it and watched it again and again because Max had found one of the pigeons on the ground and it wasn’t moving. I told him to leave it alone, but he picked it up, held it for a minute, and then suddenly, he let it go and it flew away. When I confronted Max about it, he got really panicked and accused me of investigating him. He flew out of the house, scared.”

Phillip took his wife’s hand. “Why didn’t you tell me about this? What happened after that? How did he explain it all?”

She shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant as tears started to fill her eyes. “He came to see me at the park and told me he loved me. I told him that maybe we should help him find his real parents…that maybe you and I just weren’t enough for him. He told me he didn’t want me to ever think that and begged me just to trust him. I haven’t said a word about it since.” Looking back up at the Sheriff, she met his eyes. “What is the secret my son has kept from us that he chose to share with you?” the hurt was clear in her voice.

Jim swallowed, his throat feeling dry. “He’s only been trying to protect you.” Swallowing again, he decided to just come out with it. “Max, Isabel, Tess, and Michael…they’re all…well, they aren’t from around here. They’re…they’re aliens.” He looked at all the faces in the room. Most were blank, uncomprehending.

Suddenly, Jeff burst out laughing and Phillip quickly joined him. Nancy looked at both of them and tried to join them but somehow it didn’t come out naturally. Charles and Evelyn looked like they weren’t sure how to react and Diane just paled a bit, not moving at all. Amy looked around at the others and started laughing too. She hit Jim on the arm.

“What a great joke, Jim!” she said between laughs.

“Yeah, for a minute you really had me going that you really believe those kids are aliens!” Jeff added.

Jim didn’t say anything, just watched Diane for her reaction. She didn’t disappoint him. Through all the laughter, he heard her words. “You aren’t kidding, are you? They really are aliens, aren’t they?”

The Sheriff nodded at her and suddenly all the laughter stopped. Nancy got angry. “Jim, this isn’t funny anymore. Where are our kids?”

“They are on their way to New York to rescue Megan from their enemies,” he answered quickly.

As everyone started talking at once, Diane was the one who finally got everyone’s attention. “Please! Please, let’s just calm down!” She turned to the Sheriff and nodded. “Jim, please tell us everything you know.” Turning to the others, she instructed them, “and let’s not interrupt him or ask him questions until we’ve heard the whole story, ok?”

So Jim began with the day of the shooting in the Crashdown and told them everything that he knew. He realized there were a few things he still didn’t know, but he held nothing back from the parents. When he was done, there was complete silence in the café. No one moved for what seemed like an eternity.

“My son is an alien?” Phillip whispered.

“Isabel too,” Diane reminded him. She looked up at the Sheriff. “Why didn’t they ever feel like they could tell us? Did they not trust us?” She was hurt and also afraid that she and Phillip really hadn’t been enough for her children.

Jim shook his head. “I’m not sure I can answer that accurately. I know that Max thought the more people who knew the secret, the more people were in danger. I also know Isabel and he have argued on more than one occasion because she wanted to tell you.”

Charles had a goofy grin on his face, and Jim couldn’t help but notice it was the same one that Alex often wore. “My son met and is friends with aliens! That is so cool!”

Evelyn stood up and turned on her husband. “This is not cool, Charles! Jim has told us that these kids…these aliens have been in trouble with the FBI and have enemies who want to kill them! I don’t want to see anything happen to Alex. Do you?”

Jim stood up. “Evelyn, they are good kids. They are on the right side and Alex knows that. He’s helping them because of the good things he grew up with…things you taught him. He believes in their cause and he happens to be in love with Leslie. If you love him, you’ll really think about this and about what you want to happen. I’d hate to see them leave because any of us wouldn’t accept them for who and what they were.”

Jeff shook his head. “My little girl almost died! Max Evans saved her. I always knew he seemed like a decent kid but now…” he swallowed back tears that threatened to spill at the thought of losing Liz, “now I know he’s a good kid. They’re welcome here any time and I’ll be sure to tell them so.”

Jim nodded, relieved that at least one parent seemed to understand and accept them. He looked at Amy for her reaction. “My daughter is dating an alien.” She sighed. “Well, at least now I understand more why Michael is the way he is and why Maria is always sticking up for him.”

“Diane, Phillip, how do you both feel about all this?” Jim asked them. He knew Max would want to know when he called, not to mention Isabel’s fears.

Diane looked to her husband, knowing already what she wanted and would do. He looked into her eyes and, taking her hand in his, he turned back to the Sheriff. “Max and Isabel are our kids…no matter what they are or who they used to be. We’ll always love them.”

Evelyn shook her head and wrung her hands. “I can’t believe you all are so calm about all of this! We don’t know what these people were like in their last lives. What if they remember and they really are the bad guys? How do we know for sure that Lucas and Leslie didn’t kill their parents themselves? You all don’t know what it’s like to lose a child…someone you gave birth to and started to raise and have it snatched away from you when they have so much more growing and learning to do…” she stopped suddenly, realizing she had said more than she intended. She suddenly looked to her husband and burst into tears. “Oh, Charles!”

Charles immediately moved to his wife and enfolded her in his arms, rocking her and murmuring words of comfort. At the confused and surprised expressions on everyone’s faces, he explained quietly why Evelyn had said what she had. “We had a daughter in between Josh and Alex. She was almost three when Alex was born and she died when she fell down the stairs. We moved here to try to escape the memories of it in our old house in Phoenix.”

“She was my baby girl! Alex was crying and there was a horrible crash from Josh’s room and I left her in her room playing to go see what was wrong. Charles was at work. I had only left her alone for a second! I heard a horrible scream from her, several bumps and then a sickening thud. Then there was complete silence. I rushed to the stairs and I saw…I saw her body all twisted up at the bottom of the stairs,” Evelyn sobbed.

Every mother in the room felt her heart twist in pain at Evelyn’s words, recognizing the feel of a confession in them. Diane stepped toward her. “It’s not your fault, Evelyn. Accidents happen. You couldn’t watch all three of them constantly by yourself.”

Shaking her head sadly, Evelyn gave a wry smile. “I should have realized that though. If I had recognized my limitations sooner, my little angel would still be with me…she’d be in her first year of college instead of lying in a grave in Phoenix.” Suddenly, she turned angry and pulled away from her husband a little bit to stand on her own. “I will not go through that again. I don’t care who is on what side in whatever war these kids are fighting. I will protect Alex from whoever I need to, even if that means protecting him from himself.”

Jim shook his head. “You might not have a choice in that Evelyn. Alex has made his decision, has taken his stand. He has chosen to stand with Max. If you try to stand against him, you’ll loose him too.”

Charles put a hand on his wife’s arm. “He’s right, Evie. We raised Alex to stand up for what he believes, to fight for what he thinks is right. I wouldn’t want him to be any other way. That’s one of the things I love most about him. He’s a good kid.”

“Besides, we don’t even know for sure that Alex or any of the others need to be protected from each other. After all, if Max was able to save Liz and Kyle, he could certainly protect the others,” Nancy pointed out. “Let’s just call the kids and tell them that we’re on their side and will do whatever we need to in order to help them.”

“That’s just what we’re going to do,” Phillip agreed, pulling out his cell phone and starting to dial Max’s number.

Jim stood up and shook his hand at him. “No, no! Now is probably not a good time to do that. We should wait until they call us. I don’t want to interrupt whatever is going on and distract them from their rescue mission.”

“You make it sound like they were going into battle,” Jeff observed.

Looking him in the eyes, Jim answered him with deadly seriousness. “That’s exactly what they’re doing.”


Spoiler: Next part, we go back to the Roswellians in New York. Ava doesn't like the deal she's given and...